ARTICLE XLVI. AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT, never before publif'd, of the Life and Trial of MICHAEL SERVETUS. In Several Letters to ****. By the Au thor of thefe Memoirs. Letter V. SIR; I Have already informed you, that the Magiftrates of Geneva ordered Calvin to extract feveral Propofitions out of Servetus's Book, entituled Chriftianifmi Reftitutio. Pursuant to that Order Calvin went immediately about it, and reduced thofe Propofitions to XXXVIII Articles. The Title prefixed to them runs thus. "Sententiæ, vel Propofitiones, excerptæ "ex Libris Michaelis Serveti, quas Miniftri Ecclefiæ "Genevenfis partim impias, & in Deum blafphemas; partim profanis erroribus & deliriis refertas "effe afferunt; omnes vero a Verbo Dei & Ortho"doxæ Ecclefiæ confenfu prorfus alienas ". 66 Thofe Propofitions have been printed among Calvin's Theological Tracts; and therefore, Sir, I need not give you an Account of them. I fhall only obferve The Fourth Letter may be feen above, Art. XXXVI. ferve that Calvin might have left out fome, that are far from being fo heretical as others. Servetus answered thofe Articles; and his Anfwer may be feen likewife among the Tracts above-mentioned. It begins thus. "Eam fibi jam authoritatem arrogat Calvinus, ut inftar Magiftrorum Sor"bonicorum Articulos fcribat, & quidem pro fua "libidine damnet, nullam penitus ex Sacris adducens rationem. Mentem meam ipfe aut plane non "intelligit, aut callide alio detorquet. Unde cogor fcopum meum totum hic paucis proponere, ac pro me rationes adducere, antequam fingulis ejus Arti culis refpondeam. 66 66 Scopus meus totus fuit quod nomen hoc Filius "in facris literis proprie tribuatur homini filio, idque femper, ficut eidem proprie femper tribuitur nomen Jefus, & nomen Chriftus. Ad hujus pro"bationem adduxi omnes Scripturæ locos, in quibus "ponitur ea vox Filius, quæ femper fumitur pro "homine filio. Nullum dico in Evangeliis poffe in"veniri locum, in quo ponatur ea vox Filius, quæ non accipiatur pro homine filio. Si igitur Scrip tura ita femper accipit, ita & nos femper accipere oportet. "Secundam Perfonam in Deitate dixi olim dictam "Perfonam, eo quod effet Perfonalis Repræfentatio "hominis Jefu Chrifti, hypoftatice jam olim in Deo "fubfiftentis, ac in ipfa Deitate vifibiliter relucentis. Quia vero hæc Perfonæ ratio eft Calvino incognita, " & quia inde res fere tota pendet, locos hic ex antiquis "Eccletia Doctoribus adducam", Here Servetus quotes feveral Paffages out of Tertul lian, St. Irenæus, and the Recognitions falfly afcribed to St. Clement; and then adds: In ipfo cum primis titulo mirari fubit hominis "impudentiam, qui fe Orthodoxuni prædicet, cum "fit Simonis, Magi difcipulus (Servetus meant that "Calvin was a zealous Affertor of the Doctrine of Predeftination) ut in Apologia mea jam evidenter "oftendi. Quis Orthodoxum dicat Miniftrum Ec clefiæ, accufatorem criminalem & homicidam ? I fhould have been guilty of a great Omiffion, had I not inferted this Pallage of Servetus, fince it contains the Subftance of his Herefy, delivered in his own Words. He proceeds, in the next place, to an fwer the feveral Articles of Calvin; for which I re fer you, Sir, to the Book abovementioned. Servetus's Answer was very fhort. Calvin made a Reply, confifting of twenty four Pages in Folio, written in a pretty large Letter, and intituled: Brevis Refutatio errorum & impietatum Michaelis Serveti a Miniftris Ecclefiæ Genevenfis magnifico Senatui, ficuti juli fuerant, oblata. That Reply is written with great Art, and plainly Thews that Calvin was a Man of excellent Parts. He concludes that Piece with thefe Words. "Quifquis ergo vere & prudenter reputabit, hunc illi (Serveto) fcopum fuiffe, agnofcet, ut luce fanæ doctrinæ extincta totam religionem everteret " This Accufation appears to me altogether groundless. Whoever undertakes to overthrow all Religion, has no Religi on at all; but the reading of Seruetus's Works, and his whole Conduct, are fufficient to convince any one, that he was fully perfuaded of the Truth of the Revelation. He was an Heretick, extremely fond of his new Doctrine; he maintained his Opinions with great Heat; he was very imprudent, and used the It has been inferted among Calvin's Works. See his Confutation of Servetus. the most offenfive Words; he behaved himself like a Madman in his Confinement. Such was the Character of Servetus; but I think it cannot be faid with any fhew of Reason, that he defigned to deftroy all Religion. That Phyfician made no Answer to Calvin's Reply, being contented to write fome Notes in the Margin of that Writing, and to infert feveral injurious Words between the Lines, viz. Mentiris Simo Magus Impoftor. Sycophanta. Nebulo. Perfidus. Impudens. Ridiculus mus. Cacodamon, &c. One of the marginal Notes was expreffed in thefe Words. In caufa tam justa fum conftans, & mortem nihil formido. Calvin's Reply was figned by him, and Thirteen other Divines; which moved Servetus to write the following Words next to their Subfcriptions. Ha ctenus eft fatis conclamatum, & magna fubfcribentium hic furba. Sed quos locos ifti adducunt ad 2< ftatuendum invifibilem illum, & realiter diftinctum "Filium, quem afferunt? Nullos fane adducunt, neč "adducent unquam, Hoc decebat tantos eloquii "divini miniftros, qui & ubique jactant fe nihil velle docere, quod non fit folidis Scripturæ locis demonftratum. At nulli tales loci nunc inveniun folis cla moribus, ratione vero nulla, authoritate nulla ". tur. Improbata eft igitur doctrina men Mi *Valentinus (Gentilis was more prudent than Servetus; for being imprisoned at Geneva, in 1558. for his Heretical Doctrines and profecuted by Calvin, be called that Reformer Eximium Dei Miniftrum & fummum Theologum. Explicat. Perfid Val. Gentil. Among Calvin's Theological Tracts, pag. 923. Ed. Genev. 1576. This Pallage was never before printed. “Michael Servetus fubfcribit, folus hic quidem, "fed qui Chriftum habet Protectorem certif equi fimum At the very fame time Servetus fent a Latin Letter * to Calvin, (I think they are the laft Lines he writ,), wherein he accufes him of not knowing the Principles of Things, of being ignorant of this great Principle, Omnis actio fit per contactum. Laftly, he fays that Calvin maintains without any Reason, that the Law of the Decalogue is ftill in force. 5 Tho' Servetus was a Man of a fiery Temper, I can hardly believe he would have been fo impru dent as to abufe Calvin in the moft fhameful man. ner, whilft he was under Confinement, had he not been advised to it by fome Enemies of that Re former. The Thing appears to me undeniable; and I fhall quote Three Paffages that will put it out of all doubt. 66 66 1. I find thefe Words in a Letter of Calvin to William Farel, dated October 26. Cælar t "comicus (one of the Magiftrates, whom he calls fo) fimulato ulato per triduum morbo, in Curiam tan"dem afcendit, ut fceleratum iftum (Servetum) poena eximeret. Neque enim erubuit petere, ut "cognitio ad ducentos veniret: fine controverfia ta"men damnatus eft ". It appears from this Paf fage that the Magiftrate, called Cafar Comicus by Calvin, was a Friend of Servetus, and ufed his his utmoft Endeavours to fave his Life. 'Tis not improbable that the Council of Two Hundred would have acquitted that Heretick, ta kont This Letter, and others of Calvin, which I shall quete hereafter, have been printed. |