The Pocket Bible or Christian the Printer Part 22

"My dear brothers, I have just traversed the larger portion of France. I have conferred with most of our pastors and friends in order to determine in concert with them the articles of faith of the Evangelical religion, the basis of which was laid by the immortal Luther. If the formula of our common belief is adopted by you, such as it has been adopted by most of our friends, the unity of the reformed church will be an established thing. This is our Credo:[35]

"'We believe and confess that there is one only G.o.d, a sole, spiritual, eternal, invisible, infinite, incomprehensible, immutable essence, who is all-powerful, all-wise, all-good, all-just and all-merciful.'"

"That we believe; that we confess," answered the reformers.

"'We believe and confess,'" continued Calvin, "'that G.o.d manifests Himself as such to man by creation, and by the preservation and guidance of creation; furthermore, by the revelation of His Word, gathered by Moses, and which const.i.tutes what we call Holy Writ, contained in the canonical books of the Old and the New Testament.'"

"That is the Book; the only Book; the Code of good and evil; the instructor of men and of children alike; the divine source of all goodness, all power, all consolation, all hope!" responded the reformers.

"Moses was a disciple of the priests of Memphis. I can well see how he gave out this or that Egyptian dogma, as emanating from divine revelation--but that remains, however, a hypothesis. I do not accept the pretended sacredness of the texts," said Christian Lebrenn, apart; while Calvin continued:

"'We believe and confess that the Word contained in the sacred books, which proceed from G.o.d to man, is the norm of all truth; that it is not allowable for man to change the same in aught; that custom, judgments, edicts, councils and miracles must in no manner be opposed to Holy Writ, but, on the contrary, must be reformed by it.'"

"We want the Word of G.o.d pure and simple. We want it disengaged of all the Romish impostures, that, for centuries, have falsified and perverted it," the reformers replied.

"Here," said Christian, again to himself, "here starts the freedom of inquiry. That is the reason for my adherence to the Reformation." Calvin resumed:

"'We believe and confess that Holy Writ teaches us that the divine essence consists of three persons--the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and that this Trinity is the source of all visible and invisible things. That is our belief.'"

"It is an article of faith with us; it is the foundation of our religion," chorused the reformers, while Christian Lebrenn added, to himself:

"This also belongs to the domain of hypothesis--and of religious absurdities. One more article of faith to be rejected."

"'We believe and confess,'" continued Calvin, "'that man, having been born pure and clean in the image of G.o.d, is, through his own sin, fallen from the grace he had received, and that all the descendants of Adam are tainted with original sin, down to the little children in their mothers'

wombs. That is our belief on these subjects.'"

"We are bound to accept all that is found in the sacred books. The will of the Lord is impenetrable--let it be done in all things. Our reason must humble itself before that which seems incomprehensible," was the response of the reformers.

"Oh, G.o.d of Love and Mercy!" exclaimed Christian Lebrenn, apart. "To proclaim in Thy name that Thy will smites the unborn child even in its mother's womb! Just G.o.d! Thou who knowest all things--past, present and to come--Thou knewest Thy creature, man, who is not but because Thou hast said, Be! was bound to fall into sin. Thou knewest it. Generations upon generations, all guiltless of the sin of the first man, were to undergo the terrible chastis.e.m.e.nt that it has pleased Thee to inflict upon them. Thou knewest it. And yet, Thou art supposed to have said: 'Man, you will fall into sin. The original stain shall mark your children even in their mothers' wombs'! Merciful G.o.d! Pardon the infirmity of my intellect. I cannot believe a father will devote his own children to eternal misery. I cannot believe a father can take pleasure in allowing his children's mind to waver between justice and injustice, especially when he knows beforehand they are fatedly certain to elect iniquity, and when he knows the consequence of their choice will be fearful to themselves and to all their posterity. Just G.o.d! What is the constant aim of the thoughts and efforts of every honorable man, within the limits of his faculties? To give his children such an education as will keep them from the path of vice; an education that may justify him to say: 'My children will be upright men!' And yet, Thou, almighty G.o.d, Thou art supposed to have said: 'I _will_ that the evil inclinations of my children carry the day over the good ones; I _will_ that they become criminals, and that they be forever d.a.m.ned!' Never shall I accept such a doctrine."

John Calvin continued his Credo:

"'We believe and confess that, as a consequence of original sin, man, corrupt of body, blind of mind, and depraved of heart, has lost all virtue, and, although he has still preserved some discernment of right and wrong, falls into darkness when he aspires to understand G.o.d with the aid of his own intelligence and human reason. Finally, although he should have the will to choose between right and wrong, his will being the captive of sin, he is fatedly devoted to wrong, is destined to malediction, and is not free to choose the right but by the grace of G.o.d.'"

"Such," responded the reformers, "is the will of the Lord. We fall into darkness if we strive to understand G.o.d with the aid of our own reason."

"No! No!" Christian said to himself, "G.o.d never said: 'My creatures, instead of loving Me and adoring Me in all the splendor of My glory, shall adore Me in the darkness of their intelligence, dimmed by My will.' No! G.o.d has not said: 'Man, you shall be fatedly devoted to wrong! You shall be for all time a captive of sin! I enclose you within an iron circle from which there is no escape but by My grace!' If G.o.d's omnipotence made man sinful or good, why punish or reward him? Another article of faith to be rejected."

"'We believe and confess,'" Calvin proceeded, "'that Jesus Christ, being G.o.d's wisdom and His eternal Son, clad himself in our flesh to the end of being both G.o.d and man in one person. We wors.h.i.+p Him so entirely in His divinity, that we strip Him of His humanity. We believe and confess that G.o.d, by sending us His Son, wished to show His ineffable goodness toward us, and by delivering Him to death and raising Him from the dead, wished that justice be done and heavenly life be gained for us.'"

"Glory to G.o.d!" cried the reformers. "He has sent us His Son to redeem us with His blood! G.o.d has been crucified for the salvation of man!"

Communing with himself, Christian Lebrenn only said: "Another absurdity laid by Calvin at the door of the G.o.dhead. Can G.o.d condemn man for the pleasure of afterwards redeeming him? O, Christ! Poor carpenter of Nazareth, the friend of the afflicted, the penitent and the disinherited, you do not wrap yourself in an impenetrable cloud. I see your pale and sweet smile encircled by a b.l.o.o.d.y aureola, and bearing a stamp that is truly human. Your divine words are accessible even to the intelligence of children. Your Evangelical morality should and will be the code of all humankind. The chains of the slave will be broken, said you now more than fifteen hundred years ago; and yet, the Pharisees, who call themselves your priests, have, during all these centuries, owned slaves, later serfs, and to-day they count their va.s.sals by the thousands. Love ye one another, said you; and yet, the Pharisees, who call themselves your priests, caused, and to this hour continue to cause, torrents of Christian blood to flow. I do not share the belief of the reformers, but I remain with them body and soul so long as they combat the cruelties, the iniquities and the idolatries of the Roman Church! I remain body and soul with them so long as they devote their lives to the triumph of your doctrine, O, Christ! in the name of equality and human fraternity! In that does the real strength lie, the real power of the Reformation. Of what concern to us are those Mosaic dogmas concerning original sin, the fatedness of evil, the inherent wickedness of man? The Reformation _acts_ valiantly, it _acts_ generously, it _acts_ in a Christian spirit in seeking to restore your Church, O, Christ! to its simplicity and pristine purity by combating the Pope of Rome."

Calvin continued: "'We believe and confess that, thanks to the sacrifice our Lord Jesus Christ offered on the cross, we are reconciled to G.o.d and fit to be held and looked upon as just before Him. Accordingly, we believe that we owe to Jesus Christ our full and perfect deliverance. We believe and confess that, without disparagement of virtues and deserving qualities, we depend upon them for the remission of our sins only through our faith, and the law of Jesus Christ.'"

"The law and faith in Jesus Christ is embraced in that" responded the reformers. "It is our code. The law and faith in Jesus Christ--that means love towards our fellow men; it means equality; it means fraternity; it means revolt against the idolatries, in whose name the greatest malefactors are and believe themselves absolved of their crimes by the purchase of indulgences! Only through faith and the practice of the Evangelical law will our sins be remitted."

"'We believe and confess,'" proceeded Calvin, "'that whereas Jesus Christ has been given us as the only intermediary between us and G.o.d, and since He recommends to us that we withdraw into seclusion in order to address, in private and in His name, our prayers to His Father, all the inventions of men concerning the intercession of martyred saints is but fraud and deception, schemed in order to lead mankind aside from the straight and narrow path. Furthermore, we hold purgatory to be an illusion of the same nature, likewise monastic vows, pilgrimages, the ordinance of celibacy to clergymen, auricular confession, and the ceremonial observance of certain days when a meat diet is forbidden.

Finally we consider illusions the indulgences and other idolatrous practices through which grace and salvation are expected, and we regard them as human inventions calculated to shackle human conscience.'"

"That is the essence of the Reformation," said Christian Lebrenn, apart.

"The reform of action, the militant reform. Hence it is that my dignity as a man, my mind and my heart are with it. It is a long step towards the reign of pure reason, planted upon the freedom of inquiry. The road is cleared. Man is in direct communion and communication with G.o.d through prayer, without the intervention of any church. No more Popes--the incarnation of divine and human autocracy, as Ignatius Loyola understands it! No more dissolute and savage pontiffs, claiming to be Your vicars, O, G.o.d of mercy! No more saints, no more purgatory! Down goes the traffic in indulgences! No more monastic vows--the idle monks shall become honest and industrious citizens! No more priestly celibacy--the pastors shall themselves become heads of families! No more auricular confession--a bar to Ignatius Loyola, whose aim is to take possession of the conscience of mankind by means of the tribunal of penitence; through the conscience of mankind, the soul of man; through the soul, the body; and thus to rear the most frightful theocratic tyranny! O, sweet carpenter of Nazareth! May the Reformation triumph!

May your Evangelical law in all its pristine purity become the law of the world! The power of the casqued, the mitred or the crowned oppressors will then have ceased to be! No more Kings, no more priests, no more masters!"

"No more Popes! No more cardinals, or bishops! No more idolatry! No more celibacy! No more adoration of images! No more confession! No more intermediaries between G.o.d and man! Such is our confession, such our belief," cried the reformers in answer to Calvin, who continued:

"'We believe and confess those Romish inventions to be pure idolatries.

We reject them. Sustained by the authority of the sacred books, by the words and acts of the apostles--I Timothy 2; John 16; Matthew 6 and 10; Luke 11, 12 and 15; the Epistle to the Romans 14, and other Evangelical texts--we believe and confess that where the word of G.o.d is not received there is no Church. Therefore we reject the a.s.semblages of the papacy, whence divine truth is banished, where the sacraments are corrupted, adulterated and falsified, while superst.i.tious and idolatrous practices flourish and thrive in their midst.'"

"Yes," answered the a.s.sembled reformers, "let us draw away from the usurping Roman Church--that impure Babylon; that sink of all vices; that notorious harlot; that poisoned well, whence flow all the ills that afflict humanity! No more Popes, bishops, priests or monks!"

"'We believe and confess,'" Calvin continued, "'that all men are true pastors wherever they may be, provided they are pure of heart, and that they recognize for sole sovereign and universal bishop our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we repudiate the papacy; we protest that no church, even if it call itself "Catholic," can lay claim to any authority or dominion over any other church.'"

"Therefore we do repudiate the Church of Rome! Christ is our Pope, our bishop! There should be no intermediary between him and us!" responded the reformers.

"'We believe and confess,'" Calvin went on, "'that the offices of pastors, deans and deacons must proceed from the election of their own people, whose confidence they will thus show they have earned. We believe that, in order to exercise their functions, they should concentrate within them the general rules of the church, without attempting to decree, under the shadow of the service of G.o.d, any rules to bind human conscience.'"

"Freedom of conscience--that means human emanc.i.p.ation!" Christian exclaimed to himself. "All honor to the Reformation for proclaiming that great principle! May it remain faithful thereto!"

The reformers meanwhile answered: "Yes, we wish to elect our own pastors, as they were elected in the primitive church;" and John Calvin continued:

"'We believe and confess that there are but two sacraments--baptism, that cleanses us of the soilure of original sin; and communion, which nourishes us, vivifies us spiritually by the substance of Jesus Christ, a celestial mystery accessible only through faith.

"'Finally, we believe and confess that G.o.d has willed that the peoples on earth be governed; that He has established elective or hereditary kingdoms, princ.i.p.alities, republics and other forms of government. We therefore hold as unquestionable that their laws and statutes must be obeyed, their tributes and imposts paid, and all the duties that belong to citizens and subjects must be fulfilled with a frank and good will, even if such governments be iniquitous, _provided the sovereign empire of G.o.d remains untouched_. Therefore we repudiate those who would reject government and authority, and who would throw society into confusion through the introduction of community of goods among men, and thereby upset the order of justice.'"

"No! No!" was Christian's muttered comment at these words. "Man must not submit to an iniquitous authority! No! No! John Calvin himself realizes the offensiveness to human dignity of such a resignation, and its contradiction to the very spirit of the Reformation. Is not the Reformation itself a legitimate revolt against the iniquity of the pontifical authority, and, if need be, against whatever temporal power might seek to impose the Roman cult upon the reformers? Indeed, after having set up the principle, 'The peoples must submit to their governments, even if these be iniquitous,' Calvin adds, '_provided the sovereign empire of G.o.d remains untouched_.' No obedience is due an authority that would raise its hand against the sacred rights of man, or aught that flows therefrom."

"Such, dear brothers," concluded John Calvin, "is our confession of faith. Do you accept it?"

"Yes, yes!" cried the reformers. "We accept it. We shall practice it. We shall uphold it, at the risk of our property, our freedom and our life!

We swear!"

"This, then, is the confession of faith of those 'heretics' whom the Catholic clergy represents to ignorant and duped people as monsters steeped in all manner of crimes, and vomited upon earth out of h.e.l.l, as inveterate foes of G.o.d and man," said Calvin. "What do these 'heretics'

confess? They confess the fundamental dogmas of the Christian Church, as revealed by the Divinity itself. But these 'heretics' reject the inventions, the abuses, the idolatries and the scandals of the Church of the Popes. In that lies our crime, an unpardonable crime! We attack the cupidity, the pride and the despotism of the priesthood!

"Here, on this very spot where we are now gathered in council in order to confess the most sacred of rights, the freedom of conscience, seven priests have pledged themselves with a terrible oath to secure the absolute omnipotence of Rome over the souls of men, and to found the reign of theocratic government over the whole earth! The new organization is named the Society of Jesus. It is intended to and will become a formidable instrument in the hands of our enemies. The circ.u.mstance is a symptom of the dangers that threaten us. Let us prepare to combat that new militia everywhere it may show itself.

"Our Credo, our confession of faith is fixed. This confession will be that of all the Evangelical churches of France. And, now, what att.i.tude must we a.s.sume in the face of the redoubled persecutions that we are threatened with? Shall we submit to them with resignation, or shall we repel force with force? I request our friend Robert Estienne to express his views upon this head."

"It is my opinion," replied Robert Estienne, "that we should address fresh pet.i.tions to King Francis I, praying that it may please him to allow us to exercise our religion in peace, while conforming ourselves to the laws of the kingdom. Should our pet.i.tion be denied, then we should draw from the strength of our convictions the necessary fort.i.tude to sustain persecution to the extreme limit possible. Beyond that we shall have to take council again."

"I share the opinion of Robert Estienne," said John Dubourg. "Let us resign ourselves. An upright man should drain the cup of bitterness and pain sooner than let loose upon his country the horrors of a fratricidal conflict."

"Monsieur Coligny, what is your opinion?"

"Monsieur," replied the young n.o.ble, "I am, I think, the youngest man in this a.s.semblage; I shall accept the opinion that may prevail."