It's always a difficult thing to attempt to give the biography of someone, of anyone, especially because we live a life of many years. And even though John Calvin only lived just under 55 years, it's not an easy thing by any stretch to give a biography on such a man as John Calvin, who has had such a great effect on the history not only of Switzerland and Holland and Europe, but of the world. and the United States of America and so on. He's been such a wonderful tool of God who lived, first and foremost, if you could pick out one of the soulers of the Reformation who lived Soledad Gloria would be the one that most represented John Calvin. The other ones as well, but he was a man who was sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of what I am going to say to you this afternoon, or I should say just prior to the afternoon this morning, is going to come from Two books. In fact, one of them more than the other is this book downstairs. We have copies of it called John Calvin, Man of the Millennium. This is an excellent work. I highly recommend it. I'll tell you why. It's not a thorough biography of John Calvin, every detail of his life, but it gives you kind of the types of things you'd want to say if you were giving a biography. All the important points of this man's ministry and how he affected the world, his character. So many things that I will not even be able to get into. This is downstairs. There's only about four or five copies down there. Highly suggest you get your hands on this. Written by Philip Vollmer about 100 years ago for the 400th birthday of John Calvin. He wrote it. And it was there's a forward by Joseph C. Moorcraft III. It's published by Vision Forum. And then the other book that I recommend as well. is The Life of John Calvin. This is a modern translation by Theodor Beza. And the reason why I like this particular book is Theodor Beza was a successor of John Calvin, lived during the time of John Calvin, a disciple of John Calvin, took over in Geneva, Switzerland for John Calvin, had much respect for him. It's good to get the perspective of someone who actually was with the man, because as you know, when you read several biographies, oftentimes they don't line up 100%. Well, let me then move into this. Devotion or biography, John Calvin, the man in his global imprint, I will be fixed upon my notes since it is a biography. When we think of John Calvin, most of us probably immediately think of the five points of Calvinism, those precious five doctrines that stand against the erroneous five points of Arminianism. We think of the acronym TULIP, which stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, or what we would perhaps better refer to as Particular Redemption if we did not depend upon the acronym TULIP so much, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. These precious scriptural God-exalting doctrines tend to be that which encompasses our understanding of Calvinism. And I have to be honest, brethren, For me, prior to studying for this lecture, that would be the greatest summary that I had for John Calvin as well in my mindset. However, upon studying for this lecture, I've come to understand that the name John Calvin and Calvinism as a whole incorporates far more than the five points of Calvinism. In fact, There are two people who never would have heard of the five points of Calvinism labeled as such, and that would have been John Calvin or Jacob Arminius, because both of them were dead when those points were actually brought out at the Senate of Dort in 1618. To say that this dear brother has been used by God in various ways to affect not only Geneva in his day, but the world at large, even to the present day, is a great understatement. In fact, he could very well be the most influential person given by God to the world over the last 500 to 1,000 years. I don't think it would be an understatement to say that that could very well be true. Only God knows for sure. But I could say that by his work, it would seem to make sense. Well, in keeping with the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birthday, my role in this Reformation celebration is to present you with a general biography of John Calvin, along with a brief description of some of the ways he has left a global imprint on our world and especially in the United States of America. Had I known beforehand after studying Calvin what was involved in his life, I probably would have said, let's divide this into two sessions. That's why I'm going to suggest that you get the books, because I'm not going to be able to get into everything I'd like to first and John Calvin. a general biography. And by the way, forgive my pronunciation of terms. Just before my session, I was gathering some information on pronunciations because I am a Long Islander with a broken Long Island accent. And to pronounce French and German cities and towns and so on is just not my forte. So forgive me if I fail in that way. Well, John Calvin was born at Noyon in Picardy, France, on July 10th, 1509. He was the second oldest out of six siblings. He was baptized as an infant in the Church of St. Gaudibertis, a Roman Catholic Church. His father, Gerard, was a well-honored and respected man. He was a cooper, a by profession, one that makes or repairs wooden casks or tubs or barrels. He was a procurator fiscal for the county. and he was also secretary to the bishop of the diocese. Both of Calvin's parents raised him with high moral standards and provided him with a rich and thorough education which helped prepare him for the calling that he would later receive from God. One thing you're going to see as we consider this biography is how God prepares a man for ministry long before he's even converted. You see that in the life of Calvin. You can get that testimony from any pastor. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones and others will speak to that regard as well. Through the influence and aid of his father at age 12, Calvin became a chaplain in the cathedral of Noyon, and in 1527, when he was only 18 years of age, he was paid the salary that was given to a parish priest. While Calvin was never actually ordained a priest, he did preach on many occasions to the people. Now, before we move on, you have to keep in mind at this point that obviously Calvin was not yet converted And yet, Reformation was well underway in Germany. Remember, in 1517, ten years before Calvin was now in the position that was the equivalent of a priest, Martin Luther had already nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Chapel. And in 1521, six years earlier, from the time that Calvin was the equivalent of a priest. Luther had given his famous, Here I Stand, and I can do no other speech before the Diet of Worms. All throughout the Reformation that was underway in Germany, Calvin, and coming into France, Calvin was yet unconverted and even a part of the Roman Catholic Church for that matter. And he would say he was zealously following the popish traditions of the Catholic Church. In 1523, to back it up a little bit, at age 14, due to a destructive pestilence that hit Noyon, Calvin's father sent him outside of Noyon to be further educated. Calvin then attended three main universities. First, he studied in the University of Paris at the College of Le Marche for four years. It was at this college that Calvin studied logic and philosophy and perfected his grasp and command of Latin. Here, he also sat under the teaching of a well-known teacher named Marthurin Coterie, who gave him a strong taste for the classics. Following this, Calvin left Lamarche College and went to the College of Montaigne. And it was here that Calvin sharpened his logic skills and developed an understanding for scholastic philosophy. This led him to acquire the art of disputation, which enabled him to later use opposing philosophers' own weapons against them in their debates. He knew so much about the classics and the philosophers from his education that he was well able to quote them and use them against those who would stand upon philosophy as a means of reasoning. It is also worthy to note that about this time, when he was in this second school in the university there, in Paris, that the effects of Luther and Lutheranism began to make its way into France, indicating that in some way Calvin would probably have been exposed to the workings and movings of the influence of the Reformation. He would have seen, perhaps even firsthand, at least heard about some martyrs who were martyred in France during this time. In 1527, in keeping with the expressed desire of his father, Calvin then left Paris. He was a man, by the way, Calvin, who was very submissive. And that's one of the reasons why you see his obedience and commitment to God throughout his life. He learned from a young age the importance of subjection to authority. And his father at this point had told him that he wanted him to be a lawyer. And so Calvin dropped his studies on philosophy at this point and in obedience to his father, began to study law at the University of Orleans. And during this period, Calvin gained the type of experience that would later serve to aid him in his position as a statesman in Geneva and as a founder of the Presbyterian form of church government. And then in 1531, he continued his law education at the University of Borges Bush's saying it Bush's. OK, I'm trying here. He continued his education at the University of Bush's. It was there that he commenced his study of Hebrew and began to study Greek and the New Testament under Malcoy of Wal-Mart, a German from Switzerland. However, Calvin had to leave the University of Bush's prematurely because his father had passed away. which happened on May 26, 1531. And following the funeral, Calvin then went back to Paris, this time to oversee the studies of his youngest brother, Anthony. In his biography on Calvin, Theodore Baezer makes this general comment about Calvin's study habits during these times at these three universities. These are Baezer's words. It was his, that is Calvin's custom, after a moderate supper, to pass half the night in study and the next morning, as soon as he awoke, to think over again and to complete what he had learned before midnight. By these night watches, he acquired his vast and exact learning and sharpened his natural powers of thought and his acute memory. But by the same means, he prepared for himself bodily suffering and an early death." It is believed, and actually thoroughly evident, that Calvin's health, he had poor health throughout the majority of his life, especially as a Christian. But a lot of that was fostered as well by the tediousness of his studies, certainly the persecution he suffered. He was a man who really stretched himself beyond the limits when he served the Lord, especially in 1532. Calvin proved his excellent writing abilities and his knowledge of the classics when he published his first work, a commentary on Seneca's treatise titled De Clementia. That was his first published work and it was related to the classics and it showed his skills for writing. Sometime after he published this work in the same year of 1532, Calvin was converted and he was brought into the glorious kingdom of Christ. While no one has the specific details surrounding his conversion experience, Calvin himself has indicated that his conversion was sudden. It was a sudden conversion. And the general way in which he describes his state of mind during this time is given in a famous letter that he had written to Cardinal Satellite. And these are Calvin's words. The law, which I strove faithfully to obey, took hold of my conscience and convinced me more deeply of sin. I tried absolutions, penances, intercessions, but without obtaining relief or peace of mind. As often as I looked into myself or attempted to lift my eyes to Thee, O God, I was filled with a dread which no penances could mitigate. The more narrowly I inspected myself, the deeper did the sting enter my conscience, so that at last I could find no ease but by steeping my mind in forgetfulness. And then Calvin describes his actual conversion in this way. First, when I was obstinately addicted to the papal superstition and steeled with prejudice beyond my years, so as to resist all attempts to draw me from the miry pit, it pleased God by a sudden conversion to subdue my mind to docility. That's about the extent of what we have on the details of his conversion. Following this conversion, Calvin then laid aside his study of law, sensing a strong desire to serve the Reformation, now agreeing with the Reformation, by organizing a theological system of sound doctrine which would help promote the cause of God's truth. He began to study the foundations of the Reformed faith, and especially the controversial church fathers intending to primarily serve the cause of the Reformation with his pen. And you'll see later on, as you read through these books as well, that he was somebody he had an astute mind and a tremendous memory. And he remembered things that he studied about these fathers. Years later, was able to quote them as his opposition would misquote them in support of the Catholic Church. He would show that they were wrong as he had studied them and remembered their writings almost verbatim. It is worth noting as well that originally Calvin had no thought of becoming a preacher or a pastor. He had no desire. He had no thought, though, through his vast knowledge and writings, however, which he began to do was right. He gained the respect of the reformers. That's how he became known to the reformers through his writings originally. And furthermore, he wound up being repeatedly asked to preach and teach in various places such as Orleans, Bouches and other places. And while he preached in these various regions, most of his preaching time was devoted to the Protestants who dwelt in Paris. And it was there that he met in secretive gathered meetings and was remembered as one who preached with great force, often ending his discourses with the words, If God be for us, who can be against us? In fact, a Catholic writer, French writer, made this statement about these early times in Calvin's ministry. This was probably someone, from my understanding, that was opposed to Calvin. And this was his description about what Calvin had done during this time. He says these words, devoted otherwise to his books and his study, he was unweariedly active in everything which concerned the advancement of his sect. We have seen our prisons choked with poor mistaken wretches whom he exhorted without ceasing and consoled or confirmed by letters. Nor were messengers wanting to whom the doors were open, notwithstanding all the diligence exercised by all the jailers. In this way, he gained step by step a part of our France. Later, he wished to proceed more rapidly and he sent out what he called preachers to promulgate his religion in halls and corners and even in Paris itself, where the fires lit to consume them. And then it was in 1553 that John Calvin wound up becoming a fugitive in his own country. He had written a controversial paper on Christian philosophy for his friend, Nicholas Kopp. And Nicholas Kopp was the rector of the University of Paris at this point. And Calvin had influenced him and given him this paper that he was to use for his inaugural address. The speech caused a great stir, to say the least, which led to the French Parliament delivering an order to the University, calling them to seize both Karp and Calvin. Now, Cobb was at first willingly going to defend himself and go and to appear before those who are questioning him. But then he had heard that he was he was warned that this was going to be something that could lead to severe penalties, perhaps even imprisonment. And so Cobb fled to Switzerland. Officers were sent to John Calvin's chambers and upon searching them, They found documents there which would implicate Calvin and many of his friends. Remember, he had all these writings and he was part of the Reformation here. This was all secretive in one sense. They could not be as outward as they'd like to have been because of persecution. But they found these documents that would have implicate him. And so Calvin then, we hear of this famous situation, he escaped through a window, disguised himself as a vinedresser and fled from place to place as a fugitive. But by the grace of God, conveniently, Calvin planted the seeds of the gospel wherever he went. And furthermore, it was at this time that he began to work on his famous institutes of the Christian religion as he was on the run. In 1534, a year later, Calvin returned to Paris, coming to understand that the case against him was ultimately dropped. However, the persecution of Protestants heightened greatly at this time, so it was not safe for him to stay in Paris too long. Philip Vollmer describes a slice of the atmosphere in this way of what had taken place there in Paris, in France. He says these words, on the same day, six fires in six different parts of the city consumed six Reformed men, one of whom was De La Forge, the host and friend of John Calvin. This was a man who was a great, probably one of the closest friends to John Calvin at this time, or just prior to when Calvin had left. He actually housed him and housed Reformers, and he himself was martyred. We're also told here that torture was added to fire. The condemned fastened to a long swinging beam were to be plunged into the flames, then withdrawn, then plunged into the flames, then withdrawn, then plunged again and then withdrawn once more until life was extinct. Like Nero, the king of France wished that his victims should feel themselves die. Moreover, like that Roman monster, he desired to behold their tortures with his own eyes. As he returned to the Louvre, he ordered his carriage to pass the six fires in succession. Following this, John Calvin found himself on the run. At one point, he stopped in Poitiers and gathered among a small congregation. Together, they celebrated the Lord's Supper in a cave near the city. Calvin eventually made his way into Orleans, where he wrote his first theological book, which disproved the false doctrine called soul sleep. This was a written reputation against the Anabaptist teaching that the soul either perishes with the body at death or sleeps till the final resurrection, dependent upon whether or not somebody was saved. this doctrine of soul sleep, he wrote against this teaching. Following this, Calvin retreated to Strasbourg, Germany, to continue his studies. And then he made his ways to Basel, where he studied Hebrew further and wrote the preface and recommendation to the French translation of the Bible, put together by a relative named Olivetin. This Bible in France became the foundation for all subsequent French translations of the Bible. Calvin also composed the first edition of his institutes of the Christian religion during this time at Basel. He was compelled to do this as a means of providing a biblical system of theology that could accurately represent the teachings of scripture and contend with the other predominant religious systems of the day. And in a very immediate sense, he also wanted to answer the gross misrepresentation of reform doctrine put forth by the King of France. If you look at the beginning of the Institutes, the very opening of it, when Calvin opens it, his preface, is actually a lengthy letter to the king of France. And his main reason, at least motive for having that written then at that time was to show how he was misrepresenting the teachings of the reformers. The institutes defended and vindicated Calvin's brethren who were wrongly being killed and persecuted by the king. The first edition was published in Basel in 1536, when Calvin was 26 years old. And while the volume started out quite smaller than the editions that we have today, in fact, Calvin expanded his institutes throughout the course of his life. That book started out quite smaller and grew throughout the course of his life. However, no changes in the essential content were ever made. Calvin's institutes, ultimately came to have a huge impact on the Reformed creeds and confessions that followed, and later became the very soul of Presbyterianism and Puritanism. If you want to look at the heart and soul of the whole Puritan movement in the 1600s and 1700s, perhaps late 1500s as well, you have to understand that they were rooted and grounded in the institutes that Calvin had written. And furthermore, the Institutes formed the very basis of the Heidelberg Catechism. The co-authors, Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Livianus, were in fact pupils of Calvin. And he also, it is, the Institutes are the very backbone and heart of republicanism in Holland and America. Soon after this, Calvin left Basel and journeyed to Italy. From Italy, he traveled to Piedmont, where he more than likely visited the Waldensian churches. Being warned of an impending arrest, Calvin fled Piedmont, traveling through bypass, crossing torrents, and even scaling precipices, while being pursued by the Count of Chalons with a drawn sword. He was in constant danger, to say the least, during this time of flight. Calvin then planned on heading back to Basel, knowing that he could find a safe haven there, which would allow him to continue his study and writing of theology. Basel had a reformed government, flourishing university, a busy printing press and a learned society, which were all conducive to meeting Calvin's needs and desires. Providentially, as Calvin was heading back to Basel, War broke out between Charles V and Francis I, which left the direct route to Basel blocked to Calvin. He was therefore forced to make a long detour, and in August of 1536, he found himself in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Calvin had only planned on staying at Geneva for one night. For one night. So he kept his presence there a secret. Four years earlier, a preacher by the name of William Farrell, not Bill Farrell, for those who are members of our church, William Farrell entered Geneva preaching the Reformed faith. An assembly of followers began to develop, and there was now much work to do in 1536, the year that Calvin entered the city, planning to leave the next day. Farrell, who had known of Calvin through his writings and was very excited about the works of John Calvin already in print, was informed that Calvin was at an inn there in Geneva, he was told by this man named Dutilat. And when he found out that Calvin was there, he immediately went to the inn where he was residing to compel Calvin to stay and to help with the work at Geneva, which Farrell believed was beyond his own ability. Calvin made every excuse to turn down the request as he ultimately had no desire to bind himself to one church. And he rather believed that he could best serve all the churches through his writings and continuing to improve upon his theological studies. He had no desire to be a pastor of a church, even to be a preacher for that matter. He wanted to study theology more and more and to provide writings for all the churches. And that is what he thought of as his primary goal in life. Well, what followed as Calvin refused Farrell's pleadings is best explained by John by Vollmer in his book and also some comments that Calvin makes. Let me read these two quotes first from Philip Vollmer. But Farrell was not to be daunted by Calvin's response. With something of the energy of an of an old Hebrew prophet, he suddenly arose and placed himself dramatically before Calvin and proceeded with the most solemn manner to pronounce a curse on the studies of Calvin if they kept him from coming to the help of the Lord in this great distress. I declare unto thee, he said, on the part of God, that if thou refuse to labor with us here in God's work, he will curse thee for in pleading thy studies as an excuse for abandoning in us. Thou seekest thyself more than God. And then Calvin's comments on his response are incorporated in the following statement. He says these words. As the most direct route to Strasbourg, to which I then intended to retire, was blocked by the wars, I had resolved to pass quickly to Geneva without staying longer than a single night in that city. A person, Louis Dutillot, who has now returned to the Papists, discovered me and made me known to others. Upon this, Pharaoh, who burned with an extraordinary zeal to advance the gospel, immediately strained every nerve to detain me. After having learned that my heart was set upon devoting myself to private studies for which I wish to keep myself free from other pursuits, and finding that he gained nothing by entreaties, he proceeded to utter an imprecation that God would curse my retirement and the tranquility of the studies which I sought if I should withdraw and refuse assistance when the necessity was so urgent. By this imprecation, I was so stricken with terror that I desisted from the journey which I had undertaken. Needless to say, Calvin started out as a professor and a preacher in his new labors in Geneva, Switzerland. Together, Farrell and Calvin were used mightily by God to bring about great reformation to the city of Geneva. It was here that Calvin prepared his famous catechism for children, which was to be used by the people of Geneva as they raised their children in the faith. They would teach them through this catechism. And it was also here that he exercised great positive influence at the state level as well. Geneva became the wonder of Christendom for civil order. for pure morals, for liberal learning, and a home of arts and industries. Some people had referred to it as heaven on earth. Of course, not everyone was in favor of the Reformation that was taking place. Soon enough, a great opposition formed which sought to contend against the reforms that were being brought about by Farrell and Calvin. This group of ungodly, immoral people was given the name the Libertines. The Libertines contested the civil laws encouraged through the Reformation, but furthermore, they were at the very center of a controversy which arose concerning how much power the state could exercise over the church. In a nutshell, The main argument, the main contention centered upon whether or not Calvin had the power and right to debar people that he considered unfit to partake of the sacrament, to partake of the Lord's Supper. Calvin would not budge on the issue. He could not, with a clear conscience before God, simply allow anyone to partake of the Lord's Supper, especially while having a clear understanding of the spiritual condition of those desiring to partake. To Anabaptists, later came to Geneva as well, who sought to help the libertines in their struggle against Calvin as a means of getting back at him for disassociating himself with the Anabaptists in his letter to the King of France, where he in essence labels their teachings as fanatical. Again, this letter is in the Institutes. Through various means of controversy, the Libertines did anything that they could to oppose Calvin and Farrell, and they further harassed them, shooting off guns in front of their homes and shouting insults against them. And then on Easter Sunday of 1538, they succeeded in swaying the state council toward their side, which led to the banishment of both Farrell and Calvin. On this Sunday, the most fiery and disreputable of their minions entered the two churches where Farrell and Calvin were preaching, and they proceeded to continually disturb and interrupt the services. Philip Bowman describes the situation that took place with. Pharaoh which was very similar to what happened with Calvin in this way He says that they actually came into the church and while he was preaching They were belligerent and loud and making comments and Pharaoh would just speak over them But they actually at the end of the service Pharaoh refused he had held back the sacrament altogether refused to even enable the Lord's Supper to go forth and they began to charge him with swords and And it was then that the people who were close to Farrell, obviously the people of his congregation, surrounded him and ushered him back to his home for safekeeping. A similar situation took place with Calvin, who was preaching in another church, I believe, at St. Peter's at that time. Well, when the sacrament was kept back, the council, the state council, wound up deciding that Farrell and Calvin ought to be banished. They ought to be exiled from Geneva for doing that. And that is what happened. While Calvin and Farrell both went together at this point to Basel at the urging of Bunser, Calvin went on to Strasbourg, where he was joyfully welcome. He spent three years in Strasbourg in peace and tranquility, possibly the happiest times he ever knew. However, he did have bouts with physical sickness and poor health, more than likely effects of the toil and anxiety he had undergone. It was in Strasbourg in 1539 that Calvin revised, recasted, and greatly enlarged his institutes, almost to the present form that we have in our libraries today. He also lectured every morning and began to build that which would ultimately make up his commentary series on most of the books of the Bible. He started to preach messages that would have been some of the content that makes up the big commentary series that you see today. Meanwhile, Pope Paul III, hearing of the banishment of the reformers, made his move, attempting to bring Geneva back into concord with the Church of Rome. Cardinal Bishop Satellite was appointed to the task of conducting negotiations with the governance of Geneva to help bring about the Pope's desired end. Satellite then wrote his famous letter titled Letter to the Senate and People of Geneva, which he sent to Geneva with the hope of convincing them to cooperate with Rome. News of this letter made its way all the way to Calvin and from Strasbourg. Out of love for Geneva, Calvin responded to Satellite's letter with a reply that utterly destroyed his arguments altogether. Calvin's response spread throughout Europe and was received with great joy, and it was left unanswered by the Romanists. Luther was so thrilled by this response that he commented with the words, here is a writing which has hands and feet. I rejoice that God raises up such men. They will continue what I have begun against the Romish Antichrist. While in Germany, Calvin developed closer relationships with the leaders of the German Reformation. He also developed a relationship with Philip Melanchthon, who, as was told earlier or yesterday, was a fellow workman with Luther. However, Calvin never got to meet Luther face to face. Nevertheless, they both had great respect for each other. On one occasion, Luther sent Bunser with a message to Calvin. Salute for me, Calvin, whose works I have read with singular pleasure. And he also called Calvin a man of excellent capacity. And in spite of their doctrinal differences, especially having to do with the Lord's over the sacrament and the Lord's Supper, Calvin could say of Luther, behold, the candor of Luther. Why then are these people who separate from him so obstinate? And furthermore, Calvin stated these words. You can see how greatly he respected Martin Luther. He said, I conjure thee never to forget how eminent a man Luther is and with what gifts he is endowed. Think with what strength of soul, what immovable perseverance, what potency of doctrine he has devoted himself now to the overthrowing of Antichrist. As for me, I have often said, and I still repeat it, if he, that is, if Luther were to call me a devil, I should not cease to hold him in great esteem and to acknowledge in him an illustrious servant of God. And some months later, Calvin wrote the following words directly to Luther himself. Farewell, most illustrious man, eminent minister of Christ, father forever venerable to me. May the Lord continue to direct thee by his spirit for the common good of his church. Over 30 years of age now, and at the constant urging of his friends, in 1539, Calvin began to pursue a suitable helpmate. At the encouragement of Buncef, Calvin took an interest in an ultimately married Idelette de Bourgh, a widow with seven children. Interestingly enough, Idelette and her late husband were converted through the instrumentality of Calvin. And Calvin was involved with the burial of Idelette's former husband. On August 1st, 1540, the two, Calvin and Idelette, became one flesh. They had only one child through their own union who died when he was still very young. As painful as the experience must have been in submission to the will and sovereignty of God, Calvin stated these words, I would have it no other way. Edelette was a devoted wife and nurse. And she often visited the sick and afflicted in the congregation and was a tremendous comfort and help to Calvin, who continued to struggle with physical ailments of his own, such as tremendous migraine headaches, mental depression at times, and bodily weakness. Edelette, however, was not without her own great health problems and challenges. For one, her children began to die one after the other. And in 1548, after being married to Calvin for only nine years, she herself was finally broken down by a lingering and consuming fever, and she was ushered home to her glorious abode in heaven. Following the homegoing of his dear and precious wife, Calvin wrote the following words to Pierre Verret, who was a dear friend and co-laborer in the Lord with Calvin. He states these words concerning the situation at the loss of his wife. Because you know the tenderness or rather the weakness of my heart, you are convinced that I could not have borne this pain if I had not concentrated the whole power of my soul in God. The best of partners has been taken from me. She was willing to share with me banishment and want and would have gone with me into death. She was also a great help in my official life. Some people tend to say that Calvin was just a hard-nosed, stubborn, feelingless man. And while he did present himself in that way, for the sake of ministry, he kept a firm grip in the Reformation. He was a man who had a heart. And the evidence was there with his relationship to his wife, Edelette. In 1540, Geneva bitterly repented of how it had treated its faithful preachers of the past. The Libertines grew worse and worse, wishing to be released from all of the moral obligations of the confession of faith to which they had sworn their allegiance under Calvin. Romanism began to ooze back into the country with priests holding masses in private homes. Licentiousness of the worst kind began to prevail. The city was moving toward chaos and incapable of restoring order. And so, on October 20th, 1540, the government, pastors and people, desirous to bring Calvin back, sent a delegation to Strasbourg to plead with Calvin to come back. While a part of Calvin would rather have died than gone back to Geneva, he had suffered so little by way of persecution when he was in Strasbourg. He had such joyful times in that sense. However, believing it to be the will of God, submission, subjection to the will of God, led him to consent. And he went back to Geneva, where he exhausted the remaining years of his ministry and life. Williston Walker makes an interesting comment about the way in which Calvin resumed his preaching in Geneva. Remember, he was banished. He comes back. And this is what we're told about the first time he comes back to the pulpit. He treated his banishment as a mere interruption. Now, remember, three years have passed. And therefore, when he resumed his preaching, instead of the sensational dialogue that the hearers eagerly expected, he spoke not a word about the recent past, but began his exposition of the Scriptures at the passage with which he had closed when he was banished. Just went right back to his main text, where he was, right in the Bible, and just continued from there. And he was making a statement by doing that, about the Word of God and what his belief was in the Word of God, and about what he believed about his banishment. From 1541 to 1546, Calvin actually enjoyed somewhat peaceful and serene times. A new constitution embracing the life of the people of the church and state was introduced and perfected, and a Christian republic was formed, bearing similarities to a theocratic nature. Calvin also helped revise some of the laws in the civil department, bringing about a well-designed code. These labors affected and influenced churches and civil governments throughout the world of Calvin's day, and they reach to our present day as well in countries like Scotland and England and, of course, the United States of America. After five years of relatively peaceful times, in 1546, the Libertines rose up again and continued to harass and contend with Calvin for the next nine years. barring sometimes of intermission. Once again, Calvin was always in danger of being expelled, especially over matters of contention between state and church power. The libertines fought to bring the power of exercising church discipline back to the state council. Standing before the council on one occasion, a council of 200, in 1547, and facing the drawn swords of his opposition, Calvin said these words, If it is my life you desire, I am ready to die. If it is my banishment you wish, I shall exile myself. If you desire once more to save Geneva without the gospel, you can try." This ended the contention for a time, but in 1553, when Calvin's influence was at a low ebb, a fiercer struggle had erupted. The power to excommunicate was brought back to the State Council and it was ratified at the General Assembly. The air became thick with tension and everyone looked to the following Sunday with a sense of eager anticipation as a great challenge would inevitably take place. The Libertines, no doubt, would seek to capitalize on this new decree by attempting to partake in the Lord's Supper. But how would Calvin respond, no longer having the support of the state council to uphold him? The following two quotes will give you a sense of the atmosphere of this time, and then a detailed description of the specific events that took place on that following Sunday. Listen to these quotes, Brethren. First, Calvin's enemies, insolent in their triumph in winning that verdict over to them, to the state, resorted to personal indignities and every device of intimidation. They named the very dogs of the street after him. They once fired 50 shots before his bedchamber. They threatened him in the pulpit. And of that following Sunday, we're told these words, a description of what happened. On the 3rd of September at the customary hour, Calvin ascended to the pulpit of the ancient cathedral. He perceived in the audience the insolent group of libertines, perhaps already ill at ease because they felt themselves isolated in the midst of the crowded congregation and with Calvin in front of them. But the reformer did not seem to see them. As calm as ever, externally at least, he preached upon the state of mind with which the Lord's table ought to be approached. Then he added, as for me, so long as God shall leave me here, I will employ the fortitude which he gave me, whatever be tied, and I will guide myself by my master's rule, which is to me clear and well known. As we are to receive the Lord's Supper, if anyone to whom it has been forbidden by the consistory should seek to intrude himself at this table, I would certainly show myself as long as I live, such as I ought to be. When the liturgy was concluded, he came down from the pulpit and set apart the bread and wine by prayer. When the moment arrived to dispense the sacred sacraments, the libertines made a move forward as if to seize the bread and cup. Then, covering the sacred symbols with his hands, he exclaimed, You may cut these hands and crush these limbs. My blood is yours. Shed it. But you shall never force me to give holy things to the profane. The libertines paused in their rush toward the communion table. They looked at each other and they looked around. An indignant murmur circulated throughout the crowd. And but for the sacredness of the spot, the murmur would have become an outcry. The libertines hesitated for a moment longer and then fell back. They were overawed by the personality of the great reformer. The crowd opened the passage for their retreat and the sacrament was administered to the believers who were still agitated, but proud of their pastor and rejoicing in his victory. Calvin expected to be banished and openly said so in his afternoon sermon of the same day. It is perhaps for the last time he said that I'm speaking to the people of Geneva firmly resolved to do nothing that is not according to the will of God. I will nevertheless stay as long as I can make my voice heard. But if I be compelled to hold my peace, I will depart. He had taken for his text the farewell address of St. Paul to the elders of Ephesus. He repeated in the midst of his weeping congregation the word of the apostle. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. He went home to await the decree of exile, but it never came. He soon perceived that on the contrary, his position was improved. Later, the power to excommunicate was returned to the consistory and in 1555, a major blow was delivered to the libertines such that the group was rendered powerless. Many of them were beheaded or exiled. You can read about that. I don't have time to get into this, but what took place on that occasion? You can read about that in the book, particularly this one man of the millennium. What happened? But it is at least worthy to note that at that time he had had a major victory over them. However, Calvin's nine-year bout with the Libertines had managed to greatly take its toll on his physical well-being. Vollmer states, the last period of conflict with the Libertines lasting nine years from 1546 to 1555 were the most wearying years of Calvin's life on account of the innumerable petty insults and attacks to which he was exposed. It were better for me, he wrote in 1555, to be burned once for all by the Papists than to be thus incessantly tortured by this people. Only one thing supports me in this hard service. It is that death will soon come and give me my discharge. Would it be that every pastor would take those words to heart? However, Vollmer also moves on to state these words. While Calvin was compelled to endure hardship and taxing struggles with the libertines, his labors were not in vain. Calvin's discipline proved wholesome for Geneva and made it, not only during Calvin's lifetime, but for more than a hundred years after his death, a shining light as to morality, religion, material prosperity, art, and sciences. Calvin saved Geneva and the Reformation, for a Geneva given up to the Libertines would have been a Geneva steeped in vice, and a Geneva soon reconquered by her former Roman masters. As we move toward the end of this biography, brethren, It is important that I say a few things about one particular incident that has been used by Calvin's opponents as a means of seeking to discredit the entirety of his ministry. Sadly, many right up to this day who hardly have an inkling of an understanding of the truth cast the same stones at Calvin, probably more out of a desire to avoid having to deal with his accurate understanding of the sovereignty of God in all matters of salvation. It was probably that reason that people are motivated to attack him more than anything else. This is what happened. A Spanish physician by the name of Michael Servetus persisted on irreverently spreading gross blasphemies against the truth of God's Word. He was a pantheist. That is, he believed that all matter was a part of the divine nature. If you hit this pulpit, if you hit the floor, that you are hitting God in some respect. He denied the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. And he boldly circulated these beliefs through writing and teaching. He didn't just keep them to himself, in other words. At that time, the civil powers were called to suppress heresy. That was the responsibility of the civil powers. There was a connection between church and state then that we don't appreciate, but that was the reality, whether we agree with it or not. According to the law, a law not written by John Calvin, perpetuating heresy, the act of diffusion of errors was punishable by death. At Savitas' trial, Calvin did furnish a list of objectionable passages taken from Savitas' writings. The court then sought advice from the churches at Bern, Zurich, Basel, and Schaffhausen before pronouncing Servetus guilty in keeping with the counsel they had received, which was in agreement with their own findings. On October 27, 1553, Michael Servetus was sentenced to be burned. This was the decision of the council in keeping with their state law. Calvin, in fact, shrinking from horror over the idea of seeing the offender burned, implored the council to substitute a milder form of execution. But his pleading was to no avail, and his request was denied. Needless to say, the burning of Michael Servetus is always ignorantly attributed to John Calvin. who ultimately had no power to carry out such a sentence. While he did believe that Servetus ought to have been justly executed, he agreed with the crime, he agreed that he was worthy of capital punishment, he agreed that what Servetus had committed were legitimate and serious capital criminal violations of the state law of the time. The decision, however, was ultimately not his own. Whether or not we agree with the law of the day, at the least we can say that to implicate Calvin and to discredit all of his God-honoring work by simply stating that he burned Civitas is a gross and distorted misrepresentation of the truth. For the last nine years of his life, Calvin more and more pulled back from Geneva's political sphere. He began to focus his attention primarily on continued reform in Geneva and abroad. And although he was physically unwell, he accomplished much in this area. Vollmer describes Calvin's weekly schedule in the following way. He preached two or three times a week, lectured every third day, presided in the consistory on Thursdays, and fulfilled the other duties of his pastoral office. His pen was unceasingly busy writing new books, revising old ones, conducting extensive correspondence, a selection of which in his published works fills twelve large volumes, taking part in the controversies of the time, chief of which were the sacramentarian controversies with the Lutherans. Calvin was well respected, and his advice was sought all over the world by kings, nobles, and people in high positions. He also trained many Reformed preachers who went forth to spread the gospel in other countries, and he strongly influenced the first General Synod of the French Reformed Church in 1559. And furthermore, Calvin greatly influenced Admiral Gaspard de Caligny, who became a distinguished leader of the French Huguenots. In 1559, Calvin helped found the Genevan University with Theodore Baeser, Calvin's gifted successor, being appointed rector of the university. This university, while suffering much in the sense of poverty-wise, it ultimately became a pattern for all newly found similar institutions in neighboring countries. In 1563, Calvin's physical health problems began to escalate. For several years, Calvin had already been limiting himself to one meal a day. Several years. One meal a day. And sometimes he would go as long as 48 hours without eating anything at all. He also generally got along with very little sleep. His pain became more and more excruciating and his health was visibly failing at this point. He had severe pains in his head, limbs, and stomach. He had ulcers in his stomach. He was spitting up blood, had difficulty breathing, along with gout and gallstones. However, in spite of all this, Calvin continued to preach as long as he was able, even being carried to the pulpit in a chair at times. In February of 1564, Calvin delivered his last sermon. While preaching, he began to cough violently, had to stop, and blood began to gush out of his mouth. On May 27, 1564, Just a little over a month before his 55th birthday, John Calvin was called to go home to be with his Lord in glory. Volmer notes the following about Calvin's death. On May 27, toward 8 o'clock in the evening, Calvin died. And as one of his friends wrote, at the same moment when the sun set, the greatest light on earth in the Church of God was withdrawn to heaven. Great was the morning in Geneva and intense the excitement which the news of his death affected throughout Christendom. It was Calvin's own wish that he should be buried without pomp and that no stone should be raised to his memory. The only official epitaph which he received is this half line inscribed by the side of his name in the record of the consistory, Went to God, Saturday the 27th. The exact spot where he sleeps is accordingly unknown. A small stone marked with the simple letters JC has for about 130 years marked the supposed place of his intimate, but the identification is conjectural. The Reformation monument that most of us are familiar with in Geneva, Switzerland, which stands, that beautiful monument where Calvin is standing with Baser and Farrell and Knox, was only erected within the last hundred years. Brethren, I want to now I wish we had more time to consider the Global Imprint. I need to say some things to you. Please bear with me about his Global Imprint or I would fail you greatly. Again, I want to recommend these books to you, but I want to leave you with a few important surface scratching, just a summary of facts, just Uzi style, machine gun style about John Calvin's Global Imprint. By means of his contribution of comments in the Geneva Study Bible of 1560, the completed Institute of the Christian religion of the Institute of the Christian religion. His commentary series on most of the books of the Bible. His wealth of letter writing to kings, nobles, people in high positions and friends and etc. His training up and sending out of preachers. His Christian character and the example of leadership he has provided as a statesman, theologian, pastor, and resident of Geneva, Calvin has been a tremendous source and foundation for the freedoms, liberties, justice, life systems, patterns of religious practices, politics, sciences, and arts enjoyed in the free world today. He has been a core influence on documents such as the French Confession of 1559, the Belgian Confession of 1561, the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563, the Canons of Dort of 1618 to 1619, the Westminster Confession of Faith, including the larger and shorter catechisms of the 1640s, the Savoy Declaration of Faith and Order of 1658, and the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. All of these have their roots in the influence and labors of John Calvin. And furthermore, Calvin's works, especially his Institutes, which we have copies of downstairs, are at the very core of the Puritanism of the 1600s. The root motivation for the War of Independence came out of the Institutes. And the Declaration of Independence in America in the 1700s, the Institutes are the driving force for that declaration and for the United States Constitution itself from 1789. The whole true notion, the true notion of separation of church and state, not the misrepresentation, the gross misrepresentation of it that's proclaimed in our day by liberals. The true notion finds its very roots in Calvin's prosperity in Geneva, where he fought to maintain religious freedom so that the power to exercise church discipline was rightfully granted to the church and not the state. Separation of church and state, if we want to even use those words in that way, was actually brought forth as a means of protecting and supporting Christianity and not as a means of removing it from public life, as many corrupt people of our day would have us believe. That's not what the purpose of it was. And furthermore, taken from his understanding of the total depravity of man, Calvin brought forth and emphasized the importance of republicanism. Republicanism comes from an understanding of the depravity of man from scripture and having a balance of power for any government that wished to function in a way that would help dispel authoritarian tyranny comes from Calvin's view of the depravity of man. Calvin's view of God and man greatly affected his view of politics, which politics rest in the very bedrock of our own nation and government, and which are in deep jeopardy in our time. Calvin's imprint was, in fact, global. especially impacting government and church reform in nations such as Switzerland, Germany, Scotland, Holland, England, and the United States of America, where many Calvinists from these other nations settled as the first American immigrants. He also had a huge influence on the lives of many great men, but some of them I will name for you are John Knox, who brought tremendous reform to Scotland and followed by him Samuel Rutherford. Abraham Kuyper of Holland was greatly influenced by John Calvin. Oliver Cromwell of England was greatly influenced by John Calvin. The French Huguenots were greatly influenced by John Calvin, all of whom were greatly used by God to prosper His glorious kingdom and the freedoms that we know and experience today. Such was the great impact of a man of God who took risks, who turned his back on the world, who gave of his life, who sacrificed his own health and committed himself to the greatest and most worthy cause of exalting the glory of God. Such was the great impact of a man who lived for just under 55 years. Brethren, so much more needs to be said about Calvin and especially his global imprint. There are so many more historical facts, especially involving the making of this great nation of America, which I just cannot get into at this time. I want to close by leaving you with three small quotes because we are long out of time here. First, the freest people in the world today must trace their institutions back through England, Scotland, the Netherlands of the 16th and 17th centuries to the Geneva of Calvin. And the England, the Scotland and the Netherlands of the 16th and 17th centuries were to their hearts core intensely Calvinistic. They won civil liberty and established responsible governments because Calvinism had made them desire to be free and that fitted them to achieve and enjoy freedom. William Cox, second quote, no man ever had a profounder sense of God than John Calvin. No man ever more unreservedly surrendered himself to the divine direction. What was suffusing in his heart and flowing in full blood into all the chambers of his soul was a profound sense of his indebtedness as a lost sinner to the free grace of God, his savior. Benjamin B. Warfield. And the final quote that I'll leave with you is the author, is the editor and the one who wrote the forward to this book and one of the last sections of it. Joseph C. Morfcraft says this, God raised up John Calvin as a bulwark of truth in an age of widespread apostasy. Calvin's unswerving fidelity to God's Word and scrupulous efforts to systematize a comprehensive and consistent theology for the whole Christian life has shaped Western civilization for the last 500 years. And there is no place on earth where the worldview of this man of the millennium has borne more good fruit than on America's shores. Brethren, I hope That is, we've considered that and believe me when I tell you that is an abridged short version of what God has done through this man. And we don't want to glorify the man. We do want to glorify the savior behind the man, which is what he would want ultimately. But it is an example that we ought to consider in our own lives as we would think of the sacrifices that we're called to make in a country that hardly knows the meaning of sacrifice in the year 2009. I'm going to close in prayer, and then Brother David McMillan is just going to give you a few final housekeeping instructions before we break for lunch, brethren. But I hope this was informative and beneficial to your soul. Let's pray. Father, we do thank you so much that you have given us men in history, imperfect men for sure. There are weaknesses about John Calvin that we could not get into. He has character traits that are not favorable per se, Lord, as we all do. But, Lord, we know that even though the best of men are men at best, that You still use these men for great good. We thank You for this example of someone who we could say lived out sola dei gloria. His life was sold out to You. His life was not his own, and he had committed himself to You in every area of his life and teaching. Lord, we pray that we would not worship this man, We pray that we would worship the glorious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, behind this man, the one who died to purchase this man from his sins and made him what he is. But Lord, we pray that we would, as the Apostle Paul calls us to himself, to follow his example, that we would follow Calvin's example insofar as it makes us servants of Christ. Father, we do bless you and praise you and thank you for these men, faithful men and women throughout history who have died, some have been martyred, who have given their lives to the cause of the gospel. Oh, Father, we pray that you would bring such a reformation in our day, in this church, in your churches in America, Forgive us, Father, for our laziness. Forgive us, Father, for drifting, for growing cold to these glorious truths that save the world. And we pray, Lord, that in this day You would turn the world upside down by some, even in this room. We love You, Lord. We exalt Your name and praise You for Christ's sake. In His name. Amen.