Tracts & Letters (Vol 5) - Calvin - X - Letters CCXCIX to CCCXIII

Required reading
Tracts and Letters (Volume 5) by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Letters CCXCIX to CCCXIII.

My summary
Today we read letters from 1552 and 1553 addressed to John Liner, the French Church in London, the Seigneurs of Geneva, Farel, Viret, Ambroise Blaurer, Melanchthon, Monsieur De Falais, Mathieu Dimonet, Christopher Fabri, John Cheke, the Five Prisoners of Lyons, Edward VI, Christopher Zollicoffre and Thomas Zollicoffre.

The content of today's letters included:
(i) the ongoing trial of the five martyrs of Lyons;
(ii) the reformation in England;
(iii) major troubles at Geneva from people accusing Calvin of teaching heresy, including that God is the author of sin;
(iv) the end of the relationship between Calvin and Monsieur De Falais.

What grabbed me
Some sad reading today.  Particularly the discord that people were creating in Geneva that even attempted to break the friendship between Melanchthon and Calvin.

But I enjoyed Calvin's defence of predestination against their false accusations of heresy. 

For example: 'Here, then, Messieurs, is the very core of the whole question : that I say, that all the reprobate will be convicted of guilt by their own consciences, and that thus their condemnation is righteous, and that they err in neglecting what is quite evident, to enter instead into the secret counsels of God, which to us are inaccessible. The Scripture, however, shews us clearly, that God has predestined men to such ends as he chose them to reach. But as to why or how this is done, we must remain ignorant, because it has not been revealed to us.'

Calvin is unashamedly a Calvinist.

Next week's reading
Read Letters CCCXIV to CCCXXVI.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.