Tracts and Letters (Volume 7) by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Letters DCXLIX to DCLXIII.
Today we read letters from 1563 and 1564 addressed to the Queen of Navarre, Bullinger, Monsieur de Crussol, the Admiral de Coligny, Madame de Coligny, the Comtesse de Seninghen, the Prince of Conde, Mercer, M de Loines and the Duchess of Ferrara.
A lot of letters today were to Bullinger and concerned the troubles in France.
But we also heard rumblings again about Calvin's distrust of the Confession of Augsburg along with fears about the spread of Lutheranism.
This time I particularly liked Beveridge's footnote that was attached to Calvin's letter to the queen: 'Docile to the councils of Calvin, and without allowing herself to be terrified by the anathemas of Rome, and the threats of Spain, Jane d'Albret had courageously undertaken the work of reformation in her states. She abolished the worship of images, forbade public processions, suppressed the monasteries, and transformed the churches into Protestant temples. The ecclesiastical lands were united to the domain of the crown, their revenues consecrated to the relief of tho poor, and the education of youth. Missionaries of Bearn and the Basques country preached the gospel in their own language. But their number was insufficient. By the cares of Calvin and Beza the society of Geneva, who had already granted Merlin to the Queen of Navarre, associated themselves more actively in this work by sending off twelve ministers. So complete a revolution could not be accomplished without great difficulties. The genius of the queen happily triumphed over them. " I receive here," Merlin wrote to Calvin, " so many molestations that my health suffers. These molestations are not caused by the queen, for I can affirm that I have her constancy in admiration, and I entreat you to confirm it more and more by your letters. . . . They set before our eyes marvellous dangers at one time from a sedition of the natives of the country, at another, from the Spaniards, then from Monluc, and even from France. They spread about reports that the preparations for war are all made, in order to fall upon us if we make any innovations in religion. The constancy of the queen surmounts all that." — Letter of the 23d July, 1563. This religious revolution was completed in 1574, and was crowned by the celebrated ordinances, a monument of the faith and the genius of the Queen of Navarre.'
This queen must have really given great joy to Calvin.
Next week's reading
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