The result of this journey was memorable for the cause of the reformation. Arrived in Geneva. he met there his friend, Louis Tillet, who communicated the fact of his arrival to Farel, then in the very midst of his struggle to promote the reformation in the city and neighborhood. Farel hastened to see him, and urge upon him the duty of re maining where he was, and undertaking his share of the work of God, under the burden of which he was like to fail. C. did not at first respond to the call. He was given, he himself says, to his " own intense thoughts and private studies." He wished to devote himself to the service of the reformed churches generally, rather than to the care of any particular church. A life of intellectual and theological labor was that which at that time was most congenial to him. By some strange insight, however, Farel penetrated to the higher fitness of the young stranger who stood before him, and he ventured, in the spirit of that daring enthusiasm which characterized him, to lay the curse of God upon him and his studies if he refused his aid to the church of Geneva in her time of need. This seemed to C. a divine menace. "It was," he said, "as if God had seized me by his awful hand from heaven." He abandoned his intention of pursuing his journey, and joined eagerly with Farel in the work of reformation.
Such was the beginning of C.'s great career in Geneva. Having entered upon his task, he soon infused an energy into it which crowned the struggling efforts of Fare] with success. The hierarchical authority was already overturned before his arrival; the citizens had asserted their independence against the duke of Savoy, whose alliance with the corrupt episcopate, which was the direct governing influence in the place had called forth the patriotic as well as the religions feelings of the people. The magistrates and people eagerly joined with the reformers in the first heat of their freedom and zeal. A Protestant confession of faith was drawn out, approved of by the council of two hun dred, the largest governing board of the city, and then proclaimed in the cathedral church of St. Peter's as binding upon the whole body of the citizens. Great and mar velous changes were wrought in a short time upon the manners of the people; where license and frivolity had reigned, a strict moral severity began to characterize the whole aspect of society. The strain, however, was too sudden and too extreme. A spirit of rebellion to the rule of C. and Farel broke forth; they refused to yield to the wishes of a party animated by a more easy and liberal spirit than themselves, and known in the history of Geneva under the nickname of Libertines; and the consequence was, that they were both expelled from the city after less than two years' residence.
C. retreated to Strasburg, where he had meant to go when arrested in his course at Geneva. Here he settled, and devoted himself to theological study, and especially to his critical labors on the New Testament. Here, also, in Oct., 1539, he married the widow of a converted Anabaptist. The marriage appears to have proved a happy one, although not of long duration.
The Genevans found, after a short time, that they could not well get on without Calvin. His rule might be rigid; but an authority, even such as his, which might gall from its severity, was better than no settled authority at all; and the libertine party seem to have been unable to construct any efficient and beneficent form of government. Accordingly, they invited C. to return; and after some delay on his part, in order to test the spirit in which they were acting, he acceded to their invitation, and in the autumn of 1541, after three years' absence, once more made his entry into Geneva.
Now, at length, he succeeded in establishing his plan of church-government, in all its forms and details. By his college of pastors and doctors, and his consistorial court of dis
cipline, be founded a theocracy, with himself at the head of it, which aimed virtually to direct all the affairs of the city, and to control and modify both the social and individual life of the citizens. Not without a struggle, it may be supposed, did he succeed in his great autocratic scheme. The libertines, although dishonored by their ineffectual attempts to maintain order in the city, and uphold its rights and dignity, still remained a strong party, which was even augmented, after C.'s return, by men such as Amy Perrin, who had strongly concurred in the invitation to C., but who were afterwards alienated from him by the high and arbitrary hand with which lie pursued his designs, as well as by their own schemes of ambition. The struggle with this party lasted with various, fortune for no less a period than 15 years, and was only terminated in 1555, after a some what ridiculous emente in the streets. Amy Perrin and others, driven from the city, were executed in effigy; and the reformer's authority from this date confirmed into an absolute supremacy.
During the period of this long struggle with the libertines. C. had many other dis putes, in which he conducted himself with no less heartiness and zeal. The most remark able of these were his controversies with Sebastian Castellio, Jerome Bolsec, and above all, Michael Servetus.
C. had become acquainted with Castellio at Strasburg. They entertained at first a warm friendship for each other, and C. showed great zeal in assisting Castellio, whose poverty and learning had attracted his sympathy. When he returned to Geneva, lie invited Castellio to loin him there, and procured for him the title of regent or tutor in the gymnasium of the city. There was little similarity, however, in the characters of the two men, and the diversity of their tastes and views soon became apparent. The learning of Castellio was intensely humanitic; a classical spirit and a somewhat arbitrary opinion ativeness molded all his studies; and as soon as he began to apply himself to theology, he came into conflict with Calvin. In a letter to Farel in 1542, we find C. speaking of the freaks of "our friend Sebastian, which may both raise your bile and your laughter at the same time." These freaks relate to Castellio's notions of scriptural translation, and his refusal of C.'s offer to revise the version which he had made of certain parts of Scripture. Then, two years later, when Castellio desired to enter into the ministry, C. dissuaded the council from accepting him, on account of some peculiar opinions which he held. These were certain rationalistic views as to the authenticity and character of the Song of Solomon, the descent of Christ into hell, and also about election. After this, Castellio left Geneva for awhile, but soon returning, lie attacked the views of C. openly. After a violent scene in church, which is painted in C.'s letters very strongly, lie was. forced to leave the city. The two old friends, now declared enemies, did not spare each other henceforth: The fate of Servetus drewforth an anonymous publication, attacking with keen logic and covert and ingenious sarcasm the Genevan doctrines. This publi cation was attributed by both C. and Reza to Castellio, and they replied to him in no measured terms, stigmatizing him as a " deceiver and vessel of Satan." One fact really disgraceful to C. in the controversy deserves not to be passed over. Sunk in great poverty, Castellio was obliged, in his old age, to gather sticks on the banks of the Rhine at Basel, as a means of support. C. did not hesitate to accuse him of stealing the sticks. Such polemical truculence may well make us turn away in disgust and indignation.