The person of Calvin was middle-sized and naturally delicate; his habits were frugal and unostentatious; and he was so sparing in his food, that for many years ho had only one meal in the day. He bad a clear understanding, an extraordinary memory, and a firmness and inflexibility of purpose which no opposition could overcome, no variety of objects defeat, no vicissitude shake. In his principles he was devout and sincere, and the purity of his character in private life was without a stain. His writings are very numerous; but except his Christian Institutes,' his commentaries ou the Bible, and a few others, they have long been covered with undisturbed dust, though in their day none of his works were without their influence. There have beeu various collections of his works. In 1552 all his minor pieces, or Opuscula,' were collected and published at Geneva. Iu 1576 a similar collection was mace of his theological tracts ; and tho same year Beza published a collection of hie letters, with a life of Calvin. We find also in Senebier (` Hist. Lott. de Geneve,' tom. i.) not only a list of all Calvin's publications, but a catalogue of sermons preached by him which yet remain in manuscript iu the public library of Geneva. Calvin's 'Commentaries on various books of the Old and New Testaments, hie ' Tracts relating to the Reformation,' his 'Institutes,' and some )there of his writings, have been newly translated into English, or the old translations revised, and published within the last twelve or rourteen years under the auspices of the Calvin Translation Society at Edinburgh. But perhaps a still more important work as illustrating be character of the man and his times is a new edition of his otters, now iu course of publication, including a very great number n.eviously inedited :—'Letters of John Calvin, compiled from the iriginal manuscripts, and edited with historio notes by Dr. J. Bonnet; ,ranslated by D. Constable, 8vo,' Edinb., 1855, &c.
It remains to notice briefly the system of religious doctrine and church government maintained by Calvin and his followers. Calvin, VI we havo eeen, published his system in his 'Christian Institutes' in ho year 1536; but it does not appear to have ohtsined the name of — — CaHairs, see Its sapoosters the name of Calvinists, till the conference of liaises Is 1531 The reformer wee not himself t et that meseneWy, tahvg ptereated from attending by his duties' and the al state of id. health ; but we see from his oorreeposelsmos with liesa, the &ray from Genera, bow deep was his interest in it. providing., and that alethlng was dams on the part of the reformers without his ' komeledge and adelce lo the Unite which took place on the Amebae, Cademiore, the points of difference between the Lutherans and ealviaieta were drawn out ; and they were such as that from timmoderth the latter became known se a distinct sect under that doomaination.
The Mow of Calvinism gawped the doctrine. of he Trinity, pro thetlseatise, or jortkular election and reprubatloo, original sin, particular redempeion, effectual or Irresistible grace in regeneration, yesseelicatam by faith, and theyoreeverence of together also with the government and diecipline of the church, the nature of the cneiari-t,abet the of those entitled to partake of it. The met lasehog prisldples of the system however are the absolute decrees of God, the spiritual pryer's°. of Christ In the eucharist, and the indereadanee of the church.
Weirdoes was. perhaps, hke Lutheranism, exemplified first at Streebourg ; where, In the year 153S, Calvin established a French church en his own plan. Dot it was at Genes.' that the system was seen in all its deur; and from thence It spread into France, Germany, Prusale, the United Provinces., England and Scotland. To this last pima it was carried by Knox, the disciple and intimate correspondent of Calvin ; and as within the little territory of Geneva there was neither room nor need for the parochial sessions, presbyteries, pro vincial synods sad genets' assembly, Into which the presbyterial government expands Itself in a large community, we shall briefly advert to its leading features in Scotland, u it appeared there in the birth.* of Knox. We shall thus Indeed see the Church of Scotland
is its Latency ; but at the same time,—and it is that we have chiefly is view —we shall thus perhaps have the beet idea of the matured opialow. of the great reformer.
The Confeesiou of Faith, ratified by the Scot. parliament in irco, de large that by the sin of our first parents', "commonly called original sin, the image of God was utterly defaced in man, and he and his poeterity of nature became enemies of God, slims to Satan, and servant. unto sin; insomuch that death everlasting has had, and shall have, power and dominion over all that have not been, are not, or shall not be, regenerated from above, which regeneration is wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost working in the hearts of tho elect of God an assured faith in the promise of God revealed In his word ;" that "from the eternal and Immutable decree of God all our salvation springs and depends r "God of mere grace electing us in Christ Jeans his son before the foundation of the world was laid ;" and that "our faith and the assurance of the mote proceeds not from noel and blood, that is to my, from our natural powers within na, but is the inspire. nen of the Holy Ghost;" "who sanctifies us and brings us in all verity by his own operation, without whom we should remain for ever enemies to God and ignorant of his son Christ Jesus; for of nature we are so deed, so blind. sad so perverse, that neither can we feel when we are pricked, 'we the light when it shines, nor assent to the will of God when it is revealed, unless the spirit of the Lord Jesus quicken that which is dead, remove the darkness from our minds, and bow our stabborn bearta to the obedience of his blessed will r "so that the mew of good works we confon to be not our free will, but the spirit of the Lord Jesus, who dwelling in our hearts by true faith, briar forth such work, as God haa prepared for us to walk iu ;" and "whom boast themselves of the meats of their own works, or put their tract io works of raperero.ation, boast themselves in that which is sot, and put their trust in damnable idolatry." It further admits that " we DOW, In the time of the evangel, have two chief sacraments may," to wit, Baptism and the Lord's Supper; by the former of whisk " we are *rated in Christ Jesus to be made partakers of his by whirl our eine are covered and remitted ;" and In the latter there le a real though only spiritual presence of Christ, and " in the supper rightly used, Christ Jesus is joined with us, that he beesausee very nourishment and food of our souls.' The marks of a true chords are said to be the true preaching of the word of God, the right administration of the aseramenta, and ecclesiastical discipline rightly administered as the word of God preacribee. The polity or ometitetion of the church however is not detailed; this was done in the ' Soot of Discipliae' drawn up by Knox and his brethren. The highest church judicatory is the General Assembly, composed of reprowntatives from the other., whkh are provincial epode, presby terisa. and kirk sessions. The officer. of the church are pastor' or rainietore, doctor' or teachers, and lay ciders, to which are to be added lay desseeme, for tee care of the poor. Among the clergy there is • perfect parity of jurisdiction and authority, and In the church courts clergy and laity have oral voices. The 'idolater and the rider Indeed an both presthytens—the one a preaching presbyter, and the other a ',shag presbyter; and it will be remembered that when Bucer "emoted his approbation of the whooped hierarch?. of England, Weis mid it was only another papacy. Another principle recognised alske by Calvin and the reformers of Scotland, waa the et:Intuition of the people; which both MOM to have regarded as the rock upon which the reformed church should be built; and in Siztland, as was fit, this foundation was as broad as the building, it being meant that, besides the universitiess of the kingdom, there should be in every district is pariah church and a parish school.