Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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request to Strassburg, Zürich, and Basel to aid Geneva in securing the
return of Calvin. f615
It is astonishing what an amount of interest this question of Calvin’s return
excited throughout Switzerland and Germany. It was generally felt that the
fate of Geneva depended on Calvin, and that the fate of evangelical religion
in France and Italy depended on Geneva. Letters arrived from individuals
and corporations. Farel continued to thunder, and reproached the
Strassburgers for keeping Calvin back. He was indignant at Calvin’s delay.
“Will you wait,” he wrote him, “till the stones call thee?”
§ 95. CALVIN’S RETURN TO GENEVA. 1541.
In the middle of June, Calvin left Regensburg, before the close of the
Colloquy, much to the regret of Melanchthon; and after attending to his
affairs in Strassburg, he set out for Switzerland. The Genevese sent
Eustace Vincent, a mounted herald, to escort him, and voted thirty-six écus
for expenses (Aug. 26).
The Strassburgers requested him to retain his right of citizenship, and the
annual revenues of a prebend, which they had assigned him as the salary of
his theological professorship. “He gladly accepted,” says Beza, “the former
mark of respect, but could never be induced to accept the latter, since the
care of riches occupied his mind the least of anything.”
Bucer, in the name of the pastors of Strassburg, gave him a letter to the
Syndics and Council of Geneva, Sept. 1, 1541, in which he says: “Now he
comes at last, Calvin, that elect and incomparable instrument of God, to
whom no other in our age may be compared, if at all there can be the
question of another alongside of him.” He added that such a highly
favored man Strassburg could only spare for a season, on condition of his
certain return. f616 The Council of Strassburg wrote to the Council of
Geneva on the same day, expressing the hope that Calvin may soon return
to them for the benefit of the Church universal. f617 The Senate of Geneva,
in a letter of thanks (Sept. 17, 1541), expressed the determination to keep
Calvin permanently in their city, where he could be as useful to the Church
universal as at Strassburg. f618
Calvin visited his friends in Basel, who affectionately commended him to
Bern and Geneva (Sept. 4). f619 Bern was not very favorable to Calvin and