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

679
Beza stayed at St. Germain until the beginning of November, f1289 and then,
worn out, and threatened with a serious illness, he sought rest in Paris.
There he had a visit from his oldest step-brother, and also a pressing and
affectionate letter from his father, who had learned to what honor his son
had come, forgave him for his persistence in heresy, and expressed a great
desire to see him. Beza started for Vezelay, but on the way met a courier
with the intelligence that the Protestants required his instant attendance to
help them at a crisis in their affairs, because acts of violence against them
had taken place in all parts of France. And Beza, ever subordinating private
to public duties, turned back to Paris, and no further opportunity of seeing
his father ever came to him. f1290
§ 171. BEZA AS THE COUNSELLOR
OF THE HUGUENOT LEADERS,
On the 20th of December an assembly of notables, including
representatives from each of the parliaments, the princes of the blood, and
members of the Council, had been called to suggest some decree of at least
a provisional nature upon the religious question. It was January, 1562,
before it convened. It enacted on Jan. 17 the famous law known as the
“Edict of January,” whereby the Huguenots were recognized as having
certain rights, chief of which was that of assembling for worship by day
outside of the walled cities. f1291 The churches which they had seized were,
however, not restored to them, and they were forbidden to build others.
Beza counselled the Protestants to accept the edict, although it gave them
very much less than their rights; and they obeyed.
On Jan. 27, 1562, he was again at St. Germain by command of Catherine,
to argue with Catholic theologians upon the use of images and the worship
of saints. As before, the gulf between Protestants and Roman Catholics
stood revealed, and the conference did no good except to show that the
Protestants had some reason, at all events, for their opinions. Yet they did
entertain hopes of maintaining the peace, when the news that on March 1
the Duke of Guise had massacred hundreds of defenceless Protestants, in a
barn at Vassy, while engaged in peaceful worship, spread consternation far
and wide. The court was then at Monceaux, and there Beza appeared as
deputy of the Protestants of Paris to demand of the king of Navarre
punishment for this odious violation of the Edict of January. The queenmother
received the demand graciously and promised compliance, but the