doctors of the church endeavoured to relieve his woe . Confession , penance , were resorted to in vain ; they could not reconcile the soul with God .
While still engaged in these fruitless struggles , Calvin , chancing one day to visit one of the public squares , witnessed there the burning of a heretic . He was filled with wonder at the expression of peace which rested upon the martyr ' s countenance . Amid the tortures of that dreadful death , and under the more terrible condemnation of the church , he manifested a faith and courage which the young student painfully contrasted with his own despair and darkness , while living in strictest obedience to the church . Upon the Bible , he knew , the heretics rested their faith . He determined to study it , and discover , if he could , the secret of their joy . In the Bible he found Christ . " O Father ," he cried , " His sacrifice has appeased Thy wrath ; His blood has washed away my impurities ; His cross has borne my curse ; His death has atoned for me . We had devised for ourselves many useless follies , but Thou hast placed Thy word before me like a torch , and Thou hast touched my heart , in order that I may hold in abomination all other merits save those of Jesus ." --Martyn , vol . 3 , ch . 13 .
Calvin had been educated for the priesthood . When only twelve years of age he had been appointed to the chaplaincy of a small church , and his head had been shorn by the bishop in accordance with the canon of the church . He did not receive consecration , nor did he fulfill the duties of a priest , but he became a member of the clergy , holding the title of his office , and receiving an allowance in consideration thereof . Now , feeling that he could never become a priest , he turned for a time to the study of law , but finally abandoned this purpose and determined to devote his life to the gospel . But he hesitated to become a public teacher . He was naturally timid , and was burdened with a sense of the weighty responsibility of the position , and he desired still to devote himself to study . The earnest entreaties of his friends , however , at last won his consent . " Wonderful it is ," he said , " that one of so lowly an origin should be exalted to so great a dignity ." --Wylie , b . 13 , ch . 9 .
Quietly did Calvin enter upon his work , and his words were as the dew falling to refresh the earth . He had left Paris , and was now in a provincial town under the protection of the princess Margaret , who , loving the gospel , extended her protection to its disciples . Calvin was still a youth , of gentle , unpretentious bearing . His work began with the people at their homes . Surrounded by the members of the household , he read the Bible and opened the truths of salvation . Those who heard the message carried the good news to others , and soon the teacher passed beyond the city to the outlying towns and hamlets . To both the castle and the cabin he found entrance , and he went forward , laying the foundation of churches that were to yield fearless witnesses for the truth .
A few months and he was again in Paris . There was unwonted agitation in the circle of learned men and scholars . The study of the ancient languages had led men to the Bible , and many whose hearts were untouched by its truths were eagerly discussing them and even giving battle to the champions of Romanism . Calvin , though an able combatant in the fields of theological controversy ,
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