[417] _On the back:_ "To my good lord and friend Sire Jacques Le
Franc."--James de Bourgogne, Seigneur de Falais and of Breda in
Brabant, great-grandson natural of Philip le Bel, Duke of Burgundy.
Brought up at the Court of Charles the Fifth, this seigneur adopted,
in his youth, the Reformed faith, and under the Spanish rule not
being able to avow his profession, by the advice of Calvin he
quitted his country, abandoning the whole of his property, which was
confiscated by a decree of the Court of Malines. Thenceforth devoted
to perpetual exile, he dwelt successively at Cologne, Strasbourg,
Basle, Geneva, and maintained an active correspondence with the
Reformer, who heaped upon him the tokens of his friendship, and
dedicated to him in 1546 his Commentary on the First Epistle of
Paul to the Corinthians. These kind relations were unfortunately
disturbed at a later period on account of the trial of Jerome
Bolsec, in which M. de Falais openly took part against Calvin.
The latter keenly resented that act of hostility on the part of a
friend, which broke up the friendship, without any after healing, in
1552. The letters of Calvin to M. de Falais have been published in
the last century at Amsterdam from the originals long preserved in
that town.--_Lettres de Calvin à Jacques de Bourgogne, Seigneur de
Falais_, 1 vol. 8vo. Amsterdam, 1744. We republish them here in more
chronological order, revised and corrected from the originals now
deposited in the library of Geneva, with some other pieces appended
which have not hitherto appeared in print.
Exhorts him to quit his native country and to retire where he
can make free profession of the Gospel.
[_14th October 1543._]
MONSIEUR,--How much soever it may be contrary to the usual fashion
of men that I use so much freedom as to address you familiarly by
letter before being better acquainted, nevertheless, since I feel
well assured that my letters shall be agreeable to you, it would be
hypocrisy in me to make lengthy excuses as if there were any doubt
about that. So, therefore, my bearing and behaviour in this respect
shall be as that of one of your friends, without any further preface.
The matter in hand which I have to discourse with you would, indeed,
almost require that we should meet together to talk the matter
over for at least half a day. And in good earnest, for four or
five months past, I have often desired that it might be the good
pleasure of God to afford us that opportunity. And, indeed, up till
this time I have been in doubt, whether for better advice I ought
to entreat you to undertake a journey, in order that, after having
seen and considered more closely, we might be able to determine what
ought to be done. For had the question been, to deal with the matter
in deliberation as at all doubtful, there would have been many
_pros_ and _cons_ to settle before being able to solve it; it would
have been somewhat silly and inconsiderate on my part to attempt to
do so by letter. But at length, I have thought, on the other hand,
that if our Lord hath already bestowed the courage upon you to
visit us in good earnest, to put your confidence in our Lord along
with us, it would be trouble thrown away, and show much besides of
shyness and drawing back, to recommend you to come merely to see
what was done there, to advise you at all upon that head. Wherefore,
I would not recommend you to take that unnecessary trouble, only
to have to begin again afterwards afresh, and that perhaps in less
favourable circumstances than the present.
I understand very well the difficulty in which you are placed if
you look to the world, and those considerations which may keep you
back. But you will need to come to a settled conclusion, to cast
aside everything which shall come in the way to cross you in your
purpose. One ought not, it is true, to take such a step at random,
that is to say, without foundation, and without knowing why or
wherefore. But when you have your conscience assured by a testimony
which is better and stronger than all the world could give you,
you ought to acquiesce therein out and out, and deem besides, that
all the obstacles which interpose to divert or turn you aside, are
scandals which Satan lays before you to block up the way. Howbeit,
to my thinking, there is no great need to allege many reasons to
shew you what to do according to the word of God. I take it for
granted, that you are already clear upon that point. You have only
the regret of what you leave on the one hand, and on the other, the
fear of not meeting with all that you could desire. All worldly
regrets, however, may be overcome by this consideration, that there
is no condition more unhappy than to live in trouble of mind, and
to have a continual warfare raging within one's self, or rather
without ceasing to be tormented by a hell within. Consider, then,
whether you can have peace with God and your own conscience, while
persevering in the state wherein you now are. In the first place,
if the hope of being better off still holds you back, you perceive
plainly enough that the opening abyss grows ever wider, and that
in the end you sink the deeper. Secondly, should it please God to
repair the disorder which prevails at present, what delight would
it afford you if you could say,--While my Master was banished from
this country, I was quite willing to be excluded, and of my own
accord to go and serve him; and now that he is come again, I return
to give him praise? while as yet there is no appearance of his being
about to do so. Wherefore, the course which it most befits you to
take, is to withdraw before you are plunged so deep into the mire
that you are not able to extricate yourself; and, indeed, the sooner
the better. For in such a case you must seize the opportunity when
it presents itself, concluding, that when the Lord vouchsafes the
means, it is as though he opened the door for us; thus it behoves
you thereupon to enter without further trifling or delay, for fear
that it may be shut, while in the meantime we wrangle and debate
about it.
Now, the most seasonable occasion, I conclude, is when he has
broken those heart-ties, as well your own as those of your good
wife, making that easy to you, by the disposedness wherewith he
has inclined you, to what must otherwise have been so full of
difficulty. In such a case, we ought, according to the exhortation
of the holy apostle, to avail ourselves of the gifts of the Spirit,
putting them to profitable use and into practice, and never allow
them to lie dead and useless, fearing lest they may be altogether
quenched through our own negligence. Therefore, since you have
every appliance you could wish for at hand, you ought not to tarry,
for should it so happen, what experience of your faith could
you ever have in that? There cannot be a doubt, that our father
Abraham must have felt great reluctance when he was obliged to
leave his country, and that he had not all things to his liking;
yet nevertheless, without hesitation he hastened forth. If we are
his children, it is only seemly that we do follow him. We have no
express revelation commanding us to leave the country; but seeing
that we have the commandment to honour God, both in body and soul,
wherever we are, what more would we have? It is to us, then, equally
that these words are addressed, _Get thee out of thy country and
from thy kindred_, whenever we are there constrained to act against
our conscience, and cannot live to the glory of God. For the rest,
our Lord will vouchsafe you wisdom to order your steps aright, and
you are yourself in the most favourable position to judge whither
your affairs are tending. I desire, however, that you should be
endeavouring to shake yourself loose, in order that you may feel
yourself more alert and free to act, when you shall have got rid of
these entanglements, with the aid of the good friends whom you have
with you thereabouts, who may be helpful to you both in the way of
advice and painstaking on your behalf.
The worthy seigneur whom you have so much desired to lend some
help,[418] is about to leave, offering to do, for his part, all
that lies in his power in the way of duty; and certes, the zealous
interest he evinces toward you, ought indeed to quicken your motion,
and be like a new spur to increase and stir up the good inclination
which you already possess.
[418] David de Busanton, Seigneur du Hainaut, in retirement at
Geneva.
Then as for what remains, we cannot so well manage to settle that
by writing. I shall, however, beseech our heavenly Father, that he
would open your eyes yet more and more, that you may be able to
contemplate what he has already in some measure bestowed upon you,
giving you, besides, strength of endurance to follow the course
which he points out to you; finally, that he would direct you in
everything and throughout all by his Holy Spirit, keeping you in
his protection. Whereupon, I would commend me humbly to your kindly
acceptance, without forgetting the good fellowship of the worthy
Seigneurs who are along with you.
Your servant, humble brother, and entire friend,
CHARLES D'ESPEVILLE.
[_Fr. orig. autogr._--_Library of Geneva._ Vol. 194.]