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Let Christ Be Magnified: Calvin's Teaching for Today
John Calvin was born almost 500 years ago on 10 July 1509. Many Christians around the world will celebrate the occasion in various ways. But perhaps the best way to commemorate the birth of the Reformer is to remember the gospel he preached. According to J.H. Merle d;Aubigne, the great historian of the Reformation period, Calvin's teaching centred on Christ- his Word, Person, Grace, and Life. Quoting the Reformer's own words, d'Aubigne 'Let us give honour to persons who excel in the fear of God, but on condition that God remains above all- and that Christ triumphs.' Also contains a brief sketch of Calvin's life and work.
53 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2007
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About the author
Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné
522 books16 followersJean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné (16 August 1794 – 21 October 1872) was a Swiss Protestant minister and historian of the Reformation.
D'Aubigné was born at Eaux Vives, a neighbourhood of Geneva. A street in the area is named after him. The ancestors of his father, Robert Merle d'Aubigné (1755–1799), were French Protestant refugees. The life Jean-Henri's parents chose for him was in commerce; but in college at the Académie de Genève, he instead decided on Christian ministry. He was profoundly influenced by Robert Haldane, the Scottish missionary and preacher who visited Geneva and became a leading light in Le Réveil, a conservative Protestant evangelical movement of spiritual revival.
When d'Aubigné went abroad to further his education in 1817, Germany was about to celebrate the tercentenary of the Reformation; and thus early he conceived the ambition to write the history of that great epoch. Studying at Berlin University for eight months 1817–1818, d'Aubigne received inspiration from teachers as diverse as J. A. W. Neander and W. M. L. de Wette.
In 1818, d'Aubigné took the post of pastor of the French Protestant church at Hamburg, where he served for five years. In 1823, he was called to become pastor of the Franco-German Brussels Protestant Church and preacher to the court of King William I of the Netherlands of the House of Orange-Nassau.
During the Belgian revolution of 1830, d'Aubigné thought it advisable to undertake pastoral work at home in Switzerland rather than accept an educational post in the family of the Dutch king. The Evangelical Society had been founded with the idea of promoting evangelical Christianity in Geneva and elsewhere, but a need arose for a theological seminary to train pastors. On his return to Switzerland, d'Aubigné was invited to become professor of church history in such a seminary, and he also continued to labor in the cause of evangelical Protestantism. In him the Evangelical Alliance found a hearty promoter. He frequently visited England, was made a D.C.L. v Oxford University, and received civic honours from the city of Edinburgh. He died suddenly in 1872.
The first portion of d'Aubigne's Histoire de la Reformation – History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century – which was devoted to the earlier period of the movement in Germany, i.e., Martin Luther's time, at once earned a foremost place among modern French ecclesiastical historians, and was translated into most European languages. The second portion, The History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, dealing with reform in the French Reformer's sphere, exhaustively treats the subject with the same scholarship as the earlier work, but the second volume did not meet with the same success.
Among minor treatises authored by d'Aubigné, the most important are his vindication of the character and the aims of Oliver Cromwell, and his sketch of the trends of the Church of Scotland.
(From Wikipedia)
D'Aubigné was born at Eaux Vives, a neighbourhood of Geneva. A street in the area is named after him. The ancestors of his father, Robert Merle d'Aubigné (1755–1799), were French Protestant refugees. The life Jean-Henri's parents chose for him was in commerce; but in college at the Académie de Genève, he instead decided on Christian ministry. He was profoundly influenced by Robert Haldane, the Scottish missionary and preacher who visited Geneva and became a leading light in Le Réveil, a conservative Protestant evangelical movement of spiritual revival.
When d'Aubigné went abroad to further his education in 1817, Germany was about to celebrate the tercentenary of the Reformation; and thus early he conceived the ambition to write the history of that great epoch. Studying at Berlin University for eight months 1817–1818, d'Aubigne received inspiration from teachers as diverse as J. A. W. Neander and W. M. L. de Wette.
In 1818, d'Aubigné took the post of pastor of the French Protestant church at Hamburg, where he served for five years. In 1823, he was called to become pastor of the Franco-German Brussels Protestant Church and preacher to the court of King William I of the Netherlands of the House of Orange-Nassau.
During the Belgian revolution of 1830, d'Aubigné thought it advisable to undertake pastoral work at home in Switzerland rather than accept an educational post in the family of the Dutch king. The Evangelical Society had been founded with the idea of promoting evangelical Christianity in Geneva and elsewhere, but a need arose for a theological seminary to train pastors. On his return to Switzerland, d'Aubigné was invited to become professor of church history in such a seminary, and he also continued to labor in the cause of evangelical Protestantism. In him the Evangelical Alliance found a hearty promoter. He frequently visited England, was made a D.C.L. v Oxford University, and received civic honours from the city of Edinburgh. He died suddenly in 1872.
The first portion of d'Aubigne's Histoire de la Reformation – History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century – which was devoted to the earlier period of the movement in Germany, i.e., Martin Luther's time, at once earned a foremost place among modern French ecclesiastical historians, and was translated into most European languages. The second portion, The History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, dealing with reform in the French Reformer's sphere, exhaustively treats the subject with the same scholarship as the earlier work, but the second volume did not meet with the same success.
Among minor treatises authored by d'Aubigné, the most important are his vindication of the character and the aims of Oliver Cromwell, and his sketch of the trends of the Church of Scotland.
(From Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 7, 2024
Only about fifty pages but it is a hearty fifty—all steak, no greens, not even potatoes. Just meat.
November 14, 2020
Chapter 3 provides a succinct summary of Calvin's views of predestination. Let us not be guilty of assuming that he taught that God is unjust. Jesus was the only one who suffered injustice at the hands of God. God has decreed that the unrighteous will suffer hell for eternity and it is not God that creates unrighteousness in us that makes us to be deserving of that hell, it is our own sinful desire. And so we can agree that those who perish in hell receive justice and those who receive eternal life receive mercy to the praise of His glorious grace!
November 19, 2019
This writing powerfully presents the spiritual significance of Calvin for the Church. It is a powerful and brief read that is worth revisiting. It is important to not descend to hagiography so I recommend a good bio to temper our understanding of Calvin's life. Nonetheless, Merle d'Aubigne presents an accurate picture of Calvin who glorified God from the moment of his conversion to the moment of his death through pastoral care and theological clarity.
December 23, 2013
This short book reprints a talk given by renown church historian J.H. Merle d’Aubigne on the three hundredth anniversary of John Calvin’s death. In summary fashion, d’Aubigne details the main emphases of Calvin’s ministry, taking care to address—and dispel—many of the common misconceptions about the man and what he believed. This would be a good introduction to those who know little about Calvin, and perhaps eye-opening to those who assume they know his teaching.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews