You cannot, therefore, take credit for a tranquil kingdom, when there was tranquility for no other reason than because Christ was silent. I admit that, on the revival of the gospel, great disputes arose where all was quietness before. Calvin’s response to Sadoleto, written in 1538.
Godfrey (page 14) explains the context of Calvin’s response:
Calvin’s treatise was a response to a sharp attack on the Reformation written by Jacopo Sadoleto. Sadoleto was a bishop and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a distinguished scholar. After hearing of the exile of Calvin and other pastors, he wrote to the Genevans in 1538 urging them to return to the old church. While the Genevan authorities did not regard Sadoleto’s letter as a real threat to the Protestant establishment in Geneva, they did want a strong and effective response written to it. After careful consideration they finally realized that their former pastor, whom they exiled, was the best equipped to write the answer they wanted.
Calvin must have received their request with some amusement and satisfaction. Their recognition that they needed him surely made Calvin feel vindicated.
