A Brief History of John Calvin, Ignatius of Loyola, Calvinistic Pastors, Jesuit Priests and Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Having switched from an Independent Baptist theology to a Reformed Baptist theology, I felt like it would be nice to talk about John Calvin vs. the founder of the Jesuit Order, Ignatius of Loyola. After having read in parts about the history of the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuit Order was fully established on September 27, 1540 which is just 23 years after the start of the Reformation by Martin Luther. Calvin himself once went to school with Loyola in the University of Paris, never dreaming that the two would eventually battle with each other. One truly deserved to wear Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the greater glory of God) and the other used the phrase in vain.
What is commonly missing in most of the history of the Jesuits is the encounter that Calvin had against its founder Loyola. Ever since Luther hammered the 95 Theses on the Wittenburg Door, a great revival sparked ending the Dark Ages. Spurious "Christians" were exposed and the statement from the Bible was raised saying, "For the just shall live by faith." and the cry of the Reformation was, "Faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone, in Christ alone, glory to God alone." which in short the movement was truly "For the greater glory of God.", something that the Jesuits aren't.
During that time, Calvin wasn't backing down because of his former classmate Loyola. What can be noted for John Calvin's contributions to Christendom would be the (1) Institutes of Christian Religion, (2) John Calvin's commentary, and (3) The Geneva Bible, to name a few of his works that I have read. Later on, the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation participants (most of them were Calvinistic pastors against Jesuit priests) also had the following activities namely (1) building educational and ecclesiastical institutions, (2) writing hymns, (3) writing books, (4) preaching sermons and (5) translating the Bible. The Jesuit priests tried to expand their power for themselves, the Calvinists in history were operating according to Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam because they declared the biggest point of the five Solas, Sola Deo Gloria or Glory to God alone.
After reading some of the histories of the King James Bible which is alternatively called as the "Authorized Version of 1611", the translators were Calvinistic scholars of England. The Jesuit priests had several means of infiltration either through their highly skilled parishioners or through their best scholars. Fortunately, within the committee, there were Calvinistic scholars, parishioners, and pastors who knew how the slick agents of the Jesuit priests would move. Several times, they tried to use the corrupt, missing translations which were worse than the first Latin Vulgate which was produced in Alexandria. Fortunately, God mightily used the Calvinist scholars to fully get the Authorized Version of 1611 which soon electrified a revival across Europe.
The Jesuits as the sore losers they are proved that again, they weren't living up to Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam but Ad Majorem Jesuit Gloriam (for the Greater Glory of the Jesuits) with how often they, by their actions, opposed God's work by attacking true Bible-believing Christians. They would later use two men Brook Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort who were major heretics. During that time, the great Calvinistic Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon had begun preaching. Both Westcott and Hort were most likely Jesuit agents based on what I've read, they were Roman Catholic spies who introduced the New King James Bible. Fortunately, not even the Latin Vulgate nor any other translations of the Bible could really stop the spreading of the Word of God. After all, when I was preached to, I was still preached from a New International Version of the Bible but later, I switched to the King James Bible after I realized how many verses were missing from my previous Bible.
The theologian Augustus Toplady would later confirm of Arminianism as the Road to Rome. What many people to claim to be Arminian but believes in the perseverance of the saints, are neither Calvinist nor Arminian just like Dr. Vernon McGee and Harry Allen Ironside. Ironside believed that only those who truly endured to the end were saved however rejected unconditional election to be the root of it. McGee was busy weeding out false converts but rejected unconditional election even if he believed in the perseverance of the saints. What the heretic Jacobus Arminius taught was that in the moment David sinned, he had lost salvation which is no different than the Roman Catholic heresy of mortal and venial sin. Augustus Toplady a conservative Calvinist called Arminianism as the Road to Rome. To believe you are a born again Christian but to adhere to Arminianism is just as dangerous as to adhere to Antinomianism that teaches God's grace is a license to sin which is just as heretical and not to mention, the Jesuits may have used Arminianism and Antinomianism to creep into the Protestant and Baptist churches today one way or another, has become more open to infiltration to Rome than ever before.
Today, the cry of Calvinistic preachers is this, "If a dog barks when it's master is attacked, I would be a coward if I saw God's truth attacked and yet would remain silent.", something that John Calvin had quoted himself years ago. Once again, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam or "For the greater glory of God." and while the Jesuits wear it in vain, the Reformed Theology can freely lift it up because they are the ones who truly live to what it stands for.