lll:ll!li' 'lii'llillHl;;; 'Hilii! m iiiiiiiiti^^^ m UC-NRLF $B 3DE 367 THE LIFE OF JAMES ARMINIUS, D.D, Cicero Lie. il. De Obatobe. Quis ntseit primam esse historiae legem, ne quid falsi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat. [Who knows not that the first law of history is, that it venture not to state anything that is false, that it venture not to suppress anything that is true.] ' > > 1 > ? ■> » y r -t f > 1 ■> . » 1 J > ^ ^1 ' . , ■>•>■)>■> > ' ^ ' > 1 7 . J » e f e c c c c c c <• f c e « c c r c c c r t c « r r « « c c r c « < r c c • t- t t e r c c m ^ A m M I H I TU 1) o TT-x THE LIFE OF JAMES ARMOIUS, D.l). Professor of Theology in the Unirersity of Leydeii, Holland, TRANSLATED f EOM THE LATm OF CASPAE BEANDT, Remonstrant Minister, Amsterdam, BY JOHN GUTHRIE, A.M, Paratus seque discere ae docere. — Abminius. LONDON: WARD & CO.; GLASGOW: LANG. A DAM SON, & CO., 28 QUEEN STREET. Printed by H. Nisbet, 142, Trongate, Glasgow. • •• • • • • • • t c * « « ( t c « I TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. The name of Brandt is imperishably associated with the literature of Holland. Gprard Brandt, a Eemonstrant (or Anninian) minister and professor at Amsterdam, published, in 1671, that great work, ' The History of the Reformation in the Low Conn- tries,' which has elicited very general admiration for the impartiality of its spirit, the nobility of its senti- ments, and the valuable and soul-stirring character of many of its records. This eminent historian and divine was the father of our biographer, Caspar Brandt, who was also a minister of the Remonstrants at Amsterdam. Caspar drew up that life of Arminius, a translation of which is presented in this volume, about the beginning of the 17th century, but died just as he was preparing to put it to the press. After several years' delay it was at last edited and published by his son, Gerard, vi translator's preface. at Amsterdam, in 1724, and republished, with anno- tations, by the ecclesiastical historian, Mosheim, in 1725. That Caspar was no unworthy son of the eminent historian of the Belgic Reformation will sufficiently appear, we trust, from the following pages, even under the confessed disadvantages of translation. He has here developed some of the finest qualities of the biographer — great candour and charity, consummate judgment and taste in the selection of his materials; and scholarly exe- cution in weaving them into a symmetrical whole. Stirring incident in the life of a theologian is what no considerate reader will expect ; and certain por- tions of this memoir, owing to the subjects treated, can hardly fail to be regarded by some as dry and abstruse ; but no one can deny it, — what many ingenuous inquirers, we trust, will feel to be an unspeakable charm, — the merit of presenting a faith- ful and full-length portrait of the man Arminius, and no small insight into the state and spirit of his times. The name of Arminius stands identified with that gigantic recoil from Calvinism, than which no re- action in nature could have been more certainly predicted. Of all the actors in that movement, — so fertile of mighty actors, — no one played a more translator's preface. vii conspicuous, important, and trying part tlian Armi- nius. To higli talent and cultivation, and to consummate ability as a disputant, Arminius added the ornament of spotless Christian consistency (his enemies being judges), and of a singularly noble, manly, and bene- volent natui-e. This, with his conspicuous position, made his personal influence to be very potent and extensive. And yet few names have ever been overshadowed by a deeper and denser gloom of prejudice than his ; to utter which, as Wesley remarked, was much the same, in some ears, as to raise the cry of ' mad dog.' This is attributable partly to the latitudinarianism of some of his followers, who, revolting at the dominant faith, and maddened by oppression, resiled to the opposite extreme ; and partly by the accidental cir- cumstance that his milder scheme found general favour in the Church of England, at a time when she stood in hostile relations to the English Puritans and the Scottish Presbyterians. But these were results with which neither the man Arminius, nor the Arminian principle of conditionalism, had anything whatever to do. To trace them to him were not more just than to trace German Neology to Luther and Melancthon, and Genevan Socinianism to Calvin. Viii translator's preface. That the early Arminians had some Erastian leanings, was less their fault than their fate. On this point, at least, their high-hancled opponents have no room to speak. Very plausible, no doubt, was the clamour of the Gomarists to have ecclesiastical causes tried by ecclesiastical courts; and safe, as well as plausible, for they were the dominant party ; but to ascribe this to any just principles of religious liberty would be to betray sheer ignorance of the men and the times. What the Gomarists wished was full scope, in the first place, for their high-handed majority, to condemn the Arminians in due ecclesiastical form ; and then to demand from Csesar, for the plenary exe- cution of their decrees, the unshackled use of the secular arm. Bogermann, the zealous foe of the Arminians, and the president of the Synod of Dort, by which the Arminians were condemned, was one of the translators of Beza's treatise of pimisJdng heretics with deathj and pressed the Dutch magistrates with the sentiment ' that to tolerate more religions than one in a state, was to make peace with Satan.' Though driven by their circumstances to seek shelter under the protec- tive arm of the State, the Arminians were not the less the strenuous champions at once of civil and religious liberty ; and to their heroic endurance is it owing that, from being one of the most exclusive, Hol« translator's preface. ix land has "become one of the most tolerant countries in Em-ope — a result in which a modern German writer recognises, not without reason, the fulfilment of a very important part of their mission* After the rup- ture between the great Arminian statesmen and Prince Maurice, to whose grasping ambition they refused to immolate the young liberties of the Dutch Eepub- lic, the Gomarists, seizing their opportunity, and post- poning patriotism to party, paid cornet to the Prince, who forthwith turned his back on the Arminians, and threw all his weight into the opposite scale. This policy smoothed the way for the summary measures of the Synod of Dort, with its tragic issues to the Ai-minians, — deposition, suppression, expatriation, yea incarceration, and even death. Hundreds of clergy- men were deposed. Multitudes who refused (though plied with the bribe of a comfortable maintenance) to abstain from preaching, were sent into exile. Even organists of churches were compelled to sign the canons of the Synod of Dort. The Leyden Professors of whatever faculty who refused to do so, were dis- placed; and recusant students expelled. Armmian assemblies, held in the face of pains and penalties, * Ihre Mission war auch zum grossen TheUe voUendet, da Holland immer mehr ein Land religiosen Duldung ward. — (Eeal Encyklopiidie fiir Prot. Theol. und Kirche. P. 529.) X translator's preface. were sometimes converted by a mtUess soldiery into scenes of blood. The self-denying persistence of tbe persecuted Arminians was worthy, so long as their days of trial lasted, of our own forefathers in the days of the Covenant. The million guilders of the Synod's expenses were the least part of its cost to Holland. At the very time it closed its sittings, three gTcat Arminian statesmen, whose names occur in this bio- graphy — Grotius, Hoogerbeets, and Oldenbarneveldt, were in prison ; the two former being condemned to perpetual imprisonment ; the last, who had abeady turned his period of threescore years and ten, was led forth, a few days after the close of the Synod, to ex- piate on the scaffold his only crime — incorruptible patriotism. We allude to these facts, not for the uavidious pui'- pose of tracing the spmt of persecution exclusively to any one creed (though some creeds distil it more copi- ously than others), but partly to vindicate the original Arminians from exaggerated charges of Erastianism, as what their Gomarist opponents did much more to incur ; and partly as appropriate supplemental infor- mation, as far as it goes, to that contained in the following memou", which narrates the causes that ripened into the results described, ten years after Arminius had found an asylum in the grave. TRANSLATORS PREFACE. XI The English Keformation, having for its doctrinal basis the mild views of Melancthon, Arminianism (which was a virtual revolt from Calvin to Melanc- thon) has all along powerfully influenced the theology of England. And yet, beyond the old translation (in 1672) of Bertius's funeral oration over Arminius, and brief gleanmgs from this memoir in our larger works of reference, we know of no English Life of the great Arminius, till, with a zeal, ability, and erudition worthy of his great theme, Mr James Nichols of Lon- don addressed himself to the task in the memoir pre- fixed to the first volume of his translation of the works of Arminius. The present translation of Brandt was nearly completed before we laid our hands on the two volumes of Mr Nichols (for the third is still due) ; but on doing so, we found, as we ex- pected, that his task and ours in no way interfered. Our object was to meet the prejudice (especially in Scotland) associated with the name of Arminius, by a translation of the classic and authentic memoir by Brandt, in a form which, while tasteful, should be of a price to make it accessible to the masses of the people. Now, Mr Nichols's Life of Arminius forms part of a large and necessarily expensive work, which is not yet completed ; and though Brandt's Memoir is incorporated, it is in a dislocated form, in scattered xii translator's preface. notes and appendices, while considerable portions are omitted, or reserved for tlie tMrd volume. In 1843 Dr Bangs of New York, compiled from tlie pages of Nicliols, a Life of Arminius in a form better adapted to the popular object we had in view 5 but being pro- fessedly but a miniature of Nichols's, it partakes of the same heterogeneous and fragmentary character; containing portions, indeed, of Brandt, but portions also from other sources, including large extracts from the works of Arminius. A simple and continuous edition of Brandt's Life of Arminius was yet wanting ; and this, without interference with the respected authors named, and as a fellow-worker in the same cause, we have endeavoured to supply in the present publication. Of the manner in which we have executed our task we leave the j)ublic to judge ; merely observing, that while labouring throughout to harmonise, to the best of our judgment, these sometimes refractory compati- bilities — fidelity to our author's Latin, on the one hand, and to our reader's vernacular on the other, we have allowed the scale to preponderate, where preponderate it must, on the side of literality rather than of ele- gance. Our object in this publication is something more than a vindication of the injured character of Arminius. translator's preface. xiii Were all such wrongs to be tlius righted, ' I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.' There are multitudes of injured characters which, for any practical require- ment, can well afford to lie over (as Whitefield said of bis) till they be cleared up in the light of the Judg- ment Day. But there are other characters, — other transacted lives, — which not to know, or to mis-know, is a loss to the world. Of such sort we believe the memory of Arminius to be : a memory so beautiful that even those who are constrained to dissent from Arminius the theologian, may yet profitably contem- plate, and sympathetically admire, Arminius the noble- minded, benevolent, and Christian man. For this and such ends, may God graciously accompany this little work with his blessing. John Guthrie. Greenock, 20th Sept., 1854. CONTENTS Page. Dedication by the Editor, Gerard Brandt, . . 1 CHAPTER I. Early Life and Education of Arminius, till the commence- ment of his Ministry in Amsterdam. — a.d. 1560— 1588 9 CHAPTER II. Transition Stage of Arminius's mind on the subject of Pre- destination, with the cu'cumstances in which it origi- nated; and the troubles to which it led. — a.d. 1589 — 1592 34 CHAPTER III. Arminius, in expounding Romans ix., encounters fresh storms; confutes the Calumnies of Plancius, and conesponds, on points in dispute, with Gellius Snec- anus and Francis Junius. — a.d. 1592 — 1597 . 56 CHAPTER IV. Intense ardour of Arminius in investigating Divine Truth, with connected incidents ; and his devoted and bene- volent Pastoral Labours at the time of the Plague. — a.d. 1597—1602 78 CHAPTER V. Arminius's Call to a Theological Professorship in Leyden, and the active opposition to which it gave rise. — a.d, 1602—1603 95 CHAPTER VI. Further prosecution and successful issue of Arminius's Call to the Professorship.— A.D. 1603 . . 118 ^Vl CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. Page, Discussions of Armiuius at Leyden, especially on the subject of Predestination ; and consequent opposition of Gomarus— A.D. 1603, 1604 . . . .141 CHAPTER Vni. Suspicions against Arminius, and rigorous measures with his Students ; fresh Disputatations ; commencement of Ecclesiastical proceedings. — a.d. 1604, 1605 , . 159 CHAPTER IX. Ecclesiastical Excitement, and proceedings with a view to a National Synod; fresh Calumnies against Arminius. —A.D. 1605—1607 .182 CHAPTER X. Convention at the Hague to arrange the preliminaries of a National Synod; misrepresentation of Arminius and his adherents for the opinions they there expressed ; his Letters to Drusius and Hyppolitus a Coliibus. — A.D. 1607—1608 . 212 CHAPTER XT. Conference at the Hague in May 1608; Arminius replies to thirty-one Defamatory Articles, falsely ascribed to him and Adrian Borrius. — A.D. 1608 . . . 243 CHAPTER XII. Ever- increasing Contentions, amid which the health of Armiuius gives way ; final Conference at the Hague in August 1609 ; his Last Illness and Death.— a.d. 1609 378 CHAPTER XIII. Sketch of the Person and Character of Arminius; with a variety of Testimonies in regard to him, both from Friends and Foes.— a.d. 1609 300 Appendix 321 [dedication by the editor, GERARD BRANDT.] TO THE EMINENTLY PIOUS AND LEARNED LAMBEKT DROST AND GEORGE A ZONHOVEN, THE FAITttPUL PASTORS OP THE REMOJiSTRA>)T CHURCH AT HAARLEM AKD LEYDBH ; GERARD BRANDT greeting : Reverend Sirs, Special reasons exist, over and above the common interest you feel in literature and learned men, which ha,ve induced me to dedicate to you, in particular, the life, composed by my father, of James Arminius — a name of no mean lustre in Hol- land during- the last century. For whether I reflect on the degree of veneration with which you hold sacred the memory and the doctrine of that incomparable man, or recal to mind the very close tie of friendship which you contracted with the author while he lived, or consider, finally, the favourable regard toward me personally which you have repeatedly evidenced 2 r r f < f f '^^ \ \ ,,\ ' ' '' '<' DEDICATION. by no dubious proofs, I shall have no difficulty in satisfying any competent judge that I have the best reasons indeed for dedicating to you this production of my father. For, if to acknowledge favours may be regarded as part of a gi'ateful return, what can better become me than to bear public testimony to the kindness which you have thrown around me from my tender years. Not unfrequently have you counselled me, m the slippery period of youth, to contemplate, as in a mir- ror, the lives of my ancestors, that thence I might derive examples of virtue and learning, and that, roused from the slumber of inaction by the trophies of hereditary fame, I might ply my studies with alacrity ui the liberal arts. You have not hesitated by your counsels, admonitions, and every variety of kind offices, to lighten the burdens of orphanage, yea, and to admit me in my riper years into your intimate friend- ship ; in short, you have at no time suffered any advantage to be shut in my face. But to crown all, by getting your names prefixed to this work, I flatter mvself that I have found fit defen- ders of Arminius ; for not only is it your endeavour, from a regard at once to your office and to conscience, to maintain and defend his doctrine ; but, that the good cause may not lack advocacy, you have, in con- cert with others, undertaken the care and charge of examining, and elevating to sacred functions, the young men who, as the hopes of the Eemonstrant Church, are in course of training under the auspices of the illustrious Cattenburg. DEDICATION. 6 I miglit enlarge, were it not that I have found you to be as loath to admit these commendations, as I have found other men willing to hear them ; for virtue has in itself this distinguishing feature, that it would rather be honoured with a quiet admiration, and com- mended in silence, than eulogised in fulsome terms. Accept, then, this memorial, such as it is, of my regard and esteem for you, which, in token of a grate- ful spirit, I adorn with your names. Should you be kindly disposed to honour it with your patronage, I shall have the satisfaction of reflecting that a debt has been discharged to the memory of Arminius, to the labour of my father, and to my own earnest wishes. It only remains that I pour out a heartfelt prayer to the ever blessed God, that he would long spare you in health, most excellent Sirs, for the good of your church, and of all the Eemonstrants : and that you may grant me a continuance of your favourable regard. Amsterdam, May 1, 1721, [PEEFATORY NOTE BY THE EDITOR, GERARD BRANDT.] Before addressing yourself, courteous reader, to the perusal of this little work, there are a few things which I think it needful to state in the outset. Nearly thirty years have elapsed since my father, Caspar Brandt, of blessed memory, began to spend his leisure hours in penning a life of the celebrated James Arminius ; and in order that the entire Christian world might be the better able to judge of the piety and doctrine of that great man, whose name had been bandied about in various rumours (even as citizens the best deserving, whether in the State or the Church, have not always a lot worthy of their endeavours, and envy, like an in- separable shadow, is the usual concomitant of glory and virtue), he thought it advisable to frame his narrative in Latin, in preference to doing so in his vernacular tongue. The materials of the work were furnished, not merely by the literary remains, pre- viously published, of Peter Bertius, John Uiten- bogaerdt, and other distinguished men of that century, 6 PREFATORY NOTE. but also by not a few manuscript papers of tbeirs, and of Arminius himself, of which hitherto no public use had been made. At last, having all but applied a finishing touch to the memoir, and while making arrangements for committing the work to the press, he was snatched from the stage of time, — ^leaving myself, and many good men, to bewail his loss. He had made me heir of almost all his manuscripts ; among these was this life of Arminius, which, as I was not yet of age to manage my own affairs, v>^as entrusted, in the usual way, to the faith and custody of a g-uardian, at whose death it passed into other hands, and there lay concealed for a good many years ; till at last, upwards of two years ago, I recovered it from its possessor. Impelled, accordingly, by the dictate of filial affection, and by a regard to the memory of James Arminius, I send forth to the public this fruit of my father's mental toil. I have thought it proper to pre- mise these things to vindicate myself from the un- merited censure of some, who, being aware that a memoir of Arminius had been drawn up by my father, accused me of nevertheless procrastinating the pub- lication of it longer than was due. Let not these, however, I pray, expect me — in accordance with the usual practice m editing memoirs, whether auto- biographical, or otherwise — to advance anything in praise either of Ai'mmius himself, or of my father.* * This is an awkward sentence in the original ; and it even presents a diversity of reading in different impressions of this same edition; but young Brandt's meaning is nevertheless sufficiently apparent. — Tr. PREFATORY NOTE. 7 To dwell on the merits of tlie former would not be at all in keeping with my condition m life ; while, from any such reference to the latter, — by which I might appear desirous of imposing on others, — I am re- strained by a due veneration for my father's name. It concerns me more to notice the circumstance — as fitted to enhance the readers estimate of the utility of this work — that there was a memoir by Philip Limborch, the very eminent professor of theology among the Remonstrants, of the celebrated Simon Episcopius, originally prefixed to his sermons, which, for the benefit of foreigners, was well translated into Latin by an ardent lover of letters, and, in a form similar to that of the present work, published m this city by Gallet in the year 1701 ; but, by what fate I know not, copies of this edition have become so rare, that it was with some difficulty that one could be obtained for my inspection. Should the rest, however, happen to be liberated from the places of confinement in which they are said to be detained, and that life of Episcopius be subjoined to these memoirs of Arminius, the two volumes will be found to embody a record of the rise and vicissi- tudes of the Eemonstrants during a period of forty years — a record not unworthy of the study either of Dutchmen or of Protestants in other lands. Besides, it will be evident even from this, that the genius of the Christian religion consists in meek- ness and charity, rather than in speculative opinions in matters of faith ; and how necessary in contro- versies that do not peril the foundations of our faith, is mutual forbearance, to foreclose many schisms into 8 PREFATORY NOTE. which the Church, alas ! is now cruelly rent : for, as the Emperor Justinian wisely warns, in another case — ' It is better to leave a cause untouched, than, after it is damaged, to look about for a remedy. ' * AxMSTERDAM, 1st May, 1724. * L. Ult. C. in quibus caus. in integr. rest, neces. non est. THE LIFE OP JAMES ARMINIUS. CHAPTER I. EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION OF ARMINIUS, TILL THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS MINISTRY IN AMSTERDAM. A.D. 1560 TO A.D. 1588. Of all the religious controversies wliich have furnished divines of recent as well as of more ancient note, ^'ith fertile matter of debate, not the least prominent, per- haps, is the oft-agitated question respecting divine predestination, and its dependent doctrines. On one side, for example, in that discussion may be found Augustine, and his followers Prosper, Hilary, and Fulgentius ; on the other, Chrysostom, Ambrose, and other bishops, both of the Greek and Latin Church : — a fact admitted by all who have more attentively studied the writings of the ancients. Afterwards also, when the influence of Augustine was predominant among the Schoolmen, the question as to what was his 10 THE LIFE OP meaning, and as to tlie principle on which his differ- ent statements were to be reconciled, was long keenly debated between the Franciscan and Domini- can orders. Nay, even in the last century, at the very dawn of the uprising truth, there was a diversity of opinion on this point among the Protestant leaders themselves ; one view being held by Luther,* Calvin, and Beza, and another by Erasmus, Melancthon, Bullinger, Sarcerius, Latimer, and many other leaders of the Eeformed faith. And more, following these last at no great interval, George Sohnius of the Uni- versity of Heidelberg, Peter Baro of the University of Cambridge, and John Holmann of the Leyden University, three professors of theology ; and in the provinces of Friesland, Guelderland, and Holland, Anastasius Veluanus, Hubert Duifhusius (or Dove- house), Snecanus, and other men of note in these Low Countries, differed from others in their views of this subject, without injury, however, to ecclesiastical peace or brotherly concord. But when a number of pastors, particularly those who had prosecuted theological studies at Geneva, or in the University of Heidelberg, put forth unremitting and strenuous efforts, in lower Germany, to convert their * Melanctbon declares that, on this point, Luther's opinion, latterly ar least, coincided with his own: — ' Scis me,' says he ' queedam minus horride dicere de prsedestinatione, de assensu voluntatis, de necessitate obedientios nostrse, de peccato mor- tali; de his omnibus scio re-ipsa Lutherum sentire eadem, sed ineruditi quaadam ejus QopriXOjrspa dicta, cum non videant quo pertineant, nimium amant.' Epist. p. 445. Edit. 1647. — Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 11 own harslier opinion on tlie Di\dne decrees into law, and either debar dissentients from the sacred office, or, if already in office, to expel them, there was no one, in this centnry at least, who resisted the attempt so openly and manfully, as James Armixius, doctor and professor of theology, of no mean name, in the University of Leyden, in Holland, upwards of eighty years ago. But, as the reputation of this man has been assailed by many writers, and he himself tra- duced as Holland's unpropitious star, and as the leader and author of that disgraceful schism which has, in the most grievous manner, convulsed the Eeformed churches in the Low Countries — just as if his object had been to pile up for himself, out of their ruins, a stepway to fame — I may be admitted, perhaps, to have performed no unworthy office to his blessed memory, if, from various and most authentic documents, as many as I could lay my hands upon, I furnish the public with a faithful and compendious memou' of his life. To commence, then, with his nativity : — James Hermanns (or Hermanson) was his original name ; but, after the example of Capnio, Erasmus, Melanc- thon, Sadeel, and other eminent men, who, guided by a similarity either of sound or of signification, adopted other than their original names, he afterwards allowed it to be latinised into Arminius. He was born a.d. ' 1560, the self-same year tluit terminated the earthly career of a theologian of highest name, that illustrious ornament of the Eeformation — Philip Melancthon, of whom the Emperor Ferdinand is reported to have de- clared, on being apprised of his death — ' That man was 12 TflE LIFE OF always distinguislied for the moderation of his coun- sels.'* Even so does the Great Disposer control human events; and as in the firmament, while some stars set, others rise ; so, in this lower sphere, when one renowned for learning and piety dies, forthwith another arises and takes his place, till at last, from among the crowd of his fellow-mortals, he stands out conspicuous as a star, and in point of mental endowment and moral excellence, will bear comparison with those who have finished their life and their labours. The birthplace of Arminius was Oude water, which •some call Old Waters ^\ a small town of South Holland, distinguished, not only by the loveliness of its circum- jacent plains, and by the Yssel that flows through it, but also, and in the highest degTee, by a long siege it sustained against the Spaniards, which terminated in its overthrow and in the barbarous slaughter of its inhabitants. In some elegiac verses addressed to a friend at Delft the subject of our memoir thus cele- brates, in a strain of dearly cherished remembrance, the place of his nativity, the home of his fathers : — Ah fuit in Batavis urbecula finibus olim, Quae nunc Hispani strata furore jacet. Huic Undse Veteres posuerunt nomina prima ; Hsec mihi nascenti patria terra fuit. X From this little city which, among other eminently * Bucholceri Chronol. -|- Its literal meaning. — Tr. X Ex. MS. Arminii. These verses may he thus represented in English: — In Holland once (ah! once) there stood a town, Now hy the Spaniard's rage in ruins thrown ; Old Waters named — ne'er be that name forgot ! Scene of life's sunny morn — my natal spot!— Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 13 learned men, gave birth also to the great mathemati- cian, Kudolph Snellius, sprung Arminius, of parents respectable indeed, but of moderate means. His father was a cutler, of the name of Hermann Jacobs (or Jacobson). His mother's name was Angelica Jacobson: she belonged origmally^to Dort. He lost his father in infancy ; and his mother, thus prematurely deprived of her partner, was left, with the three children she had by him, to pass her widowed days in some- what straitened circumstances. There were not wanting, however, kind friends to the widow, who most faithfully acted towards her the part of a hus- band, and made it their study to assist her by their counsel and their means. Among others there lived at that time, and in the same jjlace, a certain priest of the name of Theodore ^milius, a man of singular erudi- tion, who stood high among all his fellow-townsmen for the gravity of his manners, and the purity of his life. In his early years he had been imbued with the popu- lar errors and with the superstitions of the Romish Church ; but, afterwards, by divine illumination, he conceived a relish for the Refoimed doctrme, and at last resolved to abandon at once and for ever the idolatrous sacrifice of the mass, which he had often performed. Wlierefore, to escape the hands of perse- cutors, he removed his abode fi'om place to place ; till at last, settling down privately at Utrecht, he took the fatherless boy Arminius under his truly fatherly protection. Findmg hun apt to learn, and already beamuig, at that very tender age, with indications of mind, he took care to get hun mitiated, at the school 14 THE LIFE OF of Utrecht, in tlie elements of both languages, and instilled into him the principles of genuine piety. * When, moreover, he saw in the boy evident marks of an excellent and piously inclined disposition, he set himself with special earnestness to stimulate, day by day, his budding intellect and piety by the most salu- tary admonitions. Above all, he exhorted and urged him again and again, that, putting away and spurn- ing from him every earthly consideration, he should devote himself entirely to God and his conscience; that the life which now is, was of trivial moment, and that it was succeeded by a state of existence beyond, which was not to be estimated by the distinctive badges of temporal bondage or freedom, but by an eternity of weal or of woe. These counsels, and many more of the same character, emanating as they did from a thoroughly sincere and unsophisticated breast, and followed up and confirmed by the diligent perusal and meditation of the sacred volume, remained infixed so deeply and indelibly in his mind, that, inflamed with the hope of that better life and never-ending glory which the venerable old man often pressed upon his attention, he consecrated himself entirely to the pur- suit of piety, and the promotion of the divine glory. In the course of a few years, however, while living in this manner at Utrecht, and daily advancmg in learn- ing, and in holiness of life, his faithful patron was sud- denly snatched from him by the hand of death. But the great and ever blessed God, the never- failing father of the orphan, did not leave the youth, * Ex. Bevtii Orat. funeb. JAMES ARMINIUS. 15 now in his 15tli year, to pine in the hopeless grief into which he had been pkmged by the loss of so beloved a benefactor. Scarcely had the good old man departed this life, when that profound linguist, and most expert mathematician, Kudolph Snellius, happened to re-visit his ovm country from Hesse- Cassel ; having some time previously, to escape the tyranny of the Spaniards, left his native spot, which was common to him. with Arminius, and repaired to Marburg. Moved with Christian compassion for his young fellow-townsman, now deprived of human guar- dianship, he forthwith honoured him with his patron- age, and took him with him to Hesse- Cassel. Arminius had hardly taken up his abode there, when, in the month of August in that same year (1575), his ear was startled by the tnily tragic in- telligence that his native town had been destroyed : — that the place had been taken by the Spaniards — its houses pillaged, and almost entirely consumed by the devouring flames — its garrison put to the sword — its ministers of religion hanged — and its inhabitants strangled in a promiscuous mass, without any regard to age or sex. This announcement so agonized his youthful spirit that for a whole fortnight he gave way to incessant weeping and wailing. Yea, so ir- repressible was his anguish at so fell a catastrophe, that he quitted Hesse-Cassel, and hurried to Holland — resolved to visit the ruins of his native city, or die in the attempt. When he reached the place, the scene presented the appearance of a heap, rather than of a city — his eye findhig nothmg to rest on but piles of 16 THE LIFE OF rubbish, and the remains of most of the citizens, yea, and of his dearest mother, and sister, and brother, and other relations, all cruelly slain. He accordingly re- turned to Marburg, the journey from his native place to Hesse- Cassel being accomplished on foot.* Meanwhile, under the auspices of the illustrious Prince of Orange, William the First, a new University had been erected in Holland. f On being apprised of this, he returned to his native land, and repaired to Rotterdam, where the sad relics of his fellow- towns- men, and some others who had fled from Amsterdam on account of the Reformed religion, had taken shel- ter. Peter Bertius, senr., was then pastor of that church ; and in the same city resided a man of eminent learning and piety, John Taffin, Walloon minister to the Prince, and one of his Councillors. Arminius im- mediately insinuated himself into their friendship — so much so, that Bertius cheerfully received him into his * Ex. Bertii Orat. Funeb. -j- The celebrated University of Leyden. In memory of the eventful siege of that city by the Spaniards, and to reward the citizens for their heroic and triumphant defence, the Prince and States offered them their choice of a university or a fair. To the honour of the citizens they chose the university, and to the honour of the Prince and Stales they gave them both ; and both sustained and enhanced the city's well-earned renown. The university, above all, has made Leyden an imperishable name. It received its charter from the Prince of Orange on the 8th February, 1575. ' Van der Duys, the devoted and heroic defender of his native town, first sat as curator in that chair which himself had raised on the standards of victory, and the muse twined her bays with the laurels that crowned his brow.' — Davies' Hist, of Holland, vol. ii. p. 15. London, 1851. — Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 17 own house. By and by, however, at the instance, and with the sanction, of certain friends, he was removed to the new University at Leyden, along with Peter Bertius, junr., whom his father, on this occasion, had recalled from England. Pre-eminent among the other masters of varied erudition, Lambert Danseus then added lustre to the new seat of learning — a distinguished man, so versed at once in philoso- phical and theological studies, and also in the Fathers, and in scholastic divinity, as to have scarcely an equal in these departments. " Hence that illustrious orna- ment of literature, and of the Leyden University, John Dousa, the elder, in an iambic poem composed in honour of Danssus, designates him the father of the sciences and of eloquence^ and the master-builder of the new seat of learning, j Favoured with so able a director of his studies, Arminius soon made such proficiency that he far outstripped his fellow-students, to whom he TVi.s held up by his distinguished preceptor in terms of public commendation as a rare example of industry and virtue. When anything was to be written, cr spoken, or any doubt to be resolved, Arminius was sure to be consulted. There was scarcely a field of study, or department of the arts, which he did not bound over with eager and joyous impulse. In order to acquire the Hebrew tongue, he availed himself of the instructions of Hermann Eennecher, a Westpha- lian, who was well versed in that language. With * Meursii Atlien. Batav^. •f Vid. Dousse poem, a kJcriverio edita p. 274. 18 THE LIFE OF liis main study, theology, at wliicli he toiled night and day, he conjoined philosophy ; and penetrated to the inmost recesses of both. Of all philosophers, by the way, the celebrated Peter Ramus, formerly professor in the University of Paris, pleased hun best.* So thoroughly did he imbibe his system of philosophising, and method of reasoning, that he might have passed for another Eamus. My impression, however, is, that Arminius acquired the elements of this philosophy under his teacher and guardian, Rudolph Snellius, of whom the distmguished Meursius remarks, that ' at Marburg he first laid his hands on the logic of Ramus, and was so enraptured with it, that from that day for- ward he shook himself clear of all the shackles of the Aristotelian philosopliy, to the acquisition of which he had formerly devoted three whole years in the colleges at Cologne.' Under the care of this same Snellius, who, at the close of the year 1578, was called by the Curators of the Leyden University to give instruction in Ma- thematics, he applied himself also to Mathematics and Astronomy^, and made no small progress in these studies. Nor was he proof against the allurements of poetry; but at this, as well as at subsequent periods of his life, he occasionally betook hunself to that sweet charmer of the human soul, to soothe his breast when burdened by a load of care. This is proved by a variety of epigrams and poems of every description, that bear the evident impress of a sprightly and most elegant * Eamus was also a favourite with Jobn Miltou. — ^Tr. JAMES ARMINIU3. 19 mind, many of which, in the author's own hand-wi'iting, are preserved by us to this day among our most precious relics. Of all his companions — it may be added — who then plied theu' literary studies along with him at the same university, and of whose friendship and close intimacy he daily availed himself, the most eminent were these young men of transcendent ability, John Gruter, Eombout Hoogerbeets, and George Benedicti of Haarlem, whose epigrams, and other highly finished poetical remains, were afterwards published by the very learned P. Scriverius. When, with these fellow- students, he had now attended the Leyden University for the space of six years, and given satisfactory proof that he was des- tined to be an eminent man, and useful teacher in the church, he was at length recommended, in hope of the church, by the Honourable the Senators of the Amsterdam Eepublic, and by ministers of the gospel, to the heads of the merchants' guild,* who re- sponded so heartily to the call, that, to enable him to complete a thorough com'se of academical study, they took the youth imder their patronage, and cheerfully engaged, with this pious object in view, to defray the expense thereby incurred out of the annual proceeds of their fraternity. On his part, Arminius, in an autogi-aph document retained by the senators, of date 13th September, 1581, bound himself to be in perpetuity at the ser\dce of that city; * Trihunis Institorum ; to which the author subjoins, in a foot-note, by way of explanation: — De Hooftluiden van het Kraemers Gildt. — Tr. 20 THE LIFE OF and pledged liis faith that in the event of his being invested with the sacred office, he would give his energies to no chnrch in any other city without the previous consent of those who should constitute the Senate of that great city for the time being. Backed by such kind patrons, he rushed with accelerated speed towards the completion of his studies. That he might accomplish this with the more advantage, and yet further enrich his resources, the Senate of Amsterdam deemed it ad- visable that he should be sent to some of the foreign universities. Accordingly, by their authority and decree, in the year 1582, he set out for Geneva, a city which was then considered to be the stronghold of the Reformed faith, and the prolific birth-place as well as arena of the most illustrious minds. Of all who then took the lead in this city, in its Academy and in the public ordinances of religion, the great master- spirit was that venerable old man, Theodore Beza. Hence nothing appeared to Arminius of greater con- sequence, while at Geneva, than to conciliate towards himself Beza's interest and affection, inasmuch as he hoped, by means of his conversations and intercourse, to become not only a more erudite and polished, but also a better and a wiser man. For, with the utmost gravity of manners, this theologian excelled his com- peers in persua&iveness of address, and in promptitude and perspicuity of utterance; while his learning and attainments in sacred literature were profound and extraordinary. With ears intent Arminius drank in his words; with eager assiduity he hung upon his JAMES AKMINTCS. 21 lips ; and witli intense admiration he listened to liis exposition of the ninth chapter of Panl's epistle to the Eomans. His attention to Beza, however, was not ex- clusive ; for he was often present also at the prelections and discourses of Anthony Faye, Charles Perrot, and other teachers of that church and universitv. Here, at Geneva, w^ere laid the foundations of that most intimate and uninterrupted friendship which ever after subsisted between him and John Uitenbogaert, a native of Utrecht, who prosecuted his studies in theology at the same time, and under the same preceptors.* In the course of that period, too, it happened that the sons of the principal families of rank in the Dutch Eepublic, and young men of noble birth, had flocked to Geneva to prosecute their studies, of whose familiar intercourse and many kind offices Arminius daily availed himself. . Emment among these were Nicolas Cromhout, Abraham Bysius, Peter Brederode, John Crucius, Adi'ian Tiong of Dort, afterwards called Junius, and others, whom, at subsequent periods, he saw elevated to the highest honours of state in his native land.-|- But Arminius, ha\dng rather keenly, and with too great ardour, defended publicly, as well as privately, the philosophy of Ramus, which he had formerly embraced, and impugned that of Aristotle ; nay, further, having allowed himself to be prevailed upon, by the re- quest and earnest entreaties of many of the students (of whom Uitenbogaert was one), to teach the logic of Ramus privately, and in his own study, he soon suc- * Ex vitce Uitenbog. prolegomenis, Hug. veruac. conscript. -}- Ex Arminii MS. Libello. 22 THE LIFE OF ceeded, hj tliat step, in arraying against himself the fierce jealonsy of some of tlie rectors of the academy at Geneva. Of these, no one resented the attempt so keenly as the professor of philosophy in that academy — a Spaniard by nation, and, moreover, a most strennons defender of Aristotle. By his infinence, erelong, Arminins was publicly, and by name, inter- dicted the liberty of teaching the Eamean philo- sophy. Disconcerted by this aifair, he resolved to yield somewhat to the exigency, and abandon Geneva for a time.* He removed to Basle, where he was held in the highest estimation for his talents and learn- ing. A favourable opportunity here presented itself for establishing his reputation. The custom had prevailed in that university of permitting the more advanced theological students, during the harvest holidays, to give, apart from the stated course, and with the view of exercising their gifts, occasional lectures hi public. This province Arminius very will- ingly undertook, and expounded a few chapters of Paul's Epistle to the Eomans. With such ability did he act his part, and with such applause from all the learned, that the celebrated James Gryn^us, pro- fessor of sacred literature in that university, occasion- ally graced his lecture M-ith his presence, and listened to him with the utmost delight. This distinguished man, moreover, when any grave question was started in their public discussions, or any knotty point pre- sented itself, would single out Arminius from among * Bert. Ovat. Funeb. — Uitenb. Hist. Eccles. Vernacule Script. JAMES ARMINIUS. 23 the assembled students, and, without any fear tliat his lionom- was at stake, appeal to him in these words — ' Let my Hollander answer for me.'* Yea, to such an extent, at this place, did he gain the esteem of the learned, and the fame of solid acquirements, that, when he was meditating a return to Geneva, the Theological Faculty spontaneously, and at the public expense, proffered him the title of doctor, which, however, with the utmost modesty, and with every expression of gTatitude, Arminius at that time declined, as an honour which he was yet too young to wear. On his return to Geneva in 1583, he found that the most of those whom he had shortly before exas- perated by his defence of the philosophical tenets of Ramus, had abated much of their rigour. Where- fore, deeming it fair that he, on his part, should some- what abate his impetuosity, and give no further offence to his friends in this way, he so conducted him- self henceforth that every one saw and admired the combination he exhibited of an acute and vivacious in- tellect with the utmost moderation of spirit. So marked was this, that Beza himself, on being asked by the learned Martin Lydius, minister of the gospel at Am- sterdam, in name of the leading men both of the city and the church, to give his opinion of their scholar, -J- and of his studies, replied, in a letter to Lydius, dated June 3, 1583, and embodying the mind of the entire theological faculty, in the following tenns : — ' Your letter reached us sometime since, in which, in * Ex. Bert, Orat. Fimeb. t Alumnus, or in Dutch VoedsterUng—literallj foster-child. 24 THE LIFE OF terms of tlie decision of your assembly, as well as by the desire of your illustrious magistracy, you ask our opinion of James Arminius, your scliolar. To that letter we shortly after replied ; but as it is possible, in these critical times, that our reply may not have reached you, we deem it expedient to embrace the opportunity that has just presented itself of a confi- dential bearer, to repeat our answer in brief, lest by any such contingency the studies of Arminius should be injuriously affected. To sum up all, then, in a few words, be it known to you, that from the time Arminius returned to us from Basle, his life and learning both have so approved themselves to us, that we hope the best of him in every respect, if he steadily persist in the same course, which, by the blessing of God, we doubt not he will ; for, among other endow- ments, God has gifted him with an apt intellect both as respects the apprehension and the discrimination of thuigs. If this henceforward be regulated by piety, which he appears assiduously to cultivate, it cannot but happen that this power of intellect, when con- solidated by mature age and experience, will be productive of the richest fruits. Such is our opinion of Arminius, a young man, unquestionably, so far as we are able to judge, most worthy of your kindness and liberality.'* Three months after, a similar opinion respecting Arminius was expressed by the University of Basle, in whose name the celebrated Giynaeus drew out the following testimonial : — * VideEpist. Eccles. Amstel. 1681 editas; pag. 26. Ed. xii. JAMES ARMINIUS. 25 '■ To pious readers J (/reefing: 'Inasmuch as a fliithful testimonial of learning and piety ought not to be refused to any learned and pious man, so neither to James Arminius, a native of Amsterdam,* for his deportment while he attended the University of Basle was marked by piety, mode- ration, and assiduity in study ; and very often, in the course of our theological discussions, he made his gift of a discerning spirit so manifest to all of us, as to elicit from us well-merited congratulations. More recently, too, in certain extraorcUnary pre- lections delivered with the consent, and by the order, of the Theological Faculty, in which he publicly expounded a few chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, he gave us the best ground to hope that he was destined erelong — if, indeed, he goes on to stir up the gift of God that is in him — to under- take and sustain the function of teachins:, to which he he may be lawfully set apart, wdth much fniit to the Church. I commend him, accordingly, to all good men, and, in particular, to the Church of God in the famous city of Amsterdam ; and I respectfully entreat that regard may be had to that learned and pious youth, so that he may never be under the necessity of inter- mitting theological studies which have been thus far so happily prosecuted. Farewell ! 'John James Grynjuus, 'Professor of Sacred Literature, and Dean of the Theological Faculty. — Written with mine own hand.f * Basle, 3rd September, 1583.' * In this Grynsous was mistaken, for Arminius was a native of Oudewater. -f- Ex ipso Grynsei Autog raphe. 26 THE LIFE OF Graced and animated by these testimonials, lie dili- gently applied himself at Geneva, for three years more, to augment his attainments in theology and sacred literature. Moreover, as every nation has something in which it boasts a superiority over others, and as James Zabarella, a professor of philo- sophy at Padua, had at this time acquired great celebrity in that department ; for this reason chiefly, Arminius, in the year 1586, made arrangements for taking a journey to Italy. This, however, he under- took not so much at his own suggestion, as at the instance of that noble youth, Adrian Junius, who was prosecuting legal studies, and who, when at a subse- quent period he took his place among the senators of the Provincial Court, ceased not to regard Arminius with peculiar affection and esteem. Bent on making the tour of Italy, and on the look-out for a fit com- panion, he succeeded at last, by dint of entreaties, and by consummate address, in alluring Arminius into the project, on this condition, that both should use the same lodgings, the same table, and the same bed; and that in no case, when they sallied forth, should either quit the side of the other.* On this agreement, entered into at Geneva, they set out on their journey under favourable circumstances, taking along with them a Hebrew psalter, and a Greek copy of the New Testament, for the use of both in the way of cultivating personal piety. Spending sometime in Padua, Arminius listened to Zabarella mth the utmost delight, and also found occasion to give in- * Vid. Bert. Orat. Funeb. — Uiteiib. Hist. Eccles. JAMES ARMINIUS. 27 stmction in logic to some Germans there, of noble birth. From that lie visited the principal cities of Italy, and the queen of them all, the city of Eome — the throne of the Papal superstition and despotism. Wherever they went Arminius clung to his Achates, and never spoke to any one except in his presence. Of this journey, indeed, he was wont to remark, as no trivial advantage, that ' at Eome he had seen the mystery of iniquity in a fonn far more hideous than he had ever imagined ; and that all he had ever heard or read elsewhere of the court of Antichrist at Eome, appeared trifles when compared with what he saw with his own eyes.'* The whole of this journey to Italy was accomplished, not in twenty-one months, as some recklessly allege, but in the space only of seven months ; after which he retraced his steps to Geneva. But although he had been an eye-mtness of the meretricious worship of that Papal Church, he had kept himself perfectly clear of all taint of its supersti- tion; still he could not escape the charge, by very- grave men, of incaution and precipitation, in under- taking such a journey. AVhat was more, he drew down upon himself, in consequence of that step, the displeasure, to some extent, of his patrons, and of the honom^able Senate of Amsterdam, on the ground that he had imdertaken the journey without consulting them. And, as envy is the usual concomitant of shuiing virtues and talents, there were not wanting individuals at this time who made a handle of the circumstance to indulge the \dlest suspicions, and by * EsBertii Orat. Funeb. 28 THE LIFE OF judgments the most manifestly reckless, to blight the opening bncls of the youth's reputation. For advantage was taken of the fact, first secretlv to insinuate, and then openly to proclaim far and wide, that he had kissed the Pope's shoe, became acquainted with the Jesuits, and cherished a familiar intimacy with Cardinal Bel- larmine ; the simple truth being that he had never beheld the Pope save in a dense crowd, in common with the other spectators, while Bellarmine he had never so much as seen. Accordingly, ha"\nng returned to Geneva, and passed a few months more in that place, he was recalled home by his patrons, and, in the autumn of 1587, set out for Amsterdam, adorned with a very splendid testi- monial from his preceptors at Geneva, in which they declare, ' that his mind was in the highest degree qualified for the discharge of duty, should it please God at any time to use his ministry for the promotion of his own work in the Church.' * Directly on en- tering that cit}", he felt it incumbent on him, first of all, to clear himself of the aspersions of weaker brethren, in reference to the journey above-mentioned, to the satisfaction of those grave and influential men whose authority was predominant in Church and State. Having obtained an interview with these, he very easily explained the fact ; while the superadded testi- mony of Adrian Junius, formerly noticed, who had been his constant and inseparable companion in that jomiiey, put an effectual curb on the reckless jaws of his calumniators. Nor less did Arminius feel it to be * These are the words of Beza. Vid. Bert. Orat. Funeb, — Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 29 his incumbent duty, now that he had. returned to Amsterdam, to make his appearance before the eccle- siastical court,* which he did on the 12th of November. He was very graciously received, and forthwith presented his testimonials from the vener- able Beza and others ; adding, that, actuated by an ardent desire to edify the Church of God, he would gladly devote to this object the gifts divinely entrusted to him, if at any time he should be duly invested with the sacred office. -|- After entermg into explana- tions respecting his journey to Italy, he next made the request, that before applying hunself to dis- courses, :j: with the view of rightly moulding his voice and style of speaking (of which he was extremely diffident), he might be allowed,^ with the consent of the honourable Senate, to go to South Holland, partly to see certain friends and relatives, and partly to transact some private business. He obtained permis- sion, the senators even granting him his travelling * This, we presume, was the Amsterdam Classis, for it was by the classical courts that candidates for the ministry were wont to be examined. These classes, being originally com- posed of every minister and elder within the particular bounds, corresponded, as nearly as possible, to our Scottish presbyteries. See Steven's Brief Vieio of the Dutch Ecd. Estah., p 9. It is evidently this same classical court, or presbytery, that is so often referred to in the subsequent pages, and which Brandt variously designates by the names Senutus Ecdesiasticus, Presbyter mm, Sijnedrmm, &c. — Tr. t Ex actis presbyterii Amstelod. J Commonly called Propobilions. 30 THE LIFE OF expenses ; and accouiplisliecl the projected journey in a brief period of time. On his return, he devoted a few weeks, by way of practice, to the delivery of private addresses ; and, about the commencement of the year following (1588), he presented himself for exammation before the Classis of Amsterdam. This having taken place, and his faith having been tested on the several heads of Christian doctriae, and the testimonies of some eminent divines respecting him having further been read, he was unani- mously judged worthy to undertake ministerial functions. Thereafter, on the 4th February, with the consent of the honourable senators (the matter having previously been submitted to the ecclesiastical court), he began to be heard from the^pulpit of the church in Amster- dam, and officiated every week at the evening service, delivering a discom^se, and conducting the prayers. * He cUd so with such applause— his style of speakmg being marked by a certain sweet and native grace, tempered with gravity — that, in the course of a few- months (on the 21st July), the consistory! of that city * Ex actis presbyt. Amstelod. t The consistory (for such, in this histance, must be the court designated by the name preshyterivm) corresponds to our Kirk-session. It is * composed of the minister or ministers, in actual service, and the elders and deacons of each congregation. In small communities, deacons have a voice in all the business of the kirk-session, but in large consistories they have a sepa- rate chamber where are discussed all matters relating to the poor. In towns the whole session, including ministers, elders, and deacons, combine in caUing a clergyman.' Steven's Brief View of Dutch Eccl. Estab., p. 3. — Tr. JAMES ARMEsirS. 31 — all the deacons being assembled along with them — resolved, by their common vote, and withont a dis- sentient voice, that he should be offered the sacred ministry of the chnrch in Amsterdam, and that the consent of the honourable senators should be asked for that purpose. This "^as obtained, on the 28th of July ; and the invitation by the entire consistory of the church, having been tendered to Aiminius on the 11 th of August, after due proclamation had been made, and after pledging his faith that he would, according to the example of his colleagues, ftilfil his sacred duties with fidelity and zeal, on a certain Saturday, which happened to be the day before the celebration of the Lord's Supper, he was, in solemn form, by the laying on of hands, invested with the sacred office. He entered upon his public duties in the twenty- eighth year of his age ; and already, at this youthful period, acted the part of a consummate preacher, and not only fulfilled, but far exceeded the expectations of his patrons. His discourses were masculine and erudite; everything he uttered breathed the theolo- gian — not raw and commonplace, but superior, acute, cultivated, and replete with solid acquisitions both in hiunan and in sacred literature. This made him such a favoiuite both with high and low, that in a short time he attracted towards himself the ears and the hearts of all classes alike. In the general admiration of his talents, some stvled him ' a file of truth,' others 'a whet-stone of intellect,' others 'a pruning-knife for rank-growing errors ;' and, indeed, 32 THE LIFE OF on the subject of religion, and sacred study, it seemed as if scarcely anything was known which Arminius did not know. * In order to cirenmscribe himself in his public dis- courses within certain limits, he adopted the plan of expounding continuously, and in alternate order, the prophetic book of Malachi ■ and the Epistle of Paul to the Romans. He commenced the exposition of this Epistle on Lord's day the 6th of November. In treatmg the argument it contains, he reckoned nothing more important than to bring clearly out the primary scope of the Apostle, namely, to establish the doctrine of the justification of both Jew and Gentile by the ftiith of the gospel ; and to exhibit to the church, plainly and distinctly, the necessity of faith and of gospel grace, as well as the mefficacy of legal works. t To this task he addressed himself with all his might, by which he increased to the utmost his reputation for consummate learning, and gained the favour and good will of all who attended his lectures — not excepting even those who differed from him in sentiment. But having, first of all, sworn eternal fealty to truth, and all along cherished an ardent love to it, he set before him as his chief aim, now that he was just commencing his ministry, to lay aside all prejudice, surrender himself entirely to truth, and in no case speak or act contrary to the dictates of a pure conscience. Great, moreover, as was the veneration with which he regarded those * Ex Eertii Orat. Funeb. f Ex Annotatis MSS. J. Armin. JAMES AEMIXIUS. 33 under whose banner and protection he had devoted himself to sacred study, he would by no means con- sent to take their opinions for law, but was determined to follow the direction of Christ alone, the supreme teacher and guide. This, as early as the year follow- ing (1589), events began to make manifest. 34 CHAPTER 11. TKANSITION-STAGE OF ARMIXIUS' MIND ON THE SUBJECT OF PREDESTINATION, WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH IT ORIGINATED, AND THE TROUBLES TO WHICH IT LED.— A.D. 1589—1592. Famous at tliat time was tlie name of Theodore Coornliert, a citizen of Amsterdam, whom Adrian Junius of Hoorn, in his description of Holland, designates 'a man of divine intellect.' This indi- vidual, notwithstanding that he had strenuously contended for liberty of country and of conscience, and bravely withstood the tyranny of the Romish Church, was yet of opinion that the church which gloried in the name Reformed, was not so purged but that it still laboured under a variety of errors, op- posed at once to Christian truth and piety. Of these, the one he could least tolerate was the dogma, taught by most ministers of this church, of an abso- lute decree of divine election and reprobation, as had been maintained at large by the very celebrated divines of the Geneva school. This opinion he began to assail both with tongue and pen ; and soon furnished the pastors in the Low Countries that held it with a superabundance of work. Nay, ten years had now elapsed since a very smart disputation on JAMES ARMINIUS. 35 this and other points, presided over by certain mem- bers of the honourable the States General, had taken place between him and Arnold Cornelis and Eeyner Donteklok, ministers at Delft.* He was, in conse- quence, taxed and held chargeable with heresy, libertinism, and many more such crimes; and stood as a common mark of assault to all who wished to preserve inviolate the name and reputation of the Reformed Church. The Ecclesiastical Court of Amsterdam accordingly, unwilling in this matter to fall behind others in zeal, resolved that their own Arminius be earnestly requested to undertake the task of resisting that man's attempts, and devote his energies to the confutation of his treatises.-|- This request Arminius at that time failed to falfil, not so much from a reluctant mind, as from the following incident that occurred in the same conjuncture of affairs. These two ministers of Delft, who had publicly disputed with Coornhert, the better to shield their opinion of an absolute decree against the main objec- tion of their antagonist, with which he was always plying them — (namely, that the necessity of sinning, no less than of perishing, being fixed by the more than iron absolutism of that decree, they thereby actually made the ever-blessed God the author of all sin) — came to the conclusion that they must of necessity deviate a little from the footsteps of the Genevan * Vid. Parentis mei f m. Ger. Brantii Hist. Eeformationis Belg'cso, populari Idiom. Scriptara. torn. i. p. 597. f Ex actis Presbyt. Amstel. 36 THE LIFE OP divines, and adopt some other expedient to rid them- selves of the difficulty. For while they agreed with the Genevans in this, that Divine Predestination was the antecedent, absolute, and inevitable decree of God concerning the salvation or damnation of every individual of the human race, without any respect to obedience or disobedience, they nevertheless dissented from them in the following particular: — While the. illustrious Beza and others had made the object in the view of God predestinating to be man not yet considered as fallen, yea, not even as created, these Delft divines, on the other hand, made this peremp- tory decree, in the order of nature, to be posterior to the creation and the fall of man. In order to submit this opinion to the judgment of the most learned, these brethren of Delft had drawn up a little work under the title of ' An Answer to certain Arguments of Beza and Calvin, from a Treatise on Predestina- tion as taught in the Ninth Chapter of Romans.'* This work, presenting a variety of difficulties under which the more rigid opinion of the Genevans seemed to labour, had been transmitted by them to the Eeverend Martm Lydius, who, from the celebrity he had acquired for solid erudition, had been called, in the year 1585, by the honourable rulers of Fries- land to the professorship of divinity in their new academy. But he, though by no means indisposed to reply to the author of that book — (he had even pledged his faith that he would) — nevertheless pre- • Ex Bert. Orat. Funeb. Vide etiam libeUum R. Donteklo- kii vernacule h;cript. anno 1609. JAMES ARMINIUS. 37 ferred turning to Arminiiis, "whom he urged by letter to undertake this task, and the defence of Beza, and thus pave the way to the refutation of Coornhert. To, this proposal Arminius, in the first instance, did not greatly object, yea, and addressed hhnself to the task with the more alacrity that he cherished such veneration for his reverend and aged preceptor, of whose lectures and arguments, to which he had recently listened, he retained a deep and lively re- collection. But when he entered on this field, and, with the view of defending his own opinion, had accurately balanced the arguments on both sides, and brought them to the test of the ancient tnith, he found in either view of an absolute decree of pre- destination such inextricable difficulties, that what to choose and what to refuse came to be matter of perplexing doubt. Indeed, the longer he revolved the point, and weighed the reasons which had been ui'ged agamst the view of Calvin and Beza, the more difficult did he find it to meet them with a solid reply ; and thus he felt himself bearing rapidly over to that very opinion which, at first sight, he had undertaken to impugn. "^^Hierefore, accustomed as he was to surrender himself to the dictates of a good conscience, that he might not overstep his duty as a lawful student of divine truth, or rashly precipitate himself against this or that opinion on the point referred to, he determined, fii^st of all, abruptly to cut short the thread of the refutation he had begun, and devote every fragment of time he could redeem from his stated engagements and jjublic ministrations 38 THE LIFE OF to tlie more tliorongli investigation of this doctrine, and to tiie perusal, in connexion with the sacred vohmie, of the works written on the suljject by the ancient as well as more recent divines. But to proceed with our narrative : That he might feel the more encouraged to prosecute with alacrity and respectability his earthly career, and the public duties assigned him, he took thought, in the thirtieth year of his age, of entering into the marriage relation ; and on the 16th of September 1590, he took to wife Elizabeth Eeal, the nuptials being celebrated in due form in the Old Church (as it was commonly called), j and the ceremony performed by his colleague, the Rev. John Ambrosius. This Elizabeth was a woman of elegant manners, and of a great mind — being the daughter of a man of the utmost weight and tried excellence, Lawrence Real, a judge and senator in Amsterdam. How well this man deserved of his native city, and of the Reformed religion, and how prodigious the toils he encountered in its defence during the very perilous period of Spanish tyranny, eminent writers of that age abundantly testify. Having happily secured as his partner in life the daughter of such a man, endowed and adorned with hereditary virtues, most exemplary manners, and the love of unaffected piety from her earliest years — for she had herself accompanied her father into exile for the sake of religion — Arminius forthwith applied him- self, heart and soul, to discharge with alacrity the duties of his sphere. But although he put himself most wisely and JAMES ARMINIUS. 39 rigidly on his guard against openly impugning the generally received tenets concerning Divine Predes- tination, and kept to himself, for the sake of peace, many truths on which the rest differed from him in opinion, he by no means held himself so hound to the prevailmg opinions of others as to preclude him, when engaged in the exposition of this or that passage, from occasionally and modestly expressing his dissent. Above all, he made it liis endeavour to eradicate from the minds of his hearers certain popu- lar errors in the highest degree hostile to Christian piety; and to vindicate, against the vicious and distorted mterpretations of some, several passages of Holy AYrit on which, not unfrequently, as on an axiomatic basis, were reared carna,l views at variance with genuine Christianity. For this purpose a fit opportmiity, as it appeared to him, presented itself in the year 1591, when, after having been sometime engaged m the public exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Eomans, he reached the 14th verse of the seventh chapter — ' For we know that the law is sphitual : but I am carnal, sold under sin.' His opinion was, that to interpret this passage as many do, of the man as truly and thoroughly born again, through gospel grace, was to do the utmost to invalidate the efficacy of Christian regeneration, and the cultivation of genuine piety ; inasmuch as the enthe exercise of divine worship, all evangelical obedience, and that new creation which the inspired writers so often and so earnestly inculcate, were thereby shrunk within such narrow limits as to consist not in the effect^ but 40 THE LIFE OF simply in the wish. Wherefore, after accurately weighing in his own mind the train of thought in that chapter, and calling to his aid the commentaries of Bucer and others upon it, he publicly taught and maintained — 'that St Paul in this place does not speak of himself as what he then was, nor yet of a man living under the influence of gospel grace, but personates a man lying under the law, on whom the Mosaic law had performed its functions ; and who, in consequence, being by the aid of the Spirit contrite on account of sin, and convinced of the impotence of the law as a means of obtaining salvation, was in quest of a deliverer, and was, not regenerated indeed, but in the stage next to regeneration.' This exposition of the passage — which was simply submitted, without discussing the contrary opinion — procured him much ill will, and but little favour with the most of his ministerial brethren. Some took occasion from it to fasten on him the crime of Pela- gianism, on the ground that he ascribed too much goodness to an unregenerate man. Others daubed his opinion with the mark of heresy, for no other reason than that Faustus Socinus, under the name of Prosper Dysidseus, had expounded this chapter of Paul in much the same way. With most the cry was, that he had uttered many things from the pulpit opposed to the Confession of the Belgic churches and the Palatine Catechism; and, further, that he had appealed without just warrant, in defence of his opinion, to the divines of the ancient Chui'ch, and even to some of a more recent age. JAMES ARMINIUS. 41 Shortly after, tlie matter was brouglit before the Classical Court, who decreed to summon Anninius to theu' bar, and hold an interview with him, with the view of convincing him of his error, and of his perverse doctrine, or of making him give a more satisfactory explanation of his opinion. On being apprised of this decision, Arminius signified that he would enter most cheerfully into such a conference, but on this condition, that it take place in the presence of the rulers of the city, or their delegates ; or, if this should not be deemed advisable, that he be allowed to meet only with his brethren in the ministry, the elders of the church being absent. The latter alternative being adopted, after previous prayer to God, a discussion was held between him and Peter Plancius. Plancius urged many things against Arminius, which Arminius proved either that he had never uttered from the pulpit, or that he had done so with a clearly different aim, and in a different sense.* To the charge of Pelagianism, he replied, with some warmth, that he utterly repudiated those errors which were commonly ascribed to Pelagians ; and contended that by no legitimate process could they be elicited from his exposition in question, but, on the contrary, were manifestly repugnant to it. With respect to the authorities he had cited in the pulpit, he owned he had said that very many of the ancient divines, both of the Greek and Latin Chm'ch, had adopted his exposition, which he could establish by proofs not a few ; as for the rest, he was * Ex schedulis MS. Armiuii. 42 THE LIFE OF not aware that he had adduced in support of his opinion any of the recent divines of the Church except Bucer, although he chd not use the same phraseology; but that Desiderius Erasmus was inclined to the same opinion — a name by no means to be despised by any of the Eeformed. Here Plancius began to detract greatly from the authority, and to weaken the credit, of the ancient fathers of the Church. This Arminius resented, and declared that neither Plancius himself, nor any divine of the modern Church, had a right to think or speak so disparagingly of men whose names were held sacred, and who so acted in their day as to entitle themselves to be held in honour by the entii'e Christian community. The Confession and Catechism being next referred to, he showed at much length that he had taught nothing whatever contrary to these formularies of mutual consent, and that his doctrine on the point in question could be most easily reconciled with them. He added that he was in no respect bound to every private interpretation of the Reformed, but was plainly free and entitled to ex- pound the heavenly oracles, and particular passages of the sacred volume, according to the dictates of conscience ; and that in so doing, he would ever be on his guard against advancing aught which went to tear up the foundation of the Christian faith. In the course of the discussion, the subject of predestination was mentioned once and again ; but he refused to touch on that doctrine, on the ground that in his exposition of this seventh chapter he had advanced nothing whatever which had the remotest bearing on JAMES ARMINIUS. 43 that controversy. Being- furtlier asked what opinion be held as to the perfection of man in this life, he replied that he considered a question of this description as altogether superfluous, having brought out his mind on this point more than a hundred times in the course of expounding the sixth and seventh chapters of that apostolic epistle. Other and more copious replies of Arminius to many allegations of this kind, will be found in his very accurate ' Dissertation on the True and Genuine Sense of the Seventh Chapter of the Epistle to the Eomans,' which, in consequence of these commotions, he afterwards wrote dm^ing his leisure hours,- and brought to a close about the com- mencement of the year 1600.* Notwithstanding these ways in which he strove to clear himself of the crimes laid to his charge, indi\'i- duals were to be found who gave him daily trouble — the leader of this clamouring choir being Peter Plan- cius. Indeed, so hot grew the strife at the beginning of the following year, that the very learned M. Lydius already mentioned, on being informed of the ecclesi- astical controversies which had sprung up at Amster- dam, set out for the Hague, and entreated the help of Uitenbogaert to lull them to rest. He plied him with persuasive words, and instigated by the ardent love he bore to that flourishing church, the care of which had been committed to him some years before, he implored this minister of the Hague that, with the view of getting the matter settled, he would write to Arminius (whom, he owned, the chassis had handled rather * Ex Epist. Arm. ad Uitenl:'. 26th Jan., IGOO. 44 THE LIFE OF sharply) — or, better still, set out for Amsterdam, and try to persuade him, for the sake of preserving peace, to meet the views of his brethren and co-presbyters as far as in him lay, and the inviolability of a good con- science would permit.^ Nor did Lydius doubt but that Arminius would willingly comply with the advice of Uitenbogaert, partly from the great influence this man wielded in almost all the churches, and partly from the intimacy with him which Arminius had long since contracted and cherished. Swayed by these entreaties, Uitenbogaert repaired to Amsterdam, and deemed it of the utmost impor- tance to call upon the Eev. John Taffin, minister of the Walloon Church. This v/as the first call he made. He explained to him the object of his journey; and having elicited from him the state of the enth'e controversy, he strenuously besought him that he would not refuse to lend his endeavours towards heal- ing this dissension. To this request Taffin readily yielded, and undertook, with the utmost cordiality, the same province with Uitenbogaert ; for he was a man most desu-ous — if ever man was — of Christian piety and peace. These two men, accordingly, after having consulted together, and combining their strength, waited, in the fii'st instance, upon the classis, and then upon Arminius, and proffered to both their very best services, with the view of restor- ing a good understanding. This offer both parties accepted with thanks ; and signified that nothing would gratify them more than that the means should * Vid. Hist. Uitenbog. Ecclesiast. JAMES APvMINIUS, 45 be considered which might be most likely to reach that desirable end. A conference was forthwith appointed to be held in the house of Taffin, and the charge of acting in the affair, and pleading their cause, was delegated by the classis to certain of their own number. On that occasion, both the accusing and the accused party, after each had been heard, returned home without settling the affair. But Taffin and Uitenbogaert, judging it right not to rest in these preliminary steps, shortly after presented to the Church Court at an extraordinary meeting, a certain formula, on the basis of which harmony might be restored. It was couched in the following terms :* — ' James Aniiinius declares that — although he is not conscious that he holds, or has taught, anything dif- ferent from what is set forth in the Confession and Catechism, or has given just cause to any for enter- taining such a suspicion concerning him — neverthe- less, for the sake of testifying his desire for the peace of the Church, and to disabuse the minds of some of all sinister opinions, he is willing cordially to pledge his faith, by signing this document, that henceforth he will not only deliver to the Church nothing different from, but will also deliver to the Chm'ch the very thing contained in, the wiitings of the apostles and prophets, as these are explained in the Catechism and Confession, and everyrv^here taught in the Keformed Churches. Further, that he will so conduct his dis- coiu-ses and exhortations (as he at the same time * Ex actis Presbyt. Amst. citatis a Triglandio in Hist. Eccles. p. 28 i. 46 THE LIFE OF believes lie lias liitlierto done) tliat no just ground shall ever be fiirnislied to any for suspecting tbat he holds anything different concerning doctrine and ecclesiastical discipline, from what is comprehended in the Confession and Catechism, and in the articles of the last General Synod. If, moreover, any difficulty should arise in his mind concerning any articles of doctrine, he engages that he will take care not to make the same public, either from the pulpit, or any- where else. Further, that, instead of this, it shall be open for liun, in such a case, to confer with his brethren in the ministry. But should he feel that their argu- ments are not at all satisfactory to him, and that the difficulties in question still burden his mind, in these circumstances he engages voluntarily to impose silence upon himself until a General Council of the churches shall be called, by whose advice and judgment he will cheerfully abide. On the other hand, and finally, in order that mutual peace and harmony among the ministers of religion may be preserved the more invio- late, the colleagues of Arminius promise and engage (although, so far as concerns themselves, they deem this superfluous — never having given any one even the smallest occasion to question their fidelity and duty) that they will take care, not only in their pub- lic discourses, but also in their private conversations, never to furnish any with just grounds for suspecting that they are not at peace amongst themselves ; on this condition, however, that they shall not be held to have violated their engagement when, in defence of the true faith, they refute the arguments of adver- JAMES ARillNIUS. 47 saries, according to the formula of the Reformed doctrine received in the Low Coimtries. Which stipulation being made and heard, the Ecclesiastical Coiu't, for important reasons, and chiefly with the view of promoting the peace of the Chnrch, has judged it proper to suspend their own judgment upon the pro- testation of Arminius made ui the commencement of this document, and forthwith consign to silence this whole affair ; earnestly praying the ever-blessed God to conduct this attempt to a happy and prosperous result, for the glory of his name, and the edification of the Church.' * This scheme for restoring harmony having been dra^Ti up and handed in, no doubt remained among reasonable men but that, on these terms and engage- ments, both parties would at once agree to it. But their hope proved fallacious. Arminius, indeed, cor- dially accepted these terms; but the classis, by a large majority, rejected them. Nay more, Taffin and Uitenbogaert, after all the pains they had taken to promote the peace of the Church, received such slen- der thanks at the hand of some, that very injurious reports concerning them were circukded through the whole city, to the effect that they were abettors of eiToneous opinions. 7 Wherefore, although they saw that their labour had been lost, and that no hope of restoring peace smiled upon them, so far as those ecclesiastics were concerned, still they felt it to be due to their own reputation to call the Church Court * Ex schedulis MS. J Armin. veniaculG script, t Uiteiib. Hist. Eccles. 48 THE LIFE OF once more together. This being clone, tliey vindi- cated their own innocence on a variety of grounds, and referred, with, great boldness, to the injury done them by those who had so foully misrepresented this thek mediation. They fm^ther begged and demanded of the assembled brethren, that they would take in good part the object at which, in true candour of spirit, they had aimed ; adding, that their determina- tion was to take no further steps in the matter, but commit it to Divine Providence. Before, however, we narrate the progress and issue of this affair, we must not omit to mention that this same Uitenbogaert, whose earnest endeavour to pro- mote the peace of the church in Amsterdam has just been noticed, was found fault with at the very time, by some of the pastors of that church, even for the close intimacy which he cultivated with Arminius ; and that this circumstance probably had to do with the reasons why his counsel was not listened to. This is corroborated by the following account, drawn up by the hand of Arminius himself, now in glory, which, as it has not been mentioned by any writer, so far as I know, I reckon not unworthy of being intro- duced in this connexion. A few days, then, previous to the arrival of Uiten- bogaert, on the occasion of having decided to give a call to Jeremias Basting, the honourable senators had signified, in no ambiguous terms, that nothing would be more agreeable to their wish than that a grave deliberation should be entered into by the Classical Court, as to the propriety of calling, in addition to JAMES AEMIXIUS., 49 Basting, that very eloquent minister of the jC!hnrch in the Hague, of whom they affirmed that they had some reason to beheve he would accede to the call. The coui't accordingly met to consider this matter on the 14th of January ; and on each being asked to give his conscientious opinion on this proposal of the honourable senators, up rose Plancius first of all, and declared ' That he had heard some things concerning Uitenbogaert which furnished ground to suspect that on certain doctrines of the Christian faith he was not decided, particularly on the doctrine of original sin, which he was reported to have said, received no countenance from the passage in the fifth chapter of Genesis, and the others commonly cited. Farther, that Uitenbogaert had sometimes, in his presence, mooted certain doubts respecting several questions in the Catechism ; that on one occasion he had declared of a certain Arian book, that it was unanswerable ; and that he wished he could see the book of Coorn- hert satisfactorily refuted. That in addition to all this, it was rumoured that he held the same view with Arminius on the seventh chapter of the Eomans ; and, consequently, that to call that man, particularly at that time, would not tend much to the good of the church.' * To these and similar aspersions thus openly pro- mulgated, and seriously implicating the character of an absent friend, whom he loved as a brother, Arminius fearlessly opposed himself; and showed that the charges above specified rested upon mere * Ex scliedulis MS. Arminii, 50 THE LIFE OF suspicions, and would at once vanish into smoke as soon as Uitenbogaert was present to speak for himself. ArminiuSy accordingly, and a few others, gave it as their opinion that the proposal of the senators should be agi'eed to, and that Uitenbogaert himself be di- rectly treated with in the matter. But their counsel was rejected, it being carried by a majority of votes to request the senators, through delegates to be ap- pointed at that meeting, to allow them to carry int© effect the proposed call to Basting ; and to intimate to them at the same time, that the classis had reasons satisfactory to itself for judging that the idea of calling that minister of the Hague was one which ought to be abandoned. These delegates, moreover — consisting of two of the elders, Thomas Kronenburg, and John de Vry, men of the highest respectability, and of senatorial dignity — were empowered to dis- close the considerations m.entioned above, should the senators press it. As soon as Uitenbogaert received some inkling of the affair, though he had come to Amsterdam specially for the sake of Arminius, and of the church in that city, he was nevertheless unwilling to let the occasion slip without taking measures to vindicate his own charac- ter. Wherefore, falling upon Peter Plancius, the fabricator of those wicked suspicions which some had conceived against him, he entered into a serious expostulation with him in respect to every particular, and reduced him to such straits that he pleaded guilty of imprudence, and pledged his faith that he would inform the Churcli Court of all that had JAMES ARMINroS. 51 passed between him and Uitenbogaert. Tliis promise he implemented on the 23rd of the same month, in the presence of the whole classis ; on which, that body commissioned the same delegates who had pre- viously met with the senators, to intimate, in name of then* entire meeting, to the honom-able magistrates of the city, that all those doubts which some had started respecting Uitenbogaert had vanished, after he and Plancius had been brought face to face. Having briefly and cm-sorily disposed of this cir- cumstance respecting Uitenbogaert, it now remains that we proceed to trace the progress and issue of this affair for the settlement of which he had undertaken a winter's journey — as yet without any satisfactory result. In this conjuncture, then, of ecclesiastical affahs, it pleased the supreme rulers of the city to call Uitenbogaert — who was already on the eve of returning home — and the Kev. John Taffin into the council-hall, and make inquiry into the state of the whole matter, and the steps thus far they had taken in regard to it. This mandate these two ministers most promptly obeyed ; and after explaining every- thing which seemed to bear on the case, with a courteous farewell, and an exchange of grateful acknowledgments, they took their leave. Shortly after, when the annual change of magis- trates had taken place, and Uitenbogaert set out for the Hague, the new senators, Eeiner Cant, William Bardes, Corn. Flor. van Teilingen, and Nic. F. Oet- genius a Waveren, cited before them all the ministers of religion, in a body, on the 11th of February, at 52 THE LIFE OF three o'clock in the afternoon ; and that the matter might he transacted with the greater authority and effect, they asked the presence also of these very in- fluential persons, P. Bomius, Corn, P. Hoofdius, and Barthold Cromhout, who had just retired from the office of chief magistrates of the city.* The ministers having arrived at the time appointed, the senators intirhated to them, through Cant, who was in the chair, ' that they had perceived with pain from their public ministrations, and that for a considerable time back, as well as from the complaints of several citizens, that they were not at peace among them- selves. Dissensions of that kind must be checked in the bud, lest they should issue in results disastrous to the Church, and even to the Eepublic itself. The honourable senators, therefore, in consideration of the office with which they were entrusted, w^ished and enjoined that the ministers would diligently apply themselves henceforth to the cultivation of peace and harmony, of which they had hitherto stood forth as an example to other Churches ; and avoid giving any one occasion, by their declamatory statements, to sus- pect that some serious contentions were fostered amongst them. But if they did happen to differ on some points, it was lawful for them to institute amongst themselves private and friendly conferences on such topics ; only, they must see to it that these differences do not find their way from the Ecclesiastical Court into the pulpit, and thence to the public. Should they fail in this duty, they (the senators) * Ex schediihs MS, Arminii. JAMES ARmxius. 53 would be obliged to have recourse to other remedies, that no harm might accrue to the Church and the Kepublic' To these counsels, after having retired a little for deliberation, the ministers replied, through the Eev. J. Ambrosius, ' That they were in the highest degree grateful to the honourable senators for their care of the Am.sterdam Chiurch. For themselves, they were actuated by a most intense desire to preserve peace, which they had now cultivated for thirteen years, and had never afforded ground to any one for thinking otherwise of them. But if any one of their number felt himself to be chargeable with the above-named delinquency, his duty it was to rid himself of it. Hitherto it had been their strenuous endeavour to adjust, if possible by friendly conferences, the dif- ference that had arisen between Arminius and the classis ; and to that matter, and consequently to the restoration of peace, they would forthwith give their best attention.' * Arminius, having obtained leave to speak, then addi'essed himself to the senators, and solemnly pro- tested, ' That in expounding the seventh chapter of the Komans, in a way different from that adopted by many of the Eeformed, he had not taught, nor did he wish to teach, anythmg whatever that was in any respect at variance with the Confession and Palatine Catechism. He had not entertained a doubt that it would be free to him, in the exercise of that liberty to discuss sacred subjects which belonged to all * Ex scbedul. MS. Arminii. 54 THE LIFE OF Christians and Christian teachers whatsoever, to ex- pound this or that passage of Scripture according to the dictates of conscience. Further, since the hinge of the existing difference turned mainly on this point, that some thought his opinion of that passage opposed to the received ecclesiastical formularies, and that this was a charge of which he could be easily convicted, he, for his part, held himself in readiness, for the vindication of his name, to enter into a conference with his compeers; but he earnestly entreated that such conference should take place in the presence of the senators themselves, or their delegates; for he anticipated that the issue of this case would be more satisfactory were these influential men to be present, not as witnesses merely, but as moderators and right- eous arbiters in respect to all that might be advanced on either side.' The Kev. J. Kuchlinus, on hearing this, instantly arose, and after some prefatory reference to the fidelity with which he himself had discharged his duty for thirteen years, begged, in opposition to Arminius, that the conference in question, of which many were so solicitous, might, according to the usage of the Chiu'cli, be entered into in presence of the classis alone. At length both sides having been heard with the utmost attention, the ministers were ordered to retire for a little ; and after gravely deliberating on the matter, the honourable Cant intimated to them, in name of the whole of that august body, ' That it was the opinion and decree of the honourable senators, that the Church Court should allow this JAMES ARMINIUS. 55 whole matter to rest, and permit whatever discus- sions had arisen out of it up to this time to be consigned to oblivion. A fresh conference upon it did not appear to them to be suitable, or likely to do good. They (the ministers) must henceforth be on their guard lest any of them should give vent to new doctrines from the pidpit. Should any of them have opinions in which they differed from other divines, and on which they boasted a profounder knowledge, it would be incumbent on them to reserve these to themselves, and to talk them over in a friendly manner with their compeers. Meanwhile, those who think differently, and who cannot be convinced of error, must be calmly forborne with until the points in dispute be decided by the authority of some coun- cil.' This decree of the chief rulers was followed up by a very grave and serious admonition from Cant himself, and W. Bardes, to cultivate that fraternal harmony and peace by which they were wont to be distinguished ; after listening to which, the ministers gave thanks and withdrew. 56 CHAP TEE III. ARMINIUS, IN EXPOUNDING EOMANS IX., ENCOUNTERS FRESH STORMS ; CONFUTES THE CALUMNIES OF PLAN- CIUS ; AND CORRESPONDS, ON POINTS IN DISPUTE, WITH GELLIUS SNECANUS AND FRANCIS JUNIUS. A.D. 1592—1597. The foregoing matter being settled, and the peace of the Church having, in the way narrated, been to some extent restored, Arminius forthwith proceeded with his series of discourses on the Epistle to the Eomans. To these, high and low flocked in crowds, as the day came round, including individuals of diverse shades of religious opinion. Nor were the aims of the several auditors of a less varied complexion. Some were attracted by genuine attachment to the man, and by the very great celebrity associated with his name. Others rushed upon him, on the other hand, by a sort of blind impulse, and listened to his discourses with no other view than to extract from them materials with which to lessen his growing fame, and array against him as much as possible of envy and ill-will. This Arminius soon suspected, and deemed it his duty, in consequence, to take the more care, on the one hand not to do violence to his conscience, by advo- cating certain doctrines of the truth of which he had some doubt; but neither, on the other, to advance JAMES AEMINIUS. 57 aught at variance with received opinions which might jnstly and warrantably offend the ears of dissentients. But with all the prudence and perseverance vnih which he pursued this aim, now that an unfavourable opinion had once been formed against him, he could not succeed in thoroughly rooting it out of the minds of his compeers, and of those who yielded themselves up to their authority. That feeling began especially to be resuscitated in the commencement of the following year, on the occa- sion of his expounding the ninth chapter of the Romans. While occupied w4th this chapter, and aware that it was everywhere cited by Eeformed divines as the main prop of their tenet of absolute predestination, Arminius made up his mind neither to advocate nor to contradict that opinion, but contented himself vath affirming that the apostle in this place prosecutes the argument and the aim which he had prescribed to himself in the foregoing chapters, and vindicates his doctrine of the justification of man hy faith against a variety of objections urged by the Jews.* These, accordingly, he refuted in several discourses, and by solid reasonings ; but although he was allowed by many to have acted the part of a strenuous champion of the Christian religion, he roused against himself the less favourable judgments of others. For when, in the course of elucidating the scope of St Paul, and expounding this memorable chapter, he pursued a path in some respects new, and made no reference whatever to the more crude • Vid. Uitenb. Hist. Eccles. 58 THE LIFE OF opinions wliicli were commonly gTonnded npon it, the most of his ministerial brethren inveighed against him all the more that they saw him rising rapidly in the estimation of Lntherans, Mennonites, and others, who were dissatisfied with the harsher statements, on that subject, of the Eeformed. The Ecclesiastical Senate, therefore, having met once and again in the absence of Arminins, at length, on the 25 th of March, began openly to deal with him. On that occasion, the Kev. J. Halliiis, in name of the entire judicatory, addressed him, and declared ' that he had listened with the utmost pain to the complaints of some of the citizens, whom his lectures on the ninth chapter of the Romans had in the highest degree disturbed. The avowed enemies of the Church had thence taken oc- casion to cavil at the Eeformed doctrine ; and many Christians were furnished with good ground to suspect that on several doctrines some diversity of opinion was secretly fostered between him and the other min- isters of the gospel. AVith the view of foreclosing further alienation of spirit, the Presbytery had resolved to warn him of this matter, and to request that he would preach the self-same doctrines as his colleagues, and declare openly from the pulpit that he had never uttered anything contrary to the Confession and Cate- chism, and that those who suspected him of such a thing had very grievously misunderstood his discourses.' * To this Arminius replied, ' That he had heard with no less pain of the clandestine slanders of some, and of * Ex schedulis MS. Arminii. Vide et acta Presbyt. Amstel. ci ata a Tiiglaud in Hist. Eccles. JAMES AEMIXIUS. 59 liis being branded with the names of heretic., libertine., and Pelagian. He had never given any man occasion to think so unfavourably of him. The Eeformed Con- fession and Catechism he had never contradicted, but, on the contrary, had always preached in harmony with them ; and more than once, from the very pulpit, had he made a declaration to that effect. But if any man would accuse him openly, and in his presence, and thought he could convict him of that crime, he was ready, there and then, to hear the evidence, and defend his ovni innocence. It was theirs frankly to accept this candid declaration, to divest the minds of others of such injm-ious suspicions, and to allow him to rejoice in the name of a good man until it could be proved by indubitable testimony that he had fallen out of the appellation. He, for his part, deemed this admonition of the Presbytery uncalled for, so far as concerned himself; and in the exercise of the same right which the brethren were using in regard to him, as well as from a desire for the preservation of peace, he, in his turn, warned and entreated them not to deliver anything at variance with the Word of God, or the received standards of faith, and never to use expressions extraneous to these, of a nature fitted to stir doubts in the minds of the weak, or furnish any with an occasion of stumbling. Nay more, since no man had openly accused him, and merely a rumour had spread, that in discourses lately delivered he had betrayed the existence of some undefined sort of differ- ence between him and his brethren in the ministry, it was as much their duty to see to it that they agreed 60 THE LIFE OF well with him, as it was his duty to see to it that he agreed well with them — it being incumbent on both to do what in them lay for the preservation of peace, in those articles to the truth of which they had all equally subscribed.' This was spoken with some warmth, and many speeches followed on both sides ; when one of the elders betrayed sufficiently his want of self-control in the following outburst : — ' He saw the arts of the Devil to disturb the peace of this Chm'ch. Some of the rulers themselves had this object in view. It was of no use for Arminius to appeal to the Confession and Catechism, seeing he had already explained two passages of Scripture against the sense of these standards. For his part, after hearmg him interpret the seventh chapter of Romans, he could never derive any benefit from his discourses.' To this Arminius modestly replied, ' That, by the help of God, he would not prove an instigator and author of strife. It ought to be matter of faithful inquiry, by whom, and through what secret channels, the sworn foe of the human race was at- tempting to sow controversies and engender discord. He hoped better things of his lords, the clement rulers of the city. So far was he from believing that any one of them aimed at such an end, that he, on the contrary, felt assm-ed, that whatever authority they had at command, it would be all exercised with the utmost moderation, in the way of callmg to order such ecclesiastics as were neglecting their duty and fo- menting division. His own conscience witnessed to himself — what he was further assured of bv the JAMES ARMINIUS. 61 testimony of not a few — that his discourses had not been useless, nor their delivery without fruit. As to the p'assages of Scripture expounded contrary to the sense of the Confession, that was a charge of which no man could convict him. He acknowledged that the 18th verse of the seventh chapter of the Eomans was quoted in the margin of the Confession with a somewhat different application ; but truly, if every divine of the Reformed Church must needs stick so tightly by the track of that Confession, and if it was to be at once set down as an enormous offence for any one, in quoting passages of Scripture, too, to deviate from it even the breadth of his nail, it would be an easy matter for him to prove the most of his co- presbyters guilty of this delinquency ; for more than once had they preached in contrariety, not merely to certain passages cited in the margin, but to some which stand out to view in the very text of the Confession.'* To this the Eeverend Kuchlinus did not object, but subjoined, ' That if there was agree- ment in all those points which constituted the hinge on which the articles of the Confession tm^ned, there would be little trouble in adjusting the rest.' These things accordingly were dismissed ; after which, certain ques- tions were started respecting the duty of elders and ecclesiastical discipline, on which Armuiius and his reverend colleague, John Halsberg, were suspected of entertaining some erroneous opinion. They defended themselves each in a lengthy reply, and cleared them- selves of the charges which were preferred against * Ex schedulis MS. Armiuii. 62 THE LIFE OF tliem. At last, addressing Arminius, J. Hallins, the president and moderator of the Presbytery for the time being, declared that he had much pleasure in hearing him express his readiness to cultivate union with his brethren in the matter of doctrine and ec- clesiastical discipline ; and after praying that God would smile on these beginnings, and guide the whole afiiiir to an issue happy and prosperous for the Church, he dismissed the meeting. Some hot-headed zealots, however, determined that the matter should not rest here, stirred up fresh strifes against Arminius ; and by dint of incessant slanders they so far succeeded, that the Presbytery, convened without his knowledge on the 22nd April, resolved, ' That he be called upon to declare dis- tinctly, and without any circumlocution, his opinion on all the articles of faith ; and that, in the event of his demurring to this request, certain theses and anti- theses be fortliwith prepared, on which a conference shall be held with him.'* As soon as Arminius received intimation of this counsel and decree, which he did on the 6th May, he decided that it was not his duty to give an immediate reply, but that, on the contrary, he ought to petition the Presbytery for a reasonable space of time to consider the matter. At a meeting of the Presbytery a few weeks after (on the 20th May), some of its members reminded him of the matter, and ceased not to rake up the old embers of strife ; when Arminius, starting to. his feet in the * Vide acta Presbyt. Amstel. citata a Tri^^Iandio in Hist. Eccles. pag. 284. JAMES ARMINIUS. 63 midst of tliem, challenged all, with a loud voice, to stand forth, whosoever they were, that had a mind to produce aught from his discourses that was worthy of censui'e.* No one rising, some one of them threw out the soHtary objection, ' That from the testunony of Martinists, Anabaptists, and even libertmes them- selves, who gloried in his discourses on the ninth chapter of the Eomans, it was not unwarrantable to infer that he had taught and maintained something different from that which was taught by his brother ministers, and everywhere taught by Eeformed di- vines.' This consequence Arminius denied, and said, ' That to him it appeared strange, that men of so many conflicting opinions could applaud his discourses, but that no one of his own order — no one of this meeting — had heard anything which could be shown to be at variance with the Word of God, and the received formularies of consent.' To this one of the elders rejoined, 'That it must indeed be admitted that he had been rigidly on his guard against openly advancing anything worthy of censure; but that he had nevertheless employed ambiguous and equivocal modes of speech.' Arminius here asserted his inno- cence, and demanded proof of the above allegation, that he might the better avoid, for the time to come, such modes of speech; but no one was found who would undertake the task of substantiating that charge. Nor was this alf. A few days after (on the 27th * Ex schedulis Arminii. 64 THE LIFE OF May), at the very next meeting of the Ecclesiastical Senate, Arminiiis, perceiving that the minds of many were not yet set at rest, called out twice or thrice in the open meeting for the secret calumniators of his name, and ordered them to produce in his presence whatever they had against him. This challenge being given, Kuchlmus immediately asked ' Where Plancius was now ; ' and began to urge on him ' That, as he had occasionally, in the absence of Armuiius, started doubts as to his doctrine, he should come out with them now that Arminius was present and within hearing. This was the proper place ; this the fit time to speak out his mind.'* Pressed by this summons, and called upon by Arminius to stand forth as his adver- sary, Plancius repudiated that insidious name of adversary^ but acknowledged that he had observed several things in the discourses of Arminius which did not correspond with sufficient exactness to the doc- trines received by the Reformed Chui'ch. The sum of his accusation was as follows : — I. Arminius, when expomiding the ninth chapter of the Romans, had taught ' that no one is condemned except on account of sin ' — thereby excluding all in- fants from condemnation. II. He had also declared 'that too much could not be ascribed to good works, nor could they be sufficiently commended, provided no merit were at- tributed to them.' * This is more smartly expressed in the original by.thepun- geiit proverb, ' hie Rhodum, hie saltum esse.'' — Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 65 III. He had affirmed that 'Angels are not im- mortah' * To these several heads of charge Arminius replied. As to the first^ when he affirmed that sin is the cause of condemnation, he did not bv these words except original sin; nor did Plancius rightly un- derstand the nature of our original taint if he meant to exclude it from the designation of sin. The second^ relating to what he had afiirmed of good works, he was so far from disclaiming, that he would defend it as the truth. Here Plancius put the question — 'If justification, then, was to be ascribed to good works also, provided no merit were ascribed to them ? ' Arminius replied, ' That justification is to be as- cribed, not to works, but to faith ; in proof of which St Paul savs, in Romans iv. 4th and 5th — " Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but be- lieveth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." ' As to the third head of charge, that relating to angels, he acknowledged that he had given vent to that opinion, and defended it with solid arguments, never indeed in public, but privately on one occasion in the house of Plancius ; adding, that it was still his opinion that immortality was the peculiar attribute of God alone — this being evident from the testimony of Paul in 1st Timothy vi. 16. The angels, indeed, * Ex schedulis Arminii. Vide vitam Uitenb. Eelgico iclio- mate ab ipso conscript, edit. 1645. p. 54. ♦ G Q6 THE LIFE OF were, and would continue to be, liappy and immortal spirits, not however by virtue of their nature, but by the external sustentation of God, eternally preserving them in being — just as human bodies before the fall were mortal, and susceptible of dissolution, but yet would never have been subjected to death, had not sin supervened.' This discussion with Plancius he followed up by the declaration, ' That up to that hour, he had never, so far as he knew, taught anything at variance with the Confession and Catechism ; and that he received the several articles and doctrines of fciith, compre- hended in these writings, in the very sense in which they were everywhere explained by the Eeformed Church. The only scruple of which he was then conscious, related to the interpretation of the sixteenth article of the Belgic Confession, to the terms of which, however, he willingly adhered.'* On this understand- ing, the Presbytery decided, ' That there was no necessity for any further dealing with Arminius in regard to this matter, but that fraternal fellowship contmue to be cultivated with him, until the true and genuine sense of the article just named should be more clearly opened up to him by the blessing of God, and by the interpretation of a General Synod.'f A reconciliation being thus effected with his col- leagues, and the disputes that had arisen respecting his discourses being allayed, he was permitted after * Ex Actis Presbyt. Amstel. f Vid. Triglcincl. Hist. Eccles. p. 284. JAMES ARMINIUS. 67 that to live at peace in the Church. At subsequent periods, indeed, the envy of certain parties led them to strew secret snares in his path, and to put an in- jurious construction, occasionally, upon some of his best words and deeds. This he experienced when engaged with the exposition of the thirteenth chap- ter of the Romans, where, in the course of profound and learned discussions on the various duties of magis- trates, he w^as thought by some to have conceded to them too much of charge and jurisdiction in matters of religion. But we find it nowhere recorded that on the ground of these and other things of the like trivial importance, proceedings were openly and publicly instituted against him. From this time, therefore, in an active and uninterrupted course, he not only pro- secuted that series of lectures, but also prosecuted, concurrently therewith, on stated days, his exposition of the Prophecies of Malachi, which he completed in sixty-nine discourses. Moreover, by his indefatigable study of theology, and his solid acquirements, no less, in the libercil arts, he became increasingly every day the ornament and the boast, not only of the Church, but even of the Republic and people of Amsterdam. Hence, when in course of the year 1594, it was in agitation to remodel the elementary schools, the illus- trious Senate of the citv thought fit to make choice of him in preference to others, to whom the charge of performing this office should, by public appointment, be committed. Wherefore, acting the part, on this occasion, of a most faithful governor of schools, he drew up, with the view of reducing them to a bettef 68 THE LIFE OF state, those scholastic regulations which, exhibiting" alike the duties of master and pupil, are statedly rehearsed to this day, every half year, in the Choir of the New Temple at Amsterdam, by the rectors of that institution, at the close of the spring and autumn examinations. This is j)roved by the very autograph of these laws, m the handwriting of Arminius him- self, which is preserved to this day by that "eminent leader of the Remonstrants, and professor of theology among them — Philip Limborch. That distinguished man, too, the director of the Amsterdam school, to whom, as respects our studies, we are under the deepest obligation — the incomparable Adrian Junius, of Utrecht, used often to refer with pride to their having obtained a framer of laws of such great celebrity, and to congratulate the school of Amsterdam on that behalf. Meanwhile (not to waste time with these details) Arminius proceeded to investigate more thoroughly the generally received tenets of the Geneva School, respecting Divine Predestination, and strove with all his might to extricate himself from those doubts and difficulties in which he had hitherto stuck fast. While intent at this work, nothing interested him more than to discover that, here and there, other leaders of the Reformed Church, distinguished in like manner for learning and piety, were possessed with the self-same solicitude and desire. Pre-eminent among these at that time was Crellius Snecanus, a most learned min- ister of Friesland. This man having, in the year 1593, published his ' Introduction to the Ninth Chap- JAMES AE.MINIUS. 69 ter of the Eomans,' Arminius was penetrated with the more delight that he found his vieAvs to coincide almost entirely with his own. On perusing the commentary of this writer (in whose judgment he reposed very much confidence), he at once discovered that he had taken the very same view of the scope of the apostle, and of the prmcipal argument treated in this chapter, which he himself, when engaged in expoundmg the same portion, had shortly before propounded from the pulpit in Amsterdam. He ingenuously acknowledged that that chapter of Paul's epistle always appeared to him to be enveloped in thickest darkness, and to be of most difficult exposition, until by that course which Snecanus, and he himself some time before, had pur- sued, the light shone in and dispelled the gloom.* Wherefore, prizing highly the work of this celebrated divine, he not only thanked him by letter, but also transmitted to him, on his part, an epistolary ' Ana- lysis of the jSTinth Chapter of the Eomans,' for the sake of testifying their harmony of sentiment, and of proving that that well-known passage of the Apostle did little or nothing to confirm that decree of absolute election and reprobation which very many deduced from it. But he deemed it dutiful, in the circum- stances, to use much circumspection ; for the times in which he lived did not admit either of his safelv im- pugning or freely advocating views in any respect at va'riance with that dismal opinion of a fatal decree to which, he devoutly believed, the most celebrated fathers of the Keformed Church, even as others, had * Ex Epist. Arm. ad G. Snecan. 70 THE LIFE OF been led to suLscribe by a certain veneration for the Sacred Scriptures. He thought it advisable, therefore, above all, in order to disburden himself of his scruples on this subject, without tumult and uproar, and without disparaging those whose reputation it was of the ut- most consequence to the Church to preserve inviolate, that he should communicate his thoughts (long kept to himself, and subjected to frequent revision) on the dogma above named, to several individuals of the highest name and authority, and confer with them privately both by tongue and pen. For if he had but proved his opinion to their satisfaction, he anticipated that there would be little difficulty in proving it to the rest, who all hung, for the most part, on the lips of these great men, and were likely, erelong, to make their appeal to them. Happen what might, he hoped to make it evident to every candid judge, that he had practised no arts of concealment, and had never shnmk from the judgment and scrutiny of any ; but in the event of his becoming, in this way, more as- sui'ed of the truth of his sentiments, he cherished the hope that the whole case would come Eventually to be submitted, in due form, under the sanction of public authority, to the solemn decision of a theologi- cal council, and the time and milder ojjinion on the subject duly and formally ratified.* Tnisting to these considerations, and having now for some time made the Kevds. M. Lydius, J. Taffin, and his col- league, J. Kuchlinus, cognisant of his doubts and his * Ex Epifit. dedic. pntfixa Examini libclli Perkiiisiani de Prsedest. modo et ordine. JAMES AEMINIUS. 71 plans, at their instigation he resolved to open his mind on all those points to that great pillar of theology, and of the Eeformed religion, well known for his moderation towards those, even Papists them- selves, who differed from him in opinion,* Francis Jmiins, of Bourges, who in the University of Leyden, of all who at that time professed sacred literature, confessedly occupied the highest place. Accordingly, being invited, early in the year 1507, to the marriage of the Re\^. J. Kuchlinus — who, hav- ing sometime previously undertaken the office of pro- fessor, had contracted a matrimonial engagement with the aunt of Arminius — he set out for Leyden ; and on that occasion, on a certain afternoon, he entered fully and freely into conversation with Junius on the cause of the fall of our first parents, and on the mode of that fall, namely, how far it may he regarded as contin- gent, and how far as necessary. The occasion, materials, and scope of this interview were fur- nished by a certain treatise on that subject which Jimius had lately published. In the course of it, Arminius started various doubts and difficulties * Beautifully characteristic of Junius is the followins: morceav, which we owe to Gerard Brandt, the father of our biographer: — 'In a company of French divines the following question was put to Junius, viz., " If you were to lose all your writings, but had it in your power to save one, which of them would you wish to keep ? " lie answered, " The Peace- able Christian— [a treatise intended to promote peace] -for the rest of my books I wrote as a divine, but this as a Christian." ' — Hist, of Reform, in Low Countries, vol. ii. p. 21. — Tr. 72 THE LIFE OF respecting the mystery of divine providence and infinite prescience.* They also entered into the question — ' How, admitting that immutable and fixed decree which the followers of Calvin and Beza attributed to Grod, man could be said to have nevertheless voluntarily fallen, and to have been master of his own actions ?'-]- To these, and other difficulties of the same description, Junius replied in such a manner, and cleared up so ably and satisfactorily the nature of things contingent, and of things necessary, that Arminius shortly after declared, in a letter to Uitenbogaert, 'that he had been as much charmed with the answers of Junius as if he had discovered an immense treasure ; ' and further, 'that in comparison with a knowledge sure and satisfactory to his own mind on points relating to providence and predestination, on which he had now, for seven years, been perplexed with distracting doubts, he set a trivial value on all the wealth of Croesus and of Midas, and on the treasures of the whole world.' On perceiving, moreover, that the sentiments of this very eminent divine, on the pouits above-named, did not diifer from his own, and that this interview with him thus far had turned out according to his wish, he took occasion to discuss some points also connected with predestination, not so much to obtain informa- tion respecting them — which, owing to the limited time, and the advancing evening, was scarcely prac- * Vide pleniorem liujus rei navrat. in Epist. Armin. ad Uitenb. 7. Febr. 1597. •f Vid. Epist. Eccles, in folio Amst. 1684, edit. pag. 33, Si, 35. JAMES ARMINIUS. 73 ticable — as to intimate that it was a subject in wliicli he stuck fast, and that he hoped to be able, by his aid, to get himself speedily extricated. This aid Juniiis most kindly promised him, if he would communicate, by letter, whatever points were agitating his mind. On this they exchanged a pledge of silence, lest, by the officious zeal of certain parties, some mischief should chance to befall the one or the other. Arminius, accordingly, overjoyed at the offer, and deeming the opportunity too precious to be neglected, sent him, a few months after, an epistolary disquisition concerning the truth of different opmions on the subject of pre- destination, in which a variety of arguments were advanced to prove that the sentiments of certain par- ties laboured under many difficulties.'""' In particular, as, in the estimation of not a few, the illustrious Junius himself, treading in the footsteps of the Thomists, seemed not so much to abandon as merely to shade off that harsher sentiment of Calvin and Beza (for he held the subject of predestination to be, not man as whom God had not vet decreed to create, nor man •; 7 viewed as created with the foreknowledge of his fall, but man viewed as created, in so far as he, furnished with natural gifts, was invited to avail himself of a supernatm-al good — a position which Junius repeatedly defended in the university), Arminius attempted to prove, by a few select arguments, that both opinions [that is, both his and Calvin's], in addition to other disadvantages, involved the necessity of sin, and, * Ex Epist. Dedic. Bertii Epistolicse huic Arm. cum Junio collatioui pra^fixu. 74 THE LIFE OF consequently, tliat there was no stopping* short of the thu'd, which presupposed the creation and the fall. On the strength of this position, it was his intention to proceed further and at length affirm the decree of God concerning the salvation of believers, and the condemnation of unbelievers. But to this communica- tion Junius replied some considerable time after, and sent, too, in his turn, a written statement which, to use the words of Arminius himself, was ' truly pious, learned, and full of brotherly love.' Y/e may give the introductory part of this reply, as it stands, in proof of the consummate modesty, and of the gentle- ness of spirit, which characterised that distinguished man. ^ The cause of my long silence, esteemed brother, has been Tertullian, with whom, you are aware, I have now for a considerable time been engaged.* Meanwhile, I put your letter in a drawer out of my sight, that, as soon as I livA time to do so, I might remember the duty I owed you and attend to the tenor of your request. And indeed you wish me to give you a clear explanation of a very grave question — a ques- tion the amount of ti^uth involved in which God alone fullv knows. Vv^hat is sufficient he has revealed in the written Word, which, according to the will of God, we each consult. What is your opinion, and what is not, you plainly state : what is my opinion you wish me to declare ; that by this mutual encounter and disclosure of mind, Ave may elucidate truth on the subject of * Junius here alludes to bis Notes on Tertullian, a work with which, it appears, he was at this time occupied. — Tr. JAMES AEMINIUS. 75 Divine grace. According to the measure whicli God hath dealt to me, I will do what I can, and state what- ever I know of this most stupendous mystery, whether I should be seeing in truth, or through the glass of opinion ; that what is of God you may share with me, and what we see not you may investigate with me — as far as mav be found in the "\A'ord. What is of my opinion, merely, if you should see further than I do, kindly and fraternally disclose, and by salutary counsel recall me into the way of truth. Of prelimi- nary points I will here say nothing, my wish being to proceed at once to the subject itself, as tending more to "the use of edifying," which the Apostle enjoins. All, as I judge, are zealous for piety and truth ; but all do not, on this account, amid their piety, see the whole truth.* We all know in part, and prophesy in part : and day by day does the Spirit of truth lead us into all truth. Y Part of the truth we perceive, and part we teach : the rest will the Spirit of truth, in his own time, give to them that ask it. May he therefore give to both of us to receive and to communicate the truth.' Thus far the distinguished Junius : in the drift of whose very learned reply, however, when more thoroughly examined, Arminius could by no means acquiesce. His conviction was, that this very acute chvine, partly by giving a common aspect to the object of predestination (which is almost incomprehensible), * The original has ' omnes qiisernnt,' a typographical mistake for ' omnem viclent.' Conip. Cdiutio'm Arm. opcr. p. 4.59. — Tr. -|- 1 Cor. xiii. 9 ; John xvi. 13. 76 THE LIFE OF and partly by straining the language of antliors, wished, on this subject, to compound one opinion out of many, contrary to the mind of those by whom these opinions were severally maintained.* IJence, after careful perusal of the documents, Arminius had re- solved to bring the begun correspondence to a close, and to impose silence on himself for the time being ; but he learned, shortly after, that his epistolary dis- cussion had been communicated, by Junius himself, to one who boarded in his house, and in whom he reposed too much confidence ; that this individual had transcribed it ; and that, in consequence, it had taken wing, and got into circulation amcmg the students, so much so, that his colleague Plancius twitted him with sufficient bitterness, as having got his mouth effectu- ally stopped by the reply of Junius. In these circum- stances, he deemed it his duty to ply the web of that correspondence to the end. Eoused, accordingly, by the occasion, and trusting to the courtesy of Junius himself, he drew up new and succinct considerations on his reply, under the barbarous name of Replicoe. At the conclusion of this piece, and by way of post- script, he declared ' that he had submitted these con- siderations to the eminent Junius, not so much from a desire to confute him, as to elicit from him more ex- tended explanations, with a view to obtain satisfaction on the point in question, and get his mind set at rest.' He added, ' that if he had written anything contrary to the truth, his prayer was, that God would for- give him, and point out to him the truth ; but if, * Ex Epist. dedic. collatioui huic pra;fixa. JAMES ARMINIUS. 77 on the other hand, lie had advanced anght that was agreeable to the trnth, his prayer was, that Grod would confirm him in it, and incline Jmiius to embrace it, that through him greater authority might thereby be daily conceded to the truth, and that it might be propagated more and more.' To these considerations of Arminius, however (which, at a period long subsequent, after the death of Junius, were enlarged by their author), Junius never replied; and (for what reason is not known) he retained them in his possession for an entire period of six years, even to the last day of his life.* * Gerard Brandt, the father of our biographer, leaves his readers to account for the silence of Junius, either on the ground that it might have done harm to have stirred the ques- tion further in such times, or ' that he found himself pressed too home, and, as the friends of Arminius think, knew not what to say to some of the points of his reply.' — Hist, of Eeform. in Low Countries, vol. ii. p. 20.— Tr. 78 CHAPTER IV. INTENSE ARDOUR OF ARMINIUS IN INVESTIGATING DIVINE TRUTH, WITH CONNECTED INCIDENTS ; AND HIS DE- VOTED AND BENEVOLENT PASTORAL LABOURS AT THE TIME OF THE PLAGUE. A.D. 1597 1602. Notwithstanding the silence of Junius, the subject of our memoir abated nothing of his zeal to find out the truth, being prepared to grasp it with both hands by whomsoever it might be shown to him. In this spirit, he sought the assistance of no one more than that most eloquent minister of the Church at the Hague, J. Uitenbogaert, whose refined and cultivated judgment he held in such esteem, as to think that scarcely any one could pronounce with more accuracy and decision on controversies of this kind.* It was this high estimate, moreover, which led him to submit those considerations on the papers of Junius, of which we have jlist made mention, to the judgment of this friend alone, some little time before they were dis- patched to Junius himself. We think it well here to transcribe his own words, as worthy of record, which he addressed to Uitenbogaert, at the same conjunc- ture, in a letter dated October 19, 1597 : — ' Care * Vid. Arm. ad Uitenb. Epist. 19 Octob. 1597. JAMES ARMINIUS. 79 ought to be taken,' says lie, ' to searcli out argu- ments for a known truth which shall be at once solid and plain, in order that such truth may gain the assent of those who, with sincerity of heart, and from a dictate of conscience, controvert it, among whom I enrol my name as one, if, in any respect, I do err from the truth. But I cannot sufficiently marvel at the presumptuous boldness of some men, wdio brand what- ever suits not their own palate with the ignominious mark of heresy, seeing they are unwilling to bestow almost any pains in acquainting themselves with contro- versies, and, if ever so willing, are not competent, inas- much as they are destitute of the erudition necessary to determine matters of such vast moment. Truth, even theological truth, so far as concerns the accurate knowledge of controversies of this sort, has been sunk in a deep well, whence it cannot be drawn forth with- out much effort. So true is this as respects that point with which we are now occupied, that the man who should question the justice of the remark would, by this verv fact, declare that he had never bent his own mind to the serious consideration of the subject. that the God of truth may grant me it ere long, that my mind may be set at rest I Then, indeed, shall I exceedingly rejoice as one who had discovered a pre- cious treasure : while to all those who had contributed any measure of assistance, I should acknowledge my- self bound by many and deep obligations.' To this same divine, and pre-eminently esteemed friend, Arminius, with the view of striking further light into these controversies, transmitted, in the year 80 THE LIFE OF following (1598), a sort of theological table on the subject of predestination, in which were exhibited, as in a mirror, everything relating to that question which stood out to his view as worthv of ■ discussion.* Nor did he deem it dutiful to stop short at this stage, but shortly after wished further to try whether the help of foreigners would avail to extricate him from those difficulties that distressed his mind. Accordingly, after the publication, about this time, of a work of William Perkins, a very celebrated divine in the University of Cambridge, entitled, ' A Christian and Perspicuous Discussion concerning the Mode and Order of Predestinatioii, and concerning the Extent of Divine Grace^ — the name of this author having been previously well known to him, through other publications of distinguished merit, he resolved to procure the treatise without delay, and give it a care- ful perusal. He did so ; but finding himself sticking as fast as ever in the same labyi'inths of doubt, he thought it might not be unadvisable to institute a friendly correspondence with this theologian on the subject of his treatise. Wherefore, prompted by the occasion, he applied his mind to the composition of that most elaborate and temperate Examination of this same Treatise of Perkins^ which, without doubt, would have been sent to him, but for the circumstance, that almost at the very time when he was already in the act of applying a finishing hand to it, the intelli- gence reached him that this distinguished divine of the Anglican Church and University had exchanged * Vid. liaiic Tabul. inter. Epist. Eccles. Ep. 2G. p. 41. JAMES AEMINIUS. 81 the present life for another and a letter. * Frcm that moment, he kept this very polished little produc- tion, along" with others of the same stamp, to himself and his friends. About the same time, too, and with the utmost alacrity, he set himself to construct a kind of Syncpsis of Theological Common Places^ with the sole view of becoming richer and more practised in that heavenly wisdom which everywhere presents itself for our understanding in the Sacred Scriptures, and to the investigation of which he was impelled by an inex- tinguishable ardour. With this view, in the course of the year 1599, he resolved to peruse carefully what- ever authors might be at hand, or within his power to consult, at once the ancient and the more recent theolo- gians; to weigh accurately the several topics; to observe everything worthy of note, and to enter each under its appropriate division ; and to subject to strict criticism whatever might merit any measure of ani- madversion. What he accomplished, and what kind of progress he made in this undertaking (the remains of which, and a certain fragment only, it has been permitted us to see), may be gathered frcm several letters of his to Uitenbogaert, which will be found inserted among the Epistles of Distinguished and Learned Men.\ Moreover, during this year, he certainly evinced, in a very conspicuous manner, his signal affection and kindness for the celebrated J. Drusius, who professed * Ex Epist. dedic. huic Ainiinii libello praemissa. t Epist. Prsest. Vir. p. 98, 99, &c. 7 82 THE LIFE OF He"brew Literature, at Franeker, with distingnislied renown. For, entertaining the opinion, and freely expressing it to others, that this man was destined to promote Hebrew Literature, and illuminate the genuine interpretation of the Old Testament from the Hebrew sources themselves, Arminius left no means untried by which the Church of Christ might obtain fi'om his labours that benefit which was meet. There happened, about that time, to be much talk of a new translation of the Sacred Books into the vernacular tongue, the charge of preparing which had, five years previously, been committed, by the honourable States, to Philip van Marnix, Lord of St Aldegonde, but he having been removed by death, nothing occasioned more solicitude to the deputies of the churches of North and South Holland, than that this very grave undertaking, commenced under propitious omens by St Aldegonde, should either be carried on to its com- pletion, or by some other arrangement begun anew. As, moreover, these deputies seemed resolved to agi- tate the matter with the States on the first oppor- tunity, the subject of our memoir left no stone unturned to get those who presided at the helm of the Eepublic to have regard to Drusius first of all, and to his judg- ment on the matter. He felt that he had reasons the most satisfactory for commending him above all others,* both on account of his known and approved skill, for many years back, in the Oriental languages, and also because St Aldegonde himself, at the very time when many were requesting him to undertake the task, had • Vid. Arm. Epist. ad Uiteub. 8. Sept. 1599. JAMES ARMINIUS. 83 urged the chnrches rather to turn their eyes and their thousfhts towards Drusius.* The recommendation of Arminius, however, as also of Uitenbogaert, availed nothing, owing to the sinister judgments of certain leaders in the Church respecting that celebrated divine, and his soundness in the faith. For, suspect- ing that he cherished I know not what monster in his breast, and that he allowed his mind too much license in explaining certain passages of Scripture (a decree having previously passed the Synod of South Holland, which circumscribed within very narrow limits who- ever should be appointed to superintend the version of the Sacred Book), the ministers referred to excluded Drusius not only from the task of translation itself, but even from the province of inspecting the transla- tion. To avoid the appearance, however, of setting at nought the labours of this distinguished man, the States- General, in the year following, commissioned him to write a Commentary, or Notes, on the more difficult passages of the Old Testament, duly compar- ing and examining, on every such text, the Chaldee, Greek, and Latin interpreters ; and, by w^ay of re- muneration, they stipulated to pay him, for a series of years, an annual salary of four hundred florins. -J- In the meantime, Arminius, while watching to the very utmost of his ability over the interests of others, whose labours he deemed most essential for reducing ecclesiastical affairs to a better condition, was himself * Vid. Epist. Aldegondii ad Drusium 17 Jun. 1594. Vitae Drusii insertani. t Ex Vita Drusii. 84 THE LIFE OF obliged to put up with many calumnies and injurions judgments in regard to his own aims. In what spirit he contemplated ecclesiastical matters at this time, may be inferred from one of his familiar letters to Uiten- bogaert, written en the first of August, in which he pours cut, in the following expressions, a soul lacer- ated and oppressed by the evils that overspread the Christian community: — 'How can he rejoice who, over and above the abounding impiety and unrighteousness that riots throughout the whole world, perceives in the very Church of Christ, in Christianity itself, such a great diversity of sentiment on the subject of re- ligion — so great a license in men, it matters not of what description, to vent any sort of opinion in opposition to the truth — so much confidence and vehemence in the most of those who are in authority with their own party, in imposing and obtruding on the entire Christian Church whatever seems good to themselves, as articles of faith necessary to salvation ? Truly when I think of these things, my soul melts within me, and is agitated and tost on so impetuous a tide of conflicting thoughts, that, unable to decide what part to act amid these convulsions, it finds relief only in exclaiming to its God — Give, Lord, peace to thine Israel : peace be within its walls, prosperity within thy palaces ! Heal the stripes and wounds of Joseph, that brethren and kindred, united by the one girdle of truth necessary for thy glory, and for the salvation of men, and by the one bond of steadfast love, may be allowed to celebrate thy praises in thine dwn house, from generation to generation.' JAMES ARMINIUS. 85 Almost in tlie same frame of mind as tliat in whicli he thns portrays the state of the Church, he, in a letter dated 8th September 1599, takes a survey also of his own position, on which he opened his mind to the same friend, in the following terms*: — 'I am exerting myself to the utmost in teaching the truth already known to me, and in searching out what is not ; yea also, in more thoroughly investigating the truth which I do know, and in establishing and confirming it on solid grounds. But these things I do in silence and in hope ; putting up, meanwhile, with the preposterous zeal and scarcely sufferable vehemence of not a few, till God see meet to rid me of that annoyance, or impart to them a spirit of discretion and prudence, to temper and moderate their zeal. It is on the best of grounds, as it appears to me, that I ascribe to them a zeal without knowledge ; for in nothing do I find them less engaged than in that which they are bound to by their office, of which it constitutes a part, and indeed the principal part, to investigate the truth. By reason of this, they have got possessed of an opinion and persuasion that they have already mastered the truth, so potent in the case of some of them that they venture, without premeditation, to give forth a peremptory judgment on any point, no matter what, even though a point the most difficult, and which up to that hour they had never thoroughly examined, to the great disadvantage, unquestionably, of the Christian Church, and to the certain injury of truth.' * Ex Epist Arm. ad Uitenb. 8 Sept. Script. 1599. 86 THE LIFE OF While, however, matters were in this state, the Annual Synod of the Church of South Holland, of which at that time he acted as president, imposed upon him the task of discussing and refuting-, in a single book, all the errors of the Anabaptists.* Not unwillingly at first did he allow this province to be entrusted to him, partly because he w^as of opinion that such a work might be of some use to the Church, and partly also because he rejoiced to anticipate that by this decree of the Synod he would be placed beyond all suspicion of error, and beyond all con- troversy. But although he had scarcely entered on the first year of this century till he addressed himself with alacrity to the work assigned hmi — collecting from all quarters the writings of the Anabaptists, and carefidly perusing them in order to expiscate more thoroughly their ideas and sentiments on the several articles of faith — various circmustances conspired latterly to deter him from the undertaking. For the conviction gained upon him every day, that by most of his brethren this task f had been presented to him, not in a spirit of sincerity, but with the mind and intent to elicit from himself a full expression of opinion on certain "controverted points — particularly on the doctrines of Predestination and Free Will, on which these same Anabaptists had stirred controversy with the Eeformed Church — that thence they might snatch occasion, in larger measure, of accusation against him ; on which account he resolved, in the * Vid. Parentis mei G. Branii Hist. Ecform. par, ii. pag. 6. f Ex Arm. Epist. ad Uitenb. 20 Jan. et 26 Mail Script. 1600. JAMES ARMINIUS. 87 « first instance, to prosecute the work but very coolly, and then eventually, on the ground of sundry engage- ments from different sides that distracted his attention, to abandon it altogether. In these same critical times, moreover, when, among the troublesome points about to be started at the fol- lowing Synod, this, too, was proposed by the brethren from Haarlem — ' Whether it would not be advisable that the ministers of the churches should annually renew their subscription of the Confession and Cate- chism, seeing individuals might be found who, though thev had subscribed on being installed into office, nevertheless, at a subsequent period, gave manifest evidence of having changed their mind.' Against this counsel and deed Arminius complained, in express terms as follows*: — ' I am amazed at the short-sighted minds of men, who do not see that by such a step they at once cast suspicion on the good faith of all ministers, as a cLiss of men that must be compelled to constancy in the faith by dint of annual subscrip- tions, and that they also scatter the seeds of daily strife. Just as if it could not happen that he who had no scruple on entering upon office, and thus subscribed with a good conscience, should begin, in process of tim^e, to be in doubt as to any article, from which he shall not be able to disentangle himself before the recurrence of the time for the renewed subscription. Besides, this is an affair of equal con- cernment to all the churches; and what prudent man ever deemed it to be the wont either of the State * Ex Epist. Arm. ad Uitenb. 26 Mali 1600 Script. 88 THE LIFE OF or the Church to institute a search after crimes which have not betrayed an existence, yea, and to drag into open contentions those who are meditating no evil ? Do not these things appear to be the foundations of a new Spanish or Tridentine Inquisition ? I write thus, not because I shrink from subscription, but as what the occasion demands.' Nay more, in the same epistle in which these statements occur, he thus animadverts on the attempt of certain of the churches: — 'It appears to me that many, as if apprehensive of being thouo-ht indifferent about ecclesiastical affairs, are meditating night and day whether they, too, might not be able to propose something to be discussed in the Synods. Such men need to be recalled to the saying of the apostle : Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.' How very little, indeed, he himself came short in this last-named duty, is manifest from the fact, that during the course of a period of thirteen years he expounded, in addition to Malachi, of which we have previously made mention, almost the whole of Mark, Jonah, and the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians; and he brought to a close his exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans on the last day of September in the following year, 1601.* Having despatched this work, he proceeded, in tlie commencement of the year 1602,7 to expound in public the Epistles to the seven Asiatic churches, which are contained in the second and third .chapters of the book of Revelation. * Ex Calendario Arm. f lUli January. JAMES ARinNIUS. 89 To what extent he distinfiaiished himself clurino' this year, as a pious and devoted pastor and watch- man of the Church, the following narrative will satisfactorily show : — A pestilential heat, which spared no class in society, raged at this time through all the country, and throughout the city of Amsterdam, the capital of Holland, and the emporium of the whole world. And yet at this crisis, as if by a miracle, and by what he could not but regard as a most manifest proof of the special providence of God, while this plague was rioting through the whole town, it did not, during this year, seize on one of the chief magis- trates, judges, treasurers, superintendents of orphans, ministers of religion, elders, deacons, almoners, school- rectors, or teachers. When first the deadly scourge began its ravages, and the aggregate of funerals came to be frightfully on the increase, his mind was agitated not a little by the thought of his wife and children, and of the scanty inheritance which he had it in his power to leave them. But still, after more careful meditation on the subject, and incessant prayers to God, by his kindness, he was enabled so happily to master this temptation and anxiety of mind, that at a subsequent period he informs his bosom-friend, Uitenbogaert, in the following words, that his mind had got altogether rid of such cares as these, and steeled against the fear of death : — ' Thus far have I committed myself and my life to the divine mercy, waiting daily till he require it of me, and repay a better with usury ; and this I do (I say it fearlessly, that you may rejoice,) with a quiet, tranquil, and » 90 THE LIFE OF impertiirbed mind. I pray — and I earnestly entreat, yea, command you, to pray along with me, as I on my part will be ready to do the like for you — that the God of all consolation may preserve this mind with nfe to the last/* Fortified by this hope and confidence (although his ardour in the investigation of truth, formerly most in- tense, was now rapidly cooling down), he ceased not to pour out fervent supplications to God for the safety of the community, to exhort the people to prayer and sincere emendation of life, to build up the hearts of the pious by consolatory addresses, both in public and private ; and whatever time he might redeem to himself from his ordinary and extraordinary duties, to devote it all, not so much to the acquisition of knowledge, as to the imbuing of his own spirit with solid piety. Nay more, this vast field of pastoral fidelity and piety having presented itself to his view, so strenuously did he discharge the duties devolving upon him, that his name deserves a place among those who are entitled to be held up as examples for the imitation of all ministers of the Christian Church. To the highest and the lowest equally did he render the ofiices of humanity ; nor did he ever allow himself to be deterred by the perils of contagion from acting his part as an indefiitigable shepherd of souls. -|- It chanced about that time, as he passed along one of the poorer districts of the city, that he heard a certain lowly dwelling resound with the voice of • Ex Epist. Ann. ad Uitenl'. 17 August et 1 Octob. Script, -j- Ex Amicorum relatu. JAMES ARMINIUS. 91 wailing. Immediately on perceiving that the whole of that household had been seized with the plague, and were in torment arising from the most burning thirst, he not only gave money to the neighbours, who were standing by, with which to purchase a draught, but further, when not one of them dared to enter that infected abode of poverty, he himself, heed- less of every danger to which by this step he exposed himself and those dear to him, intrepidly walked in, and imparted refreshment, at once for the body and the soul, to every single member of this afQicted family.* The great aptitude, moreover, by which he suc- ceeded in consoling the minds, and imparting satisfac- tion to the troubled consciences of the sick, may be exemplified by the following occurrence, which also happened in those days, and appears to us to be not unworthy of record. He was called, fii'st by a woman, and then by a man, both labouring under a severe attack of the pestilence, both professing the Eeformed doctrine, and both Christians of blameless and misuUied reputation. She possessed a penetrating judgment, and a knowledge of divine things above the average of her sex. He was skilled in the same to such a degree, as to be judged competent to act the part even of a comforter to others. Neither was kno"VMi to the other. Both began to be vehemently distressed in spirit because they did not distinctly feel the cer- tainty of the remission of their sins, and the comforting * Ex Epist. Ann. ad Uitenbogaert. 1 Octob. 1602 Script. 92 THE LIFE OP testimony [alloquium) of the Holy Spirit in their own hearts, at that time particularly, at which they deemed all this to be indispensable in the highest degree. She broke out into floods of tears ; he in- wardly cherished his grief; and both declared ' that they had truly endeavoured, by devout meditation of the sacred page, to stir up these best of gifts if per- chance they lay buried, but hitherto without effect.' Arminius, on hearing these things, with a truly sor- rowful heart, and touched with a, deep commisera- tion of both, immediately asked, ' what was the reason why they were so grievously distressed on that account.' They replied (so exactly did the views of each correspond), ' that they thought that the cer- tainty of the remission of sins, and the witness [testi- monimn) of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers, constituted that very faith by which a believing man is justified ; and consequently that they, being at this time destitute of that certainty and that witness, must also be destitute of faith.' Here Arminius put the question, ' if they did not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, sent into the world by the Father, the true and only Saviour of the world ; if they did not know for cert lin that God the Father had by him alone reconciled the world unto himself, not imputing to them their trespasses ; and that this same Jesus had received power from the Father to remit sins, however aggravated, and to give the Spirit of adoption to those who believe on him — which power, too, he is in every respect ready to put forth, JAMES AKMINIUS. 93 yea, and has solemnly promised to put forth, for the salvation of those that believe/ On their replying that they firmly believed all this, Armi- nius rejoined, that ' that was the faith which is counted for righteousness ; but that the remission of sins is the fruit of that faith, and that it is necessarily followed (if not in time, at least in the order of na- ture) by a sense of this remission in the hearts of believers, according to the saying of the Apostle, JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GoD, and that we are to judge in the same way respecting the gift of the Holy Spirit, w^ho is imparted to believers, and, wherever imparted, begins to operate in such ways as the Spirit himself knows to be best for the salvation of those to whom he is given.' He then proved, by a multitude of passages, which he pro- duced from the Holy Scriptures, that justifying faith, the remission of sins, and the sense of this remission, are things distinguished in Scripture, and stand con- nected with each other by the relation of sequence ; explaining, moreover, the grounds and reasons why that certainty and comforting testimony [alloquium] of the Spirit, are not always felt by believers in an equal degree. To this the sick persons listened with deep interest ; till at length both, sustained by patience, and the most enlarged hope of Divine aid, in tran- quillity of soul awaited death — which the man met, two days after, with the utmost fortitude. From this circumstance, Arminius felt himself in the strongest degree confirmed in his original opinion 94 THE LIFE OF JAMES ARMINIUS. as to tlie necessity of accurately distinguishing be- tween things that are most intimately related to each other, lest the confounding of these things should occasion, to some consciences, a measure of anxiety and alarm which can be dispelled in no other way than by a distinction in harmony with the exact nature of things. 95 CHAP TEE V. ARMINIUS'' CALL TO A THEOLOGICAL PROFESSORSHIP IN LEYDEN, AND THE ACTIVE OPPOSITION TO WHICH IT GAVE RISE. A.D. 1602-1603. As the pestilence already noticed, raged not only in Amsterdam, but also througli all the other cities of Holland, it inflicted, in particular, a severe blow on the Academy of Leyden in Holland, by extinguishing, within the space of two months, these illustrious lights of the Church, and most learned men, Lucas Trel- catius, senior, and Francis Junius, the former of whom expired on the 28th of August, and the latter on the 23rd of October. The Academy being deprived of these props, and standing in need of new Atlantes, the wiser class were at a loss to perceive in what way any remedy could be applied to this recent wound. Arminius himself, who was deeply afflicted by an event so calamitous to the Academy, wherever he turned his eyes, could find among foreigners very few indeed fit to undertake such a charge, and sustain, in point of eminence, the position of the dead.* From France there beamed scarcely a ray of hope ; for the churches of that kingdom were themselves provided * Ex Epist. Ann. ad Uitenb. 3. Kal. Nov. 96 THE LIFE OP with hardly as miicli as mediocrity in this department of study. If he turned his thoughts to Germany^ it was with difficulty he could hit on more than one or two of any note. Pezelius was enfeebled by age; Grynajus, too, was more than sixty. Para3us was understood to be too much bound to the Palatinate. Of all the German theologians, however, the one whom Arminius judged best qualified to undertake this province (if indeed, his age, too, might not be an objection), was the distinguished Piscator, as being, in his estimation, a learned, diligent, and clear-headed divine, who, by his published writings besides, had already encircled his name with no small celebrity. But far other, in regard to this matter, was the mind of the honourable curators of the Academy, who, deeming it not at all needful, at this conjuncture, to turn their attention to foreigners, had fixed their thoughts and their eyes on Arminius and Trelcatius, junior. Of this favourable regard on the part of these distinguished men, and indeed of most of the students, toward Arminius, shortly after the death of Trelcatius, Uitenbogaert came to be informed through the corres- pondence of friends. He was in the camp before Grave at the time, which he followed in the capacity of chaplain to the valiant Prince Maurice. He was first made cognizant of the fact by the letters of that distinguished youth, Hugh Grotius, and of Anthony Thysius, each of whom, after bearing testimony to the splendid endowments of Arminius, earnestly entreated Uitenbogaert that he would not refuse to interpose his endeavour, at this stage, to persuaide Arminius to JAMES ARMINIUS. 97 accept the office, should it be placed within his power.* Thysius, moreover, in his letter to this same friend on the subject, lauds Arminius to the skies, calling him tlie light of the Low Countries^ and a horn acade- mician. By and by, after Uitenbogaert had returned from the camp to the Hague, the honourable senators, Cornelius Neostadius, Frankius, and K. Hogerbeets, made in his presence, at a certain party, new and honourable mention of the proposed call to Arminius. 7 The first of these, and along with him the celebrated John Dousa, Lord of N"orderwick, were curators of the Academy, and the rest had cultivated an intimacy in study with him from their early years. Uitenbogaert at first took no part in the conversation ; but at length, on being asked his opinion by this noble com- pany of men, he very willingly added his suffrage to theirs. A few days after, Nicolas Zeistius, Syndic of Leyden, intimated, in a letter addressed to the honour- able Neostadius, that the eyes of almost all the students were turned to Arminius ; and not only so, but that they had resolved to present, at the next meeting of the curators, an earnest petition in favour of his being invited. On being apprized of all this by a letter from Uitenbogaert, Arminius, so far from grasping at the situation which many were marking out for him, rather revolved in his mind a variety of reasons, from day to day, which were calculated to deter him from • Vid. Uiteiib. Hist. Eccles. p. 312. -j- E vita Uitenbog : cap. v. 98 TPIE LIFE OF the idea of it altogether. For, over and above the ardent attachment of his flock to him (which he felt Tinder the strongest obligation to repay with equal love), so great was the regard which he had concili- ated towards himself from the public of Amsterdam, and its leading men, that he could promise himself henceforth to carry about with him a mind exempt from anxious solicitude as to his worldly circum- stances, and even an augmentation of his respectable stipend should necessity demand.* Add to this, that as the city of Amsterdam had the entire right of him, in consideration of having supported him during his sacred studies, it was hardly likely to surrender to the Leydeners its own alumnus, to the serious injury of the Church. Meanwhile this favour of the ciu*ators for Arminius gave great offence to several ministers ; and they left no stone unturned by which to divert the minds and thoughts of the former away from him to some foreign candidate. About this time, a certain deputy of the churches made up to the noble Neostadius, and did his utmost in disparagement of the merits of Arminius, declaring, ' that he had discovered nothing whatever in him except that he was an expert logician ; but he (the deputy) had yet to learn that he was so great a theologian as to warrant his elevation to an academic chair.' Much more strongly and sharply, however, was the proposed appointment resisted by J. Kuchlinus, the principal moderator of the Theological College, the * Vid. Epist. Arm. ad Uitenb. JAMES ARMINIUS. ' 99 uncle too, and at one time the colleague of Arminius.* For he began very vehemently to remonstrate with Uitenbogaert on the subject, and to start the doubt whether ' Arminius was not tainted with the Coorn- hertian heresy;' adding, and stoutly affirming, that ' his father-in-law, Lawrence Keal, had a considerable leaning to the same.' Some time after, in presence of the curators of the Academy themselves, after a long preface about Arminius's thirst for novelties, and itch for disputation, he at length broke out in these words : — ' Pray, what shall I, an old man, do ? Shall I suffer my pupils to attend the Academy, and hear and cany away with them new doctrines every day V I will not bear it ; I will not suffer it ; I will rather shut up my college.' Very opportunely, however, in the circumstances, this excited feeling was calmed down by the arrival of John Hauten, a man of very great sagacity, who was at that time secretary to the Academy. By his arguments the old man was brought to a stand, and forthwith began to speak in a more temperate tone. On the very day, too, on which a meeting of the academy was held on the subject of inviting Arminius, the distinguished Gomams, after asking permission to speak, and presenting to the honourable curators of the Academy the funeral oration with which he had performed the last honours to Junius, took occasion to intimate to them, that ' Junius, almost at the last hour of his life, implored him to commend, in his name, the Academy and the profession of theology to • Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. 100 THE LIFE OF the special care of the curators. This charge he now implemented; nor could he with a good conscience dissemble his fear that the call of Armmius, for determining on which he understood they were as- sembled, would in his judgment turn out to the very serious injury of the Academy, in consequence of the heterodox opinions he entertained, and which he had made public both in his discourses on the seventh chapter of the Komans, and in those very serious disputes which he had with Junius on the subject of predestination.' To these things he added, that 'Junius himself had no favourable opinion of Ar- minius. In Amsterdam he had it in his power to infect one church only, but here he could infect many, not merely in this but also in other lands. In that city there were many who could enter the lists with him, and resist his attempts ; but here there were very few. In the Academy there was more freedom of dis- putation than m the chureh, from which cii'cumstance undoubtedly the fiercest contentions would arise. Arminius very likely, the more easily to advance himself to the professorship, may hold out the promise of amendment, but no faith was to be attached to his words; and in a matter of such importance it was incumbent on them to act with very great caution, lest by the introduction of such a man, and of novel doctrines, some mischief should accrue to this very distinguished seat of learning.'* The noble curators regarded as unduly harsh and sufficiently violent the judgment of so great a theo- * Ex Diario MS. Uitenbogardi. JAMES ARMINIUS. 101 1-ogian respecting this eminent minister, who was held in the highest esteem by those with whom he was connected, and who up to that hour had not given the very smallest indication of an ambitious longing after the office. Gomarus accordingly was asked by these very influential men, '■ Whether he really knew Armmius? and whether he had perused the corres- pondence he had had with Junius?' He candidly replied that ' he only saluted him once, as he descried him at a little distance 5 and as for the discussion with Jimius, he had not indeed read it, but still he had got information respecting it through certain ministers most worthy of credit.' On this, bemg more straitly questioned as to who the fabricators of those charges were, he at length named Plancius. But the chief rulers of the Academy, not disposed to attach much weight to this testimony, deemed it of the first importance to inquire more thoroughly into all those accusations by which Arminius was assailed. Wherefore, having first called into their counsel John Oldenbarne veldt, the prime minister of the States of Holland, they deemed it proper to consult Uiten- bogaert concerning all these matters, and what was best to be done for the interests of the Academy. He, after a brief pause of deliberation, began forthwith to complain of the injury which Gomarus and Kuch- linus had inflicted on Arminius. Then, after giving an account of the controversy which happened at Amsterdam some considerable time previously, on the occasion of Arminius expounding the seventh chapter of the Eomans, and after reading the opening and 102 THE LIFE OF concluding portions of his discussion with Junius, he showed very plainly that what Gomarus had called ' serious disputes' had rather been the interchange of friendly correspondence. Junius besides, had culti- vated a genuine friendship with Arminius ; yea, and subs^uently to that correspondence he had often prefaced any reference he made to him with expres- sions of praise. As Gomarus, however, was pushing this business with so much animosity, and that doubtless at the instigation of others whose authority was very influential in sacred matters, it appeared to him to be advisable that the call should be decided in favour of another, rather than of Arminius. As to the willingness of Arminius to undertake this pro- fessorship, it was in the highest degree doubtful ; and much more uncertain was it besides, whether, in the event of his assenting to the call, the people of Amsterdam would grant him a dismission. He looked upon this movement as one full of hazard and difficulty ; and so much the more difficult as he had heard Gomarus was actuated by a very strong pre- judice against Arminius, and bent all his energies to this : that whatever the latter might advance in defence of his reputation and his faith, he would at once proceed to invalidate and subvert. He (Uiten- bogaert) was not willing to take upon himself a business of such magnitude, or that this cause should be determined by his judgment alone. So far from this, although, according to the dictate of conscience, he had advanced what made for the commendation of Arminius, and was fully confident that Arminius JAMES ARMINIUS. 103 would never do aught that was unworthy of himself or the Academy, he nevertheless committed this whole affair to the consideration and decision of the honour- able curators. If, however, they adhered to their purpose to invite this theologian, he thought it would be in the highest degree advisable that Arminius should be made aware of all the things which had been said and done against him, in order that after hearing his reply they might be the better able to consult for their own concerns, and for the welfare of the Academy.'* Thus spake Uitenbogaert in the presence of the curators. On the same day he de- clared to the most noble Oldenbarneveldt, a man who held the place of the highest dignity in the Republic of Holland, that 'Armmius, yea even a hundred Arminiuses, did not bulk so largely in his estimation that, for the sake of promoting him, he could be willing to have the Church and the Academy disturbed.' Some time after, by order of the curators, he faith- fully divulged everything, as far as matters had gone, to Arminius, who had been summoned by letter to Haarlem ; and he earnestly besought him, seeing the matter concerned not him only, but also the entire Church besides, that he would not hesitate to declare his own mind on the subject candidly, freely, and without any reserve.-]- On receiving this information, which astonished him mightily, Arminius related the particulars of all the controversies which had ever * Ex Diario Uitenb. MS. — Vid.et Vitam Uitenb.Belg. Idiom, ab ipso conscript, cap. v. t Ex Diario MS. Uitenbog. 104 THE LIFE OF been stirred against him on the ground of doctrine, and what plan he had invariably adopted in order to get them allayed. From this the conversation passed to the subject of the professorship, and of the very high esteem in which he was held by the rulers of the academy. By and by, also, according to the charge devolved upon him by these rulers, Uitenbogaert pro- ceeded to ask him what might be his own mind and judgment as to undertaking the office. Arminius replied, that ' many reasons presented themselves on the ground of which he could prefer to remain at Amsterdam. He owned, indeed, that he was rather prone to an academic mode of expressing himself, nor was he altogether destitute of freedom in com- position and in promoting the public good by his pen; but still he was wanting in many endowments of mind and genius that were necessary to the proper discharge of this function. Moreover, as he had by no means the right, he would decide nothing whatever, either on the one side or on the other, till the church and civil authorities of Amsterdam had granted him full liberty of choice. This done, he would consider what might be for the advantage of the Academy, as well as for his own. At all events he would never consent to give his services to the noble curators until he had first obtained a friendly conference with the distinguished Gomarus, and disabused his mind of all the doubts which he had conceived respecting him. He was aware how much ought to be sacrificed for the peace of the academy, and how imperatively necessary it was to apply the promptest remedy possible to the JAMES ARMINIUS. 105 ecclesiastical dissensions so much to be deplored, rather than to contribute fresh material for their increase. Never for the sake of any dogma would he furnish occasion, even the least, to violate the peace of the Church ; and in this same mind he put a fair and charitable construction on everything which the learned Gomarus had done, at the instigation, doubt- less, of others, rather than of his own accord.' This reply Uitenbogaert reported to the honourable curators of the Academy. After maturely consider- ing and weighing the fact that divines of the Eeformed Church had not always cherished the same opinion on the subject of Predestination, and that no synod of the Primitive Church had ever determined anything respecting it — yea, further, that the cele- brated J. Holmann had stoutly defended, in the Leyden Academy, the same opinion which Hemmingius had maintained on that question — the curators judged that there was no call for further deliberation on the subject of inviting Arminius. On the contrary, they instantly decided on doing so ; and in order to obtain their wish, C. Neostadius and N. Zeistius, men of great influence, undertook a journey to Amsterdam, which, however, failed of its end ; for the noble rulers of this city (on the 19th November) not only decided that they could not dispense with his services, but would not permit them to treat "v\ath the ecclesiastical court on the matter. On learning this the deputies of the churches * * These were functionaries appointed by the Dutch Synods (resembling the Commission of the General Assembly in Scot- land), on whom devolved a certain current and ill-defined care 106 . THE LIFE OF exerted themselves to the utmost to interpose delay, and even obstruction, in the way of this call. At an extraordinary meeting accordingly, held at the Hague, they judged it expedient to invite certain pastors to that place — Uitenbogaert being summoned among the rest. After prayer, the president of this conference, Arnold Cornelis, immediately submitted whether it would not be for the interest of the Church seriously and gravely to warn the noble Oldenbarneveldt, and the curators of the Academy as well, of the dangers which impended over the Church and the Academy, in the event of calling a man so deeply suspected of erroneous opinions; and to entreat them rather to think of calling some other who might be fit to undertake the office, and at the same time be clear of suspicion of this kind. Uitenbogaert being asked among the first to express his mind as to this counsel, declared that he would be no f>arty to any such thing.* After many preliminary remarks as to the danger into which those who urged such a decision would precipitate themselves in the event of not being able to prove the charges preferred against Arminius, he proceeded to explain more at length all that he himself knew of the matter, and showed that the opposition to the clergyman in ques- tion was grounded on suspicions rather than on reasons. of the cluirches, and who figure much in the ecclesiasti- cal embroilments of that period. They were often officious; and hence Grotius calls them ' Ruling Masters.'' — Tr. * Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. Vid et Uitenb. Vitam ab ipso conscript, vernaculo idiom, cap. v. JAMES AKMINIUS. 107 On this, after here repeating ad nauseam the alle- gation as to his very serious disputes with Junius, and the long-settled affair about the interpretation of the seventh chapter of Eomans, the president of the conference openly declared, that 'Arminius was no theologian, but a young man, destitute of experience and prone to quarrels and petty disputations.' In op- position to this, Uitenbogaert rejoined, that ' this same Arminius sustained the character of a distinguished divine, and to how great an extent he was skilled in sacred things could not be altogether unknown to his present accuser, inasmuch as when on a previous occasion Arminius requested a friendly conference with him on the subject of religion, he heartily shrank from it. The frivolous objections as to his youth were also applicable to Gomarus himself; pre- eminently so, at all events, to Trelcatius, junior, concerning both of whom, however, in this connexion, there was a profomid silence. Arminius was of frill age, and possessed of a judgment thoroughly culti- vated and matured- The professorial function was theoretical rather than 'practical^ and experience was not required in universities to the same extent as in churches ; still it was not to be thought that he could be devoid of experience, who had for so many years, and with so much applause, sustained the charge of by far the most influential of the churches. Besides, that he was party to discussions occasionally about sacred things was proof not of a contentious, but of a subtle mind, and gave indication that he was born for academic rather than for pastoral frmctions.' 108 THE LIFE OF On this, one objected, tliat '■ still Arminius differed if not in substantialsj at least in accidentals — (here and elsewhere in narrating the discussions of divines, we must be allowed to speak in theological rather than in chaste and classical Latin*) — and while this perchance might be connived at in the Church, in the Academy it certainly could not be borne with.' Uitenbogaert rejoined, that 'the liberty of plying controversies which did not subvert the foundations of the fiiith, ought by no means to be banished from academic institutions. Never had these, any more than the churches, been so well constituted but that at all times some differences, and these occasionally very serious, had existed in reference to sacred things, and yet the peace of the Church had been preserved inviolate ; yea, between that very divine, Junius, and his colleague, Sohnius, at Heidelberg, and between Gomarus and Junius at Leyden-in-Holland, there had not, on all points, been a perfect agreement. The same principle applied to the case in hand. Arminius was desirous of peace, nor was any strife to be appre- hended from him, although in some things he might differ from others in opinion.' After he had thus spoken, some member of the conference vociferated, that 'everything, even what seemed safe things, furnished matter for just sus- picion-,' to which the very eloquent pastor of the church in the Hague further and spiritedly replied, * This, it is scarcely needful to remark, is an apology interposed by our author, for deviating occasionally from his excellent Latinity into unavoidable scholasticisms. — Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 109 that ' a statement of this description was diametrically opposed to Christian charity ; and that it was much rather to be desired that all the ministers of the Church would more frequently recall to memory that saying of Paul, Charity thinketh no evil.^ After he had uttered these words, and followed up his remarks with a very grave admonition that the brethren would act circumspectly throughout this business, and at- tempt nothing of which they might subsequently repent, Uitenbogaert asked leave of departure, aftd withdrew. But they, not deeming it of any consequence to attend to this warning, straightway divulged the same doubts respecting Arminius, which they had brought out in that conference, to the Grand Pensionary of the States of Holland, as well as the curators of the Academy, commending the Academy to their care, and adding the request that they would see to it that the peace of the institution be not disturbed. They re- plied in general terms, that ' they would take care of that matter.'* But the cm'ators, suspecting on good grounds that certain parties were pushing this business with far too great animosity, and that under it there lurked much envy against Arminius — ^nay, further, that if by this pretext of heterodoxy he should be driven from the professorship, his public usefulness also would be very apt to be sacrificed in that church to the ministry of which he had devoted himself — were of opinion that it was their duty still to prosecute the call. More * Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. 110 THE LIFE OF tlian that, Arminius having taken a journey to the Hague at this conjuncture (January 21, 1603), to despatch some ecclesiastical business in name of the Amsterdam Classis, they called him into theh' presence, informed him of their determination, and begged that he would not scruple to give them the hope and pledge that he would accept the oifice of professor ; and that they would take steps, and strive with all their weight, to induce the magistrates and church of Amsterdam to give in like manner their consent to the arrangement. This, however, Arminius modestly declined, giving the same reply that he had previously given to Uiten- bogaert, and to the other delegates of the academic council. Shortly after, having returned home, and obtained an opportunity of holding a familiar interview with that minister of Delft (Arnold Cornelis) who had presided at the above-mentioned conference held at the Hague, and who was spending some days in Amsterdam, he began (Jan. 27) to deal with him freely — partly complaining of the injurious judgment of cer- tain individuals, and partly clearing and defending him- self. He added, that ' that method of acting did not appear to him to be sufficiently Christian, and that another ought to be adopted of a more positive sort, and more in accordance with Christian candoiu'.'* Still further, referring to that conference, and to the steps which, thus far, the deputies of the churches had taken against him, Arminius observed: -J- — 'It seems evident * Ex Epist. Arm. inedita Script, ad Uiteiib. 28 Jan. 1603. •f Namely to Uitenbof^aert, in the letter referred to in the JAMES ARMINIUS. Ill to me, that all their deliberations and acts have pro- ceeded from a certain groundless fear, induced by the calumnious reports respecting me of certain individuals whom I have declared myself easily able to confute with the actual truth, if opportunity and place were only granted me for defending myself.' But a suspicion once entertained of the heterodoxy of Arminius had fixed its roots too deeply in the minds of those entrusted with the welfare of the churches, (viz., the deputies) to allow themselves to be deterred from their undertaking by any arguments of his. Wherefore, taking into con- sideration the proceedings up to that point of the curators of the Academy, these ecclesiastical deputies set out for the Hague towards the end of February ; and in the presence of Oldenbarneveldt renewed the same complaint that they had formerly lodged as to the dangers to which the Academy would be ex- posed by this call of Arminius, following it up with the request that he would not refuse to exert his influence with these same curators in order to impede its progi'ess. The grounds on which they contended were the same as before, with the addition of this other, by the colleague of Arminius, Werner Hel- michius, namely, that only very lately Arminius had taught in public that ' God had not yet sent a bill of divorcement to the Church of Rome.'* These words preceding note, giving an account of his interview Avith Cornells the day before, and containing the expressions quoted in the previous sentence. — Tr. * Vide Vitam Uitenb. cap. v. Trigland. Hist. Eccles. 112 THE LIFE OF Arminiiis had used in the course of expounding the second chapter of Kevelation, and thence some of his enemies had snatched a handle for the suspicion that he had an undue leaning towards that very impure Church, and had undertaken its defence. But it escaped Helmichius, and even the most honourable the Grand Pensionary of Holland, to whom at first sight such a saying appeared absurd, that F. Junius, besides often and openly maintaining the same opinion in his public prelections and dis- putations, had given that exposition almost in the self-same words, in a certain excellent treatise On the Church. On this account, Uitenbogaert, the moment he was informed of the accusation referred to, handed in that treatise to this most eminent man for his perusal ; and added that many besides Junius, and these too of no mean name among Keformed divines, had expressly maintained the same thing, not with the view of patronising that meretricious Church, but rather to set forth the benignity of the supreme and ever-blessed God, who, inasmuch as certain traces of Christianity still remained in that Church, was even yet urging it to repentance. This act of Helmichius, moreover, was regarded by the patrons of Arminius as anything but handsome ; for they deemed it most iniquitous that this eminent clergyman had not only ventured, in the presence of a man of such great authority, to defame an absent colleague, and that too without ever having communi- cated with him on the matter, but also that he should demand of that same high personage to keep secret JAMES AKMINIUS. 113 what he had alleged against Arminius, and not to apprize him of the matter at all.* They took the deed the more amiss, and could less easily brook it, from the fact, which thev knew to be certain and undoubted, that it was mainly in. consequence of the recommendation of Arminius that this Helmichius had been called to the ecclesiastical office. How unworthy this conduct was of so conspicuous a herald of divine truth Uitenbogaert plainly showed, a few days after, to this Amsterdam minister himself, entering at some length into conversation with him on that occasion respecting Arminius and the professor- ship which had been determined in his favour. -|- UiTENBOGAERT cxprcsscd his astouishmeut that the delegates of the churches should rear their attempts against Arminius on a foundation so slender. Hel- michius, on the other hand, alleged that it was evident to the churches that there existed the weightiest reasons why they should resist this call. Uitenbogaert complained of the injury done by the clandestine slanders of brethren; declared that the care of the deputies was unduly officious; that by these attempts they would contribute nothing to the advantage of the Church, but rather impair, by this mode of procedure, their own influence with the States, and that this had already more than once been proved by experience. Helmichius owned that many things indeed were falsely imputed to Arminius ; but that, notwithstanchng, he very clearly and openly * Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. f Ibid. 114 THE LIFE OF evinced that he hy no means acquiesced in the opinion of the great Calvin on Predestination, and that this circumstance was fraught with imminent danger to the Academy. Uitenbogaert owned that that opinion laboured under serious difficulties which he himself was not able to extenuate or remove ; but from this there was no ground to apprehend dissension, provided Arminius, while temperately maintaining a milder view of that question, accepted in a fair and liberal spirit the modest defence which Gomarus and others might put forth for their opinion. Here Helmichius affirmed that the doctrine of an absolute decree of Reprobation had been received by the Re- formed Church ; and that those who were of a different sentiment might be tolerated in the Church, provided they imposed silence on themselves and abstained from running that doctrine down. Uiten- bogaert replied, that he for his part was one who could not assent to that opinion, which, in fact, ought by no means to be attributed to the entire Church of the Reformed, but only to certain par- ticular divines. Nay it was those rather who rejected that horrible decree (as Calvin himself calls it, in express terms, when treating of Reprobation) that ought to be asked to bear patiently with its patrons and defenders. Further, on Helmichius asserting somewhat warmly that there were certain parties in Amsterdam who were prepared to establish against Arminius more charges still, and of greater weight, should this academic invitation be further pressed, i JAMES ARinNTUS. 115 UiTENBOGAERT rejoined, that ' insinnations of this kind were made in manifest contravention of the law of charity, yea, and of truth. He perceived that a tyranny altogether new, and which he would by no means submit to, had been introduced into the Eeformed Church. Individuals there were who spoke of that Church none otherwise than if it were exempt from all liability to error, and stood in need of no further reform. Hence no one dissenting, even iu how trivial soever a degree, was to be tolerated : and the blot of heresv was to be forthwith daubed upon those who OT\TQed as much as a slight difference, or even doubt, in respect to any article of faith and doctruie. As an effusion from this bitter fountain, a certain minister had ventured to call Arminius a heretic. In this way all liberty of friendly conference on points of Christian doctrine was pre- cluded ; and from this it was to be feared still greater troubles would arise.' This conversation was scarcely ended when the celebrated Gomarus also came to the Hague, and had -a lengthened interview \\dth Uitenbogaert on the same affair. On this occasion Gomarus, with a mind thoroughly excited (as far as it might be allowed to conjecture from his countenance), began to rate him for his commendation of Arminius, whom he styled a man of impure doctrine — adding that he (Uitenbogaert) had rashly mixed himself up with academic affairs. This commendatory act Uitenbogaert vuidicated on a multitude of grounds, and strove with all his might to wipe away the injurious aspersions from his absent 116 THE LIFE OF friend; when immediately Gomaeus, prcdncing the reply of Arminius to the communication of Jimins (which a few days previously, he stated, had heen handed to him by Casimir, the son of Francis Junius), declared that he would prove directly that Arminius maintained not only impure, but even impious doctrine.* To substantiate this allegation he instantly quoted, from the very autograph of Arminius, the following statement : that ' by no divine decree is the human will determined either to the one side or the other' — adding, ' That is an impious sentiment ! ' To this UiTENBOGAEET replied, that ' it was not impious to say that God did not determine those things which he himself was unwilling to determine. Arminius would render a just reason for that saying. Nay more, the very celebrated Junius had said nearly the same thing in his treatise " On the first Sin of Adam." ' , Quitting this subject, Gomarus turned the conver- sation into another channel, alleging that the opinion of Arminius on the seventh chapter of Eomans was manifestly at variance with the doctrine of the churches. Here Uitenbogaert put the question, on which article it was of the Confession and Catecliism that the above-named interpretation impinged? Gom- arus replied, that the doctrine of the churches was to be determined not only by these received formularies, but to a very great extent from the consent of the pastors. But to this Uitenbogaert rejoined, that a saying of this description savoured of Popery ; and that he knew no other consent of the churches in doctrine * Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. JAMES ARMINIUS. 117 but that whicli is contaiuecl in tlie express words of the Confession. On this, GoMARUS made reference to the subject of Predestination, and acknowledged that that decree might be modestly discussed, and Arminius borne with, provided he would deport himself with modera- tion. Then Uitenbogaert at length seizing this opportunity, gravely and com'teously admonished this divine ' not to give way to his own feelings more than was meet, and allow himself to be carried away by the perverse judgments of others respecting Arminius;' adding, ' that Arminius never would undertake this office without, in the first instance, holding a friendly conference with him in reference to these and other difficulties. Nothing did Arminius desire more than to cultivate a fraternal friendship with him ; and his resolution was rather to keep aloof from that office for ever than furnish occasion, even the least, for ecclesiastial strifes. Of strifes there were enough everywhere. Peace ought to be studied ; nor did he doubt but that Arminius would give him the most ample satisfaction.' On this Gomarus calmly and candidly rejoined, 'that this was what he pre- eminently desired ; that then Arminius would be to him a most acceptable colleague ; and that he would tolerate all things which could be borne with con- sistently with the maintenance of peace and with integrity of conscience.' 11& CHAP TEE VI. FURTHER PROSECUTION AND SUCCESSFUL ISSUE OF AR- MINIUS'S CALL TO THE PROFESSORSHIP. A.D. 1603, Arminius meanwhile, not unaware of those things which were in agitation against him, strove to bend all his plans to this one aim, that of finding out a way in which he might defend himself against the criminations of his adversaries, and disarm them of their power. In particular, feeling keenly that he had been covered with stigmas in the hearing of Barneveldt, it appeared to him in the highest degree desirable that he should maintain the stainlessness of his reputation in the presence of that most exalted man ; and that before presenting himself at the Hague he should intimate his purpose to the honour- able magistrates, and in addition to them, to Helmichius himself, and others who had branded so black a stigma on his name. He was prevented, however, from carrying into effect this purpose and journey by the adverse state of his health, having been seized with a catarrh contracted by cold, which violently affected his brain and adjacent parts. He informed Uitenbogaert of his cu'cumstances, and, moreover, disclosed to him the JAMES AEMrNIUS. 119 state of his mind and his wish, in the following words:* — 'Would that this mio-ht be obtained from the most noble Barneveldt, namely, that they should receive orders to proceed against me before him, I being present. This verily I aim at and desire far more ardently than that which they think I desire — I mean the theological professorship. But I thoroughly persuade myself (and thus, surely, it ought to turn out) that those good men will not obtain credit with con- siderate persons, especially as he who is aimed at stands forth for his lawful defence, and is an elder against whom no one has a right to take up an accusation except under two or three witnesses. My opinion, therefore, is, that that journey is not so urgently necessary at this time in consequence of the departure already of a large proportion of the deputies, to whom Helmichius might appeal were I to institute proceedings with him. Meanwhile there remains with me the full right of originating an action at law against him, and also against the rest who are associated with him. In regard to this, I shall consider, from your advice and that of others, what to do. If, however, you deem it needful that I should open my mind to you in reply to a few queries, you may transmit them in writing, and I will answer you with the utmost plainness and sincerity ; for I am unwillmg either to commit or to omit anything that might tend either to promote or to impede my call ; inasmuch as I have resolved to commit myself wholly to the will of God, that I may be able to maintain a good conscience what- * Epist. Eccles. Ep. 58, pag. 109, 110. 120 THE LIFE OP ever may Ibe the issue of the affair. In the meantime, I would have you to be of good cheer, and moderate your grief, for well I know how needful is this request. The Lord God will provide and grant that success which he knows will be most conducive to his own glory and the edification of the Church — yea more, and to the salvation of me and mine. On Him I cast all my care : He will bring forth my righteousness as the light, and my judgment as the noon-day.' During all this time, the honourable curators of the Academy, promising themselves better things of Arminius than rumour held out, had resolved to leave nothing untried by which they might gain Arminius and their wish. Nay, communicatnig their counsels to the illustrious Prince Maurice, they strenu- ously besought him to associate with them some one to act in his name, for the furtherance of this business with the people of Amsterdam. To this petition, the Prince gave his gracious assent; and forthwith summoning Uitenbogaert into his presence (on the loth March), he entreated him, in kindly terms that he would not scruple to undertake this province, as being in great measure an ecclesiastical one — and pledged his faith to furnish him with cre- dentials. Armed with these, he at length, along with the honourable J. Dousa, and N. Zeistius, Sjudic of Leyden, set out for Amsterdam on the first day of April ; being followed, a little after, by the honourable Neostadius and Nicolas Cromhout, the chief senator of the supreme court : this List the curators had called to their assistance, his influence being very power- JAMES ARMINIUS. 121 ful with the Senate of Amsterdam. To smooth for themselves an easier path to the attainment of their end, they judged it expedient to hold interviews, in the first instance, with several of the magistrates, and ministers of the Church. Having on the 5th April, accordingly, obtained public audience of the honourable magistrates, they explained, at length, their reasons for the journey they had undertaken, — Cromhout maintaining the cause of the curators, and Uitenbog- aert prosecuting the orders of the Prince.* They pressed their petition to obtain Arminius, on a variety of grounds ; the rulers, on the other hand, set forth the merits of their pastor, and his useful and necessary services in refuting the opinions of different parties on points connected with religion ; and declared that they could not dispense with the ministry of so great a man. These, and other arguments of the kind, the curators bent in their own favour, and vigorously retorted ; at length the rulers replied that they would deliberate further on the matter^ and gave permission, besides, to treat with the ecclesiastical court respect- ing it. At a meeting, accordingly, convened on the 8th April, the delegates of the Academy submitted to the presbytery the same reasons for their proposal vv^hich they had advanced in presence of the magistrates ; in addition to which, the better to promote their object, they held out the hope, and gave the pledge that should the leading men of the church of Amsterdam resolve to substitute in the place of Arminius, after his • Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. 122 THE LIFE OF dismission, another eminent pastor, yea, and even to renew their call to Baselius, the very eloquent minister of the church at Bergen-op-Zoom, from whom they had previously met with a repulse, the illustrious States and the Prince himself, would exert themselves to the utmost for the realisation of their wish. The presbytery shortly after, having previously spent some time in deliberation, came to the decision (on the 11th April) to intimate, through certain delegates to the honourable magistrates, that 'Arminius more than others was bound to his own church, and that they would decidedly prefer that he should be retained.'* This decision of the ecclesiastical court being, in the opinion of the rulers, expressed in somewhat dubious and too general terms, they demanded of them a more extended counsel and resolution in respect to the business in question, -|- on which the presbytery decreed to treat, through the same dele- gates, with Arminius himself. These delegates, accordingly, setting on him with expressions of caressing blandishment, ardently besought him that he would suffer himself to be induced to devote his services and fulfil his pledge henceforward to this church. Arminius replied, that ' formerly, indeed, he had been less inclined to undertake this professorial office ; but now, as matters stood, he felt himself rather impelled to undertake it, and ask his dismission. He had his own reasons for * Ex Actis Synod, Ecclcs. Amstel. — Vid. Trigland. Hist, p. 286. t Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. JAMES ARMINIUS. 123 thinking that were his dismission refused, it would no long-er be in his power to subserve the interests of the Church in Amsterdam. But if, perchance, the expense originally laid out in enabling him to prose- cute his studies should be alleged as an objection tx) his obtaining a dismission, he would rather make restitution to them than that this call should be set aside. He was moreover prepared, in presence of the delegates of the Synod and of the Church, to hold a conference with the eminent Gomarus.' * On learning this, the magistrates expressed no small solicitude and fear in reference to this business, lest Arminius should happen to contract some disease from taking the refusal of his dismission too deeply to heart, and thus become useless alike to the Church and to the Academy, and many groundless rumours be thereby created ; on which grounds they urgently demanded of the ecclesiastical court a further de- liberation on the matter. But the presbytery here began to weave occasions of delay, and to differ somewhat among themselves — some charging Ar- minius with bad doctrine, while others defended him. \Vlierefore, ha^sang again requested an audience, on the 13th day of April, at the close of the evening service, the above-named delegates of the Academy presented themselves before this ecclesiastical as- sembly. They tried in every variety of way to impel the presbytery to dismiss Arminius, and to urge them to give a full deliverance. They further declared, through Uitenbogaert, who acted as their mouth, that ^ * Ex Actis Presb. Anistelod. citatis a Trigland. p. 286. 124 THE LIFE OP 'as they perceived that the tergiversation of this meeting was grounded on the wrong suspicions of some respecting Arminius, they would abandon this call on the spot if the ecclesiastical court would, in express terms, accuse him of bad doctrine. The care of the Academy had been committed to them, and its welfare lay much too near their heart to allow them to consent to have any connexion with a divine of unsound views. But if, nevertheless, any doubt should yet cling to the minds of some, they pledged their faith that Arminius should not be installed into this academic function before he had given full satisfaction to his future colleague, the distinguished Gomarus.'* After hearing this, and holding some further con- sultation on the matter, the presbytery at last gave their consent to the dismission -1* requested, the follow- ing stipulation being made : — ^ First, Arminius shall not leave Amsterdam to enter on this new function until the church of this city be provided with another pastor, learned and pious, and if practicable, Baselius ; seco7idly, after holding a conference with Gomarus on certain points of Christian doctrine, before the dele- gates of the churches, he shall wipe away all suspicion of heterodoxy by a candid explanation of his own opinion ; and also, thirdly, should he happen at any time spontaneously to make up his mind to resign the office of professor, or should necessity urgently demand his services for the church in * E Vita Uitenb. Belgice ab ipso conscripta, cap. vi. f Ex Actis Presbyt Amstelod.—Vid. Trigland. Hist. Eccles. JAMES ARMINIUS. 125 Amsterdam, lie shall be at liberty to resume the pastoral function.' This ecclesiastical decision was laid before the honourable magiistrates on the follow- ing day (the 15th April), who, after fii'st convening and taking into their counsel the illustrious senate of the city, also gave their assent. Informed immedi- ately of this result, the curators of the Academy expressed their thanks ; and ha\'ing obtained, a little after, the consent of Arminius himself, they set out on their journey homeward with great delight. On all these circumstances connected with the call of Arminius to the professorship we have judged it proper to enter more minutely into detail, both because of the great light thrown on our path by the manuscript journals of Uitenbogaert, who besides being present as an eye and ear witness, was himself a prime actor in the business 5 and also because some wi'iters of the present age, in recounting this matter, have, partly in gross ignorance of the things trans- acted, and partly in bad faith, advanced much on the subject that transcends very far indeed the boundaries of truth. On this account particularly, James Triglandius, as compared with others, is in the highest degree blameworthy, and deserves to have branded on him a special mark of condemnation.* If his testimony be entitled to credit respecting the canvassing which Arminius is alleged to have sys- tematically, and with downright servility, prosecuted among his colleagues in order to obtain his dismission, and indeed respecting the entire course of his life, to • Vid. Trigland. Hist. Ecclesiast. pag. 287. 126 THE LIFE OF whicli lie makes reference in the same place, then certainly Arminiiis has done many things which must be pronounced utterly unworthy of an honourable and dignified teacher of the Church. But, in truth, how sorrily the author named fulfils the duties, in this case, of an ingenuous historian, may be inferred from the fact, that the most of those things which tend in the highest degree to stir bad feeling against Ar- minius, and which, in giving an account of his call to the professorship, he pretends to have himself taken from the very acts of the Amsterdam presbytery, are in fact by no means to be found in those acts which this ecclesiastical court drew up in the course of that year ; unless, perchance, we must regard as authentic acts a certain rough and garbled account of the trans- actions which, after a long interval of time (about the year 1617*), and amid the mo^ fervent heat of the controversies respecting predestination, was drawn up in favour of that very bitter antagonist of the Ke- monstrants, Adrian Smout, for the most part by P. Plancius — the indefatigable calumniator of Arminius even after his death — who took care to get it inserted among the acts of the Amsterdam Presbytery. That Triglandius really trod in the footsteps of this slanderer, and drew those things which concern the life and call of Arminius from this document of Plancius, was disclosed by John Rula^us, a respect- able minister at Amsterdam not so long ago, who, pressed by the native force of truth, was constrained * Vid. G, Brantii Parentis raei F. M. Apolog. pro Hist. Reform, contra J. Eulaeura Belgice conscript. JAMES AKMINIUS. 127 to confess the fact in the same little work* in which he sets himself, with sufficient acerbity, to assail Arminius, and my father of happy memory, the de- fender of Arminius. Of little avail, in like manner, to the prejudice of Arminius, are the testimonies cited by this same Triglandius, and appended to the narration drawn up by Plancius, of the following ministers, Hallius, Ursinus, and Lemaire, respecting the protestations of Arminius, and the pledge that he gave them, that ' he would advance nothing whatever in the Leyden Academy prejudicial to the peace of the Church ; nay, that he would keep to himself his private opinions, and such as were repugnant to the consent of the Eeformed Churches, until the meeting of the next National Synod,' For, besides that little weight is to be attached to these private declarations — which, moreover, were drawn up in behalf of the zealot whom we have named above (Smout), and that seven years and more after Arminius's death — Arminius constantly declared what is ascribed to him in these testimonies, and reserved a full explanation of his opinion on the subject of predestination to a general council of the churches ; until at length, in conse- quence of the growing strifes stirred by many in relation to this question, he, by order of his superiors, and in the very assembly of the States, disclosed all the sentiments and all the scruples of his mind. Whether and how far by this deed he is to be held * Ex Lil). J. Euloei cui titulus G. Branfii audax smuJatio Belg. idiom, script. 128 THE LIFE OF guilty of violated faith, and rightly and justly to be regarded as the leader and instigator in rending the peace of the Church, the following line of narrative will yet more clearly show. The following words which he wrote to Uiten- bogaert, shortly after he obtained his dismission, clearly indicate with what modesty of mind, and aversion from every appearance of canvassing, the subject of our memoir bore himself in this delicate conjuncture : — ' My beloved, there is one thing which vehemently chstresses me. How shall I be able to satisfy such a great expectation? How shall I be able to prove myself to be in some measure worthy of having so mighty a movement set agoing on my account ? But I console myself with this considera- tion alone, that I have not courted the professorship, and that the curators were warned of those things which have happened before they had determined anything on the subject of my call.'* Meanwhile, Arminius by no means dreaded the appointed conference with Gomarus, but awaited its issue with a perfectly tranquil mind. Nay, when his familiar friends had various consultations among themselves as to the plan of the conference about to be held, and some were desirous of having it arranged through the honourable curators that this conference should be held privately with Gomarus rather than in the presence of the deputies of the churches, so far was he from any inclination to lend .an ear to this advice, and elude the condition stipulated by the brethren in * Ex Arm. Epist. ad Uiteiib. 26 Ap. 1603. JAMES AFwMINIUS. 129 Amsterdam, that he gave vent to his feelings in the following words : — ' And to what suspicions shall I then be exposed! For I shall be regarded as not merely suspected of heresy, but also, and thus far distrustful of my own cause, that I dare not to enter on the conference in the presence of the deputies of the Synod. I would rather confer with the entire Synod, and with the two Synods (of North and South Holland) than give occasion, even the least, for judging otherwise of me than that, cultivating a good conscience in all things, I do not dread the most prolix conference, yea not even the most rigid examination.' The sixth day of May was accordingly announced for this conference to be held, in terms of the stipu- lated condition ; and it took place at the Hague, in the house of the noble Lord of Norderwick, in the pres- ence not only of Arnold Cornells, and Werner Helmi- chius, in name of the churches of North and South Holland, but also of these most influential and learned men, Nicolas Cromhout, Eumboldt Hogerbeets, and J. Uitenbogaert, whom the honourable curators of the Academy had earnestly invited to grace the occasion. First of all Gomarus marvelled, and took it amiss, that he saw no delegate present from the Church in Amsterdam, notwithstanding that the noble curators, in a most courteous letter delivered to the ecclesi- astical court of that city, had besought that some one in their name should be present at the conference now to be held. For this divine thought it not qiiit« proper that those should be absent on whose account 10 130 THE LIFE OF principally he himself had come hither: afBrming, moreover, that he was ' but little acquainted with the discourses and opinions of Arminius ; that the greater part of the doubts respecting him had been stirred by the brethren in Amsterdam ; and that it was their part, in consequence, to instruct and advise him in reference to the mode and subject matter of this conference.' At length, after a few preliminary ex- planations by the honourable curators, of the leading object of the meeting, the learned divine declared, that ' although he would rather that this province had not been committed to him, he yet reckoned it a debt which he owed to the cause of truth to under- take its defence, agreeably to the request of brethren, as far as circumstances might demand.' Arminius, on the other hand, expressed the utmost delight that he saw presented to him this most excellent and long- wished for opportunity of vindica- ting the innocence of his good name. An agreement was forthwith made as to the order and heads of the subjects to be considered ; when Arminius, first of all, judged it right that the principle ought to be borne in mind, that ' not every difference concerning religion respected the essentials of faith, and that those who dissented in certain points which did not affect fimdamentals, were entitled to forbearance.' In corroboration of this claim he instantly cited a csrtain celebrated saying of St Augustine ; and was proceeding to adduce more opinions to the same effect, from ancient as well as recent divines, when ■Gomarus objected, declaring it to be superfluous, and JAMES ARMINIUS. 131 that ' tlie one point to be settled was, whether those questions of which they were about to treat ought, or ought not, to be regarded as essentials.'* He maintained the affirmative ; Arminius maintained the negative, and proceeded forthwith to establish the truth of his position. But lest they should come to too close quarters, Gomarus immediately proceeded to attack the opinion of Arminius on the seventh chapter of the epistle to the Komans, declaring and maintaining that it ran counter to the Palatine Catechism, and adducing certain passages from that document — yea, and pressing into his service even its marginal notes. Arminius, on the other hand, refuted the arguments of his opponent, and boldly vindicated, against his exceptions, his own interpretation ; maintaining, moreover, that that expression of the Catechism which was urged against him, viz., 'unless we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit,'-]- ought to be ex- plained of regeneration in its initial stage. He further testified ' that he utterly rejected and detested the tenets on this point propounded by the Pelagians, and approved of those which Augustine and other divines of the Primitive Church had maintained in opposition to Pelagius and his followers; that he entirely assented to the Catechism ; that he by no means ex- plained that passage from Paul, of the man considered as utterly irregenerate ; that his own opinion on this point was at the furthest possible remove from that of Prosper Dysidasus (Faustus Socinus) ; and that he * Ex Diario M.S. Uitenb. f Vid. Qusest. Catech. Palat. 132 THE LIFE OF had never furnished just cause for such great com- motions as had formerly been excited in relation to this subject.' On hearing this defence, and taking into account that Arminius disclaimed many of the tenets imputed to him, and thought far otherwise on that controversy than from the report of others he had been given to understand, Gomarus ingenuously declared 'that he had hitherto supposed that Arminius maintained the opmion of Prosper Dysidseus, but he now perceived that on that question he was otherwise minded ; and therefore, as he (Gomarus) had not apprehended with sufficient clearness the full mind of Arminius on the matter, he begged that he would not think it too much to divulge his own opinions on the subject a little more fully and accurately.' At this request, however, that honourable man, and curator of the university, Neostadius, expressed his astonishment; insisting that those at whose request the distinguished Gomarus had undertaken his present task ought to have instructed him better respecting the opinion of Arminius ; and that it belonged to him and to them, and not to Arminius, who sustained the character of the party accused, to produce those things which went to inculpate him. Arminius took the same ground, and added that ' he would not say a word till Gomarus himself, and the other deputies of the churches, should have cleared him of the calumnies with which he had been aspersed.' The honourable curators having lent their sanction to this declaration, Gomarus at length intimated ' that, since Arminiu JAMES ARMINIUS. 133 repudiated Pelagianism, he was satisfied ; and that his interpretation (of Eomans vii.), such as it was, could be tolerated.' The deputies of the churches made a declaration to the same effect; immediately after which, Arminius, producing- a copy of the New Testament, which he always bore about with him, forthwith read the whole of that seventh chapter of Romans, from the beginning to the end, and ex- pounded it so felicitously, that no one, not even Oomarus himself, hazarded a word in opposition — with the exception of Arnold Cornelis, who started one objection, on the solution of which he became in- stantly mute. On hearing this, Neostadius, turning to the deputies of the churches, exclaimed, 'Is this, then, that controversy, so often agitated, which has for many years past stirred such mighty contention and clamour? And so we have in a brief space of time allayed a strife to terminate which even many years have not sufficed the people of Amsterdam !'* That primary question being accordingly dismissed, they proceeded to treat, though only in a cursory way, of the Church of Rome ; also of the determination of the human will by the Divine decree ; and other kindred articles respecting which certain persons had insinuated that the sentiments of Arminius differed in some degree from those of the Reformed. But to the several charges Arminius learnedly and solidly re- plied ; and so happily explained and defended his own opinion on these and other points, that the dis- tinguished Gomarus and the other deputies of the * Ex tractatu quodam Bertii, Belgice conscript. 134 THE LIFE OF cliurclies did not deem it wortli their while to contend further about them.* And more, to rid their minds utterly of all their doubts, he, in the same confidence of spirit with which he had entered on this conference, drew from his pocket, and presented to the inspection of each, his own ''Dissertation on the proper sense of the Seventh Chapter of the Romans,^ which some time previously he had most learnedly written out in am expanded form. As no one, however, lifted this manuscript from the table, or said anything whatever in reply to his interrogation, 'If the brethren had aught further to require of him ?' the conference ter- minated, with so happy an issue, that all, without exception, gave him the right hand of fraternal love ; and conducted him, in a body, to an entertainment ?rhich, by order of the illustrious curators of the Academy, had been provided for them in the Castile Inn (as it was called), at the Hag-ue. On this occasion, too, these curators testified ' that the sus- picions stirred against Arminius had not been sub- stantiated, nor was there just cause why any one should judge unfavourably respecting him ; for in the exercise of the liberty granted him of prophesying (of discuss- ing sacred things) in the church, he had taught nothing that was inimical to the Christian religion.' -[- The obstacles that obstructed his path to the pro- fessorship having been thus happily removed, some, whose counsel and authority he highly valued, urged him to consent to his being invested with the title of Doctor, and with this view to submit to a fresh • Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. t Ex Bertii Orat. Funeb. JAMES ARMINIU3. 135 examination. He jndged it dutiful to defer to their wish ; and r.ccordingly repaired to Leyden on the 19th of June, and on the same day underwent a private examination. The success and issue of this examination, which was conducted by the dis- tinguished Gomarus, I prefer to express in the words of Arminius himself, as furnishing- a thoroughly candid and remarkable testimony in favour of his examinator. He says, ' I was examined on Tuesday by Gomarus, in the presence of the illustrious Gro- tius and Merula. He performed his part actively and honourably. I answered his questions as well as I could at the time. He, and the other two who were present, expressed themselves satisfied. The examina- tion turned on questions relating to the substance of theology ; and he conducted himself quite as he ought, and in the manner I could have wished.'* Three weeks after, as a further step to his obtaining the title of doctor, he held a public disputation on the 10th day of July, forenoon and afternoon ; and de- fended ably and spiritedly the theses assigned him Concerning the Nature of God — the part of opponents having been undertaken by Peter Bertius, Festus Hommius, Crucius, and Nicolas Grevinchovius. The disputation passed off with universal applause. Our Arminius w.;s the first, as Bertius testifies, who, in the Leyden Academy, bore away the title and degree of doctor. The celebrated Gomarus conferred the honour upon him, with the usual formalities, on the 11th July. At the same time also, and on the occasion * Ex Arm. Epist. ined. ad J. Uiteub. 21 Junii script. 136 THE LIFE OP of tliis academic festival, he deliverei that highly- polished OTitioTi Concerning thePriestlt/ Office of Christy which is still extant among his posthumous works. Moreover, that a public memorial might remain of the honour thus conferred upon him, the Senatus Academicus further decreed that the following testi- monial should be presented to him at the time : — ' The Rector and Professors of the Ley den Academy in Holland^ to the reader^ greeting : 'Praiseworthy in every respect, and founded on reasons the strongest and most commendable, is the custom introduced by emperors, kings, and common- wealths, that the man who has done distinguished service in any science or art should be presented with the honourable testimonial of some university, and become known to all by the proclamation of his learning and virtue. If this be of the highest utility in all the sciences and arts, the more needful is it in sacred theology, by how much the doctrine of piety, from the majesty of divine things, in the highest degree transcends all other arts and sciences. A two- fold advantage, in particular, seems to result from such testimonials — to these who are furnished with them on the one hand, to the public on the other ; for in the first place, true and genuine doctors of the Church come thereby to be better known ; and in the next place, those engaged in this science — the noblest and most glorious of all — are animated and stimulated to prosecute with more alacrity such lofty studies. They too who are invested with a dignity so great ^ JAMES ARMINIUS. 137 are first reminded of their own duty, and of the faith they have pledged to Christ and his Church; and then they also feel animated themselves to hold on successfully in the career they have begun. Where- fore, as that most reverend and illustrious man, the learned James Arminius, has, during these many years past, in which he has applied his mind to the study of sacred literature, abundantly proved to the satisfac- tion of all of us, not only in a private examination, but also in theses On the Nature of God which he publicly and most learnedly maintained against the arguments and objections of all, his remarkable and extraordinary knowledge and skill, at once of sacred letters and of orthodox theology, we have judged him in the highest degree worthy to be honoured with our public testimonial, and to be by us commended to all good men. Accordingly, by the authority granted us by that most excellent prince and lord, of glorious memory, William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, and Governor of Holland, Zealand, &c., and also by the illustrious States of Hvolland and Zealand, we have designated and declared, and do designate and declare, the forenamed learned James Arminius (and happy and auspicious may this be to the Republic and to the Christian Church !) to be Doctor of Sacred Theology; and we have given, and do give unto him, authority to interpret publicly and privately the sacred Scrip- tures, to teach the mysteries of religion, and to dis- pute, write, and preside at discussions on points of the Christian Faith, as well as to solve theological ques- tions ; also to perform all public and formal acts per- 138 THE LIFE OF taining to the true office of a Doctor in theology ; in fine, to enjoy all the privileges and immunities as well as prerogatives which, whether by right or by custom, are due to this order and dignity of the theo- logical doctorate. In fullest ftiith of all which, we have ordered to be given to him this public testimo- nial, authenticated by having affixed to it the greater seal of this Academy, and subscribed by the hand of the secretary. — Given at Leyden, in Holland, in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and three, on the tenth day of July, new style. ' B. VULCANIUS.' * Having in this manner obtained the title of doctor, the subject of our memoir returned to Amsterdam ; and after transacting in that city some matters of business which considerations of honour made it requi- site to dispatch, at the close of the summer holidays he bade a final farewell to that celebrated church, of which he had officiated as pastor for a period of fifteen years. Nay, more ; that he might address himself with the more spirit to the province assigned him, and sustain no injury henceforth from the sinister reports which had previously been circulated to his prejudice, it seemed good to the Amsterdam Presby- tery, on the eve of his dep rture, to furnish him with an honourable testimonial, in which the rulers of that church testified : — ' That the consummate integrity of Arminius, their dearest co-presbyter, both for blame- lessness of life and soundness of doctrine as well as * Ex ipso autograpli. sigillo Academic subsignato. JAMES ARMINIUS. 139' of manners, had, in the course of long acquaintance been so thoroughly testified, that they would value nothing more highly than the continued privilege of his advice, services, and familiar friendship. But, seeing it was now otherwise arranged, they gave thanks to Almighty God that they had reaped fruit, not to be repented of, from the unwearied zeal and exertions of this their fellow-labourer. They also acknowledged, freely and cordially, that they were not a little in- debted to this their beloved brother, for the alacrity with which he had borne his full share along with them in all that pertained to the efficient discharge of the sacred function ; and for this reason they com- mended him, from the heart, to all pious men, and to all the most learned.' This very handsome testimony was followed up by another from the Amsterdam Classis, signed in name of the entire judicatory, by the Eevds. John Ursinus, Halsberg, and Hallius, in which they openly declare : ' That Doctor Arminius, who had now for fifteen years been a member of their assembly, had always purely, and with much success, taught wholesome doctrine ; had administered the sacraments, according to the institution of our Lord ; had propagated with great zeal the true and Christian religion ; and had, by his diligence and regular attendance, proved an ornament to their assembly ; further, that by his prudence and address he had settled with others affairs of great difficulty and importance ; that he always promptly undertook whatever burdens were imposed upon him with a view to promote the edification of 140 THE LIFE OF JAMES ARMINIUS. the church ; that he had, up to that very day, adorned his sacred calling" hy the respectability and probity of his life ; and, in a word, that both in the sacred oJBfice, and in the common intercourse of life, he had con- ducted himself towards all in such a manner as became the genuine servant of Christ.' * * Integra haec testimoaia vide sis in Bert. Orat. Funeb. 141 CHAPTER VII. DISCUSSIONS OF ARMINIUS AT LEYDEN, ESPECIALLY OK THE SUBJECT OF PREDESTINATION ; AND CONSEQUENT OPPOSITION OP GOMARUS. A.D. 1603, 1604. Thus honourably sent away, Arminius transferred his residence to Leyden, and concentrated all his care on the one aim, how to sustain with sufficient dignity the office he had obtained. As he reflected in those days, upon the lustre of that very important office, his heart sometimes failed him. In course of time, how- ever, reassured by the kindly judgments of many respecting him, and by the favour of the entire Academy, he (in a letter dated 22nd Sept. 1603) gave expression in these words to the confidence of his spirit : ' I will therefore, with the help of the good God, address myself to this province, and look for success by his abundant blessing. He knows from what motive I have undertaken this office, what is my aim, what ob'ect I have in view in discharging the duties of it. He discerns and approves, I know. It is not the empty honour of this world — mere smoke and bubble — nor the desire of amassing wealth, (which indeed were in vain, let me strive to the utmost,) that has impelled me hither ; but my one wish is to do 142 THE LIFE OP public service in the gospel of Christ, and to exhibit that gospel as powerfully and plainly as possible before those who are destined, in their turn, to pro- pagate it to others.' * In this spirit he mounted the academic chair, and commenced his prelections with three elegant and polished orations, which he delivered in succession. The first treated Of the object of Sacred Theology ; the second, Of the Author and End of Theology ; the third of its Certitude. By this method he strove to instil into the minds of the students a love for that divine and most dignified of all the sciences ; and at his very entranc3 into his ofiice he judged with Socrates, the wisest of the Gentiles, that the principal part of his responsibility stood fulfilled could he only succeed in inflaming his disciples with an ardent desire of learning. The 'foundation being thus laid, he proceeded to build thereupon his finished prelec- tions on the prophetic book of Jonah, which, many years before, he had expounded from the pulpit in his vernacular tongue. And indeed these lectures, while scarcely yet begun, conciliated towards him the favourable regards of auditors of all ranks, to such a degree that they regarded with profound respect this new Atlas of the Academy ; and judged that in this renowned doctor and successor, most of all, they had got the deceased Junius restored to them again. The most noble curators of the Academy, too, congratulating themselves and their school on the accession of such a man, rendered the return of a * Ex Epist. Arm. 22 Sept. 1603. script. JAMES ARMINIUS. 143 grateful mind to those by whose interest and assiduity they had procured his release from the people of Amsterdam. As the illustrious Nicolas Cromhout, senator of the Provincial Court, had been pre- eminently active in this business, the noble John Dousa thought him entitled to have the following tribute of thanks sent to him in name of the entire Academy : — • Cromhout ! in Holland's Senate no mean name ; Cromhout, rare laurel iu thy country's fame; Practised in courts, accomplished and refined. No sordid motive taints thy lofty miud. Much owes our era to thy virtues rare, (Could heaven a boon bestow more rich and fair ?) Yet more we owe; for through thy zeal it came That Amsterdam gave up a tender claim, And Leyden's learned halls could boast Arminius'' name. ' * To these lines we have pleasure in adding part of a most elegant poem published on the same occasion, and by the same poet, in praise of the very eloquent Uitenbogaert : — ' By every true and pious breast, By all who love religion's ways, * The following are the lines, the sense of which we have thus endeavoured to present to the English reader: — ' Kromhouti, o Batavi pars baud postrema Senatus, Cromhouti, o Patriae gloria rara tuee : Quod Fori, et assiduo Eerum limatus in usu, Sordida nou ulla pectora labe geras ; Multum equidem (quid enini majus dare Numina possint ?) Virtuti debent stecula nostra tusc : Plus tamen, Arminium quod te duce et auspice primum HoUaudae urbs dederit Amsterodama Scholae.' 144 THE LIFE OF This truly ought to he confessed — That Uiteuhogaert claims our praise. To him our lasting thanks are due : Nor least that Leyden's learned fame Gained through his zeal a lustre new — It gained Arminius' rising name. ' * Nor ought it by any means to be passed by in silence, that this same clergyman, in consideration of his strenuous efforts to further the call of Arminius, was honoured with a silver cup; this memorial of gratitude being presented to him, in name of the Senatus Academicus, by those influential men, Cor- nelius Neostadius, and Nicolas Zeistius.-|- Meanwhile the subject of our memoir had scarcely set foot in the Academy when he was requested by two students of theology, namely Corranus and Gilbert Jacchseus, that he would consent to honour with his presence their theses, or positions, which they had drawn up to be subjected to public examina- tion — 'those of Corranus being on Justification^ those of Jacchaius on Original Sin. | But although these positions contained s( me things not exactly to his • The following are the origmal lines : — ' Et sane fateamur hoc uecesse est Omnes quels pietas, amorque veri Aut res Religionis ulla cordi est, Istoc nomine uos Uitenbogardo Esse ac perpetuum fore obligates : Haud paulo tameu obligatiores Recens ob meritum, quod Aurasinae Doctorem Arminium Scholse dedisti.' t Ex Diario MS. Uitenb. X Ex tractatu quodam Bertii, Belg. idiom, script. JAMES ARMINIUS. 145 mind, or in harmony witli the opinion he had formed on these questions, he judged it nevertheless to be quite in keeping with his office to undertake the part proposed to him ; for he was not ignorant of the fact, that some students of divinity under the presidency of Gomarus himself, and of other doctors, had more than once, in their own cause, defended certain dogmas to which these same doctors did not on all points accord their assent. For this reason the sub- ject of our memoir also (on the 28th October) conformed to this custom, -^l^y no means unusual in universities ; but on this occasion these very learned youths defended so strenuously each his own cause, that there was scarcely any need for the help or interference of the president. Perceiving, however, but too plainly, while yet in the very threshold of the office on which he had entered, that the young intellects under his care were entangling themselves in the intricacies of many pro- fitless questions, and, to the neglect of the standard of celestial truth, prosecuting a variety of thorny theo- rems and problems, he took counsel with his colleagues, and gave it as his opinion that this growing evil should be resisted, and the youth recalled to the earlier and more masculine method of study. With this view, he reckoned nothing more important than to foreclose, as far as he could, crabbed questions, and the cumbrous mass of scholastic assertions, and to inculcate on his disci|)les that divine wisdom which was drawn from the superlatively pure foun- tains of the Sacred Word, and was provided for the 11 146 THE LIFE OF express purpose of guiding us to a life of virtue and happiness. From his first introduction into the Academy it was his endeavour to aim at this mark, and give a corresponding direction to his studies both public and private. But tnily this laudable attempt was in no small degree thwarted, partly by the jeal- ousy which some had conceived against him, and partly also by a certain inveterate prejudice as to his heterodoxy, with which many ministers of religion had long been imbued, and under the impulse of which they stirred up his colleagues against him. The first germs, indeed, of this budding jealousy betrayed themselves in the following year (1604); For when Arminius, who had undertaken the task of interpreting the Old Testament in particular, pro- ceeded also now and then to give a public exposition of certain portions of the New Testament, Gomarus took this amiss, and begTin to allege that the right of expounding the New Testament belonged solely to him, as Primarius Professor of Sacred Theology — for this title had been conceded to him by the Senatus Academicus, a short time prior to the arrival of Armi- nius. Nay, more ; happening to meet Arminius, he felt unable to contain himself, and in a burst of passion broke out in these words — ' You have in- vaded my professorship.' Arminius replied that he did not mean to detract anything whatever from the primacy of his colleague, and from the academic titles and privileges conferred upon him ; and that he had not done him the slightest injury, having obtained license from the honoui-able curators to select themes JAMES ARMINIUS. 147 of prelection at any time, not only from tlie Old Tes- tament, but also from the New, provided he did not encroach on the particular subject in which Gomarus might be engaged.' But this dispute, which arose out of a matter of no moment, and was easily allayed, was from henceforth succeeded by others wdiich opened the way to dissen- sions of greater magnitude, and of more disastrous issue to the Reformed Church. For Arminius, under the conviction that it was his duty to do nothing against the dictate of an undefiled conscience, and the proper liberty of teaching, in matters of religion, con- ceded to himself as well as to other doctors of divinity, judged it to be in no respect unbecoming or unlawful for him — especially as he had not concealed from the honourable curators of the Academy that on the sub- ject of divine predestination he differed from the doctors of the Grenevan school — to give forth, in a temperate manner, a public declaration of his opinion on that point. Accordingly, after the professors of theology had entered into a mutual arrangement as to the order and succession m w^hich the disputations were to be held, and the lot had fallen to Arminius to dispute on the subject of predestination, he drew up, on the 7th February, certain theses on that point, and exposed them for public discussion. Their purport was this : ' that divine predestination is the decree of God's good pleasure in Christ, by which, with himself, from eternity, he resolved to justify and adopt believers, on whom he decreed to bestow faith, and to give eternal life to them, to the praise of his glorious grace ; 148 THE LIFE OF that reprobation, on tlie other hand, is the decree of wrath, or the severe will of God, by which, from eternity, he resolved to condemn to eternal death, unbelievers who, by their own fault, and by the just judgment of God, will not believe, as persons who are not in a state of union with Christ — and this for the declaration of his wrath and power.' * But although this position of his did not perfectly correspond to those which Calvin and Beza had given forth on this subject, still he by no means looked upon it as a novelty, but as entirely coinciding with the opinion which George Sohnius, and other divines before him, of the Eeformed religion, had taught both by tongue and pen. Besides, that he might not, in defending these positions, incur the just oifence of any one, he was particularly on his guard, in the course of this disputation, against saying anything in disparage- ment of the reputation of Calvin and Beza, sparing their names, and manifesting severity towards no one of a diiferent opinion. 2S[ot long after, (on the 29th May, and sometime in July,) with the same freedom of discussion, and in the same temperate tone, he further subjected to public 'examination, his theses On the Churchy and On the Sin of our First Parents ; and in the course of this last disputation, Gomarus and Trelcatius being present, he took occa- sion, by a series of very solid arguments, to confute the necessity^ and establish the contingency of that sin.' -|- But although he was convinced that the opinion of his adversaries on this point involved • Vid. Uitenb. Hist. Eccl. f Vid. Epist Eccles. p. 134. JAMES ARMINIUS. 149 numerons absurdities, and that everything that was wont to be adduced, in palliation of this dogma, of the absolute necessity of things, deserved to be dis- carded, he nevertheless, in this as well as in other controversies, conducted his own cause with much moderation, and, directing his address to his hearers, begged this only at their hands, that they would dili- gently sift whatever arguments he advanced ; add- ing — what on all occasions, public and private, he was wont to declare — that he was ready to yield to those who taught what might be more in accordance with truth. Xot a few, however, murmured against the disputation thus held, and took it amiss that among other things he had maintained, ' that there is no absolute necessity in things, besides God; yea, that not even does fire burn necessarily : but that every necessity which exists in things, or events, is nothing else than the relation of cause to effect.' * On the same point, too, shortly after, a dis- cussion was started and kept up at considerable length with him, by the very learned Helmichius, who happened at that time to have taken a journey to Leyden.-|- Helmichius asserted, that many things were, in different respects, both contingent and neces- sary. This Armixius denied of things absolutely necessary. Helmichius appealed to passages plainly testifying that the word of God stands ; that the word * Ex Epist. Arm. 17 Aug. 1601, script. Vicl. Epist. Eccles. p. 138. t Videsis de hac materia Armin. dis-erentem in Epist. ad Uiteub. 17 Aug. et 3 Kal. Sept. script. 1604. 150 THE LIFE OF of God cannot he broken ; that Gods counsel is ful- filled^ ^c; and thence inferred that what God had decreed must come to pass necessarily. Arminius denied this consequence, on the ground that God's decree might rightly and correctly be said to stand, if that which he had decreed came to pass, although it should not come to pass necessarily. Helmichius acknowledged that the opinion which Arminius defended, did not subvert the foundations of the faith, neither could it be called heretical. Aemi- Nius on the other hand maintained, that so far was this opinion from deserving to be branded with so black a name, that nothing, he felt persuaded, would tend more to illustrate the glory of God, than if all Christians whatsoever were to maintain that there is nothing necessary besides God ; and that he not only foreknows things contingent, but also that his decrees are accomplished through contingent events arid free causes. At length, however, after much had passed on both sides, and Arminius had offered to hold a conference with him respecting all the articles of the Christian religion, and the entire system of theo- logical doctrine, Helmichius bade him a friendly fare- well. Meanwhile his colleagues up to this time had stirred no strife against him, on the subject of the contro- versies thus agitated ; nor had they given as much as the slightest indication, public or private, of a hostile spirit. * For although Gomarus, who was engaged at this time in the Exposition of the * Ex Epist. Arm. 3 Kal. Sept. 1604. JAMES ARMINIUS. 151 Ninth Chapter of the Epistle of Paul to the Eomans, had given a public pledge that he would discuss all the opinions concerning predestination, to be followed by a statement and proof of his own, this, so far from striking terror into Arminius, led him rather to de- clare, ' that if that very distinguished man should advance such arguments as were incapable of being answered, he for his part would be the first to assent to his opinion and recant his own.' Thus maintain- ing entire for his colleagues the same liberty of defend- ing their own opinion in which he himself rejoiced, he cherished the hope that they would by no means overstep the bounds of Christian charity and fraternal equity. But alas, while thus secure, and meditating no evil, he was overtaken by a very vehement storm. For Gomarus did not think fit to wait till a proper oppor- tunity should be furnished him for disputing on the subject of predestination, but either of his own accord, or, as is more probable, at the instigation of others, so far overstepped order, and his own proper turn, as to expose to public view certain theses on that self- same subject, which, according to the sole custom of the Academy, and in his proper rotation, Arminius had already discussed ; and reports spread throughout the city that he was about to descend into the arena against Arminius, in open war. The day intimated for holding this disputation, was the 31st October. When it came round, straightway Gomarus, in a pre- face sufficiently acrimonious, and with an excited countenance, stated the reasons which had impelled 152 THE LIFE OF him, to hold this clisputcation out of the due order ; and he advanced many things which were manifestly intended as an attack upon Arminius. As to the positions he defended, they hinged on this, ' that the object of predestination is creatures rational, salvahle, damnable, creatable, fallible, and recoverable. Fur- ther, that from among these, indefinitely foreknown, God, as absolute sovereign, of his own right and good pleasure, foreordained, on the one hand, certain indi- viduals, to his own supernatural ends, namely, eternal life, and creation in an entire state of original right- eousness, and holiness of life ; and also on the other hand destined other individuals, eternally rejected from eternal life, to death and everlasting ignominy, and to the ways leading thereto, namely, to creation in a state of integrity, permission to fall into sin, loss of original righteousness, and abandonment in that loss ; for this end, that by this way of acting, he might make known his most sovereign authority, wrath, and power on the reprobate, and the glory of his saving grace in relation to the elect. Yea, more ; on that same occasion this doctor asserted and openly maintained, ' that the gospel could not be simply called the manifestation of the divine predestination ; ' and added, by way of corollary, that, ' Castellio, Coornhert, and the Lutherans, falsely object to the Eeformed Churches, and in particular to Calvin and Beza, who did signal service to the Church, and to the truth of predestination, in opposition to the Pelagians, that God by this doctrine is made the author of sin.' Arminius, who was present at this disputation from JAMES ARMINIUS. 153 beginning to end, stomached the insult, and bore in silence whatever odium was thus created against him. Nay, sick in body at the time, though not in mind, he, on the day following that on which the disputation was held (Nov, 1), opened his mind to Uitenbogaert in the following words : — ' I know, and have the testi- mony of conscience, that I have neither said nor done aught to afford Gomarus just cause of offence. I will readily return to favour even with him, though his conduct has been most offensive — yea, and with him of Amsterdam also, if he will henceforth but hold his peace. It is not lawful for me to hate any one, or long to retain wrath against any one, however just : that God who is described to us in the Bible instructs me to this effect by his word, Spirit, and example. Would that he might teach me to be moved by nothing, except when any blame is justly attributable to myself. It is not my part to answer for what another says or does ; and I should be foolish w^ere I to concede to any one so much of right in me, as that he should be able to disturb me as often as he had a mind. Be this my brazen wall — a conscience void of offence. Forward still let me go in my begun search after truth, and therein let me che, with the good God on my side, even if, on this account, I must needs incur the hatred and ill-will of the whole world ! The disciple is not above his master. No new thing is this, for the truth to be rejected even by those whom such conduct least beseems, and who least of all wish to incur such a charge.'* * Ex Epist. Arm. 1 Kov., 1604, script 154 THE LIFE OF Moreover, that he might not appear to have abandoned the defence of the truth, at which, through him, a stab had been dealt, or to have any misgivings with respect to his own cause, he composed not long after, for the benefit of those who under him were devoutly prosecuting the study of theology, that highly-finished Examination of the Theses exposed to view by Gomarus for public dis- cussion^ which, many years after his decease, was (in 1645) given to the world, along with these game theses of Gomarus, by that very learned man, Stephen Curcellceus. This golden little treatise is characterised by the same acuteness, strength of reasoning, and transparency of learned diction which distinguish his other wTitings ; and he appears to have presented his eminent colleague with a copy of it. Mark, reader, this most generous preface to it, which is well entitled to a place in our narrative : 'In the highest degree useful, and above all things necessary, is that admonition of the Apostle which commands us to prove and devoutly to examine the dogmas propounded in the Church before we approve and receive them as truths. For seeing that, if we except apostles and prophets, the most eminent doctors cf the Church are not placed beyond the liability of error, it does happen that they advance some things occasionally which are not taught by God in his Word, but which they either themselves have excogitated in their own human spirit, or re- ceived from others to whose authority they attribute more than is meet. Nay, this very thing may JAMES AKMINIUS. 155 happen even at the time when they themselves think that they have thoroughly examined the dog- mas they propound according to the standard of Scripture. Such being the case, do not take it ill, illustrious Gomarus, if I weigh according to Scripture, and candidly and temperately explain what I desiderate in those theses on predestination which you penned not so long ago, and publicly exhibited as matter for dis- putation. I testify solemnly, and in the presence of God, that I take upon me this task not from the desire of contention, but in the endeavour to investi- gate and find out the truth, to the end that the truth may more and more become known and everywhere obtain in the Church of Christ. That you also set before you this aim when you addressed yourself to that disputation, I am thoroughly assured. In mind and end, then, we agree, how^ever in judgment w^e may chance to differ. Of this dilference I take, as in duty bound, God speaking in the Scriptures to be the arbiter ; and devoutly venerating his majesty and supplicating his favour, let me now address myself to my task.' These statements being premised, and a basis laid for his treatise, he proceeds to build thereupon his considerations on the several propositions of Gomarus, and of the proofs of these noted down on the margin. Eminently masculine and judicious is his reply to the corollary of Gomarus in w^hich he complains of some who preferred against the Reformed Church, and its principal doctors, the charge of blasphemy. Here Arminius wisely judges that it to ought be borne in 156 THE LIFE OF mind, ' that it is one tiling avowedly to make God tlie author of sin, and another thing to teach some- what in ignorance from which one could legitimately infer that God, by that doctrine, was made the author of sin. The former could not he fastened upon any of the doctors of the Reformed Church ; and what- ever Castellio, Coornhert, and others, had urged, perhaps somewhat too offensively, against them, was grounded solely on this consideration, that in their opinion that offensive conclusion was fairly and legitimately deducible from the doctrine of those divines. But in identifying the Reformed Churches with the learned Calvin and Beza, Gomarus had done more than he was warranted to do. What some eminent doctors professed could not perpetually be laid to the charge of the churches, unless it were clearly evident that the same doctrine had been approved by the churches, and embodied in their Confessions. Moreover, setting aside all considerations of persons, or sinister intention as respects objectors, the naked arguments they advanced were entitled to examination. Celebrity of name exempted no one from the liability to err; and the first teachers of the Reformed may be held entitled to the highest esteem and gratitude of the Church, although they may not perhaps have seen sufficiently through all those things by which it had been deformed. It Was false to rank with Pelagians those who impugned the opinion which Gomarus maintained on the subject of predestination, it being as clear as noon-day, from the ancient ecclesiastical synods, that the Pelagian JAMES ARMINIUS. 157 doctrines could be rejected even by those who never- theless by no means assented to the opinion contained in the above theses of Gomarus. Angustine himself could solidly confute the errors of the Pelagians, and at the same time omit that doctrine which he taught on the subject of divine predestination. Nay, even that opinion which Gomarus and several others de- livered on that subject differed very materially from the opinion of Augustine, and supposed many things vrhich Augustine w^ould by no means have granted. It is incumbent on us to avoid the breakers not of Pelegianism only, but also of Manichjeism, and of errors still more infamous. For his part, after attentively weighing the doctrine, not so much of the entire Reformed Church as of Gomarus and certain others, he felt thoroughly persuaded that it followed from it that God was the author of sin ; at the same time he also testified and declared that he heartily detested all the tenets of the Pelagian doctrine as these had been condemned in the synods of Mileve, Orange, and Jerusalem; and if any one could prove that aught akin to these was deducible from the senti- ments he had above set forth, he would that very instant change his opinion.' Thus writes Arminius ; nor would we judge it duti- ful to forbear mentioning in this connexion, that Gomarus, at a subsequent period, pressed by certain arguments advanced by Arminius in the treatise just referred to, introduced several changes for the better into his later theses on the sul)ject of the eternal de- cree and predestination of God. For besides that he 158 THE LIFE OF JAMES AKMINIUSi abandoned that absurd opinion, ' tbat the decrees of God are nought other than God himself,' and main- tained the dkect contrary with all his might, he was also glad to admit that there is in God what the schoolmen call a conditionate knoioledge^ by the aid of which he sought to rid his opinion of that enormous monstrosity which made God the author of the sin of the first man, and consequently of all the rest which proceed from it. * • Ex pniafat. S. Curcellsei in Examen Gomari Thes. 159 CHAPTER VIII. SUSPICIONS AGAINST ARMINIUS, AND RIGOROUS MEASURES WITH HIS STUDENTS ; FRESH DISPUTATIONS ; COM- MENCEMENT OF ECCLESIASTICAL PROCEEDINGS. A.D. 1604, 1605. Not to wander from the thread of onr narrative, although the opinion of Gomarus above-named, and which he publicly defended, on the subject of Divine predestination, appeared — on the express admission even of his greatest supporters — to stretch somewhat beyond the limits of the Belgic Confession, and to transcend the doctrine prevailingly taught in the churches of the Reformed, still Arminius had to bear a crushing load of jealous feeling; and his adversaries left no means untried by which to burn some brand of contumely into his rising reputation. Immediately through the town of Leyden, and thence through all Holland, the rumour was set afloat that the professors of sacred literature differed seriouslv among themselves. The matter was everywhere in the mouths of carders, furriers, weavers, and other artisans of that class — chiefly Flemings, with whom Leyden abounded. Many, too, in their gross ignorance of theological controversies, attributed to Arminius the opinion of 160 THE LIFE OF Gomarns, and to Gomariis, on the other hand, the opinion of Arminius.* In the beginning of next year (1605) the sub- ject of our memoir was presented with the fasces of the Academy, and the title of Rector Magnijic ; but though he could discern that, with this in* creased dignity, he was regarded by many with an increased measure of esteem, he saw not less plainly that others abated nothing whatever of their aliena- tion of mind, and of theu' clandestine endeavours against him. Many put the worst construction on his best words and deeds. If at any time, in building up his opinion on certain controversies, he happened now and then to advance certain arguments which were also employed by Popish writers themselves, by Lutherans, and others besides the Keformed, the clamour was forthvvith raised by ignorant persons that he had gone over to the enemy's camp. Besides, they set it down as a fault, that in establishing some doctrines of the Christian faith, and vindicating the truth of these ag^nst the contempt poured upon them by adversaries, he expressed the opinion that certain frivolous arguments, little apposite to the point, ought to be utterly discarded, and others of much greater strength to be substituted in their place. In this he trod in the footsteps of Calvin himself, who had expounded very differently from the ancient doctors of the Church many passages of the Old Testament wliich they had often and inconsiderately cited in support of the eternal divinity of Christ. Nor were * Uiteub. Hist. Eccles. JAMES ARMINIUS. 161, parties wanting who charged it against Arminius as a crime, that he had handed to his disciples, for their private transcription, certain treatises written in his own hand, and embracing his opinion on various controversies — forgetting that the famous Jnnius and others had used the same liberty before him.* Moreover, while the interests of the churches, not- withstanding that a controversy had arisen in the Academy on the subject of predestination, would in all probability have sustained no injury had the discussion been confined within the walls of the uni- versity, or to private conferences between professors and pastors, conducted with that good faith, modera- tion, and prudence that were meet ; yet the churches came to be involved in far greater peril after many had filled the whole country and adjacent regions with false reports. Hence, for example, the public com- plaints and bitter declamations against Arminius with which the places of worship up and down at this time resounded, to the effect that entirely new doctrines were introduced ; that the doctrine hitherto received by the Reformed was changed ; that old heresies were now suspended on a new post ; and that right good care ought to be taken that no injury should thence accrue to the Church. Among the rest, Festus Hommius, a clergyman of Leyden, was very active at that time as a declaimer of the sort described. This person, by underhand circumlocution, traduced the character of Arminius; blackened without end his words and actions; and hurled against him, in his absence, many charges, * Vid. praifat. Act. Synod. Dnrdr. 12 1G2 THE LIFE OF which in his presence he refused to produce. For this reason, the subject of our memoir, aware of what things were done again st him in secret, thought that this ecclesiastic ought to be seriously and boldly reminded of his duty ; and embracing an opportunity that occurred, John Uitenbogaert and Adrian Bor- rius, the one a clergyman of the Hague, the other of Leyden, being present, he replied to all the matters of calumny, and all his detractions, in such a manner that Hommius was struck dumb, and even declared, at the close of the interview, his millingness to institute an inquiry after truth. But from this very time, strange to say, that clerg\Tiian not only shunned private interviews with Arminius, but, that he might not betray any want of confidence in his own cause, he subsequently told his familiar friends in private, that on returning home from this interview with Arminius, and humbly praying to God that He would vouchsafe to open his eyes and show him the truth, he was instantly surrounded with such a flood of light and joy, that he firmly resolved within himself to persevere henceforth in the received opinion. On hearing this story, Arminius broke out into these vv^ords : ' Well done, worthy investigators of the truth ! As if God, forsooth, grants his Holy Spirit at one prayer in such large bestowals as to impart the ability to judge, in matters so great, without any liability of error! He gives his Holy S})irit to his elect who importune his awful majesty for it night and day.'* *■ Vifl. Arm. ad Uitenb. epist. 20. Maji 1605. script.— Epist. Eccles. p. 245. JAMES ARMINIUS. 163 His disciples and admirers, however, began in those days to be accused of the same crimes which were imputed to himself; the discourses and arguments by which they sought to establish the doctrines of the Christian faith being subjected to misinterpre- tation. Hence the rumour gained currency that those who had returned from the Academy, or turned aside to other academies, were wantonly insulting the Eeformed Churches, by disputing, contradicting, and vilifying the received doctrine. Xor were there wanting those who, by a certain guileful art, narrowly watched several students of theology that were on more familiar terms with our doctor, and were in the habit of attending his private meetings ; and from their answers — which, as may occasionally be ex- pected of very young men, were at times somewhat unguarded, and stretched beyond the mind of their master — they snatched a handle and an opportunity of foully traducing, to the people, Arminius himself. More severe investigations, besides, began to be in- stituted by certain Classes and ecclesiastical assemblies against his disciples : and their words and actions were watched more sternly than was meet. This was exemplified by the case of John Narsius of Dort, w^ho at this time prosecuted under Arminius the study of theology with a zeal not to be repented of, and who afterwards occupied a position of emi- nence as pastor of the church at Grave. Being a young man of very practised and highly polished intellect, he was supported, in hope of the Church, at the expense of the State of Amsterdam ; and although 164 THE LIFE OF in the year immediately preceding-, on being privately examined by the pastors of this very celebrated city, he had given them the very highest satisfaction, this in no degree availed to exempt him from the suspicion of having imbibed impious opinions from his preceptor. In order, therefore, to elicit his mind, these same clergymen thought proper (on the 13th Jan., 1605) to order certain theological questions to be drawn up in writing, that to these Narsius might reply, also in writing. That the reader may be enabled to judge the more accurately of the controversies agitated at this time, it may not be out of place here to present these very questions in detail, along with the answers of Narsius himself. Question I. Whether God so directs and governs the free will of man that he is neither obliged, nor is able, to do anything in any other mode, and any fur- ther, than precisely as God has decreed ? Answered in the affirmative ; but with this qualifi- cation, that Divine Providence be not held to take away the free will of man, in the act of directing the same. Quest. II. Whether God governs the actions of the wicked in this manner, that they no otherwise act, or can act, than as God has determined ? Ans. Yes ; if the question is to be taken in this sense, that those who had come to apprehend Christ,* could not have done that until God permitted it. Quest. III. AVhether whatsoever things come to pass contingently in respect of men (that is, so that ♦ Ecferring evidently to Acts ii. 23; iv. 28.— Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 165 they can come to pass, or not come to pass, and can happen in this manner, or in another) also come to pass thus contingently in respect of providence and of the divine decree ? Ans. I have to request, brethren, that, seeing the word contingently is not to be found in the Sacred Volume, nor in the Belgic Confession, nor yet in the Palatine Catechism, and is moreover used in a variety of senses by scholastic writers, you will submit to rest satisfied with this my confession : ' Nothing comes to pass by chance, but whatsoever things come to pass, whether of great account or small, whether good or bad, are subjected to the government and direction of Divine Providence ; in such a manner, indeed, that those things which seem to us to be un- certain, and to happen by chance, nevertheless, in respect of the most wise and omnipotent providence of God, and of his eternal decree, happen certainly and immutably ; although, of the evil itself which is committed, he is in no respect the author. Quest. IV. AVhether the same place can always be assigned to free will in good actions, as can be assigned in bad ? Ans. To man, after the fall, and in a state of de- pravity, only a free will belongs which is prone to evil, so that he is the slave of sin and Satan. Quest. V. Whether men before regeneration may have a good will, which is truly good, or may have true faith ? Ans. Man considered as fallen has, fi'om himself, 166 THE LIFE OF neither a good will which is truly good, nor faith, nor regeneration. . Quest. VI. Whether all to whom the Divine law has been made known, can act gemiine repentance, and properly convert themselves to God ? Ans. By no means. Qnest. VII. Whether power to believe is always sujjplied, by the self-same openition, to all to whom the doctrine of the gospel is announced ? Ans. To man considered in himself belongs no power of believing ; but whosoever at any time believe, these same persons receive that faith in no other way than by the special illumination of the Holy Spirit ; so that faith is the gift of God, freely bestowed, apart from all consideration of merit. So far, however, as concerns other questions, for example, what kind of grace does God bestow through the preaching of the gospel, and in addition thereto ; in what manner that celestial influence operates on, and concurs with, the intellect and the will ; whether, moreover, to those who have no faith in Christ, common grace of that kind be given through, or independently of, the preaching of the evangelical doctrine, by which they can believe, and consequently by it be rendered inexcusable ? Respect- ing these and other points I find nothing explicit in the Belgic Confession and Catechism, nor do I venture at present to maintain anything whatever, either on one side or on the other. On the contrary, my wish is to adhere cordially to the Confession and Cate- chism, and keep myself open to light. JAMES ARMINIUS. 167 Quest. VIII. Whether there be in all men original sin? Whence that flows into human nature — namely, whether through the soul of the parents, or through the body, or from any other source ? Ans. Original sin has place in all mortals what- soever, with the exception of Christ. But whether it reaches us through the soul or through the body does not, in my judgment at least, sufficiently appear from the sacred writings. Yet I ciinnot but believe that the thing itself, by a wonderful, indeed, but still just dispensation of God, flows into us from the fall of Adam, in whom we have all sinned. All the descen- dants of Adam, moreover, have a certain innate corruption which renders them useless in respect to anything good, and prone to all that is evil, and the remains of which even the regenerate themselves deeply feel. Quest. IX. Whether the words of Matthew chap, xviii. V. 17, 18, ' Tell it to the Church,' &c., do not refer to ecclesiastical discipline? Ans. That ecclesiastical discipline has been insti- tuted by God, I believe ; nor am I prepared to deny that the passage cited bears reference to it.* Such were the replies of Narsius, from whose mouth (if he had chanced to advance anything unguardedly) not a few endeavoured to fish out somewhat that might afford ground of attack or of cavil against his preceptor Arminius. Great, however, as was the caution he used in the foregoing answers, he was * Vid. Uitenb. Hist. Eccles. Belgico idkm. conscript, p. 327. 168 THE LIFE OF unable to satisfy these ecclesiastical Aristarcliiises.* So far from this, being suspected and hated amongst them on the ground of his close intimacy Y\^ith Ar- minius, he shared the same lot with him from that time forward, until he was driven, by the impetuosity of adversaries, to identify himself with the party of the Remonstrants, after the death of Arminius, and openly to patronise their opinions and their cause. Somewhat similar, about this time, was the treat- ment experienced by Abraham Vlietius, from Voor- burg, who, besides attending Kuchlinus, availed himself also of the instructions of Arminius. At a public disputation held on the 30th April, under the presidency of Gomarus, on the subject of Divine Providence^i Vlietius, according to the custom of the Academy, and for the sake of exercising his powers, advanced, in a tone of sufficient moderation, certain solid arguments against the theses that were sub- jected to discussion. By this act he stirred the bile of the distinguished president to such a degree, that not content with replying to the objector in very acrimonious terms, he proceeded, with mind and feature thoroughly discomposed, and with little at- tempt at disguise, to traduce Arminius, who, he presumed — incorrectly, however — was the artificer and prompter of the objections in question. Arminius, • Aristarchus was a grammarian of Alexandria, who sub- jected Homer's poetry to very hard criticism. Hence his name became a proverbial designation for any severe critic. —Til. -f- Vid. Epist. Arm. JAMES ARMINIUS. 169 who was present at this scene, bore witli tranquil mind the insult thus perpetrated upon himself and his disciple, and judged it best to put up with it in silence. But when by this transaction Ylietius had drawn on himself the odium of many, as if his inten- tion had been to excite an uproar, Arminius, to prevent the affair from entailing any injury on his beloved disciple, cheerfully interposed in support of his wronged reputation, with the following testimonial ; — ' That Abraham Vlietius, in a disputation concern- ing Divine Providence held on the 30th April, 1605, was bound, from the office he then undertook in the college of disputants, to offer objections ; and that, in objecting, he kept himself within the bounds of modesty, and advanced nothing unworthy either of himself or his auditory, and consequently gave no just occasion of complaint, I hereby testify as requested. ' James Arminius, ' Rector of the Academy for the time being, and myself an eye and ear witness.' * At the same time, moreover, in which these things happened, a somewhat serious annoyance was stirred against Arminius by his uncle and colleague, John Kuchlinus, Kegent of the Theological Faculty. This person, under the pretext of an ardent zeal for the maintenance of the truth, and in opposition to novel doctrines and the active emissaries of innovation ; and also of an apprehension lest the flower of their youth and the hope of the Church should be imbued with pernicious errors, left no stone unturned by which he might drive all the students of the Theolo- * Ex ipso Arm. autograph. 170 THE LIFE OF gical College away from the prelections of Arminius.* Accordingly, changing the hour for his own prelections, he chose the very hour in which Arminius had been accustomed to hold his, as that in which he would expound the several heads of the Belgic Confession ; and he ordered all the students to be present at these academical exercises. This attempt, however, the subject of our memoir very spiritedly withstood ; and having lodged a complaint respecting it to the honourable magistrates of the city of Leyden, he succeeded in getting the whole affair deferred until the next arrival of the curators of the Academy. Meanwhile, in order to counteract with all his might the calumnies of those who flung against him the charge of error on the subject of Divine Provi- dence, he held a public disputation on the 4th May, 1605, ' Concerning the righteousness and efficacy of Divine Providence respecting evil ;' and, as may be seen in his polished theses on that subject,, he very learnedly explained in what manner it had to do, not only with the beginning, but also with the progress and with the end of sin. Making allusion in another place 7 to this circumstance and that controversy, he observes : ' There are two stumbling-blocks against which I am solicitously on my guard — not to make God the author of sin, and not to do away with the freedom inherent in the human will : which two things if any one knows to avoid, there is no action he shall imagine which I will not most cheerfully * Ex Ejjist. Aim. t In liis letter to Hippolytus a CoUibus. JAMES ARMINIUS. 171 allow to be ascribed to the Providence of God, if due regard be only had to the divine excellence.' Shortly after the Academy had listened to his discussion on the subject of Divine Providence, Arminius, with the view of clearing himself of the charge of Pelagianism, produced and exposed for public examination, on the 23rd July, his theses ' concerning free will and its powders.' In drawing up these he declared, ' that his grand aim had been to promote the peace of the Church ; that he had set forth nothing which bordered on falsehood, but, on the contrary, had suppressed several truths to which he was prepared to give expression, being well aware that it was one mode of procedure to suppress what was true, and another to speak what was false : the latter was in no case lawful ; the former, however, was sometimes, yea very often, expedient.'* Moreover, as he deemed it his duty to act cautiously, and take the utmost possible care that the justice of his cause and the moderation of his spirit might commend themselves to good and prudent men, he offered on every occasion to all who were meditating strife with him, what he had formerly offered to Helmichius and others — a conference, whether private or public, on the subject of these theological controversies. This method, however, was not quite agreeable to the adversaries of Arminius ; it pleased them to ply him with another mode of attack. They sent to him, accordingly, these deputies of the churches of South and North Holland, Francis Lansbergius, Libertus * Ex Arm. Epist. 25 Julii script. 172 THE LIFE OF Fraxinus, Daniel Dolegius, John Bogardus, and James Rolandus, who arrived on the 30th June (1605). In explaining to him the object of their mission, they entered into a narration of those things which were extensively circulated concerning him and his doctrine ; and how great was the solici- tude felt by all the churches lest, the integrity of the Reformed doctrine being undermined, and the young men imbued with unsound opinions, this affair should at last eventuate in the destruction of the Church. They further stated that several candidates for the sacred office, when admitted at any time to examina- tion before their classis, gave answers altogether new and repugnant to the received doctrine, and sheltered themselves under the authority of Arminius.* They then begged of Arminius that he would not refuse to give an explanation of the matter, and to enter into a friendly conference with them. Arminius replied, ' that this mode of procedure was to him in the highest degree displeasing. For were he to submit to it, he would be obliged very often to descend to conferences of this sort ; nor would he ever be free from liability to this annoyance as often as any student in his examination, in giving some novel answer, should make a foolish appeal to the authority of his preceptor. To him, therefore, it appeared to be a more advisable course, that brethren, on hearing a novel answer of such a kind as seemed to be at variance with the Confession or Catechism of the * Ex Declarat. Arm. coram Ordiuib. — Vide et Praefat. Act. Synod. Dord JAMES AEMINIUS. 173 Reformed Churclies, ought immediately to confront that student with himself, he for his part being pre- pared, for the sake of expediting the business, to repair at his own^ expense to whatever place the brethren might choose.' Not content, however, with this general answer, Lansbergius, in name of the rest, pressed still more urgently the conference proposed, when the subject of our memoir gave this further reply : ' He did not see on what principle he could enter into that conference. For, seeing that they bore the title of deputies, and would render an account of their proceedings to the synod, he was not at liberty to enter upon this business without the cognizance and consent, yea even the command, of those to whose authority he was subject. Nay more ; no trivial hazard would thence accrue to himself, if, whatever might at any time be reported to the synod, as to the issue of this conference, he should be obliged to commit the«whole detail entirely to their faith. Besides, as he was by no means conscious of having ever taught any doctrine which was antagon- istic to the Sacred Writings, the Confession, or the Catechism, he did not see on what reasons this petition of theirs was grounded. The burden of proof devolved on those who asserted the contrary ; or, failing proof, of confessing their fault. If, however, they were chs- posed to lay aside the character of deputies, he would not shrink from holding a conference about doctrine with them as private pastors, and from descending into that arena, there and then : — but on this condition, that whatever liberty in expounding their own opinion, 174 THE LIFE OF and refuting the contrary, tliey vindicated for them- selves, that self-same liberty should be competent to him. If in this way either party should satisfy the other, the entire business would be transacted ; if it came short of this, it must be understood, that no report of it shall anywhere be rendered, but that the whole shall be referred to a National Council.' But at lastj when he perceived that that plan and that con- dition were rejected by them, he asked them, as they were ready to take their departure, that they would propose the same conference which they had demanded of him, to his colleagues as well, Gomarus and Trel- catius ; adding, and adducing many reasons in corrobor- ation of the statement, that he had not given greater occasion for this demand than either of them. The deputies then promised to comply with this request, and having informed Arminius, some time after, that they had implemented their promise, they departed without having effected their* object. Meanwhile Arminius could not prevent the circu- 1-ation of very various and frequent rumours respecting this affair ; many in bad faith making it known, but suppressing all mention of his reasons for rejecting this conference, and of the description of conference which he himself had proposed. But these and other reasons which deterred him from formal conferences of that sort with synodical deputies, he explained on a subsequent occasion much more fully and distinctly in the presence of the illustrious States of Holland. His reasons as then advanced were in substance as follows. JAMES ARMINIUS. 175 ''First, He did not reckon himself amenable to either Synod of Holland, South or North ; on the con- trary, he had other masters without whose consent and command it would have been unlawful in him to have engaged in such a conference. To this reason may be added ' A second, namely, the great inequality of such a conference ; considering that between those who are about to confer on whatever matters, the utmost equality ought to subsist. For it is evident that they came to him armed with a certain public authority, while he sustained the character only of a private individual. They were in number several, but he stood alone ; not only destitute of persons to aid him, but of persons to witness the proceedings contemplated. Nay more, these deputies were not there in their own right, but were obliged to hang by the judgment of their superiors, and defend their opinion concerning religion to the last extremity ; so much so, indeed, that thev could not have been at libertv to admit the force even of the strongest arguments which he could have adduced. As he, on the other hand, stood on his own right, he was in a condition, by bringing his Gonscience alone to decide, unfettered by the prejudg- ment of any one, to admit whatever it might have declared to him, on demonstrative grounds, to have been in accordance with truth. ' Thirdly, The report which these deputies would have given in to their superiors, after the conference had been held, could not but turn out in many respects to his serious uijury ; for, either by defect of under- 176 THE LIFE OF standing or of memory, or by prejudiced feelings, some things might easily have been added or omitted, and his words might have been repeated either in such a sense, or in such an order, as altogether to contradict his sentiments, and the actual facts of the case ; while a larger measure of credit would have been accorded to these deputies, than would have been accorded to him, a private individual. Nay more ; in this way he would have conceded to this ecclesiastical conven- tion a certain prerogative over him, which, however, in his judgment he could not rightly concede, con- sistently with the dignity of his office, and the autho- rity of those on whose power he was dependent.'* Such were the reasons which induced Arminius to decline entering into conferences of the kind proposed. In what light he regarded the perverse machinaticms of certain parties at this conjuncture he himself thus declares in a letter to Adrian Borrius, of date July 25, 1605 : 'I see right well that my adversaries act in this way to raise a tumult in order that I, accused of being at least the occasion of the disturb- ance, may be compelled to rush forth from my con- cealment, and declare myself openly ; in which event they seem to promise themselves certain victory. But so much the more on this account will I keep myself at home, and advance those things which in my judgment may best do service to truth, to peace, and to the times ; although I know that they would be disappointed of their hope even were I to declare myself openly to tliem. True, it is an old saying, that * Vid. Declarat. Arm. coram Ordinib. JAMES ARMINIUS. 177 to drag a heretic, or a heresy forth to the light, is to confute that heretic or heresy ; but this is the hoast also of those who chant pgeans before the victory. It were hard for them to convict of heresy those things which, with inflated cheeks they vociferate to be heretical. They complain, I understand, that I did not declare to them my opinion, and the arguments on which it rests; and they urge as a pretext for their complaint, that it is my intention to make an unforeseen attack upon the min the National Synod, and to obtrude opinions upon them of which they had not been aware, and to confirm these by arguments, the confutation of which they shall not have had it in their power to premeditate. They think that that assembly ought to be conducted in the same manner as formerly, and are not aware that I, trusting to the goodness of my conscience and my cause, do not shrink from timely inquiry and examination, even to the most rigorous extent.' Meanwhile, three days after penning these words, the consistory of Ley den, of which he himself too formed a part, and was regarded as a member, appears to have importunately asked of him, at the instigation of certain zealots, a conference respecting his religious views, not unlike that which the delegates of the churches had demanded. In name of the consistory there were delegated to him, on the 28th July, these honourable and distinguished men, Ph^edo Broekhoven and Paul Merula — the one professor of history, the other a burgomaster of the city of Leyden, and both elders of the church — who urged him in gentle terms that he would treat with his colleagues, in the presence 13 178 THE LIFE OF of the consistory, concerning those tliing-s in the re- ceived doctrine to which he took exception. In this way it might be ascertained whether, and in what points, he agreed or disagreed with his colleagues and the other pastors of the Church. They added, how- ever, that if he gave his assent to this petition they would speak with others also respecting the matter ; but if not, that no further steps would be taken in the affair. To this Arminius replied almost in the same terms as he had shortly before employed to the deputies of the churches, namely, ' that he could not comply with this demand without the permission of the honourable curators of the Academy ; nor could he perceive what benefit would thence accrue to the Church.' These reasons he followed up by others to the same effect, which proved thoroughly satisfactory to these two men : so much so, indeed, that they gave it as their opinion that no further proceedings should be taken in the matter.* His adversaries, nevertheless, determined in no respect whatever to intermit their zeal, ceased not to spread, and beyond measure to exaggerate, the rumours afloat as to the very serious dissensions that had arisen between the professors and the pastors of the Church, The result was, that the time being now at hand at wdiich the annual Svnod of the churches of North and South Holland respectively were wont to be held, among the other '' gravamina'^ \ (as they * Ex Arm. declar. coram Ordin. Vid. prel'at. Act. Synod. Dord.— Trigland. Hist. t That is grievances, and all matters deemed important, Whether of the nature of grievances or not. JAMES AEMINIUS. 179 are called) whicli, according to tlie custom of the churches, are commonly sent beforehand by the several classis, this too had been transmitted by the Classis of Dort : ' Whereas reports prevail that in the Academy and Church of Leyden, certain con- troversies have arisen concerning the doctrine of the Eeformed Churches, the Classis is of opinion that it is necessary that the Synod should deliberate as to the means by which these controversies may be most advantageously and speedily allayed; in order that all schisms and scandals which might thence arise may be seasonably put out of the way, and the union of the Eeformed Churches be preserved in contrariety to the calumnies of adversaries/* The author of the preface to the Acts of the Synod of Dort, in making mention of this gravamen^ further leaves it on record that Arminius took it in the highest degree amiss, and left no pains untaken b'y which to get it re- called. That it displeased Arminius, indeed, we are not disposed to deny. But assuredly of any pains he took to get this document recalled, there exists, so far as we are aware, no evidence whatever. Be this as it may, the honourable curators of the Academy, and magistrates of Leyden, suspecting on good grounds that the above-named article of the Classis of Dort aimed solely at this, that Arminius and his followers should be impeached for corrupt doctrine, concentrated all their counsels and efforts on the one object of getting these schemes crushed in the bud. With this view, they called together the professors of * Ex prefat. Act. Synod. Dord.— Uiteub. Ilisl;. 180 THE LIFE OF theology, and producing the gravamen above-named^ they put to them the question, ' Whether controversies of that description had been observed by them ? ' To this, after they had obtained a reasonable time for deliberation, and had first considered the matter among themselves, and duly weighed it apart, — Gomarus, Arminius, and Trelcatius, unanimously replied, and straightway (on the 10th of August) confirmed the reply, in its written fonn, with their respective signa- tures, ' that they could have wished that the Classis of Dort had acted in this matter in a better and more orderly way ; among the students, indeed, there was, they believed, more disputation than was agreeable to them; but among themselves, the professors of theology, there was no dissension, as indeed any one might see, in regard to the fundamentals of doctrine. Further, they would do their endeavour to get what- ever discussions of that kind had arisen among the students diminished.' This answer was handed in the Bame day, to the Eev. John Kuchlinus, Eegent of the theological college, who replied that he concurred in what had been advanced by the professors of theology, and subscribed the same declaration.* But on what principle Gomarus could prevail on himself to sign this testimony, was to not a few just matter of astonishment. For it was notorious that besides assailing the opinion of Arminius on predestination in a public and sufficiently acri- monious disputation, he had also, and that, too, re- * Ex gestis Acad, citatis a Bertio in Oral. Funeb. in obit. Arm. JAMES ARMINIUS. 181 peatedly, from tlie pulpit, exaggerated the importance of this controversy to such a degree as to imply that it was in his estimation fundamental.* Others, again, inferred from this act of Gomarus, that he was disposed at that time, notwithstanding this difference of opinion, to cultivate a true friendship with Arminius, and would actually have done so, had he not been pre- vented by the intemperate clamours of others from prosecuting this aim. That Arminius also cherished the same hope is manifest from the following words extracted from a letter he addressed to Uiten- bogaert (on the 7th June, 1605) : — ' Between Oomarus and me there is peace ; and I have reason to believe it will be steady enough, unless he lend an ear to him who seems to act only for this, that he may not be found to have been a false prophet. On the other hand I will do my best to make my moderation and equanimity manifest to all, that I may have the superiority at once in the goodness of my cause, and in my mode of action.' Nor must we omit in this connexion what is reported by not a few, namely that Gomarus himself was wont at times to declare to his intimate friends with a feeling of regret, ^ that he could easilv have been induced to cultivate peace with Arminius but for the importunity of the churches and their deputies, which threw an obstacle in the way of this salutary desire.' -|- * Ex tractatu quodam Bertii, Belgice conscripto. '-}- Ex Hist, narrat. Synod. Dord. Belg. conscript, a J. W. 182 CHAPTER IX. ECCLESIASTICAL EXCITEMENT, AND PROCEEDINGS WITH A VIEW TO A NATIONAL SYNOD ; FRESH CALUMNIES AGAINST ARMINIUS. A.D 1605-1607. A FEW weeks after the curators of tlie University had, by convening- the professors of theology, suc- ceeded in maintaining- Academic peace, the Synod of South Holland, which met at Rotterdam on the 30th August, 1605, proceeded to agitate measures in con- nexion with this business, of a much more impetuous description. After the delegates from the Classis of Dort had put them in possession of the grounds on which the above-named gravamen had been trans- mitted, and the deputies of the Synod had in like manner made them aware of the state of the Leyden Academy, and of their interview with Arminius and the rest of the professors, they decided, after mature deliberation, that a timely check ought to be opposed to this growing evil, and that the appropriate remedy ought not to be delayed under the uncertain hope of a National Synod. It was accordingly concluded to institute, by means of their deputies, a very strict inquiry into what articles in particular furnished matter of debate among the theological students in THE LIFE OF JAMES ARMINIUS. 183 the Leyclen Academy ; and to request the honourable curators to make it imperative on the professors of theology to declare openly and sincerely their own opinions respecting the same.* In fulfilment of this decree, the synodical deputies, Francis Lansbergius, Festus Hommius, and their associates, set out for Leyden, and on the 2nd November handed in nine questions to the curators respecting the points which, as they understood, constituted at this time the main subjects of dis- cussion. They at the same time requested that, in virtue of their authority, the curators would render it imperative on the professors of theology fully to unfold their, own opinion on these points. But the honourable curators looked upon this demand as preposterous, inasmuch as the professors themselves had informed them in writing, not long before, of the state and weight of the controversies referred to. They therefore openly declared ' that to this mode of procedure they could by no means lend their sanction ; ' and added ' that there was no small ground for the hope that a National Synod would be obtained ; on which account they judged it to be more advisable to reserve these questions to it, than by further investi- gation of them to furnish occasion for strife.'! On receiving this answer the deputies further insisted, that by the kind permission of the curators they might be at liberty to put these questions to the professors con- cerned, in order to discover what answers each of them * Vid. prefat. Act. Synod. Dord, t Vid. Declar. Aim. coram. Old. 184 THE LIFE OF would voluntarily and spontaneously give ; but here they encountered the same repulse. All these transactions, however, were managed with such secrecy, as respects Arminius, that he was for some time ignorant of the arrival of these deputies in the city, and was only suljsequently made aware of it through his friends. By the diligence of these friends he also succeeded in laying his hands upon the very questions which the deputies of the churches had handed in to the curators ; and thence snatched oc- casion to di*aw up, for the benefit of his disciples, brief answers to these, and to array in opposition to them as many questions in return.* Circumstanced as he was at such a conjuncture, he could not suppress his feelings, but gave vent to them in the following complaint in regard to his position, which occurs in a letter to Uitenbogaert, dated 27 th October, 1605 : — ' How diificult is it in these inauspi- cious times, when such vehemence of spirit prevails, tO be thoroughly devoted at once to truth and to peace ! Were it not that the consciousness of integrity, the favourable judgments of some good men, yea, and the palpable and manifest fruits which I see arising from my labours, reanimate my spirits, I should scarcely at times be able to bear myself erect. But thanks be to God who imparts strength and constancy to my spirit, and makes me comparatively easy whatever mav be the issue.' t * Vide sis has qusestiones et Arminii rcsponsa in ejus Eperi« bus. t Arm. Epist. ad J. Uitenb. 27 Octob. 1605. JAMES ARMIXIUS. 185 Notwithstanding these annoyances, Arminius * strenuously discharged the duties of his office ; and endeavoured, above all, to propagate increasingly the truth, as far as known by him, without noise or con- tention, to the utmost of his power. For this end he made it his study, on all" occasions, to keep himself within the terms of the Confession and Catechism — at least not to advance anything which might be confuted by these standards, nay which was not fahly and plainly reconcilable therewith. For although in these formularies of consent he had probably observed some things which at times appeared to favour the sentiments opposed to those he had embraced, and which he coidd have wished to find expressed in terms more closely harmonising with his own opinion, he yet thought he could continue within these terms; and that, under the privilege of a mild interpretation, he ought to soften the harshness of certain phrases, and wait until a fuller interpretation and revision should be applied to them by a National Synod. For he thought that he could act thus in the exercise of the same right as that by which all those followers of Calvin who were subjects of the Emperor of Germany judged that they could lawfully, and with a good con- science, subscribe to the entire Confession of Augsburg, and to all and sundry of the articles it contained.j This, however, without the aid of a liberal interpreta- tion was more than they could well do ; for between * Vid Ep. Eccles. p. Ii9. t Vid. Epist. Examen coutra Capel. in Oper. ejus i. Tom. 2; part. p. 168. 186 THE LIFE OF the Augsburg and other Confessions there was so great an air of contradiction that the Genevan divines did not think it advisable to publish them without the antidote of their own interpretations and cautions. Treading in their foot-prints, and rejoicing in the same right, he felt that he was doing nothing what- ever unworthy of a Eeformed divine if, for the confirmation of his own opinion on Divine predes- tination, and other heads of the Christian faith, he should call to his aid not only the Sacred Oracles, but also the above-named formularies of consent. It was for this reason th; t, when about to hold a disputation at one time in his own regular class on the subject of predestination, he ordered the student who was to undertake the part of respondent to shape his theses on this subject in the verv words of the Confession.* About that same period he held a very learned disputation 07i the comparison between the law and the gospel, and on the agreement and difference between the Old Testament and the New ; the part of respon- dent, under his presidency, having fallen on that highly-cultivated youth, and distinguished ornament at an after period to the Leyden Academy and to litera- ture — Peter Cunaaus. Towards the close of this disputation some one happened to object 'that man could not but transgress the law, seeing that the decree of God, which determined that he should transgress, could not be resisted.' Although Ar- minius was under the necessity of replying to this objection, yet he made it imperative that in fiitm-e no * Ex Declar. Ann. coram Ord. JAMES AKMINIUS, 187 such statement sliould be advanced without this or the like protestation: Let no hlasphemy he supposed! So offensive, moreover, was that audacious proposition of this student of divinity to some who had been present at the disputation, that one of them, a man of no small authority, shortly after expressed his loathing of it in the presence of Arminius ; and gave it as his counsel that things of that sort ought to be checked, and authority interposed against such disgraceful objections. Arminius, however, somewhat excused the deed, declaring that the objector had been so instructed by certain divines ; and that authoritative interference was scarcely practicable, on account of the vehemence of some who were of a different mind.* Meanwhile he was inspired with a greatly increased measure of firmness and confidence by the very large number of auditors whom the singular grace of his style, both of speaking and teaching, and his lucid interpreta- tion of the Sacred AVritings, daily attracted to his pub- lic lectures. His private class, moreover, flom-ished at this time to such a degree, that one class would not have sufficed but for the fear which had taken pos- session of many, that too much familiarity with him might turn out, at some future period, to be prejudicial to their interests. Hence, as envy is proverbially the evil genius, for the most part, not only of virtue but also of genuine erudition, it can hardly appear sur- prising to any one if Arminius, by reason of his daily increasing renown for learning, was obliged, m his tiKU, to encounter this hydra. The extent, at all * Ex Epist. Arm. 188 THE LIFE OS" events, to which, in that particular, Gomarus shared in the infirmity of our common nature, may be inferred from this circumstance : accosting Arminius one day as he was passing out of the academic hall, he threw this in his teeth with abundan tbitterness and bile — ' They say you are more learned than Junius,^ About the same time, Peter Plancius, pastor of the church in Amsterdam, inveighed from the pulpit in the most virulent strain against Arminius and his friends and followers, running them down under the name of Coornhertians, Neo- Pelagians, and as far worse than Pelagius himself. So effervescent was he, that he appeared, even to vulgar minds, to have excited himself into extravagance, so as to connect things together which bore to each other no just relation of sequence or coherence. Others, too, after his example, either incensed by an inveterate hatred against Arminius, or impelled by the sort of pious solicitude with which they embraced the received doctrine, began to agitate before the people, in the vernacular tongue, those questions which had furnished themes of more subtle disputation in the benches of the Academy : and this they did with egregious departures from the truth, and with minds as little as possible attuned to the work of meekly edifying the Christian people.* Some assiduously impressed it upon the promiscuous multitude that the doctrine of the Belgic Confession, sealed with the blood of many martyrs. Was being * Ex Epist. Arm. — Vid. Respoiis. ad Epist. Miiiist. Walach- riens. p. 9. JAJklES AKMINIUS. 189 called in question; others that a motley religion was in the course of being- drawn up, and that it was in contemplation to introduce a system of libertinism. On the other hand, Araainius, finding himself under the imperative necessity of vindicating his own inno- cence, both publicly and privately, pleaded his cause at this conjuncture, in a remarkably calm and placid spirit ; for (to use his own words) he ' reckoned this to be by far the noblest kind of revenge, to bring it about, by means of well-doing, that they should have the worse who simrned at proffered friendship and frater- nity.' Moreover, in order to possess the minds of the students with the genuine love of peace, he judged that nothing ought more to be impressed upon them than that they should endeavour to dis- tinguish, according to the standard of the Sacred Word, not only between truth and falsehood, but also between the greater and less degrees in which different articles of religion are to be held as essential.* Amid all this excitement Arminius prosecuted his Academic prelections with unabated activity; and having brought to a close the exposition of Jonah, he entered upon a course of lectures on Malachi about the commencement of the year ensuing, 1606. On the 8th of February, he resigned his Eectorate according to the' usual order; on which occasion he delivered that celebrated oration on ' Eeligious Dissension,' in which he unfolds its nature and effects, causes and remedies, with such freedom of speech as the weight of the subject itself, and the * Ex. Epist. Arm. 190 THE LIFE OP agitated circumstances of tlie chnrcli seemed to require. In particular, as tlie remedy commonly considered to be the most elficacious for allaying theological dis- sensions was a convention of the parties at variance, (which the Greeks call a synod, the Latins, 2^. council,) he unfolded, on that same occasion, fully and piously, the principle on which a council of the kind referred to, ought to he constituted, so as to warrant the just and rational expectation that it will issue in results of the most salutary character. Nor could he charge himself, by any means, with having causelessly selected this as the theme of his oration ; for he had long been aware that with the great majority of the clergy, and at this very time, nothing was more an object of desire than that the States-General should permit to be again summoned a National Synod, which, in former times, was wont to be convened once every three years, but had now for a very considerable time been Fuspended. For (to trace this matter a little farther back) it was already turned twenty years since the Earl of Leceister, des- pising, and all but trampling under foot, the authority of the fathers of our country, had ordered a council of this description to be convoked at the Hague. On that occasion, when the great body of the clergy had lent their most zealous aid to those who were hatch- ing revolutionary schemes, and aiming a deadly blow at the liberty of the Dutch Eepublic, they had, not without reason, been rebuked and admonished by the public voice of the States, ' that, content with having lost Flanders, by traducing and calumniating the JAMES ARMINIUS. 191 administration of tlie rulers, under the deceptive show of religion, and throwing a cloak over perfidy, they should abstain from bringing about the loss of Holland in the same way.' * It was the recollection, indeed, of that calamitous period, and the apprehension lest, perchance, certain turbulent zealots, under pretext of religion, should attempt anything anew that might detract from public authority, v/hich long restrained the illustrious and mighty States from afterwards giving their assent to the renewed petition of the ecclesiastics for a National Synod. About the year 1597, however, when controversies had arisen in various places, particularly at G-ouda, Hoorn, and Medenblick, not only respecting Divine Predestina- tion, but also concerning the authority of the Belgic Confession, and Palatine Catechism, and the right and orthodox interpretation of certain phrases, the States of the province of Holland at length took the lead in granting the pastors under their jurisdic- tion permission to hold a synod; — for this end, in particular, ' that the Belgic Confession cf Faith should be revised, and that it should be carefully considered in what way, most fitly, according to the word of God, the true doctrine and concord of the Eeformed Church of the iSTetherlands, might be vindicated, preserved, and promoted, and the dissensions that had arisen be allayed.' But although, so many years before the name of Arminius had begun to acquire celebrity in the Leyden Academy, the rulers of Holland had consented *Vid. Em. Meteraiii Hist. Beigice conscript, et Hoofdii Histj 192 THE LIFE OF to the synod, still the States of the other provinces resisted the project — those of Utrecht being the stoutest and the longest to hold out. But seeing that the Dutch professors and pastors who differed at this time on the subject of predestination sought some support, each for his own opinion, in the words of the Confession and Catechism ; and that these same formularies of consent did not define with sufficient clearness the questions agitated on either side ; and that this present exigency of the Reformed cause seemed, in consequence, to require a more formal convention of the churches, by the effort and inter- vention of the men of greatest influence (including the name of Uitenbogaert, as he himself cheerfully owns) it was brought about that these rulers of Utrecht also subscribed to the wish so generally entertained. Leave, accordingly, was at length obtained (on the 15th March) from the States- General to convoke a National Synod on the self- same terms as those on which, eight years pre- viously, the rulers of Holland and Westfriesland had given their sanction to its being held. But here is the very decree, in express terms : — ' The States- General of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, having considered and carefully weighed the reasons proposed and exhibited in their assembly both orally and in writing, in name of the Christian Reformed churches of the Netherlands, in order that permission should be granted to them for convening a National Synod of the said churches on the grounds set forth in the written petition referred to, after JAMES ARMINIUS. 193 mature deliberation, have granted permission that it should be held, and by this same instrument they hereby grant permission. Wherefore, also, it hath pleased them that said National Synod be convoked in name of their illustrious Lords, as being the lawful magistrates — the protectors and defenders in these realms of the Christian Eeformed religion — and to whom, in consequence, that right belongs ; and that, as soon as said illustrious Lords, with the pastors of churches (whom it has been resolved to summon for this object on the very first opportunity) shall have communicated among themselves, and deli- berated respecting the mode of holding the synod, and concerning the fit place and time, the said National Synod, with the revision of the Confession and Catechism of said chm^hes, and of the ecclesias- tical constitution heretofore in use among them shall (as has been wont every time to be done in such assem- blies) be so instituted and conducted, in the name and fear of the Lord, that the fruit thence to be expected — namely, the confirmation of true piety among the inhabitants of these realms — may be abundantly realised. And all these things according to the rule and pattern of God's Sacred Word, to His glory, and for the safety of the Republic and the Church.' We have thought it proper to introduce into our narrative this, the express form of the public decree, in order that the origin of the contentions with Arminius and his ibllowers that arose respecting it, and the main reason why this convention of the churches was de- ferred, may be the more readily discerned. For the U 194 THE LIFE OF deputies of the churches took it very much amiss, that in the missive containing the public decree of the illus- trious States special mention should be made of a con- templated revision of the Confession, Catechism, and ecclesiastical canons. Nay, more ; even prior to its publication, and towards the close of the preceding year (30th November, 1G05) they had begged, in a wi'itten petition, that the convocation of this synod should be instituted in the manner sanctioned by former usage and in general terms. They affirmed ' that bv that sino-le clause the entire doctrine com- prehended in these summaries was called in question ; that by this edict injury was done to these sacred canons of the Reformed faith, which were formerly received witli so great applause ; that the term revision was forensic, nor was the act of revisi(m ever insisted on unless when the authorised sentiment was not acquiesced in, but rather a demand made for its being retracted or changed ; that by the insertion of the clause referred to there was reason to fear that those who were striving after a change of doctrine would be rendered more daring, and would conclude that power was conceded to them by public authority to press innovation to any extent.'* But a variety of reasons, on the other hand, and tliese of the gravest character, were advanced by not a few in vijidication of the decree of the States. Thus it was contended, ' that it was idle to dispute about the word revision, since, taken not in its forensic but in its more general acceptation, it denoted any * Vid praefat. Act. Bynod Dord. JAMES ARinXIUS. 195 ^kind of re-examination. But taking the word in tbis stricter sense, it was not the case that the once authorised opinion was always changed by revision, hut, on the contrary, it was sometimes thereby confirmed. The ilbistrious States of Holland had inserted in their decree, passed eight years before, the word resumption. In most acts of synods, even prior to the public decree of the year 1597, mention was made of a repetition. Nay, more ; that distinguished defender of the Reformed doctrine, Caspar Heidanus, was not afraid to put on the title of that Catechism which he published at Antwerp in the year 15 — , the words correction and emendation. At all events, the thing itself denoted by this word was of right and with good reason demanded by the fathers of their country and the supreme patrons of the Church, The sacred Scripture alone was placed beyond the liability of revision ; nor was it right to arrogate this privilege to human writings. This, Beza, Zanchius, Olevianus, and other leaders of the Reformed re- ligion — yea, and the very authors, too, of the Belgie Confession — openly professed. Even now there were €xtant, and could easily be produced, letters of the distinguished Saravia, celebrated among the original compilers of the Confession, who testifies that of those who applied their hand to this work it never came into the mind of one to make of it a rule of faith. In all the synods held in France a commencement was made by re-reading the Confession and soliciting expressions of opinion upon it.* The Augustan, yea • Press. Declar. p. 41, 42.— Vid Grot. Piet. Ord. p. o2. 19G THE LIFE OF and the Ang-lican and Helvetic Confessions, had been changed ; and much more reasonahle were it to trj^ whether nothing could be amended in that Confession which was originally composed by no Synod whatever, but had been put together by some pious men, at a pre-eminently troublous time, in greai. haste, and for this end only, that it should serve the purpose of an apology to a hostile king. The same remark applied to the Catechism, inasmuch as the very leaders themselves of the Belgic Church had not drawn it up, but (as is wont to be done in cases of sudden necessity "l^ had borrowed it from others. None other- wise did the famous Piscator judge ; for certain strictures and animadversions of his on several questions of the Palatine Catechism were still extant.* Even granting that after the scrutiny of forty years and more, nothing could be detected in the writings above-named which was either deficient or redundant, and which admitted of beinc expressed if not more truly, at least more fitly, and in a way better adapted to promote ecclesiastical peace : still the lawful examination of them would be attended with this benefit, that it would be evident to the world that the Keformed Churches in the Netherlands had not slid into that form of doctrine which they followed by accident or fashion, but in the exercise of reason and discrimination. At the same time they would, by an illustrious testimony, give publicity to the fact that these formularies were estimated by them at their true value, and not more ; * Vid. has strictui'as inter Epist. Eccles. p. 166. JAMES ARMINIUS. 197 and what was of prime importance, the liberty thus admitted in its own place and time, and restrained within the limits of order, would interpose an obstacle to the license of private contradiction.' But these and other reasons of the like kind by no means availed to prevent the great mass of the adver- saries of Arminius from vehemently assailing, on every opportunity, the above form of convening the Synod. Nay, the ecclesiastical deputies transmitted a copy of it, with an accompanying letter (dated 19th April), to the churches of each several province, in which they signified how strenuously they had exerted themselves to get the above-named clause omitted.* From that time, it began to be carped at, and to be criticised by the churches with more acrimony than was meet. Foremost, however, in zeal to take up this business was the Synod of South Holland, held three months after, in the month of August, at Gorcum. For when the deputies of the churches had reported to it what steps they had taken in the matter of the National Synod, and what had been determined by the illustrious States, it seemed good to this assembly to enjoin on these deputies, ' that, duly weighing the heads of the public decree respecting the Synod, they should not only see to it that justice be done to the decision of the illustrious States, but should also take care that nothing be clone to the prejudice of the churches.' The Synod moreover declared, ' that even if it were judged proper to revise the Confession and Catechism in the way and mode hitherto in use in a * Vid. Tra-fat. Act. Synod. Dord. I98> THE LIFE OF National Synod, they nevertheless wished that those who were to be summoned to that meeting at which the place and manner of holding the National Synod would necessarily ftdl to be considered, should be instnicted to ask of the States-general, in name of the churches, that, for reasons above specified, the fore- mentioned clause be struck out of the circulars of convocation, and that other words of milder import, and less likely to beget offence, might be substituted in its place. This same Synod besides resolved, that injunction be laid on all the pastors of the churches of South Holland, nay also, on the professors of sacred literature in the Academy of Leyden, to peruse and examine with all diligence the Confession and Catechism hitherto in use in these realms. It was further matter of deliberation whether it would be expedient that the strictures of the ministers on the above named books shoidd be brought up, in the first instance, before this particular Synod and its deputies, or whether these had better be reserved to the National Synod.* Sufficient reasons were not wanting to have induced the persuasion that such anticipatory judg- ments of particular synods were altogether vain, and would not be free of hazard ; and Uitenbog-aert himself, in a very earnest discussion on that subject into which he entered with the president of this assembly, John Becius, showed, in many ways, under how great diffi- culties that ill-timed investigation which many were urging did labour, and how much it militated against * Act. Synod. Gorcom. Art. 4. JAMES ARMINIUS. 199 the express decree and intention of the States.* Not- withstanding all this, it was decreed in the same Synod, that, ' if, in these writings of the Confession and Catechism, any one had observed aught worthy of remark, he should signify the same, and set it forth in good and solid reasons and arguments, as speedily as practicable 5 and that if possible, before the next meet- ing of the classis.' This decision, in spite of the objections of those who thought it wrong that the ful- filment of that ecclesiastical decree should be circum- scribed within so small a portion of time, remained fixed and valid. By and by, too, this same Synod resolved to advise, by letter, the other particular churches and synods of the United Provinces, to watch with all diligence over this business, the care of which it had itself undertaken, and to urge every one of the ministers of their respective classes to the serious and thorough examination of the Confession and Catechism. -|- And finally, the province of com- municating on this subject with the professors of sacred literature, and the regents of the theological college, was, in name of this Synod, consigned to John Uitenbogaert, William CoddiBus, Nathaniel Marlan- dus, and Egbert J^milius. Meanwhile, and shortly before these things w^ere (with very special reference to Arminius and his followers), determined upon by the Synod of Gorcum, the following circumstance furnished a handle for stirring fresh strife against him. It happened in the * Vid. Kesp. ad Epist. Minist. Walacli. p. 16.— Epist. Eccles. p. 170. t Vid. Epist. Eccles. 200 THE LIFE OF course of a disputation held under his presidency, on the subject of the divinity of the Son, in which he had undertaken to defend what was at once the general and the orthodox opinion on this pre-eminently important doctrine of the Christian faith, that some one of the students urged, in opposition to the theses he had exposed to public scrutiny, that ' the Son of God was auro^gos", and therefore had his essence from himself, and not from the Father.' Arminius re- plied that the word avro^sog was not contained in the sacred volume ; still, considering that it had been employed by Epiphanius and others, of the ancient as well as modern orthodox divines, it was not to be utterly rejected, provided only it were rightly understood. But according to its etymology it might be taken in a twofold sense, to denote either one who is tridi/ God, or such a one as is God of himself. According to the former signifi- cation, it could be admitted ; but taken in the latter sense, it stood opposed to the sacred volume, and to orthodox antiquity.' On the other hand, however, the student ten- aciously held to his point ; boldly asserting that according to the second signification pre-eminently the term in question was applicable to the Son of God ; and that the essence of the Father could not, except improperly, be said to be communicated to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; but that rightly and properly could it be said that the essence of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit was common. This position, too, he maintained with the more confidence and spirit that he had as an JAMES ARMINIUS. 201 authority for his opinion the celebrated Trelcatins ; for in his Common-places^ lately published, he had expounded to the same effect his sentiments respect- ing the Sacred Trinity. Wherefore, Arminius, deeming it his duty not to leave the truth unvindi- cated, by virtue of the authority of the office with which he had been invested, spiritedly rejoined, that * The opinion thus advanced was one altogether new and unheard of in the ancient Greek as well as Latin Church. The ancients had always maintained that the Son had his deity from the Father by eternal generation. The opinion now advanced laboured under most serious difficulties. From it there followed not only Sabellianism,* the Son being made to occupy the place of the Father, as having his essence from none ; but it further followed that the way was thereby paved to Tritheism, and that there were just as many Gods held as there were collateral persons supposed. The Unity in Trinity of the Deity had been maintained by the ancient divines of the Church against anti- Trinitarians, solely on the ground of origin, and of order according to origin. On the con- trary, to have deity from himself was repugnant to the definition of son ; and that no relation could be involved in any thing which was contrary to the definition of that thina^.'f • Sabellius, who lived about the middle of the third cen- tury, denied all distinction of persons in the Trinity, allowing only a distinction of modes and manifestations. — Tr. t Vide sis fusius dehoc negotio disserentera Armin. in declar. sua coram Ord. Item Arm. Hesp. ad 31. Artie. 202 THE LIFE OF Thus far reasoned Arminiiis, who, by the produc- tion of these and other arguments of the same kind, flattered himself that he was defending the Catholic opinion on this question, and consulting best for the glory both of the Father and of the Son. Nay, more ; he had stirred this affair with the greater confidence that he had rather persuaded himself of the entire concurrence with him on this point of Gomarus, who, not long after the publication of the Common-places of Trelcatius, had, in a public disputation, impugned his forms of expression re- specting the Sacred Trinity, and further refuted his opinion in his own private class. Nevertheless, this very disputation of Arminius furnished fresh occasion and material for the unjust suspicions which malevolent parties entertained concerning him; and the rumour everywhere spread that he entertained erroneous views respecting the Sacred Trinity and the Divinitv of the Son. But this he accounted his peculiar infelicity; and he lamented that prejudice should prevail to such an extent that, if any discus- sion arose, forthwith the entire .blame was heaped upon him, even when asserting the views most thoroughly received ; while those, on the other hand, were excused and commended who had furnished occasion of strife by their novel and most extrava- gant modes of expression. To him this appeared nothing less than monstrous ; nor did there seem to exist any ground on which, in consequence of the above-named disputation, he could justly and reasonably be suspected of hatching aught that was JAMES AEMINIUS. 203 heretical. So far from this, he testifies (in one of his letters, dated 1st September, 1606) that he had taught nothing whatever on the doctrine in question but what rested on the authority of the Sacred Scriptures, and of the ancient as well as modern divines ; and, moreover, that on this point there was nothing which he v/ished corrected in the opinion received by the Eeformed Churches in the Netherlands. Nay more ; in this matter he could adduce as on his side the guide and teacher of his youth, Beza ; who, in his preface to the Dialogues of Athanasius concerning the Trinity, makes an excuse for Calvin for not having observed with sufficient accumcy the distinction between these two state- ments: the Swi is hy himself (per sej ^ and the Son is from himself fa sej . Much about the same time the subject of our memoir was subjected to a calumny not unlike the one we have just narrated. It arose from the follow- ing circumstance : — In a public disputation On the person of the Son, in the course of which he very learnedly showed how the economy of our salvation was administered bv the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit, Arminius made the admonitory remark that strict regard ought to be paid to that order which is everywhere observed in the Holy Scriptures; and that it ought to be distinctly con- sidered what proper parts in that economy are ascribed to the Father, what to the Son, and what to the Holy Ghost. The spirit of detraction, besides, had gathered boldness from the fact that several passages 204 THE LIFE OF of the Old and New Testaments usually cited in support of the consubstantial or co-essential Trinity had more than once been explained by him as having another reference. But he trusted that it would be no difficult matter to persuade all who were capable of forming a candid judgment, that from such data nothing could with any semblance of truth be inferred that was really at variance with the Chris- tian faith. For in regard to the first of these occasions of calumniating him, * he deemed it a vain handle, seeing that to all who had learned from the Sacred Word that the Father had in the Son reconciled the world to himself, and was administering through the Holy Spirit the word of reconciliation, it could not fail to be super- abundantly evident that, m the scheme of human salvation, an order must be discerned among the persons of the Trinity, and care taken not to confound the parts severally attributed to them, — unless any one chooses to step into the heresy of the Patripassionists.f Nor, on the other hand, did he think that greater pains were called for in refutation of what was objected to him about explaining somewhat differently a few passages of Holy Writ. For even if in this respect he had sinned, there stood convicted of the same crime Calvin himself, who, in this direction, had used * Vid. epiat. Arm. ad Hyppol. a Collib. ' t ' Those who denied all distinction between the persons of the Trinity, were called UaT^frxtrtnotvoi (Patvipassionists) in the west, and Sa/SsXA/av*/ (Sabellians) in the east.' Hagenbach's Hist. Doct. Vol. I. p. 215— Edinb. 1816.— Tr. JAMES ARMINIUS. 205 great freedom, if ever man had, and yet had been defended by the celebrated Paraeus against the treatise of Hunnius entitled Calvin a Judaizer. But what the opinion of Arminius was on the sacred Trinity, and how unfairly some accused him about that period of Arianism, Socinianism, and other crimes of the same description, the carndid reader may judge for himself from his very scholarly theses on this article of the Christian Faith. The aim and method, moreover, which, in the treatment of this subject, he proposed to himself, he (in his •'eply to the 31 articles) declares in the following terms : — ' Of those who know me, the most part know with how great fear and how anxious a conscience I handle thai, sublime doctrine of a Trinity of Persons, low little, in explaining this j,rticle, I delight, either in inventing for myself, or in adopting as already invented by others, novel modes of expression, unknown to Scripture and orthodox antiquity, my entire method of teaching demonstrates. How cheerfullv I even bear with those who speak differently, provided the mean- ing they intend be just, my hearers are prepared to testify.' Still further, with the view of dissipating entirely all suspicion of Socinianism, he openly declared in the course of that period (in a letter dated 1st September 1606), that ' so far was he from being obnoxious to this charge, that he rather cherished the hope, if the Synod would only lend him a willing ear, of being able to contribute certain arguments which made for the more eifectual confutation of the Samo- 206 THE LIFE OF setans,* or at least for the more easy liquidation of their objections and reasonings.' Nay more, Armi- nius, as his disciple John Narsins testifies, subjected, not long after, certain of the leading and most celebrated doctrines of Socinus, but particularly his book concerning the Saviour^ to public and formal "refutation, and that so vigorously, so elaborately, so solidly, that probably no one before or after him, ever did so with more effect. -|- But, dismissing these things, let us now revert to the delegates of the Gorcum Synod, and to the part they played with Arminius and his colleagues. Uiten- bogaert, then, having returned from the camp at Wesel, the four men appointed to this business pro- ceeded to Leyden in the month of December, and having read in due form the Synodal decree to each of the professors, they courteously asked them to comply with the petition of the Church. Gomarus was the first on whom they waited : he expressed his thanks for the pains expended on this business, and lavished the highest laudations on the Synod for having con- sulted for the tranquillity of the churches and for the maintenance of pure doctrine. But he declared that he felt reluctant to give any full or definite reply to the principal head of the Synod's demand, until he had taken counsel on this business with his colleagues ; * Or Anti Tvinitarians. Paul of Samosetaheld views similar to those of Sabeliius, and lived about the same period. — Tr. t Vid. Navsii Epist. ad J. Sandium x. sept. 1612 script, inter Epist. Eccles. p. 327. JAMES ARMINIUS. 207 and therefore it seemed to him advisable that through their Dean (Arminius) the Theological Faculty ought to be convened. The answer of Trelcatius was to the same effect. On the other hand, the delegates rejoined, that to summon the Faculty just named appeared to them, to be altogether unnecessary ; and pressed them for a further reply. At length, having given them time for deliberation, they next waited on Arminius, w'ho, after hearing their petition, with great confidence replied, that he ' gave thanks to the eternal God for having suggested to the as- sembled brethren a decree of this description, — so thoroughly salutary and Christian. He had for his part hitherto given himself, and W'ould still give himself, with all diligence, to the investigation of the Confession and Catechism of the Belgic churches, as to a duty to which he acknowledged himself bound not only in the name of God, but also, at this time more particularly, by the requirement of this illustrious assembly. Further, as to handing in animadversions, if he had any such, he would at the fit time deliberate and do what the occasion and the state of affans would permit.'* On receiving this answer, the dele- gates next told Arminius the suggestion of Gomarus about convening the Theological Faculty, and asked his mind on this matter. Arminius then inquired ' if the Synod wished them to examine the above-named •documents together, and at once, in full college assembled, and to signify to the Synod their opinion respecting them in name of the enthe Faculty ; or if, * Uitenb. Hist. 208 THE LIFE OF on the other hand, they wished each of the Professors to submit his opinion and observations singly and apart ? ' To this the delegates replied, thai their impression was that the latter and not the former was the wish oi the Synod ; on which Arminius straight- way rejoined " that there \vas no propriety in calling the entire Faculty together about a business the charge of expediting which had been committed by the Synod to eacl of them apart.' Accordingly, the others, his colleagues, not deeming it expedient to give further trouble, at length intimated, both of them, ' that they would not fail to pay all respect to the petition of their brethren, and would subject to a re- newed examination those formularies of consent, — not as if they cherished any doubt concerning any article contained in them, but solely on the principle of com- plying with the mandate of the Synod.' At last they began to treat with the regents also of both colleges — Petei Bertius, and Daniel Colonius.* The former briefly replied ' that he Vi^ould yield compliance with the Synod's decree to the best of his ability.' The other, however, declared, ' that he would follow the decision decreed — or yet to be decreed — by the Walloon Synod.' In the meantime the rumour of these growing con- tentions in the Netherlands reached the ears also of foreigners, including men of great name. Nor were there wanting those in France, England, and other coimtries, who expressed their solicitude for the peace * Bertius was the Regeut of the Dutch, and Colonius of the Walloon (or French) College. — Tr. JAMES ARMIXIUS. 209 of the Cliiircli in Holland. Deserving of special mention on this account is that illustrious liglit of France and champion of the Eeformed cause, Philip De Mornay, Lord of Plessis, a man most zealous, if ever man was, for the interests of Christianity and the promotion of peace. This shows itself in a orief letter written by that most distinguished man to the very learned Tilenus, on the first of January, 1607, into which, also, he inl;roleased with war ? Whence such untempered zeal, such parties new ? Hath Satan sowed these tares 'neath mask of night ? Must men's dire passions feed on aught they view, And God's own cause afford them scope to fight ? Or does this prying world, that dares to tread Where even to angels all access is barred. And snatch forbidden knowledge, serpent-led. Reap in these sad debates its due reward ? As when at Shinar, in that structure proud. Men thought to pile a stepway to the sky ; Their thousand tongues dispersed the impious crowd. And all their schemes in babbling strife did die. Ah ! know we what we do ? The little flock Elected from the world, in Jesus' fold. Each other rend, in foul and frequent shock, While Moslems smile, and Jews with joy behold ! Happy the simple, pure, and artless faith. From faction free, and meretricious dress ; Which sees sin put away by Jesus' death. And trusts in his atoning righteousness : 324 APPENDIX. Which sees salvation free, — all gifts above ; And doom ordained for those who doom deserve : Which plies the gentle part of holy love, Nor seeks to soar, so much as lowly serve. Nor asks too far if adamantine laws Fix all events ; — How God, all sinless still, Wills sin ? — How not ? — How far the Great First Cause Bends by his sovereign nod the human will ? And happy he whom no ambitious ends. Nor gain, nor empty plaudits turn aside ; But, fired with heavenly zeal, still heavenward tends. And studies God where God himself doth guide. Threading with cautious steps life's 'wildered maze. Through fatal snares his course he daily winds ; While Freedom, tempered w^ith Love's gentle rays, Secui-es his concord with dissentient minds. True piety and justice he maintains, — Condemned by men, himself condemning none ; Now speaks for Truth, and now for Peace refrains, Still watchful each presumptuous path to shun. Oft didst thou urge these truths, Arminius dear — In public oft, as thousands can declare ; In private, too, — yea, when thine end drew near. Thy parting breath still urged these counsels fair. With life's protracted ills out-worn and spent, Tired of a world of pertinacious strife. Though crushed thy meaner part like shattered tent, Thy nobler part, unscathed, aspired to life- APPENDIX. 325 Full spread, it longed to gain those kingdoms bright To which to thousands thou did'st point the way ; And now arrived, another star of light, It gems the temple of eternal day. There dost thou pray, that to his flock below God would such light as here they need impart ; And curb their restless wish aught more to know ; And send them teachers after his own heart : — Would all men's hearts (if not all tongues) unite ; And Strife dispel, before Love's ardours driven ; That Christ's whole Church, at one, may, in his light, Approve their life to earth, their faith to heaven. EPITAPH. Subtle in intellect, and great in speech. But careful most his life to regulate, Arminius, dead, thus speaks, thus all would teach, (Of life approved, and matchless in debate) : — ' 1, as in life, in death this counsel give — Be less disposed to akgue than to live.' l^rintL-d by H. Nisbet, 142 Trongate, Glasgou , ^ EB.RATA. Page 15, last line, for ' city ' read ' lovrn' " 19, line 18, for ' ministers ' I'ead ' the ministers ' " 34, line 1, for ' Theodore' read ' Richard ' " 36, line 30, for ' author ' read ' authors ' " 43, line 9, for ' accurate ' read ' finished ' " 49, line 14, for ' Genesis ' read ' Romans ' " 55, last line, for ' gave thanks ' read ' expressed their acknowledgments ' " 68, line 12, for ' studies ' read ' scholastic institutions ' " 68, line 25, for * other ' read ' others,' " 70, line 18, for 'arts of concealment' read 'disingenu- ous arts ' " 74, line 1, for ' there was no stopping short of the third ' read ' recourse must he had to a third [that is, his own] ' " 87, line 29, for 'the churches; and' read 'churches. Moreover,' '•' 123, line 13, for ' contract some disease ' read ' suffer in his health ' " 124, line 17, for ' f requested ' read ' requested f ' " 128, line 10, for ' beloved ' read ' beloved friend ' N.B. — Several of the above mistaken belong to the original. 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