authorities: And though the modest defence of his own scriptural sentiments, respecting the perfections of God as exemplified in his gracious and equitable conduct towards mankind, was both in its tendency and in its results, one of the greatest blessings which Arminius could have conferred on his country; yet we are to this day accustomed to hear the insidious lamentations of the semi-infidel Bayle, concerning "the impolicy of mooting those questions," repeated by intelligent persons without due reflection and in the absence of the requisite information.-See pages 66-75. * I had prepared a Preface, which contained many needful explanatory notices respecting my author: But the Testimonies which I have quoted in elucidation of his personal character and the effects of his doctrines, occupy, with greater profit to the reader, the pages which it was my intention to devote to this purpose. An opportunity will hereafter be afforded of explaining myself more fully, in a General Introduction, which I reserve for the commencement of the Third Volume: In this, I shall be the more readily excused, since I have so recently given my opinion of Arminius, in that voluminous performance, " Calvinism and Arminianism Compared in their Principles and Tendency," against which some of my high Predestinarian friends have manifested great displeasure. In the mean time, I leave the learned among my countrymen to decide upon the manner in which this Translation has been executed; and may be permitted to declare, that it has been my endeavour to make it clear and faithful, particularly in those instances in which doctrinal matters are the Magistrates used to ask these new inquisitors, if it was impossible to be a good Reformed Christian without receiving the doctrines of St. Augustine and his followers? From the commencement of the Reformation in Holland, the sentiments opposed to the system of that doctor had always prevailed in the town of Tergow: The States of Holland had not granted even their formal approbation of the Confession of Faith received in the Belgic Churches. Was not this then a proof, that those prudent magistrates believed that articles had been put into this formulary, which were not absolutely necessary, and which should have been expressed in a manner more mild and less liable to scandalize those who could not relish all the peculiar opinions of the first Reformers? This appears very probable, when history informs us, that the Statesof Holland, otherwise strongly opposed to the convention of a General Synod of the seven United Provinces, consented, in the year 1597, that such an assembly should be held, for the purpose of narrowly revising the Confession of Faith and of correcting it in a peaceful and charitable spirit.-LE VASSOR'S Hist. Louis XIII. • Bayle, in his disputes against the wisdom and the goodness of God, being pushed by his antagonists, and compelled to declare what sort of a Christian he pretended to be, professed himself a Predestinarian Protestant of the most rigid sort; but no Protestant of any denomination ever was simple enough to believe him. Bayle frequently took occasion to shew his disapprobation of the Remonstrants. The true cause of his disgust seems to have been this; they endeavoured to prove the reasonableness of Christianity, and to vindicate the goodness of God, and would not give up the divine perfections as unintelligible and indefensible. They ought not," says he, "to have removed the bounds set up by their fathers." I should have thought that the apostles and evangelists were to be looked upon as our Christian fathers, rather than the Calvins and the Bezas. - They ought not, says he, to have made disturbances. But that was not their fault; it was the fault of those who quarrelled with them, and would not tolerate them." Their refinements," says he, "signified nothing, and they could not defend Christianity any better than the Calvinists; for it is all one, whether God be the author and the punisher of sin, or whether he foresees sin, and permits it, and then punishes it with eternal misery." These and the rest of his objections drawn up with such a profusion of words, and so much pains, and parade, and indecent language, were considered and fully confuted by Le Clerc in his Bibliotheque Chois. "The system of the Remonstrants," as he is pleased to observe," is full of considerable errors." "This is the mean and spiteful remark of a man who knew almost as little of divinity as he did of natural philosophy.-JORTIN'S Dissertations. concerned: In other passages, I have observed greater freedom, but without departing from the meaning of my author. In elucidating the early history of Dutch and English Arminiansm, in this and my former production, I have often accounted it my duty to corroborate my statements and views by apposite quotations from approved authors, some of whose works are of rare occurrence. Had my motive, in adopting this practice, been the mere love of display, I should have presented my extracts in the languages in which they were severally written, without subjecting myself to the harassing yet necessary labour of translation. But this method had its source, I hope, in something more nearly allied to humility: I knew that, whatever observations such an obscure person as myself could make, they would be regarded by the public only as my own individual assertions; and that, how just and reasonable soever they might appear in the abstract, they were capable of being neutralized by the contrary assertions of some one equally "to fortune and to fame unknown." But when strengthened by respectable authorities, many of which consist of original documents, while others often serve to illustrate more than the subject immediately under review, the remarks of an individual assume greater importance and prefer higher claims to general credence. In conclusion, after thanking the Giver of all good for having preserved me, through numerous perils and difficulties, to see the completion of this volume, the composition of which has cost me more labour than would have sufficed for the mere translation of the whole of ARMINIUS's Works; I wish to bespeak the forgiveness of all those good and pious men, who may feel their spirits wounded by any observations which I have made upon their party and their practices. I allude more particularly to some of the most forward and worst-qualified of the writers among the modern Independents, who exhibit much declamation and small research when delivering their precipitate judgments on doctrines which they never understood, and on ecclesiastical occurrences about which they are equally ignorant. I also allude to those privileged persons who assume the office of dictators, both on matters of fact and of doctrine, to the evangelical clergy; and whose pertinacious adherence to the convicted mis-statements of some among their former leaders, is the more culpable, because they possess better opportunities, than the forward among the Congregationalists, of gaining accurate historical information about the doctrines in dispute between themselves and the Melanchthonian compilers of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. To both these classes of men, who, unlike the amiable and moderate of their brethren, are the vilest traducers of Arminianism, I wish to offer the same apology as the benevolent Mosheim did when writing on a similar subject: Modestiam colere, Christiani est; at ejusdem tamen est, id quod res est sine acrimonia dicere, quando libertas illa rem sacram fortassis adjuvare potest. Spero ea ratione id a me factum esse, ut nusquam animum maledicendi studio inquinatum, æquitatis expertem, aut in adversariorum vitiis exultantem prodiderim. Si quid secus, ut homines sumus, præter spem evenerit, id me data occasione emendaturum esse, publice polliceor. LONDON, JAMES NICHOLS. E. The pamphlet which Arminius was desired to answer F. The change effected in his sentiments-Animadversions on Bayle G. Description of Arminianism-Its existence before the time of Arminius- I. Account of his father-in-law, and the sufferings of the early Protestants K. The Personal History of Arminius L. Account of Junius, and his judicious advice to the early Independents NOTES. O. The Personal History of Arminius P. Account of Uitenbogaert and Vorstius Q. R. and S. The Personal History of Arminius ACCOUNT of the Proceedings of the Synod of Dort 409-515 LETTER from Fusselius 420; Paræus 203; Pezelius 204; Eustachius 280; Vor- stius 204, 214, 222, 499, 508; Borrius 211, 300, 466; Næranus 281; Uiten- bogaert 212, 218, 229, 232, 272; Foppius 625; Vossius 270; Lipsius 284; Bertius 285; King James 439, 455; Grotius 274, 313, 609; Saravia 656; S. Lubbertus 523, Piscator 633; Poelenburgh 643, 661; M. A. De Dominis 440; Episcopius 444; Bogerman 500; Arminius, Hales and Balcanqual, CHARACTER of Hemmingius and Baro 89; M. Lydius 103; J. Taffin 104; G. Snecanus 127; F. Hommius 405, 466; King James I. 411, 456, Thysius 183, 465; Episcopius 319; Dutch Commissioners at the Synod 441; Bogerman 443; Lubbertus and Gomarus 465; Triglandius 465; Damman 466; Faukelius and Rolandus 466; Koolhaes, Herberts, Wiggertson and REMARKS on the Rev. T. Scott 511, 575, 601; Limborch 604; Dr. Twisse 585; Melancthon, Cranmer, Luther, Erasmus 596, 602, 607; Assurance of Salva- tion 603; Perfection of Believers 614; Imputed Active Righteousness of Christ 632; Formularies of Faith 637, 666; Disputes about Predestination among the early English Martyrs 648; Origin of the Dutch Confession 664; IN ELUCIDATION OF ARMINIUS ANd his doctrines. THESE TESTIMONIES, from authors of almost every denomination of professing Christians, have been selected chiefly with a view to the varied information which they convey, though it is not in all instances the most accurate. With the exception of Spondanus, however, they exhibit the character, conduct, and doctrines of Arminius himself to great advantage: And, after making some allowance for the prejudices of the different writers, many of whom were opposed to him in their religious tenets, they represent him as a man who is eminently entitled to the respect and admiration of a free people, and whose "meekness of wisdom" is worthy of imitation by all the real followers of Christ Jesus. JOHN AIKIN, M.D.-1799. THE personal character of Arminius was irreproachable; and he attracted the esteem and applause of his very enemies by his amiable manners, his candid spirit, his diffidence and modesty, and his inflexible integrity. He was a friend to universal toleration, and established it as a fundamental principle, that Christians are accountable to God alone for their religious sentiments, and that no individual can be justly punished by the magistrate for erroneous opinions, while he conducts himself as a virtuous and obedient subject, and makes no attempts to disturb the peace and order of civil society. If the controversy in which Arminius was a leader is now subsided, either because it has ceased to be thought important, or because it has been found to be above human comprehension, or because it has been superseded by other systems, it must, however, be allowed, that the discussion of these points fostered a spirit of enquiry, and prepared the way for other more useful or more satisfactory researches.-General Biography. DOMINIC BAUDIUS, D. D.-1610. I have not been induced by any vain ambition to dedicate to your High Mightinesses these verses on the death of that reverend and MOST FAMOUS MAN, JAMES ARMINIUS; nor have I performed this act of piety to an old friend, with any sinister view of obtaining some office from your kindness. I have honoured the memory of the happy Arminius with a long poem, that a testimonial of my judgment may exist on record, in this public monument, concerning that excellent man whom, while living, I sincerely loved, and whom, now that he is dead, I esteem as one that abounded in the CHOICE ENDOWMENTS OF GENIUS and was adorned with the HIGHEST ACQUIREMENTS OF LEARNING.-Dedication. In the long list of my old friends, for whom I cherish the highest and most particular regard, none can be compared to you, my friend Uitenbogaert, and to Arminius now in possession of endless felicity. I am not so unobservant of the duties of humanity or so forgetful of the claims of ancient friendship, as to be guilty of an act of injustice to the deceased, when I was among the few who highly venerated THE EMINENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS of his mind, as long as he lived.* Nothing can be elicited from the tenour of the whole poem, except that Arminius was assailed by prejudices, suspicions. The long poem which Baudius composed on the death of Arminius, and of which Uitenbogardt complained, was of a very dubious character, and stood so much and calumnies, and that the attacks against him were conducted not so much by open warfare as by undermining artifices, all of which may befal any person of the greatest integrity and most unsullied innocence. He was never legitimately convicted of holding any error, or condemned on that account. Up to the very last breath which he drew, he adorned that province which he had undertaken according to the decree of our Curators and Burgomasters; and he died in possession of that most honourable office. All good men ought therefore to suffer his memory to live in their grateful recollection. His death has created within me the deepest regret; and I never indulged in any wish so eagerly as in this to see that day arrive when he might be able to defend his own innocency against the rumours which envy had spread abroad and which credulity had rashly believed.--Epist. Eccl. THOMAS BENNET, D. D.-1714. It is to me a most astonishing thing, that the patrons of Absolute Predestination are able to persuade themselves, that Conditionate Predestination is condemned, in this [the 17th] Article, by our Church. For every body that understands their notions must be forced to see, that there is not one syllable in this Article but what the patrons of Conditionate Predestination most heartily approve and teach. It would be endless to enumerate all the authorities, by which this might be made appear. Let it therefore suffice, that the only part wherein any difficulty can be pretended, is the first paragraph; and that ARMINIUS himself, not to mention others his professed followers, does manifestly assert every branch of it, as appears from his own words quoted in the margin, [the quotations consist of the four decrees described by Arminius in page 589, and the 15th of his Public Disputations, which the reader may easily compare with the aforesaid first paragraph: And, by such comparison, he cannot but observe an exact harmony between our Church and the author above mentioned. See also the 40th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd of his [Private] Disputations, which are too long to be inserted: Nor could I have prevailed upon myself to insert so much as I have done already, were it not to convince the most obstinate by producing such full and plain testimonies.-Directions for studying the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. in equilibrio as to be easily interpreted either in favour or in disapprobation of the deceased. Like his friend Heinsius, as soon as he found the Calvinists to be the ascendant party, he deserted his old friends, and paid court to their enemies. • Dr. Bennet, and Plaifere, quoted in page xxviii, are the two authors to whom Dr. Waterland refers, in his Supplement to the Case of Arian Subscription, as having satisfactorily established the proper Arminian character of the 17th Article. Both of them had actually read and examined the Works of Arminius, which is more than can be said of several who speak dogmatically concerning that great man and his system: They found an exact similarity between his doctrine of Divine Predestination and that contained in the Seventeenth Article of our Church. In that very able pamphlet, An Apology for the Church of England: In a letter to the author of the "Enquiry into the Causes of the Decay of the Dissenting Interest;" and in HORSLEY'S 17th Article Explained, both the authors arrive at the same conclusion, the former of them quoting several passages out of Arminius. See also Dr. WINCHESTER's Dissertation; Dr. KIPLING'S Articles of the Church of England proved not to be Calvinistic; and Dr. LAURENCE's Attempt to illustrate those Articles of the Church of England, which the Calvinists improperly consider as Calvinistical. Other excellent treatises are extant on the same subject; yet many of the evangelical clergy write still, as though nothing had ever been published to controvert their unfounded opinions specting the 17th Article. |