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name of Arminius (AAA); and that afterwards

he

Wightman. He is also accused with believing himself "the comforter spoken of in St. John's gospel, and the "Elias to come; and that he was fent to perform his "part in the work of the falvation of the world." But for his holding the opinions of Manes, and Manichees, (as with great learning and judgment they are distinguished in the warrant) and Simon Magus, nothing at all appears even from the enumeration of his adverfaries. So that I gueffed right, that the inferting of these hard names was to terrify and affright (b). I will infert (6) The a paragraph from the warrant for the execution of Le- connexion, being fome gate, with the reader's leave, which will fhew us pretty choice colmuch the temper of James, and fo conclude. "As a lections of ❝zealot of justice, and a defender of the catholic faith, fome princi pal matters "and willing to defend and maintain the holy church, in king "and rights and liberties of the fame, and the catholic James's "faith, and fuch herefies and errors every where what in reign, 8vo. ❝us lieth, to root out and extirpate, and to punish with Lond. 1681. "condign punishment fuch heretics fo convicted, and "deeming that such an heretic in form aforefaid, con"victed and condemned according to the laws and "cuftoms of this our kingdom of England, in this part occafioned, ought to be burned with fire, we "do command, &c." (c)

(AAA) He falls very foul on the name of Arminius.] Arminius was a man of fenfe; he faw the confequences of the calvinistical doctrines, and fet himself to oppose them; but he did it with candour and modefty. Whether his fcheme be in all parts of it defenfible, or whether he in any place has run into one extream in order to avoid another, and needlessly made innovations in the received doctrines of the reformed churches, I leave to divines to be confidered. 'Tis fufficient here to observe that his doctrine was received by many men of great understandings, and that his manners were irreproachable. His memory therefore ought to have been dear to every good man, and his reputation fhould have

remained

P. 72,-90.

(e) Id. p. 794

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works, p. 350, 354, 355.

he contributed much to the condemnation of his followers, by fending his divines to the fynod of Dort (BBB), where their doctrine

remained unsullied. But James attacked him; he calls him a "feditious aud heretical preacher, an infector of (a) James's “Leyden with herefy, and an enemy of God (a); ❝ and withal he complains of his hard hap not to hear of him before he was dead, and that all the reform"ed churches in Germany had with open mouths. (6) Id, ibid. complained of him (b)."Hard hap indeed! to be ignorant of the fentiments of a profeffor of divinity, and unable to enter the lifts with him; for this probably he would have done, had he found any thing to have faftened on.-But James's anger againft Arminius foon declined. Though he here branded him for an enemy to God, yet having feen the opinion of "his followers, and their adverfaries, and the argu"ments by which they were fupported, difcuffed at

ment of

Brandt's

large, he tells the ftates general, it did not appear to "him that either of them were inconfiftent with the "truth of the chriftian faith, and the falvation of (c) Abridge-fouls (c)." This letter is dated March 6, 1613, and is plainly contradictory to what I have juft cited from hift. of the his writings. But a contradiction was nothing to him. A man fhall be an enemy to God, or the contrary, just as he takes it in his head; for 'twas a small matter with him to accufe, revile, and rail: he was a king, and wood, Vol. he expected his word fhould be taken, though he renIII. p. 452. dered not a reafon. However James's fit of good-hu

reforma.

tion, Vol.

I. p. 325. and Win

mour lafted not long, with refpect to the followers of Arminius in Holland; they foon again were bad men, held wicked doctrines, and fuch as were worthy of his care to extirpate, as we fhall-prefently fee. He joined with their adverfaries, and contributed to their undo ing; fo that he had no ftability of judgment, or refolution, but was various as the wind.

(BBB) He contributed much to the condemnation of

his

trine was rejected, the contrary thereunto

con

his followers, by fending his divines to the fynod of Dort. The end and defign of this fynod was to condemn the remonftrants; it was called by their profeffed enemies, and compofed of fuch as were most of all fet against them. They took an oath indeed, " that in examining and deciding, they would use no human "writing, but only the word of God. And that "during all their difcuffions, they would aim only at the "glory of God, the peace of the church, and efpe

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66

Brandt,

cially the prefervation of the purity of doctrine (a).” (a) AbridgBut this was no guard; every thing was determined ac- ment of cording to their preconceived opinions, and the contra- Vol. 11. p ry was judged falfe and heretical. For 'tis the manner 417. of thefe affemblies to affume to themfelves fomewhat more wisdom than the writers of the New Teftament ever pretended to. They know better how to exprefs doctrines, how to guard against herefies, how to fecure the peace of the church, and above all how to filence and convince gainfayers in the most effectual manner. But, fomewhat unluckily,, it has happened out, that where they have once done good, they have ten times' done hurt. Where one breach in the church has been made up by them, many have been caufed; and where one herefy, as 'tis called, has been fuppreffed, numbers have been occafioned by them. So that it would be a very difficult matter to fay what good purpose they have ever anfwered. To the members of them, indeed, they have been useful. They have established their reputation for orthodoxy with the unthinking vulgar; given them an opportunity of gratifying their ambition and love of power; and above all of fatiating their revenge on those who have eclipfed their reputation, and hindered them from making the figure they were inclined to. But too fad a truth is it, that they never have promoted peace, unity, and love among chriftians, or the practice of thofe other virtues which are fo ftrongly incul

cated

vel's bift.

confirmed, and they themselves ftigmatized

as

b) See An- cated in the gofpel (b). And therefore well were it for drew Mar- the world, if it had an affurance of their never more ellay touch- coming into reputation; for the mischiefs they always ing general caufe are innumerable. No wonder then that the councils, fynod of Dart turned out as it did. It had been a miand Jortin's racle if peace had been the confequence of it; For preface to his whatever has been the pretence, I believe it hardly ever remarks on was the real end of the meetings of this fort. But let history, Vol. us fee what hand fames had in this fynod, and how he

creeds, &c.

ecclefiaftical

1. p. 14.

ment of

Brandt, Vol.

contributed to the condemnation of the followers of Arminius.The fynod began to meet Nov. 13, 1618. It confifted of thirty-fix minifters of the United Provinces, and five profeffors, together with twenty elders; to these were added twenty-eight foreign divines, among whom were the following fent by James, George Carleton bishop of Landaff, Jofeph Hall dean of Worcefter, John Davenant profeffor of divinity and mafter of queen's college at Cambridge, and Samuel Ward archdeacon of Taunton, head of Sydney college at Cambridge, and sometime after, Walter Balcanqual, a Scotch divine, was added to them, to represent the (c) Abridg. churches of his country (c). [The ever memorable John Hales alfo attended the fynod, not as a member, but was fent by Sir Dudley Carleton, the English am(d) Hales's ballador at Holland, whofe chaplain he was, to give him an account of what paffed in the fynod (d).] Thefe divines fent by James were not as furious in their beLond. 1687. haviour towards the remonftrants, as their own countrymen; but they performed the errand for which they were fent, the condemnation of the opinions of Arminius, and establishment of thofe of Calvin. For this purpose these gentlemen, though one of them a bishop, and moft of the other dignified in an epifcopal church; thefe gentlemen, I fay, took on them to handle the controverted points, and to engage against the errors of the Arminians, in a fynod made up of mere prefbyters, and the prefident of which was only one of the fame character.

II. P.

406.

golden re

mains, p.

454. 8vo.

as introductors of novelties, obftinate and

dif

454.

Brandt, Vol.

racter (e). They made fpeeches to overthrow certain (e) Hales's diftinctions framed by the remonftrants, for the main- remains, på tenance of their pofitions, and evafion from the contraremonftrants arguments (f). They differed among (f) Id. p. themselves (g), and fell into heats with fome of the 459. (g) Id. p. other members (h); but they agreed in approving the 470. Belgic confeffion of faith, and the Heidelberg catechism (b) Id. p. (i). In fhort, they difpatched the work intended, and 484, and 506. contributed to the woes which followed foon after upon (i) Abridgthe poor Arminians.. 'Tis remarkable also that seven ment of years did not fuffice to allay the wrath of James against II. p. 511. Vorftius: for almoft at the conclufion of the fynod, his clergy read an extract of that profeffor's errors; they called those errors blafphemies against the nature of God, and said that the fale of Vorftius's book fhould be prohibited. Laftly, they demanded that his book de Deo fhould be burned in a folemn manner; and they produced a decree of the univerfity of Cambridge, by virtue of which that book had been burnt publickly (k). (k) Id. p. The effect of thefe reprefentations I have mentioned in 514. note (xx). If it be asked why the part the English clergy took in the affairs at Dort, is attributed to James? the answer is, that they themselves owned, that they had been deputed to the fynod by the king, and not by the church of England (/). And fo intent was he on (1) Id. p. the business of the fynod, "that he commanded them 501. "to give him a weekly account of all its memorable

10. p. 79.

be

paffages, with the receipt of which he was highly "pleafed (m)." "Yea, they were inftructed at all (m) Fuller's "times to confult with the English ambassador [Sir church hift. "Dudley Carleton] who was acquainted with the form cent. 17. b. "of the Low Countries, underflood well the questions " and differences amongst them, and from time to time "received James's princely directions (n).”—So that (~) Id. p.78. he was properly the actor in this place, and the condemner of the opinions held by the enemy of God (0), (0) See note and his followers. Whoever calls to mind the depriva- (AAA).

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