had to maintain his cause against two subtle opponents, and before Judges who were themselves of the Calvinistic persuasion, he completely silenced the chief speaker Cornelison, who, being greatly enraged, was not able to proceed with his intended arguments. Donteklok came to his assistance, but soon caught the infectious stammering and hesitation of his colleague, and when he was obliged suddenly to stop, either through a defect of recollection or a want of argument, Coornhert, who was a bold and witty man, said rather smartly, "What is this the doctrine of Calvin and Beza?" Their honours the Commissioners, thinking this a good opportunity for relieving the embarrassment of the discomfitted ministers, turned round to Coornhert and reprimanded him severely for having mentioned the names of those two venerable reformers. Another person also added something in the way of reproef, to whom Coornhert, having given an answer in kind, proceeded to say, "We are permitted to repeat the name both of GOD and the devil, without being called to an account for such words; why then ought we to be blamed for speaking of two mortal men that were liable to error?" Many warm expressions followed on both sides, and Coornhert left them, declaring before the hundreds of assembled hearers, that he should reason no longer with men who would not concede to him the right of reply.

Each party, as is usual on such occasions, claimed the victory for itself. Coornhert was for some years prohibited from publishing his remarks on this or any other religious controversy, although he petitioned the States, without effect, against such a severe and sweeping restriction. But the ministers of Delft,-willing to give the best colouring to the doctrine of Calvinistic predestination, some time about the year 1589, wrote the popular pamphlet, the title of which has already been given, and in which they defended the lower or sublapsarian scheme.

This controversy had occurred ten years before; yet, in consequence of it, Coornhert had frequently become the object of pulpit vituperation. Some of his theological opinions were certainly too loosely expressed, and were such as could not be maintained by any conscientious ARMINIAN,-a term of distinction at that time unknown among professors of religion. He was a man of great sincerity, a hater of persecution on religious account, and his life and conduct were most holy and exemplary. He had rendered important services to his country on various trying emergencies at the risk of his life, and had

been a most zealous and active champion in the cause of the Reformation. Yet he was loaded with reproaches, and his name was cast out as evil. "The Heretic" and "The Libertine" were the usual epithets by which he was known among his enemies; and to refute his supposed errors from the press and the pulpit, was the labour which almost every petty synod in the United Provinces delegated to one of the most able of its members. When Lydius, therefore, who was an admirer of Beza and consequently a supralapsarian, had sent the pamphlet published by the ministers at Delft, and had solicited Arminius to defend the sentiments of his old master, against those which were then considered to be much too mild and fraught with error,-at the very same period the ecclesiastical senate of Amsterdam preferred a request to him that he would undertake the province of exposing the errors of Coornhert. Thus, by a remarkable co-incidence, was committed into the hands of Arminius, a young divine of the greatest promise, the momentous charge of refuting what were deemed to be two very opposite heresies. The providence of God, under whose control are all the affairs of his church, seems, for the wisest and most beneficent purposes, to have brought into immediate contact, at a remarkable crisis, two clashing propositions involving an important verity of christian doctrine, that they might arouse the attention and excite the energies of a mortal who had been highly gifted of God, and upon whom had been bestowed an enlarged and most capacious understanding, and a mind so peculiarly trained to close thought and logical deductions, as if it had been educated with the sole intent of skilfully eliciting the portion of conflicting truth contained in each of these propositions, and of framing from them a grand and scriptural system which most signally "justifies ways of God to man."

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Bertius has correctly stated the progress of conviction, which a gradual developement of truth produced on the mind of Arminius at this most interesting period. But as every circumstance, however trivial in appearance, becomes of importance when connected with the name of our author, and with the consequences which resulted from his lucubrations, it may be proper to add, that Lydius was not disinclined to answer the pamphlet written by the Delft brethren, and had pledged himself to perform that duty, but he preferred engaging

Arminius; and, to induce him to undertake this province, he not only urged the propriety of defending his old tutor, but hinted that such an employment would be an excellent preparative for his refutation of Coornhert, which had been assigned to him by the ecclesiastical senate of Amsterdam. It has been already related, that when he had maturely weighed all the arguments that might be produced against the supralapsarian scheme of Calvin and Beza, he felt inclined to subscribe to the milder scheme of the sublapsarians; but on further research and study, which he never remitted till he had satisfied his own mind on this important point, he at length settled in a firm belief of that particular view of predestination which now bears his honoured name, and which may be clearly demonstrated from the scriptures themselves, and which receives additional confirmation from the writings of the early Christian Fathers. This view of predestination attributes the electing grace of God solely in its application to christian CHARACTERS, as such, and only while their dispositions and conduct remain truly christian; but both the other views have respect entirely to persons who have once been the subjects of divine grace, without making any abatement or surcease in God's electing love on account of any subsequent misconduct and unchristian practices on the part of such persons. The opinions finally adopted by Arminius respecting predestination, were, with some guarded modifications, the same as those which had been espoused and defended by Coornhert, and which had likewise, in the best and purest periods of Church History, found patrons and advocates among the ablest both of ancient and modern divines.

In this state of mind, and having never accustomed himself to slight the dictates of an enlightened conscience, he determined to act with prudence, and to do nothing unworthy of a sincere and impartial enquirer after truth, by prematurely opposing either the one scheme of doctrine or the other. He therefore abandoned the task of refutation which had been assigned to him, and betook himself, at every moment of leisure which he could abstract from the duties of his profession, to a still deeper research into these matters, by diligently reading the sacred scriptures and comparing them with the writings of the Primitive Fathers and of later divines. After all his study, he was the more confirmed in the recent discovery which had been made to his mind, of the true and scriptural doctrine of predestination; yet he was particularly

guarded in his expressions, and did not venture at first to say any thing in public against the current dogmas on this subject, but for the sake of peace he concealed that, and some other truths allied to it, within the sanctuary of his own bosom.

In the course of a few months, however, when their truth was made still more apparent, he felt an impression on his mind, that it was inconsistent with his vocation, as a teacher and propounder of the mysteries of God, to defer so far to the erroneous prejudices of some good men as to hide within his own heart that which had been committed to his trust for the common benefit of others. He resolved, therefore, in a modest manner, to testify his dissent from some vulgar and received errors, in his occasional discourses on such passages of scripture as obviously admitted of an interpretation that accorded with his more enlarged views of God's economy in the salvation of sinners, and contributed at the same time to promote practical godliness. This became a settled practice with him in the year 1590.

To trace the progress of truth on an ingenuous spirit, is a task that yields both pleasure and improvement. On more closely inspecting this change in the sentiments of Arminius, his conduct appears to be entitled to particular commendation. As soon as the first glimmerings of the light of truth broke in upon his mind, he did not confer with flesh and blood, but yielded to the force of his convictions. When further light from heaven was communicated to him, he abandoned without regret the sublapsarian scheme which he had recently embraced, and intrenched himself within the scriptural stronghold of General Redemption. In both instances, that which appeared erroneous was instantly abandoned; and on neither of those occasions did he betray any wish to fortify himself in falsehood, by seeking out subterfuges which might enable him still to profess his former opinions, or the most ingenious mode of mystifying those doctrines of the truth of which he had been convinced. But both the supra-lapsarian and the sublapsarian systems were at that time popular in Holland, while General Redemption was so imperfectly understood or in such small esteem, as to be usually classed with Arianism or Socinianism. If Arminius therefore had any possible inducement to prefer one of the prevailing schemes to the other, his worldly interest must have evidently been in favour of supralapsarianism, which he had forsaken on the outset of this investigation. Honour and renown would have been his re

ward, and no eulogy would have been considered too great to bestow upon him, had he successfully defended the popular doctors of that æra, against what were received by their adherents as most pernicious novelties. Or if he had even proceeded no further than sublapsarianism, and refrained from shewing any attachment to General Redemption, he would still have conciliated some of the regards of the followers of Calvin. But being led on by the guiding star of truth, and disregarding all inferior considerations, he fearlessly pursued his course, and only stopped at that place to which it pointed. To produce doctrines that were subversive of Particular Redemption, was looked upon as an unpardonable offence; and which must always experience the greatest share of obloquy from the pharisaical adherents to the dogmas of mere earthly teachers. But his doctrines were all drawn from a higher source than any thing earthly; and when they were first espoused, there was no man living, whom, in relation to their bearing and application, he could call MASTER. He expected no mercy from those who derive all the principles of their religious belief from human authority alone, and either never try them by the elevated standard of the scriptures, or attempt to bring the scriptures down to the level of their principles. Yet, knowing all this, and having counted the cost, Arminius voluntarily subjected himself to many years of ignominy and painful suffering, rather than be found to compromise the highest interests of the truth of God, the convictions of his illuminated conscience, or the spiritual welfare of his fellow-creatures,-all of which were implicated in the doctrines which he had been drawn by the Spirit of God to espouse and defend. Indeed, no other course of conduct could be expected from the man, who, while but a youth, had behaved with such courage and resolution at Geneva, in reference to the philosophy of Ramus; and, in the face of the whole University, had defended that excellent system in opposition to the subtleties of Aristotle.

There are certain doctrines, as well as facts, which, having been imbibed in early life and held as axioms on the subjects to which they relate, are not discarded without much regret,even after we have discovered that the principles, on which they professed to rest, are false and untenable. They are so associated with the beloved teachers from whom we received them, are so entwined with the endearing remembrance of our youthful friends in whose company they were first instilled into us, they frequently derive so much interest from the situations