, founder of the sect of Arminians, or Remonstrants, was born at Oudewater
, founder of the sect of Arminians,
or Remonstrants, was born at Oudewater in Holland, 1560.
He lost his father in his infancy, and was indebted for the
first part of his education to a clergyman, who had imbibed
some opinions of the reformed, and who, to avoid being
obliged to say mass, often changed his habitation. Arminius was a student at Utrecht, when death deprived him
of his patron, which loss would have embarrassed him
greatly, had he not had the good fortune to be assisted by
iiodolphus Snellius, his countryman, who took him with him
to Marpurg in 1575. Soon after his arrival here, he heard
the news of his country having been sacked by the Spaniards: this plunged him into the most dreadful affliction,
yet he visited Holland, to be himself an eye-witness of the
state tc which things were reduced; but having found that
his mother, his sister, his brothers, and almost all the
inhabitants of Oude-water, had been murdered, he returned
to Marpurg. His stay here was, however, but short; for,
being informed of the foundation of the university of Leyden, he went again to Holland, and pursued his studies at
this new academy with so much assiduity and success, that
he acquired very great reputation. He was sent to Geneva in 1583, at the expeuce of the magistrates of Amsterdam, to perfect his studies; and here he applied himself
chiefly to the lectures of Theodore Beza, who was at this
time explaining the Epistle to the Romans. Armiuius had
the misfortune to displease some of the leading men of the
university, because he maintained the philosophy of Ramus in public with great warmth, and taught it in private:
being obliged therefore to retire, he went to Basil, where
he was received with great kindness. Here he acquired
such reputation, that the faculty of divinity offered him
the degree of doctor without any expence, but he modestly
excused himself from receiving this honour, and returned
to Geneva; where having found the adversaries of Ramism.
less violent than formerly, he became also more moderate.
Having a great desire to see Italy, and particularly to hear
the philosophical lectures of the famous James Zabarella,
at Padua, he spent six or seven months in the journey:
and then returned to Geneva, and afterwards to Amsterdam; where he found many calumnies raised against him,
on account of his journey to Italy, which had somewhat
cooled the affections of the magistrates of Amsterdam, his
friends and patrons. He easily justified himself to some,
but others remained prejudiced against him. He was ordained minister at Amsterdam in 1588, and soon distinguished himself by his sermons, which were so esteemed
for their solidity and learning, that he was much followed,
and universally applauded. Martin Lyclius, professor of
divinity at Franeker, thought him a fit person to refute a
writing, wherein the doctrine of Theodore Beza upon Predestination had been attacked by some ministers of Delft:
Beza, and his followers, represented man, not considered
as fallen, or even as created, as the object of the divine
decrees. The ministers of Delft, on the other hand, made
this peremptory decree subordinate to the creation and
fall of mankind. They submitted their opinion to the public, in a book entitled “An Answer to certain arguments
of Beza and Calvin, in the treatise concerning Predestination, upon the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans.
”
This piece, which contained several difficulties, with which
the doctrine of the divines of Geneva seemed to be embarrassed, was transmitted by the ministers of Delft to
Martin Lydius, who promised to write a reply; but he
applied to Arminius to take this upon him. Arminius,
accordingly, at his earnest entreaty, undertook to refute
this piece: but, upon examining and weighing the arguments on both sides, he embraced the opinions he proposed to confute; and even went farther than the ministers of Delft. He was threatened with some trouble about
this at Amsterdam, being accused of departing from the
established doctrine; but the magistrates of Amsterdam
interposing their authority, prevented any dissension. In
1603, he was called to the professorship of divinity at Leyden: he began his lectures with three elegant orations;
the first, Of the Object of Theology; the second, Of the
Author and End of it; and the third, Of the Certainty of
it; and then proceeded to the exposition of the prophet
Jonah. The disputes upon grace were soon after kindled
in the university, and the states of the province were forced
to appoint conferences betwixt him and his adversaries.
Gomarus was the great antagonist of Arminius; but the
reputation of the latter was so well established, that he
was continually attended by a numerous audience, who
admired the strength of argument and solid learning which
he shewed in all his lectures: this exposed him to the
envy of his brethren, who treated him with great outrage.
In 1607, he wrote an excellent letter to the ambassador of
the elector Palatine, to vindicate his conduct with regard
to the contests about religion, in which he was engaged:
and the same year gave a full account to the states of Holland, of his sentiments with regard to the controverted
points. These contests, however, his continual labour,
and his uneasiness at seeing his reputation attacked in all
quarters, threw him into a fit of sickness, of which he died
the 19th of October, 1609.