Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/221

 A L T I N G. 185 1640, where he became acquainted with many perfons of the greateif, note ; he preach*, d here, and was ordained a pridt ot the church of Lnpland hy the learned Dr. PriJeaux, bifhop of Wore tiler. He had once refolv s lite in England, but afterwards accepted the H< brew profeflbrfhip at Groningen, offered hi:n upon the death uf Gomarus. He entered upon this office the i^th i.f January, 1643, the very day th .t S;>mu: 1 des Marets was inflalkd in the profeflbrfhifJ of divinity, which had been In 1 I by the fame CJomarus. Alting was admitted debtor of philofophy the zift of October, j64>, preached to the academy in 1647, and doctor ami profdlor of divinity in 1667. He vifited Heidelberg in 166^, where he rct<'.v,d many marks of cfteetn from the elector Palatine, Crmks Lewi*-, who often fo'iciied him to accept of the pioiefibdhip of divinity, but he d'dincd this offer. In a little time a mifunderftandingarofe betwixt him and Samuel des Marets, his colleague, which indeeJ could hardly be avoided, fmce they differed as to their metnod of teaching, and in many points as to '.heir principles. Alting kept to the Scripture?, without meddling with fcholaftic divinity: the firft leisures which he read at his ho.ife upon the cate- chifm, drew fuch vaft crowds of hearers, that, for want of room in his own chamber, he was obliged to make ufe of the univerfity hall. His colleague was accuftomed to the method and logical diminutions of the khoolrmn, had been a long time in great rftecm, had publifhed feveral books, and to a fprightly genius had added a good (lock of learning : the lludents who were of that country adhered to him, as the fureft way to obtain church-preferment ; for the parifhes were generally fupplied with fuch as had ftudied according to his method. This was luffic'ent to raile and keep up a mifunderftanding betwixt the two profdlbrs. Alting had s^reat obftacles to furmount : a majority of voices and the authority of a^e were on his adverfary's fide. Des Marets gave out that Alting was an innovator, and one who endea- voured to root up the boundaries which our wife forefathers had placed on the confines of truth and falfehood : he ac- cordingly fet up as his accufer, and charged him with one- and-thirty erroneous proportions. The curators of the uni- veriity, without acquainting the parties, fcnt the information and the anfwers to the divines of Leyden, defiring their opi- nion. The judgement they gave is pretty remarkable : Alting was acquitted of all herefy, but his imprudence was blamed in broaching new hypothefes j on the other hand, Des Ma- 3 rets