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/357

 A R M I N I U S. 321 rc-lla, at Padua. He fatisfud this curiofity, and" fpent fix or feven months in the journey: he then returned to Geneva, and afterwards to Amfterdam, where he found many calum- nies raifed againft him, on ace unt of his journey to Italy, which had fomewi.at cooled the arYcr.ions or" the maiflratcs of Aa.lKidam, his friends and patrons [cj. He eafily juftj-y"^"^ fied himfelf to men of fenfr, though many weak and (uperfti- j. Anninu. tious perfons remained prejudiced againft him. He was or- dained minilter at Amfterdam in 1588, and foon diftinguifti- ed h.mfclf by hi-> feimons, which were remarkable for their folidity and learning, fo that he was extremely followed, and uiiivcrfally applauded. Martin Lydius, profcflbr of di- vinity at Franeker, thought him a fit perfon to refute a writ- ing, wherein the doctrine of Theodore Beza upon predefti- nation had been attacked by fome minifters of Delft [D]: Arminius, accordingly, at his earneft ent;eaty, undertook to refute this piece ; but, upon examining and weighing the ar- guments on both fides, he embraced the opinions, he propofed to confute ; and even went farther than the minifters of Delft. He was threatened with fome trouble about this at Amfter- dam, being accufed of departing from the eftablifJhed dodbine; but the magiftrates of Amllerdam interpofing thtir authority, prevented any diflenfion. In 1603, he was called to the pro- fefibrfhipot divinity atLeyden: hebegsn his lectures with three elegant orations ; the firft, " Of the ObjecVof Divinity ;" the fecond, " Of the Author and End of it;" and the third, " Of the Certainty of it:" and then proceeded to the exposition of Brandt ' S the prophet Jonah. The difputes upon grace were foon af- Life of Ar ter kindled in the univeriity, and the Hates of the province mi " lu _ s ' s were forced to appoint conferences betwixt him and his ad- p verfaries. Gomauis was a great perfecutor of Arminius ; but the repu-ation of the latter wab fo well eftablifhed, that he was continually attended by a numerous audience, who [c] It was given out, that he had their opinion to the public, in a book killed the pope's toe; that he had intituled, " An Anfwer to certain Ar- contradled a gieat intimacy with the " guments of Beza and Calvin, in the JeUiitij that he was intimately ac- " Treruile concerning Predefti nation, quainted with Bell.irmine; and that l;e " upjn Jie nintb Chapter of the Epil- h.'-d abjured the Reformed religion. " tie to tfie Romans. " TKii piece, Berlins, ibid. which contained fevernl difficulties;, [oj Beza, and his followers, reprc- with which the rigid lioftrine or the fentod man, not confidered as Ullen, or divines of Geneva feemed to be em''ar. sven as created, as the object of the raffed, was tranlmitted by th-- min:fters divine cecrees. The minifters of Delft, oi Delft to Martin Lydius, who pro- on the other hand, mnde this peremp- mil'cd to write a reply ; but l.e applied tory decree fubordinate to the creation to Arminius to take this upon him. and fall of mankind. They Submitted VOL, I. Y admired