Friday, December 19, 2008

Chapter 5 Part 1

The Life of James Arminius
Chapter 5, Part 1 of 3.


This biography of James Arminius was written in Latin by Caspar Brandt, published by Gerard Brandt in 1724, and translated to English by John Guthrie in 1854.
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CHAPTER V.

ARMINIUS' CALL TO A THEOLOGICAL PROFESSORSHIP IN LEYDEN, AND THE ACTIVE OPPOSITION TO WHICH IT GAVE RISE. A.D. 1602-1603.

As the pestilence already noticed, raged not only in Amsterdam, but also through all the other cities of Holland, it inflicted, in particular, a severe blow on the Academy of Leyden in Holland, by extinguishing, within the space of two months, these illustrious lights of the Church, and most learned men, Lucas Trelcatius, senior, and Francis Junius, the former of whom expired on the 28th of August, and the latter on the 23rd of October. The Academy being deprived of these props, and standing in need of new Atlantes, the wiser class were at a loss to perceive in what way any remedy could be applied to this recent wound; Arminius himself, who was deeply afflicted by an event so calamitous to the Academy, wherever he turned his eyes, could find among foreigners very few indeed fit to undertake such a charge, and sustain, in point of eminence, the position of the dead [Ex Epist. Arm. ad Uitenb. 3. Kal. Nov.]. From France there beamed scarcely a ray of hope; for the churches of that kingdom were themselves provided with hardly as much as mediocrity in this department of study. If he turned his thoughts to Germany, it was with difficulty he could hit on more than one or two of any note. Pezelius was enfeebled by age; Grynaeus, too, was more than sixty. Paraeus was understood to be too much bound to the Palatinate. Of all the German theologians, however, the one whom Arminius judged best qualified to undertake this province (if indeed, his age, too, might not be an objection), was the distinguished Piscator, as being, in his estimation, a learned, diligent, and clear-headed divine, who, by his published writings besides, had already encircled his name with no small celebrity.

But far other, in regard to this matter, was the mind of the honourable curators of the Academy, who, deeming it not at all needful, at this conjuncture, to turn their attention to foreigners, had fixed their thoughts and their eyes on Arminius and Trelcatius, junior. Of this favourable regard on the part of these distinguished men, and indeed of most of the students, toward Arminius, shortly after the death of Trelcatius, Uitenbogaert came to be informed through the correspondence of friends. He was in the camp before Grave at the time, which he followed in the capacity of chaplain to the valiant Prince Maurice. He was first made cognizant of the fact by the letters of that distinguished youth, Hugh Grotius, and of Anthony Thysius, each of whom, after bearing testimony to the splendid endowments of Arminius, earnestly entreated Uitenbogaert that he would not refuse to interpose his endeavour, at this stage, to persuade Arminius to accept the office, should it be placed within his power [Vid. Uitenb. Hist. Eccles. p. 312.]. Thysius, moreover, in his letter to this same friend on the subject, lauds Arminius to the skies, calling him the light of the Low Countries, and a born academician.

By and by, after Uitenbogaert had returned from the camp to the Hague, the honourable senators, Cornelius Neostadius, Frankius, and E. Hogerbeets, made in his presence, at a certain party, new and honourable mention of the proposed call to Arminius [E vita Uitenbog: cap. v.]. The first of these, and along with him the celebrated John Dousa, Lord of Norderwick, were curators of the Academy, and the rest had cultivated an intimacy in study with him from their early years. Uitenbogaert at first took no part in the conversation; but at length, on being asked his opinion by this noble company of men, he very willingly added his suffrage to theirs. A few days after, Nicolas Zeistius, Syndic of Leyden, intimated, in a letter addressed to the honourable Neostadius, that the eyes of almost all the students were turned to Arminius; and not only so, but that they had resolved to present, at the next meeting of the curators, an earnest petition in favour of his being invited.

On being apprized of all this by a letter from Uitenbogaert, Arminius, so far from grasping at the situation which many were marking out for him, rather revolved in his mind a variety of reasons, from day to day, which were calculated to deter him from the idea of it altogether. For, over and above the ardent attachment of his flock to him (which he felt under the strongest obligation to repay with equal love), so great was the regard which he had conciliated towards himself from the public of Amsterdam, and its leading men, that he could promise himself henceforth to carry about with him a mind exempt from anxious solicitude as to his worldly circumstances, and even an augmentation of his respectable stipend should necessity demand [Vid. Epist. Arm. ad Uitenb.]. Add to this, that as the city of Amsterdam had the entire right of him, in consideration of having supported him during his sacred studies, it was hardly likely to surrender to the Leydeners its own alumnus, to the serious injury of the Church.

Meanwhile this favour of the curators for Arminius gave great offence to several ministers; and they left no stone unturned by which to divert the minds and thoughts of the former away from him to some foreign candidate. About this time, a certain deputy of the churches made up to the noble Neostadius, and did his utmost in disparagement of the merits of Arminius, declaring, 'that he had discovered nothing whatever in him except that he was an expert logician; but he (the deputy) had yet to learn that he was so great a theologian as to warrant his elevation to an academic chair.'

Much more strongly and sharply, however, was the proposed appointment resisted by J. Kuchlinus, the principal moderator of the Theological College, the uncle too, and at one time the colleague of Arminius [Ex Diario MS. Uitenb.]. For he began very vehemently to remonstrate with Uitenbogaert on the subject, and to start the doubt whether 'Arminius was not tainted with the Coornhertian heresy;' adding, and stoutly affirming, that 'his father-in-law, Lawrence Real, had a considerable leaning to the same.' Some time after, in presence of the curators of the Academy themselves, after a long preface about Arminius's thirst for novelties, and itch for disputation, he at length broke out in these words:— 'Pray, what shall I, an old man, do? Shall I suffer my pupils to attend the Academy, and hear and carry away with them new doctrines every day? I will not bear it; I will not suffer it; I will rather shut up my college.' Very opportunely, however, in the circumstances, this excited feeling was calmed down by the arrival of John Hauten, a man of very great sagacity, who was at that time secretary to the Academy. By his arguments the old man was brought to a stand, and forthwith began to speak in a more temperate tone.

On the very day, too, on which a meeting of the academy was held on the subject of inviting Arminius, the distinguished Gomarus, after asking permission to speak, and presenting to the honourable curators of the Academy the funeral oration with which he had performed the last honours to Junius, took occasion to intimate to them, that 'Junius, almost at the last hour of his life, implored him to commend, in his name, the Academy and the profession of theology to the special care of the curators. This charge he now implemented; nor could he with a good conscience dissemble his fear that the call of Arminius, for determining on which he understood they were assembled, would in his judgment turn out to the very serious injury of the Academy, in consequence of the heterodox opinions he entertained, and which he had made public both in his discourses on the seventh chapter of the Romans, and in those very serious disputes which he had with Junius on the subject of predestination.' To these things he added, that 'Junius himself had no favourable opinion of Arminius. In Amsterdam he had it in his power to infect one church only; but here he could infect many, not merely in this but also in other lands. In that city there were many who could enter the lists with him, and resist his attempts; but here there were very few. In the Academy there was more freedom of disputation than in the church, from which circumstance undoubtedly the fiercest contentions would arise. Arminius very likely, the more easily to advance himself to the professorship, may hold out the promise of amendment, but no faith was to be attached to his words; and in a matter of such importance it was incumbent on them to act with very great caution, lest by the introduction of such a man, and of novel doctrines, some mischief should accrue to this very distinguished seat of learning.' [Ex Diario MS. Uitenbogardi.].

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