ARMILLARY TRIGONOMETER, the name of an in strument invented by Mr Mungo Murray, and improved by Mr Ferguson, for performing problems in astronomy, dialling, and spherical trigonometry. See Ferguson's Tables and Tracts, p. 80. (j) ARMINIANISI\l, strictly speaking, is that system of religious doctrine which was taught by Arminius, professor of divinity in the university of Leyden. If therefore we would ki•' precisely what Arminianism is, we must have recourse to those writings in which that divine himself has stated and expounded his pecu liar tenets. This, however, will by no means give us an accurate idea of that which, since his time, has been usually denominated Arminianism. On examination, it will be found, that in many important particulars, those who have called themselves Arminians, or have been ac counted such by others, differ as widely from the nominal head and founder of their sect, as he himself did from Calvin, and other doctors of Geneva. There are, in deed, certain points, with regard to which he has been strictly and uniformly followed by almost all his pre tended adherents; but there are others of equal or of greater importance, dogmatically insisted on by them, to which he unquestionably never gave his sanction, and even appears to have been decidedly hostile. Such a distinction, obvious as it must be to every attentive reader, has yet been generally so far overlooked, that the memory of Arminius is frequently loaded with im putations the most unreasonable and unjust. He is ac cused by the ignorant and the prejudiced, of introducing corruptions into the Christian church, which he proba bly never thought of, and which certainly have no place in his works. And all the odium which his followers have from time to time incurred by their varied and in creasing heterodoxy, has been absurdly reflected upon him, as if he could be responsible for every error that May be sent abroad under the sanction of his name. Whatever be the number or the species of these errors, and in whatever way they may be associated with his principles, it is fair to the character of Arminius, and useful to the interests of religious truth, to revert to his own writings as the only source from which we ought to derive information concerning the Arminian scheme. And by doing so, it may be discovered, that genuine un adulterated Arminianism is not that great and danger ous heresy which among a certain class of Christians it is too often represented to be ; and that though it may still be thought less scriptural and less logical than Cal vinism, yet it does not deserve to be reprobated as wholly inimical to the grace and glory of the gospel.
Having made these preliminary remarks, we shall now endeavour to give a short and correct view of Ar minianism in the proper sense of that term. Arminian ism is to be considered as a separation from Calvinism, with regard to the doctrines of unconditional election, particular redemption, and other points necessarily re sulting from these. The Calvinists held, that God had
elected a certain portion of the human race to eternal life, passing by the rest, or rather dooming them to everlasting destruction; that God's election proceeded upon no prescience of the moral principles and charac ter of those whom he had thus predestinated, but ori ginated solely in the motions of his free and sovereign mercy ; that Christ died for the elect only, and there fore that the merits of his death can avail for the salva tion of none but them; and that they are constrained by the irresistible power of divine grace to accept of him as their Saviour. To this doctrine, that of Arminius and his legitimate followers stands opposed. They do not deny an election ; but they deny that it is absolute and unconditional. They argue, that an election of this kind is inconsistent with the character of God, that it destroys the liberty of the human will, that it contra dicts the language of scripture, and that it tends to en courage a careless and licentious practice in those by whom it is believed. They maintain, that God has elected those only who, according not to his decree, but his foreknowledge, and in the exercise of their natural powers of self-determination, acting under the influence of his grace, would possess that faith and holiness to which salvation is annexed in the gospel scheme. And those who are not elected are allowed to perish, not because they were not elected, but merely and solely in consequence of their infidelity and disobedience ; on account, indeed, of which infidelity and disobedience being foreseen by God, their election did not take place. They hold, that Christ died for all men in the literal and unrestricted sense of that phrase ; that his atonement is able, both from its own merit, and from the intention of him who appointed it, to expiate the guilt of every individual ; that every individual is invited to partake of the benefits which it has procured ; that the grace of God is offered to make the will comply with this invita tion, but that this grace may be resisted and rendered ineffectual by the sinner's perversity. Whether true believers necessarily persevered, or whether they might fall from their faith, and forfeit their state of grace, was a question which Arminins left unresolved, but which was soon determined by his followers in this additional proposition, that saints may fall from the state or grace in which they are placed by the operation of the Holy Spirit. This, indeed, seems to follow as a corollary, from what Arminius maintained respecting the natural freedom and corruption of the will, and the resistibility of divine grace.