In this way, the Arminians suppose that they get free of all the absurdities and dangerous consequences which they allege to be involved in the Calvinistic scheme ; and, at the same time, detract nothing from the free ness and sovereignty of divine grace that can be reason ably considered as essential to them. Whether they succeed in these views to all the extent they imagine', may be justly disputed. But they certainly take away something of that harsh and forbidding aspect, with which Calvinism, in its broad undisguised form, scents to cloud the religion of mercy and benevolence.
It may now be proper to mention some tenets with regard to which Arminianism has been much misrepre sented. If a man holds that good works are necessary to justification ; if he maintain that laith includes good works in its own nature ; if he reject the doctrine of origina' sin ; if he deny that divine grace is requisite fog the whole work of sanctification ; if he speak of hu man virtue as meritorious in the sight of God ; it is very generally concluded, that he is an Arminian. But the truth is, that a man of such sentiments is more pro perly a disciple of the Pelagian and Socinian schools. To such sentiments pure Arminianism is as diametri cally opposite as Calvinism itself is. The genuine Ar minians admit the corruption of human nature in its full extent. They admit, that we are justified by faith only. They admit, that our justification originates solely in the grace of God. They admit, that the procuring and meritorious cause of our justification is the righteous ness of Christ. Propter quam, says Arminius, Deus credentibus peccatum condonet eosque pro justis refiutat non aliter atqite si legem perfrcte implevissent. They admit in this way, that justification implies not merely forgiveness of sin, but acceptance to everlasting hap piness. Junctam habet adoptionem in filios, et eollationem juris in hereditatem eterna. They admit, in fine, that the work of sanctification, from its very commence ment to its perfection in glory, is carried on by the operation of the Holy Spirit, which is the gift of God by Jesus Christ. So sound, indeed, are the Arminians with respect to the doctrine of justification, a doctrine so important and essential in the opinion of Luther, that he scrupled not to call it ?raculus ecclesix stantis vet cadentis ; that those who look into the writings of Ar minius, may be disposed to suspect him of having even exceeded Calvin in orthodoxy. It is certain, at least, that he declares his willingness to subscribe to every thing that Calvin has written on that leading subject of Christianity, in the third book of his Institutes. And
with this declaration, the tenor of his writings invari ably corresponds.
The system of Arminius, then, appears to have been the same with that which was generally maintained in the reformed churches at that time ; except in so far as the doctrine of the divine decrees was concerned. But the most eminent of those who became Arminians, or ranked among his professed followers, by embracing and avowing his peculiar tenets with respect toelec tion and redemption, soon began to depart widely from the other tenets of his theological creed. They adopt ed views of the corruption of man, of justification, of the righteousness of Christ, of the nature of faith, of the province of good works, of the necessity and opera tions of grace, that are quite contrary to those which he had entertained and published. Many of them, in process of time, differed more or less from one another, on some or all of these points. And so diversified are the forms which Arminianism, as it is called, has as sumed in the course of its progress, that to describe precisely what it has been since the synod of Dort, or what it is at the present day, would be a most difficult, if not an impossible task. Even the confession of faith, which was drawn out for the Arminians by Episcopius.
and is to be found in the second volume of his works, cannot be referred to as a standard. It was composed merely to counteract the reproach of their being a so ciety without any common principles. It is expressed chiefly in the words and phrases of scripture, to which, of course, every one would annex his own meaning. Besides, no person, not even a pastor, was obliged, by any form, to adhere strictly to it ; but every one was left entirely at liberty to interpret its language in the manner that was most agreeable to his own private sen timents. Accordingly, so various and inconsistent are their opinions, that could Arminius peruse the unnum bered volumes which have been written as expositions and illustrations of Arminian doctrine, he would be at a loss to discover his own simple system, amidst that he terogeneous mass of error with which it has been rudely mixed ; and would be astonished to find, that the con troversy which he had unfortunately, but conscientious ly, introduced, had wandered tar from the point to which he had confined it, and that with his name dog mas were associated, the unscriptural and dangerous nature of which he had pointed out and condemned.