From England, Arminianism travelled into Scotland, where, however, it made no great impression for a long series of years, having to contend with a strong and rooted attachment to the doctrine tied discipline of Ge neva, and being generally united with episcopacy, of which the Scottish nation has been always and utterly abhorrent. Since the middle of the last century it has been rapidly gaining ground, particularly among that class of the higher ranks in which there is still left a serious and practical belief of the truth of Christianity. Of the clergy, a few venture to preach it openly in some of its most cqrrupted forms. There are a great many too, who so far acquiesce in it, as never to meddle with the doctrines of election and reprobation in their public or private ministrations ; some from a decided disbelief of them, and others from a mere conviction of their inexpediency. Such of them as carefully avoid, or openly oppose it, (and these form a body respectable both for number and for character,) are certainly best entitled to the praise of honesty, the confession of faith which they subscribe being rigidly Calvinistic, and each of them being required at his ordination to renounce the Arminian heresy. A great proportion of the common people are still so fond of the dogma of absolute pre destination, which they too often abuse, that they look on those who deny it with anger, or with pity ; and seem to have the same sentiments, with regard to Arminian ism, which were declared by Mr Rouse, in the English parliament, when he said, that " it makes the grace of God lackey after the will of man ; that it was no better than the Trojan horse ; that an Arminian is the spawn of a papist ; and that he . is ready to turn into one of
those frogs that rose out of the bottomless pit." It must be acknowledged, however, and we state it from perso nal observation, that this sort of bigotry, for which our native land has been long remarkable, is gradually yield ing its place to more liberal • sentiments ; and that the time seems to be fast approaching, when a man may be, with ut incurring any reproach, either a Calvinist or an Arminian, if he be only sincere in his belief, and consci entious in his regard to the ordinances and duties of Christianity. See ?rinin. Opera, passim. M‘Laine's Translation of Mosheim's Eccl. Hist. cent. xvii. Au thors quoted by Moshcim and M'Laine. Neal's Histo ry of the Puritans, vol. ii. Toulm. ed. (7)