“and painful a thing it is to obey God in sufferings, thou "mightest be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,— "have mercy upon me, succour me thy servant, who am now "laid on a bed of sickness and oppressed with these numerous "maladies. O thou God of my salvation, render my soul fit "for thy heavenly kingdom and prepare my body for the "resurrection!" But as the virulence of his disease daily advanced, his physicians intimated to him the uncertain continuance of his life, and the consequent necessity of setting his house in order," and disposing of every matter on which he might wish to communicate his last instructions. This kind suggestion he received with the greatest equanimity, and prepared to meet death with such composure and calmness of spirit, that his friends, who stood round him at the time and had been throughout life close observers of his manners, were filled with admiration at this noble display of moderation and heroic firmness in the closing scene of his earthly existence, and intreated that they might be permitted to profit from a sight of his happy death,-the last example which they could enjoy who had already received from him so many models of a holy and correct life. When therefore he perceived that the time of his dissolution was drawing near, and as he was not ignorant of the crafty wiles of the devil, he accounted it to be his first duty, in framing his will, to dictate a brief statement of the reasons for his designs and for the tenour of his life. Since this extract from his will contains the duty of a faithful teacher, I will here repeat it, as an example to others and as a testimony in his favour: 86 EXTRACT FROM THE WILL OF ARMINIUS. "Above all, I commend my soul, on its departure out of the body, into the hands of God, who is its Creator and faithful "Saviour; before whom also I testify, that I have walked "with simplicity and sincerity, and in all good conscience,' in "my office and vocation; that I have guarded with the great"est solicitude and care, against advancing or teaching any "thing, which, after a diligent search into the Scriptures, I "had not found exactly to agree with those sacred records; "and that all the doctrines advanced by me, have been such as "might conduce to the propagation and increase of the truth " of the Christian Religion, of the true worship of God, of general piety, and of a holy conversation among men,—and 66 "such as might contribute, according to the word of God, to "a state of tranquility and peace well befitting the Christian 66 name; and that from these benefits I have excluded the "Papacy, with which no unity of faith, no bond of piety or "of Christian peace can be preserved." * Having soon completed all his worldly arrangements, he spent his few remaining days in calling upon Christ, in devout thanksgiving, and in meditating upon a better life; during which period he was visited by John Uitenbogardt and Adrian Borrius more frequently than by any other persons: Both of them were united to him by the strictest bonds of ancient friendship and by their mutual participation of various dangers. Borrius was likewise most assiduous in performing the daily office of prayers for the dying saint. At length, on the Nineteenth Day of October, about noon, after this faithful servant of God had valiantly fulfilled all the duties of his warfare, had finished his course, had fought the good fight, and had kept the faith, with his eyes lifted up to heaven, amidst the earnest prayers of those who were present, he calmly rendered up his spirit unto God the Father his Creator, to the Son his Redeemer, and to the Holy Ghost his Sanctifier, while each of the spectators exclaimed, O my soul, let me die the death of the righteous! In this placid manner Arminius resigned his spirit, tired as it was of the cares of this world, and satiated with toils and afflictions;-but it had begun greatly to long for its liberation, was already favoured with a blessed foretaste of the joys of the saints, and seemed to behold Christ its God and its Redeemer ! Thus set this sun! Thus died this righteous man, of whom the world was not worthy! Thus was lifted up, from us, the father of such a number of prophets! Thus was borne up on high JAMES ARMINIUS, in the chariot of Israel and by the horsemen thereof! And now, discharged from all earthly service, freed from every incumbrance, and no longer incommoded by troubles, he possesses a crown which had been the object of his ardent desires, amidst so many labours, such perseverance of faith, and such holiness of life, as he had manifested; and he is now in the enjoyment of the Heavenly Jerusalem, among an innumerable company of angels, and the general assembly and Church of the first-born, which are written in heaven.” There he beholds God the Judge of all, the spirits of just men made perfect, Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and the * See Appendix Z. † Appendix AA. blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel.' (Heb. xii. 22-24.) He waits for that important day on which God will restore the lifeless body that we have just deposited in the earth, fashioned like unto the glorious body of his Son, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Phil. iii, 21.) But we must be tossed about by these waves as long as it shall be the will of God, until he at length have mercy upon us, and call each of us away in his own order,' from the mire and clay of this world, to the joys of heaven. In the mean time, we will preserve alive, in the congregation of the saints, the blessed memory of JAMES ARMINIUS, by this descriptive eulogy, THERE LIVED A MAN, WHOM IT WAS NOT possible, FOR THOSE WHO KNEW HIM, SUFFICIENTLY TO ESTEEM; THOSE WHO ENTERTAINED NO ESTEEM FOR HIM, ARE SUCH AS NEVER KNEW HIM WELL ENOUGH TO APPRECIATE HIS MERITS. What remains, my most excellent, reverend, honourable, noble, and very learned hearers, but that I exhort you to cultivate the lovely peace of the Church, in opposition to the scandalous reports and unjust surmises of the present age? In doing this, can I employ more appropriate words, than these by the Apostle John? Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, 6 and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John iv, 7, 8.) APPENDIX. A.-Page 16. THE name of DANIEL HEINSIUS, Professor of History in the University of Leyden, is familiar to all the learned, for his critical labours, but more particularly for the decided part which he took in the religious disputes which arose after the death of Arminius. Heinsius was ambitious; and, though on terms of intimacy with some of the most eminent of the Remonstrants, as soon as he perceived a turn in the tide of their affairs, he changed his course and sought for secular advancement from the prevailing party. In consequence of the zeal which he displayed in his new career, he was appointed secretary to the Lay Commissioners at the Synod of Dort, and played a distinguished part in that memorable assembly. When Arminius died, many of the most learned men of that age wrote elegiac Latin verses, on the mournful occasion. The following is a copy of those which Heinsius composed, and which he addressed to the Rev. John Uitenbogardt, the most intimate friend of the deceased. It reflects no small disgrace on the memory of Heinsius, that from every printed edition of his works he carefully excluded these charming verses, which are honourable alike to his understanding, to his talents and his feelings. But his prudent reasons for such exclusion, every reader of discernment will easily conjecture. IN OBITUM REVERENDI D. IACOBI ARMINII SUMMI PONTIFICIORUM OPPUGNATORIS. Ingentem dominum rerum Martisque nepotem Ausus inaccessam Romano opponere gentem, Horruit et nostro Tiberis se subdidit Albi, Hoc quem sepulchro terra victorem tegit. For the sake of the English reader, these verses may be thus translated; though the tameness of the version will be but too apparent when it is compared with the spirit of the original : ON THE DEATH OF THAT REVEREND MAN, DR. JAMES ARMINIUS, A CONSUMMATE AND MOST SUCCESSFUL ASSAILANT OF THE PAPISTS. Lords of the world, his Roman foes, Of old great HERMAN'S vigour brav'd; A people never yet enslav'd; Ready for death, of nought afraid, Affrighted Tyber then began To yield our Elbe the tribute meet; And laid their arms at Herman's feet; We have as brave a HERMAN seen, Who rests beneath this sacred earth; And all the Papal glory marr'd, Apostate Rome he overcame By potent words, with dauntless breast; And HERMAN's might again confess'd : This boast to Germany remains,— TWICE HAVe her sons HELD ROME IN CHAINS! The elder Brandt says of him: "Pursuant to the eleventh article of their instructions, they appointed Daniel Heinsius their secretary, a man who has rendered his name sufficiently notorious, by his skill in the Latin and Greek languages, and especially by his poetry. He was considered to be well qualified for that office, on account of the great facility to which he had attained both in speaking and writing Latin. But it was the opinion of the Remonstrants, that he was much prejudiced against them, because some ministers of their persuasion had frequently reproved him for his dissolute course of life. They affirmed also, that his knowledge of Theological affairs was very defective; that he was exceedingly inconstant in the business of religion, turning first to one party and then to another, at one time praising and at other times condemning the same things, according to the point to which the wind of prosperity happened to veer about; and that he associated VOL. I. E |