advocate effected that it should be severely forbidden to be communicated to any man, either in printing, or as written by the hand of any one. And because they saw that the deputies of the churches, or of the synods, to whom the common cause of these concerns used to be committed, greatly withstood them, (as the nature of their office demanded,) they caused also, that, as before all the annual synods had been hindered, so that it should likewise be forbidden to the same persons, henceforth to use the name, or perform the office, of a deputy of the churches or of a synod. That, by this means, all care respecting the safety and peace of the churches being taken away, they (the Remonstrants) might so much the more freely make progress among them. 1

By this method of acting, the Remonstrants rendered themselves more and more suspected by the churches; while all the more prudent men judged that, unless they dissented in these articles (the six stated above,) from the doctrine of the churches, they would have had no reason, why they should covertly flee from this declaration; especially when they might have (thus) promoted

'These decrees were made by the States of Holland alone, or nearly; and they directly tended to disannul the code of laws of the federated provinces, promulged by the States General of these provinces, and thus to dissolve their political, as well as religious union. Now what motives could the Remonstrants or their patrons have, in such circumstances, for so carefully concealing the statements and avowed sentiments of the other pastors? Impartial love of the truth could not possibly suggest such precautions and injunctions. They cannot but call to our recollection, the conduct of the Jewish priests and rulers respecting the apostles of Christ: "But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name." (Acts iv. 16, 17.)

(consuli posset) the peace of the churches and their own credit. But that they might the more easily obtain that toleration by public authority which they always pressed; by the benefit of which they indeed hoped to be able by little and little, to introduce their own doctrine in the churches; they employed this artifice: they sent over into England, by Hugo Grotius, a certain writing, in which the true state of the controversy was dissembled, a copy of a letter being also annexed; and they requested, that he would petition from the most Serene James, King of Great Britain, seeing this cause could not be settled by any other method than by a toleration, that his most Serene Royal Majesty would deign to give letters according to the form of the annexed copy, to the illustrious the High Mightinesses the States General; which he, (Grotius) having seized on an opportunity, surreptitiously obtained, and transmitted them to the illustrious the States General.1

On this occasion the Remonstrants exulted after a wonderful manner, and, hoping that they might now become possessed of their wish, they laboured by their advocate, that a certain formula of a toleration (the same indeed which is contained in the fourth and fifth articles of the second chapter of the ecclesiastical government of Utrecht,) should be confirmed by the authority of the illustrious the States, and commanded to the churches. Though the minds of many in the convention of

It should be noted, that this narrative was published several years before the death of James; who therefore, it must be presumed, was willing to have it thought that these letters were surreptitiously obtained by Grotius: and indeed he seems to have been inveigled into a measure, by no means consistent with the part which he afterwards sustained in the controversy.

the States were inclined to this, yet the more prudent strenuously opposed it; thinking it to be unjust, to enjoin, (authoritatively) on the churches, a toleration, as to articles of faith, which had never been duly examined in a lawful ecclesiastical convention, and which drew with them a manifest change in doctrine; neither could the peace of the churches be obtained by this, when it was to be feared, if it were permitted that opinions so discordant should be proposed from the same pulpit to the same congregations, that the churches would be more and more disturbed, as experience had hitherto taught. Yet the remonstrants went on to press this their toleration by every means, and to commend it privately and publicly in their writings and sermons; especially by this argument, that the articles, concerning which the controversy was maintained, they said, were of so small importance, that they did not relate to the ground or fundamental points of salvation; but in articles of this kind, toleration might and ought to be established.1

6

'Let it be recollected, that all the parties were professedly, and many of them, in judgment and conscience, strict presbyterians as to church-government. The toleration here described, is entirely different from any thing known in Britain, or indeed at present thought of. The general sentiment even of those who claim not only the fullest toleration, but something beyond toleration, as their indisputable right, is, at least, Separate places of worship for those of discordant opinions.' The ground of the toleration here stated, likewise, is widely different from that which is at present insisted on; namely, that in matters of conscience towards God no human authority has a right to interfere, provided nothing be avowed or done which threatens or disturbs the peace of the community; and that human authority can make only hypocrites, not willing and conscientious conformists. This

July 25, 1614. And thus they at length effected, that a decree concerning this toleration, some of the principal and powerful cities of Holland and West Friesland being unwilling and striving against it, should be published in print, confirmed with certain testimonies of scripture and of the fathers (among whom they had also brought forward Faustus Regiensiensis, the leader of the Semi-Pelagians). Against which things, when James Triglandius, a pastor of the church at Amsterdam, had answered in a public writing, Utenbogardus also prolixly attempted a defence of this decree. In this he, by unworthy methods, traduced and reviled, as well the doctrine of the reformed churches, as especially the lights of the same, Calvin, Beza, Zanchius, and others. To this writing Triglandius opposed an accurate answer, in defence of the honour, both of the doctrine and the doctors of the reformed churches. And, when they (the Remonstrants) saw, that the authority of this writing, to which they had given the name of a decree of the States, was not so great, as that by it they could attain to what they aimed at, they indicated that the same things must be attempted in another way; and for that purpose, a certain other formula of toleration having been devised in deceitful phrases, they, by the hands of certain persons who secretly favoured their party and opinions, but were not considis simple, intelligible, and evidently reasonable; but to tolerate exclusively opinions, which do not relate to the fundamentals of salvation, or militate against them, must make way for intricate and endless disputes and difficulties, about what are and what are not the fundamentals of salvation; what is tolerated, and what is not tolerated.

ered as Remonstrants, solicited from the pastors subscription to this formula, every where throughout Holland, both privately and in their convention.

But when even in this way the business did not go on according to the purpose of their own mind; they judged, that those persons must be compelled (cogendos) by the authority of the superiors, whom they were not able to persuade to this, and that at length sometime it must be broken through, and this business evidently accomplished. To this end they likewise obtained, that in the name of the illustrious the States, the decree concerning mutual toleration, which had been published in the former year, should be sent to each of the classes, and at the same time it should be enjoined on the pastors to obey the same without any contradiction. And that they might the more easily prefer those, who were attached to their party, to the ministries of the churches, others being excluded; they effected moreover that another (decree) should be joined to it, by which it was permitted, that in the vocation of pastors and elders it should be allowable to use that order, which, in the year 1591 had been framed, but not approved; from the prescribed rule of which the election was appointed to be by four of the magistracy, and four others to be deputed from the presbytery. When these decrees had been transmitted to the classes, the most of them sent away their deputies to the illustrious the States, that they might publicly explain their difficulties or grievances, which they had as to those things that were contained in the writing; and might deprecate the introduction of the same.