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Liberal Calvinism; The Remonstrants At the Synod of Dort in 1618

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

Herbert Darling Foster
Affiliation:
Dartmouth College

Extract

In spite of all the volumes written about the Synod of Dort, one looks in vain for a comparison between the condemned Remonstrants and Calvin, either in doctrine or in those other distinguishing features of the Calvinism that flowed from Calvin and Geneva, and formed the working program among Huguenots, Dutch, Scotch, English, and the descendants of all four in the American colonies.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © President and Fellows of Harvard College 1923

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References

1 Paraenesis ad Aedificatores Imperii in Imperio, 1656, ch. xxiii, paragraph 7, p. 624.

2 ‘Letters from the Synod of Dort,’ in Hales's Golden Remains, 10–11; further examples of partisanship of Contra-remonstrants, 2, 4, 33, 35, 36, 57–61. Cf. Bayle, Dictionary, art. ‘Gomar.’

3 Calvini Opera, ed. Baum, Cunitz, Reuss, v, 346. Catechism of 1537, xxii, 46–47; Catechism of 1538, v, 346; later editions, vi, 95; 1587 Creed, ix, 693–700; cf. especially Articles 6–8, 11–12, on Faith and Redemption through Christ, and the italicized clause above, with the Remonstrants’ Articles I and III. Three other creeds: for French King, Opera, ix, 715 f., for Genevan students, 1559, ix, 725 f.; for Emperor, 756 f.

4 Cunningham, Reformers, 203; Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, iii, 445 (Scottish), 252–254, ch. x (Helvetic).

5 Schaff, Creeds, i, 454.

6 Opera, viii, 100–111, 115.

7 Calvin, Catechism, Opera, vi, 138.

8 Hunter, Teaching of Calvinism, ch. xvi. Cf. Choisy's valuable contributions: La théocratie à Genève au temps de Calvin; and his L'État chrétien calviniste à Genève au temps de Bèze.

9 Farewell to Genevan Magistrates, Opera, ix, 890; Institutes, III, xxi, 2.

10 Institutes, II, ii, 12.

11 Baynes, Commentaries on Ephesians, ch. i, 16–18.

12 Brandt, The History of the Reformation in the Netherlands, II, 72; Borgeaud, Histoire de l'Université de Genève, I, 58–69.

13 Works, Nichols edition, I, 295–296; III, 656.

14 Brandt, II, 211–213.

15 Epistle to the Ephesians, 1, 4; under Article 1, section ix; Schaff, Creeds, III, 554, 583; same in official Acta Synodi by authority of States General, 1620, p. 28.

16 Cf. Remonstrants' Articles I, iv, viii, and Articles III–IV, v, with Calvin, Institutes, III, xxiii, 9; III, xxiv, 12: “None perish without deserving it.” The Remonstrants’ Five Articles, 1610, in Schaff's Creeds, III, 545–549, in Dutch, Latin, and English; summarized (with the five negative articles not given by Schaff) in Brandt, II, 74–75; the interpretation of the articles by Remonstrants at Dort, Brandt, III, 83–84, 87–89, 89–90, 90–94; Acta Synodi, I, 127–137; Acta… Remonstrantium, I, 71–83.

16a Samuel Sewall held the same view: “‘Twas sin for any one to conclude them-selves Reprobate,” Diary, August 12, 1676.

17 Acta Synodi, 135; Brandt, III, 92.

18 Balcanqual, in Hales, Remains (1659), 10, (1673 ed.), 111.

19 Episcopius, Apologia pro Declaratione Remonstrantium, ch. v, § 64; Episcopii Opera, II, pt. II, 141.

20 Doumergue, Calvin, IV, 276 f.

21 Cf. his liberal sermon on 1 Tim. 2, 3; 5–6, in Opera, LIII, 161, with the more exclusive interpretation in Commentaries on same passage, Opera, LIII, 268–269. the latter in Calvin, Commentaries, Translation Society.

22 Scheibe, Calvin's Praedestinationslehre, 90.

23 Hales, Remains, ed. 1659, 2; ed. 1673, 101.

24 ‘Iiterae del. Hassiacorum,’ in Niedner's Zeitschrift für historische Theologie, 1851, p. 305.

25 Acts of Synod, ‘Second Head,’ Art. VIII; Schaff, I, 587.

26 Sermons on 1 Tim. 2, 5–6, Opera, LIII, 161.

27 Acta … Remonstrantium, I, 74; Schaff, Creeds, III, 546, for 1610, which appends quotation from John 15, 5.

28 Calvin, Serv. et Lib. Hum. Arbit., and in his De Lib. Arbit., quoted in Cunningham, Reformers, 498; Citations from Locke and Edwards, 498, 487. Cf. Institutes, II, iii, 5, 6, 13, 14, and II, ii, 26. See Locke, Works, 1751 edition, III, 487.

29 Schweizer, A., Glaubenslehre der Evangel. Ref. Kirchen, 1847, II, 123, 124.Google Scholar

30 Doctrinae de Gratia Particulari ut a Calvino explicatur defensio, p. 1.

31 Calvin's Commentaries, Ezekiel 23, 32, quoted in Amyrault's Eschantillon de la doctrine de Calvin touchant la prédestination, Saumur, 1636, bound with Six Sermons … de l'Évangile.

32 Amyrault, ibid., quoting Calvin's Commentaries, John, ch. 12; same expression used repeatedly by Calvin, e.g. Commentaries, Ezekiel, ch. 15; 18, 21–22; cf. above on 1 Tim. 2, 5–6.

33 From Calvin's Traité de la prédestination, without specific reference, quoted by Amyrault, Eschantillon, ed. 1658, 209, 211 f. Latin text in Calvini Opera, VIII, 300 f., 336.

34 Redemption Redeemed, Preface, signatures c3vo cr4o.

35 Hales, Letters, ed. 1659, 16–17; ed. 1673, 120.

36 Hales, Letters, ed. 1659, 10.

37 Brandt, II, 83–84, Art. I, §§ 2–6; Limborch's teaching “of Predestination both to Salvation and Damnation,” Theologia Christiana, ed. 1700, Bk. IV, ch. i, §§ 5–6, p. 296, translated by Jones in Compleat System, Bk. IV, ch. i (II, 343).

38 Cunningham, Reformers, 358. Similar views in Hunter, Teaching of Calvinism, 122; Toplady, Historic Proof of the Calvinism of the Church of England, I, 161.

39 Congrégation sur l'élection éternelle de Dieu, 1551, Opera, VIII, 110–111, 115. Cf. Cunningham, 366.

40 Brandt, II, 212.

41 Brandt, II, 211–213.

42 Hist. pred. cont. in Holland., III, 4.

43 ‘Confession,’ 1537, Opera, IX, 700.

44 Opera, X, 1698.

44 Opera, X, 32.

46 See his Confessio Remonstrantium, c. XV, xxiii; Opera Theologica, II, 88, 92.

47 Calvin, Institutes, III, xix, 7, quoted by Limborch, Theologia Christiana, ed. 1695, V, liv, 14, p. 554. See Locke's letter to Limborch, 10th May, 1695, in Familiar Letters, Works, fol. ed. 1759, III, 695,; ed. 1812, X, 46–47.

48 Theologia Christiana ad praxin pietatis, IV, i, §§ 5–6, 15–16.

49 Limborch, Theologia Christiana, III, xxi, 9, quoting from Calvin's Institutes, III, xvii, 1, on Usury, Bk. V, ch. xxxviii, §§ 27–31. (English translation by Jones, V, xvi, 1. Cf. Calvini Opera, X, 245–249.)

50 1608, Brandt, II, 47; 1611, 93; 1616, 208 f.

51 Nichols, Arminius’ Works, I, 522.

52 Brandt, II, 227, Grotius to Magistrates of Amsterdam, 1616.

53 Brandt, III, 283, 211.

54 Paraenesis, ch. xxiii, paragraph 7.

55 History of the Christian Church, VII, 815.

56 Hist. Netherlands, II, ch. xxiv, p. 398.

57 ‘Observations upon United Provinces,’ ch. vi, Works, 1781, I, 58.

58 American Presbyterianism, 24.