progress. One was entitled, One was entitled, "Tractatus Theologicus de Deo," JAMES I. dedicated to the landgrave of Hesse; and the other, “Exegesis Apologetica," dedicated to the States. These tracts were stuffed with very dangerous assertions, some of which, remarked by the king, are as follow:

"It is no mispersuasion to affirm God has a body, provided Some of this we take the notion of a body in a laxer signification.

"We do not find it anywhere written, that the substance of the Deity is absolutely immense, or without limits. On the other hand, there are many places in Scripture which seem to imply a contrary meaning. No magnitude is actually infinite; and, by consequence, neither can an attribute of this kind belong to God.

"If all events were settled from eternity, there would be no occasion for continual providence.

"God has more causes of certainty in the view of things present and past, than in events which are future and contingent.

"All things precisely decreed by the Deity are afterwards fully comprehended at a single act of knowledge. But this cannot be affirmed of all other things separately considered; because they exist not only successively in time, but contingently, being oftentimes suspended upon conditions."

Farther, in his apology, he asserts, "the Father has a peculiar, and, as it were, a certain limited and restrained being. From whence it is not difficult to infer, that there are certain internal accidents in God."

66

And elsewhere in this book he disagrees scandalously from the received doctrine of the Divine ubiquity; neither does he make any scruple to attribute magnitude and quantity to God Almighty.

Upon his majesty's perusal of these books he wrote to his ambassador, sir Ralph Winwood, to advertise the States of the danger from these heterodoxies.

divine's heterodoxies.

K. James's

Works,

p. 359.

Their lordships returned the ambassador a cold answer, and ▲.». 1611. enlarged in the commendations of Vorstius. They acquainted him that "the curators of the university of Leyden had, The States' according to ancient custom, made a diligent inquiry for some the king's person to fill the divinity chair; that after a long consultation admonition.

answer to

704.

Oct. 1,

1611.

ABBOT, they were informed, that at Steinford, in the territories of the Abp. Cant. counts of Tecklenbourg and Bentem, there was one Dr. Conradus Vorstius, a minister, who had resided there with great reputation about fifteen years; that, upon the score of his parts and learning, he was much esteemed by prince Maurice, landgrave of Hesse, who designed to make him divinity-professor in some of his universities; that this Vorstius had signalized himself in controversy against the famous cardinal Bellarmine; that being thus raised in his character, he was invited into Holland by the curators abovementioned; that in August last his election was, notwithstanding, contested by some over-busy people, who had nothing to do in that affair and being charged with unsound doctrine, he went to the Hague for a public justification, where nobody appeared against him; that afterwards the charge of false doctrine being revived upon him, he was brought before a full assembly of the States of Holland and West Friezland. The cause was managed against him by six divines, the curators and six other ministers being present. After the matter had been fully argued on both sides, the States were of opinion Vorstius had made a satisfactory defence, and that they could see no reason for his being refused the chair at Leyden. Afterwards new articles of impeachment being published against Vorstius, the States resolved to allow him the equity of another hearing. They add, it was never their intention to permit any other than the reformed religion in Leyden; and that if Vorstius held any thing repugnant to the holy Scriptures, he should not be admitted professor; that if his majesty of Great Britain was fully informed of all the circumstances, they believed he Id. Declara- would entertain a favourable opinion of them; and that they tion against should proceed in the whole course of this affair with all due Vorstius, regard to his majesty's admonition."

p. 352.

Before the king received this answer, some of Vorstius's books were brought over, and dispersed here. About the same time, Bertius, a disciple of Arminius, lately dead, had the impudence, as the king speaks, to send a letter to the archbishop of Canterbury, with a book "de Apostasia Sanctorum." The title of this book was not only shocking to his majesty, but he was highly displeased with the confidence of the man, for affirming in his letter, that the contents of the book were agreeable to the doctrine of the Church of England.

second letter

Upon this the king ordered Vorstius's books to be publicly JAMES I. burnt in St. Paul's Church-yard, and both the universities; and then renewed his request to the States for the banishment of this divine. His second letter was delivered by the ambassador Winwood to the States at the Hague. It is written in a strain of zeal and expostulation, and describes Vorstius's heresy in tragical language. He complains of the States. "for giving Vorstius leave to print his apology, and address it The king's to their lordships; that the heterodoxies in it are frightfully to the States. rank and scandalous; and that he does not charge these imputations upon report, but his own knowledge." And here it be observed, that his majesty, both in this and his first letter, falls hard upon the memory of Arminius; calls him "the enemy of God, taxes him with downright heresy, and puts the States in mind, that the disputes raised by him had embroiled their country, and broke them into factions. Farther that unless they give a speedy check to these beginnings of heresy and schism, they can expect no better issue than the curse of God; than infamy among the Reformed Churches; and a lasting distraction at home1."

66

may

:

ambassador

Notwithstanding this warm expostulation, Vorstius and his family were encouraged to come into the States' territories, received at Leyden with protection and respect, and treated in the quality of a public professor. The English ambassador protests against this caressing Vorstius; tells the States they had suffered in their reputation, and tarnished the The English honour of the Reformation by these proceedings; that the protests alliance between the king of Great Britain and their lordships their prowas founded on the maintenance of the reformed religion; ceedings. that this public correspondence was injured by countenancing so notorious a heretic; and that it was surprising their lordships should prefer the friendship of Vorstius to that of his master."

To this protestation the States, after some deliberation, returned this answer, that, "notwithstanding his majesty of Great Britain had not yet received the satisfaction he might expect in the business of Vorstius, they did not question but that the next assembly of the States of Holland would content his majesty."

1 While the Arminians strove to correct the Manichean errors of the Calvinists, they fell into hallucinations of the opposite extreme, and became tainted with many Pelagian heresies, as learned theologians have proved.

VOL. VII.

B b

against

ABBOT, Abp. Cant.

The king's reasons for appearing

ter.

And that people might not be at a loss about the king's reasons in importuning the States, and engaging so far in this matter, his majesty assigns the motives in his declaration.

The first was, his zeal for God's glory. Upon this head he in this mat- declares, that, had Vorstius's mispersuasions been grounded upon questions of no greater importance than those between us and the papists, his majesty, though sorry for such deviations from primitive belief, should not have appeared with so much earnestness; but Vorstius's heresies are of a much greater bulk, and of the blackest complexion. He has insulted the attributes of God; attacked the Creed; overturned, as much as in him lies, the basis of religion; and struck at the vitals of Christianity.

His last book, entitled "A Christian and Modest Answer," is, at the best, sophistical and evasive; and, in many places, the heterodoxy is boldly expressed, and lies a-top on the letter. For the king does not charge him upon inference and remote reasoning, but open sense, and direct assertion. To give some of those many instances extracted by his majesty.

To this question,-" Has God a body?"
"Has God a body?" Vorstius's answer

is, "If we speak properly, the Deity must be said to be incor-
poreal; however, in a looser way of expression, it is no absur-
dity to attribute a body to God."

"Is God equally immutable in his will as he is in his essence?" He answers in the negative.

"Is God subject to accidents?" His answer is, "Not to any real ones; however, God by his voluntary motion receives accidents, largely taken, into himself."

"Does God conjecture upon future events by ratiocination or discourse?” He answers, "God does sometimes in some manner proceed by way of principle and inference, and, as it were, guesses upon things uncertain. But this must be metaphorically understood, and without any notion of imperfection. And, in short, the manner of his conjectures is different from human reasoning, and wholly divine."

And whereas he had before categorically asserted that the arguments used by the Fathers, for the eternal generation of our Saviour, are inconclusive and trifling, he now endeavours to screen the slander, and take shelter in a qualified expres

sion, and pretends to defend himself by saying that some of the JAMES I. proofs fall short of satisfaction.

The king's second reason for giving the States this warning against Vorstius, was out of the affection his majesty had for his neighbours and allies, and the common charity one Christian owes another.

705.

And thirdly, he was apprehensive these heterodoxies might cross the seas, and reach his majesty's dominions: that the fame of the university of Leyden drew a great many of the young people of his subjects thither that misbelief was apt to catch upon unwary minds, and spread from one country to another that so fatal a contagion ought to be prevented with all the precaution imaginable: that heresy was more dangerous Id. p. 380. than the plague: and that people had much better be poisoned in their veins than in their principles. In the close, his majesty solemnly declares, "that the motives which carried him thus far, were only a regard to the honour of God, the interest of truth, and the happiness of mankind; and that he had not the least intention to dictate to the States, or set rules to their government."

About this time, archbishop Abbot being informed that some deprived ministers in the diocese of Peterborough exercised their function, wrote to the bishop of Peterborough to restrain this liberty. It is true the archbishop was commanded to advertise this diocesan of his remissness; however, it is an argument that Abbot was not so embarrassed with scruples as to refuse the following such strict directions for conformity, though it is possible he would not have led in them.

of The condition of religion in the

a

since the

I shall now give the reader some account of the state religion in the isles of Jersey and Guernsey. And to give more entire view of the matter, I shall dispense a little with islands of Jersey and the regards of time. To begin: the reformation of religion in Guernsey the reign of king Edward VI. was settled in this island; the ReformaEnglish Liturgy being translated into French and sent thither. tion. But when queen Mary came to the crown, the communion of the Church of Rome recovered. This way of worship being discharged again in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign, these islands fell into the other extreme: great numbers of the French Protestants, now harassed in their own country, retired hither for shelter. These French refugees, forming their churches by the model of Geneva, brought a great many of the