I. Title of Introduction:
“The Judgment of the National Synod of the Reformed Churches of the National Synod of the Reformed Churches of the United Netherlands held in Dordrecht in the year 1618-1619, which was assisted by many excellent theologians of the Reformed Churches of Great Britain, the Electoral Palatinate, Hessia, Switzerland, Wetteraw, Geneva, Bremen, and Emden, over the well-known five heads of doctrine, concerning which difference appeared in the Reformed Churches of said United Netherlands. Expressed on May 6, 1619.”
II. Brief History of the Rise of Arminianism in the Netherlands:
A. Jacob Harmsen (Jacobus Arminius)—1560-1609. He was born at Oudewater in 1560. Early in life he was left fatherless, but won the favor of two Reformed ministers, Taffin and Petrus Bertius, who sponsored his education at the then small Academy of Leyden. Upon completion of his studies here at the age of 21, he went to the University of Geneva where he came under the influence of Beza, the successor of John Calvin. Beza was lecturing on the Epistle of the Romans through which Arminius became well acquainted with the Reformed views on Election and Reprobation. These teachings, however, he never really absorbed. Leaving Geneva he made a short visit to Italy and in 1587 returned to the Netherlands and became minister of the church in Amsterdam.
It was already during his ministry here that suspicions concerning his orthodoxy began to rise. His greatest opponent was the able Gomarus, a champion of Supralapsarianism and a powerful figure in the Reformed Churches of that day. He was also opposed by the able and brilliant Pancius, his fellow minister in the church of Amsterdam. But Arminius was a brilliant scholar, a well-educated man, had a pleasing personality, was refined in his manners and using deceit and underhanded methods, soon won a large following. His abilities were recognized and so he was chosen to refute the wrong views of Coornhert on Predestination and to defend the teachings of his former teacher, Beza. As he studied the matter, however, he more and more leaned toward the views of his opponent, Coornhert, until he came to the conclusion the “truth of Predestination must be entirely reconstructed.”
Amazing it is that in the midst of this trouble, Arminius received the appointment as Professor of Theology at the University of Leyden. This was in 1602. Of course, this appointment was challenged by men like Gomarus and others, but he received it nevertheless. Two things account for this: First, the university was then not under ecclesiastical but under state control. Secondly, Arminius was crafty and deceitful and thus succeeded temporarily to quiet the fears of others concerning his orthodoxy. From this position, Arminius furthered the cause that bears his name until his death in 1609. His views he instilled into the students, future ministers, not only in the classroom, but also in private meetings with them in his home. And so Arminianism gained a firm footing in the churches of the Netherlands.
B. 1609-1618. The death of Arminius did not noticeably affect the Arminian movement. Another able leader named Uitenbogaert took the helm. He organized the party and in 1610 called a general meeting in the city of Gouda where the well-known document called “The Articles of the Remonstrants” was drawn up in which with cunning craftiness the views of the Arminians are set forth. We quote them in full here because we must remember that our Canons are the contra-articles which the Reformed Synod of Dordrecht drew up.