Arminians, a religious sect deriving their name from James Arminius (see Arminius), before whose death (1609) the Reformed in Holland were divided into Arminians and Go-marists, the doctrine of predestination being the prominent point raised between them. The Gomarists were supralapsarians, and demanded strict Calvinism in doctrine and the independence of the church in regard to the state; the Arminians held that the decree to save regarded the elect as believers, but they advocated Biblical simplicity in doctrine, a peaceful spirit in the church, and a subjection of the church to the state. After the death of Arminius, Jan Uytenbogaert, preacher at the Hague, and Simon Episeopius, Gomar's successor as professor at Leyden in 1612, became the Armin-ian leaders. But the strife now assumed a political aspect. Jan van Olden Barneveldt and Hugo Grotius, who favored the Arminians, influenced the states general to declare a 12 years' truce with Spain (1609), in opposition to the wishes of Prince Maurice of Orange, who was stadtholder, and were thereupon charged with being traitors and in the pay of Spain; while they, in turn, regarded Maurice as seeking supreme dominion with the subversion of liberty.

The Arminians in 1610 set forth their doctrinal views in a remonstrance addressed to the states of Holland and West Friesland, and were hence called Remonstrants; and their opponents, who presented a counter-remonstrance, were called Contra-Remonstrants. The states general made fruitless attempts at conciliation by recommendations of mutual forbearance, and by the conferences at the Hague (1611) between six Remonstrant pastors and six Contra-Remonstrants, and at Delft (1613), where three appeared on each side; but finally, urged on by Maurice and the Contra-Remonstrants, who were now in the majority, they convoked a national synod at Dort in 1618, before which Episcopius and other Remonstrants were summoned. The Arminian views presented in the remonstrance, and afterward at Dort, were comprehended in these five points: 1. God, by an eternal and immutable decree in Jesus Christ his Son, before the foundation of the world, determined to save in Christ, for Christ's sake, and through Christ, those out of the fallen human race who by the Holy Spirit's grace believe in this same Son of his; but, on the other hand, to leave those who are not converted in sin and subject to wrath, and to condemn them. 2. Therefore Jesus Christ died for each and all, vet with this condition, that no one may in fact enjoy that remission of sins except the faithful man. 3. Man indeed has not from himself saving faith, but must necessarily be born again and renewed in Christ by his Holy Spirit, that he may be able to understand, think, wish, or perform anything good. 4. This grace of God is the beginning, increase, and perfection of everything good; so indeed that all good works which we can think out are to be ascribed to the grace of God in Christ, which is not irresistible in the mode of its operation; for it is said of many that they resisted. 5. Those who are engrafted into Jesus Christ by true faith, and are therefore partakers of his life-giving Spirit, have abundantly of the means by which to fight against Satan and their own flesh and obtain the victory, but yet through the aid of the Holy Spirit's grace; but Jesus Christ by his Spirit stands by them in all temptations, reaches out his hand, and, provided they are ready for the contest and seek his aid, and fail not of their own duty, confirms them; but whether they themselves cannot by their own negligence desert the beginning of their being in Christ, make shipwreck of conscience, and fall from grace, must be deeply pondered out of the Holy Scripture before they could teach it with full tranquillity of mind and full assurance.

This fifth point was afterward modified, and the Arminians maintained explicitly the possibility of falling from grace. Before the synod of Dort was convened, the republican leaders, Barneveldt, Grotius, and Hogerbeets, were imprisoned; and the first of these was subsequently beheaded. The synod began its sessions Nov. 13, 1618, and closed them May 29, 1619. Disputes early arose as to the mode in which the Remonstrants should defend themselves; criminations were answered with recriminations; the Remonstrants were ejected from the synod (Jan. 14, 1619), condemned as corruptors of the true religion, and suspended from office till they should make satisfaction; and the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination was formally confirmed, but in such language as to be accepted by infralapsarians. The states general soon confirmed the decree of the synod. The Remonstrants were deprived of their sacred and civil offices; their preachers were banished if they did not renounce all exercise of their ecclesiastical functions; many went with Episcopius to Antwerp, others to Holstein, others to France, etc. After Prince Maurice's death (1625) their banished clergy began to return.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam became their chief seats in Holland; the former city allowed them to build a church in 1630, and since that time they have not been molested. Episcopius published at Antwerp in 1622 the Remonstrants' Confession of Faith, which was widely circulated and held in high repute; but he expressly guarded against its being taken as of binding authority. He became in 1634 the first professor of theology in their gymnasium at Amsterdam, where Curcellams, Pollenburg, Limborch, he Clerc, Cattenburgh, Wetstein, etc, have also been professors. These and others set aside human confessions and took the Bible alone as their guide, ascribing special importance to its practical directions. They denied the ordinary doctrine of original sin, modified the doctrine of the Trinity, and some of them were regarded as closely allied with the Socinians. - Arminianism has been widely prevalent in the established church of England from the time of Laud to the present; but under this common name have been ranged many shades of doctrine, Trinitarian, Pelagian, Socin-ian, etc, agreeing in little except their opposition to Calvinism. After the rise of Methodism, Whitefield and others avowed themselves distinctively Calvinistic, while Wesley and his followers embraced the views of Arminius. The most complete work of Arminian theology in English, and the text book prescribed for Methodist Episcopal preachers in the United States, is the "Theoloirical Institutes" of the Rev. Richard Watson. The Lutherans, Unitarians, General Baptists, and Free-will Baptists, many in the Protestant Episcopal church of the United States, and the Wesleyan Methodist churches, are all classed as Armin-ians, in the sense of being opposed to the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination.