[Sidenote:  X. 4.  His Treatise De Jure summarum potestatum. &c.]

We have mentioned the pacific decree of the States of Holland, which ordered the contending communions to tolerate each other.  Grotius is supposed to have framed this wise decree.  The Contra-remonstrants attacked it:  Grotius reprinted it, with a collection of proofs and authorities.

It gave rise to a controversy on the nice question, respecting the authority of the temporal power to interfere in the ecclesiastical concerns of the state.  Grotius adopted, upon this point, the sentiments of what is termed in England the Low Church:  he seems to have pushed them to their utmost bearings.  With these sentiments, he published his treatise de Imperio summarum potestatum circa sacra.  It was disliked by King James and his bishops:  Grotius, in their opinion, gave too much authority, in sacred things, to the secular power.

On the work of Grotius, respecting Anti-christ, we prefer transcribing Burigni’s sentiments to delivering our own.

“This deep study of the Holy Scriptures led Grotius to examine a question, which made much noise at that time.  Some Protestant synods had ventured to decide that the Pope was Antichrist; and this extravagance, gravely delivered by the ministers, was regarded by the zealous schismatics, as a fundamental truth.  Grotius undertook to overturn such an absurd opinion, that stirred up an irreconcileable enmity between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants; and, of consequence, was a very great obstacle to their re-union, which was the sole object of his desires.  He entered therefore upon the consideration of the passages of Scripture relating to Antichrist, and employed his Sundays in it.

    [Sidenote:  CHAP.  X. 1621-1634.]

“It was this work, that raised him up most enemies.  We see by the letters he wrote to his brother, that his best friends were afraid lest they should be suspected of having some hand in the publication of the books, in which he treated of Antichrist.  ’If you are afraid of incurring ill will, (he writes thus to his brother), you may easily find people that are far from a factious spirit, who will take care of the impression.  Nothing has incensed princes against those, who separated from the church of Rome, more than the injurious names, with which the Protestants load their adversaries; and nothing is a greater hindrance to that re-union, which we are all obliged to labour after, in consequence of Christ’s precept and the profession we make of our faith in the creed.  Perhaps the Turk, who threatens Italy, will force us to it.  In order to arrive at it, we must first remove whatever obstructs a mutual quiet hearing.  I hope I shall find assistance in this pious design.  I shall not cease to labour in it, and shall rejoice to die employed in so good a work.’

    [Sidenote:  His Treatise De Jure summarum potestatum, &c.]