All pacific persons reverenced Grotius, and still reverence his memory, for his attempts to restore the religious peace of Christendom:  all the violent condemned him, and opposed his projects.  The contradictions, which he met with, chagrined him; so that he sometimes lost that tranquillity of mind, which he had possessed in his deepest adversity.  But, to use his own words, he looked to the blessed Peacemaker for his reward, and trusted that posterity would do justice to its intentions.—­

“Perhaps, by writing to reconcile such as entertain very opposite sentiments, I shall,” says Grotius, “offend both parties:  but, if that should so happen, I shall comfort myself with the example of him, who said, If I please men, I am not the servant of Christ.”

[Sidenote:  XII. 3.  His Project of Religious Pacification.]

    “Grotius,” says Burigni, “content with gratifying his pacific
    desires, expected his reward from posterity.  This he clearly
    intimates in the following verses, written by him on the subject: 

        “Accipe, sed placide, quae, si non optimo, certe
          Espressit nobis non mala pacis amor. 
        Et tibi dic, nostro labor hic si displicet avo,
          A gratia pretium posteritate feret.”

The projects of religious pacification did not cease with Grotius:  several divines of distinction adopted it; and attempted, some with more prudence and ability than others, to carry it into effect.  The principal of these are noticed in the second appendix to the present work.  None succeeded:  One description of persons, who engaged in this design, was denominated Syncretists, or Calixtines, from George Calixtus their leader:  the other, from their calling men from controversy to holiness of life, received the appellation of Pietists:  A third party,—­perhaps we may style them, the Ultra-orthodox,—­more hostile to the former than to the latter—­arose in opposition to both, and accused them of sacrificing the doctrines of faith to a mistaken zeal for union and sanctity.[075]

It is certain[076] that the friends of union too often erred in this,—­that they aimed rather at an uniformity of terms than of sentiments; and thus seemed satisfied, when they engaged the contending parties to use the same words and phrases, though their real difference in opinion remained the same.  This could not be justified:  it tended evidently to extinguish truth and honour, and to introduce equivocation.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE DEATH OF GROTIUS.

1645

[Sidenote:  CHAP.  XIII. 1645.]