Act of God is a legal term defined as 'a direct, violent, sudden, and irresistible act of nature, which could not, by any reasonable cause, have been foreseen or resisted.' No one can be legally called upon to make good loss so arising. Research Act of God
The Arminians are a sect or party of Christians, so called from James Arminius or Harmensen, a Protestant divine of Leyden, who died in 1609. They were called also remonstrants, from their having presented a remonstrance to the States-general in 1610. The Arminian doctrines are: (1) Conditional election and reprobation, in opposition to absolute predestination. (2) Universal redemption, or that the atonement was made by Christ for all mankind, though none but believers can be partakers of the benefit. (3) That man, in order to exercise true faith, must be regenerated and renewed by the operation of the Holy Spirit, which is the gift of God; but that this grace is not irresistible and may be lost, so that men may relapse from a state of grace and die in their sins. These doctrines were vehemently attacked by the Calvinists of Holland, and were condemned by the Synod of Dort in 1619. The Arminians in consequence were treated with great severity; many of them fled to, and spread in, other countries, and though there is no longer any particular sect to which the name is exclusively applied, many bodies are classed as Arminians, as being opposed to the Calvinists on the question of predestination. Research Arminians
Samuel Foote was an English comic writer and actor. He was born about 1720 at Truro and died in 1777. He was educated at Oxford, and entered the Temple; but after a course of dissipation, in which he lost his small fortune, he turned his attention to the stage. He appeared first in Othello, but had little success as a tragedian. In 1747 he opened the theatre in Haymarket, with a dramatic piece which he entitled The Diversions of the Morning. It consisted of some very humorous imitations of well-known characters, in detached scenes, written by Samuel Foote, who always took the leading parts himself. After 1752 he performed alternately in London and Dublin. He did not obtain a patent for the Hay-market until 1766. Of his numerous plays, above twenty in number, hardly any was still performed by 1900. His humour was described by Dr. Johnson and other witnesses as irresistible. Research Samuel Foote
HMS Irresistible was a British first-class battleship launched at Chatham in 1898. She had a displacement of 15,000 tons and a speed of 18 knots. She was armed with four 12 inch guns and twelve six inch guns. In 1915 she struck a mine in the attack on Dardanelles and sunk. Research Irresistible
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Act of God
