The Church of Englands Antithesis to Arminianism, Part 1
IT is the aduice and counsell of an AncientaCum primū mali cuiuscunque erroris putredo erumpere caeperit, & ad defensionem suiquaedam sacrae legis verba furari, atque faellaciter & fraudulenter ponere: statim interpretaendo canoni maiorum sententia congregaendae sunt: quibus illud qu…cun que exurget nouitium, i…eoque prophanum, & absque vlla ambage prodatur, & sine vlla retractatione damnetur. Sed eorum tantum Patrum sententiae congregandae sunt, qui in side & communione catholica, sancte, sapienter, constanter viuentes, docentes & permanentes, vel mori in Christo fideliter, velocciditro Christo faliciter meruerunt. Vincentius Leri…ensis Contr. Haereses. cap. 39. Father, for the suppression of such Haeresies, or vpstart Errors, which seeke to shrowde themselues vnderunder the fraudulent couert of wrested and mis-applied Scriptures; to examine them by, to encounter them with, the opinions and vnanimous resolutions of those Ancient godly Fathers, who hauehave either dyed in Christ, or suffered for Christ: that so they may bee manifestly discouered without ambiguity, and finally condemned, without reuocation or reuiewe. This Fatherly and graue Aduice of his, I hauehave made choice to follow, in the discouery, both of the nouelty and falsenesse of those Arminian Tenents, which would willingly harbour themselues, vnderunder the roofe and Patronage of the Church of England, whose Doctrines they of late praetend they are. The issue which the Arminians, and Anti-Arminians (if I may so stile them) are now come to ioyne, and on which they must receiue their final doome, is onelyonly this: Whether the Arminian or Anti-Arminian Positions, be the receiued and vndoubted Doctrines of the Church of England? The onelyonly Euidences, and Grand-Iury-men to try this Issue; are the Articles, Homilies, Common-prayer Booke, and the authorized Writings of all the Learned Orthodox Writers of the Church of England, from the beginning of Reformation to this present. If all these suffragate or passe their Verdict for the Arminians, and their erronious Assertions; let iudgement then be openly pronounced for them, we will foorth with yeeld vp to them without any more dispute, both cause and right at once. But if all, or either of these giuegive euidence against them, as in truth they doe: If they all yeeld vp a ioynt vnanimous verdict for Anti-Arminians, and their authentique Positions; I hope they shall then receiue, not only a speedy and finall iudgement on their side, which no subsequent Reuiew, nor writ of Error shall hencefoorth reuerse: but likewise a Parliamentary Decree, to establish them in their ancient and long-continued peaceable possession, without disturbance for all future times. For triall of this waighty Issue, which will put a period to our praesent Controuersies, and stablish peace and vnity both in Church and State; I hauehave heere Epitomized into this compendious Briefe, the seuerall scattered Euidences, and most materiall Witnesses that the Church of England hath affoorded me to this purpose, since her Reformation to this present; all which giuegive punctuall testimony, and vnanimous sentence against our new Arminian Assertions: discouering them to bee, not onelyonly nouell, and erronious; but diametrally repugnant to the anciently established, and professed Doctrine of our reformed Church, as the sequell will eftsoone demonstrate.
The Method which I shall obserue in the legall deciding of this Issue, is this: First, I shall set downe at large, the seuerall grand Charters (to wit, The Articles of the Church of England: The Articles of Lambheth: The Articles of Ireland: The Common Prayer Booke: The Homilies Established in our Church: The Chatechisme authorized by King Edward the 6. and Barrets Recantation,) which entitle the Anti-Arminian Tenents to the Church of England, and the Church of England vntounto them; and withall disproue the meere pretended title of the Arminian Tenents to our English Church, which neuer yet gaue colour or allowance to them. Secondly I shall propound the Anti-Arminian Orthodox Assertions in their order, applying these seuerall Charters to them, as vnanswerable euidences; and likewise quoting to them the workes and names of all such Orthodox and learned Writers of the Church of England, from the beginning of Reformation to this present, that hauehave hitherto come vntounto my hands; who giuegive direct and punctuall testimony either on their side, or against their opposites, or both; as irrefragable witnesses, to vindicate and proue them, to be the ancient and vndoubted; and the contrary Arminian Tenents, the spurious and pretended Doctrines onelyonly, of the Church of England.
I shall begin with the first of these; and in that, with the established and allowed Articles of the Church of England.