tempts are like throwing ftraw against a fort, or playing water against a rock. The Calvinifin, both of our reformers, and of our Church, ftands unimpeached, for any thing that either you, fir, or your Heylin, have proved to the contrary. However, fuppofing (not granting) that you even had fo far made good your point, as to have evinced, that fome of our reformers were not altogether fuch confiftent Calvinifts, as yet their works prove them to have been; ftill this argument would not have been decifive. Not the fermons and private writings even of our reformers themfelves, are to be taken for authentic tests of our established doctrines as a Church: but thofe ftubborn things, called Articles and Homilies, which have received the fanction of law, and the ftamp of public authority. Thefe ftubborn things (for fuch they are) ftill remain, bleffed be God, to ftare fome certain folks in the face, and to demonftrate the glaring apoftacy of fuch as fay they are Jews, and are not, but are found liars. To thefe ftubborn things we are to appeal: by thefe every fubfcriber is bound, and from thefe our doctrines must be learnt.

Before we quit the reign of king Edward, I must advert to what you deliver (page 89), concerning bishop Ponet's catechifm: which you find yourfelf under the neceffity of confeffing to have been "fet

:

than a detriment, to the Church of England? yet this fays Heylin. His words are, Scarce had they brought it to this pafs, when king Edward died whofe death I cannot reckon for an infelicity to the Church of England; for, being ill-principled in himself, and easily inclined to embrace fuch counfels as were offered to him, it is not to be thought, &c." Hift. Ref. Pref. p. 4. This Proteftant hiftory was dedicated, by the Proteftant Doctor, to his Proteftant majefty king Charles the Second: to whom the above mentioned Proteftant remark could not fail of being peculiarly pleafing.

Such was the man, whom Dr. Nowell has ventured to commend, and to quote. I fancy, that by this time, the reader will think, with me, that Dr. Nowell (like Charles the Ift, whom he is not afhamed to file The best of Kings) is rather unhappy in the choice of his favourites.

forth

forth by the command of king Edward VI." This Dr. Ponet, or rather Poynet, was, in 1550, tranflated, from the fee of Rochester, to Winchester, upon the deprivation of that ecclefiaftical butcher, Stephen Gardiner. In the year 1553 came out, cum privilegio, two editions, one in Latin, the other in English, of this excellent prelate's catechifm: in which form of found words (clearly exhibiting the fenfe both of the Church and legislature), thofe doctrines, which you have prefumed to brand for Calvinistic and Methodiftical, are afferted, explained, and enforced. You, indeed, tell us, that "the free-agency of man is not there denied." The word free-agency is not mentioned: but the thing is denied peremptorily, in the Arminian fense of it for thus runs part of the catechifm: "From the fame spirit also cometh our fanctification, the love of God and of our neighbour, justice and uprightness of life. Finally, to fay all in fumme, whatever is in us, or may be done of us, honest, true, pure, and good; that altogether fpringeth out of this most pleasant rock, from this most plenteous fountain, the goodness, love, choice and unchangeable purpose of God: he is the caufe; the reft are the fruits and effects." You add, that, in this catechifm "univerfal redemption is not denied." Nor is the baptism of bells. Were we to go by your negative rule of interpretation, there would be no end to chicanery, abfurdities, and mistakes. This I know, and this you know, if you ever caft your eye on the performance now under confideration, that, in it, eternal, perfonal, gratuitous and irreversible election is afferted: from whence a limited redemption neceffarily follows: unless you will fuppofe, that, in the judgment of the Church, the will of God the Father, and the will of God the Redeemer, were difcordant; and that the latter exceeded his commiffion, by dying for more than the former gave him in charge to fave. But, on the contrary, the catechifm before us evidently reftrains redemption

demption to the elect of God (whether rightly, or wrongly, is not the prefent queftion: I am only proving a fact), who are thus defcribed: "Immortality and bleffed life God hath provided for his chofen, before the foundations of the world were laid." And again, that, through the alone benefit of Chrift's facrifice and cross, "All the fins of all believers, from the beginning of the world, are pardoned, by the fole mercy of God." The grace by which men are made true believers, and which is the very root of all real fanctification, is farther reprefented as the special gift and work of the Holy Ghost; "The Holy Ghoft is called holy, not only for his own holiness, but because the elect of God and the members of Chrift are made holy by him." Now, if they only, who should believe, were redeemed by Chrift's facrifice; and if their belief itself be a part of that fanctification which is wrought by the Holy Ghoft; and if this fanctification is peculiar to the elect of God; then, according to this catechifm, only the elect of God were redeemed by Christ.

You tell us, moreover, referring to this valuable monument of good old church-doctrine, " Nor is the indefectibility of the elect afferted." Indeed but it is, in terms tantamount. The witneffing fpirit of Chrift, in the hearts of those who are there ftyled "The fore-chofen, predeftinate, and appointed to everlasting life before the world was made," is exprefsly termed the "author, earnest, and unfailable pledge of their faith." But, was that faith either totally or finally amiffible, the pledge, by which it is afcertained, could not be called unfailable: for, that faith itfelf muft neceffarily be unfailable, which has an unfailable pledge. Befides, God the Holy Spirit could not, with any fort of truth or propriety, be the earneft of their inheritance, if the inheritance itfelf was precarious, and fufpended on conditions of uncertain performance. An earneft is actually a part of payment, and fo much of the inheritance advanced before-hand, and which enfures

enfures the remainder: otherwife, it would be no earneft at all. An argument, in favour of the faint's final perfeverance, which I defy all the excuti-fidi ans in the world (as bifhop Hall, no lefs juftly, than fmartly, terms them) to anfwer.

You fay too little, when you tell us, that this catechifm fpeaks in pretty high terms of election and predeftination." It fpeaks of thofe doctrines in terms the highest and the ftrongeft: as alfo of original fin; the utter impotence of man's will, by nature, in fpiritual things; the eternity and immutability of God's decrees; the abfolute freeness of iuftification; and the efficacioufnels of divine grace, by which (as the very words are) "we are made to do thofe good works, which God had appointed for us to walk in.' I fhall only add one or two very remarkable particulars, concerning this excellent catechifm. 1. It was published the very next year after the framing and fetting forth our Church articles: and therefore may be confidered as a profeffed explication and enlargement of them. 2. I have good reafon to believe, that, during the short remainder of king Edward's reign, it was ufually prefixed to and bound up with thofe articles. 3. It was prefaced by the king himfelf, with an authoritative epiftle of recommendation, ftrictly enjoining and commanding, "All fchoolmafters what foever within his dominions, as they did reverence his authority, and would avoid his royal difpleafure, to teach this catechifim, diligently and carefully, in all and every their fchools, that fo the youth of the kingdom might be fettled in the grounds of true religion, and furthered in God's worship.".

I think, it is fufficiently plain, that Arminianifm had no footing in the Church of England, while headed by our English Jofiah. Which, I prefume, was the chief reafon that made your beloved Peter Heylin impudently term this excellent young monarch (the first Proteftant King we ever had) ill-principled.

Come

Come we now to the reign of queen Elizabeth. Under this great princefs, the Church of England raifed its head again, and matters went happily on in the old, Proteftant, Calvinistic channel. Of this, many and ample proofs might be given. I fhall offer a very decifive one, upon the authority of the worthy and laborious Mr. Strype: an hiftorian, whofe attachment to our Church was indifputable, and whofe faithfulness in relating facts, even when thofe facts make against his own favourite opinions (for he appears to have been an Arminian), is equally remarkable and praife-worthy. "We are to know," fays this refpectable annalist, "that, among those who now profeft the gofpel, there were confiderable numbers, differing from the reft, that followed fome foreign divines, of great name, in the point of predestination; denying the doctrine of God's being any cause of the fins of men, and thereby of their damnation. One of thefe was Thomas Talbot, parfon of St. Mary Magdalen, Milk-ftreet, London. Those of this perfuafion were mightily cried out againft, by the other, as Free-willers, Pelagians, Papists, Anabaptifts, and the like: but they took their opportunity to addrefs the bishops; plainly declaring their opinions, and their fufferings, as well as others, for the gofpel; and defiring therefore the favour of fome act of parliament, to enjoy the liberty of their confciences, without reftraint or punishment (which fome threatened), as others of the queen's Protestant fubjects did. I meet" [adds Mr. Strype] "with fuch a petition to the Church, the exact time whereof does not appear: but it being evident, it was near the beginning of the queen's reign, and while a parliament was fitting, I venture to place it here" [i. e. under the year 1 562, the very year that our articles of religion were revifed and re-eftablifhed, as we now have them]. The petition, fays Mr. Strype, "was exhibited by the fore-faid Talbot." After which, he gives the petition itself, at full length (fee Strype's Annals of the first twelve years of Q. VOL. V. (23.)

E

Eliz.