Hickman:

Obj. The Church of England is for universal redemption the Calvinists that are anti-Arminian are against it.

Ans. Mr P. Indeed is hugely confident that if1 we grant him universal redemption the cause is yielded to him: But I am all most as confident, that to grant him universal redemption is to grant him just nothing at all, for what though Christ did so far die for all as to procure a salvation for all, upon the conditions of faith and repentance, what’s this to the absoluteness of God’s decrees, or to the insuperability of converting grace, or to the certain infallibly perseverance of God’s elect after conversion. King James understood these controversies far bter than either Mr P or I. and yet he even at that very time when he sent his Divines to the Synod of Dort, to determine against Arminianism that was then growing in the Low Countries, gave it them in charge not to deny that Christ died for all, as I myself was told by Bishop Ussher, the first time I had the happiness to have my personal discourse with him; who also further then told me, that he gave his own judgement to Dr Davenant for universal redemption, but withal added, that there were certain number upon whom God absolutely purposed to bestow his Spirit, taking away the heart of stone and giving them a heart of flesh…

If Mr. P. cannot answer the Doctors arguments [Ussher and Davenant], and count me as much engaged to defend them, as I myself had made them. If he cant digest them, let know that I have no quarrel with him about the former, which would never have found so many adversaries among Calvinists, if the Arminians had stated it so clearly, and proved it by so good arguments, as the Rev. Professor has done. But what do I talk of agreeing with such a man as Mr P.? who rather than not fight, will content with his own shadow. Dr. P. H., a bird of the same feathers, who also took his flight from the Angel in Ivy-Lane, will needs have Bishop Ussher to differ from the Church of England in the point of universal redemption; make his proof, p. 102: “The Church of England does maintain an universal redemption of all mankind, by the death and sufferings of our Savior.” Well, and so does the deceased Primate, p., 103:

We think not that all mankind is so perfectly reconciled to Almighty God, as to be really and actually discharged from all their sins, before they believe, but that they are so far reconciled unto him, as to be capable of the remission of their sins, in case they do not want [lack] that faith in their common Savior which is required thereunto.

Well so thought the Primate too. ‘Tis a wonder that a Doctor of Divinity should so unworthily handle a Reverent person, and fasten upon him a dissent from the Church of England, in a matter wherein he does so perfectly agree with her. But he has deceived the due desert of his bitterness, his book being, as I am informed, burned by the hand of the common hangman. And now reader, thou will apply to me the speech of Diogenes concerning Mindas, but I shall easy thy patience, when I have only desired thee to resolve this most plain and easy questions:

Whether those opinions which are contrary to the judgement of the composers of our Articles, which I have been frequently recanted by the divulgers of them, opposed by our learned Professors, condemned by our civil authority, the contrary whereunto have been constantly defended in our Acts, the greatest academic solemnities, to be the Doctrine of our Church of England.

Henry Hickman, Patro-scholastiko-dikaiösis, Or A Justification of the Fathers and Schoolmen: Shewing, ‘That they are not self-condemned for denying the posivitity of Sin. Being an Answer to so much of Mr. Tho. Peirce’s Book, called Autokatakrisis as doth relate to the foresaid opinion (Oxford: Printed by A. Lichfield, for Joh. Adams, and Edw. Forrest, 1659), preface [40-45.] [No original pagination for preface, pages numbered manually.] [Some reformatting, some spelling modernized, footnote mine, extensive original Latin quotation not included, and bracketed inserts mine]

___________________

1Original has it.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 10th, 2011 at 11:16 am and is filed under For Whom did Christ Die?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Comments are closed at this time.