thority and without first confulting with their metropolitan. For the fame reafon mutatis mutandis), Elizabeth herself resented, if it be true that she did refent, the fubfequent proceedings of Whitgift. At all events this is certain, that her extreme affection for that prelate, did not fuffer her refentment to proceed far, or to continue long. One Corvinus, a noted Dutch Arminian, in a book of his, published beyond fea, feems to have been at the first who made public mention of the queen's difpleasure at this fuppofed invafion of her prerogative. Concerning the degree of credit due to this foreign writer, who affected to know more of our English affairs, than the English themselves, let us hear the candid and judicious hiftorian laft cited: "As for Cor * See Strype, ib. p. 440. And in this, the univerfity certainly afted imprudently; Whitgift being then at the head of the ecclefiaftical commiffion, and alfo having a peculiar jurifdiction over Cambridge, pro tempore; the fee of Ely being then vacant. In fhort, the difpute between the archbishop and the univerfity, was little elfe but a mere ftruggle for power. The heads at Cambridge were, at laff, apprehenfive, that in their fcuffle with the archbishop concerning the extent of his jurifdition over them, the truths of religion might eventually fuffer; wherefore they prefent to him a very respectful, but very nervous, petition: which fee in Strype, p. 451. Soon after, Barrett was, by the archbishop's order, ftrictly exa mined at Cambridge, upon thefe eight questions; which, with his anfwers, fee in Strype, p. 452, 453. Then examined again at Lambeth, before the archbishop in perfon, p. 457; and another form of recantation (more moderate and qualified than that he had before delivered at St. Mary's) was drawn up at Lambeth, with Barrett's confent, and tranfmitted to Cambridge; but which, however, this prevaricating Pelagian delayed to make, p. 457, 458. The whole affair is fummed up by the archbishop himfelf, as follows: and is fuch a proof of this prelate's Calvinism, as must for ever leave it incontestible, p. 458, 459: Here, properly, come in the Lambeth articles; p. 461. which were fent to Cambridge, accompanied with a letter from the archbishop, which breathes the true fpirit of a Chriftian and a Proteftant, P. 462: yet was he firmly perfuaded of the truth of the doctrine af ferted in thefe articles, p. 463. See Sand. Pax. Ecclef. p. 64. + See Strype, p. 464. She was, however, enraged at Baroe's impudence in prefuming to preach against the Calvinistic doctrines, as we fhall prefently fee. vinus, as we know not whence he had this intelligence, fo we find no juft ground for what he reporteth, [viz.] That archbishop Whitgift, for his pains incurred the queen's difpleafure, and a pramunire. We prefume this foreigner better acquainted with the imperial law, and local cuftoms of Holland, than with our municipal ftatutes, and the nature of a pramunire. Indeed, there goes a tradition, that the queen fhould, in merriment, fay jefting to the archbishop, My Lord, I now fhall want no money; for, I am informed, all your goods are forfeited to me, by your calling a council without my confent ;' but how much of truth herein, God knows. And be it referred to our learned in the law, whether, without danger of fuch a cenfure, the two archbishops, by virtue of their place, had not an implicit leave from the queen, to affemble divines, for the clearing, declaring, and afferting of difficult truths, provided they innovate or alter nothing in matters of religion." Fuller, p. 232*. As to lord Burleigh's fuppofed difapprobation of the articles, I apprehend it is nothing to the purpose, even admitting it to be true. That great perfon was certainly a very able statesman; but it does not therefore follow that he was a good divine. The famous Mr. Wilkes, is, in the opinion of very many, a paffable politician; yet I queftion whether you yourself (though, like you, he is far enough from being a Calvinift) would venture to pronounce that gentleman a confummate theologift. In confequence of thefe articles, approved of at Lambeth, and from thence fent to Cambridge, Peter Baroe, D. D. and Margaret-profeffor, chofe rather to quit the univerfity, than either to relinquifh his * A Cambridge divine, fo low down as 1634, was stopped of his degree, for feeming to nibble at the doctrine of justification by faith only. See Usher's Letters, p. 470. + It is extremely questionable whether he did quite diflike them. See Strype, 464.· Arminianifin, Arminianifm, or profefs himself a Calvinift when he was not fo. The matter is thus related by Fuller: "The end of Dr. Peter Baroe's triennial lectures began to draw near. Now, though custom had made fuch courtesy almoft become a due, to continue the fame profeffor, where no urgent reasons to the contrary were alledged; yet the univerfity intended not to re-elect him for the place: meaning fairly to cut him off at the juft joint (which would be the lefs pain and fhame unto him), when his three years fhould be expired. He himself was fenfible thereof: and befides, he faw the articles of Lambeth, lately fent to the univerfity; and forefaw, that fubfcription thereunto should be expected from, yea, impofed on him; to which he could not condefcend, and therefore chose to quit his place. So that, his departure was not his free act, out of voluntary election; but that whereunto his will was neceffarily determined : witnefs his own return, to a friend enquiring of him the cause of his withdrawing; "Fugio," faid he, "ne fugarer;" I fly for fear of being driven away. Some conceive this, hard measure, to one of Dr. Baroe's qualifications: for, 1. He was a foreigner, a Frenchman: 2. He was a great scholar, &c. Others alledged, that, in fuch cafes of confcience, there lies no plea for courtefy; and that Baroe, as he was a ftranger, had brought in ftrange doctrines, to the infecting the univerfity, the fountain of learning and religion; and therefore archbishop Whitgift defigned the removing," [or, as Dr. Nowell would have termed it, the Amotion] "of him from his place." [Hift. of Camb. fect. vii. p. 21, 22.]*. I fhall fubjoin the account given by Dr. Edwards, of these celebrated Lambeth articles: who, after The queen was enraged with Baroe, for his impudence and ingratitude, thown in his prefuming to preach againft the Calvinistical doctrine; Strype, p. 464, 465, and fo was the archbishop, who was Hutton, archbishop of York, p. 476. The articles, for which this French Semi-pelagian was accufed, were chiefly four. Strype, P. 470. fetting John fetting them down, as I have cited them above, adds: "The archbishop of Canterbury, in the letter to the vice-chancellor of the univerfity, when he fent Dr. Tindal and Dr. Whitaker back from Lambeth with these articles, profeffed, that he thought them to be true, and correfpondent to the doctrine profeft in the Church of England, and established by the laws of the land. And again, in his letter to Dr. Nevil, master of Trinity college, he afferts the propofitions to be undoubtedly true, and not to be denied of any found divine. Matthew Hutton, archbishop of York, in the clofe of his letter to archbishop Whitgift, adds thefe words, He thefes ex facris literis, vel apertè colligi, vel neceffarià confecutione deduci poffint, et ex fcriptis Auguftini.' i. e. These positions may plainly be gathered out of the facred Scriptures, or by neceffary confequence may be deduced out of them and St. Auguftine's writings*. [Young,] bishop of Rochefter, in a letter to the archbishop of Canterbury, allowed of all the articles but one: I am fomething doubtful,' faith he, "of the fourth propofition, because I do not perfectly understand it: for the reft, I have no manner of fcruple.'. The determination of Dr. Launcelot Andrews, concerning these articles, is alfo fet down in the Trinity-college manufcript, whence I had the foregoing informations. He [bishop Andrews] agrees with the archbishop, as to the main; and fubmits his judgment to the cenfure of that prelate. There likewife we have Dr. Biffe's opinion of the propofitions; wherein he fully gives his fuffrage in their behalf, and diftinctly fets it down according to the order of the propofitions. This, and the other particular teftimonies, may be feen in that forementioned manufcript; which is a standing confutation of those false things that are told by Dr. Heylin, concerning the articles of Lambeth: and, particu * See Hutton's judgment, more fully, in Strype, p. 461 and 478. larly, larly, of that calumny, which another of the fame genius hath had the confidence to publish to the world, namely, that archbishop Whitgift did not in the leaft approve of the thefes, but yet fubfcribed to them out of facility and fear of difcord. The contrary manifeftly appears from that choice collection of papers which I have made ufe of, and which was compiled by the archbishop himself, or by his order; fo as it may be looked upon as his: which I gather from the manufcript itself; it being bound up in a leather cover, on which are the arms belonging to the archbishop's fee. From the whole, we may conclude what was the judgment of the prelates and other divines of the Church of England, in queen Elizabeth's time, concerning thofe high points. Yea, indeed, the conclufion is made to our hand; for the force of truth hath drawn this acknowledgment from one of our chief adverfaries, that, in thofe times, Predestination, and the points depending thereupon, were received as the established doctrines of the Church of England:' [Heylin's Life of Laud, p. 51. And again, The books of Calvin were the rule, by which all men were to fquare their writings; his only word, like the ipfe dixit of Pythagoras, was admitted for the fole canon to which they were to frame and conform their judgments.' He adds, "It was fafer for any man, in thofe times, to have been looked upon as an heathen or publican, than an Anti-calvinift: [ibid. p. 52.]" Veritas Redux, p. 537, 538. It will appear, fir, even to yourself, how greatly mistaken you are, in afferting, fo confidently, that the Lambeth articles gave offence in the univerfity; when you confider the letter fent, by the university, to their chancellor, the lord Burleigh, within four *Strype alfo vindicates the archbishop from this mean infinuation of Elis's, p. 462. + J. Elis Hift. Artic. Lamb. See another conceffion of Heylin's. Life of Laud, p. 121. months |