http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA11&dq=augustus%20toplady%20calvinism%20church%20of%20england&ei=CHbgTILcHIWglAeBiq2YAw&ct=result&id=ybYOAAAAIAAJ&output=text
Toplady's purpose of writing, p.11.
"To vindicate the best of visible Churches, from the false charge of Arminianism, fastened on her by you, and to prove, that the principles commonly (although, perhaps, not so properly) termed Calvinistic, are plainly and repeatedly delivered in the authentic declarations of her belief, were the reasons that chiefly induced me to resolve on the present undertaking. In consequence of which resolution, I took home your pamphlet with me, and have it now before me..."
Toplady on Luther (and quite factually), p.16:
"The plain truth is, Luther himself was an absolute predestinarian...When Luther," says he," began to form his opinions into a body, he clearly saw, that nothing did so plainly destroy the doctrine of merit, and justification by works, as St. Austin's opinions. He found also in his works very express authorities against most of the corruptions of the Roman Church..."
Arminianism and imputation according to Toplady:
"That consummate scholar and historian, Spanhemius the son, treating of Pelagius and his tenets, observes, that this arch-heretic asserted, " Causampredestinatioms ad gratiam & glorium efje pravifionem bono~ rum operum, & per fever antiam in Hits, ex recto liberi arbitrii ufu, exceptatamen gratia apojlolatus. Pradeflinationem ad mortem nullam dari; folam dari prœscienliam peccatorum" [Introd. ad Hist. & Antiq. Sacr. pag. 454.] i.e. that "The cause of predestination to grace and glory was, the foresight of good works, and of preleverance therein, resulting from a right use of our free-will: and that there is no such thing as predestination unto death ; but only a foreknowledge of what sins men would commit *." That these are the doctrines of the Arminians now, as they were of Pelagius then, needs no proof. An Arminian laughs at the imputation of Adam's offence, in order to elude the necessity of the Messiah's imputed righteousness..."
Toplady on the Arminian disastre called ABC William Laud, p.21.
"But you urge, that the Arminian doctrines `have been maintained by many of the brightest ornaments of our Church : such as Laud, Hammond, Bull, &c.' I except against Laud. I cannot allow him, upon the whole, to have been any ornament to us at all: much less can I put him at the head of our brightest ornaments. If he had any brightness belonging to him, it was the brightness of a fire-brand, which at the long run, set both Church and state in a flame. Learned as he was (or, rather, an encourager of learning in others, so they were not Calvinists,) he was, at best, but a mongrel Protestant; and would have but acted consistently with himself, had he accepted the cardinal's hat, which was offered him from Rome...So declared an enemy was your bright ornament, to all liberty, both civil and religious, that I make no scruple to call him a disgrace to his order, to his country, and to human nature... "
Toplady refers to forgotten names, Calvinistic Anglicans. p.21:
"...and true, consistent sons of it, by believing and maintaining her sundamental doctrines: such as Abbot, Grindal, Usher, Williams, Davenant, Downham, Carlton, Hall, Barlow (of Lincoln), Beveridge, Hopkins, &c. &c. all of whom were bishops, and (for which reason you threw them into shades) Predestinarians. After all, truth does not depend on names. The doctrines of the Church are to be learned from the articles and homilies of the Church herself; not from the private opinions of some individuals who lay hold on the skirt of her garment, call themselves by her name, and live by her revenues..."
Toplady, turns a lovely phrase,p. 26, (if he knew of the current Alzheimers-Manglican-Amnesia-Anglican mess, he'd roll over in his grave),
"I pray God, that the Delilahs, who make it their business to shear the Church of its locks, by robbing it gradually of its doctrines, may not, at the long run, deliver it quite up into the hands of the Philistines."
Toplady chides Burnet's exposition of the 39 Articles and the endeavour to sanitize them of Reformed Theology, unfortunately with a long tradition in post-Reformation England, p 29.
"Dr. South's mind, `who, you know, sir, being asked, soon after its publication, what he thought of it? replied, in his smart way, "Think of it? I think, that, in his Exposition of our 39 Articles, his lordship has given the Church forty stripes save one." That the bishop has given the Church three or four stripes, I think, can hardly be denied: and unhappy is the mother, who receives such usage at the hands of the sons she has nourished and brought up. Thus much is certain: that Burnet plays fast and loose, whenever Calvinism and subscription fall in his way. Hence those two contradictory positions of his; "Subscription does import an assent to the article..."
In a footnote, we read from Toplady the following, but are completely clueless about the meaning, p.30:
" The lower House of Convocation, in 1701, severely censured Burnet's Exposition of the Articles. See Tindal, 15. 319"
Toplady rehearses a Cambridge Prof's remonstration with Burnet's efforts at anti-Calvinism, p.31.
"That learned and able divine, Dr. Edwards, of Cambridge, published, in the life-time of Bshop Burnet, some strictures on that prelate's way of treating the articles. `I am by no means,'lays be, `approve of this learned prelate's extravagant attempt, when he takes a great deal of pains to persuade his readers, that these thirty-nine articles, or most of them, are so dark and ambiguous, that the true sense of them is not to be found out: and therefore that we may make what construction of them we please. Surely, his lordship's memory is none of the best: any man must needs think that...he had forgot what he had asserted and given as his judgment, namely, That these are articles of downright belief, and therefore must not be dallied and played with. It is such a strange perverting of the articles, as cannot but raise admiration in indisferent persons, and such as are not led by prejudice. For, 1st, This new-found exposition fosters dissimulation. It seems to teach our clergymen to equivocate. For, though the learned and reverend author acknowledges, once and again, that the compilers of those articles were Calvinistically disposed, and accordingly formed some of the articles to as they are to be understood in savour of Calvin's opinions; yet he proposes them to the clergy, to be taken in an ambiguous sense. They are taught, in the whole, to trim; to turn about as they please; to dissemble with God and man; to subscribe to that, which, they know, most assuredly, is, in the plain meaning of it, against their persuasion. Therefore I say that this new-coined explication of the articles, is inconsistent with the integrity of our Church, and the sincerity of its ministers who are to subscribe to them. It will be hard to reconcile this with the doing it with a good conscience, as is required in the 5th canon; and ex animo, and avoiding all ambiguities, as the 36th canon enjoins."
More from Burnet..the dancer and English equivocator... on the 39 Articles that favours the Calvinists:
"[Burnet] gives us an instance in himself: telling us [in his preface to the Expos, of the Art.] that in the point of predestination, he follows the Greek Church, from which St. Austin departed, and formed a new system: and yet he publicly declares, that our Church's article of predestination may be interpreted and understood in favour of the Calvinists, who follow St. Augustin. I remember this learned writer, in the account he gives us of his travels, makes this reflection on Geneva, that there is want of sincerity there."
Toplady offers further rejoinders to the anti-predestinarians.
"If they be, such writers as Dr. Nowett ought to turn their eyes inward, and recollect, that themselves are the persons, who give the friends of our excellent. Church reason to lament, and open the mouths of her enemies to blaspheme.
But, if the expostulations of the independent. which be repudiated, as coming from a suspected quarter; permit me to remind you, sir, of three very remarkable passages, the same, in substance, with the preceding, though written by persons of your own principles: I mean Dr. Heylin, bishop Burnet, and Dr. Waterland. The introducing them here, is, indeed, an anticipation, which reveries, in some measure, the plan I proposed at first setting out : but as I am on the subject of Arminian subscription, I will dispatch it once for all. Dr. Peter Heylin, who was chaplain to archbishop Laud and king Charles the First, and was both a Laudean and a Carolitn in grain; an author, whom you closely follow, and whose Quinquarticular History seems to have furnished you with a considerable part of that book you lately offered to the public; does, in that very history, Arminian as he was, express himself thus: "The composers of the articles of the Church of England had not so little in them of the dove, or so much of the serpent, as to make the articles of the Church like an upright shoe, which may be worn on either foot ; or like to Theramenes* shoe, as the adage hath it, sit for the foot of every man that was pleased to wear it. And therefore we may say, of our sfrst reformers, in reference to the present book of articles, that those reverend and learned men intended not to deceive any, by ambiguous terms. The first reformers did not so compose the articles, as to leave any liberty to dissenting judgments; but did bind men to the literal and grammatical sense..."
Toplady on turn-coat Anglican Churchmen, p.41:
"But though these great men, whenever the Calvinistic doctrines of the Church came in their way, turned themselves back, like Ephraim, and were as frightened at Calvins's positions (though subscribed to by themselves) as they could have been at his apparition ; thus, Penelope like, unraveling the very web they had taken such pains to weave; yet their remarks themselves are not the less true. The plain case was this : when these persons had to deal with an antagonist who happened to espouse any particular opinion that did not tally with their own, they presently knocked him down with the authority of the Church Articles : but when this same authority was, in other particulars, urged against themselves; they paid no more regard to articles and subscriptions, than other people. Like some tyrants, of whom it is recorded, that they would allow none but themselves to trample on the laws with impunity ; or like the man who could, upon occasion, drub his wife soundly, but would
suffer nobody else to list a singer against her*."
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