Whether  or  no  it  was  duo  to  the  presence
of  English  representatives  at  the  synod,  there
is  no  doubt  that  from  this  time  onwards
there  developed  a  strong  intellectual  move-
ment in  England  against  the  rigid  Calvinism
in  fashion.     Laud  (q.v.)  and  his  friends  were,


(28


Arminianism]


Dictionary  of  English  Church  History


[Arnold


in  Mr.  Gardiner's  phrase,  the  'broad  Church-
men '  of  the  day.  On  a  point  so  complex  and
profound  as  the  relation  of  human  freedom
to  divine  grace  they  declined  to  dogmatise,
and  adopted  the  line  afterwards  suggested
by  Mozley  (q.v.)  in  regard  to  this  very
controversy,  that  it  were  to  be  wished  that
on  some  subjects  the  human  mind  would
admit  its  limitations.  Like  Arminius  and
his  followers  they  revolted  against  the  tenet
of  Calvinism  that  Christ  did  not  die  for  all
men,  but  only  for  the  elect.  With  this
negative  position  in  regard  to  the  prevailing
Protestant  orthodoxy  there  went  for  the  most
part  other  strong  positive  views  about  the
nature  of  the  Church  and  the  value  of  ex-
ternal ordinances.  With  these  we  are  not  here
directly  concerned.  These  points,  together
with  Laud's  methods  of  enforcing  conformity,
enhanced  the  dislike  of  the  Arminian  or
court  clergy.  But  from  the  time  of  their
first  favour  at  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of
Charles  I.  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  Puritan
party  felt  in  them  their  true  adversaries.  This
was  seen  in  the  passionate  attack  on  Richard
Mountague  [Caboline  Divines],  author  of
the  New  Gag  for  an  old  Goose,  and  the  eon-
test  that  ensued  between  the  Commons  and
the  King,  which  was  provoked  by  Mountague's
Appello  Cesar  em.  This  struggle,  which  lasted
from  1625  to  1629,  was  closely  connected
with  the  general  course  of  politics.  Indeed,
this  case  of  Mountague  alone  affords  strong
evidence  of  the  predominantly  religious
character  of  the  conflict  between  Charles
and  the  Puritans.  A  study  of  the  Parlia-
ment which  passed  the  Petition  of  Bight
reveals  this  most  clearly.  Mountague  had
been  condemned  for  his  Appello  Gesarem
in  1625,  and  was  made  a  bishop  in  1628.
