The Defence of Grace after the 1626 Proclamation

Abstract

Chapter 4 establishes the ongoing promotion of the Reformed Conformist approach to grace during the 1630s, in the face of an attempt to stifle such opinions by royal proclamation in 1626. Using Ward’s professorial determinations at the Cambridge Commencement, it shows how he ensured that the Reformed vision of grace still held a prominent place within Cambridge and exhibited its compatibility with English Church polity. The chapter also explores Ward’s editorial collaboration with Davenant in the publication of Davenant’s academic works. It underlines that their work ensured that the University press remained a vehicle for Reformed Conformity throughout the 1630s.