THE TRUE PROFESSION OF THE GOSPEL
Augustus Toplady and reclaiming our Reformed foundations
By Lee Gatiss. Latimer Trust. 142 pages. £7.50
ISBN 978-0-946307-74-6
If compromise lies at the heart of Englishness, then it helps to explain the Englishman’s religion as expressed in the Church of England. Despite its formularies, in practice the Anglican church has never been more than a combination of discordant notes.
Those of Reformed conviction, such as the author of this learned work, have always contended that the true character of the English church is found in the doctrines of the Reformation. Others, such as Eamon Duffy, have convincingly argued that these have never been more than an unwelcome imposition. To follow the argument is rather like watching the ball in a tennis match. This book seeks to land an unplayable return in favour of the Reformed Calvinistic basis of the Church of England. Gatiss wisely turns to Augustus Toplady’s great work of 1774, The Historic Proof of the Doctrinal Calvinism of the Church of England to strengthen his service.
