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The Supralapsarians

Westminster Assembly, 1644–1645

The minority who held that election and reprobation logically precede the decree to permit the fall. Led by the Prolocutor William Twisse (whose Vindiciae Gratiae is the most rigorous Latin defence of the position) and aligned with the Scottish Commissioners (Rutherford, Gillespie, Henderson). Thomas Goodwin, the chief Independent, was also supralapsarian. The Confession's decree chapter (III) was deliberately drafted to permit both supra- and infralapsarianism without imposing either — a latitude that remains confessionally operative in every Reformed body that subscribes to Westminster.

Anchor personas

William Twisse 1577–1646 Prolocutor (1643–1646) Samuel Rutherford c. 1600–1661 Scottish Commissioner (minister) George Gillespie 1613–1648 Scottish Commissioner (minister) Alexander Henderson 1583–1646 Scottish Commissioner (minister) Thomas Goodwin 1600–1680 Independent / Dissenting Brother

Departures from the Westminster baseline

The Supralapsarians departs from the Westminster baseline on 2 of the 35 attributes.

II · God & Decree · Order of Decrees

Supralapsarian override vs WCF: Deliberately-Permits-Both

II · God & Decree · Covenant of Redemption

Explicit-Developed override vs WCF: Implicit-Affirmed

Connected cruxes 20

Cruxes where this school's anchor personas were active parties, or where this tradition is mentioned in the legacy narrative.

The Order of the Decrees 1644–1645 The Extent of the Atonement January 1646 The Decree of Reprobation 1645 The Covenant of Redemption 1645–1647 The Children of Believers and the Sign of the Covenant 1645 The Imputation of Christ's Active Obedience August–October 1645 Assurance: Of the Essence of Saving Faith? 1646–1647 The Perseverance of the Saints 1646 The Third Use of the Moral Law 1645–1646 The Strict Sabbath 1645 The Grand Debate over Polity October 1644 – January 1646 The Erastian Question July 1645 – November 1645 The Regulative Principle of Worship 1644–1645 Sacramental Efficacy: Signs and Seals 1646 The Magistrate and the Two Tables 1646; revised 1788 The Pope as Antichrist 1646 Grounds of Divorce: Adultery and Wilful Desertion 1646 The Conscious Intermediate State 1647 The Final Judgment and the Last Things 1647 The Solemn League and Covenant August–September 1643

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Study Reformed, “The Supralapsarians” (School), Westminster Standards Atlas, version 79a5f9880ac1, https://studyreformed.com/atlas/cite/school/supralapsarians/.

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