SUPRALAPSARIANS. In the discussions of the doctrines of predestination and election, which arose out of the teaching of the school of theologians at Geneva, two different views came to be taken by the Calvinistic party. Some held that all the occurrences which take place on the earth have been from eternity the subject of a special decree of God : that God decreed to create man solely for his own glory, and to display his glory in the eternal happiness of some and the damnation of others : that this decree respected not merely the end, but all the means, direct or indirect, by which that end was to be wrought out ; and that sin, the fall of man, and the introduction of evil into the world, were decreed by God to happen as necessary means to the end proposed, and God therefore so constituted man, and placed him in such circumstances, that he could not but fall. The persons who held these views were called Supralapsarians (supra lapsum,), because, according to their system, the decrees of God respecting the salvation of some men and the rejection of others were in no sense consequent or dependent upon the foreseen fall of man, which itself (on the contrary) took place in consequence of a divine decree.
The other party were called Infralapsarians. They considered the decrees of God for fixing the eternal state of man as equally eternal and unchangeable, but they maintained that God did not create man in order that he might fall, but left him free to act for himself ; and, though foreseeing that he would fall, did not interfere to prevent him, but decreed that the consequences of this foreseen fall should result in increased glory to himself, and the eternal happiness of the greater part of men.
The synod of Dort adopted the views of the Infralapsarians. Modern Calvinists, generally, go no farther than Infralapsarianism, and often not so far.
SU1'IIEiIACY is a term used to designate supreme ecclesiastical authority; and is either papal or regal. Papal supremacy is the autho rity, legislative, judicial, and executive, exercised until nearly the middle of the 16th century by the pope over the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland, as branches and integral parts of the Western or Latin church, and which continues to be exercised de facto over that portion of the inhabitants of those countries who are in com munion with the church of Rome. The extent of the legislative authority of the pope was never exactly defined. Whilst it was regarded as nearly absolute at Rome and at Madrid, it was, at Venice, and still more at Paris, sought to be reduced within very narrow limits.
The papal supremacy was abolished by the legislatures of the three kingdoms in the 16th century. In order to ensure acquiescence in that abolition, particularly on the part of persons holding offices in England and Ireland, an oath has been required to be taken, which is generally called the oath of supremacy, a designation calculated to mislead, it in fact an oath of non-supremacy rather than of supremacy ; since, though in its second branch it negatives the supre macy of the pope, it is silent as to any supremacy in the crown. This oath was therefore taken without scruple by persons who were not Roman Catholics, whether members of the Anglican church or not. Roman Catholics might take an oath in which the civil and temporal authority of the pope were abjured. By the 21 & 22 Viet. c. 48 (1858), the oath was abolished, and another substituted which only pledges the person taking it to temporal allegiance to the sovereign, and repu diates the jurisdiction of any foreign power, spiritual or temporal, of whatever nature it may be.
'legal supremacy is not legislative, but judicial and executive only. Henry VIII. was first acknowledged as supreme head of the church by the clergy in 1528. This supremacy was confirmed by parliament In 1534, when, by the statute of 26 Henry VIII., c. i., it was enacted that "the king our sovereign lord, his heirs and successors, kings of this realm, shall be taken, accepted, and reputed the only supreme head in earth cf the Church of England, and shall have and enjoy, annexed to the imperial crown of this realm, as well the style and title thereof, as all honoure, dignities, pre-eminencies, jurisdictions, privi leges, authorities, immunities, profits, and commodities. to the said dignity of supreme head of the same church belonging and appertain ing ; and shall have power from time to time to visit, repress, redress, reform, order, correct, restrain, and amend all such errors, heresioa, abuses, offences, contempts, and enormities, whatsoever they be, which, by any manner of spiritual authority or jurisdiction, may lawfully be reformed, repressed, ordered, redressed, corrected, restrained, or amended, most to the pleasure of Almighty God, the increase of virtue in Christ's religion, and for the conservation of the peace, unity, and tranquillity this realm ; any usage, custom, foreign laws, foreign authority, prescription, or any other thing to the contrary stanching."