John Davenant
John Davenant (20 May 1572 – 20 April 1641) was an influential bishop, scholar, and theologian in the Church of England. He was Bishop of Salisbury from 1621 until his death in 1641. He is largely remembered for his service as one of the English delegates at the Synod of Dort, and for his defense of a view of the atonement called Hypothetical Universalism.
Theology
Hypothetical Universalism
Davenant argued in his work De Morti Christ (originally written in Latin) for his view on the atonement called Hypothetical Universalism. This view preserved the Reformed view of God's unique and unfailing decree of Predestination, as well as the sufficiency of Christ's death on the cross to atone for the sins of all men. Davenant argued that some of the more limited views of the Atonement contradicted Article 2 of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion which states:
...Christ, very God and very man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile His Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men.
Davenant argued that the decree and the intention of the Atonement was not only to pay the penalty of the sins of the Elect alone, but to pay the sins of those who would have faith, meaning that hypothetically if any individual person had faith in Christ they would have the Atonement applied to them, even if in the actual providence of God they will never actually believe, and therefore will not have the Atonement applied to their account.
Works
Animadversions: https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_animadversions-written-b_davenant-john_1641/mode/2up
Baptismal Regeneration: https://newwhitchurch.press/davenant/baptism
Treatise on Justification: https://archive.org/details/per_treatise-on-justification_treatise-on-justification-_john-davenant_1844_1
On the Death of Christ: And Other Atonement Writings: https://davenantinstitute.org/on-the-death-of-christ