REFLECTIONS ON THE RELATION OF THE ENGLISH REFORMATION Lately Printed at OXFORD PART I. AMSTERDAM Printed for I. S. 1688. REFLECTIONS ON THE RELATION OF THE ENGLISH REFORMATION c. The First Part. The INTRODUCTION WE have been long in Expectation of some extraordinary Productions of the Eminent Convert of Oxford His Age his Learning and the present Conjuncture hath raised that Expectation very high and tho the ill success of his Discourses concerning the Presence in the Sacrament and the Adoration of it hath sunk his Reputation to a great Degree it having appeared that he neither writes exactly nor sincerely which hath lessened him much in the Opinion of those who expected great things from him Yet it was thought that matters of History would succeed better in his hand for it hath been long believed that he had examined those Transactions very critically so that when I heard that he had undertaken this Subject I expected great Discoveries from him and fancied that instead of Extracts out of Fuller and Heylin we should have found Records Originals Papers and the Cotton-Library often cited So it may be easily apprehended how much I was surprised when I found a Book of such a Volume in which there was not the least Discovery of any new matters of Fact and that there was nothing in it but a tedious Repetition very ill expressed in rough English of Arguments that have been over and over again both made and refuted together with a Representation of the state of Affairs in the last Age that was partly defective and partly false It seemed strange to me at first view to see so large a Book writ and printed eight years after that Dr. Burnet's History of the Reformation had appeared without its taking the least notice of that Work which hath been so well received so much read and which seems to be so well confirmed by the Proofs that accompany it that few Books of History have gained a more general Reputation than it hath done and as none of the Roman-Communion have been able hitherto to say any thing for the Disparagement of that Work except Mr. Varillas so he hath been so severely exposed by the Dr. that this attempt hath raised its Credit instead of lessening of it It is true This Book seems to be a part of a great Work and to have been writ many years ago For as this appears in many Parts of it so more remarkably in one Passage that shews it was written in the Interval between His Late Majesties being re-established in his Throne and the Restauration of Bishops and therefore when this Book was writ the Author could not vouch other Historians than such as had then appeared Yet since the printing of it was delayed so long and since it is believed that the Author and the Publisher is the same Person he might have given himself the trouble to have reviewed his Work or at least to have added some Appendix relating to that more copious and authentical Account which Dr. Burnet hath given us of our Reformation For if the Dr. hath deceived the World by a false Representation of Matters yet it must be confessed that he hath done it with so good a Grace and with such appearances of Sincerity and of proving what he relates and that both our Countrymen and Forreigners have read that Work so much as appears by the several Impressions at home and the several Translations that have been printed beyond Sea that it was too great an Omission in the Author of this Recital if he be still alive that he hath never mentioned that History nor said any thing to ruin the Reputation it hath gained I am I confess much inclined to believe that he who hath published this Book could not have writ it For as there is nothing in it that answers the Reputation he hath in the World so the time of writing it seems a Demonstration that he cannot be the Author of it For what Opinion can we have of a mans Conscience of his Probity or his Honour that could write such a Book against the Reformation and the Church of England in the year 1660. and yet could continue in the Communion of our Church concurring not only in the Acts of our daily Worship but mixing with us in the Holy Sacrament twenty five years after this Such a Criminal Compliance hath so many foul Characters upon it that after all the Charity to which a man can carry his thoughts he can scarce know how to have one good thought of a person capable of so black and such a long continued dissimulation both towards God and Man. Whether Oaths and Subscriptions have not come in wise to enhance the guilt of so horrid a Dissimulation I do not know but even tho that hath not been in the case God and Man hath been sufficiently mocked This is that which makes me very unwilling to believe that the Author of this Book could continue in all the Acts of visible Communion with this Church so many years after he writ it tho I confess he speaks so softly and with so little Detestation of the compliance of the Popish Clergy in Edward the 6th's time that this looks too like a man that was resolved to venture on the same guilt for he tells us in his harsh Stile That the perpetual outward compliance of some other Bishops contrarily affected since there preceded before it penalties and Fears and the seeing of the prime Bishops to be imprisoned and ejected for standing out is far from an authentical Consent and unjustly reckoned as such For tho none can know mens Hearts but by their outward appearances yet where mens Votes are asked after Penalties Imprisonments of others Threats c. which are so strong motives of Dissimulation Now all that conform in these are to be presumed Compliers and none free Voters And afterwards without expressing any horror at it he owns That many of the inferior Clergy remained still of the old Religion which he goes about to prove by several Reasons And yet after all this there was nothing to be apprehended in K. Edward's days by such of the Clergy as would not receive the Reformation but the loss of their Benefices which if we are not mistaken in the Man our Author felt to be such a strong motive of Dissimulation that he resolved to be overcome by it If a single Act of impious Worship against a mans Conscience was thought so heinous a crime by the Primitive Church that it could not be expiated but by a Penitence of many years continuance then certainly the same Sin repeated in the course of so many years against such clear Convictions of Conscience must be confessed to be so heinous a Transgression that according to the Spirit of the Primitive Times such an Offender could have expected no other Grace but to obtain the Peace of the Church in his last agonies To see a man change is natural especially where
which they account Infallible It is true some have thought they could get out of this difficulty by denying these to be the Acts of that Council But if our Author be the same Person with him that writ concerning the Adoration of the Eucharist he is of another mind and doth acknowledg that those Canons are the true Acts of that great Assembly and not only the Designs of the Pope It is true he saith the sense of the Canon concerning the secular Powers is by Protestants mistaken But he hath not yet given himself the trouble of laying before us the true sense of that Canon and one would think that he who writ the Treatise that is now under Examination had very favourable thoughts of the Doctrine of Subjects shaking off an heretical Prince for he reckons up the many risings that were in K. Edwards days chiefly for matter of Religion as a proof that the Body of the Clergy went not into that change Which rising saith he of the Laity in such numbers for their former way of Religion would not have been had not their Clergy justified it unto them Rising is a soft word for Rebellion and one would think that it would have afforded no small matter of reproach against us if we brought in a company of Rebels to make up a Muster of our Religion But to own that the Clergy justified it to them without adding the least Word expressing our Author's dislike of this shews plainly enough that how good a Subject soever our Author may be to a Prince of his own Religion yet he thinks a Catholick Clergy may be able to justifie to the Laity a Rising against a Heretical Prince upon the account of Religion And it seems our Author had a great mind to make a huge appearance of his Catholick Rebels in K. Edwards days For besides that he speaks of Risings in many more Counties then are mentioned by the Books of that time he also represents all those Risings to have been upon the account of Religion tho the History makes it clear that the Risings over England were chiefly occasioned by Parks and Enclosures and that it was a rage of the Peasants against the Gentry in most places chiefly in the Northfolk-Rebellion where Religion was not at all pretended nor doth it appear that any pretended Religion except those of Devonshire so that our Author would make his Party and the Clergy more Rebellious than indeed they were In this whole Period he seems to have been forsaken of common Sense CHAP. III. Some general Considerations on the Regal Supremacy that was raised so high at the Reformation OUR Author hath brought together many Acts of Parliament with their pompous Preambles that seem to carry the Kings Power in Ecclesiastical Matters to a very Indefinite degree and upon all this he triumphs often as if this was so improper that it alone is enough to blast the whole Reformation Our Author is much more concerned to justifie all Papal Bulls than we can be to justifie all the Words of our Laws especially the Rhetorick that is in their Preambles If he believes the Pope infallible the general Parts of Bulls that set forth the Doctrine of the Church are such solemn Declarations that he must be determined by them But at lowest he believes the Popes to be the Centers of the Catholick Unity and all Bishops are bound by Oath to obey all their Decrees and Ordinances Now when our Author will undertake to justifie all the Preambles of Bulls that are in the Bullarium then we may undertake to justifie all the flourishes that may be in any Act of Parliament When any Authority is asserted in general and indefinite Terms these are always to be understood with those Restrictions and Limitations that the nature of things require to be supposed even when they are not expressed St. Paul expresses the Obedience of Wives to their Husbands in terms so extreamly extended that as the Church is subject unto Christ so ought the Wives be to their own Husbands in every thing He expresses also the Duty of Children in as comprehensive terms Children obey your Parents in all things Now if one would draw Inferences from the extent of these words he might taking the liberty that our Author takes upon some of the Expressions that are in our Acts of Parliament represent the Authority that St. Paul vests both in Husbands and Parents as a very boundless and a very extravagant thing This is enough to shew that in all those large Phrases of Obedience there are some necessary Reserves and Exceptions to be understood and if this Qualification is necessary even in writings that were inspired it is no wonder if some of the Rhetorick of our Acts of Parliament wants a little of this Correction It is a very unreasonable thing to urge some general Expressions or some stretches of the Royal Supremacy and not to consider that more strict Explanation that was made of it both in K. Henry the 8th's time and under Q. Elizabeth That were so clear that if we had to do with Men that had not resolved before-hand not to be satisfied one would think there could be no room for any further cavilling In K. Henry's time the extent of the Kings Supremacy was defined in the necessary Erudition of a Christian man that was set forth as the Standard of the Doctrine of that time and it was upon this that all people were obliged to take their measures and not upon some Expressions either in Acts of Parliament or Acts of the Convocation nor upon some stretches of the Kings Jurisdiction In this then it is plainly said That with relation to the Clergy the King is to oversee them and to cause that they execute their Pastoral Office truly and faithfully and especially in those Points which by Christ and his Apostles was committed to them And to this it is added That Bishops and Priests are bound to obey all the Kings Laws not being contrary to the Laws of God. So that here is expressed that necessary Reserve upon their Obedience it being provided that they were only bound to obey when the Laws were not contrary to the Laws of God. The other Reserve is also made of all that Authority which was committed by Christ and his Apostles to the Bishops and Priests and we are not ashamed to own it freely that we see no other Reserves upon our obedience to the King besides these So that these being here specified there was an unexceptionable Declaration made of the Extent of the Kings Supremacy yet because the term Head of the Church had something in it that seemed harsh there was yet a more express Declaration made of this matter under Q. Elizabeth of which indeed our Author hath taken notice tho I do not find he takes notice of the former which he ought to have done if he had intended to have represented this matter sincerely to the world which I confess seems not
been extremely arrogant and obstinate and zealous beyond knowledg and tho they had suffered for a good Cause yet suffering for it on good or reasonable grounds as neither themselves being any way learned nor pretending the Authority of any Church nor relying on any present Teachers but on the certainty of their own private Judgment interpreting Scripture as you may see And here some Instances are given but if this Period will close it self it may for our Author who seldom takes care of such small matters leaves it in this unfinished condition I will not examine the truth of this Maxim but will only take notice that since all Protestants agree in this that the Ground of our Faith is that which appears to us to be the Sense of the Scripture our Author hath by this Limitation of his former gentleness towards us delivered us all over to the Secular Arm and so God have Mercy on our Souls for it is plain he will have none upon our Bodies XI He quarrels with the Privy-Council for imprisoning of Bonner because he said he would observe the Injunctions that were sent him if they were not contrary and repugnant to Gods Law and to the Statute and Ordinance of the Church the fault imputed here to him I suppose being that he refused to obey any Injunctions of the King when repugnant to the Statute and Ordinance of the Church But since he had a mind to blacken that time he might have as well said that they found fault with him because he promised to obey the Injunctions if they were not contrary to Gods Law and that thereby it appeared that they preferred their Injunctions to the Laws of God as well as to the Laws of the Church and by our Author 's taking no notice of the first Branch of Bonner's Exception it may be inferred That all his Concern is about the Laws of the Church and so they be secured he troubles himself little what becomes of the Law of God But if he had weighed this matter as he ought to do he would have found that this Exception is very ill grounded When a Form of a Subscription is demanded there is no Government in the World that will accept of one that indeed signifies nothing at all for it is visible that a Subscription made with those Reserves signifies nothing therefore if Bonner had acted as became his Character he should have directly refused the Subscription of such Injunctions as he found to be contrary to the Laws of God or to such Laws of the Church as he thought bound his Conscience But the Protestation he made gave a very just ground to the Government to proceed against him according to Law. XII Our Author intending to aggravate the Proceedings against Gardiner shews his great Judgment in setting down the Article relating to the Kings Supremacy at full length whereas he had only named the others for he could have invented nothing that must needs render all his Exceptions to the King's Supremacy more visibly unjust than this doth which is in these Words That his Majesty as Supreme Head of the Church of England hath full Power and Authority to make and set forth Laws Injunctions and Ordinances concerning Religion and Orders in the said Church for repressing all Errors and Heresies and other Enormities and Abuses so that the same Alteration be not contrary or repugnant to the Scriptures or Law of God. This was no other than what Gardiner had over and over again both by his Oaths and his Writings advanced and the restriction set on it was so just that one would think there lay no possible Exception to it Here there is no claim to the declaring what were Errors and Heresies but only to the repressing them and this is done by the Secular Arm even where men are burnt for Heresie Besides the Power that according to our Author belongs to the Pastors of the Church is either founded on the Scriptures or it is not if it is not founded on the Scriptures there is no great regard to be had to it but if it is founded on it then it it clearly excepted by the words of this Article so it is hard to see of what use this is to our Author unless it be to shew him his Injustice XIII He tells us That all that which had been done under King Henry and King Edward was Annulled by an equal Authority under Queen Mary But tho I acknowledg he was both the Soveraign and the Parliament yet there was neither Justice nor Moderation in the Charge now made equal to what had been done before A great deal might be said concerning the Election of the Members of Parliament and the Practices upon them and of the turning out a Multitude of the Clergy before the Laws were changed The Disorders and Irregularities in the Disputes had nothing of that fair Dealing in them that had appeared in King Edward's time and whereas all the Severity of King Edward's days was the Imprisoning of three or four Bishops and the turning out some of the other Clergy he knows well how matters went under Queen Mary So that we cannot be denied this Glory that a Spirit of Justice and Moderation appear'd at every time that the Reformation prevail'd Whereas things went much otherwise in this sad Revolution in which our Author Glories so much So that if the good or ill Behaviours of the several Parties as they had their turns in the Administration of Affairs furnishes a just Prejudice even in favour of the Cause it self we have this on our side as fully as we can wish for XIV He tells us That the Bishoprick of Durham was first kept void in King Edward's days and last of all it was by Act of Parliament dissolved to increase the Kings Revenue If our Author had examined the Records of Parliament he would have found that the Act that related to the Bishoprick of Durham did not at all propose the Increase of the Kings Revenue but the dividing of one Bishoprick into two and the raising and endowing of a new Cathedral Church all which must have risen to about Four thousand Marks of old Rents which considering how long Lands were let near the Borders did certainly very near exhaust the whole Revenue of that See. This is indeed of no great Importance to the main Cause For if sacrilegious Men went into the Reformation hoping to enrich themselves by it this is nothing but what falls out in all great Revolutions And it is plain our Author took up general Reports very easily that so he might make a Clamour with them against our Church But if some that gave an outward compliance to the Doctrine of our Church were really a Reproach to it he of all Men for a certain Reason ought not to insist on it Since we are no more accountable for the Duke of Northumberland's Actions than we are for his own XV. He tells us That the Bishops turned out