of the Second omitted according to the use in those Times But that Commandment is explained under the first The Substance of this Book is grave serious and sound Doctrine It is said in the Title Page to be overseen and corrected by the Arch-bishop Indeed it was a Catechism wrote originally in the German Language for the use of the younger Sort in Norinberg Translated into Latin by Iustus Ionas Junior who now was entertained by the Arch-bishop in his Family and thence turned into our Vulgar Tongue by the said Arch-bishop or his special Order But 't is certain so great a Hand he had therein that in the Arch-bishop's first Book of the Sacrament he said that it was translated by himself and set forth Bishop Gardiner in his Book against the Arch-bishop takes advantage of two things in this Catechism against him as though he himself when he put it forth was of the Opinion of the Corporal Presence The one was a Picture that stood before the Book where was an Altar with Candles lighted and the Priest apparelled after the old Sort putting the Wafer into the Communicant's Mouth The other is an Expression or two used somewhere in the Book That with our bodily Mouths we receive the Body and Blood of Christ And that in the Sacrament we receive truly the Body and Blood of Christ. And this we must believe if we will be counted Christen Men. But to both Cranmer in his next Book against Gardiner made answer That as for the Picture it was that was set before the Dutch Edition of the Book and so none of his doing but that he afterwards caused the Popish Picture to be altered into a Picture representing Christ eating his last Supper with his Disciples As for the Expressions he said he taught that we in the Sacrament do receive the Body and Blood of Christ spiritually and that the words Really and Substantially were not used but Truly And in his Answer to Dr. Richard Smith's Preface wrote against the said Arch-bishop who it seems had twitted him also with this Catechism he spake largely of these his Expressions in his own Vindication There was another Book of the Arch-bishop's against Vnwritten Verities which I do by Conjecture place here as put forth under this Year or near this Time Which I suppose Dr. Smith nibbled at in his Book of Traditions which this Year he recanted The Book was in Latin and consisted only of Allegations out of the Bible and Ancient Writers In Queen Mary's Days the Book was again published by an English Exile naming himself E. P. The Title it now bore was A Confutation of Vnwritten Verities by divers Authorities diligently and truly gathered out of the Holy Scripture and Ancient Fathers By Tho. Cranmer late Arch-bishop and burned at Oxford for the Defence of the true Doctrine of our Saviour Translated and set forth by E. P. Before it is a Preface of the Translator to his Country-men and Brethren in England In it he lamented the woful State of Things in England by the Restoring of Popery and the Persecution of Protestants there and shewed what a kind of Man the chief Bishop then in England viz. Cardinal Pool was who in the last King's Reign went from Prince to Prince to excite them to make War against his own Prince and Country This Treatise is but a bare Collection of places of Holy Scripture and Ancient Fathers to prove That the Canon of the Bible is a true and sound and perfect Doctrine containing all Things necessary to Salvation That neither the Writing of the Old Fathers without the Word of God nor General Councils nor the Oracles of Angels nor Apparitions from the Dead nor Customs can be sufficient in Religion to establish Doctrine or maintain new Articles of Faith Then Reasons are given against Unwritten Verities and the places of Holy Scripture and other Writers which the Papists bring to maintain Unwritten Verities are answered At last the Objections of the Papists are confuted in a concluding Chapter Which last part was not writ by the Arch-bishop but by the Translator For relating here the Story of the Holy Maid of Kent he saith she was examined by Tho. Cranmer Arch-bishop of Canterbury And at last he saith I have plainly and fully answered to all that I remember the Papists do or can allege by Writing Preaching or Reasoning for the Defence of their Unwritten Verities on which they build so many detestable Idolatries and Heresies But yet if any be able to answer so plainly and truly to the Scriptures Authorities and Reasons rehearsed by me as I have done to theirs and to prove their Doctrines by as plain Testimonies and Reasons as I have done mine I shall not only acknowledg my Ignorance and Error but I shall gladly return into England recant my Heresies c. Hence it is plain that the Conclusion of the Book as well as the Preface was writ by the Translator I will add one Passage taken out of this Book about the middle whereby it may be seen what a Clergy was now in England Having quoted the Canons of the Apostles Let not a Bishop or Deacon put away his Wife c. He makes a heavy complaint against the frequent practice of beastly Sins in the Priests Adultery Sodomy c. and that they never were punished And in my Memory as he proceeds which is above thirty Years and also by the Information of others that be twenty Years elder than I I could never learn that one Priest was punished This is some Account of the Care he took for the Church in general as Metropolitan But he had a particular Care of his own Diocess now his Power was not checked as it was in the former Reign especially of the City of Canterbury which had been formerly the backwardest in Religion of any other Place of his Diocess He supplied this City with store of excellent Learned Preachers Turner the two Ridleys Becon Besely and Iohn Ioseph who this Year went along with the King's Visitors as one of their Preachers These converted not a few to sincere Religion as may appear by those Numbers of Canterbury that in Queen Mary's Reign suffered the Torment of Fire for their Profession of the Gospel But in that Reign all the Preachers fled so that there was scarce one remaining in the City Which was looked upon as a particular Sign of God's Displeasure against that Place because the Professors there and others reformed not themselves according to those Opportunities of Grace which God had put into their Hands And so I find in a Letter to them wrote by some eminent Person in Prison in Queen Mary's Reign Alas how few faithful Servants hath the Lord of Life in these troublesome Days within Canterbury to whom above all other People in comparison of multitude he hath sent most plenteously his Word in the Mouths of most excellent Preachers But even as the People were Negligent Hard-hearted nothing willing
time but of other Mind he thought never to be Adding that there were many other things whereunto he would never consent if he were demanded as to take down the Altars and set up Tables And in this sort seeing him obstinately settled in Mind not to be conformable he was in the King's Majesty's Name expresly commanded and charged to subscribe the same Book before Thursday next following being the 24 th hereof upon pain of Deprivation of his Bishoprick to all and singular Effects which might follow thereof And hearing the Commandment he resolutely answered He could not find in his Conscience to do it and should be well content to abide such End either by Deprivation or otherwise as pleased the King's Majesty And so as a Man incorrigible he was returned to the Fleet. This Order was subscribed by these of the Privy-Council W. Wilts I. Warwyck W. Herbert W. Cecyl Io. Mason That which gave the Council the first Occasion against Day Bishop of Chichester was partly his refusal of complying with the Order of changing the Altars in his Diocess into Tables and partly going down into his Diocess and there preaching against it and other Matters of that nature then in agitation to the raising of dangerous Tumults and Discontents among the People This came to the Council's Ears and Octob. 7. this Year Dr. Cox the King's Almoner was ordered to repair into Sussex to appease the People by his good Doctrine which were now troubled through the seditious preaching of the Bishop of Chichester and others Novemb. 8. The said Bishop appeared before the Council to answer such things as should be objected against him for preaching And because he denied the words of his Accusation therefore he was commanded within two days to bring in writing what he preached Novemb. 30. This day the Duke of Somerset declared to the Council That the Bishop of Chichester came within two days past and shewed to him that he received Letters from the King's Majesty signed with his Majesty's Hand and subscribed with the Hands of divers Lords of the Council The Tenor of which Letter here ensueth Right Reverend Father in God c. It is the same Letter as is printed in Fox's Acts about pulling down Altars According to this Letter the said Bishop said He could not conform his Conscience to do that he was by the said Letter commanded and therefore prayed the said Duke he might be excused Whereunto the said Duke for Answer used divers Reasons moving the said Bishop to do his Duty and in such things to make no Conscience where no need is Nevertheless the said Bishop would not be removed from his former Opinion Therefore the said Duke said He would make report to the rest of the Council And so in the end he prayed the Lords of the Council this Day that the Bishop might be sent for and shew his Mind touching this Case Which was agreed and Commandment given for the Bishop to be at the Council the next Day Decemb. 1. The Bishop came before the Council and being asked what he said to the Letters sent to him from the King's Majesty He answered That he could not conform his Conscience to take down the Altars in the Churches and in lieu of them to set up Tables as the Letter appointed For that he seemed for his Opinion to have the Scripture and Consent of the Doctors and Fathers of the Church and contrariwise did not perceive any strength in the six Reasons which were set forth by the Bishop of London to perswade the taking down Altars and erection of Tables And then being demanded what Scripture he had he alledged a saying in Esay Which place being considered by the Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Bishop of London and other Lords of the Council was found of no purpose to maintain his Opinion And thereupon by the said Arch-bishop and Bishop of Ely divers good Reasons were given to prove that it was convenient to take down the Altars as things abused and in lieu of them to set up Tables as things most meet for the Supper of the Lord and most agreeable to the first Constitution And besides that his other Reasons were then fully answered Wherefore the Council commanded him expresly in the King's Name to proceed to the execution of his Majesty's Commandment in the said Letter expressed Whereunto he made request That he might not be commanded to offend his Conscience saying If his Conscience might be instructed to the contrary he would not thus molest the Council with his refusal Which his Saying considered by the Council moved them to shew thus much Favor unto him that they willed him to resort unto the Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Bishops of Ely or London and confer with them in the Matter so as he might be instructed by them to accept the just Command of the King's Majesty with a safe Conscience And for his second Answer Day was given him until the 4 th of this Month. At which day he was commanded to return again Decemb. 4. This day the Bishop of Chichester came before the Council and was demanded Whether he had been with the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the other Bishops according to former Order given him Who answered That he was one Afternoon at Lambeth to have waited on the Arch-bishop but he was answered that he was at the Court. And upon a demand what time his Grace would come home one of the Chamberlains as he saith answered That he doubted it would be late e're his Grace come home because he so used Therefore he tarried not And to any other Bishops he made no repair saying further He had not been well in Health For the which cause he took some Physick yesterday The Arch-bishop thereunto said that the same Afternoon that the Bishop of Chichester had been there he came home very early on purpose to have conferred with the said Bishop For the which cause he had leave of the King's Majesty to depart the same day home sooner than for other Business he might conveniently To the Matter he was asked what mind he was of touching the executing the King's Command and what he could say why the same should not be obeyed Who answered as he did before That his Conscience would not permit him to do the same for that the same was against the Scripture and the Doctors And being asked of the first he alledged a place in the last to the Hebrews mentioning the word ALTAR Which place being considered was manifestly by the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely declared to be meant of Christ as by the very Context of the same most manifestly appeared to every Reader Next to this he alledged the former place of Esay which also was most evident to be meant otherwise than he alledged and so proved As to the use of the Primitive Church besides the Texts of the New Testament it was most clearly by Origen
Apostles of Iesus Christ. And wished heartily that the Christian Conversation of the People were the Letters and Seals of their Offices as the Corinthians were to St. Paul who told them that They were his Letters and the Signs of his Apostleship and not Paper Parchment Lead or Wax Great indeed and painful was his Diligence in promoting God's Truth and reforming this Church Insomuch that he raised up against himself the Malice and Hatred of very many thereby These Memorials before related do abundantly evince the same The Words of Thomas Becon in an Epistle Dedicatory deserve here to be transcribed In plucking up the Enemies Tares and in purging the Lord's Field that nothing may grow therein but pure Wheat your most godly and unrestful Pains most Reverend Father are well known in this Church of England and thankfully accepted of all faithful Christen Hearts Insomuch that very many do daily render unto God most humble and hearty Thanks for the singular and great Benefits which they have received of him through your vertuous Travel in attaining the true Knowledg of Justification and of the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood those two things especially he laboured to retrieve and promote a true Knowledg of and such other Holy Mysteries of our Profession And albeit the Devil roar the World rage and the Hypocrites swell at these your most Christian Labours which you willingly take for the Glory of God and the Edifying of his Congregation yet as you have godly begun so without ceasing continue unto the end And so he did to the effusion of his Blood not many Years after For he was very sensible of the gross Abuses and Corruptions into which the Christian Church had sunk Which made him labour much to get it purged and restored to its Primitive Constitution and Beauty And this he ceased not to make King Henry sensible of putting him upon the Reformation of the English Church as he could find Occasion and Convenience serve him to move him thereunto Which found at last that good effect upon the King that towards the latter Years of his Reign he was fully purposed to proceed to a regulating of many more things than he had done But the subtilty of Gardiner Bp of Winton and his own Death prevented his good Designs While the aforesaid Bishop was Ambassador Abroad employed about the League between the Emperor and the English and French Kings our Arch-bishop took the opportunity of his Absence to urge the King much to a Reformation and the King was willing to enter into serious Conference with him about it And at last he prevailed with the King to resolve to have the Roods in every Church pulled down and the accustomed Ringing on Alhallow-Night suppress'd and some other vain Ceremonies And it proceeded so far that upon the Arch-bishop's going into Kent to visit his Diocess the King ordered him to cause two Letters to be drawn up prepared for him to sign The one to be directed to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the other to the Arch-bishop of York Who were therein to be commanded to issue forth their Precepts to all the Bishops in their respective Provinces to see those Enormities redressed without delay Which our Arch-bishop accordingly appointed his Secretary to do And the Letters so drawn up were sent by the Arch-bishop up to Court But the King upon some Reasons of State suggested to him in a Letter from Gardiner his Ambassador beyond Sea being by some made privy to these Transactions suspended the signing of them And that put a stop to this Business for that time till some time after the King at the Royal Banquet made for Annebault the French King's Ambassador leaning upon him and the Arch-bishop told them both his Resolution of proceeding to a total Reformation of Religion signifying that within half a Year the Mass both in his Kingdom and in that of France should be changed into a Communion and the usurped Power of the Bishop of Rome should be wholly rooted out of both and that both Kings intended to exhort the Emperor to do the same in his Territories or else they would break off the League with him And at that time also he willed the Arch-bishop to draw up a Form of this Reformation to be sent to the French King to consider of This he spake in the Month of August a few Months before his Death This his Purpose he also signified to Dr. Bruno Ambassador here from Iohn Frederick Duke of Saxony some little time after saying That if his Master's Quarrel with the Emperor was only concerning Religion he advised him to stand to it strongly and he would take his part But the King's Death prevented all And as for this King 's next Successor King Edward the Arch-bishop had a special Care of his Education Whose Towardliness and zealous Inclination to a Reformation was attributed to the said Arch-bishop and three other Bishops viz. Ridley Hoper and Latimer by Rodulph Gualter of Zurick Who partly by his living sometime in England and partly by his long and intimate Familiarity and Correspondence with many of the best Note here was well acquainted with the Matters relating to this Kingdom Of the great Influence of one of these upon this King viz. the Arch-bishop the former Memorials do sufficiently shew CHAP. XXXIII Arch-bishop Cranmer procures the Use of the Scriptures THE Arch-bishop was a great Scripturist and in those darker Times of Popery was the chief Repairer of the Reputation of the Holy Scriptures Urging them still for the great Standard and Measure in all controverted Matters relating to Religion and the Church By these he disintangled King Henry VIII his great Matrimonial Cause when all his other Divines who had the Pope's Power and Laws too much in their Eyes were so puzzled about it Shewing how no Humane Dispensation could enervate or annul the Word of God And in the Course he took about the Reforming of Religion the Holy Scripture was the only Rule he went by casting by School-men and the Pope's Canons and Decretals and adhering only to the more sure Word of Prophecy and Divine Inspiration And so Roger Ascham in a Letter to Sturmius in the Year 1550 when they were very busy in the Reformation writes Thaâ—â—uch was the Care of their Iosiah meaning King Edward the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the whole Privy-Council for true Religion that they laboured in nothing more than that as well the Doctrine as Discipline of Religion might be most purely drawn out of the Fountain of the Sacred Scriptures and that that Roman Sink whence so many Humane Corruptions abounded in the Church of Christ might be wholly stopped up This his high Value of the Scriptures made him at last the happy Instrument of restoring them to the Common People by getting them after divers Years opposition printed in the English Tongue and set up in Churches for any to read that would for
ultra vero montes singulis biennijs Visitabo aut per-me aut per meum nuntium nisi Apostolica absolvat Licentia Possessiones vero ad mensam mei Archiepiscopatus pertinentes non vendam neque donabo neque impignerabo neque de novo infeudabo vel aliquo modo alienabo inconsulto Romano Pontifice Sic me Deus adjuvet haec Sancta Dei Evangelia NUM VII Cranmer's Oath to the King for his Temporalties I Thomas Cranmer renounce and utterly forsake al such clauses words sentences and grants which I have of the Popes Holines in his Bulls of the Archbishopric of Cant. that in any manner was is or may be hurtful or prejudicial to your highnes your heires Successors Estate or Dignity Royal. Knowing my self to take and hold the said Archbishopric immediately and only of your Highnes and of none other Most lowly beseeching the same for restitution of the Temporalties of the said Archbishopric Professing to be faithful true and obedient subject to your said Highnes your Heires and Successors during my life So help me God and the holy Evangelists NUM VIII The King's Proclamation for bringing in Seditious Books IT set forth that sundry contentions and sinister opinions had by wrong teaching and naughty printed Books encreased among his Subjects contrary to the true faith and reverence and due observation of the Sacraments and Sacramentals rites and ceremonies heretofore used And as the Books are blamed so the additions and Annotations in the margents the Prologues and Kalendars to them made by sundry strange persons called Anabaptists and Sacramentaries lately comen into the Realm and by some other his Majesties Subjects Wherby many of the Kings loving but simple Subjects were induced arrogantly and superstitiously to dispute in open places and tavernes upon Baptism and upon the holy Sacrament of the Altar not only to their own slander but to the reproch of the whole realm and his Graces high discontentation and displesure with the danger of the encrease of the said enormities Therfore the King did streitly charge and command by his present Proclamation as wel al his subjects as al others whatsoever resiant within his Realm that from henceforth they observe and keep these Articles following First That no person shal without his Majesties special leave transport and bring from foreign parts any Books printed in the English tongue nor sel give and publish such books upon pain that the Offenders forfeit al their goods and chattels and have imprisonment during his Majesties plesure Item None to print any book in the English tongue unless upon examination made by some of the privy Councel or other appointed by his Highnes and shal have Licence so to do Nor shal print or bring â—n any books of the holy scripture in the English tongue with any Annotations in the Margin or any Prologue or Addition in the Kalendar or Table except such annotations c. be first duely examined and allowed by the Kings Highnes or such of his Councel as shal please his Majesty to assign therto but only the plain Sentence and Text with a Table or Repertory instructing the Reader to find readily the Chapters contained in the said Book and the effects thereof Nor to print any Book of translations in the English tongue unles the plain name of the translator therof be contained in the same book or else that the Printer wil answer for the same as for his own privy deed and otherwise to make the Translator the Printer to suffer imprisonment and make a fine at the Kings Wil. Item None using the occupation of printing shal print or cause to be published any book of Scripture in the English tongue unles his books be first viewed and examined by the King or one of his Privy Councel or one Bishop of the Realm upon pain to loose and forfeit all their goods and chattels and suffer imprisonment during plesure Item The King declared concerning Anabaptists and other Sacramentaries lately comen into the realm that he abhorred and detested their errors and intended to procede against them that were already apprehended according to their merits to thintent his subjects should take example by their punishments not to adhere to such false and detestable opinions but utterly to forsake and relinquish them And that whersoever any of them be known they be detected and his Majesty or Councel be enformed with al convenient speed with al maner Abetters and printers of the same opinion And his Majesty charged the same Anabaptists and Sacramentaries not apprehended or known that they within eight or ten dayes depart out of the Realm upon pain of los of their life and forfeiture of their goods Item Forasmuch as the holy Sacrament of the Altar is the very body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and so hath and ought to be taken upon peril of damnation his Majesty minded to continue his Subjects in this true and just Faith and that they be not beguiled away from it charged that none should henceforth reason or dispute upon the said blessed Sacrament or of the Mysteries therof upon pain of los of life and forfeiture of goods Except to learned men in holy scripture instructed and taught in the Universities their Liberties and privileges in their schools and places accustomed concerning the same and otherwise in communication without slaunder of any man for the only confirmation and declaration of the truth therof Item And forasmuch as many brooked divers and many laudable ceremonies and rites heretofore used and accustomed in the Church of England not yet abrogated by the Kings authority Whereby arose different strifes and contentions as for and concerning holy bread holywater processions kneeling and creeping on Good Friday to the Cros and Easter day setting up lights before the Corpus Christi bearing of Candles on the day of Purification Ceremonies used at the Purification of women delivered of child and offering of their Chrysomes Keeping of the four offering dayes Payment of tiths according to the old custom of the Realm and other such like ceremonies 〈◊〉 Majesty charged and commanded al his subjects to observe and keep them so as they shal use and observe the same without superstition and esteem them for good and lawful ceremonies tokens and signes to put us in remembrance of things of high perfection and none otherwise And not to repose any trust of salvation in them but take them for good Instructions until such time as his M. change or abrogate any of them as his Highnes upon reasonable consideration both may and intendeth to do Finally Whereas a few Priests as wel Religious as others have taken Wives and married themselves contrary to the wholsome monitions of S. Paul to Timothy and Titus and to the Corinthians and contrary to the opinion of many of the old Fathers and Expositors of scripture not esteeming also the promise of chastity which they made at the receiving of Holy Orders his Highnes minding in no wise
Or whether the footmen shall make them ready or set themselves in array or set upon the enemy or retyre to the standard Even so should the Priests be Gods trump in in his Church So that if he blow such a certain blast that the people may understand they be much edified therby But if he give such a sound as is to the people unknown it is clearly in vain saith S. Paul For he speakes to the air but no man is the better or edified therby Nor knoweth what he should do by that he heareth Furthermore in the same place S. Paul saith That if a man giveth thanks to God in a language to the people unknown how can they say Amen to that they understand not He doth wel in giving thanks to God but that nothing availeth or edifieth the people that know not what he saith And S Paul in one brief sentence concludeth his whole Disputation of that matter Saying I had rather have five words spoken in the Church to the instruction and edifying of the people then ten thousand in a language unknown that edifieth not And for this purpose alledgeth the Prophet Esay Who saith that God wil speak to his people in other tongues and in other languages Meaning therby that he would speak to every country in their own language So have the Greeks the Mass in the Greek tongue the Syrians in the Syry tongue the Armenians in their tongue and the Indians in their own tongue And be you so much addict to the Romish tongue which is the Latine tongue that you wil have your Mas in none other language but the Romish language Christ himself used among the Iews the Iews language and willed his Apostles to do the like in every country whersoever they came And be you such enemies to your own country that you wil not suffer us to laud God to thank him and to use his Sacraments in our own tongue but wil inforce us contrary as wel to al reason as to the word of God So many as be godly or have reason wil be satisfied with this But the mere Papists wil be satisfied with nothing Wherfore I wil no â—onger tary to satisfy them that never wil be satisfied but wil procede to the second part of this Article wherin you say that you wil have neither men nor women communicate with the Priest Alas good simple souls how be you blinded with the Papists How contrary be your Articles one to another You say in your first Article that you wil have al General Councels and Decrees observed and now you go from them your selves You say you wil have no body to communicate with the Priest Hear then what divers Canons Decrees and general Councels say clean against you There is one Decree which saith thus When the Consecration is done let al the people receive the Communion except they wil be put out of the Church And in the Canons of the Apostles in the eighth Chapter is contained That whensoever there is any Mas or Communion if any Bp. Priest Deacon or any other of the Clergy being there present do not communicate except he can shew some reasonable cause to the contrary he shal be put out of the Communion as one that giveth occasion to the people to think evil of the Ministers And in the ninth Chapter of the same Canons of the Apostles and in the General Council held at Antioch is thus written That al christen people that come into the Church and hear the holy Scriptures read and after wil not tarry to pray and to receive the holy Communion with the rest of the people but for some misordering of themselves wil abstain therfrom let them be put out of the Church until by humble knowledging of their fault and by the fruits of Penance and prayers they obtain pardon and forgivenes And the Councel Nicene also sheweth the order how men should sit in receiving the Communion and who should receive first Al these Decrees and general Councels utterly condemn your third Article wherein you wil That the Priest shal receive the Communion alone without any man or woman communicating with him And the whole Church of Christ also both Greeks and Latines many hundred years after Christ and the Apostles do al condemn this your Article Which ever received the Communion in flocks and numbers together and not the Priest alone And besides this the very words of the Mas as it is called shew plainly that it is ordained not only for the Priest but for others also to communicate with the Priest For in the very Canon which they so much extol and which is so holy that no man may know what it is and therfore is read so softly that no man can hear it in that same Canon I say is a prayer concerning this that not only the Priest but also as many beside as communicate with him may be fulfilled with grace and heavenly benediction How aggreeth this prayer with your Article wherein you say that neither man nor woman shal communicate with the priest In another place also of the said Canon the priest prayeth for himself and for al that receive the communion with him that it may be a preparation for them unto everlasting life Which prayer were but a very fond prayer and a very mocking with God if no body should communicate with the priest And the Communion concludes with two prayers in the name of the priest and them that communicate with him wherin they pray thus O Lord that thing which we have taken in our mouth let us take it also with pure minds that this Communion may purge us from our sins and make us partakers of heavenly remedy And besides al this there be an infinite sort of postcommons in the Mas-books Which al do evidently shew that in the Masses the people did communicate with the priest And altho I would exhort every good christen man often to receive the holy Communion yet I do not recite al these things to the intent that I would in this corrupt world when men live so ungodly as they do that the old Canons should be restored again which command every man present to receive the Communion with the priest Which Canons if they were now used I fear that many would receive it unworthily But I speak them to condemn your Articles which would have no body neither man nor woman to be communicated with the priest Which your Article condemneth the old Decrees Canons and General Councels condemneth al the old primitive church al the old antient holy Doctors and Martyrs and al the formes and maner of Masses that ever were made both new and old Therfore eat again this Article if you wil not be condemned of the whole world and of your selves also by your first Article Wherin you wil al Decrees and general Councels to be observed But forasmuch as I have been so tedious in this Article I wil endeavour my self to be shorter in
world it is not for mee to read the Scriptures that belongeth to them that have bidden the world farewel which live in solitarines and contemplation and have been brought up and continually nursilled in Learning and religion To this answering What sayest thou Man saith hee is it not for thee to study and to read the Scripture because thou art encumbred and distract with cares and business So much the more is it behoofful for thee to have defence of Scriptures how much thou art the more distressed in worldly dangers They that bee free and far from trouble and intermedling of worldly things Live in safeguard and tranquillity and in the calm and within a sure haven Thou art in the midst of the Sea of worldly wickednes and therefore thou needest the more of ghostly succour and comfort They sit far from the strokes of battaile and far out of gun-shot and therfore they bee but seldome wounded Thou that standest in the forefront of the Host and nighest to thine enemies must needs take now and then many strokes and bee grievously wounded and therefore thou hast most need to have thy remedies and medicines at hand Thy Wife provoketh thee to anger thy Child giveth thee occasion to take sorrowand pensiveness thine enemies ly in wait for thee thy friend as thou takest him Sometime envieth thee thy neighbour misreporteth thee or piketh quarrels against thee thy Mate or partner undermineth thee thy Lord Judge or Justice threatneth thee Poverty is painful unto thee the loss of thy dear and welbeloved causeth thee to mourn Prosperity exalteth thee Adversity bringeth thee low Briefly so divers and so manifold occasions of cares tribulations and temptations beset thee and besiege thee round about Where canst thou have armour or fortress against thine assaults Where canst thou have salves for thy sores but of holy Scripture Thy flesh must needs be prone and subject to fleshly lusts which daily walkest and art conversant among women seest their beautyes set forth to the ey hearest their nice and wanton words smellest their balm civet and musk with other like provocations and stirrings Except thou hast in a readiness wherewith to suppress and avoyd them which cannot elsewhere bee had but onely out of the holy Scriptures Let us read and seek all remedies that wee can and all shall bee little enough How shal wee then do if wee suffer and take daily wounds and when wee have done wil sit still and search for no medicines Dost thou not mark and consider how the Smith Mason or Carpenter or any other handy craftes man what need soever hee bee in what other shift hee make hee will not sell nor lay to pledg the tools of his occupation For then how should hee work his feat or get his living thereby Of like mind and affection ought wee to bee towards holy Scripture For as mallets hammers sawes chesells axes and hatchets bee the tools of their occupation So bee the Books of the Prophets and Apostles and all holy Writers inspired by the holy Ghost the instruments of our Salvation Wherefore let us not stick to buy and provide us the Bible that is to say the Books of holy Scripture and let us think that to bee a better jewel in our house then either gold or silver For like as thieves bee loth to assault an house where they know to bee good armour and artillery so wheresoever these holy and ghostly books be occupied there neither the Devil nor none of his Angels dare come neer And they that occupy them bee in much safeguard and have a great consolation and bee the readier unto all goodness the slower unto all evil And if they have done any thing amiss anon even by the sight of the books their consciences bee admonished and they wax sorry and ashamed of the fact Peradventure they wil say unto mee How and if wee understand not that wee read that is contained in the Books What then suppose thou understand not the deep and profound Mysteries of Scripture yet can it not bee but that much fruit and holines must come and grow unto thee by the reading For it cannot bee that thou shouldest bee ignorant in al things alike For the holy Ghost hath so ordered and attempered the Scriptures that in them as wel Publicans fishers and sheepherds may find their edification as great Doctors their erudition For those books were not made to vain glory like as were the Writings of the Gentile Philosophers and Rhetoricians to the intent the makers should bee had in admiration for their high stiles and obscure manner of writing wherof nothing can bee understanded without a Master or an Expositor But the Apostles and Prophets wrot their books so that their special intent and purpose might bee understanded and perceived of every reader which was nothing but the edification or amendment of the life of them that read or hear it Who is it that reading or hearing read in the Gospel Blessed are they that bee meek Blessed are they that bee merciful Blessed are they that bee of clean heart and such other like places can perceive nothing except hee have a Master to teach him what it meaneth Likewise the signs and miracles with al other histories of the doings of Christ or his Apostles who is there of so simple wit and capacity but hee may bee able to perceive and understand them These bee but excuses and clokes for the rain and coverings of their own idle slothfulnes But still ye wil say I cannot understand it What mervail How shouldest thou understand if thou wilt not read nor look upon it Take the books into thine hands read the whole story and that thou understandest keep it well in memory that thou understandest not read it again and again If thou can neither so come by it counsail with some other that is better Learned Go to thy Curate and Preacher shew thy self to bee desirous to know and learn And I doubt not but God seeing thy diligence and readines if no man else teach thee wil himself vouchsafe with his holy Spirit to illuminate thee and to open unto thee that which was locked from thee Remember the Eunuch of Candace Queen of Ethiopia which albeit hee was a man of a wild and barbarous country and one occupied with worldly cares and busines yet riding in his charet hee was reading the Scripture Now consider if this man passing in his journey was so diligent as to read the Scripture what thinkest thou of like was hee wont to do sitting at home Again hee letteth not to read albeit he did not understand What did hee then trowest thou after that when hee had learned and gotten understanding For that thou mayest wel know that he understood not what hee read harken what Philip saith there unto him Vnderstandest thou what thou readest And hee nothing ashamed to confess his ignorâ—nce answered How should I understand having no body to shew mee theâ—way Loe when hee lacked one
their Ministration This is not universally true All Secular Married Clergy-men who desired it were restored after such Penance undergone unless some other great Demerit intervened But no Regulars could obtain that favour Marriage in them being accounted Apostacy from their Vow and Order Page 331. line 12. The said Poinet late Bishop of Winchester but now an Exile very learnedly answered this Book of Dr. Martin against Priests Marriage in two several Treatises The second Treatise he lived not to finish but the Copy falling into the hands of Matthew Parker Archbishop of Canterbury he published it in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reign with very large and excellent Additions of his own The same Book is ascribed to Poinet infra lin 39. with some doubt pag. 330. med page 53 69 c. This Book was most certainly none of Poinet's for the Author of it saith of himself more than once that he was a Layman had designed indeed to enter into Holy Orders but was prevented by the Death of K. Edward and the Iniquity of the Times succeeding to it He lived in or about either Norwich or Lincoln and died before the end of Q. Mary's Reign Archbishop Parker in Publishing it did not adjoin his own Additions to all the Printed Copies but only to a few of them Page 369. line 3. c. Latimer 's Character is best taken from them who best knew him and lived in his time One of these Thomas Becon thus speaks of him while he was yet alive in the beginning of K. Edward Latimer was very famous for the Sincerity and Goodness of his Evangelical Doctrine which since the beginning of his Preaching had in all points been so conformable to the teaching of Christ and his Apostles His Fame began to grow apace while he was at Cambridge some years before 1530. doing abundance of good there among the Studentâ— by his Sermons Before them he did by invincible Arguments c. prove That the Holy Screptures ought to be read in the English Tongue of all Christen People whether they were Priests or Laymen c. Good Mr. Becon did herein either want true information or hath imposed upon his Readers Latimer was so far from maintaining this Doctrine ever since the beginning of his Preaching that he was one of those Divines who being deputed by the University of Cambridge joined with Archbishop Warham and other Bishops and Divines in Condemning all English Translations of the Scripture and solemnly subscribed this Determination The Publication of the H. Scripture in the Vulgar Tongue is not necessary to Christians and the King's Majesty and the Bishops do well in forbidding to the people the common use of the H. Scripture in the English Tongue This was done in the year 1530. Page 383. line 16. ab imo The Queen would not alter her Determination to have Archbishop Cranmer burnt by the Instigation as I suppose of Pole the Legate I would not have remittted you to so obscure an Author as Anthony Harmer if your self had not mentioned him in your Preface He hath offered some Reasons in his Specimen page 144. not altogether contemptible to clear Cardinal Pole from this Imputation I am so charitable as to be willing at least to assent to his Reasons your self can better judge of the Validity of them Page 398. line 9. Among Archbishop Cranmer's Writings are reckoned from Bale Letters to Learned Men one Book and thereto is added This I cannot hear any tidings of The Archbishop's Letters to Learned men never were either by himself or others collected into one or more Books especially at that time But it was Bale's foolish way to account to every great man whom he hath placed in his Rhapsody of Writers One Book of Epistles Epist. Dedicat. page 3. The Judgment of Archbishop Arundel was for the Translation of the Scriptures into the Vulgar Tongue and for the Laity's use thereof For he preaching the Funeral Sermon of Queen Anne in 1392. commended her particularly for her Study of the Holy Scriptures as I find by an Ancient MS. Fragment formerly belonging to the Church of Worcester c. This MS. Fragment hath been often published And Arundel when he preached this Sermon was not Archbishop of Canterbury nor one of Cranmer's Predecessors as is here supposed But after all the Judgment of Archbishop Arundel in this Case is better declared by an Authentick Decree than by a Rhetorical Passage in a Sermon wherein he was obliged to commend the Deceased Queen He was so far then from favouring the Translation of the Scriptures into the Vulgar Tongue or the use of them by the Laity that in the year 1408 he made this famous Decree in the Synod of Oxford Periculosa res est c. It is a dangerous thing to translate the H. Scripture We decree therefore and ordain That henceforth no man by his own authority translate any Book of H. Scripture into the English or any other Tongue by way of Book Libel or Treatise and that no such Book or Translation be read by any one upon pain of the higher Excommunication I might also observe to you That the Case of Archbishop Chichely which you had mentioned immediately before this is mistaken he doing therein nothing more than what was usual as also the Case of Archbishop Islip who decreed in the Case by you mentioned nothing but what was consonant to the Rules of Canon Law and the Papal Definitions it being a Rule in both that Simplex Votum impedit matrimonium contrahendum sed non dirimit contractum But I fear I have been too long already I will only put you farther in mind that when in the following Pages you compare the Archbishops of Canterbury preceding to and succeeding the Reformation and accuse the former to have minded chiefly great Worldly Pomp and Appearance but praise the latter for regarding littlâ— or nothing the vain shews of exterior Grandeur and Glory the Comparison is not altogether just For Parker and Whitgift whom you chuse to instance in lived in as great State Pomp and Magnificence and were attended with as large a Retinue as most of their Predecessors And that in your Preface page 7. instead of an Augustine Monk of Canterbury should be substituted a Monk of St. Augustines in Canterbury And lastly That Page 11. Edward Howes should if I mistake not be changed into Edmund Howes These Sir are the only Errors which I have discovered in your History That the Observation of them may in any measure contribute to the Illustration of your Work as I doubt not but your Work will highly contribute to the Information of the Curious and the Iustification of our Reformation is the Hearty Desire of SIR Your most Humble Servant HEN. WHARTON Novemb. 13. 1693. A TABLE OF THE Letters Instruments Records c. Made use of in this History and contained in the Appendix to the Memorials of Archbishop CRANMER With the NUMBER and PAGE under which each may be found and the
MEMORIALS OF The Most Reverend Father in God Thomas Cranmer SOMETIME Lord Archbishop of CANTERBURY WHEREIN The HISTORY of the CHURCH and the REFORMATION of it during the Primacy of the said ARCHBISHOP are greatly Illustrated and many singular Matters relating thereunto now First Published In Three Books Collected chiefly from RECORDS REGISTERS Authentick LETTERS and other ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS By IOHN STRYPE M. A. LONDON Printed for RICHARD CHISWELL at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCIV EFFIGIES VERA REVERENDISSIMI Câ—â—â—MERI ARCHIEPISCOPI CANTUARIENSIS H Holbein pinxit Natus 1489 July 2. Consecratus 1533. Marzo Martyrio Coronatus 1556. Mar 21. pag 179 Printed for Ric Chiswell at the Rose and Crowne in S t Pauls Church yard TO THE Most Reverend Father in God JOHN By the DIVINE PROVIDENCE Lord Archbishop of CANTERBVRY Primate of all England and Metropolitan AND One of Their Majesties most Honourable Privy Council May it please Your Grace TO pardon the Presumption of the Obscure Person that dedicates this Book to Your GRACE for the sake of the Renowned Man it treats of Viz. One of your Illustrious Predecessors an Archbishop of Canterbury that hath deserved so eminently of that See nay and of the whole British Church I may say that deserved Best of any Archbishop before him that wore that Mitre To whose solid Learning Deliberation and indefatigable Pains both the Kings and People of this Realm owe their Deliverance from the long and cruel Bondage of Rome For it is true what the Romanists say in Obloquy of this Archbishop and we Protestants say it to his Eternal Fame That he was the first of all the Archbishops of Canterbury that made a Defection from the Papal Chair Thereby vindicating this Crown from a base Dependance upon a Foreign Jurisdiction But whereas Parsons saith That this was the first Change of Religion in any Archbishop of Canterbury from the beginning unto his days this is not so true For sundry of Archbishop Cranmer's Predecessors to look no further than Two or Three hundred Years backward were of different Judgments from the Church of Rome in some Points His immediate Predecessor Warbam approved of the King's Title of Supreme Head of the Church under Christ in his own Kingdom against the Doctrine of the Pope's Universal Authority And a Century of Years before him Archbishop Chichely tho he were made the Pope's Legate refused to exercise his Power Legantine further than he should be authorized thereunto by the King And Archbishop Islip as long before him disliked of Dissolving those Marriages that were contracted by such as had before vowed the single Life For tho he laid a Punishment upon a Countess of Kent who being a Widow and then Professed afterwards secretly married to a certain Knight named Abrincourt yet he divorced them not but permitted them to live together And the Judgment of Archbishop Arundel who lived in K. Richard the Second's Reign was for the Translation of the Scriptures into the Vulgar Tongue and for the Laities use thereof For He preaching the Funeral Sermon of Queen Anne the beloved Wife of that King after she deceased at Sheen in the Year 1392. commended her as for her other Vertuous Accomplishments so particularly for her Study of the Holy Scriptures and of the Sense of them and for having them in the Vulgar Tongue as I find by an Ancient MS. Fragment writ near Three hundred Years ago formerly belonging to the Church of Worcester in these Words following Also the Bushop of Caunterbury Thomas of Arundel that now is sey a Sermon at Westminster thereas was many an hundred of people at the buryeng of quene Anne of whose Sowle God have mercy And in his commendation of her he seyd That it was more joy of her than of any woman that ever he knew For notwithstanding that she was Alien born being the Daughter of the Emperor Charles IV. she had on English al the iiij gospels with the Doctors upon hem And he seyd that she sent them unto him And he seyd that they were good and true and commended her in that she was so great a Lady and also an Alyan and wolde study so holy so vertuouse bokes And he blamed in his Sermon sharply the negligence of the Prelates and other men c. So that it is not true what Parsons saith if he mean That no Archbishops of Canterbury before Cranmer varied from the Church of Rome in any of her Doctrines But true it is tho not so much to their Credits that none of them however sensible they were of the Roman Errors and Superstitions did in good earnest bestir themselves to set this Church free of them before our abovenamed Archbishop being the sixty eighth from Augustine the Monk resolutely and bravely undertook and effected it Indeed they spent not their Zeal their Treasure and their Interest this way so much as in contending about Superiority and their Prerogatives in exempting their Clergy from the Cognizance of the Temporal Magistrate in Applications to and Courting of the Bishops of Rome in Persecuting those they called Hereticks in Eternizing their own Names by founding Religious Houses and building Stately Palaces and Shrines and in exhibiting themselves in great Worldly Pomp and Appearance But blessed be God for Archbishop Cranmer by means of whose Reformation succeeded a Series of better tho not so splendid Archbishops Who made conscience of minding things more suitable to their high Vocation and the Spiritual Trust committed to them Men that regarded little or nothing the vain shews of exterior Grandeur and Glory nor sought Great Things for themselves but with their great Predecessor St. Paul on whom lay the Care of all the Churches spent and wore out themselves in the Restoration of the Kingdom of Christ so happily begun by the said Archbishop Cranmer in this Island Such were Parker Grindal Whitgift the Three first Protestant Archbishops next after him what he planted they watered and God gave a Blessed Increase to Whose most excellent Lives and Conducts in the Government of this Church as well as in their own more private and Domestick Conversation their rare Piety Prudence Patience Courage and Activity I can scarcely temper my Pen from making excursions into Of which I could fill even Volumes had I Leisure Favour and Countenance from those Large Collections which I have for divers Years been storing up with great delight partly out of their own Original Letters and partly from other MSS. in their times But besides these first Archbishops during the Long Reign of Q. Elizabeth who by their Care and Diligence established and settled that Reformation of which Archbishop Cranmer laid the first Stones we are beholden unto the same Archbishop for all the rest of the Worthy and Painful Prelates of that Metropolitical See who have taken Care of this Excellently Reformed Church even unto Your GRACE Whose Deserts towards this Church and the Reformation have raised you to sit in Archbishop Cranmer's
that have fallen into my hands I shall pass over in a few words his earlier Days because I have so much to say of him in his riper Years Aslacton a Town in the County of Nottingham was the Place of his Birth and the second Day of Iuly in the Year 1489 was the Day of it He was the Son of Thomas Cranmer Esq a Gentleman of a right ancient Family whose Ancestor came in with the Conqueror And for a long Series of Time the Stock continued in good Wealth and Quality as it did in France for there were extant of his Name and Family there in the Reign of Henry the Eighth One whereof came then into England in company with the French Ambassador To whom for Relation-sake our Bishop gave a noble Entertainment Our Youth was put to learn his Grammar of a rude Parish-Clerk in that barbarous Age. Under whom he learn'd little and endured much from the harsh and curst Disposition of his School-master Though his Father were minded to have his Son educated in Learning yet he would not he should be ignorant of Civil and Gentleman-like Exercises Insomuch that he used himself to Shoot And many times his Father permitted him to Hunt and Hauk and to ride rough Horses So that when he was Bishop he feared not to ride the roughest Horses that came into his Stables which he would do very comely As otherwise at all times there was not any in his House that would become an Horse better And after his Studies when it was time for Recreation he would both Hauk and Hunt the Game being prepared for him And sometimes he would shoot in the Long-Bow and many times kill the Deer with his Cross-Bow though his Sight was not perfect for he was pore-blind But to return to his younger Days He lost his Father early but his Mother at the Age of fourteen Years Anno 1503 sent him to study at Cambridg Where he was nursled in the grossest kind of Sophistry Logick Philosophy Moral and Natural Not in the Text of the old Philosophers but chiefly in the dark Riddles of Duns and other subtile Questionists And in these he lost his Time till he came to two and twenty Years of Age. After that he gave himself to the reading of Faber Erasmus good Latin Authors four or five Years together unto the Time that Luther began to write And then considering what great Controversy was in Matters of Religion not only in Trifles but in the chiefest Articles of our Salvation he bent himself to try out the Truth herein And forasmuch as he perceived he could not judg indifferently in such weighty Matters without the Knowledg of the Holy Scriptures therefore before he was infected with any Man's Opinions or Errors he applied his whole Study three Years therein After this he gave his Mind to good Writers both New and Old not rashly running over them for he was a slow Reader but a diligent Marker of whatsoever he read seldom reading without Pen in Hand And whatsoever made either for the one Part or the other of things in Controversy he wrote it out if it were short or at least noted the Author and the Place that he might find it and write it out at leisure which was a great help to him in debating of Matters ever after This kind of Study he used till he was made Doctor of Divinity which was about the Thirty-fourth Year of his Age and about the Year 1523. But before this being Master of Arts and Fellow of Iesus College he married a Gentleman's Daughter And then leaving the College he read the Common Lecture in Buckingham College before that called Monks College because Monks studied there but now Magdalen College But in a Year after his Wife travailing with Child both she and the Child died And being now single again immediately the Master and Fellows of his old College chose him in Fellow again where he remained During his Residence here divers of the ripest and solidest sort of Scholars were sought out of this University of Cambridg to be transplanted into Cardinal Wolsey's new College in Oxon to be Fellows there Our Cranmer was nominated for one by Dr. Capon to whom that Matter was as it seems intrusted by the Cardinal And tho the Salary was much more considerable there and the way to Preferment more ready by the Favour of the Cardinal to such as were his own Scholars yet he refused to go chusing rather to abide among his old Fellow-Collegians and more closely to follow his Studies and Contemplations here though he were not without danger for his incompliance with this Invitation giving them that were concerned great Offence hereat But of those that went from Cambridg at this time who were all Men pick'd out for their Parts and Learning these were the chief Clark Friar afterwards Doctor of Physick Sumner Harman afterwards Fellow of Eaton Betts afterwards Chaplain to Queen Ann. Cox afterwards School-master to King Eâ—ward Frith afterwards a Martyr Baily Godman Drum afterwards one of the six Preachers at Canterbury Lawney afterwards Chaplain to the Duke of Norfolk All these were cast into Prison for suspicion of Heresy and divers through the hardship thereof died So that well it was for Cranmer that he went not Soon after he took his Degree of Doctor of Divinity and became the Reader of the Divinity-Lecture in his own College And out of the value the University had of his Learning he was appointed one of the Examiners of such as commenced Batchelors and Doctors in Divinity According to whose Approbations the University allowed them to proceed In which Place he did much Good for he used to examine these Candidates out of the Scriptures And by no means would let them pass if he found they were unskilful in it and unacquainted with the History of the Bible So were the Friars especially whose Study lay only in School-Authors Whom therefore he sometimes turned back as insufficient advising them to study the Scriptures for some Years longer before they came for their Degrees it being a shame for a Professor in Divinity to be unskilled in the Book wherein the Knowledg of God and the Grounds of Divinity lay Whereby he made himself from the beginning hated by the Friars Yet some of the more ingenuous sort of them afterward rendred him great and publick Thanks for refusing them whereby being put upon the Study of God's Word they attained to more sound Knowledg in Religion One of these was Dr. Barat a White Friar who lived afterwards in Norwich Not long after this King Henry being perswaded that the Marriage between him and Q. Katharine Daughter to K. Ferdinand of Spain was unlawful and naught by Dr. Longland Bishop of Lincoln his Confessor and other of his Clergy he sent to six of the best learned Men of Cambridg and as many of Oxford to debate this Question Whether it were
Mattins with him Which grieved him much And as he returned at other times to hear the Scripture read his Father still would fetch him away This put him upon the thoughts of learning to read English that so he might read the New Testament himself Which when he had by diligence effected he and his Father's Apprentice bought the New Testament joining their Stocks together and to conceal it laid it under the Bed-straw and read it at convenient Times One night his Father being asleep he and his Mother chanced to discourse concerning the Crucifix and kneeling down to it and knocking on the Breast then used and holding up the Hands to it when it came by on Procession This he told his Mother was plain Idolatry and against the Commandment of God where he saith Thou shalt not make any graven Image nor bow down to it nor worship it His Mother enraged at him for this said Wilt thou not worship the Cross which was about thee when thou wert Christned and must be laid on thee when thou art dead In this heat the Mother and Son departed and went to their Beds The Sum of this Evening's Conference she presently repeats to her Husband which he impatient to hear and boiling in Fury against his Son for denying worship to be due to the Cross arose up forthwith and goes into his Son's Chamber and like a mad Zealot taking him by the Hair of his Head with both his Hands pulled him out of the Bed and whipped him unmercifully And when the Young Man bore this beating as he related with a kind of Joy considering it was for Christ's Sake and shed not a tear his Father seeing that was more inraged and ran down and fetched an Halter and put it about his Neck saying he would hang him At length with much intreaty of the Mother and Brother he left him almost dead I extract this out of the Original Relation of the Person himself wrote at Newington near London where he afterwards dwelt Which relation he gave to Iohn Fox This Year Nicolson a very Learned Man greatly acquainted with Tindal and Frith and who by reason of trouble from the Bishops formerly for the better concealing of himself for time to come called himself Lambert was adjudged to the Flames and cruelly burnt Wherein our Arch-bishop and the Lord Crumwel unhappily had their hands the one in reading the Sentence against him De Haeretico comburendo by the King's Commandment and the Arch-bishop first in having him before him in a judiciary way and afterwards in disputing publickly against him in favour of the Doctrine of the Corporal Presence The first occasion of Lambert's Troubles was this At the hearing of a Sermon of Dr. Taylor he who was afterwards Bishop of Lincoln and a favourer of the Gospel preached by him at S. Peter's Cornhil he came and presented him with Ten Reasons against Transubstantiation written by him Dr. Taylor by Dr. Barnes his means who though in other things he favoured a Reformation and suffered Death upon the Six Articles yet was hot against Sacramentaries at this time thinking the broaching that Doctrine might throw in some Impediment to the progress of the Gospel Dr. Taylor I say by Barnes his Advice carried these Reasons to the Arch-bishop Who upon this conventing Lambert before him endeavoured to reclaim him by holding much discourse with him The News of this came to the Court. And by the instigation of the Bishop of Winchester the King resolved to dispute with him himself in a very publick and solemn manner and that because he had appealed from the Bishops to the King The Day being come and the King present with all his Bishops on the right Hand and his Nobles on the Left accompanied with his Lawyers and other Attendants on purpose to terrify him and to make an open Signification that though he had cast off the Papal Supremacy yet he intended not to be a favourer of Heresy so called first commanded Richard Sampson Bishop of Chichester Fox saith it was Day Bishop of Chichester but in that he was mistaken for he was not yet Bishop to begin and give the Reason of the meeting He appointed the Bishops now present to answer Lambert's Ten Reasons as Fox or his Eight as the Bishop of Chichester in his Declaration mentioned The Arch-bishop answered the second for the King himself had disputed against the first The Arch-bishop according to his mild Temper but withal according to the false Opinion which he then most confidently maintained stiling him Brother Lambert desired the Matter might be decided indifferently between them And that if he convinced Lambert by Scripture Lambert would be willing to come over from his Opinion But if Lambert on the other hand could by Scripture convince him he promised to imbrace his Opinion Then he fell upon Lambert's Reason which was taken out of the Acts of the Apostles where Christ appeared unto Paul by the way Disputing from that place that it was not disagreeable to the Word of God that the Body of Christ may be in two places at once Which being in Heaven was seen the same time by S. Paul upon the Earth And said the Arch-bishop If it may be in two places why by the like Reason may it not be in many places In what order and course the rest of the Bishops disputed or rather baited this poor Man it is uncertain only Winchester had the sixth place Tunstal of Durham next to him and next Stokesly Bishop of London Richard Bishop of Chichester who was reputed a Man of great Learning had his course to whose turn it came to confute Lambert's Sixth Reason which was taken from that of S. Paul to the Romans Who hath ascended up to Heaven to bring Christ down from thence His Argument is preserved in the Cotton Library I refer the Reader to the Appendix where he shall meet with it Whereby may be seen after what a haughty and indecent manner this meek Confessor of Christ was dealt with as though they designed rather to run him down and brow-beat him than answer him CHAP. XVIII The Arch-bishop's Iudgment of the Eucharist BUT to return to Cranmer whose Opinion in the Point of the Sacrament we will stay a little upon He was now a strong â—tickler for the Carnal Presence and seemed greatly prejudiced to that Opinion There was one Ioachim Vadianus a Learned Man of S. Gal in Helvetia and an Acquaintance of the Arch-bishop's He had framed a Treatise intituled Aphorisms upon the Consideration of the Eucharist in six Books Which were intended to prove no Corporal Presence This Book he presented to the Arch-bishop but though he loved him as a Learned Man yet he declared himself much displeased with his Argument and wrote to him That he wished he had employed his Study to better purpose and that he had begun his Correspondence with him in some better and more approved Subject Adding That he would
that the Protector was privy to what was done there The Bishop answered That he would receive them as far as God's Law and the King's would bind him And because he saw they drew to such Preciseness he told them there were three Weeks of Delay to the coming of the Visitors to him In the mean time he offered to go to Oxford to abide the Discussion there That Offer was not allowed He desired to go to his House at London and have Learned Men speak with him there That was not accepted He entred then the Allegation of the Gospel of the Servant that said he would not do a thing and yet did it And so the Bishop said it might be that although he then said Nay as his Conscience served him yet he might change and was a Man that might be tempted But as his Conscience was then he thought that God's Laws and the King 's letted him Then they asked him if he had spoken to any Man of what he found in the Books To which he answered truly acknowledging he had But told the Lords that he thought it hard unless there were a greater Matter than this to send him to Prison for declaring his Mind before-hand what he minded to do before it had been by him done who had all the mean time to repent himself In the End the Council committed him to the Fleet. Of his Behaviour under this Censure he hath these words That he had well digested it and so all might be well he cared not what became of his Body That he departed as quietly from them as ever Man did and had endured with as little grudg He had learned this Lesson in the World never to look backward as S. Paul saith ne remember that is past That he would never grudg or complain of any thing for himself To the Lord Protector to whom he wrote all this Account of himself turning his Discourse he said That he thought it very weighty to have these Books recommended to the Realm in the King's Name by his the Protector Direction since the King himself knew nothing of them and therefore nothing could be ascribed to him And his Grace had been so occupied as all Men knew that he had no leisure to peruse them And yet of such sort were the Books according to the Account he had before written and that if no Man had advertised the Council as he had it was because they had not read them as he had done In Vindication of the Learned Author of the Paraphrase so bedashed by Winchester I will here use the words of him that writ the Epistle Dedicatory before the translated Paraphrase on the Acts. I cannot but judg that whoso are prompt and hasty Condemners of Erasmus or eager Adversaries unto his Doctrine do under the Name and Colour of Erasmus rather utter their Stomach and Hatred against God's Word and the Grace of the Gospel which Erasmus for his part most diligently and most simply laboureth to bring to light And to such as said that his Doctrine was scarcely sincere and that he did somewhat err he answered That Erasmus forasmuch as he was a Man and so esteemed himself would that his Works should none otherwise be read or accepted than the Writings of other mortal Men. And that after his Judgment a little Trip among so many notable good Works for the interpretation of Scripture and for the help of the Simple should rather be born withal than so many good Things to be either rejected or kept away from the hungry Christian Reader It is a cold Charity that can bear with nothing and an eager Malice it is that for a Trifle or a Matter of nothing would have the Ignorant to lack so much good edifying as may be taken of Erasmus Mention was made a little above of the Bishop of Winchester's Objections aganst the Paraphrase of Erasmus sent by him in a Letter to the Lord Protector This Paper I have met with in Sir Iohn Cotton's Library and being somewhat long I have put it into the Appendix Wherein may be seen at large the Bishop's Quarrels both against the Paraphrase and the Homilies labouring here to shew that the Book of Homilies and Erasmus's Paraphrase did contradict each other and therefore could not both be received and that there were Errors in each and so neither ought to be admitted Moreover he urged the Danger of making Alterations in Religion contrary to the Laws then in Force designing thereby if he could over-perswade the Protector to enervate the King 's late Injunctions For the Papists whose chief Instrument was VVinchester saw it was time now to bestir themselves to overthrow these Proceedings that were in hand if it were possible When this Affair happened between the Council and the Bishop for which they cast him into the Fleet Somerset the Protector was absent in an Expedition against the Scots By whose Conduct in the Month of September God blessed the King with a very glorious Victory in a Battel fought near Musselburrough Which redounded much to the Protector 's Honour wherein was more Danger than he looked for which gave him the greater occasion to shew his Valour For there were but few lost on the English-side but fifteen thousand Scots reckoned to be slain and two thousand taken Prisoners For this Victory a Publick Thanksgiving was thought fit to be Celebrated And the Arch-bishop required of the Bishop of London to procure a Sermon at S. Pauls before the Mayor and Aldermen and immediately after a Procession in English and Te Deum The Arch-bishop's Letter which will shew what the Court thought of that good Success was as followeth AFter our right hearty Commendations Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God to send the King's Majesty such Victory against the Scots as was almost above the Expectation of Man and such as hath not been heard of in any part of Christendom this many Years In which Victory above the Number of 15000 Scots be slain 2000 taken Prisoners and among them many Noble-men and others of good Reputation all their Ordnance and Baggage of their Camp also won from them The King's Majesty with Advice of his Highness Privy-Council presently attending upon his Majesty's most Royal Person well-knowing this as all other Goodness to be Gifts of God hath and so doth account it And therefore rendereth unto him the only Glory and Praise for the same And so hath willed me not only in his Majesty's Cathedral Church and other Churches of my Diocess to give Thanks to Almighty God but also to require in his Name all other Bishops in the Province of Canterbury to do or cause to be done semblably in their Course Which his Majesty's Pleasure I have thought good to signify unto you Requiring you not only to cause a Sermon to be made in your Cathedral Church the next Holy-day after receipt hereof declaring the Goodness of God and exhorting the People to Faith and amendment of
even from the very first Times The Festivals of the Resurrection of the Nativity of Pentecost and of the Death of Christ are all Footsteps of the Old Law And are they to be therefore abolished He wished with all his Heart that the Churches in Germany by this one Loss might obtain their former Liberty As to the second Argument He could not see how it could be asserted upon good Grounds that nothing is to be used by us that is observed in the Popish Religion We must take heed that the Church of God be not prest with too much Servitude that it may not have liberty to use any thing that belonged to the Pope Our Ancestors took the Idol-Temples and used them for Sacred Houses to worship Christ. And the Revenues that were Consecrated to the Gentile Gods and to the Games of the Theatre and of the Vestal Virgins were made use of for the maintenance of the Ministers of the Church when these before had served not only to Antichrist but to the Devil Nor could he presently grant that these Differences of Garments had their Original from the Pope For we read in Ecclesiastical History that Iohn at Ephesus wore a Petalum a Mitre And Pontius Diaconus saith of Cyprian that when he went to be Executed he gave his Birrus to the Executioner his Dalmatica to the Deacons and stood in Linnen And Chrysostom makes mention of the white Garments of Ministers And the Ancients witness that when the Christians came to Christ they changed their Garments and for a Gown put on a Cloak for which when they were mocked by the Heathens Tertullian wrote a Learned Book De Pallio And he knew Hoper was not ignorant that to those that were initiated in Baptism was delivered a white Garment Therefore before the Tyranny of the Pope there was a Distinction of Garments in the Church Nor did he think that in case it were granted that it was invented by the Pope that the iniquity of Popery was so great that whatsoever it touched was so dyed and polluted thereby that good and godly Men might not use it to any holy purpose Hoper himself granted that every humane Invention was not therefore presently to be Condemned It was an humane Invention to communicate before Dinner it was an humane Invention that the things sold in the Primitive Church were brought and laid at the Apostles Feet That he was ready to confess with him that these Garments were an humane Invention and of themselves edified not but it was thought by some conducive to be born with for a time For that it might be a cause of avoiding those Contentions whereby greater Benefits might be in danger to be obstructed But that if hence an occasion of Erring might be given to the Weak they were to be admonished that they should hold these things indifferent and they were to be taught in Sermons that they should judg not God's Worship to be placed in them Hoper had writ that the Eyes of the Standers-by by reason of these Garments would be turned away from thinking of serious things and detained in gazing upon them But this would not happen when the Garments were simple and plain without Bravery and such as hitherto were used in the Service of God But Martyr answered That Use and Custom would take away Admiration And perhaps when the People were moved with Admiration they would the more attentively think of those things that are serious For which end he said the Sacraments seemed to be invented that from the Sight and Sense of them we might be carried to think of Divine Things Hoper urged moreover That whatsoever was not of Faith was Sin But said Martyr That we may enjoy a quiet Conscience in our Doings that of the Apostle seems much to tend and that to the Clean all things are clean saith the same Apostle to Titus and to Timothy that every Creature of God is good He urged also That we ought to have express Scripture for what we do in holy things But Martyr was not of that Mind But that that was enough in general to know by Faith that indifferent things cannot defile those who act with a pure and sincere Mind and Conscience And this was the substance of P. Martyr's Judgment of these things Which might give much light to that Reverend Man in this Controversy though he was not yet convinced nor could comply As Hoper all this while refused the Habits so we may conjecture by a Passage in the former Letter that he liberally declamed against them in the London Pulpits For Martyr takes notice to him of his unseasonable and too bitter Sermons Whether it were for this or his incompliance or both together I know not but at length he was by the Privy-Counsel commanded to keep his House unless it were to go to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury or the Bishops of Ely London or Lincoln for Counsel and Satisfaction of his Conscience and neither to Preach nor Read till he had further Licence from the Council But notwithstanding this Command he kept not his House and writ a Book and Printed it intituled A Confession of his Faith Written in such a manner that it gave more distaste and wherein was contained Matter he should not have written He went about also complaining of the King's Councellors as Martyr wrote in a private Letter to Bucer On Ianuary the 13 th The Court then at Greenwich he appeared there before the Council the Arch-bishop being then present touching the matter of not wearing the Apparel and for disobeying the Council Who for this Disobedience and for that he continued in his former Opinion of not wearing the Apparel prescribed for Bishops to wear committed him to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury's Custody either there to be reformed or further punished as the obstinacy of his Cause required Being with the Arch-bishop he did his endeavour to satisfy him But Hoper was as immoveable to whatsoever the said ABp could propound and offer as he was before with Ridley So the Arch-bishop signified to the Council that he could bring him to no Conformity but that he declared himself for another way of Ordination than was established The Effect of this was that on Ianuary 27 Upon this Letter of the Arch-bishop That Hoper could not be brought to any Conformity but rather persevering in his Obstinacy they are the words of the Council-Book coveted to prescribe Orders and necessary Laws of his Head it was agreed that he should be committed to the Fleet. And a Letter was drawn for the Arch-bishop to send Mr. Hoper to the Fleet upon the occasion aforesaid and another Letter to the Warden of the Fleet to receive him and to keep him from the Conference with any Person saving the Ministers of that House This Disobedience of Hoper to the Council's Orders will make the severity of the Council less liable to censure Neither was Cranmer any other ways
contra Celsum proved That in his time Christen Men had no Altars by direct negative Propositions Besides this the abuse of the Altars was shewed unto him and Reasons declared how necessary it was to reform the same Touching the naming the Table an Altar it was left indifferent to him because Antient Writers sometimes call the Table an Altar But yet notwithstanding that his own Reasons were fully solved and divers good and weighty Reasons made he persevered in the pertinacy of his own singular Opinion Whereupon the Council rehersing to him the evil that should come of this his Disobedience if he should be suffered commanded him in the King's Majesty's Name upon his Allegiance expresly to become an obedient Subject and so to execute the King's Commandment And for that it should appear to him that there was as much Favor meant as might be not offending the King's Majesty in his Majesty's behalf they would be so bold as to appoint him Sunday next to make his final Answer And in the mean time he might advise himself and weigh the Cause as it ought to be And so the day was given him Decemb. 7. The Bishop of Chichester again appeared before the Council and being asked touching the execution of his Majesty's Commandment in the Letter he answered plainly He could not do it saving his Conscience For the Altars seemed to him a thing antiently established by the agreement of the Holy Fathers and confirmed by Antient Doctors with the Custom also of a number of Years and as he thought according to the Scriptures Wherefore he could not in Conscience consent to the abolishing of them and determined rather to lose all that ever he had than to condemn his own Conscience with many other Circumstances to that effect Finally the Matter being well debated it was thought good yet to give him two Days respit further to be advised in hope he might reconcile himself which if he did not upon his next Answer appointed to be upon Tuesday next the Council agreed to proceed ordinarily against him as against a contemptuous Person by way of Sequestration December 9. This day the Bishop of Chichester appeared before the Council and being demanded whether he would obey the King's Commandment in pulling down the Altars as is before rehersed he answered That he thanked both the King's Highness and his Council of their great Clemency used towards him but he said he could not by any means perswade himself to do that thing that was against his Conscience Wherefore he prayed them to do with him what they thought requisite for he would never obey to do the thing that his Conscience would not bear Whereupon for his Contempt he was by the Order of the whole Council committed to Ward in the Fleet till further Order should be taken for him We hear no more of him and his Fellow the Bishop of Worcester till nine Months hence And so we leave them both in the Fleet till September 27 1551. When we find Sir Roger Cholmely Kt. Lord chief Baron of the Exchequer Sir Richard Read Richard Goodrick Iohn Gosnold Iohn Oliver and Richard Ryel being Commissioners appointed by the King's Majesty for the Proceedings in the Causes laid against these two Bishops were commanded by Letter from the Council to call the said Bishops before them at Whitehall and beginning with the Bishop of Worcester's Cause to proceed also with Chichester So as the Judgment of the one might succeed the other without any delay of time more then needed And when the Acts of the Council proceeded in those Causes should be requisite the same upon knowledg given thither should be sent them And in the mean time to use for their Instruction the Acts that were passed upon Worcester's Cause and those that Mr. Read had already concerning Chichester with Admonition seeing their Contempts so evident not to give them any long delay by granting any Learned Counsel or otherwise by such Pretexts Septemb. 28. The Council sent a Letter to the Lord-Chancellor with the Commission directed to the above-named Persons for the examination and determining of the Bishops of Worcester and Chichester's Causes Praying him to send the same to such of the Council as are at or near London whose Hands be not thereto that they might sign it and then to seal it and send it with a Letter from the said Lords inclosed within his to the said Commissioners According to these Orders within less than a Month these two Bishops were at last Deprived after the expectation of their Compliances a long while And October 24 1551. The Council sent a Letter to the Chancellor of the Augmentations to take immediate Order for seizure in the King's Majesty's Hands of the Temporalties of their Bishopricks lately given to his Highness by the Judgment past by the Commissioners appointed for the hearing of those Bishops Causes These Bishops remained Prisoners in the Fleet after their Deprivation till the next Summer When as it seems for their Healths sake they desired to be removed to some place of better Air and more Liberty Whereupon Iune 15 1552. Dr. Day was sent to the Bishop of Ely Lord Chancellor and Dr. Hethe to the Bishop of London by the appointment of his Majesty And they were directed to use them as to Christian Charity should be most seemly At whose Hands the King doubted not but they should receive such Christian Advice as would tend to the Glory of God Iuly 17. Upon the motion of the Bishop of London the Lords of the Council were content that he should send Dr. Hethe unto the Bishop's own House at London from Fulham to recover his Health and then to have him again So far more kindly were these Popish Bishops dealt withal in this Reign than the Protestant Bishops were in the next Hoper Bishop of Glocester succeeded in the See of Worcester and Scory Bishop of Rochester in that of Chichester I will here crave the Reader 's leave to insert two or three words concerning Bishop Day thereby to judg the better of him About the Year 1547. Saying of Masses was laid aside in King's College in Cambridg the Members of which College generally favoured the Gospel Day the Provost thereof which Place he held in Commendam with his Bishoprick hearing of this wrote an angry Letter to the Vice-provost and in him to the whole College for divers things which they had done relating to Reformation and particularly for leaving off saying Masses In which he said They departed from the Institution of the House and that they did it rashly and besides the Law There being as yet no Law for so doing He charged them with the Breach of Statute and so would involve them in the Sin of Perjury And whereas in their publick Disputations they gave Questions against Popish Doctrines he charged them with disputing wickedly and turbulently to the wounding of tender Consciences and the Infamy of the House And finally required that
had Married the said Iane. In Prison he was Visited by Bishop Hethe and afterwards pretended to be brought off by him to the acknowledgment of the Roman Catholick-Religion After his Condemnation he with the Marquess of Northampton Sir Andrew Dudley Sir Iohn Gates Sir Thomas Palmer heard a Mass within the Tower and received the Sacrament in one kind after the Popish fashion The Duke of Northumberland was drawn hereunto by a Promise that was made him That if he would Recant and hear Mass he should have his Pardon yea though his Head were upon the Block In his Speech August 22 when he was Executed he acknowledged How he had been misled by others and called the Preachers Seditious and Leud and advised the People to return home to the old Religion And that since the new Religion came among them God had plagued them by Wars and Tumults Famine and Pestilence He propounded the example of the Germans how their new Doctrine had brought Ruin upon them And quoted that Article in the Creed to them I believe the Catholick Church to convine them of the Roman Catholick Faith If this Speech were not of Hethe's inditing to be used by the Duke yet this Argument from the Creed I am apt to think was his it being his Custom to make use of it For I find in a Conference betwixt this Bishop and Rogers he asked him if he did not know his Creed and urged Credo sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam But Rogers could tell him that he did not find the Bishop of Rome there If any be minded to see the Duke's Speech at length he may have recourse to the Appendix where I have set it down as I found it in one of the Cottonian Volumes But Gates and Palmer notwithstanding their hearing Mass at their Execution the same Day and Place confessed the Faith they had learned in the Gospel The former confessed That he had lived as vitiously and wickedly all his Life as any in the World And yet that he was a great reader of the Scripture but a worse follower there was not living For he read it not to edify but to dispute and to make Interpretations after his own Fancy Exhorting the People to take heed how they read God's Word and played and gamed with God's Holy Mysteries For he told them that except they humbly submitted themselves to God and read his Word charitably and to the intent to be edified thereby it would be but Poison to them and worse And so asked the Queen and all the World Forgiveness Palmer thanked God for his affliction For That he had learned more in one little dark Corner of the Tower than ever he learned by any Travailes in as many Places as he had been There he had seen God what he was and his numerous Works and his Mercies And seen himself thorowly what himself was a Lump of Sin and Earth and of all Vileness the vilest And so concluding that he feared not Death That neither the sprinkling of the Blood of two shed before his Eyes nor the shedding thereof nor the bloody Ax it self should make him affraid And so praying all to pray for him he said some Prayers and without any daunting laid down his Head upon the Block But the Duke of Northumberland submitted himself to base and mean Practices to save his Life He renounced his Religion nay disavowed That he ever was of the Religion professed in K. Edward's Days if we may believe Parsons but only hypocritically for worldly Ends complied with it And if he might but have lived he could have been contented to spend his Days in a Mouse-hole For from a Priest I have this Relation and the Papists best knew the Intrigues of Queen Mary's Reign After Sentence pronounced upon him he made Means to speak with Bishop Gardiner who he knew could do most of any with the Queen When the Bishop came to him in Company with another Councellor to be Witness of their Discourse who himself told my Author these Passages the Duke asked the Bishop If there were no hope at all for him to live and to do some Penance the rest of his Days for his sins past Alass said he let me live a little longer though it be but in a Mouse-hole The Bishop replied That he wished to God any thing could have contented his Grace but a Kingdom when he was at liberty and in prosperity And even at that present he wished it lay in his Power to give him that Mousehole For he would allow him the best Palace he had in the World for that Mousehole And did moreover then offer to do for him what he could possible But because his offence he said was great and Sentence past against him and his Adversaries many it would be best for him to provide for the worst and especially that he stood well with God in matter of Conscience and Religion For to speak plainly as he went on it was most likely he must Die The Duke answered He would dispose himself and desired he might have a learned Priest sent him for his Confession and spiritual Comfort And as for Religion said he you know my Lord Bishop that I can be of no other but of Yours which is the Catholick For I never was of any other indeed nor ever so foolish as to believe any of that which we had set up in K. Edward's Days but only to use the same for my own purpose of Ambition For which God forgive me And so I mean to testify publickly at my Death For it is true The Bishop saith my Author went away with an afflicted Heart and shed many Tears as he returned and went to the Queen and entreated so earnestly for him as he had half gained her Consent for his Life Which so much terrified the Duke's Adversaries as presently they got the Emperor Charles that was in Flanders to write to the Queen a very resolute and earnest Letter that it was not safe for her nor his Estate to Pardon his Life And with that he was Executed Whatever credit is to be given to the rest of this Relation I can hardly believe that Passage that he is reported to say to the Bishop That he was never otherwise than a Roman-Catholick and that he did all along dissemble his Religion for worldly Ends and that he would testify as much at his Death Because this doth no ways comport with his Speech upon the Scaffold wherein he mentioneth no such thing but rather the contrary Nor did he declare any such thing when he came to Die He said indeed that he was deceived and misled but no where that he dissembled And if he were deceived he dissembled not CHAP. IV. Peter Martyr departs A Parliament THE Strangers had this piece of Mercy shewn them that they were suffered to depart the Kingdom Among the rest that went away this Year was Peter Martyr the famous and learned Professor of Divinity in
Carnal Presence For a Conclusion let the Reader not hear me but another speak for our Arch-bishop against one of these Calumniators and he a Portugal Bishop After Cranmer by hearing of the Gospel began to savour of Christian Profession what Wickedness was ever reported of him With what outrage of Lust was he enflamed What Murders what seditious Tumults what secret Conspiracies were ever seen or suspected so much to proceed from him Unless ye account him blame-worthy for this that when King Henry Father to Mary upon great Displeasure conceived was for some secret Causes determined to strike off her Head this Reverend Arch-bishop did pacify the Wrath of the Father and with mild continual Intercession preserved the Life of the Daughter Who for Life preserved acquitted her Patron with Death As concerning his Marriage if you reproachfully impute that to Lust which Paul doth dignify with so honourable a Title I do answer That he was the Husband of one Wife with whom he continued many Years more chastly and holily than Osorius in that his stinking sole and single Life peradventure one Month tho he flee never so often to his Catholick Confessions And I see no Cause why the Name of a Wife shall not be accounted in each respect as Holy with the true Professors of the Gospel as the Name of a Concubine with the Papists Thus Fox And so I have at last by God's favourable Concurrence finished this my Work and have compiled an imperfect History yet with the best Diligence I could of this singular Arch-bishop and blessed Martyr and in the conclusion have briefly vindicated him from those many false Surmises and Imputations that his implacable Enemies of the Roman Faction have reported and published abroad against him Not contented with the shedding of his Blood unless they stigmatized his Name and Memory and formed the World into a belief that he was one of the vilest Wretches that lived who in Reality and Truth appeareth to have been one of the holiest Bishops and one of the best Men that Age produced THE END THE APPENDIX TO THE MEMORIALS OF Archbishop Cranmer THE APPENDIX TO THE MEMORIALS OF Archbishop Cranmer NUM I. Account of Mr. Pool's Book by Dr. Cranmer To the Ryght honorable and my syngular good Lorde my Lorde of Wylshire IT may please your Lordeshipe to bee advertised that the Kynge his grace my Lady your wyfe my Lady Anne your doughter be in good helth whereof thankes be to God As concernynge the Kinge hys cause Mayster Raynolde Poole hath wrytten a booke moch contrary to the kinge hys purpose wyth such wytte that it appereth that he myght be for hys wysedome of the cownsel to the kinge hys grace And of such eloquence that if it were set forth and knowne to the commen people I suppose yt were not possible to persuade them to the contrary The pryncypal intent whereof ys that the kinge hys grace sholde be contente to commyt hys grete cause to the jugement of the pope wherein me semeth he lacketh moch jugement But he swadeth that with such goodly eloquence both of words and sentence that he were lyke to persuade many but me hee persuadeth in that poynt no thynge at al. But in many other thynges he satysfyeth me very wel The som wherof I shal shortly reherse Furst he sheweth the cause wherfore he had never pleasure to intromytte hymself in this cause And that was the trouble which was lyke to ensue to this realme therof by dyversitie of tytles Wherof what hurte myght come we have had exsample in our fathers dayes by the tytles of Lancaster and Yorke And where os god hath gyven many noble gyfts unto the kinge hys grace as wel of body and mynde os also of fortune yet this excedeth al other that in hym al tytles do mete and come togyder and this Realme ys restored to tranquillitie and peace so oweth he to provide that this londe fal not agayne to the forsaide mysery and troble which may come aswel by the people within this realme which thynke surely that they have an hayre lawful alâ—â—ady with whom they al be wel contente and wolde be sory to have any other And yt wolde be harde to persuade thaym to take any other levynge her os also by the Emperour whych ys a man of so grete power the quene beying hys awnt the Princes hys nece whome he so moch doth and ever hath favored And where he harde reasons for the kynge hys party that he was moved of god hys lawe which doth straytly forbed and that with many gret thretts that no man shal mary hys brother hys wife And os for the people yt longeth not to thayr judgement and yet yt ys to be thought that thay wil be contente whan thay shal knowe that the awncyente Doctores of the Chyrch and the determinations of so many grete vniversities be of the kynge hys sentence And os concernynge the Emperour if he be so unryghtful that he wyl mayntene an unjust cause yet god wil never fayl thaym that stonde opon his party and for any thynge wyl not transgresse hys commawndments And besyde that we shal not lacke the ayde of the Frenshe kynge whyche partely for the Lege whych he hath made with us and partly for the dyspleasure and olde grutch which he bereth toward the Emperour wolde be glad to have occasion to be avenged Thies reasons he bryngeth for the kyngs party agaynst hys owne opynyon To which he maketh answer in this maner Fyrst os towchynge the Lawe of god he thynketh that yf the kinge were pleased to take the contrary parte he myght os wel justifie that and have os good grownde of the scripture therfore os for that parte which he now taketh And yet if he thought the kyngs party never so juste and that this his mariage were undowtedly agaynst godds pleasure than he cowde not deny but yt sholde be wel done for the kynge to refuse this mariage and to take another wyfe but that he sholde be a doar therin and a setter forwarde therof he cowde never fynde in hys harte And yet he grawnteth that he hath no good reason therfore but only affection which he bereth and of dewty oweth unto the kyngs parson For in so doing he sholde not only wayke ye and utterly take away the Princes Title but also he must neds accuse the most and cheife parte of al the kyngs lyfe hiderto which hath bene so infortunate to lyve more than xx yers in a matrimony so shameful so abominable so bestial and agaynst nature yf it be so os the books which do defend the kyngs party do say that the abomination therof ys naturally wrytten and graven in every mans harte so that none excusation can be made by ignorance And thus to accuse the noble nature of the kyngs grace and to take away the title of hys succession he cowde never fynd in hys harte were the kyngs cause never so
satis tentatum est hactenus Et nisi super firmam petram fuisset firmiter aedificata jam dudum cum magnae ruinae fragore cecidisset Dici non potest quantum haec tam cruenta controversia cum per universum orbem Christianum tum maxime apud nos bene currenti verbo Evangelij obstiterit Vobis ipsis affert ingens periculum caeteris omnibus praebet non dicendum offendiculum Quo circa si me audietis hortor suadeo imo vos oro obsecro visceribus Iesu Christi obtestor adjuro uti concordiam procedere coire sinatis in illam confirmandam totis viribus incumbatis pacémque Dei tandem quae superat omnem sensum Ecclesijs permittatis ut Evangelicam doctrinam unam sanam puram cum primitivae Ecclesiae disciplina consonam junctis viribus quam maximè propagemus Facile vel Turcas ad Evangelij nostri obedientiam converterimus modo intra nosmetipsos consentiamus pia quadam conjuratione conspiremus At si ad hunc modum pergimus ad invicem contendere commordere timendum erit ne quod dicens abominor juxta comminationem Apostolicam ad invicem consumamur Habes Optime Vadiane meam de tota controversia illa neutiquam fictam sententâ—am una cum admonitione libera ac fideli Cui si obtemperaveris non modo inter amicos sed etiam vel inter amicissimos mihi nomen tuum ascripsero Bene vale T. Cantuariens NUM XXVI Part of a Letter from a Member of Parlament concerning the transactions of the House about passing the Act of the Six Articles AND also news here I assure you never Prince shewed himself so wise a man so wel learned and so Catholic as the King hath done in this Parlament With my pen I cannot express his mervailous goodnes which is come to such effect that we shal have an Act of Parlament so spiritual that I think none shal dare say in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar doth remain either bread or wine after the Consecration Nor that a Priest may have a wife Nor that it is necessary to receive our Maker sub utraque specie Nor that private Masses should not be used as they have bee Nor that it is not necessary to have Auricular confession And notwithstanding my L. of Canterbury my L. of Ely my L. of Salisbury my L. of Worcester Rochester and St. Davyes defended the contrary long time Yet finally his Highness confounded them all with Gods learning York Durham Winchester and Carlile have shewed themselves honest and wel learned men We of the Temporalty have be al of one opinion And my L. Chancellor and my L. Privy Seal as good as we can devise My L. of Cant. and al his Bishops have given their opinion and come in to us save Salisbury who yet continueth a leud fool Finally al in England have cause to thank God and most heartily to rejoyce of the Kings most godly procedings Without any name subscribed NUM XXVII The Solution of some Bishop to certain Questions about the Sacraments The King's Animadversions of his own hand The Questions The Answers Why then should we cal them so 1. What a Sacrament is 1. Scripture useth the word but it defineth it not 2. What a Sacrament is by the antient Authors 2. In them is found no perfect definition but a general Declaration of the word as a token of a holy thing  3. How many Sacraments be there by the Scripture 3. So named onely Matrimony in effect moo and at the least seven as we find the Scripture expounded Why these Seven to have the name more than al the rest 4. How many Sacraments be there by the antient Authors 4. Authors use the word Sacrament to signify any Mystery in the old or new Testament But especially be noted Baptism Eucharist Matrimony Chrism Impositio manuum Ordo Here is omitted Penance Then why hath theChurch so long erred to take upon them so to name them 5. Whether this word Sacrament be and ought to be attribute to the Seven only 5. The word bycause it is general is attribute to other than the Seven But whether it ought especially to be applied to the Seven only God knoweth and hath not fully revealed it so as it hath been received Whether the Seven Sacraments be found in any of the old Authors or not The thing of al is found but not named al Sacraments as afore  6. Whether the determinate number of seven Sacraments be a doctrin either of the scripture or the old Authors and so to be taught 6. The doctrine of Scripture is to teach the thing without numbring or naming the name Sacrament saving only Matrimony Old Authors number not precisely Twelve Articles of the Faith not numbred in Scripture ne Ten Commandments but rather one Dilectio Seven petitions Seven Deadly sinns * Then Penance is changed to a new term i. e. Absolution Of Penance I read that without it we cannot be saved after relapse but not so of Absolution And Penance to sinners is commanded but Absolution yea in open crimes is left free to the Askers †Laying of hands being an old ceremony of the Church is but a small proof of Confirmation 7. What is found in scripture of the matter nature effect and vertue of such as we cal the seven Sacraments So although the name be not in Scripture yet whether the thing be in Scripture or no and in what wise spoken 7. First of Baptism manifestly Scripture speaketh Secondly Of the holy communion manifestly Thirdly Of Matrimony manifestly 4. Of Absolution * manifestly 5. Of Bishops Priests and Deacons ordered per impositionem manuum cum Oratione expresly 6. Laying †of the Hands of the Bp. after Baptism which is a part of that is done in Confirmation is grounded in Scripture 7. Unction of the sick and prayer is grounded on scripture This answer is not direct and yet it proveth nother of the two poynts to be grounded in scripture 8. Whether Confirmation cum Chrismate of them that be baptized be found in Scripture 8. The thing of Confirmation is found in scripture though the name Confirmation is not there Of Chrisma Scripture speaketh not expressly but it hath been had in high veneration and observed since the beginning  9. Whether the Apostles lacking higher power and not having a Christen King among them made Bishops by that necessity or by authority given them of God 9. The calling naming appointment and preferment of one before another to be Bishop or Priest had a necessity to be done in that sort a Prince wanting  The Ordering appeareth taught by the holy Ghost in the Scripture per manuum impositionem cum oratione  10. Whether Bps or Priests were first And if the Priests were first then the Priest made the Bishop 10. Bishops or not after  11. Whether a Bishop hath authority to make a Priest by the Scripture or
no And whether any other but only a Bp. may make a Priest or no 11. Scripture warranteth a Bp. obeying high powers as the Prince christianed to order a Priest per manuum impositionem cum oratione And so it hath been from the beginning of others scripture speaketh not  12. Whether in the N. Testament be required any Consecration of a Bp. or Priest or only appointing to the office be sufficient 12. Manuum Impositio cum oratione is required Which is a Consecration So as only Appointing is not sufficient  13. Whether if it fortune a Prince Chriâ—stian learned to conquer certain Dominions of Infidels having none but temporal learned men with him it be defended by Gods law that he and they may preach and teach the Word of God there or no and also make and institute Priests or no 13. It is to be thought that God in such cases assisting the perfection of such an enterprize would sometime teach and inspire the Conscience of such a Prince what he should and might do more then is yet openly taught by the Scripture Which in that case were a good warrant to follow For a secret Vocation supplieth where an open wanteth A reason Necessity in things absolutely necessary containeth in it order law and authority  14. Whether it be forefended by Gods law that if it so fortuned that al the Bishops and Priests of a realm were dead and that the Word of God should remain there unpreached the Sacrament of Baptism and others unministred that the King of that Region should make Bps and Priests to supply the same or no 14. This Question is without the compas of Scripture  Since the beginning of Christs church when Christ himself made distinction of Ministers the order hath a determination from one to another per manuum impositionem cum oratione How it should begin again of another fashion where it faileth by a case Scripture telleth not ne Doctors write of it that I have read  15. Whether a man be bound by authority of this Scripture Quorum remiseritis c. and such like to confes his secret deadly sins to a Priest if he may have him or no 15. Bound ordinarily  16. Whether a Bp. or a Priest may excommunicate 16. They may being before of their Prince authorized to minister  For what crime For open public deadly sins  And whether only by Gods Law Of Excommunication by others we read not in the new Testament  17. Whether Unction of the sick with oyl to remit venial sins as it is now used be spoken of in the Scripture or in any ancient authors 17. The thing is in Scripture and in antient Authors according wherunto the use should be How it is indeed used is a matter of fact and not of learning NUM XXVIII The judgment of another Bishop upon the aforesaid Questions I. TO the first Scripture sheweth not what it is but useth the word Sacramentum in Latin for the word Mysterium in Greek II. Sacrament by the Authors is Sacrae rei Signum or Visibile Signaculum Sacrosanctum Signaculum Visibile Verbum Visibilis forma invisibilis gratiae and perfect definition we find none III. In Scripture we find no determine number of Sacraments IV. There be very many in the most general signification and there is no precise or determinate number of Sacraments in the ancient authors V. Not only to the Seven but to many mo We find in old Authors Matrimony holy Communion Baptism Confirmation Order Penance and extreme Unction It is doubted of the number of Sacraments VI. As touching the determine number of Seven only we find neither in the Scripture ne antient authors any such doctrine that should be seven only VII Of Baptism Scripture speaketh that by it sins be remitted Of Eucharistia that we be united by it to Christ and receive spiritual nourishment to the comfort of our souls and remission of our sins Of Matrimony that the act of it is made lawful and without sin and Grace given wherby to direct ordinately the lusts and appetites of the flesh Of Penance that by it we be restored again to the favor of God from which we did fal by sin Of Orders that by it Grace is given to Ministers effectually in preaching of the word of God and Ministration of the Sacraments Of Confirmation which is contained in Scripture speaking De impositione manuum post baptisma it appeareth by Scripture how therby encrease of grace is given Of Inunction of the sick Scripture speaks that by Unction of the sick and prayer of the Priests comfort is given to sick and sins be forgiven him VIII Impositionem manuum post Baptisma which we cal Confirmation we read in the Scripture But that it was done Chrismate we find not in the scripture expressed But in the old Authors we find that Chrisma hath been used in the same Confirmation IX Making of Bps hath two parts Appointment and Ordering Appointment which the Apostles by necessity made by common election and sometime by their own several assignment could not then be done by Christen Princes Because at that time they were not And now at these dayes appertaineth to Christen Princes and Rulers But in the ordering wherin Grace is conferred as afore the Apostles did follow the rule taught by the holy Ghost Per manuum impositionem cum Oratione jejuâ—io X. Christ made the Apostles first which were of his making both Priests and Bps. But whether at one time some doubt After that the Apostles made both Bps. and Priests The names whereof in the Scripture be confounded XI A Bp. having authority of the Christen Prince to give orders may by his ministery given to him of God in Scripture ordain a Priest And we read not that any other not being a Bp. hath since the beginning of Christs church ordained a Priest XII Onely Appointment is not sufficient but Consecration that is to say Imposition of hands with fasting and prayer is also required For so the Apostles used to order them that were appointed and so have been used continually and we have not read the contrary XIII In that necessity the Prince and his learned men should preach and teach the word of God and baptize But as for making and constituting Priests the Prince shal and may then do as God shal then by inspiration teach him Which God hath promised to do alwayes to his Church in reveling and teaching every necessary knowledg where any doubt requiring discussion doth arise XIV The answer to the other Question next before dissolveth this XV. He that knoweth himself guilty of any secret deadly sins must if he will obtain the benefit of Absolution ministred by the Priest confes the same secret sins unto him Absolution to be ministred by a Priest if a convenient Priest may be had is necessary York Duresm Carelyl Corwen Simon
the next IV. Your fourth Article is this WE wil have the Sacrament hang over the high Altar and there to be worshipped as it was wont to be and they which wil not therto consent we wil have them dy like Heretics against the holy Catholic faith What say you O ignorant people in things pertaining to God Is this the holy Catholic faith that the Sacrament should be hanged over the Altar and worshipped And be they Heretics that wil not consent therto I pray you who made this Faith Any other but the Bishops of Rome And that after more then a thousand years after the Faith of Christ was ful and perfect Innocent III. about 1215 years after Christ did ordain that the Sacrament and Chrism should be kept under lock and key But yet no motion he made of hanging the Sacrament over the high Altar nor of the worshiping of it After him came Honorius III. and he added further commanding that the Sacrament should be devoutly kept in a clean place and sealed and that the priest should often teach the people reverendly to bow down to the host when it is lifted up in the Mass time and when the priests should cary it to the sick folkes And altho this Honorius added the worshipping of the Sacrament yet he made no mention of the hanging therof over the high Altar as your Article proporteth Nor how long after or by what means that came first up into this realm I think no man can tel And in Italy it is not yet used until this day And in the beginning of the Church it was not only not used to be hanged up but also it was utterly forbid to be kept And wil you have al them that wil not consent to your Article to dy like heretics that hold against the Catholic faith Were the Apostles and Evangelists heretics Were the Martyrs and Confessors heretics Were al the old Doctors of the Church heretics Were al christen people heretics until within three or four hundred years last past that the Bishops of Rome taught them what they should do and believe All they before rehearsed neither hanged the Sacrament over the Altar nor worshiped it nor not one of them al spake any one word either of the hanging up or worshiping of the Sacrament Mary they speak very much of the worshiping of Christ himself setting in heaven at the right hand of his Father And no man doth duely receive the Sacrament except he so after that maner do worship Christ whom he spiritually receiveth spiritually feedeth and nourisheth upon and by whom spiritually he liveth and continueth that life that is towards God And this the Sacrament teacheth us Now to knit up this Article shortly Here is the issue of this matter that you must either condemn of heresy the Apostles Martyrs Confessors Doctors and al the holy Church of Christ until the time of Innocentius and Honorius because they hanged not the Sacrament over the Altar to be worshiped or else you must be condemned your selves by your own Article to dy like heretics against the holy Catholic faith Now to your fifth Article V. Your fifth Article is this WE wil have the Sacrament of the Altar but at Easter delivered to the Lay-people and then but in one kind Methinks you be like a man that were brought up in a dark dungeon that never saw light nor knew nothing that is abroad in the world And if a friend of his pitying his ignorance and state would bring him out of his dungeon that he might se the light and come to knowledg he being from his youth used to darknes could not abide the light but would wilfully shut his eyes and be offended both with the light and with his friend also A most godly Prince of famous memory K. Henry VIII our late Soveraign Lord pitying to se his Subjects many years so brought up in darknes and ignorance of God by the erroneous doctrines and superstitions of the Bp. of Rome with the counsil of al his Nobles and learned men studied by al means and that to his no little danger and charges to bring you out of your said ignorance and darknes unto the true light and knowledg of Gods word And our most dread Soveraign Lord that now is succeding his father as wel in this godly intent as in his realmes and dominions hath with no less care and diligence studied to perform his fathers godly intent and purpose And you like men that wilfully shut their own eyes refuse to receive the light saying you wil remain in your darknes Or rather you be like men that be so far wandred out of the right way that they can never come to it again without good and expert guides and yet when the guides would tel you the truth they would not be ordered by them but would say unto them Wee wil have and follow our own wayes And that you may understand how far you be wandred from the â—ight way in this one Article wherin you wil have the Sacrament of the Altar delivered to the Lay-people but once in the year and then but under one kind be you assured that there was never such law nor such request made among christen people until this day What injury do you to many godly persons which would devoutly receive it many times and you command the priest to deliver it them but at Easter Al learned men and godly have exhorted christen people altho they have not commanded them often to receive the Communion And in the Apostles time the people at Ierusalem received it every day as it appeares by the manifest word of the Scripture And after they received it in some places every day In some places four times in the week in some three times some twice commonly every where at the least once in the week In the beginning when men were most godly and fervent in the holy Spirit then they received the Communion daily But when the Spirit of God began to be more cold in mens hearts and they waxed more worldly than godly then their desire was not so hot to receive the Communion as it was before And ever from time to time as the world waxed more wicked the more the people withdrew themselves from the holy Communion For it was so holy a thing and the threatnings of God be so sore against them that come therto unworthily that an ungodly man abhorreth it and not without cause dare in no wise approch therunto But to them that live godly it is the greatest comfort that in this world can be imagined And the more godly a man is the more sweetnes and spiritual plesure and desire he shal have often to receive it And wil you be so ungodly to command the Priest that he shal not deliver it to him but at Easter and then but only in one kind When Christ ordained both the kinds as wel for the Lay-men as for the Priests and that to be eaten and drunken at
his own making and by them promised remission of sins and salvation that he might be set up and honored for a Savior equal to Christ. And so to be esteemed above al creatures and to set in the Temple of God that is in the Church of Christ as he were God And to bring this to pas he hath horribly abused holy Scriptures altering them to his purpose in the sted of Christs most holy bloud putting in his holy Water As it appeareth evidently in this Sentence of S. Paul written in the ninth Chap. of the Hebrewes If the bloud of Oxen and Goats saith S. Paul and the ashes of a yong Cow purified the unclean as touching the purifying of the flesh how much more the bloud of Christ which through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot unto God shal purge your consciences from dead works for to serve the Living God And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New covenant Consider wel this sentence of Paul and you shal find two purifyings one of the body and another of the Soul or Conscience You shal find also two Mediators One was the Priest of Moses law and the other is Christ. The Priests of the old Law with the bloud of Oxen and Goats and other their Sacrifices purged only the bodies of them that were defiled but the Soul or Conscience they could not help But our Savior Christ by his own bloud purged both body anâ— soul. And for that cause he and none other is the Mediator of the New Covenant But the Bp. of Rome to make himself also a Mediator with Christ hath taken upon him to purify the soul and conscience with holy water holy salt and other his holy creatures of his own devising to the intolerable injury of Christs blood which only hâ—th the effect And to bring this to pass hee hath most shamefully changed the words of the Scripture and wrested them to his purpose Some words putting out and only in the sted of Christs bloud putting in his own holy water and salt For wheras S. Paul if the blood of Oxen and Goats and the ashes of a Cow purified the unclean as touching the purifying of the flesh here the Bp. of Rome leaveth out these words As touching the purifying of the flesh And where S. Paul extolling the effect of Christs bloud in comparison of the bloud of Oxen and Goats saith How much more the bloud of Christ which through the eternal spirit offered himself being without spot unto God shal purge your consciences Here the Bp. of Rome extolling his water and salt puts out Christs bloud and in the place thereof puts his holy water and salt saying How much more water which is sprinkled with salt and hallowed with godly prayers shal sanctify and purify the people Oh! intolerable blasphemy against the most precious bloud of Christ Oh! shameles audacity and boldnes so to corrupt and pervert Gods holy word If he by his holy water presume to purify our souls as Christ did by his bloud what is that else but to make himself equal and another Mediator with Christ And what is it to Tread under foot the Son of God and to make the bloud of the N. Testament wherby he was Sanctified like other common things and to dishonor the spirit of grace if this be not And yet not contented with this blaspheming the bloud of Christ he preferreth his holy creatures far above the bloud of Christ promising by them many benefits which by the bloud of Christ be not promised For in the same place he promiseth by his holy ceremonies to take away from us dearth and scarcity of al worldly things and to multiply and encrease us with the same Also to defend us from the assaults of the Devil and al his deceits and to give us health both of body and soul. But al men se him so shamefully to ly in these worldly things that no man that wise is wil trust him in the rest Nor no man that is godly wil desire such things to remain stil which so much have deceived simple people and dishonored God and been contumelious to the bloud of Christ. But now to your Images which you say you wil have set up again in every Church What moved you to require this Article but only Ignorance For if you had known the Laws of God and the use of godly religion as wel before the Incarnation of Christ as four or five hundred years next after and by whom Images were at first brought into Christs church and how much Idolatry was every where committed by the means of the same it could not have been that ever you would have desired this Article except you had more affection to Idolatry then to true religion For Almighty God among the ten Commandments rehearsed this for the Second as one of the chief Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image nor the likenes of any thing that is in heaven above or in the earth beneath nor in the water under the earth Thou shalt not bow to them nor worship them This Commandment was diligently kept in the old Testament so long as the people pleased God For in their Tabernacle was not one image less nor more that the people might se. Although upon the Propitiatory were two Cherubins of gold by the Commandment of God And that was in such a place as the people never came near nor saw But when the people forgetting this Commandment began to make images and to set them up in the place of Adoration by and by they provoked Gods indignation against them and were grievously punished therfore The Church of Christ likewise in the N. Testament for the space of four or five hundred years after Christ's Ascension utterly refused to have Images in the Church a place of Adoration As it may plainly appear by al the old antient Authors that lived and wrot in that time In so much that above four hundred years after Christ when some Superstitious and ignorant people in some places began to bring painted images not into the Church but to the Church doores the great Clerk Epiphanius Bp. of Cyprus finding such a painted Image of Christ or some other Saint hanging at the Church door in a Town called Anablatha he cutt it in pieces saying that it was against the authority of scripture that in the Church of Christ should hang the Image of a man And the same Epiphanius wrot unto the Bp. of Ierusalem that he should command the Priests that in no wise they shou'd suffer such Images to be hanged in the church of Christ which were contrary to our religion But peradventure you wil mervail and ask me the question how it was brought to pas that of late years al Churches were so ful of Images and so much offering and pilgrimages done unto them if it were against the Commandment of God against the usage of al godly people in the O. Testament and also against the custom
can no proper names by geven but suche translation of worâ—les as the Holy Ghost doth use and ther cannot be devysed more proper more mete for the purpose nor more famouse wordes then they are 13. It is not mete therfore that we should attempt to expound these Metaphors with our own proper wordes wherof we be all together destytute in matters of regeneration neyther is it convenyent that we should deface theyr perfection wyth more slender Metaphors and wyth such geare as be of kinred to our natural reason 14. We must beware that with no superstitious stately eloquence we do make darke the brightnes of the Lordes commandement unto such as have their eyes lightened on every syde by fayth We must in lyke maner take heede we demynysh not the force and majesty of Christes sacraments set furth by the Holy Ghost rather of us to be beleved then by our naturall reason to be out-searched as by the exposition rather proceding of our owne imagynations then of the very word of God and of the nature of his sacraments 15. The Word is made flesh that their myght be both God and man in one substaunce and such as was a very earthely man which dyed rose againe from the dead ascended into heaven remayneth in the heavens and sytteth on the right hand of the father which governeth and fulfylleth all things and in the syght of all the world he shall come agayne in the clowdes to judge the quycke and the dead And they all must nedes receyve their owne bodies againe All these things truly do so farre passe the reache of mans wyt that of necessitye we must lay hold of them by fayth 16. Fayth bycause she is practysed and fortyfyed in the dayly use of these things causeth them clearely and manyfestly to appeare even as she doth make all the other misteries of Chryst to such as doth perfectly beleve Which thinges should be made darke unto us if we would suffer our selves to make inquirye of them according to the trade of our own reason following her natural princyples 17. Christ our Lord is for ever both God and man he is the head of all the sayntes and the first begotten among the children of God Wherfore we must so marke with our myndes and expres in wordes the propertyes of the natures that by no maner of imagynations we separate the unity of substaunce 18. There is nothing better agreeth with it selfe then doth the word of God so that what so ever the scripture speaketh of Christes beyng among us of the receyvyng of him of his aby ding and dwelling in us and eatyng of him agreeth all together and is consonant with these evydent scriptures openly declaring that he hath forsaken the world that he is in heaven yea and that he hath a very body and therfore lymited and bounden in one place 19. When we therfore entreate of the mistery eyther of the supper of the Lord or of Christes plaine presence with us for why should we not say that he is present which dwelleth in us and is in the mydst of us it is to no purpose to lay agaynst the presence of him such places of scripture as declare Christ to have departed from this world to be in heaven and to be very man havyng a very body and therfore such a body as is bounded in a place which may not be placed in all or many places at one tyme. 20. For Christes presence whether it be offered or declared eyther in the word onely or els in the sacramentes is no presence of place neyther of sensies nor of reason nor yet no yearthly presence but it is a spiritual presence a presence of faith and an heavenly presence For as much as we are conveyde into heaven by faith beyng placed in Christ. So that we lay hold upon him and embrace him in his heavenly majestye all be it he be here offered and declared after a sorte unto us in the glasse and darke speaking of sensyble wordes and sacramentes 21. The Antichristes make the simple people to beleve by these wordes that we receyve and have Christ here present after some worldly fashion that is to say eyther inclosed with the bread and wine or els that he is present under their accydences so that ther he ought to be honoured and worshipped 22. Let them therfore that be apt to learne be taught that ther is no presence of Christ in the supper but onely in the lawful use therof and such as is obtayned and gotten by fayth onely As for the other sort byd them adew as the blynde guydes of the blynde and that plantyng which our heavenly Father hath not planted For such as heare not Gods word are not borne of God 23. We must tourne away from their disceytes and craftes from which we ought verely to withdraw our selves howbeit they cannot be avoyded other wayes then by the true expounding of Gods word yea and that but only of them whom the Lord himself hath taught by the ministration he hath committed to us 24. The good men moreover hearing that Christ in the sacramente is presently geven receyved and had do imagyne a certaine presence of place and many tymes they fantsye also that God himself is bounded in a place havyng a body even as he were a man 25. They must therfore be contynually taught that these heavenly misteries do passe all mens capasityes and that they must be perceyved and knowen in the only word of God so that all worldly fasions must be far from our mindes because the word of God declareth Christ to be a very man havyng the bodye of a man in the which body he departed this world and was caried into heaven he may not therfore by no worldly maner be sought for in this world but after such sort as he offereth himselfe beyng in heaven to be received of us Which things are not knowen by sense and reason but by faith 26. As for these heavens because they be above all the heavens I dare not by the predicamente of our reason discusse what they be but by the wordes of the scripture But thâ— scripture discribeth them not by the distaunce of places but by the majestye of God and his blessednes openly declaring that such heavenly blys hath not come into the hart of man 27. I do not perceyve what further knowledge the holy fathers would geve writing of the proper place of Christes body in heaven but that we should observe the propertye of both the natures in Christ. So that as it is the propertye of the godly nature to be in every place and to fulfyll all things even by his substance so it is the propertye of the nature of man to be lymited in place and state not to be spread abroade in many or in all places at once These things agree with the scripture albeit we place not Christes body in heaven after the maner of the fourth booke of Aristotle's Naturalls Yea let us
hardly kepe our selves in such things that the scripture do speake of the heavens and of Christes sytting in heaven 28. I have a conscience in so high misteries to allow such kinde of speaking as is not taught in the scripture though such be much used yea and that by the authority of the holy fathers for to what point through such speakyng the devyll and antychrist hath brought us we all lamentably complayne 29. Wherfore with reverence and in a true meanyng I wyll understand the sayinges of the holy fathers as touching the mutation of the sygnes I wyll never graunt their sayings so to be taken as to mutch straunge from gods worde and after such sort as men myght now a daies be overthrowen with Antichristes doctrine into the idolatrye which of all other is most detestable 30. So likewyse if any thing may be found that the holy fathers have wrytten of Christ placed in heaven more then the scripture doth certaynely teach I wyll not without reverence refuse it nor yet wyth any man contend therin for I have nothing to say that such writyng is contrary to any place of scripture I do but only desyre that no necessary doctrine be made therof and that I may be suffered to abyde in the playnes of Gods written word 31. But they will say that a man well expert in saith when he heareth that Christ is present in the holy supper and is geven receyved and had with the bread cannot refraine but imagine such a presence of Christ in the bread as is there placed or els like to such a thing as hath a place 32. I cannot se how the wordes of the Holy Ghost ought to be refourmed because of the weakenes of our understanding either that we should allow such utteraunce of wordes wherby it might appeare that the Holy Ghost had not uttered the matter circumspectly and strongly inough yea and that most aptly and effectually as well to the edefying of faith as to the putting away of all errours 33. These now be the wordes of Christ Where two or three be gathered in my name ther am I in the mydst of them In the name of Christ we assemble together at the Lords Supper rightly ministred In the world we be yea and somewhere placed and whersoever we be Christ is among us which notwithstanding is not in the world and also dwelleth in our hartes But we cannot perseâ—ve nor attaine it neyther by our sense nor by reason but by faith For how can the head be away from his body Wherfore I defyne or determine Christes presence howsoever we perceive it either by the sacraments or by the word of the gospell to be onely the attainyng and perceyving of the commodities we have by Christ both God and man which is our head raignyng in heaven dwelling and lyving in us Which presence we have by no worldly meanes but we have it by faith and take the fruit therof when it is offered us in the word and in the sacraments But the force therof we feele in all our parties and powers what tyme by the spirit of Christ they be sanctifyed and renewed unto obedience and godly lyfe 34. He is called present by some knowledge of perceyvyng him even as one may be called present with an other and so we do say that they be here present whom we know by hearing or by syght to be present but now the thing which we know by faith is much more certaine then any thing we can know by sence or reason Why may not we then say that Christ our head is present with his members when we know by faith that he both liveth and dwelleth in us 35. They say that the holy fathers expound the scriptures recording the Lords presence that Christ by his Godhead by his majesty and by his providence is present with us yet lyving in this world Truth it is but the Lord saith I am with you unto the worldes end and Paule affirmeth that Christ lyveth and dwelleth in our hartes Yea and the holy fathers themselves declare that we have Christ present in the sacrament of baptisme and in the meate and drink of the aulter which call that presence carnall that is knowen by our senses and is set over against the presence which we have by faith 36. Faith truly embraceth Christ both God and man and kepeth him present which by his Godhead is not onely present in the congregation of his saintes and in his members but is also present in every place But some cannot be contented unles we graunt that we have his body and bloud really carnally and substantially present in the supper 37. Wyse and good men will eschew all uncertaine wordes in every talk and speaking how much more are they to be avoyded in Christes sacramentes Moreover in the treatyse of Christes sacraments we may justly refuse such straunge wordes as be not used in the scripture unles they may be perfectly applied for the declaration of Christes truth For such uncertaine wordes doth more darken the true doctrine and therfore we must not medle with them except ther be some consideration of the using of them 38. I would wysh these wordes realiter and substantialiter to be altogether refused neither to be allowed in reasonyng to or fro because we shall seme to graunt their contraries and to say that Christ is receyved counterfeâ—tlye and accydenâ—ly if we deny him to be received in the supper really and substantiallye 39. If the matter so require that these words be brought into reâ—sonyng I would for the maintenance of Christes truth against the adversaries among the children of God defyne these wordes realiter and substantialiter as if one would understand by the presence of the Lord really and substantially that he is received verely in dede by faith and his substaunce is geven in the sacrament but if he would enterlace any worldly presence with these words I will deny it because the Lord is departed this world 40. I can never admyt or allow these words carnally and naturally because they bring in a meanyng that he is receyved with our sences 41. Hereby I thinke it evydent agreeable to the holy scripture and according to the reverence we owe to God and his scripture and toward the auncient church that we should frame our selves to the words of the Lord of his Apostles and of the auncient Church and to say that ther is geven and receyved the body and bloud of the Lord that is to say very Christ himselfe both God and man but he is geven with the word and the signes but received with true faith and that he is geven and received to the end that we may move and lyve more parfectly in him and he in us 42. And I thinke it an easy thing to make answer when they say that the thing which is already cannot be received and that he which cometh to the Lords supper and hath not Christ in himselfe receiveth not Christ
to shew him the way and to expound to him the scripture yet did hee read And therefore God the rather provided for him a guide of the way that taught him to understand it God perceived his willing and toward mind and therfore hee sent him a Teacher by and by Therfore let no man be negâ—igent about his own health and salvation Though thou have not Philip alwayes when thou wouldest the holy Ghost which then moved and stiâ—red up Philip will bee ready and not fail thee if thou do thy diligence accordingly All these things bee written for us for our edification and amendment which bee born towards the latter end of the world The reading of the Scriptures is a great and strong bulwark or fortress against sin the ignorance of the same is a greater ruine and destruction of them that wil not know it That is the thing that bringeth in heresie that is it that causeth all corrupt and perverse Living that is it that bringeth all things out of good order Hitherto al that I have said I have taken and gathered out of the foresaid sermon of this holy Doctor S. Iohn Châ—ysostom Now if I should in like manner bring sorth what the self same Doctor speaketh in other places and what other Doctors and Writers say concerning the same purpose I might seem to you to write another Bible raâ—her then to make a Preface to the Bible Wherfore in few words to comprehend the largeness and utility of the Scripture how it containeth fruitful instruction and erudition for every man if any thing be necessary to be Learned of the holy Scripture we may learn it If falshood shall be reproved thereof wee may gather wherewithal If any thing bee to bee corrected and amended if there need any exhortation or consolation of the Scripture wee may wel learn In the Scriptures bee the fat pastures of the Soul therein is no venomous meat no unwholsome thing they bee the very dainty and pure feeding Hee that is ignorant shal find there what hee should learn Hee that is a perverse sinner shal there find his Damnation to make him to tremble for fear Hee that laboureth to serve God shal find there his Glory and the promissions of eternal life exhorting him more diligently to labour Herein may Princes learn how to govern their Subjects Subjects obedience Love and dread to their Princes Husbands how they should behave them unto their Wives how to educate their Children and Servants And contrary the Wives Children and Servants may know their dutie to their Husbands Parents and Masters Here may al maner of persons men women young old learned unlearned rich poor priests Laymen Lords Laâ—ies officers tenants and mean men Virgins Wives Widdowes Lawiers Merchants Artificers Husbandmen and al manner of persons of what estate or condition soever they bee may in this book learn all things what they ought to believe what they ought to do and what they should not do as wel concerning Almighty God as also concerning themselves and al other Briefly to the reading of the Scripture none can bee enemy but that either bee so sick that they Love not to hear of any medicine or else that bee so ignorant that they know not Scripture to bee the most healthful medicine Therefore as touching this former part I wil hear conclude and take it for conclusion sufficiently determined and appoynted that it is convenient and good the Scriptures to bee read of al sorts and kinds of people and in the vulgar tongue without further allegations and probations for the same which shal not need since that this one place of Iohn Chrysostom is enough and sufficient to persuade al them that bee not frowardly and perversely set in their own wilful opinion Specially now that the Kings Highnes being Supreme Head next under Christ of this church of England hath approved with his Royal assent the setting forth hereof Which onely to al true and obedient Subjects ought to bee a sufficient reason for the allowance of the same without further delay reclamation or resistance although there were no preface or other reason herein expressed Therefore now to come to the second and latter part of my purpose Here is nothing so good in this world but it may bee abused and turned from unhurtfull and wholsome to hurtful and noisome What is there above better then the Sun the Moon and the Stars Yet was there that took occasion by the great beauty and vertue of them to dishonour God and to defile themselves with idolatry giving the honour of the Living God and Creator of al things to such things as hee had created What is there here beneath better then fire Water meats drinks mettals of gold silver iron and steel Yet wee see daily great harm and much mischief done by every one of these as wel for lack of wisdome and providence of them that suffer evil as by the malice of them that work the evill Thus to them that bee evil of themselves every thing setteth forward and encreaseth their evil bee it of his own nature a thing never so good Like as contrarily to them that study and endeavour themselves to goodnes every thing prevaileth them and profiteth unto good bee it of his own nature a thing never so bad As S. Paul saith Hijs qui diligunt Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum All things do bring good success to such as do love God Even as out of most venimous wormes is made Triacle the most sovereign medicine for the preservation of mans health in time of danger Wherefore I would advise you all that come to the reading or hearing of this Book which is the word of God the most precious jewel and most holy Relique that remaineth upon earth that yee bring with you the fear of God and that yee do it with al reverence and use your knowledg thereof not to vain glory of frivolous disputation but to the honour of God encrease of vertue and edification both of your selves and other And to the intent that my words may bee the more regarded I wil use in this part the authority of S. Gregory Nazienzen like as in the other I did of S. Iohn Chrâ—sostom It appeareth that in his time there were some as I fear mee there bee also now at these dayes a great number which were idle bablers and talkers of the Scripture out of season and all good order and without any encrease of virtue or example of good living To them hee writeth al his first book De Theologia Whereâ—ore I shal briefly gather the whole effect and reciâ—e it here unto you There bee some saith hee whose not onely ears and tongues but also their fists bee whetted and ready bent al to contention and unprofitable disputation whom I would wish as they bee vehement and earnest to reason the matter with tongue so they were al Ready and practive to do good deeds But forasmuch as they subverting the order of