of that name had done vnadvisedly seeing he had made it an Article of faith And he did further confesse that the Pope had committed a great fault in that touching Indulgences and other things he had taken no better order for the quiet of the Church Afterwards I conferred with Doctor Redman in whom I reposed much hope in regard of his eminent vertues and great schollership He affirmed vnto me that the booke of Common Prayer was an holy booke and agreeable to the Gospell These things cast me into many distractiue thoughts After this one of the fellowes of Queenes Colledge in Oxford told me that he heard Doctour Chedsey saying among his friends that it must come to this point that the Protestants must grant vs a reall presence of Christ in the Sacrament and we likewise giue way vnto them in the opinion of Transubstantiation and so we shall accord Doctor Weston made a long Oration touching the Supper of the Lord to bee administred vnder both kindes Mr. Morgan tolde me that Doctor Warâ— a man most famous for life and learning had affirmed vnto him that the principall sacrifice of the Church of God was the sacrifice of thanksgiving This was his answer when I had demanded of him what could be said for the sacrifice of the Masse The most learned Bishops in this Kingdome at that time confuted the primacy of the Pope both in words and writing Mr. Harding being newly returned home out of Italy in a long and famous oration so plainly set out and painted to the life the Friers and vnlearned Bishops who had met at the Councell of Trent in their greene gownes that it abated in me and in very many others a great deale of that opinion and confidence which we had reposed in Generall Councels These things and many others gaue me occasion diligently to search the Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers whence I had began to obserue very many and very great abuses and some enormities oftentimes vsed and as oft defended in Popery and to iudge reformation necessary on the other part Whiles I went on in this manner I was overruled by the persuasions of some friends to accept of a Parsonage whereunto I was drawne against my will If I offended God in vndertaking the charge before I was a more sufficient scholler and better grounded in Religion I aske God forgiuenesse Nor doe I doubt but I haue obtained mercy in his sight Before I was entred vpon that Parsonage I preacht before King Edward at Greenwich a Sermon which had approbation of many good men The Lord Treasurer being at that time Secretary obtained for me from the King licence as a generall Preacher throughout the Kingdome so long as the King lived which time fell out to be not much aboue the space of halfe a yeare after In my Sermons I handled those points wherein I was best grounded and wherein I was vndoubtedly resolved oâ—t of the Scriptures I examined the Masse and the abuse so farre as I was able to obserue at that time consisted in the too much reverence and grosser worship of the people because I beleeved not Transubstantiation Neverthelesse at some times I read Masse but seldome and privately Then was I forthwith sent beyond the Seas that I might oversee the printiâ—g of my Lord Bishop Tonstall his booke touching the Eucharist with two or three books more as you know at Antwerp where I beheld for the space of three yeares at Paris Antwerp and Lâ—vaâ—nâ— and in some other places very grosse Idolatry This thing did more and more estrange me from the Popish religion most of all because the learneder Papists did in their disputations in schooles deny the adoration of images yet allowed the intolerable abuse thereof in their Churches And now whiles with all earnestnesse I advised with the holy Scriptures and writings of the Fathers I observed many things alienated mine heart from the Popish Church I observed in that Church notable corruptions of the doctrine of the Bible many things in the Sacraments instituted against Scripture some Sacraments lately added In the Sacrament of the Supper the one halfe taken away the fiction of Transubstantiation brought in traditions of the Church made equall to the word of God and to the holy Scriptures and to be imbraced with the same pious affection the worship of Images brought into the Church all things performed in the Church before the people in an vnknowne language but aboue all the rest the question concerning Antichrist troubled me most because it seemed not to me a safe thing to make a seperation from the Popish Church except I were first fully resolved that the Pope is Antichrist and in this point I cannot easily expresse with how many difficulties and distractions I was daily opposed Afterwards I was sent for home againe by the Bishop who conferred vpon me the Rectory of Essiâ—â—don where when I had indeavoured to be constant in preaching I observed that I had vpon a sodaine procured to my selfe many and heavy enemies thereby for I had preached against plurality of Benefices and Non-residency Mine adversaries cryed out that all such as broached that doctrine would prooue hereticks quickly Others were much displeased with me for that I had preached repentance salvation by Christ. They laid to my charge that I did not make whole Sermons about Transubstantiation Purgatory Holy water the worshipping of Images the invocation of Saints and the like which they could never heare come from me And by how much the people were more earnest to resort to my Sermons so much the more eagerly they tooke offence at mee and hated mee A very small matter brought me into danger An honest Matron because in her pangs of childbirth she had often called vpon God was grievously checked by the other good women because she had not called vpon the blessed Virgin To whom she made answer I haue heard saith she a certaine famous Preacher one Gilpin a man that came lately out of France if he will advise me to call vpon the Saints I will take his counsell in that point I tolde them that I durst not persuade any one to invocate the Saints but that those who call onely vpon God for help in all their daâ—gers haue a commandement from God so to doe and a firme promise for the infallible comforting of their conscience This occasion stirred me vp many foes In the meane while I often conversed witâ— learned men my very loving friends and kindred I demanded how it came to paste that there was no reformation of so many abuses touching Images Reliques Pilgrimages buying and selling of Masses and Trentalls with many other errours which in the time of King Edward the Papists had not onely confessed to be superstitious but had promised reformation of them and professed that it was meete the Church should be purged of them which thing they said they would gladly doe if ever the power came into their hands againe When I asked
in God onely therefore he onely is to bee prayed vnto That distinction touching Invocation and Advocation that albeit you allow not the Invocation of Saints at the least you allow their advocation is frivolous because as those men robb Christ of his honour who seeke another mediator so these are no lesse injurious to Christ who seeke another 〈◊〉 because we haue Christ an Advocate with the Father 1 Iob. 2 â— and Esai 63 he affirmeth that Abraham knoweth vs not Truely I assure my selfe that Abraham the father of the faithfull is no lesse a Saint then any other of the Saints in heaven You say you beleeue the Communion of Saints which we also doe all of vs beleeue but you inferre thereupon that you vnderstand not how there can be a Communion of Saints if the Saints departed doe not pray for vs and we call vpon them for assistance But the Church of Christ vnderstandeth the Communion of Saints farre otherwise For in the vsuall phrase of Scripture Saints are not vnderstood to be those that are departed and whose soules are in heauen but those who are living here on the earth Nor shall you almost thorough the whole Scripture of the Old and new Testament find the name of Saint giuen to any man but that thereby is vnderstood a Saint living heere on the earth Yea sometimes the Scripture speaketh more expressely as in Psal. 16. 3 to the Saints which are on the earth all my delight is in them If any man ever had or could haue a Communion with the Saints in heaven surely Dauid had it But he expoundeth the communion wherewith he was acquainted that is the communion of Saints on earth So Saint Iohn expoundeth this poynt 1 Ioh 1 3. What we have seene and known that declare we vnto you that yee also may have communion with vs and that our communion may be with God and with his son Iesus Christ. First all the Church of Christ haue coÌ„munion with the Apostolick Church that you may haue coÌ„munion with vs Secondly this communion of Saints shall consist in the preaching of the word and in the participation of diverse gifts for the edification of the Church in publicke and private prayers Thirdly but in powering out of our prayers we haue communion with the Father the Sonne or with the Father by the Sonne Heere is no mention at all no respect had to the Saints departed This communion according to the words of holy Scripture extendeth no further then to the Church on earth The Saints departed are not called in Scripture simply Saints but the Congregation of the first borne in heauen and the spirits of iust and perfect men Heb 12. 23. After this life we shall haue communion with them but as for those who require this communion with them in this life let them either product from Scripture what they say or let them heare that sentence of our blessed Lord In vaine doe ye worship me teaching for doctrines the traditions of men Math 15 9. I confesse that if you haue respect to the vse of this our age or some former ones the deceased are called Saints but it is not the custome of this or that age but the rule of the holy Scripture that is propounded for our imitation But what doe we contending about this points Those men who stand so hard for Invocation of Saints shall grant it vs to be a thing indifferent for indeed it is the safest way to goe to the fountaine of mercy it selfe and let the streames alone Nor suffer those men to perswade you who say that they detract nothing from God by detracting their prayers to the Saints For no man can detract from God more then he who transferreth the worship due to God alone vnto the creature For invocation is a part of divine worship and this worship hee communicateth to no creature who will not give his glory to another As for your Arguments touching Images and fasting which point of fasting God forbid that either I or any one should deny yea rather we exhort all persons to the practise of it onely we desire to haue the superstition wicked opinions remooved together with those other Arguments touching Relicks and Exorcismes in casting out vncleane spirits forsooth which thing when it leadeth to Idolatry is the signe of a false Prophet Deut 13. Although answer might be made to all these with much ease yet because I how want leisure as being over leaden with imployments in regard that I am destitute of a Curate at this time and have a very large Parish to visite and also my body is weak and subject to faint with wearinesse being worne out with paynes taking therefore in all these respectes I haue thought it fitting to deferre mine answere to these points vntill another time If you be vnwilling to come to Houghton vpon Sunday next because you will not be an offence to my Parishionerâ— in which case you cannot blame me if I appeare very carefull of my Parishioners in regard of the great charge laid vpon me for it is apparant in the times of the Prophets and in all succeeding ages since that the vulgar people haue been too too proâ—e to superstition and a micheife doth increase easily and creep further in one day then good lessons in a whole moneth therfore sundry excepted vnlesse you will come vp into the Quire which in my judgement you ought not to refuse if you come straightwayes after the Sabboth day is ended and depart about Saterday noone you shall bee heartily welcome therefore that excuse which you pretend ought not to retarde your accesse And although your last conclusion doe as I told you already take away all hope and confidence from a man who shall conferre with you yet I will not cease to hope better things touching your conversion then you seeme to hope of your selfe Saint Paul had once a firme resolution to dye a Pharisy and a persecuter of Christians but God had reserved for him the treasure of power and mercy to the end that he might ordayne him to Preach that glorious namee which he had formerly persecuted I commend you to the goodâ—es of the Almightie God which is able by the spirit of knowledge to leade you into all truth Fare ye well From Honghton the 14. of October 1580. Your loving Vncle BERNARD GILPIN SO long as Bishop Pilkinton lived Mr. Gilpin had a most kind friend of him after whose decease Richard Barâ—es succeeded in the Bishopricke This man was somewhat offended with Mr. Gilpin And hereby hangeth a story which I must fetch somewhat farre Mr. Gilpin was accustomed sometimes to ride to Oxford especially in his younger time when he was able to indure travell Now it happened vpon a time as he was vpon his way towards Oxford that he espyed by the way side a youth one while walking and another while running Mr. Gilpin demanded of him who he was whence he came and whither he was going
many back friends especially among the Clergy whose faults he had touched to the quick There was at that time among the Clergy of the Bishoprick of Durham one Tonstall Parson of a Church in that Diocesse This man was very hot against Gilpin accused him often to the Bishop as an heretick and one that deserved to be burnt as other hereticks were But the Bishop could not indure to shed blood and therefore dealt mildly with him and preserved him from the proiects of his enemies I haue heard Anthony Carleton relate and he at that time lived in the Bishops house that the Bishops Chaplains at a certaine time had some discourse with Gilpin about Luther and that one of them had asked him what hee thought of Luther and his writings Gilpin confessed that had not read the writings of Luther I propounded vnto my selfe said he this course first of all to search the Scriptures diligently and to be acquainted with the expositions of the Fathers vpon them As for the writings of the Neoterickes I haue onely looked vpon them howbeit I refuse them not when and where they agree with the Auncients One of them commended Mr. Gilpins resolution and said it would be well with the Church if all men would duely respect the writings of the Fathers for then the vpstart opinions of late writers would not so much disturbe the Church such as are of these of Luther But Gilpin answered if Neoterickes and late writers produce the opinions of the auncient Fathers the novelty of the men is not to be disdained but the antiquity of the doctrine is to be reverenced They hereupon subtilly draw on Gilpin into a disputation concerning the Sacrament of the Altar propounding therein two questions the one concerning the Reall presence the other concerning Transubstantiation Touching the Reall presence Gilpin confessed that he had no very strong Argument wherewith in his iudgement he might oppose the Reall presence For I suppose saith he that therein lieth hid a great mystery such a one as is aboue my capacity rather to be adored then disputed vpon They asked then what he thought of Transubstantiation He answered that there was no necessity why we should beleeue those things which haue no solid foundation in the word of God Doe you not then beleeue said they as the Church beleeues Gilpin replyeth that the Church had not alwayes held that as an Article of faith I am saith he of the Catholick faith and the Catholick faith changeth not But in this point I see alterations such as the Catholicke faith is not capable of They demanded what alterations in faith he had observed touching the Sacrament of the Altar He replyeth I doe not finde that in the Church in former ages there was any thing spoken or writen about Transubstantiation Peter Lumbard was either the first or at least one of the first that brought in the alteration of the auncient faith And what doe you your selues thinke Is the bread in Transubstantiation converted into the flesh and blood of Christ They answer that they beleeue so absolutely But saith Gilpin Peter Lumbard who was the first man that made an alteration of the faith of our forefathers in this point himselfe did not beleeue as you doe For in his fourth booke the eleuenth distinction F. thus he hath it there is no Transubstantiation but of bread into flesh and wine into blood And if that be true then doubtlesse it followes consequently that in the Transubstantiation of the bread there is no blood And now saith he how will you reconcile these thinges They stood at a stand as hauing nothing to answer because the words of Lumbard plainely deny that in the Transubstantiated bread can be any blood or in the wine his flesh Whom when Gilpin had obserued to stagger in this point take notice now saith he of the immutabillity of the Catholicke faith we see the alteration of Transubstantiation For when Lumbard had broached this doctrine that there was a kinde of change he would haue it non otherwise vnderstood then thus that the bread onely should be changed into flesh and the wine onely into blood Nor did men at that time dreame of any other conversion in the Sacrament of the Altar vntill the fiction of concomitancy was broached by Thomas Aquinas He was a man that vnderstood well the difficulty of this point and therefore he vnderpropped it with Concomiâ—ancy that forsooth by reason of Coâ—comitancy there is both flesh and blood in the Transubstantiated bread But these are the inventions of later men whereas the Catholicke relligion abhorreth invented alterations in matters of faith While they were houlding this disputation without speakeing aloud because they were close at the Bishops backe who at that time sate before the fire for it was in the winter season the Bishop leaned his chaire somewhat backwards and harkened what they said And when they had done speaking the Bishop turning to his Chaplaines vseth these words Fathers soule let him alone for he hath more learning then you all Whilest he liued at Essingdon he preached the word of God constantly to the people Now so it was that the Archdeaconry of Durham was annexed to the rectory of Essingdon Therevpon Mr. Gilpin for a time supplyed both places And when by chance he had notice that the Bishop was so carefull of him that he had a purpose to encrease his maintenance he made answer that he was provided for sufficiently and even somewhat more then sufficient already and desired the Bishop that he might haue his good leaue to resigne either the Rectory or the Archdeacons place for saith he the one of them will be sufficient me thinkes both together are to heauie a burthen for me Hereat ihe Bishop seemed to be mooued with him and said haue nor I tould thee before hand that thou wilt die a begger I found them both combined and combined I will leaue them Not long after he bestowed vpon Mr. Gilpin the Rectory of Houghton being a very large Parish contayning 14. Villages with very large possessions Mr. Gilpin being setled at Houghton persevered most constantly in the duties of the Ministry and repaired the decayed houses His Parsonage house seemed like a Bishops Pallace nor shall a man lightly finde one Bishops house amongst many worthy to be compared to this house of his if he consider the variety of buildings and neatnesse of the sâ—ituation Whiles Mr. Gilpin liued at Houghton he was touched with a care not of that parish onely but of many more for he sawe and was much greiued to see many congregations through the distast of impropriation as they call it to be even dispersed and destitute of Pastors For the parsonages being in the possession of Laymen there remained not maintenance for a Minister for the Lay-men sought out for poore base preistes who were onely able to read prayers to the people morning and evening nor did the one vse to require or they take care to performe