fourteenth day of the Moon of March according to the Prescript of the Mosaical Law which Custom hath been accounted naught Jewish and Heretical for the space of 1400 years to wit ever since the Decree of St. Victor Pope of Rome against the same since which time all Authors that have written of Heresies have held for Heretics those that defended this Custom as may appear first by Tertullian that liv'd in that very time of Pope Victor or presently after as also by the first Council of Nice which was held some hundred years after Victor again and Victor's Decree therein confirmed as after again in the Council of Antioch gather'd together almost 50 years after that of Nice and somewhat after that again by the Council of Laodicea and then by Philastrius and Epiphanius before cited and finally by St. Augustin Theodoretus Nicephorus Damascenus and others that ensued And the Defenders of this Heresie howsoever John Bale and his Fellows will sanctifie them now again for pious men for that they hold against the Roman Church were so odious to the Catholic Fathers even of the Greek and Eastern Church especially after the Determination of the Council of Nice which Determination tho' it be not extant now in the said Councils Decrees yet is it testified sufficiently both by Theodoretus and the Letters of Constantine himself recorded by Eusebius that Socrates in his Story writeth of St. John Chrysostom Archbishop of Constantinople these words Eis qui in Asia Festum Paschatis quartodecimo die mensis primi celebrabrant Ecclesias non secùs quam Novatianis ademit St. Chrysostom did take away Churches throughout his Jurisdiction from those that in Asia did celebrate the Feast of Easter upon the fourteenth of March no less than from the Novatian Heretics themselves And no less doth the same Author report of Leontius Bishop of Ancyra in Asia and other Eastern Bishops 25. And the reason hereof was not only for that by this different Custom of celebrating Easter there grew great Schisms amongst Christians but for that indeed the true Formality of this Heresie consisting in that they would make it of necessity to keep the Old Law in this behalf was begun first by an Heretic called Blastus as appeareth by Tertullian who to use his own words saith thus Latenter Judaismum introducere voluit dicens Pascha non aliter custodiendum esse nisi secundum Legem Moysis quartodecimo mensis He meant covertly to bring in Judaism affirming that Easter was not to be kept but according to the Law of Moyses upon the fourteenth day of the first Month. For refutation of which Heresie Tertullian saith Quis autem nesciat quoniam Evangelica gratia evacuatur si ad Legem Christus redigitur Who doth not know but that the grace of Christ's Gospel is made void if Christ be reduced again to the Observation of the Mosaical Law 26. This then was the very essential point of this Heresie and of them that defended the same to wit That they would bind Christians to the observation of this point according to the Mosaical Law. Against which point of Obligation St. Paul is so earnest in many places of his Epistles as he resisted St. Peter openly for that by his Conversation only he did seem to force or bind men to Judaical Observations Gentes cogis Judaizare you do force Gentiles to follow the Jews And for this cause he wrote so earnestly to the Galatians Ecce ego Paulus dico vobis si circumcidamini Christus nihil vobis proderit Behold I Paul do testifie unto you That if you do circumcise your selves or use this Mosaical Ceremony Christ shall profit you nothing 27. And again he telleth them in the same place That whosoever useth but this one Ceremony of Circumcision bindeth himself thereby to the observation of all the Old Law and consequently doth deprive himself of the whole Grace of Christ which yet is to be understood as ancient Fathers do expound after the Gospel of Christ was fully divulged and in them that did use any of these Ceremonies as of necessity for that otherwise we read of the Apostles themselves gathered together in Council that they gave leave to Christians for a time at the beginning abstinere à sanguine suffocato to abstain from Blood and that which is strangled or rather did ordain the same which yet afterwards was taken away again by Authority of the Church so as it is evident that the toleration was for a time only and as a thing indifferent without obligation And for like respect we read of St. Paul himself that albeit afterward he did forbid to the Galatians the use of Circumcision with such severity as you have heard yet at the beginning he circumcised Timothy for respect of the Jews as St. Luke testifieth for that the Gospel was not yet so far preached as it made the Observations of the Mosaical Law to be wholly unlawful especially if they were used as things indifferent and not of necessity as it is probable that both St. John Evangelist Polycarp and others of the East-Church did when for a time they used the Festival Day of celebrating Easter as an indifferent thing obliging no man to follow the one or the other Use to wit either this of the fourteenth day commanded by the Old Law or the other of the Sunday brought in by Tradition from St. Peter and St. Paul in the Roman Church as among others St. Protherius Patriarch of Alexandria by the Testimony of St. Bede doth write to Pope Leo And long before them both St. Ignatius Bishop of Antioch which Church was founded by St. Peter doth testifie in divers Epistles that easter-Easter-day was to be celebrated upon a Sunday Yea St. John himself making mention of dies Dominicus the Lord's day in the beginning of his Apocalypse as of a solemn Day above the rest which no man will deny to be Sunday there is no other reason why this day should be called our Lord's Day with so special Title of Festivity but only for that it was dedicated in the Apostles time to the Resurrection of Christ And if in every Week it be kept Festival for that respect and that the whole Sabboth be turned into it then much more just is it that the great Sabboth of Christ's Resurrection should be once a year celebrated upon this day Yet was the matter as you have heard left for arbitrary and indifferent for divers years in Asia without constraint on either side 28. But when in process of time the Bishops of Rome especially Pope Pius I. and Victor had perceiv'd that by this Toleration and Difference of Observation not only Schisms and Dissention grew but Heresie also and Judaism was meant to be brought in then the said Pius I. in the year of Christ 148. as Eusebius testifieth made a Decree against the Asian Jewish Observation and after him again in the
up by God for lightening the World and impugning the Church of Rome he leaveth to himself a starting-hole for all necessities when he shall be pressed telling us That albeit in John Wickliff 's Opinions and Assertions some blemishes perhaps may be noted yet such blemishes they be which rather declare him to be a man that might err than which directly did fight against Christ our Savior c. 8. Consider I pray you what a Defence this is Perhaps saith he some blemishes may be noted as tho' the matter were in doubt whether he had any blemishes in his Doctrin or no. Which yet after the Fox is forced to confess and to disclaim them openly And further he addeth full wisely That if he have blemishes or errors in Doctrin they are such as do rather prove that he was a man and might err than that he did directly fight against Christ Mark the manner of his Defence His errors do prove only That he was a man and might err And so I say also of the worst Heretics that their errors and blemishes in Doctrin do prove that they were men and erring men yea wicked men also in that they obstinately defended their own errors And so I say of Wickliff in like manner But mark what followeth Rather than that he did fight directly against Christ Which is as much as to say that it importeth not much tho' he impugned Christ indirectly if directly he did not fight against him And may not any Heretics that ever lived be defended in this sort No Heretics do openly and directly impugn Christ but rather pretend to honor him above others bearing ever the Names not only of Christians but also of the best and most reformed Christians and consequently they never fought directly against Christ but indirectly pretending one thing and doing another 9. After John Fox hath greatly justified Wickliff by divers Leaves of Paper together he cometh to set down 23 of his first Articles condemned by the Church of England at that day and that as Fox confesseth by special chosen Judges gathered together to wit eight Bishops fifteen Religious Learned Men of divers Orders fourteen Doctors and six Batchelors of Divinity all which Fox doth name and contemn And yet these Articles tho' in divers points they concur with Luther Zwinglius and Calvin's Doctrin in these days yet in others they do greatly disagree and Fox I think will not defend them As for Example The fourth Article is That if a Bishop or Priest should give Holy Orders or consecrate the Sacrament of the Altar or minister Baptism whiles he is in mortal sin in were nothing available 10. Will Fox yield to this Article think you For if he do we may call in doubt whether ever he were well baptiz'd and consequently whether he were a Christian seeing it may be doubted whether the Priest that baptiz'd him were in mortal sin or no when he did it And again the ninth Article is That it is against Scripture for any Ecclesiastical Ministers to have any temporal possessions at all This Article if Fox will grant yet his Fellow-Ministers and his Lords the Bishops I presume will hardly yield thereunto but will pretend Scriptures to the contrary against Wickliff Let us see the rest The tenth Article is That no Prelate ought to excommunicate any person except he know him first to be excommunicated by God. The fifteenth is That so long as a man is in deadly sin he is neither Bishop nor Prelate The sixteenth is That Temporal Lords may according to their own wills and discretion take away the Temporal Goods from any Church men whensoever they offend The seventeenth is That Tythes are meer Alms and may be detained by the Parishioners and bestowed where they will at their pleasure 11. These were some of Wickliff's first Articles condemn'd at Oxford about the year of Christ 1380 but after he published many worse And I would here know of John Fox Whether He and his Fellow-Ministers will allow of these Articles or no And if not but that they will have them accounted for his blemishes or errors as Fox calleth them then may we also with better reason account for blemishes and errors his other Propositions wherein he agreeth with the Protestants against Us as I doubt not but that John Fox will account those also wherein he agreeth with Us against Him which are many and far more than the former wherein he joyneth with Him against Us as may be gathered by these few Articles alleged here by Fox himself whereby tho' mingled with much other erroneous Doctrin as you see it is evident that Wickliff held divers Points also of Catholic Religion as Holy Orders Consecration Excommunication distinction of Venial and Mortal Sins and other like For which cause I marvel why John Fox would allege these Articles but only to confound himself and to shew that his holy Patriarch Wickliff is so full of blemishes as scarce any unspotted thing can be found in his Doctrin 12. But this is the beggery of this new Church that it cannot be made up but by such Dunghil-clouts gathered together from under the feet of their Adversaries For albeit Wickliff Husse and other like Sectaries did hold many more Articles with Us against the Protestants than with Them against us yet such is the Integrity Purity Severity yea Majesty of our Church that forasmuch as they agreed not in all and every point of Belief we according to the Creed of Athanasius reject them and as spotted and blemished Rags do cast them out to the Dunghil whom poor Fox gathereth up again with great diligence putting them into his Calendar for Saints and chief Pillers of his new Church and so consequently maketh his Church of our Shoe clouts which how honorable thing it may be esteemed let every man judge For if these Heretics did agree with him in all Points of his Doctrin tho' by joyning with them he should shew himself an Heretic yet they not agreeing but in some Points only and impugning him in the rest it sheweth a marvelous base mind and lack of common sense to make them Pillars of his Church as he doth 13. But there is yet another point worse than this which is that he doth not only allow of the Religion of these men but defendeth also and justifieth their Life and Actions in what case soever and tho' never so orderly and lawfully condemned by the Church or State of those days yea tho' they were convinced to have conspired the King's Murther and Ruin to the State or had broken forth into open War and Hostility against the same As did Sir John Oldcastle by his Wife called Lord Cobham Sir Roger Acton and many other their Followers in the first year of King Henry V. which Story you may read in John Stow truly related out of Thomas Walsingham and other ancient Writers 14. He setteth down also without blushing I mean Fox as well
what they say or avouch so they say somewhat against Rome and those that any way favoured the same wherein passion doth so greatly blind them as they cannot discern when they alledge matters plainly against themselves as you have seen in the former enumeration of British Teachers Pastors and Prelates whom they would have us think to have been of a different Religion from that of Rome whereas their own words testimonies condition and state of life do testifie the contrary And so I leave these men to their folly and impudency in this behalf CHAP. XI The Deduction of the aforesaid Catholic Roman Religion planted in England by St. Augustin from his time to our days And that from King Ethelbert who first received the same unto King Henry VIII there was never any public interruption of the said Religion in our Land. HAving shewed before how that the Roman Catholic Faith was first preached in our Island under the Apostles and then again in the next Age under Pope Eleutherius and thirdly four Ages after that again under Pope Gregory and that all this was but one and the self-same Religion continued renewed and revived in divers times under divers States and People of the Realm there may seem to remain only now two other points considerable in this affair The first Whether this Religion brought in by St. Augustin to England were held at that day for the only true Religion of Christendom and so accepted by all the World The other Whether that Religion then planted hath come down and been continued in England ever since by continual Succession until the first public alteration made thereof in our days For if this be so then is the demonstration easie to be made even from the Apostles Times to Ours 2. And for the first tho' we have handled the same somewhat before yet briefly we will add now That there can be no doubt at all in this matter with men of Reason and Judgment but that St. Augustin and his Fellows brought in with them the whole Body of Religion as well touching Articles of Belief as Ceremonies and Ecclesiastical Customs which were at that time in use at Rome whence they came and in other Catholic Countreys by which they passed namely Italy France and Flanders from which Countreys Pope Gregory himself exhorteth them by his Letters to take such good Ecclesiastical Uses as they should see most agreeable to Piety Edification and Devotion which is a sign that all those Countreys agreed fully in Faith and Belief with Rome at that day and were perfectly Catholic tho' in some external Ceremonies belonging to Devotion there might be difference And forasmuch as the French Bishops St. German St. Lupus and St. Severus 150 years as hath been said before the entrance of St. Augustin planted in Britanny the French Catholic Faith against the Pelagians and these men coming from Rome found no fault therewith most certain it is that all was one And finally if we do consider the Works Writings and Actions of Pope Gregory related by us before partly out of St. Isidore living at that time in Spain partly out of his own Epistles yet extant written to the chiefest Bishops of the Christian World and their Answers to him again together with their agreement in Faith and Religion If we do consider also the Heresies condemned in his days by Him and his Authority as the Eutychians Monothelites and others which our Protestants also do condemn for Heresies at this day By all this I say and by infinite other Arguments and Demonstrations that may be made it is most evident that either Christ had no Visible Church or Catholic Religion in those days which were most foolish and wicked to imagin or that the Religion of St. Gregory and his Church of Rome and others of others of the same Communion was in that Age the only true Catholic Church and consequently had in it the only true Catholic Faith and Religion of Christ whereby Christians might be saved which also is proved most evidently by infinit Miracles wrought in England and in divers other Countreys upon manifold occasions during this time of our Primitive Church as shall appear more in particular in the deduction of our second point which is the continuance of this same Religion from St. Augustin to Thomas Cranmer the first and last Archbishops of Canterbury following by Succession the one the other for the space of above 900 years the first dying a Saint the last ending in Apostacy as after shall be shewed 3. Wherefore to come to the second point about the deduction of Catholic Religion in our Nation from St. Augustin downward first of all St. Bede talking of the planting thereof and of our first Primitive Church whose progress and increase he describeth for the space of almost 140 years after the entrance of St. Augustin hath these words Gregorius Pontifex Divino admonitus instinctu servum Dei Augustinum alios plures cum eo Monachos timentes Dominum misit praedicare verbum Dei genti Anglorum c. Gregory the Pope being admonished by heavenly Instinct did send God's Servant Augustin and others Monks with him that feared God to preach his Word to the English Nation in the 14th year of Mauritius the Emperour which was of Christ 596 and the 4th after that St. Gregory was made Pope 4 These holy men landed in the Isle of Thanet belonging to the Kingdom of Kent for that the whole Dominion of the Saxons in those days which was all the Land except Scotland and the other part now called Wales whither the reliques of Britans were retir'd was divided into seven several States and Dominions which they called Kingdoms The first whereof to speak of them according as they received the Faith was the Kingdom of Kent whose King Ethelbert being the fourth in number from Hengistus that began the same about the year of Christ 450 afterward first of all other received the Christian Faith at the preaching of St. Augustin about the year of Christ 600 that is to say an hundred and fifty years after they had reigned as Pagans there 5. The second Kingdom was of the East-Saxons and contained the Shires now called Essex Middlesex and Hartfordshire The first founder of which Kingdom was Erchenwine about the year of our Lord 527 as Stow and some others do hold tho' Malmesbury doth write otherwise but both do agree that under King Seebert or as Bede calleth him Sabered those Provinces were converted to Christian Religion by the preaching of St. Mellitus Fellow to St. Augustin and first Bishop of their chief City of London whither he was sent by St. Augustin from Centerbury in the year of Christ 604. 6 The third Kingdom was of the East-Angles which contained the Shires of Norfolk Suffolk Cambridge and the Isle of Ely. Which Kingdom was begun about the year of Christ 492 by one Vffa but converted after to
pious Princes and Lords Egfrid King of the Northumbers Anno 10. upon the fifteenth day before the Calends of October the eighth Indiction and Etheldred reigning over the Mercians the sixth year of his Reign and Adulphus being King of the East-Angles the seventeenth year of his Reign and Lodtharius being King of Kent in the seventh year of his Reign and Theodorus by the Grace of God Archbishop of the Isle of Britanny and of the City of Canterbury being President of the Synod together with the rest of the Bishops of the same Island venerable men sitting with him in Council and the holy Sacred Gospel being laid before them in a place called in the Saxon Tongue Hedtfield after treaty had they expounded the right Catholic Faith in this manner 24. Sicut Dominus noster Jesus c. As our Lord Jesus taking our flesh upon him did deliver unto his Disciples that saw him in person and heard his speeches and as the Symbolum or Creed of the holy Fathers have delivered unto us and as generally all whole and universal Synods and all the company of holy Fathers and Doctors of the holy Catholic Church have taught us so do We following their steps both Piously and Catholicly according to their Doctrin inspired to them from Heaven profess and believe and constantly confess according to the said holy Fathers Belief That the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost are properly and truly a consubstantial Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity c. We receive also the holy and universal five Synods that have been held before our time by the blessed Christian Fathers our Ancestors to wit those 318 holy Bishops in the first Council of Nice against Arius and his wicked Doctrin and of the 150 other Bishops in the first Council of Constantinople against the Heresie of Macedonius and of the 200 Godly Bishops of the Council of Ephesus against Nestorius and his Errors and of the 230 Bishops in the Council of Calcedon against Eutyches and his Doctrin and of the other 165 Fathers gathered together in the second General Council of Constantinople against divers Heretics and Heresies c. We do receive all these Councils and we do glorifie our Lord Jesus Christ as they glorified him adding nothing nor taking any thing away We do anathematize and accurse also both by heart and mouth all those whom these Fathers did anathematize and accurse and we do receive them whom they received c. 25. Behold here the manner and form of Catholic Councils of old time who laid down first the Gospel in the midst and then after due examination of Scriptures considered that Antiquity of Fathers and Councils had determined in God's Church before them even from Christ and his Apostles downward and therein insisted agreeing all in one and rejecting and accursing all new contrary or different Doctrins and Doctors and by his means and by the assistance of the Holy Ghost promised by Christ unto his Church hath she continued now for 1600 years one and the self-same whereas Sectaries lacking this Humility Wisdom and Subordination but especially God's Grace are divided and consumed among themselves 26. But I will pass no further in this point this which I have said being sufficient to shew that there were more Learned men in England in these times of our primitive Church than fantastical Fox would have men believe which is greatly confirmed by that which Malmsbury writeth and Fox also confesseth the same That a General Council being gathered soon after this which we have mentioned in Constantinople both of the East and West Church against the Monothelites that deny'd two distinct Wills of Christ our Archbishop Theodorus with some other Learned men of our English Clergy was called for by Pope Agatho to be one of his Legats in the said Council where there were 331 Bishops gathered together by order of the said Agatho Bishop of Rome against the Patriarchs of Antioch Alexandria and Constantinople which thing sheweth the great Power and Authority of the Bishop of Rome even in Greece it self at that day the Emperour Constantine IV. being present himself 27. And to this Council as is said was the foresaid Theodorus Archbishop of Canterbury with divers other Bishops called by name by Pope Agatho as we may see in his Letter to the said Council cited by Malmsbury in these words Sperabamus de Britannia Theodorum c. We did hope to have had from Britanny Theodore my Brother and Fellow-Bishop and Archbishop of that great Island and a Philosopher together with others which hitherto do remain there and then to have joined them to our Humility and for this cause we have hitherto deferred the Council Vides quanti eum fecerit saith Malmsbury ut ejus expectatione Universale Concilium differret You see of what account this Archbishop was with Pope Agatho that he would defer a General Council for his expectation Thus writeth he whereby every indifferent man will easily see that this time of our primitive English Church which Fox by contempt so often calleth Ignorant and Monkish was not devoid of rare Learned men and so hath continued until our days frustrà circumlatrantibus haereticis to use St. Augustin's words Heretics in vain barking on every side against it With whom John Fox thought good to bear a barking part also and not being able to find out any one hole or corner for his Church in those Ages except only among the Heretics before named he thought good at least to rail and spit at them as he passeth by and so will he do more and more the lower he goeth until at length he fall to plain Apostasie and forsaking them openly will join with the known condemned Heretics and Enemies of this Church which Church hitherto notwithstanding he will seem in some sort to follow tho' lazily and dragging behind and as it were weary of her Company and looking about him which way he may give the slip and betake himself to his heels as will better appear by that which ensueth CHAP. V. The fourth station or division of Times from King Egbert unto William the Conqueror containing the space of some 260 years and how John Fox his Church passed in these days and whether there were any Pope Joan or no. YOu have heard before how John Fox in his second Book promising to handle but 300 years touched in the Acts of 500 in less than a dozen Leaves shewing the small store of matter he had for his Church in those Ages Now his next Book is entituled thus The third Book containing the next 300 years from the Reign of Egbert unto the time of William the Conqueror So is his Title And yet if you count the years from the beginning of King Egbert his Reign Anno Domini 802 according to Stow or 800 according to others unto the entrance of the Conqueror Anno 1066 you shall find but only 264 years and
all the doings and meanings of both Parties in those days 37. In the mean time saith he the Duke of Lancaster ceased not with his Fellows to imagine how he might bring to pass that which he had long contrived in his mind to wit for encroaching upon Church Livings and revenging himself against some Bishops and the City of London that stood with them for he saw that it would be hard for him to obtain his purpose the Church standing in her full State and very dangerous to attempt publickly the Laws and Customs of London being in force wherefore he laboured first to overthrow as well the Liberties of the Church as of the City for which Cause he called unto him a certain Divine who many years before in all his Acts in the Schools had inveighed against the Church for that he had been deprived by the Archbishop of Canterbury from a certain Benefice that he unjustly as was said was Incumbent upon within the City of Oxford his Name was John Wickliff who with his Disciples were of the common people called Lollards they went barefooted and basely Clothed to wit in course Russet Garments down to the Heels they preached especially against Monks and other Religious men that had Possessions c. 38. They affirmed that Temporal Lords if they had need might lawfully take the Goods of such Religious Persons to relieve their necessities c. And when he had taught these and many other such Doctrins not only in the Schools in Oxford but also had preached them publicly in London that he might thereby get the favor of the said Duke and others whom he sound prone to hear his Opinions The Duke and Sir Henry Piercy commended highly his said Opinions and endeavored to extol his Learning and honesty of Life above all other Who therefore being thus set forth with their favor feared not to spread his Doctrin much more than before going from Church to Church and Preaching his Opinions whereupon at length the Bishops awakened their Archbishop who sent for this John to come and answer to those things which were spoken of him And the Duke hearing thereof sent for four Doctors of Divinity of every Order of Begging Friars one for unto them Wickliff adjoined himself approving their poverty and extolling their perfection against other Religious Orders that had Possessions whom the Duke advertised that with a natural and old hate he pursued the Religious Persons that had Possessions neither was it difficult to compel the willing Friars to aid him in this Point 39. Hitherto are the words of John Stow. Whereby you may perceive the true Causes of this new Gospel of John Wickliff so highly commended by John Fox who affirmeth his Doctrin to have proceeded from the strong operation of Christs Spirit c. First you see that John Wickliff had for his motion the desire of revenge against the Bishops and Clergy for that he was deprived of a Benefice in Oxford which he had possessed unjustly Secondly was he moved with envy against Monks together with ambition of gaining the Duke of Lancaster and his followers by teaching them that it was lawful to invade Church Livings at their pleasure Thirdly the very same motives of Ambition covetousness and emulation against the Bishops stirred up the Duke and his Adherents and Fourthly both parts as well the Heretics as their favorers were content to use and abuse the infirmity of some emulation between Friars and Monks about matters of Perfection Poverty and Possessions Which pious motives we do read commonly to have been the Causes of all other ancient Heresies from time to time As coming from one and the self same Spirit of him that is the proper Author of all Sedition Schism and Heresie and professed enemy to the Union of Gods only Spouse and Cath. Church Lucifer himself 40. Futhermore Walsingham doth shew how that by this favor and bearing out of the Duke of Lancaster and his Partners both the University of Oxford where Wickliff began was brought to be cold in resisting him and the Prince himself in punishing him And this appeared by two Apostolical Breves written by Pope Gregory XI in the year of Christ 1378. Registred by Walsingham The one to the Vniversity of Oxford reprehending them for their coldness and slackness in resisting the said Heresies And the other to the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London to deal with the King and Queen and other Nobility to put them in mind as well of their Duty as also of their Negligence hitherto used in this behalf But what followed of this I mean of this negligence in resisting this Sect of Wickliff at the beginning Truly there followed or rather flowed such Seas of Calamities as were never seen in our Country before nor scarce heard of in others 41. For whereas King Edward III had been a most glorious King his end was pitiful his Heir K. Richard after infinite Sedition contention and bloodshed of the Nobility and others was deposed and made away The bloody division of the House of Lancaster and York came in and endured for almost 100 years with the ruin not only of the Royal Line of Lancaster by whom specially Wickliff was favoured at the beginning as you have heard but with the overthrow also of many other noble Princes and Families and most pernicious Wars and Garboils continued both at home and abroad with the losses of all our goodly States Provinces and Countries in France Unto all which the division of hearts minds and judgments brought in by Wickliffs Doctrin did help not a little and the Calamities so continued until the time of the most wise Christian and Catholic King Henry VII Who as he extinguished the Relics of this Wickliffian Seed as may appear by John Fox who setteth out in Print and painting twelve several Pageants of the Popes highest Greatness Honor and Supreme Power in the end of King Henry VII.'s Life so did he happily also extinguish all Temporal Division about the Succession of our Imperial Crown And had not our sins deserved that his Son had opened the gap tho' not perhaps meaning it to other Sects and Divisions of Lutherans and Zwinglians no less malitious and penicious than the former England had been a happy State at this day 42. Well then of these men whom not only the whole universal Church did condemn as Heretics for their wicked Opinions but English Parliaments also that had best cause to know their Lives did Sentence by their public Acts for Hypocrits Seditious and pernicious people in Manners as Fox himself among others confesseth of these I say he maketh up his Church until he come down to Lutherans Zwinglians and other such fresher Sectaries under King Henry VIII and his Children Which Sectaries Fox will needs couple together in one Catalogue and Calendar of Saints appointing Wickliff his Feast upon the second of January with the title of Preacher and Martyr
with great difficulty Whereupon the said Parliament was continued in Disputation and Contention especially about this matter for the space of four Months and a half to wit from the 4. of November unto the 14. of March and in the mean space all was in suspence of what Religion England should be For as on the one side many that knew or suspected the Protectors inclination did think and lay Wagers that Zwinglianism would prevail so others hearing that Archbishop Cranmer and his party stood resolutely on the other side and had punished divers for speaking against the Mass and Real Presence in the Sacrament a little before to wit one Thomas Dobbe a Master of Art in Cambridge as Fox telleth us cast into the Counter by Cranmer and held there till he died and John Hume Imprisoned for the same Cause by the said Archbishop This I say made many to expect and Bett on the other side But especially this doubt and expectation was notorious in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge where Peter Martyr and Bucer had Read now for the space of a year and more and were oftentimes urged and pressed much by their Scholars whereof the far greater parts in those days were Catholics to declare themselves clearly of what Opinion they wear touching the Sacrament of the Altar and the Real Presence To wit whether they were Lutherans or Zwinglians But they kept themselves aloof and indifferent or rather doubtful so far as they could until the determination of the Parliament should come Yet was Peter Martyr put into a great strait thereby For that having taken upon him to Read and Expound to the Scholars of Oxford the first Epistle to the Corinthians wherein the Apostle in the Eleventh Chapter handleth the Institution of the Blessed Sacrament he had thought to have come to that place just at the very time when the Parliament should have determined this Controversie 34. But the Contention enduring longer by some Months than he expected he was come to the Eleventh Chapter long before they could end in London Whereupon many Posts went to and fro between him and Cranmer to require a speedy resolution alleging that he could not detain himself any longer but that being come to the words Hoc est Corpus meum he must needs declare himself a Lutheran or a Zuinglian But he was willed to stay and entertain himself in other matter until the Determination might come and so the poor Frier did with admiration and laughter of all his Scholars standing upon those precedent words Accepit Panem c. Et gratias agens c. Fregit c. Et dixit c. Accipite manducate c. discoursing largely of every one of these Points and bearing off from the other that ensued But when at length the Post came that Zuinglianism must be defended then stepped up Peter Martyr boldly the next day and said Hoc est Corpus meum This is my Body interpreting it This is the Sign of my Body adding moreover that he wondred how any man could be of another Opinion seeing this Exposition was so clear Whereas if the Post had brought other News himself also would have taught the contrary Opinion And this Story was testified whil'st they were alive by Dr. Sanders Dr. Allen Dr. Stapleton and others that were present at this Trifling and Tergiversation of this Apostate-Frier And thus began our Zuinglian Gospel in England under King Edward VI. 35. Now let us hear a word or two out of the Statute it self about this Communion Book and profession of Zuinglianism establish'd in England after two years strife among the Protestants Whereas of long time saith the Act there hath been in this Realm of England divers Forms of Common Prayer commonly called the Service of the Church as well concerning the Mattins and Even-Song as also the holy Communion called the Mass c. And whereas the King's Majesty with the Advice of his most entirely-beloved Vncle the Lord Protector and others of his Highness's Council hath heretofore divers times assayed to stay Innovations or new Rites concerning the premises yet the same hath not had such good success as his Highness required in that behalf Whereupon his Highness by the most prudent Advice aforesaid being pleased to bear with the frailty and weakness of his Subjects in that behalf of his great Clemency hath been not only content to abstain from punishment in that behalf but also to the intent that an uniform quiet and godly Order should be had concerning the premisses hath appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury and certain of the most learned and discreet Bishops to consider and ponder the premises and thereupon having as well an eye and respect to the most sincere and pure Christian Religion taught by the Scriptures as to the Vsages of the Primitive Church should draw and make one convenient and meet Order Rite and Fashion of Common-Prayer and Administration of Sacraments to be used in England Wales c. The which at this time by the Aid of the Holy Ghost with uniform Agreement is by them concluded set forth and delivered to his Highness's great comfort and quietness of mind in a Book entituled The Book of Common-Prayer and Administration of Sacraments c. 36. This is the Preface to that Act of Parliament whereby you may see that this Communion-Book was devis'd first for bearing with the frailty of them that sought Innovations then that it was perform'd by uniform Consent Aid of the Holy Ghost according to the most sincere and pure Christian Religion taught in the Scriptures and lastly that the young Child-Prince received great comfort and quietness of mind thereby All which is ridiculous if you consider what a multitude of Errors and gross Absurdities the latter Protestants especially the preciser sort of them have gathered out against this Book yea after it was twice more reviewed altered and amended according to the pure Word of God as was pretended once in King Edward's days it self and then again in the beginning of her Majesties Reign whereof tho' I have spoken sufficiently in my Defence of the first Encounter against Sir F. Hastings yet cannot I omit to admonish the Reader in this place to read the ninth Chapter of the second Book entituled Dangerous Positions c. set forth by public Permission and printed in London Anno 1593. In which Chapter you shall see put together the words of divers new Gospellers concerning this Communion-Book affirm'd here in the Statute to be according to the most sincere and pure Christian Religion taught by the Scriptures But they say the contrary to wit that it is full of corruption and that many of the Contents thereof are against the Word of God the Sacraments wickedly mangled and prophaned therein the Lord's Supper not eaten but made a Pageant and Stage play that their public Baptism is full of childish superstitious toys 37. And finally not to stand any longer