Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n
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A65532
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The antapology of the melancholy stander-by in answer to the dean of St. Paul's late book, falsly stiled, An apology for writing against the Socinians, &c.
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Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing W1487; ESTC R8064
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73,692
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117
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Act and where I borrowed his Book of the Trinity before I wrote touching either And I must take the Liberty to say that as I read both so it appears not in the least by any thing I have writ that I was ignorant in either But no Dissenters have any Benefit by that Act who do not renounce Socinianism By your good Favour Sir this is too roundly and boldly said Is there no Favour to Dissenters but that of allowing them publick Assemblies What do you think of a tacit Connivance if not at their stay at home yet allowing them quietly to come to our Congregations and joining therewith as far as they are able What of a kind of vetuit inquiri I declare I would not consent that the Socinians should have the Liberty some other N. Cs. have to teach publickly all their Opinions in separate Congregations for I would have most or all of the Controversies betwixt them and us silenced and therefore I said very much if not full enough was done already in their Favour and that the Authority which passed that Act could relax more if necessary And I hope that Authority namely King and Parliament will in time relax what more is necessary for such an Vnion as is possible In the mean while neither did I nor had I the occasion which is now given me to speak what God be blessed was before relaxed by other Acts perhaps not with any great liking of some Men notwithstanding I had those Relaxations even then in mine Eye and I can truly say they came into the Consideration which moved me to say what I did on this Point There was such a thing as a Writ de Haeretico comburendo which I have heard some Persons learned in the Law say did lie even at Common Law and I am sure the Canonists tell us prevailed by Custom throughout Christendom And we know one Michael Servetus in whose Writings Grotius could never find what some charged upon him was burnt even at Geneva by no Papists in the prevailing Virtue of that Custom I will not speak on what Pretences This Writ is now as I have heard taken away and so it may be hoped the Custom here in a fair way to be abolished by express Statute whereby possibly some Men may think a very considerable Benefit no less than Security of Lives and Estates may redound to them in case some such of their Friends as Mr. Dean were in the Place they affect As to those odious Terms with which he hath interlaced his next Paragraph His beloved Socinians We may see what a hearty good Will he has to the Cause This is such a scandalous Representation of the Bishops of England which in due time when the Dean of St. Paul's comes to be one of them they may resent These are more of the Favours for his Liberality wherein I may come to be beholden to him in that Day when the Reproaches and Calumnies which Men have sustained for the sake of Christ or which is much like the same for Peace amongst Christian People with a Design of Holiness shall add to the Weight of their Glory But I must after another sort answer to that heavy Charge which follows §. 26. Pag. 29. of my tempting the Bishops to dispute the Bounds of their Authority and that through my Ignorance both of ancient and later Histories or Practice The thing I had said was this That to the authorizing every Alteration which should be made in our Liturgy or Canons I did not judg the Concurrence of such a lower House of Convocation as is now customary to be necessary And that if this Course had been observed in K. Edward the Sixth's time we had had no reformed Liturgy perhaps no Reformation at all And for Proof that the Synods for such Affairs were of old made up of Bishops and fewer Doctors I had appealed to the Practice of the Primitive and truly Catholick Church This is in Mr. Dean's Language without any Provocation a setting up the Authority of Bishops against the lower House a threatning unruly Presbyters and that through my understanding no better the Practice of the Primitive Church than I do K. Edward the VIth's Reformation To draw my Answer into as short a Compass as I can waving to that Purpose his usual Exaggerations as apparently undue waving also the known Diminutions of Episcopal Power the Source and Original thereof due to Rome and Sectaries and the Mischief which Religion and the Church sustain thereby I will speak only to what I perceive pinches him most the Reformation first made of our Liturgy and publick Worship in King Edward the IVth's Days which though I did not say or suppose to be made by the Body of the Bishops in opposition to the Presbyters as he falsly charges upon me for as I have no such Word so I better understand the History yet I did and I do say it was made without a lower House of Convocation and by whom I shall speak particularly enough before I have done Now the Evidence on which I ground all I say is such publick Remains and Histories of those Days and Affairs as are commonly to be had such are King Edward's Injunctions Order of Communion-Service c. First printed A. D. 1547. collected and with other things reprinted soon upon his late Majesty K. Charles II. his happy Restoration with a Preface of Dr. Sparrow's to the Collection but the Collection not made by Dr. Sparrow himself as he himself when Bishop of Exeter told me for had he had the over-ruling it he said he would have put in more Materials but by such who consulted their own present Profit such are too Fox ' s Acts and Monuments Part 2. Book 9. Sir John Hayward ' s Life and Reign of K. Edward the Sixth Dr. Heylin ' s History of the Reformation and Dr. Burnet ' s now Bishop of Salisbury more lately If Mr. Dean has had any Access to any Archives or more authentick Records than those by which these Historians were guided he would have done well to have published them In the mean while I with others am content in this Matter to admit for Truth what these concurrently have delivered To our Point then That blessed Prince K. Edward VI. began his Reign January 28 1546 7 and if we will take together all that was done towards the Reformation of Religion in the first nine Months of his Reign Sir John Hayward of whose Veracity I find no Reason to doubt has thus drawn up the Sum Soon after the Beginning of the young Life and Reign of Edw. VI. pag. 45 46. King's Reign certain Injunctions were set forth for removing Images out of Churches which had been highly not only esteemed but honoured before and for abolishing or altering some other antient Observations in the Church Hereupon Commissioners were dispatched into all Parts of the Realm to see those Injunctions to be executed with those divers Preachers were sent
furnished with Instructions to perswade the People from praying to Saints or for the Dead from adoring Images from Vse of Beads Ashes and Processions from Mass Dirges praying in unknown Languages and from some other like things whereunto a long Custom had wrought a Religious Observation and for defect of Preachers Homilies were appointed to be publickly read in Churches aiming to the very same End Some other offering to maintain these Ceremonies were either punished or forced to recant Edmond Boner Bishop of London was committed Prisoner to the Fleet for refusing to receive these Injunctions Stephen Gardiner was likewise committed first to the Fleet afterwards to the Tower for that he had openly preached that it were well these Changes in Religion should be stayed until the King were of Years to govern by himself This the People apprehending worse than it was either spoken or meant a Question began to be raised among them whether during the King's Minority such Alterations might lawfully be made or no. For the like Causes Tonstal Bishop of Duresm and Heath Bishop of Rochester were in like sort committed to Prison All these being then and still continuing famous for Learning and Judgment were dispossessed of their Bishopricks but no Man was touched in Life Hereupon a Parliament was held in the first Year of the King Thus far Sir John a learned and religious Knight Doctor of Law and a wise and wary Historian This Parliament was summoned to meet Nov. 4. 1547. when now had passed but nine Months and some odd Days of this King's Reign And all this while could there be no Convocation because no Parliament Therefore all this which was a considerable Advance to the Reformation was done without the Consent of a lower House of Convocation for there was none either higher or lower called But it may be said Sir John writes liker a Civil than Ecclesiastical Historian putting things of the same Nature together but not punctually concerning himself as to their respective Date We will take therefore next the eldest of the Ecclesiastic Historians which report the Transactions of this Reign namely Fox and from him we have these Steps of Proceeding in the Reformation First saith he By the single Authority of King and Council was appointed a general Visitation by certain learned discreet and worshipful Personages his Commissioners in that Behalf divided into several Companies assigned to the several Diocesses appointing to every Company one or two learned Preachers which at every Session should in their Preaching instruct the People in the true Doctrine of Christ The Order for this Visitation issued Sept. 1. 1547. Secondly That these Commissioners might be more orderly in their Business there were delivered to them by the same Authority certain Injunctions and Ecclesiastical Orders drawn out by the King 's learned Council which they should both enquire of and also in his Majesty's Behalf command to be observed by every Person to whom they did severally appertain within their Circuits This saith Dr. Heylin the King might do by his own Authority as his Father had done c. An. 1536. In those Injunctions to omit Matters of less Moment it is required that every Ecclesiastical Person having Cure of Souls should take down and destroy all such Images as had heretofore been abused by Pilgrimage or Offerings that they should not suffer any Lights or other idolatrous Oblations to be made before any Image that on every Holy-day having no Sermon in their Church they should immediately after the Gospel read distinctly in the Pulpit the Lord's Prayer the Belief and the Ten Commandments in the English Tongue And although the Mass was then still by Law retained yet was it enjoined that at every High Mass the Sayer or Singer thereof should openly and distinctly read the Gospel and the Epistle in English and on every Holy-day and Sunday at Mattins one Chapter of the New Testament in English also That for avoiding Contention Processions should be laid down and the Priests and Clerks should kneel in the midst of the Church and there distinctly sing or read the Letany in English set forth by the Authority of King Henry the VIIIth And further that they should see provided and set up in some most convenient and open Place of every their several Churches one great Bible in English and one Book of the Paraphrase of Erasmus upon the Gospels in English Also that the People might reverently without any Argument or Contention read and hear the same at such times as they listed And to mention no more of the Injunctions Homilies set forth by the King's Authority were enjoined the Curates to be read every Sunday and when the Homily was read the Prince and Hours to be omitted Thirdly Besides these general Injunctions for the whole Estate of the Realm there were also certain others particularly appointed for the Bishops only by the Commissioners in their Visitations to be committed to the said Bishops with Charge to be inviolably kept and observed upon Pain of the King's Majesty's Displeasure And this Visitation was held and the Injunctions executed according to Order Fourthly During the Time says Fox that the Commissioners were occupied abroad in their Circuits about the speedy and diligent Execution of these godly and zealous Orders and Decrees of the King and his Council his Majesty caused a Parliament to be summoned Nov. 4. in the same first Year of his Reign wherein all the bloody Laws in point of Religion were repealed And here according to Dr. Burnet comes in a Convocation which Hist of Refor Par. 2. p. 27 c neither Mr. Fox nor Sir John Hayward nor Sir Richard Baker nor any other Historian that I have seen mentioneth but I most readily admit for Truth what the reverend Person reports Let us see then according to this exacter Historian what the Convocation did as to the Reformation or otherwise First The lower House of Convocation presented four Petitions to the Bishops That according to the Statute made in the Reign of the late King there might be Persons impowered for reforming the Ecclesiastical Laws Secondly That according to the antient Custom of the Nation and the Tenor of the Bishops Writ to the Parliament the inferiour Clergy might be admitted again to sit in the House of Commons or that no Acts concerning Matters of Religion might pass without the Sight and Assent of the Clergy Thirdly That since divers Prelates and other Divines had been in the late King's time appointed to alter the Service of the Church and had made some Progress in it that this might be brought to its full Perfection Fourthly That some Consideration might be had for the maintenance of the Clergy the first Year they came into their Livings in which they were charged with the first Fruits to which they added a Desire to know whether they might safely speak their Minds about Religion without the Danger of any Law Thus Dr. Burnet As to the first of these Petitions all