being presented for speaking against the act, they were imprisoned, Latimer continued a prisoner to the king's death, but Shaxton, being threatened with the fire, turned apostate, and proved a cruel persecutor of the Protestants in Queen Mary's reign. Commissions were issued out to the archbishops, bishops, and their commissaries, to hold a sessions quarterly, or oftener, and to proceed upon presentments by a jury according to law; which they did most severely, insomuch that in a very little time five hundred persons were put in prison, and involved in the guilt of the statute; but Cranmer and Cromwell obtained their pardon, which mortified the Popish clergy to such a degree, that they proceeded no further till Cromwell fell.

Another very remarkable act of parliament, passed this session, was, concerning obedience to the king's proclamations. It enacts, that the king, with advice of his council, may set forth proclamations with pains and penalties, which shall be obeyed as fully as an act of parliament, provided they be not contrary to the laws and customs in being, and do not extend so far, as that the subject should suffer in estate, liberty, or person. An act of attainder was also passed against sixteen persons, some for denying the supremacy, and others without any particular crime mentioned; none of them were brought to a trial, nor is there any mention in the records of any witnesses examined*. There never had been an example of such arbitrary proceedings before in England; yet this precedent was followed by several others in the course of this reign. By another statute it was enacted, that the counsellors of the king's successor, if he were under age, might set forth proclamations in his name, which were to be obeyed in the same manner with those set forth by the king himself. I mention this, because upon this act was founded the validity of all the changes of religion in the minority of Edward VI. +

Next year [1540] happened the fall of lord Cromwell, one of the great pillars of the Reformation. He had been lately constituted the king's vicegerent in ecclesiastical affairs, and made a speech in parliament April 12th, under that character. On the 14th of April the king created him earl of Essex, and knight of the garter; but within two months he was arrested at the counciltable for high treason, and sent to the Tower, and on the 28th of July was beheaded by virtue of a bill of attainder, without being brought to a trial, or once allowed to speak for himself. He was accused of executing certain orders and directions, for which he had very probably the king's warrant, and therefore was not ad

*Burnet's Hist. Ref. vol. 1. p. 263.

In this year sixteen men, and fifteen women, were banished for opposing infant baptism: they went to Delft, in Holland, and were there prosecuted and put to death, as Anabaptists; the men being beheaded, and the women drowned. Among other injunctions issued out in 1539, was one against those who embraced the opinions, or possessed books containing the opinions, of Sacramentarians and Anabaptists. Crosby, b. 1. p. 42.-ED.

mitted to make answer. But the true cause of his fall* was the share he had in the king's marriage with the Lady Anne of Cleves, whom his majesty took an aversion to as soon as he saw her, and was therefore determined to shew his resentments against the promoters of it; but his majesty soon after lamented the loss of his honest and faithful servant when it was too late.

Two days after the death of Cromwell there was a very odd execution of Protestants and Papists at the same time and place. The Protestants were Dr. Barnes, Mr. Gerrard, and Mr. Jerome, all clergymen and Lutherans; they were sent to the Tower for offensive sermons preached at the Spittle in the Easter week, and were attainted of heresy by the parliament without being brought to a hearing. Four Papists, viz. Gregory Buttolph, Adam Damplin, Edmund Brindholme, and Clement Philpot, were by the same act attainted for denying the king's supremacy, and adhering to the bishop of Rome. The Protestants were burnt, and the Papists hanged the former cleared themselves of heresy by rehearsing the articles of their faith at the stake, and died with great devotion and piety; and the latter, though grieved to be drawn in the same hurdle with them they accounted heretics, declared their hearty forgiveness of all their enemies.

It

About this time [1543] was published a very remarkable treatise, called A Necessary Erudition for a Christian Man. was drawn up by a committee of bishops and divines, and was afterward read and approved by the lords spiritual and temporal, and the lower house of parliament. A great part of it was corrected by the king's own hand, and the whole was published by his order, with a preface in the name of king Henry VIII. dedicated to all his faithful subjects. It was called the King's

"This shews that

* Dr. Maddox remarks on this statement of the cause of Cromwell's fall, that it is expressly contradicted by bishop Burnet, who, speaking of the king's creating him earl of Essex, upon his marriage with Anne of Cleves, adds, the true causes of Cromwell's fall must be founded in some other thing than his making up the king's marriage, who had never thus raised his title if he had intended so soon to pull him down." Hist. Ref. vol. 1. p. 275.

In reply to this, Mr. Neal says, "Let the reader judge: his (i. e. bishop Burnet's) words are these; An unfortunate marriage, to which he advised the king, not proving acceptable, and he being unwilling to destroy what himself had brought about, was the occasion of his disgrace and destruction.' Vol. 3. p. 172. If his lordship has contradicted this in any other place (which I apprehend he has not), he must answer for it himself.

It may be observed, that these two passages stand in a very voluminous work, at a great distance from one another, so that the apparent inconsistency might escape the bishop's notice; while his remark in the first can have little force, when applied to the conduct of a prince so capricious and fluctuating in his attachments as was Henry VIII. and who soon grew disgusted with his queen. It is with no propriety that Mr. Neal's accuracy and fidelity are, in this instance, impeached: it justifies his representation, that nearly the same is given by Fuller in his Church History, b. 5. p. 231.-" Match-makers (says he) betwixt private persons seldom find great love for their pains; betwixt princes, often fall into danger, as here it proved in the lord Cromwell, the grand contriver of the king's marriage with Anne of Cleves." The cause of Cromwell's disgrace is more fully and judiciously investigated by Dr. Warner, in his Ecclesiastical History, vol. 2. p. 197, 198.—ED.

Book, and was designed for a standard of Christian belief*. The reader therefore will judge by the abstract below, of the sentiments of our first Reformers in sundry points of doctrine and disciplinet: which then constituted the established doctrine of the church of England: for by the statute of 32 Hen. VIII. cap. 26. it is enacted, "that all decrees and ordinances which shall be made and ordained by the archbishops, bishops, and doctors, and shall be published with the king's advice and confirmation, by his letters patent, in and upon the matters of Christian faith, and lawful rights and ceremonies, shall be in every point thereof believed, obeyed, and performed, to all intents and purposes, upon the pains therein comprised; provided nothing be ordained contrary to the laws of the realm."

* Burnet's Hist. Ref. vol. 1. p. 286.

+ It begins with a description of Faith, "of which (says the book) there are two acceptations. (1.) It is sometimes taken for a belief or persuasion wrought by God in men's hearts, whereby they assent and take for true all the words and sayings of God revealed in Scripture.' This faith, if it proceeds no further, is but a dead faith. (2.) Faith is sometimes considered in conjunction with hope and charity, and so it signifies a sure confidence and hope to obtain whatsoever God has promised for Christ's sake, and is accompanied with a hearty love to God, and obedience to his commands.' This is a lively and effectual faith, and is the perfect faith of a Christian. It is by this faith that we are justified, as it is joined with hope and charity, and includes an obedience to the whole doctrine and religion of Christ. But whether there be any special particular knowledge, whereby men may be certain and assured that they are among the predestinate, which shall to the end persevere in their calling, we cannot find either in the Scriptures or doctors; the promises of God being conditional, so that though his promise stands, we may fail of the blessing for want of fulfilling our obligation." After the chapter of Faith follows an excellent paraphrase on the twelve articles of the Creed, the Lord's prayer, the Ave Maria, or the salutation of the angel to the blessed Virgin, and the ten commandments; and here, the second commandment is shortened, the words for I the Lord thy God,' &c. being left out, and only those that go before set down. Images are said to be profitable to stir up the mind to emulation, though we may not give them godly honour; nevertheless censing and kneeling before them is allowed. Invocation of saints as intercessors is declared lawful; and the fourth commandment only ceremonial and obliging the Jews.

Then follows an article of Free-will, which is described, "A certain power of the will joined with reason, whereby a reasonable creature, without constraint in things of reason, discerneth and willeth good and evil; but it willeth not that that is acceptable to God unless it be holpen with grace, but that which is ill it willeth of itself.' Our wills were perfect in the state of innocence, but are much impaired by the fall of Adam; the high powers of reason and freedom of will being wounded and corrupted, and all men thereby brought into such blindness and infirmity that they cannot avoid sin except they are made free by special grace, that is, by the supernatural working of the Holy Ghost. The light of reason is unable to conceive the things that appertain to eternal life, though there remains a sufficient freedom of will in things pertaining to the present life. Without me (says the Scripture) you can do nothing; therefore when men feel, that notwithstanding their diligence they are not able to do that which they desire, they ought with a steadfast faith and devotion to ask of him, who gave the beginning, that he would vouchsafe to perform it. But preachers are to take care so to moderate themselves, that they neither so preach the grace of God as to take away free-will, and make God the author of sin; nor so extol free-will as to injure the grace of God."

In the article of Justification it asserts, “that all the posterity of Adam are born in original sin, and are hereby guilty of everlasting death and damnation, but that God sent his own Son, being naturally God, to take our nature and re

How near the book above mentioned comes to the qualifications of this statute, is obvious to the reader. It is no less evident, that by the same act the king was in a manner invested with the infallibility of the pope, and had the consciences and faith of his people at his absolute disposal.

deem us; which he could not have done but by virtue of the union of his two natures." It then speaks of a twofold justification: the first is upon our believing, and is obtained by repentance, and a lively faith in the passion and merits of our blessed Saviour, and joining therewith a full purpose to amend our lives for the future. The second, or final justification at death, or the last judgment, implies further, the exercise of all Christian graces, and a following the motions of the Spirit of God in doing good works, which will be considered and recompensed in the day of judgment. When the Scripture speaks of justification by faith without mentioning any other grace, it must not be understood of a naked faith, but of a lively operative faith, as before described, and refers to our first justification; thus we are justified by free grace and, whatever share good works may have in our final justification, they cannot derogate from the grace of God, because all our good works come of the free mercy and grace of God, and are done by his assistance; so that all boasting is excluded."

This leads to the article of Good Works, "which are said to be absolutely necessary to salvation; but they are not outward corporal works, but inward spiritual works; as the love and fear of God, patience, humility, &c. Nor are they superstitious works of men's invention; nor only moral works done by the power of reason, and the natural will of man, without faith in Christ; which, though they are good in kind, do not merit everlasting life; but such outward and inward good works as are done by faith in Christ, out of love to God, and in obedience to his commands: and which cannot be performed by man's power without divine assistance. Now these are of two sorts: (1.) Such as are done by persons already justified; and these, though imperfect, are accepted for Christ's sake, and are meritorious towards the attaining everlasting life. (2.) Other works are of an inferior sort, as fasting, alms- deeds, and other fruits of penance, which are of no avail without faith. But after all, justification and remission of sins is the free gift of the grace of God; and it does not derogate from that grace to ascribe the dignity to good works above mentioned, because all our good works come of the grace of God."

The chapter of Prayer for Souls Departed, leaves the matter in suspense: "It is good and charitable to do it; but because it is not known what condition departed souls are in, we ought only to recommend them to the mercy of God."

In the chapter of the Sacraments, "all the seven sacraments are maintained, and in particular the corporal presence of Christ in the eucharist."

In the sacrament of Orders the book maintains no real distinction between bishops and priests; it says, that "St. Paul consecrated and ordered bishops by imposition of hands; but that there is no certain rule prescribed in Scripture for the nomination, election, or presentation, of them; this is left to the positive laws of every country. That the office of the said ministers is to preach the word, to minister the sacraments, to bind and loose, to excommunicate those that will not be reformed, and to pray for the universal church; but that they may not execute their office without licence from the civil magistrate. The sacraments do not receive efficacy or strength from the ministration of the priest or bishop, but from God; the said ministers being only officers, to administer with their hands those corporal things by which God gives grace, agreeable to St. Ambrose, who writes thus: The priest lays his hands upon us, but it is God that gives grace; the priest lays on us his beseeching hands, but God blesseth us with his mighty hand."

Concerning the order of Deacons, the book says: "Their office in the primitive church was partly to minister meat and drink, and other necessaries, to the poor, and partly to minister to the bishops and priests.-Then follows this remarkable passage: Of these two orders only, that is to say, priests and deacons, Scripture maketh express mention, and how they were conferred of the apostles by prayer and imposition of hands; but the primitive church afterward appointed inferior degrees, as sub-deacons, acolytes, exorcists, &c. but lest paradventure it might be thought

By this abstract of the Erudition of a Christian Man*, it appears further, that our reformers built pretty much upon the plan of St. Austin, with relation to the doctrines of justification and grace. The sacraments and ceremonies are so contrived, as to be consistent with the six articles established by parliament. But with regard to discipline, Cranmer and his brethren were for being directed wholly by the civil magistrate; which has since been distinguished by the name of Erastianism. Accordingly they took out commissions to hold their bishopricks during the king's pleasure, and to exercise their jurisdiction by his authority only.

But notwithstanding this reformation of doctrine, the old Popish forms of worship were continued till this year [1544], when a faint attempt was made to reform them. A form of procession was published in English, by the king's authority, entitled, An Exhortation to Prayer, thought meet by His Majesty and his Clergy, to be read to the People; also a Litany, with Suffrages to be said or sung in the Time of the Processions. In the litany they invocate the blessed Virgin, the angels, arch

by some, that such authorities, powers, and jurisdictions, as patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and metropolitans, now have, or heretofore at any time have had, justly and lawfully over other bishops, were given them by God in Holy Scripture, we think it expedient and necessary, that all men should be advertised and taught, that all such lawful power and authority of any one bishop over another, were and be given them by the consent, ordinances, and positive laws, of men only, and not by any ordinance of God in Holy Scripture; and all such power and authority which any bishop has used over another, which have not been given him by such consent and ordinance of men, are in very deed no lawful power, but plain usurpation and tyranny."

To the view which Mr. Neal has given of the doctrinal sentiments, contained in this piece, which was also called the bishop's book, it is proper to add the idea it gave of the duty of subjects to their prince. Its commentary on the fifth commandment runs thus : "Subjects be bound not to withdraw their fealty, truth, love, and obedience, towards their prince, for any cause whatsoever it be.' In the exposition of the sixth commandment, the same principles of passive obedience and nonresistance are inculcated, and it is asserted, "that God hath assigned no judges over princes in this world, but will have the judgment of them reserved to himself."-ED.

Though the Institution of a Christian Man is now disused, the same sentiments, connected with the idea of the jure divino of kings, still run through the homilies, the articles, the canons, and the rubric, of the church of England, and have been again and again sanctioned by the resolutions and orders of our convocations. Bishop Blake, on his death-bed, solemnly professed "that the religion of the church of England had taught him the doctrine of nonresistance, and passive obedience, and that he took it to be the distinguishing character of that church."-High-Church Politicks, p. 75, 89, and the note in the last page.-ED.

It is not easy to say, what sincere or complete alliance there can be between the church and state, when the dogmas of the former are in such glaring repugnancy to the constitution of the latter; when the former educates slaves, the latter freemen; when the former sanctions the tyranny of kings, the latter is founded in the rights of the people. In this respect, surely, the church needs a reform.-ED.

* Dr. Warner observes, on this performance, that there were so many absurdities of the old religion still retained, so much metaphysical jargon about the merit of good works, about the essential parts and consequences of faith, .about free-will and grace; that this book, instead of promoting the Reformation, visibly put it back. Eccles. History, vol. 2. p. 205.