V. "of their privileges is sent unto your Grace, the invalidity CHAP. "whereof I doubt not but that your Grace perceiveth. "Thus resting at your Grace's commandment, I commit Anno 1561. you to the most mighty protection of the Almighty. "From my house at Whitborn, this first of February. "Jo. Heref." CHAP. VI. An address of the Archbishop, and other Bishops, to the Queen, against images. She is offended with a Common Prayer Book with cuts. Articles concerning the Clergy, agreed upon in the ecclesiastical Commission. An apology of the Church of England, now preparing, by the advice of the Archbishop. The honourable re-burial of Peter Martyr's wife. Now did the Archbishop and Bishops, to their great re- The Arch images. bishop to nown, write an humble free letter to the Queen; being an- the Queen, other address to her (after sundry others) against erecting against images, and receiving them in the churches; which it seems the Queen had persuaded them to do. They wrote with exceeding deference and tenderness of displeasing her, whom they saw inclinable to allow them, for ornament and honour to Christ and his saints, and to make the way more fair to bring the Papists into the present constituted Church. They urged to her the necessity of the matter they had to move; "Not in any respect, they said, of self-will, stoutness, or striv- MSS. c. c. "ing against her Majesty, (God they took to witness,) they cellan. B. "being in comparison with her, to use David's words, but 66 canes mortui aut pulices: but they did it only out of that fear " and reverence which they bore to the majesty of Almighty God; and lest in giving just offence to the little ones, and "setting a trap of error for the ignorant, and digging a pit "for the blind to fall into, they should be guilty of the "blood of their brethren, and deserve the wrathful vengeance of God; and also procure to their reclaiming con 66 C. C. Mis BOOK "sciences the biting worm that never dieth. II. 66 For in what "thing soever they might serve her, not offending the diAnno 1561.❝ vine majesty of God, they should with all humble obedience be most ready to, though it were to the loss of their "lives: for so God commanded, and duty required; and they had given proof of it. They humbly acknowledged, "and daily gave God thanks, that through her gracious 66 government God had delivered unto them innumerable "benefits: and they doubted not, but that of his mercy he "would happily finish in her Majesty that good work which "he had begun. That following the worthy examples of "godly princes that went before, she might clearly purge "the polluted Church, and remove all occasions of evil. "But lest they should seem to say much, and to prove little, "to allege conscience without warrant of God's word, they "had now put in writing, and did humbly exhibit to her gracious consideration, those authorities of Scriptures, rea"sons, and pithy persuasions; which as they had moved all "their brethren, that now bore the office of Bishops, to "think and affirm images not expedient for the Church of "Christ, so would they not suffer them without the great 66 offending of God, and wounding their consciences, to con"sent to the erecting or receiving of the same in the places of worship. And they trusted, and earnestly asked of God, "that they might also persuade her Majesty, by her royal "authority, and in the zeal of God, utterly to remove this "offensive evil out of the Church of England." 97 66 Then follow the reasons at large, taken from places of Scripture; as Exod. xx. Deut. xxvii. &c. and from quotations taken out of the Fathers, Councils, and Histories. And then the letter proceeds, "That having declared to her a few 66 causes of many, which moved their consciences in this "matter, they begged her not to strain them any further, "but to consider that God's word did threaten a terrible judgment unto them, if they, being Pastors and Ministers "in the Church, should assent to a thing, which in their learning and conscience they were persuaded did tend to "the confirmation of error, superstition, and idolatry, and to 66 66 VI. "the ruin of souls committed to their charge: for which CHAP. they must give an account to the Prince of pastors at the "last day. 66 66 They mentioned some of St. Ambrose's speeches to the Emperor Theodosius. As, In causâ Dei, &c. In God's cause, whom will you hear, if you hear not the Priests? "And who will dare to tell you the truth, if the Priests "dare not? That the good Emperors took such speeches "in good part, and they doubted not but her Grace would "do so too; of whose not only clemency, but beneficence " also, they had largely tasted. "And lastly, they prayed her to leave these and the like "controversies of religion to the discussing and deciding "of a synod of her Bishops, and other godly learned men, "according to the example of Constantine and other Chris"tian Emperors. And in fine, leaving it to her to consider "concerning the present matter, that beside weighty causes "in policy, which they left to the wisdom of her counsel"lors, the establishing of images by her authority should not only utterly discredit their ministry, as builders of the things which they had destroyed, but also blemish the "fame of her godly brother, and such notable Fathers as “had given their lives for the testimony of God's truth: "who by public laws removed all images." But this letter 66 66 Anno 1561. I find is published by the Bishop of Sarum in his History, Vol. ii. Colplacing it by conjecture under the year 1559, (for it is with- lect. p. 348. out date in the MS.) but in all probability it was writ some considerable time after; and, as near as I can guess, in this year, or the former. No more need be said of this, having Annal. Rebeen related more largely in another history. form. ch. 18. a Common cuts. By these frequent inculcations of the Archbishop, and The Queen some of his fellow Bishops, and by their discreet behaviour offended at towards the Queen, she was at length brought off from the Prayer fancy of images; and, which is very remarkable, she shewed Book, with herself not long after very highly disgusted at the very sight of some ornamental pictures set before the Epistles and Gospels, in a Book of Common Prayer, which on New Year's Day, anno 1564, Nowel, the Dean of St. Paul's, had laid BOOK before her, when she came thither on that day to hear a serH. mon, preached by the same Dean, intending to present her Anno 1561. the book for a new-year's gift: which is mentioned at large Annal. of elsewhere. Reform. ch. xxiii. Articles agreed on for the re the Clergy. The Archbishop of Canterbury, with Thomas, Archbishop of York, the Bishops of London and Ely, and some others of the ecclesiastical Commission, were now sitting at gulation of Lambeth, upon the regulating and ordering of the matters of the Church. And on the 12th day of April, (being their second session,) certain Articles were agreed upon by them, with the assent of their brethren Bishops to the same: namely, MSS. C. C. First, That the Articles agreed on at the first sessions be ratified, confirmed, and be put in execution accordingly. Item, That Readers be once again by every Ordinary reviewed, and their abilities and manners examined: and by discretion of their Ordinaries, to remain in their office, or to be removed: and their wages to be ordered; and that abstinence from mechanical sciences to be also enjoined by the discretion of the said Ordinaries, as well to Ministers as to Readers. Item, That the Declaration devised for unity of doctrine may be enjoined to be used throughout the realm uniformly. De non locando beneficia, vel aliquam inde parcellam; i. e. Item, At the institution of every Parson or Curate, they be examined by oath upon these Articles following; 98 Of secret compacts. For alienation of their glebe lands. For sums of money, and other contri butions. Intimation to be made them, that if they be after found culpable in any of the same, to be deprived: and for the VI. time to come, to enter into voluntary band, ad usum Reginæ, CHAP. vel alicujus hospitalis pauperum, de non locando sine consensu Ordinarii. Item, That no Curate or Minister be permitted to serve without examination, and admission of the Ordinary, or his deputy, in writing; having respect to the greatness of the cure, and the meetness of the party. And that the said Ministers, if they remove from one diocese to another, be by no means admitted to serve without testimony of the Diocesan, from whence he cometh, in writing. Item, That all old service books, grails, antiphonars, and others, be defaced and abolished, by orders in visitations. Item, That besides the Catechism for children which are to be confirmed, another, somewhat larger, may be devised for communicants, and a third in Latin for schools. Item, That Priests deprived, and other private Chaplains, be commended by the Ordinary's discretion, in this great necessity, to minister in cures; or else to be according to law excommunicate, and the excommunicate effectually prosecuted. Item, It is agreed, that all such marriages as have been contracted within the Levitical degrees, be dissolved: and namely, those who have married two sisters one after another; who are by common consent judged to be within the case. Item, It is agreed, to give twenty shillings by every Bishop of Canterbury province to the metropolitical church there: so that it be registered as a composition between us and the church for all demands and requests: and the same presently to be conveyed to Dr. Alexanders, as for his claim. A contribution to be made by the For the Readers of Cambridge and Oxford. Archbishop and Bishops. For learned strangers, Readers; for venues. Matthæus Cantuar. Edm. London. Anno 1561. Richard. Ely. |