fllL, ■■^•wlGryf'^r >.< 3/— f ALUMNI LIBRARY; | | THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, f $ PRINCETON, N. J. $ | Case, ^*—d I flfcel/i 3/fr^ | ^^^ H ISTORIC PROOF O F T H E DOCTRINAL CALVINISM O F T H E Church of ENGLAND. Including, among other Particulars, I. A brief Account of fome Eminent Persons, famous for their Adoption of that Syftem, both before an&Jince the Reformation ; MORE ESPECIALLY, OF OUR Engliflj Reformers, Martyrs, Prelates, and Universitys : With Specimens of their Testimonys. IL An incidental Review of the Rise and Progress of ARMINIANISM in England, Under the Patronage of Archbiihop LAUD. With a complete Index to the Whole. By AUGUSTUS TOPLADY, A.B, Ask now or the Davs that are past. Deut. iv. 3a. - Antiquum exquirite Matrem. " Logical Argument?, and controverful Reafoning, cannot be well adapted to " every Undemanding. But H IS T O R I C A L FACTS, and the " Consequences thence deducible, are, to the meaneft Underftanding, " plain and obvious." Bcrwtr's Pref. to Hift. of the Popes. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: Printed for George Keith, in Gracechurch-ftreet. MDCCLXXIV. O T - m TO il '• ■ . ' HISTORIC PROOF OF THE DOCTRINAL CALVINISM OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND. Section XV. Of the Jhare, which Calvin had, in the Reformation of the Church of England. TO what has been already obferved, concerning our principal Reformers ; a Word or two muft be added, relative to that Grand Ornament of the Protectant World, Dr John Calvin. It has been furioufly affirmed, by more than one Arminian, that Calvin had not the leaft Hand, directly or indirectly, in any Part of our Englifh Refor- mation. Old Heylyn plays to this Tune: " Our firji Re- •' formers had no Refpett of Calvin («)." And again: Thev " had no Regard to Luther or Calvin, in the Procedure of " their Work (o)." To Heylyn's Pipe, dances Mr Samuel Downes \ with the fame Reverential Glee, as poor JVat Sellon fqueaks to the Quavers of Mr John IVeJley. Let ' us * (nj Peter Heylyn's Wftoric. iff Mi/cell. Trails, p. 54.8. (0) Heylyn's Life oj Laud, Introd. p. 3. 368 OF CALVIN's SHARE IN THE us, however, examine for ourfelves, and attend to Facts. Mr Rolt informs us, from Guthrie, that Bucer's " Re- " monilrances, together with thofe of Martyr and c{ Calvin, prevailed with Archbifhop Cranmer, and the " other Prelates of the Reformation, to fuffer it [i.e. to " fuffer the Liturgy] to be revised and corrected (/>)." Such an Acknowledgement, from an Hiftorian of Guthrie's Principles, muft have deciiive Weight with every rational Enquirer. So muft the Teftimony that follows. " Calvin advifed " Bucer how to condudt himfelf before King Edward VI. *' fince they were no where recommended in Scripture. «'■ He [Calvin] had heard, that the Reafon why they [the " Englijh Reformers] went no further, was, becaufe the M Times could not bear it : but this was to do the Worlc «' of God by Political Maxims j which, tho' they ou^ht " to take Place in other Things, yet {hould not be fo]_ ** lowed in Matters, in which the Salvation of Souls was " concerned. But, above all Things, Calvin complained " of the great Impieties and Vices, that were fo common "in England; as Swearing, Drinking* and Unckannefs : " and prayed him [the Lord Protestor] earneftly, that " thefe Things might be looked after (s)." Calvin (.<) Burnet's Reform. Vol. II. p. 83.— Dr "Fuller gives a much more fatisfadtory Abflraft from Calvin s Letter, than does his Lordfnipof Sarum. " Matter Calvin", fays Fuller, '* is therein •< very pofuive for a sett Form: whofe words deferve our " Tranflation and Obfervation. Formulam Precum [faith Calvin], t l it Riluum Ecclejiafticomm, valde probo, ut cert a ill a ex [let ; a t* qua ne Paftoribus\difcedere in Funclionefud I ice at : i.JJt conjulatur V quorundam Simplicitati tjf Imferiti*. z. Ut cert tut con/let " omnium inter fe Ecclefiarum Con/en/us. 3. Ut obviam inealur difultorice quorundam Levi tat:, qui Novations qua f dam affectum* u Sic igitur ftatum effe Catechifmum oportet, ft at am Sacramento, urn f* sldminijlratlonem, publicam item Precum Formulam. That is : f* I uo highly approve that there mould be a certain Form " of Prayer, and Ecclcfiaftical Rites; from which it (hou!d not •« be 370 OF CALVIN's SHARE IN THE Calvin did not remonftrate in vain. The Communion- Office underwent a farther Reform, in 1550: as did the whole Liturgy, in 155 1 ; when, among many other alter- ations, the Chrifrn in Baptifm, the Unttion of the Sick, and Prayers for the Dead, were totally expunged (/). That the Reafonings and Reprefentations of Calvin had great Influence on the Prote&or, and on the Conduct of Ecclefiaftical Affairs in England; is evident, amidft a Multiplicity of additional Proofs that might be offered, from what is obferved by the Candid and Learned Mr Hickman: than whom, no Perfon, perhaps, was better acquainted with the Religious Hiftory of this Kingdom. " Bucer, at Cambridge," fays that excellent Writer, ff un- " derftood that Calvin's Letters prevailed much with " Somerfet : And therefore intreats Calvin, when he did ** write to the Protector, to admonifh him not to fuffer " the Churches to be left void of Preachers («)." Heylyn himfelf, in his Hiftory of the Reformation, vir- tually contradicts what he elfewhere delivers, concerning the l< No-Refpecl" which, he would have us believe, was fhewn to Calvin. Speaking of King Edward's firji Liturgy, he fays, " And here the Business might have «' rested," [i. e. the Liturgy would not have been re- viewed and reformed] " if CALVIN's pragmatical 41 SPIRIT " be lawful for the Pallors themfelves to difcede, 1. That Pro- f* vifion may be made for fome People's Ignorance and Unskill- « l falnefs. 2. That tbe Confent of all the Churches among ** themfelves may the more plainly appear. 3. Tnat Order may « be taken againli the unfettled Levity of fuch as delight in In- t novations. Thus there ought to be an eflabl (bed Catechifm, « an cflablifhed Adminiflration of Sacraments, as alfo a pub- «• lie Form of Prayer." - Fuller's Church Wfl. Book VII. p. 426. (/) See Strype, Burnet, Downei, &C fob Annis 1550 & 1551. {«) Hickman 'a Animadvcrf. on Heylyn, p. 1 \<). ENGLISH REFORMATION. 371 « c SPIRIT HAD NOT INTERPOSED {iv)." The Con- ceflion is important, tho' malicioufly exprefs'd : For, what is this, but allowing, that the Church of England was obliged to " Calvin s Interpolation", for her Deliverance from the Jib, the Cope, the Introits, the Exorcifm, the Trine bniuerjion, the Unftion, Prayers for Souls departed, &c. whtch were all retained by the fir ft Liturgy? Surely, if Heylyn's Complaint be juftly founded, that " //'Calvin's " pragmatical Spirit bad v.ot intcrpofed" the firft Liturgy might have ftood as it did ; it will follow, 1. That the Proteftant Religion in England is under the higheft Ob- ligations to Calvin, for his fuccefsful Zeal, in occaiioning all this Rubbifh to be wheeled away : and, 2. That Heylyn himfcif, by whom this very Circumftance is affirmed, was guilty of a ffioft palpable Deviation from Truth, in after t- ing, elfewhere, that "Calvin offered his Affiftance to our " Reformers, and that his Interposition was refufed (*)." 'Tis not a little amafing, to fee fuch rank Armenians, as Heylyn, prelTing themfelves, whether they will or no, into the Service of Truth. Take, therefore, a farther Tafte of his Teftimony, occurring in another Work of his. Fie obferves, that " Cronmer, Ridley," and " the <• rest of the Englijh Bifhops" concern'd in the Refor- mation, refoked that " They would give Calvin no Of- * fi nce (y)." The Arminian found himfelf conftrained even to add, that Calvin, " In his Letters to the King "and [iv J Heylyn's Hift. of the Reform. Pref. p. 3.— Mr Wbijlon, likewife, honeftly confeffes, that King Edwaid's fufl: Liturgy •« was then" [i. e. in the Year 1^51] ''plainly altered, out cf " human Prudence, and ovt of Compliance with CALVIM - and other Foreigners." Whiikm's Memoirs, Vol. IF. p. 423. (#) See^Va Quinquart. Hilt. Ch. VIII. S. 2. Mif. £• p. 548. And yet this very Heylyn, in the very next Page but one, fays, that the firft Liturgy, "being disliked by Calvin, txas «' brought under a Review." Ibid, p 550. (y) Heylyn's Hifi. of the Presbyterians, p. 204. 3 ;2 OF CALVIN's SHARE IN THE U and Council, had excited them to proceed in the good 41 Work which they had begun: that is, that they fhould <; (o proceed as He [i. e. as Calvin] had directed. *' With Cranmer he is more particular, and tells him, in " plain Terms, that, In the Liturgy of this Church [viz. " \hz firji Liturgy] as it then Jlood ', there remained a whole " Mafs of Popery, which did not only blemifo, but dejlroy, « God's Public Wor[l)ip (z)." It appeared, by the fubfe- quent Revifal and Reformation of" that Liturgy, that King Edward, his Council, and Archbifhop Cranmer (or, as Heylyn himfelf there, for a Wonder, vouchfafes to ex- prefs it, " The godly King, aflifted by fo wife a Council, " and fuch Learned Prelates") were entirely of Calvin's Mind. Doubtlefs, thofe good and great Men reformed the firft Liturgy, more from a Conviction of the Force of Calvin 's Arguments, than from a Principle of mere De- ference to Calvin's Authority. Mr Heylyn, however, in- clines to the latter Suppofition : and, by a Conceflion which places Calvin s Authority with the Reformers in the raoft exalted Point of View, exprefsly declares, thit " The firft Liturgy was discontinued, and the fecond " superinduced upon it after this Review, to give " Satisfact ion unto CALVIN's Cavils ; the Cu- " riofities of fome, and the Miftakes of Others, of His " Friends and Followers (a)." In fuch Efteem was Calvin held at the Fnglifh Court, that Bucer (tho' invited hither by the King himfelf, and ♦by the Archbifhop of Canterbury) would not, on his Arrival here, wait on the Lord Protector, till he had ob- tained, from Calvin, Letters of Introduction and Recom- mendation to ihat Perfonage. *< Of this," fays Heylyn, viz. of the State of Religion in England, " He [i. e. Bucer] " ^ives Account to Caivin ; and defires fome Letters from V him to the Lord Protector, that he might find the greater Favor, (k) Eift.Prnb. p. 206. \a) Ibid. p. 207. ENGLISH REFORMATION. 273 ** Favor, when he came before him : which was not 'till " the Tumults of the Time were compofed and quiet- « ed (*,." What, moreover, fhall we fay, if it appear, that Cahins Intereft was fo confiderable, as to be a means of extri- cating Doclor Hooper from the Fleet- Prifon, to which he had been committed on Account of his aforementioned Objections to the Epifcopal Habit ? Let us, once more, attend to Hcylyn. " In which Condition of Affairs, Calvin " addreffeth his Letters to the Lord Protector, whom he " defireth to lend the Man [viz. Hooper] an helping Hand, " and extricate him out of thofe Perplexities into ivbicb he zvas ** cajl. So that, at laft, the Differences," adds Hey!yn> V were thus compromifed, that is to fay, that Hooper " fhould receive his Confecration, he. ( c )." Add to this, that, according to the faid Hcylyn, the Order for removing Altars, and placing Communion Tables in their Room, was chiefly owing to the Influence of Calvin. •■* The great Bufinefs of this Year [1550], was " the Taking down of Altars, in many Places, by pue- " Lie Authority : which, in fome few, had formerly " been pulled down by the irregular Forwardnefs of the *' Common People. The principal iMotive where- li unto was, in the firft Place, the Opinion of some " Dislikes which had been taken by CALVIN " againft the [firft] Liturgy ( becaufe * c not ufed by the Reformed Church in Geneva : concern- *' ing which, they had fent to Calvin, for his Refolution " and Judgement. Wherein He gave his Opinion ge- ■* nerally in Favor and Approbation of them (/>)" ; i. e. in Favor of the " Ecclefiaftical Rites' : which the Hiftorian particularizes in feveral Inftances. And then adds: B b "To (0) " Vir benedittsein omnesevum Memoriae, Johannes Cahinvn — — — » immenfifque laboribus, non Genevenfem rnodo Ecclcfiam. fed & tctum Reformatum Orbem, erudiit atque illuihavit : adco u t, de ejus Nomine, Reformati, quanti quanti fun:, non rard ad.' pellentur." Job. Turretin. u. f. p 253. (J>) Strut's Hift. Ref. under Qu. Elia. Chap. XXI. p. 246. 378 OF CALVIN's SHARE IN THE «< To this Judgement of this great Divine, concern. «* inw Rites ufed in this Church, I will briefly fubjoin His " Approbation of the Episcopal Government of «' the Church : which is alledged out of his Injlitutions, " by Dr TVhitgift. ** That every Province [faith Calvin] had among their " Bijhops, an Archbijhop ; and that the Council of Nice did 44 appoint Patriarchs, who Jhoidd be t in Order and Dignity, " above Archbifncps', was for the Prefervation of Difcipline. 44 Therefore for this Caufe efpccially were thofe Degrees ap- " pointed^ that if any Thing Jhould happen, in any particular 4 ' Church, which could not be decided, it might be removed to 44 a Provincial Synod. — This Kind of 'Government fome called * c Hierarchia : an improper Name. But if, omitting the 44 Name, we confider the Thing itfelf; we Jhall find, that 44 thefe old Bijhops did not frame any other Kind of Govern- *' merit in the Church, from that which the Lord hath pre. 45 fcribed in his Word." And fo much concerning Calvin s 44 ienfe of our Church's Liturgy and Government {q). n Nor did Calvin's Learned Colleague and Succeflbr, the llluftrious Beza, entertain a lefs refpedtful Idea of our National Eftablifhment. Toward the Decline of Queen Elizabeth's Reign, when Puritanic Oppofition ran high againft the Outworks of the Church ; the Oppofers af- fected to give out, that their Objections were authorized, and their Meafures countenanced, by the moft Learned foreign Proteffants : and, efpecially, by Beza. This be- ing foon known at Geneva, that great Man thought it his Duty to exculpate himfelf from a Charge fo ungenerous and unjuft: which he took Care to do, in a Letter to TVhitgift, then Archbifhop of Canterbury. " While the " Archbifhop," fays Strype, " was endeavoring to fup- <; prefs the Male-contents againft Epifcopacy and the « 4 Church of England in its prefent Eftablifhment ; he 44 receiveth, (?) Strype, Ibid. p. 24-, Z42. ENGLISH REFORMATION. 379 *' receiveth, March 8th [1591], a Letter from Theodore " Bezels the Chief Minifter of Geneva, wherein he, *' by owning, with all Refpect, the Archbifhop, and the u reft of the Englim Bifhops, and their Government of ** this Church, gave a notable Check to thefe new " Reformers, who bore out themfdves much with his '* Authority. It feemed to have been written bv him, " in Anfwer to one from the Archbifhop, blaming him * ; for his [fuppofed] meddling with the Church and State " of England, without any lawful CommiiTion. In De- " fence of himfelf, he [Beza] returned an Anfwer; Part *' whereof was as followeth : That whereas his Lordjhip " thought it meet, in his Letters, to move them [i.e. to move i( the Geneva Divines] to think well of this Kingdom, and of ** the Church here, and the Government thereof', it indeed " troubled both Him and Sadeel [another of the Minifters of ** Geneva], in fame fort : as being greatly afraid, lejl fome " fwijier Rumors were brought to Him [to the Archbifhop] " concerning them ; or lejl what they had written, concerning " Churcb-Govemment, properly again/1 the Antichrijlian Ty- '* ranny [of the Roman Church], as NeceJ/ity required, might " be taken, by fome, in that Senfe, as thai' they ever meant to " compel to their Order thofe Churches that thought otherivife. c< — That fuch Arrogancy was far from them : for [added. " Beza] WHO GAVE US AUTHORITYOVER ANyChURCH? " And that they by no Means thought, fo fubjlantial Matters " were kept, that there ought nothing to be granted to Antiquity* *' nothing to Cuflom, nothing to the Circumjlances of Places, " Times, and Per fans'* So wrote Beza : or, to Ufe Mr Strype's own Words on the Occafion, " Thus did Beza " and Sadeel, in the Name of their Church, profefs to the " Archbifhop their Respect, Honor, and Approba- *' tion of the Church of England (r)." About two Years afterwards, Dr Bancroft (who at length became Archbifhop of Canterbury), in a Treatife b b 2 which (r) Strypi'i Lfe of Whltgifl, p. 378, 379. 3*0 OF CALVIN's SHARE, Sec. which he publifhed againft the Obfiinacy of fome reftlefs Puritans, " produced divers Letters of ZANCKlUS, in " approbation of Episcopacy ; and of Bullinger and ** Gualter, to feveral Englifh Bifhops, in Difallowance (t altogether of thole Innovators (>)." As (s) Ibid. p. 404 — In another Work of Mr. StryP', that ufeful and laborious Collector gives a large Account of ZANCHIUS's Attachment to Church-Govemmentby Arch-Bifhops and Bifhops. " We do not difaJlcw the Fathen," faid Zanchy, ■' in that, '■ after a divers Way of difpenfing the Word, and governing the •' Church, they multiplied divers Orders of MinilU-rs. It was- •' lawful fo to do : feeing they did it for honeft Caufes, apper- •« taining, at that Time, to the Order, Decency, and Edifica- *' tionofthe Church. — For this Reaibn, viz. that the Nurferies *• of DirTentions and Schifms might be taken away, we think that " thofe things which were ordained before the Council of Nice, *• concerning Arch-Bithop«, nay, as touching the four Patriarchs, " may be excufed and defended." Some others, of the Reafons, affigned by Zanchy, for his Approbation of the Hierarchy, were, I . The Practice of the Primitive Church, p-efent/y after the Apofles Time. 2 . Becaufe he thought it his Duty to have Regard to thofe Re- formed Churches [the Churches of England and Inland, for Inilance] ivh'ch retained both Bijbops and Arcb-Bijbops. And, 3. Becaufe all the Reformed Churches generally, although they had changed the Names, yet, in Effect, they kept the Authority : as where they bad Super-intendents, &c. " And what," added Zanchius, '* can be " (hewed more certainly, out of Hiftories, out of the Council;, •* ar.d out of the Writings of a!l the Ancient Fathers, than that " thofe Orders of Minifters, of which we have fpoken, have been " ordained and received in the Church, by the general Confent «• of all Chriftian Common- Wealths ? And who then am I, that *J I (hould prefume to reprove Thatwhich the Whole Church hath " approved ?" See Strype's Annals, Vol. II. p. 653, 654. On the whole, it appears, that the Learned, the Modeft, the Ju- dicious ZANCHY was a fait Friend, not only to the Doc7rines t but alfo {a Ciicumftance not very ufual with the foreign Proteflanti of that Age) to the Hierarchy, of the Church of England. Nor was THE JUDGEMENT, kc 381 As to Beza, if he was afterwards fo far wrought upon* by dint of Mifreprefentation, as to countenance, in any Meafure, the Frowardnefs of the more rigid Difciplina- rians j it ought, in Juftice, to be imputed, neither to any Levity, nor Duplicity, in Him (for he was equally in- capable of both) ; but to the wrong Informations that were fent Him : by which, a Foreigner, who refided at fo great a Diftance from England, might, eafily enough, be liable to undue Imprefljon. Section XVI. The 'Judgement of the mojl eminent Englijh Martyrs, and Confessors, who fujfered Death, or Perfecuticn, after the Overthrow of the Reformation by Queen Mary I. "T X 7 E have feen, in the three preceding Sections, 1. * ' That the Reformers of the Church of England were zealous Calvini/ls, as to Matters of Doclrine : 2. That Calvin Himfelf had a very confiderable Hand in reducing our Liturgy to that Purity and Excellence, which it ftill retains : and, 3. That Calvin, Beza, Zancbius, Sadeel^ Bullinger, and Gualter, entertained very refpectful and af- fectionate Sentiments, concerning the Ritual Decency and Order, together with the Epifcopal Regimen, of our incom- parable Church. And, to the Approbation of thofe moft b b 3 Learned was the Church unmindful of His Worth and Affettion : for, by the Voice of the Univerfity of Cambridge, in the Year 1595, this great Man was, exprefsly, and by Name, numbered among «« Tb e Lichts and Ornaments" of our Eftablifhed Church. — See my Account of Zancby, prefixed to my Tranflation of his Treatife on Praedelunation, p, xxxv, xxxvi. 3*2 THE JUDGMENT OF Learned Perfons, might be added (if need required) that of many other foreign Calvinifts, who are defervedly num- bered among the firft Ornaments of that Century. While pious King Edward lived, the Church of England faw herfelf at the very Pinnacle of Spiritual Profperity. Her fupreme vifible Head was a Prodigy of Wifdom, Know- ledge, and undefikd Religion. Her Btftops were Luminaries of the firft Brightnefs : Men, glowing with Love to God ; clear in the Dodrines of the Gofpel, and zealous in main- taining them; of eminent Learning, for the moft Part; Afiertors, and Patterns, of every good Word and Work. Had Providence been pleafed to have extended the Feli- cities of that Reign, what might not have been expected from a Prince of Edward's Accomplifhments ; and from a Choir of Prelates, whom Grace, Abilities, and almoft every ufeful Attainment, concurred to render venerable ? But God (whofe Difpofals are not lefs wife, juft, and gracious, for being at prefent Unfearchable) was pleafed tq reverfe the Scene. The King's Death opened Mary's Way to the Throne j who ruled, not with a Sceptre, but a. Sword. That bigotted Princefs, and her Popifh Counfellors, knew, that the Doctrines of Gratuitous Election, Invin- cible Grace, and Justification without Works, enter into the very Bafis of genuine Proteftamifm. No wonder, therefore, that to rid the two Univerfitics of all Pr^edes- tinarians., was a primary Object of her Attention. Free- will, Conditional J unification, and the Merit of Works, were Doctrines fo effential to the Intereft of Popery, that not to aim a: [t) refioring them, would have been doing Matters »■ (/) Icdci'erves particular Notice, that, A. D. 1554 (which was the Year after Mary came to the Crown), Bonner publifhed a Book, for the Re-indrudlion of his Diocefe in the Principles of Popery, entitled, A Profitable ar.d Necejfary Doftrine, containing an Expofi- tion on the Creca, Seven Sacraments^ Ten Commandments, tbt Pater- nofler* OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 383 Matters by Halves. Therefore, " A refolution was taken, *' to bring into the Univerfities a Teft for purging them " of all Proteftants, and to prevent their Re-admiflion for " the future. This was done by way of Oath, at- follows : «' You Jlmll '/weary by the Holy Contents of this Boot, that ** you fiall not keep, bold, maintain, and defend, at any Time, " during your Life, any Opinion erroneous, or Error to prohibit the Sale, the Reading, or the Keeping of any " Book or Books, Writings or Works, made or fet forth " by or in the Name of Martin Luther, O Ecolampadius, «* Zuinglius, John Calvin, Bucer, Peter Martyr, La- B b 4 ■* timer, nojler, Ave Maria, &c. A confiderable Part of which was taken out of the Pia et Catholica Inftitutio, which had been publilhed in the Reign of Henry VIII. See the Biogr. Difl. Vol. II. p. 264. —Thus Sel/on's Arminian Letter to the Vicar of Broad Herniary, as al Co Dr N's Anfwer to the Author of Pittas Oxonitnfts; are fraught with Arguments borrowed from that Self-fame Popifh Store-houfe (viz. the Pia et Catholica Inftitutio) which furnifhed Bonner with Materials for his Paftoral Letter to the Diocefe of London. Arminianifm cares not what it eats. The fouleft Food will go down, fo dear Free-will is but kept from Halving. («) Ro/t's Lives Ref p. 116. 384- THE JUDGMENT OF *' tuner, Hooper, Cover dale^ Tyndal, Cranmer(vj)," and other prredeftinarian Proteftants whofe Name 1 ; arc there enume- rated. 'Twas added, that all Perfons, pofleffing any Books written by the above Authors, ** Shall, within the fpace of ** Fifteen Days next after the Publication of this Procla- tl mation, bring, or deliver, or caufe the faid Books* ** Writings, and Works, and every of them, remaining ** in their Cuftody and Keeping, to be brought and de- *• fivered.to the Ordinary of the Diocefs. to be burnt", or otherwife deftroyed. On which Order, the pious Mr F;X makes this obvious Remark : IVlwt a-doh here, to keep down Cbrijt in His Sepulchre ! and yet will He rife, infpite of all His Enemies (x). The 7'n:th is, Queen Mary and her SparJJh Husband, in whofe Names that Proclamation ran, well knew, that Calvinifm is the very Life and Soul of the Reformation : and that Popery would never florifh, 'till the Caivinitiic Doctrines were eradicated. I have already given fome Intimation (p. 328 J, from Bifhop Burnet, of a brief Confeffion of Faith, which was drawn up and figned by the Proteftant Bifhops and Clergy- men who were then imprifoned in London, fhortly after the Coronation of Mary. But as Burnet's Extract is (accord- ing to Cuitom) very partial and fuperficial, I fhall here pre- fent my Pleaders with the entire Paragraph, to which that Hiftorian fo lamely refers. — " Fourthly, IVe believe and con- " ftf, concerning Jus'i ification, that as it cometh only '" from God's Mercy through Chrifl> fo it is PERCEIVED and " H /. D of none, who be of Years sf Difcretion, other wife than C( l\> Faith only. Which Faith is not an Opinion, but a " certain Perjuafion wrought by the HOLY GHOST ?* in the Mind and Heart of Man ; wherethrough, as the " Mind is illuminated, fo the Heart is suppled to " fubniit hfelf to the Will of God unfeignedly ; and fo fhnveth ** forth a:: inherent Right eoufnefs, which is to be dijeerned " [i. e. which inherent Righteoufnefs is to be carefully " diftin- ■■ {/u/, Fox, 1, 225. (x) Ibid. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS, 38$ f* diftinguifhed], in the Articles of J unification, from the *' Right eoufinefis tvbicb God enductb us withal, juflifying us ; *< although inseparably they go together. And this we do [1. e. " we preferve this important Distinction between Imputed " and Inherent Righteoufnels], not for Curiojity, or Conten- ts tion fake, but for Confidence fake - y that It might be quiet : " which it can never be, if we confound, without Dijlinc- " ticn, For givenefis'ofi Sins andChriJi's Righteoufinefis imputed " to us, with Regeneration and inherent Righteoufinefis. ,'* Thus, fpake ihefe excellent Divines : adding, immediate!/ after, kt By this," i. e. by this View of Juftification, « JVe u difiillow papistical Doctrine of Free-will, of iu iVorks of Supererogation, of Merits, of the Necefifiity ofi " Auricular Confiefifiion, and Satisfaction to God-wards (y)'* This valuable Paper was dated The Zth Day of May An* Dan, 1554., and fiubficribed by Edward Crome. John Rogers. Laurence Saunders. Edmund Laurence, J. P. T.M Robert Ferrar, late Bifhop of St Davids. Rowland Taylor. • Philpot. John Bradfiord. S r, late Bifhop of Worccjlcr and Glou» cejler. At trie. Bottom of all was written, " To thefie Things «* abovefaid, do I, Miles Coverdale, late [Bifhop] ^Exeter, «« confient and agree, with thefie mine afflicled Brethren, being " Prifoners : ndne own Hand." — Now, can any Perfon. queftion the Calvinism of thefe blefled Men of God, by whom the Tenet of Free-will, and of Jufiif cation by inherent Righteoufinefis, were exprefkly numbered among " papistical Doctrines;" and clafTed with tk IVorks of « Supererogation, Alerits, and Auricular Confeffiion ?" A oreat Number of God's faithful Servants, both Mi- nifters and People, were brought to the Stake, for the Tejii- mony {y) Fox's Acls and Man. Vol. III. p. 83. 386 THE JUDGMENT OF many ofjefus, and for the Word of his Patience, during the fhort, butfharp Reign of this fanguinary Woman. Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, and Hooper, having been treated of al- ready, Ifhall procede to the brief Mention of fome Others. And here, amidft the Noble Army e slaled with the Holy Spirit of Promife, which is the " Earnest of our Inheritance ( which Spirit certifyeth " our Spirit, that we are the Children of God, and therefore " God hath fent the Spirit of His Son into our Hearts, crying, " Abka> Father); fo, after fuch Portion as God mea- *' sureth unto us, We, with the whole Church of Chriji, t* and with You, Reverend Fathers, receiving the fame Spirit " of Faith, according as it is written, I believed, and there- *' fore have I fpoken j We alfo believe, and therefore fpeak. " Knowing most certainly, that, tho' we have U this Treafure in earthen Vejfils, that the Excellency of thi s " Power might be God's, and not oars; yet Jhall ive not be ** dajhed in Pieces : for the Lord will put His Hand under " us. To communicate with our fweet Savior Chriji in *' bearing the Crofs, it is appointed unto us, that with *< Him alfo we Jhall be glorified (a)." £lfewhere> Mr Saunders fets his Seal to the Doctrine of Final Perfeve- rance, in Terms, if poflible, ftronger ftill : " Now that t( He hath, in His dear Chriji, repaired us (being, before, H utterly [z) Fox, Vol. III. p. 111, {a) Ibid. p. u 2, 388 THE JUDGMENT OF " utterly decayed) ; and redeemed us, purging us unto Himfelf ** as a peculiar People, by the Blood of his Son; He '* hath put on a mojl tender Good-will and Fatherly Jffeclion •' toward us, never to forget us (£)." — Again: Praifed ** be our gracious God, who PREserveth Wi* from Evil', " and doth give them Grace to avoid all fuch Offences, as might «' hinder His Honor, or hurt His Church (c)." Once more • 41 1 take Occajion of much rejoicing in our fo gracious God and '* merciful Father, who hath, in his immeafurable Mercy, by " Faith, HAND-FASTED Us His chosen Child-en unto " His dear Son our Chrijl (i)." — " We may boldly, with our " Chrijl, and all His ELECT, fay, Death, where is thy " Sting (e) f" No Sef Righteoufnefs lay at the Foun- dation of this Holy Man's Triumph. His whole Truft was in the Covenant-Merits of Jesus the Savior. Hence, in a fhort Letter, which is entitled, To his Wife, a little before his Burning; after defuing her to fend him a Shirt in which he was to fuffer, he breaks out into this fweet Prayer, " my Heavenly Father, look upon me in the Face of " thy Christ ! or elfe, I Jhall not be able to abide Thy Coun- " tenance ; fuch is my Filthinejs. He will do fo: and there- 11 fore I wiit not be afraid what Si», Hell, Death, and Darn- *' nation, can do againjl me (f)" His fpiritual Confola- tions continued with him to the Laft. When arrived at Place of Execution, he kifled the Stake : faying, in a Trans- port of Joy, Welcome, the Crofs of Chrijl ; welcome, ever- lajling Life ! III. Dr Rowland Taylor was Re&or of Hadley, in Suffolk. We may form a Judgment of that wonderful Out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, and of thediffufive fpread of Divine Knowledge, which attended the Preaching of the Gofpel in the Age of the Reformation ; from what Mr Fox delivers, concerning the State of Religion in that par- ticular Town. " The Town of Hadley was one of the firft (J) Ibid. p. 113. (c ) Ibid. {d) Ibid. p. 116. (0 Ibid. (/) Ibid. p. 118. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 389 " firft that received the Gofpel in all England, at the «< Preaching of Mr Thomas B-.lmy : by whofe Induftry the « Gofpel of Chrift had fuch gracious Succefs, and took « fuch Root there, that a great Number in that Parifh « became exceding well learned in the Holy Scriptures, « as well Women as Men. So that a Man might have " found amongft them many, who had often read the whole « Bible through, and who could have faid a great Sort « of St Paul's Epiftles by Heart, and very well and readily " have given a godly, learned Sentence in any Matter of " Controverfy. Their Children and Servants were alfo " brought up and trained fo diligently in the right Know- « ledoe°of God's Word, that the whole Town feemed " rather an Univerfity of the Learned, than a Town of " Cloth-making, or laboring People : and, what is moft *' to be commended, they were, for the more Part, faith- " ful Followers of God's Word in their Living. In this « Town was Doctor Rowland Taylor, Doctor in both « the Civil and Canon Laws, and a right perfect Divine, " Parfon (g)." — "What a melancholy Contraff, alas ! are the prefent Times, to Thofe ! How has the lntrcdu&ion of Arminianifm poyfoned our Proteftant Streams, and cankered our Evangelical Gold ! Dr Taylor was a very uncommon Man, both for Grace and Gifts. He had the Piety of Calvin, the Intrepidity of Luther, and the Orthodoxy of Both. When Bifhop Bonner came to degrade him, in the Poultry Compter, prior to his Martyrdom ; he [Bonne;] defired the magnanimous Prifoner to put on the Sacerdotal Habit, that he might be divefted of it in Form. «« I am come, quoth Bonner, to " degrade you : wherefore put on thete Veftuies. No, " faid Dr Taylor, Iivillnot. Wilt thou not? anfwer- " ed the Bifhop : I fhall make thee, e'er I go. Quoth " Dr Taylor, You jh all not, by the Grace cfGod. Then « he charged him, upon his Obedience, to do it ; but he " would \g) *"»*> Vol. Ill p- 137- 390 THE JUDGMENT OF «* would not do it for him (h)." 'Tis ufual, it feems, iri Popifh Degradations, for the Bifhop to give the degraded Pcrfon a flight Stroke on the Breafti with a Crofter. Ban- ner was afraid (for Perfecutors are generally Cowards) to perform this Part of the Ceremony on Taylor. ** At the ** laft," fays Mr Fox, " when he fhould have given Dr 44 Taylor a ftioke on the Breaft with his Crofier-StafF, «« the Bifhop's Chaplain faid, My Lord, ftrike him not» " for he will fure ftrike again. Tea, by St Peter will 1 \ 44 quoth Dr Taylor : the Caufe is Chrifi 's ; and I were no 44 goodChrifiian, if I would not fight in my Majler's ^hiarrel. 44 So the Bifhop hid his Curfe upon him, but ftruck him 44 not.- [Bonner being gone, the Doctor returned up 44 Stairs] ; and when he came up, he told Mr Bradford 11 (for they both lay in one Chamber) that he had made « 4 the Biftiop of London afraid : for, faid he, laughing, 44 His Chaplain gave him Counfel not to ftrike me with his 44 Crofier- Staffs for that I would fir ike again ; and, by my « 4 Troth, continued he, rubbing his Hands, I made him be- 44 lieve 1 would do fo indeed (i)" That this eminent MelTenger and Martyr of Chrift was One who rightly divided the Word of Truth, the following fhort Extracts will fuffice to (hew. His Judgement was, that the Mediator died for thofe only who are endued with Faith : " Chrifi gave himfelf" faid he, " to die for our 44 Redemption, upon the Crofs ; whofe Body, there offered^ 44 was the propitiatory Sacrifice, full, perfeel, and fufficient 44 unto Salvation, for all t em that believe in him (k)." He held the Doctrine of Affurance : and no Wonder ; for God had favor'd him with the Gift itfelf. Hence, four Days before his Execution, he thus fubferibed his laft Will and Teftament : " Rowland Taylor, departing 44 hence in sure Hope, without all doubting, of Eternal Sal- 4t vation; J thank God, my Heavenly Father, through J ejus 44 Chrifi my certain Savior, Amen. The 5th ^February, " Anno (b) Ibid. 143. (/) Ibid. (k) Ibid. p. 139. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 391 n, or aPart of it only. If to accomplifh the JVhole, then Juitu fication by Works falls at once. If his Merits acccm- plilhed our Juftification only in Part, then our own Works muft come in, by way of Supplement, to make up what Chrift left deficient: on which $upt>olition, as Human Obedience would have feme Hand in Juflifying us, fo it would be fairly intitled to a Share of the Fraife ; for, if Chrift has actually divided the Work of Salvation between Kimfelf and Sinners, it is but equitable that the Honor fliould be divided alfo. The Bible, however, cuts up this facnlegious and felf> righteous Scheme, both Root and Branch : and, without giving the Lye in Form to every Page of that bleffed Book, we cannot believe that Chrift's Mediatorial Righteoufnefs has any Deficiency to make up. Admitting, therefore, that His Work was per/eft, and that He truly faid, It is finijhed ; the confequence will be, that our good Works (tho' abfolutely requifite, expojlfafto^ as Indications of Juftification; yet) have no kind of Agency, whatever, in accomplifhing, procuring, obtain- ing, or conditionating our Pardon and Acceptance with the Father. Since, if Chrift redeemed us completely, and any remaining Efficacy be ft ill fuppofed to refide in our own Works ; that Efficacy (be it more or lefs) renders fuper- fluous an equal Ratio of the Merit of Chrift's complete Re- demption : and thus, so far, Chrift, on this Scheme, muft have died in vain. But it was impoffible for Chrift to die in vain : Therefore, Human Works have no Hand in Juf- tifkation. This feems, to me, the precife Drift of the Apoftle's Argument, Gal. ii. 21. If Righteoufnefs either Juftification itfelf, or any Part of the Righteoufnefs which juftifies ; come by the Law, accrue, tho' ever fo remotely, to any Sinner, by or through his own Conformity to the Moral Law ; then it would follow, that Chriflisdeaiin vain: But Chrift could not die in vain : Ergo, neither Juftifi- cation itfelf, nor the Righteoufnefs which juftifies, can accrue OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 395 accrue, tho' ever fo remotely, to any Sinner, by or through his own Conformity to the Moral Law. — But does not St James affirm, that Abraham was jujlified by Works, when he offered his Son. Ifaac on the Altar ? Certainly he was. But it was a Juftification £*/W Men, not before God. As good Dr Rowland Taylor remarks, Abraham had been juftified before God, long, even many Years, before his intentional Oblation of lfaac : yea, many Years before Ifaac himfelf was born. Abraham's Juftification in the Sight of God is related, Gen. xv. 6. But even the Birth of Ifaac does not occur, till you come to Chapter the xxift. I conclude, then, that the Juftification, of which St James fpe2ks, is no more than an evidential Juftification before Men, by vifible Works of external Obedience; declaring, manifejling undproving, a prior Juftification before God : which prior Juftification before God is in no fenfe founded upon, tho' mod certainly produclive of, all Holinefs of Life and Conver- fation. St Paul viewed the Matter exadly in the fame Light : By Faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Ifaac ; and he that had received the Promifes, offered UP his only begotten Son, Heb. xi. 17. Obfcrve, his Re- ceiving of the Promifes (by which Faiih, or Reception, he was divinely juftified in the Court of his own Confcience) his Receiving of the Promifes refpedting Salvation by Chrift, was antecedent to his Offering of Ifaac. Confequently having been already actually Jufiified by the former ; the Juftification, mentioned by St James, can only mean a de- clarative Difplay, or praclical Proof, of Abraham's (and, by the fame Rule, of any other Believer's) preceding Juftification in the Sight of God, without Works. — The Reader, I hope, will forgive this incidental Difquifition : which, tho' in fome meafure excurfive, is not wholly di- greflive ; as it attempts to elucidate, more at large, what the excellent Martyr intimated in brief. IV, and V. Soon after the burning of Dr Taylor, Mr Thomas Causton and Mr Thomas Higbed fealed the Truth with their Blood. Fox exprefly fiys, that thefe two Eledl Champions were u Condemned far the Conjcffton of C c » E 394 " :THE; JUD-GMENT OF " Faith" which they united in drawing up and presenting to Bonner. Part of thai Confe&on was as follows : " IVe %S beHcve^ that there is a Catholic Church, even a Communion *' o/S-AIWTS, built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and l - Apcjilesy a:. Paul jaith), Chrijl being the Jkiead Corner -Jlont. " Fa}- the which Church, Chrijl gave Himfelf \ to make it " to Himfelf a glorious Congvegat; n, without Fault in Hi: ik Slight. — IVe believe •, that this ChurJ), of herfelf, and by •"■ Ixr own Merits, is finful ; and mujl needs fay, Father? !e forgive us cur Sins* But-> tin a Chrijl and His Merits, " J&e is FREELY forgiven : for He, in His own Perfon % .* i hath purged her Sius, and made Herfaultlefs in his Sight ( n) ." Can Words more ftrongly exprefs a Redemption abfolute,. limited, and efficacious ? VI. Mr Stephen Knight was burnt at Maiden, in EJJex, March 28, 1555. Part of his Prayer at the Stake was, tc Thou remetnbereji, O Lord, that J am but Dujl, and ** able to do nothing that is good: therefore, O Lord, as, f* of th'me accujhmed Goodnefs and Love, thou haji bidden me "to this Banquet, and accounted me worthy to drink of thine " own Cup, amongfl thy Elect ; even fo give me. Strength, VII. The Right Reverend Doclor Robert Farrer* -Lord Bifhop of St Davids % a Prelate of eminent Name in the Church of England, and formerly one of the Committee nominated to compile the Englifh Liturgy (p) ; was burned in the Market-Place at Caermarthen, March 30, 1555. On bis Examination, a Paper, containing feveral Popifti Ar- ticles, was tendered to him for Subfcription : but he refolute- ]y refufed to fave his Life at the Expence of bis Faith. One cf thefe Articles, which Tefpe&ed J unification, was as follows : 44 MenareUOT JuJlificdbeforeGod, byYAlTH ONLY ; butHope- P and Charity are alfo neccjfarily required to Jujlification (q )." The Bifhop's not acceding to this Papiftical Tenet (a Tenet, now, as common to Arminians, as ever, it, was to.Papifts), was («) Fox, Vol. ITT. p. i'62. (0) Ibid, p 1.65. (p) See Tiumtit Reform. Vol. If, p. #. • (?) Fox, Vol IN. p. 1.77. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 395 was one Caufe of his being adjudged to the Flames : for, in the Sentence of Condemnation , which enumerated fome of the pretended Errors for which he was Caft, the following Claufe brings up the Rear; Item, quod Homo sola Fide justificatur r i. e. " Alfo, hebelieveth, That Men " are justified by Faith alone (r)." The Reader, I fuppofe, need not be reminded, that this worthy Biftiop was one of thofe imprifoned Divines who drew up and fat their Hands to the Confejfion of Faith, quoted toward the Beginning of this Section. — His Lordftiip's Execution was attended with a very remarkable Circumftance. A Mr Jones coming to condole Him on the Painfulnefs of the Death he was to undergo, the Holy Biftiop made Anfwer, Jf you fee me once to Jlir y while I am burning ; then give n» Credit to the Truth of the Doclrines for which 1 ' fuffer. God, under whofe Infpiration, undoubtedly, this was uttered j enabled his faithful Martyr to make good his Promife : for he flood, incircled with the Flames, like a Rock in the midft of the Waves, without flinching, or moving fo much as once: fteadily hording up his Arms, even when his Hands were burnt away j till one Richard Gravel, a Bye* ftander, " dafhed him on the Head with a Staff, and fo ftruck him down (*)." VIIL Mr George Marsh fuffered Martyrdom at or near Chcjler, April 24, 1555. This good Man was as truly Calviniftic, as the reft of his Proteftant Brethren : for, being charged, on his Examination before Cotes, the Popifh Biftiop of Chefler, with having faid, " That the " Church and Doctrine, taught and fet forth in Kincr " Edward's Time, was the true Church, and the Doc- " trine of the true Church " Marjh acknowledged that he had fo fpoken, and declared himfelf ftill to be of the fame Mind (/). If more particular Proof of his Judge- ment be thought necefiary ; the enfuing Paflages, extract- ed from fome of his Letters, offer themfelves as Evidences. c c 2 " TV (r) Ibid. p. 1-8. (s) Ibid. p. 178. (t) I Ad. p. 190. 39 6 THE JUDGMENT OF " Tho Satan" fays he, M be fuffered to fift us, at wheat, • for a Time ; yet faileth not our Faith, thro* Chrijts «' Aid (u)" — Again: " If any, therefore, fall away *' from Chrifl and his Word, it is a plain Token, that they " were but diffembling Hypocrites,^ all their fair Face* " outwardly, and never, believed truly: as Judas* «' Simon Magus, Demas, Hymenaeus, Philetus, and others • were (w) ! ." — Once more: " Daily I call and cry untu " the Lord, in whom is all my Trufi, and without whom I w can do nothing ; that He, who hath begun a good Work in " me, would vouchfafe to go forth with it until the Day of " Jefus Chrifl: being SURELY certified in my Con- ** fcienct, of This, that He will do fo; for af much as he '* hath given me, not only that I Jhould believe on Him+ *■* but alfo fuffer for his Sake (x)." What he thought con- cerning the Invincible Efficacy of inward Grace, appears from this PafTage in the Prayer which, the Hiftorian tells us, " he ufed daily to fay" : — We befeech Thee, according t9 the little Miafure of our Infirmity, altho' we be far unable and unapt to pray ; that Thou woiddeft mercifully circumcife sur stony Hearts; and, for thefe old Hearts, create new within us, and replenrd) us with a new Spirit (y). Norwas his Judgement, refpe&ing Faith, Jujlif cation, and Works, lefs excellent and Scriptural. \* What hafl thou, faith the 44 Apoflle, that thou hojh not received f This Sentence ought to rt be had in Remembrance of all Men: for, if we have «*■ nothing, but that which we have received, what can «« we deserve ? or what need we to difpute andreafon of our «' own Merits? // cometh of the free gift of God. that 44 v.)e live, that we love God, that we walk in His Fear. «« Where is our Deferving then (z) ? — Elfewhere, he writes thus: " Grack is, throughout all the Epiflles of Paul, «« taken for the FREE Mtrcy and Favor of God; whereby He " SAVETH US FREELY, without ANY DefrvingS, or WoRICS of («) Ibid. p. 192. (iv) Ibid. p. 194. („) Ibid. p. 199. p') Ibid. (x) J bid. p. 195. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 397 ** of the Law {a)" Reconciliation with God, through the Blood of Chrift, is a Subject, which this holy Martyr treats of, with equal Clearnefs : "Peace is taken for the '* Shiietnefs and Tranquillity of the Confcience, being thoroughly " perfuaded, that through the only Merits of Chri/l's Death " and Blood-Jhedding, there is an Atonement and Peace made ** between Gcd andUs : fo that GodwillKo more impute '« our Sins unto us, nor yet condemn us {b).'' Yet are not good Works hereby difcarded : % l Declare your Faith", fays he, " by your good W orks, which are infallihle Wit- 44 k esses vf the true juflifying Faith, which is never idle, 44 but worketh by Charity (c)." Again : *' Jfter thefe " Works, we mujl learn to know the Crop, and what Affec- 44 tion and Mind we mufl bear towards our Adverfaries and 44 Enemies, whatfoever they be ; to fujfer all Adver flies and 44 Evils patiently ; to pray for them that hurt, ptrfetuU, and " trouble us : and, by thus ufing ourfches, we jhall obtain 44 an Hope and Certainty of our Vocation, that we be the 44 Elect Children of 'God (d)" He obferves, that 4t God 4 ' is wont, for the mojl Part, to warn his Elect and 44 Chosen, what Affliction and Trouble fhall happen unto " them for his fake : not to the Intent to fray them there- 4 ' by, but rather to prepare their Minds againfl the 44 boiflerous Storms of Perfecution (e)." Next to the ef- fectual Prefence of the Holy Spirit, nothing, perhaps, fo ftrengthens and animates the Minds of God's People to be valiant for His Truths, as the Examples of Thofe who are enabled to laydown their Lives for Chrift : whence we find Mr Marfh faying, as the Apoftle did before him, 44 We fufer all Things for the Elect'j Sake (f)." His judicious Explication of Col. i. 24. fhall at prefent clofe the Teftimony of this worthy Martyr : 44 St Paul doth not 44 here mean, that there wanteth any Thing in the Paffion of 44 Chrijl, which may be fupplyd by Man: for the Poffton of 44 Chrijl, as touching his own Perfon, is that most perfect c c 3 44 and (a) Ibid. p. 1 9 7. {b)Ibid. (c) Ibid. p. 194. {d) Ibid. p. 195. (e) Ibid. p. 198. (/) ibid. 398 THE JUDGMENT OF ** and omni-fufficient Sacrifice, whereby we ore all made per - "feci, as many as are fanSlified in His Blood. But thefe ** his Words [i. e. the Apoftle's Words in the above Text] iS ought to he underjlood of the Elect and Chosen, in lt whom Chrijl is and Jhall he perfecuted unto the World's « End ( g y> IX. Mr John Warm, Upholfterer and Citizen of Lon- don, was Burned, in Smithfield, May 31, 1555. The Day before he fuffered, he wrote a Confeffion of his Faith, in Form of a Commentary on the Apoftles Creed. The Con- feffion, tho' long, is fo excellent, that I cannot help giving it entire. " / believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven c< and Earth. C4 A Father, becaufe He is the Father of our Lord Jefu s m Chriit, who is the Everlafting Word, Whom, before «■ all Worlds, He hath begotten of Himfelf ; Which Word fc4 was made Flcfh, and therein alfo manifefled to be His «* Son: in whom He hath adopted us to be his Children, «< the Inheritors of His Kingdom ; and therefore He is our " Father. An Almighty God, becaufe he hath, of no- u thing, created all Things, vifible and invifible, both in " Heaven and in Earth, even all Creatures contained there- " in; and governeth them. " And in Jefus Chriji, His only Son, our Lord. « The Eternal Word, perfect God with his Father, *' of equal Power in all Things, of the same Subftance* H of like Glory, by whom all Things were made and have " Life, and without Whom nothing liveth. He was made *' alfo perfect Man : and fo, being very God and very " Man in one Perfon, is the only Savior, Redeemer, and •' Ranfomer, of them which were loft in Adam our Fore- " father. He is the only Mean of our Deliverance, the " Hope of our Health, the surety of our Salvation. «« Whv I [g) Ibid. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 399 «* Wlx was -conceived by the Holy Ghoji, born of the Virgin <* Mary. H According to the Father's moft merciful Promifc, this M Eternal Son of God, forfaking the Heavenly Glory, f* humbled Himfelf to take Flefli of a Virgin, according *' to the Scriptures : uniting the Subftance of the God- <* head to the Subftance of the Manhood, which He took «' of ths Subftance of that blefled Virgin M-ary, in one " Perfon-; to become therein the very Meiftah, the Anoir.t- *1 ed King and Prieft, forever appointed to pacify the Fa"* V ther's Wrath, which was juftly gone out againft us all " for our Sin. " Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Dead, ** and Buried ; and defended into Hell. " He was arraigned before Pontius Pilstt, the Ruler of ** Jewry i and lb unjuftly accufed of many Crimes, that ** the Ruler judged Him innocent, and fought Means to " deliver Him : but, contrary to known Justice, he did '* let go Barabbas, who had deferved Death ; and deliver*-. S\ ed Christ to be crucified, Who deferved no Death-. *\ Which doth declare unto us, manifeftly, that He furTer- " ed for our Sins, and was buffeted for our Offences, as *' the Prophets do witnefs : thereby to have it manifefted " to all Men, that He is That Lamb of God that taket-h ,c away the Sins of the World. Therefore, fuffering for cc for our Sins, He received and did bear our deferved Con- )." XIII. Mr John Newman was Crowned with Martyr- dom, at Saffron Walden, Auguft 31, 1555. " Faith" faid this Chriftian Hero, " is the Gift of God, and cometh not «* of Man (q)." Having Occafion to treat of the Extent of Chrift's Death, he thus delivered his Belief: •« JVith " that one Sacrifice of His Body, once offered on the Crofs, He " hath made perf eft, forever, all them that are Sanc- " tified (r)." Adding, " / believe that there is an Holy ** Church, which is the Company of the faithful and elect jy BELIEVING, and NOT BY DESERVING. To this <« do the Law and the Prophets bear fVitnefs (x)." — Let us juft hear him on the Article of Perfeverance : God " Hath t* numbered all the Hairs of his Children's Heads, fo that " not one cf them Jhall perifh without H$ Fatherly Will. He *' keepeth the Sparrows : much more will He preserve Them y •* whom He hath pur chafed with the Blood of the Immaculate " Lamb(y)." God honor'd the Martyrdom of this pious Perfon, with a Difplay of Divine Goodnefs and Power, not un- iimilar to what was related of Mr Haukes. Before Mr Smith was chained to the Stake, he converfed with the People that furrounded him, concerning the Goodnefs of the Caufe for which he was about to fuffer ; and exprefTed his Certainty of again receiving, at the Refurre&ion, that Body which he was then refigning to the Flames : adding, / doubt not, but God will fhew you fome "Token there- of. And fo it proved. For, *■' At length, being well- *' nigh half-burned, and alfo black with Fire, cluttered •« together as in a Lump, and fuppofed by All to be Dead ; ♦* he fuddenly rofe upright before the People, lifting up «' the Stumps of his Arms, and clapping them together. ** after which, bending down again, and hanging over *< the Fire, he fkpt in the Lord (z)."— -Thus, on fome great Occafions, Heav'n owns its Friends., and points them out to Men! XV. Mr Robert Samuel, who bad been an eminent and ufeful Preacher in King Ediuard's Days, was Burned at Ipfwichy Aug. 31, 1555. But not till he had borne a lafting Teftimony to the Gofpe), in the hw, but precious Papers, which he bequeathed to the Church of God. «* Touching the Father of Heaven" , fays he, " I believe as ** much as Holy Scripture teacheth me to believe. The Father id.V. 524. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 4 u This Gentleman's Agreement with the Proteftant Church of England, in the Points which relate to Grace, may be collected from the following PafTages. Writing to a Pe- nitent Backflider, he fays, " Since I heard of your earnefl " Repentance, I have very much rejoiced, and praifed Almighty " God for his Mercy Jhewed to you, in that He has not left " you to your/elf but, fince your Denial, hath Jhewed hii " Mercy on you, by looking back upon you, as He did on Peter* " andfo caused you to repent : — JV7)ereas, if God had left " you to your/elf, you had run forward, from one Evil to an* " other () Ibid. p. 590. 4 t2 THE JUDGMENT OF of Winjlon and Mendlejham, in Suffolk^ in the fame Month of May, 1556. Thefe, tho' it does not appear that they were All eventually brought to the Stake, yet deferve to be ranked with Thofe that were : inafmuch as they fuf- fered greatly, for the fame BlefFed Caufe. Among the Rea- fons affigned by the Martyrologift, for the hard Ufage of thefe excellent People, is the following: " Fifthly, They '* denied Man's Free-will, and held that the Pope's « Church did err :— rebuking their [i. e. the Papiftsjfalfe «' Confidence in Works, and their false Trust in «« Man's Righteousness. Alfo, when any rebuked «' thofe perfecuted, for going fo openly, and talking fo «' freely ; their Anfwer was, They acknowledged, con- «' fefled, and believed, and therefore muft fpeak : and «' that their Tribulation was God's good Will and Pro- " vidence, and that, of very Faithfulnefs and Mercy, < l God had caufed them to be troubled j fo that not •■* one Hair of their Heads fhould perifh before the *' Time, but all Things fhould work unto the beft to *« them that love God: And, that Christ Jesus was their " Life and only Righteousness ; and that, only by «< Faith in Him, and for HIS Sake, all good Things * 4 were freely given them; alfo Forgivenefs of Sins, «• and Life everlafting. Many of thefe Perfecuted were " of great Subftance, and had Poffeffions of their own (t)" Now, I would ask of Mr Wejley and Co. 1. Were not thefe good old Church-of-England -People, Cahinijis? 2. Can the Church of Rome be, with any Shew of Reafon, or with any Shadow of Truth, confidered as well- affected to Calvinifm ; feeing, one grand Motive, why fhe per- fecuted the primitive Proteftants, was, becaufe they held the Calviniftic Doctrines ? 3. Muft it not be the very Ef- fence of Slander and Falfhood, to object againft thofe Doctrines as productive of praSlical Rem'ijfnefs ; when the Perfons, who maintained them with the greateft Zeal, took joyfully (t) Ibid. p. 590, 591. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 413 joyfully the fpoiling of their Goods, relinquished their worldly PofTeflions, rather than diflemble any Part of their Faith, and went even to Prifon and to Death for the fake ofthofevery Principles? if any Man ferioufly fuppofes, that Calvinifm relaxes the Sinews of Evangelical or Moral Duty j let him only confider the Holinefs, the Honefty, and the Heroifm, of Thofe Calviniftic Saints, whofe Suf- ferings and Deaths redden the Proteftant Calendar, and who refi/led even unto Blood, Jhiving againjl Sin. LVU — LXX. Eleven Men, and Two Women, were Burned, in one Fire, at Stratford le Bow, near London^ June 27, 1556. Itfhould feem, that they had temporized, or at leaft conceled their Faith, for fome Time after the Return of Popery under Queen Mary. My chief Reafon, for this Suppofition, is, becaufe their own Words appear to imply fomething of this Kind. They fpeak, as Perfons who had once let go the Profeflion (tho' not the Pofleflion) of Grace: and afcribe their Recovery, not to their own Free-wills, but to the unfailing Faithfulnefs of God's un- changeable Spirit. " Altho\" faid they, in their united Declaration, " we have erred for a certain Time, yet the •« Root of Faith was preserved in us, by the Holy «' Ghofl, who hath reduced us into a full certainty of " the fame (u)." LXXI. Mr John Careless, of Coventry, bore a glo- rious Atteftation to the Dodrines of the Church of Eng- land. Tho' he died in the King's-Bench Prifon, and fo, as Mr Fox obferves, •« came not to the full Martyrdom " of his Body; yet is he no lefs worthy to be counted " in Honor and Place of Chrift's Martyrs, as well for " that he was, for the fame Truth's fake, a long while " imprifon'd, as alfo for his willing Mind and zealous " Affbaion which he had to Martyrdom, if the Lord had " fo determined (zv)." d d 3 What (u) Ibid. p. 594. Qp] &fa p. 5 q 8( 4 i4 THE JUDGMENT OF What this eminent Servant of God believed, and de- livered, concerning Predejlination, will appear from fome remarkable Paflages, which palled at his Examination be- fore Dr Martin, the Popifli CommifTary. The Commif- fary having told Mr Carelefs, that he had Authority to queftion him on any Articles of Faith whatever ; Carelefs anfwered, " Then let your Scribe fet his Pen to the Paper : and you " Jhall have it roundly , even as the Truth is. I believe, that < c Almighty God, our mojl dear, loving Father, of his great " Mercy and infinite Goodnefs, did ELECT in Chrijl — « The Popijh Doclor. Turn, what need all that long «' Circumftance? Write, 1 believe God elected : and make " no more a-do. '* Careless. No, not fo, Mr Doclor. It is an high •'* Myflery, and ought reverently to befpoken of. And, if my «« Words may not be written as I do utter them, I will not *' fpeak at all. " Popijh Doftor. Go to, Go to : write what he will. «' Here is more Bulinefs than needeth. '< Careless. / believe, that Almighty God, our mojl " dear, loving Father, of His great Mercy and infinite Good- " nefs {through Jefus Chrijl), did ELECT and APPOINT, " in Him, before the Foundation of the Earth was laid, a " Church, or Congregation; which He doth continually «« guide, and govern, by His Grace and Holy Spirit; fo that «' not one of them Jhall ever finally perish (x)." Thecrafty, fleering Papift then asked MrCarelefs, "Why, «< who will deny this ?" To which the honeft, unfuf- pe&ing Prifoner made anfwer, " If your Majlerjhip do «« allow it, and other learned Men when they fee it, I have «« my Hearts Defire." *« Popijh Doclor. It was told me alfo, that thou doft «* alHrm, that Chrift did not die effectually for All Men. " Careless. IVhatfoevcr hath been told you, it is not 61 much (*) Ibid p. 598. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 415 •< much material unto me. Let the Tellers offuch Talus come " before my Face, and I trujl to make them Anfwer. For in- *' deed, I do believe, that Chrifl did die effectually for 41 all those that do effectually, repent and believe ; " and for No other (y)." " PopiJbDofior. Now, Sir, what is Trew's Faiih of Predeftination ? *' Careless. Truly, I think he doth believe as your Majler- ** Jhip and the reft of the Clergy [i. e. the Popifh Clergy] ** do believe of Predejlination : that we be elected, in refpeti " of our Good Works ; and fo long eleded as we do ihem, and "no longer (z)." Here obferve, 1. That the Mr Trew, now mentioned, was a profiling Proteftant ; and had, probably, been a Member of that fingle *' Free-will Congregation', fpolcen of by Mr. Sirype, and noticed by me in the firlr Section of this Treatife. — 2. That thofe few Free-wjllers (and they were, in that Age, exceding few indeed) who made Profeffion (and 'twas little more than mere Profeffion) of Proteflantifm ; did not vary from the Church of Rome, but cordially Chimed in with her, like two Tallys, fo far as Election and its connected Articles were concerned. For, the upright Mr Carelefs, whom neither Fear nor Favor could byafs from his Integrity, exprefly declared, in the Hearing and to the Face of his Popifh Judge, that Mr Tretu the Free-wilier (who held a changeable Election grounded on Works) did therein exactly agree with the faid Popijh Judge, and the reft of the Romijh Clergy. From whence, fay I, Mr John Wejley, Mr Wat Sellon, and fome othersof that Kidney, whom I could nzme,mayfee, to what Party they belong. And although the faid Meffieursmay not deem it altogether prudent and convenient, to own their Relationship to the faid popi/J) Party ; yet, as many of Mankind, as have unprejudiced Eyes wherewith to fee, and diftinguifhing Heads wherewith to underftand, can- d d 4 not (y) Ibid. p. 599. (*) Ibid. 4 i6 THE JUDGMENT OF not poffibly fail to rank the Messieurs aforefaid with the Party aforementioned. A few concife Extracts, from fome of Mr Carelefs"* Let- ters, fhall give farther Demonftration of that Light and Grace which God had beftowed on this admirable Man. I. To Mr John Bradford. " John Bradford, thou Man fo fpecially beloved of God, " His fingularly beloved and elect Child ; I pronounce " and teftify unto thee, in the Word and Name of the *' Lord Jehovahy that Chrift hath cleanfed thee with " His Blood, and cloathed thee with His Righteoufnefs ; «' and hath made thee, in the Sight of God His Father, «' without Spot or Wrinkle: fo that, when the Fire doth " its appointed Office, thou fhalt be received, as a fweet " Burnt-Sacrifice, into Heaven ; where thou fhalt joy- *' fully remain in God's Prefence forever, as the true In- " heritor of his everlafting Kingdom, unto which thou «' waft undoubtedly Predestinate and ordained by " the Lord's Infallible Purpose and Decree, be- «* fore the Foundation of the World was laid (a)." 2. " To my mojl dear and faithful Brethren in Newgate, " condemned to dye for the Tejlimony of God's everlajling «« Truth. " The Everlafting Peace of God, in Jefus Chrift ; the " continual Joy, Strength, and Comfort of his moft pure, " holy, and mighty Spirit $ with the Increafe of Faith, " and lively Feeling of His Eternal Mercy ; be with " You, my moft dear and faithful loving Brother Tyms t (i and with all the reft of my dear Hearts in the Lord, 44 your faithful Fellow-Soldiers, and moft conftant Com- f* panions in Bonds. Thy Wjll, O Lord, be effec- 4 ' tually fulfilled ! for It is only good, and turneth all c < Things to the beft for such as Thou, in thy Mercy, 44 haft Chosen. He [i. e. Chrift] hath given you, 41 for everlafting PofTeflion, all his Holinefs, Righteouf- " nefs, [a) Ibid. p. 6c2. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 417 " nefs, and Juftification : yea, and the Holy Gh oft into M your Hearts, wherewith ye are furely fealed to the Day " of Redemption, to certyfy you of your Eternal " Election, and that ye are His true adopted Sons (£V 3. " To my dear and faithful Brother, William Tyms, u Prifoner in Newgate. " Faithful is God, and true of his Promifes, who hath " faid, that He will never fuffer His chosen Children to " be tempted above their Strength. Great Caufe have " you to be of good Comfort. I fee, in You, as lively " a Token of God's Everlasting Love and Favor in " Jefus Chrift, as ever I perceived in any Man.- — " Chrift is made unto us Holinefs, Righteoufnefs, and " Juftification. He hath cloathed us with All His Merits " Mercies, and moft fweet Sufferings j and hath taken to " Him All our Mifery, Wretchednefs, Sin, and Infir- " mity. So that if Any [i. e. Any of God's Chofen Chil- " dren\ fhould now be condemned for the fame, it muft " needs be Jefus Chrift, who hath taken them upon Him. " But indeed He hath made Satisfaction for them to " the uttermost Jot. So that, for His Sake, they " (hall never be Imputed to us, if they were a thoufand " Times fo many more as they be. " Satan's fiery Darts can do you no Harm, but rather *' do you good Service : to caft you down under the mighty <( Hand of God, that He may take you up by His only ** Grace and Power, and fo you may render him all the " Glory by Jefus Chrift : Which Thing the Enemy can " in no wife abide : therefore he fhooteth off his other *' Piece moft peftilent, to provoke you to put some Part M of your Trust and Confidence in Yourself, and in " your own Holinefs and Righteousness; that you u might, that Way, rob God of His Glory, and Chrift " of the Honor and Dignity of his Death. *jt, bleiTed *' be the Lord God, you have alfo a full ftrong Bulwark " to (6) Ibid. p. 6ca, 603. 4 ifr THE JUDGMENT OF " to beat back this peftiferous Pellet alfo : even the pure «« Law of God, which proveth the best of us all [to " be] damnable Sinners in the Sight of God, if He " would enter into Judgement with us according to the " Severity of the fame; [i. e. according to the unabating " Severity and Perfection of His Law] ; and that our «< best Works are polluted and defiled, in fuch fort as M the Prophet defcribeth them: With which Manner " of speaking, our FREE-WILL PHARISEES are «• muchoffended : for it felleth all Man's Righteoufnefs " to the Ground (I had like to have faid, to the Bottom *« of Hell) ; and extolleth only the Righteoufnefs of Jefus ** Chrift, which is allowed before God, and is freely " given to all thofe that firmly believe ; as, blefTed be " God, You do. [God] comfort, ftrengthen, and " defend You, with his Grace and mighty Operation of " His Holy Spirit, as He hath hitherto done : that you, w having a moft glorious Vi&ory over the fubtile Serpent «' and all his wicked Seed ; may alfo receive the Crown " of Glory and Immortality, prepared for you before " the Foundations of the World were laid, and is fo '« surely kept for you in the Hands of Him whofe " Promife is unfallible, that the Devil, Sin, Death, ffi or Hell, (hall never be able to deprive you of the « fame(<)." 4. To my Good Sifter, M. C. " Tho' God, for a Time, permit Satan to take his 4 * Pleafure on me, as he did upon Job ; yet, I doubt not, «' but, in the End, all fhall turn to my Profit, through ** the Merits of our Lord and Savior Jefus Chrift. To *« whofe moft merciful Defence I commit you, dear Sifter, •« with all the reft of the Lord's Elect (J)." 5. To my Dear Brother, T. V. «« If His [i. e. if God's] Love towards You flood in the «« Refpe& of your own Merit and Worthinefs, you might " well (r) Ibid. p. 605. (d) Ibid. p. 606. OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 419 « well mourn, lament, and complain : yea, you had good " caule to doubt, fear, and miftruft. But feeing He " loveth you oNtY for and in Jefus Chrift, who is your <• whole Righteousness and Redemption j banifh •* from you all Fear, Miftruft, and Infidelity. And know, ** that, as long as Christ doth continue God's " Son, fo long muft the Love of the Father continue " towards you immutable, and His good Will un- " changeable, and cannot be altered through any of " your Infirmities (e). 6. " To my Dear Brother, Henry Adlington, Prifoner " in the Lollards Tower. «« This prefent Day, I received a Letter from you ; at " the Reading whereof, my Brethren and I were not a «' little comforted, to fee your Confcience fo quieted in 61 Chrift, and your Continuance fo ftedfaft in Him. Which " Things be the fpecial Gifts of God: not given to " every Man, but to you his dear, darling Elect and " Chosen in Chrift.— — Blefled be God for you, and " fach as you be, who have played the Part of wife Builders. ** You have digged down, paft the Sand of your own na- " tural Strength, and beneath the Earth of your own " worldly Wifdom : and are now come to the hard Stone *' and immoveable Rock, Christ, who is your only " Keeper ; and upon Him alone have you builded your " Faith, moft firmly, without Doubting, Miftruft, or " Wavering. Therefore neither the Storms nor Tem- " pefts, Winds nor Weathers, that Satan and all his wily * c Workmen can bring againft you, with the very Gates of " Hell to help them, (hall ever be able once to move ce Your Houfe; much lefs, to overthrow it : for the " Lord God Himfelf, and no Man, is the Builder there- " of, and hath promifed to preserve and keep the fame «« FOREVER (/)." 7. To ■ - (0 Ibid. (/) Ibid. p. 608, 609. 4 20 THE JUDGMENT OF 7. " To my mojl dear and faithful Brother^ T. V. « £ The Lord thy God, in whom thou doft put all thy ** Truft; for His dear Son's fake, in whom thou doft alfo « undoubtedly believe ; hath freely forgiven thee all " thySins,CLEARLV releafed all thy Iniquities, and fully «' pardoned all thy Offences, be they never fo many, fo <* grievous, or fo great; and will never remember them *' any more, to Condemnation. As truly as He liveth, <{ He will not have thee die the Death : but hath utterly " DETERMINED, PURPOSED, and ETERNALLY De- '* condemned OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 4*3 file differed, {he faid to fome Friends who came to take leave of her, " When I enjoy the fliinings of my Savior's '* Countenance, the near view of Death ceafes, in great " Meafure, to be terrible." Mr Fax adds, that ihe took Occafion. at the fame Time, to " reafon mo/1 comfortably^ " out of God's Word) concerning God's Election and Re- " probation (w)." Early in the Morning of the Day on which (he was Executed, this excellent Woman was tempted to doubt of her own Election and Redemption. It mould feem, that, for feveral Hours, fhe walked in fpiritual Darknefs, even Darknefs which might be felt. Unbelief was permitted to fuggeft, How do I know that I was chosen to eternal Life y and that Chrifl died for me (») ? Some Religious Perfons, who were about her, perceiving her Diftrefs, reminded her, " That her Vocation and Call- " ing to the Knowledge of God's Word, was a manifeft ** Token of God's Love towards her : which might be " farther inferred, from that Love to God, that Deiire " to 41 condemned to die. Hart [who was a noted Preacher among •' the Free-ivi/lers] having gotten a Copy of this [i. e. of Mr '• Carele/s'i Predeftinarian} Confeflion, on the back-fide thereof '• wrote hisConfeflion in Oppofition thereunto. When they inNew- ** gate had fubfcribed Carelefs's Confeflion, this Hart propounded «• his unto them j and he, with one Kemp and Gybfon, would have '* perfuaded them from the former to the latter, but prevailed *• not. One Chamberlain alfo [another Free-will Teacher} wrot« " againft it [againft Mr Carele/t's Confeflion]. ** This Paper of Careleffs Confeflion, with the Anfwer wrote " on the back-fide by Hart, fell, by fome Accident, into the ■* Hands of Dr Martin, a great Papift : who took Occafion, *f hence, to fcofF ac the Profeflbrs of the Gofpel, becaufe of thefe ** Diviflons and various Opinions among them. But Carelefs % •' before the faid Martin, difowned Hart, and faid, that be [viz. *' Hart] bad seduced and "beguiled manyajimple Soul with his *• foul Pelagian Opinions, both in the Days of King Edward, and 41 fines his Departure". — Strype's Memorials of Cranmtr t p. 353, 352. (m) Ibid. p. 704. («) Ibid. 424 THE JUDGMENT OF " to pleafe Him, and that Defire to be justified byChrift, " which the Holy Spirit had wrought in her Heart. By !S thefe, and like Perfuafions, and efpecially by the com- " fortablePromifes of Chrift alledged from Scripture ; the " Enemy fled, and fhe was comforted in Chrift^)." LXXI1I. Mr Ralph Allerton was Burned at Ifiing- ton. This good Man, quoting that Paflage in the Pfalms, Thai' the Righteous fall, Sec. juftlyobfervesuponit, "Where-- " by we perceive God's Election to be mojl Jure (/>)•" — LXXVI. With Mr Allerton were executed Three Others, viz. James Austoo, and Margaret, his Wife; and Richard Roth. Of the two former Mr Fox fays, that " They were as found in Matters of Faith, and an-' " fwered as truly, as ever any did : efpecially the Wife; * c to whom the Lord had given the greater Knowledge, ** and more Fervency of Spirit." And that Mr Roth was as " found in Matters of Faith", as either of them ; is plain, from the Anfwer he returned to Bifhop Bonner': who afking him, " What he thought of his fellow Prifoner, " Ralph Allerton" ? Roth replied, " I think him to be One " of the Elect Children of God{q)." LXXVII. Mr John Rough, a Minifter, who had been exercifed with feveral very remarkable Providences ; at length fealed the Truth with his Death, in the latter End of 1557. Writing to fome Religious Friends, he thus exprefles the Benevolence of his Wiflies, and the Purity of his Faith : " The Comfort of the Holy Ghojl make you able " to give Conflation to Others, in thefe dangerous Days, when " Satan is let loofe, but to the Trial only of the Chose N r , " when itpleafeth our God tofft his Wheat from theCbajf{r)" And, in another Letter, addrefled to his former Congre- gation, and written two Days before his Martyrdom, he obferves, that " God hath in all Ages triedHis Elect (s)." LXXVIII.The («) Ibid, p, 709. {/>} Ibid. p. 7 1 / . ( q) Ibid. p. 7 1 2. (r) Ibid. p. 72 j. (i)Ib.J.p. 725, OUR ENGLISH MARTYRS. 42$ LXXVIII. The celebrated Mr Cuthbert Svmpson, who underwent fuch variety of Torments fo meekly, that Bonner himfelf pronounced him the moft patient P.ifoner he ever dealt with; and who at laft ended his holy Life in the Flames, A. D. 1558 ; has tranfmitted, to pofterity, that grand Axiom, through the unfeigned Belief of which, he was enabled, without murmuring, to •' ftand as a " Beaten Anvil to the Stroke." And what Axiom was it ? That in which the Rays of Calvinifm are concentred, and contracted to a Point. Read it in the Martyr's own Words : M There is nothing that comeih unto us by Chance •' or Fortune; but by our Heavenly Father's Pro VI- ** dence (t)." I may truly fay, with the Apoftle, Time zvculd fail me to tellofthzx. "Noble Army of Martyrs," and of fuffer- ing ConfelTors, who, through Faith, quenched the violence of Fire, and out of Weaknefs were madeflrong : Who were tortured, not accepting Deliverance ; that they might obtain a better Refurreclion. And Others had Trial of cruel Mock- ings, and Scourging s ; yea, moreover, of Bonds and Imprijhi- nunt : being dejlitute, ajjiiclcd, tormented. A Competency of Witnefte9 has been produced, fufficient to fhevv that our Proteftant Martyrs were Doctrinal Calvinifts. I can- not help repeting an Obfervation already made, viz. that 1 am widely miftaken indeed, if the Gentlemen on the Arminian fade of the Queftion a*e able to bring a fznele lnftance of any One Pelagian, or Free-will-man who laid down his Life in Defence of the Reformation, during the whole Reign of Queen Mary. I can at leaft fay, that I, for my Part, have not hitherto met with any fuch Ex- ample. If Mr IVejlty, or Mr Any-body die, can point out fo much as One; it will, as before noted, be for the Honor of Pelagianifm, to let the World know it. E e I have " " ' ■ ■ " ... . . ■. ■■ ■ 1 ■ I,, . (0 Ibid. p. 728. 426 THE JUDGMENT OF . j J~i 1 I have dwelt, perhaps, too longs already, on the Sublet, now in Hand. Yet, 1 cannot difmifs thofe eminent. Worthies, whofe Teftimonies adorn this Section, with- out adding Four more to the Number. The Reader wilL. not wonder at my introducing them, when he perceives the celebrated Names of Mr John Bradford, Chaplain to Bifhop Ridley, and Prebendary of St Paul's, London; — Mr John Philpot, Arch-deacon of Winchejler ; — Mr Richard Woodman, and Mr John Clement : which two laft, tho' not in Orders, were Men famous in their Generation, Men of Renown, for Holinefs of Converfation, Liveliness of Grace, and Clearnefs of Evangelical Light. Their Attentions ihall occupy the Section that follows. • _^ ■ i H n il, - Section XVII. T'k Judgement of the Martyrs, Concluded. "IV /TR John Bradford was one of the mod valuable LVA Men that ever adorned God's vifible Church below. The. impartial and judicious Mr Strype ftyles him, One of, the " Four prime Pillars of the Reformed Church ' v of England (u) :" and adds, that he was a Perfon "of " great Learning, Elocution, fweetnefs of Temper, and " profoundnefs of Pevotion towards God. Of whofe cc Worth, the Papifts themfelves were fo fenfible, that " they took more Pains to bring him off from the Pro- <•'• feflion of Religion, than any Other. But he, know- " ing the Truth and Goodrtefs of his Caufe, remained " ftedfaft («/"•' Bradford and Latimer, Cranmer and Rid tzr, four " Ft me Piltars of the reformed Church of England; whom (his " bvedy Tear (,1555] executed in the Flames" Strype's Becks. Mem. Vol. III. p* 254. tHE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 4 ; 7 " ftedfaft and immoveable. While he was in Prifon, he *' fpent his Time in Preaching twice every Sunday, in " writing many Letters and Difcourfes, Praying, Read- *' ing, Conferring, Difputing: fleeping but four Hours in » the Night (w)." If had been at the importunate inftigation of Martin Bucer, that Mr Bradford entered into Holy Orders. On Bucer s exprefling his earned Defire of feeing him in the Miniftry, Bradford declined the Propofal j from a fuppo- fition, that he had not fufficient Talents, to fpeak in the Name of God. Buccr's Anfwer was memorable : If you cannot feed the People with fine Manchet, feed 'em with fuch Barley Bread as God may give you. In the End, Bucer' s Ex- postulations prevailed : and Mr Bradford received both his Ordination and his Preferments from the Apoftolic Bifhop Ridley. The brighteft Abilities are ufually rooted in Self- Diffidence. Mr. Bradford's Powers, as an Orator j and the Bleffing, with which his Labours were attended, as a MinifterofChrift ; were equal to the Fear and Trembling-, with which he entered on the arduous Employ. Of his Ufefulnefs in King Edward's Reign, Bifhop Ridley wrote as follows : " He [i. e. Bradford] is a Man, by whom, at " / am affuredly informed, God hath and doth work JVcn- " ~ders, in fetting forth his IFord" And, on another Oc- cafion, Ridley laid, of Bradford, " In my Confcience 1 judge «' him more worthy to be a Bijhop, than many of us, that are- " Bijhops already, are of being Parijh Pricfls (*)." But his Courfe, tho' illuftrious, was fljort. Queen Mary made him pafs through the Fire to Heaven, in June, 1555 (<•} —Let us now fee, whether this M Prime Pillar of the {< Church of England' 1 was, or was not, a Calvinist. £ e2 On (nu) Stripe, Ibid. p. 230. (x) Strypis Life of Grindal, p. 8. (y) At the fame 'Stake with Mr Bradford, was burned one John Leaf, a Tallow-Chandler's Apprentice, not Twenty Years of Age. This Eleft Youth had been converted in King Edward's Reign, under the Miniftry of Mr Rogers, the Proto-Martyr of the 4i S THE JUDGEMENT OF On his firft Appearance before Gardiner, the Popifh Jjifhop of Wincbejler j we are informed, that Gardiner ™ began a long Procefs, concerning the falfe Doctrine 44 wherewith the People were deceived in the Days of *.' King Edward : and fo turned the End of his Talk to ** Bradford ; faying, How fayeft Thou ? Bradford an- " fwered, My Lord, THE DOCTRINE TAUGHT IN ** King Edward's Days was God's pure Religion : *' the which as I then believed, fo do 1 now more believe it ** than ever I did. And therein I am mors confirmed, and " ready to declare it, by Gods Grace, even as He will, to " the World, than I was when I firfl came into Prifon (z)." , This Declaration, alone, might fuffice to convince any Per- fon, who is acquainted with the Religious Hiftory of Edward VI's Reign, that Bradford was, to all Intents awl Purpofes, a Doctrinal Calvinift. If more particular Proof* be required, take the following, as a Specimen of the reft. i. In a Letter to Mrs Warcup, and others of his Evan- gelical Friends; this eminent Predeftinarian thus writes: " The Souls Under the Altar look for Us to fill up their " Number. Happy are we, if God have fo appointed " us. Howfoever it be, Dearly Beloved, caft yourfelves " wholly the Church of England. During Leafs Imprifonment for the Gofpel, Old Bor.ner fent him two Papers, viz. a Recantation of Proteftantifm, which if he would fign, his Life was to be fpared ; and a fummary of the Proteflant Confeffion, by the figmng of which, his Doom was to be finally fixed. The young Martyr* on this Alternative beiDg offered him, abfolutely refufed to have any Thing to do with the Recantation. Not being able to write, he pricked his Hand with a Pin; and, fprinkling the Proteltant Confefiion of Faith with his BJood, order'd Bonner's Meffenger to fhew it his Mafter, as a Proof of his determined Refolution to lay down his Life for the Truth.— VVhat an Snftance of Heroic Zeal ! How unlike that worldly, that luke-warm Spirit of Religious In- difference, which now feems to have laid Proteltants of every De- nomination afleep ! [zj Fcx , ' J Acts and Mon. Vol. Ill p. 236. the Martyrs concluded. 4 ? 9 f f wholly upon the Lord j with whom all the Hairs ofyour L ' Head are numbered, fo that not one of them fhall perifh. ** Will we, nill we, we must drink God's Cup, it" He 4 < have appointed it for us (a)." 2. " To Sir James Hales, Knight. c< The Children of God think, oftentimes* that God, cc hath forgotten them : and therefore they cry, Hide not " thy Face from me\ Leave me not^ O Lord. Whereas, in " very Truth, it is not fo, but to their prefent Scnfe. And " therefore David faid, / /aid, in my Agony, I was clean *' cafl away from t/y Face. But wasitfo? Nay, verily. *' Read his Pfalms, and you fhall fee. So writcth he alfo, " in other Places, very often j efpecially, in the Perfon " of Chrift : as when he faith, My God, my God, zuhy " haji Thou forfaken me ? Where [i.e. whereas] indeed " God had not left him ; but that it was (o to his Senfe : " and that this Pfalm telleth us full well.— The fame we " read, in the Prophet £/#}■, Chap, xl. where he reproveth " Ifrael faying, God hath forgotten them : Fear net, '! &c. For a little while I have forgotten thee, but with great ** CompaJJiGn will I gather thee. For a moment, in mitre ii Anger, I hid my Face from thee, for a little Scafon : lui V in everlasting Mercy have I had Compajjion on the?, " faith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is unto me as i!:e 4C Waters a/" Noah : for as I have fworn, that the 1 Vat en of ** Noah Jhould no more go over the Farth ; fo have I z U'o R vl " that I would not be angry with thee, nor rebuke thee. For\ M the Mountains Jhall remove, end Hills fall down : but My " Mercy Jhall NOT DEPART from thee, neither /hall the ;• Covenant of my Peace fall away, faith the Lord thai *■" hath Compajfton on thee. Be certain, be certain, H good Mafter Hales, that all the Hairs of your Head ** your dear Father hath numbered. Your Name is * c written in the Book of Life. Therefore upr>r. u God caft all your Care, who will comfort you with His ** Eternal Coafolations (b)." e e 3 3. To {a) #iV.p. |6?. (5 J Ibid. p. afg, 270. £|0 THE JUDGEMENT OF 3. " To Airs M. H. a godly Gentlewoman : comforting * l her in that common Heavinefs and godly Sorrow, which tbt ." Feeling and Senfe of Sin worketh in God's Children. " As Satan laboreth to loofen our Faith, fo muft we M labor to faften it, by thinking on the Promises an4 f* Covenant of God in Chrift's Blood : namely, that " God is our God, with All that ever He hath. Which 5< Covenant dependeth and hangeth on God's own Good- " nefs, Mercy, and Truth, oney ; and not on. our " Obedience, or Worthinefs, in any Point: for then '* fhould we never be certain. Indeed, God requireth of " us Obedience and (<$ Worthinefs: but not that " thereby we MIGHT be His Children, and He " our Father; but because He IS our Father and We " His Children through His own Goodnefs in Cbrift, " therefore requireth He Faith and Obedience. Now, » 4 if we want this Obedience and Worthinefs which He - 1 - requireth, fhould we doubt whether He be our Father? " Nay, That were to make our Obedience and Wor- thinefs the Caufe, and foPUT CHRIST out of place, i; for whofe fake God is our Father. But rather, becaufe "He is our Father, and we feel ourfelves to want fuch ft Things as He requireth, we fliould be (lirred up to a *' Shamefacednefs and Blufhing, becaufe we are not as " we fhould be. And thereupon fhould we take Oc- " cafion to gQ to our Father, in Prayer, on this Manner : " Dear Father, Thou, of THY ow N Mercy in Jefus ChriJ?, M haji chosen me to be thy Child : and therefore thou wouldji " that 1 ' fhould be brought into thy Church and faithful Com- pany (c) The Word Worthinefs, here ufed by Mr Bradford, does not, in this Conneaion, fignify Merit, or J)efert ; hut afv'tabU- nefs of Practice, beaming of, coxrefpondent to, and fuch as may be expelled 'to follow upon, a Profeflion of Converfion. And, in this Senfe, the Word very frequently occurs in our old Writers. Jutf *s the Ac'ieaives Agi®* and DJgnqs are often ufed by Writers moie jntient £1 I!o H}E*'MARtYkS CONCLUDED. 4 $c * cc ' party of th Children, wherein th~u ha/7 kept me hitherto ; •** thy Name therefore be praifed. Njw, I fee my/eff to want «* Faith, Hope, Love, (ft: which thy Children have, and '** thou require/1 of me. JVherethrough the Devil wculd have W me to doubt, yea, utterly to defpair of thy FathetU Gccd- " nefs, Favor, and Mercy. Therefore I come to Thee, as to " my merciful Father, through thy dear Son J ejus Chrijl ; " and pray Thee to help me, good Lord. Help me, and give " me Faith, Hope, Love, &*i and grant that thy Holy Spirit " may he with ine forever, and more and more, to assur e " • me that Thou art my Father ; that this merciful covenant M (which thou madejl with me, in refpetf of THY Grace, *< in Chrijl and for Chrijl, and not In refpeel of ANY my " IVorthinefs) is always to me. On this Sort, 1 lay, ." you muft pray, and ufe your Cogitations, when Satan ." would have you to doubt of your Salvation. " Might not [God] have made you Blind, Deaf, Lam*, " Frantic, &c. ? Might he not have made you a Jew, a * Turk, a Papift, &c. ? And why hath he not done fo ? i* Verily, becaute He Loved you. And why did He '«* rove you ? What was there in you, to mov.* Him to " love you ? Surely, nothing moved Him to love you, '" and therefore to make you, and fo hitherto m keen * { you, but His own Goodnels in Chiifh Now then, " in that His Goodnefs in Chiift ftill remajnptii as rt much as it was, that is, even as great as Himfelf, for " it cannot be lessened j how fliould it be, but that *' He is your God and Father ? Believe this, believe thi-, " my good Sifter: for God is no Changeling. Them, " whom He loveth, He loveth to the End ( ct dor.it finnl'y refufe it." Thus Scripturally and Difcretely does the admirable Mr Bradford fait and aflert thefe illulV trious Doctrines of the Gofpel. Another Remark of his, deferves well to be confidered : ** For the Certainty of this Faith [i. e. of the Juf'fytng " Faith] fearch your Hearts. If you have it, praife the " Lord i for you are happy, and therefore cannot fi-. " nally perish: for then Happiness were not * c Happiness, if it could be lost. When you fall,. " the Lord will put under His Hand, that you (hall not " lie ftill. — But, if ye feel not this Faith, then know, that * c Predeflination is too high a Matter for you to be Dif-. ,*' outers of, until you have been Scholars in the School- *« houfe of Repentance and Juilification ; which is the V Grammar-School, wherein we mud be converfant and " learned, before we go to the Univerfity of God's moft " Holy Predeflination and Providence (?;).— Thus do I " wade in Predestination : in such sort as God * hath patefy'd and opened it. Tho', in GOD, it be the a first ; yet, to Us, it is thelaft opened. And there- iC fore I begin with creation, from thence I come to Re- " d,mp'tio'n, io to Jii/tification, and fo to Ekclion. On " this Sort, I am fure that warily and wifely a Man may " walk in it eafily, by the Light of God's Spirit, in and, < by Hi's Word : feeing this Faith not to be given to AU '* Men, 2 Tbejf. iii. bu.t to fuch as are born of God, pre- 44 destinate before the World was made, afcer [i. e. ac- ;t " cording to] the Purpose and good Will of God. ci Which Will we may not call in Difputation, but, in. ; - Trembling and Fear, submit ourfelves to it, as to 1 That which can will none otherwife than that which is '* \>Iv, righr, and good, how far foever otherwife it may Em to the judgement of Pveafon : which" [i. e. the Judgement of Reaibn, Cq far as it oppoles the Doctrine of Predefti- 'n> Ibitf. p. 292, THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 437 Predeftination,] " muft needs be beaten down to be more " careful for God's Glory, than for Man's Salvation, " which hangeth only thereon, as all God's Children full " well fee (aj." 11. "To Sir Thomas Hall, and Father Traves, of Blackley. " Chrift alone is our full, fufficient Savior ; for in Him " we be complete : being made, through His Death " and one only Oblation made and ofFer'd by Himfelf " upon the Crofs, the Children of God, and Fellow- " Heirs with Him of the Celeftial Kingdom, which is the " Free-Gift of God, and cometh not of Merits, " but of the mere Grace of God. He that is of God, " kearetb the Word of God : John viii. Will you have a " more plain Badge, whether you are the Elect Child * of God or no, than this Text [p)V* 12. Mr Strype has preferved a valuable Paper, entitled, John Bradford's Meditation of God's Providence and Prefence. Part of it runs thus : " This ought to be unto *' us moft certain, that nothing is come without Thy " Providence, O Lord : that is, that nothing is done, " good or bad, sweet or sour, but by thy Know- " ledge j that is, by thy Will, Wisdom, and Or- " di nance : for All thefe Knowledge doth comprehend " in it. As, by the Word, we are taught, in many Places, * c that even the Lofs of a Sparrow is not without Thy " Will j nor any Liberty or Power upon a poor Porket " [i. e. Swine] have all the Devils in Hell, but bythine " own Appointment and Will. And we muft al- " ways believe it, moft afiuredly, to be, All, juft and " good, howfoever it may feem otherwife unto us. For " Thou art marvellous, and not comprehcnfible, in thy " Ways ; and Holy, in all thy Works. But hereunto " it is necefTary for us to know, no lefs certainly, that,' * altho' All Things be done by Thy Providence, - {a^lbti. {f) Ibid. p. 295. 438 THE JUDGEMENT 0# HT *' yet the fame thy Providence to have many and divers *' Means to work by : which [Means] being contemn- •• ed, Thy Providence is contemned (q)." Such Ample Atteftation did this faithful Martyr, and " Prime Pillar" of the Church of England, bear to W The " Doctrine taught in King Edward's Days /" A very remarkable and important Confirmation of Mi* Bradford's Zeal for Doctrinal Calvinifm, as maintained by the Church of England, occurs in Strype's Memorials of" Cranmer, Book III. Chap. xiv. — A Confirmation, which - alfo involves additional Proof of the Calvinifm of Arch- biftiop Cranmer, Bifhop Ridley, Bifhop Latimer 9 Bifhop Ferrar y Dr Rowland Taylor , and Mr Pbilpot, who (toge-. ther with Bradford himfelf) were, All, Martyrs for the Church. Strype acquaints us, under the Year 1554, when Papal Perfecution began to wax warm, that, among fuch Pro- tectants as then filled the public Prifons in London, there was a Mixture of Free-will Men : i. e. of Men who « ' held Free-will, tending to the Derogation of God's Grace ; * c and refufed the Dottrine of Abfolute Predefli nation, and ' «« .Original Sin' (Memor. of Cranm. p. 350). — The His- torian adds, that thefe Free-will Prifoners, tho' Men of ftrict Lives, were " very Hot in their Opinions and Dif- «*■ putations, and Unquiet." Divers of them, it feems, were confined " In the King's Bench, wb^ere Bradford and " many other Gofpellers [i. e. Proteftant^] were: many * c whereof, by their Conferences, they [i. e. the Free-will «* Men] gained to their own Peifuafion. Bradford had «' much Difcourfe with them. The Name of their chief " Man was Harry Hart, who bad writ fomeihing in Defence " of his [free-will-] Doctrine. Trew and Abingdon were « Teachers alfo among them : Kemp, Gybfon, and Cham- " herlahiy were others. They ran their Notions as high «« as (7) Strype's Ecclf. Mem. Vol. III. Append, No. 29, p. 82. THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 439 "-as Pelagius did, and valued no Learning : the Writ- 1 « ings and Authorities of the Learned they utterly rc- ** jeered and defpized. M Bradford was apprehenfive, that they might now do 4; Great Harm in the Church: and therefore, out of " Prifon, wrote a Letter to Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, M the three chief Heads of {the Reformed, tho' OpprefTed M Church in England, to take fome Cognizance of this 44 Matter, and toconfult with them in Remedying it; and "with him joined Bifhop Ferrar, Rowland Taylor, and 44 John Philpotr (Memor. of Cranm. utfupr.) The Letter itfelf, fent on this Occafiorj, is extant in the Appendix to the above * Memorials of Cranmer,' p. 195. No. LXXXIII. 'Tis entitled, " Bradford to Cranmer^ 41 Ridley ; and Latimer, concerning the Free-willers." The fuperfcription of it, written by Bradford himfelf, ran ' thus : * To my dear Fathers, DoP.or Cranmer, DoSlor Ridley, * Doclor Latimer; Prisoners in Oxford, for the Tejlimcny 4 of the Lord Jefus, and His Holy GofpeL' Part of the Letter is as follows : " Almighty God, our Heavenly Fa- " ther, more and more kindle your Hearts and Affections * with His Love. — As for your Parts, in that it is com- 44 monly thought, your Staff ftandeth next the Door" [i. e. you are among the firft who are to be Burnt for ChriftJ, 44 Yee have the more Caufe to rejoice and be glad, 4c as they which ihal come to their fellowes under the 44 Altar. To the which Society, God, with you, bring 44 w*alfo, in His Mercy, when it fhall be His good Ple- 44 Aire Hcrewkhal, I fend unto you a little Treatife" [written in favor of Predeftination], 4< which I have made, 44 that you might perufe the fame.- — -Al the Prifoners 4< here about, in maner, have feen it, and read it: and " as therein they aggre with me, nay rather with the « 4 Truth ; fo they are ready, and will be, to fignify it, as 44 theyfhal feyou give them Example." Good Mr Brad- ford 'then obferves, that his Motive to writing this Letter, arofe • ■ 440 THE JUGDMENT OF aroi'efrom the Apprehenfions he entertained , of the " Gr e at * c Evi l, that is like hereafter to come to Posterity, by thefe ** Men," i. e. by the Free-lVillers : adding, " The which- "' Thing that I might the more occafion you to perceive " I have fent you here a Writing of Harry Hart's own '* Hand : whereby ye may fee, how Chrift's Glory and " Grace is like to lofe much Light, if your Sheep quondam *' be not fomething holpen by Them that love God, and " are able to prove that All Good is to be attributed Only * c and Wholly to God's Grace and Mercy in Chrijl, with- *« out other Refpecls of Worthies than Chrijl's Merits" — The Holy and Judicious Martyr next procedes to give the following true andjuft Account of the Free-willers : " The Effects of Salvation they fo mingle and confound " with the Caufe^ that, if it be not feen to, more Hurt *' WILL COME BY THEM, THAN EVER CAME BY THE " PAPISTS. In Free-Will, they are plain Papijis -, •* yea, Pelagiaszs : And ye know, that modicum Fermenti ** totam Maffam corrumpit. They utterly contemn all " Learning. But hereof fhall this Bringcr" [i. e. fhall the Bearer of this Letter] " (hew you more." The Whole concludes thus : " My Brethren here with me have thought " it their Duty to fignify this Need to be no lefs than I ** make it, to prevent the Plantations which may take Root ** by thefe Men. " Yours in the Lord, *' Robert Ferrar, •• John Bradford, ** Rowland Taylor, John Philpot." «t Such was Bradford's excellent Letter againft the Free- will Men. And what Effect had it on Cr&nmcr, Ridley, and Latimer? It filled thofe illuftrious Martyrs with deep and folemn Alarm, left the corrupt Leaven of Free- will, tho' little at that Time (few Proteftants, compa- ratively, being infected with it), might, as Bradford alfo fecmed THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 441 fceaied-to fear, go on to fpread its Defilement. " Upon " v tbis, Occanon," fays the Hiftorian, " Ridley wrote a * c Treatife on God's Eleclion and Predejlination. And Brad- << ford wrote Another upon the fame Subject, and fent it " to thofe three Fathers in Oxford for their Approbation : " and their's" [i. e. the Approbation of Cranmer, Ridhy, and Latimer] " being obtained, the reft of the eminent " Divines, in and about London, were ready to fign it <{ alfo." (Strype's Mem. of Cranm. p. 350.). " I have", adds Mr Strype, " feen Another Letter of " Bradford, to certain of thofe Men who were faid to hold " the ERROR OF the Pelagians and Papijls concern- " ing Mans FREE-WILL: By which Letter, it " appeared, that Bradford had often reforted to them, " and conferred with them ; and, at his own Charge and " Hindrance, had done them good. But, feeing their " Obfiinacy and Clamors againft him, he forbore to come *• at them anv more : but yet wrote Letters to them, and " fent them Relief. They told him, He was a great *' Jlander to the IVord of God, in Rtfpecl of his Dofirine ; " in that he believed and affirmed the Salvation of God's Chil- ijtir\ and « l was, in his Youth, put to Wickbam College : where he profited " in Learning, fo well, that he laid a Wager of Twenty Pence 41 with THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 443 At his Examination, before five Popifh Prelates, and other Doctors of the Romiih Church ; Mr Pbilpot defied them All to confute Calvin's Inftitutions. " Ivlricb of " you all," faid he, " is able to anfiucr Calvin's InJlitutions 9 " who is Minijler of Geneva (s) ?" To which one of the Papifts (Dr Saverfon) replied, "A godly Minifter indeed! " of receipt of Cut-purfes and runagate Traitors. And " of late, I can tell you, there is fuch Contention " fallen between him [meaning, Calvin] and his own *< Seel:?, that he was fain to flee the Town, about Pre- tc deftination. I tell you Truth : for I came by Geneva " hither." To this, Pbilpot rejoined in thefe Words : F f 2 " t '« with John Harpfeld, that he would make Two Hundred *f Verfes in one Night, and not make above Three Faults in them. * Mr Thomas Tucbyner, Schoolmafter, was Judge: and adjudged " the Twenty Pence to Mr Philpot." Strype's Eccl. Mem. III. p. 263. — "Stephen [Gardiner], Bilhop of Winton, ever bore 111- •« will againft this godly Gentleman [viz. againft Mr Pbilpot the " Martyr], and forbad him Preaching, oftentimes, in King Henry's " Reign. But he [Pbilpot] cou!d not in Confcience hide his '« Talent, under this Prince, and in fo Popifh a Diocefs. At " laft the Bilhop fent for certain Jufiices, who came to his Houfe : " and there calling Mr Pbilpot, Rogue ; [Pbilpot faid to the «' Bilhop], My Lord, do you keep a Prwy SeJJions in your oixn Houfe " for me, and call me Rogue, whofe Father is a Kniibt, and may «• fpend a Thoufand Pounds within one Mile of yon r Nofe ? And He «« that canfpena*TZK Pounds by the Tear, as I can, I thank God, ,e is no Vagabond. " Bilhop of Winchefter. Ca»Jl Thou fpend ten Pounds by the '< Tear? «« Philpot. Ask Henry Francis, your Siflers Son. - > Henry •' Francis, kneeling down, faid, I pray you, my Lord, be a good ** Lord to Mr Philpot : for he is to me a good Landlord. u Bilhop of Winchefter. What Rent dojl thou pay him ? " Francis. 1 pay him Ten Pounds by the Tear. " At this Word, the Bilhop was afraid, and afhamed for making *' fo loud a Lye upon a Gendeman, and a Learned Gentleman. ' Strype, Ibid. (s) F,x, Vol. III. p. 470. 444 THE JUDGMENT OF " I am Jure you Mafpheme that Godly Man, and that godly " Church where He is Minijler. As it is your Churches Con- " ditiori' [i. e. in flandering Calvin, you only follow the *' conftant Practice of the Romijh Church], " when you ct cannot anfwer Men by Learning, to opprefs them with '* Blafpe?nies and falfe Reports. For, in the Matter C; of Predestination, He [i. e. Calvin] is in no *' other Opinion than All the Doctors of the Church " be, agreeing [i. e. who agree] with the Scrip- c< tures (/)." Such was Mr Philpot's Judgement, of Calvin, and Predejlination. And, indeed, where was Then the Church of England-man who thought otherwife either of Him or It ? On a fubfequent Examination before the Popifh Com- miflioners ; Ralph Bayne, Bifnop of Coventry and Litchfield, told Mr Philpot, that Chrift prophefied of Geneva, when He bid His Difciples beware of falfe Prophets. Take the Bifhop's Flirtation, and Philpot's Anfwer, in the Words of each refpedtively. " Bifhcp of Cov. Your Church of Geneva, which y e «« [i. e. ye Proteftants] call the Catholic Church, is That " which Chrifl prophefied of. " P'-.llpot. I allow [i. e. I acknowledge and profefs] the " Church of Geneva, and the Doctrine of the fame ; for " it is Una, Catholica, et Apoftolica; and doth follow the " Doctrine, which the Apostles did preach : And the «< Doctrine, taught and preached in KingEow ard's Days, tC zuas alfo according to the fame («)." Here is an Arch- Deacon of the Church of England, who laid down his Life for her Doctrines, openly witnefling that the Doctrinal Syftem of Calvin and Geneva was the same which the Apoftles preached, and the same which was taught and afferted in the Days of King Edivard. And the Arch- Deacon well knew what he faid, and whereof he affirmed. For he had been, not only a Clergyman, but a Dignitary, of (t) Ibid. («) Lid. p. 495. THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 44? of our Proteftant Church, in the faid King Edward's D lys. He had, moreover, not only the Ocular Dcmonftration of Calvin s Writings, to convince him how exactly the Doc- trines of that Reformer harmonized with the Doctrines of the Church of England ; but had likewife had Auricular Demonftration of it, during his Travels abroad. So that this Martyr's peremptory Atteftation to the Sameness of the Doctrine eftablifhed at .Geneva, under Calvin-, with the Doctrine eftablifhed in England, under King Ed- ward; is fuch a Proof of the Calvinism of our Church, as all the piddling Cavils of all the Arminian Methodijls in the Three Kingdoms will never be able to fhake. While the good Arch-deacon lay in Prifon, he wrote feveral ineftimable Letters : from which 1 fhall give the Reader a few Selections. 1. " To Mr John Carelefs, Prifoner in the King's " Bench. " God, by His Spirit, fetteth the Sins of His Elect " ftill before them ; that, where they perceive Sin to a- " bound, there they might be allured that Grace fhall " fuper-abound : and bringeth them down unto Hell, that " He might lift them up with greater Joy to Heaven. — " The Spirit, which is in you, is mightier than all the " Adverfary's Power. Tempt he [i. e. the Adverfary] " may; and, lying await at your Heels, give you a Fall, " unawares : but overcome he shall not, yea, he can. " not; for you are sealed up already, with a lively " Faith, to be the Child of God forever. And whom " God hath once fealed for His own, him He never. *' utterly forfaketh. The jujl falleth /even Times: but he " riseth again. It is Man's Frailty, to fall: but it 4 4 6. THE JUDGMENT OF " dition ; with Godlinefs, which believcth and yieldeth to " the Authority of the Scriptures, and is zealous for the Ci fame. The Peace of God be with you, my Dear " Brother. I can write no more, for lack of Light. And ') Ibid. p. 504. (r) Ibid. p. 506. \a) Ibid. p. 508, 509. THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 447 that the Excellent Perfon to whom the two laft mention- ed Letters were add refTed, and who was the common fup- porter of God's afflicted Witnefles, during the whole Reign of Mary ; was referved by Providence, to out-live thofe perfecuting Times, and had the Comfort of feeing the Church of England reftored by Queen Elizabeth. Mr Fox's fhort Account of this Elett Lady (as Mr Philpot juftly termed her) will hardly be cenfured as a Digreflion. " This ** Lady Vane was a fpecial Nurfe of the godly Saints, who " were imprifoned in Queen Mary's Time. Unto whom > " divers Letters I have, both of Mr Philpot) Carelefs, " Trabern, Thomas Rofe, and Others : wherein they ren- " der moft grateful Thanks for her exceding Goodnefs H towards them ; with their fingular Commendation and " Teftimony alfo of her Chriftian Zeal towards God's af~ " flicked Prifoners, and to the Verity of His Gofpel. She " departed of late, at Holborn" [now a Part of London, then a Village near it, or at moft a Suburb] "Anno 1568. " whofe End was more like fleep than Death, fo quietly " and meekly (lie deceafed in the Lord (b)." Mr Strype informs us of the Earneftnefs, with which Arch-Deacon Philpot oppofed an Arian of thofe Times. On this Occafion, Philpot wrote what he calls an Apology. It is extant in the Ecclefiajlical Memoirs (c). Among other Particulars, it contains the following: " Pray that God *' will give you the lyke Zele to withftand the Enemies <£ of the Gofpel, which go about to teach you any " other Dodlryne than you have receved in Kynge " Edward's Days: in the which, praifed be God, all *' the fyncerity of the Gofpell was reveled, accordynge to *' the pure ufe of the Primitive Churche, and as it is, at *' this prefent, of the trew Catholyck Churche, allowed 44 through the Worlde.- - Tries new Heretyks are ful of (b) Ibid. p. 274. (0 Vol. III. Append. No. 48, p. 1 45— 1 57, 448 THE JUDGMENT OF " of blafphemous Reports : fpreading the fame abroad, *' both by themfejfs, and by their Adherents, againft the " fincere ProfeiTbrs of the Gofpel, That we make God the *' Author of Synne; and that we fay, Let Aden do what " they willy it is not material, yf they be Prcdejlinate. " And with this I, among Other, am moil flaunderoufly ** charged and defamed by thes owtragious Heretyksj to " whom I have gon abowte, to my Power, to do good, as " God is my Witnes. But I have receved the Reward of * c a Prophet at their Hands (although I am not worthy to " be cownted under that glorious Name,), which is Shame, ** Rebuke, Slaunder, and Slaying of my good Fame : «< only bycaufe I holde and affirme, being mani- " fc-ftly inftrucled by God's Word, that the Elect of « God cannot finallye perish. Therefore they « [i. e. the Avian Free-Winers'] have pyked owt of their *< own malicious Nailes the former Part of thes Blafphe- " mies : and becaufe, at another Tyme, I did reprove «' them of their temerous and rash Judgement, for " condemnyngofMenusyngThyngs indifferent, * c zs Shooting, Bowling, Hawkyng, with fuch lyke; provyng " by the Scripture, that all Men, in aTemperancy, might *' ufe them in their dew Tymes, and fhowing honest " Pastyme was no Synne: which thes contentious " Schifmatyks do improve, whereupon they do malicioufly «« defcant, as is before mentioned." Here let us obferve, i. That the Arians of that Age were likewife Free-willers : they not only denied the proper Divinity of God the Son and God the Spirit, but alfo the Predejlination of God the Father, and the Final Perfeverance of His People. — 2. As thefe Arians were Free-willers } fo, it fhould feem, that none, who called themfelves Pro- teftants, were Free-iuillers, but fuch as were Arians too. .--3. Thefe Free-will Arians were profefied Dis- senter from the Reformed Church of England. Hence, Mr Philfot vindicates the Church from their malicious Ob- jedtionE. Indeed, fuch Men as thefe could be no other than THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 449 than DifTenters. They held what the Church denies, and /denied what the Church affirms. The Church denies, to ihis Day, that Free-will has any Power in Spirituals : but thofe Arian Pelagians maintained the contrary. The Church aflerts abfolute Predejlination : but they denied that there is any fuch Thing. The Church holds a Trinity of Divine Per fens : to which thofe Men faid, Nay. The Church affirms the Ultimate Perfeverance of the Elect : the above Arians would not allow of it at all. The Church declares, that no Man upon Earth is free from Sin : but thofe very Free-will Arians, againft whom Arch-Deacon Pbilpot dif- putes in the faid Apology, maintained, That " Men might " fo. without Sin, as well as Chrijl{d)" The Church teaches her Children to fay, Lord, have Mercy upon Us Miferable Sinners : But thefe identical Arian Free-willers " Objected againft that Suffrage ; for they faid, they uery : Would not any body almoft imagine, that, in all the above Refpe&s (the Article, concerning the Trinity, alone excepted), thefe Free-will Arians were defigned as Types, Figures, Fore- runners, and prophetic Images, of MefTrs. Wesley, SelloNj and their AfTociates ? Never, furely, was there zjlronger likenefs, in all the Features but one ! — 4. The felf-fame Slander againft Predejlination and Perfeverance, which was raifed by thofe Arians, is (almoft in the felf-fame Words) alledged by the acrimonious Arminians laft mentioned. The Arian flander, urged againft the " Do&rine received " in King Edward's Days", was, Let M:n do what " they id) Strype's Ecclef Mem, Vol. III. p. 261. (e) Strype, Ibid, (/) Strype, Ibid, 450 THE JUDGMENT OF " they will, it is not material, if they be Predominate." And what fays Mr John Wefcy P " The Elecl Jhall bejaved, " do what they will." Behold, how Brethren jump together ! — ^.MrPhilpot, the martyred Arch- Deacon, was traduced, by the faid Arians, as an Antinomian, becaufe he maintained that " Honefl Pajlime was no Synne", if properly timed, and temperately indulged : fuch as " Shooting, Bowling, Hawking, and such like'. — — 6. Juftly, therefore, did that pious and learned Martyr brand the faid Freewill-Arian-Perfectionists (and, by the fame Rule, juftly may their modern Succejfors be branded) on account of "their temerarious and rash Judgement, for condemning Men ufing Things indif- ferent^* So much for the excellent Mr Philpot; who mail now take his leave of the Reader, with this fhort, but weighty Obfervation : Such is the Omnipotencye of owre God, that He M can and doth make, to His Elect, Sour, Sweet, and * 6 Mifery, Felicity (g)." Mr Richard Woodman was Burned, in one Fire with nine other Martyrs, at Lewes, in Snffex, July Z2» 1557- His firft Examination was before Dr Chriflopherfon, the Popifn Bifhop of Chichefer. Some Particulars, which patt- ed on that Occafion, are worthy the Reader's Attention. " Bijhop of Chichefler. Do you think that you have the Spirit of God ? " Mr Woodman. I believe verily that I have. " Bijhop of Chichefler. You boaft more than ever Paul " did, or any of the Apoftles : which is great Preemption. «* Mr Woodman. Iboajlnot in myfelf, but in the Gift of " God, as Paul did. / can prove, by Places enough, « that Paul had the Spirit of God; as I myfelf , and all God's " Elect, have. „.„ ' « Bijhop {g) Strype, Ibid. Jppend. p. J 57. THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 45I <: Bijhop ofChicheJler. How prove you that? «« Mr Woodman. No Man can believe that Jefus is the " Lord, but by the HolyGhoJl, i Cor. vii. I do believe that « Jefus Chrijl is my Redeemer, and that IJhall be favedfrom " all my Sins by his Death and Bloodjlndding j as Paul and « { all the Apojlles did, and as all faithful People ought to do : " which no Man can do, without the Spirit of God. And as " there is no Damnation to them that are in Chrijl Jefus, fo is •« there no Salvation to them that are not in Chrijl : for he t 11 that hath not the Spirit of Chrijl, is none of His. We " have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry * *' Abba, Father. The fame Spirit certify eih our Spirits, that " we are the Sons of God. Beftdes all this ; he, that be- " lieveth in God, dwelleth in God, and God in him. So, it «' is impojfible to believe in God, unlefs God dwell in us. " Dr Story [another of the Popifh Examiners]. Oh, <£ my Lord, what an Heretic is this fame ! Why hear you *' him r Send him to Prifon, to his Fellows in the Mar-> « This was done by one JOHN CLEMENT, this " Year [1556], lying a Prifoner in the King's Bench for " Religion: [whofe Declaration is] entitled, A Confef-, " fion and Protejlation of the Chrijiian Faith. In which it * { appears, the Protestants thought fit (notwithftand- * c ing the Condemnation and Burning of Cranmer, Ridley, " Latimer, Hooper, Rogers, Saunders, Bradford, for He- *' retics), to own their Doctrine" [viz. the Doctrine oiCranm. Ridl. Latim. Hoop. Rog. Saund. Bradf. &c.'J as agreeable to the Word of God, and " Them as ** fuch as fealed the fame with their own Blood. This " Confession may be looked upon as an Account of *' the Belief of the Professors" [t. e. of the Pro-. ). It (/) Ibid. Jppeni. No. LXI. from p. 210, to 225. THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 459 It obferves, toward the Beginning, the manifold fub„ tlety of Satan in corrupting the Human Mind from the Glorious Gofpel of the Bleffed God : " Some denyinge w the Doctrine of Gode's firm Predestination and « free Election in Jefus Chrifte ; which is the very C{ Certayntie of our Salvation. — —And as he" [i. e. the Devil] «' hathe caufed them to denye nil thefe Thinges, ** even fo hathe he made them to affirm many madde " and foolish Fantasyes, whiche the Worde of God *' dothe utterlye condempne: as Free-will, Man's « Righteousness, and Justifying of Workes; « withe dyvers fuche lyke ; to the great Difhonoure of « God, to the Obfcuringe of his Glorye, theDarkeninge " ofhisTruthe,tothegreatDefacyngeofChriftesDeathe; " yea to the utter Deftru&ion of many a fimple Soule, that «« cannot fhyfte from thefe fubtyll fleyghtes of Satan, ex- ** cepte the Lorde fhewe his great Mercye upon them. — " I do undoubtedlye beleve in God the Holy Ghofte, who «* is the Lorde and Gever of Lyfe, and the San&ifier of *• all Godes Elect. Furthermore, I do confefTe, and " undoubtedlye beleve, that I, and every lyvely Member " of this Catholyke Church, is and fhall be Redeemed, " Juftified, and Saved, oneley and solye by the Free « 4 Grace and mere Mercye of God in Jefus Chrifte, ** thoroughe his mofte precyious Deathe and Bloudfhead- «' din^e : and in no Part by or for any of our owne good «' Workes, Merites, or Deferving?, that we can do or de- c; ferve. Notwithftandinge, I con fefle, that all Men ought, < s and are bownde by the Worde of God, to doe good " Workes, and toknowe and kepe God's Commandmentes: «' yet not to deferve any Part of our Salvations thereby; " but to fhewe their Obedience to God, and theFrutes of 44 Faythe unto the Worlde. — — rAnd this Salvation, Re- »* demption, and Juftification, is apprehended or receaved " of Us, by the onely Fait he in Jefus Chrifte : in that ** Sence and Meanynge, as is declared in the Homilye of " Juftification, which was appoynted to be reade in the g g 2 B* peculiar 4 6o THE JUDGMENT OF 44 peculiar Churche of Englande, in good Kynge Edward's 44 Dayes the Syxte. Which Homilye, with all the 44 reaste, then fet furthe by his Authoritie, I do af- 4k flrme and beleve to be a true, holefome, and godlyc * : Do&ryne for all Chryftian Men to beleve, obferve, 41 kepe, and folowe. 44 Alfo, I do beleve and confefTe, that the laft Boke, 44 which was geven to the Churche of Englande by the 44 Authoritie of good Kynge Edwarde the Syxte and the 44 whole Parliament, contayninge the Manor and Four m e 44 of COMMON PRAYER, and Miniftration of the 44 blefled Sacramentes in the Churche of Englande ; ought 44 to have been receaved with all Readynes of Mynde, and 44 Thankfullnes of Harte. Alfo I do accepte, be- 44 lieve, and alowe, for a very Truthe, all the godlye 44 ARTICLES that were agreed upon in the Convo- 4 ' cation-Houfe, and publiftied by the Kynges Majeftie? 44 Authoritie (Imeane, Kynge Edwarde the Syxte), in the 44 laft Yeare of his moft gracyous Reigne. 44 I doe confelTe and beleve, that Adam, by his Fall, 44 Lost, from himfelf and all his Pofterity, all the 44 Freedome, Choyce, and Power of Man's Will 44 to doe Good : fo that ALL the WILL and Imagina- 44 tions of Mannes Harte is onelye to EVIL, and al- * 4 together fubjecl: to Synne, and bonde and cap- 44 tyve to all Manner of Wickednes. So that it can. 44 not once thinke a cood Thought, much lefTe 44 then doe any good Deede, as of his owne Worke, plea- 44 faunte and acceptable in the Syght of God, untill fuche 44 Tyme as the fame" [i. e. untill fuch Time as the IViW] "be regenerate by the Holy Ghofte. — ■ 44 Untill the Spirite of Regeneration be given us of God, 44 we can neither will, doe, speake, nor thinke, 44 any good Thynge that is acceptable in His Sight. — — « 44 As a Man that is deade cannot raife up himfelfe, or 44 worke anye Thynge towards his Refurrection ; 44 or he that is not, worke towardes his Creation ; even fo THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 461 " Co the naturall Man cannot worke any Thynge towardes " his Regeneration. As a Bodye, without the Soule, can- " not move but downewardes ; fo the Soule of Man, with- " out the Spirite of Chrifte, cannot lyfte up himfelfe. V He muft be borne agayne, to doe the Workes that ** be fpirituall and holye. And by Ourfelves we cannot " be regenerate by any Meancs : for it is onlye the Worke " of God. To whom let us praye, with David, that He " will take away our Stonye Hartes, and create in Us " new Hartes, by the mighty Operations of His Holye " Spirite. " I do acknowledge, confefle, and undoubtedlye be- " leve, that God, our Eternal Father fwhofe Power is " incomprehenfible, whofe Wifdome is infinite, and his u Judgements unfearchable) hath, onelye of his greate '* aboundant Mercye, and free Goodnesse, andFA- " voure, in Jefus Chrifte, ordeyned, predestina- " ted, elected, and appoynted, before the Foun- " dation of the Worlde was layd, an innumerable Mul- '* titude of y/^w's Porter i tie, to be faved from their Synnes " thoroughe the Merites of Chriftes Deathe and Bloud- ** fheaddinge onelye ; and to be (thoroughe Chrift) his '* adopted Sonnes, and Heres of his everlaftingKin»dome " in Whom his great Mercye fhal be magnified forever : " of which mofte happye Number, my fyrme Faith and " ftedfaft Beleve is, that I, althoughe unworthye, am •• One; onelye throughe the Mercye of God in Jefus " Chrifte our Lorde and Savyour. «* And I beleve, and am furely certified, by the Tefti- " monye of Godes good Spirite, and the unfallyble Truthe <* of his mod holye Worde, that neither I, nor any of " thefehis Chosen Children, fhallFYNALLYE peri she, " or be dampned: althoughe we All (if God mould entre " into Judgement with us, according to our Dedes) have «« juftly deferved it. But fuche is Godes greate Mercye *' towardes us, for our Lorde Jefus Chriftes fake, that * c our Synnes ffralj never be imputed unto us. We arc f? g 3 " a!! 462 THE JUDGMENT OF " all gcven to Chrifte to kepe, who will lose none of " us: neither can any Thinge pluck us furthe of his «' Handes, or separate us from Him. He hathe maryed " us unto Him by Faythc, and made us His pure Spoufe " without Spot or Wrincle in his Sight, and will never " be devorced from us. He hathe taken from us all t( our Synnes, Myferies, and Infirmities ; and hathe put tc them upon Himfelfe : and hathe clothed us with " HIS Righteousnes, and enriched us with His Merites, " and Mercyes, and mofte lovinge Benefites. And He " hathe not onelye done all this, and much more, for us ; " but alfo, of His greate Mercye, Love, and Kyndnes, nor good Will> to do it ? " And THE MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 463 " And this mode heavenlye, true, and comfortable " Doctrine dothe not bringe with it a flefhelye, idell, car- V nail, and carelefs Lyfe, as fome Men unjuftlye doe re- H port of it: whofe Eyes God open, and pardon their Ig- " norance and rafhe Judgementes. But rather it dothe " mayntayne and bringe with it all true Godlynes, and *' ChriftianPuritie of Lyfe, with mode earnefte Thanke- " fullnes of Harte, in Refpedte of Godcs greate Mercye " and lovynge Kyndnes onlye. " As for Reprobation, I have nothinge to faye of it : for " Sainte Paul faythe, What have ive to doe with Them that " are without? The Lorde encreafe our Faythe and true " Feelynnge of our Election. Notwithftanding, *' as" [the Gofpel] " is unto fome the Savor of Lyfe unto " Lyfe ; even fo is it, unto Other fome, the Savor ofDEAi h " unto Death: as Chrifte Himfelfeis, unto fome, a Rocke f? to ryse bye; and, to Other fome, a Stone to stum- " ble at." Thus Believed the Primitive Members of the Church of England. Thus held, and thus taught, thofe P;o- teftant Worthys, who, when the Truths of God were at Stake, loved not their Lives, unto Death. Let me once more obferve (the Remarks are very im- portant, or 1 would not repeat them), That, by the Ac- knowledgement even of Mr Stryfe himfelf, 1. This Con- feffion of Faith was drawn up by Mr Clement, at the Defire of the Imprifon'd Protcftants in general : — 2. That it was a Declaration of their Common Belief: — 3. That ** Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer \ Hooper, Rogers, Saunders, and the Shame and Perfecution in this I* Lyfe, for evyll doynge ; yet hathe he (of His greate if, Mercye in Jefus Chrifte, according to His owne good H Will and Purpose) dealte more mercvfullye with tc me: as to geve me this Grace and Favor in his Sight, " that I (ball fuffie Perfecution of the Wicked, with His if Elect People, for theTeftymonyeof His Truthe(^)." This was Dated in April, 1556. The good Man did not long furvive. It was one of the laft Services, which he rendered to the Church of God. He fuppofed, at the Time of his Writing the above, that He fhould very fpecdily be, literally, a Burnt-Offering to Chrift : and he was ready to become fo. But God had determined other- wife, His " Burning was prevented, by his Death in Pri- \\ fon : and he was buryed at the back Side of the King's f Bench, ir> a Dunghill, June 25, [1556], Where, two |f Days before, one Adheral was Buried, who lilcewife " died in the fame Prifon, 4nd in the fame Caufe. And, " in (4} swt^.i-p. 223. THE" MARTYRS CONCLUDED. 465 *ft in the fame Prifon and Caufe, five Days after, died *< John Careless : who was contumelioufly buried where * v the two Others were (r)." Precious y in the Sight of the Lord, is the Death of his Saints. THUS have I given a Sample (and 'tis but a Sample) of thofe authentic Atteftations, which our Martyrs bore, to the Doctrines of the Church of England. And, even from thefe Inftances, 'tis manifeft, that Thofe of our prefent Clergy and Laity, who have fallen in with Arminian\fm y have palpably revolted from thofe Grand Truths for which our Martyrs bled, and which our Church ftill continues f o afiert in her Liturgy, Articles, and Homilys. Nor was the Belief of the Calviniftic Principles confined to our Bifliops, Clergymen, and Martyrs only. It was common to the main Body of Proteftants : i. e. to All who were not open, profefied DifTenters from the Church. The Norfolk and Suffolk Supplication, addreffed to Queen Marys Commifiioners, may ferve for one Inftance. In it, the Pro- teftants of thofe Counties term the late King Edward " A *' moft Noble, Virtuous, and Innocent King ; a very " Saint of God:" adding, that "The Religion, fef " forth by Him, is fuch, as every Chriftian Man is bound " to confefs to be the Truth of God." Again : " We *' certainly know, that the Whole Religion, fet out by