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

Next year [1540] happened the fall of lord Cromwel, one of the great pillars of the reformation. He had been lately constituted the King's vicegerent in ecclesiastical affairs, and made a speech in parliament April 12th, under that character. On the 14th of April the King created him Earl of Essex, and knight of the garter; but within two months he was arrested at the council table for high treason, and sent to the Tower, and on the 28th of July was beheaded by virtue of a bill of attainder, without being brought to a trial, or once allowed to speak for himself. He was accused of executing certain orders and directions, for which he had very probably the King's warrant, and therefore was

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

In this year 16 men and 15 women were banished for opposing infant baptism: They went to Delf in Holland, and were there prosecu ted and put to death, as Anabaptists; the men being beheaded, and the women drowned. Among other injunctions issued out in 1539, was one against those who embraced the opinions, or possessed books containing the opinions of Sacramentarians and Anabaptists. Crosby, b. i. p. 42.

But the true cause of his

not admitted to make answer. fall* was the share he had in the King's marriage with the lady Anne of Cleves, whom his Majesty took an aversion to as soon as he saw her, and therefore determined to shew his resentments against the promoters of it; but his Majesty soon after lamented the loss of his honest and faithful servant when it was too late.

Two days after the death of Cromwel there was a very odd execution of Protestants and Papists at the same time and place. The Protestants were Dr. Barnes, Mr. Gerrard, and Mr. Jerome, all clergymen and Lutherans; they were sent to the Tower for offensive sermons preached at theSpittle in the Easter week, and were attainted of heresy by the parliament without being brought to a hearing. Four papists (viz.) Gregory Buttolph, Adam Damplin, Edmund Brindholm, and Clement Philpot, were by the same act attainted for denying the King's supremacy, and adhering to

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

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

It may be observed, that these two passages stand in a very voluminous work, at a great distance from one another, so that the apparent inconsistency might escape the Bishop's notice; while his remark in the first can have little force, when applied to the conduct of a prince so capricious and fluctuating in his attachments as was Henry VIII. and who soon grew disgusted with his Queen. It is with no propriety that Mr. Neal's accuracy and fidelity are, in this instance, impeached: it justifies his representation, that nearly the same is given by Fuller in his Church History, b. v. p. 231-" Match-makers, says he, betwixt "private persons seldom find great love for their pains; betwixt prin"ces, often fall into danger, as here it proved in the lord Cromwel, the "grand contriver of the King's marriage with Anne of Cleves."

The cause of Cromwel's disgrace is more fully and judiciously investigated by Dr. Warner, in his Ecclesiastical Hist. v. ii. p. 197, 8. ED.

the bishop of Rome. The Protestants were burnt, and the Papists hanged: The former cleared themselves of heresy by rehearsing the articles of their faith at the stake, and died with great devotion and piety; and the latter, though grieved to be drawn in the same hurdle with them they accounted heretics, declared their hearty forgiveness of all

their enemies.

About this time [1543] was published a very remarkable treatise,called a necessary Erudition for a Christian Man. It was drawn up by a committee of bishops and divines, and was afterwards read and approved by the lords spiritual and temporal, and the lower house of parliament. A great part of it was corrected by the King's own hand, and the whole was published by his order, with a preface in the name of King Henry VIII. dedicated to all his faithful subjects. It was called the King's Book, and was designed for a standard of Christian belief. The reader therefore will judge by the abstract below, of the sentiments of our first reformers in sundry points of doctrine and discipline:* which

† Burnet's Hist. Ref. vol. i. p. 286.

* It begins with a description of FAITH," of which (says the book) "there are two acceptations. (1) It is sometimes taken for a belief or "persuasion wrought by God in men's hearts, whereby they assent and "take for true all the words and sayings of God revealed in Scripture. "This faith, if it proceeds no further, is but a dead faith. (2) Faith "is sometimes considered in conjunction with hope and charity, and so "it signifies a sure confidence and hope to obtain whatsovever God has "promised for Christ's sake, and is accompanied with a hearty love to "God, and obedience to his commands. This is a lively and effectual "faith, and is the perfect faith of a Christian. It is by this faith that we "are justified, as it is joined with hope and charity, and includes an obe"dience to the whole doctrine and religion of Christ. But whether there be any special particular knowledge, whereby men may be certain and "assured that they are among the prædestinate, which shall to the end "persevere in their calling, we cannot find either in the scriptures or doc"tors; the promises of God being conditional, so that though his promise stands, we may fail of the blessing for want of fulfilling our obligation. After the chapter of faith follows an excellent paraphrase on the 12 articles of the creed, the Lord's prayer, the Ave Maria, or the salutation of the angel to the blessed virgin, and the ten commandments; and here the second commandment is shortened, the words for I the Lord thy, God, &e being left out, and only those that go before set down. Images are said to be profitable.to stir up the mind to emulation, though we may not give them godly honor; nevertheless censing and kneeling before them is allowed. Invocation of saints as intercessors is declared

then constituted the established doctrine of the Church of England; For by the statute of 32d of Hen. VIII. cap. 26.

lawful; and the fourth commandment only ceremonial and obliging the Jews.

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

In the article of JUSTIFICATION it asserts, " That all the posterity of "Adam are born in original sin, and are hereby guilty of everlasting death and damnation, but that God sent his own son, being naturally "God, to take our nature and redeem us; which he could not have done but by virtue of the union of his two natures." It then speaks of a two-fold justification: "The first is upon our believing, and is obtained "by repentance, and a lively faith in the passion and merits of our blessed "Saviour, and joining therewith a full purpose to amend our lives for "the future. The second, or final justification at death, or the last "judgment, implies further, the exercise of all Christian graces, and a "following the motions of the spirit of God in doing good works, which "will be considered and recompensed in the day of judgment. When the "scripture speaks of justification by faith, without mentioning any other grace, it must not be understood of a naked faith, but of a lively, op"erative faith, as before described, and refers to our first justification; "thus we are justified by free grace: And whatever share good works

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may have in our final justification, they cannot derogate from the grace "of God, because all our good works come of the free mercy and grace of "God, and are done by his assistance; so that all boasting is ex"cluded.

This leads to the article of GOOD WORKS, "which are said to be ab"solutely necessary to salvation; but they are not outward corporal "works, but inward spiritual works; as the love and fear of God, pa"tience, humility, &c. Nor are they superstitious works of men's in

it is enacted, "That all decrees and ordinances which shall "be made and ordained by the archbishops, bishops, and "doctors, and shall be published with the King's advice "vention; nor only moral works done by the power of reason, and the "natural will of man, without faith in Christ; which, though they are "good in kind, do not merit everlasting life; but such outward and in"ward good works as are done by faith in Christ, out of love to God, "and in obedience to his commands; and which cannot be performed "by man's power without divine assistance. Now these are of two sorts, "(1) Such as are done by persons already justified; and these, though imperfect, are accepted for Christ's sake, and are meritorious towards "the attaining everlasting life. (2.) Other works are of an inferior sort, "as fasting, alms deeds, and other fruits of penance, which are of no "avail without faith. But after all, justification and remission of sins "is the free gift of the grace of God; and it does not derogate from "that grace to ascribe the dignity to good works abovementioned, be"cause all our good works come of the grace of God.

The chapter of PRAYER for SOULS DEPARTED, leaves the matter in suspence; "It is good and charitable to do it; but because it is not "known what condition departed souls are in, we ought only to re"commend them to the mercy of God.

In the chapter of the SACRAMENTS; "All the seven sacraments are "maintained, and in particular the corporal presence of Christ in the “Eucharist.

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

Concerning the order of DEACONS, the book says, "Their office in "the primitive church was partly to minister meat and drink, and other "necessaries to the poor, and partly to minister to the bishops and "priests. Then follows this remarkable passage, Of these two orders "only, that is to say, priests and deacons, scripture maketh express mention, and how they were conferred of the apostles by prayer and im"position of hands; but the primitive church afterwards appointed in"ferior degrees, as sub-deacons, acolytes, exorcists, &c. but lest peradven"ture it might be thought by some, that such authorities, powers, and VOL. I.

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