TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, AND HIS RIGHT Most reverend father in God, there is no one thing in this world, that of men truly zealous and christian in these latter days of the world with greater earnestness hath been desired, than that by a joint and common consent of all the churches rightly, and according to the canons of the sacred scriptures, reformed, there might be a draught made and divulged, containing and expressing the sum and substance of that religion, which they do all both concordably teach and uniformly maintain. Cranmer. That holy man (of happy remembrance) D. Cranmer, who Archbishop sometime enjoyed that room in our church which your grace now worthily possesseth, in the days of that most godly young prince, king Edward the Sixth, employed a great part of his time and study for the effecting of that work; and imparted. his thoughts with the most principal persons, and of rarest note in those days for their wisdom, piety, and credit, among the people of God throughout Christendom. M. Calvin, understanding of his intent, addressed his letters unto the said archbishop, and offered his service, saying, "That, might his labours stand the church instead, Ne decem quidem maria, it would not grieve him to sail over ten seas to such a purpose." 2. doctrine in reformed. But, this proving a work of much difficulty, if not Unity of altogether unpossible in men's3 eyes, especially in those days, all churches to be brought about; the next course and resolution was, that every kingdom and free state, or principality, which had [Bancroft. He succeeded Whitgift as Primate. Seo Soames's Elizabethan Rel. Hist. p. 604. n.] [2 Quantum ad me attinet, si quis mei usus fore videbitur, ne decem quidem maria, si opus sit, ob cam rem trajicere pigeat.-Calv. Epist. p. 100. Genev. 1576.] [3 man's, 1607.] abandoned the superstitious and antichristian religion of the church of Rome, and embraced the gospel of Christ, should divulge a brief of that religion, which among themselves was taught and believed, and whereby, through the mercy of God in Christ, they did hope to be saved: which to God his great glory and the singular benefit and comfort of all churches, both present and to come (as the extant Harmony' of all their confessions doth most sweetly record), with no great labour was notably performed. This work of theirs told the churches in those days, and doth us, and will inform our posterity, that not only in every particular state and kingdom, but also throughout Christendom where the gospel was entertained, the primitive and apostolical days of the church were again restored. For the multitudes of them that did believe (I speak both jointly of Abinitio Re- all, and severally of each reformed people, not of every parardebant ticular person, fantastic, false apostles, and perverse teachers or verdi professors in any church, who were not wanting even in the nes politici, apostles' days) touching the main and fundamental points of true religion were then of one heart and of one soul, and did Euch. p. 49. think and speak one thing, and live in peace". formationis amore veritatis omnes ecclesiastici, plebei. Jezler. de diutur. belli Unity of doctrine in the church of Eng. in K. Ed. 6. his days. An. 1552. 3. Tho said archbishop (for unto whom better, after God and the king, can we ascribe the glory of this worthy act?) he wrought this unity and uniformity of doctrine in this kingdom in the halcyon days of our English Josias, K. Edward the Sixth of that name: and the same doctrine, so by his means established in the time of peace (a notable work of peace), like a manly, heroical, and heavenly captain, under our general Jesus Christ, he resolutely, even with his heartblood and in the fiery torments, afterwards confirmed in the days of persecution. A certain learned man, speaking of the religion here then professed, and writing unto the lords of our late queen's council, doth say, "He" (meaning the papist his adversary, who charged our church with discord and disagreements [This work was published at Geneva in the year 1581, and was entitled "Harmonia Confessionum Fidei Orthodoxarum et Reformatarum Ecclesiarum, quæ in præcipius quibusque Europa Regnis, Nationibus et Provinciis, sacram Evangelii doctrinam pure profitentur, &c." For an account of it, see Niemeyer. Collect. Conf. Præf. Lips. 1840. An English Translation appeared in 1586.] about matters of religion) "he ought" (saith he), "if he had been able, to have brought out the public confession and arti cles of faith, agreed in K. Edward's time; and have shewed any K. Edward 6. in England, that, professing the gospel, dissenteth from the same." So esteemed he (and with him many thousands of learned and judicious men) of the doctrine then ratified by authority, and professed in this kingdom. But those days of our church's peace continued not long Q. Mary. (through our unthankfulness and sins); neither on the other side was our persecution permanent (through the goodness of God,) though for the time exceeding vehement and violent. For, nubecula fuit, et cito transiit, it vanished away quickly, as do many raging storms, even upon the sudden; yet not through the power of gunpowder and treasons, but through the force of ardent prayers unto the Almighty. For, Arma ecclesiæ preces. of the per: for the re of 4. We find that M. Latimer (that sacred and reverend The prayers father) addicted himself very seriously in those days unto the secuted saints exercise of prayer: and his principal and most usual prayers dreigon were, first, for himself; next, for the afflicted church of Eng-h land; and lastly, for lady Elizabeth, the deceased K. Edward's and queen Mary's sister. into the For himself he prayed that, as God had made him a mi- F. Latimer. nister and preacher of his truth, so he might constantly bear witness unto the same, and have the grace and power to maintain it in the face of the world, even till the hour of his death. For the church of England he prayed, that God would be pleased once again to restore the free preaching of the gospel to this realm; and this with all possible fervency of spirit he craved at the hands of God. And for lady Elizabeth, that he would preserve and make her a comfort to his then comfortless people in England. And the Almighty and our heavenly Father both heard and granted all and every of his petitions. hurst. M. Gualter (that learned, painful, and excellent divine at Tigure), dedicating his holy and christian Comments upon the Lesser Prophets unto D. Parkhurst, bishop of Norwich (who Br. Parkin the days of the forementioned queen Mary voluntarily had exiled himself so far as Switzerland, for his preservation, if it might be, unto better times), saith of the said Parkhurst that, when he lived in Tigure, lady Elizabeth was ever in his Q. Elizab. True doc trine restored an. 1558, and an uniformity of the same established, and published, an. 1562. An. 1502. Arch. mouth: her faith, her wisdom, her magnanimous spirit, her virgineous and chaste behaviour, he would ever celebrate with high words and commendations; and that God would guard and safeguard her person for the good of his people, was his daily prayer: yea (saith the same Gualter), orabant idem tecum pii omnes, "it was not your prayer only, but all God's people so prayed besides." And their prayers were not made in vain. For both queen Mary lived not long; and L. Elizabeth was placed in the royal throne; superstition was expulsed, and true religion again, to the singular comfort and multiplication of God's people in this kingdom, very solemnly restored. This 5. Notwithstanding an uniformity of doctrine to be taught, embraced, and professed, by authority of the prince and state, was not published till certain years after the queen's attaining the kingly diadem; but then Articles of Religion, to the number of thirty-nine, drawn yet three years afore, were commended to the consideration and perusal of the whole clergy of both provinces in an orderly and lawful assembly or convocation of theirs at London; and by a sweet and unanimous readiness thereupon by them allowed. was effected in the year of our Lord 1562, the same year that the merciless massacre at Vassey in France was committed by the duke of Guise, and the same very time also that all the protestants in that country of France, for holding and professing the same doctrine, were sentenced unto death and destruction by the parliament at Paris; after which their condemnation ensued those horrible and more than savage murders and slaughters of the religious, and only for their religion, at Carrascone, at Tholouse, Amiens, Tours, Sens, Agen, Aurane, and many other cities, towns, and villages throughout France. A principal contriver of this uniformity in religion, and thereby unity among us, was another predecessor of your grace's, even D. Parker, the first archbishop of Canterbury in the said queen's days. [ IIwc (sc. Elizabetha) tibi semper in ore erat; illius fidem, prudentiam, fortitudinem, pudicitiam semper prædicare, utque hanc nobis Dominus incolumem servaret, assidue precari solebas. Orabant idem tecum, &c.-Rod. Gualter. Hom. in Proph. Min. Epist. nuncup. in Hos. Proph. ad fin. Tigur. 1572.] [2 This religion, 1607.] Hereupon wrote Beza3 from Geneva, Doctrinæ puritas viget in Anglia pure et sincere"; "Religion flourisheth in England:" Zanchius, from Strasborough, Per hanc reginam factam; "By her" (meaning queen Elizabeth's) “coming to the crown, God again hath restored his doctrine and true worship" and Danæus, "The whole compass of the world hath never seen anything more blessed, nor more to be wished, than is her government." For So now again flourished those apostolical times (as I may say) of unity and uniformity of doctrine in our church. then were there no contentions, nor dissensions, nor thorny and pricking disputations among us, about questions of religion; tantum res nobis fuit cum satellitibus quibusdam pontificiiss (as bishop Jewel said), "we then skirmished only with the papists." As it was with the building of Solomon's temple, so was it with us then we set upon the building of God's house (which is his church) without deane, without noise and stirs. The adversaries without heard us, and heard of our doings abroad by the pens of the learned Jewel, Nowel, Calfhill, and such other architects of ours: to ourselves we were comely as Jerusalem, to our enemies "terrible as an army of banners." required book of Art. 6. Also what afore, viz. an. 627, they had agreed upon, Subscription the same at another assembly at London, an. 71, and the unto the 13 of Q. Elizabeth, according to an act of parliament then an. 1571. made, the said clergy of England (the archbishops and bishops first beginning, and giving the example), ly their several subscriptions with their own hands, most readily did prove. Howbeit in the year next ensuing, scil. an. 72, (a year An. 1872. many ways memorable, especially for the great and general massacre of above an hundred thousand protestants in France, [3 Hereupon Beza, &c. 1607.] [4 .... in eo regno.... ubi puritas doctrinæ vigeat.-Bez. Epist. x. p. 101. Genev. 1575. The editor has been unable to verify the references to Zanchius and Danæus.] [5 See Zurich Letters. First Series. Park. Soc. Ed. Epist. LVI.] [6 Din, later editions.] [ In the year 1562, later editions.] [8 The Act for Ministers of the Church to be of sound Religion enjoins subscription to the Articles, "comprised in a book imprinted, intituled Articles whereupon, &c.”—Lamb's Hist. Account, 26. See also Fuller's Ch. Ilist. Bk. 1x. § 55. p. 72. Lond. 1655.] |