king?" 1 Sam. xviii. 23. A greater honour was done to your first ancestor, who was son to a king, namely, to Harding king of Denmark, whence Fitz-Harding, your most ancient surname. But labour, Sir, for a higher honour than both; even to be led by God's Spirit, and then you shall be, even in the language of the apostle himself, Fitz-Dieu, A SON OF Gov, Rom. viii. 14. Now, as your eminent bounty unto me may justly challenge the choicest of my best endeavours, so the particular motive inducing me to dedicate this Book to your Honour, is, because it containeth the reign of queen Elizabeth, to whom you are so nearly related; whose grandmother proved her heir by Anne Boleyn her mother. In which capacity some of that queen's (or rather the lady Elizabeth's) movables and jewels, which were her mother's, descended unto her. You may therefore challenge an interest most properly in this part of my History. * And now, what remaineth but my humble and hearty prayers to the Divine Majesty for his blessing on your self, and on your hopeful issue, that God would plentifully pour all his favours of this and a better life upon them? Suspect me not, Sir, for omitting, because not expressing, your noble consort. We find in the fourth commandment," Thou, and thy son, and thy daughter," &c. where divines render this reason why the wife is not mentioned, because the same person with the husband. On which account, your second self is effectually included within the daily devotions of Your bounden orator, THOMAS FULLER. * The heir-general of George Carey lord Hunsdon, whose grand mother Mary was second sister to Anne Boleyn. THE CHURCH HISTORY OF BRITAIN. BOOK IX. SECTION I. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 1. Her slow but sure Pace of Reformation. A. D. 1558. 1 Elizabeth. FOR the first six weeks, the queen and her wise Council suffered matters to stand in their former state, without the least change; as yet not altering, but consulting what should be altered. Thus. our Saviour himself coming into the temple, and finding it profaned with sacrilege, when he looked round about upon all things, departed for that evening, Mark xi. 11; contenting himself with the survey of what was amiss, and deferring the reformation thereof till the next morning. But on the 1st of January following,* being Sunday, (the best new-year's gift that ever was bestowed on England,) by virtue of the queen's proclamation, the Litany was read in English, with Epistles, and Gospels, in all churches of London, as it was formerly in her Grace's own chapel, 2. The Forwardness of private Men in public Reformation variously censured. But some violent spirits, impatient to attend the leisure (by them counted the laziness) of authority, fell beforehand to the beatingdown of superstitious pictures and images, and their forward zeal met with many to applaud it. For idolatry is not to be permitted a moment; the first minute is the fittest to abolish it. All that have power have right to destroy it, by that grand charter of religion whereby every one is bound to advance God's glory. And if sove HOLINSHED first year of queen Elizabeth, page 1172, reigns forget, no reason but subjects should remember their duty.* But others condemned their indiscretion herein: for though they might reform their private persons and families, and refrain to communicate in any outward act, contrary to God's word, yet public reformation belonged to the magistrate, and a good deed was by them ill done for want of a calling to do it. However, the papists have no cause to tax them with over-forwardness in this kind; the like being done by them in the beginning of queen Mary's reign, whilst the laws of king Edward VI. stood as yet in full force, when they prevented authority, as hath been formerly observed; thus, those who are hungry, and have meat afore them, will hardly be kept from eating, though grace be not said, and leave given them by their superiors. 3. The Letter from the English Church at Geneva to those at Frankfort, about Accommodation in Ceremonies, comes too late. Now the tidings of queen Elizabeth's peaceable coming to the crown was no sooner brought beyond the seas, but it filled the English exiles with unspeakable gladness, being instantly at home in their hearts, and not long after with their bodies. I knew one right well, whose father, amongst them, being desperately diseased, was presently and perfectly cured with the cordial of this good news; and no wonder if this queen recovered sick men, which revived religion itself. Now the English church at Geneva, being the greatest opposer of ceremonies, sent their letter by William Ceth, to all other English congregations in Germany, and especially to those of Frankfort, congratulating their present deliverance, condoling their former discords, counselling and requesting" that all offences heretofore given or taken might be forgiven and forgotten, and that, for the future, they might no more fall out about superfluous ceremonies." But this letter came too late, because the principal persons concerned in that controversy, with whom they sought a charitable reconciliation, were departed from Frankfort, (I think, towards England,) before the messenger arrived; and so the motion * Heylin calls this "our author's master-piece, and a fair ground-work for the seditious and rebellious for the times ensuing." In his defence, Fuller replies: "The Animadverter hath dealt most unfairly with me, in citing by the halves what I have written, and leaving out what immediately followed, and what he ought to have inserted. I appeal to such who knew me in the university, to those that have heard my many sermons on this subject in London, and elsewhere, but especially to my book called Truth maintained, made against Mr. Saltmarsh, wherein I have heartily, largely, and to my power strongly vindicated, Non licet populo, renuente magistratu, reformationem moliri,” "It is not lawful for the people, on the refusal of the magistrates, to attempt a reformation."-Edit. + See cent. xvi. in this volume, pages 375, 377, 401. 1 It was dated December 15th, but not received till about January 2nd. See “the Troubles at Frankfort," page 162. missed to take effect. Some suppose, had it come in season, it might have prevailed much, that both parties, in gratitude to God, would, in a bone-fire of their general joy, have burned this unhappy bone of dissension cast betwixt them. Others, considering the distance of their principles and difference of their spirits, conceive such an agreement neither could be wrought, nor would be kept betwixt them. For it is the property of cold to congregate together things of different kinds; and if the winter of want, pinching them all with poverty, could not freeze their affections together, less likely was it that the warmth of wealth, in their native soil, would conjoin them in amity, but rather widen them further asunder; as, indeed, it came to pass. For as the rivers of Danubius and Savus in Hungary, though running in the same channel, yet for many miles keep different streams visible in their party-coloured waters, which do rather touch than unite; yea, the fishes peculiar to one stream are not found in another; so these opposite parties, returning home, though concurring in doctrine under the general notion of protestants, were so reserved in several disciplines to themselves with their private favourites and followers, that they wanted that comfortable communion which some hoped and all wished would be amongst them; till at last they broke out into doleful and dangerous opposition, whereat all papists clap, and protestants wring their hands, which our fathers found begun, ourselves see heightened, and know not whether our children shall behold them pacified and appeased. 4. Alteration of Religion enacted by the Parliament. But now a parliament began at Westminster, January 25th; wherein the laws of king Henry VIII. against the see of Rome were renewed, and those of king Edward VI. in favour of the protestants revived, and the laws by queen Mary, made against them, repealed. Uniformity of prayer and administration of sacraments was enacted, with a restitution of first-fruits, tenths, &c. to the crown for all which we remit the reader to "the Statutes at large." It was also enacted, "that whatsoever jurisdictions, privileges, and spiritual pre-eminences, had been heretofore in use by any ecclesiastical authority whatsoever, to visit ecclesiastical men, and correct all manner of errors, heresies, schisms, abuses, and enormities, should be for ever annexed to the imperial crown of England; if the queen and her successors might by their letters patents substitute certain men to exercise that authority; howbeit with proviso, that they should define nothing to be heresy, but those things which were long before defined to be heresies, out of the sacred canonical Scriptures, or of the four oecumenical councils, or other councils, by the true and proper sense of the Holy Scriptures, or should thereafter be so defined by authority of the parliament, with assent of the clergy of England assembled in a synod. That vall and every ecclesiastical persons, magistrates, receivers of pensions out of the exchequer, such as were to receive degrees in the universities, wards that were to sue their liveries, and to be invested in their livings; and such as were to be admitted into the number of the queen's servants, &c. should be tied by oath to acknowledge the queen's majesty to be the only and supreme governor of her kingdoms," (the title of Supreme Head "of the church of England," liked them not,)" in all matters and causes, as well spiritual as - temporal, all foreign princes and protestants being quite excluded from taking cognizance of causes within her dominions." 5. Papists' Exceptions against the Queen's Supremacy. 5. But the papists found themselves much aggrieved at this ecclesiastical power, declared and confirmed to be in the queen. They complained that the simplicity of poor people was abused, the queen declining the title "Head," and assuming the name "Governor of the Church;" which, though less offensive, was more expressive. So, whilst their ears were favoured in her waving the word, their souls were deceived with the same sense under another expression. They cavilled how king Henry VIII. was qualified for that place and power, being a layman; king Edward double debarred for the present, being a laychild; queen Elizabeth totally excluded for the future, being a laywoman.† They object also, that the very writers of the "Centuries," though protestants, condemn such “headship of the church" in princes; and Calvin, more particularly, sharply taxeth bishop Gardiner for allowing the same privilege to king Henry VIII.§ 6. The same, how defended by Protestant Divines. Yet nothing was granted to the queen, or taken by her, but what in due belonged unto her, according as the most learned and moderate divines have defended it. For, first, they acknowledged that Christ alone is the Supreme Sovereign of the church,|| performing the duty of a head unto it, by giving it power of life, feeling, and moving; and him hath God appointed to be "head of the church," Ephes. i. 22; and" by him all the body furnished, and knit together, by joints and bands, increaseth with the increasing of God," Col. ii. 19. This headship cannot stand on any mortal shoulders, it being as incommu SANDERS De Schismate Anglicano, lib. iii. page 316. RAINOLDS against Hart, page 38. |