Page images
PDF
EPUB

facilitating the passing an Act of Parliament for the settling it, and the establishment of other things that were necessary, a publick disputation was appointed on the thirtieth of March following, to be holden in the church of Westminster in the English tongue, in the presence of as many of the Lords of the Council, and of the members of both houses, as were desirous to inform themselves in the state of the questions. The disputation was also to be managed (for the better avoiding of confusion) by a mutual interchange of writings upon every point; each writing to be answered the next day, and so from day to day till the whole were ended. To all which the Bishops at first consented, tho they would not afterwards stand to it. The questions were three, concerning prayers in the vulgar tongue, the power of the church, for the changing rites and ceremonies, and the propitiatory sacrifice of the mass for the living and the dead.

The first use that was made of Mr. Jewel after his return, was the nominating him one of the disputants for the reformed party; and tho he was the last in number and place, yet he was not the Icast either in desert or esteem, having made great

body and soul to life everlasting: The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. which being thought by Calvin and his Disciples to give some countenance to the grosse and carnal presence of Christ in the Sacrament, which passeth by the name of Transubstantiation, in the schools of Rome, was altered into this form in the second Liturgie; that is to say, Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving. Take and drink this, &c. the revisors of the book joined both forms together, lest under colour of rejecting a carnal, they might be thought also to deny such a real presence as was defended in the writings of the antient Fathers. Upon which ground they expunged also a whole rubrick," &c. &c. Heylin's Hist. of the Reformation, Part 2, p. 111, edit. 2d. Compare also Pullen's Moderation of the Church of England, p. 439, &c.

additions

additions to his former learning in his four years exile and travel: which is a great improvement to ingenious spirits. But this disputation was broken off by the popish party, who would not stand to the order appointed; so that Mr. Jewel in all probability had no occasion to shew either his zeal or learning.

The Parliament ended the eighth of May 1559; and by virtue of an Act passed in this Parliament, soon after Midsummer the Queen made a visitation of all the diocesses in England, by Commissioners for rectifying all such things as they found amiss, and could not be redressed by any ordinary episcopal power, without spending of more time than the exigencies of the church could then admit of. And this was done by a book of articles printed for that purpose; and the inquiry was made upon oath by the Commissioners. Here Mr. Jewel was taken in again, and made one of these Commissioners for the west. When he visited his own native country, which till then perhaps he had not seen since his return from exile; when also he preached to and disputed with his country-men, and indeavoured more to win them to imbrace the Reformation by good usage, civility, and reason, than to terrifie or awe them by that great authority the Queen had armed him and his fellow Commissioners with.

Returning back to London, and giving the Queen a good and satisfactory account of their visitation, the 21st of January following, Mr. Jewel who was then only Batchelor of Divinity, was consecrated Bishop of Sarisbury, which he at first modestly declined, but at last accepted, in obedience to the Queens command. This see had been void by the death of John Capon his immediate predecessor, who died in the year 1557, now near three years. And here the Divine Providence again gave him

the

the advantage in point of seniority over his tutor Mr. John Parkhurst, who was not consecrated Bishop of Norwich till the fourteenth of July after ; but then his tutor had the advantage of him in point of revenue, for Mr. Jewel's bishoprick had been miserably impoverished by his predecessor; so that he complained afterwards, that there was never a good living left him that would maintain a learned man; for (said he) the Capon has devoured all: because he hath either given away or sold all the ecclesiastical dignities and livings. So that the good Bishop was forced all his life-time after to take extraordinary pains in travelling and preaching in all parts of his diocess, which brought him to his grave the sooner: whereas his tutor had a much richer bishoprick, and consequently, more ease, and out-lived his pupil Jewel three years.

The Sunday before Easter of this year, Bishop Jewel preached at Paul's Cross, his famous Sermon upon the 1 Cor. 11. v. 23. For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread, &c. This sermon gave a fatal blow to the popish religion here in England, which was become very odious to all men, by reason of the barbarous cruelty used by those of that perswasion in the reign of Queen Mary; but the challenge which he then made, and afterwards several times and in several places repeated, was the most. stinging part of this sermon, and therefore tho I am concerned to be as short as I can, I will yet insert this famous piece at large.

"If any learned man of our adversaries, (said he) or all the learned men that be alive, be able to bring any one sufficient sentence out of any old catholick doctor, or father, or general Council, or holy scripture, or any one example in the primi

4.

tive church, whereby it may clearly and plainly be proved during the first six hundred years. 1. That there was at any time any private masses in the world. 2. Or that there was then any communion ministred unto the people under one kind. 3. Or that the people had their common-prayer in a strange tongue that the people understood not. Or that the Bishop of Rome was then called an universal Bishop, or the Head of the universal Church. 5. Or that the people were then taught to believe that Christ's body is really, substantially, corporally, carnally or naturally in the Sacrament. 6. Or that his body is or may be in a thousand places or more at one time. 7. Or that the priest did then hold up the sacrament over his head. 8. Or that the people did then fall down and worship it with godly honour. 9. Or that the sacrament was then, or now ought to be, hanged up under a canopy.

10.

Or that in the sacrament after the words of consecration, there remained only the accidents and shews without the substance of bread and wine. 11. Or, that then the priests divided the sacrament into three parts, and afterwards received himself alone. 12. Or that whosoever had said the sacrament is a figure, a pledge, a token, or a remembrance of Christ's body, had therefore been adjudged for an heretick. 13. Or that it was lawful then to have thirty, twenty, fifteen, ten, or five masses said in the same church in one day. 14. Or that images were then set up in the churches, to the intent the people might worship them. 15. Or that the laypeople were then forbidden to read the word of God in their own tongue. 16. Or that it was then lawful for the priest to pronounce the words of consecration closely, or in private to himself. 17. Or that the priest had then authority to offer up Christ unto his Father. 18. Or to communicate and receive

the

the sacrament for another, as they do. 19. Or to apply the vertue of Christs death and passion to any man by the means of the mass. 20. Or that it was then thought a sound doctrine to teach the people that mass, ex opere operato (that is, even for that it is said and done) is able to remove any part of our sin. 21. Or that any Christian man called the sacrament of the Lord, his God. 22. Or that the people were then taught to believe, that the body of Christ remaineth in the sacrament, as long as the accidents of bread and wine remain there without corruption. 23. Or that a mouse or any other worm or beast, may eat the body of Christ, (for so some of our adversaries have said and taught.) 24. Or that when Christ said, Hoc est corpus meum, the word hoc pointed not to the bread, but to an individuum vagum, as some of them say. 25. Or that the accidents, or forms, or shews of bread and wine be the sacraments of Christs body and blood, and not rather the very bread and wine itself. 26. Or that the sacrament is a sign or token of the body of Christ, that lieth hidden underneath it. 27. Or that ignorance is the mother and cause of true devotion: The conclusion is, that I shall then be content to yield and subscribe & " "This

8

[ocr errors]

• Yield and subscribe.] With this famous challenge the reader may compare the following, given, about the year 1624, by another very learned and eminent divine, Dr. Richard Mountague, afterwards Bishop of Chichester, &c.

1. "If any Papist living, or all the Papists living, can prove unto me, that the present Roman church, is eyther the Catholique church or a sound member of the Catholique church, I will subscribe.

2. If any Papist living, or all the Papists living, can prove unto me, that the present church of England is not a true member of the Catholique church, I will subscribe.

3. " If

« PreviousContinue »