WAR HAM, lution to menace the government. For he makes no scruple to Abp. Cant. say, that unless there were liberty granted to declaim against Id. p. 301. the Church, the king would be in danger of losing his crown. The supplicator advances in his singularities, and declares against founding of hospitals for the support of the poor. Instead of this common method of charity, he pretends to lay down a more serviceable project. The most effectual relief for the beggars is, to put the Church under contribution, and strip P. 302. the clergy of all their estates. And to make this expedient go down the better, he tells the king the clergy are bound to manual labour, and to maintain themselves by the sweat of Id. p. 303. their faces. This declaiming against the clergy, is exactly the doctrine of the Lollards, and has been already considered. Id. See my Ch. Hist. vol. iii. p. 359 The supplicator complains, that no provision of the state can be proof against the covetousness of the clergy: he means the statute of Mortmain, and pretends the ecclesiastics broke through it. To shew the unreasonableness of this clamour, sir Thomas More replies, that the statute of Mortmain was not made for the sole advantage of the temporality: that the Church had likewise a share in the benefit of this act. For if the tenants of a bishop or abbot alienate their lands, these spiritual persons have a remedy by this law, no less than an More, p.333. earl or a duke. A proclamation to Lollards' books. It is probable the publishing this pamphlet, with some others of a resembling kind, occasioned the putting out a proclamasuppress the tion against the Lollards; in which the teaching, preaching, or abetting the opinions of Wickliffe, Luther, or others of that persuasion, are forbidden. This proclamation, likewise, forbids the importing or printing any books contrary to the received doctrine of the Church. And for the more effectual execution of this order, the judges and justices of peace are commanded to inquire after such offenders, to apprehend and deliver them to the bishops and their commissaries, in order to their trial. The beginning of the next year, Edward Crome, doctor in Recantation, divinity, and rector of St. Antholin's, London, being delated A. D. 1530. for preaching erroneous doctrine, and convented before the bishop of London, and others of the same character at Yorkplace, purged himself upon the articles following: Regist. Tunstal, fol. 145. Dr. Crome's 1. He declares his belief, that departed souls suffer, and are detained in purgatory. 2. That the holy martyrs, apostles, and confessors deceased, HENRY ought to be honoured and prayed to. 3. That the saints in heaven are our mediators, and pray for us. 4. That pilgrimages, and oblations to the sepulchres and relics of the saints, are consistent with piety, and to good purpose. 5. That the Lent fast, and other times of abstinence prescribed by the canons, and customarily practised amongst Christians, are to be observed, unless in cases of necessity. 6. That it is of necessity to salvation, to believe God confers grace upon the use of the seven sacraments, provided the persons receiving are rightly qualified. 7. That it is a laudable and profitable practice to set up images in churches, in memory of our Saviour and his saints. 8. That the prayers of the living are serviceable to those in purgatory. 9. That fasting, and other works of piety, are beneficial, or meritorious. 10. That those who, upon the score of erroneous doctrines, are silenced by their ordinary, ought neither to preach nor teach, till they have purged themselves before their superiors, from such imputation. 11. That kings, and other chief magistrates, are not necessarily bound to give the people the holy Scriptures in the vulgar tongue, as long as they may be instructed in all points necessary to salvation, by other methods. 12. That with respect to the exigence of the juncture, it is lawful for kings, when they are convinced of the reasonableness of such management, to forbid the putting the Scriptures into the people's hands in the vulgar tongue. 13. That the customary consecrations, sanctifications, and benedictions, received in the Church, are commendable usages. 14. That he always believed the above-mentioned opinions true, and that, in his judgment, the contrary cannot be maintained without error. About two months afterwards, archbishop Warham had a meeting of several persons of learning and character at Lambeth: the business was to examine the books of the Wickliffists to this purpose, there was an instrument drawn up and VIII. Regist. Tunstal, fol. 135. WAR HAM, Abp. Cant. Regist. Warham, fol. 188. An extract nions of the Wickliffists. A. D. 49. signed, in which we have a recital of the Lollards' tenets; I shall give the reader an extract of this matter. The instrument begins thus: "In the name of God. Amen. Be it known to all and singular true and faithful Christian people, to whom these present letters testimonial, or these present public and authentic instruments shall come, and to whom the words here underwritten shall or may appertain in any manner or wise in time to come : William, by the sufferance of Almighty God, archbishop of May 24. AD 1530. Canterbury, &c., sends greeting in our Lord God everlasting. We signify unto you all, and let you well weet and know by these presents, that whereas the king our sovereign lord hearing many books in the English tongue containing many detestable errors and damnable opinions, printed in countries beyond the sea, to be brought into divers towns and sundry parts of this his realm of England, and sown abroad in the same, to the great decay of our faith, and the perilous corruption of his people, unless speedy remedy be briefly provided: his highness, willing evermore to employ all his study and mind in the high degree to which Almighty God has called him, to the wealth of his subjects, that they might live, not only in tranquillity and peace, but also to keep pure and clean of all contagion of wrong opinions in Christ's religion: considering also that he being defender of the faith, would be full loath to suffer such evil seed sown amongst his people so to take root, that it might overgrow the corn of the Catholic doctrine, before sprung in the souls of his subjects: for the repelling of such books, calling unto him, of his great goodness and gracious disposition, not only certain of the chief prelates and clerks of his realm, but also of each university, a certain number of the chief learned men of them, purposed such of those books as his grace had read, therefore unto them to be read: requiring to hear in that behalf, their advice and judgments of them; who both by great diligence and mature deliberation, perusing the said books, found in them many heresies both detestable and damnable, being of such a sort that they were like, briefly, to corrupt a great part of his people, if they might be suffered to remain in their hands any space; gathering also out of them, many great errors and pestilent heresies, and noting them in writing, to the intent to show for what cause they reputed VIII. was written the said books damnable; of which hereafter, out of each book HENRY gathered, many do ensue : albeit many more there be in those books, which books totally do swarm full of heresies and detestable opinions. Hereafter follow the heresies and errors in the book called the Wicked Mammon; viz. Faith only does This book justify us. 2. The law does make us to hate God, because we by Tyndal. are born under the power of the devil. It is impossible for us to consent to the will of God. The law requires impossible things of us. The Spirit of God turns us and our nature, that we do good as naturally as a tree does bring forth good fruit. 8. Works do not only declare to thee, that thou art justified. 9. Christ, in all his deeds, did not deserve heaven. Labouring in good works to come to heaven, thou dost shame Christ's blood. 17. Saints in heaven, cannot help us thither. To build a church in honour of our Lady, or any other saint, is in vain they cannot help thee, they be not thy friends. 18. All flesh is in bondage of sin, and cannot avoid to sin continually. 27. The commandments be given us not to do them, but to know our damnation, and call for mercy to God. 28. Fasting is only to avoid surfeit, and to tame the body, all other purposes are naught. 36. To bid the poor man pray for me, is only to remind him of his duty, not that I have any trust in his prayer. 38. Though thou give me a thousand pounds to pray for thee, I am no more bound now than I was before. 40. A good deed done, and not of fervent charity, as Christ's was, is sin. The worst Turk living, has as much right to my goods at his need, as my own household, or I myself. 42. Alms deserve no meed. There is no work better than another to please God. To wash dishes and to preach, is all one as touching the deed to please God. 44. Ceremonies of the Church have brought the world from God. 45. Beware of good intents, they are damned of God. 46. See thou do nothing but that God bids thee. Churches are for preaching, and not as they be used now. 47. To worship God otherwise than to believe that he is just and true in his promise, is to make God an idol. Pharaoh had no power to let the people depart at God's pleasure. 61. Our prelates in sin, say they have power. We be so in captivity of the devil, and he holds our will in his power, that we cannot consent to God's law, and his will is impossible for us. Every man is lord of another man's good. I am bound to love the Turk with the very bottom of my heart." WAR- Errors, blasphemies, and heresies, noted in the book of "The Abp. Cant. Revelation of Antichrist," and in the epistle going before. "To bind a man perpetually to any vow of religion, is, without doubt, an error. (fol. 19. pt. 2.) To say that constitutions of religion are good, because holy men did ordain them, as Augustine, Benedict, Bernard, Francis, Dominico, and such other: this is to leave the faith, and to follow the examples of Fathers in some things, hoc est in istis rebus, erring. (fol. 19. pt. 1.) Whosoever first ordained universities, be he Alexander D'Hales, St. Thomas, or any other, he was a star that fell from heaven to earth: there are brought in, moral virtues for faith, and opinions for truth. (fol. 32, 33. pt. 2.) The universities are the confused cloud and open gate of hell, and this cloak of all other is most noisome, and does most hurt and damage. (fol. 31. pt. 1.) All moral divines have a wicked conscience full of duplicity. (fol. 34. pt. 1.) Not only the pope is wicked, but the popedom itself, and the office is iniquity, and is such a power, that it suppresses the faith and gospel, and cannot be administered by a good prince, but by the adversary of Christ. (fol. 52. pt. 2.) In the whole new law is no urgent precept nor grievous, but only exhortations to observe things necessary for soul health. (fol. 63. pt. 2.) Moral virtues, as justice, temperance, strength, and chastity, described by natural reason, make a synagogue, and corrupt Christ's faith. (fol. 64. pt. 2.) Christ took away all laws, and makes us free and at liberty, and most of all he suppresses all ceremonies, &c. (fol. 63. pt. 2.) If the pope would make all the observation of ceremonies, as Lent, fasting, holidays, confession, matrimony, mass, matins, and relics, &c. free and indifferent, he should not be antichrist: but now because he commands it in the name of Christ, he does utterly corrupt the Church, suppress the faith, and advance sin. (fol. 67. pt. 2.) To believe in Christ, makes sure inheritance with Jesu Christ. (fol. 1. pt. 1.) If a man say, 'Then shall we no good work do?' I answer as Christ did, 'this is the work of God, to believe in him that God sent.' (parts 1 and 2.) Numbering of sins makes a man a more sinner, yea, a blasphemer of the name of God. (fol. 3. pt. 1.) Sin cannot condemn us, for our satisfaction is made in Christ, who died for us. (fol. 4. pt. 1.) I will shew you an evident argument and reason that thou mayest know without doubt, who is antichrist, all they that do pursue are antichrists; the popes, bishops, cardinals, and their adherents, 50. |