IV. CHAP. whom we absolutely place all our confidence. But as to the Church, properly so called, although it consists of the faithful only, yet they are men who may of good become evil ones; who may be deceived themselves, and deceive others. The anonymous writer of the Pilgrimage to Perfection, printed by De Worde, 1531, tells us, that Pope Leo and Alexander de Hales observed, it should not be said in this article, I believe into, but rather thus, I bileve the holy Chirche catholicall; and, that although St. Anselm and other Doctors expound this article otherwise, yet he supposed this manner of exposition to be most common among holy Doctors of the Church. Even the Trent u Ca "Pope Leo saith, and Alexander de Ales reciteth the same, it should not "he said in this article, I bileve into the holy Chirche catholicall, but rather "thus, I byleve the holy Chirche catholicall; for the first maner of speaking "(as St. Cyprian sayth) is appropriate to God. For whan I say, I beleve into "God the Father, the Sone, and the Holy Goost, in such maner of speaking “or thinking, I knowledge by faith these three persons to be my God and my "Maker, my begynning and my end, my glory and blisse; for whom and "to whom I order, or at least should order all my life, all my study and love. "And although St. Anselme and other Doctors expoundeth this article other"wise; yet I suppose this manner of exposition, as is abovesaid, to be most "common among holy Doctors of the Church." It does not appear who was the author of this treatise, nor when he lived. But by the following expressions in the prologue [" after my entrance to religion- -Whatsoever secret "doctrine of perfection you take or learn of this poor treatise, that ye have "not heard nor known before in reading other workes, ye never by way of "curiositie be busy to attempt any person therein, nor to ask any question "thereof, and espiecially of seculars, be they never so well learned; except in "case wherein you understand not that ye read therein, then with meekness "for your learning ask your doubt of them only whom ye suppose to be per"fect and ghostly."] he seems to have been one of the Religious, as they were called, and very probably a Carthusian. However, he tells the English reader, that he begun after his poor manner to write in Latin, but his charitie pre"vailed and letted him. For anone as he had set the pen to the book, it was "put into his mind to draw it in the English tongue." u Nunc autem, mutata dicendi forma, sanctam, et non in sanctam Ecclesiam credere profitemur, pars ii. sect. 23. Notwithstanding the disguised author of the Essay for Catholic Communion, printed here about 1704, thus represents this article of the Creed. "This article of our Christian faith," says he, "I believe in the holy Catholic Church, shews, that we should be always in "readiness to submit ourselves to the judgment of the Catholic Church." But in the Ethiopic version of the Nicene Creed, inserted in that Liturgy as it is IV. Faith. techism instructs us, that we profess not to believe in the CHAP. holy Church, but only that there is a holy Church. The Bishop indeed thus explained his meaning; that it is not necessary to salvation to believe, that the holy universal Church saith and teacheth truth; or, that it is not thus necessary to believe as the Church believes. For he laid down this as a maxim, that "the sayings of the saints or holy "fathers are not of so great authority, but that it is lawful "to be of another mind in those things which are not de"termined by the holy Scripture." And this was the opinion of Aquinas, that "the authorities of holy Scripture con"cluded necessarily, but the authorities of the Doctors of "the Church, only probably." As to what our Bishop observes: y We ben taugt, says he, for to beleve one holy Book of universal Chirche, or, that. one holi universal Chirche is; and what foloweth therof, viz. the communion of seintis: even as by like tenour of wordis we are taugt one baptism to be, forgivenes of sins to be, everlastyng lyfe to be; and not bi those articles for to beleve to one baptism, and for to bileve to forgiveness of sins, and for to bileve to everlasting lyfe. But it appears by the acts against the Lollards in the diocese of Ely, that it was an usual interrogatory put by the ecclesiastical judges at this time, to those whom they suspected of Lollardy, An in Ecclesiam credis? Dost thou believe in the Church? The fourth article, that it is not necessary to believe to or in the communion of saintis, it is plain our Bishop asserted in the same sense. The fifth and sixth conclusions are said to have been Wharton's maintained by Occam, Peter de Alliaco, Cardinal of Cam-Pref. to the Bishop's bray, Thomas Walden, Panormitan, Antonius, Cardinal Treatise of Cusanus, Clemangis, and many others in that age. Nay, that it was generally owned, however in words, that holi published by Nisselius and Petræus, is this article thus read; And we believe in one holy house of Christians, which is on the universal congregation apostolical. * Dicta sanctorum non sunt tantæ auctoritatis, quin liceat sentire contrarium in his, quæ non sunt per sacram Scripturam determinata. y See Pilgrimage to Perfection, printed by Winkin de Worde, 1581. N 4 Faith. IV. Book of Faith, part ii. CHAP. Writ is chiefer and of more authoriti or power than the Chirche, our Bishop himself sheweth by this reason; that whatsoever any council of Clergie, or ani Clergie without gathering into council teachith as feith, even the Clergie referreth their so made teaching of feith into holy Scripture; therefore, saith he, needs the holy Scripture is more worthi ground of our feith, than is the Clergie of the whole Chirche on erthe. As to our Bishop's being charged with holding, that the universal Chirche may err in those thingis which are of faith, it seems not to be very fair usage. The Bishop, so far as appears by his writings yet remaining, never formally asserts, that the Chirche may erre (much less that it has errid) in matters of feith. Only for argument sake, and in hopes the more easily to reduce the dissenting Wiclifists, he was willing to go upon that supposition that the Chirche may erre, &c. in his dispute with them; being confident, that notwithstanding this concession, he should be able well enough to cope with them, and to beat them at their own weapons; and this, because they never had, and never could prove, that the Chirche had actually errid in matter of feith. Thus his Lordship argued: If it so be that the Chirche errith in the maters into whiche he is so bisi for to knowe arigt, and that bi manye yeeris, and bi manye hilpis of persoonys, and bi meenys leding into kunnyng aboue al that laymen mowe streeche to; the Chirche muste nedis be excusid of God: for whi, the Chirche dooth al that he can do therynne, and al that he may do therynne. For whi, he seeth not, neither can se, where and how he schulde seeke ferther or better for to come into the trew kunnyng, than he now seeth, and willingli he takith not to him eny lette, whiche he knoweth to forbarre the wey into sufficientli to be hadde trewe kunnyng. From hence he concluded, that we ought to believe and stand to some teacher, who may fail, or be deceived or mistaken, so long as it is not known that he is mistaken; and that all the ancient heretics, as well as the modern Wiclifists, are to be condemned on this ac IV. count, that (to use the Bishop's own words) noon of hem CHAP. couthe prove that his opinioun, for whiche he agenstode his Prelatis, was trewe. 63. By what has been said it appears, that our Bishop was very severely used in being condemned as an heretic. Since besides that some of the Conclusions pretended to be extracted from his writings were really none of his, or never maintained by him, they were most of them ásserted by many eminent Doctors, who never were censured by the Church as erroneous; and some of them so far true, that no learned man of even the Church of Rome will at this day deny them. But to such a height was the authority of the Church, or Romish Clergy, carried at this time, being asserted to be the chief and principal ground of saving necessary faith; and this was reckoned of so much use to stop the mouths of the poor dissenting Lollards, especially when backed with the last reason of kings, fire and sword and hanging, that the least appearance of either questioning or denying it was punished as criminal, by the then ruling Clergy, with the utmost severity. We need not therefore wonder at our Bishop's incurring their displeasure. By the cavilling exceptions which were taken at his preaching, almost as soon as he was promoted to the Episcopacy, it is plain that he had a great many enemies among the Clergy, who were glad of any handle to expose him. Of this the Bishop seemed very sensible by his being so cautious in expressing himself, and guarding against misrepresentation. Thus in his Repressour, speaking of the donation of Constantine, as a proof of the fiction of it, he observes, that many hundred years after the death of Pope Silvester, to whom this grant of Constantine's is supposed to have been made, the election of the Pope made at Rome was sent to Constantinople to be confirmed or admitted of the Emperor. But knowing this to be a tender point, and that advantage might be taken against him for writing thus, he adds, This I say not for this, that it so done was well done. So in his Treatise of Faith, it is observable, that he is so cautious, as never IV. Critical History of CHAP. formally to assert that the Church may err, much less that it hath actually erred. But his supposing, though but for argument's sake, that the Church might err, and affirming that the authority of the Church or Clergy, the chief part of it, was not sufficient to make necessary articles of faith, or such articles as are of necessity to eternal salvation; this incensed them, and set them against him. His Lordship's denying that it was necessary to salvation to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, after he died, descended into hell, because long after the Apostles' time this part of the article was not in the common Creed, but placed there by the Clergy since, seemed plainly to shew that it was the Bithe Apo- shop's opinion, that the Clergy, either in council or out of stles' Creed. it, have no power to make articles of faith which are necessary to be believed for Christian men's salvation. That they had such an authority was, it seems, what the Bishop's adversaries had a mind the people should believe, as serving to magnify the sacerdotal powers, and exalt the mystical and hierurgical rights of the Priesthood, and causing their determinations to be quietly submitted to without examination. Accordingly they chose to make an example of his Lordship, (who had been so unhappy as always to be thought ill of by them, notwithstanding his unwearied labours in defence of the Established Church,) to terrify others of inferior rank, and make them beware how they attempted to deny, or even to suppose, that the Church or Clergy hath not of itself principally, groundly, and fundamentally, all the faith which is contained in holy Writ. 64. By the Archbishop's mandate for inquiring after our Bishop's books in the several dioceses of his province, it is intimated, that the reason of his Grace's calling them in was, because they were composed in English, and contained translations of the holy Scripture from Latin into English, contrary to the ecclesiastical prohibitions, and the decrees of the holy Fathers. By which I have before shewn to be meant the constitution of Archbishop Arundel against the translation of the Scriptures, and publish |