PARKER, late bishop of Bath and Wells, elect of Chichester; Miles Abp. Cant. Coverdale, late bishop of Exeter; and John Hodskins, suffragan of Bedford. But, since this whole solemnity stands on record, both in Benet-college and the Lambeth register,—since it is transcribed at length by archbishop Bramhall, and other writers of character, there is no need of going farther in the relation. The reader, if he pleases, may see it in my Supplement to Morery's Dictionary. I shall only add, that, having compared the printed record with a copy in the Paper-office, I find them both agree. 66 To proceed though the revenues of the archbishopric were not secularised to that degree as to stand in need of a commendam," yet since this relief is sometimes granted by the crown to more indigent sees, I thought it might not be imSee Records, proper to give the reader a view of the form. num. 83. Dec. 21, 1559. July 14. After the see of Canterbury was thus filled, thirteen other bishops were consecrated within the compass of a year, and eight of them before the end of January. Their names are, Dr. Edmund Grindal, who was consecrated bishop of London; Dr. Richard Cox was promoted to the see of Ely; Dr. Edwin Sandys to Worcester, and Dr. Rowland Merrick to that of Bangor; Dr. Nicholas Bullingham was consecrated to Lincoln, Mr. John Jewel to Salisbury, Dr. Thomas Young to St. David's, and Mr. Richard Davis to St. Asaph. To proceed: there were three other bishops consecrated on the twenty-fourth of March; that is, Mr. Thomas Bentham for Coventry and Lichfield, Mr. Gilbert Berkley for Bath and Wells, and Dr. Edward Guest for Rochester; and, not long after, William Alley was consecrated bishop of Exeter, and Mr. John Parkhurst of Norwich. Goodwin assigns the death of Tonstal, bishop of Durham, to this year. He was born at Hatchford, in the county of Richmond, and descended from an ancient and considerable family. As to his learning, he was an exact Grecian, not unacquainted with Hebrew, an eminent mathematician, a famous orator, and no less commendable for his knowledge in divinity and law. For these attainments he was recommended to archbishop Warham, who made him his vicar-general. This archbishop presented him to the king, who made him master of the rolls, privy-seal, and bishop of London, from whence he was translated to Durham in the year 1530. He discharged BETH. Præsul. several embassies to great commendation. He was a very ELIZAmoderate Roman Catholic, disowned the pope's supremacy in the reign of king Henry VIII., and approved the marriage of priests. He was of an unprosecuting temper, and managed Godwin de with great gentleness and good-nature in queen Mary's reign. Angl. He was deprived, as hath been observed, in this reign for refusing the oath of supremacy, and committed to the custody of the archbishop of Canterbury, who treated him generously. He died in his 86th year, and was buried in Lambeth church, and had the respect of a pompous funeral. 1 23. Jewel's at Paul's The next remarkable occurrence is bishop Jewel's sermon at Paul's-cross. It was preached in Lent this year, upon these words of the apostle St. Paul: "I have received of the Lord that which also I deliver unto you." From this text he took Cor. xi. occasion to make that remarkable challenge in defence of the Reformation. The Church of England was reproached with novelty by the Papists, and charged with departing from primitive doctrine and practice. To wipe off these aspersions, the bishop put the case upon a bold issue, and declared in the pulpit, "That if any learned men of all our adversaries, or if Bishop all the learned men that are alive, are able to bring any one challenge to sufficient sentence out of any old Catholic doctor or father, or the Papists out of any old general council, or out of the Holy Scriptures of cross. God, or any one example of the primitive Church, whereby it may be plainly and clearly proved, that for the first six hundred years after Christ there was any private mass in the world: or that there was then any communion administered under one kind, or that the people had their common prayer in a language which they did not understand: or that the bishop of Rome was then called universal bishop, or head of the universal Church or that the people were then taught to believe, that Christ's body is really, substantially, corporally, carnally, or naturally, in the sacrament: or that his body is, or may be, in a thousand places, or more, at one time: or that the priest did then hold up the sacrament over his head or that the people did then fall down and worship it with godly (that is, divine) honour or that the sacrament was then, or now ought to be, fixed depending under a canopy: or that in the sacrament, after the words of consecration, there remains only the accidents and appearances, without the substance of bread and wine or that the priest then divided the sacrament in three : PARKER, parts, and afterwards received himself all alone: or that whoAbp. Cant. soever had affirmed the sacrament a figure, a pledge, a token, or a remembrance, of Christ's body, had been condemned for a heretic or that it was then lawful to have thirty, twenty, fifteen, ten, or five masses to be said in a church in one day: or that images were then set up in churches for people to worship them or that the laity were then forbid to read the Scriptures in the language of the country: or that it was then lawful for the priest to pronounce the words of consecration so low, as to be heard by none but himself: or that the priest had then authority to offer up Christ to his Father: or to communicate and receive the sacrament for another, as they do or to apply the virtue of Christ's death and passion to any man by the means of the mass: or that it was then thought sound doctrine to affirm that the mass ex opere operato,' that is, by the bare force of administration, and without regard to the qualifications of the persons receiving, is able to discharge any part of our sins: or that then any Christian called the sacrament his Lord, and his God: or that the people were then taught to believe the body of Christ remains in the sacrament, as long as the accidents of the bread continue without corruption or that when Christ said, 'This is my body,' the word [This]' does not refer to the bread, but to an individuum vagum,' as some of them say: or that the accidents or appearances of bread and wine are the sacraments of Christ's body and blood, and not rather the very bread and wine itself: or that the sacrament is a sign of the body of Christ that lies hidden under it: or that ignorance is the mother of true devotion; 462. 6 "If any one of his adversaries were able to make good but a single proposition amongst all these, either by sufficient declarations in Scripture, or by the testimony of the ancient Fathers Bp. Jewel's and councils, he was ready to give up the contest, and subscribe Works, himself a proselyte." p. 58. Several Roman Catholics undertake the controversy. This challenge made a great noise, and the Papists thought themselves obliged to answer it. Dr. Cole, late dean of St. Paul's, was the first who undertook the contest. His manner was smooth and friendly; and some letters passed between him and the bishop upon the subject. Rastall entered the lists, and engaged with more heat, but with as little success. These were seconded by Dormer and Marshall. The first was BETH. encountered by Nowel, and the other by Calfhill. Dr. John ELIZAHarding, an English divine, who retired to Louvain, was the most considerable adversary. This Harding had been a strong Protestant in the reign of king Edward, but relapsed to popery when queen Mary came to the crown; and for this inconstancy, the reader may remember, he was sharply reprimanded by the lady Jane. Jewel was likewise overborne with fear, and subscribed a recantation; but he quickly recovered himself, and made a public confession of his infirmity. This Harding appeared to the most advantage, offered at a thorough answer, and considered the challenge from point to point; but then his testimonies do not all reach up to the age and authority for which they are cited. He makes use of counterfeit records, and, for instance, cites the decretal epistles, as if they were written by the popes whose names they carry. The bishop first published an answer, and afterwards a rejoinder, to Harding's performances. Which of these two learned were the fairest representers, came closest up to the difficulties, and argued with most learning and strength, may easily be discovered by perusing what passed between them. The bishop, to give him his due, wrote with great perspicuity and force, proved himself an accomplished divine, and has, in a manner, exhausted the controversy. But these polemical tracts, though occasioned by Jewel's challenge, did not appear in print till some years after. About this time a parliament was held at Dublin in Ireland, in which several acts were passed relating to Church affairs. The first is intituled "An Act for restoring to the crown the ancient jurisdiction over the estate ecclesiastical." By this statute all manner of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, for visiting and reforming all errors, heresies, schisms, abuses, &c., are granted to the queen and her commissioners. The oath of supremacy is enacted, and the penalty for abetting any foreign jurisdiction is forfeiture of goods and chattels for the first, præmunire for the second, and high treason for the third offence. And here the regale is farther pressed than in England: the determining point of faith is translated from the Church upon the State; and the parliament, without the concurrence of the convocation, is made the last judge of heresy. Irish Acts. The next statute establishes the English Common Prayer Eliz cap. 1. passed by the parliament at Westminster in the fifth and sixth VOL. VI. X PARKER, years of Edward VI. And here the queen, with the advice of Abp. Cant the lord deputy and privy council, is impowered to "ordain and publish such farther ceremonies and rites as may be most for the advancement of God's glory, the edifying of this Church, and the due reverence of Christ's holy mysteries and sacraments." There is likewise a provision for the Common Prayer to be used in Latin in some places of that kingdom. The paragraph runs thus: "Forasmuch as in most places of this realm there cannot be found English ministers to serve in the churches or places appointed for Common Prayer, or to minister the sacraments to the people; and for that if some good means were provided that they might use the prayer, service, and administration of sacraments, set out and established by this act, in such language as they might best understand, the due honour of God should be thereby much advanced; and for that also, that the same may not be in their native language, as well for difficulty to get it printed, as that few in the whole realm can read the Irish letters: we do therefore most humbly beseech your majesty, that, with your highness's favour and royal assent, it may be enacted, ordained, established, and provided, by the authority of this present parliament, that in every such church or place, where the common minister or priest hath not the use and knowledge of the English tongue, it shall be lawful for the same common minister or priest to say and use the matins, even-song, celebration of the Lord's Supper, and administration of each of the sacraments, and all their common and open prayer, in the Latin tongue, in such order and form as they be mentioned and set forth in the said book established by this act, and according to the tenor of this act, and none otherwise, nor in other manner, any thing before expressed and contained in this act to the contrary notwithId. 2 Eliz. standing." cap. 2. Id. 2 Eliz. cap. 3. By the next printed statute, the first fruits, tenths, and impropriated parsonages returned to the Church by queen Mary, are now brought back to the same condition they stood by 28 Hen. VIII. cap. 14, and vested in the crown. By the way, in Ireland the twentieth part of the annual profit of bishoprics and livings were only payable to the crown in lieu of the tenths. There is a customary saving clause in the act for the interest of bodies politic and corporate; and thus great care is taken, that nobody should be a loser but the Church. |