"I have sometimes heard a Papist burst out into this rage against M. Bucer, being pressed with his authority: but you are the first professor of the Gospel that ever I heard so churlishly to use so reverent, so learned, so painful, so SOUND a father, being also an earnest and zealous professor."* And in the same work he frequently refers, with great respect, to Bucer's Review of the Prayer Book. Similar invitations were also sent to many other of the more famous divines of the "Reformed"+ Churches, and accepted by some of them. Several invitations were also sent to Melancthon, but for some reason not accepted. And here again I must notice the remarkable partiality displayed by Archbishop Laurence in his Bampton Lectures. From a perusal of these Lectures one might suppose that Melancthon was the only one of the foreign Reformers invited to this country by Cranmer, and the invitations addressed to him are very carefully recorded ;‡ while the fact is, that, with this single exception, (and that in favor of one remarkable for the moderation of his views as a Lutheran, and their leaning towards those of the Reformed party) almost all, if not all, who were invited to this country by Cranmer, to aid him in the work of Reformation, were of the Reformed Churches, and therefore of Zuinglian or Calvinistic views. And now let us see what is the account given by Archbishop Parker of those who came over, and compare it with Archbishop Laurence's. "Archbishop Cranmer, that he might strengthen the evangelical doctrine in the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, from which an infinite number of teachers go forth for the instruction of the whole kingdom, called into England the most celebrated divines from foreign nations, Peter Martyr Vermilius, a Florentine, and Mártin Bucer, a German, from Strasburg. The former taught at Oxford, the latter at Cambridge. With the latter, also, Paul Fagius became Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge. And, besides these, Immanuel Tremellius, Bernardine Ochine, Peter Alexander, Valerandus Pollanus, * Def. of Answer to Admon. P. 522. I use the word "Reformed" in its strict sense as distinguished from "Lutheran ;" the former following the views of Zuingle or Calvin. It is unnecessary here to enter into the question of any minor differences of view between these two Reformers. See Bampt. Lect. Note, p. 198. F all of whom, with their children and wives, he liberally maintained. Phil'p Melancthon also, and Musculus, were invited; but, being kept back by their countrymen, they sent letters to excuse themselves. . . . These three were liberally maintained at the expense of Cranmer. But Fagius soon died. The other two, by constant readings, sermons, and disputations, refuted Popery and spread the Gospel; and Bucer died the third year of his coming into England, and his funeral was honoured by the attendance of all orders at Cambridge, and the lamentations of every one expressed in odes and sermons. Peter Martyr still lived and sustained constant labours in the defence of the evangelical truth against the Papists."* What a contrast is this account to that given by Archbishop Laurence! All the parties here mentioned, except Melancthon, and perhaps Peter Alexander, were of the "Reformed" school. Of Peter Alexander, it is said by Strype,— "Peter Alexander was of Artois, and lived with the Archbishop before Bucer came into England. He was a learned man, but had different sentiments in the matter of the Eucharist, inclining to the belief of a corporeal presence with the Lutherans; though some years after he came over to a righter judgment, as his companion Peter Martyr signified to Calvin, in a letter wrote from Strasburg." (Life of Cranmer, 195, or Oxf. ed. 279.) So that the effect of Peter Alexander's residence in England was to attach him completely to the "Reformed" party. To the persons just mentioned as having come over to this country on the invitation of Cranmer, I must add John a Lasco, a well-known divine of the "Reformed" school. Cranmer's first invitation not having been successful, he thus addressed him in a second letter, dated July 4, 1548. "I am sorry that your coming to us has been prevented by the unlooked for intervention of some other engagement. . . . We are desirous of setting forth in our churches the true doctrine of God, and have no wish to be shifting and unstable, or to deal in ambiguities; but, laying aside all carnal considerations, to transmit to posterity a true and explicit form of doctrine agreeable to the rule of the sacred writings: so that there may not only be set forth among all nations an illustrious testimony respecting our doctrine, delivered by the grave authority of learned and godly men, but that all posterity * Translated from Antiq. Britann. p. 508; ed. 1729, fol. may have a pattern to imitate. For the purpose of carrying this important design into execution, we have thought it necessary to have the assistance of learned men, who, having compared their opinions together with us, may do away with doctrinal controversies, and build up an entire system of true doctrine. We have therefore invited both yourself and some other learned men; and as they have come over to us without any reluctance, so that we scarcely have to regret the absence of any of them, with the exception of yourself and Melancthon, we earnestly request you, both to come yourself, and, if possible, to bring Melancthon with you." (Cranmer's Works, P. S. ed. vol. ii. pp. 421, 422, where the original Latin is also given.) It would appear, then, from this letter, that Melancthon was the only Lutheran that had been invited by Cranmer to come over to this country. It is also of importance to notice the parties invited to this. country by Cranmer, to aid him in the project he had much at heart of drawing up a Confession of Faith which might be accepted by all the Protestant Churches. The three persons to whom he wrote on this subject were Melancthon, Henry Bullinger, and Calvin.* His object was thus expressed in his letter to Calvin, "I have often wished, and still continue to do so, that learned and godly men, who are eminent for erudition and judgment, might meet together in some place of safety, where, by taking counsel together, and comparing their respective opinions, they might handle all the heads of ecclesiastical doctrine, and hand down to posterity, under the weight of their authority, some work not only upon the subjects themselves, but upon the forms of expressing them."† The letters to Bullinger and Calvin are dated March 20, 1552. That to Melancthon on this subject is dated March 27, 1552, and in it the Archbishop says, 'I have written likewise to Masters Calvin and Bullinger, and exhorted them not to be wanting to a work so necessary, and so useful to the commonwealth of Christendom. You wrote me word in your last letter that the Areopagites of the Council of Trent are making decrees respecting the worship of the host. Wherefore since the adversaries of the Gospel meet together with so much zeal for * See the Letters to them in his Works, Vol. II. pp. 430–434. + lb. p. 432. the establishment of error, we must not allow them to be more diligent in confirming ungodliness, than we are in propagating and setting forth the doctrine of godliness.' The project (it is unnecessary to add) failed, the difficulties. attending its fulfilment being no doubt insuperable, but the names of the parties applied to by Cranmer show the bias of his mind. And it is impossible not to see from the facts just mentioned, how completely certain parties among us are selfcondemned, when in one and the same breath they maintain the agreement of their views with those of Cranmer, and at the same time depreciate and despise the very men, Peter Martyr, Bucer, &c., whom he called over to this country, and placed in situations of the greatest importance, to teach the nation what he believed to be the true faith. Further; what was the doctrine of Thomas Becon, one of Cranmer's chaplains,† and appointed by him one of the six preachers at Canterbury ;‡ appointments which are surely good tests of Cranmer's judgment as to the soundness of his doctrine? In his "Pomander of Prayer," published as early as 1532, we find a prayer afterwards transferred to Edward the Sixth's Primer, (where it appeared under the sanction of the highest authorities of the Church,) from which the following is an extract. Notwithstanding, O heavenly Father, thou hast a little flock, to whom it is thy pleasure to give the glorious kingdom of heaven. There is a certain number of sheep that hear thy voice, whom no man is able to pluck out of thy hand, which shall never perish, to whom also thou shalt give eternal life. Make me therefore, O Lord, of that number whom thou from everlasting hast predestinate to be saved, whose names also are written in the book of life."§ "This Calvinistical devotional tract [observes Lowndes] was, says Gifford, a frequent subject of ridicule with the wits of those days." But the author of this "Calvinistical devotional tract" was made by Cranmer one of his chaplains, and one of the six * Ib. p. 434. + Strype's Cranmer, book 2, c. 33, p. 290, or 417. Becon." preachers at Canterbury; and the very prayer which is the most thoroughly Calvinistical of all, was inserted, or allowed to be inserted, by Cranmer, in the Primer issued by royal authority for public use. The same sentiments will be found in his "Christmas Banquet," first published in 1542.* In his Catechism (of the date of which I am uncertain) he says, "If the election of God be certain, as it is most certain, who learneth not then of these aforesaid sentences, that God's elect can by no means perish? To be elected is to be saved. . . . Our whole salvation dependeth not of any external work, but of the free election and undoubted grace of God."+ So in his "Sick Man's Salve," written in the form of a dialogue, in the early part of Queen Elizabeth's reign, we find the following ; "Epaphrod. What if I be not of the number of those whom God hath predestinate to be saved?-Philem. Fear you not. God, without all doubt, hath sealed you by his Holy Spirit unto everlasting life. Your name is written in the book of life. You are a citizen of that new, glorious, and heavenly Jerusalem. You shall remain with God in glory, after your departure, for ever and ever.-Epaph. It sore repenteth me that I have at any time offended the Lord my God.— Phil. This repentance is an evident testimony of your salvation, and that God hath predestinate and tofore appointed you unto everlasting life.... Epaph. I have an earnest faith in the blood of Christ, that God the Father will forgive me all my sins for Christ's sake.-Phil. You thus believing cannot perish; but this your faith is an undoubted assurance unto your conscience that you are predestinate to be saved. For it is written," &c. And so the dialogue proceeds, treating baptism, the reception with comfort of the Lord's Supper, the glad hearing of the word of God, as so many evidences that God hath "chosen" such a person "to be his," and "predestinated him unto everlasting glory."+ So in his "Common Places of the Holy Scripture," published in 1562, three heads of his Common Places are the following ; * See his Works, P. S. ed. Vol. i. p. 72. + Works, Vol. ii. p. 222. Works, Vol. iii. pp. 172, 173. |