The burnynge of Paules church in Lon don in the yeare of oure Lord 1561, and the iiii. day of June by lpghtnynge, at three of the clocke, at after noone, which continued terrible and helplesse unto nyght. (°) VVERE THESE GREATER SIN ners, than the rest? No: I saye vnto you ex cept ye repent, ye shall all lyke wyse peryshe. Luc. 13. (") Imprinted at London by Willyam Seres, dwellynge at the west ende of Powles, at the Sygne of the Wedge hog. (•) AN ADDICION, WITH AN AP POLOGIE TO THE CAUSES OF BRINNYNGE OF PAULE'S OF JUNE, 15612. ALTHOUGH Almighty God be patient, merciful, and long-suffering, willing all sinners to repent their wickedness, to rise from sin, and come to his mercy; yet, if sinners will not amend after monition and warning had, at the last God strikes suddenly and sore, as appears in the scripture by Sodom and Gomorra, upon the which cities God rained fire and brimstone, wherewith the five cities were destroyed [ Brinning: burning, as brent is the old form of the participle burnt.-The occasion of this controversy is thus stated by Strype: "When by lightning, on the 4th day of June, this year, [1561] the steeple, the bells, and roof of St Paul's church were burnt, a papist, soon after this accident, spread certain papers about at West Chester concerning it. * * And whereas, June 8, that is, the next Sunday after this fire, Pilkington, Bishop of Durham, preached at Paul's Cross, and took notice in his sermon of the dreadful devastation of this church, exhorting the people to take it to be a warning of a greater plague to follow to the city of London, if amendment of life were not had in all estates: he did also recite certain abuses of the said church; as talking, buying and selling, fighting and brawling there: he shewed also, how the virtue of obedience to superiors was much decayed in those days: these causes assigned for this judgment were reflected upon in the said paper; making the chief causes rather to be, that the old fathers and the old ways were left, together with blaspheming God in lying sermons preached there, polluting the temple with schismatical service, and destroying and pulling down altars, set up by blessed men, and where the sacrifice of the mass was ministered.' This occasioned the writing of a tract in confutation of the paper aforesaid; printed by Will. Seres, ann. 1563." Strype, Annals, Vol. 1. Part i. p. 390. ED.] [ It is to be regretted, that the sermon preached by the bishop on the occasion referred to is not now extant. It does not indeed clearly appear that it ever was printed, though it is so stated by Surtees, History of Durham, p. LXXVIII. and others; but Strype, whose authority is referred to, (see the last note,) makes no mention of its being printed. In his life of Grindal, p. 53–55, fol. Lond. 1710, he gives a full account of the circumstances of the fire, and of the bishop's sermon, which was preached with great applause of the hearers," and appears to have embraced many points afterwards enlarged upon in the "Confutation." "All this," he adds, "and much more was written in Latin, and afterwards entered into Bishop Grindal's Register by his special command to Peter Johnson, his Registrary, for a perpetual memory of this fire and of so great a destruction."-We have therefore the "Addition" without that to which it was originally added. This "Addition" was put forth anonymously by John Moren, or Morwen, Bonner's chaplain, and replied to in the Bishop's "Confutation." ED.] [PILKINGTON.] 31 miserably. Also Pharao and the Egyptians, that would not be moved by the words of Moses and Aaron, nor with the ten plagues, at last were suddenly drowned in the sea. Also Chore, Dathan and Abiron, with a great number of people, that would not obey the ministration of Aaron and the priests appointed by God, but went from them, seeking a new way to serve God; part of them were suddenly swallowed up of the earth, and part brent suddenly with fire from heaven in the tabernacle. After, when the people of Jerusalem would not hear the true prophets of God, but would believe false lying prophets, and so declined from the steps of David, Ezechias, and Josias, which walked in the fear of God; because they forsook their fathers' steps, and fell to idolatry, the temple was brent, the city destroyed, and the people taken captives to Babylon. Also our Saviour Christ, for the tender love he had to mankind, came into this world; by his doctrine he gathered twelve apostles disciples, and a great multitude of people in one unity of faith, and sanctified them, his church, by his precious blood-shedding, committing the rule and government of his church to the bishops:" after his ascension he sent the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem, in likeness of fiery tongues, among the apostles, and straightway they preached as the Holy Ghost taught them: and there in Jerusalem St Peter converted a great multitude to the faith, which faith at Jerusalem was first taught and declared upon by a council of the apostles and seniors, "there St James being bishop, and there said mass:" and afterward the same faith was taught in all lands, as the prophet David says, In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum, The faith of Christ's church hath been from time to time established by general councils: the which faith what country soever hath forsaken it, hath been miserably scourged and plagued; as about forty years after the ascension of our Saviour Christ, because the Jews would not abide in that religion that was decreed by the apostles, and walk in their steps, miserably Jerusalem was plagued with fire, pestilence, famine, battle, and murder. Also in all other countries, as well with the Greeks as other parts of the world, when the people have declined from the fear of God, forsaking the steps of blessed fathers, miserably they have been plagued. And "in England, where the faith of Christ and "true religion was planted about the year of our Lord 182. by Eleu"therius, pope, sending legates to Lucius then king of England, which "converted this realm to the faith, and established true religion in 'England, which continued two hundred years;" but when the people did decline from the fear of God, and the steps of God and blessed fathers, they came to great calamity and misery by the scourge of God. Cadwallader, last king of the Britons, did confess by the hand of God with pestilence and famine they were driven out of this land. "After that again, this land being inhabited with Saxons, being Pai"nims, St Gregory, pope of Rome, about the year of our Lord God, 595. [These figures and the accompanying marks of quotation are to indicate the cor. responding sections of the bishop's Confutation. ED.] sent St Augustine and other monks with him into England, Ethel"bert being king; and then St Augustine and his company by their "doctrine and virtuous living planted the faith, and so established a "true religion in England: the which faith and religion ever when "the people have declined from it, they have felt great calamities, as "well by the hand of God, as by the conquest of the Danes, and "after by the Normans; and sith the conquest from time to time" God hath plagued this realm for sin and infidelity. And "now, whether "the people of this realm be declined from the steps of St Augustine "and other blessed fathers and saints, which had mass and seven sa"craments in the church; and God was honoured night and day in "the church with divine service; I think there is no man so simple "but he may easily perceive, except malice have blinded his heart. V. "As in St Paul's church in London, by the decrees of blessed "fathers, every night at midnight they had matins, all the forenoon "masses in the church, with other divine service and continual prayer; "and in the steeple anthems and prayers were had certain times:" but consider, how far now contrary the church has been used; and it is no marvel, if God have sent down fire to burn part of the church as a sign of his wrath. And where a reverend bishop at Paul's cross did exhort the people to take the burning of Paul's to be a warning of a greater plague to follow to the city of London, if amendment of life be not had in all estates, it was well said: but we must add, accedentem ad Deum oportet credere; the scripture says, "He that will come to God must first believe." St Paul says, "Without faith it is Heb. xi. impossible to please God:" and the prophet Jeremy saith by the Jer. vi. Spirit of God speaking, State super cias, et interrogate de semitis antiquis, quæ sit bona; et ambulate in ea, et invenietis refrigerium animabus vestris: that is, "Stand upon the ways of blessed fathers, and consider and ask of the old paths and high-ways, which is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find refreshing to your souls.” "First search, whether the faith and religion now used was taught "with the blessed fathers in Christ's church in times past: ye shall prove by no record of authority or chronicle, that this manner of "service now used in the church was ever heard tell of afore Luther's "time, which is not forty years old. Therefore it is to be rejected "and put away, as a new-fangled doctrine and schismatical: there"fore come back again unto the old fathers' steps," as well in faith and religion, as godly conversation and living; or a greater plague is at hand. "Also, where the said preacher did recite certain abuses of the "said church, as talking, buying and selling, fighting and brawling ; "although these be very evil and worthy much rebuke, yet there be worse abuses, as blaspheming God in lying sermons, polluting the temple with schismatical service, destroying and pulling down holy altars, that were set up by good blessed men, and there the sacrifice "of the blessed mass ministered according to the order of Christ's "catholic church. Yea, where the altar stood of the Holy Ghost, the VI. VII. VIII. new bishops have made a place to set their tails upon, and there "sit in the judgment of such as be catholic and live in the fear of "God. Some they deprive from their livings; some they commit to prison, except they will forsake the catholic faith, and embrace a faith " and religion, that has no foundation laid by general council nor blessed "fathers in times past, but invented by heretics that do not agree one "with another nor themselves." Thus the bishops that now be have abused the church, and polluted it, as the prophet Jeremy says, "They have put offendicles in the house of God, and polluted it." Also the said preacher in his sermon at Paul's cross did declare the virtue of obedience to be much decayed in these our days; but he leaves out, who they be that cause disobedience. For "there is none more "disobedient than the new bishops and preachers now-a-days, which disobey the universal church of Christ: the which church whosoever Matt. xviii. "will not obey, our Saviour in the gospel commands us to take them as infidels. As, where the universal church of Christ commands mass "and seven sacraments, as necessary for our salvation, they call it "abomination with their blasphemous mouths: where the church "commands to fast, they command to eat: where the church com"mands continual prayer of the clergy, they call it superstition and "blind ignorance: where the church commands the clergy to live in "chastity, they command and exhort the clergy to marriage: where "the church and all laws, civil and canon, yea, the laws of this realm "do prohibit marriage of priests, they allow marriage of priests, obeying "no law, but follow their own carnal lust. Yea, where the Queen has "given strait commandment to abstain from flesh in Lent and other days commanded by the church, these new preachers and protestants "have eaten flesh openly, to the great slander of other:" so they obey neither the Queen nor the church; so that Almighty God complains by his prophet Esay, Tota die blasphematur nomen meum: "With these men God is continually blasphemed." "Woe be to you," says Esay, "that call good evil, and evil good, putting darkness light, and Ezek. xxxii. light darkness;" as by Ezechiel says Almighty God, "The priests have contemned my law, and have polluted my sanctuary." Also Osee the prophet does say, "The bread that they do offer is full of mourning, Isai. lii. Isai. v. IX. and all that eat thereof shall be defiled." сс We may see how they contemn all that blessed fathers, holy martyrs and saints have decreed: they disobey all that have been virtuous and good in Christ's catholic church. As now of late "they have invented a new way to make bishops and priests, and a manner of service and "ministration, that St Augustine never knew, St Edmund, Lanfranc, St "Anselm, nor never one bishop of Canterbury, saving only Cranmer, "who forsook his profession as apostata: so that they must needs con"demn all the bishops in Canterbury, but Cranmer, and he that now is; "all the bishops in York, saving Holgate, and he that now is: although "St Wilfred, St William have been taken for saints, and were bishops "in York. In Coventry and Lichfield St Chad was bishop, and many "blessed bishops: and he that is bishop now can find not any one that |