Vouchers for it, fuch who have been Ear and Eye Wit melles of it, that the ignorant People do it. Ibid.

C. E. And fo may any one that converfes with those who have been abroad; I am fure I have had it pofitively affirmed by fuch; and even here at home, I have heard of the fame practice, were it proper to name Perfons. And for this, I fincerely give you my word, notwithstanding the Truth of your Story, &c. comes in here again, juft as pertinently as it did before. "And if your Doway Catechifm, to the Queftion, Do Catbolicks pray to Images? answers, No, by no means; yet,.I prefume, you do not imagine, there are none amongst you fo ignorant, as not to be able to read that Catechifm, nor any who can read it, and yet have not done it. And it is well, if none but the ignoranter fort do it now. That it was not always fo, but others have been required to do it formerly in this Nation, is plain from (4)

the

(a) Ex Rot. Clauf. de Anno Regni Regis Ricardi II. 19o. m. 18. dorf. Memorand. quod primo die Septembris Anno Regni Regis Ricardi II. poft Conqueftum 190. Will Dynet, Nich. Taylour, Nich. Poucher, & Will". Steynour de Nottingham in Cancellar. ipfius Regis perfonaliter conftituti, facramenta divifim præftiterunt, fub eo qui fequitur tenore.

1 William Dynet, befor ghow worshipful Fader, & Lord Archbishop of Yorke, and your Clergy, with my free will and full avife do fwere to God and all his Seynes, upon his holy Gofpells that fro this day forthward I fhall worship ymages, with praying and fering to hem in the worshipp of the Seintes that they be made after. And also I shall nevermor defpyfe pygremage, ne ftates of holy Chirche in no degree. And also I fhait be buxom to the Laws of holy Chirche and to yhow as myn Archbishop, and to myn other Ordinares, and Curates, and kepe the Laws upon my Power and meynteyn hem. And also 1 shall nevermor meynten, ne techen, ne defenden errours, conclufions, ne techynges of the Lollards, ne fwyche conclufions and techinges that men clepyth Lollards Doctrin. Ne I fhall her baokes, ne Swych bokes, ne hem, or any fufpe&or diffamede of Lollardy refceive, ne compange withal wittingly,

the Recantation of William Dynet, and fome others, in the time of Richard II. in the Tower Records, who fware to God, and all his Saints, thenceforward to worship Images, with Peaping and Offering to them, &c.

R. C. Having told us, p. 122. that if our Religion teaches us to argue for the Deifts, it must needs be a wicked one, be backs the Suppofition with the Authority of a Prelate, whom it was very unbecoming to bear falfe Witness against his Neighbour, p. 7.

C. E. So it certainly would have been. But fee how positive this worthy Prelate is in it. He does not take up a flying Story, that he had heard from I know not whom, but speaks of his, own certain knowledge, and pawns his Veracity for the Truth of what he relates. (a) Thus much, so my knowledge, bave 1 feen and beard, fince my leaving your Lordship, which I thought very requifite to inform your Grace; for my felf would hardly have credited these things, had not mine Eyes feen fure Evidence of the fame. A Teftimony fo exprefs and pofitive, that I cannot poffibly fee how any Man of Can

er defend in the matiers, and if I know any fuch, 1 ball withall the haft that I may, do ykowe or else your ner Officers to wyten, and of her bokes. Aud also I shall excite and stirre alle tho to good Diarine, that I have hindred with myn doctrine up my Power. And alfe I fhall ftond to yhour declaration wych es + berely or errour and do thereafter. And also what penance yhe woll for that I have don for meynteyning of this fals doctrine- -1 ball ful fil it, and I Submit me therto up my power. And also I shall make no other glose of this myn oth but as the words ftond, and if it be fo that I com agayn, or do agayn this oth or any pars thereof, 1 ybolde me here ‡‡ coupable as an heretyke, and to forfeit all my goods to the Kings will withouten any other procese of Lawe. And therto I require the Notary to make of all this whych is my ·will an Inftrument •wgayns · me. Et ex abundanti idem Will". Dynet eodum die voluit & recognovit quod omnia bona & catalla fua mobilia nobis fint foris facta in cafu quo ipfe juramentum pred. feu aliqua in eo juramento contenta ‡‡ de cætero contravenerit ullo modo.

(a) Archbishop Ufher's Life and Letters, p. 612.

dor

dor and Ingenuity can doubt of it; whether we confider the Eminence of the Writer, and the great Credit due to him, as one that could not eafily be impofed upon, nor would fuffer himfelf to impofe upon others, and to be fure not upon fo dear a Friend as the good Archbishop.to whom he wrote it; or the Agents and Emiffaries that have from time to time been fent over, to play their Tricks amongst us, whereby to deceive the ignorant and unwary Populace; fuch as (a) Heath and Comyns (b) Button, Hallingham, Coleman and Benfon formerly, and (c) Lewis Prevoft in our time.

R. C. He fays, we make a great noife with the Notes of our Church, &c. and fo long as we hope these may prevail, private Judgment does very well; but when once the Prey is caught, the Business is now done, and away with your private Judgment, p. 8.

T

C. E. I thought you and your Friends had a greater regard for an Implicit Faith, than to complain of this Charge against you. If not, pray be fo kind as to let me know, what Stapleton meant by these words (d) We are not to mind bow the Church proves, but what it fays; Tolet by thefe, (e) If a Countryman believe his Bishop propounding any Heretical Doctrine concerning the Articles, though it be an Error, he merits by believing; or the Rhemifts by thefe, (f) Such an one, called before the Commiffioners, faith enough, and defendeth himself suffi

(a) Foxes and Firebrands, p. 17. And Bishop Stillingfeet's Preface to his Unreasonablenefs of Separation, p. 13, 14. (b) The faid Preface, p. 14.

(e) The New Pretenders to Prophecy examined, p. 491. (d) Non quomodo probet, fed quid dicat Ecclefia, animadvertendum nobis eft Princip. Fidei Do&r. 1. 4. c. 9. (e) Si rufticus circa articulos credat fuo Epifcopo proponenti aliquod dogma hæreticum, meretur in credendo, licet fit error. De Inftru&t. Sacerd. 1. 4. c. 3.

(f) On S. Luke 12. 11.

ciently

ciently, when be answereth, that he is a Catholick Man, and that bis Church can give them a reafon of all the things, which they demand of him; or Gabriel Biel by thefe, (a) This is implicit Faith, whereby a faithful Man believes whatsoever the Church believes: it is most profitable to the Faithful: for whilft it is in the Heart, it preferves from all heretical Pravity. For which Doctrine he cites Ocham alfo, and Gerfon. Or again, how are we to underftand that most remarkable Saying of Cardinal Cufanus to the fame purpofe. (b) How firm is the Building of the Church, inasmuch as no one can be deceived even by a wicked Bishop? If thou shalt fay, Lord, I have obeyed this Prelate, this will be fufficient for thy Salvation; for thou, by the Obedience thou payeft to the Prelate, whom the Church tolerates, canft not be deceived, even though he should command otherwife than he ought for the Church prefumes concerning that Sentence, to which if thou obeyeft, great will be thy Reward. Wherefore an Obedience without Reafon is a compleat and most perfect Obedience, that is to say, when Obedience is paid without the Inquiry of Reafon, after the manner as a Beaft obeys it's Mafter. But I forbear to heap up Inftances in fo plain a Case, and which you yourfelf plead for, Part 1. p. 449. This is the known Doctrine of your Party, and

(g) Hæc eft fides implicita, quâ fidelis credit quicquid Ecclefia credit: Utiliffima eft fideli: Nam fi fuerit in corde, defendit ab omni hæreticâ pravitate. In Sentent. 1. 3. Dift. 25. art. 1. coroll. 4.

(b) Quam firma eft ædificatio Ecclefiæ, quia nemo decipi poteft etiam per malum præfidentem. Si dixeris, Domine obedivi tibi in præpofito, hoc tibi fufficiet ad falutem; tu enim per obedientiam quam facis præpofito, quem Ecclefia tolerat, decipi nequis, etiamfi præceperit alia quam debuit: præfumit enim Ecclefia de illâ fententiâ, cui fi tu obedieris, magna erit merces tua. Obedientia igitur irrationalis eft confummata obedientia & perfe&tiffima, fcilicet quando obeditur finè inquifitione rationis, ficut jumentum obedit Domino fuo. Excit. 1. 2. 6.

they are fure to recommend it to practice, amongft fuch as they have got under their Power. And whether this be an Encouragement to Private Judgment, or a crying away with it, I may leave even to yourfelf to determine, the Cafe is fo very plain.

R. C. You cannot deny, but you allow the use of Reafon, or Private Judgment, in getting People over to believe the Scripture; But when once the Prey is caught, the Bufinefs is done, and away with your Private Judgment. Ibid.

C. E. I beg your pardon, Sir, for as we recommend Private Judgment, in getting People over to believe the Scripture: So do we no lefs afterwards, in order to a right Understanding of it, leaft otherwife they fhould embrace Error inftead of Truth, and the Dictates of fome falfe Teacher inftead of the Word of God. Which is a very different Procedure, from the Implicit Faith recommended amongst you.

R. C. Were the Apostles only to make a right use of their Reafon in finding out Chrift, and then away with their Private Judgment?

C. E. Do you fuppofe the Cafe parallel betwixt our Bleffed Saviour, and a grofly corrupt and erroneous part of his Difciples? Or are we any where required in Scripture, to have the fame regard to the Church of Rome, whatsoever Errors it fhould fall into, either in Doctrine of Practice, as to our Lord himself, who could not err? Till you can make this out, though impoffible, we muft inevitably infift upon the Privilege of ufing our Private Judgment, that we may not unawares mistake our way.

R. C. The Greek Church, and several others, in the Eaftern part of the World, were irreconcileable Enemies to Tranfubftantiation, as Mr. Claude has proved at large. Thus fpeaks the Vindicator. And yet

thefe,