to the secular power, and the mayors, sheriffs, or bailiffs were to be present, (if required,) when the bishop, or his commissary, passed sentence; and after sentence, they were to receive them, and in some high place, burn them to death before the people." Here the trial by jury is abolished, and the ecclesiastical law rendered paramount to the civil law, and the subject wrested from the king...

The despotic tyranny and cruelty, that reigned in Engand, under these statutes, down to the time of Martin Luther, and Henry VIII. in the 16th Century, cannot well be conceived of, nor described. The Wickliffites, or Lollards, were persecuted, hunted, burnt, and destroyed, like wild beast of the forest, through all this period, until Henry -VIII. severed the kingdom of England, from the Papal See, and placed himself at the head of the church, by a special act of Parliament, in the following stile.

"Albeit, the King's Majesty, justly and rightfully is, and Cought to be the supreme head of the Church of England, and is so recognised, by the clergy of these Realms, in their convocations; yêt nevertheless, for confirmation, and corroboration thereof, and for the increase of virtue of Christ's religion, within this Realm of England, &c.-Be it enacthed, by the authority of this present Parliament, that the King our sovereign Lord, his heirs, and successors, Kings of this Realm, shall be taken, accepted, and reputed, the only supreme head on earth, of the Church of England; and shall have and enjoy, annexed and united, to the Imperial Crown of this Realm, as well the title and stile thereof, as all the honours, dignities, immunities, profits, and commodities, to the said dignity of Supreme Head of the Church, belonging and appertaining; and that our sovereign Lord, his heirs, and successors, Kings of this Realm, shall have full power and authority, to visit, repress, reform, order, ..correct, restrain, and amend, all such errors, heresies, abuses, contempts, and enormities, whatsoever they may

be, which by any manner of Spiritual Authority, or jurisdic tion ought, or may be lawfully reformed, repressed, ordered, redressed, corrected, restrained, or amended, most to the pleasure of Almighty God, and increase of the virtue of Christ's religion; and for the conservation of the peace, unity, and tranquility of this Realm; any custom, usage, foreign law, or foreign authority &c. &c. to the contrary, notwithstanding."

This act of Parliament, laid the foundation of the Reformation in England, and opened the way for the revival of the principles and doctrines of Wickliffe, and gave permanence and support to the principles of Luther. This act of the Parliament, opened a field of controversy too extensive for the limits of this work; in which a Cranmer, a Latimer, and many other worthies, stood forth, the heroes and champions of the Reformation.

The next important step of this important reign, was the suppression and abolition of all the monasteries, and religious cloisters, those sinks of Popery and corruption, which brought an immense revenue to the crown, and rendered it independent.*

Notwithstanding this bold stroke of Henry VIII. had laid the foundation for the spread of the Reformation, in England; the prejudices, and corruptions of Popery, were not so easily to be rooted out, and destroyed, as the religious eloisters. The New Testament was translated into English, by Tindal, in Germany, in 1527, and now spread into England: but it met with a severe persecution, from the bishops and prelates, and was finally suppressed by the king in 1530, to the great grief of the good people of England. The whole Bible had been printed at Hamburgh, in 1532, and was now translated into English, by Tindal, John Ro

*The clear rents of all the suppressed Houses, were cast up at 131,6071, 136. 4d per annum, as they were then rated; but were at least of ten times that value. Neals History of the Puritans.

gers, and others, and went into a general circulation, notwithstanding all the bitterness of the Papa! Hierarchy against it. After the persecution and death of Tindal, as a heretic, it was revised and corrected by Bishop Cran mer, and stiled Cranmer's Bible.

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CHAPTER II.

REFORMATION CONTINUED./

WE have now laid the foundation of the Reformation in England, and a bloody foundation it is. As soon as Henry VIII. had secured to himself the ecclesiastical supremacy; he became impatient of that liberty of conscience, and freedom of thought, and freedom of speech, which the Lollards derived from their conversation with the scriptures; he determined to suppress them, by laying the axe to the root of the reformation, by the six articles which he forced through his Parliament, 1539; known by the name of the bloody bill. This bill was intitled "An act for abolishing diversity of opinions, in certain articles concerning religion.”

SIX ARTICLES..

ARTICLE 1. That at the sacrament of the altar, after the consecration, there remains no substance of bread and wine; but under these forms, the natural body and blood of Christ, is present.

PART. II. That communion in both kinds, is not necessary to

salvation, to all persons, by the law of God; but that both the flesh and blood of Christ, are present, in each of the kinds.

ART. III. That priests may not marry by the law of God. ART. IV. That vows of chastity ought to be observed, by the law of God.

ART. V. That private masses ought to be continued, which, as it is agreeable to the law of God, so men receive great benefit from them.....

ART. VI. That auricular confession is expedient and necessary, and ought to be retained in the church."

It was at the same time enacted, "that these articles should be enforced with the punishment of attainder, confiscation of property, and death as felons, without benefit of clergy; and that the six articles be read in all the churches, once a quarter."

Upon the back of this, the Parliament passed another act, impowering the king, with the advice of his council, to set forth proclamations, with pains and penalties, which shall be obeyed as fully as an act of Parliament. Acts of attainder were also passed against sixteen persons, for denying the supremacy, and for suspicion of crimes; and even without trial by judge or jury.

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Thus, we see, that amidst this fair field of the Reformation in England, has sprang up a despotic persecution, as bitter as can be found in the annals of Popery. A persecution that went with Henry to his grave, and opened the way for the fire and the faggot, in Queen Mary's reign.

In the reign of King Edward VI. son and heir to Henry VIII. the severities of this bloody persecution, were greatly relaxed, and the liturgy of the Church of England was introduced, as it now stands; and a most riged uniformity of worship established. To enforce this, caused great divisions in the nation; the Catholics assembled a mob of more than 10,000 men, and demanded a restoration of the six articles, a suppression of the Bible, &c. which was suppressed by the arm of the military.

The severities of Henry VIII, were considerably softened down, in the short reign of Edward VI. who died in the sixteenth year of his age; but they were renewed, with aggravated severity, in the bloody reign of Queen Mary. She attempted to suppress the Reformation, and restore Popery, with all its rigours.-To enforce this, the acts of Richard II. and Henry IV. for burning heretics, were revived. Under these acts, fell a John Rogers, a Hooper, a Saunders, a Taylor, a Fennar, a Cranmer; with