dor, who never diffembled his Opinion: unless a Man's being a Lutheran in his Heart, and a Papist in his outward Practice, and that for many Years together, be no Diffimulation. For 'tis an uncontested Fact that till the Death of Henry VIII. he conform'd entirely to the Manner of publick Worship used in the Church of Rome; said Mass, and pray d for the Souls departed as other Prietts; perform'd all Epifcopal Functions as other Catholick Bishops did; profess'd and preach'd the Roman Catholick Faith like others, and, in a Word, appear'd a zealous Catholick in all his Works and Actions; and it behoved him highly so to do; for his Life was at Stake, if he had done otherwife; fince all the World knows how inexorable Henry VIII. was upon the Point of Religion. But was Cranmer's Be lief in all this Time of a Piece with his Practice, or his Heart conformable to his Actions? If not, Dr. Burnet is a fhameful Falfifier of Hiftory, and his holy Saint and Martyr stands justly branded with the Infamous Character of an Hypocrite and Dissembler of his Religion.

Now I fhall endeavour to fhew that his having been infincere in the Religion he profefs'd during the whole Reign of Henry VIII is not only highly proba · ble from undeniable Circumftances, but morally certain from pofitive Facts related by the Doctor himself.

I prove it thus, becaufe nothing is more common than to fee Perfons of all States and Conditions dif femble their Religion, when there are ftrong motives of Intereft or Fear to induce them to it, and a fure mark of their Diffimulation is their changing their Religion, as foon as the Occafion of their Fear is removed, or their intereft changes. This is fo undeniable a Truth, that there are Millions of Examples of it. But that a learned Archbishop, and Primate of a National Church, whom we must fuppofe to have for many Years, nay during his whole Life, fincerely believed and profefs'd without Diffimulation the Catholick Faith, that fuch a one, I fay fhould on a fudden change his former Sentiments and pafs over to another Religion, nay become an Eminent Apostle of is without any apparent Motive of Hope ar

Fear

Fear to induce him to fuch a Change, is as highly improbable as a Thing can poffibly be.

Now let us but make the Application of this to Archbishop Cranmer, and we fhall foon fee what Judgment we ought rationally to make of his Sincerity or Diffimulation in Religion during the Life of Henry VIII. That he appear'd all that Time to be a true and fincere Papift in all Points of Catholick Faith (excepting that of the Pope's Supremacy, which was then thrown out of Doors) is beyond all Difpute; but the Question is whether he was fincere in the other Points, and there appears the strongest Prefumption against it, viz. his fudden and entire Change immediately upon King Henry's Death, which renders it more than meerly probable that he had till then conform'd not upon a Conviction of Confcience that the Religion he then profefs'd and practifed was the true one, but upon other Confiderations, which he thought deferved very well a few Year's Diffimulation: And indeed he had the ftrongest human Motives poffibly to draw a Man into that Weakness. For he was in Poffeffion of the highest Ecclefiaftical Dignity in the Nation and highest favour of his Prince, which Men of this World are always unwilling to part with, and they could not poffibly be fecured without his confor ming in all Things to the Religion of his Prince. Nay he had no other Profpect before him than that of utter Ruin and certain Death, unless he took that Course. Which fhews plainly, (that whatever Religion he was of) he had two powerful Motives to counterfeit the Papist during the King's Life, to wit, Intereft and Safety; and tho' this alone be not a full Proof of his Diffimulation, yet being join'd with the other Circumftance of his appearing a barefaced Proteftant, as foon as thefe Motives ceafed by the King's Death, and turning immediately upon it the Protectors chief Tool in pushing on the pretended Reformation, amounts to a full Evidence against him, and leaves no Room to doubt but that this fudden change was only a throwing off the Mafk as foon as he could do it fafely; that what he had profefs'd publickly when Henry was dead, he had believed but diffembled whilft he was alive,

alive, and fo had play'd the notorious Hypocrite for many Years together.

But let us hear Cranmer himfelf give Teftimony for the Truth. 1. Part. L. 2. pag. 128. where fpeaking of the Oath of Obedience he was to take to the Pope at his Confecration he exprefs'd a fcruple to do it, and gave this Reafon for it, becaufe (faid he) the Obligation which that Oath would bring upon me would bind me up from doing my Duty both to God, the King, and the Church: And at his Trial he anfwer'd Brooks; that the Bishops of Rome not only fet up Pretenfions to the Power of Princes, but they had also made Laws CONTRARY TO THOSE MADE BY GOD: Instancing IN THE WORSHIP OF AN UNKNOWN TONGUE, and THE DENYING THE CHALICE TO THE PEOPLE, &c. Now this was equivalently the very fame he had faid before, to wit, that bis Oath would bind him up from his Duty to God. He therefore believed even then, that is, even when he was just entring upon his Bifhoprick, that the Church of Rome held and taught many Things contrary to the Law of God; as Worshipping in an unknown tongue, and taking away the Cup from the Laity; yet he himfelf practifed afterwards all these things for above 13 Years together tho' he believed them to be contrary to the Law of God. And was he not then a Hypocrite, and Diffembler of his Religion?

Now let us fee what Dr. Burnet writes of him juft before he was nominated Archbishop. He tells us, that when the King fent for Dr. Cranmer to be Bifhop, he was then negotiating this Bufinefs (the Divorce) among the learned Men of Germany, and lived there in great Familiarity with the Lutherans, particularly with Ofiander, whofe Niece he there married. í. Part. pag. 92 and 128. Nay that he had been addiůed to Luther's Dottrine before he went into Germany, when he was Doctor of the Univerfity of Cambridge. For fpeaking of the Difficulty the King, tho' never fo arbitrary, met with from that Univerfity before he could get it's Subfcription to the Unlawfulness of his first Marriage he writes thus ; The most reafonable Account I can give of it is that at this Time there were many in the Universities, particularly at Cambridge, who were addicted to

Luther's

Luther's Dorine, and of thefe Cranmer was look'd upon as the most learned. 1. Part. pag. 92. And what is this but calling him a Diffembling Lutheran, only in fofter

Terms?

It remains now only to fay fomething cencerning his Perjury, which is the lait Part of my Charge against him. Dr. Burnet has furnifh'd me with two unanfwerable Inftances of it. First, his taking a folemn Oath of Obedience to the Pope in Order to obtain his Bulls, which Oath he never intended to keep and broke effectually as foon as he had got them. I fhall here transcribe it Word for Word as it is fet down in Burnet's Hiftory 1. Part. pag. 123. For that which is now tender'd to Bishops is wholly different from it.

"IN. N. from this Hour forward fhall be faithful " and obedient to Saint Peter, and to the holy Church "of Rome, and to my Lord the Pope and his Succef"cors canonically entering. I fhall not be of Counfel

nor Confent that they fhall lofe either Life or Mem"ber, or fhall be taken or fuffer any Violence or any "Wrong by any Means. Their Counsel to me cre"dited by them, their Meffengers or Letters I fhall

not willingly discover to any Perfon. The Papacy of "Rome, the Rules of the holy Fathers, and the Le"gality of St. Peter I fhall help, and maintain and "defend against all Men. The Legate of the Apo"ftolical See going and coming I fhall honourably

treat. The Rights, Honours, Priviledges, Autho"rities of the Church of Rome and the Pope and his "Succeffors I fhall caufe to be conferved, defended, "augmented and promoted. I fhall not be in Coun "cils, Treaty, or any Act, in the which any Thing "fhall be imagined against him or the Church of Rome, "their Rights, Seats, Honours, or Powers; and if

I know any fuch to be moved or compafs'd I fhall "refift it to my Power; and as foon as I can, I fhall "advertise him, or fuch as may give him knowledge. "The Rules of the holy Fathers, the Decrees, "Ordinances, Sentences, Difpofitions, Refervati"ons, Provifions, and Commandments Apoftolick "to my Power I fhall keep, and caufe to be kept of "others. Hereticks, Schifmaticks and Rebels to

66 our

"our holy Father and his Succeffors I fhall refift and perfecute to my Power. I fhall come to the Synod "when I am call'd, except I be letted by a canoni"cal Impediment. The Thresholds of the Apoftles "I fhall vifit yearly perfonally or by my Deputy. I "fhall not alienate or fell any Poffeffions without the "Pope's Confent. So God help me and the holy "Evangelifts. 1. Part. pag. 123.

This was the Oath of Fidelity Cranmer took, when he actually defign'd to feparate himself from the Pope's Communion, ftrip him of his spiritual Supremacy in England, and beftow it on the King.

.

But I cannot but here admire Dr. Burnet's admirable Skill in Apologizing for this barefaced Act of Perjury, and bringing off his holy Saint and Martyr by contriving before he took the Oath his Making a foLenan Proteftation that he did not intend thereby to reftrain bimfelf from any Thing that he was bound to either by his Duty to God, the King or bis Country; and he renounced every Thing in it that was contrary to any of thefe Things. 1. Part. I. 2. pag. 129. But if this will excufe a Man from the Guilt of Perjury, he must be stark Mad that ever becomes guilty of it: For with the Help of this juggle let an Oath be never fo unlawful or wicked, he need but make a Protestation publickly or in his Heart to God, that he never intends to keep it, and all is well. Maft noble Cafuiftry! Tocall God folemnly to Witnefs that we will do fuch or fuch a Thing, and proteft with the fame Breath that we intend to do nothing of it!

If any one afks whether B. Cranmer's Oath to the Pope obliged him then to act contrary to what he thought his Duty to God, his King or Country? I anfwer, no: For an unlawful Oath obliges to nothing but Repentance, and if he thought the Oath tender d to him was an unlawful one, he ought to have refufed

it.

But the Truth of the Matter is, that Cranmer had not fo great a Repugnance to an Archbishoprick, as Dr. Burnet has most ridiculously reprefented him, fince he would rather ftrain a Point of Confcience, nay even purchace it with a Perjury, than not have it.

But