Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 6 · Part 22
The murther of ROBERT PACKINGTON.
HEe was a rich Mercer dwelling in Cheap side, and was one of the …urgesses of the Parliament for the Citie of London, and had spoken against the couetousnesse and cruelty of the Clergie; wherefore he was had in contempt with them, therfore one Doctor Vincent Deane of Paules hired a stranger for sixtie crownes to kill him, which he did in this manner: this Packington vsed by foure of the clocke eueryevery morning, to go to a Church neare Cheap-side; and in a mistie morning t…e hyred stranger shot him and killed him with a gunne as he crossed the street. This could not be knowne vntill the death of the Deane: then he repented the fact at his death, and confessed it to his ghostly father.
In this yeare the Kings Maiestie by his Uicegerent the L. Cromwell sent out againe certaine Iniunctions vntounto the Spiritualty,1538. for the reformation of religion, for the maintenance of reading the Bible in English, and for taking downe of Images, with such other like.
The history of Iohn Lambert, alias Nicolson.
BEing beyond Sea by reason of the persecution here, he returned, hoping the time had bin amended, by the means of Quéen Anne and Cromwell, and the abolishing of the Pope; he became a Schoolemaster: and being present at a Sermon preached by Doctor Taylor, one that was a Bishop in K. Edwards time, and died in the Tower in Queen Maries time, after the Sermon hee vttered diuers arguments to the Preachers, and desired to be resolued: Taylor alledged businesse, and desired him to write his minde, which he did.
The first was vponupon, The cup is the new Testament: and if these words doe not change neither the cup nor the wine into the new Testament, by like reason the words spoken of the bread, should not turn it corporally into the body of Christ.
The second, it is not agreeable to a naturall body to be in …wo or more places ot one time: therfore Christ hauing a naturall bodie, cannot be in heauen on the right hand of his father, and in the Sacrament.
Thirdly, a naturall body cannot be without his forme and conditions, as he cannot be without substance: i… the Sacrament there is no forme and condition of the body of Christ, no, not any appearance of flesh, therefore there is no transubstantiated body of his in the Sa…rament: and on the contrary, the forme and condition that you see in the Sacrament pertaineth to bread, which cannot be there without the subiect, therefore of necessity we must confesse bread to be there.
Taylor put vp the writing to Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury; so hee was forced to defend his cause openly in the Court: the Archbishop had not yet sanored the doctrine of the Sacrament, which he afterward was an earnest teacher of Lambert was faine to appeale from the Bishop to the King.
Steuen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester, as he was most cruell, so hee was most subtile, gaping to get occasion to hinder the Gospell. Hee priuily admonished the King, what great hatred he had gotten of al men for abolishing the Bishop of Romes authoritie, and for subuerting the Monasteries, and for the di…orcement of Queene Katharine: and now the time serued, if he would take it, to remedie all these matters, and pacifie their minds that be offended; if on this man Lambert he would manifest how st…utly he would resist hereticks, whereby he shall discharge himselfe of all suspicion of being a fauourer of new Sects; whereupon the King appointed a day for argument before him: when the time was come, the Bishop argued the foresaid points against Lambert, which he answered most effectually; but the King and the Bishops would not suffer him to conclude his arguments. When the King minded to breake vp his counterfeit disputation, he said to Lambert, What sayest thou now to the reasons and instructions of these learned men? Art thou satisfied? Wilt thou liue or die, thou hast yet free choyse? Lambert answered, I submit my selfe to the will of your Maiestie: the King said submit thy selfe to the handes of GOD, not to mine; then said Lambert, I commit my soule to the handes of GOD, but my body I submit to your clemencie. Then said the King, if you commit your selfe to my clemencie you must die: for I will not be a patr…n vn…o hereticks. Then he bade Cromwell reade the sentence of condemnation against h…m; which he did, though he was the chiefe friend of the Gospellers: this was by the po…icie of Cranmer, that if Cromwell should hauehave refused to do it, he might incurre the like danger. And in the sentence was contained a decrée, that the same should be set vponupon the Church porches, and be read foure times eueryevery yeare in eueryevery Church throughout the Realm…, whereby the worshipping of the bread should be the more fixed in the hearts of the people.