PENRY. 53 During Mr. Penry's confinement, he 'underwent an examination before the Worshipful Mr. Fanshaw and Justice Young, which was as follows : Fanshaw. It is strange to me, that you, Mr. Penry, hold suchopinions as none, of the learned men of this age, nor any of the martyrs in former times, maintained. Can you shew any writers, either ancient or modern, who have been of your judgment ? Penry. I hold nothing besides what I will be bound to prove out of the written word of God, and will shew to have been maintained by our holy martyrs, Wickliff, Brute, Purvy, White, Tindal, Lambert, Barnes, Latimer, and others. F. Do the martyrs then teackyou, that there is nochurch of. Christ in England ? P. If, by a church, you mean that public profession whereby men profess salvation to be had by the death and righteousness of Jesus Christ, I am free from denying that there is a church of Christ in this land. F. What then do you dislike in our church ? and why will you not partake of these truths and the sacraments with us ? P. I dislike, 1. The false ecclesiastical officers.,--2. The manner of calling those officers.--3, A great part of the works wherein these false officers are employed.-4. Their maintenance or livings. All of which I will be bound to prove, by the Lord's assistance, to be derived, not from Jesus Christ, but from antichrist. Therefore, as I cannot be partaker of those holy things of God, except under the power of antichrist, and by bearing those marks by which he is known, I am bound to seek the comfort of the word and sacraments where I may have them without submitting to any other ecclesiastical government than that which is derived from Jesus Christ. F. What officers do you mean ? P. I mean archbishops, lord bishops, archdeacons, commissaries, chancellors, deans, canons, prebendaries, priests, &c. all of which properly belong to no other body, whether ecclesiastical or civil, but only to the Romish church, where theywere first invented, where they still are, and from thence were left in this land when the pope was cast out by her majesty's royal father. The church of Christ, in all its offices, is perfect without them : the state, being a civil community, is perfect without them : heathen idolatry bath them not, and requireth them not. Only the
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