Chap. IL 7 e HISTORY of the PURITANS. 4-I, give them abfolution; but if they continued obflinate, they were to ex- An8 communicate, im rifon and deliver them over to the (ecular arm. This Edward V[. was little better than aproteftant inquifition. People had generally thought, r54' all the ftatutes for burning hereticks had been repeal'd ; but it was now faid, that hereticks were to be burnt by the common law of England; and that the ftatutes were only for direEting the manner of conviEtion ; fo that the repealing them did not take away that, which was grounded upon a writ at common law. Several tradefinen who were brought before the com- mniflioners abjured; but roan Becher, or foan of Kent, obftinately main- tained, that ChriI was not truly incarnate of the Virgin, wbofe fiefs being finful, he could not partake of it ; but the word, by the content of the inward man in the Virgin, took flefh ofher. Thefe were her words: A fcholaflick nicety, not capable of doing much mifchief, and far from deferving fo fe vere a punifhment! The poor woman could not reconcile the fpotlefs pu- rity of Chrifl's human nature, with his receiving fleth from a finful crea- ture; and for this the is declared an obftinate heretick, and delivered over to the fecular power to be burnt. The compafíionate young king not be- ing able to prevail with himfelf to fign the warrant for her execution, Cran- mer with his fuperior learning was employed to perfuade him; he argued from the praétice of the Yewa church in (toning blafphemers, and rather filenced bis highnefs than fatisfled him: For when at lafl he yielded to the archbi(hop's importunity, he told him with tears in his eyes, That if he HO. Refor; did wrong, lince it was in fubmiffion to his authority, he mutt anfwer for Vol. II. it to God. This (truck the archbifhop with furprize, yet he fuffered the P. rra. fentence to be executed. Nor did his grace renounce his burning principles as long as he continued George Van in power ; for about two years after, he went through the fame bloody Paris burnt. work again. One George VanParis, a Dutchman, being convilted of lay- ing, that God the Father was only God, and that Chrifl was not very God, was dealt with to abjure, but refuting, was condemned in the fame man- ner with .7oan of Kent, and on the 25th of .dpril r551. burnt in Smith- field : He was a man ofa ftrilt and virtuous life, and very devout; he fuf- Burnet fered with great conftancy of mind, kiffing the flake and faggots that were to burn him. No part of archbifhop Cranmer's life expofed him more than this: It was now Paid by the papifts, they taw men of harmlefs lives might be put to death for herefy, by the confelion of the reformers them - felves. In all the books publifhed in queen Mary's days juftifying her fe- verities against proteftants, thefe inftances were conftantly produced ; and when Cranmer himfelf was brought to the flake, they called it ajuft reta- liation. But neither arguments, nor (offerings, could convince the divines of this age, of the abfurdity and wickednefs of putting men to death, for the fake ofconfçience. V o L. I. G Bonner
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