of very faith; git' tho outward books, as Christian men hem maken, mowe well ynow, reherse, and witness truths and conclusions of faith, grounded before in holy scripture. For why?-it is no more repugnant, that books of moral philosophy reherse truths. and conclusions proper to the grounding of holy scripture, than that books of holy scripture reherse truths and conclusions proper to the grounding of moral philosophy,

10. The sixth principal conclusion:-The whole office and work into which ben ordained the books of moral philosophy, written and made by Christian men, in the manner now before spoken, is to express outwardly, by virtue of pen and ink, the truths and conclusions which the inward book of law of kind, buried in man's soul and heart, groundeth; and for to reherse some truths and conclusions of faith longing to the grounding of holy scripture, that the readers be the more and the ofter remembered, and stirred, and exhorted by this rehersing, &c.

11. The seventh principal conclusion :-The more deal and party of God's whole law to man in earth, and that by an huge great quantity over the remanent parts of the same law, is grounded sufficiently, out of holy scripture, in the inward book of law of kind, and of moral philosophy, and not in the book of holy scripture.

12. The eighth principal conclusion:-No man may learn and kunne the whole law of God, to which Christian men ben bound, but if he can of moral philosophy; and the more that he can in moral philosophy, by so much the more he can of God's law and service. This conclusion followeth out of the seventh conclusion openly enough.

13. The ninth conclusion:-No man shoulden perfectly, surely, and sufficiently understand holy scripture in all tho places wherein he reherseth moral virtues; but if he be before well, and perfectly, surely, and sufficiently learned in moral philosophy. This conclusion followeth out of the seventh and the eight conclusions.

14. The tenth conclusion:-The learning and kunning of the said law of kind, and of the said moral philosophy, is so necessary to Christian men, that it may not be lacked of them if they shoulden perfectly serve to God, and keep his law bitake1 to hem in earth.

15. The eleventh conclusion: Full well oughten all persons of the lay-party, not miche learned in mo-’ ral philosophy and law of kind, for to make miche of clerks well learned in moral philosophy, that tho clerks shoulden help tho lay persons, for to aright understand holy scripture in all tho places in which holy scripture reherseth the before-spoken conclu

I delivered.

sions and truths of moral philosophy; that is to say, of law of kind. For why-without tho clerks so learned in moral philosophy, and without her direction, the now said lay persons shoulden not easily, lightly and anon, have the due understanding of holy scripture in the now said places.

16. The twelfth conclusion:-Full well oughten all persons of the lay-party, not learned onywhere else' by the now said clerks, or by other books of moral philosophy, for to make mich of books made to hem in her mother's language, which be cleped thus: The Donet into Christian Religion;-The Follower to the Donet ;-The Book of Christian Religion, namely, the first party fro the beginning of the third treaty forward;-The Book filling the Four Tables;--The Book of Worshipping-The book cleped The Provoker of Christian Men ;-The Book of Counsels; and other mo pertaining to the now said book of Christian Religion.-Would God, men woulden not be by so mich the forwarder, and the more presumptuous, that goodness is to hem thus proferred. Would God, that they woulden assay perfectly what tho now said books ben; and woulden well kunne hem, and then if they should have any cause for to blame or commend those books, that then first, they would blame or commend.

17. The thirteenth conclusion :---They that would 2 Donet implies introduction.

1 either.

ask and say thus-" "Where findest thou it grounded in holy scripture?" As tho' else it is not worthly' to be take for true, whenever any governance, or truth, sufficiently grounded in law of kind, and in moral philosophy, is affirmed and ministered to them; as ben many of tho eleven governancies and truths, which schullen be treated upon after, in this present book; which ben setting up of images in high places of the bodily church; pilgrimages done prively, and pilgrimages done openly, by laymen, and by priests, and by bishops, unto the memorials, or mind-places of saints; and the endowing of priests by rents and by unmoveable possessions, and such other. Asken tho whilst in like manner unreasonably, and like unskilfully, and like reprovably, as if they would ask and say thus: "Where findest thou it grounded in holy scripture, when a truth and conclusion of grammar is affirmed, and said to them," &c.

The language in which this last conclusion is expressed, being involved, the sentiment intended to be conveyed, is somewhat obscure. He means to say, that to expect the authority of scripture for all moral truths (which species of truths is discoverable by reason,) were

1 worthy. 2 They ask at the same time.

equally absurd, as to expect a revelation to establish the rules of grammar.

It is remarkable, that in the foregoing Conclusions of bishop Pecock, a cast of thought is perceivable similar to that which pervades the Ecclesiastical Polity of Hooker, as will be seen when we come to treat of that celebrated book.

The other work I proposed to speak of is his "Treatise of Faith," which is a dialogue between a father and his son, divided into two books; of which the first professes to treat of the most probable means of gaining over the Lollards to the church; which he affirms to be an entire submission of their judgment to the decrees of the church, though supposed fallible; unless they could demonstrate such decrees to be founded in error. This book contains, perhaps, a still fuller developement of his religious opinions. In a long digression, he discusses the foundations of our faith; and allows that faith in this life, is only probable, or opinional, not sciential; which, he says, is to be obtained only in the bliss of heaven; and