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to promote or discountenance their caufe. Hence it happened, that almoft at the fame time when he was ifluing injunctions to his clergy to purify the belief of the people, and correct their fuperftitious notions, he was burning the Sacramentaries, or thofe who denied the corporal prefence of Chrift in the Eucharift; and whilft he granted permillion to all his fubjects to read the new translation of the Bible without controul, and ordained that a copy of it fhould be fet up pubiickly in every church in England for the perufal of the laity, he almott at the fame moment paffed that dreadful act against the Reformation, which from its feverity has been well denominated the Bloody Statute, or the Whip with fix thongs. This act denounced the punishment of burning, without abjuration, with forfeiture of all real and perfonal eftate to the king, against any who fhould speak, preach, or write adverfely to the firft of the fix articles afferted in the act; and death without benefit of clergy to any who should preach or obftinately difpute against the other five.The articles were thefe:

1. "That in the facrament of the altar, after the confecration, there remains no fubftance of bread and wine, but under thefe forms the natural body and blood of Chrift is prefent.

2. "That communion in both kinds is not neceffary to falvation to all perfons by the law of God, but that both the flesh and blood of Chrift are together in each of the kinds.

3. "That priefts may not marry by the law of God.

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4. That vows of chastity ought to be obferved by the law of God. 5. "That private maffes ought to be continued, which as it is agreeable to God's law, fo men receive great benefit by them.

6. "That auricular confeffion is expedient and neceffary, and ought to be retained in the church."

By an act, alfo, which he paffed in the thirty-fifth year of his reign, he almost led the people back again into the darkeft ages and wildeft fuperftitions of Popery. It enacts that "recourfe must be had to the Catholick and Apoftolick Church for the decifion of controverfies; and therefore all books of the Old and New Teftament in Englith, being of Tyndal's falfe tranflation, or comprifing any matter of Chriftian religion, articles of faith, or holy fcripture, contrary to the doctrine fet forth by the King [in the fix articles] 1540, or to be fet forth by the King, fhall be abolished. No perfon fhall fing or rhyme contrary to the faid doctrine. No perfon hall retain any English books or writings against the holy and bleffed facrament of the altar, or other books abolished by the King's proclamation. There fhall be no annotations or preambles in Bibles or New Testaments in English. The Bible shall not be read in English in any church. No women, er artificers, apprentices, journeymen, fervingmen, husbandmen, or labourers, fhall read the New Teftament in English. Nothing fhall be taught or maintained contrary to the King's inftructions. If any fpiritual perfon fhall be convicted of preaching or maintaining any thing contrary to the King's inftructions already made, or hereafter to be made, he fhall for the first offence recant, for the second bear a fagot, and for the third be burnt.”* But notwithstanding these unexpected checks to the progrefs of the Reformation, which thus arofe from the ficklenefs and impetuofity of the king, and the bigotry and malice of the Popish party; yet it must be allowed, that great advances towards its eftablishment were made during this reign, and that much of the good which had been effected in the early part remained at its clofe; the word of God was in the hands of the people;† and

*Neale's Hift. Purit. vol. i. p. 36.

+ "It was wonderful," fays Strype, "to fee with what joy this book of God was received, not only among the more learned, and thofe who were noted lovers of the Reformation, but generally all over England, among all the common people; and with what gree

the King's Primers; the Forms of Proceffion; and the Neceffary Doctrine and Erudition &c. contained comparatively reasonable and purified forms of religious fervices, in the vulgar tongue of the country, and confequently calculated for the ufe of all ranks and degrees of the community. The providence of God having raided Edward VIth to the throne, (a prince who, though only nine years and four months old, was the wonder of his age for piety and learning, for fagacity and application to bufinefs) and fpared the venerable Cranmer from the capricious fury of Henry VIII., the work of religious reformation went happily forward. The perfecution upon the fix articles was ftopped; the prifoners for the caufe of religion were liberated; the exiles for confcience-fake were recalled; foul-maffes and obits were decried; and images were preached against and pulled down. For the ufe and information of the clergy, (few of whom were capable of compofing a fermon) the archbishop, aflifted by other divines, drew up a book of homilies, a copy of which was left with every parifh prieft, together with a printed ftring of Injunctions from the king, confifting of the following articles:

The firft enjoins the abolition and extirpation of the Bishop of Rome's ufurped power in this kingdom; and the doing away the idea that images, relics, &c. can profit towards falvation.

2. That all deans, archdeacons, parfons, vicars, &c. fhall preach a fermon at least every quarter of a year, wherein they fhall "purely and fincerely declare the word of God;" and reprobate all the practices of Romith fuperftition.

3. That they fhall pull down all images in their parifhes.

4. That every holiday they fhall recite in the pulpit the Pater nofter, Creed, and the Ten Commandments.

5. That they fhall charge mafters and parents to inftruct their children. 6. That they fhall take care the facraments be duly adminiftered

7. That they fhall provide a great English Bible within three months, and the Paraphrase of Erasmus in English, to be fet up in their churches. 8. That they fhall not haunt or refort to taverns, &c. nor play at dice, cards, &c.

9. That they fhall in confeffions every Lent examine every perfon that comes to them, in the Pater nofter, &c.

10. That they fhall admit no man to preach, unlefs he be licenfed.

11. That they fhall openly recant all they had spoken in praife of pilgrimages relics, &c.

12. That they fhall prefent every man who is a letter of the word of God, or a fupporter of the bishop of Rome.

13. That they fhall keep a register for weddings, chriftenings, & burials. 14. That they fhall (thofe who are not refidents upon their benefices, and have 20l. per annum, or more) distribute a fortieth part of their annual income to their poor parishioners.

dinefs God's word was read, and what refort there was to the places appointed for reading it. Every one that could bought the book, and bufily read it, or heard it read; and many elderly learnt to read on purpofe." We are forry to add, however, that the clergy in general did not fecond or encourage the pious ardour of the people They were very cold in the matter, and read the word of God fo contufedly as not to be understood; exhorting their parish oners at the fame time, notwithstanding the injunctions," to do as they did in times palt, and to live as their fathers; the old fashion being beft."-Johnson's Hift. Eng. Tranfl. &c.

*Primers continued to be printed and circulated both in English and Latin to the close of Henry's reign. In the last year was one with this title: "The Primer, fet forth by the King's Majetty and his Clergy, to be taught, learned, and read; and none other to be ufed throughout his dominions. Imprinted at London, &c. by Richard Grafton, the 17th day o August 1546 Reprinted without any alteration." The "Bill affigned," at the end of the volume, gives the exclufive privilege and licence of printing the fame to Richard Grafton and Edward Whitchurch,

13. That they fhall (provided they have preferment to the amount of rool. per annum) give an exhibition to one fcholar at the univerfity, and another exhibition for every additional rool. per annum.

16. That they shall beftów a fifth part of their income to repair their decayed mafions and chancels.

17. That they fhall every quarter of a year read these injunctions to their parishioners.

18. That all perfons fhall duly pay their tithes.

19. That no perfon fhall change the fafting-days, nor alter divine fervice, till it be otherwife ordered by the king's authority.

20. That every parfon, &c. fhall have and ftudy, within three months, the New Teftament in Latin and English, with the Paraphrafe of Erafmus. 21. That in the time of high mats, the epiftle and gospel fhall be read in English, and not in Laun; and that on every Sunday and holiday the minitter fhall read a chapter of the New Teftament in English, at matins, "immediately after the leffons;" and at evenfong after Magnificat, one chapter of the Old Testament.

22. That in order to counteract despair in fick penitents, the parish priefts fhall "have always in readiness iuch comfortable places and fentences of fcripture as do fet forth the mercy &c. of Almighty God.”

23. That to prevent all further difpute about precedence in proceffion, and for more quietly hearing the prayers, &c. they thall not henceforth ufe any proceffion "about the church or church-yard, or other place, but immediately before high mafs the priests with others of the choir fhall kneel in the midft of the church, and fing or fay plainly, and diftinctly, the litany, which is fet forth in English, with all the fuffrages following." And in the time of the litany, of the high mafs, &c. no perfon, without an urgent caufe, fhall depart out of the church; and that there fhall be no knolling of bells during the time, except one bell before the fermon.

N. B. To understand this injunction, it is neceffary to recollect that the litany ufed formerly to be recited by the pricft and people in procellion; that is, during a folemn and orderly walk round the church, altars, or church-yard; and hence, in Henry's Primers, the litany is called "the Common Prayer of Proceffion."

24. That the fabbath fhould be kept holy by all people; yet notwiths ftanding that all partons, &c. fhall teach their parishioners, that during the time of harveft they might labour upon "the holy and feftival days, and fave that thing which God hath fent."

25. That niinifters fhall prevent coming to the facrament all fuch perfons as were out of charity with their neighbours.

26. That every dean, archdeacon, &c. fhould preach twice a year at leaft within his jurisdiction.

27. That all minifters fhall fee the ceremonies of the church are not violated, nor fuperftitious practices carried on in their parishes.

28. That they fhall destroy all thrines, &c. and provide a pulpit.

29. That they fhall provide an alms-cheft.

30. That they shall not be obliged to go to women in child-bed, except in dangerous fickness; nor to fetch any corpfe, unless it be brought to the church-door.

31. That they shall avoid and prevent the fin of Simony.

32. That they fhall read in their churches every Sunday one of the Homilies.

33. That no man shall defpife the minifter for lack of learning, 34. "That all manner of perfons which understand not the Latin tongue, fhall pray upon none other Primer but upon that which was lately fet forth in English by authority of King Henry VIIIth; and thofe unders ftanding the Latin, to ufe his Latin Primer.

35. That all chantry priefts teach youth to read, write, &c. 36. That "when any fermon or homily thall be had, the prime and bars fhall be omitted."-N. B. Thefe were parts of the morning liturgy. In addition to these fervices in the caufe of the Reformation, Cranmer compofed and published a catechifm alfo for the inftruction of children and young people; and wrote a difcourfe on the facrament of the Lord's Supper. The Paraphrafe of Erafmus on the Gofpels and Acts of the Apoftles was likewife tranflated into English;* and parliament enacted, that the holy communion fhould be received by the laity in both kinds, and that "a new oflice" fhould be prepared, accommodated to this rational ordinance. This was forthwith drawn up by a committee of prelates, (nominated for the purpose) and copies of it were tranfmitted to the bishops on the 13th of March 1547, to be circulated through their respective diocefes, in order that they might be publickly adopted in all the congregations of reformed chriftians at the following Eafter. A greater work however remained to be executed; that of preparing a national liturgy, or form of public prayer for the general ufe of the English church. We have feen above, that fome fteps had already been taken for providing the people with intelligible religious fervices, by the publication of the King's Primer, the Form of Proceffion, and the Neceffary Doctrine and Erudition for any Christian Man; but thefe did not amount to the establishment of a general and uniform liturgy, nor were they attended with any compalfory injunction to enfure their exclufive ufe. Much had hitherto been left to the difcretion of the officiating clergy, who, in the performance of pubhe worship, feem either to have continued the ufe of the Popish fervices, without making any alteration in them, or to have adopted only partially the new ones prepared by the reformers. A committee therefore was appointed to draw up in English a book of fervices for the general use of the church; which confifted of Archbishop Cranmer; Thomas Goodrich, bithop of Ely; Henry Holbeach, alias Randes, bifhop of Lincoln; George Day, bifhop of Chichetter; John Skip, bishop of Hereford; Thomas Thirlby, bishop of Westminfter; Nicholas Ridley, bifhop of Rochefter; Dr. William May, dean of St. Paul's, London; Dr. John Taylor, dean (afterwards bithop) of Lincoln; Dr. Simon Heynes, dean of Exeter; Dr. John Redmayne, mafter of Trinity college in Cambridge; Dr. Richard Cox, dean of Christchurch in Oxford; and Mr. Thomas Robertfon, archdeacon of Leicefter. Thefe divines entered with fuch ardour upon this bufinefs, and continued it with fuch perfeverance, that in a few months

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*Immediately on the acceffion of Edward VIth, the king iffued an injunction that not only whole English Bib, thould be placed in churches, but alfo that the Paraphrafe of Erafmus, to the end of the four evangelifts, in English, fhould accompany it. It was alfo ordered, that the epift e and gofpel of the mafs fhould be read in English, and that on every Sunday and holiday one chapter of the New Testament in Englifh fhould be plainly and distinctly read at matins, and one chapter of the Old Teftament at evening. Afterwards, when the Book of Common Prayer was printed, (at the beginning of the year 1549) a practice was enjoined that nearly resembles the prefent one; viz. that after reading the pfalms in order at morning and evening prayer, two leffons, the firft from the Old Testament, and the fecond from the New, thould be read loudly and diftinétiy. During this fhort reign, which included only feven years and about five months, no lefs than eleven impreffions of the whole English Bible; fix of the New Testament; and one of the whole New Testament paraphrafed by Erafmus, and tranflated into English, were published; so earnestly and our pious Reformers labour in the godlike work in which they had engaged.

+ This arofe from the circumftance of most of the incumbents being either ci-devant monks or friars, with whom Henry had fupplied the benefices as fait as they became vecint; in order to make them fome amends for having turned them out of their monafteries. It cannot be wondered at that paitors of this defcription should have thrown every cbftacle in the way of the Reformation.

The commiffioners affembled in the month of May 1548, and came immediately to the unanimous refolution, that fetting atide all prejudice, they would reject nothing of

they had prepared for public ufe all the offices for morning and evening praver, for Sundays and holidays; as well as the forms for baptifm, confirmation, matrimony, burial of the dead, &c. &c. The book being com pleated, it was by Cranmer prefented to the young king, who received it with every mark of delight. Parliament immediately (viz. at the clofe of the year 1548) confirmed its authority, and enjoined its general ufe, under the title of the Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church; after the Use of the Church of England. It is obvious, that the commiflioners appointed for the above-mentioned purpose, had been entrusted with a bufiuefs of much dunculty and much delicacy. They had to reconcile the prejudices, and to fatisfy the withes of parties whofe fentiments were the most difcordant, and whofe views were the moft contradictory. They had to gratify the Proteftants, and to foothe, and by thefe means gain over, the Catholics: and to accommodate the forms and fervices of the new liturgy to thefe wife, charitable, and praife-worthy ends. It is not therefore to be wondered at, that their liturgy, compiled under thefe circumftances, fhould have been deemed liable to exceptions by fome of the more rigid friends of reformation, as favouring too much of the old fuperftitions. This we find to have been the cafe; objections were made, and Cranmer, in order to remove them, propofed a review of the work, and a correction of its errors, deficiencies, or fuperfluities. Two learned divines were accordingly appointed to this bulinefs; Martin Bucer, and Peter Martyr, both natives of Germany, who by the archbishop's intereft had been invited to England, and placed in fituations of dignity and truft; Bucer in the divinity chair at Cambridge, and Martyr in the fimilar profefforship at Oxford. In the early part of the year 1551, thefe divines entered upon their work, and performed it much to the fatisfaction of the archbishop; under whofe fanction the alterations they had made were for the moft part adopted in the new edition of the liturgy, which was published in the month of April 1552, under the name of the New Service, and appointed by parliament to be every where made ufe of, from the enfuing feftival of All Saints. The alterations of most importance adopted in this new edition were as follow. The appointment of the fentences, exhortation, confeffion, and abfolution, to be read at the beginning of the morning and evening fervices, which in the 'firft Common Prayer Book began with the Lord's Prayer; the rejection of prayers for fouls departed, both in the communion office, and in that for

what was already done to their hand, merely through love of change; but only endeavour to restore the public ritual to the fimplicity of the fervice of the primitive church, by abolifting the fuperftitious errors and ceremonies with which Popery had encumbered the wo.fup of God. See the difcourfe "Of Ceremonies, why fome be abolithed, and fome retased;" prefixed to the Book of Common Prayer. The commifiioners, therefore, entered upon an examination of the Breviaries, Millals, and Rituals, in general ufe, as well as the book of offices; and fcrupuloufly comparing them with ancient liturgies, and the ritual compofitions of the early fathers, they adopted whatever had the authority of feripture, and the fanction of pure ecclefiaftical antiquity on its fide, and rejected whatever was contrary thereto; or which was in itfelf trifling, idle, or fuperftitious. Dr. Bennet has made a curious calculation of that proportion of our prefent offices which has been borrowed from Popifh liturgies, and states it as not exceeding one fourteenth part.

*It will be worth remembering, that Gilbertus, a German, many years fince, in a book of his, propounds our book of prayer for a fample of the forms of the ancient church; and for the purity of it, and thorough reformation, Cranmer procured King Edward's Common Prayer Book to be tranflated into Latin, and fent it to Bucer, and required his judgment of it; who answered, that there was nothing in it but what was taken out of the Word of God, or which was not against it, cominode acceptum, (being taken in a good fenfe.) Some things, indeed, (faith he) que nifi quis &c. (unlefs they be interpreted with candour, may feem not fo agreeable to the word of God, and which unquiet men may wreit unto matter of contention) as may be feen at large in Bucer's Scripta Anglicana, Upon this occafion that Book of Edward's was again furveyed, &c."-A View of the New Directory, &c. 3d edit. Oxford, 1646, p. 16.

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