Complaints, however, were made by the indolent clergy against this practice, which condemned their irreligious sloth and incompetence, as an excess of zeal fraught with many evils; and therefore, by an order in council against all preaching on working-days, on which there should be only prayers, their wishes were gratified.

The year 1551, is distinguished by the drawing up of the "Articles of Religion," in number forty-two, but nearly the same as the present "Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England," and the further correction of the Book of Common Prayer; the General Confession of sins, and the General Absolution being added; "and indeed," Burnet remarks, "they brought the whole Liturgy to the same form in which it is now, except some inconsiderable variations, that have been since made for the clearing of some ambiguities."

Hooper's influence prevailed to have the altars in the churches generally exchanged for tables, urging that Christ instituted the holy supper not at an altar, but at a table. Popish transubstantiation required kneeling at the altar, for the superstitious people to worship the bread and wine; and the English reformers, seeking to gain the papists, "added in the office of the communion a rubric concerning the posture of kneeling, which was appointed to be still the gesture of communicants *."

Another arrangement was made this year of a most important character. "Six eminent preachers were chosen out to be the king's chaplains in ordinary; two of these were always to attend at court, and four to be sent over England to preach and instruct the people: these were, Bill, Harley, Pern, Grindal, Bradford, and Knox. These, it seems, were accounted the most zealous and readiest preachers of that time, who were thus sent about as itinerants, to supply the defects of the greatest part of the clergy, who were generally very faulty +."

The Common Prayer, "perused, explained, and made more perfect," was confirmed by act of Parliament in January 1552: to which was added “the form of making bishops, priests, and deacons ;" and "so appointed, this new * Ibid. p. 224. + Ibid. p. 225.

book of service was to be everywhere received after the feast of All Saints next, under the same penalties that had been enacted three years before, when the former book was published."

Religion was reduced to a standard for the national faith, by the publication of the formulary drawn up the last year, under the title, “Articles agreed upon by the bishops and other learned and godly men, in the last convocation at London, in the year of our Lord 1552; to root out the discord of opinions, and establish the agreement of true religion." These Articles, however, do not appear to have been laid before that ecclesiastical assembly or the parliament: but Cranmer, with a few select divines, having prepared them, presented them to the council, where they received the royal assent; when subscription was required to them by all the clergy, on pain of expulsion from all ecclesiastical preferment.

Edward VI soon afterwards fell sick, first of the small-pox, and afterwards with the measles, which left such debility in his delicate frame, that a consumption terminated his mortal course, July 6, 1553, the wonder of the age for his attainments and piety. His ardeut solicitude for the progress of true religion, was manifest from the language of his last prayer: "Lord God, deliver me out of this miserable and wretched life, and take me among thy chosen; howbeit, not my will, but thine be done. Lord, I commit my spirit to thee. O Lord, thou knowest how happy it were for me to be with thee: yet for thy chosen's sake, send me life and health, that I may truly serve thee. O my Lord God, bless my people, and save thine inheritance. O Lord God, save thy chosen people of England. O Lord God, defend this realm from papistry, and maintain thy true religion, that I and my people may praise thy holy name, for Jesus Christ his saket."

1

"Papistry," thus lamented by the pious king, had opposed various obstructions to the work of reformation; but to conciliate it, much of popery was retained in the constitution and services of the church of England. In reforming religion,

therefore, in this country, those great men who were the chief labourers were not unanimous in relation to their work. They acknowledged that the Holy Scriptures were the only authoritative rule for both doctrine and ceremonies: but they were afraid to proceed so far, especially with regard to ceremonies of worship. The numerous clerical orders which popery had originated, were retained, though the reformers had declared their conviction that only the bishops and deacons were sanctioned by the Scriptures; and in the preface to one of the service books, they signified that they had "gone as far as they could in reforming the church, considering the times they lived in, and hoped they that came after, would, as they might, do more." Cranmer, it was said by a contemporary writer, "had drawn up a book of prayers a hundred times more perfect than that which was then in being; but the same could not take place, for that he matched with such a wicked clergy and convocation." King Edward, in a paper of his own writing, laments the inefficiency of ecclesiastical discipline, "Because," says he, "those bishops who should execute it, some for papistry, some for ignorance, some for age, some for their ill name, some for all these, are men unable to execute discipline: wherefore it were necessary that those that were appointed to be bishops, or preachers, were honest in life and learned in doctrine; that by rewarding such men, others might be allured to follow their good life *."

Political and interested motives, with little religion, influenced a large majority of the clergy in this reign: yet there was a goodly band in England, who were "burning and shining lights" in their day, fervent in prayer, evangelical in doctrine, laborious in the discharge of their ministry, and illustrious examples of purity in their lives. By their means genuine godliness was advanced in some favoured places, and they became an unspeakable blessing. The Scriptures were circulated, the pure doctrine of salvation by Christ alone was restored, and not a few became intelligent converts from popish idolatry to the truth as it is in Jesus. Still there

Burnet, vol. iv, p. 83.

was a vast mass of ignorance in the country, and comparatively few were the faithful preachers of the gospel.

Bernard Gilpin, deservedly called "The Apostle of the North," in a sermon, by command, before the Court, about six months before the death of the king, complained of patronage as a curse, that "Christian souls, so dearly bought, were committed without respect to men not worthy to keep sheep; that noblemen rewarded their servants with livings, appointed for the gospel; that he was not able to rehearse, nor yet any man knew, all the abuses, which the simoniac, ambitious, and idol pastors had brought into the land; by whose examples ravenous wolves, painted Christians, hypocrites, had entered, and defiled the sanctuary, Christ, and his Gospel, to the destruction of the flock. A thousand pulpits in England were covered with dust. Some had not had four sermons in fifteen or sixteen years, since friars left their limitations; and few of those worthy the name of sermons *."

Conformists and Nonconformists were henceforth particularly distinguished in England; concerning whose fathers among the Protestants, Fuller remarks: "The founders of Conformity were such as remained here all the reign of King Henry VIII, and weathered out the tempest of his tyranny at open sea, partly by a public compliance, and partly by a cautious concealment of themselves. These, in the days of King Edward VI, were possessed of the best preferments in the land, and retained many ceremonies practised in the Romish church, conceiving them to be ancient and decent in themselves. The authority of Cranmer and activity of Ridley headed this party; the former being the highest, the latter the hottest in defence of conformity.

"The founders of Nonconformity were such as fled beyond the seas, chiefly into Germany, where, living in states and cities of popular reformation, they sucked in both the air and discipline of the place they lived in these returning late into England, were at a loss for means and maintenance; only supported with the reputation of being confessors, rendering their patience to the praise, and their persons to the pity of

* Strype's Annals, vol. iii, 198, 199.

all conscientious people, and renounced all ceremonies of the Papists. John Rogers, lecturer in St. Paul's and vicar of St. Sepulchre's, with John Hooper, were leaders of this party *.”

Nonconformity, in reality, rested upon the infallible principle, the sufficiency and exclusive authority of the Holy Scriptures; while Conformity admitted the essential principle of popery, the lawfulness of imposing upon the people rites and doctrines, in addition to the inspired oracles: and religion will be found to have prospered in every age, just in proportion to the degree in which a sacred, jealous, and exclusive regard has been paid to the Word of God.

Among the Nonconformists in England at this period, it will be only justice to mention two congregations of foreigners, one at London, under the episcopal care of John á Lasco, a Polish nobleman; and the other at Glastonbury, whose pastoral bishop was Valerandus Pollanus. Attempts were made to compel them to conform to the rites prescribed in the English liturgy but they succeeded in obtaining a charter to observe their own forms of worship and discipline. John á Lasco was a man of high character for learning and piety: he was a firm supporter of Hooper in his nonconformity to the popish impositions; yet he was a favourite with King Edward, who consulted him frequently in ecclesiastical affairs, in carrying on the Reformation, and granted that three hundred and eighty of his congregation should be made denizens of England +.

CHAPTER IV.

REIGN OF MARY.

Lady Jane Grey-Mary succeeds-She persecutes - Promises to marry Philip of Spain Lady Jane beheaded - Philip arrives in England - Reconciliation with Rome Martyrs Rogers, Hooper, Saunders, Taylor, Farrar, Bradford - Effects of their murders - Latimer, Ridley, Cranmer His character Mary diesNumber of the Martyrs - Their principles - Popish cruelties.

MARY succeeded her brother Edward on the throne of England. That prince had been induced by his council, to set aside by

*Church History, cent. xvi, p. 402.

+ Burnet, vol. iii, p. 203; Strype, vol. ii, p. 38, 400.