Prayers.' This Order of Council was afterwards confirmed and extended by an Act of Parliament,1 to call in the books, and to take away images out of the churches. Preparations for Revision. dinal. By another Act of this Parliament 2 (Jan. 31, 1550), The Or the King was empowered to appoint six prelates, and six other men of this realm, learned in God's law, to prepare an Ordinal: and whatever should be 'devised for that purpose by the most number of them, and set forth under the Great Seal of England, before the 1st day of April, should be lawfully exercised and used, and none other.' The Order of Council appointing the commissioners was made Feb. 2d; and the book was brought to the council, Feb. 28th, signed by eleven commissioners, Heath, bishop of Worcester, refusing to subscribe, although the book by no means satisfied those who were bent upon more thorough reformation.4 The influence of this party, however, continued to increase during the absence of the Duke of Somerset from the council-board, and still more after his death, in 1552. Then, indeed, it seems that Cranmer kept himself in comparative retirement, while each event, under the influence of the court, tended to advance the views of the more zealous Protestants. Images had been destroyed 1 Stat. 3 and 4 Ed. VI. c. 10; Collier, Eccles. Hist. v. 361. 2 Stat. 3 and 4 Ed. VI. c. 12; Collier, p. 365. "The form and manner of making and consecrating of Archbishops, Bishops, Priests and Deacons,' 1549 (=1550); reprinted in Liturgies and Documents of the Reign of Edward VI. (Park. Soc.). The Act added, 'and other ministers of the church;' but the commissioners omitted all mention of orders inferior to Deacons. See Soames, Hist. Ref. Ed. VI. p. 521. The form of the Oath of Supremacy was especially objectionable: 'So help me God, all Saints, and the holy Evangelist.' This was altered upon Hooper's arguments, and ali mention of swearing by the saints was struck out by the King's own hand, July 20th, when Hooper accepted the bishopric of Gloucester, and took the oath as amended. Orig. Lett. CCLXIII (Aug. 28). Micronius to Bullinger. Hooper's own account of the matter is given in a Letter to Bullinger (June 29th), Orig. Lett. XXXIX. Influence of continental antism. for Revision. Altars. by Ridley, Bishop of London. Preparations out of the churches; and now (1550) the Eucharist was made to appear more plainly as the Lord's Supper by Removal of the removal of altars. This had been partially begun; but the general impulse was given to it by Hooper's Lent sermons before the court.1 Ridley, who, while Bishop of Rochester, had destroyed 'the altars of Baal' in his church there, was now Bishop of London.2 In June he visited his new diocese, and set about this alteration, as far as his episcopal authority could reach, seconded as it was by the civil power. Notwithstanding these efforts many altars remained, with their rich hangings, and jewels, and gold and silver plate: and we can hardly think otherwise than that some courtiers desired their destruction, because they hoped to enrich themselves by the plunder of such valuable furniture,* which would not be wanted for an honest table.' Hence an order was issued in November for the entire removal of the altars, and arguments were prepared, and sent with the Council's letter 5 to the bishops, to reconcile the parishioners to the loss of the ornaments of their churches.6 1 Serm. IV. upon Jonas, Early Writings of Bishop Hooper, p. 488 (Park. Soc.): 'It were well that it might please the magistrates to turn the altars into tables, according to the first institution of Christ, to take away the false persuasion of the people they have of sacrifices to be done upon the altars; for as long as the altars remain, both the ignorant people and the ignorant and evilpersuaded priest will dream always of sacrifice. 2 Orig. Lett. XXXVIII. Hooper to 3 Cardwell, Doc. Ann. XXI. p. plucking down of superaltaries, altars, and such like ceremonies and abuses.' .... 4 Instructions for the Survey of Church-goods in Northamptonshire, 1552. in many places great quantity of the said plate, jewels, bells, and ornaments be embezzled by certain private men.' Cardwell, Doc. Ann. xxvII. 5 Cardwell, Doc. Ann. xxiv. 6 Our Saviour instituted the sacrament of His body and blood at a table. The disciples sat, in their usual posture at meals, at that supper. It does not appear that the apostles used anything but a table in their ministrations. altar is for sacrifice, which has passed away with the Mosaic law. A table is for eating, and is, therefore, more An for Revision. The change, however, involved rubrical difficulties: the Preparations people had been accustomed to kneel before the altar at the time of Communion; but what should be their posture before or around a table? The priest also had been directed to stand before the middle of the altar fixed at the east end of the choir; but where should he stand to minister at a moveable table placed for the Communion in the middle or at the western entrance of the chancel, or even in the nave of the church? about With the same tendency, a great discussion was going Disputes on about ecclesiastical vestments. Everything which vestments. had been used by popery was unclean in the eyes of the more ardent Reformers, who communicated with Switzerland rather than with Germany. But above all, the scarlet portion of the bishop's robes was offensive, as being the colour which identified the papacy with the apocalyptic persecutor. This dispute was brought to a full discussion by the appointment of Hooper to the bishopric of Gloucester.2 After a long, hot, and fruitless debate with Ridley, Hooper was committed to the Fleet, by order of the Privy Council (Jan.. 27, 1551). This curious mode of compelling a bishop-elect to be consecrated had the effect desired by those in authority. Hooper yielded so far as to be consecrated (March 8), and then to preach in his pontificals before the king,a on the understanding that he would not be required to use the full dress of a bishop on all occasions in the retirement of his diocese. These disputes were strengthened by the appointment proper for the solemnity of the Lord's Supper. Summary of the arguments in Collier, Eccl. Hist. v. 410. 1 See Hardwick, Reformation, p. 209. 2 See Soames, Hist. Ref. Ed. VI. pp. 560 sqq.; Hardwick, pp. 216 sqq. 4 Orig. Lett. CXXIV. Foxe gives D Hooper, bishop of Gloucester. Revision of the PrayerBook. Congregations of foreigners in England. Revision of the PrayerBook mentioned in Convocation. of Bucer and Martyr to the Divinity Chairs in the two Universities, and also by the presence of congregations of foreign refugees.1 John Laski's Dutch and German congregation, an Italian 2 and a French church in London, together with that of Pullain for French and Walloons at Glastonbury, were fully tolerated; and under their respective superintendents were allowed to conduct their worship after their own fashion: although Ridley, and other bishops, felt that such diversity would tend to disturb the settlement of the English ritual.3 Owing to these causes, the First Prayer Book of Edward VI. was no sooner published than further alterations were mooted. It is believed that the commissioners who compiled the Ordination Services, in the early part of 1550, prepared some alterations in the Book of Common Prayer. Towards the close of the year, when the Convocation met as usual with the Parliament, this matter was brought forward. Mention was made of doubts which had arisen respecting certain portions of the book; namely, what holydays should still be observed; the dress and posture of the minister in the Public Service; the entire Office of the Holy Communion, and especially the form of words used at the delivery of the consecrated elements. The book was to be revised; but not by Convocation: a committee of divines with Cranmer at their head was appointed for that purpose by the King, Opinions of who had determined on many changes; and the opinions of Bucer and Martyr were asked upon the existing Bucer and Martyr. 1 Soames, Hist. Ref. Ed. VI. p. 564. 2 Strype, Cranmer, II. 22. See some notices of these congregations in the Appendix to this chapter, $$ 8, 9. 3 Heylin, Hist. Ref. 4 Ed. VI. § 11. See Orig. Lett. CCLXIII. Micronius to Bullinger. 4 Heylin, Hist. Ref. 4 Ed. VI. $15. Si noluerint ipsi efficere ut quæ mutanda sint mutentur, rex per seipsum id faciet.' Martyr's Letter to Bucer; Strype, Cranmer, Append. LXI. Service-Book.1 It may, however, be observed, that although Convocation did not discuss the particular alterations that were made, it might have been induced to delegate its authority to a royal commission,2 chiefly composed of its leading members; and the alterations, important as they are, were said to be adopted only for the sake of rendering the book 'fully perfect in all such places in which it was necessary to be made more earnest and fit for the stirring up of all Christian people to the true honouring of Almighty God,' and with no intention of condemning the doctrines of the former book. And Edward's second Act of Uniformity 3 declared that the First Prayer Book had contained nothing but what was agreeable to the Word of God and the primitive Church ;' and that such doubts as had been raised in the use and exercise thereof proceeded rather from 'the curiosity of the minister and mistakers, than of any other worthy cause.' 4 The chief alterations now made were : made in 1552. In the Daily Prayer, the introductory Sentences, Ex-Changes hortation, Confession, and Absolution, were placed at the beginning of the Service. In the Communion Office, the Decalogue and Responses were added; the Introit, the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the thanksgiving for the Patriarchs and Prophets, the sign of the cross and the invocation of the Word and the Holy Ghost at the consecration of the elements, and the mixture of water with the wine, were omitted: the long prayer of consecration, beginning with the Prayer for the Universal Church and ending with the Lord's 1 See Appendix to this chapter, $$ 4, 5. 2 Cardwell, Two Prayer Books of Ed. VI. compared, Pref. p. xix. note. 3 Stat. 5 and 6 Ed. VI. c. I. Clay, Prayer Book Illustrated, Append. IV. 4 See Hardwick, Reformation, pp. 220 sqq. |