Chap. I. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 37 right and left fide, and on thebreaft, if not weak. A white veftment was Ed King dVL. to be put upon it in token of innocence ; and it was to be anointedon the íars head, with a fhort prayer for the unttion of the Holy Ghoft. In order to confirmation, Thofe that came were to be catechifed ; then Confirma- the bifhop was to fign them with the crofs, and lay his hands upon them, tion. in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghoft. If fick perlons defired to be anointed, the prieft might do it upon theAnointing the forehead and breaft, making the fign of the crofs, with a short prayer for Sick. his recovery. In the office of burial, the foul of the departed perfon is recommendedBurial. to the mercy of God ; and the minifter is to pray, that the fins which he committed in this world may be forgiven him, and that he may be admit- ted into Heaven, and his body raifed at the daft day. This was the firft fervice book or liturgy of king EdwardVI. We have no certain account of the ufe of any liturgies in the firft ages Antiquity f of the church ; thofe of St. Mark, St.- yanzes, and that of lllexandria, be- Liturgies. ing manifeftly fputious. ,. 'Tis not till the latter end of the fourth century that they are firft mentioned; and then it was left to the care of everybi- fhop, to draw up a form of prayer for his own church. InSt. flu/lin's time they began to confult about an agreement of prayers, that none fhould be ufed without common advice; but (till there was no uniformity. Nay, in the darkeft times of popery, there was a vaft variety of forms in different fees, witnefs the offices fecundum ufum Sarum, Bangor, York, &c. But our reformers fplit upon this rock, facrificing the peace of the church, to a miftaken necefsty of an exact uniformity of dottrine and worfhip, in which it was impoflible for all men to agree. Had they drawn up divers forms, or left a defcretionary latitude for tender confciences, all men would have been eafy, and the church more firmly united than ever. The like is to be obferved as to rites and ceremonies. Nothing is more Ofretaining certain, than that the church of Rome indulged a variety. Every religious tte Poptp, order (fays bifhop Burnet) had their peculiar rites, with the faints days that Rites. belong'd to their order, and fervices for .them : But our reformers thought V 1 efor. . proper to infift upon an exaét uniformity of habits and ceremonies for all the p. 72. .clergy ; though they knew many of themwere exceptionable, having been ahufed to idolatry; and were a yoke which fome of the molt refolved pro- teftants could not bear. Nay, fo great a ftrefs was laid upon the fquare cap and furplice, that rather than difpenfe with theufe of them, thebithops were content to part with their belt friends, and hazard the reformation into the hands of the papifts. If there muff be habits and ceremonies for decency and order, why did they not appoint new ones, rather than retain the old, which had been idolized by the papifis to fuch a degree, as to be thought to have
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