38 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. I. King have a magical virtue or facramental efficacy ? Or if they difclaim'd this, Edward VI. Why did they not fpeakout, and omit the confecration of them ? I 5M The council had it forre time under confideration, whether thofe veft- Of the Ha- ments in which the priefts ufed to officiate, fhould be continued ? It was bats. objefted againft them, by force who had been confeffors for the proteftant religion, and others, that the habits were parts of the train ofthe mays; that the people hadfuch a fuperftitious opinion ofthem, as to think theygave an ef- ficacy to their prayers, and that divine fervice Paid without this apparel was infignfcant; whereas at bell they were inventions of popery, and ought to be deflrayed with that idolatrous religion. But it was faid on the other hand, 'Fuller's Ch. by thofe divines who had ftay'd in England, and weather'd the ftorm of B=/t. b. 7. king Henry's tyranny by a politick compliance, and concealment of their P' 4 °2' opinions; that church habits and ceremonies were indifferent, and might be appointed by the magJrates ; that white was the colour ofthe priefts garments in the mofaical difpenfation; and that it wasa naturalexprelion of the purity and decency which becamepriefts. That they ought to depart no furtherfrom the church of Rome than jhe had departedfrom the practice of the primitive church. Befides, the clergy were thenfo poor, that they couldfcarce affordto buy themfe'lves decent cloaths. But did the priefts buy their own garments? Could not the parifh provide a gown, or force other becoming apparel for the prieft to minifter in facred things, as well as a fquare cap, a furplice, a cope, or a tippet? Were thefe the habits of the primitive clergy before the rife of the papacy ? Yet upon thefe flender reafons the garments were continued, which foon after divided the reformers among themfeves, and gave rife to the two parties of conformi/is and nonconfbrmifts; archbifhop Cranmer and Ridley, being at the head of the former ; and bifhop Hooper, Rogers, with the foreign divines, being patrons of the latter. Parliament The parliament after feveral prorogations, met the 24th of November, :nef Liturgy. and on the i 5th of January following, the act confirming the new liturgy palled both houles; the bifhops of London, Durham, Norwich, Carle, Hereford, Worcefler, Wellminfter, and Chichefler, protefting. The pream- ble Pets forth, " That the archbifhop of Canterbury, with other learned bi- " fhops and divines, having by the aidof the Holy Ghofl, with one uniform a' agreement, concluded upon an order of divine worfhip, agreeable to fcrip- " ture and the primitive church, the parliament having confidered the book, " gave the king their molt humble thanks, and enaled, That from the " feaft of Whitfunday 1549. all divine offices fhould be-performed accord- ing to it; and that fuch of the clergy as refufed to do it, or officiated in any other manner, fhould upon the firft conviêtion fuffer fix months im- " prifonment, and forfeit a year's profits of his benefice ; for the fecond of- " fence, forfeit all his church preferments, and Puffer a year's imprifonment ; " and for the third offence, imprifonment for life. Such as writ or printed againft
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