Neal - Houston-Packer Collection BX9333 .N4 1754 v1

Chap. II. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 51 nor did they think the very fleth and blood of Chrift there prefent. This King claufe was !truck out by queen Elizabeth, to give a latitude to Papifis and Edward YT. Lutherans; but was inferted again at the reftoration of king Charles II. at Iv55.y the requeft of the Puritans. Befrdes thefe amendments, fundry old rites and ceremonies, retained in the former book, were difcontinued; as the ufe of oil in confirmation, and extream unftion; prayer for the dead in the office of burial, and in the communion fervice auricular confeffion ; the ufe of the crois in the eucharift, and in confirmation. In íhort, the whole L. of Cran. liturgy was in a manner reduced to the form in which it appears at prefent, p' 290' excepting Tome fmall variations that have fince been made, for clearing am- biguities. By this book of common prayer, Pays Mr. Strype, all copes and veftments were forbidden throughout England : The prebendaries of St. Paul's left off their hoods, and the bithops their croffes, &c. as by all of parliament is more at length fet forth. When the parliament met Yan. 23d, the new commonprayer book was Eflablibedby brought into the houle, with an ordinal or form of ordaining biíhops, Parliament. priefts, and deacons; both which paffed the houles without any confiderable oppofition. The all requires " All perlons after the feaft of Alhallóws " next, to come to common prayer every Sunday and holy day, under " pain of the cenfures of the church. All archbithops and bithops are re- "° quired to endeavour the due execution of this act; and whereas divers " doubts had been railed about the fervice book, 'tis Paid, the king and parliament had now caufed it to be perufed, explained, and made more " perfect." The new fervice book was to take place in all churches after TV/l. Refer. the feaft of .fill Saints, under the fame penalties, that had been enacted to Vot.II. enforce the former book three years before. p' X90' By another all of 'this fell-ion the marriages of the clergy, if performed Marriages of according to the fervice book, were declared good and valid, and their the Clergy le- children inheritable according to law; and by another, the bifhoprick of gtttmated. Weflminjier was fuppreffed, and reunited to the fee of London. Dr. Heath, bifhop of Worce/ler, and Day of Chicheßer, were both deprived this year, with Tonflal bifhop of Durham, whole bifhoprick was defigned to be di- vided into two; but the aft never took place. One of the lati things the king let his hand to, was a royal vifitation, in order to examine what plate, jewels, and other furniture, remain'd in the churches. The vifitors were to leave in every church, one or two chalices of filver, with linen for the communion table and for furplices, but to bring the bett of the church- furniture into the king's treafury ; and to fell the linen copes, altar cloths, &c. and diítribute the money to the poor. The pretence was, the calling in the fuperfluous plate that lay there more for pomp, thanufe. Some have called this by the nameoffacrilege, or church theft; and it was really no better. But it ought to be remember'd, the H 2 young

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