baptisme, which be written in the laste chapter of sainct Mathew. Go and teache al nations, baptisyne them in the name of the Father, and the Sonne, and the Holy Ghost. And when you shalbe asked what auayleth baptisme? You shal answere. Baptisme worketh forgyvenes of synne, it delyvereth from the kyngdome of the Devel and from death, and giueth lyfe and euerlastyng saluation, to all them that beleve these wordes of Christ, and promyse of God, which are written in the laste chapter of sainct Marke his gospell. He that wil beleve, and be baptised, shalbe saued. But he that wil not beleve shalbe damned.

Thirdly, yf a man aske you, how can water bryng to passe so great thynges? Ye shall answer. Uerely the water worketh not these thynges, but the worde of God, whiche is joyned to the water, and fayth whiche dothe beleve the worde of God. For without the worde of God, water is water, and not baptisme, but when the worde of the lyuyng God, is joyned to the water, then it is baptisme, and water of wonderful holsomnes, and the bath of regeneration, through the Holy Ghost, as saincte Paule writeth. God saued us by the bath of regeneration, and renewyng of the Holy Ghost, whom he powred upon us plenteously, by Jesus Christ our Sauiour, that we beyng made rightuous by his grace, maye be heyres of euerlastyng lyfe.* Fourthly. Yf a man aske you, what doth the baptisynge in the water betoken? aunswere ye, it betokeneth, that olde Adam with all his synnes and euel desyers, ought daylye to be killed in us, by trewe contricion and repentaunce that he may rise againe from death, and after he is risen with Christ, may be a new man, a new creature, and may liue everlastyngly in God, and before God, in rightuousnes and holynes. As saincte Paule wryteth, saying. All we that are baptised, are buried with Christe in

* Tit. iii.

to death, that as Christ rose agayne, by the glorie of his Father, so we also should walke in newnes of lyfe.* Thus ye have hearde good children, what is ment by the wordes of baptisme, by the which we are borne again, and made newe to euerlastynge lyfe. Learne these thynges dilygentlye, and thanke God, who in Christ hath called you to be partakers of so large and ample benefites. And expresse baptisme in your lyfe, and baptisme shalbe the greatest comforte to you, bothe in your lyfe tyme, and also in youre death bed. For by baptisme we be grafted into the death of Christe, wherfore synne, deathe or hell, can not hurte us, but we shall ouercome all these thynges by fayth, as Christe himselfe ouercame theym. And so by this newe byrthe we shall enter into the kyngdome of God, and lyfe everlastynge. The whiche God graunte us all. AMEN.

*Rom. vij.

THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.

THE first Service-book of Edward VI. was published in the month of March, A.D. 1549. Besides the Primate, Ridley bishop of Rochester, and Goodrich bishop of Ely, had probably the chief concern in its compilation but to which of these, or of the other prelates and divines who assisted in preparing it, the several parts are to be ascribed, we have no certain means of knowing. The book obtained the sanction of parliament, January 15th of the same year; having been adopted by convocation in the November preceding.*

Towards the close of A. D. 1550, Cranmer and the bishops undertook a revision of this book. Bucer, who was then at Cambridge, was also requested by the Archbishop to examine it, and "to suggest, if he thought any thing might be explained more agreeable with God's word and for better edification of faith :" and to enable him to do this, the book was translated into Latin by Aless, the celebrated Scotch divine. The suggestions of Bucer on the baptismal offices, which are given below, are extracted from the Scripta Anglicana of

*Todd's Life of Cranmer, vol. ii. p. 65.

+ Strype's Memorials of Cranmer, vol. i. p. 300.

that reformer's works. By comparing them with the first and second Books of Edward VI., the reader will be able to perceive how far they were followed by the Bishops in that revision.

The following extract of a letter from Peter Martyr to Bucer, dated Lambeth, January 10, 1551, states his concurrence in the suggestions of the latter; and also the intention of the Bishops to make certain alterations in the Book. "In omnibus autem quæ censuisti emendanda, tuæ sententiæ scripsi. Et gratias Deo ago, qui occasionem suppeditavit, ut de his omnibus Episcopi per nos admonerentur. Conclusum jam est in hoc eorum colloquio, quemadmodum mihi retulit Reverendissimus ut multa immutentur; sed quænam illa sint, quæ censerint emendanda, neque ipse mihi exposuit, neque ego de illo quærere

Festis diebus, et

Primum ante baptismatis administrandi descriptionem, præmittitur præceptum admo- præsente tota ecdum salutare, ut baptisma festis diebus, et

clesia baptizand

um.

præsente tota ecclesia administretur: quo et ecclesia teneat

* Strype's Memorials of Cranmer, vol. ii. p. 898-9, no. 61. "Censura Martini Buceri super libro Sacrorum, seu ordinationis Ecclesiæ atque ministerii ecclesiastici in regno Angliæ, ad petitionem R. Archiepiscopi Cantuariensis, Thomæ Cranmeri, conscripta."

facilius memoria qui sunt baptizati; et ut quisque ex baptismate infantum, sui baptismatis et fœderis salutis, quod baptismate suscepit, admoneatur. Verum hoc præceptum, quo magis congruit cum institutione Domini et summo isto ejus beneficio, quod confert suis hominibus per baptisma, eo minus observari dicitur: in eo maxime, ut baptisma præsente frequenti ecclesia exhibeatur, etiam festis diebus exhibeatur.

Quis autem sensum aliquem Christianæ teneat communionis, qui non agnoscat, quantopere deceat eos, qui sunt invicem membra in Christo, frequentes adesse, cum aliquis natus ex ipsis in æternam mortem, debet in ecclesia renasci ad vitam sempiternam, et suscipi inter filios Dei; quo illi simul istud beneficium et a Deo pariter orent, et ut Christi ecclesia per ministrum una conferant; ut sicut singulorum ille membrum fit per hoc sacramentum, ita a singulis quoque tanquam membrum recipiatur; et quisque se ei coram Domino devinciat ad mutua Christianæ communionis officia et corporalia et spiritualia.

missum diligen

tiss.

dum esse cunc

tis.

Præceptum pro- Maximo itaque studio curandum est Episobservan- copis et Archidiaconis, ut hoc præceptum ministri et fideliter populum doceant, et religiose ipsi observent, nullius illud sive superstitioni, sive licentiæ remittentes. Nec pauci enim eorum quibus infantes baptizantur, magis ea curant, quæ sunt pompæ carnalis, quam Sathan circa hæc sacra invexit, quam quæ sunt baptismatis et regenerationis: quorum non debet foveri, sed aboleri perversitas.

statim baptizari

infantes.

A sacra con- Cumque nec ad matutinas, nec ad vespercione præstaret tinas preces soleat ecclesia coire, præstaret sane baptisma administrari statim a sacra concione cum frequentissima adhuc est ecclesia, priusquam S. cœnæ administratio incipiatur, ut et veteres ecclesiæ solebant, et hodie nonnullæ morem habent. Hoc facile probaverint, quicunque vim regenerationis et amplitudinem divini bene