CHAP. "Item, That they move the people to all obedience, as "well in observation of the orders appointed in the Book of Anno 1560. “Common Service, as in the queen's majesty's Injunctions, 221❝as also of all other civil duties for subjects to do. "Item, That they use not to exact or receive unreason"able rewards or stipends of the poor curates, coming to "their cures to preach. Whereby they might be noted as "followers of filthy lucre, rather than use the office of preaching of charity and good zeal, to the salvation of "men's souls. "Item, That public baptism be ministered in the font 66 commonly used; not in basins, or in any other like thing: "and that the said font be not removed by any private "advice. "Item, Private baptism in necessity, as in peril of death, "to be ministered, either by the curate, deacon, or reader, or "some other grave and sober person, if the time will suffer." The bi shops ad dress for taking a CHAP. XVIII. The bishops address to the queen against images. Table of THUS industrious were these careful bishops in settling the affairs of the church, and regulating the ministers thereof. But the great business of retaining of images in way images. the churches, or removing them, yet stuck; the queen hitherto not satisfied in that matter: which therefore these godly reformers had been and still were extraordinary solicitous about. Addresses had been several times made to her before, for the taking them away totally out of the churches; now this year they made another humble application to her for the removing that offensive evil, as they called it, out of the church of England. "They urged to her the necessity of it, which had, they CHAP. "said, compelled them to renew their former suit, not in 66 66 66 XVIII. ments. C.C.C.C. any respect of self-will, stoutness, or striving against her Anno 1560. majesty, but for that fear and reverence which they bore Their argu"to the majesty of Almighty God; and lest, in giving of- MSS. "fence to the little ones, in setting a trap of error for the ignorant, and digging a pit for the blind to fall into, they "should not only be guilty of the blood of their brethren, "but procure to their reclaiming consciences the biting "worm that never dies, for their endless confusion. And they doubted not, but that God would happily finish in "her majesty that good work which he had most graciously "begun: that she, following the example of the godly princes "that went before her, might clearly purge the polluted "church, and remove all occasions of evil. 66 "And as they had heretofore at sundry times made pe- 222 "tition to her concerning the matter of images, but had not "exhibited any reasons for the removing the same; lest 66 66 they might seem to allege conscience without the warrant "of God's word, and unreasonably to require that for which they could give no reason; they had now put in writing "their authorities of scripture, reason, and pithy persuasions, "which they exhibited to her gracious consideration." Hist. Reform. part ii. b. 3. p. These are large, but are contracted by the bishop of Sarum in his History ofthe Reformation. They are taken from the word of God, from sentences out of the ancient fathers, 397. and from other weighty considerations. They added, "That these reasons had moved all their "brethren, that now bore the office of bishops, to think and "affirm images not expedient for the church of Christ; and "were of such weight with them [who made this address to "her majesty] that they would not suffer them to consent "to the erecting and retaining of images in the places of "religious worship, without great offending of God, and "grievous wounding of their own consciences. And for "these causes they beseeched her most humbly not to strain "them any further; but to consider that God's word did "threaten a terrible judgment unto them, if they, being CHAP. .XVIII. 66 pastors and ministers of his church, should assent unto "the thing which in their learning and conscience they were Anno 1560." persuaded tended to the confirmation of error, supersti ❝tion, and idolatry; and finally, to the ruin of the souls "committed to their charge. And they prayed her ma"jesty not to be offended with this their plainness and "liberty: which all good and Christian princes had ever "taken in good part at the hands of godly bishops: alleg“ing, as a proof of this, a saying of St. Ambrose to TheoEp. lib. v. "dosius the emperor; Sed neque imperiale est, &c. i. e. "That it was neither the part of an emperor to deny free"dom of speech, nor the part of a priest not to say what "his judgment was. A table of marriage framed. 66 66 66 "They entreated her further to consider, that besides weighty causes in policy, the establishing of images by her authority would not only utterly discredit their ministries, as builders of things which they had destroyed; but also "blemish the fame of her most godly brother; and also "such notable fathers as had given their lives for the testimony of God's truth: who by public laws removed all "images. 66 “And in fine, they beseeched her, that these and such "like controversies of religion might be referred to be dis"cussed and decided in a synod of the bishops and other 66 godly learned men, according to the example of Constan"tine the Great and other Christian emperors. That the "reasons of both parties being examined by them, judg"ment might be given uprightly in all doubtful matters." And to these grave and weighty persuasions the queen at length condescended. Another useful thing done this year by the same venerable company of reformers was, to prevent incestuous and unlawful marriages, too common in those times. And a table of marriages was framed, instructing what matrimony was lawful and agreeable to the word of God, and what was not. This, archbishop Parker had the main hand in. It was put into print for the more common use, and en223 titled, An admonition for the necessity of the present time, XVIII. till some further consultation, to all such as shall intend CHAP. hereafter to enter into the state of matrimony, godly and agreeable to law. Anno 1560. ers allowed Though the public prayers were by the late act of parlia-Latin prayment to be said only in the vulgar tongue, that all the people the univer might understand; yet upon the petition of the universities sities: of Cambridge and Oxford, and the two colleges of Winchester and Eaton, that for the further improvements of their members in Latin they might use the same form of public prayer in Latin; the queen, by her letters patents, dated at Westminster, the 6th of April, in the second year of her reign, granted the same: and being minded to consult (as her patents ran) for all the members of her commonwealth, as much as in her lay, did constitute, that it should be lawful and permitted by her authority and privilege royal, as well to the dean and fellowship of Christ-church in her university of Oxford, as to the presidents, keepers, rectors, masters, and societies of all and singular the colleges of Cambridge, Oxford, Winton, and Eaton, to use this form of common prayers in Latin publicly in their churches and chapels; declaring how she had also taken care that her printer should print the same in Latin, agreeing with the English book of public prayers: but still providing, that in those colleges, to which parishes of the laity were annexed, and also in the rest, to which the lay-servants, and ministers of their colleges, or any others ignorant of the Latin tongue, necessarily must resort; that for these should be assigned some seasonable hours and places in the said churches and chapels; in which, at least on festival days, morning and evening prayer should be read and recited, and the administration of the sacraments celebrated in their seasons in English, to the edification of the laity. ters to use And further, she exhorted all other ministers of the And minischurch of England to use the same Latin form of prayer pri- them privately, of what degree soever they were, on those days on vately. which either they were not wont or not obliged to say the public prayers to their parishioners in the English tongue, according to the form of the said statute. CHAP. To this edition of the Latin prayers which came forth XVIII. this year, she also appointed to be joined certain peculiar Anno 1560. forms in Latin, to be used at the funerals and exequies of Latin form Christians deceased, when the friends and neighbours were of prayer for fune rals. 224 minded to celebrate the Lord's supper; a custom then, but now wholly disused: it was entitled, Celebratio Cœnæ Domini in funebribus, si amici et vicini defuncti communicare velint. It consisted of a collect, and an epistle and gospel. The collect began, Misericors Deus, &c. which is the same in English with the second prayer in the burial office, to be used at the grave after the interment of the corpse; only with these variations. English Office. Latin Office. -We may sleep with Christ. "And in the resurrection "at the last day, we, toge"ther with our brother, be"ing raised again, and re"ceiving our bodies, may "reign together with thee in "life eternal, through our "Lord," &c. Then the epistle, being the 1st Thess. iv. I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those that sleep, &c.— Wherefore comfort one another with these words. The gospel was John vi. Jesus saith to his disciples and the multitude of the Jews, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, &c.—That every one that seeth the Son and believeth in him, may have eternal life; and I will raise him up in the last day. Or this, John v. Jesus saith to his disciples and the multitude of the Jews, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my words, and believeth &c.And they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. And this office our reformers brought in, in the room of the popish superstitious office at the burials and exequies |