both to the Clergy and people. It contained expositions of the Creed, the seven Sacraments, the ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ave Maria; with a discourse on Justification, and another on Purgatory. These subjects are treated at very considerable length, and in a mode extremely different from what had been used under the ancient superstition. In particular, the exposition of the Lord's Prayer is excellent in itself, and unexceptionable in point of doctrine. The same may be said in general of the exposition of the Creed, on every article of which there is a copious paraphrase, with practical inferences subjoined. Bishop Burnet, speaking of this explanation of the Creed, declares " he must acknowledge, that after all the practical books, which in his day had been written, he found great edification in reading that over and over again." What the Bishop has further remarked of the style of the exposition of the Creed, is in general true of all the other tracts of the Institution, "it is strong, nervous, and well fitted for the weakest capacities *.”

As copies of the Institution are extremely rare, I shall present the reader with an abstract of a few of such parts, as appear the most singular and characteristic.

The exposition of the Creed maintains Christ's local descent into Hell; and by Hell is meant not the Hebrew Sheol, the Greek Hades, or the Latin Inferi, but the place of the damned. By this descent, in his state of separation, he triumphed over the kingdom of Darkness, rescued those that died in the favour of God and in the expectation of the promised Messiah; and thus reversed the sentence of condemnation pronounced on Adam.

Under the article Holy Catholic Church the Church of Rome is declared to be only a part of the Catholic Church; and its Bishop to have no jurisdiction in the Churches of England, France, Spain, or any other foreign realm. The

* Vol. I. p. 288.

Catholic Church is described as a body comprehending all assemblies of men over the whole world, who receive the faith of Christ, hold unity of love, and rightly use the Sacraments*. To the Catholic Church are confined remission of sins, and eternal salvation. Against Heretics and Infidels of every age, and under every circumstance, a severe sentence is pronounced.

After the Creed, each of the seven Sacraments is explained. Among these a distinction is made. To Baptism, the Eucharist and Penance, a preference is given on account of their being instituted by Christ, and made necessary to salvation.

The ten Commandments are divided, as they now remain in our Catechism and Office of Communion, into four of the first, and six of the second table. In the exposition of the second Commandment, bowing to images is forbidden.

Ave Maria is pronounced not to be a Prayer; for there is no supplication in it: but it is subjoined to the Lord's Prayer in the nature of a Hymn.'

Justification is declared to be granted through the merits of our Saviour, and no good works performed by us can procure God's favour. Still justification depends upon conditions that we are to perform; such as, trust in God, and obedience to the commands of Christ.

The article on Purgatory maintains the antiquity of praying for the dead, but protests against the efficacy of papal pardons, &c. in delivering souls from penal suffering.

In the same year, 1537, to Cranmer's inexpressible satisfaction +, appeared a new edition of a translation of

+"The tidings of the licensing of it," he said, " did him more good than the gift of 10,000 pounds." This book was printed with marginal notes and explanations that gave great offence to the popish party. From one of these notes, on the words What new doctrine is this? (Mark i. 27.) we may ascertain the year in which this part of the volume was prepared for the press. The note is "that what was then

the Holy Bible into English. A copy of it was presented to the King by Cromwell, at the request of the Archbishop: and royal Injunctions were issued, commanding "all Incumbents to provide one of these Bibles, and to set it up publicly in the Church, and to encourage all persons to read it, as being the true lively word of God, what every Christian ought to believe, embrace, and follow, if he expected to be saved."

These Injunctions likewise required the Parson, on every Sunday and holiday, to repeat out of the Lord's Prayer, or the Creed, a sentence in English, till the people had learnt the whole by heart. On these heads, the Clergy were to examine the people at confession in Lent; and according to their proficiency, either to admit or refuse to admit them to the Sacrament at Easter. The people were directed not to knoll Aves after the Service, as they had been accustomed to do, on the supposition that repeating Aves obtained pardon, and absolution from the Pope. In processions it had been customary to say Ora pro nobis, that is, Pray for us, to such a multitude of saints, that the people had no time to address the Almighty, and say Parce nobis, Domine; Libera nos, Domine; that is, Spare us, Lord; Lord deliver us. They were now taught that it was better to omit the addresses to the Saints, and to repeat the supplications made to God.

Of the Bible above mentioned, no more than fifteen hundred copies were printed: the Injunctions to read it, and

new, after xv. c. xxxvi years, is yet new. When will it then be old?" The note was intended to counteract the reproach cast upon the reformed religion, which the Papists called the new upstart religion, the new-fangled doctrine, the new learning, &c.

These 1500 copies, Grafton printed at the expence of 500l. He soon had occasion to apply to Cromwell for the suppression of a surreptitious edition by some Dutchmen in a smaller type, "which else," he said, "would tend to his undoing." The letter of Grafton to Cromwell is a curiosity: he complains of the cost of paper and of printing,

set it up in Churches, could not therefore be universally obeyed. To supply the deficiency, a Proclamation was issued in May 1541, immediately after the publication of the English Bible to which Cranmer prefixed a Preface, commanding all Curates and Parishioners, who were not furnished with the first authorized edition, " to provide themselves before All-hallow tide next following," and to cause the book to be conveniently placed in their respective Churches. All Bishops and Ordinaries were strictly required to see that the command was put in execution.

The Proclamation was accompanied with Instructions to the Clergy, which they were ordered to publish in their several Churches. The purport of the Instructions was "to assure the people of the King's good affection for them, in suffering them to have the benefit of so heavenly a treasure; and to direct them to read the book to their greater comfort, the reformation of their lives, and the peace and quiet of the Church *.”

But in the ensuing year, these concessions were entirely revoked. HENRY affected to have discovered, that "the reading of the Old and New Testaments tended to seduce the people, and to raise sedition." It was therefore enacted

and were they not increased in a ratio of which poor Grafton had no conception, I should here amuse the reader by presenting him with a copy of it. Still it should be remembered, that 5007. though embarked on such a bottom by a King's printer, who was patronized by the Vicegerent and the Archbishop, was a considerable sum when royal munificence granted to Ascham a pension of 107. a year. Hume would reduce this number two thirds. He affirms that but 500 were printed -ch. 32. A.D. 1542. He likewise confounds the Bible published in 1537, with Cranmer's, which appeared in 1541. His account of the dates and contents of the Institution, and Erudition, is equally incorrect and malevolent.

* Heylin's Church of England justified.

by the Parliament, (on whom the king contrived to throw the odium of a proceeding so contrary to his late Injunctions, Proclamations and Instructions), "that Tyndal's translation should be abolished; and others be purged, by cutting or blotting out all preambles and annotations; that the Bible should not be read openly in any Church, but by the leave of the King, nor privately by any women, apprentices, artificers," &c.

After Cromwell's influence with the King began to decline, was passed the act of the Six Articles. HENRY in a proclamation issued in the beginning of May 1539, gave to the Protestants no obscure intimation of what he 'meant this act to effect. It stated that "his Majesty, like a godlike and Catholic prince, knowing and considering his kingly office and charge, had resolved to reduce his people to uniformity in religion, and to extinguish all diversities of opinion, by terrible laws to be made by his Parliament." At the Introduction of the Bill, the Lord Chancellor informed the Peers, that the King himself with the Lords 'spiritual, had paid great attention to the drawing up of these Articles. Cromwell, lord privy seal, did not rise to speak, knowing the King's determination that the Bill should pass. CRANMER, however, combated its principles through every stage. Of the arguments which he employed, we have no record; but from Henry's desiring afterward to be favored with a copy of their outline, we may conjecture that they were worthy of the well-earned reputa

34, 35, Henry VIII. c. 1. This act does not appear to have been so implicitly obeyed as Henry expected. A spirit of free inquiry in matters of religion had arisen among our Protestant forefathers. The King therefore, about three or four years after, in order to give energy to a penal statute, followed it up with a royal proclamation. Henry's Parliament had at this time resigned its civil as well as its religious liberties to the Monarch; and by a positive statute, had given to a royal proclamation the force of law.