with the power of calling in "other men of learning and gravity" to assist them. And this was probably the only method that the circumstances of the case admitted. To have referred the whole question to the convocations of the two provinces would have been to 5 put an end to the progress of the reformation: to have appointed a royal commission after the example of Henry and Edward, at a time when Henry's statute of supremacy, having been repealed by Mary, was no longer in force, would have been to acknowledge the 10 necessity for a power which it might be doubted whether the crown possessed: and the only alternative remaining was to take such measures of prudence, and so to combine the judgments of pious and temperate men, as to preoccupy the public mind, and to 15 create a kind of moral necessity for the consent of the parliament and the approbation of the people.

The committee thus assembled consisted of eight members, selected in equal numbers from the exiles, and those who had remained in England, but giving a 20 preponderance to the opinions entertained by the Queen. The exiles were Cox, Whitehead, Grindal, and Pilkington, of whom the two last were fair representatives of the party in general, Whitehead was resolute in requiring further alterations, and Cox, from 25 his early connexion with King Edward, and his intimate acquaintance with the evils of dissent, was likely to comply with the wishes of the court; all of them however were men of high reputation, and well qualified for the important duty entrusted to them. The 30 other Divines, Parker, May, and Bill, with the civilian at their head, were personally devoted to the Queen, and desirous of adapting their plans of Church-government to the general institutions of the kingdom.

The first question that would naturally offer itself to this committee, would be the choice between the two Service-books of King Edward; and this question doubtless gave rise to much discussion in an assembly 5 so variously disposed. They soon called in other men of eminence to assist them, among whom was Guest, soon afterwards made bishop of Rochester, a divine who had been much engaged in the earlier history of the reformation, and held sentiments on doctrinal 10 matters congenial with those of the Queen. When the whole review was completed, and the new Book of Common Prayer was presented to sir William Cecil, this divine accompanied it with a paper setting forth the reasons on which he had assented to several of the 15 proposed alterations. It appears from that paper that he had received instructions from Cecil in favour of the first Service-book of King Edward, but had not found himself able in every instance to comply with them.

But the fact of greatest interest that we learn from 20 this document, is, that after the divines had completed their work and delivered it to sir W. Cecil, some important changes were still made, before the book received the sanction of the legislature. It is supposed by someP that these changes were introduced 25 during its progress through parliament; but it is more probable from the known sentiments and subsequent conduct of the Queen, that they were inserted previ

p Collier, Hist. vol. ii. p. 430, &c.

a There is reason to believe that the Queen exercised her royal 30 prerogative in a similar manner with regard to the 39 Articles, after they had been approved by convocation in the year 1562. The first clause of the 20th article respecting the positive authority of the Church, which at a subsequent period drew down much

ously by herself and her council. This however is certain, that the committee of divines disapproved of any distinction, as to the use of vestments, between the celebration of the communion and the other services of the church; and by a still bolder act of 5 concession left it to every man's choice to communicate either standing or kneeling: both these changes however were withdrawn before the book was eventually published, the practice, which was adopted in the second year of King Edward, being in 10 each case completely restored.

On the 24th of January, 1559, the day after the meeting of parliament, the convocation of the southern province was opened by Bonner, bishop of London. Much doubt would naturally exist as to the right of 15 convocation to enter upon any business without express directions from the crown, the statute of Henry, that prohibited a convocation from doing so, having been repealed during the last reign. This doubt prevailed more especially among the members of the lower 20 house; and when the bishops asked them, if they had any thing to propose, they answered that they knew not for what cause they were assembled, or on what matters they were to treat. Being advised by the bishops to make a supplication to the Queen, they also 25 drew up certain articles for the disburdening of their conscience, as they said, and the declaration of their faith, requesting that the bishops would adopt them, and present them in the name of the whole convo

unmerited indignation on archbishop Laud, appears to have been 30 added by command of Elizabeth. See Lamb's Articles, p. 35. This is not surprising, as it was the belief of those times that the proper ratification of all ecclesiastical laws was in the act of the sovereign. See Docum. Ann. vol. ii. p. 171. note.

cation to the upper house of parliament. They were afterwards informed that their articles had been presented in parliament by the keeper of the great seal, and with the exception of the last article, had received 5 the further approbation of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge'.

The articles were the following:

1. That in the sacrament of the altar, by virtue of the words of Christ, duly spoken by the priest, is 10 present realiter under the kinds of bread and wine, the natural body of Christ, conceived of the Virgin Mary, and also his natural blood.

2. That after the consecration there remains not the substance of bread and wine, nor any other substance, 15 but the substance of God and man.

3. That in the mass is offered the true body of Christ and his true blood, a propitiatory sacrifice for the living and dead.

4. That to Peter the apostle, and his lawful suc20 cessors in the apostolic see, as Christ's vicars, is given the supreme power of feeding and ruling the Church of Christ militant, and confirming their brethren.

5. That the authority of handling and defining concerning the things belonging to faith, sacraments, and 25 discipline ecclesiastical, hath hitherto ever belonged

r Bp. Burnet (H. R. vol. iii. p. 527) says, Bonner told the clergy that all their articles, except the last, were approved by the two universities." But there is no record in the registers at Oxford that any thing was done by the university in this matter as a cor30 porate act. The case is expressed more accurately in the following note on Wood's Annals, vol. ii. p. 140. "In the latter end of this year (1558) several articles were sent to the universities from the convocation of the clergy, containing matters flat against reformation, which were subscribed by most of the university."

and ought to belong only to the pastors of the church; whom the Holy Ghost for this purpose hath set in the Church; and not to laymen.

Such was the only measure in connection with the Church adopted by the convocation of 1559; and it 5 was evident from this measure that the Queen's government must proceed with the utmost caution in their plans of reformation. It was doubtless occasioned in a great degree by the report that had been made to the council by the committee of Divines; as a bill of 10 uniformity had already been submitted to the house of commons, and the designs of the court with regard to the liturgy were made publicly known. Warned therefore by these strong tokens of hostility, and by the great influence of the Romanists in the country at 15 large, Elizabeth resolved upon withdrawing the bill of uniformity for the present, and adopting some method of turning the stream of public opinion more strongly in favour of the Reformers. She decided upon a conference between the most eminent Divines of the two 20 rival parties, to be held at Westminster in the presence of her privy council; being convinced that whatever in other respects might be the issue of it, much advantage would be obtained for the direction of her future measures.

The following were the questions proposed for discussion :

25

1. It is against the word of God, and the custom of the ancient Church, to use a tongue unknown to the people in common prayer and the administration of 30 the sacraments.

2. Every Church hath authority to appoint, take away, and change ceremonies and ecclesiastical rites, so the same be done to edification.