II.

authorized to meet and advise aforesaid, shall be agreed upon CHARLES to be needful and expedient, for the giving satisfaction to tender consciences, and the restoring and continuance of peace and unity in the Churches under our protection and government; but avoiding (as much as may be) all unnecessary abbreviations of the forms and liturgy, wherewith the people are altogether acquainted, and have so long received in the Church of England. And our will and pleasure is, that when you the said archbishop, bishops, doctors, and persons authorized and appointed by these our letters-patent, to meet, advise, and consult upon and about the premises aforesaid, shall have drawn your consultations to any resolution and determination, which you shall agree upon as needful or expedient to be done for the altering, diminishing, or enlarging the said Book of Common Prayer, or any part thereof; that then forthwith you certify and present to us, in writing, under your several hands, the matters and things whereupon you shall so determine for our approbation; and to the end the same, or so much thereof as shall be approved by us, may be established. And forasmuch as the said archbishop and bishops have several great charges to attend, which we would not dispense with, or that the same should be neglected upon any great occasion whatsoever; and some of them being of great age and infirmities, may not be able constantly to attend the execution of the service and authority hereby given and required by us, in the meeting and consultation aforesaid; we will therefore, and hereby require you the said Dr. Earles, &c., to supply the place and places of such of the archbishops and bishops (other than the said Edward, bishop of Norwich) as shall by age, sickness, infirmity, or other occasions be hindered from attending the said meeting or consultation; that is to say, that one of you the said Dr. Earles, &c., shall from time to time supply the place of each one of them the said archbishop and bishops (other than the said Edward, bishop of Norwich) which shall happen to be hindered or to be absent from the said meetings or consultations; and shall and may advise, consult, and determine, and also certify and execute all and singular the powers and authorities before mentioned, in and about the premises, as fully and absolutely as such archbishop and bishops which shall so happen to be absent. should or might do by virtue of these our letters-patent, or

Abp. Cant.

JUXON, any thing herein contained, in case he or they were personally present. And whereas in regard of the distance of some, the infirmity of others, the multitude of constant employment and other incidental impediments, some of you the said Edward bishop of Norwich, &c., may be hindered from the constant attendance in the execution of the service aforesaid; we therefore will, and do hereby require and authorize you the said Thomas Horton, &c., to supply the place or places of such the commissioners last above mentioned, as shall by the means aforesaid, or any other occasion, be hindered from the said meeting and consultations, that one of you the said Thomas Horton, doctor, shall from time to time supply the places of each one of the said commissioners last mentioned which shall happen to be hindered or absent from the said meeting and consultations; and shall and may advise, consult, and determine, and also certify and execute all and singular the powers and authorities before mentioned, in and about the premises, as fully and absolutely as such of the said last mentioned commissioners, which shall so happen to be absent, should or might A. D. 1661. do by virtue of these our letters-patent, or any thing therein contained, in case he or they were personally present. In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness ourself at Westminster, the 25th of March, in the thirteenth year of our reign.

878.

The first

dissolved.

"Per ipsum regem.

“Barker.”

The parliament which met on the 25th of April, before the parliament Restoration, was dissolved on the 29th of December. I shall mention only two of the acts passed; the one was for a perpetual anniversary thanksgiving on the 29th of May, the day on which the king made his entry into London: the other was for restoring ejected and sequestered ministers, and confirming some others who had the title of resignations from the incumbent, and had not renounced their orders received before the 12 Charles 2. 25th of December, 1659. The two houses not being convened 12 Charles 2. by the king's writ, were looked on as essentially defective in their authority, and therefore their acts are all confirmed in the next parliament.

cap. 14.

cap. 19.

The con

ference at

To return to the conference: the bishop of London's lodgthe Savoy. ings in the Savoy were appointed for the place of meeting; when the parties appeared, the bishop of London acquainted

II.

the Presbyterian ministers, "that themselves, and not the CHARLES bishops, had requested the conference for making alterations in the liturgy that therefore nothing was to be done till they had delivered their exceptions in writing, together with the additional forms and alterations which they desired." These - ministers were willing that the debate might be carried on by way of verbal debate. This method they conceived was pursuant to the directions in the commission, and most likely to answer the end of the meeting: "writing," they said, "would be a tedious expedient, and hinder the coming to a close understanding with each other." Bishop Sheldon adhering to his former opinion, it was agreed at last they should bring in all their exceptions at one time, and their additions at another. The exceptions were accordingly drawn up by Dr. Reynolds, Dr. Wallis, Dr. Bates, Dr. Jacomb, Mr. Calamy, Mr. Newcomen, Mr. Clerk, &c.

In this paper, laid before the bishops, they move "that the The general prayers and other materials of the liturgy might not be clogged the Presby exceptions of with any thing that was doubtful, or questioned among pious, terian dilearned, and orthodox persons.

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vines to the Common

Prayer.

Tract of

"1. That the imposing things of doubtful disputation, as terms of communion, had in all ages been the ground of schism and separation and for this they cite the authority of Mr. Hales'. Hales's "2. That as the English reformers, at first out of their Schism. great wisdom, formed the liturgy in such a manner as was most likely to gain upon the Papists, by varying as little as might be from the offices anciently received; so according to the same rule of prudence and charity, they desired the liturgy might be so composed as might best reconcile it to those Protestants who are agreed in the substantial points of religion.

"3. To proceed: they would have the repetitions and responsals of the parish clerk and people, and the alternate reading of the psalms and hymns omitted. They pretend this custom raised a confused noise in the congregation, and made what was read less intelligible. They argue, farther, that the minister ought to be the people's mouth in all public services : and that by the holy Scriptures the people's part is only to attend with reverential silence, and declare their consent in the close by saying Amen.

"4. For this reason they would have the divided petitions

1 Vide Blackburne's Confessional.

JUXON, in the litany thrown into one solenın prayer, to be pronounced Abp. Cant. by the ministers.

"5. That nothing might remain in the liturgy which seems to countenance the observation of Lent as a religious fast: that the example of our Saviour's fasting forty days and forty nights was above human strength, and never designed for imitation. To corroborate this reasoning, they take notice that by an act of parliament, made the 5th of Elizabeth, abstinence from flesh is prohibited not upon the score of religion, and only recommended for politic considerations.

6. That the religious observation of saints' days, together with their vigils, may be laid aside: and that if any of them are continued, they may be called festivals, and not holy days, that they may not be made equal with the Lord's-day, nor have any peculiar service appointed, nor the people obliged wholly to forbear working: and that such names in the calendar which are not inserted in the first and second books of king Edward VI., may be left out.

"7. That the gift of prayer being one special qualification for the ministry, they desire the liturgy may not be so strictly imposed as totally to exclude the exercise of that faculty in any part of public worship; and that in consequence of this, it may be left to the discretion of the minister to omit part of the stated service, as occasion shall require. And this liberty (they pretend) was allowed by the first Common Prayer-book of Edward VI.

6

"8. That in regard of the many defects observed in the version of the Scriptures used in the liturgy, they move these misperformances may be struck out, and the new translation allowed by authority substituted instead of the former. That the version in the liturgy is either obsolete in language, or mistaken in sense, they endeavour to prove from the following instances:-In the Epistle for the first Sunday after Epiphany, Rom. xii. 1, it is read, Be ye changed in your shape and in the Epistle for the Sunday next before Easter, Phil. ii. 5, our Saviour is said to be found in his apparel as a man and in the Epistle for the fourth Sunday in Lent, Gal. iv., the old version runs, Mount Sinai is Agar in Arabia, and borders upon the city which is now called Jerusalem :' in the Epistle for St. Matthew's-day, 2 Cor. iv., they translate, We go not out of kind:' in the Gospel for the second Sunday

II.

after Epiphany, John ii., it is translated, 'When men be CHARLES drunk in the Gospel for the first Sunday in Lent, taken out of Luke xi., it is turned, 'One house does fall upon another :' and lastly, in the Gospel for the Annunciation, taken out of Luke i., 'This is the first month which is called barren.'

9. That the canonical Scriptures, containing all things necessary to salvation, they desire the Apocryphal books may not be read these writings having no unquestionable authority for recommending matters, either of belief or practice.

10. That the minister may not be enjoined to read any part of the liturgy at the communion-table, excepting such portions as properly belong to the Lord's supper; and at such times only when the holy sacrament is administered.

"11. That whereas the word minister, and not priest or curate, stands in the rubric for the Absolution, and divers other places; it is requested this usage may be continued through the whole book; and that the Lord's-day may be inserted instead of Sunday.

"12. And in regard singing of psalms is a considerable part of public worship, they desire the version set forth and allowed to be sung in churches may be mended, or that they may have leave to make use of a more correct translation.

"13. That all obsolete terms and expressions in language worn out, may be altered to words of common use." This is repeating part of their English objection. Their instances are Aread, used in the Gospel for Monday and Wednesday before Easter; and then opened he their wits,' in the Gospel for Easter Tuesday.

66

"14. That no portions of the Old Testament, or of the Acts of the Apostles, be called epistles, and read as such.

"15. That the phrase in several offices which presumes all persons within the communion of the Church, regenerated, converted, and in an actual state of grace, may be reformed: for considering the want of ecclesiastical discipline, confessed in the Commination, such a supposition is more than the utmost charity can admit.

"16. That the petitions in the prayers might have a more orderly connexion, and the forms carried on to a more competent length: that this method would be more to edification, and gain farther upon the people's esteem."

879.