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II.

PART in contrarium inde antehac habitis, factis, editis, seu promulgatis in contrarium non obstantibus. Eo quod expressa mentio de vero valore annuo, aut de certitudine præmissorum, sive eorum alicujus, aut de aliis donis sive concessionibus per nos præfatis superintendenti, ministris et successoribus suis ante hæc tempora factis, in præsentibus minime facta existit, aut aliquo statuto, actu, ordinatione, provisione, sive restrictione inde in contrarium factis, editis, ordinatis seu provisis, aut aliqua alia re, causa vel materia quacunq; in aliquo non obstante. In cujus rei testimonium has literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Teste meipso, apud Leighes, vicesimo quarto die Julii, anno regni nostri quarto, per breve de privato sigillo, et de datis prædicta autoritate parliamenti.

Regist.
Ridley.

fol. 305.

Number 52.

R. Southwell.

Un. Harrys.

Injunctions given in the visitation of the reverend father in God, Nicholas bishop of London, for an uniformity in his diocess of London, in the 4th year of our sovereign lord king Edward the Sixth, by the grace of God, king of England, &c.

London, anno Dom. 1550.

FIRST, That there be no reading of such injunctions as extolleth and setteth forth the popish mass, candles, images, chauntries; neither that there be used any superaltaries, or trentals of communions.

Item. That no minister do counterfeit the popish mass, in kissing the Lord's board; washing his hands or fingers after the gospel, or the receipt of the holy communion; shifting the book from one place to another; laying down and licking the chalice after the communion; blessing his eyes with the sudarie thereof, or patten, or crossing his head with the same, holding his fore-fingers and thumbs joined together toward the temples of his head, after the receiving of the sacrament; breathing on the bread, or chalice;

I.

saying the Agnus before the communion; shewing the sacra- BOOK ment openly before the distribution, or making any elevation thereof; ringing of the sacrying bell, or setting any light upon the Lord's board. And finally, that the minister, in the time of the holy communion, do use only the ceremonies and gestures appointed by the Book of Common Prayer, and none other, so that there do not appear in them any counterfeiting of the popish mass.

Item. That none be admitted to receive the holy communion, but such as will, upon request of the curat, be ready, with meekness and reverence, to confess the articles of the Creed.

Item. That none make a mart of the holy communion, by buying and selling the receipt thereof for mony, as the popish mass in times past was wont to be.

Item. Whereas in divers places, some use the Lord's board after the form of a table, and some of an altar, whereby dissention is perceived to arise among the unlearned; therefore wishing a godly unity to be observed in all our diocess; and for that the form of a table may more move and turn the simple from the old superstitious opinions of the popish mass, and to the right use of the Lord's supper, we exhort the curats, church- wardens, and questmen here present, to erect and set up the Lord's board, after the form of an honest table, decently covered, in such place of the quire or chancel, as shall be thought most meet by their discretion and agreement, so that the ministers, with the communicants, may have their place separated from the rest of the people and to take down and abolish all other by-altars or tables.

Item. That the minister, in the time of the communion, immediately after the offertory, shall monish the communicants, saying these words, or such-like, Now is the time, if it please you to remember the poor mens chest with your charitable almes.

Item. That the Homilies be read orderly, without omission of any part thereof.

Item. The common prayer be had in

every church

upon

PART Wednesdays and Fridays, according to the king's grace's II. ordinance; and that all such as conveniently may; shall diligently resort to the same.

Item. That every curat be diligent to teach the Catechism, whensoever just occasion is offered, upon the Sunday or holy-day, and at least every six weeks, once shall call upon his parishioners, and present himself ready to instruct and examine the youth of the same parish, according to the book of service touching the same.

Item. That none maintain purgatory, invocation of saints, the six articles, bedrowls, images, reliques, rubrick primars, with invocation of saints, justification of man by his own works, holy bread, palms, ashes, candles, sepulchre paschal, creeping to the cross, hallowing of the fire or altar, or any other such-like abuses, and superstitions, now taken away by the king's grace's most godly proceedings.

Item. That all ministers do move the people to often and worthy receiving of the holy communion.

Item. That every minister do move his parishioners to come diligently to the church; and when they come, not to talk, or walk, in the sermon, communion, or divine servicetime, but rather at the same to behave themselves reverently, godly, and devoutly in the church; and that they also monish the church-wardens to be diligent overseers in that behalf.

Item. That the church-wardens do not permit any buying, selling, gaming, outragious noise or tumult, or any other idle occupying of youth in the church, church-porch, or church-yard, during the time of common prayer, sermon, or reading of the homily.

Item. That no persons use to minister the sacraments, or in open audience of the congregation, presume to expound the holy scriptures, or to preach, before they be first lawfully called and authorised in that behalf.

God save the king.

Number 53.

Dr. Oglethorp's submission and profession of his faith. I DID never preach or teach openly any thing contrary to the doctrine and religion set forth by the king's majesty, and authorised by his grace's laws, since the making and publishing of the same.

I suppose, and think his grace's proceedings (concerning religion) to be good and godly, if they be used accordingly, as his grace hath will'd they should, by his laws and in

structions.

And further, I suppose the order and form of doctrine, and religion, now set forth by his grace, and used, in many things to be better and much nearer the usage of the ароstolick and primitive church, than it was before-times: if it be used godly and reverently, accordingly as I think it to be meant by his grace's highness, and his most honourable council.

Namely, in these things, in prohibiting that none should commune alone, in making the people whole communers, or in suffering them to commune under both kinds, in the catechisation of young chaplains in the rudiments of our faith, in having the common prayer in English, in setting forth the Homilies, and many other things; which I think very good and godly, if they be used as is aforesaid.

The lately received doctrine, concerning the sacrament, and namely the attribute of transubstantiation, I do not like, and I think it not consonant to the scriptures, and ancient writers; although I suppose that there is a certain and an ineffable presence of Christ's body there, which I can neither comprehend nor express, because it so far passes the compass and reach of my wit and reason; wherefore I think it ought to be both ministred and received with a godly and reverent fear, and not without great premeditation and examination aforesaid, as well of the minister, as of the receiver. 1550.

Your grace's poor well-willer, with his

prayer and service, as he is bound,

Owing Oglethorp,

BOOK
I.

PART

II.

Ex MS.
Col. Cor.
C. Cant.

Number 54.

A letter from Dr. Smith to arch-bishop Cranmer.
An original.

Right honourable, and my special good lord;

I COMMEND me to your grace most humbly, giving to the same thanks as I am bound, for your grace's kindness toward my sureties; for the which you have (and shall whiles I live) my good word and prayer. Ignatii Epistolæ adhuc extant in gymnasio Magdalena. If it might please your lordship, I would very gladly see some part of your Collection against my book, De Cælibatu Sacerdotum ; which I wrote then to try the truth out, not to the intent it should be printed, as it was, against my will. Would God I had never made it, because I took then for my chief ground, that the priests of England made a vow when they were made, which now I perceive is not true.

My lord, I received my cap-case, &c. Sed tribus nummorum meorum partibus sublatis; quod damnum æquo animo est ferendum, quod furti revinci non possit, qui abstulit. My lord, I am glad that your grace is reported both gentle and merciful, of all such which have had to do with you for religion of this university. For my part, if ever I may do your grace's basest servant any pleasure, I will do it indeed. Si aliter, atqui sentio, loquor, dispeream. Ignoscat hæc honoranda dominatio tam diutinum silentium mihi, quippe quod crebrioribus literis posthac pensabo. Deus Optimus Maximus tuam amplitudinem diu servet incolumem Christianæ pietati propagandæ ac provehendæ.

Oxonii 28.

Tibi addictissimus,
Richardus Smithæus.

Number 55.

Articles agreed upon by the bishops and other learned men, in the convocation held at London, in the year 1552, for the avoiding diversities of opinions, and stablishing consent touching true religion.

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