In the same year Cranmer, by request of the King in Council, laid the foundations of the final expression of the doctrine of the Reformed Church of England in the Articles of Religion. In 1552 the draft was laid before the Council. In September of the same year the Archbishop revised it again, and it was handed over to six of the royal chaplains, one of whom, Grindal, was afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury. November Cranmer again revised it. Next year it received the King's authority. In the reign

In

of Elizabeth the Articles were reduced from forty-two to thirty-nine, and received the sanction of Parliament and Convocation. In 1553 Cranmer's work came to an end by the death of Edward and the accession of Mary. He had strongly opposed the pathetic usurpation of Lady Jane, and the exclusion of Mary; but she was merciless, and the tragic and melancholy close of his life is familiar to all.

To Cranmer more than to any other man we owe the accordance of the doctrine of the Prayer Book with that of Scripture and the Primitive Church; that the presence of Christ in Holy Communion is not localised, but realised by faith in the heart of the believer when he obeys the command of his Master, and receives the pledges

of His love; and that in Holy Communion there is no Propitiatory Sacrifice, but a metaphorical sacrifice of praise, prayer, emblems of God's good gifts, and that which is enjoined by St. Paul, the offering of our own bodies. There is no more accurate and learned treatise on the Holy Communion than his reply to Gardiner. Every sentence is valuable, but the following are peculiarly in point at the present time:

"Thus, under pretence of holiness, the papistical priests have taken upon them to be Christ's successors, and to make such an oblation and sacrifice as never creature made but Christ alone, neither He made the same any more times than once, and that was by His Death upon the cross" (Cranmer on Gardiner, p. 345).

"The very supper itself was by Christ instituted and given to the whole church, not to be offered and eaten of the priest or other men, but by him to be delivered to all that would duly ask it" (ib., p. 350).

"Christ made the bloody sacrifice, which took away sin the priest with the church made a commemoration thereof with lauds and thanksgiving, offering also themselves obedient to God unto death." "And yet this our sacrifice taketh not away our sins, nor is accepted but by His

sacrifice. The bleeding of Him took away our sins, not the eating of Him" (ib., p. 356).

"And as Christ only made this propitiatory sacrifice, so He made but one, and but ONCE. For making of any other, or of the same AGAIN, should have been (as St. Paul reasoneth)1 a reproving of the first as unperfect and insufficient. And therefore, at His last supper, although Christ made unto His Father sacrifices of lauds and thanksgiving, yet made He there NO SACRIFICE propitiatory; for then either the sacrifice upon the cross had been void, or the sacrifice at the supper unperfect and insufficient (ib., p. 359).

You speak according to the papists, that the priests in their Masses make a sacrifice propitiatory. I call a sacrifice propitiatory, according to Scripture, such a sacrifice as pacifieth God's indignation against us, obtaineth mercy and forgiveness of all our sins, and is our ransom and redemption from everlasting damnation. And, on the other side, I call a sacrifice gratificatory, or the sacrifice of the church, such a sacrifice as doth not reconcile us to God, but is made of them that be RECONCILED to testify their duties,

1 He here assumes that St. Paul was the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

and to show themselves thankful unto Him. And these sacrifices in Scripture be not called propitiatory, but sacrifices of justice, laud, praise, and thanksgiving. But you confound the words, and call one by another's name, calling that 'propitiatory' which the Scripture calleth but of justice, laud, and thanking. And all is nothing else but to defend your propitiatory sacrifice of the priests in their Masses, whereby they remit sin, and redeem souls out of purgatory" (ib., p. 361).

Besides the form and language of the Prayer Book, his principal legacy to the Church has been the Homilies on Salvation, Faith, and Good Works; the Preface to the Bible of 1540; the Preface to the Prayer Book, Concerning the Service of the Church; and that on Ceremonies. His great work on Holy Communion is divided into five parts: (1) Of the Sacrament; (2) Against Transubstantiation; (3) Of the Presence of Christ; (4) Of the Eating and Drinking; (5) Of the Oblation and Sacrifice of Christ.

"He was of such temperance of nature, or rather so mortified, that no manner of prosperity or adversity could alter or change his accustomed conditions; for were the storms never so terrible, or odious, or the prosperous state of the times never so joyous, pleasant or acceptable; to the

face of the world his countenance, diet, or sleep never altered or changed. So that they which were never near and conversant about him, never or seldom perceived by any sign or token of countenance, how the affairs of the Prince or realm went. Notwithstanding privately, with his secret and special friends, he would shed forth many bitter tears; lamenting the miseries and calamities of the world.

Again he so behaved himself to the whole world, that in no manner of condition would he seem to have any enemy; although in very deed he had both many great and secret enemies, whom he always bare with such countenance and benevolence, that they never could take good opportunity to practise their malice against him but to their great displeasure and hinderance in the end. And as concerning his own regard toward slanders and reproach, by any man to him imputed or impugned, such as entirely knew him can testify, that very little he esteemed or regarded the fruit thereof; because he altogether travailed ever more from giving just occasion of detraction. Whereupon grew and proceeded that notable quality and virtue he had, to be beneficial unto his enemies. So that in that respect he would not be acknown to have any enemy at all."