"not somewhat of this furniture in it, though it were only a fair large ❝ cushion made of a cope or altar cloth, to adorn their windows, or “make their chairs appear to have somewhat in them of a chair of state. · "Yet how contemptible were these trappings in comparison of those "vast sums of money, which were made of jewels, plate, and cloth of "tissue, either conveyed beyond the seas, or sold at home, and good "lands purchased with the money; nothing the more blessed to the "posterity of them that bought them, for being purchased with the "consecrated treasures of so many temples." Mr. Collier, speaking of the same depredations, says, "This order for undressing churches was, "it seems, represented to the king (as Burnet relates the fact) as an "inoffensive expedient, and only calling for the superfluous plate, and "other goods that lay in churches, more for pomp than for use. But "those who called these things superfluous, and shewed so slender as "regard for the honour of religion, were none of the best reformers. "Had these people governed in the minority of Josiah, as they did in "this of Edward VI. they would, in all likelihood, have retrenched the expense of the Mosaic institution, and served God at a more frugal "rate. They would have disfurnished the temple of most of the gold"> plate, carried off the unnecessary magnificence, and left but little › "plunder for Nebuchadnezzar.”

す

While these nefarious practices were going on among the factious lay reformers, Cranmer and his apostate bishops were engaged in forming a new liturgy, or office for the new church about to be established by law, but now supported by the power and authority of the crown. Previous however to this measure, Cranmer had published a catechism, “for the "singular profit and instruction of children and young people," and its is well deserving notice, indeed it is a thing not to be forgotten, that in this very catechism, Cranmer comprises the prohibition of false gods and of images under one commandment, as is the case with the Catholic catechism, and teaches that in the communion are received with the bodily mouth THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, inculcates, in strong terms, the advantages of confession and absolution, and attributes the origin of ecclesiastical jurisdiction to Christ, in a manner which seems to do away his former opinion on the same subject. Now, however, the doctrine was to be changed, and some new method was to be devised, with a view to consummate the separation of the kingdom from the mother and mistress of all Christian churches, The Book of Martyrs says, "The first step that was now taken was to make a new "office for the communion, that is, the distribution of the sacrament, "for the office of consecration was not at this time touched. In the exhortation, auricular confession to a priest is left free to be done or omitted, and all were required not to judge one another in that mat"ter. There was also a denunciation made, requiring impenitent sinners to withdraw. The bread was to be still of the same form as that formerly used. In the distribution it was said, 'The body of our "Lord, &c. preserve thy body; and the blood of our Lord, &c. preserve thy soul. This was printed, with a proclamation, requiring all to re"ceive it with such reverence and uniformity as might encourage the king to proceed further, and not to run to other things before the king gave direction, assuring the people of his earnest zeal to set forth

66

66

OF

For's Book of Martyrs,

CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL.

No. 45. Printed and Published by W. E. ANDREWS, 3, Chapter Price 3d. house-court, St. Paul's Churchyard, London.

EXPLANATION OF THE ENGRAVING. At the time the lugonots took possession of the German province of Geldria, the soldiers forcibly entered a Carthusian monastery, vociferating Gelt, Gelt, signifying thereby that they wanted money. In the entrance three lay brothers, named Albert Winda, John Sittart, und Stephen Ruremundensis, were murdered; thence rushing into the temple, they attacked the venerable prior Joachim, when engaged in prayer, whom they grievously wounded, with others of the community, and left four monks dead on the spot.

godly orders; and therefore it was hoped they would wait for it: the "books were sent all over England, and the clergy were appointed to "administer the communion at the following Easter according to them."

We have now arrived at a most interesting period of the progress of the reformation, as it is called, and we beg the reader's particular attention to it. It has been shewn that Cranmer in his Catechism admitted the real presence of Christ in the blessed sacrament, as the law-established Church Catechism now does, though the law compels all candidates for civil and ecclesiastical office to swear that he is not present, and that the doctrine is damnable, though the Church by law teaches it. Such is the incongruity of the dabblers in error under the mask of truth.Well, we are told that the first step in this work of innovation was to

"

make a new office for the communion, which was only to affect the distribution of the sacrament, the office of the consecration, which is the essential part of the ceremony, remaining untouched. Still in the distribution of the sacrament, the words THE BODY and THE BLOOD of our Lord, which words imply the real presence of Christ, and had always been used by the Catholic church, as they now are, were retained, because it was found too glaring to abolish them precipitately, in consequence of the well-known doctrine of the Catholic church on that hread, and the disposition of the people, who were accurately acquainted with the faith and discipline of their creed, notwithstanding the representations of Burnet and his followers that they were ignorant and demoralized. As an instance of this fact, the Catholic clergy were willing to abide by PUBLIC OPINION, but the reformers, who preached up evangelical liberty, would not consent to leave their cause to argument and persuasion, but were resolved to cram their new schemes and opinions down the people's throats by main force. So long as the reformers proceeded no farther than ceremony and discipline, the lukewarm adherents to the Catholic faith slumbered at their posts; but when it was found that there was a design to attack the Church both in doctrine and discipline, they began to arouse themselves from their apathy and published several books in defence of the old religion, and challenged the opposite party to try the cause by disputation. "But," says Collier, in his Ecclesiastical History, vol. ii, b. 4. p. 228, " the court, who, it is "thought, had something farther than religion in view, did not think it. advisable to venture the cause upon disputation, and rely wholly upon arguments. They might be apprehensive, that, unless the disagreement between Rome and England was carried on to a wider distance, the breach might possibly be closed, and that such an union might prove unfriendly to their church estates. On the other hand, they were not assured whether any farther alterations in doctrine and worship would be well received. The minority of the prince was a "circumstance of disadvantage: and how far the people would be pas"sive under a new face of things was not easy to conjecture. To guard against the worst, it was thought fit to be furnished with forces, to awe the opposite party and prevent them from giving disturbance. "And as an army was a seasonable provision, they wanted not a colour "to raise it. A marriage (as has been observed) was agreed, in the "late reign, between the young queen of Scotland and the present king; "but the Scots failed in their articles. The protector and council, therefore, resolved to bring them to reason. For this purpose men "were levied, a fleet equipped, and the veteran troops of Boulogne and "Calais embarked for England. The protector likewise had several regiments of Walloons and Germans in his pay: not that he had a better opinion of their courage, but because he might believe them more ready to execute any harsh service at home, if occasion required.” So, then, the preaching of the new doctrines was to be backed by an army, and that army too composed in part of FOREIGN TROOPS, of German mercenaries !!! What would the Catholic people of England have said to this gross violation of their constitutional rights and national honour and freedom? What can the liberal Protestant of the present day say in defence of his creed, which is here shewn to have

"

66

"

"

been advanced, not by the power of miracles and the eloquence of reason, as the Catholic faith was planted in every part of the globe, but by the force of war, and the terror of bloodshed and rapine? By these unhallowed and unlawful means were the people terrified into a tacit acquiescence of the projected changes, and a commission was accordingly appointed in the year 1548, by the protector and council, consisting of certain bishops and divines, to draw up a new form of prayer or liturgy, a new ordinal, with a collection of articles, canons, and homilies, which were intended as a STANDARD, both for doctrine and discipline. But futile is the work of man in raising a standard to guide the conscience of his fellow-men, as we shall see in the progress of this pretended reformation of religion. The Catholic rests his faith on the hand of God, from whom it is derived, and, like Him, is immutable and indivisible. The Catholic can trace the finger of God sustaining his church through all the vicissitudes of earthly establishments, firm and erect like a citadel upon a rock, defying the waste of time or the assaults of adversaries; while the plans of the reformers to erect a standard of uniformity, were no sooner attempted than they were dispersed like sand before the wind, and scattered into thousands of discordant sects, each alike claiming the golden talisman of TRUTH, but all immersed in the slough of error. Of the articles of faith there were forty-two in number, and though pretended to have been drawn up under the influence of the Holy Ghost, yet under the popeship of queen Bess they were reduced to thirty-nine, and blasphemously imputed to the same divine oracle of Truth, though they are well known to have been the work of unprincipled men. As to the liturgy in English, it was a selection from the Missal, in which the collects, epistles, and gospels were preserved, and are same as are now used by the Catholic church, which has not varied in her service, and even the essential part, relating to the great sacrifice of the mass, was not then omitted, though it has subsequently been erased. When this precious work was completed, it was some months before it obtained a legal establishment, and in the mean time many of the bishops and clergy continued to make use of the ancient liturgy in Latin. Others made use of it according to their own whims and pleasure. Some were for both forms, and some for neither. In a word, the flood-gates of discord were set open, and all was endless confusion. Collier says, that some censured this provision of a common prayer, because it is said to have been composed by one uniform 66 consent, and yet four of the bishops who were in the committee for "drawing it up, protested against the bill. These were the bishops of "Norwich, Hereford, Chichester, and Westminster." The latter bishop, ric was afterwards abolished by the king's letters patent. Here then we have a lie set forth, and this book too was specified in the act of parliament to have been carried on with the aid of the Holy Ghost.

66

Of this work Burnet thus speaks : It was now resolved to have a liturgy, which should bring the worship to a proper mean between "the pomp of superstition and naked simplicity. It was resolved to change nothing merely in opposition to received practices, but rather (in imitation of what Christ did in the institution of the two sacra"ments of the gospel, that consisted of rites used among the Jews, but "sanctified by him to higher purposes) to comply with what had been

"formerly in use, as much as was possible, thereby to gain the people. "All the consecrations of water, salt, &c. in the church of Rome, being "relics of heathenism, were laid aside. The absolutions on account of "the merits of the blessed virgin and the saints, the sprinklings of "water, fastings, and pilgrimages, with many other things; and the "absolution given to dead bodies, were looked upon as gross impostures, tending to make the world think, that the priests had the keys "of heaven in their hands, and could carry people thither on easier terms than the gospel prescribes. This induced the people to pur"chase their favour, especially when they were dying; so that, as their "fears were then heightened, there was no other way left them, in the "conclusion of an ill life, to die with any hopes of eternal happiness, "but as they bargained with their priests; all this was now rejected." Here we are told that it was resolved to change nothing, but to comply with what had been formerly in use, as much as was possible, thereby to gain the people. Out upon thee, hypocrite, thou must have known that the way adopted by these reformers to gain the people, was by the force of military coercion and penal laws. But what shall we say to the base insinuation that the people were in those times induced to purchase the favour of the priests; this we suppose is thrown in as a set-off to hide the selfish disposition of the reformed clergy, of whom Burnet was one, in seizing the tithes to themselves, and grinding the people as much as they could, instead of gaining their favour. The priests were at that time, as the Catholic clergy are now, and always have been, the fathers of the people, and the supporters of the poor; they were the shepherds of their flocks, and not the shearers of them, as the reformed clergy are. But though it was resolved to change nothing, merely in opposition "to received practices, but rather to comply with what had been for

merly in use,' it appears that the reformers were somewhat like the old man in the fable, in trying to please every body they pleased nobody, for it must have been self-evident that the Catholics would not be satisfied with the changes, moderate as they are represented to have been, and as to the reformers themselves, Burnet says, "When the book came before the public, several things were censured: as particularly "the frequent use of the cross, and anointing. The former was at first "used as the badge of a crucified Saviour, but was much corrupted by "the priests in after ages, so that it was at length believed to have a "virtue for driving away evil spirits, and preserving one from dangers; "and acquired a kind of sacramental character, entirely unfounded in "scripture or reason; but the using it as a ceremony, expressing the believing in a crucified Saviour, could imply no superstition." This representation may suit Mr. Gilbert Burnet, bishop of Sarum, and the modern editors of the Book of Martyrs, but Catholics have better authority than this hireling historian, for retaining and using this glorious and holy emblem of our redemption, wrought by a God-man. Why were not the " after-ages" specified when the use of this badge was first corrupted by the priests? Why not name the express time when the belief was first introduced that the use of this badge drived evil spirits from us, and preserved one from dangers? We have shewn, in our first volume of this work, that Constantine the great obtained a splendid victory over his enemy in arms under the banner of the Cross,