- —

WILLIAM AMD MALT.

91

dispensed all the ministers of the Established Church from the chap.necessity of subscribing the Thirty nine Articles. For the 16S9 .Articles was substituted a Declaration which ran thus; “I doapprove of the doctrine and worship and government of theChurch of Eugland by law established, as containing all thingsnecessary to salvation; and I promise, in the exercise of myministry, to preach and practise according thereunto.” Anotherclause granted similar indulgence to the members of the twouniversities.

Then it was provided that any minister who had beenordained after the Presbyterian fashion might, without reordi-nation, acquire all the privileges of a priest of the EstablishedChurch. He must, however, be admitted to his new functionsby the imposition of the hands of a bishop, who was to pro-nounce the following form of w r ords; “Take thou authority topreach the word of God, and administer the sacraments, andto perform all other ministerial offices in the Church of Eng-land.” The person thus admitted was to be capable of holdingany rectory or vicarage in the kingdom.

Then followed clauses providing that a clergyman might,except in a few churches of peculiar dignity, wear the surpliceor not as he thought fit, that the sign of the cross might beomitted in baptism, that children might be christened, ifsuch were the wish of their parents, without godfathers or god-mothers, and that persons who had a scruple about receivingthe Eucharist kneeling might receive it sitting.

The concluding clause was drawn in the form of a petition.

It was proposed that the two Houses should request the Kingand Queen to issue a commission empowering thirty divines ofthe Established Church to revise the liturgy, the canons, andthe constitution of the ecclesiastical courts, and to recommendsuch alterations as might on inquiry appear to be desirable.

The bill went smoothly through the first stages. Compton,

'fiP

figM

I