things; who maketh the fruits of the earth both to grow and increase to plenty. Wherefore, it is meet that we call upon him alone in prayer; who, as David saith, alone feedeth and maintaineth all things.

M. Some suppose this place to mean that bread which Christ maketh mention of in the sixth of John. That is, of the true knowledge and taste of Christ, who was born nd died for us; wherewith the faithful soul is fed. The reason whereupon they gather this, is the Greek word, (EPIOUSION,) whereby they understand, supernatural, spiritual, heavenly, and divine. This meaning I refuse not, for both these expositions may fitly agree with this place; but why calleth he it daily bread, which is also signified by this word?

S. We ask daily bread, that might be always present and accompany us continually; to slake and satisfy our thirsty desire, and unsatiate stomach; lest otherwise we should be, as Christ saith, careful for to-morrow; because the morrow shall care for itself. For it shall not come without its own discommodity and care; wherefore, it is not reason, that one day should increase the evil of another. It shall be sufficient for us daily to ask, that which our most bountiful Father is ready daily to give.

Now follows the fifth request, wherein we beseech the Father to forgive us our trespasses and faults, that we have committed. This request, doubtless, is very necessary, since there is no man living free from sin. Here, therefore, must we cast away all trust of ourselves. Here, must we pluck down our courage. Here, must we pray our most merciful Father, for the love of Jesus Christ, his most dear and obedient Son, to pardon, forgive, and utterly blot out of his book, our innumerable offences.

Here, ought we, in the mean season, to be mindful of the covenant we make with God. That it may please God so to forgive us our trespasses, as we ourselves forgive them that trespass against us. Therefore, it is necessary that we forgive and pardon all men all their offences, of what sort or condition soever they are. If we forgive men their faults, our heavenly Father shall forgive us ours.

M. Were these things, my son, thus used, there should not at this day thus violently reign so many brawls, so many contentions, so many and such heinous disagreements, enmities, and hatreds of one man to another. But now,

whereas each man so standeth in his own conceit, that he

will not lose an inch of his right, either in honour or wealth; it oft befalls, that they lose both their wealth, their honour, and their life itself withal. Yea, they put from themselves, and turn away, the favour of God and everlasting glory.

But thou, my son, must not be ignorant of Christ's commandment; nor of that which Paul teaches, that thou suffer not thyself to be overcome of evil, that is, suffer not thyself so to be seduced by any other man's offence, as to repay evil for evil, but rather overcome evil with good. I mean by doing him good, that hath done thee evil; by using him friendly, that hath showed himself thy most cruel foe. Now, go forward to the sixth request.

S. I will, with a good will, as you command me. Forasmuch as we are feeble, weak, subject to a thousand perils, a thousand temptations, easy to be overcome, ready to yield to every light occasion, either to men fraught with malice, or to our own lusts and appetites, or finally, to the crafty malicious serpent, the devil; therefore, we beseech our Father, that he bring us into no temptation, no such hard escape and peril; nor leave us in the very plunge of danger; but, if it come to that point, that he rather take us away from the present mischief and engines of the devil, the author and principal cause of all evil, than suffer us to run headlong into destruction. Now, have you, good master, in few words all that you have taught me, unless peradventure, somewhat be overslipped in the rehearsal.

M. Because thine is the kingdom, power, and glory, for ever. Amen. Why was it Christ's pleasure to knit up our prayer with this clause in the end ?

S. Partly, that we should declare our assured trust to obtain all things, that we have before required. For there is nothing which, if it be asked with faith, he is not able or not willing to give, who ruleth and governeth all things, who is able to do all things, who is garnished with endless glory.

These things, when we rehearse of God, our Father, there remaineth no cause to doubt, or suspect that we shall receive denial. Partly, by so saying, we teach ourselves how meet it is to make our suit to God, since beside him none glistereth with such shining glory, none hath dominion so large, or force so great, to be able to stay him from giving that he hath appointed, according to his pleasure; or to take away that which he hath already given us. And there is no evil of ours so great, that may not be put away by his exceeding great power, glory, and wisdom.

M. I like well, my son, this thy short declaration; and I see nothing left out, that ought to have been spoken.

S. But yet this one thing will I add thereto. The chief and principal thing required in prayer is, that without all doubting we stedfastly believe, that God, our Father, will grant what we do ask: so, that it be neither unprofitable for us to receive, nor unfit for him to give. For he that is not assured, but doubtful, let him not think, as James saith, to get anything at the hands of God.

M. I see now, my dear son, how diligently and heedfully thou hast applied thy mind to those things that I have taught thee; how godly and upright a judgment thou hast of God's true service; and of the duties of neighbours one to another. This remains, that from henceforth thou so frame thy life, that this heavenly and godly knowledge decay not in thee, nor lie soul-less and dead, as it were in a tomb of the flesh. But rather see that thou wholly give thyself, continually and earnestly, to these godly studies. So, thou shalt live, not only in this present life, but also in the life to come, which is much better and more blessed than this life present. For godliness, as Paul saith, hath a promise, not in this life only, but in the other. It is convenient, therefore, that we earnestly follow godliness, which plainly openeth the way to heaven, if we will seek to attain thereto.

And the principal point of godliness is, as thou hast declared even now very well, to know God only; to covet him only as the chief felicity; to fear him, as our Lord; to love and reverence him, as our Father, with his Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. This is he, who hath begotten and regenerated us. This is he, who at the beginning gave us life and soul: who maintaineth, who blesseth us with life of everlasting continuance. To this godliness is directly contrary godlessness. As for superstition and hypocrisy, they counterfeit indeed, and resemble it: whereas, nevertheless they are most far different from all true godliness; and therefore we ought to avoid them, as a pestilence, as the venom, and most contagious enemies of our soul and salvation.

The next point of godliness is, to love each man as our brother. For if God did at the beginning create us all; if he doth feed and govern us; finally, if he be the cause and author of our dwelling in this wide frame of the world; the name of brother must needs most fitly agree with us.

And with so much straiter bond shall we be bound together, as we approach nearer to Christ, who is our brother, the first begotten and eldest; whom he that knoweth not, he that hath no hold of, is unrighteous indeed, and hath no place among the people of God. For Christ is the root and foundation of all right and justice, and he hath poured into our hearts certain natural lessons; as, Do that, saith he to another, that thou wouldst have done unto thyself.

Beware therefore, thou do nothing to any man, that thou thyself wouldest not willingly suffer. Measure always another by thine own mind, and as thou feelest in thyself. If it grieve thee to suffer injury, if thou think it wrong that another man doth to thee; judge likewise the same in the person of thy neighbour, that thou feelest in thyself; and thou shalt perceive, that thou dost no less wrongfully in hurting another, than others do in hurting thee.

Here, if we would stedfastly fasten our feet; hereunto if we would earnestly travail; we should attain to the very highest top of innocency. For the first degree thereof is, to offend no man. The next, to help all men as much as in us lieth; at least to will and wish well to all. The third, which is accounted the chief and most perfect, is to do good, even to our enemies that wrong us.

Let us, therefore, know ourselves, pluck out the faults that are in us, and in their place plant virtues; like unto the husbandmen, that first use to stub and root out the thorns, brambles, and weeds, out of their fallow land and unlooked to; and then each where therein scatter and throw in to the earth good and fruitful seeds, to bring forth good fruit in their due season. Likewise let us do. For first,

let us labour to root out froward and corrupt lusts; and afterwards plant holy and fit conditions for christian hearts. Which, if they are watered, and fattened with the dew of God's word, and nourished with warmth of the Holy Ghost, they shall bring forth, doubtless, the most plentiful fruit of immortality and blessed life; which God hath by Christ prepared for his chosen, before the foundations of the world were laid. To whom be all honour and glory. Amen.

Bishop Randolph observes, "This Catechism, published in the time of king Edward VI., was the last work of the reformers of that reign; whence it may fairly be understood to contain, as far as it goes, their ultimate decision, and to represent the sense of the church of England as then established."

OF

KING EDWARD VI.

PRIMERS are books intended to assist private devotion; also designed for the instruction of children and young persons, and for family use. Such compilations were common in the church of Rome previously to the reformation and during its progress. They were, however, almost entirely in Latin, so as to be intelligible only to those acquainted with that language. If others learned prayers from their contents, it was merely to repeat them by rote in a language they understood not. While popery prevailed in England, Primers in the vulgar tongue were not allowed. In the year 1519, six men and a woman were burned at Coventry, the accusation against whom was having taught their children to repeat the Lord's prayer and the commandments in English; while the children were admonished by the persecutors not to meddle again with the Lord's prayer, the belief, or the commandments in English, if they wished to escape a similar fate! (See the narrative and authorities in Fox's Acts and Monuments.)

The reformers were not indifferent to the important subject of education and popular instruction. As early as 1529, an elementary book of this description had been published in English, as appears from its being prohibited with other protestant works, in a proclamation issued that year. But when the reformation had proceeded further, the subject was revived, and in 1535, an English Primer was set forth by authority. From the size and contents of this work it evidently was designed for general use, as a complete manual of devotion, and not merely for elementary instruction-this was the more important as the public services were still continued according to the church of Rome. It was edited by Dr. Marshal, archdeacon of Nottingham, but Cranmer doubtless assisted in the work. Strype (Memorials, I. i. ch. xxxi.) has given a very particular account of this book and its contents, which were designed, as he states, "to make the common people understand their prayers and divine worship, and to cure some gross errors in religion, that were then by popish craft generally entertained by the vulgar, by putting superstitious books into their hands the good design therefore was, that the laity might be furnished with a better direction for prayers and devotions than they usually had before." This Primer was chiefly a collection of small tracts containing admonitions and instructions as well as devotions for ordinary christians, and whatever may be thought concerning the utility of such works in times of greater light and knowledge, they were then doubtless of much use to many. The best proof of this was the offence taken by the papists, who when they regained a portion of their influence some years after, caused several of these pieces to be prohibited, although as a whole the work was far from being free from Romish errors.

It