which high situations in the church expose those who fill them; the government in spiritual matters seems to have rested much more on the individual character of the rulers, than is ever to be wished. Nor can it be concealed that the ill conduct of the dignified clergy themselves added much to the burden which was imposed on those who held the highest offices in the church. Burleigh, (1575,) in writing to Grindal, says *, " that though he liked “ not the unruly reprehenders of the clergy at this “ time, yet he feared the abuse of ecclesiastical juris“ diction, both by bishops and archdeacons, gave too “ great an occasion to those stoical and irregular “ rovers to multiply their invectives against the “ state of our clergy.” And in another letter to Whitgift t, when again speaking of filling up preferments, that “ he saw such worldliness in many that were otherwise affected before they came to cathe“ dral churches, that he feared the places altered “ the men.” The universities contributed little to remedy or obviate the dangers of the times f: the state of Oxford was deplorable; she was overrun with popery and disorder g: and Cambridge, to which this period owes so much, was, as we have seen, at one moment a prey to puritanism, at another engaged in disputes which tended to any thing rather than edification. The feeling which the more attentive study of these times is calculated to inspire, is the conviction * Strype's Grindal, 281. † Strype's Whitgift, i. 338. Ibid. i. 610. Strype's Grindal, 196. of the superintendence of Providence over the church of Christ. The exertions of the best of human beings are often misdirected, are oftener thwarted by the evil passions of the interested; and yet all things work together for good to them that fear the Lord. A A LIST OF THE AUTHENTIC COPIES OF THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. Size. Language. By whom printed. Copies existing By whom reprinted. XLII. C. C. C. Oxf. 1553 Reg. Wolfe. Camb., & Pub. Lat. Sparrow, Lamb, Burney Graftonb. Bodley. Eng. Sparrow, Burney. XXXVIII. 1563 4to. Reg. Wolfe. C.C.C. Oxford. St. John's Camb. C.C.C. Camb. 1571. 4to. Day. Lat. Lamb, Sparrow, Ch. Ch. Bodley. Bodley. 3 cop: Lat. Burney. Jugg & Cawood. Pub. Lib. Camb. Eng. Lamb, Burney. * The reprints, to which allusion is here made, are to be found in Sparrow's Collec. tion of Articles, a very useful book, but so incorrectly published as to be quite useless on all critical questions. 4to. Articles of Religion, &c. printed in 1811, I believe by Dr. Burney, but unfortunately never published. 4to. Dr. Lamb's Historical Account of the Thirty-nine Articles. Camb. 1829. 4to. a rery useful but expensive work. b Sparrow says, John Day. The Catechism is by Day. APPENDIX C. TO CHAPTER X. HISTORY OF THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. 481. The Forty-two Articles. 482. Probably framed by Cran mer. 483. Taken partly from the Augsburg Confession. 484. Not sanctioned by convocation. 485. Parker prepares the articles for convocation ; subscription required. 486. The controverted clause in the twentieth article. 487. Idea of the author. 488. Laud, not to blame about the Article. g. 481. ALTHOUGH the value which we attach to the Thirty-nine Articles must depend on other grounds than the authority to which they owe their existence, or our respect for the individuals by whom they were framed; yet the history of their composition, and the details which attended the original publication and revision of them, can never fail to be interesting and instructive. The Articles of our Church were first published in the year 1553* ; they came forth under the title, “ The articles agreed upon by the bishops and “ other learned and godly men, in the last convoca“ tion at London, in the year of our Lord MDLII, for “ to root out the discord of opinions, and stablish “ the agreement of true religion ; likewise published “ by the king's majesty's authority, 1553.” They were published together with a short Catechism, ($. 331,) and were printed, as well as the Catechism, in Latin and English. They were in number forty * Lamb, 3 |