st, after some debate, to decide articles of
faith; and their tenets were of as motley a kind as the assembly itself,
or rather as the king's system of theology, by which they were resolved
entirely to square their principles. They determined the standard of
faith to consist in the Scriptures and the three creeds, the Apostolic,
Nicene, and Athanasian; and this article was a signal victory to the
reformers: auricular confession and penance were admitted, a doctrine
agreeable to the Catholics: no mention was made of marriage, extreme
unction, confirmation, or holy orders, as sacraments; and in this
omission the influence of the Protestants appeared: the real presence
was asserted conformably to the ancient doctrine: the terms of
acceptance were established to be the merits of Christ, and the mercy
and good pleasure of God, suitably to the new principles.

So far the two sects seem to have made a fair partition by alternately
sharing the several clauses. In framing the subsequent articles, each of
them seems to have thrown in its ingredient. The Catholics prevailed
in asserting, that the use of images was warranted by Scripture; the
Protestants, in warning the people against idolatry, and the abuse
of these sensible representations. The ancient faith was adopted in
maintaining the expedience of praying to saints; the late innovations in
rejecting the peculiar patronage of saints to any trade, profession, or
course of action. The former rites of worship, the use of holy water,
and the ceremonies practised on Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday,
and other festivals, were still maintained; but the new refinements,
which made light of these institutions, were also adopted, by the
convocation's denying that they had any immediate power of remitting
sin, and by its asserting that their sole merit consisted in promoting
pious and devout dispositions in the mind.

But the article with regard to purgatory contains the most curious
jargon, ambiguity, and hesitation, arising from the mixture of opposite
tenets. It was to this purpose: "Since, according to due order of
charity, and the book of Maccabees, and divers ancient authors, it is a
very good and charitable deed to pray for souls departed, and since such
a practice has been maintained in the church from the beginning, all
bishops and teachers should instruct the people not to be grieved for
the continuance of the same. But since the place where departed souls
are retained