HISTORY OF THE ARTICLES.

In the reign of Henry VIII, as the doctrines of the Reformation advanced, various Formularies of Faith were drawn up, of which the first appeared in 1536. This Formulary was set forth by Convocation, and with the Royal Authority, under the title of "Articles devised by the Kinge's Highnes' Majestie to stablyshe Christian quietnes, &c." It is supposed that Melanchthon had a voice in these Articles; and, at all events, the definition of justification contained in one of them, is a translation from his "Loci Theologici."

In the year 1538, a conference took place between some Lutheran Theologians and the English Divines, at which they drew up a statement of the principal Articles of Faith, with regard to which there was a very general unanimity. In drawing up this statement, they used the formulary published in 1536, and the Augsburg Confession; and the document so prepared is still extant. This appears to have been the channel through which the Augsburg Confession found its way into our Articles, because it is known that the docu

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ment above referred to was used in the drawing up of our Articles, and because no other passages out of the Augsburg Confession appear in the Articles, but what are found in that document.

No further progress was made towards the establishment of doctrine till near the end of the reign of Edward VI, when in 1551, Archbishop Cranmer received an order from the King to frame a book of Articles on Religion, which he drew up and submitted to the other Bishops. These Articles were 42 in number, and were published by Royal Authority.

Upon the accession of Mary, these Articles were of course repealed. But in the fourth year of the reign of Elizabeth (1562), they were again brought forward, and the care of them given to Archbishop Matthew Parker, who having revised them (by a reference, it is believed, to a document composed in 1551, and called the Confession of Wirtemberg) and reduced them to 38, brought them into the Upper House, where with a few alterations they were received. They were then sent to the Lower House, and subscribed by all the Clergy. At a subsequent review in 1571, the 29th Article, which had been omitted, was again added, and the Articles, now -39 in number, were authorized by Act of Parliament.

The Articles of 1562 were drawn up in Latin only; but in 1571 they were subscribed by the