MarginaliaAn. 1550.good and godly considerations taken downe, there doth yet remayne aultars standyng in diuers other churches, by occasion whereof much variance and contention ariseth amongst sundry of our subiectes, which if good foresyght were not had, myght perchaunce engender great hurt and inconuenience: we let you wit, that mynding to haue al occasion of contention taken away, which many times groweth by those & such like diuersities, & considering that amongest other thinges belonging to our royall office and cure, we do accompt the greatest to be, to mayntaine the common quiet of our Realme, we haue thought good by the aduise of our Counsaile to requyre you, and neuertheles specially to charge and commaund you, for the auoyding of all matters of further contentiō and strife about the standing or taking away of the sayde aultars, to geue substantiall order throughout all your dioces, MarginaliaAltars taken downe and destroyed.that with all diligence all the aultars in euery church or chappell, aswell in places exempted as not exempted within your sayd dioces be taken downe, and in the steede of them a Table set vp in some conuenient part of the Chauncell within euery such church or chappell, to serue for the ministration of the blessed Communion. MarginaliaConsiderations to perswade the people.And to the intent the same may be done wythout the offence of such our louing subiectes, as be not yet so well perswaded in that behalfe as we woulde wishe, we send vnto you herewyth, certaine considerations gathered & collected that make for the purpose, the which and such others as you shall thinke meete to be set forth to perswade the weake to embrace our proceedinges in thys part, we pray you cause to be declared to the people by some discrete Preachers in such places as you shall thinke meete, before the taking down of the said aultars: so as both the weake consciences of other may bee instructed and satisfied as much as may be, and thys our pleasure the more quietly executed. For the better doyng whereof, we require you to open the foresayd considerations in that our cathedrall church in your own person, if you conueniently may, or otherwyse by your Chauncelour, or some other graue Preacher, both there, and in such other market townes and most notable places of your dioces, as you may thinke most requisite. Geuen vnder our signet, at our Pallace of Westminster the. 24. day of Nouember, the fourth yeare of our raigne.

MarginaliaConsiderations and reasons, why the table were more conuenient in the Church then the Altar.FIrst, the fourme of a table shall more moue the simple from the supersticious opinions of the popishe Masse, vnto the right vse of the Lords supper. For the vse of an aultar is to make sacrifice vpon it: the vse of a table is to serue for men to eate vpon. Nowe when we come vnto the Lordes boorde, what doe we come for? To sacrifice Christ agayne, and to crucifie hym agayne? or to feede vpon him that was once onely crucified, and offered vp for vs? If wee come to feede vppon him, spiritually to eate hys body, and spiritually to drinke his bloud, which is the true vse of the Lords supper, then no man can deny, but the forme of a table is more meete for the Lordes boorde, then the forme of an aultar.

MarginaliaThe second reason.Item, where as it is sayd, the booke of common praier maketh mention of an aultar, wherefore it is not lawfull to abolish that which that booke aloweth: to this is thus aunswered: MarginaliaAunswere to certayne cauillers, which take holde of the terme of Altar in the kinges booke.The booke of common prayer calleth the thing whereupon the Lordes supper is ministred, indifferently a table, an aultar, or the Lordes boorde, wythout prescription of any forme thereof, eyther of a table, or of an aultar. So that whether the Lords boorde haue the forme of an aultar, or of a table, the booke of common prayer calleth it both an aultar & a table. For as it calleth an aultar whereupon the Lordes Supper is ministred, a table and the LordesMarginaliaThe table how it may be called an Altar, and in what respecte.boorde, so it calleth the table where the holye Communion is distributed with laudes and thankes geuyng vnto the Lord, an aultar, for that, that there is offered the same sacrifice of prayse and thankes geuing. And thus it appeareth that here is nothing neither sayd nor ment contrary to the booke of common prayer.

MarginaliaThe thyrd reason.
Thys reason for takyng away the superstitious opinion, serueth also as well for the abolishing of other thinges moe beside Altars. &c.Thirdly, the popishe opinion of Masse was that it might not be celebrated but vpon an aultar, or at the least vpon a superaltare, to supplie the default of the aultar, which must haue had hys prints and charactes, or els it was thought that the thing was not lawfully done. But this superstitous opinion is more holden in the myndes of the simple and ignorant by the forme of an aultar, then of a table: wherfore it is more meete for the abolishement of this superstitious opinion, to haue the Lordes boord after the forme of a table, then of an aultar.

MarginaliaThe 4. reason.
The name of an Altar how it is deriued, and what it signifieth.Fourthly, the forme of an aultar was ordeyned for the Sacrifices of the lawe, and therefore the aultar in Greeke is called xxx, quasi sacrificij locus. But now both the law and the sacrifices thereof doo cease: Wherefore the forme of the aultar vsed in the lawe, ought to cease withall.

MarginaliaThe 5. reason.
Christ vsed a table and not an Altar.Fiftly, Christ did institute the sacrament of hys body and bloud at hys last supper at a table, and not at an aultar, as it appeareth manifestly by the three Euangelistes. And S. Paule calleth the comming to the holy Communion, the comming vnto the Lordes Supper. MarginaliaThe Altar neuer vsed among the Apostles.And also it is not read, that any of the Apostles or the primitiue church did euer vse anye aultar in the ministration of the holy Communion. Wherfore, seyng the forme of a Table is more agreable with Christes institution, and with the vsage of the Apostles and of the primatiue church, then the forme of an aultar, therfore the forme of a table is rather to be vsed, then the forme of an aultar in the administration of the holy Communion.

MarginaliaThe 6. reason.Finally, it is sayd in the preface of þ^e booke of cōmon prayer, that if any doubt do arise in the vse & practising of the same booke, to appease all such diuersitie, the matter shall be referred vnto the byshop of the dioces, who by his discretion shall take order for the quieting & appeasing of the same, so that the same order be not contrary vnto any thing contained in that booke.

After these letters and reasons receaued, the forenamed Nicholas Ridley bishop of Londō, consequētly vpon the same did hold his visitation, wherin amongest other hys Iniunctions the sayd Bishop exhorted those Churches in his Dioces, where the aultars then did remayne, to conforme them selues vnto those other Churches whych had taken them downe, and had set vp in the stede of the multitude of theyr aultars, one decent table in euery church.

MarginaliaNicholas Ridley Byshop of London appoynted in his Dioces the ryght forme of a table.Vpon the occasion whereof there arose a great diuersitie about the forme of the Lordes boorde, some vsing it after the forme of a table, and some of an aultar. Wherein when the sayd Bishop was required to say and determine what was most meete, hee declared he could do no lesse of his bounden dutie for the appeasing of such diuersity, and to procure one godly vniformitie, but to exhort all hys dioces vnto that, which he thought did best agree wyth scripture, with the vsage of the Apostles, and with the primatiue Churche, and to that which is not onely not contrary vnto any thing conteined in the booke of commō prayer (as is before proued) but also might highly further the kynges most godly proceedinges, in abolishing of diuers vayne and supersticious opinions of the Popish Masse out of the harts of the simple, and to bring them to the right vse taught by holy scripture of the Lordes supper, MarginaliaThe walle by the high altars side in Paules Church, broken downe by Nicholas Ridley.and so appoyn-