(2.) It is impossible to prove a negative; and I may be mistaken: but I am not able to discover that such a form of Subscription as that required by the Act of Uniformity was ever known in the whole history of Christendom. Churches, one after another, have drawn up Confessions of Faith, and employed them as tests of opinion in the admission of their ministers. Most Churches have prepared liturgical forms for devotional purposes, and required the use of these forms in public worship. The Confession of Faith has been carefully drawn up for one object, and the Liturgy for another; the one to secure sound doctrine, and the other pure devotional worship. So the Church of England, in _its_ form of Subscription, has kept the distinction perfectly clear. It requires the new incumbent to subscribe “that he alloweth the Book of Articles to be agreeable to the Word of God,” thereby giving a positive acknowledgment of their truth. But of the devotional book, the Book of Common Prayer, it requires him to sign,—“That it containeth in it nothing contrary to the Word of God, and that it may lawfully so be used, and that he himself will use the form in the said book prescribed, in publick prayer and administration of the Sacraments, and none other.” The Book of Articles is employed as a Confession of Faith, or test of opinion; whereas all that is required respecting the Book of Common Prayer is the promise to use it, with the declaration that there is nothing wrong in so doing. But this temperate spirit of the Church was not sufficient for the purposes of Charles and his Parliament. The persons whom they wanted to turn out believed in the Articles, and were, many of them, quite willing to use the Prayer-book. Thus the Church’s principles were insufficient for their ejection, and, in order to get rid of them, the plan was devised of omitting all specific mention of the Articles, and making use of the whole book as the test or confession of faith. A long devotional book of 400 pages, containing prayers, Psalms as pointed for chanting, rubrics, addresses, and special services, some of which can be used by the Bishops only, are all massed together, and made into a new exclusive creed. There is no exception made for anything. “All and every thing” is alike included, and the language is made as stringent as possible. It is as follows:— “I, A. B., do hereby declare my unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the book intituled, The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, according to the uses of the Church of England; together with the Psalter, or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be said or sung in Churches; and the form or manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.”