plainly the real teaching of our present Prayer Book. In the Prayer Book of 1549, there were some passages which might have been understood as teaching that the most precious body and blood of our Lord was to be received in the consecrated elements of bread and wine; but in the book of 1552, these passages were all changed so as to render such a sense impossible. For example: in the exhortation to communicants, it was written in the book of 1549, ‘He hath left _in_ these holy mysteries, as a pledge of His love, and a continual remembrance of the same, _his own blessed body and precious blood_ for us to feed upon spiritually to our endless comfort and consolation.’ If the word ‘mysteries’ was understood of the consecrated elements, this passage might have been understood as teaching that the spiritual food was actually in the consecrated bread and wine. So in 1552, the passage was changed to the well-known words, ‘He hath instituted and ordained holy mysteries as pledges of His love, and continual remembrance of His death, to our great and endless comfort,’ and all possibility of misapprehension was removed. Again, in the prayer of consecration in 1549 we find the words, ‘Hear us, O Merciful Father, we beseech thee; and with Thy Holy Spirit and Word vouchsafe to bless and sanctify these Thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine, that they may be unto us the body and blood of Thy most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ.’ These words might fairly be taken as praying for a change in the elements, and therefore in the next version the passage was completely changed, and the unmistakable language of our present Prayer Book introduced in its stead: ‘Grant that we receiving these Thy creatures of bread and wine, according to Thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of His death and passion, may be partakers of His most blessed body and blood.’ So in the prayer before consecration. In the first book the words were, ‘Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink His blood _in these Holy Mysteries_.’ But this was liable to the same danger as the passage in the exhortation already referred to, and therefore the words, ‘In these holy mysteries,’ were struck out, and the prayer left as it now stands in our Prayer Book.