108 MANUAL OF INSTRUCTION 



of the Blessed Trinity only ; the Communion ser* 

 vice became a holy feast of joy and gladness, instead 

 of a superstitious ceremony in which the elements 

 were thought to be changed to veritable flesh and 

 blood ; the reading of the Scriptures became a 

 prominent feature in public services ; and in every 

 particular they sought to restore the Church to what 

 she was before her fair outline had been obscured , 

 by the superstitious fancies of men. 



Very great were the learning, the patience and 

 the courage of the English Reformers. Their work 

 was one of extreme delicacy and importance. It 

 was like pruning the dead branches from a tree, 

 when extreme care must be taken not to injure 

 whatever was good and living. Or, to use another 

 figure, it was like cleansing an exquisite piece of 

 statuary upon which dust and soil and rubbish had 

 accumulated. They wanted to preserve it entire, 

 only removing the extraneous matter, and having it 

 come out again with the beauty it possessed when 

 it left the sculptor's hands. Worthy then, of all 

 honor, is the memory of the four English martyrs, 

 Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer and Hooper, and the 

 scores of others who helped restore the old Church 

 to what she was before Romish superstitions had 

 marred her fair beauty. And while we record 

 gratefully their zeal for a pure faith, let us also 

 record their reverence towards the bride of Christ, 

 their care lest in getting rid of error they should 



