The first thing which the Government did after the accession of Edward VI. was to remove images from the churches, as a form of idolatry,—­much to the wrath of Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, the ablest man of the old conservative and papal party.  But Ridley, afterwards Bishop of Rochester, preached against all forms of papal superstition with so much ability and zeal that the churches were soon cleared of these “helps to devotion.”

Cranmer, now unchecked, turned his attention to other reforms, but proceeded slowly and cautiously, not wishing to hazard much at the outset.  First communion of both kinds, heretofore restricted to the clergy, was appointed; and, closely connected with it, Masses were put down.  Then a law was passed by Parliament that the appointment of bishops should vest in the Crown alone, and not, as formerly, be confirmed by the Pope.  The next great thing to which the reformers directed their attention was the preparation of a new liturgy in the public worship of God, which gave rise to considerable discussion.  They did not seek to sweep away the old form, for it was prepared by the sainted doctors of the Church of all ages; but they would purge it of all superstitions, and retain what was most beautiful and expressive in the old prayers.  The Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the early creeds of course were retained, as well as whatever was in harmony with primitive usages.  These changes called out letters from Calvin at Geneva, who was now recognized as a great oracle among the Protestants:  he encouraged the work, but advised a more complete reformation, and complained of the coldness of the clergy, as well as of the general vices of the times.  Martin Bucer of Strasburg, at this time professor at Cambridge, also wrote letters to the same effect; but the time had not come for more radical reforms.  Then Parliament, controlled by the Government, passed an act allowing the clergy to marry,—­opposed, of course, by many bishops in allegiance to Rome.  This was a great step in reform, and removed many popular scandals; it struck a heavy blow at the conditions of the Middle Ages, holding that celibacy sprung from no law of God, but was Oriental in its origin, encouraged by the Church to cement its power.  And this act concerning the marriage of the clergy was soon followed by the celebrated Forty-two Articles, framed by Cranmer and Ridley, which are the bases of the English Church,—­a theological creed, slightly amended afterwards in the reign of Elizabeth; evangelical but not Calvinistic, affirming the great ideas of Augustine and Luther as to grace, justification by faith, and original sin, and repudiating purgatory, pardons, the worship and invocation of saints and images; a larger creed than the Nicene or Athanasian, and comprehensive,—­such as most Protestants might accept.  Both this and the book of Common Prayer were written with consummate taste, were the work of great scholars,—­moderate, broad, enlightened, conciliatory.