Disputed Ceremonies and the Liturgical Year
Chapter 8 extends this analysis of the conformity of the Reformed Conformists, by establishing that they found spiritual value in the distinctive liturgical provisions of the Prayer Book. The chapter shows that Morton’s defence of three controversial English liturgical provisions did not merely defend them on the grounds of obedience, but also ascribed positive religious value to them, as parts of God’s worship. Featley’s Ancilla made the same point in relation to the liturgical year and Holdsworth in relation to the Lent Fast, an institution that distinguished the Church of England from the other Protestant churches of Europe. The chapter then uses Featley and Prideaux’s polemically inspired collections of sermons to demonstrate that Reformed Conformists believed the liturgical year might be profitably used by the faithful, and so become an instrument of divine predestination and a vehicle for Christian assurance.