Source.—Statutes of the Realm. Vol. v., pp. 364-370.

Whereas in the first year of the late Queen Elizabeth there was one uniform order of common service and prayer and of the administration of sacraments, rites, and ceremonies in the Church of England ... compiled by the reverend bishops and clergy, intituled, The Book of Common Prayer ... and enjoined to be used by Act of Parliament ... and yet ... a great number of people in divers parts of this realm ... do wilfully and schismatically ... refuse to come to their parish churches ... upon the Sundays and other days ... appointed to be kept as holy days; And whereas by the great and scandalous neglect of ministers in using the said order or liturgy ..., great mischiefs and inconveniences, during the times of the late unhappy troubles, have arisen ... and many people have been led into factions and schisms, to the great decay and scandal of the reformed religion of the Church of England, and to the hazard of many souls:—For the prevention of which ... in time to come, for settling the peace of the Church and for allaying the present distempers which the indisposition of the time hath contracted, the King's Majesty ... granted his commission under the Great Seal of England to several bishops and other divines to review the Book of Common Prayer and to prepare such alterations and additions as they thought fit to offer. And afterwards the convocations, ... being by his Majesty ... assembled, his Majesty hath been pleased to authorize and require the presidents of the said convocations ... to review the said Book of Common Prayer, and the book of the form and manner of the making and consecrating of bishops, priests, and deacons; And that ... they should make such additions and alterations in the said books ... as to them should seem meet and convenient.

[Which things being done] his Majesty ... hath fully approved and allowed the same, and recommended to this present Parliament, That the said Books of Common Prayer and of the form of ordination and consecration of bishops, priests, and deacons, with the alterations ... made, ... be the book which shall be appointed to be used by all that officiate in all cathedral and collegiate churches and chapels, and in all chapels of colleges and halls in both the universities, and the colleges of Eton and Winchester, and in all parish churches and chapels within the kingdom of England, dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick upon Tweed, and by all that make or consecrate bishops, priests, or deacons.

Be it enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by the advice and with the consent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and of the Commons, in this present parliament assembled ... that all and singular ministers in any cathedral, collegiate or parish church or chapel, or other place of public worship within this realm of England, dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick upon Tweed, shall be bound to say and use ... the Book of Common Prayer.

That every parson, vicar, or other minister whatsoever, who now ... enjoyeth any ecclesiastical benefice or promotion within the ... places aforesaid, shall, in the church, chapel, or place of public worship belonging to his said benefit or promotion, upon some Lord's day before the feast of St. Bartholomew ... in the year ... one thousand six hundred and sixty and two, openly, publicly, and solemnly read the Morning and Evening Prayer ... according to the said Book of Common Prayer ... and after such reading ... shall openly and publicly, before the congregation there assembled, declare his unfeigned assent and consent to the use of all things in the said book ... in these words, and no other:—

"I [name] 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 of England, together with the psalter or psalms of David, appointed as they are to be sung or said in churches; and the form or manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of bishops, priests and deacons."

And that all ... who shall ... neglect or refuse to do the same ... shall ipso facto be deprived of all his spiritual promotions.

And that ... every dean, canon, and prebendary of every cathedral or collegiate church, and all masters and other heads, fellows, chaplains, and tutors of or in any college, hall, house of learning or hospital, and every public professor and reader in either of the universities, and in every college elsewhere, and every parson, vicar, curate, lecturer, and every other person in holy orders, and every schoolmaster keeping any public or private school, and every person instructing or teaching any youth in any house or private family as a tutor or schoolmaster ... shall, before the feast of St. Bartholomew [1662] subscribe to the declaration following....

"I [name] do declare that it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up arms against the king, and that I do abhor that traitorous position of taking arms by his authority against his person; and that I will conform to the liturgy of the Church of England, as it is now by law established. And I do declare that I do hold there lies no obligation, upon me or on any other person, from the oath commonly called The solemn league and covenant, to endeavour any ... alteration of government either in church or state, and that the same was in itself an unlawful oath, and imposed upon the subjects of this realm against the known laws and liberties of this kingdom."