Bishop Andrewes'. It was his object to raise the Church of England to its old position as a branch, though a reformed branch, of the Catholic Church. He strongly protested against the Puritan innovations, and no less strongly opposed, as Green has said, the peculiar doctrines of Romanism. He based his teaching upon the doctrines of the age preceding the Council of Nicea. He was so thoroughly opposed to the teaching of Calvinism that he stopped the introduction into England of Bibles from the Continent with elaborate marginal notes imparting Calvinistic teaching.
He restored more orderly methods of conducting public worship. At the Celebration of the Holy Communion it was ordered that everyone should reverently kneel on receiving the Elements, instead of communicating in any position that pleased. He revived the power of the Bishops' Councils. There was one point on which he favoured the Romanist. He preferred a celibate to a married clergy. But this he taught not as a doctrine of the Church, but because it was agreeable to his ascetic nature.
He was especially severe on the due observance of ceremonial. The strong opposition of the Puritans to this led Laud to be quite as severe as they in the other direction. The Puritans' hatred of ceremonial, led Laud to be correspondingly severe in his orders that ceremonial should be observed. He said, and said rightly, that it was an aid to worship and devotion. It was almost one of Laud's first acts on reaching Lambeth to restore the smashed windows, the organ, and the choir. He ordered the glazier to set up the broken crucifix again in the east window, and so anxious was he to see the work well done, that he helped with his
