Kindred and Affinity found at the
end of our Prayer Book was drawn up by Archbishop Parker, in 1563.
It rests on an Act of Henry VIII., and is designed to be an
authoritative interpretation of it. The whole is based on Lev.
xviii. 6-18. The principles on which it is drawn up are the
following:--

(_a_) It places both sexes on the same footing, forbidding to the
man whatever is forbidden to the woman.

(_b_) It forbids marriage to a man on the grounds of near kindred
or consanguinity; omitting, however, prohibition of marriage between
cousins as not being forbidden in the Levitical Law, nor definitely
by the Canon Law.

(_c_) Acting on the important principle sanctioned by our Lord
Himself, that "man and wife are one flesh," it puts affinity, or
connection by marriage, on exactly the same footing as kindred, or
connection by blood, affirming that a man's wife's connections are
to be held strictly as his own. It is for this reason,--a reason
distinctly based upon Holy Scripture,--that the marriage with a
"deceased wife's sister" is forbidden.

KNEELING. The practice of kneeling in confession, in prayer, and
in adoration, is of great antiquity. David says, "Let us worship
and bow down, let us _kneel_ before the Lord our Maker," Psalm cxv.
6. See also Ps. cxxxii. 7; 1 Kings viii. 54; Ezra ix. 5-15; Dan.
vi. 10; Acts vii. 60; Acts ix. 40; Acts xx. 36, xxi. 5. Our blessed
Lord Himself "_kneeled down_" when He prayed, Luke xxii. 14. How
the example of David and Solomon, Ezra and Daniel, St. Stephen, St.
Peter and St. Paul, nay, of our Saviour Himself, condemns the
lolling, irreverent posture assumed by too many Christians of the
present day in the public worship of the Lord of Hosts!

KYRIE ELEISON. Two Greek words, meaning "Lord, have mercy." The
responses to the Commandments are so called.

LAITY, LAYMAN. A baptized member of the Church, not being an
ecclesiastic. The term "layman" denotes a positive rank, not the
mere lack of rank.

LAMBETH DEGREES. The Archbishop of Canterbury has the power of
conferring degrees in any of the faculties of the University to
which he himself belongs. These degrees are called _Lambeth
Degrees_. The Archbishop exercised this power as Legate of the
Pope, retaining it (like the power of granting special marriage
licences) under the Tudor legislation.

LAPSE. When a patron neglects to present a clergyman to a benefice
within his gift, within six months after its vacancy, the benefice