op's Confessions, ii. 65, 66; Laing's Knox, ii. 109, 110.

[143] The designation is undoubtedly Knoxian, as it occurs in his
dispute with Friar Arbuckill in 1547. To the reformer's assertion "that
the spous of Christ had nether power nor authoritie against the Word of
God," the Friar replied, "Yf so be, ye will leave us na kirk;" and to
that the reformer rejoined, "In David I read that thare is a church of
the malignantis, for he sayis, _Odi ecclesiam malignantium_. That church
ye may have without the Word, ... of that church yf ye wilbe, I can not
impead yow" (Laing's Knox, i. 200).

[144] Dunlop's Confessions, ii. 80; Laing's Knox, ii. 114.

[145] Dunlop's Confessions, ii. 96, 97.

CHAPTER VII.

THE BOOK OF COMMON ORDER.

[Sidenote: At Frankfort.]

This, though in point of time the first composed of the symbolical books
of the Scottish Reformation, was the last to be formally assigned its
honoured place. The title it commonly bore in that age was the Book of
Common Order. In the First Book of Discipline it is called "the Order of
Geneva" and "the Book of our Common Order."[146] In recent times it has
been more generally designated as Knox's Liturgy. It has usually been
deemed sufficient to say that it was drawn up and first privately and
then publicly printed at Geneva, and was directly taken from the liturgy
then used there, as well as approved by Calvin. But this is only
partially true. The first English congregation on the Continent which
invited Knox to be one of its pastors was that formed at Frankfort in
1554, and admitted to hold its services in the same church as the
congregation of French-speaking exiles on condition of using the same
ceremonies and Confession of Faith as the French.[147] The minister and
other office-bearers accordingly signed the Confession of Faith along
with those of the French congregation, and it was ultimately
incorporated into the Book of Common Order as the exposition of the
Apostles' Creed in the baptismal service. The first draft of the Book of
Common Order was drawn up before the end of 1554, and privately
printed,[148] to implement the stipulation for conformity with the
French in ceremonies as well as in Confession of Faith, and it seems to
have been mainly owing to Knox that it was not adopted at once, but that
time was given for circulating and examining it. Unfortunately the
ambitious plan was taken of inviting the English exiles at Strassburg
and Zurich to jo