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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 |^^§^*^:. f-^¥ ■vt- ■ ^%<. f«-i , ' ■i^\ i %H^ THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY IN ENGLAND: A LECTURE DELIVEBBD BEFORE THE HALIFAX CATHOLIQ INSTITUTE, ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 16th, 1859. BY EDMUND MATURIN, A. M., (Presideat.) HALIFAX, N. 8. PRINTED FOR THB CATHOLIC INSTITVTBf By ComptoQ Si Bowdeu. 1859. i im ijti LI ' X^ h 11 i' H f.-i >n : -i ii AAij.'AsJ .".tj-'-i ■% ti THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY IN ENGLAND. J The subject to which I propose to direct your attention this evening is the Origin and early History of Christianity in Eng- land, and I intend to consider these events chiefly with reference to the source from which the ancient Church of England derived her religion, the time at which the Gospel was first preached in the country, the individuals by whom it was propagated, and the general character of the doctrines which they taught. Now, this is evidently an inquiry of great importance and deep interest to us all, as Christians, and as subjects of the British Crown — not merely as illustrative of a most instructive branch of antiquarian research and national history, but also, and chiefly, as tending to throw some additional light on the great controversy which has unhappily divided the Christian world for the last three hundred years. I must beg to observe, however, that it is not my inten- tion to enter into any Theological discussion on the present occa- sion, and while I trust that [ shall ever be ready to maintain and defend the great principles of the Catholic Faith with firmness and decision, I hope that I shall always be enabled to do so in a spirit of Christian meekness and gentleness, and to avoid, as far as possible, every expression of opinion that might be calculated to wound the feelings, or o£fend the prejudices, of those who are still separated from the unity of the Catholic Church. My object, then, is rather of an historical than of a controversial nature — it is to deal with facts ^ rather than with principles ^ and I wish to lay before you, with all due impartiality, a plain and unvarnished statement of the principal evidence that relates to the subject be- fore us, with the view of assisting you in arriving at a right con- clusion. I must confess, indeed, that I am utterly incapable of attempting any lofty flights of eloquence, with which an enrap- asiir %\ tured audience is frequently delighted and captivated, while listen- ing to the burning words of some gifted orator. I cannot hope to succeed in inspiring your hearts witii any noljle sentiments of enthusiasm, or in kindling a flame of holy devotion in your isouls, by any feeble efforts of mino upon your feelings and imaginations — I must entirely disclaim the possession of any such enviable talents as these, and it is not by any appeals of this kind that I expect to produce any degree of conviction in your minds, but by a simple reference to historical events and transactions, derived from the authentic records of Christian antiquity. I fear, indeed, that the whole inquiry will appear very dry and unattractive to most of you ; but this must arise, in a great measure, from the very rature of the case, and I must therefore request your pati- ent attention while I endeavor to bring before you some impor- tant facts, and documents relating to this subject, and to estimate the real value of the evidence which is founded on their collective testimonies. But first, it may be proper to make some observations on the general state of the question, with reference to the diffeient opinions which have been held by learned men, and the nature of the arguments by which these opinions have been supported. There can be no doubt that those who have been engaged in the investigation of this and e»'ery other subject of Ecclesiastical his- tory, have frequently allowed their minds to be very much influ- enced by the force of religious prejudice, and their own different views of Christian doctrine, instead of fairly weighing the evi- dence of historical testimony in an impartial scale. Hence we find that, where history is silent, plau8il)le conjectures are often su1)8tituted for positive facts, and the remotest intimations magni- fied into express assertions, while, in the absence of direct proofs, the whole course of events is so shaped and represented as to bear a perfect conformity with the Theological system of the individual writer, or of the Church to which he belongs. All classes of pro- fessing Christians are, of course, fully sensible of the great impor- tance of obtaining the sanction of antiquity for their respective creeds, and therefore there is naturally a strong temptation to ^, H9 ' ' • $"Lives of tlio Apostles," p. 8C, (Ed. 1702.) § Eccles. Hist. vol. I., p, 6. ; ' II Churchman Armed, Vol. II. p, ~i7. »* Usser. pp. :, 744 ; Collier, Vol. I, p. 3. Lingard's Anglo-Saxon Church, Vol. I., p. 3J5, (Ed. 1845.) p and that the statement of Linus being the first Bishop of Rome, to the exclusion of St. Peter, is merely founded on a mistaken interpretation of a single passage in St. IronoBus*, as well as con- trary to the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Such, then, are the principal opinions which have been held as to the origin of Christianity in England, and we shall now pro- ceed to consider tile historical evidence relating to the subject, as founded on the statements ot iAie Christian Fathers, and other ancient writers, from whom alone we can obtain any satisfactory information with respect to the early progress of our holy Ileligion. It must be observed, then, that there are two different periods to which our inquiries are to be directed — the British, and the Saxon — the one, relating to the first propagation of the Christian Faith in England among the native Britons, and the other, relating to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons at the end of the 6th Cen- tury. The latter is a well known and clearly defined historical event, but there is a considerable degree of difficulty in determin- ing with precision and ce^g^inty various important circumstances connected with the former. I. We shall therefore carefully examine the original authorities which appetu: to contain any allusion to the conversion of Britain, quoting the statement of each successive Author in the regular order of time. 1 . The earliest writer who has been supposed to refer to this sub- ject is St. Clement I., who is generally considered as the fourth Pope or Bishop of Rome, In the latter end of the First Century. I do not think, Indeed, that the passage can be properly under- stood with reference to England, but I quote it, as it has been much relied on in proof of the Pauline origin of the British Church. St. Clement, after alluding to the martyrdom of Saint Peter, thus refers to tlie great Apostle of the Gentiles — ** Paul obtained the reward of patience, having been thrown into prison seven times, beaten with rods, and stoned, and having been a preacher in the East and in the West, received the illustrious honor of his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole % Cuntra Iloroscs Lib III., cap. iii. 3., p. 176 (Ed. Bened.) 12 world, and having come to the boundary of the West, and suffer- ed martyrdom undor our rulers, thus departed from the world, and went to the holy place*." Much stress has been laid on the expression^ the ** boundary of the West," as describing the extent of St. Paul's travels, from which it has been inferred that Eng- land must be included in this description, as being the utmost boundary of the world known to the ancient Romans. Indeed, Bishop Burgess speaks of this passage as ♦' the first and most important testimony" in favor of St. Paul's journey to Britain, and he refers to various parallel passages in other writers, in which a similar expression is used with reference to the inhabi- tants of Spain, Gaul, and Britainf. But, even if such passages can be found, they would not prove to which of the three coun- tries St. Clement refers, and besides, it must be remarked, that there is not a single writer who employs exactly the same expres- sion with that before us — not one of them has any direct refer- ence to the point, and therefore no argument whatever can be founded on the use of such a vague and indefinite phrase. Indeed, if it proves any thing conclusive, it evidently proves too much, for if it be understood in its strictly literal sense, it will include Ireland, which is farther West than England — nay more, it will include the Western Continent itself, and thus it might be plausi- bly argued that St. Paul preached the Gospel in Ireland and in America, and yet I am not aware that snch an honor has ever been claimed by either of thpse countries in fftvoy of their respec- tive Churches. In explanation of this phritse, we are indeed referred to an ex- pression in the work of St. IrenaDus, Bishop of Lyons, in the latter part of the second Century. It is that remarkable passage in which he describes the universal agreement in the profession of one faith, as held by " the Church scattered throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth," and shortly afterwards more particularly refers to " the Churches in Germany, Iberia, and among the Celtsif." "Now," says the Bishop, "by the * Clom. Epist. ad Cor. p. 8. (4to. Oxon. 1633.) ,„ ,. ^ . „, .„ .^.s t Churchman Armed, Vol. II., p. 342. . . < , % ,; ( \ „ . t Lib. I, cap. X. 1, 2, pp. 48, 49. 13 Colts were meant the people of Germany, Gaul, and BWtain." But here again, if this explanation were correct, it would not eetablish the point, because it will not prove to which of these three countries this expression is here applied. It does not appear, however, that the Britons vrere generally included among the Celtic nations by the ancients. Grabe, the learned Protestant Editor of this Father, supposes the Celts to hav^ been inhabitants of Gaul, about Lyons, as Irenseus says of himself, in his Preface, *« We live among the Celts*." Indeed, Julius Cassar expressly lescribes the Celts as one of the three nations into which Gaul was divided in his timef, and in the corrected Liatin version of Irenseus, the word is translated by the name of Gaul in both the passages just quotedj. There is no support, therefore, to be derived from this expression in favor of the existence of the British Church at this early period. •'*^' fcrt«.^fr But another illustration of St. Clement's words is quoted by Bishop Burgess from St. Jerome, who lived 300 years afterwards, «nd who states in his *' Treatise on Illustrious Men," that St. Paul was released from prison " that the Gospel might be preached by him also in theWestern parts^," and again in his "Commentary on Amos," he says that St. Paul was •' called by God, and sent forth to preach with the whole world before him, that he preached from Jerusalem to Illyrieum, and that, wishing not to build upon another man's foundation, he directed his journey towards Spain, running in imitation of his Lord, the Sun jf Righteousness, his course from the Red Sea, or rather from the Eastern to the Western Ocean|I." Such is St. Jerome's account, but surely there is nothing said here about England, directly or indirectly. " For certainly" it has been well remarked, " it was possible for the Apostle to preach in the West, as he had done in the East, without preaching in Britain ; and also possible for him to travel from the Red Sea to the Western coast of Spain, without passing * Lib. I. Precft 3, p. 4. . . *"^ '"' '* "*■' ' '*'»«SiM»i ' t Be Bello Uallioo, Lil;>. I, 1. ^" '^ • ""^"^ TtO amv iH .8 f X Ed. Stioren, pp. 9, 122. (Tom. I. 8vo. Lips 1853.) -^ ■'a^,f^) ittMl faaaA i, II S. Hicron. 0pp. Tom. II., p. S3S, (Bd. Vallars.) , '^ "^ -^oii i * Ibid. Tom. VL, p. 290. " ■ ■(^ -Ih^ .^isixMmuiK , m 14 m through Britain.'** St. Jerome does, indeed, make some allusion to this subject in another passage, in one of his Epistles, in which he says that ** the way to heaven is open from Britain as well as from Jerusalem!,*' but he does not refer to any connexion be- tween the British Church and St. Paul or any of the Apon'AeB. As to the precise locality indicated by the ** boundary of tho West,*' it seems most probable that it refers to Spain, according to Bishop Pearson's interpretatien|, as we find that St. Paul him- self, in his Epbtle to the Romans, refers to his intended journey into Spain by way of Rome^, and we have the distinct testimony of the Fathersll, that he did penetrate into Spain, which might properly be understood by this expression, because its Western shore is washed by the waters of the Atlantic, although the learned Dr. Lingard is of opinion that Rome itself is the place intended, " because Rome lies on the Western coast of Italy, and because it was to Rome that St. Paul came, and at Rome that he suffered martyrdom**." 2. We now come to the earliest direct allusion to the con- version of Britain, to be found in the writings of any ancient Author. It is the testimony of TertuUian, the first of the Latin Fathers, who lived in the beginning of the Third Century, and the Treatise " against the Jevra," in which the passage occurs, is said to have been written in the year 209. He is there des- cribing the supernatural effects of Christianity in the world, and among other nations which were converted to the Christian Faith he particularly includes '* all the ends of Spain, and the different nations of Gaul, and the parts of Britain inaccessible to the Romans, but subject to Christ . . . . in all which places the name of Christ reigns." And again, shortly afterwards, he says — '* Britain is enclosed within the compass of the ocean . . . but the kingdom and name of Christ is extended every where, is be- lieved every where, is worshipped by $11 the nations enujaerated — ^^— ■'.■>■ ,^,.,^ * Lingarc, Vol. I. p. 354. ' ""*~ t S. Hieron. 0pp. Tom. I. p. 103. . * i Annal. Paul, (Apud Enchir. Theol., Vol. I, p. 373. Ed. 1825.) ' ^ Rom. XV. 24. ' II Athanasius, Cyril, Epiphanius, Jerome, Chrysostom, Theodoret. ** Vol.1, p. 363. • ' 16 above, reigns every where . . . equal among all, a King among all, a Judge among all, God and Lord among all*." From this pas- sage, then, we learn for the first time, that the Christian Religion had been received in Britain, and had inade some progress in that country, in the beginning of the Third Century — ^but how long before that time, or by whom the British Church was founded, we have no information whatever given by this author. With reference to the expression about the " parts of Britain, inacces- sible to the Romans" — an argument has been founded on these words by Bishop Hopkini^^ in opposition to the Roman origin of the British Church. He says — " There is the positive testimony that however, or by whomsoever, the Church was first planted in Bri- tain, which is a matter of uncertainty, it was not planted by a Missionary from Rome f .' Now it is evident that such an infer- ence cannot be fairly drawn from the text. It is perfectly clear that Tertullian, in referring to the Romans, is not alluding to Roman Missionaries^ but to the Roman armies — ^he is contrasting the triumphs of the Gospel with the success of the Roman power, when he speaks of those parts of the country being '* subject to Christ," though " inaccessible to the Romans" — and therefore it cannot be supposed that he is referring to the place from which the individual Missionaries came, but to the effects of their preach- ing upon the British people. 3. The next remarkable testimony is that of Origen, who flourished a few years after the time of Tertullian. In his 4th Homily on Ezechiel, he is referring to the wonderful propagation of Christianity in the world, and he uses the following lan- guage — '* The earth rejoiced at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, seeing it was honored with sustaining the Son of God. Why is it necessary to speak of the Apostles and Prophets, when it is written of the coming of the Lord, ' the whole earth shouts with joy.' Even the miserable Jews confess that these things are spoken of the presence of Christ, but they foolishly are ignorant of the Person, when they see the things accomplished, which hare * Tertull. 0pp. Tom II., pp. 290, 292. (Ed.Semler.) t ItoAitation ofMilner, Vol. I., p. 316. (2Qd Ed.) ,■ .nqi \:-'V-r If been foretold. For when did the land of Britain agree in the re- ligion of One God before the coming of Christ? When did the land of the Moors? When did the whole world? But now, on account of the Churches, which occupy the ends of the world, the whole oarth shouts with joy*." There is another allusion to this subject in the works of Origen. It is in his 6th Homily on St, Luke, in which he says — " The power of our Lord and Saviour ^ with those who are oven divided from our world in Britain ^ r . with those who are in Mauritania, and with all those under .uv Sun, who believe in His namef. ' ' r /,«.,{ ^,. r.^^.,, ^ , 4. We have now to consider a very important testimony — that of Eusebius, the first great Ecclesiastical Iiistorian of the Christian Church, who lived in the early part of the Fourth Century. His evidence is perhaps the strongest that can be alleged in favor of the opinion, that the Qospel was preached in Britain by some of the Apostles ; Indeed it is often positively stated that he asserts the fact, and yet it will be found that there is no real authority for such a statement, it is remarkable that the passage occurs, not in hi** " Fcclesiastictil History," in which he makes no allu- sion to Britain, but in his '' Evangelical Demonstration," in which he undertakes to prove the truth of Christianity from the manner of its diffusion throughout the world. His argument is, that its founders, whom he describes as the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy Disciples, were personally unfit, as unlearned and ignorant men, to attempt such an arduous task as that of establish- ing a new religion in the world, and bringing over all nations to their faith, and therefore he concludes that the success of Christi- anity cannot be accounted for on any other principle than that of its divine origin, and then he says — '* it was indeed possible that they might flatter themselves with the hope of success among their own countrymen, but that they should aspire moreover to the con- version of the whole human race — that, dividing the earth among thpm, they should have taken, for their several portions, some the Empire of the Romans, and some that of the Armenians— others * Origenis 0pp. Tom. III. p. 370. (Ed. Bened). ^.^ , ^ ^^y^ ^^^^ iu,\-.n t Ibid. p. 939.; ^^ ^^.^ ^„. ^ ^ wr.vmlMV^ ttva,-.i.-Wl - 17 the nation of tho Fartbiaus, and then again that of the Scythians, moreover that some individuals should have gone even to the very extremities of the earth, and have penetrated into the country of the Indiana, and others have passed over the Ocean to those called the British Islands — all this" he says, '* is wliat appears to me to be beyond any human nower to accomplish,"* &o. Now, it should be remarked that thio statement is far too general to admit of any particular application to individuals, as it refers to the whole num- ber oi Eighty-two persons- -i\xQ Twelve and the Seventy — and if it were strictly interpreted with reference to them, it would not in- clude even St. Paul himself, for we all know that he did not belong to either of these two classes, having been called to the Apostolic office after the appointment of this number, and therefore, if un- derstood in this sense, it would overturn the hypothesis of St. Paul ])eing the founder of the British Church. Nor can this passage be explained as including any of the Apostles with ref«rence to Britain, fur then it would be inconsistent with tho statement of Eusebius himself, in the 3rd Book of his " Ecclesiastical His- tory," in which he speaks of the different places in which the Apostles preached, and says that Thomas carried the knowledge of the Gospel to Parthia, Andrew to Scythia, John to Asia, and Peter to Romef; he accounts for these four alone, and thus, by his silence as to the labors of the others, he shows that he had received no further information on the subject. It is evident, then, that he is not speaking here with the strict accuracy of his- torical testimony, but rather in the language of rhetorical ampli- fication, as including in this comprehensive description, not only the persons of whom he spoke in the beginning of the passage, but also their companions and successors as one collective body, united in the great work of promoting the conversion of tho world to the faith of Christ. ,.«T*jB,i « A*'»v^ >T H > () -f Mr ('r..T i-< i\ t 18 Treatise "on the Divinity of Christ/' he is commenting on the great promise — ** Upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the gatee of hell shall not prevail against it,"~«nd then he thus pro- ceeds — '* Think how great a thing it is to have filled the whole world in so short a time, to have converted so many nations, to have persuaded the people to renounce the customs of their fathers, and to give up their rooted habits, to forsake the tyranny of plea- sure and the power of sin, to destroy their altars, temples, idols, mysteries, and profane feasts, and every where to erect altars, in the country of the Romans, Persians, Scythians, Moors, and Indi- ans — what do I say ?— even beyond the limits of our habitable world, for even the British Islands ^ which is situated beyond this Sea, and in the very Ocean, have felt the power of the Word, for even there also Churches and altars have been erected.'^* This pas- sage, indeed, requires no further comment. It describes, in glow- ing language, the triumphs of Christianity throughout the world — and how, instead of the demolished temples and altars of Pagan idolatry. Christian Churches and altars have been erected for the worship of the One True God, and for the celebration of the One True Sacrifice, even in the British Islands. There is another remarkable passage in the works of St. Chrys- ostom, which relates to the same subject. It occurs in his Trea- tise *'on the benefit of the study of Holy Scripture", in which he usee the following language — " Though thou shouldest go to the Indians, whom the rising sun first beholds, though thou shouldest go to the Ocean, and even to the very British Islands — though thou shouldest sail to the Euxine Sea — though thou should- est go the Southern parts of the world — thou shouldest hear all men everywhere philosophising of the things of Scripture, with a different voice indeed, but not with a different faith — ^with a dis- cordant language, but with a harmonious sentiment, "f 0. The next remarkable testimony is that of Theodoret, who flourished shortly before the middle of the Fifth Century. Refer- ing to the extraordinary success of Christianity, he says, that * 8. Ghrysostomi 0pp. Tom. I. p. 575, (Ed. Bed.) t Ibid. Tom. III. p. 71. 19 ' <*ouT fishermen and publicans, and ^^e tent-maker, brought the law of the Gospel to all mra— and pwsaaded not onl j the Romans «jid the subjects of Rome, but the Scythians and Sauromatee, the Indians and Seres, the Hiroanians and Baetrians, the Britons^ Cimbrians, and Germans, and, in a word, every nation and every race of men, t4*adopt the laws of the Crucified One/'* This pas- sage is of great importance, as the real meaning of it has been very much miBundentood and misrepresented. It is, indeed, a striking instance of the necessity of examining the statemmts of the Fathers, as to ficts as wdl as well as doctrines, in their whole context, and not merely in detached quotations. Now, it is very commonly said, on the authority of this passage, that Theodoret expressly asserts that St. Paul preached the Gospel in Britain, and thus mistakes in our Church history are perpetuated by being copied from one writer to another, without reference to the original words of the Author himself. It is certain, however, that he says no such thing. He speaks, indeed, of "the tent-makfer," who is fiupposed to be St. Paul, but bespeaks of him as associated with the other Apostles, whom he describes as "fishermen and publicans," and not in connexion with Britain alone, but with all the other countries there ^numerated. Nor does he speak of the conversion of these nations as the effect of the pergonal ItAors of the Apostles among them, but rather of the general doctrines of Christianity as taught by them. It is evident, then, that Theodoret does not re- fer to any particular connexion between Britain and St. Paul, or indeed any other of the Apostles. And, in fact, he explains his own meaning shortly afterwards, for he expressly states that it was " after the death of the Apostles themselves that the laws of the Gospel were established among the Persians, Scythians, and ether barbarous nations"— among whom the Britons of that period must certainly be included. " ^^ • - *•■ But there is another passage in this author, on which great «tres8 has been laid, and it is really surprising to find how many learned men have been carried away by the slightest appearance of support for a favorite theory. Theodoret, in explaining the * The«doreti 0pp. Tom. IV. p. €10. (Par. 1642.) _ 20 i' . llGth Psalm, says that St. Paul '* after ho left Italy, went to Spain and brought salvation to tho Islands lying in the Sea"* — and from this expression it has been confidently argued that tho British Islands must be here intended. I may observe, how- ever, that Bp. StillingQeetf, Bp. BuFgessJI, Bp. Shorty, and others, have given us an incorrect tmnslation of tkis passage, by rendering tho word ''ocean" instead of " sea." And it so hap- pens, that in the very context, Tbeodoret particularly mentions Crete^, as one of the Islands referred to, from which it is evident, that he is alluding to the Mediterranean Sea, and not to the At- lantic Ocean. Bp. Burgess, indeed, quotes St. Chrysostom and Nicephorus as proving that this expression relates to the British Islands ; but both these authorities refute his own interpretation, as thoy expressly employ the the term " Ocean" (which is also used by Eusebius in the same sense) as distinguished from tho ''Sea" — and St. Chrysostom clearly states the same distinction ijetween the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, in the passage already quoted. There is, therefore, no support whatever to be derived from this expression, in favor of the mission of St Paul, or any of the Apostles, to Britain. 7. There is another ancient writer, who liveda few years after Theodoret, who makes a brief allusion to thislsubjoct. It is Arno- bius, the younger, who, in his Comment on the 147th Psalm, gives the following exposition — ' ' His Word runneth so swiftly that when for so many thousand years God was known in Judea alone, now, within a few years, he is neither unknown to the very In- dians in the East, nor to the very Britons in the West."^ 8. But there is one more authority which has been alleged to prove that St. Paul made a voyage to Britain. It is that of Ye- nontius Fortunatus, a Poet of the Sixth Century, who is supposed to refer to this circumstance, in a poetical composition, in which he speaks of Paul "crossing the Ocean to tlie land of theBritons,^^ * Theodoreti 0pp. Tom. I. p. 871. '^ '^ • ■ . .f - ,t J i fv«*^ ' *.. !>fJ /^ + Orig. Brit. p. 37. r..b\]^uA:-^"^'>yuii a*' c -yol jr.T.piv i; {: Chureh of England, p. 2. § Compare:St.Panl'a Ep. to Tit. i. 5. See Paley's IIoroB Paulina, p. 217, (Ed. 1833.)- IT Biblioth. Max. Patrum, Tom. VIII. (Lug. 1677.) 21 »> und to the "u lima Thule" of the .vnciont**. liut ov<^n if tliis vroro hismcnning, wccnntiot atttxch much importaiiro to thoHtatc- tnont of a writer teho lived 500 years aft< the time of St. I*aul, and eflpocially when it is uxpressed in the l;inp;uage of poetry, which is not always confined to the strict accuracy of historical truth. The fact is, however, that Vonantius says no such thing of St. Paul, for immediately before this passage, he expressly re- fers to St. Paul's pen — "stylus illo" — and not to himself, as the subject of his description, and he thus explains that it is not tho Apostle ftersonaliff, but his Writings or Epistles, as forming a part of the New Testament, which had penetrated into Britain. Here, then, we close this part of the evidence derived, from tho Fathers of the Church. Perhap»» you will bo surprised to hear that I have brought before you every passage of every author who makes any allusion to this subject within 600 years after Christ, with the exception of one British historian, to whom I shall pre- sently refer. I have not quoted any passages but such as are uni- versally admitted to be genuine, and I have endeavored to give a correct view of the real meaning of each writer by a reference to tho general argument, or to the whole context of the passage. The sum of their testimony is this, that Christianity was intro- duced into England before tho close of the Second Century ; but they are entirely silent as to the exact time at which, or the indi- vidual missionaries by whom, the inestimable blessing of Divine truth was first conveyed to the British shores. There is not one of them who refers the origin of the British Church to St. Paul, or to any other of the Apostles. And yet, I have here included all the *' indisputable testimonies" which have been alleged in favor of St. Paul's mission to England, and have found the evi- dence utterly inconclusive, and therefore I fully agree with Dr. Lingard in the opinion, that ** not one of them all has any real connexion with the question. Those which mentjon St. Paul, take no notice of Britain, ai^d those which mention Britain, take 110 notice of St. Paul."t -;'»"^^ '^^'f'J ' * De Vita S. Martini, Lib. III. (Apud JJii-lioth. Max. Patrum, Tom. X.) t Vol. 1.355. 2Z So far, then, vre have m direct information as to any partrcu- lars, and we must depend very much on the account of other writers for a correct view of the question. We are naturally led to inquire — What did British writers themselves say on the subject? or what was the general opinion received by tradition among the English people ? And here, unfortunately there is a great want of written documents of a sufficiently early date, as there is no British author for more than 500 years after Christ,, whose writings have come down to our times. The first British historian, whose works have been preserved, is Gildas, the Monk of Bangor, who lived about the middle of the Sixth Century. He wrote a celebrated work on the " Fall of Britain," which con- tains a remarkable passage on this subject, though it does not give any particular account of the first Christian Missionaries in Britain. It is, indeed, very obscure, and greatly involved in the construction of the original Latin, but the sense of it seems to be expressed in the following translation — *' In the meantime, Christ, the true Sun,, afibrded his rays, that is, the knowledge of his precepts, to thii Island frozen with icy cold, and separated at a great distance from the visible Sun, shining, not from the temporal firmament, but from the supreme everlasting power of heaven. For we certainly know, that in the latter end of the reign of Tiberius, that Sun appeared to the whole world with his glorious beams, in which his religion was propagated without any impediment, against the will of the Roman Senate, death being threatened by that Prince to all who should inform against the soldiers of Christ. And although their religion was embraced ^with tepidity by the inhabitants of the country, yet it continued among some in its integrity, and among others less so, even till the persecution of Diocletian."* Such is this famous passage, which has so much exercised the in- genuity of critics, antiquarians, and theologians. Immense impor- tance has been attached to it by some writers, as being supposed to prove the foundation of the British Church in the very earliest times — indeed, some have thought, even in the reign of Tiberius himself, that is, before A. D. 37. f But it has been satisfactorily * De Exoid.'Brlt. Apud. Usser p. 3 (Stlllingllcet p. 4. Collier, Vol. I. p. 3.) t Miltou's History of England (Konuet, Vol. I. p. 22, Ed. 1719.) Cave's. Ancient Church, p. 244. I ^3f of other aturally on the raditioa tiere is a date, as Christ,. British e Monk iry. He ich con- not give [Britain, jtruction led in the rue Sun,^ 8, to this .nce from aent, but certainly hat Sun irhich his t the will Qce to all although bitants of ;rity, and letian."* id the in- ise impor- supposed y earliest : Tiberius isfactorily ol. I. p, 3.) 94 Cave'4 proved* that Gildas here refers to a double shining of the Sun of Righteousness — in other words, a double propagation of Christi- anity — the one, in the whole world, in the time of Tiberius, and the other, in the Island of Britain, at a later period which is not clearly defined. The question is, what is that later period? Now, this depends on the meaning of the first word in the sentence — ♦' interea " — *' in the meantime" — and this again depends on the meaning of the preceding and following context of the passage. It has been confidently stated-]-, that Gildas was speaking of the^ events connected with the defeat of Queen Boadicea by the Romans, which happened A. D. Gl ; and consequently he has been under- stood to say that the Gospel was preached in Britain shortly before that time, which has been supposed to coincide with the interval between St. Paul's two imprisonments at Rome. But there is no reason to think that this interpretation is really correct. The fact is, there is no distinct mention of Boadicea in Gildas. He had briefly referred to the subjugation of the Britons by the Romans, as well as to their rel)ellion and oppression by their victorious ene- mies, after which he gives the passage which has jus^ been quoted, and then proceeds to describe the persecution of Diocletian. This word, then, is far too general to refer to any particular date — it includes the whole interval between these two events, and it is just as applicable to any year before the Fourth Century, as to the year Gl. We must pass, then, to the first and greatest, and indeed almost the only work which contains any authentic account of the early history of the Church of England — both British and Saxon — I mean, the " Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation," written by the Venerable Bede, in the beginning of the Eighth Century. The materials of this great work were derived from documents — from traditions — and from the personal knowledge of the author — and it is, in fact, the principal source from which all subse- quent writers have drawn their accounts of the events of those * Stillingfleet, p. 5. t Ibid. p. 5. Collier, Vol. 1. p. 3. Henry's History of Great Britain, Vol. I. p. 186. (Ed. 1805.) Burgess (Cliurchmau Armed, Vol. JI. pp. 323,359) 24 times. I shall at once, then, give his account of the origin of the British Church. He says — '* In the year from the Incarnation of our Lord 156, Marcus Antoninus Verus, the 14th from Augus- tus, ohtjiined the Empire with his brother Aurelius Comraodus, in TPhoso time, when Eleutherus the holy man, was Bishop of the Church of Rome, Lucius, King of Britain sent a Letter to him be- seeching him that by his command he might be made a Christian, and he immediately obtained the object of his pious request, and the Britons preserved the faith which they received, in its purity and integrity, in quiet neace, even till the time of the Emperor Diocletian."* We cannot now stop to enter into the various his- torical and chronological questions which have been raised with reference to King Lucius, and the conversion of his subjects by the Missionaries of Pope Eleutherus ; but the account itself appears to be entitled to the highest degree of credit, notwithstanding the different circumstances that have been mentioned by different writers as to various particulars. There is, indeed, a striking resemblance between the latter part of this description and that of Gildas, with regard to the time of Diocletian, and this ap- pears tome to confirm the supposition, that Gildas in reality refers in general terms to the same time as Bede, in his account of the Conversion of Britain. It is a remarkable fact, that Bede, who is the highest authority in these matters, never once assigns this event to a more ancient period than that of King Lucius — he never intimates that Britain had received the Gospel from St. Paul, or any of the Apostles, or of their immediate successors, and it is utterly incredible that, with all his learning and research, he could have been ignorant of such a thing, if it had really occurred, or have omitted it in his history, if he had known it. Let us see, then, how the case exactly stands. We find that all the accounts before him are vague and general — none of those writers enter into any particu- lars, and therefore we are compelled, for the want of more ancient records, to adopt his statement, especially as we find it confirmed by later authorities, and national traditions. It will be observed BeAue Hist. Eccles. Lib. I. cap. iv. pp. 13, 14. (Bd. Iluasey.) I ,\ I 25 at once, that his account is not, in the least, inconsistont with the earlier statements, as it merely supplies additional information omitted by these foreign writers, who do not profess to enter into the Church history of Britain, as they merely refer to it in illus- tration of their general argument, and might not have been ac- quainted with the particulars ot the conversion of ^uch a distant country ; though it is certain ttukt the very time mentioned by Bede fully coincides with all the notices relating to this point in the oldest Christian authors. It has been objected, indeed, that " it was impossible that the British Church should have been planted by any Roman Mission- aries, for during the three Centuries of persecution, no Bishop or Diocese was in a condition to think of distant Missionary enterprises."* But this is evidently reasoning from mere con- jecture in opposition to historical proof, while it tacitly assumes the whole question, and confounds temporal prosperity with spiritual efficiency. Was it not during those Centuries of per- secution that the Apostles and their succeesors were most active and zealous in their Missionary labors ? And ^has it not always been the case, that the power of the Spirit of God is most con- spicuous in triumphing over all human opposition, and accom- plishing the greatest results by the weakest instruments ? The truth is, that Christian Rome has been generally most enterpris- ing and most successful in the work of foreign missions during the period of the greatest trial and danger at home — calmly and steadily she goes on, in faith and patience, in the midst of sur- rounding diflSculties, just as it is sjiid of the Pagan Empire, that *' old Rome, in her greatest distress, sent her legions to foreign destinations by one gate, while the Carthaginian conqueror was at the other, "f It is by no means improbable, indeed, that there may have been individual Christians in Britain at a much earlier period than the time of Lucius, especially as we know that during the reign of the Emperor Claudius, and about the year 43, the power * Hopkins's Answer to Milner, Vol. I. p. 316. t Newman's Discourses, p. 182. (Am. Ed.) i' ii.'- 26 of Pagan Rome had obtained a permanent settlement in the country*, and there must have hoc^n constant communication be- tween Britain and Rome, the centre of Christianity at all times. There is, indeed, one individual, a Christian female, mentioned in Scripture, who is generally supposed to have been a British lady. Her iw,me was Claudia, and the evidence is simply this : She is included, together with Pudens, among the salutations sent by St. Paul in his Second Epistle to Timothyf , written from Rome, and consequently they were both Christians, residing in Rome at the time. Now, in the Works of Martial, a Roman poet, Pudens, a Roman senator, is described together with his wife Claudia, who was a native of Britain||, and from thence it is argued that they were the same persons with those mentioned by the Apostle. The coincidence is certainly remarkable, but it is by no means conclusive. The mere identity of names is surely not sufficient to establish the identity of individuals, especially as Martial was a heathen, and wrote nearly 40 years after Saint Paul, when it is not probable that both the parties would be still alive, and further, when it does not appear that the two persons named by St. Paul were man and wife, as they are separated from each other by the insertion of the name of Linus between them. Still less conclusive is the proof that Pomponia Graecina, who lived at the same time, was a British Christian, the only evidence as to her nation being that her husband was governor of Britain, and as to her religion, that she was accused of practising some foreign superstition|, which has been supposed to refer to Chris- tianity. These romantic stories, however, are scarcely entitled to any serious consideration, and we have certainly no direct evi- dence of the general reception of the Christian faith by any por- tion of the British nation before the conversion of Lucius, which must have taken place about the year of our Lord 180, and there- fore he has been thought to be justly entitled to the honorable * Uenry's History, Vol. I. p. 186. t 2 Tim. iv. 21. II Martial Epigram. Lib. Iv. 13, xi. 54. J: Tacit. Annal, xiii. 32. ii { ■ S7 distinction of being the first Christian King in the world. And wo may observe, that the circumstance of his mission to Rome seems strongly to confirm the opinion, that there was no Chris- tian Church in Britain before his time, while it also a£fords a striking instance of the general belief in the Supremacy of the Apostolic See. We may state this point in the form of a dilemma. For, either there was a Church already founded in Britain, or there was not. If there was, why did he apply to the Pope for Christian instruction, instead of the Bishops of his own country? And if there was not, why did he apply to the Pope instead oi the Bishops of the neighboring country of Gaul ? In either case, we have a proof of homage offered to the See of Rome, and in one case we' have a strong presumption against the existence of any Church in Britain at the time. It may be here remarked, that Pope Eleutherius, in whose time this event took place, was contemporary with St. Irenseus, and he is particularly mentioned by that Father, in his list of the primitive Bishops of Rome, as the 12th in succession from the Apostles*. And it is in imme- diate connexion with this passage that St. Irenseus bears that splendid testimony to the Primacy of the See of Rome, in which he declares that "with this Church, on account of her more powerful principality, it is necessary that every Church, that is, the faithful who are on all sides, should agree, in which the Apostolical Tradition has been always preserved by those who are on all sides, "t i.. i xi : ;; r » It appears, however, that the conversion of King Lucius is recorded by an older British writer, Nennius, Abbot of Bangor, in the early part of the Seventh Century, and though some of the circumstances mentioned by him are different frpm those of Bede, yet there is an essential agreement between the two narra- tive. Indeed, it is remarked by a learned Protestant historian, that " from Bede downwards, we have the concurrent testimony of abundance of historians for this matter oifact ; this point was 30 uncontested a piece of history, that the English Ambassadors at the Council of Constance, pleaded Liucius's conversion against * Lib. III. cap. iii. 3. p. 176 t Ibid. cap. iii. 2 i T 28 i the Ambassador of Castile, as an argument for precedency."* And in further confirmation of this evidence, Archbishop Ussher mentions two very ancient Coins, one silver, and the other gold, both of which were struck in the time of some Christian Prince, as appears from their having the image of a king, and the sign ot the Cross, impressed upon them, and though the inscription is almost efiPiiced by time, they are found to be stamped with the first three letters of the hame of King Lucius (LVC)f . And here I will refer to another curious document relating to this point in more modern times. It is an Extract from a Speech delivered just 800 years ago in the House of Lords, in London. It is entitled — "The Oration of the Reverend Father in God, Mr. Dr. Fecknam, Abbot of Westminster, in the Parliament House" — pronounced on a most memorable occasion, on the proposal of the Bill for the adop- tion of the English Liturgy, and the establishment of the Refor- mation, in the year 1559. The good Abbot ably defended the cause of the Catholic Church on three distinct grounds, and first, on the ground of its antiquity and universality. He then pro- ceeds to apply these rules ; and as his Speech has been preserved, I shall give a part of it in his own words, and in the origi- nal orthography. He says — •* Concerninge the first Rule and Lesson, it cannot be truly affirmed or yet thought of any Man, that this new Religion, here nowe to be sett forthe in this Booke, hathe bene observed in Christ's Churche of all Christian Men at all Tymes and in all Places ; when the same hathe ben observed only here in this Realme, and that for a shorte Tyme, as not muche passing the space of two Yeres, and that in King Edward the 6th his Daycs : Whereas the Religion, and the very same maner of servinge and honoringe of God, of the which you are at this present in Possession, did begin here in this Realme 1400 Yeres past in Kinge Lucius^s Dayes, the first Christian Kinge of this Realme ; by whose humble Letters sent to the Pope Elutherius , he sent to this Realme two holye Menkes, the one called Damlanus, the other Faganus : and they, as Embassadors, sent from the Sea Apostolike af Rome, did bringe into this Realme * Collier, Vol. I. p. 12. t Usser. pp. 39, 4a »'# 29 so many Yerea past the very samo Religion, -wherof vre are now in Possession ; and that in tho Latin Tonge. as the ancyent Ilistorigrnpher Gildas witncssethe in the Prologue and Bcginynge of his Booke of the Brittuine-IIistorye. And the same Kuligion so longo ago begune, hath had this long Continuance ever syth- ence here in thisRealme, not only of th' Inhabitaunce therof, but generally of all Christian Men, and in all Pinces of Christendom, untill the late Dales of Kinge Edward the Cth as is aforesaid."* Such was the last appeal of injured innocence — the last ineffec* tual attempt to maintain the rights of the Catholic Church in England, by a reference to the history of its first introduction into the country. .» ..— • i It is much to be regretted, indeed, that we have so little au- thentic information as to the early progress of the British Church for several Centuries after its foundation. We have nothing whatever recorded on this subject during the Third Century, with the exception of the general allusions already quoted from the Fathers. The next remarkable event connected with it was the Persecution of Diocletian, the last and greatest of all the at- tempts made by the Pagan Emperors to exterminate Christianity out of the world. It was the only one of them which extended to Britain, having reached the country about the year 303, when the Christians were exposed to all the fury of the heathen priests and magistrates. But the most illustrious of the sufferers was St. Alban, a citizen of Verulam, which has since been called after his name, vSt. Alban 's, in Hertfordphire. He has the distinguished honor of being the first Christian Martyr in England. He was still a Pagan, when through compassion he opened his door to a Christian Priest, flying from his relentless persecutors, and his charity met with its appropriate reward. He admired the piety of the Priest, listened to his instructions, and received from him the Sacrament of Baptism. When the retreat of his guest was discovered, Alban, to save the life of his teacher, gave himself up to the soldiers in the attire of the Priest. When brought before the Judge, he confessed his real name, boldly acknowledged him- * Strypo'3 Aunals, App, p. 24. (Ist Fol. Ed.) 30 If celf a Christian, and refused to offer sacrifice to the gods. He was immediately condemned to death, and beheaded without the walls of Verularo, and on that spot a stately Church was after- wards erected to his memory*. His martyrdom was said to have been accompanied with several miraculous events, as related by Gildas and by Bede« On this eubject I shall quote the remarks of Collier, who says-^" As for St. Albaii's miracles being attested by authors of such antiquity and credit, I do'nt see why they should be questioned. That miracles were wrought in the Church at this time of day, is clear from the writings of the anci- ents. To suppose there are no miracles b» t those in the Bible, is to believe too little. To imagine that Qod should exert his Om-> nipotcnce, and appear supernaturally for His servants in no place but Jewry, and in no age since the Apostles, is an unreasonable fancy, "f While the the Church celebrates the memory of St. Alban, she appoints, in the Roman Missal, three special Prayers to be used on his Festival, in which we pray that we may obtain the benefit of his constant i: iterceesion for us in Heiven|. In the Roman Breviary, three of the Lessons for the day are taken from Bede's narrative of his martyrdom || — and in the ancient Salisbury Breviary, there is a Hymn appointed to be sung in the Office of the day, beginning with these word*— Ave, Protomartyr Anglorum ! ' . Mile8 Regis Angelorum, ' Albane, Flos Martyrum !|| There are only two other British martyrs whose names have been preserved— -Aaron and Julius, of Caerleon — but it is added by Bede, that *' many others of both sexes suffered martyrdom in various places" during the persecution of Diocletian. Peace was restored shortly afterwards by the accession of Constantius to the Empire, and the British Church held frequent communication with other branches of the Catholic Church in Ecclesiastical deliberations. Three remarkable occasions of this kind are re* * Bed. Lib. I. Cap. vii. t Bccles. Hist. vol. I. p. 22. i Miss. Rom. Angl. p. 4. (Ed. Mech. 1840.) § Brov. Rom. S S. Angl. p. 10. (Ed. Meoh. 1836.) II Usser. p. 148. il corded to have taken place during the Fourth Century, on nvhich deputations of British Bishops attended at some of the great Councils of the Church. The first was at the Council of Aries in 314, at which there were three British representatives, the Bishops of York, London, and Lincoln. The second was at the Council of Surd lea in 347, and the third was at the Council of Ariminum in 359.* Whether any of them was present at the 'great Council of Nice, in 325, cannot now be clearly ascertained, owing to the imperfect list of the Bishops which has come down to us^ but it is generally believed, with great probability, that the British Church was represented there alsof . In the Second Council of Alexandria, in 363, Britain is expressly named among the countries that had received the Decrees of the Council of Nice|, and we have it on the authority of St. Athanasius, that the British Church was free from the errors of Arianism, which * had overspread the Christian world ||. And it may be added, that the connexion between the British and Foreign Churches is still further illustra.ed by the practice of pilgrimages, whicM were undertaken by British Christians to the Holy Land and other places, even at this early period, to which allusion is ex pressly made by St. Jerome^ and by Theodoret^f. In the begin- ning of the Fifth Century, an attempt was made to disseminate the Pelagian heresy in the British Church, which, though par- tially successful, was ultimately defeated by the blessing of God upon the mission of Germanus, Bishop of Auxerrc, who came over to the country on two occasions, to assist in the refutation of heresy, and the defence of the faith. His first visit is said to have taken place in the year 429, when he was accompanied by Lupus, Bishop of Troyes, while the second time, several years afterwards, his companion was Severus, of Treves. It is stated that the Britons received the Missionaries with joy, crowds * Collier, Vol. I. pp. 25, 30, 37. t Stillingfleet, p. 89. X Labb et CosBart. Concil. Tom. II. p. 826. II S. Athan. 0pp. Tom. I. p. 309. § S. Ilicron. 0pp. Tom. I. p. 44. ir Thcodor. 0pp. Vol. III. p. 881 . 32 followed thorn whcrovcr they went — they preached in Churches, streets, and fields, and bo great was the enthusiasm which they excited, that the teachers of the new doctrines hesitated to con- front them in public*. Thus the triumph of orthodoxy was complete, and the " enemies of grace" (as Prosper informs us) "natives of the soil, were banished from the Island. "f To explain this language, it is to be observed that the Pelagians denied the great doctrine of original sin, and the necessity of the internal grace of God in the soul of man ; and it is well known that Pelagius himself was p native of Wales, his original .name being Morgan, which was translated into the Greek name of Pelagius, while his principal associate in heresy, Celestius, was, I am sorry to say, a native of Ireland J. It appears, however, that the Pelagian errors were not yet com- * pletely extirpated from the British Church. In the Sixth Cen- tury, another attempt was made to revive them, and, in opposi- tion to it, the principal event of which we have any information is the Synod of Bishops, Abbots, Clergy, and Laity, held in the year 519, at a place called Brevi (in Cardiganshire), and shortly afterwards at ^'ictoria, under the presidency of the celebrated St. David, ihe Patron Saint of Wales! . The translation of the Ar- chiepiscopal See from Caerleon to Menevia was also confirmed on that occasion, and it is further stated by Giraldus Carabrensis (who lived in the 12th Century) that the Decrees of both these Synods were approved by the Roman Church, and that they formed the rule and standard of the whole Church in Wales^. j • ; ■■ t" Here, tlieli, we conclude this brief outline of the early history of the British Church, previous to the mission of Augustine from Rome. But there is a very important inquiry to which I must now refer, in connexion with this subject. It is this. Did the ancient * Bed. Hist. Eccles. Lib. I. cap. xvii, xxi. t Contra Cassian. cap. 41. p. 113. t Usser. pp. 207, 203. II Usser. pp. 81,4r3.— Collier, Vol. I. p. 56. ^ Girald, Vit. S. David. 33 British Church acknowledge the Supremacy of the Pope, or was it independent of the authority of Rome? It haa been strongly asserted, that " the connexion of Rome with Britain began with Pope Gregory the Great,"* but the truth of this assertion must bo tested by historical facts, which may be fairly stated in the following considerations : — 1. AVe have seen that the Christian Church i'» Britain was founded by Roman Missionaries, and this circumstance forms, in itself, a strong presumptive argument in favor of its continued submission to the Holy See. It is true that, owing to the want of ancient documents, we have no direct testimony transmitted to us, in order to establish this view of the question, but there are other facts of an indirect nature, which ought to be quite suffi- cient to decide the point. For it must be observed, that we have no evidence to the contrary, with the exception of some trifling difference as to the time of Easter, which is capable of a satis- factory exrilanation on other principles ; and therefore, in the absence of positive proof, we are surely justified in assuming that the British Church regarded the Bishop of Rome with the same degree of reverence and submission as the other Churches through- out the Catholic world, whose devotion to the Apostolic See has been placed beyond all doubt, by their own recorded declarations. 2. But further, we find that this conclusion is confirmed by the Acts of the Councils at which the British Bishops were present, and which were sanctioned by their subscription and approbation. Now, there are two inferences to be drawn from these facts, which are thus admirably stated by a learned Divine — " 1st, that the British Church formed an integral part of the Universal Church, agreeing in doctrine and discipline with the other Christian Churches. 2nd, that the Acts and Declarations of these Councils may be taken as the Acts and Declarations of the British Bishops, and therefore as expressions of the belief and prac- tice of the British Church. '"f It must be admitted that the evidence^of these early Councils is rather of a circumstantial and ■ Hopkins's Answer to Milner, Vol. I. t Linsard, Vol. I. p. 372. 3 p. 316. Si incidLiital character, for there wubikj foriuul tKfinition pronounced on n qiiustiun uf authority tliut hiul never been diNpuUMl in the Church ; but bo far as it goes, it chiurly coVrohovatee the view, that the Supremacy of the See or St. Peter was fully rocognised by tliene Councils which affirmed it — by the British BisliopH who assisted at them — and by the British Church, which was repre- sented by them. Thus, for instance, at the Council ul" Aries, the uNsembled Fathers agreed upon a fiCttor, addressed " io the most beloved and most glorious Pope Sylvester'* — tb(;y sent to the Pope a copy of the Decrees passed by them, for his appro- bation, and they expressed their sentiments in this lan<2;uage — "We heartily wish, most beloved Brother, that you had been present at this great spectacle, but you could not loavo (huseplaces where the Apostles preside, and where their blood continuiilly renders glory to God. And we have judged that, according to the ancient usage, it belongs especially to you xoho have the great Dioceses under your charge, to communicate these things to all the Cluirches."* They here regret the unavoidable absence of the Pope himself from their deliberations, while at the same time they refer to Rome as the "place where the Apostles preside," and to the Bishop of Rome as invested with the government of the Universal Church. This Synodical Letter is signed by the Bishops of York, London, and Lincoln, and thus shows that the British Church could not have rejected the authority of the Pope at the beginning of the 4th Century. Again, there is a more un- equivocal testimony from the Council of Sardica, which has been always considered supplemtntary to that of Nice. In tlieir Address to Pope Julius, the Fathers employ these terms — " It will appear to be best and most prviper,, if the Bishops from each particular Province report to their Head, thai is, the See of the Apostle Pe^er."f Now, it is evident that this expression cannot refer merely to the Patriarchal powor of the Pope, as it includes " each particular Province," and therefore acknowledges him as the visible Head of the Catholic Church. And moreover, we find IP |r * Summa Concil., Tom. II. p. 27. (Ed. Par. 1072.) t Labi), et Cossart. Concil. Tom. II. p. 6'JO. S5 tliat appeals to Rome wore ostuMiahed hy this Council in tlio 3rU, 4th, and 7th Canons, in the case of Bishops who were oondumned by Provincial Synods*, and thoso docamonts were also signed and approved hy the British Bi8hoy)8, who thus expressed thoir own concurrence, with that of the Church which they represented, in the acknowledgment of the claims of St. Peter's successor in the See of Rome. 3. There is also another historical circumstance, which must not bo omitted, as forming an Important part of the evidence on this point. I alluded before to the mission of St. Germanus into Britain, to oppose the progress of the Pelagum heresy in that country. But by whom was he sent ? On this point we hare the evidence of St. Prosper, who lived at the time, and was after- wards Secretary to Pope Leo. lie says in his '• Chronicle," — «( Pope Celestme sends Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, in his own stead, in order that he might drive out the heretics and guide the Britons into the Cataolio Faith."-)- Here Germanus is de- scribed as the Pope's Deputy and representative, and acting by his authority, in undertaking a voyage from France for the preser- vation ot the faith in England. And we may here refer to a curious Poem of St. Prosper, in which he describes the progress of Pelagi- anism, and of the Councils held in o[ osition to it in the 5th Cen- tury. Among these the first place is assigned to Rome, as the See of St. Peter, and the Head of the Episcopal order throughout the world — .,i.|;n»j ;k'! r-fij; .v:o!??vt' Pestom sub untem prima reoidlt ^ r „:' , _ ., Socles Roma Petri, quu Pastoralis honoris ' , '- ' ' Facta caput raundo, quidquid non possldet armts ' ' "~'- u. - ■' Relligione tenet$. '^ Such was the position of the See of Rome, as the divinely ap- pointed guardian of the faith, and s ich was the unremitting care of the Por a to preserve the Gospel of the grace of God in all its primitive purity, in the British Church. And it must not be forgotten, that it is this same Pope Celestine, to whom our own * Labb. et Cossart. Condi. Tom. II. p. 623. t Chron. ad an. 429. (Inter S. Aug. 0pp. Tom. X. p. 128. App. Ed. Ben ) ^ Lib. De Ingrat. (Ibid. p. C6.) 36 country is indebted for the blessings of Christianity, as it is well known that it was he who, in the exorcise of hia Apostolical authority, sent on his great mission to the Emerald Isle the glori- ous St. Patrick, the Aposvle of Ireland. Here, then, we have the general facts of history, which bear upon this important point, and which cannot be counterbalanced by any contrary facts on the opposite side of the question. And yet, this is precisely the period to which the modern historians of the Church of England triumphantly appeal, in proof of the In- dependence of the British Church, and by which many of the High Churchmen of the Anglican School, wlylo professing to hold the great principles of Catholic unity, endeavor to justify their present position of continued separation from the See of Rome. Nothing, surely, but the most inveterate national preju- dice could have suggested the assertion of that eminent English lawyer, Sir William Blackstone, who confidently states, that "the Ancient British Church, by whomsoever planted, was a fitrangor to the Bishop of Rome, and his pretended authority*." As to other important points of doctrine, there are several fur- ther particulars incidentally stated by Gildas, which show the agreement of the ancient Church of Britain with the modem Church of Rome, Thus it appears from bis narrative, that their Hierarchy consisted of Bishops, Priests, and other Ministers, who were regarded as the successors of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and bearer of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven — that they sat in his seat, and inherited his power of binding and loos- ing — and that it was their duty to teach the people, and to offer sacrifice, with their hands extended over the most holy sacrifices of Christ. He says also that the Britons had Monasteries, inl\abited by Monks under their Abbot, and bound by the three monastic vows. It appears, further, that they built Churches in honor of the mar- tyrs — that there were several Altars, which he calls the seats of the heavenly sacrifice, in the same Church — that the Service was chanted by the Clergy in the Church, and in the Latin Tongue — that their translation of the Scriptures was the same as that now ;1 . ■■ * Commentaries, B. iv. c. 8. 37 callod the Old Italic Version — that they sung +he Psalms from a Version made from that of the Septuagint, the same which is stiil used in the Catholic Church — and that they quoted the Books of Wisdom and Eccleaiasticus, as of equal authority with the other Canonical Books of Scripture*. These are facts stated by one of themselves, who lived and wrota 1000 years before the Reformation, without any controversial ohjict in view, and from them there can be no diflaiculty in determining whether the ancient British Church was Catholic or Protestant, long before the foundation of the Anglo-Saxon Church in England. , ■, II. But I must now procofd to make a few remarks on the other great branch of the subject, relative to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon Pagans, or foreign conquerors of Britain, who, having been invited into the country about the middle of the 5th Century, to aid the original inhabitants against their powerful enemies, the Picts and Scots, had turned their victorious arms against their unsuspecting allies, and thus had effected a permanent settlement in the land. It is scarcely necessary, however, to enter into any formal proofs on this head, as it is universally admitted that their conversion was accomplished by means of the mission of St. Augustine from Rome, who was sent for this pur- pose by Pope Gregory the Great, in the year 59 G, and was after- wards consecrated the first Archbishop of Canterbury. We have here, indeed, a striking instance of that exercise of universal jurisdiction, on the part of the Pope, which would be considered in the present day as an act of "Papal aggression," and denounced as an unwarrantable interference with the liberties of the coun- try and the independence of the Church. It has been said; indeed, that the mission of St. Augustine was an act of intrusion upon the rights of the British Church, and yet that Church had never attempted the conversion of their heathen neighbors, while it does not appear^hat there was a single person professing Christianity among all the Saxons in Englandf . Gildas gives a melancholy picture of the degenerate state of the British Church in his time, * Lingard. Vol. I. p. 365. ' -■ ■ t Carwitlien's Church of England, Vol. I. p. 3, :? 38 U9 to the corrupt lives of the Clergy and Laity, with some {c\r bright exceptions of individuals, '• the holiness of whose lives he prizes above all the wealth of this world"* — and Bede remarks that, in p,ddition to the many sins of the Britons so lamentably described by Gildas, their historian, there was another to be laid to their charge, that of *' neglecting to preach the Word of Faith to the Saxons or English, who inhabited Britain with them- selves."! This want of Missionary zeal was, indeed, a sad evi- dence of the low state of spiritual life in this declining Church, though the nation had been among them for nearly 150 years before the arrival of Augustine. • It is well known that Gregory himself , while he. was yet a Bene- dictine Monk, had fully resolved on undertaking a personal journey as a Missionary to England, but the people of Rome were unwilling to be deprived of his services, and prevented his departure from the eternal city. It is said that his compassion for their spiritual condition was first excited by seeing some Anglo-Saxon slaves ex- posed for sale in the public market at Rome. Their beauty attracted his attention, and on finding that they were heathens, he deeply lamented that those who were gifted with forms so fair should be possessed by the Prince of Darkness, and excluded from the grace of GodJ. Prom that time he set his heart on the Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons, and never rested till it was successfully accom- plished. And it may be hero observed, that Protestant writers have fallen into a strange inconsistency in referring to the autho- rity of Pope Gregory, as a witness both for and against the Papal Supremacy. When they attempt to account for the introduction of the Roman Catholic system into England, they refer to tlie mis- sion of Augustine, by command of Gregory the Great — and again, when they attempt to prove that the Supremacy was unknovrn in the 6th Century, they refer to the language of Gregory the Great, in which he rejects the title of " Universal Bishop," ^md assumei* that of " Servant of the Servants of God." But there is no real * Lingar(l, Vol. I p. J59. t Bed. Hist. Eccles. Lib. I. cap. xxii. t Ibitl. Lib. II. cap. 1. ^ 39 difference, the one being iin act of official position, and the other of personal humility ; and indeed, it is a remarkable expression in- cidontally*employed by Bode, with reference to Pope Gregory, in which Ii'.i states that " he held the Pontifical liuthority over the whole world.'' ^* Augustine was prior of a Benedictine Monastery at Rome, when he was op{jointed to the arduous mission of preaching the Gospel to the Anglo-Saxon Idolators, which he undertook in company with a body of forty Monks, and thus Christianity and Monasticism were introduced into England at the same time. The Kingdom of Kent seemed to be the most favorable of all the dominions com- prised in ciie vSaxon Heptarchy, for the commencement of their labors. Ethelbert was King of Kent, and his Queen Bertha was a Christian, when Augustine and his companions landed in the Isle of Thanot, and sent a messenger to inform the King that they had arrived from Rome, to announce the way of everlasting happiness to him and his subjects. The King consented to receive the Mis- sionaries, not in his own palace, but in the open air, with the view of defeating, on a principle of Druidical superstition, the effect of their supposed enchantments. The JMiesionaries approached the appointed place with the slow and solemn poftip of a religious procession ; and' it is particularly mentioned by Bede, that they carried before them, as a standard, a silver cross, together with a painted image of our Saviour, while at the same time they chanted the liitany, and [jra'yod for the eternal salvation of themselves and the English jieople. Their prayers were granted, their preaching was Ruccessfoi, Ethelbert received Christian Baptism at the Feast of Pentecost, in the year 507, and his example was followed on the next Christmas, by 10,000 Saxonsf . There is reason, indeed, to believe that Augustine was divinely favored with the gift of miraculous powers, in proof of his mission, as we find the fact directly stated by Bedo|, distinctly admitted by Pope Gregory^, * Hist. Eccles. Lib. II. call, 1. .:•.'.•,'. . ,r. t S. Greg. (ipp. Epist. Lili>. VIII. Ind. i. Ep. 30. Tom. II. p. 918. {TA. Ben.) % llidt. Eecles. Lib. I. cap. xxvi. xxxi. Lib. II. ii. 5 0pp. Epist. Lib. IX. Ind. Iv. Ep.,23,Tom. IL p. 1110. ■■'"r*«r«' 40 and expressly afSrmcd in the monumental inscription on the tomb of the Archbishop."* The following]; is the epittiph recorded by Bede — " Hero rests our Lord Augustine, first Archbishop of Can- terbury, who was formerly directed hither by Blessiei Gr^'gory, Pope of tlie City of Rome, and having been flivorod by God with the working , of miracles, converted King Ethelbort and his nation from the worship of idols to the faith of Christ, and having finished the days of his office in peace, died on the 7th day bafore the Kalends of June, during the reign of the same King." It is further mentioned by the same historian, that immediately after his first interview with the Missionaries, the King granted them a mansion in the City of Canterbury, and he then describes their mode of life in their new abode in the follow- ing language — '• On their entrance into the mansion given them, they began to imitate the Apostolical life of the Primitive Church, in observing constant prayers, vigils, and fasts, in preaching the Word of life to all they could, in despising every- thing belonging to this world as foreign to them, receiving from those whom they instructed only what was necessary for their sustenance, living in all things according to what they taught, and having a mind ready to suffer any adversities, and even death itself, for the truth which they preached. In consequence, many beli(ived and were baptized, admiring the simplicity of their innocent life, and the sweetness of their heavenlv doctrine. There was, moreover, near the city to the East, a Church which had been built in ancient times in honor of St. Martin, while the Romans yet occupied Britain, in which the Queen, who, as wc mentioned before, was a Christian, was in the habit of praying. In this Church, therefore, they first begau to meet, to sing, to pray, to say Mass, to preach, and to baptize, until, after the King's conversion to the faith, they received greater liberty of preaching, and of building or restoring Churches. "f But wo must now briefly refer to another important point, rela- tive to the connexion of this Mission with the British Church in * Hist. Eccles. Lib. II, cap. iii. t lljid. Lib. J. cap. xxvi. Al i England. Augustino had rgcoived fuU authority from the Pope to exercise jurisdiction, not only over the Anglo-Saxon Church, but also over all the British Bishops. The extent of his juris- diction was thus defined by the Pope — " We commit all the Bishops of Britain to your Fraternity, that the unlearned may be instructed, the weak confirmed by exhortations, and the perverse corrected by your authority."* And again — " Youb Fraternity will have not only the Bishops whom you may ordain, and those who may be ordained by the Bishop of York, but also all the Priests of Britain, subject to you by the authority of Jesus Christ, our God and our Lord."f This is surely the language of one who believed himself invested with a divine jommission to provide for the spiri- tual government of the Church, without invading the just prero- gatives of any secular or ecclesiastical authorities. In consequence of this commission, Augustine made an appointment to meet the Bishops in friendly conference, to settle various points of discip- line, and to make arrangements with them for the prosecution of their Missionary labors. As the Britons had been driven by the Saxons into the mountains of Wales, he was anxious to suit their convenience in the choice of a locality, and accordingly tlie place of meeting was that afterwards called "Austin's Oak," probably Austclive in Gloucestershire, where several "Bishops or Doctors" were assembled to receive the new Archbishop, whom they re- garded with some feelings of jealousy and suspicion. Some difG- culty was experienced in his first interview with them, in which he requested their aid in the conversion of the Pagan Saxons, and required their conformity with the usages ol the Universal Church. Acordingly a second interview took place between Augustine, and Seven Bishops, accompanied with other learned men, when he finally reduced his demands to these three heads — 1. That the Britons should celebrate the Feast of Piaster at the proper setison . 2. That they should complete the administration of Baptism after the manner of the Holy Roman and Apostolic Church. 3. That they should join with him in preaching the AYord of God to the * S. Greg. 0pp. Epist. Lib. XI. lud. iv. Ep. C4. Tom. IL p. IJJ7. t Ibid. Epist. 65. Tom. IL p. UG4. 42 English nation.* They refused, however, to accede to these terms, or to acknowledge him asK their Archbishop, because, ae Bede reports their views, they argued that he had exhibited cer- ' tain ntarks of pride and ambition in his mode of receiving them on that occasion. But it Js of great importance to attend to these terms proposed by Augustine, because they afford a satisfactory refutatioiT of the opinion, that the British Church differed from him and the (Jhurch of liomc- on some point of dpfi]|)||||||jrOr on the authority of the Pope, though it is obvious that if there had been such a difference, ho would surely never have asked them to assist him in preaching the Gospel to the Saxon idolators, as he could evidently have had no confidence in the orthodoxy of ttieir teach- ing. I confess I am astonished to find such respectable authors as Stillingfloctf , CollierJ, and Bingbam||, asserting, in their account of the conference, what has often since been repeated, that one of the conditions stated by Augustine was, that they should acknow- ledge the Supremacy of the Pope, and the autlfyrity of the Church of Rome. This, however, is merely substituting an inference for a fact, as there is not the slightest allusion to such a subject in the narrative of Bede, nor is there the least intimation of any dif- ference of doctrine between the Roman and British Churches. It was purely a question of discipline, which involved, in itself, no article of the faith, and which chiefly related to the proper time of the cclel)ration of Easter. It would be tedious to enter into a particular history of this point, but it is sufficient to remark that the difference was merely ckronohgical, and not theological ; for though the time of Easter had been settled by the Council of Nice, still if depended on astronomical calculations as to the Paschal Woon, for which purpose the Britons had retained the use of an old and incoivect cycle, which had been superseded by an improved system adopted by tlie Church of Rome ; but their communication with the rest of Christendom had been greatly interrupted since the termination of the Roman power, and the establishment of Saxon *Bed Eccles. Hist. Lib. II. cap. il, + Orig. Brit. p. 357. ! :j: Eccles. Hist. vol. I. p. 70. II Orijj. Eccles. Book IX. chap. i. sec. 11, 12, t dominion in the country, and thus, in thci- tenacity in observing the customs of their fathers, they certainly c id not act with proper gubinission to the Apostolic See, as represented by Augustine, while they obstinately adhered to their national traditions*. But the truth is, that their opposition to Augustine was entirely o( a, personal and political nature, as it is evident from Bede, that it ai'ose from a prejudice which they had entertained against him, because they thought that he did not treat them witli proper re- spect in not rising from his seat to receive them, and also from their national enmity against the Saxoas, with whom he was now associated in religionf. pivw #; ti- ?u:i:,'—.:. 5.1 rf There is, indeed, a certain document frequently quoted, which is said to contain the answei* of Dmoth, the Abbot of Bangor, to the demands uf Augustine, in which he refuses, on the part of the British Church, to acknowledge the supreme authority of the Pope. Now, if this document were really genuine, it might occa- sion some serious difficulty, but, fortunately, it is now generally agreed that it is a forgery of modern invention. It was first pub- lished by Sir Henry Spelman in 1039|, and afterwards inserted in Wilkina' Collection of British Councils^, but all internal and external evidence are against it, and it is quite inconsistent with the account of Bede and the ancient historians. This answer is said to have been expressed in the foil-owing terms — "Be it known and certain to you, that wo arc, all and singular, obedient and subject to the Church of G )d, and to the Pope of Rome, and to every pious Christian, to love each one in his degree with per- fect charity, and to assist each one of them, by word and deed, to become the sons of God. And other obedience than this I do not know to be claimed and demanded as clue to him whom you name the Pope or Father of Father's, but we are prepared to give and to pay this obedience to him and to every Christian for ever. Besides, Are are under the government of the Bishop of Caerleon upon Usk, who is the Superintendent, under God, over * Lingard, Vol. 1. p. 50. t Bed. Hist. Eccles. Lib. II. cap. ii. X Concilia Orb. Brit. Vol. I. p. 108. § Concilia Mag. Brit. Vol. I. p. 2C. "fj^mmi- 4-i ufl, to mako us observe the spiritual way."* This document is founded entirely on the authority of a MS. which Sir H. Spel- man says he had from Mr. Peter Mostin, a Welsh gentleman, and which is now deposited in the British Musaumf . But there is no confirmation of it to be found in any other historical docu- ments, and it betrays its origin by its anachronism, in referring to the Bishop of Caerleoii as the Metropolitan of the British Churches, when it is well ascertained that the Metropolitical See had been removed to Menevia or St. David's, long before the time of Augustine — as well as by the modern dialect of its language, which is pronounced by a learned Antiquarian to be that of the 15th CenturyJ. ;.>*'f,'' \i'M>-iri'!;< *■ t'.lwH' »v «? ,;lj" I f;f vf -r .,;;'♦• ■ Some persons, however, have argued, without the slightest historical evidence, in favor of the Oriental origin of the British Church, on the ground of a supposed resemblance between them in the time of the celebration of Easter^. But there are two important facts, which entirely destroy the force of this conjec- ture. One is, that the British practice on this point was origin- ally the same with the RomanW — both having been founded on the Astronomical Cycle in general use in the early ages — and the other is, chat this practice waa never the same with that of the Pri- mitive Asiatic Churches, which observed Easter on the same day as the Jewish Pasch, on the 14th day of the month, on whatever day of the week it might fall (from which circumstance they were called Quartodecimans) while the British Churches always kept the Feast of Easter on Sunday, between the 14th and 20th days of the month^. But the fact is, that in the lapse o ages, they had lost the true reckoning of the time of Easter, and consequently, it is certain that their custom, during the 6th and 7th centuries V V t * Parker's Antiq. Brit. Ecoles. (Ed. Drake.) p. 692. ■. „ ..* ,, .-,-... t Collier, Vol. I. p. 76. J Linganl, Vol. I. p. 71. Kcnrick on the Primacy, p. 252. (3d Ed.) Ives' Trial?, p. 2-23. § Fox, Vol. I. p. 137. Moshem. De lleb. Christ, p. 21G. Burton's Lectures. p. 412 (4th Ed.) II Lin^ard, Vol. I. p. 51,52. • , , , - ; IT Bed. Hist. Ecclca. Lib. II 2. Ill 4 17. .:■•■■ 45 .- •vras different from that of all other Churches in the world, as it was in opposition, not only to the Deerees of the Roman Pon- tiff, but also to the practice of the Universal Chui^n, and to the Canons of the General Council of Nice, as well as to the rule agreed to by their own representatives at the Council of Aries, the let Canon of which enacts, that the Feast of Easter be obser- ved on the same day throughout the whole world, and that notice of the day be given by the Pope to all the Churches*. On the whole, then, there is no reason whatever to question the uniform attachment of the ancient British Church to the See of Rome, at every period of its existence. It was certainly Roman in its origin, doctrine, and w >rship — in its communion with foreign Councils which recognised the Supremacy of the Pope — and in its submission to the authority of the Pope's representative, who was sent into the country on an important mission ; while even the apparent difference about Easter was merely founded on local custom and national tradition, and the controversy itself had entirely disappeared, and every trace of their former irregularity was completely obliterated, before the end of the 3';h Centuryf . It must be remembered, however, that the history of the Church of England properly commences with the foundation of the Anglo-Saxon Church in the 6th Century, and not with the conversion of the Britons at any preceding period. If the exter- nal identity of a Church consists in the succession of her Bishops, and the lineal descent of her people, then the present Established Church may be regarded as a continuation of the Saxon, while she has no real connexion with the British Church, which in the course of the following ages was completely amalgamated with the national Church under every stag© of her political existencej. It cannot be denied, then, that the Church of England was founded by the Pope, and continued in allegiance to the Apos- tolic See till the time of Henry VIII. — from the year 597 till 1534 — and those who maintain that she was corrupt before the * Labb. et Cossart. Concil. Tom. I. p. 1 121. t Lingarrt, Vol.1, p. C3. Wilbcrforce on Church Authority, p. 295. (Am. Ed. 48 Kefornuuion must also udinic thai wlie was corrupt /rom thenegiii' nin(j*y as It is perfectly eleur that till the Kith Century, the Chris- tian Cluirch had never exiated in England, hut in full communion "witli the 8ee of Home. I K[\aU conclude this part of the auhjcct with u refcirence to two documents of the highest authority among CathoHcn, which inci- dentally contain a brief allusion to the ancient history of the Engli«li Church. One of these is an Extract from an Apostolical Letter from the late l^ope Gregory XVI., addressed to John, Earl of Shrewsbury, as President of the Catholic Institnte of Great Britain, in which the Pope, after espreasing his gratification at the formation of such an Association, thus proceeds: — '-You can easily understand, beloved Hon, the reason why such joy should hav'j I)eon felt by us, who have been, by divine appointment, con- stiUitcd the heir of the Name and Chair of that Gregory the Great, who. by the torch of the Catholic Faith, first enlightened Bri- tain, involved in the' darkness of Idolatry. We are eneouraged to entertain the cheering hope, tfiat the light of Divine Truth will again shine with the same brightness as of old, upon the minds of the British people. We desire nothing with greater earnestness than to embrace once more with paternal exultation the English nati(jn, adorned with so many and such excellent qualities, and to receive back the long lost sheep into the Fold of Christ."! The other of these documents is the celebrated Apostolical Letter of his present Holiness, Pope Pius IX., for the re-establishment of the Catholic Hierarchy in England. After referring to the power of ruling the Universal Church, committed by our Lord to the Ro- man Pontiff, he thus refers to former times — "Amongst other nations, the famous Realm of England hath experienced the effects of this solicitude, on the part of the Supreme Pontiff. Its histo- rians testify, that in the earliost ages of the Church, the Christian Religion was brought into Britain, and subsequently flourished greatly there : but, about the middle of the Fifth Age, the Angles and the Saxons having been invited into the Island, the affairs * Purker's Antiq. Brit. Eccles. pp. 53, 07. t Apostolical Letter, pp. I, 2. 47 not only of the nation, but of religion also, suflforcd groat and grievous injury. But we know that our holy predecewsor, Gre- gory tlie Great, sent first Augustine the Monk, with his com- panions, who subsequently, with sovorul others, were elevated to the dignity of Bisliops, and a grait company of Priests, Monks, having been sent to join them, the Anglo-Saxons were brought to embrace the Christian Religion, and by their exertions it was brought to pass that in Britain, which had now come to be called England, the Catholic Religion was every where restored and extended."* Such was Catholic England in her early days of faith and love, and such she continued to bo during the long ages that followed, before she WiW severed by the rude hand of violence from the centre of Catholicity. It is, indeed, a most encourag- ing fact, that many of the brightest Saints who have ever adorned the Catholic Church by their piety and learning were members of the English Church, and in one instance — the only one on record — the highest dignity in the Church, the Papal throne itself, was filled by an Englishman, in the person of Pope Adrian IV., whose former name was Nicholas Breakspear, who occupied the chair of St. Peter from the year 1151, till 1159f , Those were the good old times, when Catholic Eng- land sent forth her sons, under the authority of the Holy See, to be employed in the propagation of the Faith, as zealous Missionaries, in the conversion of tlie other nations of the earth — those were the times when the glorious Cathedrals of old England first rose majestically to heaven, pointing upwards to the skies in every feature of their Gothic Architecture, and still remaining in the midst of a Protestant country, as so many splendid monu- ments of the piety and munificence of former ages, while even the venerable ruins and " ivy-mantled towers" of the ancient Abbeys are ever reminding us of the faith and worship which once lived enshrined within those sacred Avails, which were originally erected to perpetuate the memory of religion and the honor of * Cramp's Text Book, p. 514. (3rd Ed.) t Mcshelm's Eccles. Hist. Vol. II. p. 421. (Ed. 1350.) 48 Almiglity (Jod, in tho Catholic Church. And yot those were the timeti when, it is said, tho vrhole Church had fallen into the grosuest idolatry and apostacy from the Faith of Christ — those woro tho tim(;8 which John Milton, tho Poet, descrihtis in one of his Sonnutt), in language of stern denunciation, as tho times • ■ "When all our Mhors worshipp'd stooks and stones." And such is still tho opinion of the Catholic Religion, entertained by many intelligent Protestants in the present day. IJut surely it is high time that our separated brethren should understand what are the real doctrines and principles of the Catholic Church, and no longer allow themselves to be deceived by those calumnioi and misrepresentations which hav»been transmitted from generation to generation, with tho view of pouring contempt upon tho Holy Spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, for refusing to surrender tlie sacred deposit of the faith committed to her trust. My object this evening is to show you that the true Church of England is not to be found in tho religious Establishment which was formed 300 years ago by Act of Parliament, but in that branch of the Christian Church which was lirst planted in tho country nearly 1700 years ago by tho authority of tho See of Rome, as part of the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church" of Christ. I plead tho cause of the old religion and the old Church of England, to which we are in- debted for whatever is noble and chivalrous in our national history, whatever is great and glorious in our national institutions, what- ever is sacred and beautiful in our national monuments. Alean- while the eyes of all Christendom are directed towards Protestant England, and the prayers of thousands are continually ascending to heaven night and day for the conversion of that great country to her ancient faith, and we are all oarnoBtly invited to unite our fervent prayers with theirs, that it may please God to enlighten the minds of the English people by the gracious influence of Ilia Holy Spirit, and to grant that England may be speedily restored to the unity of the Catholic Church, and take her place once more among the nations of Catholic Europe. ■.>'»-...j (■.-,, t*^. %