IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (/viT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 m m m 1.4 M 22 1.6 V] <^ /} m el ^\? J^ (? / A Photographic Sciences Corporation 4- V s i\ V \ ^^ 6^ % 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBiTER.N.Y. U580 (716) 873-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Tachnical and Bibliographic Notat/Notat tachniquas at bibiiographiquat Tha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may tignificantly change tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. L'Institut a microfilm^ la maillaur axamplaira qu'il lui a 4tA potsibia da sa procurar. Las details da cat axamplaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquas du point da vua bibliographiqua, qui pauvant modiflar una imaga raproduita. ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dans la mithoda normala da filmaga sont indiqu^ks ci-dassous. Th€ tot The pos oft filr D D D D D D D n a Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagAe Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^ et/ou pelliculAe I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes gAographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou rioire) Coloured pletes and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with ether material/ RallA avac d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion la long de la marge intArieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches aJoutAes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais. lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 4t* filmias. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur I — I Pages damaged/ D n n Pages endommagAes Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurAes et/ou pelliculAes Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d^colorAes. tachaties ou piquAas Pages detached/ Pages d^tach^es Showthrough/ Transparence I Ori( beg the sior oth( first sion oril I I Quality of print varies/ QualitA inAgale die i'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du mat6riel supplAmentaire The shal TIN! whi( Map diffa entir begii right requJ meth Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc.. htive been refilmad to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement cu partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. una pelure, etc.. ont 6t* filmies A nouveau de fapon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. Additional comments:/ Commentairas supplAmantairas; Pagination irregular as follows j [1] - 72, 61 - 32?. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmA au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X Tha copy filmed here hat been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Univeriitv of British Columbia Library The Images appearing hare are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibiiity of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire filmA fut reproduit grice A la gAnirositt da: University of British Columbia Library Les images suivantes ont At* reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition at de la nettet* de l'exemplaire filmA, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. I The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est ImprimAe sont fllm^s en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmis an commen^ant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la derniAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole -^^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, cherts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre film6s A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atra reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film* A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 32X 4 5 6 \ A TREATISE ON THE RELATIONS OP THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT, BEING AMICABLY DISCUSSED BY THE JREV'D, W. HEEBEET SMYTHE ; nJCtTBBRST OP CHHI'^T CHUBCH, TAMWORTH. r » P U B ra S 11 E D : JNosTON, John Creiohton : New York, H. B. Dl-rand. 1 •„ -^^ i T «-? ^^K^ r^.>^<3-l^>^^ sH:^.-^^ Ar^ sA^ ^^^-^ •A i Entered according to Act of the Parliament nf the DoniinUm of (innud*, in tb; year 1867. bv Kev. W. HERBERT SMYTHE. ' la tlie Office of the Registrar of the rxmilnioi! of Canada. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the yuar 18ti7. Iiy Uev W. HERBERT 8.MYTHE. lu tiie CJerk'B Office, in tlio City of New Yorii. 'i. .l>^ '.:■ -iy,.' :'H' • ■'h,.z^:'> ^■■c ■VKA ^'v'^tJ^W '■'IviAt'IJ^ISv ■,-?. r, . I., ■'Til'. '' ■ a.i5.<.' ■ ■ .'. <"ii i/: ''• ■■^.iv i'^: ,|,.,....-i3«y,. irt^jr^ V-fT .'5i3.?rTg!^t«'^ _ Sc.i .f^i,^31>C| Mm w 'jiy r*i^'. ,. : .'■:*' bi''ic'i V* 'jr. . --. ■t* ifW'' ' iSi)^.^^jmw ;!■' \«^.5v;. V -^ ^- H i INTRODUCTION. Thb current notions of popular religion are ominous of evil to our ancient Apostolic Church. This fact drew my attention some years ago to the necessity of instructing our youth in the history, the fittcts, the principles and the woi k- ing of our Church. There are certain favorite and popular fallacies which are stereotyped upon the public mind, and to a conaidorablo extent upon the thinking habits of churchmen themselves :- i. e., that Uie Church of England is an off-shoot of the Church of Rome ; that she originated at the groat lioform- ation, and is the creature of Henry the VIII ; and that con- sequently, she is simply a sect among sects, being only one of the so called " all cienominationA"; thus despoiling her of her Apostolic origin, her Catholic character, her true suc- oeesion, and her continued identity and authority. It is also a prevailing error, that it is a matter of indifferoneo to what denomination a man belongs, provided he is a good christian. It is for the purpose of exploding these fallacies and for the ai'ming young Churchmen against these prevailing er- rors ; to demonstrate that our Church is and ever has boon an integral branch of the Church Catholic ; that she is the purest church extant and consequently the best platform upon which to concentrate Catiiolic unity ; that I have carefully prepared a course of ten Lectui'es on historic and biographic periods of the United Church of England and Ire- land, in which are demonstrated, in a kindly spirit, the Apostolic origin, identity, continuity, and indefectibility of this branch of the Church Catholic from the beginning to the present day. i 4i •Vi V (■ OOISTTEISTTS ; CHAPTER I. CHAPTER JI. CHAPTER III. CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER V. CHAl^ER VI. CHAPTER VII CHAPTER Vill. CHAPTER IX CHAPTER X. — Primitive period of the British Church. — The Mission of St. Austin to England. — The Lightfl of the DiA-k Ages. —The Antecedents to the Reformation. • —The English Reformation. —The rise of the Modern Sects. -The relation of the Wesleys to the Church. -The Church. — Succession. — Schism. Catholic Unity. ''■■■•■■' >*.: ■The Church of America. '■ii^ i- ;■;.•- 'Vi CTTAriER I. THE PRIMITIVE PERIOP OF THE lUUTISII Cmum. Tbo anoiont Dritish Church -plaiitud by the apostloH— nmrc oncloni than tho Church of Homo — hor divine hi Irarchy—lidopendont — hi coiiimuTil n wlh tho Cath- olic Church— purity of doctrine— early inartyrs — aucleut IriHh Church— not of lio- miith origin— St. Patrick novor u Romaulst. HK British church in an integral branch of tho diurch catholic. iLs history, full of life and power 'of tho truth, which haw dcsconded from apowtolic tiraoH, is frauglit with in. truction and reploto with wisdom and experience, especially to the devout Christian student. It is not a dry detail of mere facts and ti^nres. It abounds with graphic pictures of beauty and Hublimity, interspersed with every variety and vicissitude of light and shade. It is rich in resources and abundant in material, well schonknl >vith philosophy, animated with saintly piety, chastened with virtue, with here a)id there a vein of ix)litical iiie, and profusely muniticent in biographical love. Its facts are curious, instructive and edifying. They are drawn fi'om the sayings of tho good, and the maxims of the wise ; from the traditions of t>.o ancients; from tho stories of old and curious chroniclers; from the tombs and monuments of martp's; from the decisions of councils ; and many a rich gem is thrown upon the surface from the chronicles of pri- vate and domestic life, and from clerical biography. To tho youth of our Church I earnestly commend the dil- igent study of her history ; it is more enchanting than ro-, mance, more charming than novels, and more refreshing than poetry. It is of the highest importance to be familiar '^■m 8 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. with it ; especially in these times when we are so frequently compelled, by a sense of duty, by a love of truth, and by Christian consistency, to defend the Church against her rude assailants. How defenceless and blank we feel when our citadel, though a strong one, is assailed by the foe, if we are found without our weapons, or that we are either driven to the necessity of manufacturing our weapons when we should be using them, or forced to an ignoble surrender. There are three weapons of defence within the reach of every youthful churchman, and the combined effect of the whole will render him, not only secure against the assaults of his enemies, but also intelligent in his duty, and conser- vative in his principles ; these are the Bible, the Prayer Book, ahd the history of the Church. • That we maj^ understand things fully let us begin at the beginning and examine the records of our Lord's laying the first foundation stone of the Church This foundation was laid in Zion, by the Divine Father ; the foundation itself was Christ, the Eock of Ages ; upon this sanio foundation he built his Church, and at the same time gave the assur- ance " (he gates of hell should not prevail against ity This Church is his body, of which he is the Head. It io a visible and positive institution, founded upon a great moral principle, that is to endure to the end of time. In .this Church he appointed a ministry, which he endued with the plenitude of apostolic grace, as a divine deposit to be kept sacred against all intrusion, and carefully to be handed down to their successors in ofiice as to a body corporate, for a body coqioratc is immortal, through nil time, to the ex elusion of all " false apostles." He gave them the power of the keys to admit and to repel, for government and dis- cipline ; ho delivered to them the faith once for .ill, and for all the saints ; ho made them its keepers, even lonj^ before the gospel was written ; he chose them as his witnesses to all nations j he appointed them its sole pvopagators, giving tHE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. them his great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Vested with this authority in the discharge of this divine commission, it is beliovetl that some of the Apowtles at an early date found their way to the Ihlands of the West, since known as the British Isles, and among these was St. Paul. This is fairly inferred from one pjissage of his writings, in which he made this promise to the Christians at Rome. And the nilusion being incidental and undesigned is of the greater force. He told them thus . " Whensoever I shall make mi/ journey into Spain I will come unto you.'' Again, he repeats • '* J will come by you into iSpain.'' Now let it be no- ticed that in going from Rome into Ppain the Apostle would strike the great Roman military roads which ran through Gaul to Britain, and as ifc is historically certain he came to Gaul, where he afterwards sent Cvecens, it is in the highest degree probable that he then vinited Britain. This asser- tion is strengthened by the fact that there is no account of St. Paul's whereabouts for a considerable time — some say for five yeai*s — or for a period sufficiently long to allow of a rapid visit to Britain and to return to his u.sual field of labor. In addition to this we have the testimony of St. Clement, whom St. Paul calls his "companion" and " foUow-laborer," and who says in his epistle, * "Paul having taught the whole world righteousness, and for that end travelled even to the utmost bounds of the West." Now " the utmost bounds of the West " were the British Isles. The learned Archbishop Parker, Bishop Godwin, Mr. Camden, and many oi-hers, and among them the late Bishop Burgess, all of whom carefully examined this subject, were fully convinced that St. Paul, after he was liberated from imprisonment at Rome, preached the gospel in Britain, where some say he continued five years, f.t the request of Claudia, a noble British woman. f ♦ Clem. I Cor. 8:13. ^ 10 THE CHURCH, HOME AND DISSENT. !I W Bai'onius and Usher, no mean authorities, tell us that St. Peter came to Britain in the twelfth year of Nero, and stayed a long time preaching the word of eternal life. * Gildas, our earliest historical writer, Intimates that Chris- tianity was introduced into Britain before the defeat of Boadicea,, which took place A. D. 61. f Justin Martyr as- sorts, A. D. 167, " that Christianity was known in every country." Ireneus, Bishop of Lyons, says, A. J). 167 : "that the Celts had at that time been converted." TertuUian, writing about A. D. 200, says " that parts of Britain, inac- cessible to the Eoman arms, were subdued by Christ." The venerable Bede, the first British ecclesiastical his- torian of note, says that Lucius, a British king, A. D. 180, sent an embassy to Eome to Bishop Elutherius, praying him to send him teachers of Christianity, and in reply he sent Fugacius and Damianes, who baptized Lucius and many of his subjects. While many doubt the credibility of tliis statement, Lingard, a Eomish historian, receives it as true. This king Lucius is said to have been the third in descent from Caractacus, and to have built St. Peter's Church on Cornhill in London. . r? ;>;,;t*ui ^ '-^^" Ther*" is also reasonable ground to believe that some Jew- ish merchants, devout men, who were among the three hun- dred converts in the day of Penticost, having gone up to Jerusalem, returned to Britain with some elementary know- lodge of the gospel, which, with the zeal peculiar to young converts, they made known to our idolatrous ancestors. For Jewish, Phenician, and other oriental merchants had traded with the Britons on the coast of Cornwall, and other parts of the Island, for many ages. There are also reliable traditions that some of the impe- rial soldiers who had served under the great CaBsars in Pal- estine, and who had witnessed the tragic scenes of the cru- cifixion,detailed those scenes to their British captives while * Sec NeJaon'8 F. and F., p. 114. t See Oildaa's works, p. 802, TnS cnURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. « lying around their camp-fires at night, when called to serve in our island home, which was then subject to the Roman yoke. From other sources we learn that Jose])h of Arimathea and Simon Zelotes came to the island and preached the gos- pel there, being sent by Philip and James, the Apostles ; that they founded Glastonbury Abbey, a Church and a Christian school ; that they were in the island is confirmed not only by divers histories, but also by ancient monuments and coins. Now putting all these points of evidence together, the conclusion is inevitable that the gospel was introduced into Britain at a very early period after the crucifixion, proba- bly as early as the year A. D. 33 or 34. That our Cliurch was established by the Apostles themselves, and their imme- diate successors, is confirmed by Busebius, the first regular Ecclesiastical historian, who says ; " That the Apostles not only preached the gospel to the nations on the continent, but passed over the ocean and visited the British Islands.*' Theodore asserts the same : "That our fitsliernien not only taught the faith of the crucified One to the liomans, but also to the Britons." Hence it may be fairly concluded that our Church had an Apostle for its originator and foun- der. It was, in fact, or ien to-apostolic in its foundation, and therofore could not have been founded b}'- papal Rome, as many misinformed persons so positively assert nowadays, who seem, to have a morbid interest in attempting to de- stroy the prestige of the Apostolic foundation of the British Church. The evidence of the very early establishment of the Eur glish Church is cumulative, abundant and varied in,detail.' It is traditional, historical and monumental, and although derived from sources so dilforent, it is wonderfully cohe- rent, Let us look at some of those testimonies ; There is standing till this day, in the city of Canterbury, i^ THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. St. Martin's Church, said to have been founded in the second 4 or third century. Wo give the following account of this ., ancient hou.so of prayer from a history of Canterbury, by Edward Hasted, F. R. S. * " St. Martin's Church is situated in the eastern extremity ., of the suburb of its own name, standing on the side of a ; hill, a little distance from the high road leading to Deal and Sandwich, Jind within the city's liberty. This church indeed ., seems very ancient, being built, the chancel especially, , which appears to be of the workmanship of the time mostly , of Roman or British bricks ; the noted roliques and tokens of old age, in any kind of building, whether sacred or pro- i fane. It consists at present of a nave or body and a chan- ^ eel, having a square tower at tha west end of it, in which ■: hang three bolls. The chancel appears to have been the ..: whole of the original building or oratory, and was probably 4 built about the year A. D. 200, that is, about the middle space of the time when the Christians lived on this island free from persecutions. The walls of this chancel are built almost wholly of British or Roman bricks, laid and placed . • in regular strata, in like manner as is observed in other buildings of the Romans in this island, of which those in Do* ver Castle are an instance. This church, so much celebrftted for the great antiquity of it, is supposed by some to have been the resort of St. Augustine and his fellow laborers on their arrival, and by the license of King Ethelbert, granted ^^ to them in favor of Queen Bertha his wife, who had this m, church (wliicli was already built) long before, as Bode says, " by those believing", and dedicated to St. Martin, allotted as the place of her public devotions. Ilowover this maybe, ca it is in genoral admitted that this church having been in &&r\y times a Christian oratory, made use of by believing • i Roman colonists, was repaired and re-con structod by Luid- hart, Bisho]) of Soisson, who accompanied Qucon Bertha . I * 1799,; pp. 102, 103. THE CHURCU, ROME AND DISSENT. 13 from France when she married King Ethel bert, and by him dedicated to St. Martin." The early British Church was not only atlorned by an- tique memorials of this nature but was also honored with a noble band of Christian martyrs at a very early date, as is recorded by Gildas and Bede. Of those martyrs, one is of world wide renown, for the purity and firmness of his fhith and the heroism of his suffering. This was St. Alban of whom we shall give a short account. " This Alban," says Bede, " being yet a pagan, at the time when the cru- elties of the wicked princes were raging against the Chris- tians, gave entertainment in his house to a certain clergy- man, flying from his persecutors. This man he observed to be engaged in continual prayer and watching day and night ; when on a sudden the Divine grace shining on him, he began to imitate the example of faith and piety which was set before him, and being gradually instructed by his wholesome admonitions, he east off the darkness of idola- try and became a Christian in all sincerity of heart. The aforesaid clergyman, having been some days entertained by him, it came to the ears of the wicked prince, that this holy confessor of Christ, whose time of martyrdom had not yet come, was concealed at St. Alban's house. Where- upon he sent some soldiers to make a strict search for him. "When they came to the martjT's house, St. Alban immedi- ately presented himself to the soldiers, instead of his guest and master, in the habit of a long coat which he wore, and was led bound before the judge. " It happened that the judge, at the time when St. Alban was carried before him, was standing at the altar, and off- ering sacrifice to devils. When he saw Alban, being ranch enraged that he should thus, of his own accord, put him- self into the hands of the soldiers, and incur such danger in behalf of his guest, he commanded him to be dragged up to the images of the devils before which he stood, saying ^ 14 TIIC CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ' Because 3"ou have chosen to conceal a rebelliotiH and sac- rilegious pci'Hon, rather than cU;liv(;r him up to the soldiers, that his contempt of the gods might meet with the pen- alty due to such blasphemy, you shall undergo all the punishment due to him if you abandon the worship of our religion.' But St. Alban, who had voluntarily de- clared himself a Christian to the persecutors of th.e faith, was not at all daunted at the prince's threats ; but putting on the armour of spiritual warfare, publicly declared that he would not obey the command. Then said the judge : — ' Of what family or race are you ?' • What does that concern you,' answered Alban, • of what stock I am ? If you desire to know the truth of my reli- gion, I am now a Christian and bound by Christian duties.' ' I ask your name,' said the judge, * tell me it immedi- ately ?' ' I am called Alban by my parents,' replied he, ' and I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things.' Then the judge inflamed with anger said i ' if you will enjoy the happiTi'>8s of eternal life, do not delay to oflfer sacrifice to the great gods.' Alban rejoined : * These sacrifices, which by you are off- ered to devils, neither can avail the subjects, nor answer the wishes or desires of those that offer up their supplica- tions to them. On the contrary, whosoever will offer sac- rifice to these images will receive the everlasting pains of hell for hib reward." " The judge, hearing these words, and being much in- censed, ordered this holy martyr of God to ^be scourged by the executioners, believing he might by stripes shake the constancy of heart, on which he could not prevail by words. He being most cruelly tortured, bore the same par tiontly, or rather joyfully, for the Lord's sake. When the judge perceived he was not to be overcome by tortures, or THE CHURCH, ROMB AND DISSENT. 15 withdrawn from the Christian religion, ho ordered him to be put to death." Thus early was the foundation of our Church stained with blood, a Church, as it were, fore-doomed to be a Church of martyrs. This took place A. D. 305, 22nd day of June, near the town of St. Albans in Herts, where afterwards, in peaceable times, achurchof wonderful work- manship, and suitable to the memory of this martyr, M^as erected. "At the same time", continues Bede, " sufl'ered Aaron and Julius, citizens of Chester, and many more of both sexes, in several places, who, when they had endured sundry tor- ments, and their limbs had been torn after an unheard of manner, yielded tlieir souls to enjoy in the heavenly city a reward for the suft'erings which they had passed through." How wonderful then are the counsels and ways of God. Ah though he foresaw that some in future ages would arise and deny the apostolic fouiidation of our Church, or that tliey would dispute her claim to so divine and exalted an origin, or that they would repudiate her authority and con- tinued identity ; he in his wisdom and foresight put upon her pure garments the seal of blootl, that she might bo known among the faithful as an integral branch of that Church which " was from the heginnlng ", and against which " tlie- gates of hell should not 2»'evnil." It will be a matter of inexpressil)le satisfaction to all interostoil in this subject to know that the British Church is not only so ancient and apostolic in her foundation, but that n'om early times she had a coinplete staff of clergy and an organized Ilcirarch/, Avholly independent of Home and all other foreign influence of every kind, except that of in- tercommunion with all the four great branches of the Church Catholic. The British Church had its own metropolitan, or Patriarch, or Archbishop, who was the Bishop of St. David's. One of the Canon's of the Council of Nice affirms that " the British Church was autokcjihalos, being subject to no for- le 'illA cnURCII, ROilfl AND DISSENf. eign Biwhop ; but only to her own Motropolitaiu" It ia a matter of luHtoric record that there wore more Bishops in tlie ancient British Church than tliere are at the present time-f^ I And let it be noted that this was at a period of Bomc centuries before wo have the least trace of liomisb inference. So complete and well developed was her organization that she was able to send delegates to S^Tiods in foreign countries. As it is a matter of record that British Bishops were i^resent at the earliest councils of the Church, viz., at the Council of Aries in France, which was called by Coiv- Btantine the Great, against the schismatical heresy of the the Donatists, A. D. 314. Three Bishops from Britain went) at that Council, the Bishop of York, the Bishop of liondonv and the Bishop of Lincoln. There were also a Presbyter and Arminiu*!, a Deacon ; and from these facts it is dear that there were then in England the throe Oiilcrs of -Bi's/io^M^ Priests and Deacons^ British Bi'sliops were also present at the Council of Nice in Bithynia, A. D. 325, which utis held for the suppression of Arianism, as wo learn from Etv- sebius. St. Athanasius, and Hilary of Poicticrs. Long lx>- foi*e this time the British Church was well known as taking a notable rank amongst the Churches of Europe. British Bishops were also present at the Council of Sardica, A, D. 347 J and at the Council of Arminium, A. 1). 3G0, at which said Council only three of the British Bishops consented to receive tlie expenses allowed thom by the Emperor, which is a grateful proof of their numbers, their strength, their wealth, and their independence, f Another proof of the indeptndcnce and power of discipline in the British Clmreh is evinced by their orderly and vig- orous manner of dealing with the Pelagian heresy. Pela- gius, whose surname was Morgan, was a native of Wales, who having visited Italy, Africa and Palestine, and being * Theopli. Anglicans . t Skfitches^of Ch. Hist, by lloycQ, i.v THE cnURCn, ROME AND DISSENT. n [plinio vig- iPela- Iboing of a warm and imaginative temperament began to preach a strange doctrine. Desirous of making head against the moral indifference into which most of the Christians in tho.'u; countries had fallen, and which appeared to bo in strong contrast with British zeal and strictness of life, he denied the received doctrine of original sin, extolled free- will, and maintained that if a man made use of all the powers of his natui'te ho would attain to perfection. It is not found that he taught these doctrines, however, in his own countrj' ; but from the continent, where he disseminated them, they soon reached Britain. The British Church not only re- fused to receive his " perverse doctrine ", but they de- nounced him for teaching men " to blaspheme the grace of Christ." Pelagius was assisted by Julius of Campania, whoso revenge was aroused by the loss of his Bishopric, of which he had been just deprived. St. Augustine and other orthodox fathers wrote against them, quoting many thou- sand Catholic authorities against them, yet they would not renounce their madness ; but on the contrary their folly was rather increased by contradiction, and they refused to embrace the truth. The temper and violence of Pelagius is tlius beautifully described by Prosper the rhetorician, in the following philippic : — " " A scribbUr vlio, iuflamed with liellish spite, - ^^- i^gainBt the ijri at Augustine ilared to write ; PresumptiouB serpent I from what iniduight deu . •. '' ,, ,;.* Durst thou to craw! on earth to look at men ? Burethou waflt fo«l I n Brita'n'g sea-fiir i'laiU8. •» Or in thy breast Vesiivlan Hulphur reglng." * The Britons, however, do not appear to have received the severe and strict doctrine of divine grace as taught by St. Augustine; they believed indeed that man has need of that inward renewal which can alone be efJ'ected by divine pow- er; but like the Asiatic Church, from which the}" sprung, they seem to have conceded nothing to onr natural strength in the work of individual conversion. These two points of the Catholic faith, viz., depravity and grace, Pelagius as- . . . , *Bede'H Ecol. Hist. . , . 18 TUB cnURCII, ROME AND DISSENT. nailed. Whereupon the native Bishops called at St. Albans (Verulam) the tir.st Britiish Council, (A. D, 429), and being strangers to the subtleties of thelogical controversy, they invited to their aid, a thing very usual, Gerraanus and Lu- pus, two Gaulish Bishops. A public conference was held before a great concourse of people, at which those whom Pelagius had perverted turned into the way of truth " Thus the faith in those parts continued long after pure and un- tainted." * About three years after the suppression of Pelagianism, that famous place of education, the monastery of Bangor, " near Malpas and Wexham, on the river Dee, was established. The remains of this famous college were visible after the lapse of a thousand years, that is, until a short time before the Eeforraatiou. This was established through the wise counsels of Gcrmanus, who attended the conference of Ver- ulam, with a view to educate the British clergy, and thus pre])arc them to meet and overcome any new heresies that might arise in their Church. The memory of this good and great man, and of the benefits resulting from his pious ef- forts to the British Church, is preserved in the name of St. Germain's (Llanarmon), in Denbighshire, and the town named after him in Cornwall, which was afterwards for a short time under the Saxons made a Bishop's see. Germanus also brought to Britain the Gallic liturgy^ said to have been compiled under Apostolic supervision. Not that the Britons were destitute of a liturgy, or even of Christian literature, for we have a work extant which was written by Fastidius, Bishop of London, A. D. 420. It is a treatise on Christian life, of a practical nature, addressed to a devout widow named Fatalis. In this book he exhorts all Christians to imitate the temper and actions of the Saviour, and he shows that to live an upright and pious life was the surest way to obtain mercy from God. * Bedo's Eccl. Hist THE OnURcn, ROME ANn DISSENT. 19 As tho history of Ireland in ho intorwovcn vvitli Britinli history through so many ages, it is important for mo to Btato what is known of tho means by which Christianity was introduced into that beautiful Island, and which ren- dered it so famous in the esteem of foreign Churches as to win from them tho euphonious epithet the "Isle of Saints." The Eomanists, it is well known, claim the merit of being first and, for a long time, the sole agents of preaching tho gospel in Ireland ; but with what amount of truth lot us see. I have consulted a great many Eoman Catholic authors who have written on this subject ; but most of them are so lack- ing in authority, so contradictory in matters of fact, so cred- ulous in the sources of their information, as to render their whole account extremely unreliable, and that the proof still lies upon them of their peculiar claim, and much more so of their sole claim to the titular Saint, Patrick. That St. Patrick was ever a Romanist none of them has ever adduced satisfactory evidence ; and in the absence of this evidence, I feel justified in denying it. "'• • ' • All we know of certainty is that St. Patrick and Palla- dius were the first successful missionaries and founders of tho Irish Church. From him it is, as ordained by the Gal- lic Bishops St. Martins and Germanus, that the present re- formed clerg}^, and they only have their succession, and through him from the Apostles themselves. That l)}^ u reg- ular series of consecrations and ordinations the succession was kej^t up until the reign of Queen Elizabeth, our oppo- nents, the Irish Papists, will allow. The question, there- fore, is whether the succession was at that time lost. The burden of proof rests with our opponents, and we defy them to prove that such was the case. * " On the picturesque banks of the Clyde, not far from Glasgow, in the village of Bonavcrn, now Kilpatrick, a little boy of tender heart, lively temperament, and indefatigable * See Appeudii at the end of this Chaii. •T-m 20 THE CIIURCn, ROME AND DISSENT. activity, passod the cju-lier cluyH of his life, lie was born about the year 372, A. 1)., of a IJrili.^h family and was bap- tized by the name of Succat His father, Calpurniu.s, Dear con of tlio parish of Bonavern, a!^iniple-hearted,piousman ; and his niotlier Couchessa, si.^ter to the celebrated Mai'tin of Tours, and a woman superior to the majority of her sox, had endeavored to instil into his heart the doctrines of Christianity, although Succat did not yet fully understand tliem. Ho was fond of pleasure and delighted to bo the leader of his youthful companions, the midst of hie frivolities ho committed a serious fault. ''Some few j'cars later, his parents having quitted Scot- land and settled in Bretagne, a terrible cahimity befel them. One day when Succat was playing near the sea shore with two of his sisters, some Irish pirates, commanded by O'Neal, carried them all three oft' to their boats, and sold them in Ireland to the petty chi(^ftain of some highland clan. Suc- cat was sent into the fields to feed swine. It was while alone in these solitaiy jiastures, without priest and without temple, that the young slave called to mind the Divine les- sons that his pious mother had no often taught him. Tlio fault which ho had committo<.l pressed heavily upon his soul night and day : he groaned in heart and wept. Ho turned repenting towards that meek Saviour cf whom Con- chessa had so often spoken ; he fell on his knees in that heathen land, and imagined he felt the arms of a father up- lifting the prodigal son. Succat felt in his soul the renew- ing grace of God, an agent so spiritual and so internal that ho knew not ' whence it comcth or whither it goeth.' The gospel was written with tlio finger of God upon tl>e tablet of his heart. * I was sixteen j'car.s old ', said he, ' and knew not the true God ; but in that strange land the Lord opened my unbelieving e3'es, and, although late^ I called m}' sins to mind, and was turned with mv whole heart to the Lord my God, wlio regarded my low estate, had ]>ity on my youth ^M THE cnrftcn, home and DrssUxf. 21 The T) his Ho Ck)n- that erup- cnew- il that The tabkt knew )pciicd and ignorance, and consok'd nie as a fatlier consoles his children.' Such words as tliose from the lips of a Hwiiiohcrd, in tho green pastiireb of Ireland, set clearly Leforo us the Clirisfi- anity which in the fourth and fifth centuries convcrte' lurch. The time no doubt will come when Ire- land will again feel the power of the pure gospel Avhich once converted it by the ministrations of a Scotchman." * A little before the time of which we are writing St. Nin- ian preached the gospel to Southern Scotland." lie was a native of North Wales; a member of the British Church. After making himself thoroughly acquainted with the ritos and customs of the Church, simply as a visitor, ho converted the Southern Picts, and about the year 420 he became Bishop of \Yhithern, or Candida, in Gallow.'iy, whore lio built a church Oi freestone and settled a regular ecclesias- tical government, f : ; ;, i. It is not a little singular that while the South of Scot- land was converted by Ninian, a clergyman from Wales, * DVuiblcjue's HiBt. of Ref., vol. V. t Bate's CoUege Lect., p. 173. THE CIIURCn, ROME AND DISSENT. that about one hundred yoar;i aftcrwanls the Xr)rth of Scot- hmd should be converted by one avIio sprung from the la- bours of St. Patrick in Irch\ud; this was >St. Coluniba, "wiio was born in Ireland al)Out 532, and after converting that nation, Bridius its king gave hiin the Island of lona or Icolmkill, " the Islav. 1 of Columba's cell ", where ho founded a monastery and t/ciined young men for the ministry, whom they afterwards sent under the auspices of the Britis^h Church as missionaries to evangelize the lo"w countries, G-aul, Switzerland, Germany, and 6ven Italy, and who were recognized as missionary Bishops from Britain. To do justice to the entire period of the primitive Church of Britain Ave must now turn to the glowing pictures of the terrible persecutions she passed through for the sake of her Lord and the pure faith ; and by which we shall see, that although persecution may retard the truth for a time, yet it has no power to destrby it, being in iteelf seed, imi:»erisl>- able and eternal. The first persecution that arose was from the native hea- then around them. This Avas natural and similar to that which the gospel in any country pi'ovokes against itself on its first proclamation. This was provoked by the jealousy of the druidical priesthood ; it was fierce for a time, but soon began to languish and die aAvay. The next was the Decian persecution which came from pagan Rome, and swept over the island like a hurricane of suffering and blood. Beneath this persecution the great St. Alban and his companions in suffering fell. It has been well observed " that the first thing that the British Church received from Rome was persecution." Gildas relates that under Diocletian, A. D. 303, The churches were thrown to the ground, the sacred books were burnt in the public ways, the clergy and laity were doomed to die, and numbers of Christians fled into the woods or concealed themselves in eaves ; so tL^c in many places scarcely a vestige of Chris- I:! :! \i i li *•>■. ^ 24 THE CnURCII, ROME AND DISSENT, lianity rcmainod, -^ A yet raoro terrible ordeal awaited the infant Church, by the hostile invasion of the An^lo-Saxons, tlio worshippci's of Odin and Tlior. llengistand llorsa with their frcebootera were called the " Scoiirg-e of God." They spared ne.ithcvr sex nor age. The aged priest, the unarmed citizen, the de- fenceless m )tkor, the helpless maiden, and the innocent babe, were hurled by them into one common ruin ; their valor was disgraced by brutality; avarice and lust of sensual pleasure had extinguished in their breasts some of the finer feelings of our nature.; f " Before them stalk'd Far-s^en, ^li" demon of devouring Hame ; U'lpiiio, and murder, all with blood besmcar'd, Withou' Oi ear, or eye, or feeling heart." J Before this triple power of lorror and blood our youth- ful Church retired for a time. But she held fast to the " truth an it is in Jcsus.^^ She 'vcpt iu pure and entire as she had re- ceived it from the Yvpostles and thefr successors. She had long before thi^J a fully organized Ileirarchy. She had her metropolitans, her suffragan Bishops, her Priests and Dea- CK)ns, her dioceses an \ ])arishes, her schools and colleges, and her open Bible and precomposed liturgies ; she had planted the cross of her glorious Lord in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, and had her organ- ized band of missionary Bishops to the continent of Europe, and was entirely independent of Borne, and all other foreign jurisdiction, which she stoutly maintained against all com- ers; yet she enjoyed the communion and shared in the councils of the whole Church Catholic. The British Church numbered in its communion Princes, nobles, 8tatesmen,war- riors, philosophers, historians, poets and peasants. There were then in her no seisms or rival sects ; but she was the natural and sole teacher and Church of the British people for the long space of 600 years. A fair conclusion then from all these facts, when reviewed GildEB. t Lingard Anglo Sax. eh., p 38. t Thompson. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 8& ■iU5gother, is that our Church was not founded by Eome ; but that she was Oriental and truly Apostolic in her foun- dation. Indeed Eome herself was of but little importance during the first three centuries. "While the accounts of the formation of the first Church at Jerusalem, w^hich is the -mother of us all, and many other Clmrches are fully re- corded i/i Scripture, no mention is made of the foundation of Rome at all. For three hundred years she is said to have had no liturgy of her own, but was dependent upon the Greeks.* The first historic Bishop of Rome was undoubt- edly a British Prince. Eome produced no great and learned men till the sixth century, ^vhen Leo the First and Gregory the Great arose ; while for ages Carthage boasted of Ter- tullian and Cyprian ; Alexandria of Origen and St. Athe- nasius ; Milan of St. Ambrose ; Hippo of St. Augustine ; Constantinople of St. Chrysostam ; and even Ireland of its St. Patrick. " It is indeed an idle pretence to assert that Rome enjoyed in the first century, or at any period what- ever, a supremacy universally recognized by East and West." t And it is to be well observed no sooner did Rome begin to rise in position, power and prestige, than she be- came distracted by internal factious, schisms, fatal herecies, rival Popes and anti-popes, and a Pope died a mono])hysite : the sad premonitions of her su])scquent and fatal heresies of doctrine and idolatry of worship into which she at last simk, and in which she remains till the present hour. But ■Hiring the same ages of Christianity the British Church remained independent of Eome, peaceful, united, pure and true. ,.. . ... ,, >, I love the Chu;ch, the holy Church That o'er iny Hie prt'sides ; The b.rth, the biidal, and the grave, And ma y an houi' besides. lie mine thro' life to lire in her, Auii whoti the Lord shall call, To die ill her, the HpouRe of Christ, And mothi.T of ub all. J ,r..>^(. ) ^ " .Milnoftu's Latin Chrlety. t Eauke'B Hist. Popes, p. I'J. tc 26 THE CHUBCH, ROME AND DIBSSST, 'II III! I ii i 11 i lii A.ppendix, p. 19 :o: LIEE AID TIMES OF ST. PATEICK, CANON WORDSWORTH. ■:o:- Let us now proceed to inquire — In what relation did St. Patrick stand to the See of Rome 7 Was ho sent to Ireland by the Bishop of that Church ? Did Rome lay claim to supreme jurisdiction in Ireland in his age ? And did he acknowledge that claim ? 1. First, supjjose, for argument's sake, that St. Patrick was sent by Rome, it would not follow that those whom he baptized were subject to the Chui'ch who sent him. If this argument were of any weight, then all Churches, and Rome among them, would be subject to the Church of Jerusalem. For all the Aj^ostles came forth from her. " Out of Zion went forth the law, and the word of God from Jerusalem." She was the mother Church of Christendom! " But who is Paul? who is Apollos ?" Grant, then, that the inhabitants of Ireland were baptized by a Roman Missionary, then by baptism they did not become subject to Rome, but to Christ. 2. But was St. Patrick sent from Rome ? Did the Apostle of Ireland come from that city ? If so, inasmuch as ho came to Ireland in the year 432, he THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 21 [C£, •Bomef urch? :eland in ,. Patrick whom he ,. If this ind Eom© erusalem. at of Zion jrusalem." 3utwho ie nhahitante y, then by Lt to Christ, tho Apostle year 432, he was sent by Colostine, then Bishop of Rome. Prosper Aquitanus lived at that time. He composed An- nals of the Church, and was a friend of Celestine, Bishop of Eome, and a notary of the Roman See. He does not omit to record, in his history, that Palladius, whose mission wiw only for a few months, and appears to have been almost abor- tive, was sent from Rome by Celestine. But the mission of St. Patrick, who came to Ireland in the next year, and who preached the gospel there with great successfor half a cen- tury, is not mentioned by Prosper at all. If St. Patrick had been sent from Rome, Prosper must have known the fact, and knowing it, he would have recorded it. Therefore we conclude that St. Patrick was not sent to Ireland by the Roman See. 3. Again : to speak of our own records. The most ancient of English Church historians is the venerable Bede, who was born A. D. 672, less than two hundred years after St. Patrick's death. He was supplied with materials for his history from the archives of Rome. And, as might naturally have been expected from what Rome then was, and from the benefits which England had derived from, her, and, as might also be supposed from the influence which Rome exercised in the Anglo-Saxon Church, in which Bede was reared, he composed his history with a favorable bias towards Rome, and omits no opportunity of advancing her credit, some- times even to the disparagement of the ancient British and Irish Churches. It is a striking fact — few are more striking in Church history — that Bede, who records in his history the mission of Palladius to Ireland, and often refers to the affairs of the Irish Church, never mentions in it even the name of St. Patrick. "iP "What may we thence infer ? If St. Patrick had been sent from Rome, Bede, who had access to the Roman archives, and who records the mission 28 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. !|' I of Palladius, and was one of the most learned men of his ago, jniist have known the fact, and would have communi- cated it to the world. Full of zeal for Eorne as she thei^ was, he would not have failed to do honor to the glorious career of St. Patrick ; ho would have dwelt with delight on Uic exploits of the Apostle of Ireland, if the Apovstleof Ire land had been an emissary of Eonie. Hence, wo are again brought to the conclusion that St, Patrick was not sent by the Roman Church. Here, to obviate misconception, let us observe that it is no part of our argument to affirm that St. Patrick opposed Pome. No. As far as he had any relations and communi cations with her, they wore those of such amity and respect as were duo to so gi-eat and venerable a Church as Rome then was ; but the truth is that in his days she laid no claim to jurisdiction in the country where he was a Bishop, and whore he planted the Church of Christ. St. Patrick and the Church of St. Patrick wore independent and free, 5. But to return, it may be asked, how is Bode's silence to be explained ? Our concern, let us observe, is with the fact of his silence,, and with the inferences to be derived from it ; but wy are not bound to account for it. But still the question i.s im- portant, and let us consider it. The Church of Ireland in the age of Bede concurred with the ancient Church of Britain in resenting the growing en- croachments of the Roman See. The independence of the Irish Church in Bede's age, and its vigorous opposition to the aggressions of Rome at tliat time, atford a strong presumption that the Apostle of Ire- land was not sent by Rome, and was not dependent upon Rome. The freedom of the Irish Church, founded by St. i'atrick, affords a strong presumption that St. Patrick him- self, its founder, was free. Bede J as was before remarked, was pieposBessed in favor THE CHUEOn, ROME AND DISSENT. 29 ho.n iour< it on five it St b It is iposed Liuutu- espoct Rome claim )p, and Lck and 0- silence hulcncc, t w^ arc )u iri im •red with )wing en- 8 age, and le at that ,le of Ire- lont upon ed by St. trick him- ied in favor of Eome, and viewed with coldness the independence of the Church of Ireland in his own age. We need not pause to inquire whether there might not have been something of too much eagerness and vehemence in the conduct of some of the ancient Irish Ecclesiastics towards Eome, as assuredly there was too much of haugh- tiness and assumption in her bearing towards them. Wo only state the fact of the differences and disputes between them, and note the side to which Bede leaned. This being the case, it may well be sujiposed that Bede did not feel induced to go in quest of Irish Saints of an earlier date, and to com- memorate them in his Church history. While he was too honest a man to detract from the credit of Ireland's Apos- tle, and to tarnish the glory of St. Patrick, yet he would not make any effort to eulogize one who had founded a Church which showed itself resolved not to admit the claims of Kome, modest as those claims were in comparison with what she advanced in a later age. Hence, we may explain the remarkable fact that the name of St. Patrick is not mentioned in the history of Bede. 6. And here we may add an important consideration. If St. Patrick had been dependent on Rome, — if he had recognized anything like the supremacy which she now claims, it is certain that his name would not have been omitted by Bede. Pew names would have occurred more frequently in Bede's history than his. For Bede gives full reports of the differences and debates between the Romish and Irish clergy in the interval of time between St. Patrick^s age and his own. Now if Bede could have said— if the Romish clergy could have said, in their altercations with the Irish clergy — that St. Patrick was an emissary from Rome, — if they could have shown that he was obsequious to Rome, and deferred in all things to her, can it l)e imagined that they would never have urged this argument against the Irish clergy who opposed Rome ? Would thoy not have expos- do THE CnURCII, ROME AND DISSENT. ! I iifi !l lulatod wilh the Irish clergy thuH : You not only renlNt us, yon arc not only di.sohediont to the Efmian See, but you arc treachurouH to St, Palrkk ; you are nn^, ttoful to your own A.postle who obeyed lionio, and taught yon, by hie ex- ample, to do HO. Do you not feel remorse and nhamo in de- serting liim? Will you not show yournelves faithful disci- ples of St. Patrick by follov/ing his steps ? ^ Hero would have been a triumphaiit aj^peal. We kno"vr what use is now made of this argument by those who ima- gine that St. Patrick came from Eome and was dependent on it ; and their use of this argument in our days affords striking evidence of the use which would have been made of it by Romish .Ecclesiastics in the centuries immediatelj succeeding St. Patrick, if he had been dependent on Rome, and if Rome had been supremo in Ireland, in his age. Let us now revert to St. Patrick's own account of himself, in his confession. 1. He there informs us that his father was a Deacon, and his grandfather a Priest — a sufFicicnt proof tliat the celibacy Avhich Rome now enforces on her clergy in Ireland, was no part of ecclesiastical discipline in the age and country of Ireland's Apostle. 2. With regarcl to Church government, St. Patrick waa a Bishoji, and he ordained Priests aTul Deacons. He acknow- ledged these throe orders of ministers in the Church, and he mentions no others. 3. And what was his doctrine ? At the commencement of the same work he has inserted his own profession of faith. It bears a strong resemblance to the Nicone Creed. " There is no other God ", (he declares), " besides God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, Whom we confess to have been from everlasting with the Father, and Who was begot- ten before alljthings, and by Whom all things were made, vis- ible and invisible, and Who was made man, and overcame THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. SI y^ou our ex- ide- lisci • tBOvr im»- idetit ffords made lately Rome, k imself, on, and elibacy was no ntry of k wft«a acknow- rch, and inserted emblance 38 God the Bto have vas begot- made, vis- overcame death, and ascended into heaven to the Father. And (loil gave unlo Ilim ail|)owcv over cvciy name in heaven and in carlJi and under the carth,tlint every tongue should con- fesH that Jesuh Christ is Lord and God. We believe in Hi m, and expect that lie will come again to judge the quick and dead, and will render to every man according to his works ; and lie has poiu-ed out upon us abundantly the gift of the Holy Ghost, the pledge of immortality, Wiio maketh us to believe and obey, and to be sons of God the Father, and to be fellow-heirs of Christ, Whom wc confess ; and we adore One God in the Trinity of the Sacred Name." Such is the Creed of St. Patrick, sot down with his own hand, at the close of his long life, in the volume which he left as a bequest to the people of Ireland. What, therefore, shall we now say ? With feelings of respect and affection we address ourselves to our Roman Catholic brethren in the Kingdom of Ireland. Take the Creed of St. Patrick in one hand; and take the Trent Creed, or Creed of Pope Pius IV., in the other. Place them side by side. Compare the two. Tiio Trent Creed, which Rome now imposes on all Ecclesiastics, has added twelve articles to the Nicene Creed, which wo hold ; and it declares that belief in those twelve articles is necessary to everlasting salvation. It says, " Ha^c est Catholica Fides, extra quam nemo salvas esse potest." Now let us inquire, Do you find those twelve articles in the Creed of St. Patrick? One of those Articles is an assertion of Roman supremacy. Do you find that there ? — No. Aiioihcr is obedience to the Pope. Do you find that there ? — No. Another is beliei" in Transubstantiation. Another is, belief in Purgatory. Vk) you find them there ? — No. Another is, communion in' one kind. Is that there ? — No. Do you find a single one of those twelve articles there ? — No, not one. And yet you assert that a belief in all these articles is necessary to sal- vation, and you denounce us as heretics and innovators 1 I I'!! !'! 32 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. because wo do not and cannot receive them. What ! if all these are necessary, how is it that St. Patrick does not mention one of them ? Was the Apostle of Ireland H heretic ? If so, we are content to be heretics with him. Wc are satisfied with his Creed. We hold every article of it. And wo leave it to you t( consider whether, if you are not content with St. Patrick's Creed, you ought to claim St. Patrick as your Apostle, — or, if you desire to have St. Pat- rick as your Apostle, you ought not to be content with your Apostle's Ci'ccd ? Once more. As wo have observed, St. Patrick's confes- sion is an autobiographical memoir of his ministerial career. If now St. Patrick had boon sent to Ireland from Rome, if ho had boon ordained by Rome, if he had been dependent on Rora(?, and had supposeci that Ireland was subject, either temporally or spirtually, to the Roman See, ho would have intimated in his confession that this was the case. Your Bishops now call themselves Bishops by the Grace of God and the Apostolic vSee, meaning thereby the See of Rome. St. Patrick, the first Bishop of Ireland, would have done the same. But now refer to his own life. Open his con- fession. Does lie state that ho received his ministerial au- thority from Rome ? — No. Does he say that he and his flock are subject to Rome ? — No. What then does he say of Rome? Ho mentions the clergy of Ireland ; he mentions the clergy of Britain ; he mentions the clergy of Fi-ance ; but he never mentions the clergy of Rome. The words Roman Bishop, Roman See, are not to be found there. The name of Rome does not occur once in his work. It may be left to every candid reader to draw the necessary inferences from these memorable facts. Wo have now been engaged in comparing the present condition of Christianity in Ireland with its aspect in an- cient times. Jt is the duty of all to promote the cause of truths and THE ClIURcn, ROME AND DISSENT. 33 1 if ick and lim. e of are aSt. Pat- your nfos- ireer. lome, ndent either have Your pf God Kome. done lis con- H'lal au- is flock PRome? i clergy le never Bishop, >f Rome to every m these present it in an- uth; and they who are subjects of the Hamc monarch}- and acknow- ledge tlio same Saviour, arc specially bound to " kec]) the unity of the Spirit in the bond of poaco." Wo do not call upon our Roman Catholic fellow countrymen ajul fellow (yhrirttians to receive our statcmenl;: without scrutiny. IJut we do earnestly exhort them — as they lovo the truth, an they value the peace and prosperity' of tlio land wherein wo dwell, and as they regard tlio eternal interests of their own souls, to examine the evi'lenco of the case. Let the invidious names of persons and parties be forgotten. Let us moot on the peaceful ground of primitive antiquity. Let us look carefully into facts, — facts ver}'- important to our common country, and to ourhap])iness in time and etef- nity. The question at issue is — Whether the Papal Power in claiming as it now does, the sanction of Antiquit^^ for the exercise of jurisdiction in Ire- land, — whether in enlisting in behalf of its own doctrincB the venerable name of St. Patrick — and in putting forward the Trent Creed as the faith of the Apostle of Ireland, and of the ancient Irish Church, is not imitating tlio Gibconites, who professed to come from a distant land toGilgal, where- as they dwelt near it ? So we now ask — Is not the religion of Rome a new religion ? is not her C^reod a new Creed ? It professes to come from far, but is it not from near at hand ? What, for example, is the doctrine which ascribes original sinlessness to the blessed Virgin — who is now to be invoked in Ireland by a now title — what is it but of yesterday ? What are the words — which Rome has so often on her lips — the " old religion ", " the ancient creed ", " the faith of St. Patrick ?" Are they not like the dry and mouldy bread, and the rent bottles, and tattered garments, and clouted shoes, with which the Gibeonites deceived Joshua ? Some reasons have been stated in these pages for believ- ing that this is the case. And if this is indeed so, then let .Mi 34 THE CmjRCn, ROME AND DISSENT. it be leniombcrcd that duplicity in religion is a hoinonssin. It may docoivo for a timo; but lot all who resort to it woe thoir own fate, even in this world, in the history of the Giboonitcs. The deception was soon detected. *'Aft«r throe days the Israelites heard that thoy were neighbours, and that thoy dwelt amon^ them " ; and the Giboonitos stood publicly convicted of having come to Joshua with a " lie in their right hand." "And Joshua called them and said, Why have ye beguiled us? now therefore yoaro cursed, and there nhall none of you be free from being bondmen." If this be the case with the adherents of Eome, then, how- ever they may boast of spiritual pre-eminence, they have only the lowosi Aaco among the people. They are " hew- yrs of wood and di» "^s of water." Then "Servus Serj-o- rum " indeed, "a serva. ' of servants ", shall their head be. And however thoy may overreach men, they cannot elude the eye of the Divine Joshua, Who is " the truth," and Who will ono dp.y bring " all hidden things to light ","and judge the eoeroU of all hearts ", and reward all true Israel- ites " in whor: i; no guile ", arid condemn t<) everlasting punishment *' whosoever loveth and makcth a lie." We ought to be on our guard not to be enticed by any prospects of worldly advantage to make compromises with what is false. Let us not be beguiled by specious words and fair names. Let us not be deluded by shows and fair semblances ; but let us hold fast the truth. Let us not sup- jx>se that men come to us from afar, because they have old shoes on their feet, and mouldy bread in their hands ; and let us not imagine that whoever presents himself to us, dressed up as a wayfaring pilgrim, in the guise of a vene- rable name, has therefore toiled and travelled from the re- mote regions of antiquity. But let us resort to those means which God gives us for our guidance. Let us compare the language and practice of those who pretend to antiquity with the language and THE CH17B0n, BOMB AND DISSENT. 3 Bin. t 8oe I the /\ft«T ourfl, nitofl ith » 1 and arsed, men." , how- have " hew- Serjro- oad be. t elude h," and t",'and ) Israel- rlaeting i practice of antiquity itself. Above all, let us ask " counsel at the mouth of the Lord." Let us examine the Oracles of Him Who is the " Ancient of Bays." If they wlio come to us bring " any other doctrine beside " that preached by the Apostles of Christ, we know who has said, "Lot thorn bo anathema." If they bring anything contrary to the woi-d of Him " Who is from everlasting ", then they are but of yesterday, and know nothing." And let us bo sure that by clinging to the gospel of Christ we have the sanction of an- tiquity ; we rest on the " Rock of Ages ", wo build for et<3r- nity. For " He has neither beginning of days, nor end of life." " He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, the First and Last", "Jesus Christ, the same yester- day, to-day, and forever." by any ses with .B words and fair \ not sup- have old nds; and ilf to us, )f a vene- m the re- ^-f^'r^ Zyy 4n ves us for id practice ruage and r^ "^ 'h i v.. ,,• .1. '■ -:i) ■.•■'•■■ CHAPTER II. ST. AUSTIN AND HIS MISSION TO BRITAIN. British Church xnaintaina Evangelic T-uth and Apostolic Order for tJOO yoars-Romo'a first mission to England — St. Austin discovers tlio British Church — attempts to sub* jugate it to the essun'iitions of Home— successfully resisted— the Papacy assumed-- the Bangoriun si. ughter — Rome's cause Id peril— the independence of the firitisti and Irish Churches preserved. ■ s . . ; IIE mission of St. Austin (or Augustine as he is usually called) took place about the year 596, when ho arrived in Britain with forty fellow labourers. These wore the first duly authorized agents over sent by Eome to our father land. From the former discourse it was shown that the British Church hfld been planted by the Apostles and their successors in authority ; that it w^as in communion with the Church Catholic; that it had main- tained its continued identity for nearly six hundred years ; that it was purely Episco2)al in its government ; that it had kept the gospel pure and true from ihe beginning ; that no rival sect had sprung uj^ by its side ; and that it was en- tirely indej^endent of Eome and all other foreign control. It ought to be borne in mind that St. Austin's mission w. '^^ ot to the Britons, properly so-called, but to the Angle Saxons, who had invaded the island about the year A. D 4-47, and usurped its control. Having been at tirst invited, as mer- cenaries, to aid the Britons in repelling the incursions of the Picts, after the retirement of the Romans ; and finding the land so luxuriant and fertile, they turned their arms upon theii' em])loyer8, dispossessed them of their soil, drove thorn back to tlie mountains of Wales, compelling them to Uke rof.igc in the i.slands of the ocean, and the highUinds THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 37 til 'i {.t 'oars-Romo'e ■mpts to 8ub< ;y aasuiJied-- )f the BritiBb ! aa he is 596, wben labourer H. sr Bent by irse it wan ed by the . it was in had main- L-cd years; that it had jr ; that no b it was en- control. It lionw.^' ot iglc Saxons, D 4-i7, and ;cd, as mer- icursions of and finding their arms ir soil, drove ing them to 10 highlands of Scotland. They burnt their churches, rifled their mon- asteries, destroyed their schools, put to the most cruel deaths priests and j)eople, and having made almost a clean sweep of the ancient Church, they set up in its stead the gross, cruel and savage system of Saxon idolatry. * Nor was there to be found a single ray of gospel light among their *Saxon neighbours. So terrific had been their ravages, and so barbarous had they become, that even the unconverted Goths looked upon the island with unutterable dread. The .soil, said they, is covered with serpents ; the air is thick v/ith deadly exhaljxtioiis; the souis of the departed are transported thither at midnight from the shores of Gaul. Ferrymen, the sons of Erebus and Night, admit these in- visible shades into their boats and listen with a shudder to their mysterious whisperin^^s. England, whence light was one day to abed over the habitable glob.e, was then consid- ered the trysting-place of the dead. And yet the Church of ancient Britain was not to be annihilated by these bar- barian invasions ; it still possessed a strength wJiich ren- dered it capable of cncrgetio r«»istance.j f .and of maintain- ing its identity and independence. Wjth truth it may be tsaid ti^at " the blood of the martyr;* is the seed of the Church." W^hUe England was in this forlorn condition, there happened to be in Home an as[)irant for the Papal Chair, a man of singular piety, profound sa- gacity, great learning, and of most benqvolent intentions, whom posterity has honored with the singular title of Grog- pry the Great. One day, while passing through the mar- Xei ^i Rome, his attention was attracted to some beautiful -children, as slaves ex}>08ed for sale. He approached them with pity for their condition and admiration for their beauty. Being ignorant of their country he enquired : " Whence came they, and what are they " ? " Angles ", was the reply. »ll Ml .111 — ■■I.,... — - ..I - ■ . - ■ -. .. .I.! I — — ^— .. .. ■ — ■ ■ ■ . , .. .— _ * C»rwithen'8 Jiixt. Cb. of £ng., vol I, p 2 f D'Aub gne's: ^iBt. B«f., vul. Y v. 2G. r ri, sm 38 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. " Yes ", said the benevolent man, " had they been Chris- tians, they would be a'ligels." "What is the name of their country " ? he continued. " Deira ", was the answer. " Aye, aye " ! he responded, " by God's mercy we will save them from His wrath." " Who is their prince " ? he asked. " Alia ", he was told. " Alldujah ".! he echoed, " w« jmust teach tL£i;i to praise Jehovah." From this moment, it is said, he resolved to carry the gospel to their country, being apparently ignorant of the fact of the existence of the British Church. Tradition says he purchased Saxon slaves, educated them under his own eye, and at his own expense, raised them to the priesthood, and sent them back as missionaries to their own country- jnen. * Gregory is said to have been the first man w ho from benevolent motives bought slaves with a view to rev- them. Before, however, ho could accomplish his p^»i.a ic sign of visiting Britain he was called to the highest iiOi>' • r of the Church, under the title of Pope Gregory the Firt, after which he still I'esolvod to convert those beautiful Sax- ons to the faith of Christ ; for which purpose he selected one of his own particular friends, St. Austin, the hero of our ■discourse, ^/ho seemed to bo a man well fitted to execute ihis wishes and designs. He has been called the Apostle of the Enoli^; •, ■ "v^hich epithet can scarcely be said to be correctly app u, m Chris i i.'.lty had been established for centuries before. Austin was well instruct-' 1 in the tnctics of the Eoman Church, full of zeal and ca?i*:on tint^,^i 'v/ith cunmng,8upple(l and pliant when he had an object to gain thereby, with a sufficient amount of hauteur where he could exercise it, able in debate, and not afraid to impose upon the credulous by *Liugar(\ Hlat. Anglo-Sax. Ch'., p. n. t Urady'8 Aoal. of Calender, vol. II. p. I. l''\ Ji THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 39 n Chvis- aed. we will to praitiB ;arry the mt of the ition says his owji riesthood, 1 country- man ^ "^o 3W to ; I'ev/ st i\0)>o''r the Firt, iitiful Sax- le selected lero of OUT o execute i\ v^hich ap|j u, ae before, the Roman lng,suppletl ahy, with a •ciso it, able redulouB by idor, Tol. II. P- 1. •is pious frauds, or by the working of a miracle when argu- ment failed to convince his opponent. At first these mis- 8ionju*ics recoiled fmm the task appointed them ; but Greg- ory was firm. The missionaries proceeded on their pious enterprise, and they landed in England, at Ebb's Fleet, on the precise spot where the first .Saxons landed just two hun- dred and fifty years before, the conversion of whose dcscen- dents was the pious object of their mission,, and on the very day, the Chroniclers tell us, Mahomet was born. Austin lost no time in announcing to Ethelbcrt, the King of Kent, his ari'iva], who assigned him as a place of residence, the eity of Canterbury. The King soon after admitted him to a personal conference, though in the open air, lest "En- chantments " might bo employed, vvheiH?, it was thought, the force of magic lost its power. The King and thousands of his subjects received the Christian doctrine. Austin baptized ten thousand jDagans in. one day. Such was the effect of the mild teachings of the gospel, by Austin, as yet comparatively untainted with thOise appalling hei-csies with which Home has since corrupted the pure doctrines of the word of God. Eertha, the Queen of Ethelbert, and daugh- ter of Caribert, the King of France, was a Christian, who l)ydovout zeal and virtuous conduct, forwarded immensely the work of the missionaries. Heathenism fell. Heathen temples were converted into Christian churches. The idols of Odin and Thor were removed. The prostrate churches, M'hich had been destroyed by the heathen, and in which, centuries before, thousands of Christians had worshiped the Saviour, were restored, new ones were erected, and in an incredible short time a large part of the south of England received the benefit of the Christian religion, Austin established himself at Canterbury. He had made a wise choice and with a mixture of ambition and devotedness, of superstition and piety, of cunning and zeal natural to his character, he now sought to clothe himself with all t])Q ■9^\ RIHISBN ■f ill! 40- Tnii CHURCH, R03IE AND DISSENT. prestige Rome could give. In order to aggrandize hi.s povr- ^r, he proceeded to Arlos, where, in pm-suance of Pope trregory's orders, he was consecrated Metropolitan of the English nation by Etherius, Archbishop of that city, and iiiude Archbishop of Canterbiiiy, with the title " papa alter- iuf. ^' ", and legate of the Pope in virtue of his office^ with c.ie privilege of being- seated at the Pope''s right foot at general councils. At the same time he received the Pall as a mark of distinguished favour from the Pope. Upon Austin's application toGregor}'- he sent various lette rs of instruction, several assistants, books and vestments, and desired him to appoint twelve more Bishops, and as soon as possible another' Archbishop at York.* Now it may be fairly asked whether, inasmuch as the Bishop of Eomo exercised no jurisdiction over the British Church during the first six centuries, can it be justly al- leged that he had acquired Patriarchal authority over Eng- Tand by the conversion of the Saxons to Christianity by Aus- tin ? To this we answer^ No. B}^ conversion they became* not Gregory's, nor Austin's, but Christ's. And. e'^on ifi' /Austin had converted the whole Ileptardiy,. no sucli right l)y that act could have been acquired.. If such right were- to accrue bj^ mere conversion, all Cliristian Churches, andi Pome among them, would be subject to " the mother of all Churches, the Church of Jerusalem." And besides, a> Bri- tain had never been under the Bishop of Rot^e's jurisdiction j but had been always governed by her own Bishops, the assumption of such authority on the part of the Popes of Rome is an infraction of the Canon of the Council of Ephe- sas (431) ; which Pope Gregory himself declared that ho regarded as ho did the three other General Councils with the highest veneration, f We should be unwilling, however, to undervalue the re- ligious element now placed before the Anglo-Saxons, and f ♦ B3de, lib. I, Cap. 27 tXheosh :.A]Qglicauu9. M'. ^ I THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 41 H pOTf- • ■ Pope of the y, and I altor- 5 office y [it foot od the Pope. i lettc rs nts, and as soon I as the 5 British ustly al- .^cr Eng- byAus- became* e'^on it.' :eli right' rht were^ hcs, andi ler of all a 5 Bri- stliction J liops, the Popes of ofEphe- l that ho icils with 10 the rc- xons, and we verily believe that many of the missionaries sent from Bomo desired to work a Christian worlc Bat just at this juncture a new scene in the drama presents itself to view. The struggle which tilled the seventh century was about to begin between the ancient, primitive, and apostolic British Church and the Church of Eome. A knowledge of this struggle is of the highest im])ortance to our Church, for it clearly establishes our liberty and independence. This was a struggle between primitive simplicity and the incipi- ent sacerdotalism of Eome ; between the pure and uncor- rupted word, and the theology of Rome, tinctured with the novelties of the age ; a struggle between the simple wor- ship of the early Christians, and the rising gorgeousness of Papal ritual ; a struggle between the hereditary possessors of the soil, and the foreign invaders. The combatants, in many respects, were well matched, and we opine if foul play, sophistry and political chicanery had not been re- sorted to, that the simple British champions would have repelled the arrogant demands of Austin, or obliged him to ally himself to their communion. But Rome had already learned the value of the maxim which she has kept bright by the using ; that the end justifies the n\eans, and she dextoroufjly used it now, to the damage of the unsuspecting Britons. By the time Austin had established himself in Kent and armed himself with plenary powers from Gregory, he con- ceived the necessity of assailing the British Keirarciiy. The venerable primate of Cwrleon, the Bishops of Bangor, St. Asaph, and St. David's, must be tauglit subjection to the universal Father. The monies of lona, as well as the Pagans of Kent must be brought under the authority of the Pope. In a word, Austin determined on subduing the British Church to the Papacy, for which purpose ho resolved toemploy the converted Saxons just as Gregory had already ,Usod the Frank nionarchs to reduce the Gauls- This work 42 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. of subjection was now to be commenced. But it was an herculean task. It spread itself over several centuries, and son, - able authorities emphatically assert that the indepen- dence of the British Church was never wholly subdued, and to this opinion we incline. In this struggle Austin em ployed persuasion, expostulation, threats and pretended miracles; but signally and wholly failed. ' Austin, assisted by King Ethelbert, called the first con- ference with the British A. D. 603. It was held in Glouster- shire, at a place which is to this day called " St. Austin's Oak." At the opening of the conference it was found that the British Church, while agreeing, in all evangelical points of doctrine, with the Eomans, differed in the the following particulars^ viz : In the time of keeping Easter, in the Sac- rament of holy baptism, in the use of the tonsure^ and in the form of their liturgy, in a woixi, the British Church was Oriento- Apostolic, and the Romans observed these things in a manner peculiarly their own. The venerable Bede * has chronicled these conferences with particular minuteness. When the parties had assem- bled, he says that Austin " began by brotherly admonitions to persuade them that pi*eserving Catholic unity with him, they should undertake the common labor of preaching the gospel to the gentiles. For they did not keep Easter Sun- day at the proper time. Besides they did several other things which werv^ f.gainst the unity of the Church. When, after a long disputation, they did not comply with the en- treaties, exhortations or rebukes of Austin and his compan- ions, t)ut preferred their own traditioiis before all tho Churches in the world, whicii in Christ agree among them- selves. The holy father, Austin, put an end to this trouble- some and tedious contention ", by pro])osing to work a mir- acle upon a blind man to demonstrate his superiority. "Austin, compelled by real necessity, bowed his knees to * Bede, Lib. II, Cap. II. % I THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 43 was an ies, and indepen- led, and tin em etended rst eon- -louster- A.ustin*8 md that il points blowing the Sac- ^ and in Church id these ferenceB d assem- lonitions ith him, hing the iter Sun- al other When, the en- compan- all the ng them- \ trouble- rk a mir- leriority. knees to I the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying that the lost sight might be restored to the blind man, and by the cor- poreal enlightenment of one man, that the light of spiritual grace might be kindled in the hearts of many of the faith- ful. Immediately the blind man received sight." This pious fraud, however, did not succeed ; the Britons declared " that they could not depart from their ancient customs without the consent and leave of their people. They there- fore desired another synod might be appointed, at which more of their number might be, present, " This being decreed, there came (as is asserted) seven Bishops of the Britons" — the Bishops of Worcester, Here- ford, Chester, Bangor, St. David's, St. Asaph's and Landaff, " and many most learned men, particularly from their most noble monastery, which in the English tongue is called Bancornburg, over which the Abbot Dinooth is said to have presided at that time. They that wore to go to the afore- said council repaired first to a certain hoi}'- and discreet man, who was wont to lead an eremetieal life among them, advising with him whether they ought, at the preaching of Austin, to forsake their traditions. lie answered : 'If ho is a man of God, follow him.' ' How shall w^ know that '? said tlioy. He replied : < Our Lord saith, Take my yoke upon yon, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. If therefore Austin is meek and lowly of heart, it is to be be- lieved that he has taken ujion him the yoke of Christ, and offers the same to you to take upon }'ou. But if he is stern and haughty, it appears that ho is not of God, nor are wo to regjyd his words.' They insisted again : ' And how ^hall we di.-cern even this ' ? ' Do you contrive ', said the anchoi'ite, ' that he may 'first arrive with his company at the place where the Synod is to be held, and if at your appror.cli he will rise up to you, 44 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. hoar him submissively, being assured that ho is tho servant of Christ; but if ho shall despise you, and not rise up to you, whereas you are more in number, let him also be des- pised by you.' ' Thoy did a-i he dirocled, and it happened that when they came Austin was sitting on a chair, which they observing, were excited, and charging him with pride endeavored to contradict all he said.' ' Ho said to them, You act in many particulars contrary to our custom, or i\ ther the custom of the Universal Church, and yet if you will comply with me in these three points, viz : To keep Easter at the due time ; to administer bap- tism, by which we are again born of Goil, according to the custom of the holy Eoman Apostolic Church; and jointly with JUS preach the word of God to the English nation, we will readily tolerate all the other things you do, though contrary to our customs.' " They answered they would do none of these things, nor receive him as their Archbishop, for they alleged among themselve that if he would not rise up at us, how much more wiU he contemn us as of no worth, it wo shall begin to be under his subjection ?' ■" To whom the man of God, Austin is said in a threaten- ing manner to have told that in case thoy wou'd not join in unity with their brethren, they shouIJ be warred upon by their enemies; and if they would not preach the way of life to the English nation, thoy should at their hands under- go the vengeance of death. All of which ", continues Bode, "through the dispensation of the Bivino Judgment, fell out exactly as he had predicted." For about four years after this conference, the Avarliko King Ethelfrod having raised a largo army fell ui)oa the British when they wore unarmed nd at prayer on a fast day, and murdered seven Bishops, about fifty of the clergy juifl twelve hundred Laymen, and j)iIlagod and destroyed -'■7 I THE cnURCII, ROME AND DISSENT. 45 lervant up to bo des- dn they erving, orod to ontrary Church, points, ter bup- ^ to the 1 jointly tion, we , though ings, nor i among )W much ill begin hreaten- :.)t join in upon by way of ds under- lies Bedo, t, fell out 3 warlike upon the on a fast le clergy Llc,str()3'e(,l their splendid monastery at Bangor, after the massacre. Let us hope this was not instigated by Austin. Upon these facts narrated by Bede we shall oifer an ob- servation or two. It is manifest from the nature of the controversy between the Bi-itish Church and Austin, tliat the Church ho found established there was both national and independent, which he did not attempt to dispute.. What he did attempt was the removal of existing ditfoi-ences: between the two Churches as the-condption of interc-om-nnis nion. It is equally manifest that the Britoni^ hittl alaAV"- fal and Apostolic ministry, which he invited to cooperate* with him. in preaching the gospel to tlie heathen. From the nature of bra objections it is equally certain that the* British Chureh was not founded by Rome, but must have- been Oriento-Apostolic. The attempt of Austin at subju- gating the Britons was a violation of two well known Can- ons of the Cluirch, viz :• The imposing of a second Bishop in one Province-, and the- setting up of the national Church of Italy in- the British nation. It is equaVy obvious that the attempted miracle of Austin was a pious fraud, inas- much as it subverts the very nature and design of miracles.- " Miraculous powers were given to the first preachers of Christianity in order to introduce it into the world : a visi- ble Church was established in order to continue it and carry it on successively throughout all ages." * And a fully or* ganized visible Church had been established in Britafn for six hundred j^ears. Austin does not seem to be wholly free from the charge of complicity in the Bangorian massa- cre, the news of which filled the country with weeping and great lamentation, for the priests of the Romish consecra- tion (and ihe venerable Bede shared their sentiments) be- held in this cruel slaughter the accomplishment of Austin's prophecy ; and a national tradition among the Welsh for many ages pointed to him as the instigator of this cowardly *BHtler, Part II Chap. /. r\ I k 40 THE CIIUllCH, ROME AND DISSENT. butcliciy. Thus did Komo sock to lot loose tho savage Pa- gan against tho British Primitive Church, and. to fasten it all dripping with blood to her triumphal car; JJut now while the Saxon sword ap])earod to have swept everything frani before the Papacy, tho ground trembled under its feet, and seemed about to swallow it up. The eonversions eilbcted by tho priests ot Rome wore so unreal that a vast nuinber of neophytes suddenly returned to the worship of their idols. Eadbald, tho King of Kent, was- himsolf among tho number of apostates. Such reversions to paganism are not unfreq^uent in the history of Romish missions. \^^ion holy baptism is administered to the un-- tutored heathen as a kind of converting miracle, it is false in iits nature and di.sap])ointing in its result; like the con. version of sensuous emotionalism of our times, which sweeps whole communities before it in its march of violence, bmb when it is past the reaction loaves a moral waste of spiritual desolation. The Romish Bishops fled to Gaul. Austin was. dead and Lawrence, his successor, was about to follow them ; but desiring to spend the night in tho Church before quit- ting England, ho groaned in spirit as he saw the work founded by Austin perishing in his hands. He arose from a feverish sleo]) and saved it by a pretended miracle.* Being reproached ajid personally chastised by St. Peter for his cowardice,, lie presented himself next morning to. the. apostate king covered with wounds and besmeared with* blood,, which he alleged St. Peter had inflicted in the course of the night. He reclaimed the king and recalled the fu- gitive Bishops. But the spread of Romanism, the subjuga- tion of the British Church, and the attempted usurpation? of the Papacy were stayed. . The ancient British Church, however, still lived, and lived independent of Rome, and if the Romish Bishop had then disappeared from England, it is probable that the Britons, ♦D'Anbigues Hist. Bef. Vol. V, p. 39. '^--4 ^0 Pa- iten it swept imbled . The unreal to the it, was- ersiono- Romish the nn- is false ho con - L sweeps ICO, bulb spiritual stin was vv them ; :>re quit- le work ose from liracle.* Peter for naries, Colum- ban from Ireland, and Wilibord from Engl planted the Church to a considerable extent in many j).^ ^i" Germany, Batavia, Friesland, West^jhalia, and Denmark. * The oidy part of England that was really indebted to the Pomish missionaries for its conversion, is that which lies South of the Tiiames and East of the British Channol, including oid}- a i)art of old Britannia Prima, and of course only the same jKH'tion of the ecclesiastical province of London, which was in reality but a very small part of England, f On this subject Neander, a German Church Historian, says : "The peculiarities of the British Church are an ar^ gument against its deriving its orit;in from Pome, for that Church differed from the Pomisk Church in many respects. It agreed far more with the Churches of Asia Mimor, and it withstood the authority of the Romish Church." J The growing power and the revived influence of the Brit- ish Bishops, however, began to excite tlie lynx-eyed vigi- lance of Austin's successors. The two parties often camje in conflict. Mutual strifes were engendered. Rome., ever on the alert, lost no opportunity of asserting her 8Wjpr&- macy ; the Britons, on the other hand, stubbornly resisted and pertirnaciousl}' maintained their unity and independence. JNor was there wanting between them that which coulcl * WilBon'B Ch. Identified, cap. UI, 8 11. t Ibid, cap. TV, f 4. t Hist. GbrictiAn Relig., vol I, p.p. 79., 80, Rose's Transl, Ji TTTE crnuRcn, rome ant) dissent. m \ was ft brother ^ roUirn \op, foi* .. D 000. jiuiuvrios Church If ixnwnu: s, Coluni- unted the :;crmany, The only Ilomiijh i South of iiding only f the Baino which was Historian, arc an aV' J, for that ro8i)ects. timor, and of the Brit' ,eyed vigl- often cain^ Borne., ever ber Bttj)r^- nly resisted independence- which couW IV. 8*. bDSl. easily bo worked up b}^ designing minds into a casus belli John and Peter wore ahout to strive for the mastery. The autliority of tliese great men was pleaded and urged on either side. The matters of strife between them were the usurped supremacy of Eomc, the liturgy of the British Church, the tim/i of keeping J'^aster, the manner of baptism, nnd the use of the tonsure ; and other ecclesiastical mat- tors. " When the spirit of controversy has once taken posses- rtion of the mind, the most trifling objects swell into con- siderable magnitude, and are pursued Avith an ardour and interest which cannot fail to excite the surprise and per- haps the smile of the indifferent si")ectator. Of this descrip- tion was the dispute of ecclesiastical discipline which con-, tributed to widen the broach between the Roman and Scot- tish missionaries." •!< • • Just at this time a 3''0ung man, sprung from the energetic race of the conquerors, was about to become the champion of truth and liberty,and was well nigh wresting the whole is- land from the dominion ot Rome. This was Oswy,tho King of ]Siorthumbria,who had married Eanfleda the grand daugh- ter of Queen Bertha. Finding it inconvenient to celebrate Easter on a different day from that on which his Queen, who adhered to the Roman calculation, kept it, thereby keeping two Easters in one year ; consented to call the groat council at Whitby, A. D. 664, to settle that and other I questions between the two Churches. These were not mere questions about rites and rules of discipline; but of the great doctrine of the freedom of the Church, as established in Britain by the Apostles, or its enslavement by the Papa- cy, Rome still longing to hold England in her power, not by means of the sword, but by her dogmas. With her usual ad- I roitness she concealed her enormous pretensions under the discussion of secondary questions, and many superficial * Lingard's Anglo-Sax. Ch., p. 37. !' ^ !! I tl i L 50 THE CHURCH, ROME AND J)ISSB\T. thinkers have been deceived by this mancuuvre. The whole account of this great controversy is so well abridged and ably written b}' a foreign author that I can- not do better than quote the entire passage. He says : " The meeting took place in the convent at Whitby. The king and his son entered first, then on the one side Colraan with the Bishops and Clergy of the Britons : on the other side Bishops Agilbei-t, Agathon, Wilfrid, Romanus and James, a Deacon, and several other Priests of the Latin confession. Last of all came Hilda with her attendants, among whom was an English Bishop named Chedda, one of the most active missionaries of the age, by birth an En- glishman, by ordination a Scotchman, everywhere treated with respect an'l consideration, who appeared to be set apart as mediator in this solemn conference. His inter- vention, however, could not retard the victory of Eome. Alas! the primitive evangelism had given away graduall}- to an ecclesiasticism, course and rude in one pk.ce, subtle and insinuating in another. Whenever the priests were called upon to justify coi tain doctrines or ceremonies, in- stead of referring solely to Scripture, that fountain of all light, they maintained that thus did St. James at Jerusalem, St. Mark at, Alexandria, St. John at Ephesus, or St. Peter at Rome; ascribing sajnngs and doings to the Apostles which they had never known." Thus falsifying Divine evidence. Speaking of men as though they were oracles ; instead of the oracles from the mouth of God. " King Oswy was the first to speak : ' As servants of one and the same God we hope all to enjoy the same inheri- tance in heaven ; why then should we not have the same rule of life here below? Let us inquire which is the true one and follow it.' " 'Those who sent me hither as Bis. op', said Colman, ' and who gave me the rule which I observe, are the be^ loved of God. Let us beware how we despise their teach Ji THE CHURCH, HOME AND DISSENT. 51 80 well t I can- ;e say8 ; ,y. The I Colinan he other iius and [\Q liUtiu tendants, la, one of th an En- ;g treated to be set EiB inter- of Home, gradually f.ce, subtle ■icsts were monies, in- itain of all Jerusalem, )!• St. Peter le Apostles 'ing Divine ere oracles ; vants of one arae inheri- 70 the same 1 is the true iaid Colman, are the be- thcir teach- ing, for it is the teaching of Columba, of the blessed evan- gelist St. John, the disciple specially beloved of the Loi*d, and of the Churches over which that disciple presided.' " 'As for us', boldly replied Wilfrid, for to him as to the most skilful hnd Bishop Agilbert intrusted the defence of their cause, ' our custom is that of Ron\e, v/here the holy Apostles Tcter JUid Paul taught; Ave found it in Italy and s and the Pope of Rf^ne, who commanded the whole world. Ak ready imagining he saw Pout at the gates of Paradise, with the keys in his hand, he reclaimed with emotion: * Is it true, Colman, that these words were addressed by our Lord to St. Peter ' ? ' It is true.' ' ('an you prove that sirnihu" powers were given to y^wv Columba '.? The Bishoji replied, MVe cannot.' But he might have told the king: 'John, whose doctrine we follov, , and indeed the whole college of the Apostles, received in me same sense as St. Peter, ' th; keys of the kingdom of heaven ', the power to bind and to loose, to remit sins and to retain them, on earth as in heaven. But Colman not being skilled in sophistry, and unsuspect- ing, had not observed Wilfrid's stratagem in substituting Columba for St. John. Upon this Oswy, delighted tovi'nld 52- THE CHURCH, ROME AND DlSSJfiNl'; ! I to the long continued impoi-tunity of the Queen, and above all, to find some one who would admit him into the king- dom of heaven, exclaimed with decision: 'Peter is the-- dooi'-keeper, I will obey him, lest when I appear at the gate there should be no one to opc-n it to me.' The spectators carried away by this i-oyal decision, hastened to give their, submission to the vicar of St. Poter. Oswy had forgotten- that the Loi\l had said: ' lam he that opetieth, and no man shutteth ; aiidshutteth undno manopcneth.' " Thus Romo triumphed ftt the Whitby conference. It was b}'' ascribing to Peter, the servant, what belonged to the Lord Jesus, the Master, that Papacy reduced Britain Oswy stretched out his hands, Rom 3 rivited the chains " ; * and so the will of one man became the misery of millions This act laid the foundation for a strife which lasted till the great Reformation. It inflicted a wound which never was healed, and never will be till Ronie shall be purged of her impious idolatries, her antichristian heresies, and her dia- bolical assumptions, and return to the doctrines and usages of the Primitive Church. " Colman saw with grief and constc^rnation Oswig and his subjects bending their knees before a Prelat ) who had no jurisdiction or authority, either ecclesiastical or spiritual^ within the realm of England. lie did not, however, despair of the ultimate triumph of truth. The apostolic Mth could still find shelter in the old sanctuaries of tlie British Church in Wales, in Scotland, and in Ireland. Immovable in the doctrine ho had received, and resolute to uphold Christian liberty, Colman withdrew, with those who would not bend beneath the yoke of Rome, and returned to Scotland. Thirty Anglo-Saxons and a large multitude of Britons shook otfthe dust of their feet against the tents of the foreign priests, the hatred to whoso usurpations and to popery became more intense day by day among the remainder of the * D'Aubigno'8 Hist. Ref. vol. V, p. p. 47-49. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 5S md abovcf' the king- er is the; t the gate spectators p-ive their, forgotten- rid no man rcnce. It ^longed to d Britain, 'hains " ; * f millions, itod till the never was [^•cd of hei- nd her dia- and usagcB Oswig and ; ) who had" )r spiritual, rer, despair '. ftiith could tish Church able in the d Christian Id not bend ml. Thirty shook otf the ign priests, cry became nder of the Britons." * During all these unseemly contentions between the two Churches, it is remarkable and refreshing to observe the entire absence of all criminations of a doctrinal nature on either side. Both Churches had no doubt received the Catholic Faith. Indeed, the venerable Bede observes re- peatedly that the Britons " /tepi the faith pure and untainted.'^ " The Britons preserved the faith which they had received, uncor- ntptedand entire, in peace and tranquility " among themselves. They had repelled the Pelagian heresy ; they had received the three Catholic Creeds ; they had rejected the heretical schism of the Donalists ; and the rising flood of heresy and idolatry that deluged the world through Rome in after ages, was not yet apparent to the simple minded Britons. Another thing observable is that the Eomish mission- aries acknowledged botj the existence and independence of the Church of Britain ; and having done that, their next duty was impei'ative, viz., to have allied themselves to the British communion, instead of conspiring to compass her subjection to a power foreign to her relations, under the insolent pretence of having plenery authority from the Prince of the Apostles to do so. Rome had done a noble thing in sending missionaries to the Saxons ; but it was ignoble and wicked to sow the seeds of discord and schism in the already existing national Church. They lorded it dver Grod's heritage ; they loved to have the pre-eminence ; they determined on being the greatest, to accomplish which no means were l«ft untried which could possibly achieve t3iat object. • From the manner in which the Britons retired from the Whitby conference, it was soon found that the breach be- tween the two Churches was not healed. They remained firm and independent. The Kings of Northumbria and Kent still found that two supremacies were impossible. *J.deia. VOL V, r- 60. ^ T u THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. m I ! They resolved to try again to heal the dissentions by jointly sending a priest to Eome to be consecra od, but he died on his way thither. Yet another effort was made to come to an understanding, by sending Daganus, a Bishop of Scot- land, to Canterbury to confer about the time of keeping Easter. They could not, however, agree. He pertinaciously refused to eat at the same table or even in the same house with those who kept the Easter feast according to Home. The British Clergy carried their abhorrence to the Eoman custom so far that they punished sevcvel}'' the most trivial conformity, and purified, with most exact scrupulousness, every utensil, oven plates and dishes, which had been con- taminated by the touch of a Eomish priest. The British stoutly defended the validity of their ordina- tion. One day Theodore of Canterbury met Cedda, who was the mediator at the Coui nlat Whitby, and had re^^eiT ed orders in the British Church, and now Bishop of Lichfield. Theodore rsaid to him : " You have not been regularly or- dained." Cedda, off his guard for the moment, and yield- ing to a timid, carnal modesty, instead of boldly defending the truth, replied : '• 1 never thought myhclf worthy of the episcopate, and am ready to lay it down." *' No ", said Theodore, "You shall remain a Bishop, but I will conse- crate you anew according to the Catholic ritual." The British Bishop submitted. Rome, in this triuiriphuut, took courage to deny the validity of those primitive orders she had hitherto recognized. This was really the first ecclesi- astical act of submission to the lofty pretensions of Eome. Oh that this act of sisters, twin in birth, but separated by the force of circumstances, had been the linking of them in an embrace of love, lasting as eternity ! But the Eomish Bishop triumphed over Cedda. The British Church that had so long and so stoutly maintained her independence received a severe shock ; but she was not prostrated, this being but an individual act of Cedda. THE CHUROH, ROME AND DISSENT. 55 md'mi The I, took va she ecclesi- Eome. itcd by Ihem in The ntained was not a. " Then in her lonely hour The Church is fain to cry ; As if Thy love and power Were vanished from tiie sky ; «!' Yet God is there, and at his side He triumphs who for sinners died." A faithful few, however, retired to Scotland and clsei* where to abide their opportunity to revive their claim of right. They continued faithful ; they retained the true succession ; they persevered in their primitive worship ; they confessed the three creeds ; they held to tlie two only sacraments ; they referred to the Bible as the alone stand- ard of authority in matters of faith ; and proved in the end their continued identity. Eome now marched boldly on, for a time, towards her long- coveted supremacy, which, however, she never gained. Yet the virtue of her ancient prestige was not wholly ex- tinct. For ages she had been the seat of j)agan empire. She was the world's mistress. She had planted in every country her arms, her arts, her laws, and her literature, She had commanded the fortunes of war and dictated the the terms of peace in every land. Constantine turned all this to the advantage of papal Eome. He made her the seat of ecclesiastical power in the West. Pope Felix III excommunicated the Eastern Church, A. J). 49G. Pope Bon- iface proclaime'lhinihielf universal Bishop. A. J). GOT ; hence arose the prince Bishops, who alternately with hchnet and mitre sought universal empire. Eome claimed the right to decide all ecclesiastical disputes in every part of the christian world. She deluged the nations of the West with the blood of the martyrs of tlie Most High ; she rocked the cradle of the infant Churches of Europe to the lullaby of her mysteries till the}'' fell asleep, and snored to the mur- mur of the waves of the Atlantic, till in the dark ages she raised the flood-gates of universal corruption. AVhat is here said of England will equally ap]ily to Ire- land, as the most perfect uniformity subsisted between the ancient British and Irish Churches — an observation of tho 1^ i ''! 1: li ! -j j 1 1 ! \ 1 i I ; ■ 'i 1 ' /t 56 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. greatest importance. A single quotation from Bede will bo sufficient proof for our purpose. In his history, spoaJcing of Lawrence, St. Austin's successor, he says : " For as much as he knew tliat the life and conversation of the Scots (who inhabited Ireland) as well as the Britons, dwelling in Bri- tain, to be in many respects nncanonical, he wi'ote io them a letter of exhortation ", in which he says : " But knowing the Britons, we thought the Scots were better ; wo have, however, since learned from the conduct of Daganus, a Bishop, and Colurabanus, an Abbot, that with respect to thiAr conversation, the Scots differ not from the Britons in any point, for Daganus coming to us, not only refused to eat with us, but would not take food in the house in which wo were eating," * *Bedfl, lib II., cap. 4. i't: CHAPTER III. THE LIGHTS OF THE DAJiK AiiES. When the dark agcfi boK^n — how they favorod the dnaigiia of th" Papaoy— the rise of Mahoinetauisiu— inteHtiiio v.-ai's — I'viisades — extiuotion of kaniint-— rapid growtll of error — the darljness ot'tlio times — Bede— Alfi-od-Oroteste et a!s— Monastic insti- tutions — tlieir list' and abuse — England's Cliurcli sliil iiide]ii-nrtoi;t— the luoriiing Stab of the Bel'ormation arista — the Church of Euyhiud lakes the lead iu the work ot reform. APAL Homo was now securely seated upon the seven hills of the eternal city. She rose like some JJ) giant spectre, ca^^ting her dark shadow over every nation of the West, obscuring the glorious light that had brought life and immortality, by her mummeries, her super- stitions and her enchantments. It is due, however, to the Church of Eome to admit that, while she was a material agent, she was not the sole cause of the sad condition of the nations during the dark ages. Many things combined to produce this result. The dark ages of the Church began during the 7th cen- tury. They foliowr ' nearly the analogy of day and night. The decline of mental and religious light was gradual, ini^ perceptible, and eluded public observation, except to a few faithful sentinels, who kejit constant guard on Zion'"s walls. These were like beacons, radiating their steady light when all was dark besides. These studded the moral hrmament like a few scattered stars borne on the .rain of night. Their wmtch-words were the creeds, articles, sacraments and or^ ders of the apostles and the primitive Church ; all of which could be proved by most sure warrants of Holy Scripture. These things the Church of Eome sought to corrupt by tho " i i i I ! 58 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. importation of new teacliings, strange rites, more tlian doubtful ceremonies ; but she did not do this at first by au- thority, or b}' universal consent, or by the force of law, or by the recognition of the Church ; but by the prestige of lier own name, introducing gradual change, which in pro- cess of time became fixed custom, a custom which ere while was sanctioned b}^ authority, then enforced by co-ercion and persecution, until she was ^^ drunk icith thehloodof the saints and with the blood of the marti/rs of Jcsiis." Simultaneous with the o\o of the dark ages arose another cloud of death still more dense and more terrible in the fanaticium of Mahomet. He institiUed a religion of ambition, of blood, and of sensualit}'. Its spread was so rapid as to be compared t' he flight of locusts. During the space of ten yeai's and a half the Mahometan power could boast that it had subdued Syria, Chaldea, Persiu an'l Egypt, taking thirty-six thousand cities, towns and castles, destroyed four thousand Christian churches, and in their stead built four- teen hundred mosques. In the sacking of Alexandria, its splendid library, the finest in the world, was consigned to the flames, through the fanaticism of Omar, the Mahometan General, who was ignorant of literature and science : but who in the midst of his triumi)hs was asassinated by his slave, A. I). G43.^ The fanatical hordes of the false prophet decimated whole cities of Jews and Christians ; they spread universal-terror and planted the standard of infidelity in the Holy Cit}^. This rapid spread of Mahometanism had its counterpart in the rise of the Crusaders, who were so called from wearing a cross on theii* garments and on their ban- ners. Their object was to rescue the holy city from the usurpation and rule of the fiilse prophet, To accomplish this large armies were levied on almost every country in Eurojie. To raise money to carry on the Crusade Kings pledged their crowns. Princes their patrimony, nobles their * Taylor's Mod. Hist , p. 364. THE CllUttCII ROME AND DISSENT. 50 han au* , or re of pro- ?hilo \ and saints other n the jition, Uobe of ten ;hat it taking ed four It fonr- via, its ;-ncd to ometan uo ; but by his prophet y spread ty in the had its io called oir ban- Tom the L'omplit^h untry in le Kings bles their 1 estates, Bishops their revenues, and in fact all classes drank so deeply of the popular /tmaticisni that in the course of two hundred years not less than five millions of men were drawn away from Europe, who never returned. Among the myriads that swelled the ranks of the Crusaders, Eng- Innd contributed her share — Kings, Princes of blomage and irod. The He sutf- d before it was, by a a necessity ,tion, to ag- id liberty.* things pro- e and almost iirion wane strife, and and errors of every enormity fatten on their Bpoils. The dark ages bore a ulentifiil harvest of ignoriinco, pious frauds, impos- ture and delusion. Abominations of all sorts spread like the leprosy. Dreams and visions were int<»rpreted as ili- vine omens. WitciKiraft was regarded as divine prophecy. False miracles, lying wonders, angelic apjicai-ances, ghosts revisiting the earth, extraordinaiy jDhenomena in heaven, earth or sea, wore all alike subjects of populiu* beliof and common credulity. Many of the i)ri€sthood cduld neitlier read nor write. All believed in tho impeccability of ignorance, for the llomish Church had emblazoned the motto on her Imnners " that igtwranceis themother of devotion." The priesthootl, like many pi« tended pi^eachors jftnd tsach- -crs in this, the nineteenth century, boasted that their ignor- ance, compared with the wonders they achieved, was a proof of their inspiration and of their divine call, and conse- quently they decried learning as both unnecessary and sinful. Then followed, as was to be expected, universal corruption of manners ; the si)irit of the age was on the side of vice ; the fountain head of thought and feeling was polluted ; mental and moral degradation ensued ', political slavery was established by law ; and what was worse, .a cloud of mental darkness sat like a morbid amaawia iupoB. all the nations of the West, This was Eome's opportunity to corrupt the siinplicity of the faith of the Anglo-Saxo n Church. 8he employed it by the unsuspecting introduction of corruptions of worship and doctrine. She mingled the saci'ed with the profane ; fancy and faith, Romanism and Revelation, Mariolatry and mercy, Purgatory and pardon, in such tangled skein of confusion, that the very words and terms of religion became the mere abstract symbols of decejDtion and fraud. The transition from the indirect to the direct means of corrupting the gospel was most palpable ; the change from the empyrical to the positive progress of error was rapidly I lh\ I i i til I : 1 i t 1 I mt THE CIHTRCU, ROME AND JilSSENT. maturing. ThuH, for example, w€ find that Mariolatry bo- gun, A. 1). 431 became a dogma, A. J). 1513. The invoca* tion of Haints commenced A. D. 754, and waH decreed a dot- trine at the Council of Trent, A. J). 1547. Transubstantia- tion was initiated in the course of the ninth century, and culminated into an article of faith, A. D. 1215. The su- premacy of the Pope was prott'ercd to Gregory the Great in the sixth century and iwsitively adopted by Pope HiK debrand in the eleventh, and was decreed by a lateran coun- cil A. D. 1215. The doctrine of Purgatory was broached during the fourth century and declared to bo an article of faith, A. D. 1438. The seven sacraments, by a constrained interpretation of the fathers through a long co :rse of years became a dogma A. D. 1547. The Apocryphal books were decreed to be of equal authority as those of tho Bible by the Council of Trent A. D. 1547. The sacrifice of the ma^'s, after centuries of controversy, was imposed by authority upon the Church A. D. 1563. Indulgences were ii(iopted by tho same Council of Trent the same year. Tho creed of Poj^e Pius the IV containing twelve new articles of faith, was enforced as a now creed A. D. 1564. So of all the other heresies of Rome ; they were novel, anti-scriptu- ral, unreasonable, and more or less profane. Their promul- gation violated the canon of scriptuix) and the truth, puri- ty, and unity of the Catholic faith ; and Home in defending them became htretical. Although Home adopted them, they were rejected by the Catholic Church proper, but es- pecially by the Church of England. They were infused for n time, it is true, like the virus of the plague. They were stuck unto the Church like *a fungus ; but they were no part of the Church or of her doctrine. The Church was like some majestic river, pure and limpid as crystal at its source ; but as it rolls along its bed, spreading its arms far and wide over manj' countries, through various soils, gath- ering up mud and siones, and debris of every kind as it THE t'lU'UriT, HOME ANl> DTSSENT. latry he- ) invoca- sed adoc- ibstantia- ury, and The 8U- ^10 Great ^pe HiK 3ian coim- broached 1 article of onstraired Tig CO -rse ipocryplial tioso of the sacrifice of mposed by fences were year. The new articles 4. So of all mti-scriptu- leir promul- truth, purl- in defending opted them, per, but es- c infu&ed for They were oy were no Church was ji-ystal at its its arms far s soils, gath- y kind as it progrewHcs in its iinrosisstijig march, till it becomes so foul that no beast will drink' of it. Hul by-und-by, through some mysterious agency of nuturo, (lie mud and dtdtris are filtered clear and the water runs pure again as ;it the fii>t. Lot it bo hecdfuUy noted that although this mud and rubbish was i-i the river, it was no ]»art of it; they did not destroy it. So of corruptions in the Church; they may for a time be in her communion, but they are no part of her; they may mystify and darken and confuse the faith, but they cannot destroy it: it is indestructible, imporislniblo, indefectable and eternal as the rock op aresent as oxarnplos Eonutn legends of n^ou'ern growth, which exist only in fable, mere impostures wit!k which the history of those times abound. * Table of R £ : Douay BlbLa. THE CIIURCir, ROME AND DISSENT, bo LOUhG of t is the id ; it i* t, is ever .nd ever le bonds, n, God'» by asoT- [th Noah, lerations. ill gather seTve- her Mvny^ visi- Aorts.* it h* visible- not die tili' d'epositum ' she is the mission iw God in his- the Chi^ 'otirs, so the church da- and wasted of the word. never went !i time, hut A. In proof lives of her est times. I tn tosi;ond8 of •0 impostures ta In llie very Nadir of the dnrk ages there ;ir jse a liiilit of pure brilliancy that shone like a star of the first magnitude, in tlie person of the Venerable Bede, who was born A. D. (j72, in the county of Nortlunnbei'laiKh When he was seven 3'ears old he Avas committed to the care of a learned man. He wiis of the Anglo-Saxon race, and therefore a tiMie born Euglishnum- His vast fame for learning and his eminent christian virtues attracted so much attention that he earned for himself the name of the Admirable, * and whik quite a young njan received a pressing invitation from Po]>c Hergius to settle at Eome, which invttJ»^ion he liappily do. -elined. He devoted his Avliole iife to reugion ajid learning. He possessed superior powers of mind, which sho'ike like a meteor in the dai-kuess of » barbarous age. To his vakuible labors we are indebted for even Xhoi ii^ipei-fect accounts Ave have of the Anglo-Saxons, for upAvards of thiee hundred j'ears after their settlement in IVitaiiL He earlv dcA'otsd himself to litemture, and «uvli was his (diligence awd success that he Avas admitted to the Holy OB' ders Avhen but niueteeii years of age. He Aras well ac- (Tpuiinted Avith the arts, sciences and literature of his times. He Avrote on mauy subjects, such as comments on Holy Scripture ; he translated into our oAcn language the Gospel of St. John. But his chief book is his ecclesiastical histoi'A', ivhich is tlw3 first and the best book of tjjo earh^ historv of the British Church. And although it contAins tnany traces of the supej'stition of his times, y^)^\ it is a l>ook of incslima- ble A'alue; it is universally receiA'ed; it is cited by all au- tJi(irs of ovfr}'" shatle of opinion ajuJ every religious j^crsua- sion ; and it remains till this i\i\y a book of sterling excel- lence to ii^\iiY\ student of Church Ilis^vry. We give tljc following, as a sjun-imen of his preaching, from an address to the clergy of his time '. " Take care that }'e be wiser and better in your s])ir> * ^rm\ys A/io). C»), Art, Pujje, 66 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ![ fi' ^f itual calling than worldly men are in theirs, that you may be fit teachers of true wisdom. The priest should preach rightly the true belief ; read fit discourses; visit the sick and baptize infants. * * * No one should be a covetous trader, nor a plunderer, nor a drunkard, nor be proud or boastful, nor wear ostentatious girdles, nor be adorned with gold ; but to do honor to himself by his good morals. They should not be litigious nor quarrelsome, nor seditious ; but should pacify the contending." Such then is an example of the teaching of this holy man, in unholy times. Thus the light shone in the dark ages, in the communion of the English Church, by this faithful servant of God, who has ever since been called the Wise Saxon, the Venerable Bede.* Wo have also a fine instance of the resolute manner in which the British Church jjrotestod against Image Worship, whifh was sought to be introduced by the Church of Rome, pretending the authority of the pscudo-sj'nod of Nice, in the eighth century, of which our own annalist, Iloveden, thus speaks : " With what indignation and abhorrence the decree was received by our own Britis^h Church. In this decree, alas?! alas ! many things were found unagreeable and contrarj" to the true faith; cspeciall}-, that by the unanimous assertion of almost all the eastern doctors, that is to say, of no less than three hundred or more bishops, the worship of images was confirmed : which the Church of God utterly abomina- ted. Against wliich Alcinnus wrote an epistle, wonderfully supiMjrtcd with authority out of the llolj- Scriptures, and brought it with the same decree to the King of France, in the name of our (British) Bishops and Princes. "f The next century brijigs to our ghuldcncd eyes another light of equal brilliancy to the last, and of royal rank. A youthful prince, thirsting for intellectual enjoyments, for domestic happiness, and for the word of God ; and who ♦ Life of Bede by hlmaoJl, t Uog: Hov: Tart I., aimed ad axu., A. P 702. THE CIIURCn, ROME AND DISSENT. eT Du may preach he sick !ovetous roud or ledwith . They )us ; but his holy the dark , by this ailed the lanner in Worship, of Rome, ice, in the )den, thus the decree crce, alab ! 3ntrary to asHcrtiou of no less of images al)omina- oiulevfully ures, and 'ranco, in es anotlier rank. A nients, for ; and who A. D 792. 'I € sought by frequent prayer for deliverance from the bondage of sin ascended the British throne A. D. 871. This was Alfred the Great, who was one of the brighte:>t scholars that ever shone in the dark days of our Saxon forefatliers. The noble aspirations of this royal light and patron of learning had been instilled by the fostering care of a pious and fond mother, whose persevering efforts Le duly appreciated and diligently improved.* When he ascended the throne he invited men from all parts of Europe to his court, who were eminent for piety and learning, upon whom he lavished abundant favors with the utmost liberality and good judgment. He sought every leisure hour he could steal from public business, for retire- ment, praj'^er, meditation, and reading his choice books ; and most of all the Bible. He was so passionately fond of good books, and so devoted to reading them, that he carried about constantly with him a little pocket companion, which he liad written so full that it could contain no more, arid which he read at every sjmre moment, or caused it to be read by his courtiers, f He gave eight hours a day to study and the luisiness of religion, and half the revenue of the kingdom to work's of piety, charity and the Church. He sent a missioiiary to India with alms for the suffering Christians tliorc. He established .nonasteries and schools, built several (Murches. and founded the great University of Oxfort'. He ('ividod p]ngland into counties, and again into parishes. Ho con- structed the National Legislature into tAvo C- crfy and vi]-tuc. That justice might be better administered, lie instituted trial by jury. His authority was so well res- pected that when golden bracelets Avere hung bv the public highway, by way of trial, no man touched them.| o 6 _j o 21 < g z: < >- [Q -J (.^ * D'Aiiblgiie's Hist. Rcf. Vol. V. p. Ct!. t ^8="er'B life of Alf. Grt. I^lst. of Eng. I)j; tjtie S. P. C, K. j) y. 9, ig. ir »| f G8 THE CIIUKCII, ROME AND DISSENT. He -vvrole many original volumes, and trimslatcd many others, one of which v,hen he had completed he sent a copy to each of his Bishops, accompanied with a golden pen ; thus suggesting to them the hint that it was their duty to employ it in the service o." piety and learning. lie caused the 3'oung sons of his nobles " to recite 8axon boolcs before him day and night." ^ The last ettort of his life was to translate the Book of Psalms into the common language, and so to unfold that beautiful portion of Holy Scripture to our Saxon ancestors. This victorious Prince, the benevo- leijt provider for widows, orphans, and poor peo])le, the most perfect in Saxon poetry, most liberally endov^ed with wisdom, fortitude, justice and temperance, and well de- served to be called the Great, died A. 1). 901, full of piety and honor. t lie was truly a light of the Dark Ages. Passing on a few yeai's we are surprised and delighted with anodier new and brilliant light in tiie person of the learned Lanfranc. The gloom of vhe dark ages produces the belief in man}- that all religious light had becon.re extin- guislied, especially in the Ingh ]ilaces of the Church. But those who think thus will find tiieir mistake corrected when they turn their eyes upon this indefatigable scholar and jiatron of literature and theological lore. The learningand ei-ud.itio)i whicJi ji-..d been fostering for ages in the snug riionas'tcries of Normandy, hitherto silent, buried, as it were, yet ra]>idly maturing, accom])anied the sword of AVilliam the Coii(|uei'or to I'jigland, A. J). lOOU, and gilding the glory of that great hei-o with the s]>lendour of intellectual endow- ments, Poj-emost ill the I'ai.ks stood that tinished scholar lianfraiic. who was raised to the highest ilignity of the Churi'l) of ]<]ngland, Avbose cause he 'warmly espoused as against Jlildebrand, the then l\)pe of Home. This distin- giiishcil ])relate, from his liigh ])osition, was observeij by all eyes. lie was regi.iai* in his life, devout in his Iwdtits, f- /.ss(!j\ Jjfe ol AH.. ji. 80. t Mi'rrjweaHior's J«J))ioniIn>ia, i> p. JOJ-IO*. 'r-^ HIE CHURCH, R031E AND DISSENT. # abiinclant in alms-giving; ho was an able disputant, a pru- dent politician, and a skilful mediator. The ancient liber- ties of the British Church were revived in William and Li- vane, who roused the Saxons from their slumber, and shaking off their laziness, they grasped the pen with the full nerve and energy peculiar to their nature. A great re- action was soon observable ; literature was revived and res- pected ; books were rapidly multiplied ; the gospel was more fully and faithfully preached. Lanfranc was one of the most diligent readers of the Bible and the most vigilant of guardians of that sacred volume. He transcribed the whole Bible with his own hand, and purified the text from the blunders of the monks and the gross hand-marks of hu- man meddling, and thus blessing the Ohurch with the pure text of Holy Scripture, which favorite volume so absorbed his attention that he could scarcely leave it night or day.* During the Archepiscopato of this great man there oc- curred a kind of triumvirate of power, each exerting its in- fluence in its own peculiar way for the mastery over the British Church. These were William the Conqueror, the most imperious of Kings ; Hildebrand, the most inflexible af Popes ; and Lanfi*anc, the mildest of Bishops. The King was earnest in his desire to enslave the Church to the State ; the Pope to enslave the State to t^e Church ; and the Arch- bishop to exalt Christ between them : the collision of these mighty champions threatened to be teiTible. But the haughtiest of Popes was seen to yield as soon as he felt the mail clad hand of the Conqueror, and to shrink unresistingly from it. Hildebrand filled all Christendom with confusion that he might deprive princes of the right of investiture to ecclesiastical dignities : William would not allow him to interfere with that question in England, and the Pope sub- mitted. The king went even farther : the Pope wished to enslave the Clorg}^, deprived them of their lawful wives ; ♦Malmsb. Je Gest Pontlf., b. I., p. 21(5. i i ?! 70 THE CIIUllCII, ROME AND DISSENT. I I" but Willium got a docreo passed by the council of Winches- ter in 107(), to tlie effect that married Priests living in cas- tles and toAvns should not be compelled to put away their wives. This was too much ; llildebrand summoned Lan- franc to Jlome ; but AVilliam forbade him to go. To console himself, the Pope demanded payment of the Peter's Pence, and the oath of lidelity. William paid the tribute ; but re- fused the homage. lie also forbade his Clergy to recognize the Pope, or to publish a bull, without the roj^al approba" tion.* The Pope was silent. Thua the violence of Hilde- brand, the resolution of W^illiam, and the mildness of Lan- franc, jirepared the w^ay for the Reformation in England. In the reign of Henry III, son of John, while the king was conniving at the superstitions of Eome, and the Pope ridiculing the complaints of the Barons, a pious and ener- getic man of comprehensive understanding was occupied in the study of the Holy Scriptures, in their original languages, and bowing to their sovereign authority ; and who rose as a great light in these dark times, in the person of Eobert Grostete. He was born of poor parents, in the county of Lincoln, and had the honor of being raised to that See in 1235, when he Avas sixty years of age. He boldly under- took to reform his diocese, then ono of the largest in Eng- land. Nor was this all. A-t the very time when the Eoman Pontiff, who had hitherto been content to be called the Vi- car of St. Peter, now proclaimed himself the Yicar of God, and was commanding the English Pisho})s to tind benefices for three hundred Ro77ians, Grostete was declaring that " to folloAV a Pope who rebels against the will of Christ, is to separate from Christ and his body, and if ever the time should come when all men follow an heretical poiitilf, th<;n would be the great apostacy . Then will true Christians re- fuse to obe}', and Home will be the cause of an unprece- dented schism." Thus did Grostete predict the great He- * D'Aubigue's Hist. Ref. vol. V, p. 69. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT- 71 Eng- •> I formation. Disgusted at the avarice of the monies and Priests, he visited Home to demand reform, "Brother", >>aid Innocent IV to him, with some irritation, " Is thine eye ■evil because I am goody The English Bishop cxchiimcd with a sigh : " O money, mone}- ! how great is thy power, espe- cially in the court of Home !" A year had scarcely elapsed before Innocent commanded Grostete to give a canonry in Lincoln Cathedral to his in- fant nephew. The English Bishop replied : " After the sin of Lucifer there is none more opposed to the gospel than that which ruins souls by giving them a ftiithless minister. Bad pastors are the chief causes of unbelief, heresy, and dis- oi'dor. Those who introduce them into the Chuj'ch are little better than anti-Christs, and their guilt is in proportion to their dignity. Although the chief of the angels should or- der me to commit such a sin, I would not My obedience forbids me to obey ; and tlieixifore I rebel." Thus si^ako a Bishop to this Pontiff in the dark days of England's Church ; his obedience to the word of God forbade him to obey the Pope, This was the principle of the English Re- formation. From the faithful and saintly Grostete the prophet's man- tle fell upon another not less conspicuous in that age of darkness, in the person of Bradwardine, Chaplain ofEdAvard III, who was raised to the See of Canterbury. He was one of the most pious men of his age, and to his prayers his Sovereign's victories were ascribed. He was also one of the greatest geniuses of his time, and occupied the first rank among astronomers, philosophers, and mathematicians. The word of God sunk deep into his heart, which he boldly set forth in his lectures at Merton College, Oxford. Ho drank so deep at the fovmtain of Scripture that the tradi- tions of men concerned him but little, and he was so ab- sorbed in adoration in spirit and in truth that he did not ob- serve outward superstitions. His lectures were eagerly Wl Ui \\ -72 HIE ciiuucir, rome and dissent. Jisteried to by thoiisuiids of students, among whom was young Wicklili'e, and circulated througli a'l Europe. The l^ure and simple gospel M'as their essence, as it was of the Reformation. With sorrow Bradwardine beheld Romanism mibstituting a religion of mere externals for inward Chris tianity, and on his Imees ho struggled for the salvation of the Church. Those brilliant luminaries, however, w«i"e not alone. They were centres of living light, canopied, as it ^vere, by a visible darkness, which served to shed a soft and sweet radiance to those in humblor spheres. Thej were ibuntiiins of the pure water of life, whith «ent living rills thi'ough all the land, of evnngelic truth and apostolic order. They were spiritual fathei's blessed with a numerous ott- spring. They were great masters having many seeret dis- ♦ciples ; and bravo and courageous commanders leading a no- ble army with banners. They were little circles and eddies of influence, destined 'ere long to swell into a mighty tide. This is the way that God, in the kingdoms of nature, pi'ov-. idenoe -and grace, cai'ries on his operations, often-secret to ais. , Their ifttktenee in one respect was evinced in a manner which has eclijDsed all othei* ages, that is, in «hurcb-bujld- ing; for during the .middle ages they .are said to ha\v) built five hundi-ed thouaaaid ehui^hes. It is to be heedtully noted that all those gorgeous piles of gothic cathedrals were built during the dark ages ; and when we reflect upon their size, their vast expense, their symmetrical proportions, their ex- quisite workmanship, their singular adaptation for the pur- poses of worship, we must regard them as marvels of reli- gious art, consecrated to the service of God with multitudes of prayers and chants which dazzled the eyes, charmed the ears, and captivated the souls of whole nations. They tes- tify of a strong moral and religious disposition, at the same time we must acknowledge with regret the prevalence of worldliness ai\d superstition, by the introduction of relics, THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ■6.1 was The : Iho ni»m Jhria on of i*e not , as it (ft and r were • order. 0U8 off- set dis- ng ano- d eddies ity tide. ■e, ]n*ov-. secret to manner cb-build- £^,^,^(i ;bailt Lily noted vere built heir size, 1, their ex- r the piir- 3l8 of reli- [nuUitudes armed the They tes- it the same svalence of n of relics, images, and pictures of saints and angels, and their conso^ quent adoration, the fearful sin of wliich we lay at the door of Rome's heretical Church. Nor must we overlook the singular use and benefit of .monastic institutions during the dark ayes, which were hitro- duccd into England in the time of Athelstan, A. D. 941. We have been taught by a venal press and rancourous reli- gious partizans to look upon these institutions as reservoirs of vice,as moral j^est houses, as hot-beds of crime, as Augean stables of adultery, murder and sedition, as stygian pools of odious filth, without a virtue or one redeeming feature. But what they might have become in subsequent ages, or that age immediately preceding tho Eoformation, is what wo shall not defend. Yet their use during tho dark ages is too salutary to be overlooked or ignored. These religious hou- ses were homes and asylums for many sincere, humble, righteous, but persecuted servants of God. They contained within their walls the faithful among tho faithless during ■this adultrous and sinful generation. " Many fled thither for shelter from the sorrows of life, The ambitious with blighted hopes and broken spirit; the gay, with the expe- rience of the wise man, that all under the sun was vanity; the forlorn, whom the world had abandoned and left to drift upon the rocks ; the broken hearted and disappointed, whoso course of time love might not have run smooth ; these and a thousand other malignant influences contributed their victims to those populous solitudes. Most of these were persons having no other desire than to spend the time of their sojourn here in piety, in privacy, and in peace. These are persons to whom it is impossible to refuse our sympa- thy, and whom it would be ungenerous and unjust to confound with that swarm of lazy, sensual, unlettered drones among whom it was their unhappy lot to live, and whom the shock of the Reformation dispersed." * * Blunt on the Reform., p. 62. 62 TMK cnURClI, ROME AND DISSENT. i 'II ! '■i Tlicrc can bo no doubt tliat monastcricH woro amoflir the most remarkable instances of christian munificence, and tliey certainly were, during the daric ages among- tbebeneti- clal adaptations of the talents of Christians to pious and charitable ends. They were schools of education and learn- ing, where the children of rich and poor received their ed- ucation. They were asylums for the poor, and hospitals for the sick. They alibrded retirement to those whose la- bor was done. They were homes for those calmer spirits who in th3 age of universal warfare shrunk from conflict, and desired to spend a life of prayer and praise ; they were also a sanctuary to the persecuted and down-trodtlen of man- kind.* Their endowments were princely, their libraries were magnificent in number and worth. They were finally established by Dunstan, A, D. 968. These houses of prayer were destined to play a conspicuous part in the ages yet to come. In their quiet retreats those intrepid men, the lights of the dark ages, prepared the balances by which Eome was yet to bo weighed. Here were those heavenly weapons forged that were to pull down the strongholds of supersti- tion ; and those brave spirits raised that were in future to defy the red thunder bolts of the Vatican. The day of con- flict and of retribution was coming, and in these quiet clois«« ters God was secretly polishing the shafts which should be hurled into the heart of the arrogant papacy, when the dark day of her judgment was come. They were giants, they were mighty men of renown, with lion hearts and eagle eyes, who abided their time, and then re-paid to Eome what she had so freely dealt to others. ' 'i Up to the time of the Conquest, the Church of England retained almost pure and entire the creeds and customs of the primitive Church. She retained the open Bible, and the ancient service books. Purgatory, Tr an substantiation' and other dogmas of Eome, that became the occasions of so * Hook's Eccl. Die. Art. Mon. THE CHURCH, ROMK AND DISSENT. 03 ^g tho 6, and bcnoti- iis and \ lefirn- leir ed - :)Bpitalrt lose la- Bpirits conflict, cy wore , ofman- UbrarieB -e finally jes yet to , the lights iome was weapons supersti- future to ay of con- uiet clois- should be n the dark ants, they jagle eyes, what she f England customs of Bible, and stantiation' asions of so much Hlrifo, in Hul)so([Ucnl agos, wore at this time but just budding into life, had taken no root, and were not received by the Britisli liisliops or Clergy. . The ChiuTh also retained her identity, continuanoe iind ivdfjmhloire of Home. This is abundantly proved by (be facts adduced in this chnptc .•; by the term antokq)hitloi being applied to her chief liisbops; by the fact tliat no council was ever convened without tho consent of tho Kings of England ; and that the Patriarchite of England had jiever been conferred on the Pope of Home. It follows then that any exercise of such jiower by the Pope must have been usurped and indefensible. But it may be objected, that the Bishop of Rome did in fact exercise patriarchal juj'isdiction over the British Metro- politans, by sending them their Pallium or arcliiepiscopal Pal/, at the time of their consecration. To this I answer that the pall was at first given by tho Emperors to tho Patriarchs ; when it came to bo given by tho Popes it was intended as nothing but a mark of intercom- munion Avith Rome ; it was in no sense a sign of subjection ; it was 110 necessary part of tho archiepiscopal dignity, and many Arch-bishops never had it at all. The oath of Bishops at consecration, by whomsoever taken, was anciently noth- ing more than '^ profession of faith, and any other oath was forbidden by tho Council of Constantinople, A. B. 870.* Such was the state of things in the Church of England at this period of the dark agce, when myriads behold with de^ light the Morning Star of the great i^.eformation gleaming above the horizon. Nearly up to this time the British and Irish Churches united in opposing the pretensions of the papac3^ They did not believe in transubstantistion, nor in Purgatory, nor in the worship of saints and angels, nor did they receive the seven sacraments, nor many other of the * Labbe Con. Constant, torn. IV., p. 8, j). 1131. u THE CHURCH, ROME AND firSsewT. papul innovation.s.* It Iihh boon over and over apjain nnan- swcrably j)i'oved that from the earliest times dowr to tho middle of the l?th century, that there existed in Ireland a national Church, intlependont of the See of Il(nnc, or any other external ecclesiastical jurisdiction whatsoever. It was not until tho 12th century that Ireland was Homanized, hy Pope Adrian IV oljtaining ])ermi8sion from Henry II of 3*]ngland to subdue Ireland^ for tho ostensible purpose of " mlarginy the boundaries of the Church." Bishop Eugene seems to have been the first Irish primate who was indebted to the Eoman Sec for his elevation, A. D. 1201. ' * Hart's Eccl. BecordB, Intro cavaim. POSTSCRIPT. In tho early British Church wo wish it to bo noted that there is not the least trace of those dogmas wliich are pe- culiar to tho Eoman Catholic Church, and which bo^an to he introduced very early after St. Austin's mission to tho Saxons. Tho British Church did not believe in Transnhstan- tiation; this is manifest, First, from the silence of all the ancient British authors. Crildaa, the most ancient British author, who flourished A. D. 5-16 does not make tho slightest allusion to it. This is an important fact, lasmuch as by his great erudition, sanc- tity and wisdom, he acquired the name of the Wise. The same may be said of Nennius, who was a " lowly minister " of the Church, and who wrote A. D. 755. In his work no allusion is mado to it, nor to the seven sacraments, nor to Purgatory, nor to tho worship of tho Virgin, nor to the In- vocation of Saints and Angels, nor to tho adoration of Im- iiges, nor to tho Celibacy of the Clergy, nor to the sacrifice of the Mass, nor to Masses for the dead, nor to any of such like novelties, which were imposed upon England by tho importations by the Priests of Eome, in subsequent times. This is more manifest, secondly, from tho plain and posi-> tivo teachings of later authors who examined this question jln every degree of thoroughness. But as circumstances oblige mo to observe tho strictest literary economy, I can- not attempt to detail their statements ; but only refer to the said authors, which can bo consulted at leisure by the curious, who have access to the foUoAving works : Bede's Ecclesiastical .History of the Anglo-Saxons. - - 66 THE CtlDRcH, Rome AND DISSENT. Ill^ 5 |il llf'» I Ushcr'H Brit. Eccl. Antiq. ; and his Discoveries of the Roiigion anciently professed by the Irish und British. otillingfleet's Origines Britunicio. Lanigan's Eccl. Hist, of Irehmd. Spilman'M Concilia, at the beginning. Wilk. Coucil I, 37, 67, 75, &c. No doubt but the cu/sory reader of Church History will fool some difficulty in view of the above statements as con- flicting with the nai-rativcs of I>r. Lingard (an able Eoman Catholic writer), in his work on the Anglo-Saxon Church, where he is at great pains to show that the outline of the Papal dogmas, which I have- denied above, was held and taught in the Church in Britain. But to reconcile this seeming contradiction we have only to bear in mind that Dr. Lingard confines his statements almost wholly to the doings of St. Austin and his partisan successors, who intro- duced along their own line the novelties of which we com"* plain. They, on their arrival, did not find these novelties in the British Church ; but they imported them from Rome, and imposed them upon the Britons by the agency of the Saxons, who had conquered the former people. But Dr. Lingard is very chary of his dates. He scarcely mentions any of these novelties earlier than the eighth or ninth centuries, the very 7iadir of the dark ages ; a time when the British Church was so enfeebled by the Saxon and Danish conquests that the}^ had almost lost the power of resistance, though they retained the spirit. The intro- duction of Papal novelties begun with St. A'lstin, and grad- ually grew in number, power and pi^estigo through all those long ages of darkness till the great Reformation, when the Church of England, after many a deadly struggle, finally shook them off, by reforming herself. In this view then Dr. Lingard sup^>orts oi'r position rather than contradicts it. When St. Austin, on his irv iop. of piety and love to the Anglo-Saxons, had discoveiuc*. the ancient Church of THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSKNT. (57 tho will con- jinan urch, .f the 1 and 3 this I that to tho I intro- e com- voltics Kome, of the jearcely eighth a time Saxon power le intro- Ld grad- \\\\ those [lion tho I, tinally low then |itradict» love to Lurch of I the BritLsh ])eople, he sliouid have joined its communion, instead of which he started a separate and indo]KMuient Qiurch, which, it is humbly conceived, was a fatal mistake. The action of Kome in this matter was in many ])arti(.u • lars analogous to fS-iit of the Methodists in tho United States, after the revolutionary war. They should h".ve joined the mother Church of the new country, the Protes- tant Episcopal ( /hurch, Catholic, Apostolic, and Divine as she was ; but their setting up a Church of their own author- ity, was no doubt a grievous error in judgment, if not in heart, and almost analogous to the action of Ivome in Eng- land A. I). 59G. There is, however, one matter of material difterencc, I am free to admit; it is this, St. Austin had the true Divine ministry and sacraments, v/hercas the Metho- dists had neither. IVom the Clerical Biography of the dark ages wo select one as a specimen, of whicli we believe there were many, exhibiting the character of THE GOOD Pi^ESON. Frovi Chanser. A TttUE, good man there was there of religion, Pious and poor — the parson of ii towr, i'ut rifli ho was in holy thought and woil? ; And thereto a riglit leariu;d mau ; a rlurk That Christ's inire gospel would gintjorely jireaoh, Aud liis (larishioiierB d»'Voutly teach. Uenit,'ii h( was, and wondrous diligent, And in adversity lull patient, Ah prcve.i oft, to all who lack'd a friend. Loth lor his tithes to b.in or to contend, At every need much rather was he fouuil, Unto his poor parishioners around Ot his own substance and hisdueb to give. Content ou little for himself to live. Wide was his i''i of hf<' ho from the gospel caught; And well this comment added he thereto, If that gold rusteth, what should iron do ? And if the priest be foul, in whom we trust, What wonder if unletter'd laymen lupt? And shame it were in him the flock she aid keep. To see a sullied shepherd and clean »jheep. for sure a priest the sample ought to give. By his own cleanliuess, how his sheep should live. OS \l li '& il THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. He never set his b^-neflce to hiie. Leaving liis Hock aocoutrul in the mire. And rail to London cogjring at St. Paul's, To ficck hiniHflf a chauntcry lor oouls, Or wltli a brotlierhood to be enroU'd; But dwelt at lionic, ainl guarded well his fol cw ill. lv\\ ma- Hi, and lighted on the disciples of Christ, inflaminii; them with cun- ning, and strengihening thorn with grace. And hecause the doctrine and preachiiig of them .should go IhrouglKMit all the wercl (world); tirst, they were io he inibrnietl and taught cunning (skill or knouledge), and to he strengthened with audacity (confidence) and grace, and then to be ci,(lucd {with) and given all manner of languages, that tiicy might preach to all manner of nations, so that those nations that they preached to might undeitstand them, and every nation his own tongue. And 80 these A])ostles, after that they were inspired with the Holy Ghost, wheresoever they preached, were there never so many nations ])rescnt each nation thought that they sp,okc thc-ir own language, etenini illud loquebantur variis Unguis Apostoli. Friends, three things bo necessary in preaching to hint that shall preach through the world as the Apostles did^ that is to say, cunning, boldness , and languages ; if they ha<.l luul cunniag and none audacity, but have feared to havc- f reached, it should little a (have) profited, as we have ex- amples daily at Cambridge, exempli gratia, de clerico quis' studuit sermonem, &c. And if they liave both cunning and audacity, and have none eloquence nor co])iousness of language, so that he preach that (which) his audience in most exercised in, that they undcrstaaid him, else it protit— eth not. Therefore these holy Apostles before they should preach first they were to be confirmed and strengthened. Our Ijord strengthened them by under-nemying, informing, and helping, (culpando, q f) ut in evaigelium recumbentibus, &e. He strengthened them with nis help and grace Avhen he breathed in them, saying, "Ajcij)ite spiritum sanctum, et quorum remiseritis peccatfi, remittuntur eis, et quorum re* tinueritis retenta sunt, &c." (John xx. 22, 28) ; he strength- ened them also by his doctrine, Avhen he said, " Petite ot accipietis ; si quid peteretis patreu; lit nomine meo, dabit T 70 THE CHURCH, ROME AND PISSENT. Hi ':m i vobis." (John, xvi. 28, 24). IIow that j-ou -liould pray to (lod and iisk, I taught you on l^]:i.ster day ; thorofore ye shall pray (Jod by good working, right full laboring, and in good doodn per.scvcring. Friends, ye ought for to ask God that your joy may be a full joy and perfect; we may never have a full joy in this world, whereas ever among followeth heaviness. A man joyeth sometimes in gold and silver, and in great substance of earthly goods, in beauty of women ; but this joy is not j^erfect, but this joy is not stable, but it is mutable as a shadow : for he that thus joyeth in tlie beauty of his wife, it may fortune to-morrow ho shall follow her to church upon a bier; but if ye will know wliat is a full and a very joy, truly forgiveness of sin, and everlasting bliss, whereas is never sickness, hunger, nor thirst, nor no manner of disease, but all Avealth, joy, and prosperity, &c. There bo three manner of joys, the one void, another half full, the third is a full jo}- ; the first is plenty of worldly goods ; the tlie second is ghostly grace; the third is everlasting bliss. The first joy, that is, affluence of temporal goods, is called a vain joy, for if a miui wore set at a board with delicato meats and drinks, and he saw a cauldron boiling afore him Avith pykke (pitch) and brimstone, in the which he would be thrown naked as roon as he had dined, for (though) he should joy much in his deliciose (deUclous) meats, it should be but a vain joy. Right so doth the covetous man, if he see what pain his soul shall suffer in hell, for the miskeeps ing and getting of his goods, he should not joy in his treas- ures, ut in libro Decalogorum, " Quidam homo dives, iilidmit in mul- titudinc 'vitiaiuni siiarura, quasi ovcs in inferno posiii sunt {Psahn xlix. G. 14j, " (^iii gloriantur, in Domino o-lorionlur," ./(/•. ix. 24) ; thcrefnre lot us joy in lio])o of cvorhistin;^- joy and bliss. Gaudcte quia nomina vcstra scripta sunt in cjolo, ot gau- dium vcstrum sit pionum, {Luc. x. iJU.) A full joy is in lioavon. Et in Jioc apparet, quod magnum gaudium est in ca^lo, quoniani ibi est gaudium quod, " oculus, non vidit, iicc auris audivit, nee in cor horainis ascendit, qua? Deus ])repar.- livit diligontibus/' ( 1 Cor. ii, 90) ; et idoo Fratros, variis Unguis loquens (precor), ut gaudium vcstrum sit plenum, vel, habeatis gaudium sempiternum. "iters , .!"•- o. dc, i cov' r As a sample of the devotional poetry of the dark ages, perhaps the following pages, which are quoted by Bishop Kip in his " Christmas Holy Days in Eome ", may not be deemed unworthy to find a place in this volume. " No one ", says the Bishop, *^ indeed can read tb of the 'Ages' which we call 'Dark', without fee beneath the surface was a depth of devotion and a of intellectual light for which they have never reeei^ credit. An isolated passage, or a brief allusion perhaps a thorough acquaintance with a truth \v;(n . we have been accustomed to consider entirely forg . ^ /n until re-disco vcred at the time of the Ecformation. Look atone high example of this in the poems of a Spanish cavalier, Don George Eanrique, who was kiUed in the year 1479. Where in the present day can you find a clearer statement of one of the great doctrines of our faith, than is given in the following verses ?" * O Thou, iYa, for our sins didst tato A human form, and humbly make Thy home on earth ; Thon, that to Thy divinity A human nature didst ally 12 THE ClIUUCH, HOyK AM) D1HST.NT. !| I IH': -5 ■ i' \ iii :'n By mortal birth— And ill that furin didst sufTcr hero, Torment and uj^'ouy, und fciir, So I atieiitly; By Thy rode<.iuiii{,' grace alOLe, And not for lutriis ol'uiy own, O pardou uicl" And yet tliis was written years befoi'e Luther was born ; .and it was a popular ballad in Spain, sung in the castles of Iker nobles, and in her peasant liomes through many a re- tired valley, nearly halt a century before the Eeformation began ? But it is, we rejoice to say, the doctrine of the 11th Article of the Churcli, and of the lUlsthymn, and also of the Apostle, liom. v. 1, Ei)hesians ii. 8, 9 ; for it was tlio .doctrine that ho ahvays preached. OlfAPTER IV. ANTECEDENTS TO THE EEFORUATJON. The marvels of nutare aud graco — public opm'on— Papucy v.iiolly assumptlvf?— NVii'klifte— his boUl attack— Rome's treatment of him— -Parliaiui'iitary and Symnlical enactmeuts against tlie Piiiiaoy—luvestittire— homage and tribute— ProvisorB—Clar- «ndon Canons— Prffiniuiiiro— Magna Chaita— appeals to Home prohibited— the Bible iranslated— iuveution of papoy and printini,'— the cry lor refoxir tion— the uubroken succcsflion Ciigliind'. served with mysterious surprise an almost unaccountable phenoraenon in the primeval forests of America. From -ul>lic opinion iirst made itself felt in the world ; in every age of modern Eu- rope it has been an important clement in social life. Who can tell whence it arises, how it is fashioned ? AN^e may regard it as the most peculiar production of our common nature, as the nearest expression of the inw^ard movements and revolutions of a great frame of society. It springs from and is fed by secret sources; without requiring much force of reasoning, it seizes on men's minds b}- involuntary con- viction. But it is only in its most general outlines it is con- sistent with itself; within these it is reproduced with va- rious spinal modifications, in innumerable greater and smaller circles. And since a host of new observations and experiences arc perpetually flowi'ig in upon it, since there are original minds, that are moved indeed by it, but not w'holly borne along b}' its current, and that exercise upon it a vigorous reaction, it is hence involved in an endless series of matamorphoscs. It is transient, multiform, some- times more, sometimes less in unison with truth and justice, being rather a tendency of the moment than a fixed system. Frequently it only accompanies the occasion that calls it forth, and fashions itself to its complexion; but now and then, when it encounters an unaccommodating will which it cannot overcome, it chafes and swells, and assumes a character of exorbitant demand. It must be admitted that it commonly displays a just apprehension of wants and de- ficiencies ; but the course of proceeding which these de- mand it is not in its nature to conceive with any instinctive TiiK riu'iirn. home and nissEST. 78 Uid roli- i is ]»ro- aled. > favored lowover, give it Ji "It is lion lirst lorn Jul- fc. Who We may common ovements •ings from mch force itary con- }s it is con- l with va- cater and lions and nee there t, but not |rcise upon n endless hrm, some- |,nd justice, }d Bj^stem. lat calls it now and ill which [assumes a dtted that its and de- these de- linstinctivo accuracy. Thus it happens that in the course of time it runs into directly oii]>osite extivmes. l\ helped to estab- lish the Papacy; in helped likewise to demolish it. In the times under our consideration, it was at ngh to leaof the most mestiiwable of all earthly gifts, a pious mother, 'I^ who early impressed on hir* plastic heart well detined images of C'hinst and bia truth.. Being a boy of quiciv parts, a retentive memoiy, and un- common intcli'3Ctual ])0wcrs, he made rapid advances ini learning, and was duly installed at an early age into the great University of Oxford, where he was charmed and ia- structed by the bold and inspiring teachings of the lion- hearted Bradwardine, the then master of Merton College, He sounded the depths of the Aristotelian system, mastered * Vaughen's Tife olWiekliflf* ^ THE cnUttClI, ROMl AND MSSENT. 77 itl like- ,lh-l»c(l Tories, s, \'\ko oivlori* s many on wurt I'uclion lie* I liii*- •oinotcd Doiuin- 4. " Be • money ) see sor- pnkind,- e h}poc- \n York- o revive bo aiTO- l^ickliffou le of all ed on hir* us tv.utli^ and un- iinees \n into the d and ia- the lion- College, mastered the round of the subtilo schoolmen, lournodall thai could bo known of civil and canon law, but most of all, drank deep at the foiintaindioad of the pure water of life, the Bible, on nccount of which he beeamo dislinle attacks. Wicklitfe, being himself a sin- cere believer and a devout Christian, could not endure the scandals by which he saw Christ itinity brought into con- tempt. As a secular clergyman, and as a champion of the fteculars, he hated the friars with a cordial hatred, and seemed to take p'leasu-re in exposing their hypocrisy and fraud. As a naan of learning, the first in his day, he would give no quarter to monastic ignorance. As a subject of England's King, he would allow no divided tdtlegianee in the Church of England. In sacramentals he assailed the doc- trine of Transubstaiitiation, that prolific source of mischief, with an unsparing hand. As an ec/clesiastic he openly and boldly denied the assumed superiority of the Church of itome over all other Churches, and the power of the keys as per- taining to the Pope more than to any other Bishoj). He flbly maintained that the Holy iSeriptures contained all things necessary to salvation, and that all had a right to ij"ead them for themselves. Thus laying one of the chief * Carvvjl ben's Hist. Ch. ■ f ling Vol. J,, p. 26, .i8>, <> V ' "° ^J\%^ w p IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 fm iiM '"■ ■« IIIIM |3 6 li^^ u ja III 2.0 II jj. U III 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^. A ^^^ ^.<^ r^^ '^'^".,., ^> <^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14S80 (716) 873-4503 o ■6 78 THK CHURCH, BOME AND DISSENT. I loundations of the great Eeformation, achieved two hundred years afterwai-ds. He denounced pilgrimages and indul- gences as vain and unprofitable, the worship of the saints as unauthorised and idolatrous, and the forced vows of celi- bacy as unlawful, and above all wo find him anticipating Luther by proclaiming th&t J ustijication comes by faith alone. These teachings he clearly and openly annunciated to tho thousands of youth whom his learning, piety and ability at- tracted from every land.* Wickliffe being a man of dauntless courage and profound erudition, he naturally alarmed Rome, who in turm by her aiTOgance stirred England's heart to its depths. When Wickliffe was forty years old, he was present in Parliament during a discussion by Lords and Commons, of himself, the Pope and Ehgland. Tho debate was lively, characteristic of the times, and most momentous. Parlia- ment decided unanimously that tho Pope had no Jui'isdic- tion in England. That no prince had tho right to aleniato the sovereignty of the kingdom without the consent of the other two states, and that if the pontiff should attempt to proceed against tho king as his vassal, the nation would rise in a body to maintain tho indcj}endence of tho Church and the Crown. Tho Pope yielded his temporal claim ; but resolutely holding on to the spiritual, he summoned a con- ference at Bruges, before which the intrepid reformer had to appear. A kind of tem])oriiry compromise was entered into, which however the British Parliuaient rejected, de- claring that "every agent of Home at the English Court ought to suti'or death." On Wicklitle's loturn to England ho was ])resonted to tho i-eclory of Lutterworth, by which he added to his influence as a master of thoolog}-, that of a jiarish Priest. Here ho denounced tho Pope as a "cut-])urse.'' His doctrines were perceived to be spr'ja DISSENT. d5 committed to prison for nine months : and no ]»apul legate was allowed in England for nearly a hundred years, except in a private capacity. The «xt matter of controversy which arose between Britain aud Homo wjim one which agitated every part of Kurope, that is, the right of Investiture, which is the act of conferring a benetice, by delivering a pastoral statf and ring. The immense ecclesiastical power IJome had acquired over the western nations was sought to bo strength- ened by the Pope claiming the right of investing all the Dioceses of Europe with his own creatures. He attempted this in Kngland. From William the Conqueror the Po]io doni. nded homage and tribute. The sturdy king paid the tribul(5 as a charitable donation; but withheld the homage. From time immemorial every British Bishoj) elect received the investiture of his temporalities from the king, from whom all the Bishops held their Church lands as Baronies. Homage and Ibalty were required from the Bishop to the king, who in return gave the Bishop livery and seisen of the temj)oralitios of the Bishopric, by the delivery of a ring and a staff. But when the papal pretensions increased, a council at Rome strictly forbade the Clergy to receive investitures from laymen, or to do them homage, * whether kings or otherwise. When this was soui'ht to be enforced in Kntr- land, the Church, with the king at the head vigorously re- sisted. Long and angry debates ensued. The Britons maintained with great re.solution their rights and ancient customs. At last, however, in the Council of London, held A. D. 1107, f a compromise was eifectod, by the king 3-ield- ing the staff and tho ring ; but retaining the rights of the Crown with regard to in vi^stiture, fealty and homage. Rome thus gained some material advantage, which she dexterously used, as she well knew that Episcopal consecration was in- Cinvitho;!"* Hit CU. of Eag., voK I, p. i;j t^vrf. Ej,;1. U(Vorls, p ;j). M Tlie CHURCH, ROMK AND Dt88Zt(f. complete without the ring and croei^tt",- and by withholding those symbols of pastoral authority she could op«fi'ate agiiinst the earlier stages of election y bat it is noteworthy that iri this confliet she did not destroy the independence of the Eng- lish Cliurch, Indeed the advantage gained by Eome, though operating for a tiifle in be* favor^ yet it was an ir- ei'picnt antecedent of the future Reformation, During the subsequent reign and the raging cfT civil war» the papal party made large and rapid advances towards complete independence of the civil authorities. They set «p- spiritual courts which exempted the Clei'gy from civil jurisdiction. This un warrantable act of usurpation^ through the fiery zeal of Thomas a Becket, led to consequences the most alarming, one of which was the murder of Becket in his own Cathedral, on the 30th September, 1110, and who was canonized on the 29th of December following. The British people noW detei'mined if possible to break the ix)weT of the Clergy, and so check the assumptions and all further aggressions of Rome, For which purpose Henry 11 in January 1164 asscKtblcd the two Ardvbishops, twelve Bishops, and fort^'-two Barons, at Clarendon, near Salsburyj 1v here they passed the celebrated Constitutions of Claren- don, which were wisely designed to fix the liJnits of the secular and ecclesiastical judicature, and laid a basis on which these? sepftratejwrisdictions might be formed withotiit diminution of the regat attthority. They enacted ; " That ecclesiastical persons and their retainers sho«ld be under* the civil authority; that the jurisdiction of the spiritual courts should be curtailed ; that no appeals should be made to Rome, nor interdicts nor excommunications received from it without the consent of the king ; and that all r&v- enue» of vacant preferments should belong to the king."^* Thus did the British Church and people resist Rome's on- ward progress in these turbulent times of war, superstition * Bate's Col Lect., p. 204. THE CHUHCn, ROME AND DISSENT. m and ignorance, in tho struggle they maintained tor indepen- dence. During the next century another bold step was taken l>y the British Church which .greatly aliuined tho Pontiff C'lo- rnent IV, who had decreed that the first two vacancies which should occur in the Anglican Church should be given to two of his cardinals. This was called I^eovision, This usurpation of the Pope occasioned much discontent in the Church of England, and at one time the evil had become se intolerable that it produced frightful disturbances. This ^matter was at last brought to an issue in the time of Pope Gregory IX, who granted a provision on the patronage of one Sir Eobert Theeringe, a Yorkshire knight, who resented it so highly as to associate with himself some eighty others <^vho had received a like ti-eatraent, by whom the Pope's creatures were seized, and even his envoys were wickedly murdered. The King, Henry III, interfered to I'estore peace, and Theeringe, betaking himself to Rome was recon- ciled to tho Pope, and recovered his right of patronage.* The king desirous of guaranteeing the religious liberties of England passed a statute, with the consent of parliament, A. D. 1350, called the act of pvitsors, which made void 'every ecclesiastical appointment wlijcb was made contrary to the rights of the king, the chapters or other patrons. Thus tho privileges of Church patronage, and the Anglican ■Church herself, and the English Crown, were secured and maintained tn^^ewJew* against the invasion of foreigners; and imprisonment or banishment for life was made tho pen- alty upon all offenders against the law. The act ofprovisor then was another antecedent step to the Refonnation, for which the Anglican Church was preparing by a slow but sure process. The act of provisors, however, produced a reaction which had not been forseen, which was, that aggrieved foreigners -*■ ' ' -■■■ ■ " .... — .. - — ■ I. .., . - . ■ . ■ ■ ■ .. ■ ■ ■ 1 1 I — — .1 - .. - y. «jp[oo]c'8 Ch, Diet. Art..ProTi9lo]|^ 88 THE cnURCH. ROME AND MHSENT. in Eni^'Iuml hiiving no rodrcsH at home lind rocourHO to ap- l)ealH to Itomc, NNiiich however had the ctl'ect of an action in Chiirt'h and State of a still more stringent nature. To prevent these appeals to Konie thoParlianiont jwissed, A. I). 1352, the act of pracmtmire, which runs thus : " That who- ever procures, at Home or ol.?owhero, any translations, ])ro- cesses or cxcomniunications, bulls, or instruments which touch the king, against him, his Crown and realm, and all ])erson8 aiding and assisting therein, shall bo put out of the king's protection, their lands and goods forfeited to the king's use, and they shall bo attached by their bodies to an^wer to the king and his council ; or process of praemunire facias shall be made out against them. All persons who accept of any provisions fro'n the Pope, to be exempt from canonical obedience to their proper onlinary, are also sub- ject to the penalties of praemunire." "If the act of mortmain put tlie Pope into a sweat ", says Fuller, in his quaint way, " this of prajamuniro 2)ut him into a fever." " One Pope called it an ' execrable statute, a horrible crime.' " * Such are the terms Rome employs to all who thwart her ambition. Once more the Pope resolved to retrieve his fallen for- tunes. Again the nation protested against his arrogance, and then claimed their ancient liberties ; nor would they rest till King John signed the famous Magna Ciiarta at Runnymead, on the 15th Juno, A. D. 1215. This instru- ment is the boast and glory of every Englishman. It is the foundation of all true liberty in Church and State ; on Brit- ish and American soil. It is a glorious instrument and wouUl have been perfect had it contained but one moro sentence : " The Church of Engla^id is free." " On the signing of the Great Charta," says D'Aubigno, " the Papacy shuddered in alarm : the shock was violent. In- nocent swore(as his custom was),and then declared the Great Charta null and void, forbade the king, under pain of ana- * Fuller's XIV Ceut. THE onUllCII, ROME AND DISSENT. 80^ tlioma to rospoct the libortiosVhich he had confirmed, m- cribod the conduct of the Barons to the instigation of Sutan, and ordered them to malauds, novel mummeries, and- astounding miracles. She exhibited fingers of the Apostles, a tooth, a rib, and a tear of our Lord, to the wondering multitude. The rod of Moses, the pap-dish of the Holy Child, tiie hem of Joseph's garment, and a lock of hair of Mary Magdalene ; a feather of the Holy Ghost, and one of the angel Gabriel ; the slippers of Enoch, the snout of a ser- aph, some of the rays of the star of Bethlehem; with innu- merable others, not quite consistent with decency to be here D'Aubi^e'B Hist, Bef., vol. V., p. 74, and Mat, Paris, p. 222 / r 00 THE CHURCH, ROME AND PISSENT, II if' t 'ii described. * The times wer^propitiov.s to this superstitions^ mummery, corruption, hypocrisy and worldliness. Thou"- sands, however, were v aiting the dawn of a better day, when? God by his power would break their bonds and continue the- liberty of his ancient Church and maintain its indepen* dence. With enduring patience and unwavering faith in' God they honied against hope. vStrong in the panoply of truth they met with dauntless courage the oft repeated on- slaughts of Rome. In firm and steady step they advancedi when opportunity ofl'ercd. In phalanx deep and broad-they/ sustained the shock of battle. With implicit faith in tlie' ultimate triumph of truth they abode their time. They made no more haste than the certitude of speed. With a lioly con tiding instinct which never erred and never- deceived they descried the approaching hour of Rome. The signs of the coming judgment were budding out one by one. With the joy of voluntary martyrdom they be* held the ultima ratio of the Vatican, whose last expedient has always been the fagot, the rack, and the gibbet. With. hearts firm as adamant they looked upon the kindling fircr around,. well knowing that Rome could go no further; she- might destroy the bodj^, but she could not bend the will : and. if they could brave this, they would overcome and vic- tory wa*i theirn.. God wlio sita in the heavens and derides the machina- tions of his enemies, chooses at leisure his times of working, his instnimonts of use, and his modes of operation. The- set time was come. When ho works, who shall hinder ? O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and know- ledge of God ! His ways are past finding out ! Simulta- neously, as by the touch of a magician's wand, the mighty txrtu of making pajier and pHn ting books are invented. Ncr tinie in the world's history wan more propitious. Just at the needed moment this wonderful machine .vasdroptas it * Brady'8 Anal, of Cal, vol II., p £. «3, 8i. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 9t were from tlie clouds. Wickliffe had labored for yeava in translating the Bible into the English tongue, perhaps with no hope of its circulation but by the slow and laborious pro- cess of transcribing it with the pen. By the time paper was so matured as to be fit for printing, the press was in- vented, and WickliflPe's Bible was in the hands of the rich and the learned ; the j^rinter gave it to the people, who re- ceived it with the joy, " as the joy of harvest." The sight of a printed book was electrifying. " It was Minerva leap^ ing on the earth in her divine strength and radiont armour, ready at the moment of her nativity to subdue and destroy her enemies. We may see in imagination this venerable and' splcnditl volume gathering up the crowalod myriads of its followers, and imploring, as it were, a blessing on the now art by dedicating its first fruits to the service of heaven." * With the art of printing came a revival of letters, and a rapid spread of learning. Tiie eagerness to read the pre- cious volume became irrepressible and almost universal. The peasant in the field, the domestic in her kitchen, the parent in the family, the mechanic in his shop, the clerk in his office, the monk in his coll. the clergyman in his parish,, and the master in his college coukl read in " his own tongue the wonderful works of Clod." Books flew as thistle down on evei-y posting vind to all corners of the world, the peo*' pie read, thought and compared the hideous deformities, in- the name of religion imported by llome, with the Scriptures and primitive teachings and usages. They becarat) suspi^ eious, dissatisfied and disgusted ; the cr^'- for reform was sooit heard ; it waxed louder and louder; they demanded refor- mation not revolution. " Restore the old, destroy thenovel ", said they. Fiom the stand point of Scripture and primitive custom tliey surveyed with iiorror and indignation the idol- atries and corruptions which ilomo bad for ages imposed and forced upon the ancient British Church. In. the \Vi\>Ui- * Uttlbara.'s IJt or F.iiroj.c, Part P., Cap. m, p, ir.:\ =-' ^c- 92 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. U "I «t !i i ! ! ii . I they found no Purgatory, no worship of the Saints, no ad- oration of images and pictures, no transubstantiation, no auricular confession as the alone condition of absolution, no papal indulgences,^ no supremacy of the Pope ; in a word they found none of those popular novelties which had been invented by man, and imposed by the authority of Eome upon the credulity of the people, and had no higher author- ity than mere human assumption. Hence the old voice of Bangor, Icolmkil and Ctcrleon called once more for reform, the cry became universal, it spake in thunder tones. The l>eople ])rotested and took their stand upon the immortal dictum, subsequently announced by Chi Ming worth: "The Bible and the Bible only is the religion of the Church.^^ While the reformation was thus beginning in real earnest- ness in England, the Church of Eome had her hands full of her own domestic troubles, in the great schism- of the west, by which two rival Popes distracted that Church for forty years. In the meantime the reforming principles were rapidly spreading in Italy, France, Germany and Bohemia, in the defence of which John IIuss and Jeroiiie of Prague fell martyrs for God and truth. Kome, however, soon found time to pay some attention to England. Henry IV, the son of Wickliffe's old defender, wa«« now on the throne, to secure which he lent himself to Rome, and by whose influence he instilirted a persecution against the Lollards, Wicklitte's followers. A pious priest nameyayer with, labor,, and over evinced a confiding trust in (Jod. Uncon- wious of a double motive or of moral wivRg,. he dreaded no surprise and felt no:>hanic j being a man of upright Chris- tian life, virtue was his true nobility. He kept the- true- faith and guarded it with sslecpless vigilance. Cheerful^ sprightly and humorous, thotigli never guilty of levity, he was in the highest sense a leader. Having a well halanced judgment, he was a just arbiter of disputes. He was able in debate, and being a go >ve the rtcn:- ft -vvas easy- ion, natural rne in mind A to d»T»ger» i all sidetj by n imperious t of duties of wsand other pire, in the niing point by cision might oi long want- chooses HiB Tij^sterious to y ho quietly Realty of his d the king, in tier much ha^ id dissent. But ; parlizanSjtlHi folVowiug facts cannot bo overlooked by any upright mind wishing to arrive at a just conclusion. Henry had beea married to his brother Arthur's wife, with whom he hid lived for twenty years. When his only surviving daughter Mftiy was about to be espouslergy^ except Fisher, Bishisp of XJoelwsstter^ and iiJir Thomas More, both of wUowi fiell martyrs to tliieir refu- tial to acknowledge the kini^'s supremacy. Thus Hesry became the occasion but not the cui/nc of the Beformation '. the tumiutipomt^ aud not the father of that happj*- event. Home, dissent and infixlelitj have united in some paitis- taking effort to gloss the Church of Ktigland with a dash of !! III I ' 102 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. colors, in which they have painted the sad and gloomy character of Henry, indeed as a brutal prince ; as if his gen- eral conduct had any es^^ential connexion with our Kefor- mation. There is nothing more absurd than to defend the one by the other. It is often seen that an inscnitable Prov- dence brings about the most glorious ett'ects by the most vicious of instruments, causing the wrath of man to praise him. Admitting, for argument sake, all that has been said against King Henry VHI by our adversaries; admitting also that he was a leading agent in eftbcting ' still the workman is not the work. The Tem])le of 8( .onion was built with cedars of Lebanon, hewn by workmen oi heathen Tyre. Did that make it a heathen temple ? Jehu did not please God, but his reformation did. Nebuchadnezzar, C}'- rus and Ahasucrus were idolaters, but their edicts for God's people and service were approved by him. The temple in which Our Lord was presented, and in which he preached and worshi})ped, had been repaired and restored by the im- ])ious and cruel Herod, who sought Our Lord's life. Ci'uelty and injustice were necossar}" in putting Our Lord to death ; still his redemption was well pleasing to God. We are not careful to defend the character and conduct of all those who had any part in the Reformation ; but we bless God for his work, and for mauy of the instruments he raised up for it, and for over ruling and directing others to his own glory in the gootl of his Church. * Not a few worthy and able men have l)elieved, and many still believe,that the Church of Rome was so corruptand her- etical as to destroy the very essentials of a Church ; and con- sequently the Church of England must be either a corrupt^ ed form of the Romish, or she is a new Church, sprung up at the Reformation. She is neither the one nor the other. In her darkest days and in her closest communion with Po- pery,she was a Church, though an errin^one. Thelsraelitish * Tlieoph. Anglice,, p. 188 TlIE CnURCH, ROME A.VD DISSENT. 103 d gloomy if hi8 gen- our Kefor- lofend the table Prov- ' the most M to praise IS been said ; admitting • ; still the jiomon was ,n of heathen ehu did not inezzar, Cy- ct8 for GoiVB le temple in he preached pd by the im- life. Ci-uelty ord to death J We are not all those who s God for hift isod tip for it, ; own glory in ed, and many )i*ruptand her- rch ; and con- her a corrupt- ch, sprung up nor the other. Ill) ion with Po- Thelsraelitish ^ Church still remained a Church even under Ahab ; the Jew- ish Church still existed under the Pharisees ; the Scribes sat at Moses' seat anil were to be obcyeil in all tilings law- ful. Jerusalem was " the Holy Cily", though its rulers re- jocted Christ. The Church of Ct)rinth still remained a Church, though guilty of carnal divisions, hcesy, drunken- ness and incest. The Christian Church existed even when " the whole world groaned that it had become Arian." The ark of God was still the ark of God, even whilst it re- mained in the hands of the Philistines; and the vessels of the Tempi were Holy, even at Babylon. The Church of Pe'gamos was still a Church ; although it was corrupted by the doctrines of Baalim and of the Nicolaitanos. So the Church of England, though she had fallen from her former purity, was still a Church while under the assumed sway of the Pope. If she was not a Church then, we admit that she is no Church now: we would then allow that she was founded at the Reformation, that is, that she is the work of man and not the work of God; that she sprang from earth and not from heaven, that she is a new Church, and there- fore no Chui ch at all. For if the Church had not been founded by Christ and his Apostles, it could not have been founded at the Reformation, nor at any time since. But^ we submit it to all devout and sincere searchers after the truth, that the Church of England was a true Church, and (papal corruptions excepted) the same Church we have de- scribed before papal times, in them, and after them, that she is to dt\y -'-. From the very beginning the ancient British Church had the essentials of a Church. She receiv- ed and held the Catholic faith. She had the Holy Scrip- tures ; the two Christian Sacraments ; the three creeds ;; the Apostolic Ministry ; the Lord's prayer; thoten Com" mandments; and was at unity within herself; and thus she- was a Church. Nor did Rome ever ».y itroy *■ Tbeop. Anglic j p. 194, 1»5. '! io-i THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ( 1 • !! Uiciii, thoiigli she greatly obscured thorn, and fearfully marred them by her corruptions, which, it was now the ob- ject of the Tteformation to sweep away. '' iiut," it is said, "do not the tliirty-niue Articles con- tain an exposition of the doctrjiies of the Church of Eng- land, and were they not tirst drawn up, as they now stand, in the year 1502 ; and if so, who'e was tlie faith of the ■English Cliurch before that time ? And, if she had no Ar- ticles of faith, how could she be a Church? and how there- fore be united in doctrine with the Catholic Church "? We will answer these objections, and explain the Church's relations in the words of Canon WordsMorth, from his Theophilus Anglicanus, a little book that ought to be read .iuul mastered by ev<;ry youth of our Church. "Where," says the Canon, "' we might ask in reply, was the faith of the Universal Church of Christ before the year 325, when tiie Xicene Creed was promulgated? And the answer would be, it was in the Holy Scri})tures. as in^- terpreted by the Church from the beginning. 8o the Church of England holdn neither more nor less than ' the faith once (for all) delivered to the saints.' The thirty-nine ArticlcK contain no enactment of anything now in doctrine ; but they are only a declaration of what is old. In them the Church of England aflirms that Jloly Scripture 'containethall things aiecossary to salvation ', and that hf Holy Scrij)ture she means -those canonical books of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church ', in which she asserts that the three ci-eeds which have Ijeou received by the Cath''!ic (■hurch ever since they wore framed, 'ought thoroughly to ibe i-cceived and believed.' She j'cjects the practise of pub- lic prayoi- in a tongue iiot undcivstood by the people as 'plainly rt*|)ugnant to the word of (rod, and the custom of the primitive (Miurch, Similarly she appeals to ' .ancient jiiithors', 'ancient caui^us ', 'Fathers' and 'decrees' of the \y Scripture, to bo Ik)- lieved on pain of daianation, on t'le authority of tliis Coun- cil, which was uncauonical in its convocation, illegal in its convention, and nncatholic in its constitution. Thus she- claims to herself the power of publishing a fifth gospel,, or rather, as may be truly said, she convicts herself of obtru- ding on the world a now religion, and of being so far a imv Church."* Here let it well be observed that the Churcli of England never received the doctrines of the Council of Trent. The king^s siipremo.cy be-ing settled, the work of doc- trinal rnd liturgical reform was next to proceed. On this subject, the B-^hopa were equally divided, although all but Fisher were unanimous in renouncing the authority of the Pope. On the side of the Reformation were Cranmer, Goodrich, Shaxton, Liitimor, Fox, llilsey and Barlow. The liomanists could boast of Lee, Stokesley, Tunstal, Crardiner, Sherborne, Nix and Kite. Of the king it may be justly said that he \va« trusted by neither i>art3'. lie was but a poor reformer. He had written against Jjuther ; but lie- likewise had driven the Pope- from England. lie had burnt Protestants for opposing the Papacy ; but he consigned Pa- pists to the scaffold for denying his supremacy. He divorceli. Anglic, p.p. 19"^ 199. n u >\ ■ I \ A I 106 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. Henry, however, had passed the rubicon, and he must now proceed. His first onslaught was made upon the mon- a^stcries, in demolising which he accomplished two ob- jects: the first of these destroyed the homes of those reli- gious fraternities that still stood by the Pope to a man : the bccond was the appropriating to himself ami his creatures immense revenues. By this act he scattered forever the most turbulent disputers of his supremacy, and obtained ample funds for the carrying out his more private designs. In the month of October, A. D. 1535, the visitation of monasteries began, the first resignation being dated Novera- b>;r 13th. The next year an act for the dissolution of the smaller monasteries was passed. A. 1). 1539, the Parliament ratified their dissolution and granted their revenues to the king. On the 22nd April 1540, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem were suppressed. Five years after this all the colleges and chantries wev) granted to the king, except the two Universities.* :<■', For ten long and stormy years this work of destruction and sad excess went on, till the hearts of the multitude growing hard by custom were equal to the most appalling enormities. " Monk and Nun turned out of house and home, pensioned indeed, but pensioned with a miserable equiva- lent. Their beautiful dwelling places laid low, that all hope of return might be cut off; their cells surrendered to the bats and owls ; Uieir chapels made a portion for foxes, the mosaic pavements torn up, the beautifully painted win- dows dashed in pieces, their bells gambled for or sold to foreign lands, or sunk in the bottom of the ocean ; all ut- terly dismantled ",f save a few only of the larger ones. Their magnificent libraries, containing many rare and val- uable folios were treated with barbaric contempt. " Some books", says an eye witness, " were reserved for their jakes, some to scour their candle sticks, some to rub their boots, «Bate'KCol. Leut., p. 239. t Bltmt Ktform., p. 15S. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 107 »d he must on the mon- d two oh- those reli- a man : the lis creatures forever the nd obtained ate designs, visitation of ated Novera- lution of the e Parliament •enues to the .f St. John of ■• this all the ig, except the )f destruction ;he multitude lost appalling )use and home, rable equiva- low, that all ;urrendered to ion for foxes, y painted win- for or sold to ocean ; all ut- e larger ones. y rare and val- jmpt. " Some for their Jakes, lb their boots, I., p. 150. isome s a creature. Tiiis book was an attempt to ■Hweep away tbc dusty, mustj', cumbering, confusing and idolatrous rituals of l^imc ; and substituted in their stead a simpler and purer service for the worship) of the Creator, the Triune Lord -of Ilcavon and earth; and condemning the former rituals as ^-orrupt, idolatrous and blasphemous. This book Avas a very simple ritual ; but full of the seeds of truth and devotion. It contained the ten commandments and a short exposition of them ; the Creed and the Lord's Praj-cr followed by a brief paraphrase. After this followed the .salutation of the Virgin, taken from the Gospel. Then the geven penitential psalms and a Litany; concluding by somo ancient prayers and hymns. It will thus be seen that in the publication of this Primer there was no innovation ; but the simply brushing away of the accumulated novelties of papal times. The putting aw^ay of the new and restoring the old; which was done regularly and by authority, beginning in the right place and at the right time- The book was received with boundless demon- stration of joy from tlie people, for whose use it was jn-in- cipally intended. The next year, as Reform progressed by slow but sure and -steady steps, the Convocation and the king adopted a con- fession of faith in the form of Articles, although not ■with- out considerable debate and opposition from the Papal party Avho were powerful in l)oth Houses of Convocation, and as it might be expected the articles themselves were not so or> thodox as they were afterwards made. They were designed as a national confession of faith for the establishment of ■guietness and unity, and as they contained propositions favor- able to both parties, they were signed by both, and were THTfi CHURCH, EOAIE AND DISSENT, 109 ■ God and his Iiip, at least [•cc'iatlni>" re^ crvice of God 11 attempt to Diifiising and n their stead f the Creator, ndemningtlie icnious. This seeds of truth Inients and a Lord's Prayer followed the 3l. Then the iding" by sonio )f this Primer ihing away of putting away one regularly ce and at the ndlessdemon- it was prin- V but sure and idopted a eon- ugh not with- e Papal party itioTi,and as it )re not so or> vero designed ablishment of ositions favor- th, and were for a time a kind of compromise between them. They were ten in number, very dffiuBO and wordy in style, of which I will give a brief summary, chiefly by way of illustrating the progress of the Eeformation. It was declared ; First, That the articles of the Christian Faith wore con- tained in the Word of God, and in that were briefly enume- rated in the Apostolic. Nicene and Athanasian creeds, and that all other doctrines were declared heretical, espe- cially^ such as were condemned by the first four General Councils. Secondly, That baptism is a sacrament necessary to salva- tion. In this article the opinions of the Anabaptists and Pelagians are condemned as detestable heresies. Thirdly, That penance, which consisted of contrition, con- fession and amendment of life, was a sacrament. Fourthly, That in the sacrament of the altar, " under the form and figure of bread and wine, is verily, substantially and really contained and comprehended the body and blood of Our Saviour Jesus Christ." Fifthly, That justification signifies " the remission of our sins, and our acceptation and reconciliation unto the grace and favor of God ", and is a gift of God "promised freely unto us, for the sake of Jesus Christ, and the merits of his blood and passion, as the only sufficient and worthy cause thereof." Sixthly, That images might be used as kindlers of devo- tion, therefore it was expedient that they remain in churches. Seventhly, That saihts might be honored, as they were in heaven with Christ ; but not with that honor that is due to God only. Eighthly, That prayers to the saints were laudable ; but that we must not think of obtaining blessings from them, only we may pray to them that they may pray for us. Ninthly, That ceremonies are useful to raise men's minds to God, since they have a mystical signification. ! ■ li i\ I! 110 rriE CHURCH, llOMfi AND DtSSSSf. Tenthly, That as it was charitably, mentioned in the book of MaccabecH, recommended by many ancient doctors, and a usage which liad coiitliined in tlie Church so many yearn, even from the beginning, to pray for the souls of the de- parted, no man ouglit to be grieved at the continuance of the practice ; but it was allowed that " the place where they be, and the name thereof, and the nature of the pains there be uncertain by Scripture "; yet all idea is distinctly reini- diated that any pardons fi'om the Eishop of IJome could de- liver souls from rurgatoiy^ and send the. direct to heai- ven. * The mixture of the old and the new learning is very ob- servable in these articles, which properly speaking formed a transition j)CTiod. The reformers were treading on dis- puted ground. In view of the powerful oi)position they had to confront in Gardiner, Stokesley, lunstal and their parti- zans, they knew well that if they wore precipitate, over- reaching or unaccommodating, and fastidious over small matters, they might lose everything. They were therefore content to gain what they could ; to receive the truth as it were, by instalments^ and this they secured by these ten articles. For by obtaining these, they cut away no less than four out of five Eomish sacraments ; clearly showing that if the reformers had not convinced their opponents, they had at least silenced them. In addition to the Primer and the ten articles there way issued in the course of the next year (1537) another book, (jntitled, *' The institution of a Christian man." Concern- ing this remarkable book there seems to exist considerable historical conflict. Collier, followed by Carwithen and oth- ers, affirms that this treatise was drawn up three years bo- fore its publication by the Bishops. They speak of it also as having been published by autJiorify, without, I humbly conceive, sufficient foundation. I have examined several * Abridged from Hardwick's Hist, oltho Articles, App. I., p.p. 224-234, iriE CUUllCll, R051E ANIJ DISSENT. Ill in the book octors, and nany yearo, of the de- tinnunce of where they pains there tinctlyrepii- Qie could de- ii-ect to hen.- o- in very oL- kiua: formed ding on dis- tion they had d their parti- ipitate, over- s over small ere therefore le truth as it by these ten y no less than lowing that if nts, they had iles there was another book, N." Concern- t considerable ithen and oth- hree years bc- )eak of it also out, I humbly mined several [., p.p. 224-234. 'i authorities on this little treatise ; but the most satisfactory, to me at least, is the account given by Hard wick. " TiiK Institution was drawn up by a number of commissioners; but never regularly submitted to convocation ; and although published by the king's jorintxi^r, it was not, like the former book of artivdes, provided with a preface by His Majesty, commanding it to bo received by his subjects. Being thus destitute of royal authoritj' it is called the Bishop's Book:, It consists of an exposition of the Creed, the Seven Sacra- ments, the Ten Commandments, the Paternoster, Ave-Maria, Justiticatiou and Purgatory, The introduction to it is no more than a letter from the commissioners to the king, an- nouncing its completion. This drew from him a very- guarded answer, whicli, while committing him to the assent to its publication, does not so to a full sanction of its con- <>onts." ^^ It has for years been to me a painful conception that those good and great men, the Eeformers, who had obtained suck a triumph in the articles of 1536 as to prune away four of the papal sacraments ; and then in the next year so stultify themselves as to publish by authority their sanction of the m'i^hia] sevai : '' the j'e-inb'oductiou of matrimony, confir- mation, orders and extreme unction, with the title of sacra- ments, into the 'Institution of a Christian Man', is deplor- able as a retrogressive step, But Br. Jenkyns has called attention to a MS. fragment of the articles of 1530^ sub- scribed b^"^ Cranmer and other members of the reforming part}', i?i which the above sacred rites are actually styled after the manner of the ^old learning', though defined in such a way as to distinguish them entirely from the rest. This circumstance lead Dr. Jenkyns to the conclusion ihat Stokesley, Grardiner and others of the anti-reforming school, preferred t) remain silent on the subject in 1536, rather than io adopt those restricted definitions " f as are published in * D. -dwick, Art., p. C4, Note. t Httrwick, Art, p. 50, Note. rr (. ; J' \i I i i 112 TBTE CfiUftCH, ROME AND DIS8:BNT. the articles ; but seized the opportunity of patting forth their old favorite dogmas in the Bishop's Book, which was put forth without royal authority. The restless irritation of the Romanists would not, I^ '- ever, allow the teaching of the Bishop's Book to go unchecked ; so they issued another book entitled Thk necessary Doc- trine AND Eruidition OP ANY CHRISTIAN MAN. This being issued by the joint consent of Parliament and Convocation , and obtaining the royal sanction, went by the name of the King's Book, which was a slight modification of the Bishop's Book, in favor of Romanism, and the party being powerful it once more revived the dying hopes of the Papacy, and the Reforming cause for a time seemed to halt ; which served as a period of rest for the Reformers to survey their position, draw their forces more closely together, and to brace themselves up by devout prayer and faith in God for renewed exertion. The power, temper and interest of the opposing parties would not allow them to rest long on their oars. The temporary flush of success the Romanists had gained by the issue of the King's Book, spurred them on to a bolder effort, which secured the enactment of the six ar- ticles, which, by reason of its severity, was called the whip with six stings. As we have before said, that the king was at best but a poor reformer, and although possessed of the supremacy, his face looked still towards Rome ; he sent a message to the House of Lords that he was desirous of unit- ing his subjects in religious opinion. A Committee was formed to draw up some articles of agreement ; but it was composed of such discordant elements that after eleven daj'-s of almost fruitless debate they could only report their con- clusions to the house in the form of six questions, which however became law A. D. 1539, with an evident intention to catch Cranmer within its folds. He stoutly opposed it, and spoke against it with great force and ability, even to its last stage. When the Bill was about to pass the Arch> THE CHUnCH,, ROME AND DISSENT. 113 forth h wa» 3cked ; I Doc- being cation , ! of the )werful cy, and which sy their and to God for ,t of the on their Bts had m on to } six ar- he whip ing was i of the B sent a ; of unit- tee was it it was v^en days leir con- 8, which ntention posed it, , even to e Arch> bishop left the House, with the consent of the king. It passed the Commons without opposition, and soon obtained 4he royal assent. This sanguinary act occasioned immense suffering, andi confirmed the temporary triumph of Gardiner and his party over the friends of the Reformation. Though the Papal ju- risdiction had been abolished, yet the people were now op- pressed by a yoke still more galling. As God tempers the weather to the shorn lamb, so he prevents the faithful from sinking into despair. Under this calamitous reverse two circumstances sustained the courage of the reformers, and checked their enemies from improving their success into complete victory.. At the request of Cranmer the free cir- culation of the Scriptures in our own tongue was granted by Letters Patent to private persons. The people, long thirsty for the word,, now rushed to the waters of life and drank freely, and whosoever had the means bought the pre- cious volume. A man would be seen at the lower end of his church on a Sunday reading it aloud, whilst numbers flocked i around him tc listen and to learn. The Reformation thus. I became a common topic among the people in the streets,, ■^ shops, alehouses, taverns and elsewhere. The other cir- cumstance that encouraged the reformers was the well- timed sympathy of foreign Protestants, which nerved and strengthened their hands. For although our reformers were never Lutherans^ yet Cranmer knowing them well from his residence in Germany, was fulh'' convinced that their causes had much that was common to both.. This cordial unity and co-operation between the two peoples led to what ia called a German mission to England, which was fraternallj'' received by an English Committee. These two commissions had several conferences, which resulted in the draft of a scheme of Protestant unity, containing the very pith and marrow of the English reforming dogma: it comprised thirteen articles, which were afterwards amplified into oui- III il I i 114 TFIE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. present tlnrty-nine, forming the connecting link between thorn and the Augsburg confession of faith. These articles are another transition step in the progress of the English • Reformation in advance of the former ten Articles, taking a higher and purer ground. Thoy also show that the Augs- burg Confession was by no moans the sole source of the thirly-ninc, as many historians and divines have erroneousl;y' supposed ; in fact very few authors have noticed these thir- teen articles at all, although thoy ^'car the signature of Cranmer, * and one copy is said to be extant t'orrected by the king's own hand writing. f Such was the condition of the Reformation at the death' of Ilonry. Any one caring' to understand the true state of things at that period, will be surprised to find how small a* share of the real reforming work, especially of the internal portion of it, can be aserilied to the good will and sound, policy of that Prince. How few the materials and how slender the foundation for the unwarrantable statements so persistently put forth that Henry VIII was the Father of the English Reformation. Still we aeknowledgo with dc" vout thanks to Almighty God the use Ho made of him in accomplishing the overthrow of the papal supremacy, and other acts of external refoi*m, in which he seemed to be but a blind and passive agent, drifted by concurrent influences,. mostly intended by him to subserve his ambition, passion and interest, with little or no view of the purity of the Church or the glory of God. On the accession of Edward VI, the Josiah of his age, the balance once more swung in favor of Reform. The Papal party looketl on with amazement and chagrin ; nor did they relinquish the advantage they had gained during the latter part of Henry's reign without a strup-gle. Joy and gladness inspired the hearts of the reformers, and re- 1 * See Hardwick, Art., p.p. 73-78, and Ap. II, where these Articles are fully discussed, t Hardwick, A#t. p. 68k THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 115 between 3 articles EngliHh • IS, taking the Augs- ce of the roneouBlj" licso thir- ;naturo of rectcd hy the death- lie state of ow small a' he intcvnal and sound. s and how itcments so ) Father of re with dc" D of him in ■emacy, and led to be bnt t influences,, ion, passion urity of the of his ago, eform. The :;hagrin ; nor ained during :ruggle. Joy mers, and re- are fully di8CU88e4« I t animated their hopes. The eft'ects of the brief reign of this young Prince was faintly analogous to the Saviour's word; to the stormy sea of Galileo : " Peace, bestUV The Church had rest and prospered. Cranmer, to whose unmatched counsels, was now called the immortal Ilidley, the Bishop of London. As the ranks of the reformers were marshalled and the old veterans fell in one by one, they addressed them- selves astutely, but with pious caution, to clear the track of all opposing obstacles, and unitedly resolved at all risks to complete the work they had begun. The lieformation wa8^ now to advance. The word Bikle was the countersign by Avhich all the friends of the great general wore called toi their posts. The first of those successive publications by which Cranmer pu- ritiod the faith and built up the Church of England, was EiiASMUs's Pahai'iirase op THE New Testainient, a copy of which, as well as the Bible, was set up in every parish church throughout the land. He well kncnv that this di- vine sword wa-s the heavenly instrument by which the mor- bific excrescences of Rome were to bo severed from the tnmk of truth. Although he had far more offensive weaj)- ons in his armory than this, yet the time was not come that would have justified their use.. This act was wise, moderate and conciliating, for Erasmus was a liomanist; but from; whose eyes the scales were fjist falling. The next was a book of Honulies, twelve in number, sup- posed to have been Avritten by Cranmer, Eidlcy and Lati> mer, for the use of public congregations when a competent number of ministers of sufficient qualifications could not be found. These Avere written in a simple style, well under*- stood by the common people; they embrace topics of grave- importance to every man ; they " contain godly nnd whole- some doctrine ", and were designed as a bulwark against popery and fanaticism. Gardiner, the leader of the Papal party, violently opposed these;, bu.t fkiled. to establish an\r t I D j:: Mi 116 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. well ^rouiidod objections, m thoir material is drawn from- Scripture and authorities universally acknowledged in the Catholic Church. Passing over a host of smaller books and tracts issued by the roforuiors, as we cannot discuss them all, we come now to consider that which by God's blessing has done more than any other book in the world, except the Bible, to purify, restore and, conserve primitive Christianity; that is. The, Book of Common Prayer. Although it dates its origin, progress and completion from the reforming period, yet we shall not attempt to give its history, exposition or defence, as this has been done so/well by ableivpens, such as Wheat- ly. Comber, Procter, Boreus, Hallam and others, in separata and masterly treatises ; to ar - one or all of these authors we respectfully and confidently ^fer our readers : and con- tent ourselves in ajiswering a popu and trite objection, against it, as a manual of liturgical devi. ' on for common or public use. Our readers will pardon the- brief digression. Let it be premised as an aekT>owledgedfact that this book, is designed, for public and commoL use. and only ostensibly for family use, and less so for priv.'te use, as perhaps few things should obtrnTaco )W. aliho- Bts fail from ^e " pa- rtition, , and 80 Church of Enghind, hy a kind of short I'lit. If \>y the (i;)|>ii wall this be meant, then we deny the soft impoachmoni, and charge back upon our objector the inipulalion of ign'^>runco of the Cliurch, her literature and her ettprit dc coi'^ys. If by the paper wall be meant all tho^e actn, docreos, articles, canons and the like which were enacted by railiament. Convocation and Synods, by which the Church of lilngland became Protestant, as opposed to Rome (for she is Prolo^tant in no other sensj), and by which she rofoimed herself from the heresies and corruptions of the Pai)acy ; such ;is the supremacy of the Pope, TramsubstantijiUnn, Piufrfitrny, Priestal Confession, Celibacy, Invocation, and th' like; then we aiimit the charge as true ; and wiih mm! i;aj)or she presents a wall to Rome that she will hcvim- ; orco with her keenest lance, or dismantle with llu" most t; 1 1 ible of the thunderbolts of the Vatican. If by tb.o paj)er wall be meant the massy volumes which her divines have ^iven to the world on the Protestant controvei'sy from the Refor- mation to our times ; such as Cranmer, Tillotson, Pearson, Barrow, Hooker, Taylor and other celebrities ; then we ad- mit the ohjecton with all its force, and all the opprobinm it is intended to convey; for by such paper wall the Church of England stands the acknowledged champion of Rome, and the strongest bulwark of Protestantism in the world. She has written more and better on this subject than any other communion in Christendom. If by the paper wall be meant the Bible, then in that respect we occupy the same vantage ground with our opponents, for what have they as a dividing line from Rome but the Bible ? But lot not our objector overlook another fact, that by the very same Bible by which the Church purged the Prayer Book of papal her- esies and idolatries, she at the same time and from the same heavenly page rebukes the schisms and the assumptions of the sectaries of every name, in every age, and in every place. But we will digress no further. 118 THE CHUltCII, EOME AND DIiSSE-NT-. The Book of Common Prayer was revised and confirmed towards the clos-e of Edward's reign. The CMergjMvere di- rected to enforce attendance on the new service, under se- vere penalties. Such holidays as were retained in the cal- endar wore to be ke])t. The marriage of the Clergy was declared to be legal to all intents and purposes, and their children Avere enabled to inherit according to law, The Church had now almost attained the culminating point of the great Eeformation. Primitive doctrines and usages had been brought back. The Prayer Book and articles had been received with joy by the people. The gangrene had been removed ; the waters of the sanctuarj'- had been filtered clear ; the dust and cobwebs of Po])ish times had been brushed away ; the ark was again afloat ; the Church had been reformed regularlj^ canonically, legally, Scripturally ; but now alas ! the spoiler comes. On the promature and much lamented death of Edward, his sister Mary ascended the English throne, A. I) 1553. Mary was violently bigoted to the Popish superstitions, and having lived in continual restraiiit she was reserved and gloomy. Irritated by the pretensions of Lady Jane Grey, and 1 )' many other causes, her temper rendered her furious. Steps were soo\i taken to revoke the Eeformation, i-es'ore the old superstition, and reconcile the kingdom to the Pope. The ])opish prelates were set at large and the Boformers occupied their colls in the Tower and elsewhere. The for- mer to polish and make ready their carnal weapons for the final combat; the latter to ])olish their heavenly arms for mortal combat, in which they must die; yet in dying con- quer. The crisis was inevitable; it was the last; upon this everything for the future wOuld turn for weal or for woe, The tc mpcr of the times fa vored sanguinary measures. Men thirsted for blood. Both parties had persecuted. One from the necesiiity of the case, the other from priiiciple, and tberefore from deliberate choice. The faggot, the rack and niE CEfURCn, ROME AND DrsSENT. 110 irmed re di- er BO- e cal- V wa*^ . tlieir The oiut of id been id been filtered ad been rcb had turally ; Edward, D. 1553. ;ionB, and •ved and me Grey, H' furiouri- u, :-es;ore » the Pope, ieforiners The for- )ns for the arms for lying con- , upon this n- for woe. ures. Men One from nciple, and he rack and the gibbet, were the ftivorite engines of papal wartaro, and by Mary's accession and policy they were placed at Eome's commaiid ; nor was she slow to bring them into the liekl. The llomanists, headed by Bonner, as! ardent, vere ; it ' the cu- ceremo*- or those aints at xtreme prison ", with cilable ;. y at va- circula- •om the the life it of the S to v^X- h i._i):"'J- igantic Tcy the '3 bodies and souls of men ; but the reformers broke its power by the truth, fidelity and suflFering. Rome in persecuting times appears robed in superstition, mitred with an assumed omnipotence, by which it wields the keys and the crosier, with a licentious leer in her eye, and like a tiger bathed in blood, ever ready to spring upon her hapless prey. Her feriLures are stamped with the glowing characters of the history of the past, and we know her when she crosses our path. Our glorious reformers knew her too ; knew how to deal with her, how to oppose her ; for they learned by the cruelties she inflicted how to contend with her in her might, aud they have perished or triumphed for our good. In every age, and under every sky, when Home has had the power she has ever exercised it in deeds of jjersecution. Her footsteps are stained with blood. When her name is mentioned it brings with it images of the scaffold, the stake and the flame ; and wo, m more than imagination, see the persecuting vandals st- Tu'Jng in the gloom ; the lurid glare of burning faggots l\t).r. :;> their fiendish faces, and now and then a shriek is ho v'-i 'o tell the r>ieaning of the scene. The stigma of })lood, un'i -., sh • repents, will rest on her ^jrever; the spot will remaiii, whatever grave apologists may say or write. She has branded herself with her own hand, and all the perfumes of Arabia cannot sweeten that hand again without deep re- pentance and reformation, for while the worldstancls Rome will be known all over it as the guilty pcrscc!itor of the aints of the Most High. Should any of our Roman Catho- ■' 'brethren think this an over-drawn picture, we respcct> UiAy refer them to the history of the various Inquisitions of Rome, Goa, Portugal, Spain and Venice. To Fox's Sook of Martyrs; to the persecutions of Piedmont, of the Hu- guenot8,and,of more modern times, of the Madai family, the /acte of which no justly judging man can doubt, and no de> vout Christian can read these facts but to shudder at, abhor and condemn the spirit and genius of the system that en- Tr ^ 122 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. acts them. England's Church during this sad ordeal saw her ** noble army of martys " translated by chariots of fire to the bosom of God ; the last wave of the storm was a wave of fire which burnt out of the Anglican Church the plague spotof Eome ; but, as the > \rn of Elizabeth shows, she retained her iden- tity and contw o ; her ministry unbroken ; her sacra- ments and her li.-.h unj)olluted; herself independent and free. Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints whose bones Lie scattered on Britannia's mountains cold ; Even them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When erring fathers worshipped stocks and stones. Forget not : in thy book record thoir groans Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold Slain by the " Bloody Mary ", who rolled Mother and 'nfant down the rocks : their moans The vales reCjubled to the hills, and they To heaven . Their martyred blood and ashes sow Over all the Italian fields, where still doth sway The triple tyrant ; that from these may grow A hundred fold, who, having learned the way, Early may fly the Babylonian foe. CHAPTER VI. MSB OF THE MODEEN SECTS. The word sect explained — the puritans — rise of the sects — the "Frankfort troubles " —the new discipline — Canterbury and Geneva — the sects have no historical existence —Baptists — Calvin the father of Presbyterianlsm— the inward call— Congregationalists —private judgment— the vast number of sects — with whom lies the Church-making I>ower — dissenters — decline and fall of the sects— they unchurch themselves — John Knox and his followers — the Crorawelliau period — the Church triumphs — Lord Macanlay — his ignorance of the Church of England. HE word sect in this chapter is used in the sense of the denominiitional distinction of those communions 'which I have, by a vohmtary act of their own, re- moved from the ancient foundation of the Catholic Church, and assumed a position of their own, by which they distin- guish themselves both from the Church of England and from one another. xVny intention of using this word in an invid- ious or in an opprobrious sense is entirely disclaimed. At the death of Queen Mary the Church was left in a state of disorder bordering on anarchy, and the discordant ele- ments were so incohesive that it required almost superhu- man wisdom in the next reign to bring out of the existing chaos any harmonious elements of strength and beauty. It was however an era of groat men and great things. On the accession of Elizabeth the work of reconstruction was resumed, under Archbishop Parkor, Bishop Jewel, and others, who still adhered to the foundation princi])Io of the Reformation, that is, the purification of the vtsihle Church according to Scripture and primitive custom. The Marian ■{>crsecution was stopped, and steps were immediately taken to revise the liturgy of Edward VI, which by the act of 124 THE cnURCir, ROME AND DISSEPTT. , ( Ri n 1^ 1 Ui In III ^ Uuiformity was enjoined to be used in all places of public worship on St. John the Baptist's festival. No sooner had the Church emerged from that sea of fiery persecution under Bonner and his coadjutors, than she was bese with new diiliculties from a party of extreme reform- ers called Puritans. The religious element during this reign resolved itself into three distinct courses of action, which ultimately a'csul ted in giving rise to the modem sectstof sep- aratists, or dissenters. Fh'st, there was the papal ^wr^y- which adhered to][all the dogmas of Rome, as defined ana confirmed by the Council of Trent. This party began to stand aloof from tbe Church on the first accession of Eliza- beth, and finally dissented trom her A. D, 15G9.* Secondly ^ there was another extreme piirti/, the Puritans, who were again divided among themselves into Anabaptists, Pres- byterians and Independents. Thirdly, between these two ex- treme parties, of Rome on the one hand, and dissent on the other, stood the Church of England on the ancient ^ Catholic basis, occupying a kind of middle ground be- tween the above named extremes ; whose position is well expressed in the following golden sentence : " It liath been the wisdom of the Clmrch of England, ever nnce the first compil- ing of ita 2ndjlic liturgies, to heep the mean between two extremes ; of too much stiffness in refusing, ar.d yet of too much easiness in admitting variation from it^ f While Cranmer and those who acted with him knew where to stop, the extreme re^ forming party ran to the wildest extravagances j an inci- dent natural perhaps to all reforms. The Church of Eng- land was content with I'eforming abuses; but the puritann aimed at revolution, as their subsequent history abundantly proves. We have now to find the connecting links between the causes and their eflcets which resulted in producing the modern sects. Historically, no doubt, the latent causes laj' ♦ liate'a Col. Loot., p. 272. \ Preface to Prayer Book. ! II THE CHURCH, home and dissent. 125 of public a of fiery she was ) reform- hiH reign 1, which ff of sep- al parti/ nod ana >egiin to ►f Eliza- ^econdli/^ 10 were s, Pres- et wo ex- sent on ancient md be- is well tth been compil- tremes ; iness in those ne re-* n inci- fEng- iritann iantly their foundation in the extravagances of Wicklitt'e. Nearly all the principles peculiar to modern dissenters, and which the Church has always refused, may, with slight attention, Ix) eliminated from some of the extreme tenets of Wield itl'e, some of which even he held as doubtful. But the Lollards evolved the starting points, the puritans discussed and f^hap- ed them nnd modern dissenters have matured and adopted them. While Wickliffe boldly taught all the reformed doc- trines proper, he also taught, perhaps from the necessity of the times, community of goods; that Church property might be alienated by the popular will ; that the character of the Priest atfected the validity of the sacraments ; that unor- dained men might assume the functioTis of the Priesthood ; that a presbyter had power to ordain ; and many such like tenets.* During the Marian persecutions many of the English Rq- formers fled to the continent of EurojK) and assembled at Frankfort, where they met Anabaptists, Presbyterians, Inde- pendents, Lovests, and many others, all commingling and dis- cussing their incipient multiform speculations as to the Church of the future. This produced the well known Frank- fort Troubles, which like Eandora s box fdled all Europe with the manifold evils of dissent and schisn\, leaving noth- ing but hope at the bottom. On the return to Englanvl of the refugee reformers, many of them resolutely determined to force their novel systems upon the reformed ChiTrch of England, where they were headed by Thomas Cartwright, and in Scotland by (he famous JohnKnox. Cartwright and his partj' continued to hold their peculiar opinions, but re- fused absolutely to separate ; but the Presbyterians under Knox flatly objected to the fundamental constitution of the Church, although reformed. Out of those returned from exile were " drafted many recruits. Jewel, the CoryphaMis of them all, a man indeed Hart's Eccl, ttocords, p. 295-7; Vaughan's life of WickUffe. 12G THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSEN' 1 of matchlosB learning, which ho nevertheless wields, pon- dii'ous as it is, like a plaything ; of a most polished wit; a btylo, whether Latin or English, the most pure and expres- sive " * : he was a pillar of the Church, and took the lead in her defence. The first era or date of separation, which produced such a plentiful harvest of nonconformists, as given by Neale, takes its rise from a set of canons called Advertisements, printed and published A. D. 1564. They aimed to enforce uniformity of " doctrine and preaching ; administration of prayer and sacraments ; ccrtai. orders in ecclesiastical poli- ty ; outward apparel of persons ecclesiastical ; and promises to be made by those entering on any ecclesiastical office. "f When the Queen's prochimation authorized the Advertise- ments, the Bishops wore called upon to enforce conformity, and all the London Clergy who did not comply within three months were deprived of their preferments. Six or seven within the diocese of London did not comply, and the next year they began to hold separate assemblies, and deter- mined to adopt the Genevan Presbj'terian disci])line alto- gether. They declared against every ecclesia,stical name and office whatever, which was not sanctioned by the Gc" nevan interpretation of the New Testament ; Cartw right hav- ing been expelled the University of Cambridge became the loader of the new discipline. The confusion of systems at this time is not to be descri- bed. The conflicting claims of rival sects and the temper, extravagances and violence of the parties is sad to read and contemplate : they were very numerous, although many of them were of minor importance, whose name even isscai'cely known to any but the curious student of history. The ground they occupied was new, untried, assumptive, and often ar- rogant. They violently declaimed against Ilome for her novelties and assumptions in heresy ; while they tl • .nselves * Blunt ou the Beforiu. \ Sparrow's CoU: 121. THE CUURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 127 iolds, pon- lod wit; a nd expres- tiie lead in uced such by Neale, ertisement^, to enforce Jtration of ■itical poli- ll^romises d office."t Advertise- )nformity, thin three or seven the next md detcr- )line alto- oal name y the Ge- right hav- scame the be descri- ) temper, read and many of i scai'cely lie ground. often ar- 1 for her .nselves were guilty of similar novelties and assumptions in schism. Of ibe sects which sprung up at the Reformation and in subsequent times, we shall now speak. As organized reli- gious bodies they are modern : they had no historical exist- ence before that great event. Their names oven do hot oc- cur in the history of the Church of any ago or nation, till about the time of the Ee formation. If any of my readers doubt this candid statement of fact^ he can test it, any mo- ment, by referring to any good Church history. Even some may doubt, yet at the same time will acknowledge, if only for the argument sake, that our Lord and his apostles did set up and organize a religious visible society which they called the Church, which the ^^ gates of hell shoiddnot 2^vevail against ", and which is to continue " till the end of the world." Now as the Baptist denomination is the oldest historical body of all the modern sects, let the enquirer ask himself this question : " Where shall I find the history of the Baptist denomination, from the days of our Lord and his Apostles, as a visible organized body of Christian men and womoii?" He will be very much surprised to find thr-t no mention is made of any such body, society or Church, in any history of the Church, particuhir or general, until fifteen centuries and upwards after Christ and his Apostles. The first record wo have of the Baptints, as a Christian body, or as a commu- nion, was about A. I). 1523. The Anabaptists, as they were called; from their custom of re-bapti/ing, sprung up in Ger- many during the Lutheran Reformation there, under the leadership of certain <.athusiasts of the name of Leydcn, Muncerand Knipperdoling, to whom the organization of this body can be traced, but no further, although they claim persons as holding Baptist sentiments much earlier; which claim may indeed be allowed, but with no real advantage to them, as individual opinions do not make a Church any more than one swallow makes a summer. If no trace of 128 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. m them can be found until tho date above mentioned, where were they for fifteen hundred years? Did they receive tho gi-eat commission from Christ ? Was the Christian faith deposited in their care ? How have they kept it? Did they allow it to slip from their hands, and they quietly to slip out of existence, that even their name as a Christian Church is not once recorded in any history, from tho begin- ning down to the year 1528 ? Therefore, as a historic body they were not instituted by Christ, nor by his Apostles, nor by the Fathers, nor by tho schoolmen. Whence then are thoy; from heaven or of men? If they bo from heaven, then thoy can show their pedigree ; but they are of men, a modern sect of Christian people, founded by the men, in the place, and date above named ; and therefore self-constituted. Suppose again that the same devout student pursues his pious and diligent search for tho historic descent of tho Pras- byierian Church, he will discover the same result. No his- tory makes any mention of that communion until twelve years later, \va. A. D. 1535, when Cjilvin and others sat up tho first Presbyterian Church of which wo liavo any historic record. But this is altogether too late for that respectable bcxly to prove their claim to a divine origin, or to have l)oen Apostolically (lescondeJ; Indeed Calvin expressed his dissat- isfaction with his system after ho had formed it. In a let- ter to Cardinal Sadolet he says : " We do not deny that we are destitute of tho regimen which the anciont Church had." * It is also stated on the authority of Prof. Wilson that lie made a]i])lication to Archbishop Cranmer to be ordained a Bishop, and so place himself and his followers within tho communion of the Catholic Church. But this letter, it is said, was intercepted by Cardinal Smlolet, or we do not know what might have been the result had it reached the Arch- bishop, and had the request of Calvin boon granted. It might have been possible in that case that we should not • Wi'.son'.s C:i. ideutilieil, p. 17(>, a book that sliouM be road by evtry Christian, THE CnURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 120 till this day have hoard of a Presbytei'iaa Church ; for un- doubtedly Calvin was not only the first Presbyterian ; but the sole deviser, author and founder of Prosbyterianisni. Henry, his bio<^rapher, says : *' Calvin was the tirst from whom the idea of pure Presbyterianism sprung. The Church discipline introduced by Calvin can never ])ro])crly be considered as ancient. Calvin's structure is the j-esuit of an experiment made by the human mind." " Nothing of this kind, before the time of Calvin, was kmnvn at Stras- burg." " No trace of such an institution existed in Cenova at an earlier period." * Unlike the English Eeformers, who contented themselves with removing all erroneous and su- perstitious customs that would not stand the test of Scri])- ture and primitive rule, Calvin went much further ; ho pro- ceeded with a keen critical spirit to cut away creeds, tra- ditions, observances, holidays, and many lawful rites sanc- tioned by long usage and Catholic authority, and even ]i!pis- copacy itself; and set up in their stead a system of discipline altogether new, by his own sole authority, that was Prosby- terianism. " The fact of Calvin's system being novel and unheard of, led to the unanswerable challenge of the judicious Hooker, concluded in these words : " A very strangp thing su were that such a discipline (Presbyterian) as ye speak of should be taught by ChrJat and his Apostles, in the Word of God, and no Church ever have found it out nor received it till this present time; contrariwise, the government against which ye bend yourselves be observed everywhere throughout all generations and ages of the Christian world, no Church ever pei'ceiving the word of God to be against it. We require you (Presbyterians) to find but one Church upon the face of the whole earth, that hath been ordered by j^our discipline, or that hath not been oi*dered by ours, that is to 8ay,*by Episcopal regimen, since the time that the blessed 5 >:, * Beury'B life of Calvin, vul. I., cli. 6, pasBlm. 130 TUE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ApoHtlos woro bore conversant." * '' A very strange matter if it were true ", says Bancroft, " that Clirist should erect a ibrm of government for the rul- ing of the Church, to continue from his departure out of the world until his coming again ; and tliat the same should never bo once thought of or put in ];ractice for the space of fifteen hundred years; or at the hast (to talce them at their best) that the government and kingdom of Christ shouUl then bo ovorthrovv^n, when by all men's confessions the divin- ity of his person, the virtue of his Priesthood, the power of his otfice, ;'.s he is a prophet, and the honor of his kingly authorit}' was so Godl}', so learnedly, and so mightily es- tabli,shcd."t Calvin's experiment was indeed a monstrous one. He un- derlook it alone. Ho set it up by the sole prestige of hiw own genius, ability and weight of character. He proved himo'flf equal to it. He was a great, good man. But his " experiment " inS^olvcd the mighty task of revoking the history of tifteon hundred years. Not only the institutions of corrupt ages ; but also those of the ]iurest ages of the Church. lie took his stand, clearly, outside the pale of the acknowledged Catholic Church. He did this too as a lay- man, for he was ^lawyer by profession, and was never in orders, never ordained, although he was one of the most subtle a!ul profound theologians that ever lived. Yet as the Holy Scriptures tell us that " God mccjytcth no nian^s per- son ", whatever his ability, knowledge or power may be, we have a right to ask by what authority and by whose power be tried this ''experiment?" His biographer shall answer for him ; " We must here observe, as that which is very re- markable in the development of Calvin's spirit, the deep inward feeling which ho had of his responsibility as to the care of souls : that teachers of the gospel derive their offic-e not from man, but from God. Convinced of the divine na- * Hooker's Preface, ch. IV., g 1. f liftncroft's Sermon, 1588, p.p. 10, 11. iiLk THE CIlUKCir, HOME AND DISSENT. 131 turo of hiii calliiii,', to mvtikon and to deliver nonls was for him, as avoH an for Luther, a duty to which he had hound himself hy an oath upon tlie liihle."-^ This then i.s Calvin's only ordination, the inward ailt, [ avc .-.'lall tlnd our enq'.iirics will end in the same result. The ])i()us student of hisiovy will encounter the same perple.\.itics, .•.,J new diili- culties will force themselves upon him at every slop. The tirst mention made of tliem, hi:>toricall3', i;s aliout the year 15S0, when the Brow)iist>, formed a society, whieli however was disbanded on account of mutual dissension, and their leader, Eobert Brown, retm-nod to the Church. The society waa reor^-anized in Holland, A. P. IGOO, with En!>inson for their pastor. The next wo read of was formed in England in IGIG, and iinally in Massachusetts in 1(J20. This sect was chiefly composed of persons wlio said they romclcntiouslj/ dissented fVom tlie Church of England on account of the hier- archy of that Church ; the vestments worn by the Clergy, the Book of Common Prayer, and above all, the sign of the cross used in holy baptism ; all of whicli were very ollen- sive to them. They hold that every man has a natural right to worship or not, according to the dictates of his own con- science. They exact no test of faith as the term of com- munion. They profess ntid clr.ira ei)tire enfranchisement in all matters ecclesiastical. They attach u.> great impor- tance to the office of their ministry, as lb- minister is only one among the many, having no more authority than an ordinary member, and is appointed and removed by tho popular wdll and vote. They take a clear leap overall his- toric times, per saltern, to Apostolic tinges, flffirtning that all the primitive Churches were congregational, free and independent of each other. Their system -1 .elojies and en- courages an unlimited exercise of private religious opinion, and their main concern is to maintain ;v certain independency of all outside control. Their assertion that the primitive churches were independent, in their latitudinarian sense of tho word,' is supported by very slender evidence, by a great ■J I ; 134 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. deal of special pleading-, in the course of ^vliich tliey over- look great principles, an array of iircontestiblc facts, and the entire genius and natural current of the historv of the jiriniitive period. Their foundution is utterly unhistorical. Besides ii" the primitive Chnrclies were iiidci^cr.d4?nt of onc- another, the supporters of that system arc bound to show it by undisputable evidence; where, when and how thoy lost that order of >>rganizutian so sooit after x\postalic tijues, antS hv what link tliey loo-icallv and historicatlv connect them- selves wirli Primitive Churches, and how tiiey can restore their id(*ntity after being' lost tor sixteen hundred years ? Tliese thing- rcpiircnxv c!>mnient; ami without g'iving of- fence, we m:;y f drly assert that the Cong-regational body, a very intellitrer.t and respectable commiiTii-ty of Christians, is a modi-ni sc<-f. The Congreg-ationaTists claim the exercise of the right of jtrutitc judgment in the most unlimited sense, in all reli- gious matters. On this subject tl'iey spea-k and write in the broade.->t platitude.-, and in the most glowing nYagm'Io.|nence, They assert the right of every man judging what is reli- gious truth and what is not, Tlie right to maintain and ex- press the conviction, to the exclusion of all means beyond those of argument and persuasion, to make a nnin think, or j'ather to make him say otherwise. In a word, it is de signed to disallow the right of forcing a man to believe, or profess to believe, a>. others bid him. It includes not only the right to judge for one's self, but, so far as coercion is concerned, tfio ri'ght, if one pleases, not to judge at all. For thouirh no man has a moral right to embrace error, vet iC does not follow that another man has a right to reclaim him bv force. Thev snv this right being allowed frees a man from every form of persecution. It leaves inviolable tlie fsopremacy over confcience to llim wiu) alone is the titting «nd riglitful sovereign. It permits the conscience to act frcelv in ol-ediencc to cssciJfnl taws. It secures for the THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. IS^ OV OVCTT- L'ts, and V of tlie storical. t of one- show it hoy h)st uc.;, and t thorn- restore yoar;i ? ving of- body, a t'i.stians^ right of all re li- te in the qncnce. : is reli- ant! ox- be von (? liinlc. or it is de lieve, or lot only Tcion is ill. For r, vet it; lim him s a man ible the e fitting ? to act for the ])ropagation of truth the only weapons she can siicoessfully employ, that is, argument and persuasion ; and it robs error of the only weapons it can wield, which are, penal lies and violence. In a word, the right of private judgment pre- vents truth from resorting to that in which alone she is wealv% and error from resorting to that in which alone it is strong. To this it may be replied that while every man has a aatural right tc think as he pleases^ yet lioman has a moral right to approve of error. Just as every man has a natural right to read the Bible for his soul's health, and to bathe in the sea for the health of his body. His right to bathe is as icdear as his right to read. Ilis right to bathe imjilies also his right to swim ; but if he cannot swim, or if he swim very imperfectly, it must be allowed that l\is etibxts i(s swim must be dangerous, nay fatal, and tl>at he should not proceed more than chin-deep, or he will tind him >. If in deep water, and not being able to swim, the conseq^uenv-e must be of the most disastrous nature. 80 St. Peter says : '• Thei/ that are unlearned and wistable wrest, as they do also the other Scrqitures, unto their 011:71 destruction ", 2 Pet. iii ; 16. While men have the undisputed right to judge, yet there are few that have the ability and means to judge iustly. Unless a m-8,n jadge rightly it is no judgenaeut at all, it is a incre opinion, im- prosKion or fancy mistaken for private judgment. The right of private judgment is seldom asserted in anything but re- ligion. Ask any common man what is his private judgmeti.t on certain points of philosoph}", medicine, chemistry, law, mathematics and the like; he would doubtless smile and tiiink you are simply poking fun at him. Yet the same man who would nor could pronounce an}^ judgment at all on the above named subjects, yet would in the most .solemn -man- ner pronounce upon the most abstruce, sublime and momen- tous dogmas of religion, of which he has no more know- ledge, from the very nature of the case, than he has of phil- jr^soph^';, law or medicine. The right of private judgment is :i^ 136 THE CHURCH, rojie and dissent. [ 'I ! Il almost in all cases the claim a single individual makes to pronounce ujwn a matter as against the united voice cn an- tiquity delivered by those who have authority, by reason of their ability and position, in the Church. It implies that the Church does not believe and teach the truth ; but the individual man does. It implies that any individual man may dispute, deny, contradict and subvert what the whole Church may declare to be truth ; and that he may reverse and oppose her judgment of authority, in definitions, decis- ions, teachings and interpretations of truth : that he has a right to dissent from or misinterpret lier articles, creeds, rites, ceremonies and dogmas ; M'ilfully, stubbornly and openly, on the authority" of his own private opinion alone ; provided he protects himself by the plea of conscience, al- lliough that conscience may be ignorant, prejudiced, or ill trained. The absolute exercise of private judgment disal- lows a proper court of appeal, in matters of faith, as in law, philosophy, science, and the like. Private judgment is an unsafe criterion of genoal truth. It is much more likely that the individual may err than a multitude, in whoso counsel there is safety. The man who asserts it under the pretence of being guided by the Spirit of God ought to de- monstrate his claim either by miracle or by invincible rea- son '^ ; or he may be a mere fanntic. It implies unwarrant- able presumption in any man who sets up his private judg- ment or opinion in opposition to the declared public sen- tence of the Cluuv'h.j But it is time to return to our narrative. I had intended to liave given a short account of the large ftunily of Meth- odists ; but as I shall devote the next chapter to that sub- ject I shall defer what I have to say of them till I come to that. i^or need T occujn' the reader's time in narrating the rise and ])rogress of the vast quantity of other sects', which * Hooker's ricfaco, cli. 3, vol. I, i Thooph. Aiigli , i>. 201. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 13T swarm both in England and in America ; as the facts, com- ments and conclusions must bo generally the same, espc" cially with reference to the Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Menonites, Universalists, Friends, Unitarians, and the " twice two hundred " smaller ones, all of which assert themselves to be Churches ; and perhaps, as that ancient classic word is now so commonly used to designate these various religious sects, there may be no great breach of iwo- priety, certainly none of Christian courtesy to allow their popular use of it. It is and must remain an indisputable and eternal truth, that Our Blessed Saviour and his holy Apostles did plant the True Church by their own proper ministry and author- ity, which has ever since been known as " the one Ilohj, Cath- olic and Apostolic Church ", which is to endure to the end of the world. If the true Church had not been planted by them, it could not be planted now, by any possibility ; there- fore the modern sects are not Churches in the true, New Testament and historical sense. In the CiV"nizing of these multifarious forms of sects, in the framing of their articles of faith, in the appointing of their ministry^ in the institutingof their sacraments, and in the ordering of their discipline, they one and all soem to act as though they had new Churches to make, instead of being lead by the one established by Christ and his Apostles. At least so it appears to me ; hence they have ignored, over- looked or taken for granted a great foundation principle which they ought to have first discussed and settled ; but which none of them has done, as far as I can learn. The foundation principle is this • Where, and with whom, lies THIS NEW Ciiurcii-making Power ? ; or in other words, with whom is the dqwsitum of power intrusted to organize and plant a new, independent and separate Church, in distinc- tion from and in addition to the one planted by the Saviour and his Apostles, whish has continued ever since ? I hum- 1 I' 1 m^ 138 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT, ■ ii il A bly conceive that if this proposition was thoroughly exain*< ined, fully discussed, critically gone into, and amply sur- veyed in all its sides, with the Bible in our own hands, and a jjroper spirit of humility to regulate us, every man would come to the conclusion that this power rested alone with God, that he has not delegated it to any man, nor to any number of men, whatever their goodness, greatness, power^ or learning. For man to attempt this now under any pre- tence whatsoever, is an awful and daring infringement upon the divine prerogative, and presumptuous interference with the working out of the divine counsels and plans. Man's duty is to believe, not to doubt; his province is obedience and active goodness, not creation, revelation, or legislation. One would suppose that if the power to create new Churches had been delegated by God to man in modern times, that power would have been uniform more or less, in its opera- tion, like that of the primitive Church. But is it so devel- oped by those who have had so large an experience in Church-making ? Sadly we must answer no I Every sect chooses to adopt a system so peeuHar to itself and so diverse from the rest as to destroy every semblance of uniformity ; so that this very div3rsity of both doctrine and discipline is of itself, prima faeia\ evidence that they have no divine au- thority for making new Churches, as they lodge their eccle- siastical power in directly opposite and contradictory agen- cies. The Eomanists, which became a sect in England A. D. 1569,* place it in the sole despotic authority of the Pope^j and the Bapti.sis, Congregationalists, and some others place it wholly iu the democracy oi the p&ople* The Pi^esbyte^ rians place it in the joint power of ruling and lay elders j while the Wesleyans assume it in their conference, which is composed -^f uheir ministers alone, and reject all lay in- fluence altogether. Such a confused contrariety as this make^ the hand of the human appear with unmistakable cer^ * Hook's Ch. Diet. Ajt. Rome: IJnfk'u TUeo. Diet;, ©a^'s Col. Lect., p. 211. THE OHUKCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 139 titude : and as St. Paul says division is a mark of the carnal, all dissent carries upon the face of it the inl'allible proof of its human origin ; it is of the earth, earthy. The sects notunfrequently complain of tlie custom of cjill- ing them dissenterd, alleging that there can ho no disssent where there is no national Church established by the law of tlio land. There is, no doubt, a sense in which the word dissent has a practical meaning as descriptive of those who refuse to conform to a Church established in any country by the laws of that country : this, however, pertains only to a ]^>olitico-ocelesiastical meaning. There is also a higher sense in which the word dissent may be lawfully used as descriptive of all those who depart from that historic order of Church government established by our Lord and his Apostles, and which continued in unbroken identit}' for fif- teen hundred years, or until the modern seels dissented from it and set up a discipline of their own, and which was wholly unknown in the world till then. In this sense the word is used throughout this chapter, to convey the idea that all who depart, or separate themselves, by an ^ft of voluntary willinghood, from the Church Catholic, arc dis- senters from that order and discipline as established by Christ's authority, a id which sometimes results in the three- fold sin of schism, heresy and apostac^ . One schism cont^^ins the seed oi another schism, inherent in itself. If one section sepaiatc.-, from the visible Churclj of Christ, another sect may separate from them, from the like causes and so on without end. All sin is down hill in its tendoncy, and schism degenerates to aj)ostaey', from the inhei'ent tendency of itself. This is abundantly o. ampli- fied in Geneva, the mother of Presbyterianism, the seat of the good and the geat master Calvin, which is now almost entirely delivered over to the triune power of skepticism, rationalism and transcendentalism ; while the Papacy seems ^ lU'.' ' 140 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. \ !' i i ; I ! I Ml to triumph over all. * So of Congregationalism in the New England States, which was once the homo of the English evangelical Nonconformists, the boasted birth place of " lib- erty of conscience ", ''free institutions", and " liberty of worship." The state of things is thus described b}' a Now England Congregational minister, whom no man will dare to contradict. He says : " We are fallen to madness and to folly, that I am per" suaded, that if the Devil came visibly among many, and held out independency and liberty of conscience, and should preach never such false doctrines, as that there were no devils, no hell, no sin at all ; but were merely rain's ima- ginations, with several other doctrines; he would be cried up, followed and admired. We are insensible and not af- fected, under all sjiiritual plagues of heresy, schism, blas- phemy, intolerable anarchy ; the fortieth part of these er- rors, heresies, blasphemies, which are now in the midst of us, would, seven years ag©, have made our hearts ache, and our hair stand on end, filled our faces with paleness and blackness, whereas now we make light of them." f New England is in a far worse condition this day. The Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists have swarmed forth such numerous sects from their original hives that it is a work of labour and pain to discover the original stock. Nor do the i^ects of the same family co-operate in harmon3^ Tlicy regard each other as natural enemies, hostilc,jealous, envious ; they deal in detraction, prosolyting and rivalry, one against the other, in a st^^le which is a scandal to the Christiaji name : and the result of all is the rapid growth of Romanism, Infidelity, heresy, rationalism and irreligion. Viewed as a whole they present more the appearance of a Pjintheon than the Church of God. When and where will these things end ? " Lord Jiow long?" The work of schism and dissent has in itself the element * Loct. by D'Aubigiie, Loudon 18i7 f Edward's Oangrtena, p. p. 75, 70. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. Ul of self annihilation. Their historic continuance soenis to average about three or four hundred years. This is mani- fest in the history of most of the ancient sects, with few ex- ceptions. As of Arianism, Pelagianism, Novatianism, Don- atisra, and the like. Not that their doctrinal evils ecus^o, but as a body they become extinct. Shoals of sects have been born, matured and died since the great Eofornialion, leaving nothing behind them but the footprints of error and apostacy. Where, for example, are the Presbj'teriaiis of France, Geneva and Holland ? Where are the Cromwollian Presbyterians of England, together with the Familiests, Lovists, the fifth monarchy men, and a number of other.?? As bodies they are all extinct. They bit and devoured, and were destroyed one of another. Of the future fate of the existing sects we will not pretend to prophesy; but tlicir ever-increasing divisions, strifes, rivalry, political preaching, and worldliness, ominously forbode a coming conflict, which will shake and upheave society to the sad confusion and surprise of all Christendom; unless God in his abun- dant mercy and wisdom should avert such a calamity by oieans now far beyond the reach of human foresight. How devoutly one would desire that all Christian men, truth loving disciples of the Lord Jesus ; with cnlm, clear judgments, with candid minds, and with praj'crfiil, huinble and teachable dispositions, would well weigh, as before God, the existing evils of dissent. Truth is more sacred than party; it is more divine than oi:)inion; it will outlive a thousand sects. O that men would lay aside all party strife fancied notions, human opinions, and deceiving presump- tions, and bring their naked souls to the cross of the dying Saviour, saying, " Thy will be done." The purity, unity and progress of God's ancient Church, which has existed so long, and has outlived all her ancient enemic*, must surely be dearer to God's dear children than any more sect of mod- ern date. Be sure, my dear reader, that dissent is schism, mi !ll^ ;iii.^ $m 14:J THE CIIURCII, ROME AND DISSENT. , 111. : m ' ■ !• -1 'It ! il schism is sin, and sin is the source ot every sorrow. Cease then, O ye Christian men, for the love of God, for the honor of our adorable Redeemer, for the .souls of men, and for the good of the Church ; cease I pray you from division, strife, and party, and return to that holy communion which is the mother of us all ! It is a matter of frequent complaint in this country that the Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Chui^ch •of the United States micfiurcJi all other denominations of Christians. To this complaint there is a very qmple an- swer, which is, that the various sects unchurch, themselves. Their non-recognition by the Catholic Church is owing entirely to their own acts and dceME AM) IMSSKNT. 14:5 they yet the Church is plca;^cll to hoar niiiplc t(Ntiinony iti their favor t\:i in(fii;!.(ht(il Ciiristiaiis, as ])crsonsol'uiuh)uhf('(l piely and moral execlloiu'e, no douht in many icspccts Cfpial Uf or even siiipassing many of hor own children. There arc, however, deiirces in "oodness, of which (<(>d alone, '"(o whon* all hearts iiro open", can lie lhejud:;<\ So much of Chris- tmn e\c('Ilei;ce as mav he evinced lir llir indi\Mdfi;(l mem- hers of n^oderii sects, hy so niindi llu'ir Christian integrity is better tlian their creeds. Let us indulLce in the sup])0siti()n of a possible ease. Sup- ])Osc it a ]>osisible thiny- that there had been men in the days of tlie Ajwsdes who had set up voluntary societies of their own authority, separate and disthict from tlio Apostolic Churches, what is it }ike}y the Apostles would hare done, ai^ to their recognition of such self-constituted Chui'ches ? We liavo a pi-oximate answer to this supposition in tlio conchict of St. Paul towards certain "/-- than she had .'-^4.!^MyjjBaB 152 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. Hi I j!i '! ' ill M.I ^1^ « r to change her tactics and defend herself against the com- bined assaults of the modern sects, for a period of one hun* dred years more, which was even more disastrous to her than her warfare with Rome. After the Church had re* gained her position with the restoration of Char.les II, than a fresh storm burst upon her in the rise of English Infidelity. The same effects are often produced from opposing causes. As the heresies of Rome produced infidelity in France, so the schisms of the Puritans resulted, indirectly, in the Infi* delity of England. * The new born sects cast off the entire order and authority of the ancient English Church, and In- fidelity threw away the Bible. The one was then as now, the proximate cause of the other. The erudite Herbert and the philosophic Hobbes gave to English Infidelity form and and authorit}'- ; the ridicule and banter of Bolingbroko and Shaftsbury, against all revealfcd religion, abetted and aided their designs ; the subtle sophisms of Hume poisoned the foundations of thought and philosophy ; while Payne and Carlyle subsequently popularised it among the masses. Thus Infidelity for a time spread like a gangrene in the body politic, diffusing itself far and wide like poisoned wa- ters, tainting the atmosphere of thought like a miasma, in- fecting :he public health like a deadly plague, and it foil like blastiiig and mildew upon all private and public virtue. The Church entered the lists with Infidelity, as she had before done with Rome, Puritanism and Fanaticism ; pro- ducing such an array of learning, talent, power and truth as the world has never surpassed. At times she had to en- counter these ])arties separately, and anon she had to con- front ^he whole, as plotting and counter-plotting against herself. For it is noteworthy that although they were as antagonistic to each other as they could be, yet when occa- sion served they mutually turned their swords upon the Church, as Pilate and Caiaphas had done before them, on * Goldsmith's life of Lord Bolingbroke, p. 1, J-t. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 153 the Son of God's etornjil lovo. Truthfully nml nohly sho bore u]) a- sions seem to be the following, lie had but just returned from Georgia, where he had probably been ill used, and where he had certainly been guilty of tho gross iiTcgularity of teaching that immersioti was the only mode of baptism : in England he held conventicals in the parishes of other clergymen, of whom he often said many unwarrantable things : he began to teach everywhere his new doctrine of sudden emotional con version, and that of the sensuous certitude. of the love of God, and such like novelties, which led to his interview with Bishop Gibson, who rebuked him for these I t;i; * Ibid, p.p 384 aS5 t See Office of Ordinatloo. 15G THE Climcll, RftJIK AND DI8815NT. irrc^ulariticH ; and all hope of his obtahiing & pil'issh of hia own being cut off, ho was probably a littlo pi in any formal extempoi-ary prayers of dissettters," Vol. Xlll. 134. In writing to the Ivev. Mr. C, April 2nd, 1761^ vol. xii., p. 246, Mr. Wesley says : "I quite agree, ' we neither can be better men nor better Christians than by contimiing members of the Church of England. *" And not onl}' her doctrines, but many parts of her discipline, I have adhered to^ at the hazard of my life." 1746. — " I dare not renounce coramunion with the Church of England. As a minister I teach her doctrines, I use her I THE CHURCH ROME AND DISSENT. 169 offlcos, I confonn to her Rubrics, I suffer reproach for my attachment to her. Ah a private mcinher, 1 hold her doc** trines, 1 join in her offices, in prayer, in hearing, in commu- iiicaling." Vol. viii., p, 44-1. 1747. — We continually exhort all who attend on our preaching, to attend the office of the Church. And they do pa}'' a more regular attendance than they did before." Vol. viii., p. 488. 1755. — "Wo began reading together, 'A Gentleman's Kcasons for his Di.ssent from the Church of England.' It is an elaborateand lively tract, and contains the strength of tho cause ; but it did not yield us one proof that it is lawful for us (much less our duty), to separate from it." Vol li, p. 328, 1758. — In this year Mr. Wesley wrote his "licasons against a Separation from the Church of England " ; and in writing to Miss Bishop in 1778, he says : " These reasons were never yet answered, and T believe they never will." The Eev. Charles Wesley says of this fact : "I think myself bound in duty to add my testimonj^ to my brother's. His twelve reasons against our ever sepa- rating from the Church of England are mine also. I sub- scribe to tliem with all my heart My affection for the Church is as strong as ever, and I clearly see my calling, which is to live and to die in her communion. This, tb.ere- fore, I am determined to do, the Lord being my Ilelj^or." Vol xiii., p. 109. ■ 1759. — " I received much comfort at the old church in the morning, and at St. Thomas in the afternoon. It was as if both tho sermons were made for me. ^ pity those who can find no good at Church I But how should they if prejudice, come between? An effectual bar to tho grace of God.' Vol. ii.; p. 47a " I had appointed to preach at seven in the evening, at Bradford ; but when T came I found Mr, Hart was to preach at six ; so I delayed till the church service was ended that m k I if i^ ;fj;'f ^ 1 , t ' 'n I ■ ■ n 1 '.'v ;-,t; V ■ Jl iWSti I. it I ' ! i^;o THE cnuiicn, ro.me and dissent. there ini|^ht not u])j)ej'i' (on my ])urt at leas.') even the bhaason why (rfid is pleased to continue my life so long is, to confirm them in their present puri^ose not to separate from the Church." Vol. ii., p. 278. 1779, — *' Wo had a poor sermon at Church. However, I went again in the afternoon, remembering the words of Mr. Philip Henry ; 'If the preacher does not kncAV his duty, 1 bless God thfit I know mine.' " Voi. iii., p. 401. 1772.'— '^< I attended the Church of England 8er\ u',e in the morning, and thastof the Kirk in the ufternoonv Truly, THE CUURCII, ROME AND DISSENT. 1(51 no man who has drunk old wine, straiirhtAvav desirctli new.' How dull and dry the latter appeared to me, who had been accustomed to the former." Vol. iii., p 4ld them, 'If you are resolved, you may liave your service in Church liours ; but remember from that time you will see my face no more/ Thin struck deep^ and from that hour 1 have lieard no more of separating from the Church." Vol. iv., p. 357. "Few of them (those who separated) assigned the unho- linoss either of the Clortcy or the laity as the cause of their separation. And if any did so, it did not appear that they themselves were a jot better than those they separated from." Vol. vii., p. 183. 1788. — ^This is the peculiar glory of the people called Methodists. In spite of all manner of temptations, they will not separate from the Church. What many so ear- nestly covet, they abhor. They will not bo a distinct body." Vol. xiii., p. 232. 1780. — " Unless I see more i*eason for it than I ever yet have, I will not leave the Church of England, as by law es- tablished, while the breath of God is in my nostrils." Vol. xiii., p. 238. In this year (two before his death) Mr. "Wesley wroto seven more reasons against separa' iig from the Church. 1780. — "I have been uniform both in doctrine and disci- pline for al>ove these fifty yeai-s; and it is a little too late for me to turn into a new path^ now I am gi*oyh<^aded." Vol. xii., p. 439. " The Methodists in general are members of the Church of England. They hold all her doctrines, attend her service and partake of her sacraments." Vol. xiii., p. 119. WESLEY ON HIS DEATH BED. 17!»I.— "AVc thank thee. O Lord, for the^e and all thy riercies. Bless the Church and king, ard grr.nt us truth and peace through Jesus Christ our Lord, for ever and ever." W£3LEY, THE EARLY METHODIST PREACHERS, AND THE DE- CISIONS OF CONFEREMCE. 1756. — '^AVe then largely considered the necessity of •^Kmm^tm^^^if^r If TIIE CUURCn, ROME AND DISSENT. im keeping in the Church, and usiiioint you to administer sacraments : to exercise I m il ^^41 Ill' i 11 ■ I ! J i i ! iJi I '.'ii ; -li i m I ti ! ! vt 104 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. the priestly office ? Such a design never entered our mind ; it wa.< the farthest from our thouglits. " I wish all of you who arc vulgarly termed Methodists would seriously consider what has been said. And parti- cularly you whom God commissioned to call sinners to ro- jicntance. It does b}'' no means follow from hence, that ye are commissioned to baptise or administer the Lord's Sup- per. Ye never dreamed of this, for ten or tAventy years af- ter ye began to preach. Ye did not then, like Korah, Da- than and Abiram, "Seek the ])riesthood also." Ye knew "No man taketh this honor unto himself but ho that is called of God, as was Aaron." O contain yourself within your own bounds: be content with preaching the gospel." — Vol. vii., p. 277. " Q. 45. But are we not dissenters ? " We are not dissenters in the only sense which our law acknowledges, namely, those who renounce the service of the Church. We do not, we dare not separate from it." " Q. 51. What method may wc use in receiving a new helper?" * • " Every person proposed is then to be ])resent ; and each of them may bo asked : Do you constantly attend the church mid sacraments ? " Q. Who is the assistant ? " A. That preacher in each circuit, who is appointed, from time to time, to take charge of the societies and the other Preachers therein. Q. 41. IIow should an assistant he qualiticd for his charge ? " A. By walking closely' with God, and having his work greatly at heart; by understanding and loving discipline, ours in ]iarlicular; and by loving the Church of England, and resolving not to separate from it. Lot this be well ob- soi'vcd. J fear u-Jien the Mcfhodhts leave the Church, God viU leave them,'' Vol. viii. p, 819. - T THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ii;5 Again, in writing to!Mr. Knox, ho gives liim tlio follow- ing advice : " But van will not leave the Church. You novoi* will bv niv advice; I advise just the contrary; [ udvi.so yon lo lose no oi)portunity of jittending the church, and receiving the Lord's Supper, and of showing your regard for uW wvv aj)- pointnicnts. But above ali, I cannot but earneslly entreat you, not to rest until you experience what she teaches; (ill (to sum up all in one word) God cleanses the thougl-.ls of your heart by the inspirations of his Holy Spirit " that } ou may perfectly love him, and worthily magnily his lu^iy name. This letter is dated May 30, 1705, Vol. xii, p. 230. 1789 — THE LAST CONFERENCE MR. -VVEsLE^ EVER ATTENDED IN IRELAND. "Our little Conference began in ]^ublia and ended Tues- day 7. I never saw such a number of Preachers before so unanimous in all points, particularly as to leaving the Church : which none of them had the least tliought of. It is no wonder that there has been this year so large an in- crease ot the society." Vol. iv, p, 4GL 1789 — THE LAST CONFERENCE MR. WESLEY EVER ATTENDED IN ENGLAND. The Conference began : about a hundred Preachers were present, and never was our Master more eminently present with us. The case of separation from the church was hirgely considered, and we were all unanimou;; against it. Vol- iv. p. 46. To Mr. Samuel Birdsley Birmingl)am, March 25, 1787. g the •nin )am, " Dear Sammy : You send me good news concer progress of the Avork of God in Colne circuit. I should think brother Jackson or Sagar might set the heads of the people at Baciip right, / still think u-hen the MethodisU lOG THE ClILRCII, ROME AND DISSENT. m 1 ) u\ i\ •■■k ' ' I I ! ; i 1 liii i ml ^ leave the Church of' England, God will have them. I am dear iStimmy, Your alt'ectioiuite brother, John Wesley." 1 di) uol (luolc these lengthy extracts for the iklUicy of mere reference, but to cxliibit tho empliatic intensity of tho Wesleys' teachings in rohition to the ilethodists and the Church ; and to contrast Wesley's Methodism with modern Methodism, in its s}»irit, genius and working, in its rela- tions to the Church. There is no subject on which the Wes- ley's were more emphatic, clear, dolinito, and constant than on this: and on no suljjccts are they less regarded by their followers than these ; even though thej^ esteem the Wesleya as oi'dcU's on everything else. Whv should this bo? Mr. J. Wesley seemed to forseo and dread the possibility of his so- ciety Jirst dissenting from the Church and then from him- self. Hence a few years before he died he wrote : '' I do, and will do, all that is in my power to prevent such an event. Nevertheless, in s])ite of all I can do, many of them will separate from it. Those will bo so bold and injudici- ous as to form a separate party, which consequently will dwindle away into a dry, dull, separate party. In flat op- position io these, I declare once more that I will live and die a member of the Church of England ; and that nono who regard my judgment or advice, will ever separate from it." in 1777, or 1778, a friend asked him the cpiestion : " in case the Methodists, after your death, should leave tho Church of J']ngland, what would you advise your friends to do?" " J would advise them to adhere to the Church and quit the Methodists ;" but he added, " that will never be necessary, for if some quit tho Church others will adhero to it, and then there will be dissenting Methodists and Church Methodists." Now, gentle Methodist reader, only bear in mind tliese are the words of John Wesley, whom you suppose you are faithfully following. f Tltfi CflUtiCif, koME ANn JifSljiES'T. Uf No fair ainl uprig-ht man can possiMy resist tlu' conclii- Ki'on, drawn from teachings like the above, that the "Woskn's never dissontcd from the Church of England, nor ever in- tended that their societies .sliould become n separate |)arty. Nevertheless, they boili feared that after their deatli " am- hitious tncR nonld arise and form, a srjxinite parti/ J^ Against this they raised their warning voice, with an instinctive fore- sight, Jiearly analogous to 8t. Paul's when he a.'.nionished the Bishops at Miletus: ^^ For I know this", said ho, ''that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among j/ou, not $]iaring the Jlock. Also of your own selves shall nun ar.'sr, s/>eak- ing j^erverse things, to draw a iv ay disciples after them." Acts xx:29, oO. The Methoilists, however, in spite of all warn- ings, have dissented from the Church, and from the Wes- leys, and like all other sects, tboy have dissente -, ■ THE CIItTRCII, ROME AND DISSE.VT. UV) Wo shall now turn to a question of more than coinnion interest to the whole WVsleyan family of whatever sect, viz., METiioniST Ordinations; we will not say Woslcy or- dinations, because the Weslcys never ordained a minisier, nor ever ])retended to. We cannot resist quotini;' tiie words of Dr. Dixon, a popular Methodist preacher in Eni^land, who says : " Mr. "Wesley treated his helpers as itrcnchcrHonhi, not possessing the full ministerial call; and desired his societies to receive the sacraments at the hands of the Clo-f/j/." " This point, Mr. Wesley reserved, evidently under the pei'- suasion that without ordination by the imposition of hands, thojareac/ie?'^ were not fully qualitied,and he withheld this. "^f* I shall ju'cfaco what 1 have to say on this 8u1>ject by a few general observations, i)efore I discuss the particuhu' points of the present ministerial status of Methodist preach- ers of all sorts. In the preceding pages it is abundantly proved, 1 trust, toevery just judging mind that the Wesleys, being only Presbyters of the Church of England, were by that fact in themselves ecclesiastically disqualified to ordain. Mr. John Wesley declared himself, by innumerable assertions in the course of his long and useful life, in letters, sermons, books and otherwise, that ho was a member and a Presby- ter of the Church of England. Now, it is an axiomatic truth, which no man will be in- sane enough to dispute, that as a Churchman Wesley could not ordain either Deacon, Priest, or Bishop, lawfully. If un- lawfully, then it was not done at all. I will not argue this, Ijecause Wesley knew as well as any man that such an act would have been in flat contradiction to the Church's con- stitutions, canons, rubrics, usages, and to his own ordination vows, and had he been mad enough to have done it, he must have been morally guilty of perjury, and ecclesiastically guilty of schism. BesidcvS, Weslej^ never pretended to such a thing. " * Dixon's Economy Meth: p p. 51i), 220., 18i3 i*'^ W 1 i"!! m no TTiE r-MCRcrr, rome and i>i6'sfi5rr. W ^ ;'! ! Nor (lid Wosloy onlaiii as u dissoiilcr, boctiiisc ho novcT was ji (lisr>onti!r. Ho knew well that iho (liHKentincre j)opular will, it) direct opposi- tion to tlio rej^-iilar authority auil jiraeliso of Uio Chiurh, and her lawful Dishops. whieh popular will Mr. WesloyV whole j)oliey is a noble testimony against. Jle knew that the holy ^linistry was a disj)enKation bestowed by Christ's personal n\inistry uloae, through a constituted order of men, having i)ublic authority in tlio ChuiX'h, whieh had been in luunteri'ujited eontinuance for eighteen hundred years ; and that therefore no man could take this olfice upon himself, or impose it upon another, apart from this established or- der of things, without violating the authority of Scripture and the universal practice of the Church, through all ages. "What Mr. John Wesley did do was this : At a liotel in Bristol, in England, ho set apart Dr. T. Coke as general aS^ja- pcrlntaulent over the Methodists in America, " wlio still ad- hered to the Church of England", find gave him tho following document, which the Episcoj)al Methodists strangely enough call " Letters of J^4)iscopal Orders "II- To all whom these presents shall come, John Wesley, late Follow of Lincoln College, In Oxfoi'd, Presbyter of the Church of England, sendeth greeting : '. • - " Whereas, many of the peopleof the Southern Provinces of North America, who still desire to continue under my care, and still adhere to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, are greatly distressed for want of ministers to administer the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Sup- per, according to the usage of the same Church ; and where- as, there docs not aj)2>et(r to be avij other Kay of siij^plyivg them with ministers'. ' ■ . <. , . , f .;• i j- : i^,rt,j T.r " Know all men that I, John Wesley, think myself to Ix; providentially called at this time to set apart some persons for the work of the ministry in America. And therefore, under the pi*otoction of Almighty God, and with a singlvi THE cmHcH Ui'MK AM) IMSSKNT. 171 cyo to his gloiy, I iitivo this day sot sipiirt us u Sitperintiii flrnt, hy the imposition <>1' jny hamls and prayiT, (hoiiiLi; a^- Hihtcd Ity other onhiiiuvl ministci's), Thomas CVtko, Doclur of Civil Law, a Prc^bytir of the ('hiiivh of I'Jii^lainl, and a man whom I Jiultco to Ik) well /s\ou- ger he might have saved himself from that act which has resulted in tarnishing the lustre of his fair name, by the ab- surd ambition of those who have used Mr. Wesley as a con • lenience to gratify their love of ease, notoriety and powei", in claiming episcoj^al authority from such a document as Uie above. It was just seventy -three days after Wesley de- livered this document to Coko that Dr. kSeabury was conse-- crated, by lawful Episcopal authority, to bo the Bishop of the Church in Connecticut ; by which it is certain God made provision for those vary people whom Wesley sent Coke to preside over, viz., " those who still adhered to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England ^ Simple and well intend'^d as the act of " appointing Coke and Asbury joint Superintendents over the brethren in Amer. ii m ;l ! ::}| , 1 rMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) .^^^ A 1.0 I.I 11.25 1.8 U. Iil.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 V iV :\ \ W % (A 172 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ica" was, on the part of John, it was highly offensive to Charlepi, who at once repudiated the deed and threatened to part from liim forever inconsequence: affirming he was in Bristol at the time, but that ho never received the least hint of what was going on ; and turned the whole affair in. to ridicule in an epigram, as follows : So easily are BiBhopg mudc, By man Or woman's wliim ; Wesley, his hands, on Coke hath laid, But who laid hands on Liuii Against his brother's hostility John remonstrated, and cx]>lained that he hatl only complied with the oft repeated " imjiortimitjj " of Coke, and acknowledged to Charles that if he had been with him ho might " not have erred." Charles after a time was reconciled, and as John was now in his dotage, being 82 years old, he consoled himself with the thought " that it was age and not the man that did it."* Coke came to America, though not as a Bishop, but as joint superintendent with Asbury. Nor did Wesley by "'ap- pointing " Coke and Asbury to bo " Superintendents " in- tend to make them " Bishops?" Lee, in his short history, gives the following ficcount of these men first calling them- selves Bishops, in the minutes of their Conference :(pp.l27-8) " In the course of this year (1T87) Mr. Asbury reprinted the general Minutes ; but in a different fonn from what they were before. The title of this pamphlet was as follows : — " A form of discipline for the ministers, preachers, and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America ; considered und approved at a Conference held at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, on Monday, the 27th day of De- cember, 1784. ^ * * * * " In this discipline there were thirty-one sections, and sixty-three questions, with answers to them all. "The third q^uestion in the spcond section, and the an- swer, read thus : ♦8«e Whitehead's life of Wesley, where this wboic plotter I9 fll69Vlfsej)eij my mij4 lin, on a Sunday evening, after preaching, an exhortation, which, in fact, amounted to a recantation of my error. Some time afterward, 1 repeated the same in our largest chapels in London, and in several other parts of England and Ire- land; and 1 have reason to believe that my proceedings in this respect have given a death-blow to all the hopes of a «eparation which may exist in the minds of any in those kingdoms. On the same principle Imost cordially wish for a re-union of the Protestant Episcopal and the Methodist Churches in I 182 TUR riirUCH, ilOJIE AND J)l88ENr. tll0^o StatoH. Tho ohjoct is of vivst mns^nitiulo. Our work now roncliL's to Boston, northward ; to Wilkes county, in (Jcorirja, southward; and to Albany, Vorinont, Ijako Chain- .jdain, Uedstonc, and Kentucky, westward ; a icnc ordainod. A sup-n intendeiit «;i/y ordu'us tbo deacouH, and n sHjKM'intent! iit rui.st mako one of \i\c prcsbyteiy in tlic o]'dinuti(Mi o/ ai prioHf >r elder ; and Ibc Huperintendententf arc invested >viili a nei^ntivc voice in respect to tbo orditiation of any j)eison tbat ba>) been elcct- oreacbers there is no bibber office than that of a deocon. — Tbo local preacbev does not pass through an election tor this olfico ; but ifhebi'in^a tcstinionial, nij^ned by three elders, one of whom must bo what wo cull a presldin;^ elder, one wbo has tbo government of a district, i. e. several cir- cuits joined together, three deacons, three unordained prca-. cbers, and tho majority of tbo class of which ho is a uien\. bor, or tho stewards and leaders of the whole society ol which he is a mcmbei', member, a superintendent may then if he please, ordain him ; and a great many of the oldest and wisest of tho local preachers have been ordained deacons on this plan. Now, on a re-union taking pbice, our ministers, both eld • orsajsd d<}aeons, would exjxjct to have, and ought to have, the same authority tney htive at present, of adminis^tering tho ordinances according to tl*) respective powers already invcited in them for this purjtosc. I well know that they must submit to a re-ordination, which, I believe, might be easily brought about, if every other hinderance was removed out of tho way. liut tho great objections would arise from the leant of conjidence which tho deacons and unordaine^l preachers would experience. The present bishops might give them such assurance as would perhaps remove all their fears concerning t}u.m\ but thej' could give no security for I ■■'M 184 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DlSSEKT^ m 41a I IK I i i their successors, or for any new bishops who may be conse- crated for the Episcopal Church of those vStates which have not at present an Episcopal minister. The requisition of learning for the ministry (I mean the knowledge of the new Testament in the original;^ and of the Latin tongue) would be an insuperable objection on this ground, as the present Bishops and the present members of the general convention can give no mfficient security for their successors. And the preachers could never, I believe, be induced to give up the full confidence they have in their present Superintendents, that tliey shall in due time rise to the higher offices of the Church, according to their respective merits, for any change of situation in which the confidence they should then pos- sess would not be equivalent. But what can be done to gain this confidence on the plam of a re-union of the two Cluirches? I will answer this im- portant question with all simplicity, plainness and bold- ness; and the more so, because, 1st, I am addressing my- self, I have no doubt, to a person of perfect candour ; 2nd. I have a re-union so much at heart that I would omit noth- ing that may, a,ccovding to the best of my judgment, throw light on the subject; 3rd. Because I think I am not in dan- ger frciii }-our charitable spirit, to be suspected, in the pres- ent instance, of pressing Jifter worldly honor ; as it is likely I shall be elected President of the European Methodists, and sTiail not, I believe, receive greater mjirks of respect from the Methodists in these States, supposing I ever be a Bishop of the Protestant Ei)iscopal Church, than they are at present so kind as to show me. Mr. Asbury, our resident Superintendent, is a great nnd good man. He posesses, and justly, the esteem of most of the preachers, and most of the people. Now if the general convention of the Clergy consented that ho should be con- secrated a Bishop of the ]\tethodist Episcopal Church, on the supposition of a re-union, a very capital hinderance would bo leop]o also lov^e mc. Many have a peculiar regard for mo. But I could not with propriMy visit the American Methodists, ])ossossing in our Church on this side of the (vater an office inferior to that of Mr. Asbuiy. But if the two houses of the convention of the Clergy would consent to your consecration of Mr Ashury und mo as Bishops of tho Methodist Society in the Protestant Epis- copal Church in these United States, (or by any other title if that be not proper), on the supposition of the re-union of tho tAvo Churches, under proper mutual stipulations : and en- gage that the Methodist Society shall have a regular supply, on the death of their Bishops, and so, ad pzrpetunm, the grand difficulty in respect to the preachers would bo removed — th^y would have the same men to con tide in whom they have at present, and all other mutual stipulations would soon bo settled. I said, in respect to preachers, for I do not fully know Mr. Atibury's mind on the subject. 1 have my fears in respect to his sentiment* ; and if he do not accede to tho union, it will not take place so completely as I could wish. 1 wish you could see my sinful heart, but that is impossible. I think I need not observe that, if things were brought to a happy issue, we should still expect to enjoy all our rights as a socictjj in the most exclusive sense, as wo do now in Euro])e : 1 mean the receiving or rejecting members in or from our classes, bands, love-feasts, &c. I have had tho honor of throo interviews with Bishop White on this subject, and some correspondence. In the present state of things, I must entreat you to lay this b'lsi- ness only before your confidential friends ; and If you honor rao with a letter by the Juno packet, directed to tho Ke^-. I t j, \ It 186 THE CHURCH, EOME AND DISSENT. Dr. Coke, at the new chapel, City Koad, London, T will write to you again immediately after the English conference, which will commence in Manchester the last Tuesday in next July. The importance of the subject on which I have now written to you will, I think, prevent the necessity of an apology for the liberty I have taken in writing to you. Permit me to subscribe myself, with great respect, Right Rev. Sir, Your very humble axid obedient servant, Thomas Coke. Philadelphia, May 14th, 1791. I cannot pass these letters over without a few words of comment. The ostensible object of these letters was to nnite the American Methodist Society with the Protestant Episcopal C/mrc^ of America ; but the prim.iry object was to raise the lawful Episcopate Coke and Asbury. But why do these gentlemen wish to unite with the Church if the-ir society was aChurch already ? Or why do they seek re-con- secration if their ordination by Wesley was sufficient and valid ? Thoy guai*antce the " reordination " of the " preach- ei*8 " as a " concession " ; but why do they do this if their oi*dination was lawful and valid ? Colco and Asbury had called themselves " Bishops " in 1788 ; but in 1791 they fa. cetiousl}' call themselves " Superintendents." Coke acknow- ledges that he had " many times run into error ", which er- ror he confesses to have been the " promoting a separation'' of the Methodists from the Church, to which separation he says " Mr. Wesley was a determined enemy." In these letters he ingeniously confesses his " change of view ", and now seeks to atone for the "error" by seeking to promote that "union " which once he sought to destroy. He is in haste to effect this union "before Mr. Wesley's death", whose " influence " he hopes to secure in favor of his wishes. In the view of all these documents we are justified in ex- posing the fraud of the Episcopal Methodists, which they |l|lllL'lllplUj.«>lli. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 18T rite ce, in ave y oi' have imposed upon mankind, in their Book of Discipline " ; *• in which they openly say; "Our venerable founder sent over three regularly ordained Clergy, and that Br. Coke received from Wesley letters of Episcopal Orders, and that the General Conference hold at Baltimore 1784 did unanimously receive Dr. Coke and F. Asbury rs their Bishops." This is a Methodist /rawY^. It does not contain one word of truth. And a more audacious and impudent imposition is not to be found in the whole of the annals of the Papacy, in the dark- est ages of the world. In Mr. Wesley's "presents " not a word is said about ei- ther " ordination ", or "Bishops ", or " Episcopal Orders." Four years after the date of that instrument, it came to AVesle3''s cars that Coke and Asbury called themselves " Bishops ", which he instantly rebukes, and thatshar])ly by the above letter, in which he says : " How can you, how dare you suffer yourselves to bo called Bishops? 1 shudder, I start at the very thought ! " " For my sake, for Clod's sake, for Christ's sake, put sifull end to this !" Three years after this Coke and Asbury seek the episcopate fmm the hands of the true Apostolic Bishops, White and Seabury, in which they make no mention of their Wesley-Episcopal-orders, for the best of all reasons, they had none ; hence those that go by his name are a fraud and a forgoy. Shortly after this Mr. Wesley dietl. These ambitious men were refused the Episcopate of America. The disappointed Coke returned to England ; but not as a Bishop, but as a simple Presbyter, as ho v/as before the so called ordination by Wesley. But no refusal, no rebuke, no check could sup- press his insatiable thirst for a mitre, for which he spent half his life in vaia to secure. In 1813 wo find him making ., lother attempt to be made a Bishop, for India, in l"tters to Lord Liverpool and Williajn Wilborforco, l']sq., M. P. But if he had been made a real Bishop by Wesley, at Bris" * 'ee B^oU of DiuMiuillne, cb. f., § I. m\ ^1 m 188 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. |i)< H tol, A. 1). 1783, or if his a.ssumption of that dignity in 1787, had made him a real Bishop, thou of course it was nonsense for hiiii to apply to the American real Bishops, or British authorities, to be made a Bishop over ai^ain. Surely none hut men lost to every sense of argument, fact and truth can swallow this medicine. The following is tlie letter addressed to Wm. Wilberforco, Esc, : Leeds, April 14th. 1813. " Dear und highly respectciJ Sir : " A subject which appears to me of great moment lies much upon my mind ; and yet it is a subject of such a deli- cate nature that I cannot venture to open my mind npon it t) any one of whose candor, niety, deb'cacy and honor I have not the highest opiiiion. Such a character 1 do indubitably esteeni you, Sir, and as such I will run the risk of opening my whole heart to you upon the point. '' For at least twelve 3'Ciirs, sir, the interests of our Indian empire have lain very near my heart. In several instances I have made attempts to open a way for missions in that country, and even for my going over there myself. But everything proved abortive. '•' My influence in the hirge Wesleyan connexion, the in- troduction and superintendence of our missions in ditl'erent parts of the globe, and the wide sphere opened to me for the l)reaching of the gospel to almost iinuimerable large and attentive congregations, have opened to me a very extensive field for usefulness. And yet I could giv^e up all for India. Coukl J but close my life in being the means of raising a spiritual (>hurch in India, it would satisfy the utmost am- ' bition of iny loul here below. Im[)ressoi with these views I wrote a letter about a fort- liight ago to the Earl of Liverpool. I have either mislaid the copy of it, or destro^'ed it at the time, for fear of its fall- ing into iniprojxn- bauds, After i^w introduction^ ilrawn up THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 18D 787, mse tish 10110 Clin in the most dclicato manner in my power, I took notice of the observations made by Lord Castlcreach in the House of Commons, concerning a religious establishment in Jiulia, connected with the established Church at home. 1 then simply opened my situation in the Wesleyan connexion, as I have stated it to you. Sir, above. 1 enlarged on the car- nest desire of closing my life in India, obson-ing that if his lloyal highness the Prince Eegent and the Government should think proper to appoint me their Bishop in India, I should most cheerfully and most gratefully accept the oif'er. I shall be glad to receive three or four lines from yon, (don't write unless it may be of some immediate importance) signifying that I may wait on you immediately on my ar- rival in London. " I have the honor to be, " With very high respect " My dear Sir, your very much obliged, " Verv humble, and very faithful servant, "T. Cork."* "Where then, I ask, is the authority for the pretence for Methodist Episcopacy ? They certainly can only make a showing to gull the simples. This they do by distorting facts, hy special pleading, by tortuous sophistry, by con- structive fallacies, by which they dishonor the fair fame and good sense of AVesley, clothing themselves in the mantle of the good old man like tiiat nameless animal in the lion's skin, by which human contrivance they set up an impos- ture analogous to the assumptions of Eonie, and exhibit the lives of ^yesley and Coke a lie to the world. 1 have so far examined the facts and the argument by which it is pre- tended to establish the validity of Wesley's ordination of Dr. Coke ; and I have shown, conclusively, not only that Wesley did not ordain him, but that Dr. Coke did not believe that he had ordained him — and that the whole transaction ■I H i ^ *See Life of Coke. 100 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. i; ] ii was destitute of even the shadoxK^ of validity. The validity of Dr. Coke's ordination, then, being completely destroyed, (and the validity of the present Methodist Ministry depend- ing u])on that — so that they must stand or fall together), it is plain, to a demonstration, that the Methodists have no latrfiil ministry whatever, and that those they call their J^ishops, lilldors and Deacons, are only lajpnen. And as tiiero ran he no hm/ul sacraments without a /a?r/?// ministry, it is e.jiuilly plain they have no Sacraments. And as there cannor he a Church of Christ, imless there be a laniful min- istry and lawful sacraments, it is cqu-ally plain, also, that the /so called) " Methodist Church " is iK)t a Church of Christ. Once more : When Asbury visited England, the old Wes- Icyan 1 ody, the only true successors of Wesley, refused to allow him either to baptize or administer the Holy Supper, although he had been ordained by Coke! They kept to tlieir own proper calling. Yain and ambitious men might play at ordination, and at Church-making, and at Bishop- maki)ig in America; but English Wesleyans were not to bo cajoled. Hear Dr. A. Clarke, when writing to a friend on this very subject. " Ilert am I preaching the gospel, with- out holy orders, without pretension to holy order, and with- out protended orders." It is worth while now to enquire how theMethodist min- istry and Sacraments stood at the death of the Wesleys in England. Concerning the Sacrament the following ad- dress will explain. " To the inemhcrs of our societies, icho desire to receive tJve LonVs supper froin the hands of our own preachers : " YvAiY DEAR Brethren. — The Conference desires us to write to you, in their name, in the most tender and atfec- tionate manner, and to inform you of the event of their de- liberations concei'ning the administration of the Lord's Supper. After debating the subject, time after time, wo wore greatly divided in sentiment. In short, we know not THE CIIUIICII, ROME AND DISSENT. m wo what to do, that peace and union might be i)re,sei-ved.- At last, one of the iscnior brethren (.Mr. l^iwsion) proposed that wo HhouM commit the matter to God h}-- put(iiiii; the quoBtion to the lot, considering that the oracles of (iod de- clare that 'the lot causeth contentions to cease, andparleth between the mighty'; and again, 'that the lot is cast int*) the lap, bat the whole disposing thereof is of the L(»rd.' And considering also that we have iheexample-of the Apos- tles themselves, in a matter wliich wo thought, all things considered, of less importance. We accordingly prepared the lots, and four of us prayed. God was surely then pre- sent, 3'ea, his glory filled the room. Almost all the preachers were in tears, and, as they afterwards confessed, felt an un- doubted assurance that God would decide. Mr. Adam Clarke wa3 then called upon to draw tho lot, which was, 'you shall not administer the sacrament the ensuing year.' All were satisfied ; all submitted. AU was peace ; evoiy counte«ance' seeTftod to testify that &very head said, ' It is Mio Lord ; let him do what seemeth him good.' \Vc do assure you, dear brethren, wo shwild have boon perfectly resigned if the lot had fallen on the other side Yea,, wo should,, as fwr as Christian prudence and expeiliency would have justified, have encouraged the administration of the Lord's Su])i)er by the preachers ; because we had not a doubt but God was uncommonly present on the occasion, and did himself decide^ " Signed in behalf of the Conference, " Alexander Mather, Pres.. "Thomas Coke, /S'ec," T2iU8 did the body of English Methodists join in removing the stigma from the name of Wesley, and in helping to dis- prove tho pretence of modern Methodists, that Wesley did at least change tho fundamental character of his society. Yea, according to the opinion of the Conference, " God did Himself decide." Those especial appointments were clearly enough defined as not elevating those who received - i] '! 1 i it ■I 102 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. [ them u particle above the general level of the preachers; any presumption that they M'ere ordinations was clearly checked ; and a]mere society, the ^lethodist hody conti.nued • till the la.st, without a Ministry, and without sacraments. Upon this subject of the Methodist Ministry, we shall re- view what Dr. Dixon* has said, as probably ho has written more and better than any other man on that jwiiit. Ilis argument, if argument it can be called, is to nie presumptu- ous, confusing, feeble and wholly illogical ; yet he makes a determii\ed effort to make the best of a bad cause, and the woi'se appear the better reason. He starts with the old fallacy of assuming that Wesley had the power and right to ordain, which, however, he ought tir.st to have proved. He admits that Wesley was a Piosliy- ter of the Church of England ; which Wesley affirms over and over again he lived and so he would die. lie did so. I have shown above that Mr. Wesley, as only a Presbyter q' the Church of Englnnd, was, ipso facto, ecclesiastically tlisquaiiticd to ordain ministers. Dr. Dixon says : " that Mr. Wesley believed Imnsclf to be as really a Bishop as (Uuj in the land.'' But we ask, did his " be- lief" make him so ? Ho might have believed himself to be the richest man in the land, or the greatest man, or the wis- est man ; but his " belief" could not make him so, nor affect his official status, so long as he remained a Priest of the Church : had he dissented from the Church, then this plea might have been put in with some show of reason, although ofj[ually invalid. What the Doctor says about Wesley's be- lief in the equality of the Presbyters, and the Presbyter- Bishops, of the primitive Church, and of the imagined mode in which Bishops were first made, is nothing to the point, and betra3's on the part of Dr, Dixon a lamentable ignor- ance of the nature of the real point at issue. Mr. Wesley, on receiving Holy Orders, vowed obedience Dixon's Origi'u, EoouomyaniJ Position of Methodism, p.p. 218-231. THE CHURCit, BOMS AND DISSENT. 193 be- ignojN to tl*e Cliurch, as a coq)Oi*ate society, governed by public laws, common to that 80cicty, which laws ho wfis Iround by every rule of right to obey. Whatever his private Ixjlief was, it must be made subservient to the obligations of that Order, which ho voluntarily took when ho entered that Order, This learned divine, however, abstains from all efforts to prove Wesley's power and right to confer Orders ; his higii- cst stand-point is simply this ; " that Mr. Wesley thoi«/ht ho had the right " or " .Mr. Wesley believed he had the power to ordain." Whatever he "thought" or "believed", this one thing lie know with a certitude that he could not mis- take; ho knew ho had neither the right nor the power, and so he never attempted to use it. Wesley committed many mistakes, but ho was not so imbecile as to commit this. lie changed his opinions many times, but he never effectu- ally changed his opinion or practice on the question of or- dination. The true reason for the efforts of modern Methodists, of all sorts, to invest the Wesloys with powers they never either assumed, affected or professed, lies undoubtedly in these facts, viz : Old fashioned Wesleyan Methodism having long since become extinct — modern Methodism has assumed the unwarrantable pretence of erecting their societies into a so called Church ; it has, without the least vestige of right or authority, set up a class of i)reachors they call ministers ; and they have adopted certain customs they call Sacraments : having been challenged by the public to justify those adven- turous acts o{ self assivned power, and being found untenable, the Methodists have, one and all, sought for waifs and strays of expression, for here and there a few scraps of thought, for some of the weakest points of the Wesloys' sayings and do- ings, for a few odds and ends scattered over a long and va- ried life, which they have pressed to their use, and clothed with the imaginary power of these two good men, to justify I j 194 niE ciii/Rcfi, lioAit! a5jd Disamf. it I ! tlioir flagrant departure from tlie original design and aim of the founders of Methodism. They have removed from the stand-point of Wesley, and from that of the Church, and are drifting rapidly towards that condition which J. Wesley BO often predicted in his memorable words : " that when the Methodists leave the Chvrch of England God will leave t1\em." Many things ominously forbode on approaching crisw to Methodism : among which may be mentioned the over mul- tiplication of sects of Methodists, till it requires quite an ef« fort of the memory to distinguish the one from the other : their unseemly strifes, their continued hostilities toward each other, their mutual jealousy and hatcf, their ill JTrdged rivalry, their incessant proselj^ting from one Methodist sect to another, their invading each others privileges, their petty annoyances and secret persecutions, till each sect regards the other as his i)atural enemy. Another thing must bemost painful for the more thoughtful and sober minded to reflect / upon, Avhich is that sensuous excitement is now become no- ? cessary for the very existence of Methodism, in many cases, ! Revival services, protracted meetings, union prayer-meet- ings, and the like, with all their unchristian concomitants • of evil, of a character too disgusting to be detailed in these pages. Again, Methodism is obliged to resort to aconside- able degree to other auxiliaries, such as temperance socie- ties, templar lodges, together with talented preaching, showy platform eloquence, by which it becomes a miserable pan- derer to the vulgar tastes of craven appetites. Methodism, in either hemisphere, is no longer that lowly, simple, de- vout, warm-hearted and earnest thing of life it was at the death of the Wesleys. Modern Methodism, as drawn by its own masters, is -well described in the following extract, which I quote from their book of discipline. Surely this witness is true : , 1. Personal religion, either toward God or man, iR too su- perficial among us. We can but just touch on a fewpartic- TOE CHURCH ROMK AND DIflSENT. 195 ulars. How little faith is there among uh ! How little com- niuniou with God^ how little livin;L? in heaven, walking in etoi'nity, e done by in buying and selling ? 2. Family religion is wanting in many brnuchcs. Anil what avails public pi'caching alone, though we could preach like angels? Wo must, yea, every travelling prcaclicr must instruct the jxjoplc fi-om house to house. Till this be done, and that in good earnest, the Metliodists will Ixj no better. Our religion is ilot sufficiently deep, universal, uniform ; but superficial, partial, uneven. It will be so till we spend half as much time in this visiting as we now do in talk- ing uselessly. Can we find a better method of doing this than Mr. Baxter's. If not, let us adopt ii without delay. His whole tract, entitled, Gihlas Salvianus, is well worth a careful perusal. Speaking of this visiting from house to house, he says : " We shall find many hinderances both in ourselves and the people." 1. In ourselves there is much dulness and laziness, so that there will be much ado to get us to be faithful in the work. 2. We have a base, man-pleasing temper, so that we let them perish rather than lose their love ; we let them go quietly to hell rather than offend them. 3. Some of us have a foolish bashful noss. We know not how to begin, and blush to contradict the devil. 4. But the greater hinderance is weakness of faith. Our whole motion is weak, because the spring of it is weak," * A portrait more true to the life of modern Methodism leys did not sej)arato from the Church of England, nor ever intended that their followers should make a separate piu-ty. S<:coHd/:y^ That the AVesleys had not lawful authority to ordain a minister, and that they did not presume to claim such authority. Thirdly, That there can be no true Church where there is r\( .ue min- istry J the professoil followers of the Wesleys, cal g them- selves Methodists, having dissented from the Church and departed from the AYcsleys' teaching, have therefore neither Church nor ministry, but that which in of human oriyin only, ftud are therefore a mere modern sect. 1 I! CHAPTER VIII. THE CHURCH— SUCCESSION— SCHISM. Etj^mo^, gy of the word Church -the Church a divini institution— cou'cl not he rs- tablished ly man— uicro roliKious uocietivB not Churches— the visibility and continuity of it — the Ministry founded by Christ— mitst be perpetual— in what sense BlBhoim are trua successors of the Apostles—a chain of ininistcrial tea —none gospel minis- ters who cannot stand that tost — Schism— Heresy— Apostacy-fatal effects of ns seen lu the decline of modern sects- an humble admonition to Churchmen— how dissent 8 ioald l>e treated. HE word Cliui'ch has an appropriate and a bcautil'iil Mignificanco ; it moaiiH the House of the Lord, It is derived from the Greek word Kaviake, which is compounded of two otlior Greek words, Kurios, the Lord, and oikia, a liouse, and literally sig'iiifies the House of the Lord.^ And by the way, this very term is a fair incid(!nlal proof that the Church of England was not dervied from Rome. The Romanist invariably uses the word Ecclesia, and no other ; but the Church of England has always been (jailed by a name foreign to Rome, hence she must have been of a different origin from her, probably of a Greek or Asi- atic origin. This word is twice used in the new Testament expressive of that which pertains to the Lord Christ, and from thence it is taken to signify the people of God, meet- ing in the house of God. The Greek word used by Our Lord and his Apostles to designate the Church, signities a /xilling forth. But neither of these words fully express the natiu'e of the Church, what it is in itself, and as it is pro- pounded to our belief, f Much uneasiness and irritability is felt and expressed by * 0« "ald'j Et/mol. Diet. artCUurcb. f Pearsoo Greet}, IX Art. 198 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. n I those outside, at the use of the phrase " The Church ", which seems, in their view, to insinuate presumption, arrogance, pride, exclusiveness and bigotry ; but they seem wholly to oveilook the fact that this phrase is uniformly used both by Christ and his apostles from the very beginning, when they speak of that society which Christ founded, because the idea of *'« Church " being founded by any other person or authority, certainly never entered into their heads or plans. The phrase, " a Church ", of course implies a plurality of independent and separate bodies, as distinct from each oth- er, which idea is wholly foreign from the Ne\v Testament and entirely forbidden by it. The notion of the pluralitj'' of churches and denominations is modern and novel, being a creation out of the chaotic confusion of conflicting senti- ments produced by the Eoformation. Out of the same, elements of loose conjecture sprung the anti-scriptural notion that the Church is a 'mere voluntary society analagous to the Bible, Temperance, Odd-Fellow, and other like societies. iSuch a conceit is surely very errone- ous, and is a total perversion of the teaching of the new Testament. The common definition of " a Church is, that it is a community voluntarily associated on the foundation of revealed truth for religious ])urposes."* This notion imples that the volume of revealed truth is published to a Avorld of sinful men, who are in a state of revolt against God and without inclination to return to obedience; yet any man and every man who chooses, of his, or their own voluntary Avill, may take this book, and eliminate from its contents whatsover seem right in his f^yos, according to his private judgment; lie mny frame dogma, creeds, and poli- ty, as caprice, or whim, or interest, or lust, or fancy, or mere reason, or Avhatever may be the ruling motive; ho may collect converts, who are voluntarily to associate and ^/./rship God or not according to the dictates of their own I *■ 13uck's TU o. Diet, wt Min. Call^Londui!, 1825. THE CHURCH, ROME! .4ND DISSENT. m or consciences ; and they may form so called Churches, calling them by their own names, in which they may teach their own opinions, no matter how diverse, defective or contra- dictory. An unlicensed liberalism allows all others to do. the same — where there is a self-conceived call made oul7 ability to speak and sufficier. power of persuasion to make converts. Thus voluntary! .lu has been the fruitful source of all heresies, schisms and apot^tacies, as the natural and lo- gical issue of its own premises. In the meantime infideli- ty has trianiplicd, ungodliness has flourished, and ihc Church has mourned. Voluntaryism, j>tT sr', is a formal, practical renunciation of intellectual and moi-al obedience, an act Avliercin one stands up in the face of lawful authority and ealnilj' declares, " I am liolicr than thou." It is mind as- serting its fancied claim to indc])cndenco, juid while it af- tcct:i revei'onily to bow before the throne of the Most High, and wit'i a show of wisdom and devotion, to pay its homage there it (jjvpresses its determination to acknowledge noth" ing siqHU'ior to its own wiil-worshi}). It sets itself up a dominion Avhcre none ]m^ God can rule. It is a blow struck at the root and dignit)- of authority, law, and order. It looks Eoj'al and Ecclesiastical authority in the faoe and says '' this mind is not for you, nor at 3'our demand are its prerogatives to be surrendered, or its convictions to be di- rected.'" " Which thin'js have indeed a show of icisdo^n in will- worship, and himiility, and neglect inj of the body ; not in any honor to the sitisfyinj of the flesh ; beinj vainly puffed up by his flesh- ly mind." Let Christian charity, however, indulge the hope that thousands of such persons live .sapcrior to their prin- ciples, and produce fruit of gentleness and goodness in opposition to their creed. The Church of God is a supernatural society or institution, fcanded hy positive law, on groat moral principles, by divino authority alone, as an act of the love and mercy of God to- wards guilty man, as the means of their instruction, being Mil 11 ^<^i 200 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. )l\ ■H !■■ ) ( ill! J i i- mini I il 1 ii •■ III the school of Christ, in which they are taught the way of salvation. So thought the immortal Hooker, who says, when writing on the immutable laws of God : * " The laws which concern supernatural duties are all positive, and ei- ther concern men super naturally as men, or else as parts of a supernatural society, which society we call the Church. To concern men as men, supernaturally, is to concern them as duties which belong of necessity to all, and yet could not have been known by any to belong unto them, unless God had opened them himself, inasmuch as they do not depend upon any natural ground at all out of which they may be deduced, but are appointed of God to supply the defect of thosb natural waj's of salvation, ])y which wo are not now able to attain thereunto. The Church bo ing a supernatural society doth differ from natural societies in this, that the per- sons unto whom wo associate ourselves, in the one are men simply considci-ed as men, but they to whom we be joined in the other arc God, Angels and holy men. Again, the Church being both a society and a society supernatural, al- though as it is a society it has the selfsame original grounds M^hich other politic societies have, namely, the nat- ural inclination which all men have unto social life, and consent to some certain bond of association, which bond is the law that appointeth what kind of order they shall be associated in : yet unto the Church as it is a society super- natural this is peculiar; that part of the bond of their asso- ciation which belonf!:s to the Church of God must be a law supernattu'al, which God himself hath revealed concerning that kind of worship which his people shall do unto him. The substance of the service of God, therefore, so far forth as it hath in it anything more than the law of reason doth teach, may not he invm.iaJ of men, as it is amongst the hea- thens, hut must he reeeircd from God himself, as it always hath been in the Church, saving only when the Church * Eccl. Polity, Bk. I, ch. XV 2. THE CHURCH, R()3I£ AND DISSEXT. 201 hatli been forgetful of her duty." Tlie Church then, is not a mere voluntary society, as it were invented or instituted by the will of man j but it i.s a positice institution established by God. " Hence ", says Bishop Butlev, " we may clearly see, where lies tiio dis- tinction between ivhat is positive and what is moral in re- ligion. Moral -precepta are precepts, the rcjisons for wh''ch we see : positive precepts are precepts the reasons of which we do not see. Moral duties arise out of the nature of the case itself, prior to external command. Positive duties do not arise out of the nature of the case, but from external command; nor Avould they be duties at all were it not for such a command received from him whose creatures wo are."* • " ; • '-■ - - The Church, then, is not an institution arising out of nat- ural reason, or out of the moral iitness of things; but it is an institution superinduced, over and above both these prin- ciples of law and action, by divine revelation alone, and hQwce it in positive ; and being so it comes to us with au- thority, and that authority is Clod, Gotl manifested in tlio person of Christ, and concerning which St. Paul says : " Jfi; gave him to be the head over all thiiujs to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him thatfilleth all in all", Kph. i:20- 23, passim. Now if we turn to Christ's sayings and doings it will bo at once s'^en that ho claimed atid asserted this author! t}', to the exclusion of all other persons, to establish his Church — to appoint its ministers — to frame its constitution — to teach its doctrine — to set up its sacraments — to determine its discipline — to regulate its order — to prescribe its work — to fix the limits of its duration — to stamp its character with such marks as to distinguish it forever from all coun- terfeits — to prohibit all heresies and schisms, under the se- verest penalties — to forbid all others — and all this he did ■^ I ♦ BuUer'B Analogy, pt. H,, ch. V 202 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. ft r"j ; I, J: i i I Hi -V I'M i *l 1 i \ i I i!»' 'fl! by authority^ occupying a stand-point ^^ Far above all princi- 2)alifj/, and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in ^his u'orld, but also in that which is to come'^ In view of these f.tcts, can it be reasonable to suppose that the Church thus established as a positive institution by such divine sanctions, and such severe penalties, and by such high authority, that it would ever be left to the voluntary caprice of mere man to altei*, or mangle, or modify, or coun- terfeit that Church, under any pretence whatsoever? \Ye solemnly think and believe that this question must be an- swered in the negative by all who have given sufficient at- tention to the subject ; and that all those who do violate Christ's order and law, either by heresy or schism, in the face of his authority, must be either blind to the consequen- ces or ignorant of the facts. There is a difference, yea, a contrariety, between the Church of Christ and modern religious societies. For these have first their being, by a voluntary act of their own, they frame their government, and all jurisdiction is originated and retained by themselves, which they, how^ever, commu- nicate to their officers, without depriving themselves of it. But the Church did not make herself, nor her government; but Christ, who is her Head, Master, Prince and Monarch, from whom all laws, government and teaching proceed. The Church is not born of earthly masters ; but of Go(.l. Hence the Church is called in Scripture God's building, God's tcin])le, God's vineyard, and the like, which destroj^s all idea of its being a mere voluntary society. The whole teaching of Scripture conveys the idea that Christ came into the world \o assemble his people, to gather together his sheep, to instruct them by his doctrine and example. Then he added that the first original ground upon which he built his Church was Himself, saying : " Upon this rock willlhuild my Churchy Thus he built himself and upon himself, during his own personal ministry, and in his lifetime, Ho T'bE CHURCtt, ROMS ANl) DtSSEN^. 2oa i 80 con. sti tilted it as to continue to the end of the worhl. For any man or any number of men to attempt to set up another Church, especially at this distance of time, is a clear usurp- ation of a divine prerogative, as much so as if a man were to forge " another gospel." . In the Apostolic and Nicene Creeds the Church which Jesus Christ established is defined as '* The one Holy Catholu? and Apostolic Church." ■ ,1 • -. The Church is One as opposed to the many, created by Bchismatical and denominational factions. The Church is Holy as opposed to the corruptions, heresy, schism and apostacy. v ■ The Church is Catholic as opposed to the narrow exclu- sivoness of j!yrtrf<'cwZ«r societies or sects. ' ; . The Church is Apostolic as opposed to and distinguished from all mere voluntary and more recent organizations set up by the authority of vien. * The gospel of grace having been revealed hj Jesus Christ, who also established the Church through which to make known to the world the whole counsel of God ; as taught by St. Paul: "To the intent that now imto the principalities ami poivers in heavenly things, might be known, hy the Church, the manifold wisdom of God." To accomplish this mighty work, God made the Church the Depositor, Witness, and Keeper OF Holy Writ. " The Old Testament is received by us through the Church from the Jews, to whom were committed the oracles of God, and who received those ' lively oracles to give unto us ', and by whom, 'of old time they were read in the Syruujogues every Sab- bath day ', and we know that they were by them delivered, pure and entire, into the hands of the Christian Church, from the fact that Christ, when reproving the Scribes and Lawyers, never charges them; with the sin of corrupting the books of the Law, which he would not have omitted to * See next Chapter on marks of tbe Church. 204 THE CHURCH, ROME AND HISSKNT. I do, liad they been guilty of it; and that he and his Apostles quote the Scriptures of the Old Testament as theytlien ex- isted among the Jews, and as they still exist derived through them to us." "^ The Christian Church was formed by the Oral instruc- tions of Christ and his Apostles, and when the New Testa- ment was completed it was delivered to that Clnirch to keep, as we learn from the titles of the several books themselves, and from many express statements which *hey contain. The olHce then of the Christian Church, with respect to the New Testament, was to deliver it, as well as the Old Testament, down to us also,*from age to ago, as it was first written. Tliat these writings, as we now possess them, are precisely the same as when they were first given to the \vorld, we know from the facts of the'/ having been publicly received by the Synods of the Church ; from their having been openly read, immediately after their publication, in congregations of the Church in numerous places very dis- tant from each other ; from their having been translated at an early period into different languages, for the use of the various Churches, which versions thus made arc found to coincide precisely w^ith our text; and from the fact that the Fathers of the Church, in all parts of the world, beginning with the Apostles themselves, have referred to them, quoted them and commented upon them, without any discrepancy from the copies which have been handed down to us."t The Chui'ch as n, positive institution, being established by divine authority — the Apostles being ordained by the same authority — she received the sacred Scriptures by the joint authority of Christ and his Apostles, to keep them as the sole dejwsit of the revelation of God. Men are no more the authors of the Church than they are of Scriptures. The Church henceforth became the school of Christ, as the only authorized medium of trutli out of which there is =<' rbcoph. Anglic, p. 49. t Theoph. Anglic, p. 50. THB CHUBCH, ROyit AND DISSENT. 205 ostles 3n ex- rough isti'uc- Testa- . ) keep, selves, ain. )CCt to lie Old as first them, 1 to the mblicly luwing ,tion, in cry dis- lated at * of the bund to that the ginning Li, quoted repancy is."t ished by ;he same :he joint a as the uore the Christ, as I there is ). no salvation. " As it was necessary to enter and remain in the Ark (which is the type of the Churcli) for safety from the flood; it was necessary to have the door-post sprinkled with blood, and that none should go out of the doors, in order to be safe from the sword of the destroying angel ; and it was necessary for the members of the family of Ilahab to abide in the house, if they wished to escape death ; so we are taught by analogy that since God has appointed the Church to be the dispenser of the means of pardon, grace and sal- vation to men, we cannot hope to escape death or inherit life if we do not belong to it; that is, if we do not enter in and abide in it" There are four religions that have ruled the world since the beginning tliat is to say, the Pagan, the Jewish, the Mahometan and the Christian, the last of which only is necessary to the salvation of man. "Tlie Church is called in Holy Scripture the Body of Christ ; and while it is said in Scripture that the Lord ad- ded to the Church such as were being saved, and that Christ is the Saviour of his Body the Church, salvation is nowhere promised to those who are 7iot members of that Body." "The Church is United, Universal and One onlff. Christ is the Head of every man, says St. Paul. As one Head he has but one spiritual Body ; and this Body, the Apostle tells us, is the Church, and no one can ' hold the Head ' who is not in this Body. The Church is called in Scripture 'the ful- ness of him who filleth all in all.' This universal fulness admits of no other fulness. Again ; the Church is the spouse of Christ, united forever to him, who loveth her and gave himself for her, and who has no other or second spouse be- sides that which he hath sanctified and cleansed with water and the word, that he might present the Church glo- rious to himself, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. She is the one Sj^ouse of one Husband. There is one fold and one Shepherd ; * one Lord, one faith, one bap- tism ' ; and thus the Church is one for us men and for our 1 II 20G THE CHURCH, R03IE AND DiSHEST. salvation. * "' III ^ ' r H • riio Church i.s nut only a school j but it is alsou kuufhrn : a kingdom oi'extensivo dominionji; and of vast durat' -n ; a kingdom which shall not be destroyed, and which shall not be given to anollicr, but shall be maintained in tact by him who established it: a kingdom whose laws are to regulate the inner as well as the outer life of its subjects ; although it is not founded on the principles, nor managed by the pol- icy of this world. The Church is not only a kingdom, but a council ckamlcr, having authority and power to decree Eitcs and Ceremonies^ and authority in Controversies of Faith : anil yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God's word written." y The Church being one communion is in that same sense a body corporate, and as such destined to continue to the end of the world. For a body corporate ncvei" dies, but is im- mortal, as the Church is declared to be. For the full dis- charge of all otReial duties as a body corporate, 8t. Paul says : "And Cbrist gave some, x\postles ; and some. Prophets ; and some. Evangelists; and some. Pastors andteaehers; for the juu'fecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the eilifying of the body of Christ ; till \vc all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doc- trine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, where- by they lie in wait to deceive ; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up unto him in all things, which is the head, even Christ; from whom the whole bodyfitlyjoined together and compacted by that which ev^ry joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of eveiy part, mak- tth increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love ", * Theoph. Anglic, p.p. 28, 29. •]• Arti cle xx. TllK cnURClI ROME AND DISSENT. 207 Eph. iv : 11-10, This passage contains the Maijjna Chai-ta of the Church. Here are the Apostles, and their successors in office and order, ap^winted for tlic work of the ministry, who are to continue till the whole body, the Church, of Christ is to be perfected in faith, knowledge, ti'uth, love and unity, as one compact whole ; till all are perfect as Christ is perfect. The Church is also warned aujainst the seductions of cliildish tickleness, against being tossed and carried about by every wind of ■d(>ctrint% by the sl\;ight of hand tricks, or lia])-lta/i- ard teachings of designing men — oi* by the cunning crafli- ness of shrewd, wicked men — or men who by a certain kind of artful, wily, miihixUcal skill deceive the hearts of the simple and the credulous, ever lying in wait to deceive. This is the more easily to be observed as the corporate Ixxly of the Chui'ch is a visible, tdivjlhle sonicty, apjiointcMi (o be the " litjht of the u'orltaniped by ^i/i^ns and marks so as that the? most yini[)lc minded might with a little care distinguish her from all counterfeits, foi'geries and fictitious imitations, these- obsci'vatioas lead naturally to tlio discussion of Part J F., Apostolical ^'upcession. This doctrine, although so deeply laid and broadl}' stated, and so emphatically iteiTtte know Apostolic customs; hei. re they testify what they sa and knew to bo true, and not mere opinions or con jecturcs. _ • se witnesses are the Apos- tolic Fathers. • • . 1. The iirst uitness I here introduce is St. Clement, the third Bishop of Home, whom St. Paul calls '^ his fellow la- bourer ",* and who is said cO hav3 translated his epistle to the Hebrews, and whose v;ri:ings were so excellent that they were by some long I;f Iieved to be inspired, f lie says in his epistle to the Corinthians : " Our Apostles knew by our ]jord Jesus Christ that there would be contentions arise upon the account of the ministry. And therefore having perfect fore-knowledge of tills, they appointed persons, as we have before said, and then gave directions, how, when they should die, other chosen and approved men should succeed in their ministry." % This then is the testimony of St. Paul's companion, who was Bishop of the Church at Homo during the Apostle's i.ife-time for jiine years, and certainly must have been in a position to know wh^t provision was made for the succes- sion of the holy ministry. 2. The second witness is Ignatius, who was ordained Bish- • ¥i f *Pbil. iY:3. tEuseb. Eccl. Hist.. Bk.Ui., ch 38. JClem. Rom. 1 Epis Cor jixaf.,17. Tl'-i: CIIUIICII, ROME AND DISSENT. 211 op of Antiocli, in Syria, A. D. 70, by tho ApostlcH them- Hclvos. " Tho huncls of the blessed A])Ostles wore phiced upon bin «acrod head", and ho held bin opisco|)ato du- ring thirty years of the life-time of St. John the 7\.i)Ostlo, and for seven years after his death, and is said to have been well known by St. Peter and St. Paul, which fact alone is a sufficient guarantee of his ability and competence as a witness for the truth for which ho sulVored inartyivlom, being thrown Lo tho wild boasts at Homo A. I). 1U7. lie wrote these several epistles while on his way to death, which have come down to us, which dis]»lay dee]) ])iety, great knowledge of Holy Scriptures, considerable erudition, and are full oi'tho teachings, of what tho Apostles themselves taught and did. Had we no other writings than his, they would bejmore than sufficient to convince every impartial man of tlie truth fur which w^e plead. His testimony is so full and KO varied that it is difficult to make a selection. Writing to the Trallians he' exhorts : " Conlinue inseparable from Jesus Christ our God, and from your Bishops, and from the com- mands of the Apostles. He that is within the altar is pure ; but he liiat is without, that is, that does anything without tho Bishop, and Presbyters, and Deacons, is not pure in his conscience." * Again ho commends the Church at riiiladel])hia : " Ks- pecially if they are at unity with the Bishops and Presby- ters who are with him, and the Deacons ap])ointed accor- ding to the order of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which he has settled according to his own will in all tho lirmnoss of Ins Holy Spirit."— -" I cried with aloud voice whilst I was among 3-ou ; I spake with a loud voice ; atteiul to the ]3ish- op, and to the Presbyters, and to the Deacons. Xow some suj)pose that I spake this as forsooing tho divisions of some tliat should come among you. But he is my witness for whose sake I am in bonds that I knew nothing from any * Igna Tral.,ch. II., -J, 5, 212 THE CHURCH, ROMB AND DISSENT. tfi !--4 ■■ I n man. But ^.he ^\ax\\, spake, saying, do nothing without the Bishop," * Here this Apostolic man speaks of the institution of the holy ministry and its three orders of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, not as '■'■foneeing divisions " ; but as the " order " that was " settled " by the Lord Jesus Christ. In writing to the Smyrntcans he exhorts them' thus : " But flee all divisions as the beginning of evils. See that ye all follow your Bishop, as Jesus Christ the Father ; and the PrCfsbytery as the Apostles, and reverence the Deacons a^ the command of God. Let no man do anything that bo- longs to the Church separately from the Bishop. Where- soever the Bishop shall appear, there let the people also be ; as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." f Addressing the same Church through Polycarp, he writes : " Hearken unto the Bishop, that God may also hearken unto you. My soul be security for them that submit to their Bishop, with their Presbyters and Deacons. And may my portion be together with theirs in God." I Teachings so full and so plain need no comment. "We do not see how our opponents can explain them away. Indeed they cannot resist their force ; but in order to resist the gist of these epistles from such a man as Ignatius they hav^e resorted to the subtcrfui/e of denying the gemmieness and au- thenticity of liis epistles, of which we see a notablo instance in Dr. Miller, of the Presbyterian College at Princeton, who, when writing on the Presbyterian ministry, and find- ing Ignatius so entirely opposed to him, he declares those e])istle8 to be unworthy of credit. But when Dr. Miller v%nshes to prove the belief of the primitive Church in the divinity of Our Lord, he declares Ignatius to be excellent iiuthorlly. lie writes thus : ^^ Loiters on the Ministry. "" ^^ Letters on Unitarlanism." "That even the shorter " The great body of learn- *Pliila.^ 1:1., I1-12, U. t Epiat. Smyrn. ch. Ill: 1-4. J ^plHl. Pol^-c , oh. il; 13 THE CHURCH, ROME AXD DISSENT. 213 Epistles of Ignatius are un- ed men eonsider tlic snuiller "worthy of confidence, as the epistles of Igtui'ius as, in the genuine works of the Father main, the real works of the whose name they bear, is the wa-iter whose name they opinion of many of the ablest bear." p. 122, and best judges in the Protes- " I do not admit that the tant world." p. 150. most learned and able of the " Intelligentreadersare no critics reject as spurious the doubt aAvare that the genu- seven shorter epistles of this, ineness of the epistles of fg- FaLher." Letters on the eter- natius has been called in nal Sonship of Christ, question by a great majority of Protestant divines, and is not only really but deeply questionable." Ess. Ruling Elder. Dr. Miller must himself explain this gross attempt to make this renowned disciple of St. John, a kind of nose of wax. It is an un-^uestionable proof of the utter samUness of his foundatit»n. UnfortiiXiately for Dr. Miller, and ;dl his school, tiiut St. Ignatius w^rote the letters attributed to hint happens to have been so profuselj' atvested thjit, asDodwell says ; " they w^io question them might as well liave qucs~ tioned several books of the New Testament itself, which notwithstanding they receive on /^'sser evidence." -^ But it is noteworthy that in the providence of God a dis- covery should have been made of two manuscripts of Igna- tius, by two different persons, in two different countries, written in two separate languages, and yet accurately ac- cording with each other and with the quotations from Igna- tius found in the writers o^ the first five centuries : '' re-- served, no doubt ", says Bishop Hall, f " by a special provi- de-ftce, for the the conviction of the schisms of these last times." I shall argue these points no further but refer ♦PodweU'a Soparntion proved scbisrcatical, ch. xxiv., § 8, p 515. tModcat Offer, p 43S- 2U THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. p«; my readers to the unanswered and unanswerable work of liishop Pearson. * 3. The third witness I shall call is the holy martyr. Poly- carp, whom Ignatius calls " an Apostolic man ", and whom EuseUius ealls "•the admirable Apostolic PoljT'arp." lie was the disciple of the Apostle John and received the truth from his holy li)»s ; he was a fellow disci])le with Ignutij -, and was intimate with the holy Apostles for forty yeai^ he was consecrated Bisliop of Smyrna by John himself, which o.Tico he liiled \\itli distinction for more than half a century, and suricred martyr.lom A. D. 14", Itcing eighty- six years old. Q^'he ancient testimon}^ of Pol3'carp is this : that he was " a mjin who had been instructed b}' the Apostles and had fami- liar iiitercoui 8 ^ with many who had seen Christ, and had also been aj^pointed "Bishop, by the Apostles in Asia, in the Church at Smyrna. He always taught what he had learned from tliC Apostles, what the Church had handed tlown, and what is the only true doctrine. All the Churches boar witness to these things, and those who have been the suc- cessors of Polycarp." f Polyear]), who is styled by Ignatius " Bishop of the Church which is at Smyrna ", and who wrftte an epistle to the Church at Philippi, beginning with these words. "Poly- carp, and tlie Presh^'ters that are Avith him, to the Church of God which is at Philipjn." "Wherefore * >i< -K * being subject to the Priests and Deacons as unto God and Christ." t Itiu'c is ?nentionod only twoorders of the Clergv, which fact is eagerly seized upon by the opjioneiio of Epis- copacy, to pro^'o what is styled tho, jmiity, \'i,:., on .^ -der of the ministry. But ho mentions two, " Pri' s'o ^''u Deacons ", intending probably by this phrase to moan all three, as is often done when authors speak of the whole of the Clergy hy the one word ministej's, or the ckr(jy, or, as in the Church • Vindiciw Ignatiaiw. + Eupeb. Eecl. Hist., Dk. iv , ti?. U. J r)i. I., 14. < THE criUllClI, U031E AND DISSENT, 215 service, which twice mentions ^^ Iiit It is obvious to all who study the Acts of the Apostles,to- gether with the Epistles, that none but the Apostles ordain- ed men to the holy ministry : that they ordained deacons, Elders or presbyter-bishojis, and aiDostolic-bishops, of which last order the Bishops of the United Church of England and Ireland, and the Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America are the true and lawful successors. The conclusion we arrive at is, that the follow- ing CHAIN of principles is necessary, as absolutely essential, THE CHtrncll ROME AND DISSENT. 219 to a regular, lawful and valid gospel ministry. A valid ministry must be 1. Of apostolic oaiciv, viz., it must be derived ft-om their direct authority. 2. It must be of unbroken continuance from the apos- tles, in order, jurisdiction, doctrine and succession. 3. It must be derived through some one branch of the Holy Catholic Church. 4. It must be in the Church and for the Church, by those having lawful authority to call, try, examine and or- dain. , / , .; 6. It must be Episcopal, with the imposition of hands and prayer. "/< is evident unto all men diligently reading Holy Scriptures and ancient authors, tJiat/rom the Apostles' time there have been these Orders of Ministry in Christ's Church ; Bishops, Priests and Deacons. Which offices were evermore had in such reverend estimation th'it no man might presume to execute any of them, except he were first called, tried, examined and known to have such qiialities as are requisite for the same ; and also by public 2)rayer, with imposition of hands, loere ajJj^roved and ad- mitted thereto by lawful authority. And tkcrejore, to the intent that these orders may be continued, and reverently used and es- teemed in the United Church of England and Ireland; no man tkall be accounted or taken to be a lawful Bishop, Priest or Dea- con ; or suffered to execute any of said functions, except he be called, tried, examined and admitted thereto bj/ e2nsa)pal conse- cration and ordination.'' * Therefore we conclude that the ministry which cannot stand the test of this chain of principles is neither valid, law- ful nor regular, and is of no authority in the Church of Christ ; but such a ministry is the gratuitous assumption of an office., by the authority of man, and not an Order derived from Apostolic authority, and therefore not binding upon any man, and has always been regarded by the Church as * See Preface to Ordinal Book, C. Pr. 220 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSTENT. invalid. But the ministry of the United Church of Enghind and IroLind and thai of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America will boar the test of the above named cJiainofprin- dphs. and therefore their ministry is lawful, valid, regular, and of divine authority, and has a never ending succession. Part III., Schism, • ■ • Schism is a mournful them i to contemplate. Like all other sins, the more fashionable it is, the less noticeable is its deformity. As it grows in use it deadens the perception of its turpitude. It is pitiable to think of the facility with which thousands of good men will commit the sin of schism, yet will sleep as soundly and laugh as jocundly as the most obedient and humldo disciple of truth. So curious and an- omalous arc the views and actions of men on this subject, that while thousands of the faithful would prefer the hor • rors of the martyr's stake to the guilt of schism, yet my- riads of others seem to revel in its mal-practiso as though it wore a part of their birthright, and of their religion, to whom " rchcllion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stuhbonuwss is (IS iniquitji and idolafi'y.'* All schism begins in alienation of att'cction, it developos into faction, and matures in rebellion, either temporary or pei-manent. It is most prolific in the reproduction of itself. It is multiform, h^'dra-headed, and often monstrous : what is begotten in rebellion nsually terminates in apostacy. It is a downward slope without a halting place for its victims, or a harbour for its fugitives. All departure ivom the Apostolic canon of Unity is schism. Schism mny be in the Church and out of it, and may be do- fined as a criminal division in the Church, or a vohmtar}/ scp" aration from it. Schism disunites the holy u,-„-,embly ; it raises strife in the kingdom of the Prince of Peace ; it scat- ters the flock of the Divine Shepherd ; it alienates brother THE cnURCn, HOME AND DISSENT. 221 lar. It from brother in the family of God; it casts tircbrandH iiito^ God's sanctuary, and creates discord amidst the songs of the temple ; it excites strife and debate among the saints and priests who minister at his altars, and worslup in his courts ; it rends the mystic body, lacerating its members and dis- locating its joints ; in a word, it disturbs the peaceful bosons, it deforms the heavenly visage, and it excites to uu.seemly passions the pure and gentle spou>e of the Lord. The history of schism would be a history of so much sad- ness that we shall not attempt even an epitome, although it has from the beginning rtn side by side with the waters of the sanctuary. It plants its altar beside the altar of God. Schism, as we have said, i^s acrimuuddicisioii in tlie Church, 3'et it is not every variety, either of sentiment oi' usage, i!i the Church that constitutes schism, as no doubt the enlarg- ed circle of Catholic charit}' allows a vast scope of varied o^)inion, ever, without violating the canon of unity, and which has always been allowed in the Church. ]]ut men may be guilty of schism, without an open se^/aration, by such an alinoation of affection among brethren as violates the internal union in the hearts of Christians, though there be no error in doctrine or separation from communi- on. Such, no doubt, was the state of the Corinthian Church when St. Paul exhorted them thus : " TJuit ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions (schismata) among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same jmh/mcnt." 1st. Cor. J: 10. He learned of these divis- ions with surprise and alarm, and rebuked them with a kind of satire, in tho following words: " For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them ichich are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Every one of you saith, I am of Paul ; and I of ApoUos, and I of Cephas ; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were you bapitised in the name of PaalV 1st. Cor. I, 12-15. Stronger rebukes could scarcely have been conveyed than 222 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. M. hy this style of cross-question ; and the next sentence a kind of oblique denial of them: "/ thank God," he adds, " that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gains ; lest any of you should say I had baptized in mine own name." By these schisms they had jeopardized their Christian 8tanding,en- feebled their faith, and walked by the vacillating and cor- rupt policy of carnal men, and had put themselves out of condition to receive the full benefit of apostolic teaching, for he says : " Brethren, I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual : but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with strong meat ; for hith. erto ye were not able to bear it neither now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal, for where there is among you envying and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men f For while one $aith, lam of Paul; and another, I of Appollos, are ye not carnal?" 1st. Cor. 111:1-4. Schism, in any case, has been always reckoned a sin of a very heinous nature. St. Paul charges the Ephesians " to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, because there is one God, one faith, one baptism, and one body of Christ." Eph. IV. 2-6. The same teaching pervades the whole scriptures, all the writings of the primitive fathers, especially St. Ig- natius and St. Cyprian. Schism in the Church often results ir- a voluntary and criminal separation from it, which act is condemned by St. Paul in such terms and placed in the category of such sins as is terrible to contemplate. Schiam,{schisnia) division, (dichostasia) and heresy, (a/rcses) are numbered by him as " loorks of thejlesh " and those who commit them ^^ shall not inherit the kingdom of God."--Gii\. V: 29, 21. This is a most solemn and terrible sentence over which we fear those who commit them think but little and pray less. That which begins in schismatic alienation of brother from brother ; is seen to proceed to open rebellion and wil- I THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 223 ful separation, by way of dissent, from the Church altogeth- er ; sometimes this is mixed with heresy in doctrine and then it terminates in open apostacy, or ^'/ailing away ", and in many cases entire extinction. As an illustration of these thoughts we remark that, that morbid and g\oomy piiritanism which took its rise in Frank- fort and Geneva at the Reformation, was introduced into the Church of England by its erring abettors, and after years of the most unchristian strife resulted in the produc- tion of swarms of sects, which uhev passing through every phase of fanatical error became extinct, as a member which is cut off from the body dies. The old English evangelical Non -conformists have degenerated into political dissent, transcendentalism, and many incline to unitarianism, Ari- anism, and even semi-rationalism. The schisms of Geneva, Holland, France, Germany, Scotland and New England, have long ago shared the same fate. The Congregational- ists of New England boast of a " new Christianity ", a Chris- tianity without Christ, a humanitarianism without either truth, life, or power to save the souls of men. The retro- grade action of the orthodox congregational churches is alarming even to themselves. It takes the ;^]i«pe of indiff- erentism, hercsi/, politico-theology and neglect of baptism, the lat- ter of these is a sure sign of a fallen Church. Thus are they reaping the fruit of which they have scattered broadcast aa abundance of seed. We give the following summary of CONGREOATIONALISM IN CONNECTICUT. At the General Association at Hartford in June last, the following stastistics appeared in the Eoports presented : — In 1862, 785 were added by profession, and 945 by letter, in all 1,830 ; 862 removed by death, 887 by letter, and 100 by discipline, in all 1849. The removals exceeded the ad- ditions by 119; the deaths exceeded the additions by 77. In Respect to Infant Baptism, the Rev. Dr. R. G. Yermi- lye presented a x&ry long and carefully prepared report on 224 THE CHUIICII, ROME AND DISSENT. k this subject. inquiiiiijL^- how its luoro general observance may bo secured ? He sa'uK — The fact of a growing neglect is indisputable. In 1820, "G, or one-fourth of our 285 churches with 7,G77 members, or one-sixth of the whole, baptized iio child. By various facts and calculations, it ap- pears that at least live children to the hundred communi- cants in o'lr churches should be baptized yearl}'. But in ISGlj, the actual number in the State was only one-third of tha' proportion. In 1 A churches, numbering* more than 400 members each, the rate is below this average. In four A> sociations, ihe average is three to the 100, in nine it istv and in two, only one per cent. There is no doubt a wide- spread and growing disieg;ird of this ordinance. The work of State evangelization was strongly urged up- on the Cliurches as a pressing duty. The ex[)loratioiis of the I?ev. L. W. Baeon, in 1800, and of the State Missionar}^ during the i)ast year, show', that in addition to the uncon- verted in our families. Sabbath Schools, and congregations, there are many thousands of people, young and old, in families and neighborhoods, near our sanctuaries :\x\d some- times far otf on the outskirts of our parishes, and scatter- ed everywhere through our Commonwealth, who do not at- tend the public means of grace, and to whom we must C"ir- ry the Gospel, or the^^ will perish as ett'cctually as if the}' were in the interior of Africa. The Calendar has tlie following synopsis of the " Minutes of the General Association of Connecticut " for 170'3, which we give verbatim ct literatim : In 18G2, the number of infants baptized in Fairfield Coun- ty was thi'ce per cent, of the whole number of Church members; in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties it was two per cent.; while in Middlesex, New London, Tol- land and Windham counties, it was only one pei* cent. In 18G2, T8 churches with 7,700 members did not baptize a child ; and for the last four years, more than one-c^uartor of THE rriURCII, ROME AND DISHENT. 225 the clitirchos ^yearly liavo not hapti/.cd .a child. In the last fivo years, 1858 — 18G2, four Clmrehos with 170 momborH liavo added tione by profession. In the last four years, 1859— 1 8(52, 28 Churches with 2,(572 niembers have added none hy profession. In the last thi-ee years, 1860-'tj2. 45 Churches with 4,747 members have added none by profession. In the last two years, 18(!l-'ti2, 88 Church- es, with 9,447 members have added none by jM-ofession. Jn the last year, 127 Churches with 15,851 members, add- ed none by profession. For the last four 3'ears, 1859-'G2, from one-third to one-half of the Churches yearly have not adtled one by profession. In these four years, 187 Churches, two-thirds of the whole number, havC lost more 1»y death than they have Ljained by profession. In the same period the city Churches, with every facility afforded for growth, titteen more deaths than additions by profession ; and last year the Churches of only one city, New Haven, reported more ]U"ofessions than deaths. In these years, ten large Churches — only one of them a city Church — with 2,()33 members, have added only nino by profession, while they have lost 288 by death — 2G tinicsi a.s many as they have added. In this period one-half of the Churches in the district of Mi-:'r, 1 ,613 — a gain of 179 for the twenty years. Buttalo, one of the greatest entrepots of the immense grain trade on this continent, shows 681 in 1864, against 480 in 1844 — a gain of 201, though I think tliejM)pulation of the city has about doubled in this time. Even Cincinnati, the Queen City of the West, once so fa- mous for its Methodism, though the seat of our "Western Book i)epo!sitory, with its immense business, the scat of a AVesleyan Female College, and the residence of a Bishop, in 1864 shows but 3,658, against 2,855 in 1844 — a gain of but 803, and this gain mostly consists of the three German churches with 681 members. The gain in the English con- gregations for the twenty years is but little more than nominal. From the General Conference of 1860 to that of 1864, wo lost about 50,000 members ; and this year as the result of the labours of 10,T)00 churches, of 15,000 travelling and lo- cal preachers, anf' of 100 schools of learning, of our numer- ous and powerful presses in all parts of our wide country, and of the expenditure of $625,000 of missonary money, our whole work in all parts of the workl shows an increase of less than 1,000 souls. From the immense amount of proba- tioners which we report from year to year, we find that our actual gain amounts to but about one-tifth, or twenty per cent of the whole number. Thut* among our converts, apos- tacy is still the rule and i)erseverence the exception, as it has ever been in all ages of the Christian Church. We yet show a powerfully aggressive force, but sadly lack the con- servative. Ours i:; the most awakening ministry on earth, but wo sadl^' fail in the power of culture, by which alone the Idecent •ebled. 12,737 ic capi- mbers ; Buffalo, n trade 1844— thy has L'c so fa- iVcstei'ii eat of a i.shop, in i\ of l)llt Crcrman li.sh con- Drc tlian 1864, wo result of g and lo- r nuinor- countiy, 3ney, our :;i'case of of proba- l that our enty per rts, apos- ion, as it We yet i. the con- on earth, alone the i THE CrtURCll, ftOME AND ritSSUNl'. 229 fruits of our labor can be conserved." The Methodists present themselves as proper subjects of criticism, in the matter of schism, above all other sects, on account of their extraordinary efforts of zeal, their habitual boasting of their superior vital piety, their constant parade of stiitistics, their sensuous emotionalism, their awakening revivals, the broad ground they run over, their auxiliaries of temperance, templar, and other kindred societies, which they manage with unusual adroitnc»s to employ for their connexional purposes ; they often lead one to believe that they monopolized all piety, all the work of converting sin- ners and the like ; yet with these adventitious surroundings they proclaim a loss of 50,000 members for last year, and a loss of 30,000 members the year before, in the two j^ears they diminish in numbers 80,000 ! ! And not less than fifty of their preachers have das* rted their ranks and entered holy orders in the Church, here and in the States, during the same period. True they say their recreants have " apos- tatized " ; but then apostacy is the fruit of schism as well as heresy. The disclosure they make of their barrenness could not have been done without the most vexatious cha- grin, especially considering their noisy boasting, not only of their superior personal sanctity ; but also of the superla- tive excellency of their system. While their leading men are vaunting their exalted virtues, they seem to he blind to the fact that there are other influences at work, which at the same time are sapping their very foundations, and gnaw- ing away their very heart ; a fruit which is incident to all schismatical action. But schism leads to heresy and apostacy. They are trip- lets of evil. They are a trinity formed for destruction. They are a three-fold cord, in the hands of all modern sects, by which Satan draws millions of souls away from the true fold ; in the meantime he blinds them by bigotry and ig- norance while they unwitingly do his work with willing ? ! w \ '^ ''1 H ■5 ■' -i . ■■? J 230 THE CHURCH, ROME AND ulS'SENt. hearts. As the old maxim is : " Whom the gods destroj'', they first make mad," " Men do separate themselves either by heresy, schism, or apostacy. If they lose the bond of faith, which then they are justly supposed to do, when they frowardly impugn any principal point of Christian doctrine, this is to separate themselves by heresy. If the}' break the bond of unity, whereby the body of the Church is coupled and knit in one, as they do which wilfully forsake all external communion with saints in holy exercises purely and orderly established in the Church, this is to separate themselves by schism. If they willingly cast off and utterly forsake both the profess- ion of Christ and communion with Christians, taking their leave of all .voiigion, this is to separate themselves by apos- tacy." * The enquiry^ now naturally rises, v. uat is the remedy for this sad and sickening sin of schism ? We answer this ques- tion first in the negative ; that the schisms now so unhiip- ply popular will not be healed by Evaiujelical Alliances, as they have failed everj'where. Keither will they be reme- died by union prayer meetings, they having no inherent life of themselves, endure but for a while, and then vanish away* Neither will schisms be healed hj societies which profess to be non-denominational, 'vhich seem popular among the sects, for a time, but they being from their very nature comprised o? all sects are the very essence of denomination- alism, and so by acving inversely rather widen the breach than heal it. In the hope of a better state of things, from the following considerations, we answer secondly in the affirmative. 1. Let the nature and consequences of schism be ably and constantly exposed, for we shall not adopt a remedy till we are sufficiently convinced of the evil. 2. Let all available information on the subject be diffused * Hooker's Sor. v., 8 11. itroy, THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 231 - as widely as the evil itself, by books, tracts, lectures, public discussions, and especially by a Paper, which should be issued weekly, by an able and strong-hearted editor, one master of the subject, who would fearlessly grapple with the evil in its entire compass. 3. — Let Churchmen do their duty faithfully — abstaining from all coquetry and fi'aternizationf with organic dissent; for so long as they parley with the sects, so long will they encourage schism : yet let them treat kindly and forbear- ingly those who err in schismatical action. 4, — Let daily earnest pmyer be offei'ed to God for " wiity, peace ojid concord.^^ 5. Let sectarians themselves consider well the enormity of their sin, in order that they may repent, amend and obey in all things the word of the great Head of the Church. This they will find necessary, if ever, in the good provi- dence of God, another General Council should be held, when they would certainly find themselves shut out^ and that by virtue of their own schismatical action. The object to be secured is their return to obedience to dut}^, and to the Church's communion, which they have forsaken, and which they attempt to rival and subvert, which is their sin. I cannot close this chapter without reminding the indi- vidual members of the Church of Iheir duty towards those who saparate from her. " We ought to feel deep sorrow for them; to act towards them in a spirit of charity and gen- tleness ; but not communicate with them in their heresy or schism, nor to encourage or flatter them in it, nor to treat it lightly; but to speak the truth in love, concerning its sin and danger ; to pray for them, to offer them counsel and exhortation, and to employ all practicable means for bring- ing them to the enjoyment of the spiritual blessings which are promised to those who love the peace of Christ's Church, and are joined together in unitj^'' * CAL ^"^"""^^'^•^"bbLLEGt LIBRARY VANCO U V Eire, B. C 1 I 1 •I i I ! CHAPTER IX. ■ CATHOLIC UNITY. Catholic Unity— prayer for — tlio rule to find the only true Church — four marks of the Church — which uone of the sects has — unity impossible among them— united in neither body nor Spirit— the Papacy no liasis for Catholic unity — ihe on'y true plat- form of unity — au humb'a appeal to thoughtlul Christians on unity. )AT1I0LIC UNITY is lilco the marriage bond, of which the ring is an appropriate emblem, being at unity in itself, and without end. The union of twC' persons, of two hearts, is perfected in one, by the olfice of holy matrimony. So our Saviour prayed that his Disciples might be " j)e?fected in one", i. e., full, complete, and want- ing nothing. This a beautiful thought, .and awakens in our hearts sentiments the most loving, tender, endearing and abiding. May God unite our hearts, and knit them in the one communion and fellowship of his elect, and in the mys- tical bod}' of his Son Christ our .Lord I As this matter is of such grave and solemn importance, and that we may think, feel and act aright in it, we will otter to our Heavenly Father , , , ; A Prayer for Unity. O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our onl v Sav- iour, the Prince of Peace ; give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions. Take ".way all hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord : that as there is but one body, and one spirit and one hope of our calling, ono Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and God the THE CHURCH, ROMU AND DISSENT, 233 Father of us all, so wo may henceforth be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. No feelings of our nature are awakened to a sense of purer and more hallowed delight than those which arise out of the relation and sanctity of the married state. The union of the husband and the wife is of a nature the most suitable to represent the holy mystical union, the sacred and spiri- tual marriage of Christ and his Church. The Scriptures often speak of God's love to his Church as that of a hus- band towards his wife. They speak also of the Church as being decked with jewels, as being adorned with all that is graceful, beautiful and lovely ; as a bride adorned to meet her husband. There is not only unity the most intimate between the bride and the groom ; but that is so intimtite as to ex- clude all thought and idea of a third party. Hence St. Paul says : " / have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you /IS a chaste virgin to Christ." Thi« suggests at least the idea that the Church is one, a^vl not multitudinous. If the divine word insists upon the unity of the Church as opposed to multitudinous Churches, then it must be as certa.:nly wrong to multiply sepp: ate Churches as it is wrong and sinful for a man to n' itiply wives. That Christ sft up one i Chureli, and only one, cannot be doubted or denied by any man who has given only r. trifling amount of attention to that subject. But. as the multitude of so called Churches in these days is so great, so contradictory and so confusing, in our judgment, that i' bewilders the unlearned, we now take upon ourselves to counsel you and in.iruct you how you may distinguish that one true Church of the Lord Jesus from all others, a» the husband can certainly distinguish his wife from all others. "We have a reasonable right to suppose that the New Tes- 234 THE cinTiicri, rome and dissent. In MsP W ^p\t tament docs furnisli us with sonic Huro tcjichin'' on thig subject; and here I will observe: First, That our divine Master, Jesus Clirist,in cstablishiuij his religion on earth, to which all nations are invited, left some 7?t//r by which those who sincerely seek his Church may find it. Secondly, This rule must be so secure and never-failing as not to be ever liable to lead a right minded enquirer into error, impiety, or immorality of nay kind. Thirdhj, This rule must be uni- versal, i. e., ada])ted to the abilities and other circumstances of all those persons for whom Christ's Chui-ch was designed, namely, the great bulk of mankind. As it has been before observed, so I suppose it will bo admitted, on all hands, that our Lord did set up a visible organized Church, for an invisible Church c: be no guide to us in this matter. This Institution, the nineteenth Article of our Church thus defines. " The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered accoriling to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same." I will now give you the marks or characteristics by which this true Church may be known, as contra-distinguished from all others. These marks avefour, and the first mark is I. Unity. The visible Church is one, and one with Christ, as ho is one with the Father. The unity of the Church is so fully insisted upon everywhere in the woixl of God, and in terms so strong and uniform, that the wonder is that lov- ing and obedient disciples can ever violate it; especially as all jilurality of Churches is entirely forbidden. In support of this truth I refer you to a few texts on unity. And fii^st let us look at the last prayer of our adorable Saviour, whoso devout words let us record deeply on our longing hearts. Christ prays thus : " Holy Father keep tliem in thy name, whom ■ tliou gavest me, that tliey may he me as we are. That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they THE CHURCH, rome and dissent. 235 aho may be one in m, that the world may hcUevc that thou didst send me. That they may be one as we are one. I in them and thou in VIC, that they may be perfeeted in one.'^ Jiio. xvii : 11. Hero our Lord ])rjiycd for the vital union of i'aith and the perfect unity of fellowship : that the l)i.scii)le« nii<;ht he perfected in unity after the divine pattern : " as thou father art in me." Second. In support of this unity T refer you to examples of the first Christians, recorded in Acts i: 14, " They all continuedwith one accord " ; ii ; 4(>, " They continued with one accord in the Temple." Third, I refer you to the teaching of 8t. Paul, in Kom. xii :4, 5, " For as the body is one, having many members ; but all the members having not the same office: so we being many are one body in Christ, and every one members of one another." 1 Cor. x: 17, " We being many are one body, for we are all partakers of one bread" ; xii : 27, " Nbio ye are the body of Christ, and nvmibers in 2>'f^tieulur." Eph. iv :4, 5, 6, ** Ye are one body and, me Spirit, for there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Cod and Fath-r of all, who is \ipon all,. and through all, and in you all." These and many other such passages I might quote, to show you how strongly and fully the unity of the Church is taught everywhere in the New Testament. Now on the other hand we shall see that the same authority that enforces this unity, as strongly and imperatively forhids all division or st7'?>t of every kind. In Eora. xvi : 17, 18, " Now I beseech you bretiwcn mark those who cause divisions and strifes, contrary to the doctrine which ye Juive learned, and avoid them. For they that are such, scire not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple ; but your obedience is come abroad to all men." 1 Cor. i : 10, " Koiv I beseech you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together of the same mind and of the same judgment. Now this I say every one of you saith, lam of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and 236 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISESNT. f'l / oj Christ. Is Christ divided f Was Paul crucified for you ? or were ye baptized' in the name of Paulf ; in: 3, For ye are yet carnal, for ivhere there is amonse in- them ies in ►t tbo V2iys : >; by handling the word of Ciod deceitfully, or giving a gloss not intended by the Holy Spirit ; by taking fro; i the word what (Jod has enjoinetl ; by adding what God lias Ibrbidtlcn ; by violating the analogy of Ihith ; by magnifying certain ti'iiths to the injuiry of the rest ; by substituting human opinions for divine teachings; by overlooking great facts ;ind prin-- ciples, and ignoring others ; by concealing what should bo taught; by tacking man's thoughts unto God's words, so as to mistake sound for sense. And if )t)u converse vvilli those people, they cover over the whole of these corruptions with the bland observation : '• Well, it is no matter w]t-40 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. of s«anctity? tho whole Icn^-th portrait of God's ung-arblcd ' truth? Bible, Catholic and eternal truth? I say where ? ]']cho says where ? To which of the sects shall we turn ? Each must answer, it is not in me. Therefore their fancies are no rules for us to follow, so I conclude that the sects nve l-dckiw^ iha second 7nark of the trite Church. They have destroyed the unity of the Church by their schisms, and adulterated the truth of God bytlieir heresies. The next mark is ^ III. That the Church is Catholic. 8hc is Catholic as to time, ylace and truth. The same every where and every when. (Not Roman.) She is for all. For all nations and all people, without distinction of countrj^, color or age ; for all time, from the beginning to the end. This broad plat- form was laid by Christ himself. He opened the temple doors to all in every place who chose to amor. Nor can tho Catholicity of the Church be restricted by any man. No number of men can be allowed to fence her round. Her light is like the sun, it shines for all; her doctrine is like tho rain, it descends upon all; her pathway is like the ocean, which is for the use of all peoples, through all time, and in QVQYy place alike. She cannot be made a i'recvns- tasus' bed without destroying her beautj-, Although the Romanists have attem])ted to do this, by limiting her faith to the decrees of tlie Council of Trent, and to the creed of Pope Pius IV. The beautiful term Catholic was first applied to the Christian Church to distinguish it from tho Jewish, the latter being founded for a single nation, the former be- ing open to all who seek admission to her communion, by repente.ice, f lith and holy baptism. Hence the Christian Church is general, or universal. The first regularly organ- ized Church was st up at Jerusalem. Three thousand souls being corvoi .^ ., under St. Peter's sermon, were added to it. Whrn •Jti'ir'^hes were formed afterwards at Samaria, Antioch, and other places, by the Catholic ministry of the TKTE CHURCH, X10MT5 AND DISSENT, 241 iingarbled !iy where ? we turn ? leir fancies llie sects nicy have lisnis, and loh'c as to and every itions and rage; for road plat- he temple Nor can man. I^o nd. Her ine is lilce like the I all time, - Precvas- ough the her faith creed of it applied Jewish, )rmer be- mion, by Christian ly organ- thousand )re added Samaria, y of the Apostles, they wei-e not looked upon as so many indepon- le. They use bland and glowing- figures, magniloquent ^vords, and broai^l platitudes, and you, mistaking sound for sense, are cajoled into the belief that they must be very Catholic. They boast of their wonder- ful success, of the wide-spread extent of u 3ir opinions, as a triumphant proof of their being called of God. But, gen- tle reader, mere success is a fallacious proof of trutli. Look at Mahometanism, look atllomanism, look at Arianism, look at German Trane»cendentalism,| k)ok at Moiimonism, look at Spiritualism ; all these can count a thousand to one of mod- ern sectaries. But would you adiiit their claims on their fallacious show of figures ? I trow not. Then beware that vou do not mistake the broad and tall talk of the sects for Catholic terms. For it is '* glory in appearance and not in truth." A Catholic Church thon means a branch of the one great society, as the Church of Er.gland is said to be a Cath- olic Church ; tfi£ Catholic includes all the Churches in the world under their lawful Bishops. This was the first Chur jh actiorA duri'ig the Apostolic times. But in after times, when teachers of different schools of theology began to form sop ^ arate societies, and to call them a.'i3r their own names — as the Arians are named from. Arius, the Macedonians from Macedonius, and in latter times Cahinists from Calvin, «So- cinians from Socinus, Wesleyans from^W^sloy, and the like, — they thereby so restricted their i^eculiar communions to thQ\r individualism, and to their jKSculiar tenets, so as to destroy the Catholic character of the Cliurch. Hence true Church- men, refusing to be called by an / human leader, call them- selves Catholics, i. e., members, not of any peculiar society; m M i 242 THE CHURCH, R03IE AND UlSSENT. but of the universal Church. And the terra thus used not only distinguishes the Church from the world, but also from heretical and schismatical parties. Hence in history the term Catholic means the same as orthodox, and a Catholic Christian means an Orthodox Christian. From this may be seen the absurdity of calling those who receive the decrees of the Council of Trent Catholics. The Romanists, or Papists, belong to a peculiar society, in which Eomanism, or Roman errors, are added to Orthodox truth. When wo call them Catholics^ we as much as admit our- selves to be heretics, and we as much as admit them to be Orthodox ; and the Romanists gladly avail themselves of the admission, on the part of some ignorant Protestants, to hold up an argument, against the Church of England. Let the member of the Church of England assert his right to the name, as being the only person who can claim it in the true and just sense of the word. Hence, then, our position is tlrls, in relation to Romanists our Church is Protestant, and in relation to dissenters of every name she is Catholic. Therefore she bears the third mark of a true and Apostolic Church. Now as far as I am able to judge, fi"om my knowledge of, and acquaintance with the modern denominatiam around us, there is not one of them that either is or can be Catholic. They arc all so strongly marked by the individualism of their respective founders, and by their peculiar theology, and the rulos of their respective societies, that they have not only put themselves out of the Catholic Church proper, bat they have " sot a hedge about them and about their hovise ", or as Dr. "Watts says : " They are a garden walled around." — St. Paul says : " We dare not make ourselves of the numhery or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves ; hut they measuring themselves among themselves, are not wise." (Gk. do not understand.) The gospel of Christ, as taught by the il I Tlft^i CHCRCH, R0M15 AND DISSENTC 243 8 used not t also from listory the a Catholic those who lies. The r, in which dox truth, idmit our- hem to be msolves of estants, to land. Let is right to m it in the ur position Protestant, is Catholic. I Apostolic )wledge of, around us, e Catholic, dualism of theology, they have I'ch proper, bout their the number, iselves ; but )ise:' (Gk. ight by the modern denominations, is presented in such doubtful variety of forms, as to appear contradictory, or " 3'ea and nay." If we compare the school system of Calvinism with Armenian- ism we will see this is fully borne out. What one of these theological schools affirms as revealed truth, V 3 other de- nounces as blasphemous. Bat God cannot be the author of contraries. Xow in contra-distinction fi'om this, our Church ' is wisely concerned to expound and enforce *' the whole counsel of God ", not caring to decide upon the right or the wrong of modern c-ystems of theology, outside her pale ; but if her creeds and articles seem to favor one or the other of such systems, it is not because she adopts any of the teachings of modern sectaries; but because she has received them from her Lord, has held them from the beginning, and as such echoes them by the voice of the Church Catho- lic, Hence says St. Paul : *' The Son of God^ Jesus Christ, who icas preached hy us, among you, even by Paul and Sihamis and Timothcus, was not yea and nay ; but in him was yea and amen." And the voice of the Church is, many times in the course of each service : " As it was in the beginning ", &c. Now let us test this principle of Catholicity upon modern denominations, you will see how it works. Any young man seeking to enter the ministry of a Calvinistic Church cannot do so on the pier* that he holds pure Catholic doctrine ; no, he must be an acknowledged Calvinist. Nor can a ntan en- ter the Methodist ministry on the plea that he Iiolds to pure Catholic truth ; no, he must be an avowed Meihodist, Nor can a man enter the ministr}'- of the Baptists on the plea that he adheres to the Catholic usages of the holy sac- rament of baptism ; no, he must narrow down his views and belief to the immersion of believers only. And soofall the minor classes of religionists. There must then be some- thing wrong. These systems must be more or less contra- dictory, and which effectually destroy their Catholicity. If then we judge of the tree by its fruits, we must concliido %4 m 244 THE CHURGH, ROME AND I>ISSE:NT. they luck the third mark of an Apostolic Church, whirch I hope 1 have convinced my reader that our Church elearly possesses. The fourth mark of a true Church is lY. Apostolic Descent. That is, the lawful succession of the Church and the holy ministry. Every communion haet some so>irce and seat of authority to appoint its ministry^ expound its doctvine^ minister its ritos, and enforce its die- cipline, and to settle its disputes. The Church Catholic, of which the Church of England ha& ever been an integral branch,, derives this authority by di- rect descent from the Apostles and their immediate succes- sors. But having discui3se<:l this subject most fully in the last lecture, I i-efer the reader to the review of that. The United Church of England and Ireland is the via me- dia, or the ir.iddle way, between two extremes ; of the Papal system on the one hand, and of dissent on the other : there- fore hers is the only platform or true foundation on vvhieh the Catholic ui»Lty of all denominations can be framed. Primitive Catholic unity has been superceded by Rome, in her assumed exclusive supremacy and monstrous visiblism. By dissent, if /'; (ost; with all their specious talking and fine writing on unity, we search in vain for the Church idea even ci Catholic Unity; yea, by them it is altogether ig- uoied, by Eome it is superceded, by dissent it is lost> and by apostates it is abandoned. Strange as it may seem, bnt on this subject both Rome and the modern sects have dis- card l-iI the ground of Ante-Niceno antiquity. Papal suprem- acy does not belong to the primitive period. The objec- tive unity advocated by modern dissenters is not found at all in the early Church. Primitive unity was the natural spontaneous growth of the gospel system from within the Church ; modern denominational unity is a forced eonglom- oralion of opposing elements. Primitive unity s])rang up from within the bo' produced more able champione for the (rufii, n;)r lias any I'urni.shod a more goodly company in " the noble arm}' ol' martyrs." Wli'it a noble list of ^vorthie^ adorn Iku' entii'c history. jBemu;' older than the nation, s!io dates her beginning from themissionof St. Paul; her continuance Ihrough the Bishops of liangor ; — St. Auh- tin — the venerable liede ; — Colman ; — Uradwardine ; — Gos- tate ; — Wiclvlid'e ; — the great Eoformers, Cranmer, Eidley, Ijatimer, Hooker, Tillotson, Taylor, Hall. l*earson, Ihitler, Bramhall and many others of illustrious noie. She is the mother of the British nation; she has come down with her through all her fortunes and all her changes of weal and woe. WliCJi rSSENT. faithful and devoted ministers recently incroascd, and how rajiidly uro they iiierejining everywhere I Even I'rom other communions, many men of mature ago, experience and learning, are seeking to enter her pulpits where they preach Christ and him ci'ucitied in all his fullness and power ! While the tone of godliness among her more serious mem- bers is so simple, practical and exemplary,, that it has bee-n frankly acknowledged by many rewpc^'table and candid dis- senters, that there is more pure piety to be found within her pale, than can be found amongst all who dilt'er from her. From these and many other persuasions, I cordially and fer\'ently invite all vho love our Lord Jesus Christ in sin- cerity to seek true Christian unity on the foundation of the United Church of England and Ireland. All other founda- tions hrve been tried and failed. This has not been tried ; but if it were, heartily and cordially, it would as certainly succeed in makin.^: the people of God one, as certainly as there is on«^ God, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. Then shall the prayer of the Siiviour be answered^ and his disciples be ^'perfected in one.''' From the first establishment of Christianity in our coun- try to the period of Home's aggressions, our happy ances- tors had known but one faith, one altar and one religion. Home introduced heresy. At the period of the Eefortnation the Puritans introduced schisin ; until then the name of a dissenter was not so much as known in England. Cotild wo now lav aside these two fearful forms of e)Tor, all Chris- tians might form one happy family on the primitive Cath- olic foundation. Bound from without to the whole Catholic Church, and from within be strictly united in one, v/e might resort to the same temples, and assetnble round the same altars. Under the airccticn of the same pastors, hear and receive the same doctrines, and pr tic'pate in the same sac- raments. We should be all bret;fi"m, all members of the 8ame body of Jesus Christ. The aweetness of harmony and wB THM cnURCII, ROME AND DISSENT. 255 mi 1, and how from other rience and hey preach ind power ! vious mem- it has be»n caftdid dis- within her from her. rdiaily and lirist in sin- latioii of the ther fbunda- been tried ; as certainly certainly as ne baptism. red^ and his ■■»'( in our coiin- lappy ances- »no religion. Reformation !■ Jiame of a md. Could or, ail Chris- mitive Cath- lole Catholic le, we might nd the same rs, hear and he same sac- nbers of the larmony and the peace of unity would reign in families, in cities, in schools, in districts and in the whole empire, as was the fact in the beginning. "Nor is the imporUmce of unity much less in these hit.cr days of Christiunit}- ; for as much as all divisions in all times destroy that l)caut\' and loveliness, which would otherwise attract all men's admi- ration and atfcction. it is not the sublimitv of Christian doctrine, nor the gloriousnoss of the hopes it jtropounds, that will so recommend it to the opinion and esteem of oth- ers, as when it shall be said : ' BeJwld Imv (.Viristiam love \ when they shall observe the love, concord and uuanimit}' amongst the professors of it. The want of this hardvins the hearts ofJeivs, and Turks, and Pa DISSENT. r f pi' m ! I !PI1 gloriously accomplished, infitlelity would have diHappoared. all nations would hiive been brought over to the Christian religion : from every part of the globe the srt^i-^ prayers • would ))e offered to our only adorable Mediator ; the whole world would be at the foot of the CVoss, and heaven-bom unity would roign undisturbed. Keason itself sufficiently proves that it is not merely ex- pedient, but ncces8ary,that the economy of the Christian rev elation should be inseparable from and identical with Cath- olic unity. Is it not true that the Saviour of the world i-, really desirous that unity in doctrine and love should pre./''! in his Church ? lie certainly did desire it. Do you doubt ? Let us read over his beautiful prayer once more, which a little before he delivered himself up to his enemies, he ad- dressed to his father, in the?') words : " Jfolt/ Father, Iceep them in thy name, whom thou hast (jiven me, that they may he One as we are." Hero he prays for unity among his Disci- ples on the basis of that between the P'ather and the Son, which union was perfect ; so ho prays for his Apostles ; hear now his prayer for all Christians in all after ages : " And not for them only do f pray ; hut for them also who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, ari inme, mtd Tin thee ; that they also may he one in us ; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. Awl the glory ichich thou hast given me, 1 have given them, that they may he one as we are. I in them, and thou in me, that they may he %ui.de perfect in one ; and that the world may hwiv that thou fiast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me." '< a ■ :■ Oar Saviour liere entreats his Father, in the most omphatio manner, that his Apostles, and then that those who were one day to believe in ihoir word, as well as the word of those who should suc'-^od them in tho holy ministr}^, that eonsequontly all the faithful who should exist from the be- ginning of the preaching of the gospel to the end of tho world, should continue strictly united to ouQ another j m(\ THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 25T isappeared. e Christian 'ii jirayers the whole leavcn-bom merely ex- jristian rev with Cath- workl i^. )ul(l pre,-''! you doubt ? re, which a nies, he ad- Futher, keep they may he g luH Disci- nd the Son, istles; hear s : ^^ And not II believe on hou, Father, m vs ; that nd the glory they may he they may be hat thou fiast ist emphatic who were he word of ni.stry, that roin the be- ond of tho .other \ &tm\ that the voluntary union of their souls should be an imago of the natural and essential unity that exists betwoen tho Father and the Son. He repeats this petition In the most earnest and importunate terms, that wo may be amon<^ our- selves and in him as inscparal)ly united as ho himself is with his Father, and that if we cannot equal the divinv^ unity of the Father and the Son, we may ut least affect some re- semblance to it hero upon earth, by the unanimity of our sentiments and tire union of our hcju'ts. Such then was tho will of our heavenly Master, such the objects of his prayer and of his death; tliat we, his loving disciples, may remain inseparably attached to one another, by all the bonds of peace, concord and charity, in the same Church, the snme faith, with one heart and mind. There was to be no such thing as rupture, or separate government in religion, no division, no schism ; but all were to be in harmony, love, absolute and perfect unity. And ndiy all this ? The Sav- iour himself tells us. and the more to arrest our attention, inculcates the reason, two separate times : " That theivorld ", ■says he, " may know that thou hast setitme." " That the world may believe that thou hast sent me.'' Note how this admirable prayer, after commencing with the Apostles, turns to those who should be converted by their word, is extended even to nnbelievers, and thus embraces all mankind. It is then true, according to th3 word of our blessed Master, that the perfect unity of all his followers was to present to th« world a stj'ik- ing proof of his divine mission ; and tbattlie beautiful and rav- ishing s})ectacle of fraterntil love was to attract unbelievers, and to accelerate, by their union, th e propagation of tiw: Eaafh, Can there be, for one who glorie? in the name of a Christi.m ji more pressing inducement to cherish and preserve unity, to return to it, to abet and ^jromote it ? Is tliere any order «nore imperative than a des'"e and f. request su feelingly urged l)y Jesus Christ, a wish so nrdently conveyed in our behalf to his father? And since he assures us th.'^t unity is M'4 268 TTIE cnURCII, ROME AND DISSENT. ■ ,:\ l! iiiiii!- Ml I :l!t 1(» })(.' oTio element of the success and glory of lii%s mission, let us HOC Avhether wc cannot so direct our zeal and love as to effect its accomplislimcnt ? W\\ii\ then have all those been doing who have so pro- fusely sown sd-ife and divisions among the brethren ? Thev have robbed the Saviour of one of the proofs of his divine mission, even that which ho soardentlydcwired to establish in the world, just before he was about to leave it. They, by their actions, at least, have set themselves in opposition to his designs, and express teachings and wishes ; they have combattcd and frustrated them, as far as lay in theii- power. Ho ])ra3cii : " Let them he one." They say let us be man3^ He prayc'l : " T/uit the world may believe that thou hast sent r«c." They say, let them not be one, that the world may not know that Jesus Christ was sent by the Father. Shall we say that men unintentionally betray the cause they pro- fess to espouse ? "We desire not to attribute to their con- duct an intention which can be found only in hearts at de- clared enmity with Christ. Doubtless many a man preacjies and encourages schism,, who has never thoroughly consid- ered its enormity, lilirided b}' passion, prejudice and human interest: carried away by the warmth of enthusiasm, with the spirit of party, and that false glory which urges men to continue in the obstinate de-fence of a cause the}'' have once cs})Ousc(l, and to which they are committed; they do not^ perceive that their blows ai'e discharged upon Chritst him- self, against his love, against his most favorite of all virtues,, against the wish nearest his heart, against the most sacred of all his precepts, the precept best calculated for extending and propagating through the world the benefit of revelation, and the fruit of his sufferings and death. This, however, they neither feel nor comprehend. But those who coolly and deliberately peruse the melancholy history of these dad divisions; who calmly contemplate the fatal conse- quences, and the anti-OhriBtian cause of them, would be niE cnURCII, ROME AND DJSSKNT. 259 WH miRsion, and love as ave so 2)ro- ron ? They hi.s divine to osla-blish They, by position to ; they have lieir power. 118 be man}''. OK hast sent world may thcr. Shall ISC they pro- (o thoir con- licarts at de- xiin preaches glily confiid- and human isiasm, with n\i^-es rnen to jy have once thoy do not Chritrit him- if all virtues^ most sacreartiei])ating in the hoi v Eucharist : what consternation they evinced at being informed -if the treach- ery which one of them v\as soon to be guilty of; l)i>t after- wards consoled by the kind and familiar conversation which he was pleased to prolong, after Juda- had abruptly left them. The Apostles with tljcir eyes fixed uj)Oa their Master, when all at once, raising liis hands to heaven, and his celes- tial countenance lit up with the tire of ])rayor ami a ray of divinity, he solemnly pronounced that sublime invocation which I have quott)d above. IIow must their attention and their hearts have been sus])ended in silence, in ra]>ture 'mI in ec-static delight I IIow deep must have been the ir sion made upon their souls, by those words j)rocoeding i ; his divine li]is : " Iloli/ Father, A-eep them in th;/ name, u thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are one I pray not for these only, hut for them also icho sh('/l ' '■• .<- vie throuijh their word, that they all may he one, as thu . f'turing scene. A thousand times must they have repeated them in the course of their ministry to the rising Chui ohos ; a thou- sand times must thoy have wtU'Bcd the faithful against di-^ 'dslons and schisms^ aiibd have enjoined them to hold iavio- J n 11 M(\ »s VM 260 THE CHURCH, ROM^ AND DISSENT. P ! lablo the same language and the same faith, and inseparably united in one flock, one spirit, and of one body. Let us now imitate their holy example. Never did any period promise so fairly, so favorable as the present, the hope of a return to unity being deep, strong and universal. The length of time which has elapsed since the destruction or loss of unity, has cooled the heads of men formerly heated by violent animosities. Let us only endeavor now that wo are become calm, not to become inditfcront. Let us sur- render ourselves to the truth which is manifest to our eyes. To reject it is a crime without excuse and without remedy : to embrace it is our duty and our happiness. Hi- U. :ii ' -j:J^i^^.^ 'triiimriiiBfr ■■r" nseparably THE CnURCU, ROME AND DISSENT. 26 X er did any resent, the I imiv^eraal. destruction erly heated ow that we Let us Bur- o our eyes, it remedy : ■■; r./^Xi APPENDIX TO CnAPTER-lX., p 249. ;>"■? The Pan-Auglican Council:— the first affortfl for the iiniou of ChriBtetulom eince the Grtat llelormatiDn. Opening Adi§'t'ss, by the Archbishop of Canterbnri/, My most Kokand Right Ilev, Brethren, — in ojjcning the proceedings of the first Conference that has ever taken phico of the Bishops of the Reformed Church in visible communion with the United Church of Enghmd and Ire- land, my prevailing feeling is one of profound gratitude to our Heavenly Father for thus far prospering the ellbrts which have been made to promote this solemn assembling of our- selves together. Many have been the anxious thoughts and gTeat the heart-searchings which have attended the prei:)i> rations for this remarkable manifestation of life and energy in the several branches of our communion. Many also have been the prayers, and fervent, I trust, will con- tinue to be the prayers, ottered up by us, severally and col- lectively, that He will prosper our deliberations, to th e advancement of His glorv and the good of His Church. Having met together, as I truly believe we have done, in a spirit of love to Christ, and to i\\\ those who lovo Him.with an earnest desire to strengthen the bonds which unite the several branches of our Reformed Church, to encourage each other in our endeavors to maintain the faith once de- livered to the saints, and to advance the kingdom of Christ upon the earth, I will not doubt that a blessing from above will rest upon our labors, and that the guidance of the Ho- ly Spirit, whose aid we have invoked, will direct, sanctify, Und govern our counsels. . i I 2G2 THE CHUttCII, ROME AND DISSENT. pif*- Tlie origin of this Conference has already been stated in the circuhir of invitation whicli I addressed to you all. It was at the instance of the Metropolitan and the Bishops of the Church of Canada, supported by the unanimous request of a very large meeting of Archbishops and Bishops of the Home and Colonial Church, — a request confirmed by ad- dresses from bo^h the Houses of Convocation of my prov- ince of Canterbury, — that 1 resolved upon convening it. Further encouragement to venture upon thisunprecendent- cd step was afforded when the petition from the Canadian Church was first discussed, a plain intimation being given by a distinguished member of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, that it would bo regarded as a very graceful act, and would be hailed with general satisfaction in that Church, if the invitation to the Conference were extended to our Episcopalian brethren in those States. Fully conscious, however, of all the difficulties which must surround the attempt to organize and superintend an assembly of so novel a character, I might well have hesi- tated to incur so great a risk. But to have refused to yield to wishes thus fully and forcibly expressed, to have shrunk from undertaking the consequent responsibility, would have been unworthy the position in which, by God's providence I am placed. In faith and prayer has the task been under taken ; and I humbly trust it will please God to prosper our work to a successful conclusion. The result, indeed, has thus far more than justified the exjiectations raised. We rejoice to find that so many of our brethren fx'om distant parts of the globe have been moved to respond to the call ; and we welcome with feelings of cordial affection and gen- uine sympathy the i^resence of so large a proportion of the American Episcopate. From very many also, who, owing to various circumstances, have been prevented from join- ing us, I have received letters expressing the profound sfj-t- TIIE CllUIiril, ROME AND ^rsSENT. 2(J.1 en stated in you all. It c Bishops of nous request i shops of tho mod by ad- af my prov- )nvoning it. iprccendent- he Canadian being given lit Episcopal it would bo hailed with itation to the brethren in julties which perintend an ell have hesi- fused to yield ) have shrunk ;y, would have 's providence k been under to prosper our ,, indeed, has I raised. We from distant id to the call ; 3tion and gen- lortion of the 0, who, owing ed from join- profound s^.p- isfaction and thankfulness with wliic-h the}' re^ardiMl the opportunities afforded by this gathering, for conferring to- gether upon topics of mutual interest; for discussing the peculiar ditticultios and perplexities in which our widely scattered Colonial Churches are involvetl, and the evils to which they arc exposed; for cementing yet more firm- ly tho bonds of Christian communion between Churches acknowledging one Lord, one faith, one baptism, connected not only by tho ties of kindred, but by common formularies ; and for meeting, through their representatives, from the most distant regions of the earth, to otter up united prayers and praise to the Most High in the mother tongue common to us all, and to jiartake together of the Holy Communion of tho body and blood of our Saviour Christ. It has never been contemplated that we should assume the functions of a General Syncxl of all the Churches in full communion with the Church of England, and take upon our- Belves to enact canons that should be binding upon those here represented. Wo merely propose to discuss matters of practical interest, and pronounce what we deem expe- dient in resolutions which may serve as safe guides to fu- ture action. Thus it will be seen that our first essay is rather tentative and exporimontal, in a matter in which wo have no distinct precedent to direct us. The subjects which will be brought under your consider- ation have already been laid before you in tho prospectus of arrangements for our proceedings. They may be briefly comprised under tho following heads : (1.) The best way of promoting the re-union of Christendom. (2.) The Noti- fication of the establishment of new Sees. (3.) Letters commendatory from Clergymen and Laymen passing to dis- tant dioceses. (4.) Subordination in our Colonial Church to Metropolitans. (5.) Discipline to be exercised by Metro- politans. (6.) Court of the Metropolitan. (7.) Question of Appeal . (8.) Conditions of union with tho Church at home, H . M S !?l 2 fe Ua I .^^ 2S6 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. Cliurch, wlien he prayed the Father that those who shoaftl believe in him might all be one in the Father and the Son, And while we dei)Ioro the divided state of Christendom, and moni-n over the obstacles which at present exist to our all befng' joined together in the ttnity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace, this veiy feeling shoiifd be oiir most pow- erful motive to urge our petitions at the throne of grace, that it may please God, in his own good tfme, to remove such hindrances as at present render that union impracti- cable. And now may our Almighty Father shed abroad upon trs the spirit of wisdom, peace and love, and inspire us with such counsels as may most tend to edification ; so that, be- ing knit together more closely in the bonds of brotherly utt'ection and Christian communion, and animated with a more fervent zeal for the Saviour's honor and the salvation of souls, we may do our endeavor to prepare his Church for the coming of him whom we lovinglj adore, and whose ad- vent in power and glory we ardently look to aiid long for. Introduction to Besohifiong. We, Bishops of Christ's Holy Catholic <7hurch, in visible communion with the united Church of England and Ireland professing the faith delivered to us in Holy Scripture, main- tained by the primitive Church and by the Fathers of the English Kefbrmation, now assembled by the good providence of God, at the Archiepiscopal Palace of Lambeth, under the presidency of the Primate of all England, desire : First, to give hearty thanks to Almighty God for having thus brought us together for common counsels and united worship ; Sec- ondly, We desire to express the deep sorrow with which we view the divided condition of the flock of Christ throughout the world, ardently longing for the fulfilment of the prayer of our Lord, '' That all may be one, as thou. Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also ma^ be one in us, that the TnS CITLRCII, ROME AND DISSENT. 2fJ7 ffho shoafil id the Son. ristendom, yxist to our irit and in • most pow- e of grace, to remove impracti- )ad apon trs ire us with so that, bo- f brotherly ated with a le salvation » Church for d whose ad- hd long for. 1, in visible and Ireland pturc, main- thers of the I providence h, under the e : First, to ihus brought orship ; Sec- th which we t throughout )f the prayer ather, art in 1 us, that the w^orld may believe that thou hast sent mo " , and Lasih/^ we do hero solemnly record our conviction that unity will bo most ottcctually promoted by maintaining the faith in its parity Ami ijitc^rit}- — as taught in the Holy Scriptures, held by the primUaN'© Chuirh, summed up in the Creeds, and affirmed by the undisj)uted General (Vnuiciis, — and by drawing each of us closer to our commoji Lord, by giving ourselves to much jwaycr and inticrc^ssion, by tli* cwltivu- tion of a spirit of charity, aner«by d-eclai^ it tlesin»hl43 — (1.) Thai forms of letters eommendatory ktw l>el»alf of clergymen visiting other dioceses be drawn up and agreed upon ; (2.) That a form of letters commendatory for lay memb- bers of the Church be in like manner prepared ; (3.) That his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury be pleased to undortake the prcjiaration of such forms. Resolution III. — ^That a committee be appointed to ('.aw «{» ft pastoral address t<* a^l members of the Church of (larist In communion with the Anglican bi-ancliof tlwi Ch«i*eh Cath- olic, to be agi*eed upon by the assembled Bishops, and to be published as soon as possible iifter the last sitting of the Conference. Resolution /F.— That, in the opinion of this Conference, unity in faith and discipline will be best main taiiw5d.affnoi4g 2G8 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 1 •1 the several branches of the Anglican communion by duo and canonical Huboi'di nation of the Synods of the ^^everal branches to the higher authority of a Synod or Synods above them. Jic'solvtion V. — That a committee of seven members (with power to add to their number, and to obtain tlie a^sembled Bishops; his Grace the President pronounccil the Benediction, and tl. present session of the Conference came to its close* To the Faithful in Christ Jesug, the Priests and Beacons, and the Lay Mcmhers of the Church of Christ in communion with the Anglican Branch of the Church Catlmlic, — We, the undersigned Bishops, gathered under the good THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 271 ovided for, Df Synods, •oposed for ttee speci- ppointed to ,on of pro- es of miss?^ indH of tho jstion may to the obe- 1 gland and Libmitted to nission into ciiied in tho our hearty L^safed to ns express our followed by fit of bvoth- C'O tlie Arch« Conference, op solemnly Tho Gloria Bishops; his ion, and XL lose. Deacons, and mmtinion with ler tho good providence of God for prayer and conference at Lambeth, pray for you that ye may obtain grace, mercy and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. Wo give thanks to God, brethren beloved, for tlie faith in our Ijord Jesus Christ, and the love towards tho saints, which hath abounded among you ; and for tho knowledge of Christ which through j'ou hath been spread abroad among the most vigorous races of tho earth. And with one mouth we make our siip])lications to God, even tho Father, that by tho powar of tho Holy Ghost lie would strengthen us with his might, to amend among us the things which are amiss, to supply the things which are lacking, and to roach forth unto higiior measures of love and zeal in worshiping him, and in makiug known his name : and we pray that in his good tinio ho would give back unto his whole Church tho blessed gift of unity in truth. And now wo exhort you in lovo that ye keep avIioIo and nndeiilod tho faith onco delivered to tho saints, as ye have received it of tho Lord Josus. Wo entreat vou to watch and pray, and to strive heartily with ns against tho frauds and subtleties wherewith the faith hath been aforetime and is now assailed. We beseech you to hold fast as tho sure word of God all tho canonical Scriptures of tho Old and New Testaments, and that by diligent study of these oracles of God,jiraying in the Holy (ihost, ye seek to know more of the Lortl Jesus Christ our Saviour, very God and very man, over to be adorod and worshiped, whom they reveal unto us, and of the will of God which they declare. Furthermore, we entreat you to guard 3-ourselves and yours against tho growing superstitions and additions with which ill those latter days tho truth of God hatl leen over- laid ; as otherwise, so especially by the protensio- to univcr- eal sovereignty over God's heritage asserted for the Sco of ^ i',y < 272 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. Rome ; and by the practical exaltation of the blessed Virgin Mary as mediator in the place of her Divine Son, and by the addressing of prayers to her as intercessor between God and man. Of such beware, we beseech you, knowing that the jealous God giveth not l»is honor to another. Build yourselves up therefore, beloved, in your most holy faith ; grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Show forth before all men by your faith, self-denial, purity and godly conversation, as well as by your labors for the people among whom God haih so widely spread you, and by the setting forth of his gospel to the un- believers and the heathen, that ye are indeed the servants of Ilim who died for us to reconcile His father to us, and to be a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Bi'ethren beloved, with one voice wo warn you ; the time is short ; the Lord cometh ; watch and be sober. Abide stetulfust in the communion of saints, wherein God hath granted you a place. Seek in faith for ononons with Christ in the blessed sacrament of his body and blood. Hold fast the Creeds, and the pure worship and order, which of God's gaace ye have inherited from the primitive Church. Be- ware of causing divisions contrary to the doctrine ye have received. Pray and seek for unity among yourselves, and among all the faithful in Christ Jesus, and Uie good Lord make you perfect, and keep your bodies, soula and spirits until the coming of the L)i'd Jesus Christ. C. T. Cantuar; M. G. Armagh; H. C. Dublin; A.C. Lon- don; C. St. David's; J. Litchfield ; S. Oxon ; Thos Vowlor St. A>*aph; A. Llandatt'; John Lincoln; W. K. Sarum; John T. Norwich ; J. C. Bangor ; H. Worcester ; C. J. Glou- cester and Bristol ; E. H. Ely ; William Chester; T. L. Ro- chester ; Horace Sodor and Man ; Samuel Meath ; H. Kil- moro ; Charles Limerick, Aidfert, and Aghadoo ; C. R. Winton. Robert Eden, D.D., Bishop of Moray, Ross, and Cnithness, THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 273 isod Virgin on, and by itwoen God )wing that V most holy )vo of Jesus your faith, well as by h so widely 1 to the un- tie servants o us, and to the time )er. Abide God hath with Christ Hold fast ich of God's mich. Be- lie ye have '.selves, and good Lord and spirits A. 0. Len- lios Vowlor K. Sarum ; C. J. Glou- 1-; T.L.Ro- :h; II. Kil- doo ; C. R. d Caithness, primus ; Alexander Kwing, Bishop of Argyll and (he Isles ; Thos. G. Suther, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney ; Charles "Wordsworth, D.C.L., Bishop of St. Andrew's, J)uMkcl see ; John B. Kerfoot, Bishop of Pittsburgh ; J. P. B. AVilmer, Bishop of Louisiana; C. M. Williams, Missionary Bishop to China. J. Chapman, Bishop ; George Smith, late Bishop of Victo ria (China ;) David Anderson, late Bishop of Rupert's Land ; Edmund Ilobhouse, by Bishop of New Zealand. The Encyclical, it will bo seen, opens with a prayerful commendation of the faithful clergy and laity of the Angli- 274 THE cnuttClI, ROMB AND DISSBNT. \v. cttu brunch of the Church Catholic to God the Father, through tijo Saviour, followed by a thanksgiving that tho knowledge of llini has, through their iiiHtrunjentiilily been sprciul abroad among "tho luoMt vigorous niccH of the caj'th." Then tho blessing of the restoration of unity in the truth to the whole Church is sought for ; and we are exhorted to keep the faith once for all delivered to tho saints whulc and un- detiled, and to strive against the fraud and subtleties with which it is assailed; on the one hand, to hold last the can- nonicaJ .Scriptures as "the sure word of God," and by dili- gent study of thcni to know tho Lord as Yo.ry God and Very 3Ian ; on the other, to guard against the "growing superstitious and "additions" with which tlie truth in the«e latter days has been overlaid by the Chui-ch of Homo in laying claim to Papal Infallibility and practical Mariolatry. Tho Pastoral concludes vith an earnest and eloquent ex- hortation to tho brethren to show their faith by their good works — of self-denial, purity, and godly conversation ; to jibide steadfast in tho communion of saints, seeking oneness with Christ in tho sacrament of His body and blood ; and finally we are bid to "hold fast the Creeds, and the pure worship and order which of God's grace wo have inherited from the primitive Church." ■'I ! tho Father, ng tlmt tho ntiilily been the earth." thetrutli to n'ted to keep julc and un- btleties with ast the can- and by dili- y God and le "growing ruth in thc^e of Rome in d Mariolatry. eloquent ex- >y their good versation ; to king oneness id blood ; and and the pure ive inherited CHAPTER X. TJiK cjiuncit or aiikjjku. The Church of AmorlcA— oiio with tho Mother Cliurch of EiiRlund— tlio first boMl of ihc WeHtcrii World — th<» only h'ifltiinato (Mmri'l. of tho Aiii<>ri(;un pooiile— her conduct (luriiiff tho war of InrtepondeDC«— uevertil rourwt8 0pt>ii— thf BUcovMnion m • cured— policy of th« sectn and Koiiin— D'>ok of Common rriiyer— 8t AtliHunHlus' Creed— rroteataii t- Hl((h and Low < hniuh— bigotry — the growing atrcuKth ol th« Church -her duty at tho prcsuut criBis, 'HE Church of America, commonly known as •' Tlu: Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America", is the eldest born of tho United Church of England and Ireland, which has risen to a national and independent organization, with all tho essentials of a true branch of tho Om Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. She has arisen like a beautiful coral island out of the midst of an ocean whose cumulative waves have beaten without interruption, in rude violence, against her solid firmness, of the best material. She is clothed with a luxuriance of ver- dure and freshness, of beauty and fruitfulness, which are redolent with that fragrance and sweet odour which are grateful to man, and acceptable to God. She stands like a pyi'amid, meekly defiant of every hostile element, proudly rearing her head onwards and upwards with a pa- tient endurance strong as tho eternal hills. Every emigrant from tho native sod of the fatherland, who calls himself a Churchman, is, and cannot but be, justly proud of her as his fair and beautiful sister, whom it is his delight to love and honor, as bearing all the marks and traits of her own illus- trious parentage, jealously guai*ding and sacredly revering even the very name of her ancient historic mother. 270 THE ClIURCIf, UOMK AND DISSENT. fr" '' w\ '^ f I!il8!l r The CMinrc'h of Amorieu in the fruit of tho miHKionary zoal of Knghiud'HOhuirh, followiii/j:, or rather nceompiuiyin^, tho Ntrcmn of emigration to tho new world in itH earliest dawn. Ah the Chiireii, and only true s})iritual mother of the ]Jrit ish jjeople, who a('Com[)anie8 her children to every corner of the worM, ho Hhe attended tho steps of the first-horn of tho great Western" world. And well would it he for every chiKl who is free-born in the Church of England, who crosses tho Atlantic in search of fame or fortinie, wore ho to bring his credentials with him from his mother, and deliver them direct to his lovely and loving Histor, who stands on this side of tho Atlantic- with open arms to embrace with holy Christian love all who uro worthy. They would save them- selves many sorrows and years of anxious doubt, pain and misery, and perhaps their souls. " Religion Rtands on tiptoe in our land lU'udy to pass to tho Auierlcan strand." What Christian heart does not respond lo the spirit of this beautiful hymn, which breathes such a pathos of holy devotion : " When. Lord, to this our Western land, Led by tliy providential hand, Our wandering fathers came ; Their ancient humes. their fiiends In youth, Bent forth the heraldu uf thy truth, Xo keep them in thy name. Then through our solitary coast The desert l'eora this time onwards, aa the numerous eolonicH wer0 settled, to each of which a clergyman of the Church (as the Hccts wore then but in their infancy) was attachetl, the sct^ tlem'ent of a colony was the home of the Church. The pre- sence of which, with the Clergyman in their midst, Avas a garden for the soul, an asylum for the sick, a school for the ignorant, a restraint to the lawless, and a home for the wan- derer. Beneath the holy influence of the gospel in the Church " the wilderness was '>nt the mother country, and above all, of being bigots in religion, exclusive and arbitrary. On the other hand, her natural enemies were beginning to grow strong. Puritanism, which was imported by men who were brim full of Genevan theology and sedition against the home authority, leagued with Ro- manism, and every form of dissent ; the whole being in- spired by the genius of ^^the political animus of the times, presented a formidable army of hostile power againtst the sufl'ering Church of God. But let God bo praised that ho raised up men, faithful and true, who were equal to the crisis of the Church, whose noble bearing we \a\\4^ ever likened to Milton's Abdiel : , '• Faithful found Among thtt faithless, faithful only ho; Among the innumerable false, unmoved. Unshaken ungod with Ro- ; being in- ' the timey, iiraintst thos sed that ho c[ual to the ha^i^ ever :'ce8S to the nfeebled by )rary loss of widely scat- misconduct, 56 destroyed V of all, that i brave, wise, shop, had no \ to the holy rmation, nor was rapidly jmbers of the Church within its folds. What was to be done ? No time was to be lost. Some course in this trying emergency rtiust be adopted ; the following were open to them: (1.) They might have dissolved their organization and disbanded their parishes ; provided they could have believed that the Church was a mere vob'ntary society, iiistead of being a positive institution founded bydivine authority and unalterable. (2.) They might have affiliate'^ themselves with dissent, and thus have compromised their position and princijdes, as many do, under the specious plea of unity, peace and strength : or, (3.) They might have erected a new denomUmtlon, as the Methodists did, and so have reduced the Church to the level of a sect among sects : or (4.) They might have elected and consecrateossible, the Clergy met in voluntary convention, and before the British troops had evacuated Now York, Dr. Samuel Seabury, formerly a missionary" of the (Tosi)el-Prop- agation Society in Staten Island, and now elected Bishop by the Clergy of Connecticut, had sailed for England to obtain consecration there. Be4des the certificate of his election. Dr. Seabury bore with him a testiownial from the leading Clergy of New York, and letters earnestly request- ing of the English Bishops the boon which Amei-ica had so long sought in vain. Dr. Seabury reached Jlngland at a time when themutnal re- lations between the mother country and the Colonics were new anduncertaiti, and when the Government at home were full of care lest any a])parent interference on their pai*t should stir up the jealousy of the new-born country. Hence when Dr. Seabury made his application to the Archbishop of York, (the See of Canterbury being vacant^ he found at once groat difficulties in his way. Without a special Act of Parliament, the Archbishop ooukl not cH>nsocrate » ©iti- zon of America ; for no subject of a foreign State eould take the oath of allogj^mce, to dispense with which the Arch- bishop had no power ; and for such an act ministers wouW THE CHURCH, ROME AND DI8SENT. 283 X) widely est pi&ty, )d Church teemed it ) presence cd by the itly feared py. They refused to ommimioii •i the peace onvontiori, York, Dr. >spel-Prop- ted Bishop England to icato of bid al firoiB the tly roquest- >rica had so lemiitnal re- Ion ies were b home were I their part try. Hence rchbishop of he found at I. special Act oerate » oiti- to eoukl take 1 the Arch- listers would not apply, until tliey were sure tJiat the step would not of- fend America. Delay and uncertainty became thus una- voidable ; whilst the motives which had led to the aitcmpt pressed strongly on Dr. Seabury. Under these eircumstan- ces, he looked anxiously around, to see if ho could properly obtain from any other quarter the Episcopal succoAsion. The Church in Scotland had attracted his attention. There the true succession, derived of old from ours, was carefully preserved, whilst the Bishops, unlike^those in England, were fettered by no connexion with the State. They eonseiuiently would be able, without any application to the Slate, so to vary, if need were, the form of con.secration, as to make it suit a citizen of the American Ilepublic. * Dr. Seabury made a direct application to the Scottish Bi:?hops, upon the 31st of August, 1784, and was solemnly admitted by them into the Episcopate of Aberdeen, on the 14th of November, 1784, by three Bishops of the Scottish Church. God's hand was manifestly in this matter, and as though to make the assr. 'anco of the American Episcopate doubly sure, he graciously inspired the hearts of the American brethren to elect two others to bo sent to England for con- secration. Their testimonials being every way satisfactory to the English Prclate-i, and after several interviews of mu- tual use, and after a gri.tifying audience of the King, the liev. William White, and the Rev. Samuel Provoost, being Presbyters of the American Church, were solemnly conse- crated Bishops, in the Archiei)iscopal Chapel at Lnmbetli, on Suiulay the 4th day of February, 1787, by the two Arch- bishops and the Bishops of Bath and Wells and Peterbor- oujrh ; Dr. Provoost for New York, and Dr. Wiiite for Penn- sylvania. " Thus, at last, did England grant to the daughter Church the great and necessary boon." " For almost two centuries had iilrigland, by evil CDun-^ols, been persuaded to withhold it, until, as it would soom, tho * Bi8h()[i Oxford's Wat. Amer, Ch ., p. p. 146-159, 284 THE CHURCH, R03IE AND DISSENT. fiorco struggle of the War of Independence, and the loss of those grout Colonies, chastised her long neglect, and by a new and utterly unlooked-for issue, led her to discharge this claim of right. Awful, doubtless, was the hour to these two men, when the holy office wa^ conferred upon them; when, at the hands of him whom Bishop White, full of ailec- tionate respect for the mother Church, calls this ' groat and good Archbishop', they were set apart to boar into the wes- tern wilderness the lilfoness and the office of the first Apos- tles. Solemn must have been their landing oh the 7th of April, the afternoon of Easter Sunday (1787), upon the shores of their own country", as the special witnesses of that resurrection of which ' the holy Church throughout all the world ' was on that day kcei)ing glad remembrance — the especial stewards of those mysteries which she was on that day di.spousing unto all her faithful children." * Thus was the infant Church, in this far away wilderness, committed to three Apostolic men. Bishops Seabur}', White and Pro- voost. Three is the canonical number necessary to conse- cration. So far they had now a working statt'; a canonical college of Bishops. The Church was not slow to organize lier Constitution, her Convention, and the three orders of the Clergy. The next work of imjiortance to which she turn- ed her most earnest and dev^out attention, was the revising and modifying the Book of Common Prayer to the new and untried circumstances of the infant Church. This was a great and perilous work. Many have been the opinions, various and free have been the criticisms of the press, on the nature and imi)ortance of this work. Whatever the opin- ions, iiowever, of the Church or the world on this subject, this one thing must be acknowledged, that the men who undertook it wore e(pial to the duty they undertook. They were men of Apostolic spirit, of most pious and gentle tem- j»ers, of comprehensive and large views, well acquainted * Idem, p, 164. THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 285 he loss of and by a discharge ir to these on them; ill of aftec- ffreat and ,0 the wes- first AjDOS- the 7th of upon the jses of that lOut all the ranee — the vas on that Thus was committed be and Pro- y to conso- a canonical to organize j3 orders of ich she turn- bhe revising the new and This was a le opinions, press, on the cr the opin- ihis subject, Le men who •took. They .1 gentle tem- 11 acquainted with the peculiar sources of the I'equisito knowledge ; they were thoroughly Catholic and evangelical, and, considering the whole of the trying circumstances by which they wore surrounded, one is constrained to give God thanks that he presided by his Holy Spirit over their deliberations, decis- ions and acts ; that they preserved with so much tidolity the Liturgy, doctrines and politj'' of the mother Church; indeed they seemed to have conserved with scrupulous i)iety and with the most jealous care and watchfulness, all that was, at that time, w^ithin their power to conserve. What is matei'ial that is omitted, will be restored, no doubt, to the American Church, whensoever it shall please God in his providence to bring about a revision of the Prayer Book. As so much has been written and spoken on this delicate subject, we shall pass it over with barely a few remarks u))on the omission of the Athanasian Creed, not however, in an unfriendly spirit. While we profess some acquaintance with the various defences set up by our brethren across the border, for this omission, to us, they seem one and all to be unsatisfactory, and to savor of a little special pleading in order to make the w^orse appear the better reason. The omission of this ancient Creed, however, is very distinguish- able from a rejection of it. Its omission may, at the tirst blush, seem to savour of an accommodating disposition to popular notions, and which it is said the Apostolic " Seabury gave up with great reluctance," * A man may possibly omit its use and yet hold it for substance, which is believed to be included in the other two, viz., the Apostolic and the Niceno Creeds. But to reject this Creed is qu ite another thin^. He who deliberately rejects this will feel no diffi- culty, from the same reasons, in rejecting the other two. Men who refuse to read this Creed usually do so from a morbid sensibility, are more^or less transcendental in their notions, or are unacquainted with the history of those fatal * Bishop White's Memoirs of the Prot, Epis. Church, 286 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. li I '» :ii > i!«;;i heresies which oeeaHionod its composition, know little of its positive truths, its f^ublimo genius, or its logical force. We have hearU brethren ot the American Church plead for its restoration on the ground of its great antiquity; its unique Catholicity ; its ample fulness, fur it would alone guide a soul to heaven ; as being a splendid exposition of Catholic doctrine ; and as an unequalled defence of the truth against certain hcresicH, wliich occasionally trouble the Church. Jt has always appeared to me as though the three great Catholic (breeds are made to go together. The Ajwstles' Creed is a complete declaration of positive Bible truth of the most essential nature; the Nicene Creed is a descriptive definition of the Apostles' creed : and the Ath- anasian creed is an ample exposition of both the former and the three together form a logical exponent of prim- itive Catholic doctrine; and at the same time they are a standing memorial-protest against the heretical creed of Pius the lY, not one article of which can be either proved from Scripture or sustained b)'^ the teaching of the primi- tive church, while Gxary article of the other three can : they follow each other in historical, doctrinal and logical sequence ; Wt the so called creed of Pope Pius the IV. is not Catholic, but onl}' Jloman Catholic; the three former are the property of the iiniversal Church, while that of Pius lY is rejected by all but the Roman (Jatholicf^, and the un- fortunate adoption of which makes that Church at once both heretical and schismatical. AVhatcver may be said of the American Book of Common Prayer, oar judgment on it rciiiy well be expressed in the words of the great moralist, viz., "it is the ofi'spring of piety impregnated by heavenly wisdom." Some free criticism has been indulged on the name or title of this branch of the Church Catholic; viz., "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of Amer- ica ", inasmuch as it is a mere negative truism, as there fllE CHURCti, ROME AND DISSENT. 287 ttlo of its brce. ii'ch pleml quiiy; its )ul(l alono )08ition of f the truth •oil bio the hough the her. Tho itive Biblo Creed is a kI tho Ath- the former t of prim- B they arc •\\ creed of ther proved ' the pri mi- three can : and logical the IV. is iree former that of Pius and the un- rch at once ly be said of [gment on it sat moralist, 3y heavenly the name or VIZ., Tho ites of Amor- ism, as there tan bo no Church without a Bishop, and tho word Protes- tant is too negative to express any constituent quality of the Church. It is furthermore said that the term Protes- tant is not found either in tho Liturgy, Creeds, or Articles of the Church of England, which tho Church in the States 80 laudably imitates, believing, as they do, that tho Church of England, as a Church, is as old as Christianity. Her Protestantism is indeed comparatively recent, and this for a good reason, because tho Komish errors and corruptions against which she protests are recent. But tho fjict is that as tho universal unidivided Church, for tho nuiintonanco of her Catholicity, was Protestant at the tirst four General Councils ; as she protested at Nica^a against the heresy of Arius, and at Constantinople against Macedonius, as she protested at Ephesus against Nectorius, and at Chalcedon against Eutychus ; so tho Church of England became Prot- estant at tho Eeformation, in order that she might bo more truely and purely Catholic. It was in view of these great historic facts, it is fair to believe, that tho Fatiikrs of the Church of the States adopted, in their nomenclature, the term Protestant in their title. The fact cannot be disguised that, at the time she took tho initiative as a national Church, she was beset by tho novelties and errors of Rome on the one hand, and all the multiform schismsj of Puritanism on tho other, so by declaring herself Protestant, she became more truly and purely Catholic, and hence she is to be hon- oured and loved as such, for her wisdom and her fidelity. When the Church of Rome and the sects shall become truly Catholic, then, and not till then, tho Churchof England and tho Church of America will cease to bo Protestant. The Church of the States says to the Church of Home what Archbishop Laud said to Fisher the Jesuit : " Tho Protestants did not get their name by protesting against tho Church of Rome ; but by protesting (and that when nothing else would servo) against her errors and superstitions. Do 288 1*1113 CllVRClI, nOME AND DISSEN'j f I ; I; V [1 I' , you remove thorn from the Church of Rome and our Pro^ ostiuitism in ended, and the separation too."* Jt may alwo bo added, that if Jtome would become Catholic, Popery would cease. For ns Grotius observes : "For the most part, we believe that to be truth whi(di has been agreed to by certain of our chief theologians of great name, even as the Papists themselves acknowledge; but besides these there are other lalsities which the Papists have added to those primitive truths, and which they are unable to sustain. Hence it Ibllows that by bringing back religion to that in which the whole Church liave agreed through all time, the papacy falls to the ground, as one who has been inflated by his own private opinions." f So much then for the use and purport of the term " Pro- testant " by the " Fipiscopal Church" of the United States. As we have said above, the Church had ceased to bo a popular favorite during the latter years of the colonial reg-^ imen : she became even less so in the beginning of the new nation. In the transition state the Puritan sects had sought to popularize their respective systems, chiefly by the fol- lowing means, which have more fully developed themselves since that time : - ..- ''^ First, They affected to expose what they called the grosser errors of the Church, to the credulous multitude, which is at all times easily moved by popular demagogues, who par- aded their own virtue and piety in contrast with, and in place of, the more staid and chastened religious life of the Church. Secondly, The popular sects imputed all the faults and corruptions in the world to the teachings of the Church ; such as Popery, Inlidelity, loose morality, and the like un- just and unfair imputations ; just as though the wickedness of the ancient Kings of Israel, and of the Scribes andPhar- * Life of Archbishop Laud by Lawson, vol. I., r -P- 218, 219 f Grotins Epist : 5 THK CUURCU, ROMK ANU iiibSKNT. 289 )m" Pl'ot- n\i\y hIho Popery e bcliovo in of our I Papists nre other )rimitivo Hence it vhich the e papacy y liis own rm " Pro- ed States. 1 to be a ■ onial reg- J 3f the new ' I ad sought y the fol- hemselves lie grosser , which is 3, who par- th, and in life of the faults and e Church; 10 like un- ivickedness ! and Phar- )tin8Erist;5. iaeos in the lifo-tiino of our blessed Lord might bo ascribed to the establishuiont of the truth amongst them. Thirdly, They proposed their own forms of Church gov- ernment and teachings as the sovereign remedy for all evils. Yet so multiform and opposite were their vnriod systems thicy imposed as to bo very anahigous to the self- imposed advice so often gratuitously given by the numerous visitors to a sick jj^'itient, and every ncjiarate one a new and diverse one, suggested without any knowhidge of or regard to the nature of the disease, so that the i)atieut in atlo})ting them is liUe to bo killed by too much doctoring, or by ap- plying remedies which are no real remedies, but, for the most part, only the favorite nostrum of every quack. And the fovei'ish and fickle multitude, not knowing their own wants, like the sick man, eagerly receive the fanciful, the novel, and the untried, while they neglect or reject both physician and remedy who knows the disease and offers the cure. Fourthlt/, They so teach men that when they read the Scripture they do so more with a view to sup^^ort their own way of thinking, than with a view to a correct interpreta- tion, the voice of the Church, and the teaching of all ages. Thus overlooking the serious fact that Scripture when ap- plied to deceive, and to establish error, is no Scripture ; it changes its nature, ceases to be divine truth, and becomes a lie. God's word in the mouth of a false teacher is not the word of God. Fiftldy, The sects pander to the pride, vanity and curios- ity of men, by novel schemes of policy, by new systems of doctrine, by curious modes of action, and, like Jeroboam, by putting the lowest of the people into offices of trust, power and government, which is always popular among the vulgar. Sixthli/, Many of the Puritan sects have claimed the gift of special illumination of the Holy Ghost, whereby they profess to discern those things in the word of God, which 290 TIIE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. otherR, they say, do not. " Dearly beloved", KJiith St. Joliii, " believe not every spirit." All roliuious Bystem makers have assumed to themselves a certain kind oi' inspiration, though the modes of indicating it are very various; as )r example, with the Quaker, it is the inward light; with the Methodit*t, it is i\\oinwar(i call arul tfie direct witness; with the Latter Day Saints, it is the belief in the inspiration of Smith and the book of Monnon : and so of the rest, inasmuch as all know that pretentions to any special divine illumination is always a favorite theme witii the unthinking masses. Seventhly, They have sought to advance i ir cause by fastening it to the political car. It is at once both amusing and pitiable to listen to the vajiid harangues of a political preacher, holding forth in glowing magniloquence, as ho waves the Stars and Stripes before his wondering hearers, as a kind of substitute for the Cross, and cxiwun., preached as a missionary' sermon, before that august body, the General Assembly of the Pi*esbyterian Church, at their meeting at Rochester, New York, May 1860, by the Rev.D. X. Junkin, D.D., Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, Ilollidaysburg, Pennsylvania: after describing the kingdom of God as he unfolds it from the Calvinistic Creed, ho exclaims : " Here are all the elements of representative government — federal social union — vicarious agency or representation — im- yutation, or the responsibility of the client or constituent for the act of his representative — and suffrage, choice, faith, and the vital spirit of the whole. And whence came they ? From the Calvinistic Creed as found in the Bible ! There primitively^ there only are they found. And when that creed warns men to flee from the covenant of works, in which faith was not an element, to a covenant of grace, in THE cnURCll, ROME AND DISSENT. 291 St. John, kcrs have I, though oxatnplo, klothodift, latter Day rid the book 'as a sure and uniform consequence. Tlins, dissenting teaching gained a wide and firm hold of these colonists. The ]\[ethodists in iiarticular, as they grew in number and influence, not being so far removed from the Church as others, yet the more vulgar and coarse assailed the Clergy as being " dumb dogs", the Church as paving " no religion"', no " vital piety ", as never " converting souls ", and (he like. They ridiculed the Clergy, their dress, their mode of con- ducting divine service ; especial Ij- burlesquing the Litany, the J]a])tismal Service. Confirmation, and in fact every dis- tinctive feature of the Church : at the same time thev sue- ceeded in magnifying themselves and their assumed office to such a degree that even Church people received them almost everywhere as the veritable heralds of the Cross. This of course produced a reaction, which pious and peace- THE CHUECU, ROiiili AND DISSENT. 293 nionj' of f iJi-itish •, with a L> her to { it must by favor C'oTonief* red ; aii'-'i course ;ts", and lom some ions, fra- iro of the s in some [issenting- w strongs 1 ^vho dis- sohriqnet dissenters lisscnting colonists. mbcr and 2!lnircli as lie Clergy > religion"', 1(1 (lie like. >de of con- lie Litany, every dis- 5 thev snc- imed office Mved them tlie Crosp. and peate- ful but mistaken "Evangelicals" could not resist. They fed the calf till it became an ox, with whose strength thoy must now either do battle for the Church, like upright, honest, and candid men, or they must lower their position and take their stand by the side of and on the same platform with the dissenting preacher, reduce the Church to the level of the sects, and be content .o consider her as one among the '•' all denominations of the 'Jhristian Church ", for the sake of peace and unity. In this dilemma they, unfortunately for themselves and tlie Church, chose the latter alternative, though probablj' fi'om the purest motives; this of course was just the thing dissenters aimed at and obtained : for while ic be-littlod the Church and her Clergy, it gave such a j)restigc to the sects in the colonies as, it is believed, they never could otherwise have obtained. Nor Miust it be overlooked, that the Dioceses were large, and Episcopal visitation, from the nature of the case, conld not bo so frctjuent nor so efficient as the Bishops themselves could de.^iro, so that this state of aftiiirs went on for a great length of time without sufficient supervision or check. The surrender of the Evangelicals to the sects, of course placed the Church very much on the hasis of the popular will, the platform of all dissent, which resulted in the sue- cumbijig of the evangelicals to almost the same popular will, also, which are a fair exponent and corollary. Still we would exonerate tho evangelicals from any very great blameworthiness, as they were for the most pai-t men of quiet, gentle and peace-loving dispositions, and wholly un- like their dissenling confreres. The next turn of the kaleidoscope presents anotlier pic- ture; yet only the natural fruit of former submissions. The evangelicals having' fraternized with dissent, they now uni- ted in their schisraatical prayer-meetings, attended ♦heir protracted meetings, preached in dissenting chapels during {Jivinp service in the parish church; without Prayer Book, 294 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT, !: f t n 1 1 '■ n iHio 14 ^m surplice or gown ; on Sundays they .occasionally omitted the Litany or interpolated it, or interlarded it with extem- porary prayer, omitted the Creed, the Psalter, and some-^ times the appointed lessons ; tliey introduced hymns and chants at will, in fact they made our holy and beautiful ser-. vice a mere thing of wax, tacith' an empty ceremonial form, and substituted instead thoir own extern j^oraneous ef- tusions, which were always so sufficiently brief as to givo them plenty of time for ^)rm/"/iuiy; which when done, was done in the monkish blaok gown, or none at all, as the sur- plice, that rag of Popery, though the duly authorized robo, must be submitted to the " pernicious nonsense " of being changed for the ii;own of the black moidcs, commonly called "academical." These unlawful acts then are real " inno-> valions " upon the Church's authorized usages, and tho evangelicals are the "innovators" and otfendors against the rubrics, whioh are tho highest law of tho Church, Xor is this all. The so-called Evangelicals cover a Avido ground (/octrinaJ/i/, Their dogmas present a scala of Sup* ralapsarianism, Calvinism, Lutheranism, Arminianism, Semi-prelagianism, and Plymoath-brothren-ism; all of which however, they adroitly cover by the specious generic "Pro- testantism," which wo fear is in the mouths of many themis^. taking of sound for sense, especially those who do not apply their thoughts to their words noi" their ai'guments to their facts. By this mode of procedure then, the Evangelicals, in company with pious talking dissenters, have disatfoctod the minds of thousands of sincere and honest Churchmen, who have been so schooled and trained with those dogmas and usages, from their childhood to their manhood, that any departure from their shihboloth, however lawful,they brand with the odious epithet, " Popery/' "Romanism," and tho like. The multitude never think. Tho multitude never rea- son. What they do not approve or do not comprehend they toon settle in their way by calling it summarily by some THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 295 oinitt€>«i h extom- nd somOf miis and atiful ser^ ji-emonial a,neou8 ef- is to give lone, ^vaa IS tho sur- •izcd robo, ' of being inly called al " inno-^ 5, and tlio rs against ,U'ob . ver a wido ila of Sui> ininianisni, dlof Avhieh loric " Pro- my tbemis- not apply \ts to their vangelicalt^, disaifoetod )huvchmcn, ose dognips od, that any jtbey brand 1," and the never rea- rehcnd they ily by some opprobrious epithet ; as these rpsolulionists have done, al- though I most seriously doubt whether an}- two of them could at this moment give a clear and intelligible exposj^ tion of the high sounding words of the resolutions thoy moved, seconded, and carried with such brilliant echit. If they can, so much the ayovso for them, and their faots, It is, therefore, a fair oonelasion that, these self-styled Evftn» gelicals are tlio ''innovators." From what is stated above, it will be clearly seen that to whomsoever this chaos of things fell, out of which to bring order and decorum, he must make up his mind to encounter a storm that would shake the poles ; and unless he was a man of unusual penetration, resolution, courage and firm- ness, he would quail and be driven l)efore it, and the ubot- tors of confusion, disorder and chaos would prevail still. This work fell upon the present Bishop of Now York, Bish- op Potter, who some two yoars ago, dnred to lay a strong hand upon this fraternizing scheme. And though wo ni()un\ over the ungratefulness of his task, 3'et wo rejoice in tho belief that ourlleavenly Father has put tho right man in the right place. Our most earnest prayer is that lie who gavo hini. his Episcopate will give him grace, wisdom, courage and heaUh to finish what ho has so well begun, May (Jod sustain him and inspire tho hearts of his clergy to stand by him, that tho Church may he wrested from the Imnds of men who would ruin her to Borve their parfi/, in their iMstaken zeal ; as rule or ruin is their nvotto,'. The evangelicals often speak in ma^^'niloqnont terms am\ broad platitudes about *' innovations " and (lo[)arturos from " established usages," &c., which thoy are pleased to say carry "all the marks of Romanism." It would not bo im- proper to ask them what J^omanism is ? At what time and place did the distinctive features of Bomanism begin ? and where were they ended in so complete a manner as to dis- tinijuish, thjit heretical and corrupt conimunlon, froni thy 296 THE CHURCH, ROME AND UlSSENT. N' \>v Catholic Church proper ? and having done this intelligibly, tlien point out wherein the Church is really guilty of depar- tures from lawful usages, and made those innovations so identical with any distinctive feature peculifir to Koman ism as to bo f?ui' t of the fact ? "They which measure religion by dislike to the Church of Ron e think every man so much the more sound, by how much he can make the corrujjtions thereof seem larger. VVisdom therefore and skill is requisite to know what parts are sound in that Church and what corrupt. Neither is it to men apparent, which complain of unsound parts, with what kind of unsoundness every such part is possessed. They can say that in doctrine, in discipline, in prayers, in sacraments the Church of Rome hath (as it hath indeed) very foul and gross corruptions; the nature wherof not- withstanding, because they have not for the most part ex- act skill and knowledge to discern, they think that amiss many times which is not; and the salvo of reformation they mightily call for, but where and what the sores ai*e which need it, as they wot full little, so thoy think it not greatly material to search. Such men's contentment must be wronglit by siratngcm ; the usual method of art is not for them.'' — Hooker. ,, : Wo think these gentlemen have called names and used hard terms in such a manner as to betray their own want of information. For example, they complain of the custom of the clergy "turning to the East in saying the Creed." This we deny openly as being peculiar to Home. This usage obtained in the Primitive Church universally more than 400 years before a single distinctive feature of Rome had developed itself, it has boon a usage in our Church from her earliest historical records. How then can it bo a mark of " Romanism ?" They complain of '• trained choirs," as an "innovation." Did any nun ever ko..\v of untruine.l choirs ? Or would THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 297 ' depar- ions so Roman Church by how larger. at parts ler is it ts, with assessed. lyers, in indeed) 3rof not- part ex- at amiss brmation rioros are Ilk it not leiit must u't is not and used 3wn want he custom iQ Creed." rUis usage more than Eome had ;h from lier a mark of movation." Or would those gentlemen prefer extemporaneous hymns and tunes, >vhicb each worshipper would compose and sing at the time of service, as his fancy or temper might dicta! e at tlie time? What a concord of medleys we should iiave ! Ihit do not those " resohUionists " know that the Bible commands us to "sing with the spirit and with the undoi-standing," that trained choirs luive been in the Church from thebeirinninL''. that they wcro confirmed in their use at the Eefonnation, and that they are declared and prescribed in the rubrics for common use everywhere, when they can be had ? How then can they either be "innovations" or Eomish ? Surelv these gentlemen must feel they are takinir a groat deal of pains to "foam out their own shame." But the word "psalm," so often used in the Bible, in its very etymology means music artkticallij applied in the celebration of the irorship of God. It also means " chant," or "alternate singing," as in choirs of cathedrals; in a word, both Scripture, the Prim- itive Church, and our own beloved Church from time im- memorial have authorized, sanctioned and declared for the use of " choral services " by " trained choirs." This usage therefore is not Eomish, but Catholic. That a usage of such ancient date, of such high authority, and of such universal armistw, we ontest, the ■ecite here. y, with an me to time, ere. They jstless Cler- vvhoni went ; as dissent very few of lipid a thing, THE CHUllCH, ROMK ANi* Ul^s8ENT. sai »a to ItB foiTns of worship, too heterogenous in its dogma, and too idiosAiiemtic in its polity, to saj' nothing of its utter lack of authority and historic existence. In fact the whole corporeity stands on precisely the same foundation as the Papacy^ viz., the assumption of man, gratuitously endorsed by the fancied authority of God. On the other lian I the extreme men of the Low Church par- ty, with an equally ill-concealed haidvcring alter the "meet- ing-house ", evangelical pixiaching, " vital piety ", and the like, took care at the same time to presume that their own favored few were the only very sjyjcial ^' people of God ", too often to the exclusion of all others. From this ])arty the ranks of dissent have been ifilled and fed for a long course of years, and are so still. It is notorious that where one unfortunate pervert goes over to Eome from the High Church, twenty renegades go over to dissent from the Low Church party; though this act is mostly confined to the laity. The odds in this respect are great as against the latter. But the evangelicals take no notice of this etfect of Low Church teaching. But which is the greater sin, her- ressftr, as if he were ready to destroy / and where is the fury of the ojtpressor?" Isa. 51 ; 12, 18. Amidst tiu) ever gn)wing uiid Holid prrvspiTiU- ot* tlie Cliurcli oi' (.'anadu and the IJiiitcd States, slio ncverthclehis is cx[K)sed touttaclvH, on all isidcs, from her natural enemies. The holiness of her teaching aroiises the wrath of wicked men. Thtcm/< are detected, ex])osod and CTiTshed by any able nan J, they call it bigotry; in lino, tho word bigotry is to them a kind of sledge hammer that is made to answer the purposes of more effective antl conven- ient tools. Tho indiscriminate and unscrupulous use of the word bigotry, in the months of the multitude, is often pros- tituted to the vilest and the meanest pur|>oses. That man is not a bigot wl)Ose enlightened views of truth excite in him a holy ardour and zeal to spread it, and to defend it against heresy, schism, and apostacy ; by which perchance lie may scatter to the winds some fine-spun theory, or some fanatical theory constructed only upon tho " baseless fabric of a vision." Bu\. he is a bigot who is obstinately and per- versely attached to his own opinions, who tenaciously ad- heres to a system adopted without investigation, which ho TlVji CHURCH, ROME AND PiaSENT, 305 17 nudicr, thttioiisof me of the 'iiid 111 here y of the crthclesA enemies. >f wicked * anger of idclity to r u^loritiecl i>rouM big- ■ \)o. ^ Of this odious vice wo have just had a most pitiable illus- tration, in a lecture delivered a few days ago before the '< Montreal Presbyterian Church St.bbath School Associa*^ tion." It purports to be an " Address on the gradation of J?resby'<.rian Church Courts." The lecturer forgetting his subject, at least for a time, rushes full tilt at the Church, ftnu sans ceremony, assails the " dogma of Apostolical Suc- cession in the Church ", which he says " Presbyterians re* j«ct because it is unscriptural. From Genesis to Revelation there is not a single sentence in favor of such a view." This sentence betrays its own shallowness ; it carries upon the face of it the stamp of ignorance, and evinces beyond contradic- tion the fact that its author is guiltless of all knowledge of the sources and modes of argument by which the Church so successfully sustains the unbroken succession of her author- itative Apostolic Ministry. What Church author ever goes to Genetis to prove the dogma of Apostolical Succession ? Albeit, Churchmen do go to Exodus to prove the Divine ftppointiHeijit of Aaronie Ministry, and to other books of the old Testament to pj'ove its unbroken succession; and so by fair analogy illustrate the Divine authority and succession of the Apostolic Ministry, Had this reverend divine read ftny one good boolc, issued by able Churchmen, on this sub- ject, he would have saved himself the odium of this ignorat,o elenchi, by learning that it is the Church's peculiar strength andglory that her Episcopacy is amply tested by Scripture, and that by her own authoritative voice she says - '' It is evident unto all men diligently reading the Holy Scriptures, and ancient authors, that from the Apostles' time there Jiave been these Orders of Ministers in Christ's Church, Bishops, Priests, qnd Deacons." (Preface to Ordinal.) His sweeping nega- ■ 1 1 1 m'- B mi Hi m' 1; m. 1 tn i 306 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. tive therefore begs the whole question at issue, which as a man of upright and fair argument he ought to have known and stated. But a bare negative, broadly stated, saves a great deal of labor, is easy of coniprohcnHion by the vulgar, and often throws the burden of proof upon the side of the truth already established. ;. ;■ --, The author further says : " They (Presbyterians) reject the dogma upon the testimony even of those who received Holy Orders at the hands of persons protending to such succession" ; as an illustration of which he quotes a ])ass- age from the "'learned Barrow :" " The Apostolic Office as such, was temporary and personal, and therefore according to its nature and design not successive or commnnicablc to others in pe]'])etual descendence from them," &c. We ask that gentleman whether in his sober judgment he believes Dr. Darrow ever wrote that sentence with an intention to disprove the dogma of A])Ostolical Succession ? We will now, however, give a veritable quotation from the excellent treatise of Dr. Isaac Barrow's Supremacy of the Pope, London edition, jjp, 78-79 (1674) discussing the folly of rejecting Episcopacy. He says: " If any man be so dull or so aft'ectedly igrorant as not to see the reason of the case, and the dangerous consequences of rejecting this ancient form of discipline ; if any be so overweeningly presumptuous, as to question the faith of all historj', or to disavow those monuments and that tradition, upon the testimony whereof even the truth and certainty of our ministry, and all its sacred oracle.-',, do relj'' ; if .my be so perversely contentious, as to oppose the custom and current practice of the Churches tnrough all ages down to tie last age; so self conceitedly arrogant, as to condemn or slight the judgment and practice of all the Fathers (to- gether also with the opinion of the later most grave divines, who have judged Episcopal presidency needful, or expo- dient), so peevishly refractory as to thwart the settled or- THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 307 rhich as a ,ve known 1, saves a he vulgar, iide of the ms) reject lO received lo; to Hiicli tes a pass- ic Office as :;cording to •le to others • judgment ■e with an succession ? at ion from prcmacy of Hissing the rant as not )nsequences ' any be bo 3 faith of all at tradition, d certainty ■oly ; if .iijy custom and res down to to condemn Fathers (to- rave divines, ful, or expo- settled or- der of that Church, in which be was baptized, together with the law of the country in which ho was born ; upon such a person we may look as one utterly" invincible and intrac- table ; so weak a judgment, and !^o strong a will, who can hope by reason to convert?" The next Church author he cites by way of weight}" contra- dictory testimony, is the liev. Henry Dodwell, of wliom he thus speak^s . " The office of the Apostles pefishecf with the Apostles ; there never icas any successor to any of them except Jucl:s the Traitor y We ask once more of Mr. McVicar, where this passage is to bo found ? Wbat chapter and what page ? We have sought in vain for it and su!^poct it is ei- ther a forgery or a quotation ascribed to the wi-ong man. For H. Dodwell was the highest of all High Cburchmen, and in fact his extravagant High Churclimanship led to his ejectment from his benefice in 1G80. To ascribe such a sen- timent to Henry Dodwell is as if one should ascribe to Kewton a diL^beliof in the attraction of gravitation ; or to Ifarvey a disbelief in the ciicuiaiion of tlie l)lood ; or to Watt a disbelief in the power of steam; or to Franklin a disbelief in electric agency; it is sheer absurdity. The Kev, Lecturer next quotes from Archbishop Wliate- ly's '' Kingdom of Christ," those old worn-out and thread- bare sentences from wliich dissenters surely must long ago have abstracted all the virtue. But drowning num will catch at straws. We will give up the good Arch bishop to the Presbyterians, and let them nu^ke what they can of his contradictions, inconsistencies, and his arguments, wliich are clearly in teeth of his life-long practice. His was only an individual opinion, which contradicts Scripture, the his- tory of 18G6 years, the authority of the Church, together with all such authors as Hooker, Pearson, l^nrrow, Taylor, Craokentiiorp, Porcovel, Ondordonk, Kipp, and a oloud of other witnesses, which rresb^'terinns never read, never answered, and never can. Now surely Mr. McVicar would 308 THE CHURCH, ROME AND UISSENT. ;« I- it,i not attempt to stem the torrent of the teachings of all these great men, without examination, the expressed au-? thority of the Church, the unbroken history of 1866 years, the universal testimony of the Apostolical Fathers, the furthers of the apologetic, polemic, scholastic and reforming ages, all of whom, without one creditable exception, be- lieved in, taught, and defended the dogma of Apocto i , ;• * ' cession; but if wo dare to follow this enlightenpddiv e we must all come to the feet of Archbishop Whately and the Eev. Ivecturer. T^en may one exclaim, quantum mutatus ah illo I We might pause here and ask, why is it that Prosbyter^ ians and all their fellow dissenters show so n^uch uneasiness and evince so much irritability at the dogma of Apostolic Succession f It seoins to haunt them like a ghost, It stirs their bile, and boils their blood, and starts their hair on end when one barely mentions it. It is to theni the apple of discord, the bone of ceaseless contention, ard their crux, The reasons are many, They feel the force of its truth. What they cannot answer they rail at with the most ran- corous bigotry. Knowing that their ministry has no foundation in Scrip-, ture, none in history, none in the Church Catholic, and caa be traced no higher than the authority of man, they feel themselves like the fox in the fable which had lost his tail, This dogma of the unbroken succession of the holy rainisr try being true, it must follow as an inevitable sequence that the ministry of the entire dissentinj ijody is simply and solely a nelf-apj jinted institution. To nvakt^ theirs tolera^r ble they UiUst breakdown that of Ch i.^t and h'.opular pseudo-philosophy; a wild unreasoning fanaticism; — or- ganized spiritualism, the sensuality of Mormonism, politic co-religionism, lawless transcendentalism, and avast ara:;imt of eifeminate etherealism. She has daily to cross the path of the gigantic machinery of Eome, and all the variations of Puritanism. In addition to these obstructions she hae to stem the tide of accumulative waves of loose morality arising out of the peculiar social condition o'' the Ameri- can people; — out of their system of godless education ; — and out of the mixed morality incident to emigration. In- deed we may mention another obstructive element, i. c., tho political: which is as many colored as the tints of Autumn, as fickle as an April sky, treacherous as thawing ice, dan- gerous as spontaneous combustion ; ever drifting this way and that, like the rolling sand of the desert, the general tendency of which is against the Church. But one may anxiouslj'- ask, ''who is sufficient for these things "? Yet it is soothing and cheering to remember that the Church knows her sufficiency is in God ; in Christ's pledged pres- ence ; in the ever abiding influence of the Holy Spirit; and in the power of the gospel, in the ministry of efficient and faithful men. Let the Church then arm herself with courage ; let her re-comraence as she began ; with as much modesty and as 316 ' THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. li*' ii mucli lioliness ; let her be chaste, active, austere, intelli- gent and free, caring neither for honors nor riches, lavish of her toil, of her tears, of her blood ; let her be as inde- pendent and dignified in the presence of the powerful, as in- dulgent and tender towards the weak, as free from supersti- tion, enijity practices, narroAV performances, from every ves- tige of idolatrj-, as ardent and sincere in her faith. Let her go forth thus armed, with a steady step, addressing herself to souls alone, and the world is hers once more. Do not fear failures J the same causes will produce the same effects; only make haste ; do not lose a moment ; the hour is sol- emn. Let this cry^ the Church begins anew, be not a vain sound ; let its etfects soon be felt. Do not imagine that you will honor God in raising toward the sky proud cupolas, though good in its place, in lodging Him in marble palaces sparkling with gold j it is ta the- manger, to the grotto of •Bethlehem, that we must summon the pastors. Let all true Christians, all the sons of the Church understand and rea- lize this ; it is on them thai everything depends ; it is through them that everything is possible ; it is upon them that everything reposes ; they have in their hands not only the destinies of their dear and venerated belief, but also the future of the civilized America. 1^ 3, intelli- BB, lavish as inde- rful, as in- \ Hupersti- evoiy ves- .. Let her ;Iiei'self to o not fear le cifectb^ \o\\v is BOl- not a vain 10 that you id cupolas, ble palaces ) grotto of Let all true d and rea- ; is through them that ot only the nt also the CONCLUSION. BRIEF COUNSELS TO A MAN PERPLEXED IN SEARCH OF THE CHURCH, OR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH, EPIT- OMIZED FROM CHAPTER IX. My Dear Friend, Since our conversation the other even- ing I have thought over a few leading ideas, which I will give you on paper, and though you may not deem them of much value, yet I trust they will not interrupt our freedom of future discussions, nor occasion regrets for the past. Of the great principles and facts of the gospel economy you and I are, no doubt, entirely agreed. Our difference arises out of the real or imagined modifications of that gos- pel by men: To a careful reader of Scripture and historic Christianity, there appear certain facts, or phenomena, or marks, which have characterized the Church, as marks of divine identity, through all ages. Thes( :Tvi,rks are safe guides to the devout and thoughtful, to a position of certi- tude ; and when they are clearlj'- seen ana recognized they show the continued identity of the true Church, as distin- guished from all counterfeits, from Apostolic times down to the present hour. They also serve to show that if the Church had not been instituted by Christ, and Paul and his coadjutors, it could not now be done at all. If the Christ of history be not the very Christ, the true Messiah and Saviour, then there cannot now be a Messiah at all : and so of his Church; if he did not institute her, and authorize her particu- lar doctrines, institute her rites, and ordain her lawful minis- 318 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. I i ' W!i m il^ iii^'i !i' «l r* try to represent him through all future ages, it cannot now be done, )>y any man, or any number of men, however gi'cat, or good, or wise. If this be true, then it follows that the modern and popular Church-making notion, upon which all disbcnt stands, is but a human creation, a baseless fabric, a mere expedient of earth, '* earthy " : it is not of the Lord from heaven ; it may assume his name, as the Pope of Rome does ; but it cannot be Christ's bride, nor bear his image. The Methvodists then in setting up their Church, can place that upon the same ground as all dissent, on the ground of human expediency only, and then call it a divine right ; in doing which they have committee! two evils; they have dissented from the Church and from Mr. "Wesley, a hus hnvo made a schism, a rent in the body of Christ ; u not, what is schism ? Is not schism sin ? Is thf.t sin mortal or venial ? The highest ground upon which all dissent stands, as flir as I can judge, is that of human expediency, which is a slope of so dangerous a nature as to allow of no halting between the first wrong step and Atheism. Yet this is chosen in preference to the eternal rock laid in Zion by Christ him- self, for his own Church, which is the pillar and ground of truth. The unreflecting and unthinking multitude pursue this course with so much ease and self-complacency, defend- ing their acts with such palliating pretenses, specious rea- sonings, and determined special pleading, that they seem much more concerned to maintain their pet " ism", and to invest it with a fair showing of divine authority, than they are to study to understand, to receive and believe and fol- low the whole truth " as it is in Jesus." Why should this bo ? If we love him shall we not obey him fully ? It ap- pears to me that the Institutions of Christ, as left us by him and his Apostles, in their fulness, perfection and authority, by most dissenters are either overlooked, or ignored, or treated as matters of trifling account, or are explained away, THE cnURCU, ROME AND DISSENT. 319 inot now ver great, til at the which all 88 fabric, f the Lord »e of Eomo his image, can place ground of right; in they have -, a Sua 8t ; u not, iTi mortal or and 8, as flvr ih is a slope n2 between 18 chosen in Christ him- d ground of itudo pursue )ncy, defeud- specious rea- tt they seem ism", and to ty, than they lieve and fol- y should this ully ? It ap- left us by him .nd authority, r ignored, or plained away, or misconstrued by an unlawful twisting of the Word, or denied altogether, and then something else set up in their stead, under the name of some great man, who calls this new something after the name of Christ, and this contents them. Then if any one dares to have the courage to proclaim the ichole truth as left on rocoi'd, if he attempts to call back these erring brethren to their duty to Christ, it is the habit then for the sects to denounce him as a kind of Papist, or a bigot, * or as one who aiRrms that none can bo saved except in his Church ; and then they put forth their claims of denominationalism as equal authority as the One Catholic and Apostolic Church, or thoy spare no pains to reduce the Church to the level of a sect; ignoring the fact that the Church has never been a sect and never can be, any more than a sect ever can be in the position of the Church. These are impossible. They are contraries and are uni- formly forbidden in the Word of God. There is another point worthy of the notice of the care-* ful Christian student, who is inflexibly honest in following the truth, and who refuses to be dazzled by the glare of mere human ingenuity, and that point is this, that the sects are all destitute of an historic existence. Their roots do not run back into Scripture. The oldest of them dates back but a few centuries, and not one of them preserves the link of historic connexion with the Catholic Church. Not one of them has even the sanction of a jiroperly authorized ec- clesiastical person. They are therefore more of the nature of a fungus stuck into the tree of life than of a living branch of that tree. It is true they may and do eliminate their systems from the Bible, in the shape of doctrinal digests and the like ; but then they are of no value to them histor- ically. For if you pause at the very earliest date of sect- arianism, you will then find a chasm of many centuries * This iB Bimilar to the position of St. Paul among the fa'so Apostles at Cor tb : •Tor I ought " said he, '■ to have been commended by you, I'or in notliing am I be. blQd the ver/ chlefeot Apostles though I be nothing ", in yoiir esteem 3 Cor, xii' 11. 320 THE CHURCH, ROME AND UlSSENT, n u I |lf4 ' 14 iir llfJl stretching out before you, during which no sect is seen, Then the earnest student asks, who kept the Scriptures, who guarded the altar, who conserved the holy ministry, who kept the faith through all these centuries ? Not the modern sects ; they were not born ; they did not exist, The answer then is, they were kept by the Catholic (not Eoman) Church, to whom they were given, which spread the faith all over the world, which maintained the faith for sixteen hundred j'^ears, in times of peace and timee of war, persecution and blood, and which Church all sects seek now txj rival. Some seek to supplant her, and some to overthrow her, with a blind zeal worthy of a better cause ; but God has placed her where she cannot fall, and be well content to believe that he who has kept her as the apple of his eye, will not forsake her till her work is done. Let us then bo obedient to the faith ; let us follow the Lord fully; let us keep '.he whole counsel of God. ' ,. . • You complain that you are bcmldered by the multitude of differing sects and denoniixiations which you say claim to bo the true Church and seem to prove their doctrine and order from the Bible; and that }ou iind no absolute rule by which to distinguish the one from the other or the true from the false. I will state three maxims to guide you in this mat- ter that ma}'- aid jour choice : .■ ^^ First, Our Divine Master, Jesus Christ, in establishing a religion here on earth, to which ali the nations of it were invited (Matt. xviii;i9), left some EULE or method by which tho.so persons who sincerely seek for it may certainly find it. " According to the measure of tha BULE which God hath distributed to us." 2 Cor, x: 13, '•' Secondly, This rule or method must be secure and never- failing ; so as not to be ever liable to lead a rational, sin- cere inquirer into error, impiety, or immorality of any kind. Thirdly, This rule or method must be universal, i. e. adapted to the abilities and other circiimstaucos of all those TffE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 321 ot is seen. Jcriptures, ' ministry, Not the not exist, thoUc (not lich spread he faith for nee of war, is seek now :) overthrow le; but God ^ell content Le of his eye, t us then be nlly; let us maltitude of y claim to be ne and order L-ule by which true from the in this mat- 1 establishing onsof itwere armetliod by may certainly BULE which mre and never- i rational, sin- ty of any kind. NIV^ERSAL, i. 6' ces of all those persons for whom the religion itself was intended, namely, the great bulk of mankind." I will now give you four mafjcs, by which the true Cath- olic yiiot Eoman) Church of Christ may be dislii»giiished from all modern ssccts, whose rivalry tseem to perplex you BO much. I suppose the fact is admitted l)y all that our Loi-il did institute a visible Church (tor an invisible Churcii is no guide at all in this matter), comprised of hi.s followers, who believed in his name and were bapti.^ed in the naine of the Holy Trinity. To this visible Church theru are some ninety references in the Xew Tetitament, This Church was built on Chriot himself; it was to endare iu the end of time; it was to keep the ftiith pure, and to })ul)lish it to the whole* world. This was the duty and work of this visible organ- ized Church. He who established her has also left these certain marks by which it is to be distinguished and known from all counterfeits and all mere hunum organizations. The first mark is Unity. The visible Church is one with Christ, as he is one with the P'ather. The unity of the Church is so fully insisted upon everywhere in Scripture, and ia terms so ytiong and so uniform that the wonder is that loving, obedient disciples ';aa everviolate it, especially as all multiUidinous Churche.- a^e entirely forbidden. Holy : for reason itself tells us that the God of purity and saactity could not institute a religion destitute of holiness. St. Paul assures us " that Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it : that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word- that he might present to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle.'" Eph. 5: 25, 27. The third mark of the Church is Citholicity; i. e , she is for all. For all nations and all people, without distinction of country, color or age. This broad platform was laid by Christ himself He opened the temple doors to " all in every place" that chose to enter. Nor can the catholic nature of THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. itj ii I the Clinreh be restricted by any man. No number of men can be allowed to fence her round. Iler light is like the sun, it shines for all ; her doctrine is like the rain, it de- scends on all ; her pathway is like the ocean, which is for the use of all nations, through all time, and in every place alike. Apostolical descent. Every communion has some source and seat of authority, to appoint its ministry, expound its doctrine, mini.stcr it;^ rites, and enforce its discipline. The Church Catholic, of which the Church of England is abranch' professes to derive this authority by direct descent from our Lord and his Apostles, to whom Christ said : ^^ All power is given wdo me, in heaven, and in earth ", Matt, xxviii : 18. " As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you ", John xx : 21. " Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things, wliat soever I have commanded you : and lo ! I am ivith you alway, even unto the end of the world", Matt, xxviii : 19, 20. " Aiid when he had said this he breathed on tham, and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and wfiosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained ", John xx : 22, 23. Thi^t was the original Apostolic commission, which is to en" dure to tiie " end of the world " ; but the Apostles them- selves lived only the ordinary term of man's life ; therefore the coiiiinissiou of preaching and ministering under the promise of divine assistance relates to the successors of the Apostles no less than to the Apostles themselves, as a body corporate, for a body corporate never dies. This lack of Apostolical marks is clearly observable in all the sects, which abound in such vast numbers around us. Take then these four marks as your guides, as a kind of finger posts to direct you in the midst of your perplexities in search of the Church. I notice you say that " the Methodists trace their existence THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. er of men s like the ain, itde- lich is for 'ery place me source spound its .line. The is abranch' 7it from our Alt power is [[ : 18. " As ohn XX : 21. them in the Holy Ghost: e commanded e end of the I said this he , Holy Ghost- to them, and 111 XX : 22, 23. hich is to en- )0stles them- fe ; therefore Iff under the ces>ior3 of the ves, as a body igervable in all rs around us. , as a kind of ar perplexities their existence back to John Wesley, and further than that they do not care to go, so far at least as organization is concerned." This is a candid admission. The "do not care'' in this sentence sounds equivocal. It must imply one of two things : either that ]\[ethodists "don't care " about the truth in itself con- sidered; or they are satisfied thatMr.Wesley, as their master, is infallible, that is, that he was incapable of mistake. But surely this is too much to rest on any one man. To found a Church, a ministry, the administration of the sacraments, and all other Church functions, on a mere human being, on Mr. Wesley, is committing about the same grave mistake, on the part of the Methodists, as the Romanists commit in founding their Church on St. Peter. One is thus built on an acknowledged Apostle ; the other is built on an acknow- ledged Presbyter of the Cliurch of England. Which is the better judge think ye? In llil)ility can be predicted of none but God and his Word. That Mr. Wesley had but a small claim to infallibility the following facts I quote from his life by Whitehead, will show : (1.) Mr. Wesley once held that immersion v:ii% the only prim- itive mode of baptism : this opinion he afterwards changed: 1736. (2.) Mr. Wesley says : " I was fundamentally a Pa- pist, and knew it not ''' : 1739 (3.) In the same year he joined with Peter Bholer and became a Moravian, wh.»mhe afterwards left, assigning as areason their being '* swallowed up in the dead sea of stillness." (4.) He said in 171:4 : " I have leaned too much towards Calvinism." (5.) He changed from this to the opposite point of his theological compass and becomes an Arminian, of which he remained the expo- nent and champion. (6.) He w^as a Presbyter of an Epis- copal Church ; yet he ordained men, contrary to his ordi- nation vows, on the Presbyterian plan, outside of his own Church, and thus committed schism. Mr. Wesley being in the Church of England, and his setting up Societies out of the Church, and his pretending to ordain men out of the S24 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. jDliiircli wa.s a schisuiatical act. His ordination vows bound him to do everything ministerially in the Church, and for the ChurcJi otherwise he was disobedient. If he thus changed about six or seven times, both on points of faith and order, he sui*ely has but a questionable claim to that infallibility necessarily involved in his founding a Church. What St. Peter is to Komanism Mr Wesley is to Methodism. As dis- loyalty to Peter is disloyaltj^ to Pomanism : so, said Bunting in 1849, "disloyalty to Methodism is disloyalty to Jesus Christ"; while the true Church of Christ acknowledges none but her Lord, the crucified one, as Founder, Saviour, and Head of all authority and poAver, whom she adores and loves in contradistinction from all rivals, self-constituted. It is fair for us to ask what it is likely the Apostles would think and do in reference to self -constituted Churches and preachers, if they were now aiive ? Let us hear what St. Paul says concerning " false brethren imaicares brom/ht in (Grk. smuggled in), who came in privily, to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, th'd they might bring us into bon- dage : to whom loe gave by place, by subjection, no, not for an hour ; but of these who seemed to be somewhat, whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter, God accepteth no man's person ; for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference (Grk. set them- selves up as advisers), culded nothing to me". Gal ii:4, 5, 6. These teachers St. Paul calls "false brethren ", ''false Apos- tles'', "■ some t1iat trouble you, icho uould pervert the gospel of Chrisf', Gal. i: 7. These he found in the Churches of Cor- inth and Galatia, creating and promoting " debates, envyings, wraths,strifes, backbitings, whispenngs, swellings, tumults'', 2 Cor. xii : 20. Compare this with the present state of dissent with its two hundred denominations, each claiming divine equality with the Holy Catholic Church. My humble con- ception is, that neither St. Paul nor his brother Apostles would have listened to them, " no not for an hour." Why then should you and I ? This will be the more conspicuous vows bound Land for the Ihus changed th and order, infallibility What St. ism. As dis- said Bunting Ity to Jesus icknowledges ider, Saviour, he adores and 'onstituted. ipostles would Churclics and hear what St. ires brou(jht in y out our liberty ring us into hon- , 7io, not for an whatsoever they m's person ; for Trk. set them- , Gral ii:4, 5, 6. ", ^^ false Apos- rt the gospel of lurches of Cor- ebates, envyings, tumults'', 2 Cor. ate of dissent laiming divine [y humble con- Dther Apostles I hour." Why DTG conspicuous THE CimilCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 325 if we contrast the above texts with those strong terms in which he asserts his own apostleship and that of " all the brethren that icere icith him'\ Gal i : 2. "7 certify ijou, breth- ren, that the gospel which icas preached of me is not after men. For I neither received it of men, neither was I taught it ; but by the revelation of Jesus Christ", Gal. i: 11, 12; compare with ver. 1. IIo then tells the Corinthians, into whoso confidence these " false brethren " had insinuated them- selves by '' good icords, and fair speeches, and self-commenda- tions ", " That he had urought the true signs of an ajyostle ainong them, in aU patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds" f 2 Cor. xii : 12. And that when he should visit Cor- inth he would examine the pretensions of those who had " puflfed " themselves into a position among them " and will know not the speech (only) of them that are j^uffed up, but the power ", 1 Cor. iv : 19. His design being to ascertain whether they had the signs or marks of an Apostle. You intimated that you felt some diflficulty in the suppo- sition that our beloved Church received her doctrines, sacra- ments and orders through the corrupt Church of Rome. For an answer to this I refer you to what I have already written. * Now, in cc xiclueion, it is not '.mproper for me to urge ujv on you the necessity of cultivating a proper state of mind, in your perplexity, in the search for the Church. It is but too manifest that the motives of men generally, in this res- pect are such as to hinder more than help their enquiries after truth. Some are actuated by motives of interest, pride, prejudice, education, personal preference, excitement of the passions, whim, fancj', love of novelty, and even of envy and strife. I entreat you to avoid all these pernicious influences and resolve at the outset of your search to take the advice given by Our Lord himself. He says : " Who- soever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child * See^tlie IX Chap as al)Ovc; and also Art. xxvl., Bk. Com. Pr, I 326 THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. shall not enter therein." Mark 10 : 15. Now a little child in askin«j^ for instruction evinces simplicity, humility and teachableness. This is doubtless a cross for a man ; but if we will take up the cross cheerfully and humbly, we shall find in the end the crown we seek. O ! if all Christians of the different sects and opinions were but possessed of the sincerity, disinterestedness and earnestness to follow the Lord humbly and fully as obedient children, how soon would all and every one of our controversies cease, and wo be united in one faith, hope and love. " Lo ! what an entertaining sight " Are brethren that agree ; Brethren, whose cheerful hearts unite In bonds ol piety." I advise j^ou then, first of all, most earnestly to seek the aid and grace of the Holy G host, which God jDromises to give to all who ask him; and with all zeal and fervor beg the light of true faith from God " the Father of lights." " If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God,' who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not." Next, I entreat you to resolve firmly, by the grace of God, to avoid sin, being well assured that " wisdom will not dwell in a corrupt mind ; nor dwell in a body subject to sin." For be assured that the reason why so many are ignorant of true faith, and therefore do not embrace it, is because they are plunged into various vices, particularly into carnal pleasures" and intellectual pride. Be persuaded also to renounce all those prejudices which have unhappily, in some former time, led you to espouse any mere human system that may have made you indifferent to "the Uath as it is in Jesus." Labor to bring yourself to that state of impartiality, so as to embrace readily whatsoever the grace of the Holy Ghost and the light of reason should point out to you, without any regard to the advantages or inconveniences that might attend you in this world. Finally, enter upon these deliberations and this seai'ch and ".hoice in the manner you would wish to THE CHURCH, ROME AND DISSENT. 327 child y and but if J shall ians of of the )w the L would we be leek the J to give beg the ." " If iveth to reat you n, being corrupt 3 assured aith, and plunged ures"* and all those time, led ave made Labor to ) embrace 3t and the ny regard ittcnd you ations and i wish to have done in the hour of 3'our death, and in full conviction that at the day of judgment you must give an account to God why you have followed this religion in preference to any other. Ilemeraber that man has but one soul, which will be eternally lost or saved. '• What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul ?" (Matt, xvi : 2G.) Eternity knows no end. The course of it is per- petual. It is a scries of unlimited duration. There is no comparison between things infinite and those which are not so. My prayer then for you is that you may attain to the cer- tain faith of Christ, in the communion of the Holy Catholic Church, that you may serve your generation, possess the comfort of a reasonable, religious and a holy hope, live in peace with God, and be in perfect charity with the world, and remain, Yours faithfully in Christ Jesus, W. Herbert Smythb, SL Andrew's Day, 1867. THE END. ;i ikL j!' SI ine EBRATA. Page 7, ] 12, for " love " read lore • « 38, (( 31, for " suppled " read e upple. " 52, (( 21, for " Oswig " read Oswy. " 53, <( 12, for " Donalists " read Bonatists. " 88, u 12, for " prajamunire " read prsemunire « 97, 7, for "McCauley" ' Macaulay. " 98, (< 5, for " polutions " * ' pollutions. " 99, it 35, for " academian " ' academician. " 112, K 7, for " Eruidition " " Erudition. « 115, 11 26, for " Honulies " " Homilies. " 117, (i 23, for "of Rome" ' against Rome " 116, ii 13, for " Bereus " ' Berens. « 139, (( 32, for " geat " ' great. *' 239, (( 25, for"perfutability" < ' perfectability " 287, li 15, for " Nectovius " < ' Nestorius. « 294, li 21, for " prelagianism " ' Pelagianism. " 324, ii 20, for " by place " « ' place. iPRINTED BY HENRY & BRO., BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS, NAPANEE, ONTARIO. ■DS9 e. latists. )r8emunire lacaulay. ollutions. cademician. Srudition. lomilies. -gainst Rome. Kerens. jroat. )ei'fectability. Ifestorius. ?elagianiHm. )lace. i I PRINTERS,