IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) V. n // /. 1.0 I.I 1^ |2^ 1 2.5 l^ IIM iJ4 -^ > ■> '^ Photographic Sciences Corpoidiion 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 1- W^^ -'"'\ ^A. ^\ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiqjes The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images n the reproduction, or which may signif onitly change the usual method of filming, are ct.v.»ked below. D D D D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ CouvBkture endommagde Covers restored and/cir laminated/ Couverture restaur6e et/ou pelliculde Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes gSographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur D Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intdrieure 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 ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmdes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppldmentaires; L'Institut a microfilm^ le sneilieur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la methods normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ D Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes Pages restored and/oi Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul6es I I Pages damaged/ I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d^colordes, tachetdes ou piqudes □ Pages detached/ Pages ddtachdes HShowthrough/ Transparence □ Quality of print varies/ Qualitd indgale de I'impression □ Includes supplementary materirl/ Comprend du materiel suppl^mentaire □ Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 film^es d nouveau de fapon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous. 10X 1^ 18X 22X 26X 30X J 12X 16X 24X 28X 32X Tho copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Hamilton Public Library L'exemplaire filmi fut reproduit grdce d la g6nArosit6 de: Hamilton Public Library The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantas ont 6t6 reproduitas avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la netteti de laxemplaira film^, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de fllmage. Original copies in printed paper covers era filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impreti- 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. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimAe sont film^s en commencant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernlAre page qui comporte une empreirto d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmis en commen^ant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame Ot-i each microfiche shall contain the symbol — •»> (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un dee symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols ^^- sic^ifie "'A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN ". Maps, plates, charts, 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: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etr., peuvent dtre film6s A des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est film^ d partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 T A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. BY CHAS. E. WHITCOMBE. HAMILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NOV 2 1 1979 COPY^ TORONTO: IIOWSELL & HUTCHISON. 1886. f RowsELL & Hi'TCaiaoN, Pkintkrs, Toromto I r ¥ PREFACE. The object of the author has been to present in as •succinct a form as possible, the leading events of the history of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of Great Britain. He hopes that this little work may be found useful in our schools, and helpful to busy men who have not time to study fuller Church histories. C. E. W. a A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY. The Gospel was brouglit to Great Britain from the East, at a time when tlie Ro^jian Enipire held Great Britain by force of arms, j For a period of nearly one thousand years, the British Church was independent of any authority of the Church of Rome. Ireland and Scotland owe their Christianity to the labors of British Missionaries. When the Roman armies were withdrawn from Britain, to defend Italy from the Goths and Vandals, the Picts and Scots,'from the North of Great Britain, attacked the Britons. The Saxons being invited to come over from the continent, drove back the Northern invaders, but them- selves took possession of the country. The British Church was driven into Wales, and Cornwall, and Cumberland; and many Christians ci-ossed to Ireland. The Saxons, heat! en worshippers of Woden and Thor, were, in course of time, converted to the Christian faith. This was due almost entirely to the labors of VI. A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY. the Missionaries who came from the British reli. 410.) (^hristiiiiiity f.irly fiiiUraced by tlio Mritoiis The (iospi-l cuuu- from till- Must ti> •Jri;it l»iit:iiii When Ivoiiiaii Jiniis wltc in jxissos- siou of (lifiit Ihitiiiii iiiul itciHccutiou of the ('lunch was pt-iiodica — The hc'st known Mritish Martyr wah S. All)an -Konian perseon- lion t'niitish ( 'hiirth^The Mritish Ciiurch intlepeinU-nt of tlie Church of Konie- 'I'lie iSritish (Miurcli preaches in Irelanil and in Seothmtl— S. Patrick. Christianity early embraced by the Britons — Biitaiii eailv trill Jiaced the Fuitli of Clii'ist. WIhmi (Jrcat Britain was a laiul of dense foivst and nndraincd swamps, ( 'luistian nnssionaries punetrated her woods, and pa.ssed up liur rivers. Parts, inaceessil»le to Roman arms, were subdued l»y soldiers of the cross. At this distar' f tnae we can- not he siii-e as to the exact date of the first a[ti)earance of Christianity in (ireat Britain. Le<,a'nds attribute the introduction of the (ilosi)el in Great Britain to S. Paul, S. Philij), S. James, S. ^imon Zelotes, S. Peter, Ari.stohulus, and others. We cannot say who first proclaimed Chiist to the Britons. The south west portion of the island, that is, Corn- wall and ; djacent counties, was the tirst to receive Cliristianity. Christianity ame from the Easi to Great Britain- — The south w .'st of Tie island ad lonij had tradin<; relations •i 2 THE lUUTISFI CHIKCH. with Asia Mild Syi-ia, via.. Marseilles, and tho soiitlicrn p(j]ts of France ((.Jaiil). The iirst Cliristiaii Chincli in Biitain was of an Eastern or Asiatie rather than of the Western or European type. The Roman Armies in possession of Britain. — For the short ])ejMod durinL;* wliich the Roman soldiers were encamped or settled in various parts of Bi'itaiii. they iiiijiarted to the Britons man}' of the ai'ts of civilization. 68 The martyrdoms of S. Peter and S. Paul A.i). occurred in the reign of Nero, about OS A. I). Every succeedin<^r ])(^riod saw persecution falling upon the devoted Christians throughout the vast Iioiiian empire. In the reign.s of* Trajan, Aurelius, Antoninus, Severus, J)ecius, Valerian, Diocletian, and Maximian p(!rsecutions of the Chri.stians bi'oke out from time to time in wholesale slauo-hterino-s and fiendish torturer. Persecution of the Church was periodical.— T^p to the year 310 A. D., persecution of th" Chi'istirii Cliureh had generally been tlie policy of the Emperors of Rome. 310 A.L>. 303 A.l). The best known Martyr was S. Alban. — In the Diocletian persecution, Albanus, an inhabitant of the Roman town Verulam in Hertfordshire, since named Saint Albans, was cruelly piit to death. This Martyr was a Roman soldier. He sheltered a Christian priest who was Heoing from the heathen persecutors. From his guest Albanus learned the stor}' of the Cross of Christ, was in.structed in the Christian Faith and baptized. His instructor h<^\ng discovered and de- manded by the Roman soldiery, AlVianus presented liimself, disgui.sed in the priest's i;arments, to tlie fury of the pursuers, and was thereupon dragged before the Roman Governor. Beino- recoijnizeil, he boldly avowed liimself a Christian. He was ordered •r-Ii> KOMAN OCCUPATION OF fJIlKAT JUUTAIN. s to of nee lis an Jl'S. ■OSS ind le- teil tlio fed bo red i to al)jm(' liis faitli, and sacrifice to the lieathen gods. He refus«(l. Torture failed to shake his constancy and he was Ix'lieaded, To the memory of this early Chris- tian martyr, a stately ahbey was shortly' afterwards erected, and the Church of S. All tan still stands a noble monument of the early Christianity of old Kngland. 310 A. I). The Heathen Persecution ended. — In the reign of Constantino, Emperor of Rome, A.l). -SIO, who end)raced tiie Christian faith, i)ersecution ceased, and the British Church obtaineil a ]>r()minent place auKjng the Christians of the European world. The British Church represented in Asiatic and 314 European Councils - At the Council of Aries. — Iq '^'"' A.l). .'U4 a great council of Bishops was held at Aries in France, to consider the .schism of the Donatists. The Donatists were named from Donatns, who led a schism in Carthage, wdiich, from the year .SI 2 for more than a ccntuiy, distracted the African Church with the contending clainis of rival successions of Bishops, and led to civil war and nuich bloodshed. Among the many Bish(>ps present at this council from all parts of the Church, we tind the names of three from the British Church — Eboriu.;, Bishop of York ; Restitutus, Bishop of London ; and Adeltius, Bishop of Caerleon. At the same council tbei'e were also present from Britain, Sacerdos, a ]>resbyter, and Arminius, a deacon. The preseiice of tbeso i-epre.sentativt.'s at a genei'al council shews that the Biitish Church was fully recognized as an integral portion of the Holy Catholic Church at this early date. At the Council of Nicoea. — Again, in A.D. 825, at ^^^ the o-roat Council of Niccva, which fjave to the Catholic Chui'ch the Expression of Faith known as the Nicene C^reed, the British Church was probably represented by its Bishops. THK BRITISH CHURCH. At the Council of Sardica. — Again, in A.D. .'i47, J^J Bi'itisli Bishops signified, in the Council of Sar- dica, their approval of the ac(|irttnl of S. Athan- asius from charges brought against liini ])y the Arians. 359 A. 1>. At the Council of Eimini- — Auain at the Council of Rimini, A.D. 359, a large number of Biitish representatives were present. Other Witnesses tc the History of the British Church.-— 8. Clirysostom, named the golden tongue from his 367 eloquence, speaks in 8G7 A.D., of the Churches and Ai'- altars of the Christians in Britain. Justin Maityr, 114 born A.D., 114, and Irena'us, born A.D. UO.Tcrtul- '^■"" lian, born about 181 A.D., and many other eminent ^^" Roman writers bear witness to the altars, doctrine, jg, and discipline of the British Church, duiing the A.i>. first three centuries of the Christian era. The British Church independent of the Church of Rome. — Duriiiix all these centuries there is no shadow of pretence in history that the British Church o\ved or acknowledged any dependenco on the Church of Rome. *' No legates from Rome, but devout men from Asia, established Christian discipline among the ancient Britons. — Moslte im. The British Church preaches in Ireland — During the century .SOO A.D. to 400 a.d., the British Church not only flourished at home but sent her missionaries for the conversion of Ireland. S. Patrick. — Patrick was born in Scotland probal)ly at the place called Kirkpatrick about .*J87 a.d., his 387 father was a priest, and his grandfather a deacon. Ai>. Thus there were married cleroy in the Church in the fourth century. When Patrick was sixteen years old a band of marauders from Ireland seized the boy, and cari'ied him away to slavery into that part now called Antrim. After seven years capti\'ity he escaped w^ ROMAN OCCUPATION OF GREAT BRITAIN. 5 the not for eon. I in ars liow peel and readied home. Tlience he went to the south of France, and was echicated for Holy Orders. He was ordained Deacon and Priest. 432 Palladius wlio had heen sent to ev^angelize the Ai>. Irisli, havinir failed in his mission, returned to En«dand 4'i2 A.l). S. Patrick beirif^ consecrated Bishop in Ganl (France) sailed with twelve companions to Ireland. There he was very successful in eon- ^ j^ vertini^^ the Irish people, and died about the year 465 A.D. The British Church Preached in Scotland. — From the monasteries and schools of learnincj founded by S, 563 Patrick in Ireland, missionaries, as S. Colombo, A.D. .■')G3 A.l). went to Scotland, and finding many Chi'istians converted by a British Missionary from North Wales S. Ninias 412 A.D. to 482 A.D., to established the religious house of Icma on the 432 west coast in Argyleshire. So we find that Ireland ^- ^*- and Scotland received the Gospel from the British Churcli, and afterwards the Christian Schools founded bv SS. Patrick, Colombo, and Ninias, had a lar. of Rome from the invasion of the Northern tribes of Europe — the Goths and Vandals. WIkp the Romans had ffone, one Island was oovcrnod by the cleroy, nobles, and municipal towns. There were thirty-three chief towns, and thirty-three bishops who met regularly in Synod. The departure of 20,000 Roman soldiers left the Island helpless, and the Picts and Scots from the North invaded that part of Great Britain now known as England. The Angles and Saxons, heathen tribes from the neiirhbourhood of the Elbe, in Germanv, w^ere called in by the British to help them against their northern enemies. This w\as a fatal step for the British Church. The heathen allies soon turned upon the British, drove them into the west, and seized their lands. i THE SAXON PERIOD. i Des The British Church found refuj,^^ in that part of England wliicli lies Itrtwccn the Clyde and the Dee, and in Wales, and the counties now known as Cornwall and Somerset, In tliese districts the British Church j)i('served the Faith, and sent fortli the Missionaries to Ireliuid and Scotland, of whom we have spoken, and aftei-wards reconverted the rest of England, which now relapsed. under Saxon rule, into the worship of Thor and Woden, the gods of the Teutons. It is easy to see liow the Saxons and British (Celts) liated one another witli all th.e fury engendered I)}' continuous wais. The Saxons would never listen to the gospel from the con([uered and des2)ised Britons, who dwelt in the western mountains. The Heptarchy, 410—827—417 years, or Seven *^^^ Kingdoms, was estahlished by the Saxons. These 827 kingdoms were formed l)y the tbllowings of separ- A !>• ate and independent chieftains, and were only hehl togetlier by a connnon fear of the Biitish in the Avest. The kingdoms were : Essex, Wi':sskx, and Sl'ssEX (Saxons), comprisiiif^ present Sunvy, Sussex, Middlesex, and the counties south of the Thames ; NoRTHr.MUHiA, all north of the Hundjer ; East An(}Ma, Norfolk, Sutiblk, and Cand»ridge ; Meiu'JA, the midland counties, east of the Sevein, north of the Thames, and south of the Hundjcr. CONVERSION OF THE HEPTARCHY. die ve Ij After the Heptarctiy had remained heathen for 100 years. Kent and East Saxons converted to Christianity — 597 Ethelbert. in 597 a.d., was Bretwalda, or leading ^'^^' prince of all the Heptarchy, and was King of Kelit. He liad married Bertha, the Christian (laughter 8 THE BRITISH CHURCH. of ( 'hjyil)oi-t, Kin<^ of tht' Franks (France), wlioso royal city was Paris. The Quoen liad been allowccl tlie oxcrciso of her roli<;ion, and tlio attendance of her cliaph'iin Lnidliart, Bisliop of Senlis. Tlui inthience of Bcrtlia prepared tlie way for tlie mission of S. AnL,nis- tine, who was sent to Great BrHain hv CJreiroi-v the Oieat, Bishop of Rome. Fair liaired Saxon slave boys, white skinned with flowing hair, were standinn; in the market ])lace at R onie expose( ^trnck by tli (1 f or y of the lads, h d fr. .strucK hy tlie appearance or tne lads, ne nicpnred rroiii what country they came. Findine rescued from the anger {*Ie J ni) of God, and called to the mercy of Christ. The name of their king ? " " .^.lla." " So be it," said Gregory, " Alleluia, the praise of the Creator be sung in those parts." Gregory made a vow to rescue these 'oright and beau- teous people from paganism. He Set out in person to preach the Gospel to the Saxon worshippers of Thor and Woden, but, before he reached the coast, he was recalled to become Bishop of Rome. Failing himself to reach the Saxons in England, he equipped a band of forty Missionaries under Augustine, and sent them forth to preach the Gospel in the Heptarchy. Augustine and his company set out, and being recom- mended on the way to the Bishops of Lyons, Marseilles, 597 Aix, Aries, Vienne, Orleans, Metz, Saintes, and A.i>. Tours, arrived in Kent in the spring of 597 A.D S. Augustine was well received by Ethel bert, who 4 1 » THE SAXON PKHIOD. 9 k V 4 in a sliort time was bnptizt'd, and a jijrcat nuiiiber of liis sulijccts onil)iaced Cliiistiaiiitv. In Novenil>er, of the same vear, S. Augustine was ordained I'lislion at the ]ian OreiiOi V to 8. Aui^ustinc as to his dealimjfs with the existiui^^ British Church secured the rapid spr<'an of the same Kini;." 616 Etht^lbert died in GIG A.D., and Sehert, King of A.i>. the East Saxons, a pagan, became Bretwalda. The East Saxons relapsed into Heathenism, i\m\ sore tiouble fell upon the Cliurch. Melitus and Justus were 3lle(l,an. by Paulinus in G30 A.D. The fourth Archbishop of Canterbury was Justus, and the fifth Archbishop of Canterbury was Jlonorius, wdio was consecrated in the stone church now developed into Lincoln Cathedral. The Church in Northumbria and Mercia was overthrown 633 wlien King Eadwin, being killed at the battle of A.r>. Hatfield, G*38 A.D., his army was dispersed by the heathen King of the Western Saxons. Northumbria and Mercia were re-converted by mission- aries of the ancient British Church who came from the religious houses planted by S. Patrick and his successors in Ireland and Scotland. (See back pagt % ^ THE SAXON PEUIOn. 11 635 A.I). il) Tlio eliiof missionary w.as S. Aidan. Thus did the Saxons of the North of En- British Church missionaries Finan, Cedda, Adda, Betti and Diuma. 654 East Saxons relapsed, and wx're re- con verted by Ai»- Cedda Co 4 A. D. Summary of the Conversion of the Saxons- — Thus the Church was not established in any of the Kingdoms of Saxon England by Roman Missionaries, except only in the Kingdom of Kent. 1. Northumbria. though partly converted by the 12 THK IMIITISII CMLrilCH. 1 I RoiiKiTi Missionary, Paulimis, owed its coinplc^te con- version to S. Finan and S. Aidan, who came from tlio I'rliijfions lioiis(i founded l»y the early J^>ritish Chnrcli in Lma (Scotland). 2. Mercia, compi-ising all tlio central portion of Enu;- land, rcfMMved the gospel, from Cedda and ids fellow niis>ionarit's, from the same Scoto- British settlement in lona. 3. Essex. — The East Saxons, oriijinally converted by Roman Missionai'ies, completely rt'ia])sed into heatlien- ism, and the (Huirch was estahlislied among them by the lalxmrs of the Missionaries from lona. 4. Kent and Wessex, formincj a very small coi-ner of Enu^land, alone owe the establishment of the Church to Roman sources. The Church (^f Rome has, therefore, no claim to the obedience of the Church of Enr>ro!niity was estahlished between the uses of the L'hureh of Koine ami ol the Church of the 8ax()iis, and the way was prtparrd for the jjfreat j)relate who sljould confederate the ( hurehe.s in tlie various kin<;(loins of the Heptarchy into one ji^eat nati(tnal Church, whicli has ever since heeii known as The Church of England. The Church of England older than the State of England. — The union of the Churches under the nanu.' of The Church of England took place i'A) years hefore the union of the seven Saxon Kingdoii", under the name of the State of England. Tlie confederation was consummated, 0(14 ad., at a ^reat Church nieetiiiij;' lield at Whithv in York- .shire, where a National Synod established the nationality of The Church of England, Union of the Church and State, sometimes called the Establishment, came about thns : — At first, each King- dom was also a Bishop's Diocese. Hence arose the patronage of the Kings, each of whom selected a Bishop for his own Kingdom. Thus the Church and State were co-ordinate, the Church was the make)-, while the State was the executor, of the laws. Jealousy between Church and State did not arise for many generations. Di.sseiit from the (Jhurch of Eno Cliui(!h to th('s<> jMido^vfiK nts. Hence arose private pati'onaL;*;, eai;h Tlianc who suppoi-t(Ml a ]iarisli priest, exercising a ri^^lit in tli«' elioict^ of his priest. Thus also the pro|»erty of tlie Church was all acijuired l>efore tJK^ l>isho[) of Home hail Iteu^un to interfere uitii hei* imiependence. Nearly all the Churcli's endowments wert* ac(|uired either li<'foi*(» the N<»rman ( 'on(|Uest or sinct^ the ll(>form;»tion, Tlw^ ^'iil.V property ac(piired wlien the (liurch became Ronjani/cd, between the (,^)rI(plest and the Iletbrmation, was Monastic land, all of which was taken away by the Crown at the time of the Reformation wjiicli also robbed the Chuich of many an acre tiuit had been crated and installed as seventh Arch- A.i>. l)ishop of (/antei'l)ury in A.D. OGS. Theodore was a Greek monk of Tarsus. He was acknowdedge{)() A.D. at the age of eighty-eight, having governed theChurcli of England twenty-two years. Bede> the great ecclesiastical historian, was educated at ti Monastery of Jarrow. To him we owe chiefly our ivnowdedge of the early history of the Church of Enghmd. He also translated the four gospels into the English language. The Council olCloveshoe, in 747 A.D., attended 2^ by King Ethelbald and his nobles with twelve bishops and many priests, enacted amongst others I THE SAXON PElllOD. 15 thi'followiiii^ : Tliat bisliops were to visit their dioceses every year. ReIii,nous ]i()us«'.s \vei*c to be under epis- copal jiirisdietion. For tlie Ix-nefit of \vorslii])perM, ministers should not dechiini in a theatrical styh* the words of the service, hut should use a simj)le uudody. The Lord's Day should he strictly ohscrvcd. The seven canonical hours of piayer should be ol^served. Alcuin WMs born in the middle of the eighth century, at York. He came of a noble Eniilisli family, was ^"JJ early distiuicuished for his <(reat talent, and in 706, haviui;" been onlained d»'ac<»n, he went to France, where he became the instructor of the iiri'at Frank Mmperor Charlemagne, 7J)3 A.D. DATES. A. »). Roman armies leave Hritain 410 Auj,'ustine lands in Kent oD7 S. Paul's, Lcmdon, and S. Peter's, Westminster, built (104 The Heptarehy became Christian ()o4 Saxon Kingdoms (Confederated 604 Theodore, Arehbishop 008 Bede, the H istorian 08 1 Sees of Leicester, Lichlield, Worcester, ami ilereford 01)0 16 THE BRITISH CHURCH. CHAPTER Iir. THE DAXES. 793 A.D.— 1041 A.]>.— 247 Years.) it! if! I',. 'i i if Invasion of the Danes — The Church harassed — Conversion of the Danes — The Monastie Rule- -Celibate and Married (.;iergy — Canute — Hardioaniite — Edward the Confeasur — Papal Aggression — Slave tratlic suppressed — Westminster Abbey — Harold. Invasion of the Danes— The Church attacked. — In . , tlio year 708 A.D. tlic Danes from Denmark bejian to make sad irruptions into, and to harass and vex Eiio land. The fury oi" these heathens was specially directed jioainst the Churches and Monasteries. The rehoions house of Lindisfarue, lying off the oast coast of Northumberland, Irom within whose walls so many noble Missionaries had carried the Cross of Christ to the heathen tribes and kinodoms of Saxon Enaland, was totally destroyed. One after another the great centres of religious learning in the central and northern parts of England were destroyed by che invading Danes, the monks slain and the Churches burnt. Winchester, London, Canterbury, and Rochester were destroyed, and York captured. For ei'dity years the Danes over-ran Enojand. ' Ifred the Great, who came to the throne in A. I >. 871 A.D., after seven years of struggle with the 878 foreigners, defeated them at the battle of Ethan- ""*''• dune, in 878 A.D. Settlement and Conversion of the Danes. — Alfred .shewed the nobility of his mind by otiering the de- feated Danes a home in England, instead of exter- THE DANES. 17 ininatiriir them, as would hav^e been the more natural custom of the a^^e. This leniency melted the hearts of the wild heathens, and their princi{)al men became Christians. Guthrun, their chief, was baptized, havinn- Alfred for his godfather, and received the name of Athelstane. Alfred's Laws and Schools. — Alfred, who has been rightly numbered among the best of England's Sove- reigns, published a remarkable code of ecclesiastical laws, by which he assured, to a large extent, harmony in the Christian faith between the English and the newly converted Danes. He also established schools, and wrote many books of instruction in the Enolish tongue. Under the fostering care of Alfred, who probably planted the school wdiich afterwards grew into the University of Oxford, the Church of England advanced rapidly in learning and vigour. Establishment of the Monastic Rule. — The Saxon re- ligious houses, had been swept away by the Danes. But a few monks were left. The Bishops had become very intiuential, and the clergy were generally Y^ married. In 942 A.D. Odo was appointed by King Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury. Odo had been a monk, and he now set himself to suppress the married clergy, and to re-establish the Monastic Rule. In 957 A.D., S. Dunstan became Archbishop of ^^^ Canterbur}', and followed in the footsteps of Odo. From this point commences the Struggle be- tween THE CELIBATE AND MARRIED CLERGY, the monks and the clerks, w^hich forms the chief history of the Church of this period. Gradually, by the exercise of royal and episcopal power, a large number of married clin-gy were put out of their benefices and the Monastic Hide became more firmly established. 3 18 THE BRITISH CHURCH. The Danes who had been pacified by Alfred's jrenerous policy, were again raised to fury, by the cruel massacre of a large number of them, ordered by King Ethelred the Unread}^ in 1002 A.D. At tliis time Elphege 1002 Archbishop of Canterbury, bravely refusing to allow the revenues of the Church to be used for his i-ansom was murdei'ed by the Danes who had made him their prisoner. From Ethelred 931 A.D. to the accession of Canute the Dane in 1017 a.d. England ^^J' was again ravaged in many bloody wars. The Primate of the Church, many of the clergy, and many monks perished, on the extinction of the Saxon line of kings, in the person of Edmund, who died in lOlG A.D. Canute the First of the Danish Kings of England suc- ceeded to the throne. This stern warrior became a wise and pacific ruler, and proved a zealous upholder of the Church of England. He restored the religious houses which his followers had once destroyed, and he jQ«K founded many others. The eighteen years of his A.I), reign was a period of restoration and growth for 1041 the Church. He died in 1035 and was succeeded ^■^' by Hardicanute, who died in 1041 a.d. The English Royalty was restored in the person ^^^ of Edward the Confessor, so named for his piety, 1041 A.D. Edward had spent his early life abroad and was moi'e Norman than English. He put many foreigners into the English sees, and strove to bring the Church of England into subjection to the Bishop of Rome. Thus The National Character OF the Church of England was impaired, and " we now hear, for the first time, of Bishops of the Church of Eni^land ii'oinc* to Rome for consecration or con- firmation, and of a Roman court attempting to veto the nomination of the English King." generous lassacre i^thelred Ilphege iHing to used for id made to the iJngland 5. The 2;y, and s Saxon died in id suc- came a iliolder iligious and he J of his irth for ceeded THE DANES. 19 1061 ^® ^^*^® ^^^^^ ^° Ireland was suppressed to a A.O. feat extent at this time by the hibours of Arch- bishop Ealdred, lOGl a.d. 065 The Church of The New Westminster near '^•c- London was erected and consecrated 1065 a.d. Edward died in this year, and Archbishop Sti^and summonmg the Witan or Parliament of England, thev chose Harold as his successor to the crown. Harold was crowned in the New Westminster Abbey Church. DATES. Invasion by the Danes ... . ^^I*- Alfred the Great ]] ^^^ Danes Converted ^^^ Canute ' " ^78 Hardicanute 1017 Edward the Confessor ........'., }^^ Slave trafhe suppressed , ,^J Harold chosen KiuL' ^""* ^ 1065 person or his dy life le put ove to to the :ACTER d " we Church r con- veto Il 20 the: BRITISH CHURCH. if 1 !' i I ' I CHAPTER IV. NORMAX PERIOD. (1066 A.D.— 1154 A.D.— 88 Years. WILLIAM I. (1066 A.D.— 1087 A.D.— 21 Years.) Norman influence inthe Cluirch— Persecution of Phiglish Bishops- York and Canterbury — Clerical Celibacy- Supremacy of the Crown — The Service books. William I.— Norman Element in the Church — In 1066 iQQQ j^j^ William the Conqueror ascended the throne of England. His policy, from the first was to fill all offices, in both State and Church, with foreigners from Normandy. Thus the Church of England, invaded by Italian prelates lost to a great extent its nationality. So fully was this policy followed by the first Norman King, that for a long time no Englishman was appointed to a bishopric. William, like Henry VIII. of later history, raided the monasteries, and poured their riches into his royal treasur3^ Down to the period of the Norman Conquest the serious pretentions of the Koman See had not troubled the English Church. William proved a close ally of the Pope, and placed the Church under the rule of Rome in things spiritual. English Bishops persecuted. — To his policy of denation- alizing the Church the King added the actual deposition of all but one of the English Bishops. He obtained 1070 for Archbishop of Canterburj' Lunfranc, who was A.u. consecrated 1070 A.D. -. <^a "5« NORMAN PERIOD. 21 Subjection of York to Canterbury. — In 1072 the yI^ ecclesiastical Province of York was subjected to that of Canterbury, and the river Humber was decreed as the division of the two jurisdictions. Norman Architecture commenced in England during: the episcopate of Lanfranc. Grand Cathedrals were rebuilt at Canterbury, York, London, Winchester, Rochester, Worcester, and Lincoln. Clerical Celibacy — In 1076 A.D. at the council ^^^° of Winchester Clerical Celibacy, which was being pressed by the Pope of Rome, was enacted by Canon in Jie Church of England. The Canon was never strictly observed in England. Supremacy of the Crown — William I., claimed an ecclesiastical supremacy which far exceeded that afterwards exercised by Henry VIII. As the personal claims of the King to rule the Church were allowed, so he exhibited an increased spirit of independence toward Rome. The Service Books.— During this reign Bishop Osmund of Salisbury compiled the English Church Service books, known as the Sarum (Salisbury) Use, which became the (general Use or Rite of the Church of England. DATES. A.D. William I. seizes the throne 1066 Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury 1070 Ecclesiastical Provinces of Canterbury and York 1072 Clerical Celibacy enacted ' . . . 1076 Service Books compiled 1087 I II \ 22 THE BRITISH CHURCH. CHAPTER V. WILLIAM 11. (1087 A. D.— 1100 A.D.— 13 Years.) Simony — Anselm — First appeal to Rome — Liberty of Englishmen secured by clergy — Royal Supremacy. Simony- — The sin of Simony, so called from the offence of Simon (Acts viii.) consisted in the sale of Church affairs. Ralph Flambard, a clerk and the King's justiciary, introduced, for the benefit of the royal revenue, a regular system of sale of Church offices and emoluments. This perilous offence spread to the clergy, many of whom, finding that they could obtain preferment in no other way than by purchase, shamelessly adopted this unholy method of securing the benefices of the Church. Rapid deterioration in the character of the clergy and in the condition of the Church followed. Observe that this fall in the standard of morality was due, not to errors in doctrine but to errors in life Anselm. — -1093 a.d. This great Bishop was AD ^'^i'"^^^ ^P f^i' ^^^ reformation of the great evil of Simony. He was Abbot of Bee in Normandy, and in 1078 A.D., and on several other occasions, visited England. When the Primacy had been kept a long time vacant by William, in order that his exchequer might be replenished out of the revenues of Canterbury, so great a clamor was raised by the nobles and chief men NORMAN PERIOD 28 of Eni^land, that tlu^ Kini( was forced to yield and a^Tco to the consecration of Ansehii as Aiclibisliop of Caiiterhury, whicli accordingly^ took place in 10!)3 A.d. The King quarrelled with Anselm — The chief subject of dispute between the King and Primate was the etlbrt of the former to obtain, by tyrannical means, grants of money from the Church, whilst the Archbishop steadily refused to countenance the means employed for this pui'pose. First Appeal to Rome — At length Ansehn's 1095 A. I). boldness gave way, and he fled to Rome, 10!b"> A.D., where he remained in exile, appealing to the Pope for the next three years for protection and help. This was an unfortunate abdication of his position by the Archbishop, who had so long fought, at home against the simoniacal tendencies of the age. A pre- cedent was established, of which Rome was not slow to take advantage, the precedent of appeal fi'om the Church of England to the Church of Rome. Liberty of Englishmen secured by the Clergy — The boLl stand which had, before this occurrence, been taken by Anselm, and was again renewed on his return to England, invoked among the clergy, a spirit of resist- ance to the unjust exactions of the King, which bore fruit in securing to a large extent, the liberty of the people from the arbitrary exercise of a royal preroga- tive which the Crown sought to establish of raisino- mone}^ without the authority of Parliament. The quarel was healed towards the end of William's reign It was agreed that all Bishops were to swear allegiance to the Crown of England. Thus no foreigner could occupy the Sees of the Church of England. The King surrendered his claim to nominate Bishops to vacant Sees, but by practically securing the election of the chapters or cathedral corporations, he retained some control over the selection of the Bishops. Ill ill II ,11 !!ir 24 THE BRITISH CHURCH. The Pope's jurisdiction was in part recognized, but he could send no legate to England without the license of the King. Royal Supremacj . — Thus the Royal Supremacy over all British subjects was maintained, while increased lil)orty of self-government in things ecclesiastical and s])iritual, and the election of her own Bishops, were secured to the Church of England. DATES. A.D. William II. crowned 1087 Aiisclin Archbishop 1093 First apiieal to Rome 1095 I : 'I II ;i" NORMAN PERIOD. 25 CHAPTER VI. HENRY I. (1100 A. D.— 1135 A.D.— 35 Years.) Eflforts to aforce Celibacy — Anselm died — Kinpr attempts to enthral the Church — Resistance to Papal claims —Church of England sub- jected to the Pope of Rome. Durino; this reiirn the stato of the Cluirch was greatly improved. There continued, however, an ever present irritation among the clergy, owing to the attempts made from time to time to subserve the old haijits an'' customs of the Church of Enoland to the rule of the Church of Rome. Efforts to enforce Celibacy- — This irritation was in- creased by the repeated efforts of Rome to enforce V D celibacy upon the English clergy. Canons on this subject passed in 1104 A.D., were nugatory. Anselm died in 1109. The Archbishop was one of the brightest ornaments in the long line of occupants of the ksee of Canterbury. He was learned and a deep thinker, earnest, devoted, tolerant, and gentle. It must be confessed that he did much to enslave the Church of England to the Popedom of Rome, yet he also was very successful in purifying the Church of many gross evils, chief among which was that of Simony. If Anselm sought to bring the Church of England under subjection to the foreign Bishop of Rome, his cotemporary Ralph Flambard endeavored to erastianize her, that is to say, to subject the Church in spirituals as well as in temporals to the Crown. 'TT 2G TIIK BRITISH CHURCH. King attempts to enthral the Church — On the death of Anst'hn Henry a^i^ain .sou«,rht to place liis lieel upon the Cluircli, by keeping the cliief Sees, as they tell vacant, empty, in order to draw their revenues for his own use. King resists the Papal Claims. — At the same time the King withstood the claims of interference on tlie part of the Pope, in which he was generally supported by the English Bishops. At this period no appeals were sent to Rome, the Church of England acting indepen- dently of the Bishop of Rome. When, in 1115 A.D., a Roman appeared before A L) ^^^^ ^^i^oj then in Normandy, bearing a commis- sion from the Pope to act as Legate in England, this new and unheard of claim, the establishment of a permanent Papal Legate in England, was successfully resisted by King, BisliOj)s, Abbots, and Clergy. When the attempt was again made by the imposition of William of Corbeil, raised .,0 the Primacy of Canter- bury, and a follower of the notorious Ralph Flam bard, upon the Church of England as Papal Legate, it was vigorously opposed, for says Gervas, in his " Pontifical Acts " : " It is a thing well known to the kinodom of England, and to all the regions lying round about, that, from the days of Augustine, the first Metropolitan of Canterbury, up to the time of this William, the suc- cessor of Augustine, * * had never been placed under the dominion of any Papal Legate." This difference was long in healing, for it was always the policy of the Pope of Rome to keep questions of dispute unsettled and open, in order to maintain depen- dence upon his decrees. For political reasons Henry favoured this attempt, and William allowed himself to be appointed the Legate of the Pope. Thus the Primate of all Eng- land, the alterius orhis papa, the Patriarch to whom NORMAN PERIOD. 27 the British Church in Wales, the Irish Churcli, and Scotch Chinch now looked for consecration of tlieir Bishops, sulmitted to f^ovein the Church 1 1 no 1 ' c!> ^ AD ^^ England by authority of the Bishop of Home. Here we may date, 1120 A.D. the Vassalage of the Church of England to the Pope of Bcme. — Canons were again passed in 1127 A.D. forbidding clerical matrimony, but they again proved inetl'ectual. Another plan of Rome to obtain control of the Chuixh of England was, to confer privileges of emancipation fiom the control of their diocesans upon the monastic orders in England. See of Carlisle was founded in 1 133 A.D. Henry 1135 ^' ^^^^^ "^ 1185 A.D., and Stephen, Count of Blois 1133 A.I>. A.D. seized the throne of England. DATES. A.D. Henry I., Beauclerc 1 100 Clerical Celibacy — Canona 1 104 Death of Anselrn 1109 Iwinan Legate resisted 1115 Church subjected to the Pope 1126 See of Carlisle founded 113S I ' 28 THE ]JRITISH CHUUCH. CHAPTER VII. stephp:n and henry ii. U (11.35 A.D. to 1189 A.D.) >5tcphcn— Evil days for the Church— Henry II.— Immorality in the Church —Erastianism — Thomas a Becket — Bccket murdered — Increase of I'apal power. STEPHEN— 1135 A.D. 1135 Stephen was crowned at Winchester (the then ^'^- capital of Enorhmd) in 1135. Evil days for the Church — The years of Stephen's reign were evil days for the Church and the country. Every person was practically a petty King ruling from his fortified castle, and ravaoing: the nei- bishop lasted four years. At last in 1170 A.i). Becket was Murdered- — Historians are divided in their opinions as to the responsibility of Henry 11. for this foul deed. The King, himself, by open confession and public penance, disavowed any wilful share in the act. The murder of the Archbishop was a heavy blow to the Church of England. Becket wdio in his troubles leaned hard on the arm of the Papal power, bears testimony that reverence for the Pope had almost ceased in England. Tlie Church was a popular institution. From the days of the conquest the Church had always been found on the side of the liberty of the people, notwithstanding tyrannies of Kings or nobles. Ihe Papal Power Increased in England at the death of tlie Archbishop. For six yesiVis the Church of England remained without a Primate. In this interval the power of the papacy w^as devel- loped by policy on the part of Rome. The Bisho]) of Rome invested the monastic orders with piivi leges 30 THE BRITISH CHURCH. M ) which freed them from episcopal control, and bound them to the cause of the Bishop of Rome. For example, when Robert, Abbot of S. Albans applied to the Pope Adrian for relief from what he termed " the intolerable oppression of the Bishop of Lincoln," Adrian gave him a bull which decreed " that all the dwellers 'n the monastery. . . .should be free altogether from subjec- tion to the Bishop, and should only be subject to the Roman Pontitf." Su'^'h a precedent soon found imitators, and the authority of the English Bishops was much curtailed. By tlie system of appeals to Rome which now grew up episcopal control was still further weakened. 1189 Henry II. died 1189 A.D. A.D. DATES. A.D. Stephen 1135 Henry II 1154 Thomas h B-^cket, Archbishop 1 162 Murder of the Archbishop 1170 Death of Henry 1189 It I NORMAN PERIOD. 31 CHAPTER VIII. RICHARD I. AND JOHN. (1189 A.D. to 121G A.D.— 27 Years.) Richard C(Vur-de-Lion — Papal power — Subjection of the Church of England to the Church of Rome — The false Decretals — John — Stephen Langtou^ Archbishop — The Interdict — The King's Sub- mission to the Pope — Magna Charta — Persecution of the Church. RICHARD I. Richard, Coeur-de-Lion, came to the throne in 1189, and though he opposed vigourously the Papal usurpa- tion, yet during his reign The Papal Power reached its highest point — In this year Innocent III. became Pope. The Bishop of Rome in this reio-n became feudal chief of Christendom and the Church of England shared in the general subjec- tion to his autocratic sway. Church of England subjected to the Church of Rome.— Innocent succeeded in making the national C^hurch of England a simple tributary of the foreign Church of Rome. This was largely brought a-bout by the in- fluence of The False Decretals — These decretals, the irreater part«.f the contents of which have been proved to be unblushing forgeries, were put forth to persuade the world that the Popes had from the most primitive times been in the habit of issuino: authoritative mandates binding on all Christendom. These pre- tended decretals were full of assertions of Papal 31 : i III ?ii «) if II I } I I •I I I :l i * ! THE BRITISH CHURCH. prerogatives. These decretals have long ago been ex|)lo(led, as wicked inventions and gross forgeries. The monastic orders who represented to the fullest the claimed headship of the Bishop of Rome, trampled everywhere over the " Parish Priests " or as tliey were nicknamed the " secular clergy." Independence of the Church betrayed by the Archbishop. — In this unhaj)py state of afi'airs, the Archbishop of Canterbury betrayed the independence of the Church of England, accepted the foreign authority of the Pope, and submitted to act as the Legate of the Bishoi^ of Eome in England. It was an unfortunate coincidence of the history of the Church of England, that the greatest of the Roman Pontifis — Innocent III. should be cotemporary with the weakest of the English Kings — John. JOHN. John ascended the throne in 1199 A.D. In the Y'p election of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Stephen Langton- — The Pope completely ignored all rights of the Crown of England. This act of usurpation roused the fury of the passionate but weak John, who drove the monks of Canterbury, the tools of the Pope in this afi'air, from their home, and swore a mighty oath that Stephen Langton should never set foot on England's shores. The Interdict, 1208 A.D. The Pope retaliated 1208 jjy placing the country under an Interdict. By this form of excommunication all Divine offices, exccj-t only the baptism of inftints, and the confession, and absolution of the dying, ceased. Yet three Bishops, Winchester, Bath, and Norwich, remained faithful to the King and Church, and in their dioceses the Interdict w^as little observed. NORMAN PERIOD. 33 The Pope now excoinnmuicated tlie Kiug, but no man was found in England wlio dared to publish tlie bull. Tlie King, but for his personal unpopularity with his subjects, niiglit have successfully resisted the Papal tyrainiy. The Pope now forniall}- deposed King John, and ofTerjd the Crown of England to Philip II. of France. John submits to the Pope a!id agrees to hold his crown as the deputy of the Pope. Relying upon the help of Rome he proceeded to tax and harrass his subjects. The nobles, as leaders of the English nation, securing the aid of Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterl)ury, raised an army, marched on London, and wrung from the King the famous Magna Charta which embodies the liberty of ]^l^ the British subject. In Magna Charta ' the liberty of the Church of England as the truest means of securing liberty to the English sul)ject is tirst secured. The charter begins "Let the English Church be free. {Quod (m(/licana ecclesitt libera nit.) The Poj^e now turned upon the barons and fulminated a bull of excommunication against them, which, however, fell harndess. The noble hearted Primate stood firm by the uarons . ,ainst King and Pope, and has earned thereby the lasting gratitude of all who appreciate the gift of British liberty m Church and State. Persecution of the Church. — The whole fury of John, aided and abetted by Innocent, fell upon the pi'iests of the Church of England who resisted Papal and Royal tyranny. Many were murdered at their altars. , i" The evil Kiuir died, and his death gave a tem- A. D. O ' o porary relief to the persecuted Church. 34 THE BRITISH CHURCH. DATES. ffhardi ^^ John J jgg The Interdict " ' * jono Magna Charta loi '' 1!- \ I. NORMAX PERIOD. 35 CHAPTER IX. HENRY III. (1216 A.D. to 1272 A.D.— 56 Years.) The Protectorate — The Dominicans and Franciscans — Kome first taxes England — Resistance to Papal Usurpation — Church pillaged by Pope and Crown — Westminster Abbey Church. Henry III. was l)ut a boy when his father John ^ jj died. The Church lay prostrate, pillaged, and oppressed. William, Earl of Pembroke, was appointed royal guardian, and with him w^as associated, by the influence of the Pope as his legate, Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester. In tliis year, the clergy wrung from the Pope , ^^ and the Crown some recoonition of the riffht of the clergy to marry. The Dominicans and Franciscans- — It was at the be- ginning of the thirteenth century that Dominic, a ^^ Spanish nobleman, had engaged in the organiza- tion of a band of Misskjn Preachers known from their founder as Dominicans and from their dress as The Black Friars. Their enthusiasm and holy zeal as preachers worked a great revival of spiritual life throughout Christendom. About five years later there arose another order of Mission preachers who from their founder St. Francis of A^asisi, were known as the Franciscans. They received the full support of the Pope, and eventually the degen- eracy of these orders contributed to the powerful reaction that set in over all England, against Papal influence. 30 THE JiUlTJSll CHLKCH. tl ■'' Rome first taxes England. — About 1220 A.D., vb ^''*^ ^'"■''^ systematic attempt oi the Bishop of Koine to draw revenue by taxation of the Cliuich of Eiiolaiul was made. It awakened a vigorous opposition, wliich lielped to mar the intluence of the Pope in Enghmd. When Henry, in subjection to the wishes of the Pope, pro- posed to give a tenth of all his subjects' income, to the latter as tiie price of Papal support, the Church and people of England resisted King and Pope. For a time Rome and the Crown proved too strong for the barons and clergy, and the latter succumbed. Thus did tlie Pope despoil the Church of England. Soon he increased his demand. He claimed the I'lD'ht to nominate the Primate of Enoland. In 1235 A.D., Robert Ghussetete became ^^j^^ ARcHJiJSHOP OF Canterbukv Thougli for some time he could do nothing but quietly su})mit to the exactions of the Bishop of Rome, yet at last he cast off* the coils, and set himself to restore the indepen- dence of tlie Church of England. Another Papal legate appeared in England. For his own political ends Henry supported the new legate. He used all sorts of expedients to rob the Church. Again the alliance of Pope and King proved too strong for the clergy to resist successfully. The Arch- bishop, struggling to uphold the rights of the Church against an encroaching King and tyranizing Pope, was at length forced into exile. Ten years later, his namesake, one of the greatest of England's bishops, Gross etete Bishop of Lincoln, revolted against the yoke of Rome. As the exactions of the Bishop of Rome continued to press more and more heavily on those hitherto most devoted to the Papacy, they were at length driven into opposition. NORM AX PKRIOD. 37 These nationalists wore headed by Grossetete. Tlie hohl Bishop died in 1258 A.D.; with his dying breath he denounced the abuses and exactions of the Papacy. In 1252 A.D., tlie National Church party secured two points : 1. That the Parliament should be the only power to tax the people. 2. The convocation of tlu^ clergy to vote their own taxation. Resistance of the Church of England to the Papal Supremacy. — The Church history of the reign of Henry III. is a history of continuous struggle between the National Church of England and the King in alliance with the Bishop of Rome. Again and again the clergy stoutly resisted the exactions of the Pope. At the Parliament of Oxford 1258 a.d. a bold stand was \^D^ taken by the clergy, and the Parliament together. This drew from Pope Alexander a long and apologetic letter. So hatciul was the attempted dis- posal of English benefices by the patronage of the Bishop of Rome, that a Roman, bearing from the Pope letters demanding the vacant stall at S. Paul's Cathedral, was murdered in open daylight in the streets of London. The Pope put forth his utmost endeavours to break up the league of barons, prelates, and clergy, and for this purpose he secured the alliance of the King. The Church Pillaged by Pope and Crown — At the AD ^^t^l® ^f Evesham (Worcestershire) the King triumphed over the great protector of the clergy Simon de Montford, who was slain upon the field. The Pope and King wreaked their vengeance on the clergy. The religious houses were forced to pay a large yearly sum to the Pope and, in addition, one tenth of their income was to be given to the royal treasury, for three years. Thus was the Church pil- laged, as so often before by Pope and Crown. 1269 In 1269 a.d., Henry III. completed the Abbey AD- Church at Westminster, which became the hand- HI •■ -I I III! Oil mi Ull INi li IP 88 THE BRITISH CHURCH. somest Church in Christendom. The latter years of this reign were comparatively peaceful, and all matters in dispute between the King-Pope alliance on the one side, and the clergy and barons of England on the other, were, for a time, held in abeyance. In 1272 A.D. Henry III. died. DATES. A.D. Henry III 1216 The Dominicans 1216 The Franciscans 1225 Home first taxes England 1226 Robert Grossetete, Archl)ishop of Canterbury 1235 Robert Grossetete, Bishop of Lincoln 1237 Church pillaged by Pope and Crown , 1265 Battle of Eveshain 1266 Westminster Abbey Church completed 1269 Henry died 1272 NORMAN PERIOD. 30 CHAPTER X. EDWARD I. (1272 A.D. to 1307 A.D.— 35 Years.) Eilward I. — The Pope provides a Primate — Power of English Bishops reduced — Tope opposed by King — Alienation of the clergy from the Crown — Church revenues pillaged — Policy of the Pope — Statutes of Provisors and Prtemunire — Statute of Carlisle — Peter's pence. Edward I. — The reign of this bad and un- A D scrupulous King was an era of great importance to the history of the Church of Enghmd. The Dominican and Franciscan preachers were labouring devotedly among the neglected masses. The clergy were learning to take a firmer stand for the National Jhurch of England as against the tyrannical usurpa- tions of the Bishop of Rome. A Primate provided by the Pope — Edward's reign had hardly begun when the Pope " provided" an Archbishop to fill the vacancy of Canterbury. The new Primate Robert was consecrated bv the Bishop of Bath 1070 TT ^f'^"^ and eleven other Bishops in 1272 A.D. He was a learned and holy man, but a dangerous Primate for England, because he was bound to the Bishop of Rome, and throughout his episcopate proved an ardent supporter of Papal claims. The English Bishops' Power Reduced. — It had always been the policy of the Popes to fill England with monastic or preaching orders, who were quite ready, to be abetted in their independence of episcopal control. 40 TlIK imiTISH CHURCH. m} Now that a Bisliop nurtiirtMl in tlioir order was raised to tin; Pi'iniaey, and four great orders of mission pniaelici's, Dominieans, Fi-anciscans. Augiistinians, and (Jarnu'litcs, were in full vinour, the influence of the Ennlish J}ishoj)s was much curtailed. The prineiplr of episcojml independence has always l»een the stronghold of the national independence of the Church of Knjjfland. Friars in ])re reformation times, and dissenters and nonconformists in post reformation times have been impatient of episcopal coi.ttrol, and have both sought thr; denationalization of the Church of England. Divine providence has always raised a champion for the Church. The King opposes the Pope. — When it appeared as if the Pope would reduce the Chuicli of England to the most abject bimdage, the King stood forth, not perhaps from viM-y jmre motives, to defend her from Papal exactions. It has been said that in the middle of the thirteenth century, 70,000 marks a year, a sum far exc(.'e(ling the royal revenue was drawn from England, and paid into the Papal court. We find now the tables turned on the state of affairs in Henry's reign. Then we had clergy and barons op]>osing King and people. For a time we shall find clergy and Pope in alliance aoainst Kinii; and barons. Alienation of the Clergy. — In 1283 A. D. convoca- A D ^^^^^^ '^^ ^^'^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ England Avas summoned. It was comprised of the Bishops and two clergy representatives from each diocese. An alienation of the clergy from the Crow^i succeeded. The chief cause was, that attempt by which the state has so often violated the lirst claim of Magna Charta, the attempt to force tlie clergy into the secular Courts to plead there on matters which belong properly to spiritual Courts. The same grievance has alwa3"s been keenly f<'lt as late as the present century. NOKMAN I'KUIol). 41 Church Revenues pillaged by the Crown. — The 1294 |,;i,,,r i,^ 12!)4 A.!). (U'lujUKlcd oiu'-lialf the revenues A.I*. ^ of the eh'rn;y for liis own needs, and they were obhgefl to yiekl to the demand. Tlie liistor}' of the Churcli of England lias heen an ahnost continuous record of her pilla;,^'. Policy of the Pope — The unfortunate position of the Churcli of En.— 50 Years.) Edward III. came to the throne in 1327 A.D. J P The accession of this King improved the condition of Church and State. He opposed with spirit all foreign interference in his kingdom. The Statute of Provisors was re-enacted. This ^^ act curtailed the power of the Pope, and protected the nationality of the Church of England. It forbid the sending out of the country all incomes of monasteries founded in England, cut off the patronage of the Pope over English benefices, and forbid appeals to Rome. fl\. 44 THE milTISH CHURCH. f The Statute of Proemunire was added, and f iirth er ^ ^ restraint placud upon the influence of the Bishop of Rome over the State and Church of England. The Court of the Rom^tn Bishops was ever the centre of disturbance and usui'pation. The National Church of Enorland had now beirun to assert her independence, and went steadily forward until that independence of foreign usurpation was consummated durinof the davs of the OTeat Reformation. From this period she began to recover gradually what liad been lost of national liberty and doctrinal purity. The prelates of the Church of England had b}' their long time vacilation and frequent abject subserviency to the foreign Bishop of Rome forfeited the respect of the great bulk of Englishmen ; especially had this been the c mduct of those prelates who held the most important and responsible positions. In I3G5 A.D. another revised Statute of Prcu- AD ^'''^^^^^^''^ was with the consent of the clergy passed by Parliament. This again curtailed the Papal supremacy. John Wycliffe. — At this time John Wycliffe appeared He was a strong opponent of the Friars, and therefore of their director the Pope. He became leader of that part of the anti-papal party which vigorously opposed the subjection of the Church of England to the Bishop of Rome. Edward IH. suffering severe reverses abroad, and at home, now sought to conciliate the Pope, and was urged by him to take proceedings against John Wyclitfe. Wycliffe's denunciation of the higher clergy was aimed at the reduction of their worldliness and luxury : they sought to crush their accuser, by bringing accusations of heresy against him. Edward III. died, and was succeeded by his grandson. NOllMAN PERIOD. 45 EICHAKD li. (1377 A.D. to 1399 A.D,— 22 Years.) Wycliffe's strong argument was, that the endowments of our forefathers were not for the whole Cliurcli, but particulai-ly for the Church of England. He generally repudiated the claims of the Pope to supremacy over the Catholic Church of Christ. A Schism in Rome- — At this time a great schism ^^^^ occurred in the Church of Rome. Two Popes claimed the Papal chair. The Pope at l>^)me ex- communicated the Pope at Avignon (France.) Wycliffe's Teaching. — Wyclifi'e now turned his atten- tion to theological writing. His chief work was the Translation of the Holy Scriptures into the English tongue. His theological propositions may be Iniefiy summed up thus : He protested against the Koman doctrine of Transubstantiation ; but he vigorously upheld the Catholic doctrine of the real presence of C hrist in the Holy F'-^hnrist. He declares that he ag?"ees to Holy Scripi/ures, the ancient doctors and the decrees of the Church. "The bread" he says "is by miracle Christ's Body, and just as in the Incarna- tion, there were two perfect natures in one person, so is it in the Eucharist, the sacrament of the altar retains the nature of bread and wine, but is sacramentally the b'ody and blood of Christ." He ends by denouncing Avoe upon those who prefer the teaching of the later to that of the earlier Church. Outside of this tlie doctrine of the Holy Eucharist, Wycliffe's contentions for reform had reference chiefly to matters of discipline and morality of life. Scriptures Translated before Wycliffe. — It must not be thought that the Holy Scriptures had not been trans- hited before Wycliffe's time. There had been njaiiy translations made before the Norman Conquest, buu the ^fr (••^"•■^^••piw 46 THE BRITISH CHURCH. I I m> INtl'l i lit English of that period was become a. jnk -.uwn a language to the people as Latin. Wyclitfe translated the Bible into the vernacular language of the day. His version was made from the Vulgate of Jerome, not from those original Greek and Hebrew sources from which our present authorized version was afterwards rendered in the reign of James I. Wycliffe was seized with paralysis on Innocents 1384 j).jy 23*^4 j^jy g^g -j^Q ^^g hearing mass in his Church at Lutterworth, and died in two days. By his spirited protest partly against false doctrine but chiefly against tyranny, inmiorality and worldliness in the Church, he incited that reformation of the life, doctrine, and discipline of the Church of England which was afterwards brought to an issue in the sixteenth century. Yet many historians affirm that the influence of Wycliffe was by no means lasting ; at least Lollardism, which specially upheld Wyclifle's name and opinions, did not last long, and had died out before the great English Reformation. The Lollards, — At this period a dark cloud settled on the Church in the form of religious ])ersecution. No one had ever yet been capitally punished for heresy. The Lollards w^ere political malcontents who took advantage of the reaction set on foot by Wycliffe. Under cover of his known opinions the Lollards began a crusade against the payment of tithes and the evil lives of the clergy, whilst thoy maintained the doctrine that the " unwoi'thiness of the minister hindered the efficacy of the sacraments," a doctrine wdiich, in recent days, had become a favourite one in the Church of Rome. The Lollards on this standard could not fail to gather the populace. Their popularity increased b}^ their intercourse with the people, to whom they expounded and preached the Scriptures out of Wycliffe s translation of the BiblCo NORMAN PERIOD. 47 No small part of their preaching was denunciation, always a popular form of oratory, and especially, they denounced the mendicant orders of preachers. It was a time when the luxury, worldliness, and nei^liujence of the priests and dignitaries of the Church of England had deeply disgusted the nation. The simplicity of life and self-denial of the Lollards endeared them to the people. Yet, when the Lollards shewed themselves of a mind to uproot altogether the Church of England, the English nation proved true to the English Church. Clergy subservient to Rome- — The strength of the Lollard position was increased by the growing s[)irit of covetousness displayed by the Popes, and the un- happy subserviency of the higher clergy of the Church to papal claims. Another Statute of Proemunire \ D ^^'"^^ passed with the object of further curtailing the claims of the Pope. The two Archbishops opposed this Act, but it had the ready support of the clergy generally and of the people. In 1398 A.D. >;et another Statute of Prnemunire, ^^^ the strongest defensive measure of the middle ages against Rome, was passed, and emphatically proclaimed the independence of the Church of Englatid. Lollards lose popularity. — Side by side with those reiterated defences of the liberty of the Church from Roman usurpation, there was growing up a national enmity to the levelling views of the Lollards. Lollard preaching had fast degenerated into a dis- semination of unheard of heresies. The people Y^ were so exasperated that in 1401 A.D., the Parlia- ment took upon itself the odious task of execu- tioner of the ecclesiastically condemned. Then the Lollards became openly disloyal and rebellious and their leader Sir John Oldcastle was executed, not for holding heretical views on^y, but for gathering a body of followers who seem to have had in view the dethroning of the King. ....,«,.«; f .""fjtrrr I J $ $ ••f 1 1 HUH? J OH) 1 1 IKIIII I Mill , Mill i . • 48 THE BRITISH CHURCH. - Higher clergy unpopular. — The ecclesiastical digni- taries of tlie Church were becoming yearly more the object of scoin and dislike to a large section of English churchmen. The popular hatred had much cause in the worldliness, luxury and pride of the clergy. This personal hatred induced a growing revolt against the corrupt doctrines and practices which had been engrafted by the influence of Papal power upon the Church of England. The Simony of the Bishops had become unbearable. Struggle between England and the Pope. — The exac- tions of the Popes had never been recognized by legal enactments ; they had grown up illegally and become recognized practices, yet having no sanction in the law of the State or Church of England. The boldest assumptions were now put forth by the reigning Pope. Against this usurpation the Parliament of England set itself determinately to uphold the in- dependence of the Church of England. In the struggle which ensued, the Bi.shops were found on the side of the Pope ; the clergy generally were with the people. During the reigns of Henry IV., Henry V., Henry VI., and Edward IV., the popular discontent was smouldering, unable yet to effect the longed-for reform. Tn 1452 A.D. for the first time in the history of ^^^'^ the Church of England, Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury became a Roman Prelate in the Church of England. DATES. A.D. Edward II 1307 Edward III , 1327 !Stati;te of Provisors 1351 Statute of Prannuuire 1353 Kichard II 1377 John VVyoliffe died 1384 Sir Jolm Oldcastle executed 1401 t'S «u REFORMATION PERIOD. 49 al digni- more the f English -h cause e clergy. It against had been upon the ^hops had riie exac- 1 by legal id become in the law i-th by the Parliament Id the in- e struggle^ ,he side of e people. v., Henry tent was ■or reform. history of bishop of [he Church A.D. 1307 1327 1351 1353 1377 1384 1401 CHAPTER XII. REFORMATION PERIOD. HENRY VIII. (1509 A..D. to 1547 A.D., 36 years.) Reform called for — Causes of R,eformation — Thomas Wolsey — State of the Clergy — Royal Supremacy — Martin Luther — Tyndale's Bible — Quarrel of King and Pope — Catharine of Arragon — Fall of Wolsey. The Reformation Period. — In the reign of Henry AD ^m-' ^^^® need of a complete reformation in the Church of England became more and more evi- dent. The continuous struorsjle ever since the Norman Ccmquest betweon the foreign usurpation and the independence of the Church of England was drawing to an issue, and the climax was reached during the reign of Henry VIII., which began 1509 A.D. Reform called for. — In 1414 A.D., the University of Oxford had made a strong representation to the late King for a reform of the clergy, pointing out the ter- rible abuses which abounded, as, for instance, the admission of unqualified persons, relatives of prelates, and young boys, into the priesthood, and the luxury, inefficiency, and immorality of the clergy generally. Causes of the Reformation — The immediate cause of the Reformation was not the doctrinal errors of the day, but the immoral lives of the clergy, and the simoniacal transactions which abounded in the Church of England. 7 •.■ if! • * i ■ 1 >'J f ii I i 50 THE BRITISH CHURCH. m m Ml «»il •ni„ *1 I 12 The long pent up fire of discontent broke forth in the reign of Henry VIIT., and culminated in the reforma- tion of the Church of England and her complete free- dom from the fetters of Rome, by which she had been so often bound since the days of the Norman Conquest. Thomas Wolsey, Dean of Lincoln became Bishop Y^ of Lincoln in 1514 A.D. and Archbishop of York a few months later. Being as Archbishop of York inferior in precedence to the Primate, Archbishop of Canterbury, Wolsey, who was a man of great ambition, obtained from the Pope, the office of Cardinal, which at that time gave precedence to its bearer even over the Primate of " England. Henceforth lie is known in history as Cardinal vVolsey. He was made by the King Chancel- lor of England, by the Pope his legate. He held in his own person the sees of York, Durham, and Tournay ; also he farmed the sees of Bath, Worcester, and Here- ford, the respective Bishops of these being foreigners. He also held the benefice of the rich Abbey of St. Albans. His income from these sources was immense, and his magnificence and display as a Cardinal were in due proportion to his income. His extravagance made him great at court, but rendered him odious to the country gentry. Yet he was one of the greatest statesmen that England has ever had; and as a church- man, he was, orthodox, enlightened, zealous, and truly liberal. In contemplating the character of Cardinal Wolsey it must not be forgotten that he lived in an age when the state of the clergy was most corrupt and disordered. State of the Clergy. — The Dean of S. Paul preaching before Convocation in 1512 A.D, declares the clergy to- be proud, dissipated, covetous, and concludes in these words : " We are now troubled with heretics, but their heresies are not so pestilent and pernicious to us and REFORMATION PERIOD. 51 the people, as the naughty lives of the priests;" he declares the remedy for the fast increasing alienation of the people to be, not new laws, but reformation and observance of existing laws which are sufficient against all ecclesiastical evils, such as ordaining unfit persons, abuse of patronage, non-residence by bishops and priests — simony. The clergy, by unwisely resisting the needful reforms, alienated both the people and the barons. The King's Supremacy over the Church. — Parliament appealed to the King, and in exchange for his aid against the clergy, granted him a definite supremacy over the Church, which he gladly used for the further- ance of his own aims and ambitions. Martin Luther — In 1517 A.D. Martin Luther AD ^^PP^^i'^d upon the continent as an opponent of the abuses of the Papal system, and with him were allied Melancthon and others. Luther was an Augustine friar. He dared to declare that Ihe Papal claims were false and unchristian. Henry VIIL entered into controversy with Luther and thus adver- tised the latter so that his writings were widely read over England, and his views taken up enthusiastically by a great number of those who were looking for reform. The Lutherans afterwards became a sect which was established on the continent. Henry took totally opposite views doctrinally from those of Luther, and appeared against him in print. For this book, Henry received from the Pope the title of Defender of the Faith. TyndaU's Bible— In 1526 A.D., William Tyndall J^^^ translated into English and printed in Holland in full the New Testament Scriptures. An attempt was made to keep these copies out of England, and to destroy any that had found their way into the kingdom, but it proved futile. ! fOfp -^.' i^Av'&UII i I| 4H 52 THE BRITISH CHURCH. I •"! Mill •'" II, •'"hi «lll W'll I Ill - ;! i i I« The reformation of the Church of England as far as thorou.'h repudiation of the additions in doctrine of the Roman system, was fairly on foot long before the final rupture between Henry VIII. and the Pope. Quarrel of King and Pope — The cause of the quarrel between Henry and the Bishop of Rome was not religions but personal. If the Pope had allowed the King to have his own way, Henry would have taken no part in the reform movement. The Church owes nothim,^ to Henry as a willing instrument in her victory. Catharine of Arragon — Henr^ had married Catharine of Arragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. She had been first married to Arthur, an elder son of the late King. Arthur had died of consumption a few months after his marriage. Henry VII. had resolve! that Catharine should marry his vounsfer son, afterwards Henry VIII. Such a proceeding was against all Church law. The Church has always taught that Holy Scripture forbids mairiage of a woman with her deceased husband's brother. A Pope was found in Julian II. who, for political reasons, granted a dispen- sation permitting the match. The marriage accordingly was performed between Catharine and Henry, in \^S^ 1509 A.D. By Catharine, Henry VIII. had a daughter, Mary, afterwards Queen of England. It can hardly be doubted that Henry's anxiety for a divorce, for which he shortly sought, from Catharine arose from an unhol}' love which he had conceived for Anne of Boleign. He sought an excuse for divorce in the declaration, that his marriage with his dead bro- ther's wife began to prey upon his conscience as a guilty act ; also, he said he feared that Mary's legiti- macy might be questioned, and the succession to the throne imperilled. The Pope would not grant the desired divorce. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge v.'ere appealed REFORMATION PERIOD. 53 to for an opinion on the validity of the marriage. They answered : " To marry a deceased brother's wife is against the Divine law." The matter was narrowed down to this issue : 1st. Had the marriage between Arthur and Catharine been actually consummated ? This, the Queen always denied. 2nd. Had the Pope power of dispensation from a Divine law ? The Pope refused to declare the marriage with Henry null. The King's answer was a proclamation forbidding anv intercourse between his subjects, and the Court of Rome. Fall ofWolsey. — Wolsey who had reached the summit of wealth and pcwer, fell in the zenith of his magnifi- cence, a victim to the jealousies of his cotemporaries, and the desertion of the master whom he had served faithfully and without scruple. He was saved from confinement to the tower and probable execution by attainder. Death, caused by the shock of his fall fr(*m court favour, overtook AD ^^^^ ^^ Leicester Abbey on his way to prison in London 1530 a.d. DATES. A.D. Henry VIII 1509 University call for Reform 1 414 Thomas Wolsey, Bishop 1514 Martin Luther 1517 Tyndall's Bible 1526 Fall of Wolsey 1530 1 (!i r*r|!fi^ 11: 1! i'" H THE BRITISH CHURCH. •><> in< •"I I •nil »'■' 'V I till II ri ^'li CHAPTER XIII. HENRY VIII. (Continued.) Cranmer — Queen Catharine Divorce — Papal tyranny exchanged for royal oppression — Supremacy of the Crown — Church owes her Reformation to the clergy — Separation between England and Rome — Miles Coverdale's Bible— Act of Succession — Spoliation by the Crown— Monasteries robbed — The Six Articles. 1484 A.D. Cranmer. — Thomas Cranmer was born in Notts, in A.D. 1484. He was educated at Cambridge, where he remained a Fellow for many years. He was quite accidentally brought to the notice of Royalty. He was visiting at Waltham Abbey when the King passed a night in the neighbourhood and two of his courtiers were billeted in the house Avhcre Cranmer was. At supper Cranmer gave his views of the burning- topic of the day — The Divorce Case. His views were reported to Henry who declared " this fellow has got the right sow by the ear." Cranmer was taken to court, and immediately received into the King's service. He wrote a treatise against the legality of the mar- riage of Henry with Catharine, in favour of divorce from this union and of marriage with Anne Boleyn. At the same time he engaged to enlist the Universities in the cause of the King-Pope quarrel. He rose to a high place of court favour. In 1532 A.D., he was if^ consecrated to the Primacy and hereafter became the pliant tool of Henry VIII. Queen Catharine Divorce. — A court was now set up in England with Archbishop Cranmer as its president to try the case of Catharine. The case which had been REFORMATION PERIOD. 00 divorce before the Papal court was transferred to the English, and there short work was made of the claims of tlie unhappy Queen. The divorce was declared, and wdthin a week was followed by the Archbishop's authoritative declaration at Lambeth of the validity of the marriage of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn. Papal Tyranny exchanged for Royal Oppression. — Parlia- ment now, in its eagerness to shake otl' the encroach- ments of the Papacy, was subservient to the King. The unhappy Church of England had exchanged a Pope at Rome for a Pope upon the throne of England. Convocation appealed to the King for permission to be consulted before acts were passed which affected the liberty of the clergy and the income of the Church ; but the appeal w^as unheard by the triple alliance of King, Cranmer, and Commons. The w^hole clergy of the land, their liberties and their goods were laid, by a conviction obtained from obsequious judges, at the mercy of the King. Supremacy of the Crown. — Henry, advised by Crum- well, would accept no 'iomposition from the clergy short of their unqualified acknowledgment of his claim as the Supreme Head of the Church. So extreme was the situation, their wdiole revenues and their liberty being at stake, that with the utmost reluctance, convocation gave in and made the required acknowledgment. The title as at last accorded by the clergy was limited to tlie form " the singular Protector, the only and supreme lord, and as far as is permitted by the law of Christ, even the supreme head." In consideration of this title with the above limitation, and of a money consideration of a hundred thousand pounds, the king was pleased to pardon the clergy. That the sovereign is supreme in all causes no one ever doubted, but the power of the Crown to order the Church in matters of doctrine, discipline, and a^itual, the clergy have never allowed. M 'H .••flT* I; i I 0l» M.1 . '■' ,.;. ( ■ij'i . '}'. ' i ■Ml 56 THK inUTlSH CHURCH. In submitting so far to the supremacy of the Crown ^ the clergy entirely repudiated the supremacy of Y^ the Pope. The convocation declared on March 31, 1534, A.D., " That the Roman Bishop has no greater jurisdiction given to him by God in this King- dom than any other foreign bishop." The convocation of York declared in the same year "that the Roman Bishop has not in the Holy Scriptures any greater jurisdiction in the Kingdom of England than any other foreign bishop." The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge passed similar declarations. All the abbots, with their monks, signed similar instruments renouncing the Pope's su- premacy. All this was done freely, before Lhe Parlia- ment had begun to bestow upon Henry the supremacy over the Church which he afterwards claimed. The spirituality, i. e., the clergy of the Church of England formally renounced the supremacy of the Pope belbre any law existed, which made it penal to uphol.l this Papal claim. Church owes her Reformation to the Clergy. — The Church of England really owcn her reforn.ation to the clergy. They paid for it, both by restraint upon their liberty, and by immense drafts upon their means. No one else suffered pecuniarily. C>n the contrary, the Crown, and hundreds of families were enriched by the spoliation of the monasteries, abbeys, and hospitals, which followed the renunciation of the Pope's authority, and the acknowledgment of the supremacy of the Crown. It cannot be too carefully impressed upon the readers of Church history ; that by the acknowledgment of the royal supiomacy, and petition to the Crown to with- hold the iovenues heretofore paid to Rome, the clergy of the Church of England acting through their REFORMATION PERIOD. tr constitutional channels the Houses of Convocation, deliberately revolted against the usurped supremacy of the Bisiiop of Rome. Henry cared nothing abouo reformation, or tho Church's independence of a foreign Papal rule. Ho proposed an abandonment of the measures for final separation from Rome, if the Pope would agree to tho rehearing of his divorce case. Separation between England and Rome complete. — This ba.so proposal of the King failed, and the separation between England and the Church of Rome wa?y ^^^ completely effected. In 1584 A.D. an Act for- bidding the nomination by the Pope of any Bishop in England was passed. The same Act provided, that, when a See fell vacant, the King should send to the dean and chapter of such vacant See a " leave to elect'* (conge delire). A "letter missive" was to accompany the license thus sent, in which was contained the name of the person to be elected, and the chapter was bound to elect the person so named, under a penalty. Thus arose the strange custom still in force in England. It has been modified now, by the limitations of our con- stitutional monarchy, whereby the nomination of the Bishop is practically in the hands of the premier of the day who represents the people. Should the day ever come when the premier is no longer a churchman^ the injustice of such an election will undoubtedly bring- about a change in the law. Act followed Act to in- crease the power of the King over the Church, and Henry took full advantage of tlie keen desire of the Church to be free from foreign tyranny, for the building, up of his own system of absolute monarchism. The first fruits and tenths which had before been paid to the Pope were now seized by the King. The new supremacy of the King was a great price to pay for freedom from Rome. 8 i I :'tfl) T"*'" b' «'i ...III •i»i«i •D!'r'*t m .58 THE BRITISH CHURCH. Miles Coverdale's Bible — In 1535 A.D., Dr. Miles AD Coverdale, in connection with Br. Tyndale, com- pleted the new translation of the Bible. This work was not a direct translation from the original, but a version fiom the existing Latin and German translations into English. The book was put under the patronage of the King, and received a limited circulation. At the same time the first reformed primer or book of private levotions was issued and authorized, and had an extensive circulation. Act of Succession. — In 1534 A.D. the first Act of Suc- cession was passed, which settled the succession of the Crown in the children of Queen Anne, to the exclusion of the princess Mary, daughter of Queen Catharine. Spoliation by the Crown — The difficulties of the Church of England were now transferred from the claim of papal supremacy to that of the King, who arrogated to himself a personal authority, not confined to the admistration of the Church's spiritual laws, but laying olaim to supreme authority, to supersede all Church law, and to govern the Church according to his autocratic will. Monasteries raided — In 1536 A.D. beoan the AD §'^*®^^ ^'^^^ ^y ^^^® Crown upon the monasteries, abbeys, and chantries (a chantry was an endow- ment for provision of priests to say masses for the departed), and hospitals. Three visitations, between 1536 A.D. and 1539 A.D., were held to intimidate the abbots, monks, and priests into resignation of their endowments, and the great Act of Spoliation was successfully accomplished. The reason alleged for the suppression of the monas- teries was not on the ground of false doctrine, but of immorality of life on the part of their inmates. REFORMATION PERIOD. 59 The investigations shewed that in the greater nunibei of cases the charges were utterly unfounded. The sins of the few were visited upon the many. The real reasons for the spoliation may be found in the greed of the Crown for the revenues, rather than in any desire for the reformation of the monasteries. Crumwell, the chief minister and adviser of the King, was an unscrupulous agent, and his moral status may be gathered from the proved charge tliat he was the recipient of enormous bribes from the religious houses as well as from those who hoped to gain by their destruction. The Acts of Suppression, though technically legal, were morally unjust, and were a criminal interference with the rights of personal private property. The first great sweep of the smaller houses netted a revenue to the Crown of nearly £50,000. The unjust Act caused a rebellion in the North, for alleged par- ticipation in which twelve abbots were hung, drawn, and quartered. The total income thus alienated to the Crown has been estimated at £131,000, but it is quite clear that this sum must be far below the actual amount. Out of this, as a sop to conscience, six new bishoprics were founded, and some charitable institutions were endowed, the whole forming but a small fraction of the amount raised by the suppression. Had the suppression of the monasteries been carried out with anything like a fair consideration of the vested life interests of the then generation, posterity might have regarded the act as on the whole equitable, and for the benefit of the Church and land. Henry VFII. cannot be credited with any desire for reformation of the Church except ^lo far as the movement gave ecclesi- astical matters into the power of the royal supremacy, and secured to his own use the property and lands of the monasteries and religious houses. rf|||.T5Ss: i 60 THE BRITISH CHURCH. • ■•! H. V,"! »:l iz The English Reformation is not a Revolution. — The re- formation of the Church of England was remarkable for its avoidance of revolutionary measures ; it pro- gressed with great caution and deliberation, being preserved from undue haste by the constant pressure of a strong opposition at home and abroad. The Six Articles. — In 1539 A.D., there wa» AD P^'^^^d the Six Articles Bill which practically made the King absolute monarch with uncon- trolled power over the lives, liberties, and religion of his subjects. It was usually called the " whip with six strings." The six laws enacted were : 1. The doctrine of transubstantiation. 2. Communion in one kind. 3. The celibacy of ail priests. 4. All vows of chastity must be observed. 5. Private masses were commanded. 6. Auricular confession was enforced. Penalties for violation of these authorized articles ranged from fine and imprisonment to death. Bishops Latimer and Shaxton resigned their sees^ but Cran mer continued in his office. Crumwell, who had been Henry's tool and chief in- strument in the suppression of the monasteries, and the now hated marriage with Anne of Cleves, the suc- cessor of the divorced Anne of Boleyne, was no longer necessary to the King, so his attainder and execution were speedily brought about. Archbishop Cranmer, and the Convocation of Can- terbury were found sycophant enough to bring in a bill for the divorce ol the King from Anne of Cleves, and on the day of Crumweii's execution 1540 ^^ A.D., six months after his marriage with Anne, the King took his fourth wife Catherine Howard, niece of the Duke of Norfolk. Many who denied the King's supremacy, were ex- ecuted, and the capricious cruelty of the King hunted very many on all sorts of pleas to death. REFORMATIOxV PERIOD. 61 H Further Spoliation of the Church. — In 1545 a.d. '^ Acts of Parliament conferred on the King all the properties of colleges, free chapels, chantries, lio>>- pitals, fraternities, and manors. Many of these pro- perties were ceded by Cranmer and other Bishops. Nevei* did more obsequious Parliaments or Bishops sit in England. The Church paid a great price for reformation in its exchange of the supremacy of the Pope for that of the licentious tyrant who occiipied the throne of England. Yet the reformation of the Church of England pro- ceeded cautiously but surely. The English Book of Common Pi'ayer was in slow formation, and the Bible was becoming more and more the book of the people. In 1.547 Henry VIII. died, and was succeeded by his son Edward a, boy of 10 }ears of age. DATES. Cranmer born , Cranmer Archbishop Convocation repudiates Papal supremacy Separation between l^^nghiiul and Home Miles Coverdale's Bible , . Monasteries spoiled The Six Articles Crumwell executed Further spoliation of the Church Henry VIII. died A.D. 1484 1532 1534 1534 .... 1535 1536-1539 1539 1540 1545 1547 i iS 1^ i: V 1ff'i9^ >1llMlia