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HISTORY

OF

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

ᏢᎪᎡᎢ IL

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

§ 1. National character of the English Church. § 2. Greatly enhanced by Rupture with Rome in sixteenth Century. § 3. Corruptions of the Western Church had culminated at that period. § 4. Illustrations of this: (a) Ignorance of Scripture; (b) Decay of the Friars; (c) of the Monks; (d) of Pilgrimages; (e) of Saint Worship; (f) Disregard of teaching office of Clergy; (g) Secular employments of Clergy; (h) Rotten Social State of the period. § 5. Proofs of it by the general desire for Reform then prevalent. § 6. Reformers, Educational and Doctrinal. § 7. Educational: (a) The King; (b) Cardinal Wolsey; (c) Archbishop Warham; (d) Bishop Fox; (e) Bishop Fisher; (f) More, Colet, and Erasmus; (g) Other Educational Reformers. § 8. The Doctrinal or Scriptural Reformers. § 9. Both classes likely to help a movement. § 10. Luther gives the first impulse to Reformation. § 11. Fortunate that no English leader arose. § 12. Character of the King useful for furthering the work. § 13. Mixed character of the Reformation movement. § 14. Erastianism how far prevalent. § 15. Spoliation of Church Property. § 16. Scarcity of great Writers. § 17. The Satirists. § 18. General view of the history of this Part.

§ 1. It has been seen in the former part of this history that the Church of England has ever had its distinct characteristics. From its insular position, its remoteness from the centre of ecclesiastical power, the independent character of its inhabitants, and the comparative freedom of its institutions, national life in this land, both civil and ecclesiastical, has had a complexion of its own. The Early English, anterior to the Conquest, was distinctly a national Church. The wise advice given by Pope Gregory to Augustine, not to stickle for every particular to which he had been used in Rome, but to adopt what seemed to him best from other Churches also, represents the way in which the English Church was built up. Its early Liturgy was not identical with that of Rome. The Early English Church, while it did not refuse to the Pope respect and deference, was yet independent of him. No legates then attempted to administer the Church affairs of

B

England in defiance of the laws of the land. No separation existed between clerical and lay jurisdiction. No canons enacted abroad had of necessity weight in England. The expedition of Duke William took almost as much the character of a crusade against the nationality of the Church as a war of conquest directed against the secular power. Under Williain and Lanfranc the Roman system was introduced, but, in spite of the vigorous rule of the early Norman kings, the national characteristics of the Church continued to assert themselves. The connection of cathedrals with monasteries, the resistance to the law of celibacy for the clergy, the long struggle against clerical immunities and special rights, the noble stand made by churchmen in favour of the "ancient customs," which found expression in the charters of John and Henry III.; the limitation of foreign ecclesiastical influence by the statutes of Mortmain,2 Provisors,3 and Præmunire;4 finally, the teaching of John Wyclyffe,5 and the widespread and deeply-rooted effects which it produced-all give a continuity of national life to the Church of England.

§ 2. But this national character of the English Church became much more strongly marked by its rupture with Rome in the sixteenth century. The Church of England has from this point a history specially its own. Although, in the course of the revolution which this rupture involved, its position as a branch of the Catholic Church was never impaired, yet its divergence from other branches of that Church now became so marked that its history assumes somewhat of a new character. Before entering upon this, it is well to pass in review the causes which led to this rupture and divergence. These causes were in the first place historical, but they were sustained and perpetuated by another influence, viz. the generally felt desire for, and sense of the need of, a Reformation.

1 See Freeman's Norman Conquest, iii. 638; Thierry, History of the Conquest, i. 248-251 (Hazlitt's Trans.)

2 To restrain the transfer of lands to the Church. This was done in the following Statutes:-Magna Charta; 7 Edward I. c. 2; 13 Edward I. c. 32; 25 Edward I. c. 36; 15 Ric. II. c. 2.

3 To restrain the giving away of English benefices by the Pope:-25 Edw. III. cc. 6, 22; 27 Edw. III. c. 1; 3 Ric. II. st. 2, c. 2; 16 Ric. II. cc. 1-5; 2 Hen. IV. c. 3; 9 Hen. IV. c. 8.

To restrain English ecclesiastics from acting under Papal authority. This was done in the following:-7 Ric. II. c. 14; 16 Ric. II. c. 5. (This was the most famous statute, and from its use of the term Præmunire at the beginning of one of its clauses gave a special name to the offence); 22 Hen. VIII. c. 16.

5 For account of John Wyclyffe, see Students' English Ch. Hist., Part I. ch. xx.

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