The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-03-18

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the occasion of iukiug England to Rome,
rather than to Scotland in its ecclesiastl
cal relations, as We shall see, and thus
changing the whole current Of Church
history as far as it is affected by the An
gHcan Church,
During this reign of Saxon Paganism,
Christianity continued to exist and grow
in Scotland and Ireland, and so closely
were these countries connected ecceslas
tically that they are both called by an,
cient writers Scotia, and their inhabitants
Scots. This probably had its origin in
the fact that it was the Celtic tribes In both
that we're Christianized, and they were re,
gerded as one people although living in
separate islands, and constituted substan-
tally one Church. And itisa curiousfact
that the patron saint of Ireland was a
Scetvuan, willis the patroa saint .. Scot
land was an Irishman. St. Patrick or
Patricius, the son of Scottish dea-
con of Romish blood, indeed a patriclan,
as his name indicates, was very success
ful missionary in Ireland, but not the
introducer of Christianity there. 1t
had been in existence several centuries
before, and produced some eminent men
in the history of the Church long before
st. Patrick was born. COLUMBIA, the man
who has given Iona so much of its lustre,
was an Irishman, of noble, indeed royal
lineage, being of the family of the Kings
of Ulster, and related to royal family
in Scotland. The probabilities seem to
be, that at that time Christianity had a
stronger foothold among the Scots than
it had among the Picts, and that Colum-
ba desired to convert the Pictish tribes to
Christianity, and for this purpose deter
mined to make Judgement on some place
that would be accessible to both countries.
For this purpose he selected the sacred
isle of Iona, then the seat of Druidic
College, and A. D. 564, landed there
with twelve companions to found Chris
tian College, which should send forth mis-
sionaries to all parts of the heather
world. He was bitterly opposed by the
Druids, but succeeded in getting posses
sion of the island by a grant from its
royal owner, Pictish king. Here then
ne founded that memorable College, which
for centuries was source of light to
Northern Europe, by sending forth mis-
sionaries properly trained for their work.
When this College is called a monastery,
the name is calculated - mislead, unless
-lhe- difference between it and other insti-
tutions called by that name is remember
ed. The monasteries connected with
Iona we're as different from the monastic
institutions Of Benedict, Francis or Dom
mic, as the celibate fellowships of an Eng
lish university are from an Italian or
Spanish monastery. Indeed they differ
ed more, for the monks of Iona were al
lowed to marry and often were married,
while the fellow of an English university
forfeits his fellowship by marriage. Their
wives were not allowed to reside in the
monastery, but their family establish
ments were kept up, and some of the
offices and titles to property were heredi
tary. We have not room to describe
these differences in detail, but it is sufi-
cient to say, that the whole designs of
the two were radically different The in
stitutiOns Of Iona were not designed to
cultivate Eremites and solitary ascetics,
but to train Christian scholars and mis-
sionaries, who would go forth as soldiers
of Christ, trained to conquer and occupy
the outlying territory of Ieathenism.
This it did to an extent that is amazing,
and only now beginning to be understood
by the laborious researches of German
scholars, who show that this Scottish
Church did more to carry pure Gospel
to all parts of Great Britain, France,
Germany and Switzerland, during the 9th,
and 7th and Sth centuries than all Chris
tendon besides, and with this Gospel, to
diHuse letters and science, industry and
civilization.
They were called Culdees, a name of
doubtful etymOlogy, but imposed on them
like Huguenots and Methodists, &C., from
some fact in their character, connected
with their separation from the world and
their conservation to God.
1t is a curious fact, not generally
known, that il is to this Culdee Church
that England owes some of the first ef-
forts to Christianize her people, after the
Saxons had restored Paganism there, and
so far is it from being true that the Eng
ish Church has higher claims to antiqui-
ty than the Scottish Church, it is the
simple truth of history that the latter
carried Christianity into England when
it was in Saxon Paganism, and had they
been allowed to continue their labors, the
whole history of the Anglican Church
would have been changed, and hence if
the claim Of mother Church is to be al
lowed to either, it belongs to the Church
of Scotland. These missionary labors