Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-03-17
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NO, XII.
The Anglican Communion.

1RoASd 4oe, ~ thS AAe. AeSNs Ia ~
Whitehouse, D. d. Bishop Of Illinois
"Tne Bishop said that, on his re.
turn from the Lambeth Conference
it was natural that be should be ex-
pecte3 to detail some of the relations
and connections of that august as.
semblage with, and its influence ups
on, the destinies of the Church. 1t
is necessary all should know what is
meant by the words Anglican Com
munion." There are those Who think
1t nothing more nor less than the
Church Of England. partially con>
nectsd with the British Government.
and having but little to do with us as
Church others believe the Church
to have originated III Henry VIII;
and others attribute to it a stiil diff
terent signiticance-that it is one OF
the branches OF the Church Catholic,
from which have been derived the
Eastern, Romish. British, American,
and all other Churches which have
retained the sacraments and doe
trlnes pertaining to the original
Church.
In answer to these different ideas
upon the subject, he would say that
the Anglican Communion was that
Church founded by the Apostles
probably by st. Paul, when las a Mis-
sionery, be journeyed the British
Isles. We know that the British
Isles were al known 10 the ancients,
and that the Phoeniclans had com
mereial intercourse with them. AT
very early period the church was
planted there. Within two hundred
and twenty years after the death OF
the last surviving Apostle, three
Councils were held, at different times
and history records that, at each of
these Counsels, three Bishops from
the British lies were present, where
by is estab. i3hed the fact that the
Church at those early periods had its
regularly accredited Bishops. A
deputation OF these was present at
the Council of Nice, and from that
time forward the Anglican Com
munion has existed.
The first six hundred years in the
history Of the Church was a period
of great social disturbance in the
British lies which were in turn in
vaded by the Romans, Picts, Scots,
Danes and Saxons. In the year 593
a great change took place in tic af>
fairs of the Church in the British
Isles. A number of slaves were ex-
hiblted for sale in the market place
in Rome-children with fair hair and
blue eyes, Pope Gregory, on seeing
the strangers, inquired from whence
they came, and what people they
were, and on being told that they
were called Angli, made pun upcn
the word. and said, mon Anglt, Sed
angeli" but, finding they were hea-
then, he determined to convert their
nation, and dispatched Augustine as
Il missionary to the British Isles.-
Three Bishops OF the Church, then
existing in the country, welcomed
him, and it was at about this time
that the Sea ofCanterbury was form
ed. AUGUSTINE partially succeeded
in his mission, but the British BishA
ops refused to acknowledge his right
to interfere with their Church.
However, these differences were at
length healed, peace was restored,
and, at the time OF the Norman in
vasion, many Of the Seas, as well as
those established by Augustine aud
the Bishops, were left untouched by
the conquerors. A manuscript copy
Of the Gospel, which was then
brought by Augustine, has been pre-
served, and is now in possession OF
the British Church. So much for
the venerable Anglican Commuters
which has continued unbroken from
that time to the present.
In regard to the condition Of the
Church as affected by the Reforma>
ton, it is alleged that the English
Church bad its origin in Henry VIII.
Even If we concede to Henry the in,
fluence in the Reformation which is
accredited to him, still he had little
or nothing to do with it. He died in
full communion with the Church Of
Rome, and never WAS reformer or
u reformed man. The distinct doc
trines Of the English Church were
settled under the succeeding reign
of Edward, and still more fully dur
ing Elizabeth's reign. The Church
of England was never Identical with
the Roman Catholic Church. 1t is
true the Pope exercised certain
control over the affairs of the Eng
lish church; but the principle Of
civil and religious liberty, which has
ever characterized the English ma
ton, never allowed the English
Church to come under the full con
troll of the papacy, and the differen>
ces which arose between the English
and Roman Churches were all eject
ed by that spirit Of civil and rel ious
AS Naaman was the same
person both before and after cleans,
ing himself in the river Jordon, to
such an extent, and no more was the
Church affected or changed by cleans.
ing Itself from these corruptions, not
which had wound themselves among
its doctrine. The Church rose to
reform itself from these corruptions,
not to cast away things because they
were Roman ; not to 90 as far as pos
sibic away from the Roman Church,
but to test her doctrines by truth and
The Bible, and by her Councils of
good and wise men.
The reform which has taken place
on the Continent. was swayed bv
recklessness and wild individualism,
and has passed and is passing into Ii
centiousness of opinion, infidelity
and rationalism. In consequence d
this ungouerned, unrestrained pro-
erosion, continental reform is IA,
removed from the Church of Emo
land, and is not at all Identical there
with.
The religious condition of the An
gllcan Communion embraces the es