Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-03-08
The Reformed Church.
Henry Ward Beecher, in a recent
ermon upon episcopaey, thus briefly

Henry Ward Beecher, in a recent
sermon upon episcOpacy, thus briefly
sketches the Reformed Church:
OF all Protestant churches, the Epis-
copal best deserves the name RE
FORMED. She preserves so many OF
the usages and eXcellencies OF the
Roman church, and so few of her
errors, that it is quite easy to per
ceive that she is a Reformed church.
All other Protestant churches seem
revolutionary rather than reformed.
The reformation in England was
more than two hundred years long
There were no volcanic cOnvuislons;
no one brilliant Fourth OF July day
in which the great reform was pro-
claimed, Nor was the reformation
purely and disinterestedly religious.
When the Pope (Urban Y, 1861
demanded large sums of money, in
pavment of tribute long in arrear, Par-
Lament gave willing ear to the re
former Wickliffe, who denied the au-
fhority of Rome, and so excused the
nation from paying Its debt. Alter
ward (13S0) the same great man nm
ished d translation of the Latin Bible
into English He wrote tracts for the
people. He revived preaching TO the
people. His disciples went diligently
UP and down the land, teaching and
preaching the truth and the authority
of holy scripture.
Thus one hundred and fifty years
before Luther was heard Of as a revO-
lntionary reformer (l5Is), the leaven
of Bible reading and private thinking
was at work among the English peo-
pie. -,
But the Church in England wass5till
Roman Catholic, Notwithstanding the
work that was going on among the
peOple. The followers Of Wicklltte,
known in history as Lollard, have
furnished thousands of names TO the
Bisbops' list of heTetics, elsewhere
known as the noble army Of mar
tyrs. 1,rrr
During the reign of Henry VIII
Q5S4) the Church in England was de-
clared independent of Rome. Ihis
was, perhaps, the crisis Of the English
reformation. King Henry was man
not unlike famous King David IN his
love of women, his tempestuous plety
and intermittent cOnscientOusness.
He was many-sided, large patterned
man: riddle to all small-eyed Wri-
tiers of history.
This curious King having married
his brothers widow by special per-
mission of the Church, by and by ap-
piled to that same Church to declare
fiie marriage unlawful; and when the
Bishop of Rome would not grant this
required divorce, Henry, the head
strong and hearty, declared 1t himself,
married again, laughed at his own eX-
communication, cRused himself to be
proclaimed supreme head of the
Church Of England, and to prove that
in all these steps he was quite right,
he cut of any mans head who should
dispute or deny the same. g., Sir
Thomas Moore (I624).
The King multiplied Bibles, but
cut of Bible readers.
After Henry and ais stormy ways
came piOus and gentle Edward VI 10
the throne, and at once the flower OF
reform began to blossom, and the
Church to show the features which she
wears to-day.
The English Bible was read by les
sons at morning and evening service
as now. The Liturgy was translated
and ssid in English. The creed Of the
Church gas packed in FOrty-twO Arti-
.cles, aftarNerd reduced to the famous
Thirty-nine, Accordingly both the
bread and the wine were given to the
common people at the sacrament.
And other reforms and purifyings
were set afOOt.
Edwards reign was a short one,
n
these changes, vet short enough 10
much headway.
After this came the pious but
gloomy and unhappy Queen Mary,
who strOve 10 bring the realm Of Eng
land back to Rome.
After Mary came Elizabeth, who
caused Roman Catholics at one ex-
treme, and Puritans at the other, to
feel her scorn and suffer fines, i'm
prisODment and death.
Then james /, Of England, by
whose order our present Bible was
prepared and printed and authorized.
And then from eign to reign the
Church of England came down, ac-
quiring little by little her present
shape, and laying off the corruption
and unresson Of the Roman Church
a. then existing and administered in
that rude age.
The prayer book may be called sub
stantially complete as We now have
ii, in the seventeenth century (l66l.)
Thus tbis reformed Church of England
filed up nearly three hundred years
in her work OF purifying and simplify
fnO. And Of an Protestant churches.
thersforme, the best deserves the name
OF Reformed.