The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-13

seen by the words of the Reformers
themselves, and by the results; they
are the best judges Of the principles
which guided their action. Those who
effected the English reformation as
serted that they had no intention of
abolishing the old church and putting
a new one in its place. Mr.. Glad
stone says (The State in Its Rela-.
lions to the Church, p. 12O: 81 can
find no trace Of that opinion which is
now so common in the mouths of I'M
thinking persons that the Roman CATH
Ollie Church was abolished at the time
of the Reformation and that a Protes-
tant Church was put in it's place, nor
does there appear SO much
as doubt in the mind
of anyone of the Reformers whether
the church legally established in Eng
land after the Reformation was the
same institution legally established in
England before the Reformation.
w. erein was there anything new?
In her Liturgy? Cranmer's offer.
(W4 at is Christs Church, pig. 1867, ito
prove to all corners that the Prayer
Book of the Church of England was
the same as had been used in the
church for 1900 years." has never been
answered. And besides a national
church, has the right to change and
alter its liturgy, if she will. Was this
new change that Henry effected in her
government? The bishops, saving
Fisher and Gardner remained in their
sees; the clergy in their cures,
and these spiritual officers con-
tinued to govern the church the same
as before? Was then, this new thing
in her theology? The Apostles and
Nicene Creeds contained her theology
before the Reformation and they con-
tain 1t to-day. If it were not in her
liturgy and worship, in her govern
ment and discipline, in her creeds and
theology-where then was her refor-
nation? In a great many things.
Chaueer, well of English undefiled'
had developed a national language so
her services went out of Latin into
English. The Bible became unclaimed
from the lecturns in the cathedralS and
went into the homes of the people.
Education sprang up in her colleges.
Customs like the alteration of the Vir-
gin. Mote: 1t should be said in JUS
tice that the Church of Rome distin-
cuisines between the worship-latreia
given to the Trinity, and the adora-
tion-hyperdulia-gi to the Blessed
Virgin, and the veneration-dulia-giv
en- to the Saints: Prayers to the Vir-
gin were cast out of the English liturgy
only because the ignorant confused the
SeCODQ Wlln Tie ana the SUPER
stitious veneration of relics went out Of
vogue; but in all of this, and in all
the changes, neither in the intentions of
the Reformers as themselves declar-
ed, nor in the results accomplished us
we members of the church know, was
there the slightest shadow of the idea
of establishing a new church. We
conclude with one of the Reformers,
Bishop Hall 1874 A. D.: BE 1t known
IN an the world fhnf Oh, s.,
only reformed or repaired, not made
new-there is not one stone of a new
foundation laid by as; yea, the old
walls still stand"
Conclusion.
Such are the facts. They demon
strate the unbroken continuity of the
English Church from the very earliest
to the very latest times. And not I'M
til these facts can be overthrown, and
the critic can show that there was no
free and Independent church in Eng
land before the sixth century: that
there was no resistance to foreign usur-
patton; that 1t was illegal to over
throw It.: that Henry VIII did more
than cast off this interference; that he
fostered and aided the reformation of
the church, and did not oppose it; that
the reformers replaced the old church
with new in spite Of their own
words: that the results show a new
creed, a new liturgy. a new govern
ment-in brief, new church-not I'M
til he can show these impossible facts.
will there be found any leg for the
old calumny to stand upon--and IL may
quietly be allowed to go to bed and
take another rest. II did not make
the history; ] am sorry that IL
was ever made. Now that he dis
covers that history different from what
he realized, his grief will be less poig-
nant, and / expect him to rejoice with
me at the removal of this bar sinister
from the fair forehead of a sister
church. He quotes from an unau-
thorized manual OF some advanced"
men In the church. II was hardly
necessary. The church has put forth
an Eirenicon fin the past few years TO
All Christian bodies. In this official
document her position could be gath
cred without resort 10 unauthorized
statements. She unchurches no other
church. She dismembers no man from
the BODY OF Christ on account OF his
baptism. She teaches that all persons
baptized In the Triune Name, by every
mode OF baptism, by whomsoever ad-
ministered are members OF the Church
OF Christ.
And 80 / leave this great question
Of history and make no apology TO
charity for defending the fair name and
chaate lineage Of our mother-the
Church Of Bngiand-whOsc offspring we
are. whose honor ~ dear % us, and with
whom we live IN ties Of closest iDti-
Charles II. etrOnG.