Arizona republican., 1907-02-18

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bishops representing London. York
and probably Lincoln. English bish-
ops may have been present. and are
supposed to have been, at the first
general council of the church. which
met in Nice in 1926. They would nat
urally have been summoned to this
council by the Emperor Constantine,
whose early career had been devel-
Oped in Britain. and who would thus
know something of the church which
existed there. We see bishops of the
same church present a few years later
in the council of Rimini. so poor that
they alone. Of all the assembled bish-
ops, had their expenses paid by the
generosity Of the Roman emperor who
had called them together.
Early in the fifth century. or even
before the close Of the fouth. arose one
Of the most conspicuous figures in the
history Of the church ils those times in
the person of a British monk. Pelag-
ius by name. The storms Of that great
controversy have not yet ceased and
though l can not enter into its dis
cussiOn in these historical lectures
that | have undertaken. we must re-
member that it marks an important
milestone in the progress Of the Chris
tian church. In the great discussion
with the great bishop Of North Africa.
Augustine. the most famous name in
the long post-apostOlic history of the
Catholic church. there was a great
principle involved. and if the views of
Pelagius and his followers had prevail
ed on the freedom of the will and the
power of man to do good Of himself
without the grace of God. and the ulti-
mate reaching of perfection by sinful
human nature a blow would have been
struck the church hardly less vital
than if. in the council of Nice the Ar
ian view Of the God-head had con-
quered the mighty truth proclaimed
by Athanasius. on which. as its foun-
dation stone. the church of God rests
today.
With the opening dawn Of the fifth
century the barbarian hosts pressing
upon the empire To its very center. ne
cessitated the recall of the Roman
legion from Britain. and a few years
later came the migration of the bar
barous and unchristian English. our
own ancestors. from the plains of
northern Germany, on what after all
was heaven sent mission though they
nor the world, knew it not. They took
possession Of the rich and central pOr-
tons of the land and drove to its re-
mote boundaries the poor Celts. the
original pOssessors Of the country.
among whom. as l have said. Chris
tianity had already made considerable
progress. whose descendants are found
today in Wales and Cornwall. and
whose religious faith was destined in
the end to conquer the conquerOrs.
From the year $50. for a century and a
half, or until the coming Of the monk.
Augustine. a. ID. 597. England itself
was practically a heather land. but
during the fifth century and the CEN
fury which followed, in spite OF de-
grading and cOrrupting influences
which were seen working in the
church and OF which a sad picture is
given in the writings Of Gildas. the
Welsh monk. whose name is the first
to appear in his cOuntry's literature.
there was displayed in the British
church a noble missionary spirit. Even
as early as the year 397 occurred the
mission of St. Ninian into Galloway.
among the people of what is now
southwestern Scotland. the first and
feeble beginnings of that great mis-
sionary spirit which. eliminating in
our own century. has been the con-
slant and dominating note struck by
the British church and nation. Some
what later comes the grand and noble
work of St. Patrick of Ireland. him
self a British monk. and Just a CEN
fury after he died in the year 563. St.
Columbia went forth on his eventful
voyage to convert Scotland to the
Christian faith. Amid all the portraits
that hang on the gallery wall of the
sixth century there is none more in
teresting and attractive than that of
the Irish monk and famous saint Of
the British church. the great apostle
TO Scotland. COLUMBIA was a descend
ant Of the royal house of Ireland and
was educated at one OF its famous
monastcries. He early became a monk
and was distinguished for his fierce
temper and love of combat as well as
for his ardent love Of justice and his
impetuous devotion 20 his family and
country. He founded on one of the
small islands off the west coast of
Scotland. destined to receive a world
wide fame hereafter by the name Of
Iona, after the great monastery which
Secame the center of the greatest
missionary operations Of that famous
century OF missionary effort From
here went forth the wonderful force
that converted all of Scotland. but in
a later age all of the northeastern En-
gland after the Roman mission sent
from Canterbury had failed. / recall
after a lapse of many years a visit
to the famous little island the ruins
of its ancient church and monastery.
the graves Of the early Scottish kings
and the two runic crosses. the only
survivors of the 500 which were de-
stroyed by the iconCclastic spirit of the
Puritans. THAT man." SAYS DR..
Johnson. sis little to be envied whose
patriotism would not gain force upon
the plain of Marathon or whose piety
would not grow warmer among the
ruins of Iona" MOnasteries and
churches were established everywhere
throughout Scotland and vast multi
tudes were converted by the power of
St. Columbia to the cross Of Christ.
For many a sad and lonely year did