The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-03
HISTORIAN
DR.. GARDNER HAS TOLD THE
TRUTH ABOUT THE
REFORMATION.

The late DR.. James Gardner de
votes considerable space in the re-
Gently published third volume of his
work, ''Lollardy and the Reformation
in England" to an introduction, in
which he explains and vindicates his
position as to the religious questions
which he cannot ignore.
Having been charged by some with
undue tenderness towards Rome, to
whose cause he is said to have done,
historically, rather more than justice,
he assures his readers that towards
that Church he has never felt the
least personal inclination, though he
has always been anxious to under
stand it; and in the case of contro-
versies which he has had to study,
has usually felt that the Romanist
had the better of his antagonist in
point of logic. Nevertheless, he adds:
Rome was further removed from me
a great deal than Professionalism, and
if symptoms of Partially for her are
to be found in what he has written,
these, he declares, must be attributed
to his desire to be fair in matters
exaggerated by modern prejudices.
When we come to consider his
exposition of his own religious views,
says the Month in a review of Dr.
Gardeners third volume-it certainly
does not appear strange that these
should not be found acceptable by
the ordinary run of critics, though we
cannot well understand how the au-
thor himself can be satisfied to follow
his own line of argument no further.
Fault has, for example, been found
with his application of the term her
etics" to the Lollards and early
Reformers. He replies that not only
is such usuage justified Historically, .
their contemporaries, but, moreover,
that it is in itself correct, being sane
toned by st. Paul, and having a sig
MITIGATION which must not be forgot
ten. A hereto, he argues, is one who
separates himself from his Church,
and the Church must be a visible
body whose members are united by
some effective bond. To say that
each individual is a Church to him
self, and that every sect calling itself
church has quite as good right
to existence as any other, is fatal to
the existence of Christianity itself.
The question remains, Where is the
bond to be found which makes it
morally unjustifiable to abandon the
orthodox fold and betake ones self
to another, even though this be legal.
ly permissible? Here, no doubt, is
the crucial point, and we cannot but
think that not a few who read this
book will fail to be convinced by the
authors answer. Already he has de-
clared that the social unity requisite
for such body must be formed not
by political or human power, but by
Gods own spirit, and that in the
Catholic system such bond was pro.
vided, in theory at any rate, he does
not attempt to deny. But what has
he to quote as substitute? Seem
ingly nothing better than the Estab.
lished Church principle, by which the
life of the Church and the life of the
nation depend upon each other!'
Apart from this rather frail foun.
dalton, DR.. Gardner has much to tell
us which is of high interest and i'm.
portance. In particular, we may men,
ton the topic which is so great a
favorite with certain anti Catholic con
troversialists, that of religious perse.
cution. The theory" he declares
that Professionalism was more tolerant
than Romanism will not bear examina.
tion;" and again he says, in speaking
of the treatment of the contumacious
by ecclesiastical authorities in the
Middle Ages, that these did not pro.
nounce man hereto till after much
forbearance (which was always shown
as regards mere speculative error, OF
what was so considered, affecting the
doctrines of the Churchill" and that
as to the penalty which in extreme
cases was the consequence, Burning
for heresy was not instituted by the
Church, though the odium of it, in
later times was generally thrown
upon the Bishops" Gut in medieval
times the Bishops, he tells US, were as
a rule on the side of mercy, and some
times protected heretics from the pop
ular fury which was what they had
most to dread.
1t is not surprising that at the hands
of such writer a man like. Stephen
Gardner, the famous Bishop of Win.
chester, is made to appear in a very
different light from that in which he
has usually been depicted by histor
ians who have been content to rely
on the descriptions of his bitter enc
mics. Altogether we are enabled tc
form some idea of the utter religious
confusion of the period which explains
much in mems conduct that is natural
" puzzle. Henry VIII himself in his
will, dated four weeks prior to his
death, after imploring the Blessed
Virgin Mary with all the Holy Com
pany of Heaven continually to pray
that he may the sooner attain ever
| 9ar&3w.~~ I$Ra rrgN~r -. - x,-<~,s,s- -,