The Irish standard., 1917-04-14

Even more emphatic is the admission
of the political character of the Eng
fish Church in the statement in. which
we are told that "the fact that the
Church was established at, and &C
cording to, the dictates of government
policy resulted in Church that was
COMPROMISED
Nor was this political character of
the Church the sole mark which at
tested so clearly to it's human origin.
The very character of it's first minis
tiers stands out in sad relief to the
humble twelve who, forsaking all
things, followed Christ in a life of
apostolic hardship and labor. "Within
the Church." the author tells us,
were men more concerned over the
dignity and remuneration of clerical
Office than about spiritual duties con-
nected Herewith. Earnest and trained
men to take the lower more intimate
pastoral Offices were lacking. Ignor-
ant and illiterate artisans were, of
necessity, employed to perform the
services" And quoting Parker, con.
temporary apologist of the establish
ment, he informs us that 'the bishops
have made priests of the basest of
the people not only for their occupa-
tons and trades but also for
their want of good learning and hon.
esty."
OF the royal foundress of this same
establishment and of her zeal for re-
ligion we are further informed that
"the Queen did not like the idea of re-
ligious zeal, she could not understand
the stern and unyielding religious con-
victions of either Catholic or Protes-
tant. She feared the effects Of both.
The growth within the Church of any
great enthusiasm for any kind of re-
ligious belief seemed to her danger
Gus. She dreaded the effects upon
the people of popular and soul-stirring
preachers. She preferred that the
Church slumber little" And again:
"The growth of any considerable body
within the Church which attempted to
place in the forefront the belief that
the Church was the repository of Gods
truth, and had, as such, duty tran
scending it's duty of obedience to the
commands of royalty, could not exist
during Elizabeth's reign"
The reason for this aversion to any
religious zeal or force within the
establishment can be gained from the
statement which admits that 'The re-
fusal to claim for the English Estab-
lishment any sanctity, or divinely
given plan, enabled the Church to
avoid condemning Continental Pro-
testantism and permitted the most
cordial relations with the most i'm
portant forms of anti-Romanism."
That Elizabeth could thus motive her
? course of reform" will cause no won
der when we are told by our author
that "The sovereign herself stood for
no heroic principle of power or right.
Her vices were not even impressive.
Her genius for deceit gave her a GER
tain distinction even in a Christendom
skilled in lying" chickering's hardly
worthy the name of religious strug-
giles; an expedient policy so abject
as almost to deny the existence of
principle; repression without the ex-
| cuse of burning faith I'm the abstract
ideal; these are the superficial char
acteristics of the age"
When admission such as these can
+, be cleaned from the pages of fair
minded non-Catholics, how strange it
is to see on our part an attitude often
weakly apologize for the uncompro-
missing attitude maintained by the
Church towards religions so evidently
man-made and man-furthered.
| DESCENDANT OF IRISH KINGS
DEAD.