Mountain advocate., 1922-03-17
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
AND WHAT 1T is

since the inauguration OF the
Episcopal Church services in Bar.
bourville, the editor has been fire.
quently asked, What is the Episco-
pal church,"
OF its entry into Britain we have
no absolute data, but we do know
that between the third and fourth
centuries it was an established
church and had the threefold order
Of ministry, bishops, priests or pres
byters, and deacons so that it must
have been in existence for a consid-
cradle time. We also know that at
that time it sent representatives to
a council of the various churches
abroad and that it celebrated Easter
at time differing from the time OBJ
served by Rome.
Tradition has it that St. Paul per-
sonally missionized in Wales and an
Episcopal Church stands on the site
where he is credited with having
held the first Christian service in
Britain.
The British church christianized
Germany.
Not until between the fifth and
sixth centuries did st. Augustine's
Roman mission come to England.
with headquarters at what is now
Canterbury. This mission was en-
tirely swept away by the Angles and
Saxons who conquered the country,
the British Church retreating before
them and keeping alive the faith of
Christ. Thus the claim that Rome
founded the Church OF England, or
otherwise the Episcopal Church, is
easily refuted.
With the crowning OF Constantine
as Emperor of Rome, the Bishops of
Rome acquired wealth and political
power and were able TO reach out
and lay hold on the churches which
existed in dependencies of Rome
and this is the only claim they legit-
imately hold as founders of the
Episcopal Church.
The marriages of British sover-
eigns to foreign Roman Catholic
princesses always tended to further
strengthen the hands of Rome, but
there were frequent rebellions even
among the British kings against the
power of Rome.
In the time of King John the Mag
ma Charta that great document of
Anglo-Saxon rights, forcibly assert
ed the freedom Of the Episcopal
Church from the dominion of any
foreign prince, pope or potentate. 1t
is not uniting to add, that but for
this document, there might have
been no civil war in England, no
Virginia settlement and no pilgrims
thereby changing the whole course
of American history.
Coming down to Henry VIII,
whom many mistake as the founder
of the English Church, let us keep
in mind the early history of that
church, founded centuries before
Rome sent its missionaries to Bri-
tain, and note that the wickedness
of the king gave opportunity to
those who had fought and worked
for the freedom of the church to de-
finitely cast aside the usurped
authority of the Roman Church. II
a child should be removed from the
custody of it's American mother and
be taught Italian, later to be recov-
cred and again resume its American
training, II could scarcely be called
an Italian child or be said to be born
OF an Italian mother.
AS an evidence of their determin-
alton not to suffer Roman domina-
tion, men went to the stake under
Queen Mary. King James tried 10
reintroduce it and had to fee 4 |
this is not sufficient proof that the .
church believed N 'ts free
dom, past and present "o "00n'i T.
see what more evidence raeHed
The first nOn-Romar -" .-7 'r'.
on the headlands or is nf - An
lea were those of tNo ',
Church. Thirteen yea 80.
Pilgrims set foot on t
God was bei -
Episcopal services at Jane 1t"vn ". H
A cross which stands on hill in