THE ANTIQUITY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH, THE TITHES AND ENDOWMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2110, 16 January 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE ANTIQUITY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH, THE TITHES AND ENDOWMENTS.

U.M>ra this heading the following letter appears 111 tlic Brighton (England) Ca/.tte of the '23rd November. It it fiom the pen of .Mr Goo. O'rnham, father of the Major of Hamilton :—

ro tiik i.Dirou. Sut,—As the question of Dw-stiblixhinent is \ciy prominently before flio imbhc at the pi cent Lime. I venture to l.iv a few fuU ic-lative to the Chinch of England before v«.ur loaders that I trust will ba f'tunrl iiitoimting .aid instructive In tin- minds (if many tliore is a notion that the National Church is an K-,tablish-im-nt by Law—this is totally wiong—the (/'lmrch of England lias never been Established by Liw in thu country. It existed a," ..before any Acts of Paihamcnt were P»-.sed, or any Parliament existed—before, tlu-ie w.is.uiy hettled government in this countiy, before the Throne of Kngland existed the Clnuch was here, and Rave continuity nnd life to the political constitution, l'liun the diys of tho Apostles, or -non after, there were bishops and worshiping Christhns in England. If there was any establishment about the matter it was the Chinch which established the State. Tertulh.m, Justin, and Iren.uns spenk of tin- Chuich of Chust existing in Britain, and tnistwoitliy writers behove that St. I.ml pie.iched (Jhnst in England. lJ'ilr, our Roman Catholic historian, -t it"s that Christianity was huccobstully taught in England about A.n. G4. He also said that Canterbury was the sco of .( bishop fni 3l')yp-ws before the arrival of St. Augustine, in .\.1»., 59(5, who first introduced thi> Pope's .Supremacy in Engjand. Bedo wrote about the year a.d. 731; ho sud the BritMi churches remained then distinguished fmm the English Church fiMindi'il l>y St. Augustine. In aftei year* thoMj clmrciu 1-, became united, and acknowledged the Pope. Yet it was obedience not subjection, as was manifested by King John, who handed ovpr his crown t > tho Pope. The Church never suffered such a degradation as that. The Archbwhup of Canteibiuy, tins borons and rtoblea of England compelled King John to meet tliom at RunnviiiGtlc .md sign M.igna Chart i in A.n. 1210. and the first clause in that gieit bulwaik of Biitish Liberty granted lib.uty and rights to the Church. Tn a letter like tins I am compelled to omit lv.stoiical f icts that ought to bo known relative to our Episcopalian Church and its early history. Bat I may state that a Church w.'i. built on the «ite-of St. Paul's, London, m the early days of Christianity. It was destioyed in the rcien of Diocletian. Another soon after v.ms built there. Lucius, in \.n. 170, s-ent Eluarnes and Medurriua (British bishop-,) to Rome. In 314 British bishops were present at a council at Aries, Constantius the Fust Christian Emperor had a Chinch at York and sent English Bishops to Aimeinuin, and English Bishops took a prominent part at the first Council of Nice. tit. Alb.vi suffered martyrdom, as did many other Chustians in England about A. D. 28(5. St. Patrick built a church near Gl.istonbury about 4.50. At Glastonbury there was a church in the days of Nero. In Canterbury the early Roman Christians built two churches. One of these is now a ruin, and used as a pig-stye. The Roman bricks in its venerable walls are of the same make as those u-ed in the Ricthboro' Castle and the old chuich in Dover Castle. St. Germain intiodnced into Britain sound learning and theology, and Bishops Illutus and Dubritu* brought with them tho Gallican liturgy. At the Rcfmnutinn the martyr Bishops and icformeis reduced back tho form of prayers from those of Rome to our more ancient liturgies, as is now in uaa in Common Prayer Books. The owners of land when Christianity was first pioached, and for centuries afterwards, had little money, so they gave to tho clinreh tithes of the produce of the land. Sec. EHiclwulf, the father of Alfred the Great, gave a tenth of all his possession to the Church. In the S.i\on period the monarchs exerci&cd an Ecclesiastical power within their dominions; tho Cleigy, many of whom weie well educated, did much to curb the tyi.innyof the nobles and kings, the poor looked to them for protection and help. William the Conquerer invaded England under sanction of a Pa-pal grant, but ho proved, as Kmj of England, that he was the head of the then Ecclesiastical powershe forbade the Clergy to leave England without his permission. Ho would not allow'them to even acknowledge the Pope as h.uing power over him, or to hold Councils or make C mons. Still lie allowed miny abuse-, to creep mto tho Church. Wyeliffo, in Edward 111. reign, exposed existing eriots in the Church, and this led to the Reformation. Henry VITT. had been made by the Pepe of Rome "Defender of tho Faith," the English Soveieigns <.till bear that title ; but after his rupture with the Pope, Henry declared himself head of the English Clinch ; he seized tho stipends and all mouios collected fiom vacant B'hhoprics, benefices, &c, and other English Kings aftei wards did the s imo until Queen Anne c.une to the Thione. She then gave back 'to the Chuich these fust fiuits, with the nation'snppioval, and those are now called Queen Anne's Bounty. She only cave ba«Jc to the Church tint'which Henry VIII. had stolen. Much ignorance prevails as to the Reformation. Some people believe that the Chuich was newly formed at that period. This was not the case. Nearly all the bishops and clerery letained their appointments in the Church. Cardinal Wolsey had encouraged learning and study of too Sciiptuies. This led to results he little expected. The Refoimation made not » single difference in the holding i»f the property of the Church, which was the same as before, only two per cent, of tha oleigy refiiMiig to .serve under the new order of tluugs. Archbishop Cranmer, several bishops, clyrgy, and laity .suffered martyrdom in Qiioon M.iry'a reign rather than acknowledge the errors of Rome or renounce the Pi otesUnt faith. When Henry VIIFv se.iz.ed the estates and endowments of the monasteries, abbeys, and other religious foundations, he gave them to his favourites. We hear little of this now. Edward the VI. and Elizabeth took Church lands to endow the schools that they founded. The clergy in her reign were wretchedly poor, but met support from tho wealthy of the land. The estates now held by the Church have nearly all been given by members of the Church, and the^e continue to build and endow church, schools, &c. Such endowments are not the property of the nation, but the property of the Church ; so also are the glebes, churches, &c. Tho State never endowed the Church, wilfh one exception, which was in 1818, aa a kind of thanksgh ing by the nation after the battle of Waterloo, when £1,5 i >,000 was given to build .some churches in London. The Church is not State paid, tho Chancellor of the Exchequer never puts an item in the Budget, and no taxes are levied to support tho Clergy or maintain tho British Church. Many of the Bishoprics have been endowed by voluntary subscriptions, so have churches been built, restored or repaired. With the Reformation, the public got, through the clergy, the Bible printed in English, and tho Church of England is the most Scriptural of any. There is freedom of worship for all sects, but Church Schooli do much for the education of the poor and the morality of the nation. The Church encourages education, the clergy do their duty in lonely parts of the country, and tha mo-t degraded back slums in our towns. The poor, without paying]* penny, can worship in the churches, get clerical aid in sickness, and often alms. A large majority of the people are christened, married and buried by Episcopalian clergy, and her teachings have done much for tbo greatness of the British nation and comfort of tho people.—Yours, faithfully, Geo. Grahaj^ Hove, Brighton, 20th Nov. 1885.

Next Easter Sunday falls on April 25th, which has not occurred before since 1734, and will not again until 1943. A Texas man wrote hia will ona candle box and died. The box has been probated, and the Supreme Court says it is a legal testament. A very curious incident occurred secently at Ecija, province of Seville. A» thunderstorm passed over the town, and two hours after upwards of 3000 persons were attacked with all the symptoms of cholera. Two thousand more were attacked the day after. All these penonswere completely prostrated for twentyfour Imirs, bnt recovered without any deaths occurring among them.