CHURCH COLUMN.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 66, 19 March 1910, Page 3

CHURCH COLUMN.

Last week we said a few words 01; lona, which, with Lindisfaine, divided the honor of restoring Christianity in Britain in the t.i. v ;li) century, nen many of the Saxons had relapsed into paganism, alter having been taught by St. Augustine and his followers. Many of the early Kings of Scotland were crowned at iona, on what was known as the "Sacred Stone," until it was removed to Scone. When St. Columba, who founded lona, was dying, he laid his head on this sacred stone, which Jacob had once used as a pillow, and so died in peace in A.D. 637. Lindisfaine, the other great centre of our national church life, was granted to St. Aidan by King Oswald, of Northumbria about the year 635, and lie was consecrated to the episcopal dignity by our own Celtic Bishops in the summer of that year. The Lindisfaine preachers then turned their attention to the .East Saxon kingdom (Essex). Mellitus, of the Augustine Mission, was made .Bishop of that part of England in the year 604, but after the death of King Sebert, his three sons renounced Christianity, and drove the Bishop from his See, and the land once more went back to heathenism. Etlielbert, King of Kent, died about the same time, and his son also renounced Christianity, and the people, who had followed the example of the King, in receiving the Christian faith, followed him in rejecting it, so little hold had it obtained 011 their minds and consciences. The Italian mission was thus nearly extinguished, but that one brave man, Laurentius, the successor of Augustine, stood his ground, and did not retreat to Gaul (France) with the other Bishop, and by his constancy gained the approval of the new King, and thus saved Kent from following the example of Essex. After 37 years the Christian faith was again planted in London (in the Kingdom of Essex), never to be uprooted. The King of the East Saxons, noticing the self-denyiug work of the teachers, sent out from Lindisfaine by St. Aiden, determined to j give his kingdom the benefit of it, i and become a convert, and asked for missionaries from Lindisfaine. But the demand for teachers was greater than/the supply. The twelve young men Aidan had trained were all at work in different provinces, therefore one of them, named Cedd, had to be recalled from one district. He, witn the assistance of one other priest, re-established Christian services where St. Paul's Cathedral now stands. Cedd met with such success that he was consecrated Bishop in A.D. 654. It soon became clear to those kingdoms which still retained the" Avorsliip of their ancient gods that the sphere of Christianity was bringing great good to the Anglo-Saxon people, for, among other things, instead of lighting against each other, they stayed in their own borders, and were gradually becoming settled and prosperous. The Celic monks of Lindisfaine Avere again permitted to add another kingdom to the Christian fold, for after the death of Pendu, the last lieatlFen King of Mercia, Diuma Avas consecrated Bishop of Mercia, and t neAv king founded the Monastery of Peterborough. There remained iioaa- only one kingdom, and the Saxon Heptarchy to win for Christ, the South Saxons (or Sussex). In the year 681, 'Wilfrid, who had been trained at Lindisfaine, Avas consecrated Bishop. Thus all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were in turn brought to the Christian faith, mainly through the Celtic missions of our own ancient national church—England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales each contributing their share —the same ajDOstolic succession of ministry being traceable in each, giving that unity which—iioav Ave have gained freedom —Ave trust Avill never again be lost.