"PRE-REFORMATION" AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 961, 31 October 1910, Page 4

"PRE-REFORMATION" AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

.Sir,—Tlionremarks .of: "Pre-Reforma-tion" .in-your Saturday's issue :were not' only for, but absolutely.', incorr rect. I don't think there is a scholar living to-day who 'would say ' that' the Church of England began at the Reformation or that 'it owes its origiii" to Henry VIII, Edward (Vl,' or Elizabeth. The title page of tlie Prayer Book makes this quito certain, for thsro wo read:— "The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, 'and other ritfji and ceremonies of' the Church according to the use of . Iho Church of England." It will be observed that ."the Church" is distinguished l from the Church of England/ Tho sacraments and' other rites belong to tho Church Catholic. Iu the Ordinal ;wc see that tho Church of England holds very strictly to the Apostolical Succession—it; is not a theory, but a fact—and in the eyes of tho Church of England the Episcopate is a golden chain, stretching link by link between., our modern bishops, and' the .Apostles of Jesus Christ. This'chain' has never been broken, and thus We find the origin of the Chnrch of England iu our Blessed Lord and His disciples.' As to the historical puzzle of "P," I am afraid he will find it very difficult to harmonise his own modern Church' with tho Church of tho Apostles. I venture to think that, the, so-called inconsistencies of the' Church of England' will 'be the easier., .

.Now as; to -Ms astounding reinark-'With' regard to the Archbishop, of. Westminster, history undoubtedly points to Canterbury as tho head of the Church in England. If that is so, .what has Westminster to do with it? . ; Perhaps we reach the answer when vro remind "P"' that the modern Roman Catholic Church in England' is decidedly post-Reformation, for if I remember daks correctly the' first modern Roman Catholic bishops were appointed - by Pope Pius IX in 1850.; Here we see there is something contrary to Catholic • teaching, for Canon XIII of the Synod of Antiock in Encarniis, a.d., 341, lays down that:— "No. bishop , shall venture to go from one eparchy to,.another for the purpose of consecrating' anyone to any ecclesiastical office, even if he be accompanied by other bishops—unless lie be summon-ed-by letters .from the metropolitan and other bishops in 'connection: with him' into whose district lie conies."- V Again, Canoii Vlir of the-Council 6f Ephesus, a.j)., 431, says:—"The same rule shall be observed in nil the other dioceses and. in the provinces everywhere, so that none of .the most religious bishops shall invade' another province which lias not heretofore from the beginning been undei" the hand of himself or his predecessors." < Contrary to the law of the : Church thus plainly laid down, Pius IX set up, in 1859, a now hierarchy, in England claiming'to have jurisdiction over dioceses made* up of territory already within the limits of those ruled by tho canonical bishops thereof. Thus, according to Church laxr, the modern Roman Church has no jurisdiction in England, but their action is a direct violation of the tho Church. ■ Thus we see that "P" is not altogether correct in his assertions, and wo cannot quite, hold with his remark: "It is too utterly absurd for' serious consideration."—l am, etc., KEEN ANGLICAN:.