THE EARLY RELIGIOUS HISTORY OF ENGLAND

IME was when the forefathers of our

TIME

race were a savage tribe, inhabiting a wild district beyond the limits of this section of the earth. They were a restless people, and whether urged forward by enemies or by desire of plunder, they left their place; and passing through the defiles of the mountains on the frontiers of Asia, they invaded Europe, setting out on a journey towards the farther West.

Generation after generation passed away, and still this fierce and haughty race moved forward. On, on they went; but travel availed them not; the change of place could bring them no truth, nor peace, nor hope, nor stability of heart. They carried with them their superstitions and their sins, their gods of iron and of clay, their savage sacrifices, their lawless witchcrafts, and their ignorance of their destiny.

At length they buried themselves in the deep forests of Germany, but they had not found their rest; they were still heathen, making the fair trees, the primeval work of God, and the innocent beasts of the chase the objects and instruments of their idolatrous worship.

And last of all, they crossed over the strait and made themselves masters of this island, and gave their very name to it; so that, whereas it had hitherto been called Britain,

the southern part, which was their main seat, obtained the name of England. And now they had proceeded forward nearly as far as they could go, unless they were prepared to look across the great ocean, and anticipate the discovery of the world which lies beyond it.

What, then, was to happen to this restless race, which had sought for happiness and peace across the globe, and had not found it? Did its Maker and Lord see any good thing in it, of which, under His divine nurture, profit might come to His elect and glory to His Name?

There was nothing there to merit any visitation of His grace, but the Almighty Lover of souls saw in that poor, forlorn and ruined nature, which he had in the beginning filled with grace and light, He saw in it, not what merited His favor, not what would adequately respond to His influences, not what was a necessary instrument of His purposes, but what would illustrate and preach abroad His grace.

He saw in it a natural nobleness, a simplicity, a frankness of character, a love of truth, a zeal for justice, an indignation at wrong, an admiration of purity, a reverence for law, a keen appreciation of the beauty and majesty of order, nay, further, a tenderness and an affectionateness of heart, which He knew would become the glorious instruments of His high will, when illuminated and vivified by His supernatural gifts.

And so He who, did it so please Him, could raise up children to Abraham out of the very stones of the earth, nevertheless determined in His free mercy to unite what was

beautiful in nature with what was radiant in grace; and, as if those poor Anglo-Saxons had been too fair to be heathen, therefore did He rescue them, and bring them into the house of His holiness and the mountain of His rest.

It is an old story and a familiar, and I need not go through it. I need not tell you how, suddenly, the word of truth came to our ancestors in this island and subdued them to its gentle rule; how the grace of God fell on them, and without compulsion, as the historian tells us, the multitude became Christian; how, when all was tempestuous and hopeless and dark, Christ like a vision of glory came walking to them on the waves of the sea.

Then suddenly there was a great calm. A change came over the pagan people in that quarter of the country where the gospel was first preached to them; and from thence the blessed influence went forth. It was poured out over the whole land till, one and all, the Anglo-Saxon people were converted by it. In a hundred years the work was done; the idols, the sacrifices, the mummeries of paganism, flitted away and were not, and the pure doctrine and heavenly worship of the Cross were found in their stead.

The fair form of Christianity rose up and grew and expanded like a beautiful pageant from north to south; it was majestic, it was solemn, it was bright, it was beautiful and pleasant, it was soothing to the griefs, it was indulgent to the hopes of man; it was at once a teaching and a worship. It had a dogma, a mystery, a ritual of its own; it had a hierarchal form.

A brotherhood of holy pastors, with miter and crosier and uplifted hand, walked forth and blessed and ruled a joyful people. The crucifix headed the procession, and learned monks were there with hearts in prayer, and sweet chants resounded, and the holy Latin tongue was heard, and boys came forth in white, swinging censers, and the

fragrant cloud arose, and Mass was sung and the saints were invoked.

And day after day, and in the still night, and over the woody hills and in the quiet plains, as constantly as sun and moon and stars go forth in heaven, so regular and solemn was the stately march of blessed services on earth, high festival and gorgeous procession and soothing dirge and passing bell and the familiar evening call to prayer; till

he who recollected the old pagan time would think it all unreal that he beheld and heard, and would conclude he did but see a vision, so marvelously was heaven let down upon earth, so triumphantly were chased away the fiends of darkness to their prison below.

Such was the change which came over our forefathers; such was the Religion bestowed upon them. And you know its name; there can be no mistake; you know what that Religion was called. You know what religion. has priests and sacrifices and nuptial rites and the monastic rule and care for the souls of the dead and the profession of an ancient faith, coming through all ages, from the Apostles.

There is one, and only one religion such it is known everywhere; every poor boy in the street knows the name of it; there never was a time, since it first was, that its name was not known and known to the multitude. It is called Cathol

which that vigorous that faith which is still

icism. It was the Catholic faith young race heard and embraced found, the further you trace back towards the age of the Apostles.

And as time went on, the work did but sink deeper and deeper into their nature, into their social structure and their political institutions; it grew with their growth and strengthened with their strength. Generation followed generation; revolution came after revolution; great men rose and fell; there were bloody wars and invasions, conquests, changes of dynasty, slavery, recoveries, civil dissensions, settlements;