CHURCH HISTORY PART 4

1
CHURCH HISTORY PART 4

• The Reformation in Great Britain

2
THE ENGLISH REFORMATION

• The Revival of the Bible

3
William Tyndale

• Studying at Oxford and Cambridge he became
  convinced that the clergy had no knowledge of the
  Bible.
• He famously said that he would produce a Bible
  that the ploughboy could understand.

4
The Banished Scholar

• Failing to obtain a license from the church to
  translate and print an English Bible in England
  he travelled to Germany.
• By 1525 he had completed the New Testament and
  the books began arriving in England.
• He had to travel from place to place as the
  church in Germany also sought to prevent him
  doing this work.

5
The Martyred Saint

• Henry 8th through Cardinal Wosley sent out agents
  seeking Tyndale.
• Eventually he was caught in Antwerp and handed
  over to the Church.
• In 1536 he was burnt at the stake.
• His famous dying prayer was for the King of
  Englands eyes to be opened.
• Within a few years the King permitted the
  distribution of the Bible in English.

6
Henry 8th and His Many Wives

• Apart from the Protestant consciousness
  developing in England there was a political
  dispute with Rome developing.
• To Henry Protestantism could be a tool in his
  battle with the Pope.

7
The Unpredictability of Henry

• Faithful Catholic
• Given the title Defender of the Faith by the
  Pope for a book he wrote.
• Throughout his reign he was responsible for the
  deaths of Protestants including Tyndale.

• Claimed his marriage with Catherine of Aragon was
  unlawful and sought a divorce.
• Cranmer gave him the divorce and so he took
  England out of Rome.
• Freely dispensed of other wives (Anne Boleyn was
  executed).

8
Breaking The Power of the Church

• Thomas Cromwell the Chancellor advised the King
  that the church was subject to the Pope first.
• Therefore Henry was convinced that he should he
  the Head of the Church of England.
• He also closed down the wealthy abbeys and
  monasteries confiscating their wealth and
  property.
• Ironically as he was doing this martyrs such as
  godly Thomas Bilney were dying at the stake.

9
Archbishop Cranmer

• Born in 1489
• He became aware of the Lutheran controversy.
• Spent 3 years studying Gods Word in Greek and
  Hebrew.
• He embraced Christ.
• The King saw his Protestantism as a useful tool
  in his battle with the Pope.
• He was a major influence upon the King to print
  the Bible in English.

10
Edward 6th Englands Josiah

• He was crowned in 1547 at the age of 9 after
  Henrys death.
• Reformers from the continent visited
• The images were removed from churches.
• The Book of Common Prayer was introduced to
  replace the Catholic Missal.
• The 39 Articles of Religion were introduced.

11
The Age of Great Preachers

• Nicholas Ridley
• John Rogers
• John Hooper
• Hugh Latimer

12
The Age of Great Preachers

• Nicholas Ridley
• Like Cranmer he came to a gradual realization of
  the fullness of the gospel.
• 1545 he acknowledged that transubstantiation was
  unscriptural.
• In 1550 Edward 6th made him Bishop of London.

13
The Age of Great Preachers

• John Rogers
• Educated at Cambridge he was acquainted with
  Ridley, Hooper and Latimer.
• He did not embrace Protestantism until the period
  between 1534 and 1537 when he became close to
  William Tyndale.
• Played a role with Coverdale in the translation
  of Matthews Bible.
• Bishop Ridley appointed him to a number of
  important positions in London.

14
The Age of Great Preachers

• John Hooper
• Converted through the writings of Zwingli.
• Spent 9 years in Switzerland where he
  fellowshipped with Bullinger and married a Swiss
  lady.
• Was appointed Bishop of Gloucester under Edward
  6th.
• His consecration was delayed for a year because
  he refused to wear the vestments he regarded as
  Popish.
• Preached 3 to 4 times every day throughout his
  diocese.
• Was greatly troubled by the state of his clergy.

15
The Age of Great Preachers

• Hugh Latimer
• He described himself as an obstinate Papist.
• He was converted listening to the testimony of a
  student called Bilney.
• He became a powerful preacher in Cambridge
  inspiring hundreds to seek the Lord.
• In 1530 he was made one of the Royal Chaplains to
  Henry 8th.
• In 1535 he was made Bishop of Worcester but
  resigned in 1539 by the passing of the Romish 6
  articles.
• He spent the last year of Henrys reign in the
  Tower of London.
• He assisted Cranmer by living with him in Lambeth
  palace in the last 6 years of life.

16
The Turning Point

• In 1553 Edward died.
• He was replaced by Mary Tudor, the daughter of
  Catherine of Aragon.
• She was a devout Catholic.
• She had a particular grudge against Protestantism
  as her mother was humiliated.
• Her deepest hatred was reserved for Archbishop
  Cranmer.

17
England Restored to Popery

• Papists replaced Protestants in all the positions
  of influence.
• She married Philip, Emperor of Spain.
• Cranmer Latimer and Ridley confined to the Tower
  of London.
• Agents were appointed to look out for people who
  did not attend Mass or support the Catholic Faith.

18
1555 The Burnings Commenced
Burning of Anne Askew, John Lacels, John Adams
and John Bleenian at Smithfield
19
The Martyrs Multiplied

• The prisons were populated by godly folk.
• The Bishops then selected who would burn from the
  crowd.
• Most of the murdered were ordinary people.

20
The Unsung Heroes
Thomas Drowy 15 year old boy burned in
Gloucester, May 1555.
Agnes Prest A Cornish woman Betrayed by her
Catholic husband and burned in 1557, aged 54
Anne Askew 25 years of age and burned at
Smithfield after making a bold confession
William Hunter 19 years of age from Brentwood,
burned in March 1555.
21
John Rogers

• Wakened on 4th February 1555 to be taken to the
  stake.
• Before his wife and children he said, that which
  I have preached will I seal with my blood.
• He raised his hands through the flames towards
  heaven until he could hold them no longer.

22
John Hooper

• Taken to Gloucester to be burned before his
  people.
• To Sir Anthony Kingston who pleaded with him to
  recant he said, The life to come is more sweet
  and the death to come is more bitter.
• His fire had to be lit three times and he was ¾
  hour in the flames before he died in considerable
  pain.

23
Latimer and Ridley - Oxford

• Latimers Dying words,
• Be of good comfort,
• Master Ridley and play
• the man we shall this
• day light a candle in
• England as I trust shall
• never be put out

24
Archbishop Cranmer

• Like his brethren he bore a good testimony
  through his various examinations.
• In his final month he signed the recantation.
• On 21st March 1556 he was brought out to be
  jeered by his enemies.
• They were enraged as he publicly renounced his
  recantation and refused the pope as AntiChrist.
• As the flames leapt up he held his right hand in
  the flames with the words, This unworthy right
  hand.
• Bishop Ryle said that of all the martyrs none
  showed as much physical courage as Cranmer.

25
The Crimes of Bloody Mary

• A total of 288 people
• were burned between
• 1555 and 1558

• The one reason why they
• were executed was
• because they refused to
• accept that Christ was
• sacrificed at the Mass.

26
The Dawn of a New Era

• Mary died on 17th November 1558.
• The bells rang, bonfires were lit and the people
  rejoiced.
• Queen Elizabeth ushered in a new age when the
  Church returned to the Reformation path.
• The nation was stirred into Protestantism by the
  burnings.
• Elizabeth ordered that a Foxes Book of Martyrs
  be placed in every church so that the sacrifice
  would be long remembered.

27
The Reformation In Scotland
England, in reforming itself, worked mainly
from the political centre. Scotland worked
mainly from the religious one. The ruling idea in
the former country was the emancipation of the
throne from the supremacy of the Pope the ruling
idea in the latter was the emancipation of the
conscience from the Popish faith. The more
prominent outcome of the Reformation in England
was a free State the more immediate product of
the Reformation in Scotland was a free
Church. J.A. Wylie, The History of
Protestantism
28
Early Witnesses

• 1433 Paul Craw executed.
• A Lollard preacher from Bohemia.
• Burned at St Andrews with a ball of brass in his
  mouth to prevent him speaking in death.

29
Patrick Hamilton Martyred 1528

• A Scotsman man who studied at Wittenberg.
• He was a bold preacher whose influence was felt
  throughout Scotland.
• A Dominican Friar called Alexander Campbell
  witnessed to his heresy.
• In death Hamilton said that the friar would meet
  the Judge in one month.
• Campbell died within that time.

his reek infected all it blew on
30
The Beaton Dictat

• Hamilton was condemned by Archbishop David
  Beaton.
• He was the virtual ruler who dominated the 16
  year old James 5th.
• He burned various early Protestants.
• His nephew, Cardinal James Beaton pursued the
  same policy.

31
The Ministry of George Wishart

• He fled Scotland for England where he recanted
  his faith.
• In the Continent his faith revived.
• He returned to Scotland and the crowds flocked to
  hear him preach.
• He first introduced the Reformed Faith to
  Scotland as he received it in the school of
  Bullinger.

32
His Martyrdom and Legacy

• Burned at Saint Andrews in 1546.
• Speaking of Cardinal Beaton he declared that he
  would die very soon.
• A young onlooker was both impressed and inspired
  by Wishart
• JOHN KNOX.

33
John Knox The Scottish Reformer

• In May Beaton was murdered in his castle by those
  opposed to his power in Scotland.
• The castle became a place of refuge for those
  endangered by the power of Rome.
• In Easter 1547 John Knox became a minister in the
  castle.

34
From The Ministry To The Galley

• Rome remained in the ascendancy throughout
  Scotland.
• The castle was surrounded by the Scots and
  French.
• Knox was captured and spent 19 months as a slave
  on a French warship.

35
Serving The English King

• After his release he laboured in England because
  under Edward 6th things were more favourable than
  in Scotland.
• He became one of the Kings chaplains and was
  even offered a Bishopric which he refused.
• When Mary ascended the throne he made good his
  escape to the continent.

36
In Calvins Geneva

• 4 happy and blessed years
• the most perfect school of Christ that ever was
  in the earth since the days of the apostles. In
  other places I confess Christ to be truly
  preached, but manners and religion to be so truly
  reformed, I have not yet seen in any other
  place.
• John Knox

37
The Spiritual State of Scotland

• The leading nobles had espoused the Reformation.
• These entered into a Covenant in 1557 to promote
  Protestantism in their own parishes but they
  could not abolish the Mass.
• In 1558 Walter Mill, an 82 year old preacher was
  burned.

38
The Political Unrest In Scotland

• James 5th had died in 1542.
• He had one daughter who was born a week before
  her father died, Mary.
• Her mother, Mary of Guise took control of the
  nation.
• There was much unrest as Mary, the heir, had
  married the future King of France.
• Into this crisis arrived John Knox in 1559 to
  nurture the fledgling Reformed Faith.
• This was only 30 years after Hamiltons martyrdom.

39
Cometh the Hour.

• The Queen had summonsed 4 preachers to appear
  before her.
• When she heard Knox had arrived she cancelled the
  meeting.
• In St Andrews he preached against the idolatry of
  Rome.
• The people abandoned Popery.
• Other towns followed their example.
• Unfortunately there were many acts of violence
  carried out against the monasteries, with which
  Knox was not associated.

40
Through Many Dangers

• The Queen threatened civil war with her subjects.
• With the help of the English the trouble was
  averted.
• Within 15 months of Knoxs arrival Parliament
  declared Protestantism to be the religion of the
  Scots.
• Knox was installed as Minister of St Giles
  Cathedral.

41
Presbyterianism Established

• Offices Employed
• 1 Ministers for preaching.
• 2 Doctors for teaching students.
• 3 Elders to rule.
• 4 Deacons to manage the finance.
• 5 Superintendents to inspect ministers and plant
  churches.

42
Presbyterianism Established

• The Government
• 1Kirk Session for the local church.
• 2 Presbytery for governing a shire.
• 3 Synod for governing a province.
• 4 General Assembly for governing the national
  church.
• 5 The clergy and the people had equal powers.

43
His Principle

• Take from us the purity
• of the Communion-table, and
• You take from us the
• Evangel. Knox said, Take
• from us the freedom of
• Assemblies, and you take
• from us the Evangel.

44
A New Crisis

• After her husbands death Mary Queen of Scots
  returned to take control of the nation, in 1561.
• One of her first acts was to celebrate mass in
  Holyrood Palace.

45
As a Result of 3 Private Interviews

• If there be not in her a
• proud mind, a crafty wit,
• a callous heart against
• God and his truth, my
• judgement faileth me
• Knox

46
A Shameful End

• She attracted much scandal due to her immorality.
• After her 3rd failed marriage she fled to
  England.
• She was imprisoned for 18 years.
• Eventually Elizabeth regarding her as a danger
  signed her death warrant.

47
John Knox Died 1572
48
Protestantism
It is true, no doubt, that Protestantism,
strictly viewed, is simply a principle. It is not
a policy. It is not an empire, having its fleets
and armies, its officers and tribunals, wherewith
to extend its dominion and make its authority be
obeyed. It is not even a Church with its
hierarchies, and synods and edicts it is simply
a principle. But it is the greatest of all
principles. It is a creative power. Its plastic
influence is all-embracing. It penetrates into
the heart and renews the individual. It goes down
to the depths and, by its omnipotent but
noiseless energy, vivifies and regenerates
society. It thus becomes the creator of all that
is true, and lovely, and great the founder of
free kingdoms, and the mother of pure churches.
The globe itself it claims as a stage not too
wide for the manifestation of its beneficent
action and the whole domain of terrestrial
affairs it deems a sphere not too vast to fill
with its spirit, and rule by its law. Wylies
History of Protestantism