THE SWORD AND THE CROWN; The Heroes of the English Reformation

Searching for the

Identity and Faith of

the Ulster Protestant

Standing in the Shadow of our

Greatest Heroic Leaders

Searching for the Identity and

Faith of the Ulster Protestant 1


Faith of the Ulster Protestant

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.”

Wylie’s History of Protestantism

The Sword

and the

Crown

The Word of God and the

English Reformation



Part One

The Corruption of New

Testament Christianity



Early English

Christianity

300 AD – 1000AD



The Roman Period

Roman colonists, soldiers and early missionaries introduced the English to Christ.

By the time the legions left in 410 AD the Church had reached Ireland and Scotland.

Alban was the first English martyr, executed for refusing to offer at a heathen altar.



The Roman Church Arrives

597 – Augustine arrives as the special envoy of

Pope Gregory 1st.

Appointed as a bishop he insisted that the Church

submit to the traditions of Rome.

Augustine died – 604.





THE VENERABLE BEDE

Handed into the care of monastery at 7 years of age.

Lived all his life in Northumbria.

With a sharpened goose quill and acid he burned his writings into animal skin.

He wrote 69 books including Bible commentaries, hymns and secular writings.

England’s first historian.

The first person to produce a calendar based upon the life of Christ (AD and BC).

He died in 735AD at 62 surrounded by his pupils who were helping him produce a commentary on John’s Gospel.

Bede’s Historical Records

Southern part of Northumbria accepted the Roman

Church.

Northern Part followed Aidan of Lindisfarne.

664 Ad a conference in Whitby Abbey decided

that the whole of Northumbria would be subject to

Canterbury.





Alfred the Great 871 - 899

King of Wessex.

Established schools to teach the people Christianity.

Personally translated many Psalms.

Revised English Laws and inserted the Law of Moses into the preface.

Died 899 .

England in Spiritual

Darkness

1000 - 1517





Papal Power Advances

The middle ages saw the Papacy progress as the foremost political power in Europe.

It was inevitable that England would be perceived as a land ripe for domination.

The Murder of Thomas Beckett

1170 AD

Henry 2nd of England was

in a conflict with the

Archbishop of Canterbury.

4 Knights out of loyalty to

their King murdered

Thomas in his Cathedral.

The Pope summoned

Henry to do penance and

the Church was

strengthened.



The Humiliation of King John

1215

John attempted to enable the monks of Canterbury to elect their own archbishop.

The Pope placed England under an interdict.

The Pope gave France the authority to seize England.

John submitted to the Pope on condition that he gave England to the Pope who then demanded a rent of 1,000 marks per annum.



The Corruptions in the Church

Relics, images, worship of Mary and the doctrine

of transubstantiation was consolidated.

The people were denied access to God’s Word in

the English Language.

It was an era of superstition and ignorance.



The Morning Star of the

Reformation

The Ministry of John Wycliffe



JOHN WYCLIFFE

Often called “The

Morning Star of the

Reformation”.

The first to translate

the Scriptures into

English.



A Scholar With a Heart

Attended Oxford at 16 years of age.

The Black Death of 1349 made a profound impact upon him when about 1/3 of the population died.

In 1361 he became a master of Balliol College and later became Doctor of Theology.

He developed great skill as a writer.



A True Patriot

He advised Parliament that they were right to withhold payment to the Pope.

Wycliffe supported the King Edward 3rd.

He represented his country at a meeting with Papal Officers in 1374.

John of Gaunt rewarded him with an Appointment to the Crown Living in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Searching for the Identity and


Wycliffe Clashes With The Church

He denounced the monks for their laziness and begging.

He spoke against the use of images, pilgrimages, indulgences and masses for the dead.

He denounced the Pope as Antichrist.

In 1377 he was summoned to a Convocation of the Church.

He was protected by John of Gaunt, the King’s Son.

The Pope issued 5 Bulls against him and condemned him on 19 charges.



The Crisis of 1381

Wycliffe condemns transubstantiation.

He loses the support of Oxford and the King and

has the weight of the Church against him.

He is blamed for the Peasant’s Revolt.

No-one would dare touch him because of his

popularity among the common people.

John of Gaunt advises him to abandon his work of

reform.



The Poor Preachers

From Lutterworth

Wycliffe sent his

preachers through

England.

They were nicknamed

Lollards or Poor

Preachers.

They were persecuted yet

Wycliffe was untouched

before his death in 1384.



Digging For His Bones

In 1415 the Council of Constance ordered that his bones be dug up and refused reburial.

The Bishop of Lincoln burned his bones in 1428 and scattered his ashes into the River Swift.

“And though his bones from the grave were torn,

Long after his life was ended,

The sound of his words, to times unborn,

Like trumpet-call descended.”



Part Two

English Christianity

Reformed



THE ENGLISH

REFORMATION

1517 - 1558





English Reformation Timeline

1519 – Conversion of Thomas Bilney.

1525 – Tyndale’s New Testament published.

1532 – Henry 8th declared Head of C of E

1533 – Catherine of Aragon is divorced

1536 – Dissolution of the Monasteries

1538 – Bible Placed in Churches

1539 – The Six Articles

1547 – Edward 6th is Crowned

1548 – Cranmer’s Catechism and Prayer Book

1571 – The 39 Artciles of Religion



The Father of the English

Reformation

Thomas Bilney; the forgotten hero.

1519 – a dissatisfied Cambridge student.

Read Erasmus Greek edition of the New

Testament.

Converted through reading 1 Timothy 1:15.

Denounced all of the heresies of Romanism.

His early friends were William Tyndale and Hugh

Latimer.



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.



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.



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 England’s eyes to be opened.

Within two years the King permitted the distribution of the Bible in English.



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.



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).

The Wives of Henry 8th

Catherine of Aragon – Mother of Mary; Annulled

Anne Boleyn – Mother of Elizabeth – executed

Jane Seymour – died giving birth to Edward.

(the only wife he truly loved!!)

Anne of Cleaves – Divorced for being ugly!

Catherine Howard - Executed for adultery.

Catherine Parr – nursed him in old age.





Archbishop Cranmer

Born in 1489

He became aware of the

Lutheran controversy.

Spent 3 years studying God’s

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..



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.

The Six Articles of 1539

Called “An Act Abolishing Diversity of Opinions”

Protestants – “a whip with six strings”

Reinforced Catholicism.

Made provisions for burning heretics.

Political defeat for Cranmer and Cromwell.

Occasion of further persecution of protestants by

the man who politically broke the power of the

church.





Edward 6th – England’s Josiah

He was crowned in 1547 at the

age of 9 after Henry’s 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.



The Age of Great Preachers

Nicholas Ridley

John Rogers

John Hooper

Hugh Latimer



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.



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 Matthew’s Bible.

Bishop Ridley appointed him to a number of important positions in London.



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.



Hugh Latimer

He described himself as an obstinate Papist.

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 Henry’s reign in the Tower of London.

He assisted Cranmer by living with him in Lambeth palace in the last 6 years of life.



Lady Jane Grey

In 1553 Edward died.

She was godly young woman who espoused the Protestant Faith.

She was declared by Edward as his successor.

This was an act of desperation by Protestant nobles.

She reigned for 9 days and was executed by Mary Tudor.



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.



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.



1555 – The Burnings Commenced

Burning of Anne Askew, John Lacels, John Adams and John Bleenian at Smithfield



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.



The Unsung Heroes

Thomas Drowy

15 year old boy

burned in

Gloucester, 5th May

1555.

William Hunter

19 years of age

from Brentwood,

burned on 26th

March 1555.

Agnes Prest

A Cornish woman

Betrayed by her Catholic

husband and burned 15th

August 1557, aged 54



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.



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.



Latimer and Ridley - Oxford

Latimer’s 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”



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.



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.



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 Foxe’s Book of Martyrs be placed in every church so that the sacrifice would be long remembered.



John Knox

Converting our

Scottish

Ancestors from

Catholicism to

Protestantism

55

Education

THE SWORD AND THE CROWN; The Heroes of the English Reformation