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Show Coronation Deferred. THE NEWS of King Edward VH's illness created consternation and disappointment wherever the English Eng-lish tongue is spoken, and we are told that on his domains the sun never sets. His last namesake, Edward VI, Henry V Ill's son. was the first to establish es-tablish the Protestant religion in England. Eng-land. ' The father, Henry VIII, though denying the papal supremacy was. less that one article of-faith, a Catholic, and wrote in defense of the Catholic faith against Luiher. Not only was he a Catholic, but he made Protestantism Protestant-ism a capital offense. During his reign the Catholic tendency was sustained in the church. After his death and during the reign of his son and successor, j Protestantism . gained the ascendency, j and the church remodeled to conform with the reformed churches In the continent. con-tinent. The ancient faith to which the English people were once devoted and for which many died, was changed and disowned. On the death of Edward VI, Mary, the daughter of Katherine of j Aragon, ascended the throne. As queen j of England she reopened communion I with Rome, and strove to establish the faith of her fathers. Her devotion and sincere regard for truth were the honest hon-est inheritance of the mother's good qualities, whilst her zeal, misdirected 1 and not always judicious, widened the breach between Catholics and Protestants. Protest-ants. Elizabeth, who succeeded Mary, was like her father, through conviction a Catholic, and would have brought the Anglican church back to Rome if, on Catholic principles, she could maintain her right to the crown of England. This was impossible since the holy see had already decided that the marri.ige of her father and mother Anne Boleyn -rwas invalid. There being, no compromise, com-promise, circumstances forced Elizabeth Eliza-beth to sever her connection with Rome and adopt the Anglican faith. During her reign a great evolution was taking place in the religious thoughts of the English people. The Catholic tendency was 'not so great as it was when Henry assumed to be the spiritual head, but it was greater than It was under Edward VI. In the struggle for supremacy both the Catholic and Protestant parties par-ties were evenly divided during Elizabeth's Eliza-beth's reign. The thirty-nine articles termed "Articles of Peace," were so equivocally worded that they might be interpreted to suit either party. The Catholic tendency though powerfully pow-erfully resisted more thar held its own during Elizabeth's reign and that of the Stuarts. So . strong was the tendency ten-dency that at one time, under Archbishop Arch-bishop Laud, a reunion of the Anglican church with Rome was expected. The revolution of 168S gave an unexpected turn to religious affairs. The reformers reform-ers were victorious, and under the house of Hanover the Anglican church was permanently established, and has since reigned supreme. Under its wing Edward VII would be inducted into office, of-fice, become its spiritual head, solemnly swear that' the most sacred and solemn sol-emn teaching of Christianity for 1900 years is idolatorous. After all the fuss over the oath, it may never be taken. "Man proposes and God disposes." |
