The History of the Church of Great Britain, Century 1 – Century 3
CENTURY I.
IEſus Chriſt the Son of God, the true Prince of Peace, was born in Bethlehem-Judah, of the Virgin Mary, in the 42 year of the Reign of Auguſtus Coeſar the Roman Emperour, under the 194 Olympiad, in the XIX year of the Reign of Kymbeline King of Britain.
Divers Writers of note do tell us,Baron. Annal. Tom. 1. An. 61. Uſſer de Brit. Eccleſ. primord. c. 1. p. 7. Parker de vetuſt. Eccl. Britan. p. 2, 3. Fox Act. & Monum. vol. 1. Sir H. Spelm. Concil. Tom. 1. Per Joſephum Evangelii lucerna primum in Britania accenſa est. Georg. Major. that the Goſpel was preached and received in this Land, even in the days of the Apoſtles. Baronius, and the Learned Archbiſhop Ʋſher tell us, that St. Peter came into Britain in the twelfth year of the Emperour Nero, and ſtaid a long time here, many being by him illightned. Nicephorus ſaith, that Simon Zelotes carried the Doctrine of the Goſpel unto the Weſtern Sea, and to the Britannick Iſlands. The Learned Archbiſhop Matthew Parker, Biſhop Godwin, Mr. Camden, and others do aſſert, that St. Paul himſelf, that great Apoſtle of the Gentiles, Preached the Goſpel to this Iſland after his enlargement from his firſt captivity at Rome; where, ſome ſay, he continued Preaching five years. And this (ſay they) he did at the inſtigation of Claudia, a Noble Britiſh Woman. Gildas, our own Countrey-man, Polydor Virgil, Mr. Fox, Sir Henry Spelman, and many others tell us, that Joſeph of Arimathea, that Holy Man, after he had buried the body of Chriſt in his own Tomb, came into this Iſland, and Preached the Goſpel here, being ſent hither by Philip and James the Apoſtles. That he was in this Land, is confirmed not onelyonly by divers Hiſtories, but alſo by Antient Monuments. Baleus alledgeth many other witneſſes.
It doth not appear, that the firſt Preachers of the Goſpel in Britain did ſo much as touch at Rome, much leſs that they received any command, or commiſſion thence to convert Britain, which ſhould lay an Eternal obligation of gratitude on this Iſland to the Sea of Rome. Inſomuch that Parſons himſelf flyes at laſt to this ſlight and ſlender ſhift. That albeit St. Joſeph came not immediately from Rome, yet he taught in this Iſland the Roman Faith, whereof St. Paul hath written to the Romans themſelves, that your Faith is ſpoken of through the whole World, Rom. 1.8. Hereby the Jeſuite hopes to keep on foot the engagement of this Iſland to Rome, Fuller. Church Hiſtor. lib. 1.for her firſt converſion. But why ſhould he call the Chriſtian Religion the Roman Faith, rather than the Faith of Jeruſalem, or the Faith of Antioch, ſeeing it iſſued from the former, and was received and firſt named in the latter City, before any ſpark of Chriſtianity was kindled at Rome, as Dr. Fuller well obſerveth.
CENT. II.
WE read, that the Goſpel in our Land had the countenance of publick Authority through the gratious providence of God very early.Omnium Provinciarum prima Britannia, publicitus Christi nomen recipit. Sabellic. Enn. 7. l. 5. A Learned Writer ſpeaking of the dignity of this Nation, ſaith, That of all the Provinces of the Roman Empire (yea it ſeemeth of the whole World) this Iſland of Great Britain did firſt receive the Gospel by publick Authority. Lucius King of Britain was the firſt Chriſtian King we read of in Eccleſiaſtical Stories: He embraced the Faith about an hundred and fifty years after the death of Chriſt. It is ſaid of this King Lucius, that at firſt he ſhewed himſelf an enemy to the Chriſtians: but obſerving the holineſs of their lives, he was enclined to embrace the Chriſtian Faith, but was held off for a time, partly by the Heatheniſh ſuperſtition of his Anceſtors wherein he had been bred up; and partly becauſe he found the Chriſtians reputed infamous by the Romans, then the Lords of a great part of the World, under whom (it ſeemeth) he was a tributary King: but being afterward informed, that many of the Nobles or Senators of the Romans had embraced the Chriſtian Religion, he made an open profeſſion of it, and made a notable reformation in his Dominions. Moreover, he being much taken with the Miracles which he beheld truly wrought by pious Chriſtians, was the more drawn to embrace their Religion, and ſent Elvanus and Meduinus, men of known Piety and Learning in the Scriptures to Eleutherius Biſhop of Rome, with a Letter, requeſting ſeveral things of him; but principally that he might be inſtructed in the Chriſtian Faith. Eleutherius returneth him this Anſwer, That having rec…ved in his Kingdom the Law and Faith of Chriſt, Holinſh. deſcr. of Brit. c. 7. Annals of England, by John Stow.and having now the Old and New Teſtaments, he ſhould by a Council of his Realm take Laws from thence to govern thereby; That he was the Vicar of God in his Kingdomes; That the People and Nations of the Kingdom of Britain were His, even His children; That ſuch as were divided, he ſhould gather them together unto the Law of Chriſt his holy Church, unto peace and concord; and ſhould cheriſh, maintain, protect, govern, and defend them, &c.
When Chriſtian Religion firſt was publickly received and eſtabliſhed in this Land by King Lucius, here were then of Heathen inſtitution, eight and twenty Flamines, and three Archflamines. The places of the Flamines, the King turned to ſo many Biſhopricks; the places of the Archflamines, to ſo many Archbiſhopricks; the one at London, tranſlated afterward to Canterbury; the other at York; the third at Caerleon in Wales, where ſeaven of thoſe Biſhopricks, with this Archbiſhoprick were remaining when Auſtin the Monk came into England: Here were Temples alſo builded for the worſhip of Paynim-gods, of which he made Churches for the ſervice of Jeſus Chriſt. Thomas Rudbourn a Mo… … Wincheſter, Moratus an old Britiſh Writer, and others teſtifie, that … was Biſhop of Wincheſter; and all the poſſeſſions of the …ga… …es there, were conferred upon him and his Clergy, which were …o ample, that even about the City all the Lands, within twelve miles of it on all ſides, were belonging unto it, containing in number 32 Villages. And thus the Britains had for their greateſt glory, the happineſs to ſee and enjoy the firſt Chriſtian Prince in the World.
It is reported, that King Lucius was the Founder of St. Peter's Church at Cornhil in London, placing therein one Thean an Archbiſhop, and that the Metropolitan See continued in a ſucceſſion of Archbiſhops there about 400 years, until the coming of Auſtin the Monk, who tranſlated the Archbiſhop's ſeat from London to Canterbury. In that Church was a Table, wherein is written, that King Lucius founded the ſame Church to be an Archbiſhop's See, and that it ſo endured the ſpace of 400 years. There are the name of theſe Archbiſhops of London, Thean, Elvanus, Cadar, Obinus, Conan, Paladius, Stephen, Iltut, Theodwyn, or Dedwin, Thedrid, Hilary, Reſtitutus, Guertelinus, or Guitelinus, Faſtidius, Vodinus, Theonus, &c.
Elvanus built a Library near St. Peter's Church in Cornhil; he was a Godly, Learned and Grave Man, brought up in the School of Joſeph of Arimathea, and Converted many of the Druydes to the Chriſtian Faith. Biſhop Godwin ſaith, That the Archbiſhoprick of York was founded Anno 180. by King Lucius alſo, who placed Sampſon there. King Lucius alſo founded the Academy of Bangor in the favour of good Ar…s and Learned Men. He built the chief Cathedral Church in Gloceſter: The Church dedicated to St. Mary in Glaſtonbury: A Chappel in honour of Chriſt in Dover Caſtle: A Church in Canterbury, afterwards dedicated to St. Martin. King Lucius died and was buried at Glouceſter.
CENT. III.
BUT Chriſtianity in Britain was not buried in the grave of King Lucius: Witneſs Gildas, whoſe words are a clear evidence of the conſtant continuing of the Chriſtian Faith in Britain from the firſt Preaching thereof.Gildas in Epiſt. de excid. Britan. Chriſts precepts (ſaith he) though they were received but lukewarmly of the Inhabitants, yet they remained entirely with ſome, leſs ſincerely with others, even untill the nine years of Perſecution under Diocleſian.
To the Authority of Gildas we may add the Teſtimony of two Fathers, both flouriſhing in this Century,Tertul. adverſ. Judaeos. c. 7. Tertullian and Origen; Tertullian ſaith, Britannorum inacceſſa Romanis loca, Chriſto verò ſubdita: There are places of the Britains which were unacceſſible to the Romans, but yet ſubdued to …hriſt.Origen in Luc. c. 1. Homil. 6. Origen in like manner, Virtus Domini Salvatoris cum his est, qui ab orbe noſtro in Britannia dividuntur: The power of God our Saviour is even with them which in Britain are divided from our World.Cent. 3. c. 2. col. 6. The Magdeburgenſes, compilers of the General Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtory, ſpeaking of the Churches through Europe in this Age, thus expreſs themſelves: Then follow the Iſles of the Ocean, where we firſt meet with Britain, Manfiſſe & hac aetate ejus Inſulae Eccleſias, affirmare non dubitamus: We doubt not to affirm, that the Churches of that Iſland did alſo remain in that Age.
Gildas modeſtly renders the reaſon, why ſo little is extant of the Britiſh Hiſtory of this Age. Scripta patriae, Scriptorum monumenta, ſiquae fuerint, aut ignibus hoſtium exuſta, aut civium exulum claſſe longius deportata, non comparent: The Monuments (ſaith he) of our Countrey, or Writers (if there were any) appear not, as either burnt by the fire of enemies, or tranſported far off by our baniſhed Countreymen.
The Chriſtians of Britain celebrated the Paſsover upon the fourteenth day of the Moon of March preciſely, contrary to the conſtitutions of the Roman Church: which ſheweth, they were not brought to Chriſtian Religion by the Roman Church.Gild. Epiſt. f. 63. And Gildas ſaith, That the Britains uſed great ſolemnity in their Ordination of Miniſters, and had other Prayers, Leſſons, and Chapters, than are uſed in the Roman Church.
Britain remained under the Domination of the Romans, Pagans, as their ſupream Lords, till the year of Chriſt 286. in Diocleſian's time, when the Roman Senate ſent Caranſius to repreſs the incurſions of Barbarous Nations. But Caranſius made a League with the Britains, expelled the Romans, and made himſelf King: And from that time, ſometimes the Romans prevailing, ſometimes the Natives, Britain was but weakly poſ…ſſed by the Roman Empire.