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Some Post-Reformation Saints

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Some Post-Reformation Saints SOME POST- REFORMATION SAINTS. BY THE LATE CANON OVERTON. PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE TRACT COAMITVEE. LONDON: SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE, NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, W.C.; 41 QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E.C. BRIGHTON: 129, NORTH STREET. NEW YORK: E. S. GORHAM. 1905. SOME POST-REFORMATION SAINTS. I. LANCELOT ANDREWES (1555-1626). CHURCH COMMITTEE FOR CHURCH DEFENCE AND INCE the early days of S. Aidan, S. Oswald, CHURCH INSTRUCTION. S S. Cedd, S. Chad, and S. Cuthbert, the English Presidents :—THE ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY AND YORK. Church has never produced so rich a crop of saintly material as during the last three centuries. Indeed, the only difficulty in writing these papers will be in making the best selection, for we really suffer from an embarrassment of riches. This is all the more remarkable because the first half century after the break with Rome was not a time propitious to the development of saintliness. The Church was still unsettled ; it was feeling its way gradually to its proper position, it was dealing with negatives rather than positives, realising what it was not, rather than what it was; and obviously such a time was not one in which enthusiasm can be readily kindled. Hence our first specimen belongs to quite the later part of the sixteenth and the earlier part of the seventeenth centuries ; and _there were 6 SOME POST-REFORMATION SAINTS. LANCELOT ANDREWES. 7 many circumstances which tended to militate even first, scholar, and then (1576) Fellow of Pembroke against his saintliness. He was a pioneer, leading Hall, Cambridge. In 1580 he received Holy Orders, the way into a new intellectual and theological and was appointed Catechist at Pembroke, where region, and such men are rarely appreciated at his " Catechistical lectures" * showed what his their full worth. He was drawn into the vortex of proper line was. They were largely attended, and controversy; and controversy is apt not only to he soon became a noted casuist, being, in the quaint make enemies, but to dim the moral brightness of language of the day, "deeply seen in cases of him who engages in it. He was a successful man, conscience." We next find him attending Lord as the world counts success, rising to high and Huntingdon, President of the North, in a progress, lucrative posts in the Church ; and success tends during which, "by preaching and conference, he both to intoxicate its possessor and to raise envy brought over many recusants, priests as well as against him. A great part of his life was passed in laity, to the Protestant religion." In 1589 he was an atmosphere most uncongenial to saintliness, in • appointed to the living of S. Giles', Cripplegate, the midst of a corrupt Court, and in close attend- then to a prebend at S. Paul's; and he was very ance upon a Sovereign who was anything but a effective as a preacher or lecturer at both places. saint. And, finally, he had as high a reputation Then he was chosen Master of his old college, for learning as for saintliness ; and though the two Pembroke Hall; then he became chaplain to Arch- things, so far from being incompatible, give, each, bishop Whitgift, then chaplain-in-ordinary to grace and completeness to the other, yet they belong Queen Elizabeth, during whose reign he refused two to different compartments of our complex nature, bishoprics, Salisbury and Ely, because he could not and therefore they are not always found in com- conscientiously comply with the condition—only bination ; but he combined bDth, as a brief sketch of too characteristic of Elizabeth's Church policy— his life will show. that a part of the revenues of the sees should be Lancelot Andrewes was the son of a London alienated. He became, however, in her time, first, merchant, and was himself intended for that line Canon, and then (i60i) Dean, of Westminster. of life. But his two schoolmasters, Mr. Ward, A pleasing feature of his connection with West- at the Ratcliffe Grammar School, and Mr. Mul- minster is the deep interest he took in the caster, at Merchant Taylors', recognising his ex- Westminster boys. He used to examine them traordinary promise, persuaded his parents to "particularly in the Hebrew Psalter." He often give him an University education, and he became, * Isaacson's Life of Bishop Andrewes. SOME POST-REFORMATION SAINTS. LANCELOT ANDREWES. "supplied the place both of headmaster and usher of Ely gave him special opportunities of discovering for the space of a whole week together, and never such, from its connection with Cambridge. He walked to Chiswick for his recreation without a certainly could not be reproached with the brace of this young fry,"* and this young fry, like favourite charge of the Puritans of being an all who came into contact with his fascinating "unpreaching bishop," for most of his noted sermons personality, were devoted to him. Among them were preached when he had reached the Bench. were Matthew Wren, afterwards Bishop of Ely, Hence the saying that he was "Bishop Andrewes who took Andrewes for his model in everything, in the pulpit, Doctor Andrewes in the schools, and John Hacket, afterwards Bishop of Lichfield, Saint Andrewes in the closet." This will be a who can hardly find language strong enough to convenient division to follow: express his admiration of him. (I) The sermons of Bishop Andrewes, in spite of On the accession of James I., Andrewes' rise their jerky and uncouth style, and their quaint and was rapid. In 1605 he reluctantly accepted the sometimes far-fetched conceits and word-plays, are bishopric of Chichester, and became the King's perhaps the fullest in our language, and represent almoner: in 1609 he was translated to Ely, and in better than any others the true mind of the English 1619 to Winchester, and in 1626 "thence to Church. We must remember that we have only heaven."t It need scarcely be said that Andrewes the sermons, not the preacher; we gather indirectly was conscientious in the discharge of his episcopal that they owed much to their delivery, and still office. He always sought out the best and most more to the irresistible personality of the man. The capable men for preferment, and never gave any- sermons were all carefully elaborated in the study thing because the candidate or his friends asked before they were delivered in the pulpit. And this for it. His munificence was so unbounded that leads up to the next point. Buckeridge, who preached his funeral sermon, (2) The controversial writings of Andrewes were could find no more suitable text than, "To do good the proper complement of Hooker's. As Hooker, and to distribute forget not." His joy was to find by his Ecclesiastical Polity, placed the Church on out poor, rising scholars, and to help them with his its proper footing, as against the Puritans, so did purse and his teaching in their preparation for Andrewes, as against the Romanists. Jewell, indeed, Holy Orders. His ten years' occupancy of the see had nobly prepared the way; but (I) Jewell was rather negative than positive:; he had not a suffi- * Hacket's .4fe of Williams, p 45. t Bishop Buckericige's Funeral Sermon on Anclrewes. ciently definite theory to put in the place of that 10 SOME POST-REFORMATION SAINTS. LANCELOT ANDREWES. IT which he demolished ; and (2) since Jewell wrote, astonishing what different types of mind have been the Romans had made far more formidable assaults touched by them, and also how many men of upon the English Church and far more powerful eminence have taken part in editing, translating, or defences of the Roman than had been made commenting upon them.* But their chief interest before; there was, in fact, a " Counter-Reformation." in the present connection is the insight which they Andrewes wrote at the bidding of his Sovereign, give into the inner mind and life of this writer. whose word to him was law. James had himself Andrewes showed his rare gift of composing entered the lists; but though he was no mean prayers in other ways, notably in the Service he theologian for an amateur, he was not strong drew up for the consecration of a church, which is enough to meet the great Bell armine, but Andrewes still the basis of all later Services for the occasion ; met him on at least equal terms in his Tortura but the Preces Privato Groce et Latine are those Torti, and its sequels. The controversy was which bear directly upon our subject. They nominally limited to the lawfulness of the oath of show whence "Saint Andrewes" derived his allegiance, but it really covered the whole question strength. It is said that he spent five hours every in debate between Rome and England. One of the day upon his knees, and the fruits were seen in his great merits of Andrewes is that he gives you daily life and conversation, in his guilelessness, his something very definite in place of what he takes unselfishness, his humility—in short, in the reflec- away; another is that he disentangles what the tion of the mind that was in Christ Jesus. One or Romanist was always confounding, viz: that which two illustrations may be given. was really de fide from that which was not. Andrewes was, by general confession, one of the (3) But we must now follow Andrewes to the most, if not the most learned Englishman of his place from which he really derived his true strength day. But a foreigner came over and made his and effectiveness,i.e.
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