BEFORE speaking of the attitude of the British bishops towards the Romish bishop in England, let us further remark upon the nature of the Christianity which Augustine brought into the land. We have already stated he could give only that which he had, and we certainly believe he gave to the pagan English the best of what he had. But his best was poor Gospel fare! Relic worship, and such shameful departures from Scripture truth and the honor due to the living God, which he brought with him, testify to the corrupted Christianity of his mission. Perhaps the silver cross, and the board painted with the image of Christ, which he bore before him, express as forcibly as can be the exaltation of the cross above Christ, and the rebellion against the commandments of God, which in his day had already degraded the Church. And these things Augustine carried with all ecclesiastical ceremony, with procession and singing, for the purpose of converting the English. What Augustine had in his own heart of Christ's Gospel as regards salvation, may best be understood by the fact that his monks prayed for their own salvation as they appeared before the pagan king. Their idea of salvation was, therefore, based upon ignorance of such passages of Scripture as these: "According to His mercy He saved us"; "By grace ye are saved"; and of the apostolic teaching: " I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved."
Pope Gregory himself was no more enlightened than they. Having been asked by a noble lady if he could give any satisfactory information as to her obtaining the forgiveness of her sins, he answered: "Certainty in this matter is not attainable; we must repent and mourn over our sins and apply for pardon continually." With these facts before us, it is difficult to understand how Augustine could be a messenger of "glad tidings of good things," or how he could have told the pagan English— as God-sent evangelists are privileged to do— "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Looking at Pope Gregory and Augustine from the standpoint of Roman clerical ambition, their success with the English was all that could be desired. Pagans were made Christians, by baptism, in thousands, and bishops of the Romish Church were appointed and held authority in England. But the conversion of the British Church to Papal rule was not so easy as that of baptizing the pagans into Christianity. The converted pagans could and did transfer their professed allegiance to Christ back again to their false gods at their list; but the conversion demanded of the British Church would allow of no such compromise—it contained unqualified submission to the Pope.
There were conferences between the Romish, or English, bishops and the British bishops as to union of the Churches. And it is an interesting fact—and one which seems to bring these ancient efforts on to the same platform as those of our own times—that the British bishops stated that the doctrine which Augustine preached was the truth. This seems like very much that is now said by the sacerdotalists in the Church of England. They profess that what the Roman Church teaches is the truth. But, added the British bishops of Augustine's days, they could not, without the consent or agreement of their nation, quit their ancient customs! These differed in certain respects from the customs of the Romish Church. Baptism was not administered exactly in the same way, neither was Easter kept at the same period; and, further, their respective monks did not shave their heads in the same manner. However, as "a little chink lets in much light," so a little story of the time helps us to see into the reason for the hesitation of the Britons in uniting themselves with the English in things religious.
The British bishops were very much perplexed, the story runs, as to what they should do and after one of their conferences with Augustine they resorted to a famous hermit to obtain advice. He bade them act thus: If when they next waited upon Augustine he should rise to greet them, they should accept him as a humble man sent by God; but if, on the contrary, he should remain seated, they should regard him as coming amongst them to obtain the mastership over them.
Augustine did not rise to meet them. It could not be forgotten how he had made obeisance to the pagan king on his arrival; but as he was the Pope's archbishop, to whom had been given the supremacy over the British Church, he retained his seat, his chair, his emblematic throne! This decided the question in the eyes of the British bishops. And, oddly enough, it is one of those incidents which Roman Catholic writers cannot understand! All they can perceive in it are the willful obduracy and un-Christian spirit of the British Church.
History repeats itself, for, practically speaking, the Pope and his cardinals have retained their seat during the late agitation on the Orders of the Anglican Church, and other matters. They have retained the old position of their predecessors, requiring everyone to bow before the Pope, and to submit to his supremacy. And the Britons of today have acted as did the British bishops of Augustine's time. They have objected to the union of Christendom on these terms!
The English came under the influence of the Christianity of the era before us, by degrees. Sometimes whole districts became Christian and then relapsed into paganism, at length to become Christian again. And after some sixty years Christianity was triumphant. The British Church, as such, fell slowly under the greater power of the English Church; and in the eighth century the Roman Catholic faith was predominant. How far the influence of the zealous British missionaries was extinguished it is hard to say. Some consider that the Scottish love of the Bible may be traced back to the times of Columba and his successors. In Wales the British Church is considered to preserve its continuity from the earliest centuries of the Christian era. Certainly we may all acknowledge that our favored land owes very much of its present Christian liberty and love of the Scriptures to the prayers of the early Church in these islands. Equally certain it is that the Christian prosperity of England exists only when Britons make the Word of God their rule of faith.