Post-Reformation Clergy. Notes By Uncle Monty.

Post-Reformation Clergy:
Long Before The First Lambeth Conference
Notes By Uncle Monty
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With some 775 archbishops and bishops arriving today at

Canterbury for the start of the ten-yearly, twenty-day,

2008 Lambeth Conference of the Worldwide Anglican

Communion, I thought a little bit of Church History

was perhaps in order of the day.
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In his well written book of the year 1881 on The

South Saron Diocese, The Prebendary of Chichester, The

Rev’d W. R. W. Stephens, cites some fascinating observations
of the critical behaviour of post-reformation clergy in England.

So with that said, I simply present a few excerpts from his

271-page 19th century book of the Diocesan History of

Selsey – Chichester and her clergy as the modern-day 21st

century Churchmen arrive at Canterbury to sort out perhaps

some of the mess and conflict currently confounding

many confessing Anglicans and their clerics all around

the world. It isn't right now a pretty Anglican picture for

the world to observe under the present Archbishop

of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Douglas Williams, who is

presiding at his first, and probably his last, Lambeth

Conference under his dithering archiepiscopacy at

the See of Canterbury.
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“From The Lambeth Conference …
In Person By Uncle Monty,”
coming next week

:: DIOCESAN HISTORIES ::
“The articles of enquiry addressed to incumbents of parishes by
Bishop Montagu, and his successor, Brain Duppa, both high church-
man of the school of (Archbishop of Canterbury William) Laud, whose
episcopates extend from 1628 to 1642, reveal what tendencies to irr-
evence and irregularities of various kind prevailed in parish churches.
Bishop Montagu enquires whether communicants “meekly kneel,”
or whether they stand or sit at the time of reception : whether the
Holy Table is profaned at any time by persons sitting upon it,
casting hats or clocks upon it, writing or casting accounts,
or any other indecent usage.”
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The Prebendary of Chichester writes further. “The questions
respecting the character, conduct and dress of the clergy are
instructive and entertaining. Doth your ministers (asked Bishop
Brian Duppa in his primary visitation at Chichester in 1638)
use such comely and decent apparel as becometh the gravity of
his calling, and may distinquish him from the laity? or doth he
wear long hair and deep ruffles, falling bands to his shoulders
or any other unseemly garments not proper to his ministry?
If a parson or vicar, doth he reside? or, if a curate, hath he
an honest and sufficient salary? Doth he idly vague up and
down, or in any way else entangle himself in secular affairs as
to neglect the duties of his calling? Does he diligently labour
for the reclaiming of recusants, whether they be such as with
peril of their souls superstitiously adhere to the Church of
Rome, or such, in the other extreme, who, having perversely
relinquished our communion, find nothing to adhere to but
their own fancies? Doth he use the prescribed form of prayer
before his sermon to prevent the indiscreet flying out of some
extemporary prayers? Doth he preach in a gown and cassock,
not in a riding or ambulatory clock? Doth he deliver the
Holy Communion to any standing or sitting, or in any other
posture than the knee? Doth he first receive it himself, and
after, deliver it to the communicants, not in gross, but one by
one, using all the words enjoined severally to each of them?"

:: Now more excerpts from Rev’d Stephens’
1881 Diocesan History Of Selsey – Chichester ::
[Bishop Harsnett, on his third visitation] “seems to have stirred
up The chapter to issue some rules ‘for the better ordering of the
church and churchman,’ which bear date September 27th, 1616.
The church bells are to be rung more regularly, and the bell ringers
are to keep order all sermon time, each in his proper quarter or
beat : the vestments are to be carefully put away in presses. Bishop
Sherburne’s bedesman was to be more diligent in his duties, and
to purge the churchyard of hogs and dogs, and lewd persons
that play or do worse. The verger was to keep the cloisters
clean, and to scourge out the ungracious boys, with their tops,
or at least to present them to the old man of the vestry. The
principal of the vicars was to see the outdoors of the cloisters
locked up and fast barred by nine o’clock at night, to keep
the keys himself, and to repress all seditious brawlers and
other enormities there, or if they flame out so fast that he
cannot, then he was to report them to the dean
or president of the chapter. “

“Bishop Duppa, having been translated to Sarum in 1641, was
succeeded by the pious, amiable, and accomplished Henry King.
The storm-clouds were now gathering thick and fast around
the monarchy and the church. The Act had been passed
which deprived bishops of their votes in the upper house.
Laud was in prison, waiting his doom (and was beheaded), and
twelve other prelates had just been imprisoned for protesting
against the loss of their rights as peers in Parliament,” wrote
Rev’d Stephens in his Diocesan Histories of 1881 for The
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK).
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“Dogz of the Vendors”
Another upcoming story by Uncle Monty

So the 2008 Lambeth Conference begins in earnest today.
And someone, somewhere, will no doubt be reading all about it in say 125 years or so from now. Just like you and me reading Rev’d Stephens’ account of the state of the church as he wrote of it some 125 years or so ago. I am looking forward to being at my first Lambeth Conference, too.

Faithfully, Uncle Monty. +St. Ormund, 2oo8.

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Anglicans Meet Amid Gay Bishop Row

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/16/church.conference/index.html

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