SOAMES'S LATIN CHURCH DURING ANGLO-SAXON TIMES.
MR. SOAMES is well known for some works on ecclesiasitical history or antiquity, especially in connexion with the independence of the Anglican Church. Dr. Lingard, in the last edition of his History and Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church, made some remarks on the statements or opinions of Mr. Soames, imputing incorrect or "imaginative" conclusions to the Protestant historian. To such charges Mr. Soames did not feel inclined to submit: at first he thought of publishing a pamphlet, but eventually decided on a volume ; and hence The Latin Church during Afiglo-Saxon Titzes In one point of view the choice was judicious. The animadversions of Dr. Lingard, if not unimportant as regards the questions ultimately ' involved in the issue, are not very many in number ; they are very briefly touched upon—indeed, almost en passant; and sometimes the question is purely one of interpretation, and not of a high degree of interest to those who have not a sort of professional connexion with the matter. A mere answer would have been dry and disquisitional, having little attraction for any save the disputants, or persons engaged in clerical inquiries. By going into the whole subject involved in the various points of Dr. Lingard's passing comments, Mr. Soames is able to raise the questions mooted between Romanists and Protestants in regard to the origin and original independence of the Anglo-Saxon Church, and to describe the usurping process by which Rome contrived gradually to spread her power and her doctrine over the West. He goes farther than this too, and carries the war into the enemy's camp.
An instance or two will suffice to convey an idea of the work and its plan. Mr. Soames had intimated that one object of Pope Gregory in sending the mission of Augustine into England, was to extend the power of Rome over the British Church, if he could manage it; and this opinion Dr. Lingard repeats ironically, as if not needing refutation respecting such a holy man. Upon this Mr. Soames takes occasion to go over the policy of Rome in those early ages, and to show that one of her objects was the artful extension of her power. He also enters a little into the characters both of Gregory and Augustine; and shows that, after all, they were but men, and men who, among other weaknesses peculiar to their age and cloth, set up for miracle-mongers. Again, Mr. Soames had continually spoken of British Bishops : Dr. Lingard asserts they were Irish, delving their Christianity from St. Patrick. Thereupon Mr. Soames goes rapidly over the question of the first introduction of Christianity into this country ; which he ascribes to the Oriental Christians,—instancing especially the time of keeping Easter, that long formed the great obstacle against Rome. He also takes some notice of the life and character of St. Patrick, and his alleged visit to Rome; and maintains that, whether the Christianity of Britain at the time in question be called British or Irish, it was not to Rome that the island was indebted, more especially as regarded her fundamental knowledge and saving faith. And thus he proceeds, sometimes on topics of a limited, sometimes of a large kind ; handling the claims and pretensions of the Papacy, not only as regarded Britain in An. glo-Saxon times, but throughout the West of Europe. History, biography, and theology, form the subject matter of the book : the form of composition is" sometimes narrative, but its predominant feature is disquisition,—a disquisition on the independent origin and character of the early British Church, on the general claims of the Papacy to ecclesiastical supremacy, and on the arts by which those claims were gradually spread over the Western nations. For this task Mr. Soames is Well fitted. His previous labours in the same field had rendered him familiar with the subject; his style is clear and terse, his manner scholarly, and he has an historical elevation of tone. He also possesses the Power of giving largeness to a subject seemingly small, by unfolding its Principle. Yet his subject is special ; and though various, has an interest limited chiefly to those who attach importance to a British church founded without assistance from Rome and existing independent of her ; a fact which secures the Apostolical succession to the Anglican Church without " indebtedness " to Rome for its transmission.
Although the Anglo-Saxon age is the direct time of the book, yet Mr. Soames does not limit himself wholly to it when a subject requires chronological extension for fuller development. The abuses of transubstantiation, by which the sacrament of the Lord's supper was turned into a sacrifice, are an example. "Innocent IIL made it [transubstantiation] one among the articles of the Christian faith, by inserting it in a creed, at the fourth Lateran Council, in 1215. The clergy of such an age as that were naturally very willing to think him right. He insisted upon their power to bring down from heaven an incarnate Deity for them to sienfice, and the congregation to adore. The laity were just as well pleased. Ignorant times are always eager for thaumaturgic priests. The wonder here, too, took away all occasion to prepare for the commiuuon more than once a year or so, without lessening the immemorial frequency of the sacrament itself. Communions for a cong.regation were superseded by sacrifices; and although a man might have some doubts about his fitness to receive, he could have none as to the safety of greeting on his knees the incarnate Saviour. Anybody might attend weekly, or even daily, such a communion as this, without any preparation at all; because there was no receiving at all, except by the officiating minister. An immense advantage was given to limocent's doctrine soon after its promulgation by Aquinas, the greatest and most useful of the schoolmen. The perfection of this sacrament, he says—that is, of the Eucharist—is not in the use of the faithful, but in the consecration of the material. This is a most striking development of some sacerdotal germ, but of one which can be traced neither to Scripture nor. the Fathers. Aquinas affords another such development, by treating the Eucharist both as a sacrament and a sacrifice. Itt the former sense, he says, it profits receivers; in the latter, those who do not receive, it profits by way of a sacrifice, inasmuch as it is offered for their salvation. Thus the thirteenth century saw eucharistic worship transferred almost wholly to the clergy. Primitive times impressed an awful sense of it upon the laity, and would suffer none but communicants at its celebration. When the sacerdotal element was pretty thoroughly developed, everybody was to attend eucharistic riteseind might reckon upon great advantage from them however ill prepared for spiritual advantages of any kind. This is exactly the doctrine for human nature,—that is, to please it: the fitness of such doctrine for improving man is a very different question."
As the Popes and Saints of the times treated of were not always of Tiltchallengeable virtue, we are not sure but that Mr. Soames might hairi3 rendered his book more amusing by making pretended miracles and pioni frauds a more distinct feature. He chiefly confines himself to Pope Gregory ; as in these instances. A noble Roman lady came to the communion, having previously brought, according to usage, some bread, as an oblation. Aportion of this she recognized in Gregory's hand when it was her turn to communicate; and he observed her smile as he said, 'The body of our Lord Jesus Christ profit thee for the remission of thy sins and life everlasting.' Her smile made him draw back his hand, put the breed by itself on the altar, and desire the deacon to take care of it until the comninmon was over. He then asked the lady why she smiled. Because, she said, I knew the little piece in your hand to be a port of the very oblation which I made myself, and offered to you; and I could -not help smiling when I found yen calling it the body of our Lord. Gregory then addressed the people, and exhorted them to pray God for some demonstration of this unbelieving lady's mistake. After they had done so, he went to the altar, lifted up the cloth under which the withdrawn portion of bread had been placed, and found instead of it a piece of a bloody finger. * "A person of distinction sent to Gregory for some relics. The Pope, took his messengers round to various tombs of martyrs and other places deemed holy, celebrating masses at them all. He then sent the messengers away with some small sealed coffers. On the road, one of them took it into his head to break oNri one of these coffers, and found nothing in it but a few little pieces of cloth. This &Seaver), led to the violation of the other boxes and they were found filled in the same manner. Highly indignant at this, the Party returned to Rome, laiming that their journey would certainly have led them into disgrace if it had been found that instead of bringing bones or other fragments of martyred saints, they had only brought shreds of cloth, which might just as well have been found at home. Gregory now desired the messengers to attend a mass; and at it he recommended in his sermon that the people should pray for some special manifestation of the Divine favour. He then struck a knife into one of the rejected cloths, and blood came out. This he explained by saying, that cloths used as these bad been at masses over the relics of apostles and martyrs imbibed a portion of their blood."
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