The Role of Custom in Henry Hammond's "Of Schism" and John Bramhall's "A Just Vindication of the Church of England"

3 By the end of Charles Fs reign, this moderation had become a major feature of high churchmanship, fitting hand-in-glove with Laud's perception that the excesses of the Reformation, such as irreverence towards sacred objects and the preoccupation with the hidden mechanics of salvation, needed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anglican and Episcopal history 2007-09, Vol.76 (3), p.358-386
Main Author: Clavier, Mark F. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archbishops
Bible
Bishops
Catholicism
Christianity
Churches
Clergy
Common law
English
Innovations
Obedience
Organizational structure
Religion
Religious buildings
Schisms
Semiotics
Theology
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Summary:3 By the end of Charles Fs reign, this moderation had become a major feature of high churchmanship, fitting hand-in-glove with Laud's perception that the excesses of the Reformation, such as irreverence towards sacred objects and the preoccupation with the hidden mechanics of salvation, needed to be scaled back.4 Indeed, according to Milton, this was one of the primary reasons for the development of an increasingly high view of episcopacy among high churchmen.5 Ironically, the answer to the high church dilemma was developed during the Interregnum, after the high church party itself had apparently collapsed with the execution of Charles I and the abolition of bishops and the Book of Common Prayer. For Puritans, episcopacy represented a medieval development that not only lacked sufficient biblical warrant but also made the Church of England a Protestant anomaly.7 Laudians, on the other hand, latched onto the episcopacy as an initial defense of royal power and as a sign of continuity with the early and medieval churches.8 Thus, it was not surprising that Parliament in 1640, dominated by foes of Laud, determined that the ecclesiastical-organizational structure of the Church of England needed further reform in the direction desired by Presbyterians and moderate Puritans.9 Considering how deeply rooted the church was in English society, such a reform could not help but effect a revolutionary break from received customs and norms.
ISSN:0896-8039