The Reaction Under Mary

We mentioned that Edward I was not well, that he assumed the throne at the mere age of ten years, but he would die before he reached the age of sixteen. And this brought Mary, who was the daughter of Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to the throne of England in 1553. Mary was rigidly Catholic in her convictions, and she would soon make efforts to return England to the Roman fold. This, in fact, was accomplished in 1554 when England was received back into the communion of the Roman Catholic Church.

Mary, in the meantime, was married to her cousin, Philip, who was soon to become Philip II of Spain, and this union with Catholic Spain seemed certain to ensure that England would remain Catholic. Many of those in England opposed this return to Catholicism. In order to break the opposition, about three hundred of those who were opposing this move back to Catholicism were executed. What is it about speaking out, and losing your head? By the way, these executions earned Mary the nickname of “Bloody Mary.”

Well, among the most famous of the victims were the theologians, Lattimer and Ridley, along with good old Archbishop Cranmer, all of whom were executed at Oxford. Lattimer is reputed to have said at the stake, “Be of good cheer, Master Ridley. We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as, I trust, shall never be put out.”

Protestantism Returns Under Elizabeth I

Fortunately for the Protestants in England—those desiring and supporting reform and moving away from the Catholic Church—Mary’s reign only lasted for five years. She was succeeded in 1558 by her half-sister, the famous Elizabeth I, who reigned until 1603. She is well-known in English history, and she is the namesake of the current Queen of England. Under Elizabeth I, the church in England once more moved toward Protestantism.

It must be acknowledged, however, that in her actions Elizabeth was motivated more by political concerns than by deep, religious convictions. By the Act of Supremacy in 1559—and this was an act of Parliament—the authority of the Pope over and in the Church of England was denied, and Elizabeth was made Supreme Governor of the realm, which included the spiritual as well as the secular. Later, The Thirty-Nine Articles were issued as a definition of the doctrinal position of the Church of England.

Elizabeth, however, did have problems. Some Roman Catholics, unwilling to accept this arrangement, plotted against Elizabeth. They were aided by some Jesuits, and they hoped to put the Catholic, Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots, on the English throne. This led Elizabeth to imprison Mary in the Tower of London, and eventually execute her.

Well, not only did Elizabeth have these kinds of problems going on domestically, but she also had foreign problems, as well. Philip II of Spain had hoped that Elizabeth would marry him, and thus keep England closely tied to Spain. Elizabeth skillfully postponed the fulfillment of these hopes without destroying them. She knew that if England were to become powerful, if they were to get to be on a par with other countries such as Spain, that she could not keep England tied to Spain—dependant upon Spain. She also knew that England was not yet strong enough to challenge Spain. Philip would finally realize that Elizabeth was not going to marry him—that she was just, as we say these days, “stringing him along.” And so, he would send his famous Armada against England.

Long before the end of Elizabeth’s reign, those who sought to make the Church of England more Protestant, to move it further and faster away from the Catholic Church, became numerous. Because they sought to purify the church from all traces of Romanism, they became knows as “the Puritans.” They objected, for example, to such things as the vestments required for the clergy; they objected to any acts of the observance of the Lord’s Supper that might suggest the bodily presence of Christ [transubstantiation], and so on. Many also felt that the Episcopal form of church government was foreign to the Bible, and they desired the Presbyterian form, instead.

Let me explain what that means. The Episcopal form of government is the type of government that emerged in the Roman Catholic Church where bishops were appointed. We talked about the hierarchy of bishops that developed. That is that type of government. The Presbyterian form of government in the church is actually the biblical form, that is, each congregation being overseen by elders, or, presbyters [also called overseers, shepherds]. And so, once again, those who were called “Puritans”, or became known as the Puritans, objected to the “bishop,” or, Episcopal, form of government, and they supported, rather, the Presbyterian form of government.

Well, they would break completely with the Church of England, and they formed independent congregations. The famous Pilgrims, who were so much a part of the history of this country in the early 17^th Century, were “Separatists” or “Independents,” springing from the Puritans. The origins of the English Baptists and Congregationalists may be found, as well, among some of these Separatists groups, having emerged from, and separating themselves from, the Church of England.