Skip to main content

"All the blessings possessed by us in our national Church": Richard Mant and affection for Anglicanism's native piety

In two charges to his clergy in 1842, Richard Mant, Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, addressed "certain publications, under the title of 'Tracts for the Times,' which have of late been the subject of much public discussion".  Mant's Charges - published under the title The Laws of the Church, the Churchman's Guard against Romanism and Puritanism - were a superb example of how High Church bishops used their episcopal charges to refute Tract XC and restate the Old High Church tradition in the face of Tractarianism's misreading of the tradition.

In these extracts from the Charges, Mant points to how Tractarianism had abandoned "affectionate attachment" to the native piety and native constitution of Anglicanism, a defining characteristic of the High Church tradition. 

From the Charge to the clergy of Down and Connor, June 1842:

Be it our second caution, that, in our extreme reverence and affection for the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church at large, we do not abate the feelings and restrict the conduct of dutiful respect, which becomes us in relation to our national branch of it.

 To be conscious on good grounds that we are true members of the Catholic Church of Christ, such as she was founded under his authority by his Apostles, is one of the purest and most abundant sources of delight, which in our present state of trial has been vouchsafed to us by our God and Redeemer.  But all the means of grace and holiness, all the blessings of apostolical doctrine and fellowship, are possessed by us in our national Church; and it is by communion with her that we have communion with "the Holy Ghost throughout all the world". To her, our most holy mother in Christ Jesus our Lord, our first, our best, our most affectionate regards are due; the regards of dutiful children to a tender parent deserving of all love and honour.

[S]he claims our filial confidence, as in this kingdom the legitimate descendant of primeval, and the unrivalled glory of modern, Christendom ... who bore us at our new birth, and carried us in her arms, and strengthened us by the imposition of hands episcopal, and fed us with the bread of life, and gave us to drink the waters of salvation, and sent us forth, as her ministers and representatives, under a solemn pledge to "give our faithful diligence always so to minister the doctrine and sacraments, and the discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, and as she hath received the same".

From the Charge to the clergy of Dromore, July 1842:

But to those who contemplate the Rome-ward movement, on the one hand, though they may not participate in the excessive alarm which has been raised on that behalf, still sufficient reason may appear for caution, lest we be betrayed into an abatement of affectionate attachment, and a partial dereliction of duty, to our reformed Church.

Comments

  1. William26 June 2019 at 11:18

    As a matter of stylistic curiosity, I note the use of "Rd" before "Down, Connor and Dromore". I've seen this in a few other places, does anyone know what it means?

    I was wondering if "Reverend" but surely it would then be "Right Reverend"?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. laudable Practice27 June 2019 at 22:10

      Excellent question. I will have to examine further.

      Delete
  2. The Jester of Qi27 June 2019 at 17:28

    There is no theology here- he argues here purely on the basis of filial loyalty to one's native church, a sentiment he certainly did not respect among the Irish people he was posted to, and who ran him out of his see in Killaloe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. laudable Practice27 June 2019 at 22:16

      The idea that filial loyalty to one's native Church is not a deeply theological concept is, I think, somewhat odd. "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ...".

      As to your comment regarding his experience in Killaloe, the point is that Mant regarded the Church of Ireland to be the native church of this Island. It continues to be the claim of the Declaration of the Church of Ireland, to which all clergy in this Church subscribe: " this the Ancient Catholic and Apostolic Church of Ireland".

      Delete
    2. The Jester of Qi28 June 2019 at 16:10

      This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why I support the ordination of women: a High Church reflection

A number of commenters on this blog have asked about my occasional expressions of support for the ordination of women to all three orders.  With some hesitation, I have decided to post a summary of my own views on this matter.  The hesitation is because I have sought on this blog to focus on issues and themes which can unify those who identify with or have respect (grudging or otherwise!) for what we might term 'classical' Anglicanism (the Anglicanism of the Formularies and - yes - of the Old High Church tradition).  Some oppose the ordination of women (and I have friends and colleagues who do so, Anglo-Catholic, High Church, and Reformed Evangelical).  Some of us support it (again, friends and colleagues covering a wide range of theological traditions). Below, I have organised my thinking around 5 points (needless to say, no reference to Dort is implied). 1. The Declaration for Subscription required of clergy in the Church of Ireland states: (6) I promise to submit ...
25 comments
Read more

How the Old High tradition continued

Charles Gore's 1914 letter to the clergy of his diocese, ' The Basis of Anglican Fellowship ', can be regarded as a classical expression of the Prayer Book Catholic tradition.  A key part of the letter - entitled 'Romanizing in the Church of England' - addressed the "Catholic movement", questioning beliefs and practices within it which tended to "a position which makes it very difficult for its extremer representatives to give an intelligible reason why they are not Roman Catholics".  Gore provides the outlines of an alternative account and experience of catholicity within Anglicanism, defined by three characteristics.  What is particularly interesting about these characteristics is their continuity with the older High Church tradition.  Indeed, the central characteristic as set out by Gore was integral to High Church claims over centuries: To accept the Anglican position as valid, in any sense, is to appeal behind the Pope and the authority of t...
19 comments
Read more

Pride, progressive sectarianism, and TEC on Facebook

Let me begin this post with an assumption that will be rejected by some readers of laudable Practice , but affirmed by other readers. Observing Pride is an understandable aspect of the public ministry of TEC.  On previous occasions , I have rather robustly called for TEC to be much more aware and respectful of the social conservatism of the Red states and regions in which it ministers. A failure to do so risks TEC declining yet further into the irrelevance of progressive sectarianism.  At the same time, TEC also obviously ministers in deep Blue states and metropolitan areas - and is the only Mainline Protestant tradition in which a majority of its members vote Democrat .* With Pride now an established civic commemoration, particularly in such contexts, there is a case for TEC affirming those aspects of Pride - the dignity of gay men and lesbian women, their contribution to civic life, and their place in the church's life - which cohere with a Christian moral vision. (I will n...
4 comments
Read more