"In behalf of all our Reformed Brethren": the Church of England's care for the Reformed Churches during the 18th century
O God, the Father of Mercies, who, of thy great Goodness, hast admitted us into thy Holy Church, the mystical Body of Christ, we, as living Members thereof, mourning with them that mourn, and rejoicing with them that rejoice, do now present our Supplications and Prayers at the Throne of Grace, more especially in Behalf of all our Reformed Brethren; beseeching thee to make them perfect, Establish, strengthen them; that they may stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free, and adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all Things; to preserve the Tranquility of those who at present enjoy it, and to look down with an Eye of Pity upon those, who are in Distress or Persecution on Account of thy most Holy Religion. Suffer not unreasonable and wicked Men still to triumph over thy Heritage. Plead thy Cause with them that blaspheme thy Truth, and persecute thy People. Enlighten those who are in Darkness and Error, and give them Repentance to the Acknowledgement of the Truth; that all the Ends of the Earth may remember themselves, and be turned to the Lord; and we may all become one Flock, under the great Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls, Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.
It is a prayer found in 'A Form of Prayer to be used on February 16, 1759', offered for the Reformed Churches threatened by Bourbon and Habsburg forces. The prayer reflects the care which the Church of England had for the continental Reformed Churches (a phrase embracing the Lutheran, Bohemian, and Reformed traditions) throughout the 'long 18th century'. An earlier form of the prayer was found in 'A Prayer for all Mankind, especially for the Reformed Churches' found in a 1694 'Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving':
We humbly beseech thee to extend thy mercy and compassion to all Mankind; more particularly to the Reformed Churches, and especially to those who are still under Persecution for Truth and Righteousness sake. Relieve them according to their several necessities; be a shelter and defence to them from the fury of the Oppressour: Let the sighing of the Prisoners come before thee, and according to the greatness of thy power preserve them that are appointed to die: Let not the poor always be forgotten; let not the patient abiding of the meek perish for ever. Visit in mercy them that are banished for the Testimony of thy Truth: Gather thy dispersed together, and restore the outcasts of thy People; and in thy good time bring them home to worship thee in their own Land: And whatsoever they have lost for thy sake, return it to them, according to thy gracious Promise, in the manifold Blessings of this and a better Life: Deliver Israel, O God, out of all his Troubles. And we beseech thee to enlighten all those who are in Darkness and Errour, and to give them Repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth: That all the ends of the Earth may remember themselves and be turned unto the Lord: And we may all become one Flock under the great Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls, Jesus Christ, our Blessed Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.
Both prayers illustrate how the Church of England naturally identified with the continental Reformed Churches, an identification which was later rejected by the Tractarians and which is now rarely recognised in Anglican accounts (perhaps the most significant outcome of Tractarianism). The conclusion of both prayers is also noteworthy: "one Flock under the great Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls, Jesus Christ". This is the bishopric which enabled the Church of England and the Reformed Churches "to live in unity, and godly love": a vision of unity and accord to rival the claims of the See of Rome. The Church of England's care for the Reformed Churches, therefore, was no mere political statement but, rather, an outworking of a profound ecclesial vision.
This care was also expressed in the refuge given to those from the Reformed Churches fleeing persecution in their homelands, including those from the Palatinate during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-15). In The State of the Palatines (1710), an account is given of those Calvinists from the Palatinate continuing their ecclesial life in London:
great Numbers of them go every Sunday to their Church in the Savoy, and receive the Sacrament of their own Ministers.
The church in question was the Royal Chapel in Savoy Palace, which also hosted a Lutheran congregation. In both cases, non-episcopal ministers administered the sacraments. Such arrangements were a significant and meaningful expression of the Church of England's care for the Reformed Churches. We might also consider the 1749 Act of Parliament which provided recognition of the Moravians (as an "Ancient Protestant Episcopal Church") and the relationship the Church of England had with Lutherans and Reformed in the North American colonies. In other words, the relationship between the Church of England and the Reformed Churches during the 'long 18th century' was deep and enduring, lasting into the closing years of that 'long century'.
We can, however, also look backwards, reminding ourselves that this relationship was no creation of Whig and Latitudinarian pre-occupations. Cosin, with his impeccable Laudian credentials, finished his paper on the Church of England's rejection of Tridentine teaching by outlining how the relationship with "The Reformed Churches" differed from that with "The Roman Catholics":
These acknowledge us to be true Catholics.
They do most willingly receive us into their churches, and frequently repair to ours, joining with us both in prayers and sacraments
These men, (whose predecessors were burned up and martyred, as ours have been,) being in such times of persecution received and harboured in our Churches, gave us the like relief in theirs, both in Germany and France; where, when at any time we come, they have obtained freedom for us from this kind of persecution, under which we might otherwise suffer and be in continual danger to lose our lives.
The Church of England's relationship with the Reformed Churches during the 'long 18th century', therefore, had a significant Laudian antecedent. What is more, Cosin's conclusion on the relationship with "The Reformed Churches", while critical of their lack of episcopacy, explicitly declared that this was no ground for "schism":
In all which regards we ought no less to acknowledge them, and to make no schism between our Churches and theirs, however we approve not some defects that may be seen among them.
The prayers offered for "our Reformed Brethren"; the refuge given to Lutherans, Calvinists, and Moravians; the freedom to administer the sacraments, according to Reformed and Lutheran rites and orders: these were testimony to the unity the Church of England had with the Reformed Churches, "one Flock, under the great Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls, Jesus Christ".
(The illustration is from The State of the Palatines, of the Reformed congregation in Savoy Chapel.)
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