IX.

After them came Henry VIII.  He was a Catholic, and defended the Catholic religion.  He wrote a book against Martin Luther in defense of the Catholic doctrine.  That book, I have seen in the library of the Vatican at Rome a few years ago.  Henry VIII.  defended the religion, and for doing so was titled by the Pope, "Defender of the Faith."  It came down with his successors and Queen Victoria inherits it today.  He was married to Catherine of Aragon, but there was at his court a maid of honor to the Queen, named Ann Boleyn, who was a beautiful woman and captivating in appearance.  Henry was determined to have her, but he was a married man.  He sent a petition to the Pope asking to be allowed to marry her, and a foolish petition it was, for the Pope had no power to grant the prayer of it.  The Pope and all the bishops in the world cannot go against the will of God.  Christ says: "If a man putteth away his wife and marrieth another, he commiteth adultery, and he that marrieth her who is put away committeth adultery also."  

As the Pope would not grant the prayer of Henry's petition, he took Ann Boleyn, anyhow, and was excommunicated from the Church.  

After a while there was another maid of honor, prettier than the first, more beautiful and charming in the eyes of Henry, and he said he must have her too.  He took the third wife, and a fourth, fifth and sixth followed.  Now this is the founder of the Anglican Church, the Church of England.  

Our Episcopalian friends are making great efforts, nowadays, to call themselves Catholic, but they shall never come to it.  They admit that the name Catholic is a glorious one and they would like to possess it.  The Apostles said, "I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church."  They never said, in the Anglican Church.  The Anglicans deny their religion, for they say they believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church.  Ask them, are they Catholics, and they say, "Yes, but not Roman Catholics.  We are English Catholics."  What is the meaning of the word Catholic?  It comes from the Greek word Catholicus, universal, spread all over the earth, and everywhere the same.  Now, first of all, the Anglican Church is not spread all over the earth.  It only exists in a few countries, and chiefly only where the English language is spoken.  Secondly, they are not the same all over the earth, for there are now four different Anglican churches: The Low Church, the High Church, the Ritualist Church and the Puseyite Church.  Catholicus means more than this, not only spread all over the earth and everywhere the same, but it means, moreover, at all times the same, from Christ up to the present day.  Now, then, they have not been in existence from the time of Christ.  There never was an Episcopalian Church or an Anglican Church before Henry VIII.  The Catholic Church had already existed fifteen hundred years before the Episcopal came into the world.  

After Episcopalianism, different other churches sprang up.  Next came the Methodist, about one hundred and fifty years ago.  It was started by John Wesley, who was at first a member of the Episcopalian Church.  Subsequently, he joined the Moravian Brethren, but not liking them, he made a religion of his own, the Methodist Church. 

After John Wesley several others sprang up, and finally, came the Campbellites, about sixty years ago.  This Church was established by Alexander Campbell, a Scotchman.