traces of the Saviour's own work of atonement recognized,

and yet the whole is intended to magnify his name.

Theodorus, who was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 669, on his first visitation, amongst many directions' concerning trivial things, is said to have preached the pure Gospel: he directed that every father should teach his child the Creed and the Lord's Prayer in the vulgar tongue. †

We turn with fond but vain desire to these scanty records for fuller information. The glimmering taper is not sufficient to illuminate the palace of truth, but it enables us to make out some of its foundations.

The best feature of the Anglo-Saxon Church was its missionary spirit. In the year 694, Wilfred, Abbot of Ripon, organized a mission to Friesland, which, under the leadership of Willibrod, became successful in planting the Gospel along the coasts of the German Ocean opposite to us, and whence our Saxon forefathers had emigrated. Winfred, a native of Crediton in Devonshire, became the *Thorpe's "Cadmon," 305.

† Dr. Hook, “Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury,” vol. i., p. 150.

apostle of Germany. Though a strict adherent of the Papacy, yet he evinced zeal for the honour of Christ, for the conversion of souls, the spirituality of worship, and the advancement of pure religion. In 680, Kilian with twelve companions went to Franconia on the like errand.

The bishops published homilies on Scripture topics, several of which are still extant, to be read by the clergy to their flocks. The Gospels were translated from the Latin more than once. Many manuscripts of these translations still exist among the rarer treasures in our libraries.

In the year 705, "when Aldhelm became Bishop of Sherborne, he went to Canterbury to be consecrated by his old friend Berthwold. At this time, ships arrived at Dover with merchandise; and, amongst other works, a copy of the Old and New Testament was there, which he bought and placed in the church at Sherborne."* It is pleasant, too, to read of the same Aldhelm, disguised as a minstrel, stationing himself on the bridge over the river Ivel, attracting a crowd by his sweet music and song, and then, having secured their attention, turning his theme from the deeds of heroes to the glad tidings of the Gospel.

In the year 780, King Offa gave a great Bible to the church at Worcester. Alfred translated portions of the Psalter, and wrote devout reflections, in his version of Boethius, for the spiritual instruction of the people.

The canon of Ælfric to Wulfinus, a bishop in 970, enacts that "On Sundays and festivals, the priest ought to explain to the people the sense of the Gospel in

* Maitland, "Dark Ages."

English, and, by the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed, to excite men to religion."

It would have been gratifying to have given a distinguished place in the noble army of martyrs to Boniface, the Devonshire monk or missionary of 718, who carried the knowledge of Christianity to the Germanic tribes, and met his death in the year 755, whilst attempting to win them to the cause of the Church. But the extant records of his writings show that he had no higher motive or ambition than to extend the dominions of his sovereign the Pope.

Alcuin, the most learned man of the eighth century, and a native of York, where he was born about the year 735, belongs more to France than England; for his chief works were written either during his residence at the Court of Charlemagne, or in his retirement at the Abbey of Tours, where he died in 804. He was unquestionably a man of deep personal piety, of devout habit, and of large Scriptural knowledge. But his voluminous writings seldom display the progress of his own inner life. For sixteen years he superintended, at York, the college in which he had been trained. It is refreshing to think of the young man opening his literary career by a Scriptural defence of the worship of Christ, and of the old man closing it by a revision of the Latin text of the Bible.

Alcuin, in his instructions to Christian missionaries, requires them to teach the doctrine that our Saviour came into the world for the salvation of the human race; but he accompanies it with the direction that the pagans should be previously informed for what sins they would

have to suffer everlasting punishments, and for what good deeds they will enjoy unceasing glory with Christ.*

The same writer urges on his correspondents the paramount duty of studying the Scriptures. To one he says, "Write the Gospel in your heart;" to another, "I wish the four Gospels, instead of the twelve Æneids, filled your breast;""Read diligently, I beseech you, the Gospels of Christ." Still more explicitly he writes-"Study Christ as foretold in the books of the prophets, and as exhibited in the Gospels; and when you find Him, do not lose Him, but introduce him into the home of thy heart, and make Him the ruler of thy life. Love Him as thy Redeemer and thy Governor, and as the Dispenser of all thy comforts. Keep His commandments, because in them is eternal life." + The dedication of his Notes on Genesis to his friend Sigulf acquaints us with his mental activity, and serves to show that the scholars of that day were no mean students of Holy Scripture. It is as follows:"As thou, my dearest brother, hast so long been my inseparable and faithful companion, and as I know with what ardour thou studiest the Holy Scriptures, I have collected and dedicated to thee a few questions upon the Book of Genesis, which I remember thou hast at different times proposed to me. I have done this that thou mayst always have at hand a means of refreshing thy memory, which often loses that which it should retain, if we do not preserve those things we desire to remember, in writing. This is especially the case with us, whose thoughts are *Turner's "Anglo-Saxons," vol. iii., p. 487. + Ibid., p. 498.

distracted by temporal business, and who are frequently exhausted by the fatigue of long journeys. As we cannot encumber ourselves with ponderous volumes, we must provide ourselves with abridgments, that the precious pearl of wisdom may be lightened, and the weary traveller possess something wherewith he may refresh himself without fatiguing his hand with too heavy a burthen. There are, however, in this book, many difficult questions, which at present I am neither willing nor able to solve, and concerning which thou hast not desired information. Those which are here treated of are chiefly historical, and for which a simple answer will suffice: the others, on the contrary, require more profound investigation, and a more copious explanation." The object of the work is to point out the connexion between the narratives of Genesis and the doctrines of redemption and life of Christ. In his homage to the Divine Saviour, he allows his fancy to run riot in search of types and analogies; but the scope of his teaching is usually correct and valuable.

One of the capitularies of Charlemagne (probably indited by Alcuin) is, "Let preaching always be performed in such a manner that the common people may be able to understand it thoroughly." * One of Alcuin's letters to Charlemagne relates to the mode of the atonement, and is a reply to the inquiries and suggestions of a subtle Greek on this vital subject. The Anglo-Saxon gladly recognized and taught the universal scope of the offer of salvation made in revelation. His works abound

* Guizot, "History of Civilization," Lecture 21.