Слике страница
PDF
ePub

CHURCH HISTORY.

their attention chiefly to the forms of worship, the consti tution of the church, and other things generally comprehended under the name of ecclesiastical antiquities. All these, of course, have important relations to each other. The earliest writers of C. H. were in general mere chroniclers, following the order of time. In the great work of the Magdeburg centuriators, a method was adopted, of which there had been previous examples, and which afterward became frequent, of treating each century separately, the centuries being subdivided according to con venience of subjects; but arrangements less mechanical and arbitrary have been adopted by the most eminent modern authors. With much diversity on minor points, there is general agreement in dividing the whole history of the church into three great periods: the first, from our Savior to the time of Constantine; the second, from that time to the Reformation; and the third, from the Reformation to the present day.

The earliest facts of C. H. are to be learned only from the New Testament, after which, however, the epistles and other writings of the apostolic and other primitive fathers, afford sources of information, unfortunately, very scanty. Hegesippus, who wrote about the middle of the 2d c., has transmitted to us some very imperfect memorials of these early times; but the first proper ecclesiastical history is that of Eusebius of Cæsarea (324). This work was continued to the 5th c. by Socrates Scolasticus, Hermias Sozomenus, and Theodoret. Similar compilations were executed by Lactantius, Epiphanius, Hieronymus, Theodoret of Cyrus, Philostorgius, and Zosimus. In the 6th c. the ecclesiastical historians are: Theodorus Lector, Evagrius, and Nicephorus Callistius; in the 8th the venerable Bede and Paul Warnefried; in the 9th Theophanes Confessor, Claudius of Turin, Haymo of Halberstadt, Scotus Erigena, and Hinkmar of Rheims; in the 12th and 13th, Photius, Simeon Metaphrastes, Theophylact, Matthew Paris, Albert of Strasburg, and Ptolemy of Lucca; in the 15th Laurentius Valla is the most conspicuous name. Protestant writers were the first to treat C. H. in a critical and scientific manner. This was natural, for their position as apparent schismatics compelled them to vindicate historically the changes to which they had wrought in the character of the church. Hence their writings were of an apologetic and polemical cast. The first work of this kind was the Magdeburg Centuries (q.v.), published by Matthias Flacius. Special histories of the Reformation were composed by Sleidan and Seckendorf. In the 17th c. Calixtus distinguished himself in this department, and after him Thom. Illig, Adam Rechenberg, and Thomasius. The new life that awoke in Germany toward the middle of the 18th c. produced a multitude of church-historians, notably Arnold, C. M. Pfaff, Mosheim, Semler, and J. Matth. Schröckh; while in still more recent times, Marheineke, Danz, Neander, Gieseler, Hagenbach, and Kurtz, have achieved the highest distinction in the same sphere of labor. But others besides the Lutheran divines have ren

CHURCHILL.

dered valuable services to church history. The Reformed Church boasts the eminent names of Du Moulin, Joh. Dalaus, Blondel, Hottinger, Spanheim, Turretin, Venema, Jablonski, and recently, D'Aubigné; while among Englishmen, Usher, Pearson, Bingham, Lardner, and recently Milman and Maurice. have won a distinguished place. Scotland has few names, the chief being Calderwood, Wodrow, McCrie, and recently Cunningham. In the Rom. Cath. church, since the Reformation, ecclesiastical historians have rarely aimed at a philosophic spirit, but have appeared mainly in the character of defenders of the papacy. The greatest names in C. H. in Rom. Cath. France are Tillemont, Bossuet, Bayle, Du Pin, Thomassin, and Fleury. Among Italians may be mentioned Orsi, Saccharelli, Pallavicini, Guicciardini, and Muratori; and among the Roman Catholics of Germany, Dannemayr, Count Stolberg, Ritter, Hortig, and Döllinger. The method of F. C. Baur (q.v.), developed by him especially with regard to the first three centuries of the Christian Church, has deeply influenced all subsequent writing of church history. Recently the best works have been monographs and histories of limited periods.

CHURCHILL, cherch'il, CHARLES: English poet, now remembered almost as much for his profligacy as for his poetry; 1731-1764, Nov. 4; b. Westminster; where his father was a curate. He was educated at Westminster school, and in his 17th year made a clandestine marriage. In 1756, he was ordained, and two years afterward succeeded his father as curate of St. John's, Westminster. Soon after his transference here, he fell into habits very ill-becoming his clerical character. In 1761, he published (at his own risk, the booksellers having refused him five guineas for it) The Rosciad, a satire on theatrical managers and performers, which displayed much critical acumen, clever sarcasm, and no little humor, and had such immense success that C., who on its publication had withheld his name, was soon delighted to avow himself author. In the same year appeared The Apology, a bitter satire on some of his critics, which added alike to his purse and his notoriety. He now totally neglected the duties of his office, was a constant attender at theatres, and altogether led a most dissolute life. His parishioners were scandalized, and his dean remonstrated, whereupon C., to show his utter contempt for the ministerial profession, appeared in a blue coat, gold-laced hat and waistcoat, and large ruffles. He was obliged, however, to resign his preferment, which pecuniary sacrifice was little, as his works brought him considerable sums. He further displayed the complete licentiousness of his nature by separating from his wife, and seducing the daughter of a tradesman in Westminster, and by endeavoring to excuse his vices in a poem called Night, on the ground that avowed profligacy was more harmless than profligacy practiced in concealment. The boon-companion of as great a debauchee as himselfWilkes-he contributed to the pages of the North Briton, among other things, The Prophecy of Famine, A Scots Pas

CHURCHILL-CHURCH RATES.

oral, one of the best of his satires. Among his other works, all more or less satirical, are the Epistle to Hogarth, The Author, The Candidate, The Ghost, Gotham, The Duellist, etc., of which The Author is the best. He died while on a visit to Wilkes at Boulogne. C.'s thorough reprobacy has naturally led to an unjust depreciation of his poetical abilities. See Poetical Works, by Took (1867), with Life, by Hannay.

CHURCHILL, JOHN: see MARLBOROUGH.

CHURCHILL, or MISSINNIPPI, mis-sin-nip'pi, or ENGLISH, RIVER: in British America. It rises in the prov. of Saskatchewan, lat. 55 n., long. 111° w., or, as some say, in Lake Methy, further ne; flows e. and n.e. through Lakes Buffalo, La Crosse, and Nelson, and falls into Hudson's Bay in lat. 59 n., long. 94° w., after a course of some 800 miles.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND: see ENGLAND, CHURCH OF. CHURCH OF ENGLAND, FREE: see EPISCOPAL CHURCH, REFORMED.

OF.

CHURCH OF GOD: see WINEBRENNARIANS.

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND: see SCOTLAND, CHURCH

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, FREE. see FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

CHURCH RATES, in England: tax or assessment laid on the parishioners and occupiers of land within a parish, by a majority of their own body in vestry assembled, for the purpose of upholding and repairing the fabric of the church and the belfry, the bells, seats, and ornaments, the church-yard fence, and the expenses (other than those of maintaining the minister) incident to the celebration of divine service. The parishioners are convened for this purpose by the church wardens (q.v.). The chancel (q.v.) being regarded as belonging peculiarly to the clergy, the expense of maintaining it is laid on the rector or vicar, though custom frequently lays this burden also on the parishioners, as in London and elsewhere.

The C. R. were anciently a charge on the tithes of the parish, which were divided into three portions: one for the structure of the church, one for the poor, and the third for the ministers of the church. This distribution is said to have originated with Pope Gregory, who enjoined St. Augustine thus to divide such voluntary offerings as might be made to his missionary church in England. A canon of Abp. Elfric, 970, and an act of the Wittenagemote, 1014, in Ethelred's time, have been quoted in proof of the recognition of this rule by the Saxons of that age. It seems to have been their custom, also, to devote to the repair of each church a portion of the fines paid for offenses committed within the district attached to it; and every bishop was bound to contribute to the repair of his own church from his own means. A third of the tithes thus originally devoted to the repairs of churches continued to be applied

CHURCH RATES.

to that purpose under the Normans down to the middle of the 1th c.; and the manner in which this burden came to be shifted to the parishioners has been a subject of much discussion among legal antiquaries. Lord, then Sir John, Campbell, who published a pamphlet on the suject in 1837, is of opinion that the contributions of the parishioners were at first purely voluntary, and that the custom growing, it at last assumed the form of an obligation. and was enforced by ecclesiastical censures. The care of the fabric of the church, and the due administration of its offices are laid upon the ministers and the church wardens conjointly, and the latter may be proceeded against by citation, in the ecclesiastical courts, should they neglect these duties. But there is no legal mode of compelling the parishioners as a body to provide the rate and this circumstance has occasioned much difficulty in imposing the tax in parishes in which dissent is prevalent, and led to many churches falling into a partially ruinous condition. The proper criterion for the amount of C. R. is a valuation of the property within the parish, grounded on the rent that a tenant would be willing to pay for it. Glebe land, the possessions of the crown in the actual occupation of the Sovereign, and places of public worship are not liable for C. R.; but there is no other exception as regards immovable property, and in some parishes, custom even extends it to stock in trade. It has been often decided in the courts that a retrospective church-rate-i.e., a rate for expenses previously incurred-cannot be validly imposed. Much difficulty has been experienced in recovering the rates imposed by the parish on individuals refusing to pay. In 1868 an end was put to all parochial contentions by enacting that no suit or proceeding should thereafter be allowed in any court to enforce or compel payment of a churchrate, except where a local act authorized this rate. But except so far as related to the compulsory payment of these rates, the church-wardens might, as before, make, assess, receive, and deal with such rates. In each district parish the inhabitants may treat their own church as if it were their parish church, and make and receive rates for the repair of the same. A body of trustees may now be appointed in each parish to receive contributions for ecclesiastical purposes in the parish. The result of this act of 31 and 32 V. c. 109, is thus not to abolish church rates, but rather to convert them into voluntary payments; allowing, as it does, all faithful adherents of the church to contribute, as before, to the repairs of thefr own churches. In Scotland the burden of upholding the (Presb.) parish churches is by custom imposed on the heritors of the parish; and where the parish is partly within burgh and partly in the country, the expense must be borne by heritors and proprietors of houses, in proportion to their real rent: see SCOTLAND, CHURCH OF: also DISSENTERS: PARISH. Though very little is said on the subject in Scotland, the question is still on the same footing as i used to be in England; and an Episcopalian heritor would have as much reason for refusing to pay the customary parish burdens as

CHURCH ROAD-CHURN.

the English dissenter had for refusing to pay church rates. In Ireland, church rates were abolished 1823.

CHURCH ROAD see HIGHWAYS.

CHURL, n. cherl [AS. ceorl, a countryman: Dut. kaerle; Icel. karl, a man, a rustic: Ger. kerl, a fellow]: a country. man; a surly man. CHURLISH, a. cher lish, rude; surly; sullen; rough in temper; selfish; said of things unyielding; cross-grained; hard or firm. CHUR LISHLY, ad. l. CHURLISHNESS, n. rudeness of manners or temper.

CHURN, n. chern [Icel. kjarni; Ger. kern, the kernel, the choice part of a thing-whence Icel. kirna; Fris. kernjen, to churn: Dut. and Ger. kernen, to curdle, to churn]:: machine for agitating milk or cream in order to separate. the butter: V. to shake or agitate cream in order to make butter. CHURN'ING, imp.: N. the operation of making butter by agitating milk or cream, or the quantity made at one time. CHURNED, pp. chernd. For the principle of this operation, see BUTTER. Of the great variety of forms that have been given to the machine, it is difficult to determine which deserves the preference. It is obvious that the more thorough and uniform the agitation, the more completely will the butter be separated from the milk. The consistency and color of the butter also are elements in judging of the relative merits of churns. The temperature of the air and the milk affect the butter in these respects. During summer that of the milk should not exceed 62°, and in very hot weather may be under 60°. During cold weather the milk should be about 2 higher when put into the churn. The speed at which the operation is performed also influences the result. Trials instituted to test the

[graphic][ocr errors]

Anthony's American Atmospheric Churn.

relative merits of churns have failed to settle which is the best form for actual use in the dairy, for the same machine under different conditions does not always yield the same result. The oldest form is the upright or plunge churn. There is a general prejudice in favor of this form of C., on the ground that the butter is more completely separated

« ПретходнаНастави »