Edward VI and Mary I

In the 16th century. One woman made it unsafe to be Protestant as quick as she could since she was Queen Mary returned to England to Roman Catholicism, evangelical bishops were removed from depositions, Bibles were removed from churches. Clergy were separated from their wives.

Quite simply, the national clock was turned back 20 years. The Reformation was not an easy time during the reign of Mary the first Protestants found themselves targets of struggle between Roman Catholic and Protestant clergy reading today on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Michael Reeves explains the misery brought on by this conflict, but we will discover that all was not lost. Welcome back.

Well, waiting to move on from looking at Henry VIII now keeping with the big picture I move on to see what happened next in the rains of his son, Edward and his eldest daughter, Mary. Now Henry had left the education of his younger two children Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth to Catherine Paul. His lost wife. By this time Mary had grown up. She was about 30 years old by this stage and she wasn't educated, along with Edward and Elizabeth, but Edward and Elizabeth for them. The finest teachers in the land were found by this stage happened to be rather evangelical and told by the best. Both Edward and Elizabeth grew up to be personally adamant evangelicals. So when in 1547, King Henry VIII donate and his son became king Edward VI. England was placed now for a true Reformation. Cranmer was thrilled lost his wife to come out of the box and he could set about promoting an unadulterated evangelicalism because now England had own young King Josiah Edwards was only nine when he became king and said his uncle Edward Seymour that Yuko Somerset the Seymour room.

The Edwards mother was Queen Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, Edward Seymour ruled as Lord protector while Edward was so young and it was Edward Seymour, who along with the Archbishop Cranmer now sets about the work Protestant reform. Now you need to know. King introduced new, young and old lists.

Edwards had a losing of what he contemptuously called a history and for a young boy had remarkably sold through evangelical convictions for the first couple years, Seymour and Cranmer works gently so as to acclimatize England to a Protestant future. They didn't want to unnecessarily raise hackles when I say raise hackles I'm talking about inciting civil war to change the Henry's laws against evangelical beliefs and practices were overturned allowing clergy to marry. Cranmer was relieved people would now receive the bread and wine in communion before the people would receive the why this was said to be the very blood of Christ, and you don't want someone spilling the blood of Christ, but now they would receive both bread and wine orders went out the images of saints to be removed from churches full service alters of places where Christ will be re-sacrificed in the mass alters a place of sacrifice alters will be replaced with tables which are places for a family meal and prayer book in English, the book of common prayer was written to ensure that in every church service.

It would be English in language and evangelical in content preaching was commanded in English and many notable preachers such as Hugh Latimer now became household names of those clergy who weren't able to produce their own sermons had taught how to preach for them a book of homebase was written and this was really a book of off the rack sermons anyone could read out from the pulpit and you could read it out and you have a faithful explanation of justification by faith alone and those were getting ordained to be ministers. There was a new expectation now is clear. Being a minister is not about being a priest offering sacrifices.

It's about being a pasta holding out the word of God to people. Therefore, when you are ordained now instead of being invested with priestly clothes you be given the Bible.

Things were changing. It was far too much for some in 1549, there was a popular uprising in the Southwest, mainly against the fact of the prayer book was now in English.

This is the sort of thing that made performance like Cranmer dispatch as they thought. Here are rebels fighting for the prayer book in Latin, though they don't understand such a superstition.

In that same year, 5049 John Dudley took over from Edward Seymour's Lord protector and he now applies his foot more firmly to the Excelerator of the Reformation things picked up speed and at the same time England became an ideal refuge for a number of continental reformers who now finding themselves on the run Holy Roman Empire had victorious armies marching through Europe and so many of them fled across the English Channel to England, for example, Mohsen Buser Strasburg. He became professor at Cambridge and helped grandma Wright is prep a piece of matzoh became professor at Oxford and help, rewrite is prep and Cranmer wrote to prayer books in this time. If you want the dates that 1549, 1552. We don't the days he went to first and a second, and the differences between these two prep books show really nicely how the Reformation moves so the first one 1549, edition maybe we didn't quite know maybe it was written deliberately as a stopgap digestible easy Reformation theology to offensive not too strong. In any case, there was something about transubstantiation. Nothing about the Catholic mass, but other than the fact that it was in English was nothing much in it that would offend the Catholic.

So when you receive the bread in communion.

You hear these words, the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is given for you. Preserve your body and so on to everlasting life is a Lutheran statement Catholic would be to offend by the little Lutherans coming over from the continent to England. Therefore England is never been particular affected by Lutheranism. There really those influenced by's wastes Protestantism that came over when some of these men came over they hated that 1549 prep book, it felt to too much of 1/2 way house to them and whether Cranmer had been planning this.

In any case or not, whether his theology had moved on 1552 versus second prep book was rather different.

Hear the words you hear when you're given bread 1552 prep book taken this in remembrance that Christ died for you and feed on him in your hot by faith, with thanksgiving, no Catholics can be happy with that. Now the Reformation in England and moved on. One more thing worth noting in crime is prep book hear the opening words for the communion service is a wonderful prayer you can make your own if you want.

Is this opening prayer you tear in the communion service Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love the and were thoroughly magnify thy holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen. The hats prayer captures a co-op Reformation insights that dealing with the hot is essential to true Reformation Reformation of life's the question of the heart was a crucial element in the Reformation on the pastoral practice of the reformers and that is because from Lucent on the mainstream reformers were clear. Satan is something deeper than just a bad a bad choice to disobey God. No acts of sin are rotated from deep within. They come from a practical rottenness in our hearts. And if that's the case, salvation can't simply be about the amending of our external behavior. All very hearts need to be dealt with a hearts need to be reformed, that we might truly love the Lord our God treasure him, enjoy him, and so TC instead of Cranmer asking God for grace to simply amend our behavior. He asks that the spiritual cleanse all very hearts, deep, deep down, so we might be changed were new to heartily love and joy long to glorify the God we come to treasure real difference. That was the sort of theology now being heard in churches across the country being heard from the pulpits of men such as Hugh Lawson then the runaway train of evangelical reform came to a crunching with the death of King Edward H just 15 and 1553 now fearing it was coming.

He wasn't well knowing it will be his arch Catholic half sister, Mary, who had come to the throne and undo everything he'd accomplished Edward Hatch to daring plan. He would place and ensure that Lady Jane Grey resolutely evangelical cousin of his will become queen she was next in line off the Henry's children after Elizabeth and Mary. She become queen before Mary could get so the moment Edward died, Jane was proclaimed Queen in London, all to no avail.

Mary and Norfolk swiftly mustered support and plan had not accounted for the fact that the people wanted a legitimate monarch more than a Protestant one. Mary entered London and Jane was sent swiftly to the tower and executed the people wanted the right crew of the king Protestant, and even the Protestants.

Many of them supported Mary no dreaming how severely she would treat them. Mary your member was the daughter of Catherine of Aragon. Henry's first wife.

Now Mary had been brought up the unquestioned princess of Henry's Roman Catholic courts B in a childhood and then suddenly she'd been declared illegitimate no longer princess and pressed to renounce Catholicism.

When Henry broke with Rome. And so for Mary Protestantism wasn't just a heresy, it was the reason for all hobos as quick as she could assume she was Queen Mary returned England to Roman Catholicism, evangelical bishops were removed from their positions. Archbishop Cranmer was removed and replaced with Cardinal Reginald Pole Bibles were removed from churches. Clergy were separated from their wives. Quite simply, the national clock was turned back 20 years. It was as if for Mary the whole distasteful episode of the Reformation never happened. Many, many ways.

England seemed quite willing. There were few rights against the new order, but there were many who actually seemed relieved also to Catholic Church furniture seemed to reappear out of the woodwork priestly vestments images of saints that have been hidden from Edwards purges no real clearly Edwards reforms have been popular with everyone but it's impossible to wipe out 20 years of history.

Things couldn't quite go back to being how they were of one thing always ministries monastic estates. When can I get handed back because Landon is will he might be happy to go to a Catholic mass, but I know good and that land back and it was simply too late now to pretend no one had read the Bible in English or heard any evangelical sermon and people have begun to have doubts about traditional teaching so that even if they weren't convinced evangelicals. They went going to spend money on practices, pilgrimages, and so on. They weren't convinced woodwork and even if the doubts didn't come from Bible reading. It's very hard. People to take seriously the images of saints. We've seen the great root of bulk sleeping loft at Mary's problem was, she knew all would be in vain if she didn't have that old problem again. She needed a baby.

She needed a husband who should be. She chose the future. Philip the second of Spain. You can see why she always be more comfortable in Spanish society. Her mother was Spanish than ever.

She'd been in English society.

Unlike her.

Philip was an implacable enemy of Protestantism bots while people be prepared to put up with a certain amount of Mary's conflict climbed down grisly stories of the Spanish Inquisition made people worried and as it happened, their worst fears were realized seeing where the wind was blowing.

Many persons fled to brought to places like Calvin's Geneva. Others stayed and decided to operate secretly in large, often very large underground churches secretly distributing their evangelical literature, lying low those who stayed didn't lie low will bond you know and install contrast to the tolerance of Edwards writing Mary's rain saw some 300 evangelicals burned to death's sake. And that's not counting the many many others who died in her renters conditions in the 16th century presence now we need to note off to Auschwitz 300. Doesn't sound like that much for its day. This was a true terrifying Holocaust among Mary's most famous victims were the old Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas, that great preacher and Bishop of Worcester, Hugh Latimer and the Bishop of London Nicholas Ridley in 1555 Ridley and Larson were bound back to back and burned at the end of Broad Street and Oxford kulak some of the great preacher was about 18 years old when this happened, he was the first to die and he shouted these words through the flames. Be of good comfort, most directly play the man for we shall visit day like such accountant told by God's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out.

Pull Ridley here had the words laid badly around him and so will his legs burned off before the rest of him is touched and the horrible signs apparently moved hundreds to tears and sympathy.

Five months later Thomas Cranmer was bundled exactly the same spot there and Oxford. Now the old Archbishop and architect of so much of the English Reformation. He was now nearly 70 under extreme duress he had renounced Protestantism that was a triumph. Mary's rain but despite his recantation, Cranmer was seen as such an embodiment of English Protestantism.

It was decided he should burned to death anyway that was a decision that would more than undo Mary's victory because when the day came, Cranmer refused to read out his recantation instead he stated boldly.

He was a Protestant.

Though a cowardly one for having forsaken his principles under such duress in consequence he announced for as much as my hand offended writing. Contrary to my heart, my hand shall first be punished. Therefore, he was true to his word, when the fires were lit. He put out the hand that is signed his recantation that it might burn fast, having briefly denied his Protestantism Cranmer thus died was a movingly defined bravery must died the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury now the unexpected steadfast courage of so many mountains coupled with the sheer brutality of Mary's regime simply couldn't fail to move the people of England. The buntings seared into the national conscience and Association of Rome with tyranny and Mary's connections with Spain just made these mountains look like English patriots so realizing this, the government decided in 1558 burn heretics behind prison walls. What would be seen in offended people anymore happened to legs. Had Mary produce children. England would like to have remained officially Catholic. However, what Mary's thoughts was the long for pregnancy actually turned out to be stomach cancer and on November 17 1558. She died followed within hours by her Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Reginald Pole in the end blood. The Queen Mary as she became known the understand why her cocktail of burnings Spanish connections Rome simply repelled the English from the Catholicism she was seeking to reimpose I'm watching it all from abroad. Those who are in exile like in Calvin's Geneva. More passionate than ever to return and purify England substance.

So when Mary died they want to Catholic Protestantism is Dr. Michael Reeves teaching from his series, the English Reformation and the Puritans were listening to Renewing Your Mind on this Wednesday I we web. Thank you for being was. Many people assume otherwise. But the goal of the divided Roman Catholics and Protestants remains to this day as we listen to Dr. reef series this week we see why it's so important for us to study those differences will also discover why it's critical for us to stand firm for biblical truth will send you this 12 part series when you contact us today with your donation of any amount you can call us and make your request or give your donation online. Our number is 800-435-4343 under web address is Renewing Your Mind.Ward Dr. Reese is Pres. and a professor at Union school of theology in Wales. He is certainly a popular speaker at our national conferences each year and is been a guest before here on Renewing Your Mind.

I've always enjoyed visiting with them in the during one of our times here in the studio asked him about how the theology of the Reformation has affected him personally. I was about 21 and I had been brought up in evangelical circles when I had catastrophic crisis of faith – and everything I thought a no-show what to do with say James to which talks about Jameses so we all know saved by justification that is alone and that seemed to confuse me and so I almost people what I could trust how to be saved.

I wasn't getting good allowances from Christians around me.

Unfortunately, so I stumbled across various books by reformers and Puritans, and I found own since the idea never come across before I stumbled across Martin Luther and he seemed to struggle exactly as I'd struggled with a very intense and emotionally deep wrestling did you find that encouraging to know that he struggled okay was vital for me to know. I actually didn't know anyone else who seemed to take so seriously as he did the spiritual truths.

I thought he is a man is taking this as seriously as I'm taking this this is no joke. This is a matter of time. Life and death. So he's feeling what I'm feeling, but he had on since this is the penetration away. I'd never heard anything like this before. I thought well this is such good news and it really be true. Can I trust the Bible whether this message is found. I stumbled across a Puritan Joan ON Larry Joan ON I read the we can trust God's word because the pope tells us so not because clever scholar tells me I can, but because God's word proves itself to be divine.

It illumines who God is, it illumines who we are. It shows us what the world is like when I read it I see no man could have come up with truths like this. This is true from heaven. I can see that nothing diagnoses me or the world like this. This is true that you can hear that the this is deeply personal for Dr. Reeves and I think that's so evident in the way he teaches this series, I know you enjoy viewing all 12 of these messages in this series will request the two DVD set when you call us at 800-435-4343. You can also make a request and give your gift online at Renewing Your Mind.Ward, and I hope you'll join us tomorrow as Dr. Reeves introduces Queen Elizabeth I and the rise of the parent as Thursday here on Renewing Your Mind