|The 7 Bishops committed |
to the tower in 1688, among them, the
then Archbishop of Canterbury, William Sancroft.
Today the Church remembers Thomas Ken. He was an Anglican clergyman who was at one time the Bishop of Bath and Wells and more famously, author of the well-loved doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow (which is actually the last verse of his longer hymn Awake my soul, and with the sun). He was by all accounts a man of principle and firm conviction and was one of the seven bishops who was imprisoned for refusing to sign James II's "Declaration of Indulgence" (which was meant to allow Roman Catholics to resume positions of political power in England). Later in life, he was deposed as Bishop for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the co-monarchs, William and Mary because in Ken's view it would make a mockery of an earlier oath he'd made to James II, who was still alive (even though he strongly disagreed with much that James had formerly done). If only they still made Bishops like that today, where would the Church of England be? Here is a prayer of Thomas Ken:
God, our heavenly father, make, we pray, the door of this Cathedral Church [Wells] wide enough to welcome all who need human love and fellowship and a Father’s care; but narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride, and lack of love. Here may the temped find help, the sorrowing receive comfort, the careless be awakened to repentance, and the penitent be assured of your mercy; and here may all your children renew their strength and go on their way in hope and joy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.