| 887 method of effecting the reformation of religion. It was not by a slow process of instruction, not even by writing a treatise in its favor, as he had once done in opposition to its mightiest champion; his own sovereign dictum achieved in an hour what Wickliffe, and Ridley, and Cranmer might have attempted in vain for a century. Not that there was anything resembling a true and scriptural reformation, effecting by the violent and arbitrary changes which Henry introduced into the Anglican church. Those changes were favorable to the diffusion of evangelical light, and the reformers availed themselves of the opportunity thus afforded them, to imbue the mind of the nation with protestant principles; but Henry was as much a papist as a protestant, persecuted both with equal severity, and had nothing at heart in the zeal which he affected for religion, but humbling the pontiff, and gratifying his own avarice and ambition by seizing the ecclesiastical revenues, and constituting himself instead of his Holiness the Supreme Head of the Church. The clergy was alarmed, and whispered the curses they did not dare to formulate. Henry laughed at their terrors;-despised their combinations, and with an atrocious gaiety, perfectly harmonizing with the general brutality of his character cooly [coolly] said, "I will betake me to their temporalities." He was as good as his word; and it would have been well had he confined himself to the spoilation of monastic and other ecclesiastical revenues. What she lost in wealth, the church might have gained in virtue; and if her mitres and her thrones had been trampled in the dust, her bishops would probably have been wiser and better men, and the successors of the fishermen of Galilee, in emulating the poverty, might have attained to the spirituality of apostolic times. But Henry was resolved to continue the hierarchy in all the wealth and splendor which was compatible with its subserviency [subservience] to his own authority; but to prove to the whole world that, as "Defender of the Faith," he could construct a creed as well as depose the pope, he proceeded to fabricate with all his royal diligence and skill, a summary of Christian doctrine, the most essential article of which, however, seems to have been his own supremacy; for whoever denied this, whether protestant or papist, was sure to suffer in its most appalling form. History may record Henry as the first layman, who took to himself in the ecclesiastical sense of the expression, the title of "Supreme Head of the Church," and which he was not long in realizing; for he forthwith enjoined all preachers to instruct the people to believe the whole Bible, the three creeds, the Apostle's the Nicene and Athanasian, and to interpret all things according to them!"
We shall endeavor to continue these extracts, as far the way of truth may need to show the "old paths," and when and where "the ordinances were changed."
TIMES AND SEASONS.
CITY OF NAUVOO,
MAY 1, 1845.
(->) This number of the Times and Seasons has been unavoidably delayed beyond the time of publication, and perhaps one or two numbers more may have to be, but we crave the indulgence of friends and patrons. We are not perfect, and unforeseen difficulties frequently hinder us from performing our intended duties. But grace, patience, and honest intentions, mingled with a little charity, make out what the world calls "popularity"-and so in the end "every man receives his penny."
THE SIGNS FOR MAY.
The world shows evident signs of wo.-Fires, murders, storms, earthquakes, and many other distressing calamities, have become but common or every day occurrencies [occurrences]. Millions of dollars worth of property have been consumed in the last few weeks, and what renders these distressing events more terrific to the watchful mind is, that, in most cases, the fires have commenced accidentally.
We feel truly thankful to our heavenly Father for the "appearances" of his kingdom and coming, and for the "tokens" of the dawning of that happy day, when his will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We are not prepared in this number, to give a brief summary of the "mighty acts of God" among the nations of the earth, as they are enacting before the eyes of man, but, hereafter, we shall do so, in order that the Times and Seasons may contain a faithful history of the last days. The poet said,
"Coming events cast their shadows before," and a discerning man has only to look, to behold!-and so "he that runs may read."
WHO ARE THE CHRISTIAN ISRAELITES?
Joseph H. Moss, one of the Sect thus answers the question in the Boston Transcript:
They are not the unbelieving, or unconverted Israelites, or Jews; neither are they all descendants
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