Anglican Devotion: Studies in the Spiritual Life of the Church of England between the Reformation and the Oxford Movement

This is a book for the student of English history and literature-and, above all, for the ordinary reader who wishes to learn what is the spiritual tradition inherited by modern Anglicans the world over from the old Church of England. It takes us from the Reformation to the Oxford Movement, showing the variety but also the common tradition of the writers to whom Englishmen turned as masters in the school of prayer and Christian behaviour. It examines famous figures such as Taylor, Traherne, Law, Wilberforce and Keble; anonymous best sellers such as The Whole Duty of Man; and many other Anglican teachers. It is suggestive in its discussion of a spirituality which inherits the Reformation yet is based on the Catholic principles of the Prayer Book, and which seeks both the beauty of holiness and English common sense. The writers surveyed are perhaps today more honoured than read, but this book rehabilitates them as guides in the way of discipleship.