The strife and dissension surrounding the seventeenth-century English Civil War left many clergy and theologians tracing their way back to the roots of their faith. Many prioritized debating theological minutiae over caring for parishioners’ spiritual health; others sought to refocus on practical care William Beveridge, bishop of St. Asaph, was one such frustrated churchman, looking for stability and truth in a world of tumult. His desire to see the Church of England restored to the early church’s spirit and structure is evident in many of his works. The Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology’s 12-volume Theological Works of William Beveridge includes his monumental description and defense of the early church’s form and function: Codex Canonum Ecclesiae Primitivae, The Church Catechism Explained, his brief volume on prayer and communion, as well as his sermons on the true nature of the Church.
Beveridge, who became known as “the great reviver and restorer of primitive piety,” kept himself distant from the fine theological conflicts of his day, and instead focused on the practical care of his parish—being “too entirely in earnest in teaching positive truth . . . to spend his time and waste his energies in the bare contradiction of error. He [wrote] with the plain, unaffected simplicity . . . of a man full of the importance of his subject, who felt the entire reality of every word he uttered, and was living under the habitual influence of the truths he taught.”
With Logos Bible Software, Beveridge’s work is enhanced with amazing digital functionality, eliminating your research’s leg work. Fully indexed texts enable near-instant search results. Automatically integrating your resources, Logos connects events and ideas across these and thousands of other volumes of Anglican literature. Scripture citations appear on mouseover in your preferred English translation, and original-language tools are a click away. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place so you can get the most out of your study.