The Royal Supremacy Defended in Regard of the Declaration, Put Forth by . Archdeacons Manning and Wilberforce, and . Professor Mill

The Royal Supremacy Defended In Regard Of The Declaration Put Forth By. Archdeacons Manning And Wilberforce, And. Professor Mill by George Heaton. This 1850 tract by Rev. George Heaton defends the Royal Supremacy in ecclesiastical matters as asserted by Canon law and national statutes, in response to a Declaration issued by three Church of England figures—Archdeacons Manning and Wilberforce and Professor Mill. Heaton argues that the Crown possesses supreme civil authority over ecclesiastical matters and that this authority is compatible with, and indeed supported by, the law and the Word of God. The work surveys legal authorities, historical precedents, and theological principles to oppose what the author sees as papal interference and a threat to Reformation-era sovereignty. Heaton critiques the Gorham V Exeter case, debates the scope of royal jurisdiction, and contends for loyalty to the Crown and Church of England as established. The text combines polemical exhortation with legal and theological justification for a robust royal supremacy and cautions against shifts in doctrine and church governance.