rate deci

Church.

be understood as implying a more strict obliga- the delibetion to conform to ancient precedents than is sions of our acknowledged in the Articles. But the Articles being deliberately and jointly drawn up for the very purpose of precisely determining what it was designed should be determined respecting the points they treat of, and in order to supply to the Anglican Church their Confession of Faith on those points, it seems impossible that any man of ingenuous mind can appeal from the Articles, Liturgy, and Rubric, put forth as the authoritative declarations of the Church, to any other writings, whether by the same or by other authors. On the contrary, the very circumstance that opinions going far beyond what the

k

k Articles XIX. XX. XXIII. XXXIV. XXXVI.

"XIX. Of the Church.-The visible Church of Christ ["ecclesia Christi visibilis est," &c. evidently A visible Church of Christ is a congregation, &c.] is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the

same.

"As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.

"XX. Of the Authority of the Church.-The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies, and authority in Controversies of Faith: And yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God's Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be

Articles express, or in other respects considerably differing from them, did exist, and were well known and current, in the days of our reformers, gives even the more force to their deliberate omissions of these, and their distinct declaration of what they do mean to maintain. It was not hastily and unadvisedly that they based the doctrines of their Church on "the pure Word of God," and the claim of their Church to the character of a Christian Community, on its being a "Congregation of be

repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a witness and a keeper of holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation.

"XXIII. Of Ministering in the Congregation. It is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or ministering the Sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully called, and sent to execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, which be chosen and called to this work by men who have public authority given unto them in the congregation, to call and send Ministers into the Lord's vineyard.

"XXXIV. Of the Traditions of the Church.—It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one, and utterly like; for at all times they have been divers, and may be changed according to the diversities of countries, times, and men's manners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word. Whosoever through his private judgment, willingly and purposely, doth openly break the traditions and ceremonies of the Church, which be not repugnant to the Word of God, and be ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, (that others may fear

lievers, in which that pure Word is preached, and the Christian Sacraments duly administered."

between

believed by any of the Reformers,

Whatever therefore may have been the private Distinction opinion of individuals any their number, what was among they have declared plainly what it was they agreed in regarding as a safe and sufficient and what foundation, and as essential, and consequently requiring to be set forth and embodied in the Symbol or Creed of their Church.

But neither the Reformers of our Church, nor any other human Being, could frame any expressions such as not to admit of being explained away, or the consequences of them somehow evaded, by an ingenious person who should

to do the like,) as he that offendeth against the common order of the Church, and hurteth the authority of the Magistrate, and woundeth the consciences of the weak brethren.

66

Every particular or national Church hath authority to ordain, change, and abolish, ceremonies or rites of the Church ordained only by man's authority, so that all things be done to edifying.

"XXXVI. Of Consecration of Bishops and Ministers.-The Book of Consecration of Archbishops and Bishops, and Ordering of Priests and Deacons, lately set forth in the time of Edward the Sixth, and confirmed at the same time by authority of Parliament, doth contain all things necessary to such Consecration and Ordering: neither hath it any thing, that of itself is superstitious and ungodly. And therefore whosoever are consecrated or ordered according to the Rites of that Book, since the second year of the forenamed King Edward unto this time, or hereafter shall be consecrated or ordered according to the same Rites; we decree all such to be rightly, orderly, and lawfully consecrated and ordered."

was agreed

on as essen

tial.

The Anglican Church does not

blend Tra

resolutely set himself to the task. And accordingly our Church has been represented as resting her doctrines and her claims on Scripture and Tradition jointly, and "blended" together.

We have been told for instance of a person held up as a model of pure Anglican Churchprinciples, that he "submitted to the decisions of inspiration wherever it was to be found, whether in Scripture or Antiquity." And again we have been told that "Rome differs from us as to the authority which she ascribes to tradition: she regards it as co-ordinate, our divines as sub-ordinate; as to the way in which it is to be employed, she, as independent of Holy Scripture; ours, as subservient to, and blended with it: as to its limits, she supposes that the Church of Rome has the power of imposing new articles necessary to be believed for salvation; ours, that all such articles were comprised at first in the Creed, and that the Church has only the power of clearing, defining, and expounding these fixed articles."

Now whether the above description be a correct one as far as regards the tenets of the dition with Church of Rome, I do not pretend to decide, Scripture. nor does it belong to my present purpose to inquire but the description of the tenets of the Anglican Church, is such as I feel bound to protest against. If indeed by "us us" and " our

divines" is to be understood certain individuals who profess adherence to the Church of England, the above description is, no doubt, very correct as far as relates to THEM: but if it be meant that such are the tenets of our Church itself as set forth in its authoritative Confession of Faith, the Articles,-nothing can be more utterly unfounded, and indeed more opposite to the truth. Our Church not only does not " blend Scripture with Tradition," but takes the most scrupulous care to distinguish from every thing else the Holy Scriptures, as the sufficient and sole authoritative standard.

Our Reformers do not merely omit to ascribe to any Creed or other statement of any doctrine, an intrinsic authority, or one derived from tradition, but, in the Article on the three Creeds,1 they take care distinctly to assign the ground on the creeds which those are to be retained; viz. that "they to rest. may be proved by Holy Writ."

1 Nor, by the way, is it true that our Church has declared, in that, or in any other Article, "that all such Articles as are necessary to be believed for Salvation were comprised at first in the [Apostles'] Creed. This, in fact, is neither done, nor was intended to be done by the framers of that Creed; if at least they held as I doubt not they did―the doctrine of the Atonement for this is not at all mentioned in the Apostles' Creed. The cause, I have no doubt, was that the doctrine had not in the earliest ages, been disputed. But at any rate, the fact is certain; that the Creed does dwell on the

Grounds

on which

are made