J
jschwartz
Guest
I read the 39 articles in light of centuries of Church teaching, namely, the 7 ecumenical councils and the church fathers of the undivided church. I think Tract 90 is essential to understanding the 39 articles, but at the end of the day, the articles are NOT binding theology. They’re a reflection of political and historical circumstances, not Articles of Faith like the Creeds, and they are not imposed on members of the Anglican Church as necessary terms of communion. The clergy only subscribe them, and the sense in which the subscription is understood, has been stated by Archbishop Bramhall as follows; – “We do not hold our Thirty-nine Articles to be such necessary truths,
without which there is no salvation;' nor enjoin ecclesiastical persons to swear unto them, but only to subscribe them, as theological truths, for the preservation of unity among us. Some of them are the very same that are contained in the Creed; some others of them are practical truths, which come not within the proper lists of points or articles to be believed; lastly, some of them are pious opinions or inferior truths which are proposed by the Church of England as not to be opposed; not as essentials of Faith necessary to be believed."(1) Bishop Bull wrote similarly, -- "The Church of England professeth not to deliver all her Articles as essentials of faith, without the belief whereof no man can be saved; but only propounds them as a body of safe and pious principles, for the preservation of peace to be subscribed, and not openly contradicted by her sons. And, therefore, she requires subscription to them only from the clergy, and not from the laity."(2) "The Articles are to be subscribed to in the sense intended by those whose authority makes the subscription requisite."(3) It must always be remembered that the same Convocation, in the same set of Canons which first required subscription to the Articles, in 1571, enjoined that preachers should only teach "that which is agreeable to the doctrine of the Old and New Testaments, and that which the Catholic fathers and ancient bishops have collected out of the same doctrine." "It seems" says Mr. Keble, "no violent inference, that the appointed measure of doctrine preached, was also intended to be the measure of doctrine delivered in the way of explanation of doubtful passages in formularies."(4) It is quite evident, therefore that the Articles would be understood by the clergy who first subscribed them as Articles of Peace for the preservation of unity. They were not religious tests, or Articles of Faith; they were made as comprehensive as possible, and they were to be interpreted and understood in accordance with the general rule of Catholic tradition, i.e., in the Catholic sense.(5) Footnotes: (1) Works, vol. ii., pp. 201, 476. (2) A Vindication of the Church of England, xxvii. (3) Keble's Catholic Subscription to the XXXIX. Articles, p. 13. (4) ibid., p. 15. (5) "I understand by the Catholic sense, that sense which is most comfortable to the ancient rule, Quod semper, quod ubiqua, quod ab omnibus.’”