Green on Article XIX: Of the Church

(a) To make clear what we are to understand by the Church, some definition on this point being especially necessary at the time of the Reformation, when visible unity with Rome had been broken.

(b) In view of the breach with Rome, to justify the action of the Church of England by recording the conviction that the Church of Rome had erred in matters of faith.

§ 3.— EXPOSITION.

(1.) The Church is Visible.

We should first note that the Article speaks of the Visible Church of Christ. All that is laid down in the Articles with reference to the Church applies to the Visible Church, and nothing is anywhere said of an invisible Church. Here, as throughout, our Articles are strictly Scriptural. No distinction is drawn by the New Testament writers between a visible and an invisible Church, but the Church appears in the Apostolic Epistles as a visible society, with its rite of admission (Baptism), its rules and organisation ; a body which may be known and observed of all men. That Christ Himself intended to found a Church in the sense of a visible society, and not merely in that of an invisible aggregation of pious souls, known only to God, is indicated by : —

(a) His method ; which was not to scatter His teaching hap¬ hazard over the world, for men to make what they could of it, but to train an organised body of disciples, who should preach the Gospel and admit others to their fellowship (S. Matt, xxviii. 19; cf. Acts ii. 41, 42, 47).

(b) His institution of certain corporate acts as Sacraments .

(i.) Baptism, a ceremony not new in itself, but understood by the Jews at the time as instituting into the visible society of God’s people.

(ii.) The Holy Eucharist, which is essentially a corporate action.

(c) Ilis teaching ; e.g ., on the subject of the Kingdom of God. It should be noted, too, that our Lord’s Prayer, recorded in S. John xvii. 21, 2 2, implies a visible unity of His followers.

The definitions of the Church given in the Lutheran formularies agree with that of our Article.

See Augsburg Confession, Part I. Art. VII., quoted in § 1 above.

See also Saxon Confession, Art. XII. : —

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Cf. Art. XV. of the same Confession : —

“ Vult enim Dens conspici aut audiri suam ecclesiam in mundo, et vult sejunctam esse multis publicis signis a reliquis gentibus.”

The formularies of the Swiss School of Reformers, on the other hand, draw the distinction between the Visible and the Invisible Church, and speak of the true Church as invisible.

Scotch Confession, Art. XVI. :

“ Sicut in unum Deuni Patrem, Filium et Spiritual Sanctum credimus, ita etiam ab initio fuisse et nunc esse, Matt. iii. 9, et in consummationem usque mundi futuram u!nam Ecclesiam constanter credimus, id est, societatem et multitudinem hominum a Deo electorum… . Haec ecclesia est invisibilis, soli Deo nota, qui solus novit, quos elegit.”

Second Helvetic Confession, Art. XVII. :

“ Unde et ecclesia invisibilis appellari potest, non quod homines sint invisibiles, ex quibus ecclesia colligitur, sed quod oculis nostris absconsa, Deo autem soli nota, judicium humanum saepe subter- fugiat.”

Westminster Confession, XXV. 1, 2 :

“The catholick or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head thereof… . The visible church, which is also catholick or universal under the gospel, … consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children.”

See also the Second Baptist Confession, Art. XXVI. : —

“ The Catholic or Universal Church, which (with respect to the internal work of the Spirit and truth of grace) may be called

invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect.”

(2.) The Visible Church is the Congregation of the Faithful.

The Visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men,

By ‘ congregation ’ (ccetus) is here meant, not a body of people assembled in one place, but the whole number of God’s people. In this sense the same Latin word is used in the Vulgate; see, e.g., Exod. xii. 19, “ Qui comederit fermentatum, peribit anima ejus de coetu Israel.”

By ‘faithful men’ are meant believers in Jesus Christ.

(3.) Two Notes of the Church are given.

(i.) in the which the pure word of God is preached, and

(ii.) the Sacraments be duly ministered, according to Christ’s

ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite

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to the same.

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In the XI. Articles of 1559 t^ree notes of the Church are given : —

“ I do acknowledge also that Church to be the spouse of Christ, wherein the word of God is truly taught, the Sacraments orderly ministered according to Christ’s institution, and the authority of the keys duly used” (Article III.).

Cf. the Homily for Whitsunday, 2nd part, pp. 494, 495 : —

“The true Church is an universal congregation or fellowship of God’s faithful and elect people, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the head corner¬ stone. And it hath always three notes or marks, whereby it is known : pure and sound doctrine, the Sacraments ministered ac¬ cording to Christ’s holy institution, and the right use of ecclesiastical discipline.” [J.e., as explained in the context — “ the authority of the keys to excommunicate notorious sinners, and to absolve them which are truly penitent.”]

The same three notes of the Church are given in the Ordinal : —

The Bishop. Will you then give your faithful diligence always so to minister the Doctrine and Sacraments, and the Discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, &c. ?

Ansiver. I will do so, by the help of the Lord.

Two only of these three notes or marks are expressly mentioned in the present Article : —

(ct) The Preaching of the pure Word of God. (See Eom. x.

17 ; 2 Tim. iv. 2.)

We must distinguish the Word preached from the Word written, e.g., in the passage of 2 Tim. just referred to “ the Word ” cannot, of course, signify “ the Bible.” By “ the Word of God,” the preaching of which is a note of the Church, we must understand the great doctrines of the Church with reference to the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts xiii. 26; cf. I Cor. xv. 1-4), which were embodied at a very early time in short dogmatic statements, and formed the nucleus of our Creeds. We have frequent allusions in the New Testament to the body of sound doctrine entrusted to the keeping of the Church, and which she proclaims to men (1 Tim. i. 10, vi. 3 ; 2 Tim. i. 13, iv. 3 ; Tit. i. 9, 13, ii. 1, 2). It is with reference to this that we pray in the Ordination Service, “ Replenish them with the truth of Thy doctrine,” and that the Bishop, in the same service,

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gives to each ordained priest the charge, “ Take thou authority to preach the Word of God.”

This body of doctrine, which it is one of the marks of the Church to hand on unimpaired, is not, of course, to be in any way set against the Bible. The Word Preached and the Word Written should always go together. Thus, when the Bishop says the words above quoted, he delivers the Bible at the same time to the newly ordained priest. In order that Church doctrine may be handed on unimpaired constant reference should be made to Scripture, which is the standard of doctrine. (See Article VI.).

The Church is first, then, a Dogmatic Institution, a preacher of doctrine.

(b) The due ministration of the Sacraments.

Steadfastness in Sacraments is necessary as well as steadfast¬ ness in doctrine (Acts ii. 42 ; Eph. iv. 5). Next to the teaching office of the Church comes the ministerial. Cf. the charge in the Ordinal to which reference has already been made — “ Take thou authority to preach the Word of God, aud to minister the holy Sacraments in the congregation.”

The Church system is thus Sacramental as well as Dogmatic. In the Article emphasis is laid on the due administration of the Sacraments u according to Christ’s ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.”

The requisites are : —

(i.) In Baptism —

Water.

The formula, “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” 1 (See S. Matt, xxviii. 19).

(ii.) In the Holy Communion —

The elements of Bread and Wine.

The recital of Christ’s words of Institution.- A duly ordained minister (so our Church provides in the Ordinal). 2

The Notes of the Church given in the Article — the Preaching of the Word and the due administration of the Sacraments —

1 That both water and the words are considered essential to the Sacrament by the Church is clear from the questions asked when a child is received who has been privately baptized: — “ With what matter was this child baptized?” “ With what words was this child baptized ? ”

2 With our Church’s requirement that the Sacraments are to be administered “according to Christ’s ordinance in all those things that of necessity are re-

demand a Ministry , carrying with it the idea of Church order and discipline. The third note of the Church, as stated in the Homilies and the Ordinal, is thus implied, though not expressly stated, in our Article.

The following extracts on the Notes of the Church may be compared (in addition to the passages already quoted from the Augsburg and Saxon Confessions) : —

Reformatio Legum, “De Haeresibus,” Cap. 21 :

“Nos enim earn quae cerni potest Ecclesiam sic definimus, ut omnium coetus sit fidelium hominum, in quo Sacra Scriptura sincere docetur, et sacramenta (saltern his eorum partibus quae necessariae sunt) juxta Christi praescriptum administrantur.”

First Helvetic Confession, Art. XY. :

“ Quae quidem quum solius sit dei oculis nota, extends tamen quibusdam ritibus, ab ipso Christo institutis, et verbo dei velut publica legitimaque disciplina, non solum cerni tur cognosciturque, sed ita constituitur, ut in hanc sine his nemo (nisi singulari dei privilegio) censeatur.”

Calvin’s Institutes, IY. 1,9:

“ Ubicumque enim Dei verbum sincere praedicari atque audiri, ubi sacramenta ex Christi instituto administrari videmus, illic aliquam esse Dei Ecclesiam nullo niodo ambigendum est.”

Scotch Confession, Art. XYIII. :

“Notas ergo verae Ecclesiae Dei credimus, confitemur, et profitemur, primum et ante omnia, veram praedicationem Yerbi Dei, in quo Deus seipsum nobis patefecit, sicut Prophetarum et Apostolorum scripta nobis declarant… . Deinde recta Sacra- mentorum Jesu Christi administratio, quae verbo et promissioni Dei annecti debent, ut illud in cordibus nostris confirment et obsignent. Postremo loco est disciplina Ecclesiastica recte ad- ministrata, sicut Dei verbum praescribit ad reprimendum vitium et virtutem fovendam.”

quisite to the same,” contrast what is laid down in The Chief Principles of the Christian Religion as professed by the People called Quakers {a) Concerning Baptism.

“ As there is one Lord, and one faith, so there is one baptism … and this baptism is a pure and spiritual thing, to wit, the Baptism of the Spirit, and fire.”

(6) Concerning the Communion, or Participation of the Body and Blood of Christ.

“ The communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is inward and spiritual … of which things the breaking of bread by Christ with His disciples was a figure which they even used in the Church for a time, who had received the substance, for the cause of the weak.”

(4.) Local Churches are liable to Error, and have erred.

As the Church of J erusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch have erred : so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of ceremonies, hut also in matters of faith.

The Church as a whole has the promise of Divine guidance, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her (S. John xvi. 13 ; S. Matt. xvi. 18); she is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. iii. 15). The several parts of the Church, however, are singly liable to error, and have in fact erred. See, e.g ., in the New Testament, the letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Rev. ii., iii.

In the present Article : —

(a) First, the patriarchates of the Eastern Church are named as having erred. It is not clear what errors are referred to, the statement of the Article being quite general ; perhaps the denial of the Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Second Person in the Holy Trinity may be intended.

(b) But the real point of this part of the Article, doubtless, is the expression of the conviction that the Church of Rome has erred. In this case, again, the statement is quite general, and should be understood as referring to the Mediaeval cor¬ ruptions which were a principal cause of the breach with Rome in the sixteenth century.

We may compare Reformatio Legum, “ De Haeresibus,” Cap. 21 : —

“ Etiam illorum insania legum vinculis est constringenda, qui Romanam Ecclesiam in hujusmodi petra fundatam esse existimant, ut nee erraverit, nec errare possit; cum et multi possint ejus errores ex superiore majorum memoria repeti, et etiam ex liac nostra proferri, partim in his quibus vita nostra debet informari, partim etiam in his quibus tides debet institui.”