Tomline on Article XIX: Of the Church

We now enter upon the fourth and last division of the Articles, namely, those which relate to Christians as members of a religious society; and the first point to be settled upon this sub- ject is, the meaning of the word Church.

The expression of ” the visible Church of Christ,” with which this article begins, seems to be used in contradistinction to the mystical or invisible church of Christ. The mystical Church consists of those persons who have truly believed

T 4 and

52 8 Ejcposition of the [p a et ii i,

and obeyed the Gospel, and who are con- ceived, although they have lived at dif&rent pe- riods, to be united into one body (a)y which is called mystical or invisible, not only because they jftre not now all upon earth, but because the qua- lities and properties, which gave them a claiip to be members of this blessed society, Mere never the objects of sense, and could not be judged of by men from merely external circumstances. The visible Church, in its most extensive sense, mfiy include all persons who are or have been, by joutward profession. Christians, whether they have or have not believed all the doctrines, or obeyed all the precepts, of the Gospel This may be called the visible catholic Church ; and our Sa- viour himself alludes to the mixture of real and nominal Christians in his visible Church, when he compares the kingdom of heaven, or the Chris- tian religion, to a net which was cast into the sea, and was filled both with good and bad fishes (b); and also when he compares it to a field in which the master sowed only good seed, but his enemy sowed tares, and there sprang up both wheat and iares (cj. But in this article the

” VISIBLE

(a) Thus in the Creed we profess our belief in the holy catholic Church, that is, that Christ has formed all faithful Christians into one Society.

(b) Matt. c. 13. V. 47. (c) Matt. c. 13. v. 24, &c.

AKT, XIX.] niirty-mnt Articles. 329

^^ VX3IB1I: church” is used in a more limited aense, and comprehends only the Christians of one country or city, or of one persuasion ; thus it menti(Mi3 the church of Hiemsalem, of Alei^- andria, of Antioch, and of Rome ; and in like manner we often speak of the Church of Eng- land, of Hdland, of Geneva, and of the Lu- theran church ; and all these different churches are parts of the visible catholic church. It is wdl known that the church of Rome considers itself as the only Christian Church ; but on the other hand, we extend the name to any con- gregation OF FAITHFUL MEN, IN THE WHICH CORDING TO Christ’s ordinance, in all

THOSE things THAT OF NECESSITY ARE REQUI-

SITE TO THE SAME. The adherence to the fun- damental principles of the Gospel is therefore sufficient to constitute a visible Church, although every doctrine it maintains may not be founded in truth, or all the parts of its public worship agreeable to Scripture. We consider all men as Christians, or as members of the visible Church of Christ, who have been baptized, and profess their belief in the divine mission of Christ, even if their faith be in some respects erroneous, and their lives unworthy of their holy vocation. To

make

530 Exposition of the [^art tit.

make a discrimination to draw a line of d tinction upon these points, would be to deny sal- vation to those whom we exclude from the Chuith of Christ, which would be unbecoming and pte- sumptuous in the highest degree ; and upon the same principle we forbear to inquire what predae additions or defects in the administration of Ae sacraments ordained by Christ annul their eflt cacy. We contend that we follow Scripture ib the performance of the public offices of our lefr gion, without passing judgment upon those who appear to us to depart from it. But though we admit, that to call \ipon the name of Christ, ea- titles a person to be denominated a Christian, yet we are aware that, Not every one that saith unto him. Lord, Lord,” will partake of the benefits of his death. Though the Church of Christ here on earth be thus numerous, and consist of persons of such various characters and dispositions, we cannot but remember the solemn assurance that Christ will hereafter ” separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep frtna the goats (d) ; ” and that a different sentence will be pronounced upon the real and nominsJ members of the Churoh at the great day of final retribution.

We find the word Church used in the New

Testament

(d) Matt. c. 25. v. 32.

ART. XIX.] Tkirty-nine Articles. ^31

Testament in a more or less extended sense: Our Saviour said to Peter, ” Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (e)y Here the Church means the whole body or society of faithful Christians throughout the world; and in this sense it is promised that the Churdi of Christ shall be perpetual, that is, that there shall be always those who will ’ continue stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers (X).” The word church was, from the first preaching of the Apostles, used to signify believers in the Gos- pel generally ; thus in the beginning of the Acts it is said, that ” the Lord added to the church daily (g).’ And St. Paul, in the same chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians, calls Christ ’ the head of the church,” says that ” the church is subject to Christ ; ” and that ” Christ loved the church (h);”’ in which passages the Apostle means Christians in general, who, however dis- persed, form one church, having, one hope of thdr calling, one Lord, one faith, one bap- tism (%)” But in a more limited sense St Paul,

in

(e) Matt. c. 16. V. 18. (f) Acta, c. 2. v. 42.

(g) Acts, c. 2. V. 47.

(h) Eph, c. 5. V. 23, 24 and 25.

(i) Eph. c. 4. V. 4 and £,

53^ Exposition of the [part iifc

in addressing the Corinthian, Christians calls tba ” the church of God which is at Corinth (ky ’ St. John writes, ’* To the seven churches idikb are in Asia f/;” and St. Luke says, that St Paul went through Syria and Cilicia confinniif the churches (m)” In these passages the wofi Church is applied to the Christians of particidBr cities. And even the believers of a single fejsSi] are by St. Paul called the Church, in the caM of Priscilla and Aquila, Nymphas imd Phi- lemon; ” Greet Priscilla and Aquila; likewise greet the church that is in their house (n)* ” Salute Nymphas, and the church which is in his house (o)’ — ” Paul unto Philemixi, and to the church in thy house (p)” — And thus Tap- tullian says, ” Ubi tres, ecclesia est, licet hici (q And upon another occasion, In uno et akevo est ecclesia.’*

The latter part of this article relates to the pretended claim of Infallibility in the church of Rome ; and the compilers of our articles baVe very wisely taken the first opportunity, which the plan of their arrangement allowed, to deny

thu

(k) 1 Cor. c. 1 . T. 2. (I) Rev. c. i . ▼. 4.

CmJ Acts,c. 15. V.41. (“n^^Rom.c. 16. v sands*

(0) Col. c. 4. V. 15. (p) Phil. V. 1 and 2. (q) Exhort, ad Cast.

AUT. XIX.] Tkirty-nine Articles. 333

fllis claim, since, if it were admitted, all the other doctrines of Popery would be at once establish- ed ; an infidlible church could not maintain an untrue doctrine.

As THE CHURCH OF HIERUSALEM, ALEX* ONLY IN THEIR LIVING AND MANNER OF <;E^ REMONIES, BUT ALSO IN MATTERS O^F FAITH.

The Churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, are here mentioned, because they were the most distinguished of the churches founded by the Apostles ; and that those churches, in process of time, fell inta considerable eirers, is universally i^reed. That the church of Rome has erred in their manner of living, is snfRcientJy evident from history. Bishop Burnet says, ^tfrnt ^ for above 800 years the papacy, as it is represented by dieir own writers,, is perhaps the worst succession of men that is to be found in history ;** and that the church of Rome has erred m its ceremonies, and in matters of faith, mH! felly appear from the following articles. • The church of Rome existed many centuries before any mention was made of Infallibility, although it had, as every one knows, frequent disputes with other churches from a verj’ earlr

periou*

334 Ejcpositim of ffic [part in»

period. This doctrine was afterwards asserted and received ; and its long and general prevalence is perhaps the strongest instance, which can be produced from the annals of the world, of the presumption and artifice of one set of men, and of the blindness and credulity of another. But since Infallibility has been an established tenet of the church of Rome, there has been a differ- ence , of opinion among Papists, whether it be vested in the Popes themselves, when they pro- nounce their decrees ex cathedr^, or in General Councils. This very doubt is an argument against the thing itself, since wherever so important and distinguished a privilege as Infallibility resided, it could not but be manifest and apparent ; and we may conclude, that if it had pleased God to place such a power in any part of his church, he would have distinctly pointed out the persons in whom it was to be found. General councils will be considered hereafter. In the meantime we may observe, that many popes, in their bulls and other public instruments, have themselves laid claim to their own personal infallibility in the most arrogant and blasphemous manner. This monstrous doctrine is now so universally reprobated, as being repugnant to the nature of man, as unfounded in Scripture, as inconsistent

with

ART. XIX.] Thirty-rdne Articles. 335.

with God’s general government of the world, as unsupported by mii^des or any other authentic sign, and as clearly refuted by the opposite and contrary decisions of different popes, that it is unnecessary to add any thing £eurther upon the subject.

33$ EjppoBiiiogk rf the [v akt in.