Tomline on Article XX: Of the Authority of the Church

to be determined is, What authority belongs to every particular Church; and this inquiry na- turally divides itself into two parts, namely, external forms and matters of faith, both of which are treated of in this article.

It begins with asserting, that the church

NIES.

with his Library, to Ben’et College, Cambridge ; but tiiis manuscript being found among the private papers of the Archbishop, is not to be considered as an autho- rized transcript of the Articles. The originalmanuscript of the Articles was deposited in the Register Court of the province of Canterbury, where it was examined by order of Archbishop Laud in the following century, as he declared in his speech in the Star Chamber; and not many years afterwards, it was destroyed in the fire of London, as has been already noticed. This clause does not appear in the Latin Articles printed by John Day in 1571 ; but’it does appear in some copies of the English Articles printedby Juggeand Cawood in the same year, and not in others. From an accurate collation of dif- ferent books, it is evident that there are several distinct editions of the English Articles, bearing the date of 1571, all of which were probably pubUshed in that year, or very soon after it. In these editions, some of which contain this clause and some do not, there are several minute variations in the mode of printing ; but they aU have the same wooden cuts for the title, and for the device at the end ; and also the words Cum Privilegio Regise Majestatis after the year 1571. In 1579 the English Articles were published by Barker, containing this clause, and it has been inserted in aU subsequent editions.

338 Ilxposition of the [part ^i,

VIES. The Church being a society of men united for the most important purposes, it is necessary that its afiairy like those of every other society should be conducted by certain rules : Nulla religio, says Augustine, neque vera, neque faba sine caeremoniis potest consisteref i&J. If it be our duty to • • assemble ourselves together f c,” our assemblies must be regulated by established forms, as the only means of preventing disorder anci confusion. Since then rites and ceremonies are essential to the very existence of a Church, the first question which occurs is, whether it has* pleased the divine Author of our religion, either by himself, or by his Apostles, to give any par- ticular directions upon this subject ? Upon ex- amining the New Testament we do not find that it contains any such directions, although it ap- pears tjiiat the primitive Christians observed fixed rules, as they necessarily must have done, in thar public worship of God. We only meet with some very general precepts in the Epistles, which may be considered as applicable to this subject, such as ” Give none oftence (d) […] Let all things be done decently and in order (e) ;’ ” Let all things be done unto edifying (f) ;’ and, ’* Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God Cg).” Every Church therefore is left at

liberty

(b) Cent. Faust, cap. ii. (c) Heb. c. lo. v. 25. (d) 1 Cor. c. 10. V. 32. (e) 1 Cor. c 14. V..40- (f) 1 Cor. c. 14. V. 26. (g) 1 Cor. c. 10. v:3i.

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aut. XX.] Thirty-nine Articles. g^^

liberty to prescribe rites and ceremonies to its own members, provided they be consistent with these general precepts, which are so plain and so reason- bhy that it is unnecessary to enlarge upon them. A great variety of rites and ceremonies wf prescribed by the Jewish dispensation; and yet, in the time of our Saviour, the Jews had miMy institutions which were not commanded by Moseg, particularly the service of their synagogues the feast of dedication (h)y and that of Pur rim (iX likewise several unauthorized prac- tices in the celebration of the Passover. Not on of these things was cepsured by Christ ; but, 99 the contrary, he appears to have hims ob- 5erved all the traditional customs of tb Jews which did not tend to eqicourage superstition, or produce a neglect of ” the weightier matt;ers of the law.” And if such liberty were aUowed under so limited a rdigiqn as that of Moses we conclude that it is lawful for a society of Christians, whose religion is designed for ail agei and air countries, to make any regulations which

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may tend to promote the great objects for which they have formed themselves into one body. The subject of external ceremonies will occujr again in the 34th article, to which they more par- ticularly belong; and therefore, at present, I riiail only observe, that many pointy of this sort, .

very (b^ John, c. 10. V. 22 & 23. (“i^.Esther, c. 9.

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very unimportant in themselves^ were warmly dis- puted at the time of the Reformation, and wei^ the cause of much disunion among Protestants.

The article proceeds to state that the church has also authority in controversies of FAITH. When a dispute arose a few years after the ascension of our Saviour, concerning the necessity of circumcising Gentile converts, the apostles and elders met at Jerusalem, and made a decree upon the subject, which they commu- nicated to the churches then established in dif- ferent parts of Asia, and required their obedience to it : it cannot be denied that this was an in- stance of authority exercised by the Churchy under the direction of the inspired Apostles, in a controversy of fedth. — St. Paul says to Timothy, ” I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine (l).’^ — And to Titus he says, ” A man that is an here- tic, after the first and second admonition, re- ject (m).” It is evident from these two passages, that Timothy and Titus had authority given them to regulate the faith of the churches over which they were appointed to preside ; and Titus is expressly directed to exclude from communion with the church any person who persevered in maintaining heretical opinions ; and therefore thiere

must (I) 1 Tim. c. 1. V. 3. (m) Tit. c. 3. v. io»

ART. XX.] JTnrty-mne Articles. 341

must have been, at that very early period, some fixed test, by whichjtfae faith of professed Christians was to be judged : the consequence of not con- ibrming to tiiiat test was, by apostolical authority, Excommunication. And we learn from ecclesi- astical history, that this practice of the apostolic times has been usual in every period of the Chris- tian church.

It appears from the preceding article, that it is not here intended to ascribe to the church an infallible authority. The words of this article are, controversies of faith, and this ex- pression, perhaps, alludes to disputes which may arise between the members of any church ; and it may be designed to assert that the governing part of the church has authority to take cogni- zance of such disputes, and to deliver their judgment concerning the points in controversy. Great weight and deference would be due to such decisions ; and ^^ every man that finds his own thoughts differ from them, ought to examine the matter over again with much attention and care, freeing himself all he can from prejudice and ob- stinacy, with a just distrust of his own understand- ing, and an humble respect to the judgment of his superiors. This is due to the consideration of peace and union, and to that authority which the church has to. maintain it ; but if, after all possi- ble methods of inquiry, a man cannot master his

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544 Kvpositim of the [part hi.

thoughts, or make them . agree with the public decisions, his conscience is not under bonds, sinoii this authority is not absolute, nor grounded upon a promise of infidlibility (n).” But this, how-t ever, we may observe, that, without any preten- sion to in&Ilibility, and without any infringement of the right of private judgment, the church hats power to declare articles of faith, provided they h6 Huthorized by Scripture, as guides to truth, and as conditions upon which it receives persons into its communion. This is the principle of aU creeds and incieed the only principle upon which the unit of ” the faith once delivered unto the saints (o) can be preserved. Every church, therefore, must possess a right to compose new, or to alter exist-’ ing Articles, according as the circumstances of times shall make it necessary to defend the purity of Christian doctrine against prevailing heresies, and to point out to the unlearned part of the com munity, the snares which may be laid in their paths And yet it is not lawful fob THt

CONTRARY TO GOD’s WORD WRITTEN. The

written word of God is the rule of our faith and practice, and no consideration whatever can jus- tify a departure from it.

Neither may it so expound one placH OF scripture, that it be repugnant to

(n) Burnet. (o) jude, v. }•

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ANOTHER. All Scripture being given by inspi- ratidti of Odd, theife must ht ^ perfect consistency and agreement in all its parts, and consequently no church caA have a right to interpret one pas- sage of Scripture in such a manner as to make it contradictory to another.

Wherefore although the church be ▲ witness and a keeper of holy writ, yet as it ought not to decree any thin&

AGAINST THE SAME^ SO, BESIDES THE SAME,

To the church are ” committed the oracles of God (pjy*^ and by directing the Scriptures to be publicly read, from the earliest times, in the con- gregations of Christians, it has been the means of preserving them free from all material errors and corruptions ; from them it is to derive all its doc- trines; upon them, ali its decrees, relative to faith) are to be founded; it is not to add to them, by requiring any thing as necessary to salvation which is not contained in Holy Scripture, as wm. «}iplained in the siifth article (g).

(p) Rom. c. 3. V. 2.

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344 EdjH>3ition e/the [pakt hi,