ARTICLES (Tin: Thirty-nine) of the Church of England contain what may be called the "symbol," "creed," or "confession of faith" of the Church of England, especially as to the points on which, at the time of the adoption of the articles, disputes existed. They constitute also, substantially, the Creed of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States (see below).
The history of their origin, as nearly as can be as- certained, is about as follows. As early as 1519 Cran- mer drew up and circulated a series of articles designed "to test tiie orthodoxy of preachers and lecturers in divinity." Hooper objected to them because of the expression that "the sacraments confer grace," and
for other reasons (Hooper, Original fetters, p. 71). About this time three eminent Continental reformers were domiciled in England, viz. John a Lasco or Laski (q. v.), as preacher in London, Bucer (q. v.), as theo- logical lecturer at Cambridge, and Peter Martyr (q. v.), as professor at Oxford. The influence of these great men went all in the current of thoroughly Prot- estant reformation, and was especially felt in the revi- sion of the Prayer-book and of the Articles, in which they were consulted to a greater tr less extent. Cal- vin, Melancthon, Bullingcr, and other eminent Conti- nental Protestants were in correspondence with Cran- mer on the settlement of doctrinal points. In 1519, an act of Parliament was passed empowering the king to appoint a commission of 32 persons to make eccle- siastical laws. Under this act a commission of 8 bish- ops, 8 divines, 8 civilians, and 8 lawyers (among whom were Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper, Coverdale, Scory, Pe- ter Martyr, Justice Hales, etc.), was appointed in 1551. Cranmer seems to have laid before this body, as a ba- sis, a series of 13 articles, chiefly from the Augsburg Confession (reported in Hard wick, History of the Ar- ticles, App. iii). Finally, "Forty-two articles" were laid before the royal council, Nov. 24, 1552 (text given in Burnet, iv, 311). In March, 1553, they were laid before Convocation, but whether adopted by that body or not is undecided. Strype and others assert that they were ; Burnet, that they were not {Hist, Bef iii, 316). Fuller, speaking in his quaint way of this con vocation, declares that it had "no commission from the king to meddle with church business, and," lie adds, "every convocation in itself is born deaf and dumb, so that it can neither hear nor speak concerning complaints in religion till first Ephphatht, ' Be thou opened,' be pronounced unto it by royal authority. However," he continues, "this barren convocation is entitled the parent of those forty-two articles which are printed with this title, Articuli de quibus in Synodo Londinensi 1552 A.I), inter Episcopos et alios c.onvene- rat." To these articles was prefixed the Catechism, and the preparation of them was chiefly the work of Cranmer and Ridley, on the basis of the Augsburg Confession (Laurence, Hampton Lecture, p. 230). Im- mediately' after their publication Edward died (July 6, 1553). Under Queen Mary, Cranmer and Ridley went to the stake, and Gardner and the Papists took their places as authorities in religion. In 1558 Mary died. Soon after the accession of Elizabeth, Matthew Parker (q. v.) was made archbishop of Canterbury (1559). One of Ins first tasks was to restore and re- cast the XLII articles. He expunged some parts and added others, making special use of both the Augsburg and Wurtemberg Confessions (Laurence, Bampt. Lect. 233; Browne, XXXIX Articles, 15). The revised draught was laid before Convocation, which body made some minor alterations, and finally adopted the Thirty-eight Articles (January, 1562-3). The}' are given in Hardwick, History of the Articles, p. 124.
In 1566 a bill was brought into Parliament to con- firm them. The bill passed the Commons, but by the queen's command was dropped in the Lords. In 1571 the Convocation revised the articles of 1562, and made some alterations in them. In the same }-ear an act was passed "to provide that the ministers of the church should be of sound religion." It enacted that all ecclesiastical persons should subscribe to "all the articles of religion which onlj' contained the confession of the true faith and of the sacraments, comprised in a book imprinted, entitled 'Articles,' whereupon it was agreed by the archbishops and bishops, and the whole clergy in convocation holden in London, in the year of our Lord God 1562, according to the computation of the Church of England, for the avoiding of diversities of opinions, and for the establishing of consent touching true religion, put forth by the queen's authority." In 1628 an English edition was published by royal authori- ty, to which is prefixed the declaration of Charles I.
ARTICLES
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ARTICLES
The following are the Articles in full, as found in the Prayer-book of the Church of England :
I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.— There is but one living
and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and pre- server of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
II. Of the Word or Son nf God, which was wade very Man. —The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from ev- erlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Man- hood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very .Man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Fa- ther to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.