III. Doctrinp:s. — (1.) The doctrinal standards of the united Church of England and Ireland are, after the Scriptures, the Book of Homilies, the Thirty-nine Articles, and the Prayer-book, (a) The IlomUirs (q. v.) were composed by Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley, men of unexceptionable learning and orthodox}'; or, ac- cording to others, the first book was written principal- ly by Cranmer, and the second by Jewel. Tliey were appointed to be read in churches at the beginning of the Reformation, when, by reason of the scarcity of learned divines, few ministers were found who could safely be trusted to preach their own compositions. (6) The first draught of the Articles was composed by arch- bishop Cranmer, assisted by bishop Ridley, in the year 1551 ; and after being corrected by the other bishops, and approved by the Convocation, they were published in Latin and English in 1553, and amounted to forty-two in number. In 1562 they were revised and corrected. Being then reduced to thirty-nine, they were drawn up in Latin only ; but in 1571 they were suliscribed by the members of the two houses of Convocation, both in Latin and English, and therefore the Latin and Eng- lish copies are to be considered as equally authentic. See Articles, XXXIX. (c) During the last century dispiites arose among the clergy respecting the pro- priety of subscribing to any human formulary of I'e- ligious sentiments. Parliament, in 1772, was applied to for the abolition of the subscription by certain cler- gymen and others, whose petition received the most 1 ample discussion, but was rejected by a large major- 1 ity. It has been generally held by most, if not all i Calvinists, both in and out of the Church, that the doc- trinal parts of the articles are Calvinistic. This opin- ion, however, has been warmly controverted. It is no doubt. nearer the truth to conclude that the articles are framed with comprehensive latitude, and that neither Calvinism nor Arminianism was intended to be exclu- sively established (Watson, s. v. Church'). See Puller's Afoderation of the Church of Enr/land considered, 1679 (new edit. Loud. 1843, 8vo); and also see Akjiinian- iSM, vol. i, p. 416, 417 ; Articles Lambeth, vol. i, p. 441. The articles contain, however, what the Church of England holds to be a fair scriptural account of the leading doctrines of Christianity, together with a con- dcnniation of what she considers to be the jirincipal errors of the Church of Rome and of certain Protestant sects. As fiir as they go (and there are many things unnoticed by them), they are a legal definition of the doctrines of the Church of England and Ireland, though the members of that conimuuion look to the Prayer-book as well as to the articles for the genuine expression of her faith. The articles are far more thoroughly Protestant than the Prayer-book, taken as a whole. Although the articles expressly assert that the Church of Rome has erred, attempts have repeat- edly been made by the High-Church party of the Church of England to show that there is no irreconcil- able difference between the Thirty-nine Articles and the decrees of the Council of Trent, and that a con- struction can be put upon them fully harmonizing them. To show this was, in paiticular, the ohject of
ENGLAND, CHURCH OF 205 ENGLAND, CHURCH OF
Dr. Newman's celebrated tract (Tracts for the Times, Nc. 90, Oxf. 1839), and more recently of Dr. Pusej^'s Eiremcon {LonA. 18Gb; N. Y. 18G6). See also CAm-i!. Remembrancer, Jan. 186G, art. vi.
(2.) For the preservation of doctrine and discipline in the Church of England, many provisions are made both 1)}' the civil and canon law. AV'hoever shall come to the possession of the crown of England shall join in communion with the Chnrcli of England, as by law established (12 and 13 Will. Ill, ch. ii, § 3). By the 1 Will. Ill, ch. vi, an oath shall be administered to every king or queen who shall succeed to the impe- rial crown of this realm, at tlieir coronation ; to be ad- ministered by one of the archbishops or bishops ; to be thereunto approved b}' such king or queen, that thej' will do the utmost in their power to maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and Protestant Reformed religion established by law ; and will preserve unto the bishops and clergy of this realm, and to the churches committed to tlieir charge, all such riLi;hts and privileges as b}' law do or shall apper- tain unto them, or any of them. And by the 5 Anne, ch. V, the king, at his coronation, shall take and sub- scribe an oath to maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, ■worsliip, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established (§ 2).
(3.) In practice there is no definite creed or system of theology in the Church of England. Its members have always been divided into parties. There has al- ways been a Sacramentarian party, approximating in doctrine to the teachings of Rome, though it has never had great influence since Laud's time until the recent rise of Pusej'ism (q. v.). And, on the other hand, there have never been wanting representatives of the Puritan or Evangelical school. The latter party finds its stronghold in the Articles, the former in the Litur- gy. At present a division prevails into three great sections, which are styled High-Church, Low-Church (or Evangelical), and Broad-Church. Tlic first party holds to apostolical succession, the divine right of epis- copacy, and generally adheres to the sacramentarian view of the Church's life. The Puseyites have been drawn chiefly from this part}'. The Low-Church, or Evangelical party, holds, in general, that episcopacy is not essential to the being of the Church, though some evangelicals, so called, hold it in as high esteem as High-churchmen. The Low-churchmen recognise the claims of Presbyterians and dissenters as members of Christ's body. In doctrine they are chiefly Calvin- ists. The Broad-Church part}', though of recent ori- gin, embraces a large number of the most cultivated men in the Church, such as Kingsley, iNIaurice, Stan- ley, and, in fact, most of Dr. Arnold's jmpils and sym- pathizers. The tendency of this party is towards what is called liberal Christianity.