Dear Sir,
In the October Anglican Update Susie Leafe, Director of Reform, refers to Article 19 of The Thirty-Nine Articles (‘of the Church’) which she paraphrases to refer to ‘the local congregation in which the pure Word of God is preached ....’ There is no ‘local congregation’ in the original.
By the time this Article was written, ‘congregation’ was rather fluid and could refer, as in the contemporary Book of Homilies, to the whole universal church. Even if it is speaking of an ideal church it is unlikely that it has the local parish congregation in mind when it goes on to speak of the churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, etc. It tells they have erred, and adds: ‘as also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their manner of living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.’
While Article 19 only refers to two marks of the church – the pure Word of God being preached and the sacraments duly administered, by adding ‘according to Christ’s ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same’ the third mark of godly discipline is clearly included.
Given the erroneous, if not heretical, teaching within the Church of England, and the promiscuous baptising, distribution of the Lord’s Supper and the ordaining of those unworthy of either, one is forced to conclude that the words our Reformers applied to Rome are now similarly appropriate to the CofE. Given that our Reformers justified the necessary separation of the Continental Reformers from their national churches, is it not time for their spiritual heirs to do likewise?
Yours sincerely,
