Untitled - Electric Scotland

1863-67] LI15LRTY HAS ITS LIMITATIONS
in the formularies as in the Bible. The mind that repudiates
these -ssentials may hesitate for a time (and (iod forbid that any
rash upbraiding* should add fresh pain to the anxieties of doubt,
or precipitate by unkindness a separation which we deplore) ;
still, if the mind repudiates these plainly-written essentials, it can
find no lasting peace in the English Church. U it true that theiv
are men who even desire to act as Christ s ministers amongst
us, without believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? I can
scarcely credit the assertion. The Church of England, from the
beginning to the end of its formularies, proclaims with St. Paul
that if Christ be not risen, our preaching and faith is vain, there
is no Gospel. For those who do not believe in the resurrection
of Christ we have no place, as we have none for those who do
not believe in Christ s Divinity, nor in the divinity of the Third
Person of the blessed Trinity. The essentials of the Christian
faith are incorporated in our formularies from the Bible and the
Apostles Creed explained and enlarged on, but not added to :
the liberty of thought which is consistent with loyalty to our
Church is therefore hedged in by these essentials.
" And then, on the other hand, since the Church of England
is not only Catholic as holding the old faith, but also Protestant,
there are essentials, not of the Christian faith, but of our charter
as reformed from Roman error, which it is equally vain for any
man to hope that he can with a safe conscience ignore. The
Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this realm of England
(Art. xxxvii.). The sacrifices of masses, in the which it was com
monly said that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the
dead to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables
and dangerous deceits (Art. xxxi.). The body of Christ is
given, taken, and received in the [Lord s] Supper only after an
heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the
body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith (Art.
xxvni.). These and such like solemn protests against Rome,
giving their colour to the whole body of our Articles, close on
this side the liberty of all who would be loyal to our Church." 1
Like many other Churchmen in those days, Bishop
Tail s personal experience of the loss of dear and trusted
friends led him to have a special dislike and fear of any
1
Charge of 1866, pp. 6-9.
but