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It
had been expected in 1553 that clergy would subscribe to the Articles,
but the death of Edward scuppered this.
In
1571 it was again expected that clergy would subscribe to the
articles, but again this never really happened.
1604
Subscription
Not
until 1604 did clerical subscription become a necessity under
Canon law. Here clergy were required to assent to three
articles, the first to do with the sovereign, the second with
the Prayer Book and Church order, the third with the Thirty-nine
articles.
In
fact what was required was not that the minister assented to the
articles but rather assented to them being agreeable to the Word
of God.
1644
Prayer Book abolished
In
1642 Civil War broke out and the Prayer Book was abolished and
replaced by the Directory or Worship, based on the Genevan Service
Book.
Although
subscription to the Articles was no longer required they were
not replaced. It had been intended that a new set of articles
would be produced by the Westminster Assembly in 1648 and called
the Westminster Confession of Faith. However this was never
fully authorised and, although it became the doctrinal standard
of the established Church in Scotland and of many other presbyterian
and independent churches in later centuries, it has never had
an official position in England where it was produced.
1660-62
Restoration
In
May 1660 the monarchy was restored and after a period of uncertainty
the draconian Act of Uniformity was introduced in 1662. This established
the Book of Common Prayer as the sole worship book of the Church
of England for 300 years. Alongside this the 39 Articles
were reintroduced and this time Clerical subscription to them
was rigidly imposed.
The
form of subscription has changed over the intervening years.
In
1689 the general practice became to use the wording of 1604 together
with the words:
I
A B do willingly and from my heart subscribe to the Thirty-nine
Articles of Religion of the United Church of England and Ireland,
and to the three Articles of the Thirty-Sixth Canon, and to all
things therein contained.
In
the 18th Century there were attempts to change the form of subscription,
but the main proponent, Archdeacon Blackburne, was suspected of
being an Arian (someone who denies the full divinity of Christ)
and the attempt failed.
A
new formula was introduced in 1865 with the wording:
I
A B do solemnly make the following declaration:
I
assent to the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion...
I
believe the doctrine of the United Church of England and Ireland,
as therein set forth, to be agreeable to the Word of God...
In
1975 a new form of words was introduced, which is much weaker.
It
is set out in Canon C17 of the Canons of the Church of England.
There
is a preface which declares that the Church of England:
professes
the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth
in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon
to proclaim afresh in each generation.
Led
by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in
its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion...
In
the declaration you are about to make will you affirm your loyalty
to this inheritance of faith as your inspiration and guidance
under God...
I
A B do so affirm and accordingly declare my belief in the faith
which is revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the
catholic creeds and to which the historic formularies of the Church
of England bear witness...
This
new form, is deliberately vague and weak. Therefore in
the Church of England today many simply ignore the Thirty-Nine
Articles. They are generally not taught to candidates for
ministry and many in the Churches do not even know of their existence.
However,
officially the Articles are part of the doctrinal standard for
the Church of England.
Canon
A2 asserts that the Articles are agreeable to Scripture and can
be assented to with a good conscience.
And
Canon A5 states:
The
doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures,
and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the
Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures.
In
particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles
of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal.
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