Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, M.A., Th.D.: Faith and Works--Cranmer and Hooker...



Thomas Cranmer, 25. The dynamic of Tyndale, Joye, Barnes and others was being felt on the stony ground of the English ecclesiastical establishment, to the malicious chagrin of Wolsey, Warham, Fisher, More and the Tudor King. Henry VIII remained an Anglo-Romanist (without the Pope) to his death. Henry had some esteem for Melancthon and invited him to England. The Germans always sent second stringers rather than Henry. The Ten Articles of 1536 were proposed reflecting some transitional elements, but more as a political expedient to quell dissension. The third article has some Lutheranization to it: “…whereby the penitent must hope that God will forgive him and repute him justified and of the number of his elect children, not for the worthiness of any merit or work done by him, but for the only merits of the blood and passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ…though God pardoned sin only for the satisfaction of Christ, yet they must bring forth the fruits of penance, prayer, fasting, alms-deeds, with restitution and satisfaction for wrongs done to others, with other works of mercy and charity, and obedience to God’s commandments” (26). In 1538, Dr. Cranmer, two other English Bishops, and three German divines drew up the Thirteen Articles showing a stronger influence from the Augsburg Confession than the Ten Articles of 1536. The Thirteen Articles were found in Cranmer’s papers 300 years later. The 1539 Six Articles reversed the previous resulting in Latimer and Shaxton resigning their sees of Worcester and Salisbury. Burnet summarized Cranmer’s rejection of the 6 Articles arguing for Sola Scriptura, to wit: “He had much doubting in himself as to general councils, and he thought that only the Word of God was the rule of faith, which ought to take place in all controversies of religion. The Scriptures were called canonical as being the only rules of the faith of Christians, and these, by appointment of the ancient councils, were only to be read in the churches. The fathers SS. Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine did in many things differ from one another, but always appealed to the Scriptures as the common standard. And he cited some remarkable passage out of St. Augustine to show what difference he put between the Scriptures and all other writings, even of the best and holiest fathers” (27). The Homilies of the Church of England, 27ff. A project for homilies was approved at Convocation, Jan 1542. Some homilies were produced by Feb 1543, but were blocked by a Royal veto. Twelve homilies were published at the end of July 1547, known as the First Book of Homilies (as distinct from the Second Book of Homilies under Elizabeth 1). No 1.—A Fruitful Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledge of Holy Scripture. No.3—The Salvation of Mankind by only Christ our Saviour from Sin and Death Everlasting. No. 4—The True, Lively, and Christian Faith. Cranmer had a hand in the first homily. Two homilies of the Second Book actually date back to before 1542, namely, the “Homily of Good Friday, concerning the Death and Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ” (divided in 2 parts) and “The Homily of the Resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Richard Tavener and Miles Coverdale may have been the subtexts and they both bear on the theme of justification. The Good Friday homily exhorts this remembrance: “..this excellent act and benefit of Christ’s death, whereby he hath purchased for us the undoubted pardon and forgiveness of sin…by putting himself between God’s deserved wrath and our sin…the grievous debt of sin which could none otherwise bet paid but by the death of an innocent…So much do we love God and Christ as we hate sin…For Christ hath no so redeemed us from sin that we may safely return thereto again…No tongue surely is able to express the worthiness of this so precious a death. For in this standeth the continual pardon of our daily offences. In this resteth our justification. In this we be allowed. In this is purchased the everlasting health of all our souls; yeah, there is none other thing that can be named under heaven to save our souls but this only work of Christ’s precious offering of his body upon the altar of the cross” (29).

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