"A standing fence": Waterland on the use of the Athanasian Creed

Ahead of Trinity Sunday, words from Daniel Waterland's A Critical History of the Athanasian Creed (1723). His defence of the "reasonableness" of the use of this Creed is significant in a number of ways.

Firstly, he refutes the implication - favoured by 18th century English critics of orthodox Trinitarian faith - that the Athanasian Creed, because it was a later composition, should be suspect to Protestants. This characteristic use of 'anti-popery' sentiment to further a heterodox agenda is firmly rebutted. Secondly, against the allegation that it is "dry and insipid", he points to the Athanasian Creed as catechesis, as "Instruction", a means "to prevent Mistakes". The purpose of the recitation of this Creed is not to excite or enthuse, but to protect by "an abundant caution". Thirdly, he sees in this Creed "the Structure and Fabrick of the Christian Faith", an approach which perhaps shares some interesting similarities with Lindbeck's understanding of the "regulative" nature of doctrine, rules preventing the Church's discourse about God being disordered and disorienting.

The use of it is to be a standing Fence and Preservative against the Wiles and Equivocations of most kinds of Hereticks. This was well understood by Luther, when He called it, A Bulwark to the Apostles Creed ... And it was this and the like Considerations that have all along made it to be of such high Esteem among all the Reformed Churches, from the Days of their great Leader ...

A plain Argument that the Church, in forming of Creeds, early and late, went upon no such view, but upon quite another principle. The Design of all was, to keep up as strictly as possible the whole Compages [i.e. structure], or Fabrick of the Christian Faith as it stands in Scripture. And if any Part came to be attack'd, They were then to bend all their Cares to succour and relieve That Part, in order still to secure the Whole ...

If it be pleaded, that the Vulgar, knowing little of any of those Heresies, will therefore know as little of what the Creed means; and so to Them it may be at least dry and insipid, if not wholly useless: To This I answer; that there are no kinds of Hereticks but hope to make the Vulgar understand their Tenets respectively, and to draw them aside from the received Faith of the Church: And therefore it behoves the Pastors of the Church to have a standing Form, to guard the People against any such Attempts. The Vulgar will understand, in the general, and as far as is ordinarily to Them necessary, the main Doctrines of a Trinity in unity, and of God incarnate ...

There is no Hurt done to Them by abundant Caution ... It is not pretended that all are capable of seeing through every nicety, or of perceiving the full Intent and Aim of every part of This Form, and what it alludes to. But, as many as are capable of being set wrong in any one Branch, (by the subtlety of Seducers) are as capable of being kept right by This Rule given them ...

Upon the whole, I look upon it as exceeding useful, and even necessary for every Church to have some such Form as This, or something equivalent, open and common to all its Members; that none may be led astray for want of proper Caution, and previous Instruction in what so nearly concerns the Structure and Fabrick of the Christian Faith.

Why I support the ordination of women: a High Church reflection

A number of commenters on this blog have asked about my occasional expressions of support for the ordination of women to all three orders. With some hesitation, I have decided to post a summary of my own views on this matter. The hesitation is because I have sought on this blog to focus on issues and themes which can unify those who identify with or have respect (grudging or otherwise!) for what we might term 'classical' Anglicanism (the Anglicanism of the Formularies and - yes - of the Old High Church tradition). Some oppose the ordination of women (and I have friends and colleagues who do so, Anglo-Catholic, High Church, and Reformed Evangelical). Some of us support it (again, friends and colleagues covering a wide range of theological traditions). Below, I have organised my thinking around 5 points (needless to say, no reference to Dort is implied). 1. The Declaration for Subscription required of clergy in the Church of Ireland states: (6) I promise to submit ...

How the Old High tradition continued

Charles Gore's 1914 letter to the clergy of his diocese, ' The Basis of Anglican Fellowship ', can be regarded as a classical expression of the Prayer Book Catholic tradition. A key part of the letter - entitled 'Romanizing in the Church of England' - addressed the "Catholic movement", questioning beliefs and practices within it which tended to "a position which makes it very difficult for its extremer representatives to give an intelligible reason why they are not Roman Catholics". Gore provides the outlines of an alternative account and experience of catholicity within Anglicanism, defined by three characteristics. What is particularly interesting about these characteristics is their continuity with the older High Church tradition. Indeed, the central characteristic as set out by Gore was integral to High Church claims over centuries: To accept the Anglican position as valid, in any sense, is to appeal behind the Pope and the authority of t...

'Whether the Lutheran Churches have right Ordinations and perfect succession of Bishops': Jeremy Taylor, 'Episcopacy Asserted', and Lutheran orders

Amidst the bitter controversies over episcopacy in the Three Kingdoms during the early 1640s, controversies which had become war in Scotland in 1637 and then in England in 1642, Jeremy Taylor wrote his Laudian defence of episcopal order, The Sacred Order and Offices of Episcopacy Asserted and Maintained . He proposed in this work that the non-episcopal Reformed churches could have had episcopally-ordered clergy: Those good people might have had order from the bishops of England or the Lutheran churches, if at least they thought our churches catholic and Christian. Leaving aside the reality that, for example, French Protestants would have been placed in an invidious political position if they had done as Taylor proposed, it is the reference to "the Lutheran churches" which is significant. To begin with, a large portion of the Lutheran churches - those in the German lands - were governed by a system of superintendency. It is almost inconceivable that Taylor was not aware of th...

laudable Practice

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