The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-16
The Thirty-Sevcnthi Article of tho
Church Of England.

In letter to a gentleman in Glas'
cow, published in the Christian Lead'
cr, MIR. John Bright, NJ. p, referred tc
the Thirty-Seventh Article OF the
Church of England in the following
terms -
"An article of the Church of Eng.
land makes all bearing of arme and
all war lawful, and insists on this as O
religious belief and thus conscience Is
darkened and misled."
In answer to this, Mr.. Bright has re-
ceived several letters, to one or when
| he has sent the following reply
"One Ash, Rochdale, March llth.
Dear Sir.-I am glad to have your
letter in reference to mine, in which
mention or quote from the Thirty:
seventh Article of your Church. l
take the article as 1 find it in your
Book of Common Prayer, 1t is lawful
for Christian men, at the command
ment of the magistrate, to wear Weap-
ons and to serve in the wars take
this to mean at the commandment OF
any magistrate-that is, of any person
who has authority to deal with affairs
of State. 1t requires only that the
wars should be sanctioned by the mag
istrate-that is, by the ruler for the
time being-to justify any Christian
man to wear weapons and to serve III
the wars-that is, in any wars when
the ruler or magistrate may undertake.
The Christian man is not to trouble
himself as to the justice of the quarrel.
As q rule, every monarch or statesman
going so far, declares that the war is
lust, and this is to be accepted by those
enlisted in service. 1t follows, there
fore, that according to the article OF
your Church, in any and every w3r
which has the sanction of magistrate
or ruler, Christian men may lawfully,
that is in compliance, not only with
human, but with the Divine law, en-
gage themselves. I object to this view
of this solemn question, for it dethron-
es the individual conscience and gives
license to every crime with which war
is. everywhere and in all times, assocl-
ated. It is said that good men join the
Army, and in the crimes and murders
which armies commit. I grant this,
and l do not doubt they derive much
comfort from the Thirty-seventh Ar
ticle of your Church, which article
was inserted, not by good Christian
men anxious for the good OF the
Church, but by monarch or Statesmen
anxious that Christian principles ana
practice should never interfere with
their schemes of ambition and con-
quest. In the same article it is de-
clared to be lawful to punish Chris
tian men with death for grievous Of
fences, under which statesmen and
judges and juries were comforted when
they sent men to the gallows for steal
ing sheep or for forgery, or for stealing
in a shop or dwelling-house to some
trifiing amount, or for passing base
coin.
+ 1.-THE Thirty-ninty Article declares
that man may swear when the mag
istrate requireth, altogether there is no
act or offence which O man may or can
commit which is more expressly for
bidden in the New Testament. These
articles to which am ohjecting. have
nothing to do with religious belief.
They were introduced only for politi-
cal purposes, and in my view they
have for three hundred years done
much to pervent the minds of our peo-
pie, not of Churchman only, but Of
Nonconformists, who in many things
continue the unsound opinion which
in early times the teaching of the
Church made common. You say these
articles are only of religious belief to
the clergy, but you will hardly saythat
their influence is confined to your
many thousands of ministers, and
that what clergymen have to accept as
a doctrine to be believed may be wholly
rejected by their congregations and
parishioners. A Church free from the
State might free itself from the fault
and the dishonour of making very
doubtful political ideas into articles OF
religious and Christian belief.
"Yours very truly,
John BRIGHT"