Difficulties Associated With Articles Of Religion Among Particular Baptists

120 6 ADDED ARTICLES OF THE GOSPEL STANDARD was nu-scriptural, and Articles 33 and 34 were unnecessary. I had left them without any Scripture references. This I repeated afterwards to Mr. Gadsby verbally.

To my intense surprise not one of the nine suggested any Scripture confirmation; and thus Articles 32 33. and 34 have been without such confirmation to the present day, namely, for 43 years.

On the G. S. wrapper, p. xvi, June, 1878, Mr. Hazlerigg tried his best to make an apology for passing these Articles ; and again, on p. xii and xiii of July wrapper ; but it is manifest that even therein he was writing against his better judgment and conscience, as l knew at the time, and as he himself very frequently freely confessed to many persons besides m self.

In addition to this, Mr. Hazlerigg gives his mature judgment concerning the Four “ Added ” Articles eight years later, in his pamphlet, “ A Momentous Question,” published by me for him in 1886. He therein distinctly states that he entertained strong objections to those Articles, and gives the grounds of his objections (pages 27 and 28). This pamphlet should be reprinted and widely circulated. I retain the original manuscript.

When it is said that these Articles were “unanimously adopted at a General Meeting of the Societies,” it should be realized that it is possible, by stating a art of the truth, to help the reader to believe either more than is true, or less than is true. The Added Articles were indeed laid before the General Meeting in April, 1879, and passed by that meeting; but it must ever be borne in mind: 1 That these meetings have never represented the Churches; 2 That the Annual Meetings of the earlier years, held in the Old Bailey, seldom consisted of more than thirty or forty persons, beside the ministers.

It may be added here that an “Article of Faith ” is a definite declaration of a truth to be “most surely believed among us,” having the Word of God for its sure foundation. A mere expression of human opinion, however true, is not, and cannot be, an Article of Faith. This is the vital defect of Articles 32, 33, and 34.

Summery To sum up, we have the seven following facts : 1 The Four Articles were added with the avowed intention of limiting the liberty of ministers in preaching. To deny this is idle and puerile.

2 They were entirely unnecessary, because what there is of any good in them is contained in the earlier Articles.

3 They were passed under a threat from Mr. john Gadsby, and were thus forced upon the Societies.

4 In their final modified form they were yielded as a compromise, for