general satisfaction. They were partially, though not authoritatively, superseded by the publication, in 1537, of the Institution of a Christian Man. For two or three years before this negotiations had been carried on with the Continental reformers, and proposals had been made for a general conference at which some universal articles of faith might be considered. The conference took place but did not attain the end desired, for Henry, at first favourably disposed, was swayed by the influence of the anti-reformation party ; and Cranmer, while able to come to agree ment with the German deputation so far as points of doctrine were concerned, saw clearly that it would be a hopeless task to try to abolish all the ancient ceremonies. The increasing influence of the conservative party led to the passing, by Convocation and Parliament, in 1539, of Henry's Six Articles, the "bloody statute," or "whip with six strings," as they were then called, from the cruel persecutions to which they gave rise. These articles enforced belief in transubstantiation, declared that com munion in both kinds was unnecessary, that the marriage of priests was unlawful, that vows of chastity or widowhood were absolutely binding, that private masses and auricular confession were expedient and necessary. The severity of these doctrines was mitigated by the third authorised formulary of Henry s reign, The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for any Christian Man, called the "King s Book," and published in 1543. The conference with the Germans, though not entirely successful, had not been with out fruit. Among Cranrner s papers has been found a set of Thirteen Articles bearing evident traces of the Conti nental ideas, and highly interesting on account of the in fluence it exercised on the later formularies. Many of these articles are drawn directly from the Augsburg Confession, and there seems no doubt that they thus formed an inter mediate step between that Confession and the Forty-Two Articles of Edward. These were drawn up by Cranmer in obedience to the command of the king and privy council, who, in 1551, ordered the archbishop to "frame a book of articles of religion, for the preserving and maintaining peace and unity of doctrine in this church, that, being finished, they might be set forth by public authority." Great care was taken in their preparation ; the first draft was sent round to the bishops, then revised by Cranmer, submitted to Cheke and Cecil, and to the six royal chap lains, and finally laid before the council. In 1553 the mandate enjoining subscription to them was granted by the king, but the articles had already been printed in English. In the same year they were published in Latin, and ap pended to a short catechism of Christian doctrine. It has been much disputed whether these articles were sanctioned by Convocation, or were only circulated by order of council ; on the whole, the balance of probability seems to be in favour of the supposition that they had received ecclesias
tical sanction (Hardwick, History of the Articles, 106-112).During the reign of Mary these articles were suppressed, but, on the accession of Elizabeth and the elevation of Parker to the see of Canterbury, attention was again directed to the framing of some standard body of truth. A series of Eleven Articles was drawn up in 1559, and was in use for some time ; it had not, however, full autho rity, though it was enforced in Ireland until 1615. In 1562 the houses of Convocation were summoned, and Parker laid before them a revised copy of the Forty-Two Articles. In the work of revision he had been assisted by Bishops Grindal, Horn, and Fox. The changes introduced by them were, for the most part, Lutheran in tendency, and were probably influenced by the Wiirtemberg Confession of 1551. Articles v., xii., xxix., and xxx. of the present set were newly introduced; x., xvi., xix. (part being transferred to the present vii.), and xli. of the old series were omitted. Seven teen other articles were modified by partial omission, altera tion, or substitution. Convocation further struck out Articles xxxix., xl., and xlii.; made considerable alterations in iii. and xxviii., and some slight changes in viii., xv., xxii, xxix., and xxxiii. A Latin manuscript of Parker s, containing a list of signatures, might be supposed to give the final state of the document, but it differs from the extract taken in 1637 by Laud s order from the registers, both in regard to the signatures, and in the omission of the first clause of Article xx. The articles, now thirty -nine in number, were submitted to the queen, who is said to have read and examined them. After nearly a year s delay they were published in Latin. In this edition the disputed clause of Article xx. is found, and Article xxix. is wholly omitted. In the English version, printed in the same year, the clause of Article xx. is wanting. In all editions after 1571, Article xxix. is inserted, and, with one exception, the same is true of the clause in Article xx. A law (13 Eliz. c. 12) was passed in 1571, ordaining that the clergy "should subscribe to all the articles which only concern the confes sion of a true Christian faith, and the doctrine of the sacraments." Convocation of the same year inserted Article xxix., made a few slight changes, added a list of the Apocryphal books, and thus gave the articles their pre sent form. The only serious attempt at alteration was made in 1595, when the Primate, Whitgift, accepted a series of articles proposed by Dr Whitaker of Cambridge. These, generally known as the Lambeth Articles, were strongly Calvinistic in tone. They did not receive sanction, and were immediately suppressed. At a later date (1604) it was again sought to introduce them, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The canons of 1604 enforced subscription, while the general relation of the articles to the church was defined by the royal declaration of 1628 (now prefixed to them), which enjoins the settlement of disputed points by Convocation, the acceptation of the articles in their plain and full bearing, and the interpretation of them in their literal and grammatical sense.
The articles are not intended to be a complete system of theology, but only enumerate certain truths of such primary importance that any one denying them is thereby excluded from the church. They do not, however, furnish merely a negative test ; they were framed not only for the avoidance of diversity of opinion, but for the establishment of consent regarding true religion. Accordingly, they treat in order of the main points of theological doctrine, and may be classified thus: (1.) Articles i.-v., the doctrine of the Trinity ; (2.) Articles vi.-viii., the rule of faith or sources of our knowledge of religious matters; (3.) Articles ix.-xviii., the doctrines which concern the Christian as an indi vidual, i.e., sin, redemption, and their cognate notions ; (4.) Articles xix. -xxxix., the necessary relations of Christians as members of a religious community, including the general theory of the church, and the doctrine of the sacraments. The Church of Ireland continued to use the Eleven Articles until 1615, when a more elaborate code was drawn up by Ussher. This, in 1635, was superseded by the Thirty-Nine Articles, which were then adopted by the Irish Church. The Episcopal Church in Scotland accepted the articles in 1804, and in America the church subscribed to them in 1801, excluding, however, the Athanasian Creed.
See Abp. Laurence, Eamplon Lectures, 1804, new ed. 1853 ; Lamb, Historical Account of the Thirty-Nine Articles, 1835 ; Hardwick, History of the Articles of Itcligion, 1859.
ARTICULATA, the name given by Cuvier to his third great division of the animal kingdom. Arthropoda is the designation now generally adopted, which includes the Crustacea, Arachnida, Myriapoda, and Insecta, but excludes the Annelida, which Cuvier classed with these among the Articulata. See Arthropoda.
