W. H. Griffith Thomas: The Catholic Faith: A Manual of Instruction for Members of the Church of England (New Edition)

PREFACE

While an apologetic preface s always unnecessary, a few words explanatory of the writer's aim may rightly be allowed.

This Manual represents an endeavour to answer two questions: (l) What is the Church of England? (2) What does the Church of England teach? The answers to these questions are found, first, in the Prayer Book and Articles considered in their plain and obvious meaning. An attempt is then made to indicate the fundamental principles of the Church of England, to show how those principles are expressed in the formularies of doctrine and worship, and to point out what the principles imply and involve in the life of those who are bound by them. It is also shown that the Prayer Book and Articles need consideration in the light of their origin and compilation, and in view of the circumstances which gave birth to their present form. The Church of England formularies are thus seen to be the direct outcome of great movements of thought and life in the English nation.

The treatment of the various subjects is necessarily brief and incomplete, but an attempt has been made at least to touch upon all essential matters.

The substance of the book represents teaching given in the course of parochial work, in Confirmation Classes and Sermons, together with some theological lectures to missionary candidates and congregations in various localities. All possible care has been taken to verify the statements made, but in a book of this kind it is obviously necessary to deal with results rather than with processes. As the book represents the reading and study of several years it is impossible to acknowledge indebtedness in detail, but special mention must be made of help and suggestion derived from several Manuals of Doctrine and other similar books. After working over the ground myself I naturally consulted other works, and I gladly acknowledge my indebtedness for suggestions even when I could not agree with particular interpretations. I refer especially to The Church Catechism Explained, by Rev. A. W. Robinson; Confirmation Lectures, by Canon Barnes Lawrence; The Prayer Book and the Christian Life, by Archdeacon Tiffany; and The Church Catechism, by Canon Stowell. The summary of Church History in Part II. is intended to be a brief statement of the link of connexion of the Church of England with the Church of Apostolic days, and an explanation of how she has come to be what she is. It is mainly a bare narration of facts based on several well known works. Litton's great work, An Introduction to Dogmatic Theology, has been referred to and used throughout. For twenty years past that book has been a constant and treasured companion.

While I am of course responsible for the general treatment and conclusions of the Chapter on the Ornaments Rubric in Part III., I am greatly indebted to the criticisms of a friend who does not wish his name mentioned, but whose knowledge of this thorny subject is thorough and reliable.

I submitted to several friends the first draft of the synopsis of this work, in order to obtain the benefit of their criticisms. Among these I must mention Canon Stuart and Canon R. C. Joynt, of whose great pastoral experience I naturally wished to avail myself for the greater usefulness of the book. To Canon Barnes Lawrence I am particularly grateful for his trouble in reading through the entire manuscript and for giving me the benefit of his sound judgment and valued criticisms.

It remains to express the hope and prayer that this endeavour to show what it means to be an English Churchman may be blessed of God to the confirmation of members of the Anglican Church in "the faith once delivered to the Saints" as it now stands embodied in the Word of God and enshrined in the Prayer Book and Articles of the Church of England.

NOTE TO NEW EDITION

OPPORTUNITY has been taken to give the book a careful revision, to consider some of the recent Church problems, and to make modifications and additions in the list of works recommended for reading.

This edition of W. H. Griffith Thomas' The Catholic Faith: A Manual of Instruction for Members of the Church of England was published by Longmans, Greenman, and Co. in 1920 and is available for reading online or free download in several formats on the Internet Archive website. It is an excellent introduction to the faith of the Reformed Anglican Church. It is also available as a free e-book on Google Books.