Appertain

Of course the Church of England is going to perform same-sex marriages. That has only ever been a matter of time. Most people already either think that it should, or assume that it does. As for the rest, why were they ever in it? What, exactly, did they think that it was?

As the Coronation Oath reads: "Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?" "All this I promise to do," replied the Queen.

Thus, within the meaning of the Oath, is the same thing said in four different ways. "The Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel" are defined as "in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law," which is defined as "the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England," which are defined as "all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to [the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge] or any of them."

Those rights and privileges are of course defined by Parliament. Within the understanding of the Coronation Oath, whatever Parliament defines as the rights and privileges, mostly in relation to incomes and property, of the Church of England's clergy are the only meaning of the settlement of the Church of England, thus the only meaning of the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law, and thus the only meaning of the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel.

The Queen is therefore bound by the Coronation Oath precisely and solely to sign whatever Parliament puts in front of her. That, and that alone, is her sworn duty as monarch. And just as in relation to civil partnerships, anyone contracting a same-sex civil marriage with a member of the Church of England's clergy thereby acquires his or her rights and privileges in relation to pensions, housing, and so forth. As one of the rights and privileges of the clergy, that is, constitutionally, part of the settlement of the Church of England, thus part of the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law, and thus part of the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel.

All of this has always been thoroughly repugnant to no small number of people. At any given time, there have always been at least as many Recusants, Dissenters and Nonconformists as there have been members of the Church of England, and there are now vastly more, albeit within an extremely secular society at large. But if you are in the Church of England, then you are in the Church of England. This is what it was set up to be, and this is what it is. Affecting Recusancy, Dissent or Nonconformity while retaining the "rights and privileges" of Establishment is a very far cry indeed from the discipleship preached by Jesus of Nazareth.