Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A25944
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Articles of religion, agreed upon by both Houses and the principall divines thorough [sic] all England and Wales for the avoiding of diversities of opinions whereunto is added His Majesties declaration in confirming the same.; Thirty-nine Articles
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Church of England.; England and Wales. Sovereign (1625-1649 : Charles I)
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1642
(1642)
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Wing A3867; ESTC R6456
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9,871
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18
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ARTICLES OF RELIGION AGREED UPON By both Houses and the principall Divines thorough all England and Wales for the avoiding of diversities of Opinions Whereunto is added His MAJESTIES Declaration in confirming the same Published by His Majesties speciall Command C R HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT London Printed for Theophilus Brown 1642. By the King BEing by Gods Ordinance according to Our just Title Defender of the Faith supreme Governour of the Church within these Our Dominions We hold it most agreeable to this Our Kingly Office and Our own Religious Zeale to conserve and maintain the Church committed to Our charge in the unity of true Religion and in the bond of peace and not to suffer unnecessary disputations altercations or questions to be raised which may nourish faction both in Church and Common-wealth We have therefore upon mature deliberation and with the advice of so many of Our Bishops as might conveniently be called together thought fit to make this Declaration following That the Articles of the Church of England which have beene allowed and authorized heretofore and which Our Clergie generally have subscribed unto do contain the true doctrine of the Church of England agreeable to Gods Word which We doe therefore ratifie and confirm requiring all Our loving Subjects to continue in the uniforme profession thereof and prohibiting the least difference from the said Articles which to that end We command to be new printed and this Our Declaration to be published therewith That We are supreme Governour of the Church of England and that if any difference arise about the externall policy concerning Injunctions Canons or other Constitutions thereto belonging the Clergie in their Convocation is to order and settle them having first obtained leave under Our broad Seal so to do and We approving their said Ordinances and Constitutions providing that none be made contrary to the Lawes and Customes of the Land That out of Our Princely care that the Church-men may doe the work which is proper unto them the Bishops and Clergie from time to time in Convocation upon their humble desire shall have licence under Our broad Seal to deliberate of and to do all such things as being made plaine by them and assented unto by Us shall concern the setled continuance of the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England now established from which We will not indure any varying or departing in the least degree That for the present though some differences have been ill raised yet We take comfort in this that all Clergie-men within Our Realm have alwayes most willingly subscribed to the Articles established which is an argument to Us that they all agree in the true usuall literall meaning of the said Articles and that even in those curious points in which the present differences lie men of all sorts take the Articles of the Church of England to be for them which is an argument again that none of them intend any desertion of the Articles established That therefore in these both curious and unhappy differences which have for so many hundred yeers in different times and places exercised the Church of Christ We will that all further curious search be laid aside and those disputes shut up in Gods promises as they be generally set forth to us in the holy Scriptures and the generall meaning of the Articles of the Church of England according to them And that no man hereafter shall either print or preach to draw the Article aside any way but shall submit to it in the plain and full meaning thereof and shall not put his own sense or Comment to be the meaning of the Article but shall take it in the literall and Grammaticall sense That if any publike Reader in either Our Universities or any Head or Master of a Colledge or any other person respectively in either of them shall affix any new sense to any Article or publikely read determine or hold any publike disputation or suffer any such to be held either way in either the Universities or Colledges respectively or if any Divine shall preach or print any thing either way other then is already established in Convocation with Our Royall assent they the offenders shal be liable to Our displeasure the Churches censure in Our Commission Ecclesiasticall as wel as any other and We will see there shal be due execution upon them ARTICLES OF RELIGION 1. Of faith in the holy Trinity THere is but one living and true God everlasting without body parts or passions of infinite power wisdom goodnesse the maker and preserver of all things both visiible and invisible And in unity of this Godhead there be three persons of one substance power and eternity the Father the Son the holy Ghost 2. Of the Word or Son of God which was made very man The Son which is the Word of the Father begotten from everlasting of the Father the very eternall God of one substance with the Father took mans nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin of her substance so that two whole and perfect natures that is to say the Godhead and manhood were joyned together in one person never to be divided whereof is one Christ very God and very man who truly suffered was crucified dead and buried to reconcile his Father to us and to be a sacrifice not onely for originall guilt but also for actuall sins of men 3. Of the going down of Christ into hell As Christ died for us and was buried so also is it to be beleeved that he went down into hell 4. Of the Resurrection of Christ Christ did truly rise again from death and took again his body with flesh bones and all things appertaining to the perfection of mans nature wherewith he ascended into heaven and there sitteth untill he return to judge all men at the last day 5. Of the holy Ghost The holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son is of one substance Majesty and Glory with the Father and the Son very and eternall God 6. Of the sufficiencie of the holy Scriptures for salvation Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be beleeved as an Article of the faith or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation In the name of the holy Scripture we do understand those Canonicall Books of the Old and New Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church Of the names and numbers of the Canonicall Books Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numeri Deuteronomium Josue Judges Ruth The first Book of Samuel The second Book of Samuel The first Book of Kings The second Book of Kings The first Book of Chronicles The second Book of Chronic. The first Book of Esdras The second Book of Esdras The Book of Hester The Book of Job The Psalms The Proverbs Ecclesiastes or Preacher Cantica or
Songs of Solomon Foure Prophets the greater Twelve Prophets the lesse And the other Books as Hierome saith the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine Such are these following The third Book of Esdras The fourth Book of Esdras The Book of Tobias The Book of Judeth The rest of the Book of Hester The Book of Wisdom Jesus the son of Sirach Baruch the Prophet The song of the three childreÌ„ The Story of Susanna Of Bell and the Dragon The prayer of Manasses The first Book of Maccabees The second Book of Maccab. All the books of the new Testament as they are commonly received we do receive and account them Canonicall 7. Of the old Testament The old Testament is not contrary to the new for both in the old and new Testament everlasting life is offered to mankinde by Christ who is the only Mediator between God and man being both God and man Wherfore they are not to be heard which feign that the old Fathers did look only for transitory promises Although the law given from God by Moses as touching Ceremonies and Rites do not binde Christian men nor the civill precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any Commonwealth yet notwithstanding no Christian man whatsoever is free from the obedience of the commandments which are called Morall 8. Of the three Creeds The three Creeds Nice Creed Athanasius Creed and that which â—s commonly called the Apostles Creed ought thorowly to be received and beleeved for they may be proved by most certain warrants of holy Scripture 9. Of originall birth or sin Originall sin standeth not in the following of Adam as the Pelaâ—ians do vainly talk but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is ingendred of the off-spring of Adam wherby man is very far gone from originall righteousnesse and is of â—is own nature enclined to evil so that the flesh lusteth alwayes conâ—rary to the spirit and therfore in every person born into this world 〈◊〉 deserveth Gods wrath and damnation And this infection of nature doth remain yea in them that are regenerated whereby the lust of the flesh called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some do expound the wisdom some sensuality some the affection some the desire of the flesh is not subject to the law of God And although there is no condemnation for them that beleeve and are baptized yet the Apostle doth confesse that concupiscence and lust hath of it selfe the nature of sin 10. Of free will The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own naturall strength and good works to faith and calling upon God Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ preventing us that we may have a good will and working with us when we have that good will 11. Of the Iustification of man We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ by faith and not for our own works or deservings Wherefore that we are justified by faith onely is a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Iustification 12. Of good works Albeit that good works which are the fruits of faith and follow after Justification cannot put away our sins and endure the severity of Gods judgement yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith in so much that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit 13. Of works before justification Works done before the grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Iesu Christ neither do they make men meet to receive grace or as the school-authors say deserve grace of congruity yea rather for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done we doubt not but they have the nature of sin 14. Of works of supererogation Voluntary works besides over and above Gods commandments which they call works of supererogation cannot be taught without arrogancy and impietie For by them men do declare that they do not onely render unto God as much as they are bound to do but that they do more for his sake then of bounden duty is required Whereas Christ saith plainly When ye have done all that are commanded to you say We are unprofitable servants 15. Of Christ alone without sin Christ in the truth of our nature was made like us in all things sin only except from which he was clearly void both in his flesh and in his spirit He came to be a Lamb without spot who by sacrifice of himself once made should take away the sins of the world and sin as S. John saith was not in him But all we the rest altough baptized and born again in Christ yet offend in many things and if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 16. Of sin after Baptisme Not every deadly sin willingly committed after Baptisme is sin against the holy Ghost and unpardonable Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after Baptisme After we have received the holy Ghost we may depart from grace given and fall into sin and by the grace of God we may arise again and amend our lives And therefore they are to be condemned which say they can no more sin as long as they live here to deny the place of forgivenesse to such as truely repent 17. Of Predestination and Election Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundations of the world were laid he hath constantly decreed by his counsell secret to us to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankinde and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation as vessels made to honour Wherefore they which be indued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit working in due season they through grace obey the calling they be justified freely they be made sons of God by adoption they be made like the Image of his onely begotten Son Iesus Christ they walk religiously in good works and at length by Gods mercy they attain to everlasting felicity As the godly consideration of Predestination and our Election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant and unspeakable comfort to godly persons and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the works of the flesh and their earthly members and drawing up their minde to high and heavenly things as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith