Nice Creed Athanasius Creed and that which is commonly called the Apostles Creed ought throughly to be Received and Believed for they may be proved by most certain Warrants of Holy Scripture The Presbyterians Say the very same thing For in the Confession of Faith of the French Reformed Church who are well known to be Calvinists Article the Fifth these are the Words Suivant Cela nous Advouans les Trois Symboles Ossavoir des Apostres de Nice d'Athanase pource qu'ils sont Conformes a la Parole de Dieu We avow the three Symbols viz. That of the Apostles that of Nice and that of Athanasius because they are agreeable to the Word of God The Papists Profess likewise to Believe these three Creeds but not upon the same Grounds which the Church of England and the Presbyterians do For they Believe and Embrace those Summaries of Faith because they are agreeable to and may be proved by Holy Scripture Whereas the Papists Believe them for the Authority of Tradition or of those Councils that made or Confirmed them And touching that called The Apostles Creed They tell this Story The Apostles before they departed one from another the time whereof is not certainly known all Twelve Assembled together and full of the Holy Ghost each laying down his Sentence agreed upon 12 principal Articles of the Christian Faith and appointed them for a Rule to all Believers which is therefore called and is The Apostles Creed not written in Paper as the Scripture but from the Apostles delivered by Tradition The ninth Article of the Church of England Of Original Sin ORiginal Sin standeth not in the following of Adam as the Pelagians 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 whereby Man is very far gone from Original Righteousness and is of his own Nature inclined to Evil so that the Flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit and therefore in every Person born into this World it deserveth Gods Wrath and Damnation and this Infection of Nature doth Remain yea in them that are Regenerated whereby the Lusts of the Flesh called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some do expound the Wisdom some the 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 Believe and are Baptized yet the Apostle doth Confess that Concupiscence and Lust hath of it self the Nature of Sin The Presbyterians Our first Parents being seduced by the Subtilty and Temptation of Satan sinned in eating the forbidden Fruit This their Sin God was pleas'd according to his Wife and Holy Counsel to permit having purpose to order his own Glory By this Sin they fell from their Orignal Righteousness and Communion with God and so became dead in Sin and wholly defiled in all their Duties Faculties and Parts of Soul and Body They being the root of all Mankind the Guilt of this Sin was imputed and the same death in Sin and Corrupted Nature conveyed to all their Posterity descended from them by ordinary Generation From this Original Corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all Good and wholly inclined to all Evil do proceed all Actual Transgressions This Corruption of Nature during this Life doth Remain in those that are Regenerated and although it be through Christ Pardoned and Mortified yet both it self and all the Motions thereof are truly and properly Sin The Papists If any one shall deny that the Guilt of Crignial Sin is remitted by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ which is Conferred in Baptism or shall Assert That the whole thereof which has any true and proper Nature of Sin is not thereby taken away but shall say That the same is only Pruned or weakned or not Imputed Let him be Accursed Yet this Holy Synod Consesses and Believes That even after Baptism Concupiscence radix peccati the Root of Corruption does remain but it being left for Tryal or Exercise does not any way hurt those that Consent not thereunto This Concupiscence the Apostle sometimes calls Sin Rom. 6. 6. and 7. 5. But this Holy Synod does declare That the Catholick Church never understood it to be called Sin because it is truly and properly Sin in the Regenerate but because ex peccato est It is of Sin and inclines to Sin And whoever shall think otherwise Let him be Anathema So that once more the Church of England nay the Apostle too himself is not only Diametrically contradicted but expresly Cursed The tenth Article of the Church of England Of Free Will THE Condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own Natural 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 The Presbyterians Man in his state of Innocency had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God but yet mutably so that he might fall from it Man by his fall into a state of Sin hath wholly lost all Ability of Will to any Spiritual Good accompanying Salvation So as a natural Man being altogether averse from that good and dead in Sin is not able by his own strength to Convert himself or to prepare himself thereunto When God converts a Sinner and translates him into the state of Grace he freeth him from his natural bondage under Sin and by his Grace alone inables him freely to will and to do that which is Spiritually good yet so as that by reason of his remaining Corruption he doth not perfectly nor only will that which is Good but doth also that which is evil The Will of Man is made perfectly and immediately free to Good alone in the state of Glory The Papists If any one shall say That the Free Will of Man moved and excited by God does not Co-operate by assenting to God exciting and calling whereby it prepares and disposes it self to obtain the Grace of Justification Let him be Accursed The eleventh Article of the Church of England Of the Justification of Man WE are accounted Righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith not for our own works and deservings Wherefore that we are justified by Faith only is a most wholesom Doctrine and very full of Comfort as more largely is expressed in the Homtly of Justification The Presbyterians Those whom God effectually Calleth he also freely Justifieth not by insusing Righteousness into them but by pardoning their Sins and by accounting and accepting their Persons as Righteous not for any thing wrought in them or done by them
but for Christ's sake alone not by imputing Faith it self the Act of Believing or any Evangelical Obedience to them as their Righteousness but by imputing the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his Righteousness by Faith which Faith they have not of themselves it is the Gift of God Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his Righteousness is the alone Instrument of Justification and yet it is not alone in the Person justified but is ever accompanied with all other saving Graces and is no dead Faith but worketh by Love Christ by his Obedience and Death did fully discharge the Debt of all those who are thus justified and did make a proper real and full satisfaction to his Fathers Justice in their behalf yet inasmuch as he was given by the Father for them and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead and both freely not for any thing in them their Justification is only of free Grace that both the exact Justice and rich Grace of God might be glorified in the Justification of Sinners The Papists Whosoever shall say That the wicked are justified by Faith only understanding that nothing else is required to co-operate for the obtaining the Grace of Justification or that it is not necessary for a Man to be prepared and disposed by the motion of his Will Let him be Anathema Whosoever shall say That a Man is justified either by the only imputation of the Righteousness of Christ or by the only Remission of Sins or That the Grace whereby we are justified is the only Favour of God Let him be Accursed The twelfth Article of the Church of England Of Good Works ALbeit Good Works which are the Fruits of Faith and follow after Justification cannot put away our Sins and endure the severity of Gods Judgments yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God and Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a Tree discerned by the Fruit. The Presbyterians Good Works are only such as God hath commanded in his Holy Word and not such as without the Warrant thereof are devised by Men out of Blind Zeal or upon any pretence of good Intentions These Good Works done in Obedience to Gods Commandments are the Fruits and Evidences of a true and lively Faith and thereby Believers manifest their Thankfulness strengthen their Assurance edify their Brethren adorn the Profession of the Gospel stop the Mouths of Adversaries and Glorifie God whose Workmanship they are created in Christ Jesus thereunto that having their Fruit unto Holiness they may have the end Eternal Life Their Ability to do good Works is not at all of themselves but wholly from the Spirit of Christ And that they may be inabled thereunto besides the Graces they have already received there is required an Actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent as if they were not bound to perform any Duty unless upon a special Motion of the Spirit but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the Grace of God that is in them Yet notwithstanding the Persons of Believers being accepted through Christ their Good Works also are accepted in him not as though they were in this Life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in Gods sight but that he looking upon them in his Son is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere although accompanied with many Weaknesses and Imperfections The Papists We are to Believe That nothing is wanting to them that are justified but are to think they have fully by these Works which are done in God and according to the state of this Life satisfied the Law of God and truly to have deserved Eternal Life in due time to be obtained provided they depart hence in Grace No Man can know by the certainty of Faith under which there can be no falshood that he hath obtain'd the Grace of God The thirteenth Article of the Church of England 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 Jesus 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 The Presbyterians Works done by Unregenerate Men although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands and of good use both to themselves and others yet because they proceed not from an Heart purified by Faith nor are done in a right manner according to the Word nor to a right End the Glory of God they are therefore sinful and cannot please God or make a Man meet to receive Grace from God and yet their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing to God They have found out I know not what Moral good Works whereby Men are made acceptable to God before they are ingrafted into Christ As if the Scripture lyed when it said They are all in Death who have not the Son If they be in Death how can they beget matter of Life As if it were of no force Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin as if evil Trees could bring forth good Fruit. The Papists Whosoever shall say That all Works done before Justification howsoever they be done are truly Sins or deserve the hatred of God Let him be Anathema The fourteenth Article of the Church of England Of Works of Supererogation UOluntary works besides over and above Gods Commandments which they call Works of Supererogation cannot be taught without Arogancy and Impiety for by them men do declare that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do but that they do more for his sake than of bounden duty is required whereas Christ saith plainly When you have done all that are commanded to you say you are unprofitable Servants The Presbyterians They who in their Obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this Life are so far from being able to Supererogate and do more than God requires as that they fall short of much which in Duty they are bound to do We cannot by our best Works merrit pardon of Sin or Eternal Life at the hand of God by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the Glory to come and the infinite distance that is between us and God whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfie for the debt of our former sins but when we have done all we can we have done but our Duty and are unprofitable Servants And because as they are good they proceed from his Spirit and as they
are deputed to Evangelize the Word of God by how much it is more dangerous to suffer them to remain uncorrected since those Errors are not easily to be blotted out which by such publick Preaching are more spreadingly and daranably imprinted in the Hearts of Men. Whereas the Holy Roman Church does publickly and solemnly Celebrate the Festival of the Conception of the unspotted Mary always a Virgin and hath ordain'd a proper Office for the same There are yet as we hear some Preachers of several Orders that in their Sermons to the People publickly in several Cities and Countries have not blush'd to affirm and yet cease not daily to Preach That all those that hold or assert the said Glorious and Immaculate Mother of God to have been conceiv'd without any spot of Original Sin do mortally sin or that those are Hereticks who Celebrate the Office of her Immaculate Conception And that those sin grievously who frequent their Sermons who affirm her to be conceiv'd without Sin And not content with such Preachings they have also publisht Books to that purpose whereby no small scandals are risen in the minds of the Faithful and greater are every day feared We therefore willing as much as is granted us from on high to obviate such rash boldness and perverse and scandalous Assertions which may thence arise in the Church of God by our own motion and not at the instance of any but of our meer deliberation and certain Science do by Apostolical Authority and by the Tenour of these presents Reprobate and Damn as false erroneous and altogether void of Truth the said such Assertions of Preachers and all others who presume to affirm That those that Believe or hold the said Mother of God to have been preserv'd in her Conception from the stain of Original Sin are thereby polluted with any Heresie or that thereby they Sin or that those that Celebrate the said Office of her Conception or hear the Sermons of those of that Opinion do thereby incur any guilt of Sin And all Books containing any such Assertions And we do Command and Ordain That the Preachers or others of whatever State Degree Order or Condition soever that shall henceforwards presume in Sermons or in any other way to maintain That the Assertions by Vs so Condemned are true or read any of these Books shall ipso facto incur the sentence of Excommunication from which they shall not be Absolved by any but the Bishop of Rome except at the point of Death And by the like Authority we do likewise subject to the same Censure and Penalty all that shall assert the contrary Opinion viz. That those that assert That the Glorious Virgin Mary was conceiv'd with Original Sin do thereby incur the Crime of Heresie or mortal Sin since the same is not yet decided by the Roman Church and Apostolical See Let it therefore not be lawful to any to infringe or act contrary to this our Act of Reprobation Damnation Statute Ordinance Will and Decree If any one shall presume so to do Let him know that he shall incur the Indignation of Almighty God and of the Blessed Peter and Paul his Apostles Given at Rome at St. Peters in the Year of our Lords Incarnation 1483 and of our Popedom the 13th Pridie Nonas Septembris Now who would have thought but the Pope who pretends or at least this Council whom all Papists boast to have power to determine infallibly all Controversies would rather have put an end to this dispute than thus to continue the quarrel and leave it still doubtful But here lies the mystery The Trent Fathers resolv'd not to part with this Figment of the Schoolmen which could not be casheir'd without reflecting upon Pope Sixtus that thus ordain'd a Feast in memory of it And yet in this Age of Light were asham'd to define a thing so palpably contrary to Scripture and the apprehension of all Antiquity to be receiv'd as an Article of Faith and so politickly left it undetermined yet shew us which way they incline by continuing the Celebration of that Festival to this day The sixteenth Article of the Church of England Of Sin after Baptism NOT every deadly sin willingly committed after Baptism 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 Baptism After we have receiv'd 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 forgiveness to such as truly Repent St. Augustine in his Book de Heresibus cap. 38. tells us of Hereticks call'd Cathari or Novatiani that made every Sin after Baptism to be unpardonable and deny'd to receive any upon Repentance And cap. 82. he mentions certain Hereticks call'd Jovinianists from their first Author Jovinianus a Monk who held That after Baptism a man could not Sin This Article seems principally intended against these Errors and both Presbyterians and Papists agree it The seventeenth Article of the Church of England 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 Counsel secret to us to deliver from Curse and Damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of Mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting Salvation as Vessels made to Honour wherefore they that 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 only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk Religiously in good Works and at length by Gods mercy they attain to everlasting Felicity As the Godly Consideration of Predestination our Election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant unspeakable comfort to Godly Persons 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 minds to high and heavenly things as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their Faith of Eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ as because it doth frequently kindle their love towards God so for curious and carnal Persons lacking the Spirit of Christ to have continually before their Eyes the Sentence of Gods Predestination is a most dangerous downfal whereby the Devil doth thrust them into Desperation or into Wretchlesness of most unclean living no less perillous than Desperation Furthermore we must receive Gods Promises in such wise as they be generally set forth in Holy Scripture and in our doings that Will of God is to be followed which we have expresly declared unto us in the