of flesh at certaine times and daies appointed they are no waies meant to be religious fasts nor intended for the maintenance of any superstition in the choice of meates but are grounded meerly vpon politicke considerations for prouision of things tending to the better preseruation of the Common-wealth article 51 We must not fast with this perswasion of mind that our fasting can bring vs to heauen or ascribe holinesse to the outward work wrought For God alloweth not our fast for the work sake which of it selfe is a thing meerly indifferent but chiefly respecteth the heart how it is affected therein It is therfore requisit that first before all things we cleanse our hearts from sin and then direct our fast to such ends as God will allow to be good that the flesh may therby be chastised the spirit may be more feruent in prayer that our fasting may be a testimonie of our humble submission to Gods Maiestie when we acknowledge our sins vnto him and are inwardly touched with sorrowfulnesse of heart bewailing the same in the affliction of our bodies article 52 All worship deuised by mans phantasie besides or contrary to the Scriptures as wandring on Pilgrimages setting vp of Candles Stations and Iubilies Pharisaicall sects and fained Religions praying vpon Beades and such like superstition hath not onely no promise of reward in Scripture but contrariwise threatnings and maledictions article 53 All manner of expressing God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost in an outward forme is vtterly vnlawfull As also all other Images deuised or made by man to the vse of Religion article 54 All religious worship ought to bee giuen to God alone from whom all goodnesse health and grace ought to be both asked and looked for as from the very author and giuer of the same and from none other article 55 The name of God is to be vsed with all reuerēce and holy respect and therefore all vaine and rash swearing is vtterly to bee condemned Yet notwithstanding vpon lawfull occasions an oath may bee giuen and taken according to the Word of God iustice iudgement and truth article 56 The first day of the weeke which is the Lords day is wholly to bee dedicated to the seruice of God and therefore we are bound therein to rest from our common and daily businesse and to bestow that leisure vpon holy exercises both publicke and priuate Of the ciuill Magistrate article 57 THe Kings Maiestie vnder God hath the Soueraigne and chiefe power within his Realmes and Dominions ouer all manner persons of what estate eyther Ecclesiasticall or Ciuill soeuer they bee so as no other forraine power hath or ought to haue any superiority ouer them article 58 Wee doe professe that the supreame gouernement of all estates within the said Realmes and Dominions in all causes as well Ecclesiasticall as Temporall doth of right appertaine to the kings highnesse Neither do we giue vnto him hereby the administration of the Word Sacraments or the power of the Keyes but that prerogatiue only which we see to haue beene alwaies giuen vnto all godly Princes in holy Scripture by God himselfe that is that hee should containe all estates and degrees committed to his charge by God whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Ciuill within their duety and restraine the stubborne and euill doers with the power of the Ciuill sword article 59 The Pope neither of himselfe nor by any authority of the Church or See of Rome or by any other meanes with any other hath any power or authority to depose the King or dispose any of his Kingdomes or Dominions or to authorise any other Prince to inuade or annoy him or his Countries or to discharge any of his subiects of their allegeance and obedience to his Maiestie or to giue licence or leaue to any of them to beare armes raise tumult or to offer any violence or hurt to his Royall person state or gouernment or to any of his subiects within his Maiesties Dominions article 60 That Princes which be excommunicated or depriued by the Pope may be deposed or murthered by their subiects or any other whatsoeuer is impious doctrine article 61 The lawes of the Realme may punish Christian men with death for heynous and grieuous offences article 62 It is lawfull for Christian men at the commandement of the Magistrate to beare armes and to serue in iust wars Of our duty towards our Neighbours article 63 OVr duety towards our neighbours is to loue them as our selues and to doe to all men as we would they should doe to vs to honour obey our Superiors to preserue the safetie of mens persons as also their chastity goods and good names to beare no malice nor hatred in our hearts to keep our bodies in temperance sobernesse chastity to be true and iust in all our doings not to couet other mens goods but labour truely to get our owne liuing and to doe our duety in that estate of life vnto which it pleaseth God to call vs. article 64 For the preseruation of the chastity of mens persons wedlocke is commanded vnto all men that stand in need thereof Neither is there any prohibition by the Word of God but that the Ministers of the Church may enter into the state of Matrimony they being no where commanded by Gods Law either to vow the estate of single life or to abstaine from marriage Therefore it is lawfull also for them as well as for all other Christian men to marry at their owne discretion as they shall iudge the same to serue better to godlinesse article 65 The riches and goods of Christians are not common as touching the right title and possession of the same as certaine Anabaptists falsly affirme Notwithstanding euery man ought of such things as hee possesseth liberally to giue almes to the poore according to his ability article 66 Faith giuen is to be kept euen with Hereticks and Infidels article 67 The Popish doctrine of Equiuocation mentall Reseruation is most vngodly and tendeth plainly to the subuersion of all humane society Of the Church and outward Ministry of the Gospell article 68 THere is but one Catholike Church out of which there is no saluation containing the vniuersall company of all the Saints that euer were are or shall be gathered together in one body vnder one head Christ Iesus part whereof is already in Heauen triumphant part as yet militant here vpon earth And because this Church consisteth of all those and those alone which are elected by God vnto saluation regenerated by the power of his spirit the number of whom is knowne only vnto God himselfe therefore it is called the Catholike or vniuersall and the Inuisible Church article 69 But particular visible Churches consisting of those who make profession of the faith of Christ liue vnder the outward means of saluation be many in number wherein the more or lesse sincerely according to Christs institution the Word of God is taught the Sacraments
ARTICLES OF RELIGION AGREED VPON BY The Archbishops and Bishops and the rest of the Clergie of Ireland in the Conuocation HOLDEN AT DVBLIN IN The yeare of our Lord God 1615. for the auoyding of Diuersities of Opinions And the establishing of Concent touching true RELIGION LONDON Printed by R.Y. for T. Downes and are to be sold at the great North doore of Paules 1628. C R HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE COR VNVM VIA VNA Articles of Religion agreed vpon by the Archbishops and Bishops and the rest of the Clergie of Ireland in the Conuocation holden at Dublin in the yeare of our Lord God 1615. for the auoyding of Diuersities of Opinions and the establishing of Consent touching true RELIGION Of the holy Scripture and the three Creeds article 1 THe ground of our Religion and the Rule of Faith and all sauing Truth is the Word of God contained in the holy Scripture article 2 By the name of holy Scripture we vnderstand all the Canonicall Bookes of the Old and New Testament viz. Of the Old Testament The 5. Bookes of Moses Iosua Iudges Ruth The first and second of Samuel The first and second of Kings The first and second of Chronicles Esra Nehemiah Esther Iob. Psalmes Prouerbs Ecclesiastes The song of Salomon Isaiah Ieremiah his prophesie and Lamentation Ezechiel Daniel The 12. lesse Prophets Of the New Testament The Gospels according to Matthew Marke Luke Iohn The Acts of the Apostles The Epistle of S. Paul to the Romanes Corinthians 2. Galathians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians 2. Timothie 2. Titus Philemon Hebrewes The Epistle of S. Iames. Saint Peter 2. Saint Iohn 3. Saint Iude. The Reuelation of S. Iohn All which wee acknowledge to bee giuen by the inspiration of God and in that regard to be of most certaine credit and highest authority article 3 The other Bookes commonly called Apocryphall did not proceed from such inspiration and therefore are not of sufficient authoritie to establish any point of Doctrine but the Church doth reade them as Bookes containing many worthy things for example of life and instruction of manners Such are these following The third Book of Esdras The fourth Booke of Esdas The Booke of Tobias The booke of Iudith Additions to the book of Esther The booke of Wisedome The booke of Iesus the Sonne of Sirach called Ecclesiasticus Baruch with the Epistle of Ieremiah The song of the three Children Susanna Bell and the Dragon The Prayer of Manasses The first booke of Macchabees The second booke of Macchabees article 4 The Scriptures ought to be translated out of the originall tongues into all languages for the common vse of all men neither is any person to be discouraged from reading the Bible in such a language as he doth vnderstand but seriously exhorted to reade the same with great humilitie and reuerence as a speciall meanes to bring him to the true knowledge of God and of his own duty article 5 Although there bee some hard things in the Scripture especially such as haue proper relation to the times in which they were first vttered and prophesies of things which were afterwards to bee fulfilled yet all things necessary to be known vnto euerlasting saluation are cleerely deliuered therein and nothing of that kinde is spoken vnder dark mysteries in one place which is not in other places spoken more familiarly and plainly to the capacitie both of learned and vnlearned article 6 The holy Scriptures containe all things necessary to saluation and are able to instruct sufficiently in all points of faith that wee are bound to beleeue and all good duties that we are bound to practise article 7 All and euery the Articles contained in the Nicen Creede the Creede of Athanasius and that which is commonly called the Apostles Creede ought firmely to be receiued and beleeued for they may be proued by most certaine warrant of holy Scripture Of faith in the holy Trinity article 8 THere is but one liuing and true God euerlasting without body parts or passions of infinite power wisedome and goodnes the maker and preseruer of all things both visible and inuisible And in vnity of this Godhead there bee three persons of one and the same substance power and eternity the Father the Son and the holy Ghost article 9 The essence of the Father doth not beget the essence of the Son but the person of the Father begetteth the person of the Sonne by communicating his whole essence to the person begotten from eternity article 10 The holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son is of one substance maiestie and glory with the Father and the Sonne very and eternall God Of Gods eternall decree and Predestination article 11 GOD from all eternity did by his vnchangeable counsell ordaine whatsoeuer in time should come to passe yet so as thereby no violence is offered to the wils of the reasonable creatures and neither the liberty nor the contingency of the second causes is taken away but established rather article 12 By the same eternall counsell God hath predestinated some vnto life and reprobated some vnto death of both which there is a certaine number known only to God which can neither be increased nor diminished article 13 Predestination to life is the euerlasting purpose of God wherby before the foundations of the world were layed he hath constantly decreed in his secret counfell to deliuer from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankinde and to bring them by Christ vnto euerlasting saluation as vessels made to honour article 14 The cause mouing God to predestinate vnto life is not the foreseeing of faith or perseuerance or good works or of any thing which is in the person predestinated but onely the good pleasure of God himselfe For all things being ordained for the manifestation of his glory and his glory being to appeare both in the workes of his Mercy and of his Iustice it seemed good to his heauenly Wisedome to choose out a certain number towards whom he would extend his vndeserued mercy leauing the rest to be spectacles of his iustice article 15 Such as are predestinated vnto life be called according vnto Gods purpose his spirit working in due season and through grace they obey the calling they be iustified freely they be made sons of God by adoption they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Iesus Christ they walke religiously in good workes and at length by Gods mercy they attaine to euerlasting felicity But such as are not predestinated to saluation shall finally be condemned for their sins article 16 The godly consideration of Predestination and our election in Christ is full of sweete pleasant and vnspeakeable comfort to godly persons and such as feele in themselues the working of the spirit of Christ mortifying the works of the flesh and their earthly members and drawing vp their minds to high and heauenly things as well because it doth greatly confirme and establish their
in deliuering vs from our former captiuity without requiring of any ransome to be paid or amends to be made on our parts which thing by vs had beene vnpossible to be done And wheras all the world was not able of themselues to pay any part towards their ransome it pleased our heauenly Father of his infinite mercy without any desert of ours to prouide for vs the most precious merits of his own Sonne whereby our ransome might be fully paid the Law fulfilled his iustice fully satisfied So that Christ is now the righteousnesse of all them that truly beleeue in him He for them paid their ransome by his death He for them fulfilled the Law in his life That now in him and by him euery true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the Law for as much as that which our infirmity was not able to effect Christs iustice hath performed And thus the iustice mercy of God doe embrace each other the grace of God not shutting out the iustice of God in the matter of our iustification but only shutting out the iustice of man that is to say the iustice of our own works from being any cause of deseruing our iustification article 36 When we say that we are iustified by Faith only we doe not meane that the said iustifying Faith is alone in man without true Repentance Hope Charity and the Feare of God for such a faith is dead and cannot iustifie neither do we meane that this our act to beleeue in Christ or this our faith in Christ which is within vs doth of it selfe iustifie vs or deserue our iustification vnto vs for that were to account our selues to bee iustified by the vertue or dignity of some thing that is within our selues but the true vnderstanding and meaning thereof is that although we heare Gods Word and beleeue it although we haue Faith Hope Charity Repentance and the Feare of God within vs and adde neuer so many good workes thereunto yet we must renounce the merit of all our said vertues of Faith Hope Charity and all our other vertues and good deedes which wee either haue done shall do or can do as things that be far too weake and vnperfect and vnsufficient to deserue remission of our sins and our iustification and therefore we must trust only in Gods mercy the merits of his most dearly beloued Sonne our only Redeemer Sauiour and Iustifier Iesus Christ Neuerthelesse because faith doth directly send vs to Christ for our iustification that by faith giuen vs of God we embrace the promise of Gods mercy and the remission of our sins which thing none other of our vertues or workes properly doth therefore the Scripture vseth to say that Faith without workes and the ancient Fathers of the Church to the same purpose that onely Faith doth iustifie vs. article 37 By iustifying Faith wee vnderstand not onely the common beliefe of the Articles of Christian Religion and a perswasion of the truth of Gods Word in generall but also a particular application of the gracious promises of the Gospell to the comfort of our owne soules whereby we lay hold on Christ with all his benefits hauing an earnest trust and confidence in God that he will be mercifull vnto vs for his onely Sonnes sake So that a true beleeuer may be certaine by the assurance of faith of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes and of his euerlasting saluation by Christ article 38 A true liuely iustifying Faith and the sanctifying Spirit of God is not extinguished nor vanisheth away in the regenerate either finally or totally Of sanctification and good workes article 39 ALl that are iustified are likewise sanctified their faith being alwaies accompanied with true Repentance and good Workes article 40 Repentance is a gift of God whereby a godly sorrow is wrought in the heart of the faithfull for offending God their mercifull Father by their former transgressions together with a constant resolution for the time to come to cleaue vnto God and to leade a new life article 41 Albeit that good workes which are the fruits of faith and follow after iustification cannot make satisfaction for our sinnes and endure the seuerity of Gods iudgement yet are they pleasing to God and accepted of him in Christ and doe spring from a true and liuely Faith which by them is to be discerned as a tree by the fruit article 42 The workes which God would haue his people to walke in are such as he hath commanded in his holy Scripture and not such works as men haue deuised out of their own braine of a blind zeale and deuotion without the warrant of the Word of God article 43 The regenerate cannot fulfill the Law of God perfectly in this life For in many things we offend all and if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. article 44 Not euery heynous sinne willingly committed after Baptisme is sin against the holy Ghost and vnpardonable And therefore to such as fall into sin after Baptisme place for repentance is not to be denied article 45 Voluntary workes besides ouer and aboue Gods commandements which they call works of Supererogation cannot be taught without arrogancy impiety For by them men doe declare that they doe not onely render vnto God as much as they are bound to doe but that they doe more for his sake man of bounden duety is required Of the seruice of God article 46 OVr duety towards God is to beleeue in him to feare him and to loue him with all our heart with all our minde and with all our soule and with all our strength to worship him and to giue him thankes to put our whole trust in him to call vpon him to honour his holy Name and his Word and to serue him truly the daies of our life article 47 In all our necessities we ought to haue recourse vnto God by prayer assuring our selues that whatsoeuer we aske of the Father in the name of his Sonne our onely mediator and intercessor Christ Iesus and according to his will he will vndoubtedly grant it article 48 We ought to prepare our hearts before we pray and vnderstand the things that we aske when we pray that both our hearts and voices may together sound in the eares of Gods Maiestie article 49 When Almighty God smiteth vs with affliction or some great calamity hangeth ouer vs or anie other waightie cause so requireth it is our dutie to humble our selues in fasting to bewaile our sinnes with a sorrowfull heart and to addict our selues to earnest prayer that it might please God to turne his wrath from vs or supply vs with such graces as we greatly stand in need of article 50 Fasting is a withholding of meat drinke and all naturall food with other outward delights from the body for the determined time of fasting As for those abstinences which are appointed by publike order of our State for eating of fish and forbearing