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ARTICLES

Agreed upon by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces, and the whole Clergy, in the Convocation holden at London in the Year 1562, for the avoiding of Diversities of Opinions, and for the establishing of Consent touching true Religion: Reprinted by his Majesty's Commandment, with his Royal Declaration prefixed thereunto.

HIS MAJESTY'S DECLARATION.

BEING by God's Ordinance, according to Our just Title, Defender of the Faith, and Supreme Governour of the Church, within these Our Dominions, We hold it most agreeable to this Our Kingly Office, and Our own religious Zeal, 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 the Church and Commonwealth. 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 been allowed and authorized heretofore, and which Our Clergy generally have subscribed unto) do contain the true Doctrine of the Church of England agreeable to God's Word: which We do therefore ratify and confirm, requiring all Our loving Subjects to continue in the uniform 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 external Policy, concerning the Injunctions, Canons, and other Constitutions whatsoever thereto belonging, the Clergy 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 Laws and Customs of the Land.

Church of England now established; from which We will not endure 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 Clergymen within Our Realm have always most willingly subscribed to the Articles established; which is an argument to Us, that they all agree in the true, usual, literal 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 years, in different times. and places, exercised the Church of Christ, We will, that all further curious search be laid aside, and these disputes shut up in God's promises, as they be generally set forth to us in the holy Scriptures, and the general 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 literal and grammatical sense.

That if any publick Reader in either of Our Universities, or any Head or Master of a College, or any other person respectively in either of them, shall affix any new sense to any Article, or shall publickly read, determine, or hold any publick Disputation, or suffer any such to be held either way,

That out of Our Princely Care that the Church-in men may do the Work which is proper unto them, the Bishops and Clergy, 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 plain by them, and assented unto by Us, shall concern the settled Continuance of the Doctrine and Discipline of the

either the Universities or Colleges respectively; or if any Divine in the Universities shall preach or print any thing either way, other than is already established in Convocation with Our Royal Assent; he, or they the Offenders, shall be liable to Our Displeasure, and the Church's censure in Our Commission Ecclesiastical, as well as any other: And We will see there shall be due Execution upon them.

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ARTICLES OF RELIGION.

I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.

HERE is but one living and true God,

without body, parts, or

VI. Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures

for salvation.

everlasting, without body, parts, or pas- HOLY Scripture containeth all things ne

sions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

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 believed 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 canonical Books of the Old

II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was and New Testament, of whose authority was

made very Man.

never any doubt in the Church.

Of the Names and Number of the Canonical

Exodus,
Leviticus,
Numbers,

THE
HE Son, which is the Word of the Father,
begotten from everlasting of the Father,
the very and eternal God, and of one sub-
stance with the Father, took Man's nature in GENESIS,
the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her sub-
stance: so that two whole and perfect Natures,
that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood,
were joined together in one Person, never to
be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God,
and very Man; who truly suffered, was cruci-
fied, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father
to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for origi-
nal guilt, but also for all actual sins of men.

III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell.

S Christ died for us, and was buried, so

Deuteronomy,
Joshua,
Judges,
Ruth,

BOOKS.

The 1 Book of Samuel,
The 1 Book of Kings,
The 2 Book of Samuel,
The 2 Book of Kings,
The 1 Book of Chronicles,

The 2 Book of Chroni
cles,

The 1 Book of Esdras,
The 2 Book of Esdras,
The Book of Esther,
The Book of Job,
The Psalms,
The Proverbs,

Ecclesiastes or Preacher,
Cantica, or Songs of So-
lomon,

Four Prophets the greater,
Twelve Prophets the less.

And the other Books (as Hierome saith)

As also is it to be believed, that he went the Church doth read for example of life and

down into Hell.

CHR

IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ. NHRIST did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man's nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last day.

THE

V. Of the Holy Ghost.

HE Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine; such are these following:

The 3 Book of Esdras,
The 4 Book of Esdras,
The Book of Tobias,
The Book of Judith,
The rest of the Book of
Esther,

The Book of Wisdom,
Jesus the Son of Sirach,

Baruch the Prophet,
The Song of the Three
Children,

The Story of Susanna,
Of Bel and the Dragon,
The Prayer of Manasses,
The 1 Book of Maccabees,
The 2 Book of Maccabees.

All the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them Canonical.

1365.

ARTICLES OF RELIGION.

VII. Of the Old Testament.

HE Old Testament is not contrary to the TH New: for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to Mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and Man, being both God and Man. Wherefore 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 bind Christian men, nor the Civil precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any common-wealth; yet notwithstanding, no Christian man whatsoever is free from the obedience of the Commandments which are called Moral.

TH

VIII. Of the Three Creeds.

HE Three Creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanasius's Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by most certain warrants of holy Scripture.

IX. Of Original or Birth-sin.

in the fol

works pleasant and acceptable to God, with-
out 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.

WE

XI. Of the Justification of Man.

E are accounted righteous before God, Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our only for the merit of our Lord and own works or deservings: Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.

XII. Of Good Works.

that Good Works, which

fruits of Faith, and follow after Justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's Judgement; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in 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.

XIII. Of Works before Justification.

WORKS done before the grace of Christ,

ORIGINAL Sin standeth not Pelagians do W and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not are

Adam, (as the

vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is ingendered of the offspring 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 God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature

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.

XIV. Of Works of Supererogation.
OLUNTARY Works besides, over and

doth remain, yea in them that are regene-bove, God's Commandments, which they
rated; whereby the lust of the flesh, called in
Greek, pompa aapkòs, which some do expound
the wisdom, some sensuality, some the affec-
tion, some the desire, of the flesh, is not sub-
ject 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 itself the
nature of sin.

X. Of Free-Will.

HE condition of Man after the fall of

THERM

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

call Works of Supererogation, cannot be taught
without arrogancy 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 ye have done all that are com-
manded to you, say, We are unprofitable ser-

vants.

XV. Of Christ alone without Sin.
NHRIST in the truth of our nature was

CHR

made like unto 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

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ARTICLES OF RELIGION.

the Lamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the sins of the world, and sin, as Saint John saith, was not in him. But all we the rest, although baptized, and born again in Christ, yet offend in many things; and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

XVI. 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 re

ceived 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, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.

XVII. 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 which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to God's 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 God's 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 mind to high and heavenly things, as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal Sal

ing the Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the sentence of God's Predestination, is a most dangerous downfal, whereby the Devil doth thrust them either into despe ration, or into wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation.

Furthermore, we must receive God's promises in such wise, as they be generally set forth to us in holy Scripture: and, in our doings, that will of God is to be followed, which we have expressly declared unto us in the Word of God.

XVIII. Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ.

THEY also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.

HE

TH

XIX. Of the Church.

visible Church of Christ is a Congre

gation of faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.

As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.

XX. Of the Authority of the Church.
HE

Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies, and authority in Controversies of Faith: And yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God's Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a witness and a keeper of holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation.

XXI. Of the Authority of General Councils. ENERAL Councils may not be gathered

vation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because Grether without the commandment and it doth fervently kindle their love towards

God: So, for curious and carnal persons, lack- will of Princes. And when they be gathered

ARTICLES OF RELIGION.

together, (forasmuch as they be an assembly | such as have grown partly of the corrupt fol

lowing of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures; but yet have not

nature of Sacraments with Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.

of men, whereof all be not governed with the
Spirit and Word of God,) they may err, and
sometimes have erred, even in things pertain-like
ing unto God. Wherefore things ordained by
them as necessary to salvation have neither
strength nor authority, unless it may be declar-
ed that they be taken out of holy Scripture.

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XXII. Of Purgatory.

HE Romish Doctrine concerning Purgatory, Pardons, Worshipping and Adoration, as well of Images as of Reliques, and also invocation of Saints, is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.

XXIII. Of Ministering in the Congregation.

T is not lawful for any man to take upon

The Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about, but that we should duly use them. And in such only as worthily receive the same they have a wholesome effect or operation: but they that receive them unworthily purchase to themselves damnation, as Saint Paul saith. XXVI. Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacrament.

LTHOUGH in the visible Church the evil

be ever mingled with the good, and sometimes the evil have chief authority in the Ministration of the Word and Sacraments, yet for

It is the office of public preaching, or min-asmuch as they do not the same in their own

istering the Sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully called, and sent to execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, which be chosen and called to this work by men who have publick authority given unto them in the Congregation, to call and send Ministers into the Lord's vineyard.

XXIV. Of speaking in the Congregation in such a tongue as the people understandeth.

IT

T is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the Primitive Church, to have publick Prayer in the Church, or to minister the Sacraments in a tongue not understanded of the people.

XXV. Of the Sacraments. ACRAMENTS ordained of Christ be not

SAC

name, but in Christ's, and do minister by his commission and authority, we may use their Ministry, both in hearing the Word of God, and in the receiving of the Sacraments. Neither is the effect of Christ's ordinance taken away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God's gifts diminished from such as by faith and rightly do receive the Sacraments ministered unto them; which be effectual, because of Christ's institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men.

Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that enquiry be made of evil Ministers, and that they be accused by those that have knowledge of their offences; and finally being found guilty, by just judgement be deposed.

XXVII. Of Baptism.

APTISM is not only a sign of profession,

BAPT

only badges or tokens of Christian men's and mark of difference, whereby Christian

profession, but rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our Faith in him.

There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.

Those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being

men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or new Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.

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