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ARTICLES OF RELIGION,

AGREED VPON BY

THE ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS, AND THE REST OF THE CLEARGIE OF IRELAND, In the Conuocation holden at Dublin in the yeare of our Lord God 1615, for the auoiding of Diuersities of Opinions, and the establishing of consent touching true Religion.

Of the holy Scripture and the three Creeds.

1. The ground of our Religion, and the rule of faith and all sauing trueth is the word of God, contained in the holy Scripture.

2. By the name of holy Scripture we understand all the Canonicall Bookes of the Old and New Testament, viz.:

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All which wee acknowledge to be giuen by the inspiration of God, and in that regard to be of most certaine credit and highest authority.

3. The other Bookes, commonly called Apocryphall, did not proceede 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

maners.

Such are these following:

The thirde booke of Esdras.
The fourth booke of Esdras.
The booke of Tobias.
The booke of Iudith.
Additions to the booke of

Esther.

The booke of Iesus, the Sonne
of Sirach, called Ecclesi-
asticus.

Baruch, with the Epistle of
Ieremiah.

The song of the three Children.

Bell and the Dragon.

The praicr of Manasses.

The first booke of Macchabees.

The second booke of Mac

chabees.

4. The Scriptures ought to be translated out of the originall tongues into all languages for the common use of all mē neither is any person to be discouraged from reading the Bible in such a language, as he doth vnderstand, but seriously exhorted to read the same with great humilitie and reuerence, as a speciall meanes to bring him to the true knowledge of God, and of his owne duty.

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 afterwardes to bee fulfilled), yet all things necessary to be knowen vnto euerlasting saluation are cleerely deliuered therein and nothing of that kinde is spoken vnder darke mysteries in one place, which is not in other places spoken more familiarly and plainely, to the capacitie both of learned and vnlearned.

6. The holy Scriptures containe all things necessary to saluation, and are able to instruct sufficiently in all points of faith that we are bound to beleeue, and all good duties that we are bound to practise.

7. All and euerie the Articles contained in the Nicen Creede, the Creede of Athanasius, and that which is commonly called the Apostles Creede, ought firmely to bee receiued and beleeued, for they may be proued by most certaine warrant of holy Scripture.

Of faith in the holy Trinitie.

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 vnitie of this Godhead, there be three persons of one and the same substance power and eternitie: the Father, the Sone, and the holy Ghost.

9. The essence of the Father doth not begett the essence of the Sonne; but the person of the Father begetteth the person of the Sonne, by communicating his whole essence to the person begotten from eternitie.

10. The holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Sonne, is of one substance, maiestie, and glory, with the Father and the Sonne, very and eternall God.

Of God's eternall decree, and Predestination.

11. God from all eternitie did by his vnchangeable counsell ordaine whatsoeuer in time should come to passe: yet so, as thereby no violence is offred to the wills of the reasonable creatures, and neither the libertie nor the contingencie of the second causes is taken away, but established rather.

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, knowen only to God, which can neither be increased nor diminished.

13. Predestination to life, is the euerlasting purpose of God, whereby, before the foundations of the world were layed, he hath constantly decreed in his secret counsell 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 honor.

14. The cause mouing God to predestinate vnto life, is not the foreseeing of faith, or perseuerance, or good workes, or of anything 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 certaine number towardes whome he would extend his vndeserued mercy, leauing the rest to be spectacles of his iustice.

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 bee iustified freely, they bee made sonnes of God by adoption, they be made like the image of his onely begotten Sonne Iesus Christ, they walke religiously in good workes, and at length, by God's mercy they attaine to euerlasting felicitie. But such as are not predestinated to saluation, shall finally be condemned for their sinnes.

16. The godlike 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 workes of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing vp their mindes to high and heauenly things as well because it doth greatly confirme and establish their faith of eternall saluation to be enioyed through Christ, as because it doth feruently kindle their loue towardes God and on the contrary side, for curious and carnall persons, lacking the spirit of Christ, to haue continually

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