¶ A Prayer for Unity. God the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace; Give us grace feriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divifions. Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatfoever elfe may hinder us from godly union and concord; that as there is but one body, and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptifm, one God and Father of us all; fo we may henceforth be all of one heart and of one foul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity; and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. GRANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the courfe of this world may be fo peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully ferve thee in all godly quietnefs, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. GR RANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the words which we have heard with our outward ears, may through thy grace be fo grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honour and praise of thy Name, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. LMIGHTY God, the Fountain of all wisdom, who knoweft our neceffities before we afk, and our ignorance in afking; We befeech thee to have compaffion upon our infirmities; and thofe things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot afk, vouchsafe to give us for the worthinefs of thy Son Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. HE peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, THE keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jefus Chrift our Lord: And the bleffing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghoft, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen. 66 GEORGE R. OU UR Will and Pleasure is, That these Four Forms of Prayer and Service, made for the Fifth of " November, the Thirtieth of January, the Twenty-ninth "of May, and the Twenty-fifth of October, be forth"with printed and publifhed, and annexed to the Book "of Common Prayer and Liturgy of the Church of England; to be used yearly on the faid Days, in all "Cathedrals and Collegiate Churches and Chapels, in all Chapels of Colleges and Halls within both our "Universities, and of our Colleges of Eaton and Win"chefter, and in all Parish Churches and Chapels within "that Part of our Kingdom of Great-Britain called "England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Ber"wick-upon-Tweed. "Given at our Court at St. James's the feventh Day AGREED UPON BY THE ARCHBISHOPS and BISHOPS of both PROVINCES, and the whole CLERGY, In the Convocation holden at LONDON in the year 1563; for the avoiding of Diverfities of Opinions, and for the establishing of Confent touching true Religion. THE ARTICLES of RELIGION. I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. HERE is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or paffions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodnefs; the Maker and Preferver of all things, both visible and invifible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Perfons, of one fubftance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Articles, &c.] Articles of Religion, as directions for the preaching of the clergy, and rules of faith for the people, were firft drawn up and cir culated in the reign of Henry VIIIth, who fent a letter (dated the rath of July, 1536) to all the bishops, forbidding "all preaching till Michaelmas enfuing, by which time certain articles of religion, moft Catholic, fhould be fet forth." The king himself framed thefe articles, of which the following is an abstract:-) I. "All preachers were to inftruct the people to believe the whole Bible, and the three Creeds, viz. the Apostles', the Nicene, and Athanafian, and to interpret all things according to them. II. "That baptifm was a facrament inftituted by Chrift; that it was neceffary to falvation; that infants were to be baptifed for the pardon of original fin; and that the opinions of the Anabaptifts and Pelagians were deteftable herefies: [And that those of ripe age, who defired baptifm, must join with it repentance and contrition for their fins, with a firm belief of the articles of the faith.] III."That penance, that is, contrition, confeffion, and amendment of life, with works of charity, was neceffary to falvation; to which muft be added faith in the mercy of God, that He will justify and pardon as, not for the worthinefs of any merit or work done by us, but for the only merits of the blood and paffion of Jefus Chrift: nevertheless, that confethon to a prieft was neceffary if it might be had; and that the abfolution of a prieft was the fame as if it were fpoken by God himself, according to our Savi our's words. That auricular confeffion was of ufe for the comfort of men's confciences. And though we are juftified only by the fatisfaction of Chrift, yet the people were to be inftructed in the neceflity of good works. II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made TH very Man. HE Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one fubftance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the bleffed Virgin, of her substance: So that two whole and perfect natures, that is to fay, the IV. “That in the facrament of the altar, under the form of bread and wine, there was, truly and substantially, the fame body of Chrift that was born of the Virgin. V." That juftification fignified the remission of fins, and a perfect renovation of nature in Chrift. VI. "Concerning images-that the ufe of them was warranted in Seripture; that they ferved to stir up devotion; and that it was meet they should ftand in churches: but the people were to be taught, that in kneeling or worfhipping before them they were not to do it to the image but to God. VII. "Concerning honouring of Saints, they were to be inftructed not to expect those favours from them which are to be obtained only from God, but they were to honour them, to praise God for them, and to imitate their virtues. VII. “ — For praying to faints-That it was good to pray to them to pray for us and with us. IX. "Of Ceremonies. The people were to be taught that they were good and lawful, having myftical fignifications in them; fuch were the vestments in the worship of God; fprinkling holy water, to put us in mind of our baptifm and the blood of Chrift; giving holy bread, in sign of our anion in Chrift; bearing candles on Candlemas-day, in remembrance of Chrift the fpiritual light; giving ahes on Ajh-Wednesday, to put us in mind of penance and our mortality; bearing palms on Palm Sunday, tọ fhew our defire to receive Chrift into our hearts, as he entered into Jerufalem; creeping to the crofs on Good-Friday, and kiffing it, in memory of his death; with the setting up of the fepulchre on that day, the hallowing of the font, and other exorcisms and benedictions. Laftly, “As to purgatory, they were to declare it good and charitable to pray for fouls departed; but fince the place they were in, and the pains they fuffered, were uncertain by fcripture, they ought to remit them to God's mercy. Therefore all abufes of this doctrine were to be put away, and the people difengaged from believing that the Pope's pardons or maffes faid in certain places, or before certain images, could deliver fouls out of purgatory." In the fucceeding reign these articles were fuperfeded by a fresh series, confifting of forty-two, drawn up by Cranmer and Ridley, which were published with the following title: "Articles agreed upon by the Bishops and other learned Men, in the Convocation held at London, in the year 1552, for the avoiding diverfity of opinions, and establishing confent touching true Religion. Published by the King's authority." These articles are, for the most part, the fame as our prefent articles; and were reduced to the number of thirty-nine in the reign of Elizabeth, who, in the beginning of the year 1562, directed letters of licence to review the doctrine and difcipline of the Church. On this occasion the articles underwent a revifal, Godhead and manhood, were joined together in one perfon, never to be divided, whereof is one Chrift, very God, and very man; who truly fuffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a facrifice, not only for original guilt, but alfo for actual fins of men. A III. Of the going down of Chrift into hell. S Chrift died for us, and was buried; fo alfo is it to be believed, that he went down into hell. CH IV. Of the Refurrection of Christ. HRIST did truly rife again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature; wherewith he afcended into heaven, and there fitteth, until he return to judge all men at the last day. THE V. Of the Holy Ghost. HE Holy Ghoft, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. VI. Of the fufficiency of Holy Scriptures for Salvation.. HOLY Scripture containeth all things neceffary to falvation 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, when the forty-two were brought down to thirty-nine, the following being omitted from Edward's feries:-" Art. xxxix. The refurrection of the dead is not paffed already.-Art. xl. The fouls of men deceased do not perifh with their bodies, nor fleep idly.-Art. xli. Of the Millinarians.Art. xlii. All men not to be faved at laft." Some of the other articles underwent a new divifion; but the doctrines continued to be much the fame as before. These articles, however, did not pass into a law, nor become a part of the establishment till the year 1571, when an act was paffed entitled, "An Act for Reformation of Díforders in the Minifters of the Church';" which enjoined "all that have any ecclefiaftical livings to declare their affent, before the bishop of the diocefe, to all the Articles of Religion," &c. The articles were prepared both in Latin and English, of which originals it is worthy remark, that many (though for the most part flight) differences occur between the two; of thefe the following may ferve as an inftance: Latin. "Chriftianis licet, ex mandato magiftratus, arma portare, et justa bella adminiftrare."-English. "It is lawful for Chriftian men, at the command of the magiftrate, to wear weapons, and ferve in the wars." |