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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 Diverfities of Opinions, and for the ftablishing of Confent touching true Religion: Reprinted by his Majefty's Commandment, with his Royal Declaration prefixed thereunto.

His Majefty's Declaration.

BEING by God's Ordinance, according to our juft Title, Defender of the Faith, and Supreme Governor of the Church, within thefe our Dominions, we hold it most agreeable to this our kingly Office, and our own religious zeal, to conferve and maintain the Church committed to our charge, in the unity of true Religion, and in the bond of Peace; and not to fuffer unneceffary Difputations, Altercations, or Questions to be raifed, which may nourish faction both in the Church and Commonwealth. We have therefore, upon mature deliberation, and with the advice of fo 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 fubfcribed 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 fubjects to continue in the uniform profeffion thereof, and prohibiting the leaft difference from the faid Articles; which to that end we command to be new printed, and this our Declaration to be published therewith.

That we are Supreme Governor of the Church of England: and that if any difference arife about the external policy, concerning the Injunctions, Canons, and other Conftitutions whatfoever thereto belonging, the Clergy in their Convocation is to order and fettle them, having firft obtained leave

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under our Broad Seal fo to do, and we approving their faid Ordinances and Conftitutions; providing that none be made contrary to the Laws and Customs of the Land.

That out of our princely care, that the Churchmen may do the work which is proper unto them, the Bishops and Clergy, from time to time in Convocation, upon their humble defire, Shall have Licence under our Broad Seal to deliberate of, and to do all fuch things, as being made plain by them, and affented unto by us, hall concern the fettled continuance of the Doctrine and Difcipline of the Church of England now eftablished; from which we will not endure any varying or departing in the leaft degree.

That for the prefent, though fome differences have been ill raifed, yet we take comfort in this, that all Clergymen within our Realm have always moft willingly fubfcribed to the Articles eftablished; which is an argument to us, that they all agree in the true, ufual, literal meaning of the faid Articles; and that even in thofe curious points, in which the prefent differences lie, men of all forts take the Articles of the Church of England to be for them; which is an argument again, that none of them intend any defertion of the Articles eftablifhed.

That therefore in thefe both curious and unhappy differences, which have for fo many hundred years, in different times and places, exercifed the Church of Chrift, we will, that all further curious fearch be laid afde, and these difputes fhut up in God's promifes, as they be generally fet 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 afide any way, but shall fubmit to it in the plain and full meaning thereof; and shall not put his own fenfe or comment to be the meaning of the Article, but shall take it in the literal and grammatical fenfe.

That if any Public Reader in either of our Univerfities, or any Head or Mafter of a College, or any other person reSpectively in either of them, fhall affix any new fenfe to any Article, or fhall publicly read, determine, or hold any public difputation, or fuffer any fuch to be held either way, in either the Universities or Colleges refpectively; or if any Divine in the Universities fhall preach or print any thing either way, other than is already established in Convocation with our Royal Affent; he or they the offenders fhall be liable to our difpleafure, and the Church's cenfure in our Commiffion Ecclefiaftical, as well as any other and we will fee there fhall be due execution upon them.

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ARTICLES

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1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. THERE is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or paffions; of infinite power, wifdom, and goodnefs; the Maker and Preferver of all things both vifible 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 Ghoft. II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made very Man. THE Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlafting 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 fubftance: so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the 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 also for actual fins of men.

III. Of the going down of Chrift into Hell. As Chrift died for us, and was buried; fo also is it to

be believed that he went down into hell.

IV. Of the Refurrection of Chrift.

CHRIST did truly rife again from death, and took again his body, with flefh, 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.

V. Of the Holy Ghost.

THE Holy Ghoft, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one fubftance, majefty, and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

VI. Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for Salvation. HOLY Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation fo 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

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thought requifite or neceffary to falvation. In the name of the holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Teftament, of whofe authority was never any doubt in the Church.

Of the Names and Number of the Canonical Books.

GENESIS,

Exodus,

Leviticus,

Numbers,

Deuteronomy,

Joshua,

Judges,
Ruth,

The First Book of Samuel,
The Second Book of Samuel,
The First Book of Kings,
The Second Book of Kings,
The First Book of Chronicles,

The Second Book of Chroni

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And the other Books (as Hierome faith) the Church doth read for example of life and inftruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine : fuch are these following:

The Third Book of Efdras,
The Fourth Book of Efdras,
The Book of Tobias,
The Book of Judith,

The reft of the Book of Esther,
The Book of Wisdom,

Jefus the Son of Sirach,

Baruch the Prophet,

The Song of the Three Chil-
dren,

The Story of Susannah,
Of Bel and the Dragon,
The Prayer of Manaises,

The First Book of Maccabees,
The Second Book of Macca-

bees,

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

VII. Of the Old Teftament.

THE Old Teftament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Teftament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Chrift, 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 tranfitory promifes. Although the Law given from God by Mofes, as touching ceremonies and rites, do not bind Chriftian men, nor the

civil

civil precepts thereof ought of neceffity to be received in any commonwealth; yet notwithstanding, no Chriftian man whatsoever is free from the obedience of the Commandments which are called moral.

VIII. Of the three Creeds.

THE three Creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanafius's Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apoftles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by moft certain warrants of holy Scripture. IX. Of Original or Birth Sin.

ORIGINAL fin ftandeth 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 ingendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteoufnefs, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, fo that the flesh lufteth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every perfon born into this world, it deferveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea, in them that are regenerated: whereby the luft of the flesh, called in Greek, póvnpa σapxòs, which fome do expound the wifdom, fome fenfuality, fome the affection, fome the defire of the flesh, is not fubject to the law of God. And although there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the Apoftle doth confefs, that concupifcence and luft hath of itself the nature

of fin.

X. Of Free-will.

THE condition of man after the fall of Adam is fuch, 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 Chrift preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will.

XI. Of the Juftification of Man.

WE E are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift by faith, and not for our own works or defervings: wherefore, that we are juftified by faith only, is a moft whole

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