walk more warily in thefe dangerous days; fleeing from fuch vices, for which you affirm with your own mouths. the curfe of God to be due. CURSE -Anfwer. Amen. URSED is the man that maketh any carved or molten image, to worship it. Deut. 27, 15. And the People hall answer and fav, Ame.. Minifter. Curfed is he that curfeth his father or mother. ver. 16.Minifter. Curfed is be that removeth his neighbour's land mark. ver. 17. Answer. Amen Minifter. Curfed is he that maketh the blind to go out of his way. ver. 18.-Anfwer. Amen. Minifter. Curfed is he that perverteth the judgement of the ranger the fatherless, and widow. v. 19. -Anfwer. Amen. Anfwer. Minifter. Curfed is he that fmiteth his neighbour fecretly ver. 24 Minifter. Curfed are the unmerciful fornicators, and adulterers, covetous perfons, idolaters, flanderers, drunkards, and extortioners. S. Matth. 25, 41. 1 Cor. 6, 9, 10.- -Anfwer, Amen, Minifter Amen. Apfwer. Amen. W Tow feeing that all they are accurfed (as the prophet David beareth witnefs) who do ers and go aftray from the Commandments of God, let us (remembering the dreadful judgment hanging over our heads, and always ready to fall upon us) return unto our Lord God with all contrition and meekness of heart; bewailing and lamenting our finful life, acknowledging and confeffing our offences, and feeking to bring forth worthy fruits of penance. For now is the ax put unto the root of the trees; fo that every tree, that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and caft into the fire. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God: He fhall pour down rain upon the finners, foares, fire and brimstone, ftorm and tem peft; this fhall be their portion to drink. For lo, the Lord is come out of his place to vifit the wickedness of fuch as dwell upon the earth. But who may abide the day of his coming? Who fhall be able to endure when he appeareth His fan is in his hand, and he will purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. The day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night: and when men fhall fay, Peace, and all things are faft, then fball fudden deftruction come upon them, as forrow cometh upon a woman travailing with child, and they shall not efcape. Then hall appear the wrath of God in the day, of vengeance, which obftinate finners, through the ftubbornness of their heart, have heaped unto themselves which defpifed the goodness, patience, and long-fufferance of God, when he called them continually to repen. tance. Then fhall they call upon me (faith the Lord) but I will not hear; they shall feek me early, but they fhall not find me; and that because they hated knowledge, and received not the fear of the Lord, but abhorred my counfel, and defpifed my correction. Then fhall it be too late to knock, when the door fhall be shut & and too late to cry for mercy, when it is the time of juftice. O terrible voice of moft just judgment, which fhall be pronounced upon them, when it fhall be faid unto them, Go ye curfed into the fire everlafting, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. Therefore, brethren, take we hed betime, while the day of falvation fasteth; for the night cometh when none can work: But let us, while we have the light, believe in the light, and walk as children of the light, that we be not caft into utter darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Let us not abufe the goodness of God, who calleth us mercifully to amendment; and of his endless pity promifeth us forgiveness of that which is paft, if with a perfect and true heart we return unto him. For though our fins be as red as fearlet, they fhall be as white as fnow : and though they be like purple, yet they fhall be made white as wool. Turn ye (faith the Lord) from all your wickednefs, and your fin fhall not be your deftruction. Caft away from you all your ungodlinefs that ye have done; make you new hearts, and a new fpirit: Wherefore will ye die, O ye house of Ifael; seeing that I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God? Turn ye then, and ye shall live. Although we have finned, yet we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the rightcous, and he is the propitiation for our fins. For he was wounded for our offences, and fmitten for our wickedness. Let us therefore return unto him, who is the merciful receiver of all true penitent finners; affuring ourfelves that he is ready to receive us, and most willing to pardon us,, if we come unto him with faithful repentance; if we will fubmit ourselves unto him, and from henceforth walk in his ways; if we will take his eafy yoke, and light burden upon us, to follow him in lowlinefs, patience, and charity, and be ordered by the governance of his Holy Spirit; feeking always his glo. ry, and ferving him duly in our vocation with thanksgiving. This if we do, Christ will deliver us from the curle of the law, and from the extreme malediction which fhall light upon them that fhall be fet on the lef: hand; and he will fet us on his right hand, and give us the gracious benediction of his Father, commanding us to take poffeffion of his glorious kingdom: unto which he vouchfafa to bring us all, for his infinite. mercy. Amen. 00 *10 312 : dency; as it points out to us the dreadful confequences of tainly mifunderstand it who reprelent the laying Amen to Sin, in order to lead us to Repentance: And they mott cer- the declarations in the former past of it as Curing or Wil: Then shall they all kneel upon their knees, and the Priest and Clerks kneeling (in the Place where they are accufiomis to jay the Litany) fhail fay the 51st. Pfalm. Lord, have mercy upon us. Minifter. O Lord, fave thy fervants; Anfw. That put their trust in thee. . Anfw. And evermore mightily defend them. Minifter. Help us O God, our Saviour. Anfw. And for the glory of thy name deliver us; be merciful to us finners; for thy Names fake. Minister. Let us pray. our Lord. Amen. " God, and merciful Father, who has compaflion upon all men, and hateft nothing that thou haft made, who wouldeít not the death of a finner, but that he fhould rather turn from his fin and be faved; Mercifully forgive us our trefpalles; receive and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of ur fins. Thy property is always to have mercy: to thee only it appertaineth to forgive fins. Spare us therefore, good Lord, fpare thy people whom thou haft redeemed; enter not into judgement with thy fervants, who are vile earth, and miferable finners; but fo turn thine anger from us, who meekly acknow ledge our vilenefs, and truly repent us of our faults; and fo make hafte to help us in this world, that we may ⚫ever live with thee in the world to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ལ་རྒྱུ་ཞུ་རྟེན ** Then shall the people, ay this that followeth, after the Minifter: T URN thou us, O good Lord, and fo fhall we be turned. Be favourable O Lord, be favourable to thy people, Who turn to thee in weeping, fafting, and praying. For thou art a merciful God, full of compaffion, long-fuffering, and of great pity. Thou fparel when we delerve punithment, and in thy wrath thinketh upon mercy. Spare thy people, good Lord, fpare them. And let not thine heritage be brought to con ution. Hear us, O Lord, for thy mercy is great, and after the multitude of thy mercies look upon us, through the merits and mediation of thy blessed Son Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. Then the Minifier alone shall fay, THE Lord blefs us, and keep us; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us, and give us peace now and for evermore. Amen. 1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. T HERE is but One living and true God, everlasting without body, parts, or paffion; 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. 11. Of the Word, or Son of God which was made very Man. HE Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlafting of the Father, the very and eternal of one with the in of fubftance: fo 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 alfo for actual fins of men.. 1 III. Of the going down of Chrift into Hell. S. Chrift died for us, and was buried; fo allo is it to be believed, that he went down into Hell, A $ HRIST did truly rife again from death, and took again his body, with filefh, botes, and all things apper taining 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. TH HE Holy Ghoit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one Subftance, Majefty, and Glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. VI. Of the fufficiency of the holy Scriptures for Salvation. TOLY Scripture containeth all things neceffary to Salvation: fo that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may is not to man, as an or be thought requifite or neceffary to Salvation. In the name of the holy Scripture we do understand thofe 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. G Enefis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numeri, Deuteronomium, Joshua, Judges, The I Book of Samuel, The I. Book of Kings, The II. Book of Kings, The Book of Judith, The reafons for compiling thefe Articles feem to have been firft thefe, in imitation of the German Proteftants, to make known the true opinions of the Church of England; and the real caufes of her oppofition to the Church of Rome. adly, To keep all fuch out of its Pale, as might be difpofed fecretly to undermine and betray it. For as the Reformers had fimarted long under the tyranny of Popery, fo they had rea The I. Book of Chronicles, The II. Book of Efdras, The Proverbs, And the other Books (as Hierome faith) the Church doth read for example of life and inftruction of manners ; Baruch the Prophet, The Song of the three Children, fon to endeavour to fecure themselves from it, and from all its all the Books of the New Teftament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account them Canonical. VIL. Of the Old Teftament THE HE Old Teftament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Teftament everlafting life 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 tranfisory Promifes. Al though the Law given from God by Mofes, as touching Ceremonies and Rites, do not bind "Chriftian men, nor the Civil Precepts thereof ought of neceility to be received in any Commonwealth: yet notwith@anding, no Chriftian man whatfoever is free from the obedience of the Commandments which are called Moral. y VIII. Of the three Creeds. T the Creed, ought throughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by molt certain warrants of holy Scripture. 331. "IX Of Original or Birit Sin. RIGINAL Sin 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 ingendred of the offspring of Adam, wherery man is very far gone from original righteoufnefs, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, fo that the fleh luffeth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every perfon born into this world, it deferveth Gods wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain; yea, in them that are regenerated, whereby the luft of the Refh, called in Greek, Phronema jarkos, which fome do xpound the wifdom, fome fenfuality, fome the affection, fome the defire of the flesh, is not subject to the law of God. And although there is no codemnation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the Apostle doth confefs, that concupi ccace and luft hath of itself the nature of fin. L X. Of free-will, T HE condition of man after the fall of Adam, is fuch, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural frength and good works to faith, and calling upon God: Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleafant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Chrift p eventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will. XI. Of the Juftification of Man. E are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, by own works or 7 that we are juftified by only, mcft wholfome Doctrine, and very full of comfort as more largely is expreffea in the Homily of Justification XII. Of Gaca Works. ; A1 LBEIT that good Works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Juftification, cannot put away our fins, and endure the feverity of God's Judgment; yet are they pleating and acceptable o Godia Chrift and do fpring out neceffarily of a true and lively Faith; infomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known, as a tree difcerned by the fruit. XIII Of Works bafore Juftification. W ORKS done before the grace of Christ, and the infpiration of his fpirit, are not pleafing to God, for) afmuch as they fpring not of faith in Jefus Chrift, neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-Authors fay) deferve 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 fin. XIV. Of Werks of Supererogation.. VOLUNTARY Works befides, over and above God's Commandments which they 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 fake, than of bounden dur ty is required: whereas Chrift faith plainly, When ye have done all that are commanded to you, fay, We are unprofitable fervants. XV. Of Chrift alone without Sin. HRIST in the truth of our nature, was made like unto us in all things, (fin only excepts) from which he was C in his came to of a himself once made, fhould take away the fins of the world: and fin (as St. John faith), was not in him. But all we the reft (although baptized and born again in Christ) yet offend in many things; and if we fay we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. XVI. Of Sin after Baptifm OT every deadly in willingly committed after Baptifm, is fin against the Holy Ghost, and ungarden able. Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to fuch, as fall into fin after Baptifm. Af ter we have received the Holy Ghoft, we may depart from grace given, and fall into fin, and by the grace of God (we may) arife again, and amend our lives, And therefore they are to be condemned, which fay, they can no more fin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to fuch as truly repent De P constantly XVII. Of Predeftination and Election. Redeftination to life is the everlasting purpofe of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were curfe and damnation whom he hath chofen in Chrift out of mankind, and to bring them by Chrift to everlasting falvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore they which be endued with to excellent a benefit of God, be called according to Gods parpofe by his Spirit working in due feason: they through grace obey the calling: they be justified freely: they be mad tons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his only begotten Son Jefus Chrift: They wak religiously in good works, and at length by Gods mercy they attain to everlasting felicity. As the godly contideration of Predeflination, and our Election in Chrift is full of (weet, plafant, and unfpeakable confort to godly perfons, and fuch as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Chrift, 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 falvation, to be enjoyed through Chrift, as because it doth fervantly kindle their love towards God: So, for curious and carnal per fons, Tacking theipinit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the fentence of Gods Predettination, is a meft dangerous downfall, whereby the Devil aoth thrust them either into defperation, or into wretchlefness of meft unclean living, no lefs perilous than defperation. Furthermore, we natt receive Gods Promifes in fuch wife as they be generally fet forth to us in holy Scrip ture: And in our doings, that will of God is to be followed, which we have exprefly declared unto us in the word of God. XVIII. Of obtaining eternal Saluation only by the Name of Chrift. HEY alfo are to be had accurfed, that prefume to fay, that every man thall be faved by the Law or Sect which he profeffeth, fo that he te diligent to frame his life according to that Law and the Light of Na ture. For holy Scripture doth it out unto us only the Name of Jefus Christ, whereby men muit be saved. XIX. Of the Church. TH FI Exvifible Church of Chrift Congregation of faithful men, in the which the preached, and the Sacraments be duty militered according to Chrifts Ordinance, in c neceffity are requifite to the faine. As the Church of Hierufalem, Alexandria, and Anticch, have erred; fo alfo the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonie, but alfo in matters of Faith. T Word of God is all thofe things that XX. Of the Authority of the Church. HE Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies. and Authority in controverfies of Faith: And it is not law Church to ordain any thing that is contrary Gods written, neither may it fo expound one place of Scriptare that it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a Withels and a Keeper of Holy Writ, yet as it ought not to decree any thing against the fame, so befides. the fame ought it no: to enforce any thing to be believed for neceffity of falvation.. XXI. Of the Authority of general Councils. ENERAL Councils may not be gathered together without the commandment and will of Princes. And when they be gathered together (forafmuch as they be an Affembly of Men, whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and Word of God) they may err, and fome times have erred, even in things pertaining unto GE Wherefore things ordained. by them as neceffary to falvation, have neither length nor Authority, unlefs it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture. XXII. Of Purgatery HE Romih Doctrine concerning Purgatory, Pardons, Worhipping and Adoration, as well of images, as of reliques, and alfo invocation of Saints, is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no war ranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God. T XXIII. Of Miniftering in the congregation. I Tis not lawful for any Man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or ministering the Sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully called, and fent to execute the fame. And thofe we ought to judge lawfully called and fent, which be chofen and called to this Work by men who have publick Authority given unto them in the Congregation, to call and send Minifters into the Lords Vineyard. XXIV. Of Speaking in the Congregation in fuch a tongue as the people underlandeth I Tis a thing plainly repugnant to the word of God, and the cultom of the Primitive Church, to have Pub ... but rather S they be certain fure witnefics, and effectual ligos of grace, and Gods good will towards us, by the which he doth work invifibly in us, and doth not only quicken but alfo ftrengthen and confirm our faith in him. There are two Sacraments ordained of Chrifl our Lord in the Gospel, that is to fay, Baptifm and the Sup per of the Lord. 1928 |