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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 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.

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 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 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, whick 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, in 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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I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. | be believed, that he went down THERE is but one living and into Hell. true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; 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.

II. Of the Word or Son of God,
which was made very Man.

THE
HE Son, which is the Word
of the Father, begotten from
everlasting of the Father, the
very and eternal God, and of
one substance with the Father,
took Man's nature in the womb
of the blessed Virgin, of her
substance: 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 crucified, dead
and buried, to reconcile his
Father to us, and to be a sacri-
fice, not only for original guilt,
but also for actual sins of men.

III. Of the going down of Christ
into Hell.

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IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ. Com death, and took again HRIST did truly rise 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.

V. Of the Holy Ghost. THE Holy Ghost, proceeding

from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eter. nal God.

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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-
cles,

The First Book of Esdras,
The Second Book of Esdras,
The Book of Esther,
The Book of Job,

The Psalms,

The Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, or Preacher,
Cantica, or Songs of Solomon,
Four Prophets the greater,
Twelve Prophets the less.

The First Book of Macca-
bees,

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 Testament.

TH

HE Old Testament is nota contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Testa ment everlasting life is offered to Mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and Man, being both Godet and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feigne that the old Fathers did look n only for transitory promises. Although the Law given from God by Moses, as touching Ce remonies and Rites, do not bind t And the other Books (as Hie-Christian men, nor the Civil rome saith) the Church doth precepts thereof ought of necesread for example of life and in-sity to be received in any comstruction of manners; but yet monwealth; yet notwithstanddoth it not apply them to esta-ing, no Christian man whatsoblish any doctrine; such are these following:

The Third Book of Esdras,
The Fourth Book of Esdras,
The Book of Tobias,
The Book of Judith,
The rest of the Book of Esther,
The Book of Wisdom,

ever is free from the obediences of the Commandments which are called Moral.

VIII. Of the Three Creeds.

THE
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 prov-| XI. Of the Justification of Man.

ed by most certain warrants of holy Scripture.

IX. Of Original or Birth-sin.

ORIGINAL Sin standeth not in the following of Adem, (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 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 doth remain, yea in them that are regenerated; whereby the lust of the flesh, called in the Greek, phronema sarkos, which some do expound the wisdom, some sensuality, some the af fection, some the desire, of the flesh, is not subject 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. THE condition of Man after the fall of 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 works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventwg us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.

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