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ARTICLES OF FAITH
I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity
There is but one living and true God, everlasting, with 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, an eternity:
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made true Man
The Son, which is the Word of the Father, Begotten from ever lasting of
the Father, the true 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, true God and true man. Who truly
suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile His Father to us,
and to be sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual
sins of men.
III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell
As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed that
He went down into Hell
IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ
Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with
flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's
nature; wherewith He ascended into Heaven, and there sits, until He
returns to judge all men at the last day.
V. Of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is one
substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, true and
eternal God.
VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation
Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation; so that
whatever 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 though requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of
the Holy Scriptures we do understand those canonical books of the Old
and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.
VII. Of the Old Testament
The Old Testament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and
New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is
the only Mediator between God and man. Wherefore they are not to be
heard, which falsely teach that the old Fathers did look only for
transitory promises. Although the Law given from God by Moses, as
touching ceremonies and rites, does not bind Christian men, nor the
civil precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any nation
or government; nevertheless, no Christian man is free from the obedience
of the moral Commandments.
VIII. Of the Creeds
The Nicene Creed, end that which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed,
ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by
most certain warrants of the Holy Scripture.
IX. Of Original or Birth Sin
Original sin stands not in the following of Adam, but it is the fault
and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is produced in
the offspring of Adam; whereby every man is very far gone from original
righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the
flesh lusts always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every person
born since the world began, it deserves God’s wrath and damnation. And
this infection of Nature does remain in them that are regenerated;
whereby the lust of the flesh is not subject to the law of God. And all
though there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized,
yet the Apostle does confess, that evil desires and lust has 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
pleasing and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ going
before us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we do
have that good will.
XI. Of the Justification of Man
We are accounted righteous before God only after the merit of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or
deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith alone is a most
wholesome teaching, and very full of comfort.
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XII. Of Good Works
Although it is true that good works, which are the fruit of faith and
follow after justification, cannot put away our sins and endure the
severity of God's judgment, yet they are pleasing and acceptable to God
in Christ, and do spring out necessary of a true and lively faith,
insomuch that, by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a
tree discerned by the fruit.
XIII. Of Works Before Justification
Works done before the grace of Christ and the inspiration of His Spirit
are not pleasing to God, for they spring not from faith in Jesus Christ.
Neither do they make men worthy to receive grace, or deserve grace;
rather, because they are not done as God has willed and commanded them
to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.
XIV. Of Christ Alone without Sin
Christ in the truth of our nature was made like unto us in an things,
sin only except, from which He was clearly void, both in His flesh and
in His spirit. He came to be the lamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of
Himself once made, should take away the sins of the world, and sin (as
Saint John says,) was not in Him. But all we the rest, although baptized
and born again in Christ yet offend in many things; and if we say we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. .
XV. Of Sin after Baptism
Not every deadly sin willingly committed after baptism is sin against
the Holy Spirit and unpardonable. Wherefore the grant of repentance is
not to be dented to such as fall into sin after baptism. After we have
received the Holy Spirit we may depart from grace given and fall into
sin, by the grace of God we may arise again, and amend our lives.
And therefore they are to be condemned which say they can no more sin as
long as they live, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly
repent.
XVI. Of Obtaining Eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ
They also are to be had accursed that presume to say that every man
shall be saved by the law or
sect which he professes, so that he be diligent to frame his life
according to that law, and the light of nature. 'For Holy Scripture does
set out to us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.
XVII. Of the Church
The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful people in
which the pure Word of God is preached and the sacraments are duly
ministered according to Christ's ordinance.
XVIII. Of the Authority of the Church
The church has power to decree ceremonies, and authority in
controversies of faith; and yet it is not lawful for the church to
ordain anything that is contrary to God’s written Word, neither may it
so expound one place of scripture that it be repugnant to another.
Wherefore, although the Church is a witness and a keeper of Holy Writ,
yet, it ought not to decree anything against the same, nor besides the
Word should it enforce anything to be behaved for necessity to
salvation.
XIX. Of Ministering in the Congregation
It is 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 sent to execute the same. And those we ought to
judge lawfully called and sent, which are chosen and called to this work
by men who have public authority given to them in the congregation, to
call and send ministers into the Lord's vineyard.
XX. Of the Sacraments
Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens of the
Christian's profession, but rather they are sure witnesses, and
effectual sings of grace, and God’s good will toward us, by which He
does work invisibly in us, and does not only give life, but also
strengthens and confirms our faith in Him.
XXI. Of Baptism
Baptism is not only a sign of profession, end mark of difference,
whereby Christians are discerned from others that are not baptized, but
it is also a sign of regeneration or new birth, whereby, as by an
instrument, they that receive baptism rightly are grafted into the
Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to
be the sons of God by the Holy Spirit are visibly signed and sealed;
faith is confirmed, and grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God.
XXII. Of the Lord’s Supper
The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians
ought to have among themselves for one another, but rather it is a
sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death: in so much that to such
as rightly, worthy in God with faith receive it, the bread which we break
is partaking of the Body of Christ, and likewise the cup of blessing is
a partaking of the Blood of Christ. The Body of Christ is given, taken,
and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And
the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper,
is faith.
XXIII. Of the Power of the Civil Magistrates
The power of the civil magistrates extends to all men, clergy as well
as laity, in all things temporal; but has no authority in things purely
spiritual. And we hold it to be the duty of all men who are professors
of the Gospel to pay respectful obedience to the civil authority,
regularly and legitimately constituted. |
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