They call it the type, fign, and figure of the body and blood of The prayer of confecration calls it fo, That compared with the prayer in the Miffal, The breaking of bread explained, Sacraments must be given according to the inftitution, No arguments from ill confequences to be admitted, unless in cafes of neceffity, ibid. The term Sacrifice of a large fignification, ibid. The primitive Chriftians denied that they had any facrifices, ibid. AN EXPOSITION OF THE ARTICLES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, Articles whereupon it was agreed by the Azchbilhops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Cleargie, in the Convocation holden at London in the Pear of our Lorde GDD 1562. according to the Computation of the Church of Englande, for the abopding of the Diversities of Dpinions, and for the Kablishing of Consent touching true Religion. Put forth by the Queen's Authoritie. THE Title of these Articles leads me to confider, ift, The time, the occafion, and the defign of compiling them. 2dly, The authority that is ftamped upon them both by Church and State, and the obligation that lies upon all of our communion to affent to them, and more particularly the importance of the fubfcription to which the clergy are obliged. As to the firft, it may feem fomewhat strange to fee fuch a collection of tenets made the ftandard of the doctrine of a Church, that is defervedly valued by reafon of her moderation: this feems to be a departing from the fimplicity of the firft ages, which yet we pretend to fet up for a pattern. Among them, the owning the belief of the Creeds then received was thought fufficient: and when fome herefies had occafioned a great enlargement to be made in the Creeds, the third General Council thought fit to fet a bar against all further B vi. 3. aTim.i. 13. further additions; and yet all thofe Creeds, one of which goes far beyond the Ephefine ftandard, make but one Article of the Thirty-nine of which this book confifts. Many of thefe do alfo relate to fubtile and abftrufe points, in which it is not eafy to form a clear judgment; and much lefs can it be convenient to impofe fo great a collection of tenets upon a whole Church, to excommunicate fuch as affirm any of them to be erroneous, and to reject those from the fervice of the Church, who cannot affent to every one of these. The negative Articles of No Infallibility, No Supremacy in the Pope, No Tranfubftantiation, No Purgatory, and the like, give yet a farther colour to exceptions; fince it may feem that it was enough, not to have mentioned thefe, which implies a tacit rejecting of them. It may therefore appear to be too rigorous, to require a pofitive condemning of thofe points: for a very high degree of certainty is required, to affirm a negative propofition. In order to the explaining this matter, it is to be confeffed, that in the beginnings of Chriftianity, the declaration that was required even of a Bishop's faith was conceived in very general terms. There was a form fettled very early in moft Churches: this St. Paul in one place Rom. vi. 17. calls, the form of doctrine that was delivered; in another Tim.iv.6. place, the form of found words, which thofe who were fixed by the Apostles in particular Churches had received from them. Thefe words of his do import a standard, or fixed formulary, by which all doctrines were to be examined. Some have inferred from them, that the Apoftles delivered that Creed which goes under their name, every where in the fame form of words. But there is great reason to doubt of this, fince the firft apologifts for Christianity, when they deliver a fhort abftract of the Chriftian faith, do all vary from one another, both as to the order and as to the words themfelves; which they would not have done, if the Churches had all received one fettled form from the Apoftles. They would all have used the fame words, and neither more nor lefs. It is more probable, that in every Church there was a form fettled, which was delivered to it by fome Apoftle, or companion of the Apostles, with fome variation: of which at this diftance of time, confidering how defective the hiftory of the first ages of Christianity is, it is not poffible, nor very neceffary for us, to be able to give a clear account. For inftance; in the whole extent or neighbourhood of the Roman empire, it was at firft of great ufe to have this in every Chriftian's mouth, that our Saviour fuffered under Pontius Pilate; because because this fixed the time, and carried in it an appeal to records and evidences, that might then have been fearched for. But if this religion went at firft far to the eastward, beyond all commerce with the Romans, there is not that reafon to think that this fhould have been a part of the fhortest form of this doctrine; it being enough that it was related in the Gofpel. Thefe forms of the feveral Churches were preferved with that facred refpect that was due to them: this was esteemed the depofitum or truft of a Church, which was chiefly committed to the keeping of the bishop. In the firft ages, in which the bishops or clergy of the feveral Churches could not meet together in fynods to examine the doctrine of every new bishop, the method, upon which the circumftances of thofe ages put them, was this: the new bishop sent round him, and chiefly to the bishops of the more eminent fees, the profesfion of his faith, according to the form that was fixed in his Church and when the neighbouring bishops were satisfied in this, they held communion with him, and not only owned him for a bishop, but maintained fuch a commerce with him, as the state of that time did admit of. It But as fome herefies fprung up, there were enlargements made in feveral Churches, for the condemning thofe, and for excluding fuch as held them, from their communion. The Council of Nice examined many of thofe Creeds, and out of them they put their Creed in a fuller form. The addition made by the Council of Conftantinople was put into the Creeds of fome particular Churches, feveral years before that Council met. So that though it received its authority from that Council, yet they rather confirmed an Article which they found in the Creeds of fome Churches, than made a new one. had been an invaluable bleffing, if the Chriftian religion had been kept in its firft fimplicity. The Council of Ephefus took care that the Creed, by which men profefs their Christianity, fhould receive no new additions, but be fixed according to the Conftantinopolitan ftandard; yet they made decrees in points of faith, and the following Councils went on in their steps, adding ftill new decrees, with anathematifms against the contrary doctrines; and declaring the affertors of them to be under an anathema, that is, under a very heavy curfe of being totally excluded from their communion, and even from the communion of Jefus Chrift. And whereas the new bishops had formerly only declared their faith, they were then required, befides that, to declare, that they received fuch councils, and rejected fuch doctrines, together with fuch as fa B 2 voured |