MS. or the change of the fubftance of bread and wine into the fubftance of Chrift's body and blood cannot be proved by holy writ, but is repugnant. Pr. or the change of the fubftance of bread and wine in the Jupper of the Lord cannot be proved by boly writ, but it is repugnant. MS. but the mean whereby the body of Chrift is received. Pr. and the mean whereby the body of Chrift is received. MS. lifted up or worshipped. Pr. lifted up and worshipped. Art. 31. MS. is the perfect redemption. Pr. is that perfect redemption. MS. to have remiffion of pain or guilt were forged fables. Pr. to bave remiffion of pain and guilt were blafphemous fables. Art. 33. MS. that hath authority thereto. Pr. that bath authority thereunto. Art. 34. MS. diverfity of countries, times, and men's man ners. Pr. diverfity of countries and men's manners. MS. and be ordained and appointed by common authority. Pr. and be ordained and approved by common au thority. MS. the confciences of the weak brethren. Pr. the confciences of weak brethren. Art. 35. MS. of homilies, the titles whereof we have joined under this article, do contain. Pr. of bomilies, the feveral titles whereof we have joined under this article, doth contain. MS. wholesome doctrine, and neceffary for this time, as doth the former book which was fet forth. Pr. wholefome doctrine, neceffary for thefe times, as doth the former book of homilies which were fet forth. MS. and therefore are to be read in our churches by the minifters, diligently, plainly, and diftinctly, that they may be understanded of the people. Pr. and therefore we judge them to be read in churches by the minifters, diligently and diftin&tly, that they may be understood of the people. MS. MS. miniftred in a tongue known. Art. De Libro Precationum, &c. non eft in MS. Art. 36. MS. in the time of the most noble K. Edward the Pr. in the time of Edward the Sixth. Pr. fuperftitious and ungodly. Art. 37. MS. whether they be ecclefiaftical or not. MS. the minds of fome flanderous folks to be of- Pr. the minds of fome dangerous folks to be offended. Pr. we give not our princes. MS. or of facraments. Pr. or of the facraments. MS. the injunctions alfo lately set forth. Pr. the injunctions also fet fortb. MS. and ferve in the wars. Pr. and ferve in lawful wars. Art. 38. MS. every man oughteth of fuch things. Art. 39. Edw. VI. & qui fequuntur, non funt in MS. WE tb' Archbishops and Bishops of either Province of this Realm of England, lawfully gathered together in this Provincial Synod bolden at London, with Continuations and Prorogations of the fame, do receive, profefs and acknowledge the xxxviii Articles before written in xix Pages going before, to contain true and found Do&trine, and do approve and ratify the fame by the fubfcription of our Hands the xith Day of May in the Year of our Lord 1571, and in the Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth by the Grace of God of England, France, and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c. the thirteenth. From thefe diverfities a great difficulty will naturally arife about this whole matter. The manufcripts of Corpus Chrifti are without doubt originals. The hands of the fubfcribers are well known; they belonged to Archbishop Parker, and were left by him to that college, and they are figned with a particular care; for at the end of them there is not only a fum of the number of the pages, but of the lines in every page. And though this was the work only of the Convocation of the province of Canterbury; yet the Archbishop of York, with the Bishops of Durefme and Chefter, fubfcribed them likewife, and they were alfo fubfcribed by the whole Lower House. But we are not sure that the like care was used in the Convocation, anno 1571; for the Articles are only subscribed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and ten Bithops of his province; nor does the fubfcription of the Lower House appear. Thefe Articles were firft printed in the year 1563, conform to the prefent impreffions which are ftill in ufe among us. So the alter ations were then made while the thing was fresh and well known, therefore no fraud nor artifice is to be suspected, fince fome objections would have been then made, efpecially by the great party of the complying papists, who then continued in the Church: they would not have failed to have made much ufe of this, and to have taken great advantages from it, if there had been any occafion or colour for it; and yet nothing of this kind was then done. One alteration of more importance was made in the year 1571. Those words of the 20th Article, The Church bath power to decree rites or ceremonies, and authority in controverfies of faith, were left out both in the manufcripts, and in the printed editions, but were afterwards reftored according to the Articles, printed anno 1563. I cannot find out in what year they were again put in the printed copies. They appear in two feveral impreffions in Queen Elizabeth's time, which are in my hands: it paffes commonly that it was done by Archbishop Laud; and his enemies laid this upon him among other things, that he had corrupted the doctrine of this Church by this addition but he cleared himfelf of that, as well he might, and, in a fpeech in the Star-Chamber, appealed to the original, and affirmed these words were in it. The true account of this difficulty is this. When the Articles were firft fettled, they were fubfcribed by both Houses upon paper; but that being done, they were afterward ingroffed in parchment, and made up in form to remain as records. Now in all fuch bodies, many alterations are often made after a minute or firft draught is agreed on, before the matter is brought to full perfection; fo these alterations, as moft of them are fmall and inconfiderable, were made between the time that they were firft fubfcribed, and the last voting of them. But the original records, which if extant would have cleared the whole matter, having been burnt in the fire of London, it is not poffible to appeal to them; yet what has been propofed may serve, I hope, fully to clear the difficulty, I now go to confider the Articles themfelves, ARTICLE I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. There is but one living and true Cod, everlasting, without bodie, parts or pailions, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the maker and preferver of all things both visible and invisible; and in the unity of this Godhead there be three persons of one substance, power, and eteznity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Gholk. in Tall HE natural order of things required, that the first of all Articles in Religion fhould be concerning the Being and Attributes of God: for all other doctrines arife out of this. But the title appropriates this to the Holy Trinity; because that is the only part of the Article which peculiarly belongs to the Chriftian Religion; fince the reft is founded on the principles of natural Religion. There are fix heads to be treated of, in order to the full opening of all that is contained in this Article. 1. That there is a God. 2. That there is but one God. 3. Negatively, That this God hath neither body, parts, nor paflions. 4. Pofitively, That he is of infinite power, wifdom, and goodness. 5. That he at first created, and does fill preferve all things, not only what is material and visible, but alio what is fpiritual and invifible. 6. The Trinity is here afferted. Thefe being all points of the highest confequence, it is very neceffary to ftate them as clearly, and to prove them as fully, as may be. The firft is, That there is a God. This is a propofition, which, in all ages, has been fo univerfally received and believed, fome very few inftances being only affigned of fuch as either have denied or doubted of it, that the very confent of fo many ages and nations, of fuch different tempers and languages, fo vaftly remote from one another, has been long efteemed a good argument, to prove that either there is fomewhat in the nature of man, that by a fecret fort of inftinct does dictate this to him; or that all |