Univerfal Practice for giving the Chalice, The first beginn ng of taking away the Cup, The Primitive Chriftians denied that they had any Sacrifices, ibid. The Eucharift has no Virtue, but as it is a Communion, 447 Strictly speaking there is only one Priest and one Sacrifice in the The importance of the Controverfies concerning the Eucharift, ibid. The Church has not Power to make a perpetual Law against it, Oaths ill made are worse to be kept, A Temper to be obferved in Church-Difcipline, ibid. ibid. The Obligation to obey Canons and Laws, ibid. Human Laws are not unalterable, The Refpect due to ancient Canons, The Corruptions of the Canon Law, Every Church is a complete Body, ibid. ibid. This illuftrated in the Charge of Idolatry, What is meant by their being necessary for those times, Queen Elizabeth's Injunction concerning the Supremacy, 483 The Pope's univerfal Jurifdiction not warranted by any of the Laws of Chrift, The Patriarchal Authority founded on the divifion of the Roman Empire, funk with it, 487 A N EXPOSITION OF THE ARTICLES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. Articles whereupon it was agreed by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clear. gie, in the Convocation holden at London in the Beas of our Lorde GDD 1562. according to the Computation of the Church of Englande, for the avopding of the Divezlities of Opinions, and for the ftablishing of Consent touching tzue Religion. Put forth by the Queen's Authoritie. Τ' HE Title of thefe 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 1ft, it may seem somewhat ftrange to fee fuch a collection of tenets made the standard of the doctrine of a Church, that is deservedly 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 some 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 additions; and yet all those B Creeds, 1 Tim.iv. 6. vi. 3. 13. Creeds, one of which goes far beyond the Ephefine standard, make but one Article of the Thirty-nine of which this book confifts. Many of these do also relate to fubtile and abstruse points, in which it is not easy to form a clear judgment; and much less can it be convenient to impose so 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 thefe. 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 those 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 confessed, 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 Rom. vi. 17. Churches: this St. Paul in one place calls, the form of doctrine that was delivered; in another place, the form of 2 Timi. found words, which thofe who were fixed by the Apoftles Thefe in particular Churches had received from them. words of his do import a ftandard, or fixed formulary, by which all doctrines were to be examined. Some have inferred from them, that the Apostles delivered that Creed which goes under their name, every where in the fame form of words. But there is great reafon to doubt of this, fince the firft apologifts for Chriftianity, 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 themselves; 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 Apoftles, with fome variation of which at this distance of time, confidering how defective the hiftory of the first ages of Chriftianity is, it is not poffible, nor very neceflary 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 first of great ufe to have this in every Chriftian's mouth, that our Saviour fuffered under Pontius Pilate; 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 com merce |