The importance of the controverfies concerning the Eucharift, ibid. Neither in the Old or New Testament, but the contrary, 486 The Church has not power to make a perpetual law against it, A correction of them intended at the Reformation, ibid. The occafion of this Article, ibid. An explanation of the words, Receive ye the Holy Ghost, 515 The Pope's univerfal jurifdiction not warranted by any of the laws of Chrift, ibid. The power exercised by the Kings of Judah in religious mat- AN 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 Cleargie, in the Convocation holden at London iu the Hear of our Lorde GOD 1562. according to the Computation of the Church of Englande, for the avoyding of the Diversities of Opinions, and for the fablishing of Consent touching true Religion. Put forth by the Queen's Authoritie. THE HE 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 1ft, it may seem fomewhat ftrange to fee fuch a collection of tenets made the ftandard of the doctrine of a Church, that is deferyedly valued by reafon of her moderation: this feems to be a departing from the fimplicity of the first 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. 2 Tim. 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 easy 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 thefe. The negative Articles of No Infallibility, No Supremacy in the Pope, No Transubstantiation, 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 negativepropofition. 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 those who were fixed by the Apofiles in particular Churches had received from them. Thefe 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 Apoftles 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 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 less. 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 diftance of time, confidering how defective the hiftory of the firft 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 |