is of it self vnable And so likewise although there remayn a certain fredom of will in those thinges which do ê‘teyn vnto the desires workes of this present life yet to ê‘forme spirituall heuenly thinges Frewyl of it self is insufficieÌ„t and therfore the power of mans frewyl being thus wounded decayed hath nede of a phisition to heale it and an helpe to repaire it that it may receyue lyght and streÌ„gth wherby it may se and haue power to do those godly spiritual thynges which before the fall of AdaÌ„ it was able might haue done Ps Cxviii To this blyndnes and infirmitie of mans nature procedyng of original synne the prophet Dauid had regard whan he desired his eies to be lightned of almighty god that he might consider the meruaylous thinges that be in his lawe And also the prophet Hieremy saying Hele me O lord and I shal be made hole Hier. xviii Saint Augustine also playnely declareth the same saying We conclude that frewyll is in man after his fall whiche thyng who so denieth is not a catholike man but in spirituall desyres workes to please god it is so weake and feble that it can not either beginne or performe them onelesse by the grace and helpe of god it be preuented and holpen And hereby it appereth that mans strength and wyll in all thynges whiche be helthfull to the soule and shal please god â–ª hath nede of grace of the holy goste by whiche such spirituall thinges be inspired to men and strength and constance giuen to perfourme them if men do not wylfully refuse the sayde grace offered vnto them ¶ And lykewyse as many thynges be in the scripture whiche doo shewe freewylle to be in man so there be no fewer places in scripture whiche do declare the grace of god to be so necessary that if by it freewyl be not preuented and holpen it can neither do nor wyll any thyng â—…n xv good and godly Of which sorte be these scriptures folowynge without me ye can do nothing No man commeth to me Iohn vi ii Cor. iii. except it be gyuen hym of my father we be not sufficient of our selfe as of our selfe to thinke any good thing Accordyng vnto whiche scriptures and suche other like it foloweth that free wyll before it maye wyll or think any godly thing must be holpen by the grace of Christ and by his spirite be preuented and inspyred that it may be able therto And being so made able may from thensforthe worke togither with grace and by the same susteyned holpen and mainteyned may do and accomplyshe good workes auoyd synne perseuere also and encrease in grace It is surely of the grace of god onely that fyrst we be inspired and moued to any good thynge but to resyst temptations and to persyste in goodnes and go forwarde it is bothe of the grace of god and of our free wyll and endeuour And fynally after we haue perseuered to the end to be crowned with glory therfore is the gift and mercy of god who of his bountifull goodnes hath ordeyned that rewarde to be gyuen after this lyfe accordinge to suche good workes as be done in this lyfe by his grace Therfore men ought with moch diligence and gratitude of mynde to consyder and regarde the inspirations and holsome motions of the holy goste and to imbrace the grace of god whiche is offered vnto them in Christe and moueth theym to good thinges And furthermore to go about by all meanes to shew them self such as vnto whom the grace of god is not gyuen in vayne And whan they doo feele that not withstandinge their diligence yet throughe their owne infirmitie they be not able to doo that they desyre than they oughte earnestly and with a feruent deuotion and stedfast faythe to aske of hym whiche gaue the begynnynge that he wolde vouchesafe to performe it whiche thynge god woll vndoubtedly graunt accordynge to his promyse to suche as perseuere in callynge vppon hym For he is naturally good and willeth al men to be saued and careth for them and prouydeth al thyng by whiche they may be saued except by their owne malice they woll be euil and so by rightuous iudgement of god perishe and be loste For truely men be to theym selues the autours of synne and damnation God is neither autour of sinne nor the cause of damnation And yet dothe he moste ryghtuousely damne those men that do with vices corrupte their nature whyche he made good and doo abuse the same to euyll desyres agaynste his moste holy wyl Wherfore men be to be warned that they do not impute to god their vice or theyr damnatioÌ„ but to them selues whiche by freewyl haue abused the grace and benefites of god All men be also to be monisshed and chiefely preachers that in this hygh matter they lokynge on bothe sydes soo attempre and moderate theym selues that neyther they soo preache the grace of god that they take away therby freewylle Nor on the other syde so extoll free wyll that iniury be done to the grace of god The article of Iustification FOr the more clere vnderstandynge of this article folowynge it is to be noted that all men after the fall of Adam naturally descendyng and comming of him be borne in originall synne that is to saye they lacke that original iustice and innocency wherwith Adam in his creation was endued and whiche also all his posteritie shulde haue had if he throughe his disobedience and breakyng of the commandement of god had not lost the same from hym selfe all his posteritie And further also they be borne with concupiscence wherof springe vnlaufull desires repugnant and contrarye vnto the lawes of god and be giltie to euerlasting deathe and damnation from the whiche they can in no wyse be delyuered by any strength or power that is in them but rather fall daily into further displeasure of god by committyng and addyng of many actuall synnes Wherfore to the entent that man might be deliuered out of this wretched miserable state whervnto he had brought him selfe and might recouer againe the same thinges that were giuen vnto him in his fyrste creation and therby atteyne the euerlasting blisse in heauen it pleased almighty god of his great and infinite mercy and goodnes to sende his owne onely begotten sonne the seconde person in trinitie to take vpon him the nature of man and therin to worke the mistery of our redemtion that is to say to deliuer vs from the captiuitie of the deuill synne and damnation to be the very meane of our reconciliation to god of our iustification And surely this reconciliation of mortal man to the fauor of god immortal did necessarily require such a mediatour betwene them as had in hym selfe the perfect nature of them bothe which is the very propertie of a meane betwene two to be partener with bothe them betwene whom he taketh vpon hym to be a meane For if he be
coupled togyther conteining as it is aforesayde the obedience to the hole doctrine and religion of Christe And here is to be noted that euery man that dothe offende god dothe not lose his faythe therby For they that synne by frailtie and sodeyn motions whiche iuste men doo not auoyde and be taughte therfore of Christ to say in their Pater noster Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgyue them that trespasse agaynste vs Yet those men so breaking their promyse with god and slackyng in suche care and desyre as they shulde haue to please god neuerthelesse be not accompted to haue lost theyr fayth therby yea they also who after the knowlege of god fall into deadly synne aduisedly as they that committe murther adultery and other abhominations and soo falle from faythe as it is taken in the seconde acception and be therfore out of the state of grace and fauour of god for the tyme yet do not those men fall frome fayth as it is taken in the fyrst acception Luc. xii that is to saye from certayne and assured knowledge of god and his doctrine And therfore the gospell speaketh of a seruaunt that knoweth the wyl of his lord and dothe it not And saynt Iames in his epistle sayeth Iacob ii that Faythe may remayne without charitie Wherfore a transgressour of the lawe of almyghty God after baptisme kepeth styll a remorse of conscience and the lyghte of knowledge by Faythe wherby he seeth the remedyes howe to atteyne remyssion of synne and by a special gyfte of further grace is moued to vse the same remedyes and so by faythe walketh the wayes ordeined to atteine remission of sinnes as in the sacrament of penance shal be declared Thus we haue shewed two acceptions of fayth and declared that the fayth of knowledge may remayne in hym that hath fallen from fayth after the second acception But whether there be any special particular knowlege which man by faith hath certainly of him self wherby he may testify to him selfe that he is of the predestinates which shal to th ende perseuere in their callynge we haue not spoken ne can not in scripture ne doctours find that any such faith can be taught or preached Truth it is that in the sacramētes instituted by Christ we may cōstantly beleue the workes of god in them to our present comfort and applycation of his grace and fauour with assurance also that he wyll not faile vs if we fall not from hym Wherfore so continuinge in the state of grace with hym we may beleue vndoubtedly to be saued But forasmoche as our owne frailty and naughtynes ought euer to be feared in vs it is therfore expedient for vs to lyue in contynuall watche and continuall fight with our enemies the deuyl the fleshe and the world and not to presume to moche of our perseuerance contynuance in the state of grace which on our behalfe is vncertayne and vnstable For although goddis promises made in Christe be immutable yet he maketh them not to vs but with cōdition so that his promise standyng we may yet faile of the promise bicause we kepe not our promise And therfore if we assuredly recken vpon the state of our felicitie as grounded vppon goddis promise and do not therwith remēbre that no man shal be crowned onles he laufully fight we shal triumph before the victory and so loke in vain for that whiche is not otherwise promised but vnder a condition And this euery christen man must assuredly beleue ¶ The Crede or the .xii. articles of the christen faythe iI Beleue in god the fatheralmighty maker of heauen and earth ii And in Iesu Christe his onely sonne our lorde iii whiche was conceiued by the holy goste borne of the virgine Mary iiii Suffred vnder Pōce Pylate was crucified dead buried and descended into hell v And the third day he rose agein frō deth vi He ascended into heauen sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty vii From thens he shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade viii I beleue in the holy goste ix The holy catholike churche x The communyon of sayntes The forgyuenes of synnes xi The resurrection of the body xii And the lyfe euerlastynge Amen THE NOTES Here folowe certayne notes for the better vnderstanding of this Crede FIrst it is to be noted that all and singular the .xii. articles conteined in this Crede be so necessarye to be beleued for mans saluation that who so euer wyll not constantly beleue them or wyll obstinately affirme the contrary of theym can not be the very members of Christe and his espouse the churche but are very infidelles or heretikes and members of the deuel with whom they shall be perpetually damned Secondly it is to be noted that all true christen men ought and muste moste constantly beleue maynteyne and defende all those thinges to be true whiche be comprehended in this Crede and in the other .ii. credes wherof the one is vsed to be sayde at masse and is approued by the auncyen generall councelles the other was made by the holye man Athanasius And also all other thynges which be cōprehended in the hole body canon of the bible Thirdly that all true christen men ought and must not onely repute take and holde all the sayde thynges for the most holy most sure and most certayne and infallible truthes of goddis worde and suche as neyther oughte ne can be altered or conuelled by any contrarye opinion or authoritie but also must take interpretate all the same thynges accordynge to the selfe same sentence and interpretation whiche the wordes of scripture do signifie and the holy approued doctours of the churche do agreably intreate and defende Fourthly that all true christen men ought and must vtterly refuse and condemne al those opiniōs contrary to the said .xii. articles of our crede whiche were of longe tyme paste condemned in the .iiii. holy counsels that is to say in the counsel of Nece Constanstinople Ephese and Calcidonense The fyrst article I beleue in god the father almighty maker of heauen and earthe FOr the plain vnderstandinge hereof euery materiall worde of this article shal be declared hereafter And first we muste knowe God that God is a spiritual and an inuisible substance or nature of infinite power and eternall without beginning or endyng of incomprehensible knowlege wysdome goodnes iustice and mercy and that there is but one very god thre persons the father the sonne the holy gost that these thre persons be not three goddis but all one god one nature one substance all one euerlastinge essence or being and all lyke and equall in might power wisdome knowlege rightwysnes and all other thynges belongyng vnto the deitie And that besyde or without this god there is none other god Moreouer we must knowe that god the father is the fyrst persone in trinitie Father and Father of his onely begotten sonne the second persone in
obserue the said lawes gyuen by his seruaunt Moyses After the whiche admonitions many tymes so gyuen by the prophetes and nothynge regarded almyghty god of his infinite goodnes and inestimable mercy for the loue that he beare to mankynde dyd send at the last in to the worlde his onely begotten sonne being his eternal wisdome by whome in the begynnyng he dyd create heauen and earthe and all creatures in them to take vpon hym mans nature for to redeme mankynde and to teache the world the truth of his lawes and by what meanes the world might by faythe to be gyuen to his wordes and doctrine amende theyr lyues and atteyne to comme to the lyfe in heauen folowyng hym in his doctrine who was the waye to come to the father the Truthe to atteyne the knowlege of the father and the Lyfe it selfe wherin he shulde finally leade them to come vnto the father vnto whom god the father commaundyng the worlde to gyue full credence sayd to all men Ipsum audire beare hym Mat. xvii Wherfore the sayd sonne of god in the wombe of the blessed virgin called Mary dyd take vppon him of her very fleshe nature and substance mans nature and beyng conceiued by the holy gost was borne of her body and dyd vnite and conioyne togither the same nature of man takē of the substāce of the said most blessed virgin with his godheade in one persone with suche an indissoluble and inseparable knotte and bonde that he beynge one persone IESVS CHRISTE was is and euer shall be in the same persone verye perfecte god and very perfecte man whiche holy worke of the incarnation was not wrought by the seede of man but by the holy goste in the sayde moste blessed virgine without any motion of concupiscence or spotte of synne and was accomplysshed without any violation or detriment vnto the virginitie of that blessed virgine saint Mary who bothe in the conception and also in the byrth and natiuitie of our sauiour IESV CHRIST her chylde and euer after reteyned styll her virginitie pure and immaculate and as clere without blotte as she was at the tyme that she was fyrst borne The fourth article Suffred vnder Ponce Pilate / was crucified dead buried and descended into hell FOr declaration of this article it shal be expedient brefely to repete the processe of a great part of our sauiour Christis lyfe from the beginninge vnto the tyme of his most glorious passion with the same passion also and the descense of his soule into hell wherfore we must vnderstande that Christe very god and man after he was conceyued and borne of his blessed mother waxed and lyued forthe here in the worlde vntyll he came vnto the .xxxiii. yere of his age and that in all this tyme of his lyfe he suffred and endured for our sakes and our welthe also for our example moche bodyly affliction moche labour moch trauaile moche hunger thyrst and pouertie moche iniury and ignominy and many other such miseries and infirmities as all mortall men be subiecte vnto syn and ignorance onely except so passed ouer al the hole course of his lyfe euen frō his natiuitie vntyll his death in suche perfect obedience vnto the lawes of god and man accordyng to the wyll of his father and in suche perfecte innocencye of lyuing that no faute or blame of lyuynge ne any offence or transgression coulde iustly and truly be laid against him and yet the blynd ignorant and obstinate Iewes replete with enuy and malice as the very members of the deuyll by whom they were prouoked and enduced thervnto laboured continually by all craft and meanes they coulde to dystroye hym and at length conspiring togither they toke him serching and procuringe false wytnesse to accuse hym and after they had bette him and spette in his face and vsed al the vyllany they could vnto him they boūd him and brought him before Pontius Pilatus beinge than the chiefe iudge in Ierusalem vnder the emperour of Rome and there they most falsely accused hym as a subuerter of the lawes of god and as a persone that seduced the people and moued sedition amonge them and as a traitour against the emperour of Rome after whiche accusations our sayde sauiour and redemer Iesus Christ was greuousely scourged by the commaundement of Pylate and had a crown of thorne put vpon his head by the souldiours of the garrison and was by them not onely moste spitefully mocked and scorned but also most cruelly tormented and afflycted and after this he was at the last in publike and open iugement condemned by the sentence of the said iudge to be crucified to the intent he shoulde suffer that kynde of deathe whyche amonge the Iewes was euer most abhorred and detested and accompted to be the moste shamefull and cursed of all other and so accordynge to the sayde sentence the souldiours of the garryson crucified hym that is to say they nayled hym throughe handes and feete to a crosse and hanged hym vppon the same betwene two theues vpon a certayne hyll callyd Caluary vntyl he was deade and after he was thus deade one Ioseph of Aramathia beynge one of Christis disciples obteyned lycence of the sayde iudge to take downe the blessed bodye of oure sauioure IESV CHRIST from the sayde crosse and that done he and an other of Christis disciples callyd Nicodemus wrapped and foolded the same bodye in a cleane syndon and soo layde it and buryed it in a newe graue or sepulchre whyche the sayde Ioseph had made a stone wherein there was neuer man buried before and after he was thus crucified and deade vppon the crosse he descended in soule into hell and losed the peynes or sorowes therof wherwith it was not possible that he shulde be holden and conquered and oppressed bothe the deuyll and hell and also deathe it selfe wherevnto all mankynde was condemned by the falle of oure forefather Adam into synne The proces of our sauiour Iesu Christis life deathe buriall and discence to hell thus declared it is specially to be noted and to be beleued for a certaine truthe that our sayde sauyour in all the tyme of his moste bytter and greuous passion and in sufferynge his moste peynfull and cruell deathe not only indured and susteyned for our redemption all the peynes and iniuries and all the obprobries and ignominies whiche were done to hym mooste pacientely withoute resistence and like an innocent lambe but also that he did wyllyngly and gladly suffer this crosse and this kinde of deathe for our example that we shulde folowe the steppes of hym in pacyence and humylitie and that we shulde beare our owne crosse as he did beare his and that we shoulde also hate and abhorre all synne knowinge for suretie that who so euer dothe not in his harte hate and abhorre synne but rather accompteth the breache and violation of goddis commandement but as a lyght matter and of small weyght and importance he estemeth not the price value
holely ioyned with the one and clerely separated from the other Than he is not mete to be a mean or mediatour betwene two whiche be at debate and enmitie Wherfore our sauiour Christ being naturally god toke vpon hym the nature of man that he might therby be conuersaunt among men and by his death redeme them yet he stil reteined and kepte his godhead and was both god and man together For if he had ben man onely and not god than his death coulde not haue ben a worthy and sufficient satisfaction for sinne to the iustice of god And if he had ben onely god and not man than he by his bodily conuersation could not haue called vs againe to god nor suffered and died bodily for vs. And this propertie of a mediatour saint Paule consideryng writeth to Timothe That there is but one mediatour betwene god man which is Christ Iesus ◠Tim ii meaning therby that bycause he onely had bothe the natures in hym therfore he onely and none other but he was able to be a sufficient mediatour and meane of our reconciliation to god and of our iustification And for a further declaration how and by what meanes we be made partakers of this benefite of iustification It is to be noted that this word Iustification as it is taken in scripture signifieth the makynge of vs rightuous afore god where before we were vnryghtuous as whan by his grace we conuert vnto him be reconciled into his fauour and of the children of ire and damnatiō we be made the children of god and inheritours of euerlasting life that by his grace we may walke so in his wais that finally we may be reputed taken as iust rightuous in the day of iudgement so receyue the euerlasting possession of the kingedome of heauen And albeit god is the principal cause chiefe worker of this iustificatiō in vs without whose grace no mā can do no good thyng but folowing his free wil in the state of a sinner encreaseth his owne iniustice multiplieth his sinne Yet so it pleaseth the hyghe wysdome of god that man preuented by his grace which being offered man maye if he wyll refuse or receiue shall be also a worker by his free consent obedience to the same in the atteinyng of his owne iustification and by goddis grace and helpe shall walke in such workes as be requisite to his iustification so continuing come to the perfect end therof by such meanes waies as god hath ordeyned Wherin it is to be considered that although our sauiour CHRIST hath offered hym selfe vpon the crosse a sufficient redemption satisfaction for the synnes of al the world and hath made hym selfe an open way and entre vnto god the father for al man onely by his worthy merite and deseruynge and willyng all men to be saued calleth vpon al the worlde without respecte of persons to come and be partakers of the ryghtuousnesse peace and glory whiche is in hym yet for al this benignitie grace shewed vniuersally to the hole world none shal haue the effect of this benefit of our sauiour Christ enioy euerlastyng saluatiō by him but they that take suche wayes to atteyne the same as he hath taught and appointed by his holy word in suche ordre maner and fourme as here foloweth that is to say Fyrst as touchynge all them whiche be of age and haue the vse of natural reason afore they be christened the will of god is that all suche if they will be saued shall at the heryng of his blessed worde giue stedfast faith and assente thervnto as saint Paule saith 〈◊〉 xi He that commeth to god must beleue and by that faith groūded on the truth of the word of god beinge taughte bothe of the threatnynges of god agaynst sinners and also of the great goodnes and mercy of god offered to mankinde in our sauiour redemer Christ Iesu they muste conceyue an harty sorowe and repentance for theyr sinnes with a sure trust to haue forgyuenes of them by the merytes passion of our sauiour Christe And ioyninge thervnto a full purpose to amende theyr lyfe and to cōmitte sinne no more but to serue god al their life after they muste than receyue the sacrament of baptisme And this is the very playne ordinary way by the whiche god hath determined that man beynge of age and commynge to christendome shuld be iustified For as for infantes it is to be beleued that their iustification is wrought by the secrete operation of the holy gost in theyr baptisme they beynge offered in the fayth of the churche And this Iustification wherof we haue hitherto spoken may be called the first Iustification that is to say our first cōming into goddis house which is the churche of Christ at whiche comming we be receiued and admitted to be of the flocke and familie of our sauiour Christ and be professed sworne to be the seruantes of god and to be souldiours vnder Christe to fyghte against our ennemies the deuyll the worlde and the fleshe Of whiche enemies if it chaunce vs after our baptisme to be ouerthrowen and caste into mortall synne than is there no remedy but for the recouering of our former estate of Iustification whiche we haue loste to aryse by penance wherin proceding in sorowe and moch lamentation for our sinnes with fasting almesse praier and doing all suche thinges at the leaste in true purpose and will as god requireth of vs we muste haue a sure trust and cōfidence in the mercy of god that for his sonne our sauiour Christis sake he will yet forgiue vs our sinnes and receyue vs vnto his fauour again and so being thus restored to our iustification we must goo forward in our battayle aforesayde in mortifienge our concupiscence and in our dayly spiritual renouation in folowing the motions of the spirite of Christe in doing good workes and absteining from sinne and all occasions therof being armed with faith hope and charitie to the intent we maye atteyne our finall iustification and so be glorified in the day of iugement with the rewarde of euerlasting lyfe Wherfore it is necessary for the keping and holding of this Iustification ones conferred and giue in baptisme or recouered again by penāce through the mercy of our sauiour Christ and also for the encreasynge of the same iustification and fynall consummation therof to take good hede and to watche that we be not deceyued by the false suggestion and temptation of our gostly enemie the deuyll who as saint Peter saith i. Petri. v. goeth about like a roring lion seking whom be may deuour And it is no doubt but although we be ones iustified yet we maye fall there fro by our owne free wyll and consenting vnto sinne folowing the desyres therof For albeit the house of our consciēce be ones made cleane the foule spirite be expelled from vs in baptisme or penance yet if we waxe idle and