take upon him to teach but such as shall be allowed by the Ordinary and found meet as well for his learning and dexterity in teaching as for sober and honest conversation and also for right understanding of Gods true Religion Duty of Schoole-masters Sentences of scripture for Scholars 41. Item That all Teachers of children shall stir and move them to love and due Reverence of Gods true Religion now truely set forth by publick authority 42. Item That they shall accustome their Scholars Reverently to learn such sentences of Scriptures as shall be most expedient to induce them to all Godlinesse Vnlearned Preists 43. Item Forasmuch as in these latter dayes many have been made Priests being children and otherwise utterly unlearned so that they could read to say Mattens and Masse the Ordinaries shall not admit any such to any Cure or spiritual Function The Catehisme 44. Item Every Parson Vicar and Curate shall upon every Holiday and every second Sunday in the year hear and instruct all the youth of the Parish for half an hour at the least before Evening prayer in the ten Commandements the Articles of the belief and in the Lords Prayer and diligently examine them and teach the Catechisme set forth in the Book of publick prayer The book of the afflictions for religion 45. Item That the Ordinary do exhibit unto our Visitors their books or a true copy of the same containing the causes why any person was imprisoned famished or put to death for religion Overseers for service on the holy-dayes 46. Item That in every Parish 3. or 4. discreet men which tender Gods glory and his true Religion shall be appointed by the Ordinaries diligently to see that all the Parishioners duly resort to their Church upon all Sundayes and holydayes and there to continue the whole time of the godly service and all such as shall be found slack and negligent in resorting to the Church having no great nor urgent Cause of absence they shall straightly call upon them and after due admonition if they amend not they shall denounce them to the Ordinary â—nventories of Church goods 47. Item That the Churchwardens of every Parish shall deliver unto our Visiors the Inventories of Vestments Copes and other Ornaments Plate Books and specially of Grayles Couchers Legends Processionals Manuals Hymnals Portnesses and such like appertaining to their Church 48. Item That weekly upon Wednesdayes and Fridayes Service on Wednesdays and Fridays not being Holydayes the Curate at the accustomed houres of service shall resort to Church and cause warning to be given to the people by knolling of a Bell and say the Letany and prayers 49. Item because in divers Collegiate Continuance of singing in the Church and also some Parish Churches heretofore there have been livings appointed for the maintenance of men and children to use singing in the Church by means whereof the laudable service of Musick hath been had in estimation and preserved in knowledge the Queens Majesty neither meaning in any wise the decay of any thing that might conveniently tend to the use and continuance of the said Science neither to have the same in any part so abused in the Church that thereby the Common prayer should be the worse understanded of the hearers willeth and commandeth that first no alterations be made of such assignements of living as heretofore hath been appointed to the use of singing or Musick in the Church but that the same so remain And that there be a modest and distinct song so used in all parts of the Common prayers in the Church that the same may be as plainly understanded as if it were read without singing and yet nevertheless for the comforting of such that delight in Musick it may be permitted that in the beginning or in the end of Common prayers either at Morning or Evening there may be sung an Hymn or such like song to the praise of Almighty God in the best sort of melody and musick that may be conveniently devised having respect that the sentence of the Hymn may be understanded and perceived 50. Item because in all alterations and specially in Rites and Ceremonies there happen discords amonst the people Against slanderous and infamous words and thereupon slanderous words and railings whereby charity the knot of all Christian society is loosed the Queens Majesty being most desirous of all other earthly things that her people should live in charity both towards God and man and therein abound in good works willeth and streightly commandeth all manner of her Subjects to forbear all vain and contentious disputations in matters of Religion and not to use in despight or rebuke of any person these convitious words Papist or papistical Heretick Schismatick or Sacramentary or any such like words of reproach But if any manner of person shall deserve the accusation of any such that first he be charitably admonished thereof and if that shall not amend him then to denounce the offender to the Ordinary or to some higher power having authority to correct the same 51. Item because there is a great abuse in the Printers of Bookes which for covetousnesse chiefly regard not what they Print so they may vave gain whereby ariseth the great disorder by publication of unfruitful vain and infamous Books and papers The Queens Majesty straightly chargeth and commandeth that no manner of person shall print any manner of Book or paper of what sort nature or in what Language soever it be except the same be first licensed by her Majesty by express words in writing or by six of her privy Councel or be perused and licensed by the Arch-bishops of Canterbury and York the Bishop of London the Chancellours of both Vniversities the Bishop being Ordinary and the Archdeacon also of the place where any such shall be printed or by two of them whereof the Ordinary of the place to be alwayes one And that the names of such as shall allow the same to be added in the end of every such work for testimony of the allowance thereof And because many Pamphlets Playes and Ballads be oftentimes printed wherein regard would be had that nothing therein should be either heretical seditious or unseemly for Christian ears Her Majesty likewise commandeth that no manner of person shall enterprise to print any such except the same be to him licensed by such her Majesties Commissioners or three of them as be appointed in the City of London to hear and determine divers causes Ecclesiastical tending to the execution of certain Statutes made the last Parliament for uniformity of order in Religion And if any shall sell or utter any manner of books and papers being not licensed as is abovesaid that the same party shall be punished by order of the said commissioners as to the quality of the fault shall be thought meet And touching all other books of matters of Religion or Policie or Governance that have been printed either on this side
Sacraments as well Archbishops and Bishops as other Pastors and Curates You shall also pray for the Queens most honorable Counsel and for all the Nobility of this Realm that all and every of these in their calling may serve truely and painfully to the glory of God and edifying of his people remembring the account that they must make Also ye shall pray for the whole Commons of this Realm that they may live in true faith and fear of God in humble obedience and brotherly charity one to another Finally let us praise God for all those that are departed out of this life in the faith of Christ and pray unto God that we may have grace for to direct our lives after their good example that after this life we with them may be made partakers of the glorious Resurrection in the life everlasting And this done shew the holy dayes and fasting dayes ALL and singular which Injunctions the Queens Majesty ministreth unto her Clergy and to all other her loving Subjects straightly charging and commanding them to observe and keep the same upon pain of deprivation sequestration of fruits and benefices suspension excommunication and such other correction as to Ordinaries or other having Ecclesiastical Iurisdiction whom her Majesty hath appointed or shall appoint for the due execution of the same shall be seen convenient charging and commanding them to see these Injunctions observed and kept of all persons being under their jurisdiction as they will answer to her Majesty for the contrary And her highnesse pleasure is that every Iustice of peace being required shall assist the Ordinaries and every of them for the due execution of the said Injunctions ARTICLES AGREED UPON By the ARCH-BISHOPS and BISHOPS of both Provinces and the whole CLERGIE In the Convocation holden at LONDON in the year 1562. For the avoiding of diversities of opinions and for the establishing of Consent touching true RELIGION Reprinted by His MAJESTIES Commandment with His Royal Declaration prefixed thereunto LONDON Printed by Bonham Norton and John Bill Printers to the Kings most Excellcnt Majestie 1630. HIS MAJESTIES DECLARATION BEing by Gods Ordinance according to Our just Title Defender of the Faith and supream Governour of the Church within these Our Dominions We hold it most agreeable to this Our Kingly Office and Our own Religious zeal to conserve and maintain the Church committed to Our charge in the unity of true Religion and in the bond of peace and not to suffer unnecessary Disputations altercations or questions to be raised which may nourish faction both in the Church and Common-wealth We have therefore upon mature deliberation and with the advice of so many of Our Bishops as might conveniently be called together thought fit to make this Declaration following That the Articles of the Church of England which have been allowed and authorized heretofore and which our Clergy generally have subscribed unto do contain the true Doctrine of the Church of England agreeable to Gods word which We do therefore ratifie and confirm requiring all our loving Subjects to continue in the uniform profession thereof and prohibiting the least difference from the said Articles which to that end We command to be new printed and this Our Declaration to be published therewith That we are supream Governour of the Church of England and that if any difference arise about the external policy concerning Injunctions Canons or other Constitutions whatsoever there to belonging the Clergy in their Convocation is to order and settle them having first obtained leave under Our broad Seal so to do and We approving their said Ordinances and Constitutions providing that none be made contrary to the Laws and Customes of the Land That out of Our Princely care that the Church-men may do the work which is proper unto them the Bishops and Clergy from time to time in Convocation upon their humble desire shall have licence under Our broad Seal to deliberate of and to do all such things as being made plain by them and assented unto by Us shall concern the setled continuance of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England now established from which We will not endure any varying or departing in the least degree That for the present though some Differences have been ill raised yet we take comfort in this that all Clergy-men within our Realm have alwayes most willingly subscribed to the Articles established which is an Argument to Us that they all agree in the true usual literal meaning of the said Articles and that even in those curious points in which the present differences lie men of all sorts take the Articles of the Church of England to be for them which is an argument again that none of them intend any desertion of the Articles established That therefore in these both curious and unhappy differences which have for so many hundred years in different times and places excercised the Church of Christ We will that all further curious search be laid aside and these disputes shut up in Gods promises as they be generally set forth to Us in the holy Scriptures and the general meaning of the Articles of the Church of England according to them And that no man hereafter shall either print or preach to draw the Article aside any way but shall submit to it in the plain and full meaning thereof And shall not put his own sense or Comment to be the meaning of the Article but shall take it in the literal and Grammatical sense That if any publick Reader in either Our Universities or any Head or Master of a Colledge or any other person respectively in either of them shall affix any new sense to any Article or shall publickly read determine or hold any publick disputation or suffer any such to be held either way in either the Universities or Colledges respectively or if any Divine in the Universities shall preach or print any thing either way other then is already established in Convocation with Our Royal assent he or they the offenders shall be liable to Our displeasure and the Churches censure in our Commission Ecclesiastical as well as any other and We will see there shall be due execution upon them ARTICLES OF RELIGION Of faith in the holy Trinity THere is but one living and true God everlasting without body parts or passions of infinite power wisdome and goodness the maker and preserver of all things both visible and invisible And in unity of this Godhead there be three persons of one substance power and eternity the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost 2. Of the Word or Son of God which was made very man THe Son which is the Word of the Father Haec notata non habentur in Edw. 6. begotten from everlasting of the Father the very and eternal God of one substance with the Father took mans nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin of her substance so that two whole and perfect natures that is to say the Godhead and manhood
this Realm And also that if there shall happen any contempt or irreverence to be used in the Ceremonies or Rites of the Church by the misusing of the orders appointed in this book the Queens Majesty may by the like advice of the said Commissioners or Metropolitan ordain and publish such farther Ceremonies or Rites as may be most for the advancement of Gods Glory the edifying of his Church and the due reverence of Christs holy mysteries and Sacraments And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforsaid All Lawes Ordinances made for other service shall be void That all Laws statutes and ordinances wherein or whereby any other service administration of Sacraments or Common Prayer is limited established or set forth to be used within this Realm or any other the Queens Dominions or Countryes shall from henceforth be utterly void and of none effect Coke pla fol 352. A Clause Anno 8. Eliz. cap. 1. A confirmation of the Stat. of 1 Eliz. 2. touching the book of Common Prayer Administration of the Sacraments WHerefore for the plain declaration of all the premisses and to the intent that the same may the better be known to every of the Queens Majesties subjects whereby such evil speech as heretofore hath been used against the High state of Prelacy may hereafter cease Be it now declared and enacted by the Authority of this present Parliament that the said Act and Statute made in the first year of the reign of our said Soveraign Lady the Queens Majesty whereby the said book of Common-prayer and the Administration of Sacraments with other Rites and Ceremonies is authorized and allowed to be used shall stand and remain good and perfect to all respects and purposes And that such order and form for the Consecrating of Archbishops A Confirmation of the Stat. of 5. 6. Ed. 6. 1 touching the form of consecrating Archbishops c. and Bishops and for the making of Priests Deacons and Ministers as was set forth in the time of the said late King Edward the sixth and added to the said Book of Common-prayer and authorised by Parliament in the fifth and sixth years of the said late King shall stand and be in full force and effect and shall from henceforth be used and observed in all places within this Realm and other the Queens Majesties Dominions and Countries Anno 13. Eliz. cap. 12. Reformation of Disorders in the Ministers of the Church c. THat the Churches of the Queens Majesties Dominions may be served with Pastors of sound Religion Be it enacted by the Authority of this present Parliament That every person under the degree of a Bishop which doth or shall pretend to be a Priest or Minister of Gods holy Word and Sacraments by reason of any other form of Institution Consecration or ordering than the form set forth by Parliament in the time of the late King of most Worthy Memory King Edward the sixth 3. Edw. 6.12 5. Edw. 6.1 Dyer f. 377. or now used in the Reigne of our most gracious Soveraigne Lady before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ next following shall in the presence of the Bishop or Guardian of the Spiritualities of some one Diocesse where he hath or shall have Ecclesiastical living declare his assent Every Ecclesiastical person shall subscribe to the Articles touching the Confession of the Faith and declare his assent thereunto and subscribe to all the Articles of Religion which only concern the Confession of the true Christian Faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments comprised in a book imprinted entituled Articles Whereupon it was agreed by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden at London in the year of our Lord God a thousand five hundred sixty and two according to the computation of the Church of England for the avoiding of the diversities of opinions and for the establishing of consent touching true Religion put forth by the Queens Authority and shall bring from such Bishop or Guardian of Spiritualties in writing under his Seal Authentick a testimonial of such assent and subscription and openly on some Sunday in the time of some publick service afternoon Reading of the Articles testimonial in every Church where by reason of any Ecclesiastical living he ought to attend read both the said testimonial and the said Articles upon pain that every such person which shall not before the said Feast do as is above appointed shall be ipso facto deprived and all his Ecclesiastical promotions shall be void as if he were then naturally dead And that if any person Ecclesiastical or which shall have Ecclesiastical livings shall advisedly maintain or affirm any Doctrine directly contrary or repugnant to any of the said Articles The penaltie of maintaining of Doctrine against the Articles and being convented before the Bishop of the Diocesse or the Ordinary or before the Queens Highnesse Commissioners in causes Ecclesiastical shall persist therein or not revoke his error or after such revocation eftsoones affirm such untrue Doctrine such maintaining or affirming and persisting or such eftsoone affirming shall be just cause to deprive such person of his Ecclesiastical promotions And it shall be lawful to the Bishop of the Diocess or the Ordinary or the said Commissioners to deprive such persons so persisting or lawfully convicted of such eftsoones affirming and upon such sentence of deprivation pronounced he shall be indeed deprived Several things required in him which shall be admitted to a Benefice And that no person shall hereafter be admitted to any Benefice with Cure except he then be of the age of three and twenty years at the least and a Deacon and shall first have subscribed the said Articles in presence of the Ordinary and publickly read the same in the Parish Church of that Benefice with declaration of his unfeigned assent to the same And that every person after the end of this Session of Parliament to be admitted to a Benefice with Cure except that within two moneths after his Induction he do publickly read the said Articles in the same Church whereof he shall have Cure in the time of Common Prayer there with declaration of his unfeigned assent thereto and be admitted to minister the Sacraments within one year after his Induction if he be not so admitted before shall be upon every such default ipso facto immediately deprived And that no person now permitted by any dispensation or otherwise shall retain any Benefice with Cure being under the age of One and Twenty years or not being Deacon at the least or which shall not be admitted as is aforesaid within one year next after the making of this Act or within six moneths after he shall accomplish the age of twenty four years on pain that such his dispensation shall be meerly void The age of a Minister or Preacher and his testimoniall And that none shall be made Minister or admitted to
The Seales of ARMES of the Bishops of England etc. A COLLECTION OF ARTICLES Injunctions Canons Orders Ordinances and Constitutions Ecclesiastical with other Publick Records OF THE CHVRCH of ENGLAND Chiefly in the Times of K. EDWARD VIth Q. ELIZABETH and K. JAMES Published to Vindicate the Church of ENGLAND and to promote Uniformity and peace in the same And humbly presented to the CONVOCATION LONDON Printed by R. Norton for Timothy Garthwait at the Little North-doore of St. Pauls Church 1661. THE TABLE  Anno Domini Pag. KIng EDWARD'S Injunctions 1547. 1. Order of Communion Service 1547. 15. Arch Bp. CRANMERS Articles of visitation 1548. 25. Bp RIDLYES Articles of visitation 1550. 33. ARTICLES of Religion agreed upon in the Convocation 1552. 39. The Latin Edition of those Articles 1552. 51. Q. ELIZABETH'S Injunctions 1559. 63. The Queens Articles of visitation 1559. 235. An ACT for Vniformity of Common Prayer 1559. 75. Celebratio Coenae Dom. in Funebribus in the 2. yeer of the Queen 1560. 249. Book of ORDINATION 1559. 96. Commendatio Benefactorum 1560.  ARTICLES of Religion agreed upon in the Convocation c. and compared with King EDWARD the VI. Articles 1562. 86. The Latine Edition of those Articles 1562. * .1 ADVERTISEMENTS for Due order about Ministers Apparel the Communion c. 1564. 86. Liber quorundam CANONUM 1571. * 15. ARTICVLI Provinciae Cantuariensis 1584. 243. Capitula sive CONSTITUTIONES Ecclesiasticae 1597. 37. The OATHES of Supremacy Allegiance Canonical Obedience Residence  88. The Oath against Simony  90. Of Abrogate HOLYDAYES in K. HENRY the 8 ths time 1536. 225. Proclamation against the despisers of the COMMON PRAYER c. 1573. 227. Proclamation against the Sectaries of the Family of Love 1580. 229. Proclamation against Schismatical and seditious Books and Libels 1588. 231. Prayers at the Healing  223. In K. JAMES his time CANONS and Constitutions in Latine 1603. 303. PRoclamation declaring the proceedings in Ecelesiastical Courts to be according to the Laws of the Land  91 A PREFACE to the Reader OUR great Lord and Master Christ having purchased to himself by his precious blood a peculiar people his One mystical Body the Church sanctified it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church holy without spot Ephes 5.27 not without all spot there is a spot of Gods children of sins of frailty and infirmity which the Church as long as she is Militant will never be without but without spot of malice and wicked lewdness such spots and blemishes as were figured by the corporal blemishes forbidden to the Priests and their sacrifices Lev. 21. 22.20 spots that will make the Church as abhorred in the sight of God as those bodily spots made the Priests and their sacrifices unto the eyes of men without such scandalous spots mentioned Gal. 5.9 all the members of this one Body may and ought to be That the Church may preserve her self in this purity without spot and in this unity without division and continue one holy Church as it is in our Creed a double power and Authority is needful as to all other Bodies politick so likewise to this Society of Believers the Church one of jurisdiction to correct and reform those impure members by spiritual censures whom counsel will not win and if they be incorrigible to cast them out of this holy Society lest their leaven should leaven the whole lump 1 Cor. 5.6 thus to preserve the Churches purity and again to correct and reduce to unity the contentious troublers of the Churches peace if it may be by charitable admonitions if not to stop their mouths Titus 1.11 not by arguments alone for such will never prevail upon absurd unreasonable and obstinate men and such there alwayes will be but by spiritual Censures even to the casting them out of the Churches Society so to preserve peace and unity Besides this power of Jurisdiction there is necessary also for the obtaining of those two high ends a Legislative power to make Canons and Constitutions upon emergent occasions For though our great Lord hath already given to his Church most holy and wise rules and Laws for the same purposes yet because they are general not descending to every particularity of time and place and manner of performanee which yet are necessary to be determined for the preservation of publick peace and unity and because there may at least through the perversnesse of men of corrupt minds arise some doubts and controversies about the sense and meaning of those most holy rules of our Lord for the determining of which we are not now to expect any resolution from Prophet or Oracle or other immediate voice from heaven it doth hereupon necessarily follow that there must be Authority left to this Church and the Governours thereof to make new Laws upon these emergent occasions to determine these particularities to decide and compose these controversies whereby to preserve the unity of the spirit in the Bond of Peace Who soever shall think that all this may be done by friendly perswasion or learned disputes onely will finde himself deceived as experience of all Ages hath shown and will shew as long as there be men of perverse mindes and corrupt affections Without a definitive and Authoritative sentence controversies will be endless and the Churches peace unavoidably disturbed and therefore the voice of God and right Reason hath taught that in matters of Controversie the definitive sentence of Superiours should decide the doubt and whosoever should decline from that sentence and do presumptuously should be put to death that others might hear and fear and do no more presumptuously Deut. 17. which is to be understood mystically also of death spirituall by Excommunication by being cut off from the living body of Christs Church It being thus cleared by reason and Gods own rule that such power is necessary for the preserving Peace and unity it cannot be imagined with reason that our great Master should deny his dear bought body such necessaries But not to rest upon the reason why they should be given it may be made to appear that de facto He hath given such power to the Church and that by reciting his gracious Commissions granted to the Church with his Apostles practice and exercise of those powers who best knowing their Lords will and pleasure must be by their practice the best Interpreters of his minde and meaning See then how read we For the power of Jurisdiction we finde a large Commission St. John 20. As my father sent me so send I you and one particular of Jurisdiction there expressed Whosoever sins you binde in Earth they are bound in Heaven a sharp and dreadful sentence worse then that of the Sword by so much as the death of the Soul is worse then the death of the Body which in obstinate despisers of that correction doth too certainly follow This power of spiritual censures St. Paul calls
otherwise then for their honest necessity there to drink and riot or to play at unlawful games Whether your Ministers be common brawlers sowers of discord rather then charity among their parishioners haukers hunters or spending their time idlely or coming to their benefice by Simony Whether your Ministers or any other persons have committed adultery fornication incest baudry or to be vehemently suspected of the same common drunkards scolds or be common swearers and blasphemers of Gods holy name Whether your Parsons and Vicars do maintain their houses and Chancels in sufficient reparation or if their houses be in decay whether they bestow yearly the fift part of the fruits of the benefice untill the same be repaired Whether your Parsons and Vicars absent from their benefice do leave their Cure to an able Minister And if he may dispend yearly xx.l. or above in this Deanry or else where whether he doth distribute every year among his poor parishioners there at the least the fourty part of the fruits of the same And likewise spending yearly C.l. Whether he doth finde one scholar at either of the universities or some grammar School and so for every other hundred pound one Scholar Whether every Dean Archdeacon and Prebendary being Priest doth personally by himself Preach twice every year at the least either where he is intitled or where he hath jurisdiction or in some place united or appropriate to the same Whether your Minister having licence thereunto doth use to preach or not licenced doth diligently procure other to preach that are licenced or whether he refuseth those offering themselves that are licenced or absenteth himself or causeth other to be away from the Sermon or else admitteth any to preach that are not licenced Whether any by preaching writing word or deed hath or doth maintain the usurped power of the Bishop of Rome Whether any be a letter of the word of God to be preached or read in the English tongue Whether any do preach declare or speak any thing in derogation of the book of Common prayer or any thing therein contained or any part thereof Whether any do preach and defend that private persons may make insurrections stir sedition or compel men to give them their goods Whether the Curate doth admit any to the Communion before he be confirmed or any that ken not the Pater Noster the articles of the faith and ten Commandments in English Whether Curates do Minister the Communion for mony or use to have trentals of Communions Whether any of the Anabaptists sect or other use notoriously any unlawful or private conventicles wherein they do use Doctrine or administration of Sacraments separating themselves from the rest of the parish Whether there be any that privatly in their private house have their Masses contrary to the form and order of the book of Communion Whether any minister doth refuse to use the Common prayers or minister Sacraments in that order and form as is set forth in the book of Common prayer Whether baptisme be ministred out of necessity in any other time then on the Sunday or holy day or in an other tongue then english Whether any speaketh against baptisme of Infants Whether any be married within degrees prohibited by Gods law or separate without cause lawful or is married without banes thrice first asked 3. several holy dayes or Sundayes openly in the Church at service time Whether any curate doth marry them of other parishes without that curates licence and certificate from him of the banes thrice solemnly asked Whether any saith that the wickedesse of the Minister taketh away the effect of Christs Sacraments Whether any saith that Christian men cannot be allowed to repentance if they sin voluntarily after baptisme Whether your Curates be ready to Minister the Sacraments visit the sick and bury the dead being brought to the Church Whether any minister useth wilfully and obstinately any other Right Ceremony Order Form or manner of Communion Mattens or Evensong Ministration of Sacraments or open prayers then is set forth in the Book of Common prayer Whether your Curate once in six weeks at the least upon some Sunday or holy day before Even-song do openly in the Church instruct and examine children not confirmed in some part of the Catechisme and whether Parents and Masters do send them thither upon warning given by the Minister Whether any useth to keep abrogate holy dayes or private holy dayes as bakers shoomakers brewers smiths and such other Whether any useth to hallow water bread salt bells or candles upon Candlemas day ashes on Ashwenesday Palms on Palmsunday the Font on the Easter even fire on paschal or whether there was any sepulchre on Good-Fryday Whether the water in the Font be changed every moneth once and then any other praiers said then is in the book of Common prayer appointed Whether there be any images in your Church Tabernacles Shrines or covering of Shrines candles or trindels of wax or feigned Miracles in your Churches or private houses Whether your Church be kept in due and lawful reparation and whether there be a comly pulpit set up in the same and likewise a coffer for almes for the poor called the poor mans box or chest Whether any legacies given to the poor amending high wayes or marrying poor maides be undistributed and by whom God save the King ARTICLES agreed upon by the BISHOPS and other Learned and Godly men In the Last CONVOCATION at LONDON In the year of our Lord 1552. to root out the discord of Opinions and establish the Agreement of true Religion Published by the Kings Majesties Authority 1553. Imprinted at LONDON by John Day ARTICLES agreed upon in the CONVOCATION and published by the KINGS MAJESTY Of Faith in the holy Trinity THere is but one living and true God and he is everlasting without body parts or passions of infinite power wisdom and goodnesse the maker and preserver of all things both visible and invisible And in unity of this Godhead there be three persons of one substance power and eternity the Father the Son and the holy Ghost That the word or Son of God was made very man THe Son which is the word of the Father took mans nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary of her substance so that two whole and perfect natures that is to say the Godhead and manhood were joyned together into one person never to be divided whereof is one Christ very God and very man who truely suffered was crucified dead and buried to reconcile his Father to us and to be a sacrifice for all sin of man both original and actual Of the going down of Christ into hell AS Christ died and was buried for us so also it is to be believed that he went down into hell for the body lay in the Sepulchre until the Resurrection but his Ghost departing from him was with the Ghosts that were in prison or in Hell and did preach to the same as the place of St.
imprisoned for Religion Item What goods moveable â—…ands fees offices Loss of goods or promotions have been wrongfully taken away in the time of Queen Maries Reign from any person which favoured the Religion now set forth Item How many persons for Religion have died by fire How many burnt famine or otherwise or have been imprisoned for the same Item Certificat of the dead That you make a true presentment of the number of all the persons which died within your Parishes sithence the feast of St. Iohn the Baptist which was in the year of our Lord God One thousand five hundred fifty and eight unto the feast lost past making therein a plain distinct declaration how many men women and men-children the same were and the names of the men Item Whether you know any man in your Parish secretly Secret Masses or in unlawful conventicles say or hear Masse or any other service prohibited by the Law Item Whether you know any person in your Parish False rumors Unlawful books to be a slanderer of his neighbours or a sower of discord between party and party man and wife parents and their children or that hath invented bruted or set forth any rumours false and seditious tales slanders or makers bringers buyers sellers keepers or conveyers of any unlawful books which might stir and provoke sedition or maintain superstious service within this Realm or any Aiders Counsellers Procurers or maintainers thereunto Item Patron Tithes Vacation Whether the Church of your Parish be now vacant or no who is the Patron thereof how long it hath been vacant who doth receive the tithes oblations and other commodities during the time of the vacation and by what authority and in what estate the said Church is at this time and how long the Parson or Vicar hath had that Benefice Item Whether any Minstrels Minstrels or any other persons do use to sing or say any songs or Ditties that be vile or unclean and especially in derision of any godly order now set forth and established Item Letany in English Whether the Letany in English with the Epistle and Gospel which was by the Queens highness Proclamation willed to be read to the people were put in use in your Churches and if not who were the letters thereof Distinct Item Whether the Curates and Ministers do leisurely plainly and distinctly read the publick prayers Chapters and Homilies as they ought to do God save the Queen Imprinted at London Anno 1559. ARTICULI PER Archiepiscopum Episcopos reliquum Clerum Cantuariensis Provinciae in Synodo inchoata Londini vicesimo quarto die Mensis Novembris Anno Domini 1584. Regnique Serenissimae in Christo Principis Dominae Elizabethae Dei gratia Angliae Franciae Hyberniae Reginae fidei Defensoris c. vicesimo septimo stabiliti Regia auctoritate approbati confirmati LONDINI in aedibus C. B. Articuli pro Clero Vt homines idonei ad sacros ordines Beneficia uti vocant Ecclesiastica admittantur PRimo cantum est ne quis posthà c ad sacros ordines suscipiatur qui non eodem quoque tempore Praesentationem sui ipsius ad Beneficium aliquod intra dioecesim sive Jurisdictionem ejusdem Episcopi à quo sacros ordines perit tunc vacans exhibuerit vel qui non eidem Episcopo certum verum indubitatum Certificatorium attulerit de Ecclesia aliqua intra dioecesim sive Jurisdictionem dicti Episcopi in qua curae animarum inservire possit Vel qui in aliqua Cathedrali aut Collegiata Ecclesia vel Collegio Cantabrigiensi aut Oxoniensi non suerit constitutus Vel saltem qui ab eodem Episcopo in Beneficium aliquod sive ad Curam uti vocant inserviendam tunc etiam vacantem non sit mox admittendus Deinde ne quis Episcopus post hac aliquem in sacros ordines cooptet qui non ex sua ipsius Dioecesi fuerit nisi vel ex altera nostratium Academiarum prodierit vel nisi literas ut loquuntur Dimissorias ab Episcopo cujus Dioecesanus existit attulerit vicesimum quartum aetatis suae annum jam compleverit ac etiam in altera dictarum Academiarum gradum aliquem scholasticum susceperit Vel saltem nisi rationem fidei suae juxta Articulos illos Religionis in Synodo Episcoporum Cleri approbatos Latino sermone reddere possit adeò ut sacrarum literarum testimonia quibus eorundem Articulorum veritas innititur recitare etiam valeat Ac ulteriùs de vita sua laudabili morum integritate literas testimoniales sub Sigillo vel alicujus Collegii Cantabrigiensis aut Oxoniensis ubi antea moram fecerit vel alicujus Justiciarii ad pacem D. Reginae conservandam assignati una cum subscriptione testimonio aliorum proborum fide dignorum hominum ejusdem Paroeciae ubi per tres annos antè proximè elapsos commoratus est exhibeat Quòd si verò aliquis Episcopus aliquem ad sacros ordines admiserit qui praedictis qualitatibus non sit praeditus is per Archiepiscopum assidente sibi hac in parte uno alio Episcopo ab ordinatione Ministrorum Diaconorum per integrum biennium suspendatur ac eam praeterea poenam incurrat quae de jure in ejusmodi Episcopos qui ad ordines Ecclesiasticos sine titulo aliquem promovebunt statuitur Ad haec nequis Episcopus aliquem in Beneficium uti vocant instituat nisi qui praedictis conditionibus ornatus fuerit Quòd fi Curia de Arcubus aut Audientiae per viam duplicis querelae seu alio quovis modo contra Episcopum hac in parte agat quia homines minimè idoneos ac habiles admittere renuit tunc licebit Archiepiscopo vel auctoritate propria vel gratia speciali ab Regia Majestate impetrata ejusmodi processus amptutare quò o laudabilis Episcopi industria debitum ea ratione sortiatur effectum Denique ut quolibet anno ad festum S. Michaelis Archangeli vel intra sex hebdomadas idem festum subsequentes unusquisque Episcopus numerum nomina gradus qualitates eorum omnium quos in sacros ordines vel in aliqua Beneficia eodem anno praecedente promoverit ad Archiepiscopum transmittat De moderanda solennis Poenitentiae commutatione NEqua fiat posthac solennis Poenitentiae commutatio nisi rarioribus gravioribúsque de causis atque adeò cum ipsi Episcopo constiterit eam esse ad Reum reconciliandum reformandum saniorem tutiorem rationem Deinde quòd mulcta illa pecuniaria vel in relevamen pauperum ejusdem Paroeciae vel in alios pios usus erogetur idque Ecclesiae solenniter fideliter approbetur innotescat Quod si verò crimen fuerit notorium ac publicum Reus ipse vel in propria sua persona publicè in Ecclesia poenitentiam suam minimè fictam profitendo laesae