faith; being adorned with excellent gifts, noble virtues, and fruits of good works, renowned as happy before all others, and made most assuredly a joint-heir of everlasting life.

And a little after. Furthermore, it is taught in the church, that no man ought so to reverence holy men, as we are to worship God, much less their images; † or to reverence them with that worship and affection of mind which only are due to God alone; and, to be short, by no means to honour them with divine worship, or to give it unto them. For God saith by the prophet Isaiah, "I am the Lord thy God, this is my name; I will not give mine honour to another, nor my glory to images." Isa. xlii. 8. and xlviii. 11.

Again, a little after. But even as that thing is gainsaid, that the honour due to God should be given to saints; so it is by no means to be suffered, that the honour of the Lamb, Christ our Lord, and things belonging to him, and due to him alone, and appertaining to the proper and true priesthood of his nature, should be transferred to them that is, lest of them, and those torments which they suffered, we should make redeemers or merits in this life, or else advocates, intercessors, and mediators in heaven, or that we should invocate them; and not them only, but not so much as the holy angels, seeing they are not God. For there is one only Redeemer, 1 Tim. ii. 5. who, being once delivered to death, sacrificed himself both in his body and in his blood: Heb. ix. 11, 12. there is also one only Advocate, the most merciful Lord of us all. 1 John. ii. 1.

And they are not only to be reputed and taken for saints, who are gone before us, and are fallen asleep in the Lord, and dwell now in joys; but also they, who (as there have always been some upon earth) so do likewise live now on the earth: such are all true and godly Christians, in what place or country soever, here or there, and among what people soever they lead their life; who, being baptized in the name of the Lord, have been sanctified, and, being indued with true faith in the Son of God, and set on fire, are

Understand this, of that peculiar grace and mercy which was bestowed upon Mary alone, whereby she was made the mother of God that bare him, and was also endued with an excellent faith: and not as though any duties of the only Mediator, Christ, either of redemption or intercession, were to be attributed to her, as afterwards in plain words is expressly declared.

The meaning of this is, that we are bound to honour, in the Lord, both the saints that are alive, and also the memory of them that are dead. But to their images we are not to give any show of worship, whether religious or civil; forasmuch as that cannot be attempted without abominable superstition.

inflamed with a mutual affection of divine charity and love; who also, acknowledging the justification of Christ, do use both it, and absolution from their sins, and the communion of the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and diligently apply themselves to all holy exercises of piety beseeming a Christian profession. As also the apostles call such believers in Christ (which as yet, like strangers, are conversant here on earth according to the state of mortal men) saints. As for example. "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people." 1 Pet. ii. 9. Again, "All the saints greet you." 2 Cor. xiii. 13. In like manner, "Salute all those that have the oversight of you, and all the saints;" Heb. xiii. 24. that is, all faithful Christians.

For this cause it is taught that we ought, with entire love and favour of the heart, to embrace all Christians before all other people, and, when need is, from the same affection of love to afford unto them our service, and to help them; further, that we ought to maintain the society of holy friendship with those that love and follow the truth of Christ; with all good affection to conceive well of them; Rom. xii. 10. to have them in honour for Christ's sake; to give unto them due reverence from the affection of Christian love; 1 Cor. xii. 25, 26. and to study, in procuring all good, by our duty and service to pleasure them; Gal. vi. 10. and finally to desire their prayers for us. 1 Thess. v. 25. And that Christians going astray, and entangled with sins, are lovingly and gently to be brought to amendment; that compassion is to be had on them; that they are with a quiet mind in love, so as becometh, to be borne withal; that prayer is to be made unto God for them, that he would bring them again into the way of salvation, to the end that the holy Gospel may be spread farther abroad, and Christ's glory may be made known and enlarged among all men.

V.-FROM THE CONFESSION OF FRANCE.

Art. 1. We believe and acknowledge one only God, who is one only and simple essence, spiritual, eternal, invisible, immutable, infinite, incomprehensible, unspeakable, almighty, most wise, good, just, and merciful.

Art. 6. The holy Scripture teacheth us, that in that one and simple Divine essence, there be three persons subsisting, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Father, to wit, the first cause in order, and the beginning of all things; the Son, his wisdom, and everlasting Word; the Holy Ghost, his virtue, power, and efficacy:

the Son begotten of the Father from everlasting; the Holy Ghost from everlasting proceeding from the Father and the Son: which three persons are not confounded, but distinct; and yet not divided, but co-essential, co-eternal, and co-equal. And, to conclude; in this mystery, we allow of that which those four ancient Councils have decreed; and we detest all sects condemned by those holy ancient Doctors, Athanasius, Hilary, Cyril, Ambrose, and such as are condemned by others agreeably to God's word.

Hitherto also belongeth, Art. 2. This one God hath revealed himself unto men to be such an one, first by the creation, preservation, and government of his works, then much more clearly in his word, &c. (Seek the rest in the Third Section.)

Art. 19. We believe, that we by this one means obtain liberty of praying to God with a sure confidence, and that it will come to pass, that he will shew himself a Father unto us. For we have no entrance to the Father, but by this Meditator.

Art. 24. We believe, because Jesus Christ is the only Advocate given unto us, who also commandeth us to come boldly unto the Father in his name, that it is not lawful for us to make our prayers in any other form, but in that which God hath set us down in his word; and that whatsoever men have forged of the intercession of saints departed, is nothing but the deceits and sleights of Satan, that he might withdraw men from the right manner of praying. We also reject all other means, whatsoever men have devised, to exempt themselves from the wrath of God. So much as is given unto them, so much is derogated from the sacrifice and death of Christ.

VI. FROM THE CONFESSION OF ENGLAND.

Art. 1. We believe, that there is one certain nature and Divine power, which we call God: and that the same is divided into three equal persons, into the Father, into the Son, and into the Holy Ghost; and that they all be of one power, of one majesty, of one eternity, of one godhead, and of one substance. And although these three persons be so divided, that neither the Father is the Son, nor the Son is the Holy Ghost or the Father; yet nevertheless we believe that there is but one very God, and that the same one God hath created heaven, and earth, and all things contained under heaven.

Art. 2. We believe, that Jesus Christ, the only Son of the eternal Father, &c. (The rest of this Article you shall find in the Section,

whereunto those things do properly pertain, which are contained in this Second Article, of the Person and Office of Christ.)

Art. 3. We believe that the Holy Ghost, who is the third person in the Trinity, is very God; not made, not created, not begotten, but proceeding both from the Father and the Son, by a certain mean unknown unto man, and unspeakable; and that it is his very property to mollify and soften the hardness of man's heart, when he is once received into the hearts of men, either by the wholesome preaching of the Gospel, or by any other way; that he doth give them light, and guide them unto the knowledge of God, to all way of truth, to newness of life, and to everlasting hope of

salvation.

To the same effect also, Art. 4. Neither have we any other Mediator and Intercessor, by whom we may have access to God the Father, than Jesus Christ, in whose only name all things are obtained at his Father's hand. But it is a shameful part, and full of infidelity, that we see everywhere used in the churches of our adversaries, not only in that they will have innumerable sorts of Mediators, and that utterly without the authority of God's word; (so that, as Jeremiah saith, "the saints be now as many in number, or rather above the number of the cities;" Jer. ii. 28. and poor men cannot tell, to which saint it were best to turn them first: and though there be so many, as they cannot be told, yet every of them hath his peculiar duty and office assigned unto him by these folks, what to give, and what to bring to pass ;) but besides this also, in that they do not only wickedly, but also shamefully, call upon the blessed Virgin, Christ's mother, to have her remember that she is the mother, and to command her Son, and to use a mother's authority over him.

VII. FROM THE CONFESSION OF SCOTLAND.
Article 1. Of God.

We confess and acknowledge one only God, to whom only we must cleave, whom only we must serve, whom only we must worship, and in whom only we must put our trust: Deut. iv. 35. and vi. 4. Isaiah xliv. 5, 6. who is eternal, infinite, unmeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible, one in substance, and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Mat. xxviii. 19. By whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, as well visible as invisible, to have been created, Gen. i. 1. to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided

by his inscrutable Providence to such end, as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice, hath appointed them, to the manifestation of his glory. Prov. xvi. 4.

VIII.-FROM THE CONFESSION OF BELGIA.

Art. 1. We believe in heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only and simple spiritual essence, which we call God, eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, immutable, infinite, who is wholly wise, and a most plentiful well-spring of all good things.

Art. 2. We know God by two means. First, by the creation, and preservation, and government of the whole world. For it is unto our eyes as a most excellent book, wherein all creatures, from the least to the greatest, as it were certain characters and letters, are written, by which the invisible things of God may be seen and known unto us, namely, his everlasting power and Godhead, as Paul the Apostle speaketh; Rom. i. 20. which knowledge sufficeth to convince all men, and make them without excuse. But much more clearly and plainly he afterwards revealed himself unto us in his holy and heavenly word, so far forth as is expedient for his own glory, and the salvation of his in this life.

Art. 8. According to this truth and word of God, we believe in one only God, (who is one essence, truly distinguished into three persons from everlasting, by means of incommunicable properties,) to wit, in the Father, in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost. For the Father is the cause, fountain, and beginning of all things visible and invisible; the Son is the word, wisdom, and image of the Father; the Holy Ghost is the might and power which proceedeth from the Father and the Son. Yet so, that this distinction doth not make God as it were divided into three parts; seeing the Scripture teacheth, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, have a distinct person or subsistence in their properties, yet so, that these three persons be one only God. Therefore it is certain, that neither the Father is the Son, nor the Son the Father, nor the Holy Ghost either the Father or the Son. Nevertheless, these persons thus distinguished, are neither divided, nor confounded, nor mingled. For neither the Father, nor the Holy Ghost, have taken unto them man's nature, but the Son alone. The Father was never without his Son, nor without his Holy Ghost, because every one, in one and the same essence, is of the same eternity. For none of these is either first or last, because all three are one, both in truth and power, and also in goodness and mercy.