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shall never be saved. That works of charity be necessary to salvation. That by penance and such good works we do not only obtain everlasting life, but deserve remission or mitigation of these present pains and affliction in this world." Mark here, by the way, how the doctrine of merits is propounded: our merits do not extend to pardon and everlasting life, but only to the removal or abatement of temporal afflictions.

IV. The Sacrament of the Altar. "That under the form and figure of bread and wine is verily and substantially contained that very same body and blood, which was born of the Virgin Mary, and suffered upon the cross. And that the selfsame body and blood of Christ is distributed unto, and received by, all the communicants. That therefore this sacrament is to be used with all due reverence and honour. And that before any receive it, he ought religiously to try and search his own conscience."

V. Justification. "That the word signifies remission of sins, and our acceptation or reconciliation into the grace and favour of God. That sinners attain this justification by contrition and faith joined with charity. That neither our contrition and faith, nor any work proceeding thence, can merit or deserve the said justification. That the mercy and grace of the Father, promised freely for Christ's sake, and the merit of his blood and passion, be the only sufficient and worthy causes thereof."

This was the sum of the articles concerning faith. Those concerning ceremonies followed next: which were likewise comprised under five titles.

I. Of Images. "That they be representers of virtue and Articles relating to good example. That they be stirrers of men's minds, and ceremomake them often to remember and lament their sins: especially the images of Christ and our lady. That it

nies.

was meet they should stand in the churches, but be none 43 otherwise esteemed. That the bishops and preachers diligently teach the people according to this doctrine, lest there might fortune idolatry to ensue. That they be taught also that censing, kneeling, and offering to images, be by no means to be done, (although the same had entered by devotion, and fallen to custom), but only to God and in his honour, though it be done before the images."

II. Of honouring Saints. "That they are to be honoured, but not with that confidence and honour that is due only unto God, trusting to attain at their hands that which must be had only of God. That most especially Christ is to be lauded and praised in them for their excellent virtues, which he planted in them; and for their good example. And that they are to be taken, wherein they may, to be the advancers of our prayers and demands unto Christ."

III. Of praying to Saints. "That though grace and remission of sins be to be obtained only of God, by the mediation of Christ; yet it is very laudable to pray to saints in heaven to be intercessors, and to pray for us and with us unto God, after this manner: All holy angels and saints in heaven, pray for us, and with us unto the Father, that for his dear Son Jesus Christ's sake, we may have grace of him, and remission of our sins, with an earnest purpose, (not wanting ghostly strength,) to observe and keep his holy commandments, and never to decline from the same again unto our lives' end. That in this manner we may pray to our blessed lady, Saint John Baptist, or any other saint particularly so that it be done without any vain superstition; as to think that any saint is more merciful, or will hear us sooner than Christ; or that any saint does serve for one thing more than another. That

holy-days are to be kept to God, in memory of him and his saints, upon such days as the church hath ordained: but may be mitigated and moderated by the king, being supreme head."

IV. Of Rites and Ceremonies. "As vestments in God's service, sprinkling holy water, giving holy bread, bearing candles on Candlemas-day, giving of ashes on Ash-Wednesday, bearing of palms on Palm-Sunday; creeping to the cross, and kissing it, and offering unto Christ before the same on Good-Friday; setting up the sepulchre of Christ, hallowing of the font, and other like exorcisms, and benedictions, and laudable customs: that these are not to be contemned and cast away, but continued, to put us in remembrance of spiritual things. But that none of these ceremonies have power to remit sin."

V. Of Purgatory. "That Christians are to pray for souls departed, and to commit them in their prayers to God's mercy, and cause others to pray for them in masses and exequies; and to give alms to others to pray for them, that they may be relieved and holpen of some part of their pain. But because the place where they be, the name thereof, and kinds of pain there, is to us uncertain by Scripture, therefore we remit this, with all other things, to Almighty God; unto whose mercies it is meet to commend them. That such abuses be put away, which, under the name of purgatory, have been advanced : as to make men believe, that, through the bishop of 44 Rome's pardons, souls might clearly be delivered out of purgatory, and the pains of it: or that masses said at scala cæli, or otherwise in any place, or before any image, might deliver them from all their pains, and send them straight to heaven."

These are the contents of that memorable book of A conarticles. There are reasons added now and then to con- that the

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pen of the firm the respective tenets there laid down, and many quotations of holy Scripture, which, for brevity sake, I have omitted; which one may conjecture to have been inserted by the pen of the archbishop; who was the great introducer of this practice, of proving or confuting opinions in religion by the word of God, instead of the ordinary custom then used, of doing it by schoolmen and popish canons. We find indeed many popish errors here mixed with evangelical truths; which must either be attributed to the defectiveness of our prelate's knowledge as yet in true religion, or being the principles and opinions of the king, or both. Let not any be offended herewith, but let him rather take notice, what a great deal of gospel doctrine here came to light; and not only so, but was owned and propounded by authority to be believed and practised. The sun of truth was now but rising, and breaking through the thick mists of that idolatry, superstition, and ignorance, that had so long prevailed in this nation and the rest of the world, and was not yet advanced to its meridian brightness.

CHAPTER XII.

CRANMER'S JUDGMENT ABOUT SOME CASES OF MATRIMONY.

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In this year then came forth two remarkable books; Two rewhereof both the king, and the archbishop and bishops, books pubmight be said to be joint composers: inasmuch as they lished. seemed to be devised by the archbishop, and some of the bishops; and then revised, noted, corrected and enlarged by the king.

The one of these was the book of articles of religion, mentioned before. This book bore this title, Articles devised by the king's highness to stable Christian quietness, and unity among the people, &c., with a preface by the king; where the king saith, he was constrained to put his own pen to the book, and to conceive certain articles. Which words I leave to the conjecture of the reader, whether by them he be inclined to think that the king were the first writer of them, or that, being writ and composed by another, they were perused, considered, corrected and augmented by his pen.

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The other book that came out this year was occasioned by a piece published by Reginald Pole, intituled unione ecclesiasticae; which inveighing much against king for assuming the supremacy, and extolling the pope bishops' unmeasurably, he employed the archbishop, and some other bishops, to compile a treatise, shewing the usurpations of popes; and how late it was ere they took this superiority upon them, some hundred years passing before they did it; and that all bishops were limited to their 45 own dioceses by one of the eight councils, to which

e [See above, p. 12.]

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