The Chief and Principal Articles of the Christian Faith, Part 4
❧ The thre Symboles or Confeſſions of the Fayth of Chriſte, vſed in the Churche vnifourmely.
The Symbole of the Apoſtles.
THe fyrſt Symbolum, or Confeſſiō of the Apoſtles is truely the prettyeſt, which briefly and rightly comprehendeth the Articles of oure Faythe very goodly and is alſo eaſy to learne for the children and the ſymple, and ſoundeth thus.
I beleue in God the father almightie, maker of heauen and earthe.
And in Ieſu Chriſte, his onelyonly ſonne oure Lorde, whyche was conceyued by the holy Ghoſte, borne of the virgyn Mary. Suffered vnderunder Ponce Pilate, was crucifyed dead, buried. And deſcended into hell. And the thyrde daye, he roſe agayn from death he aſcended into heauen, and ſitteth on the righte hande of God the father almyghtie. From thence he ſhall come to iudge the quicke and the deade.
I beleue in the holy Ghooſt. The holy Catholyke Churche. The communion of ſaynctes. The forgeuenes of ſynnes. The reſurrection of the body. And the lyfe euerlaſtinge. Amen.
Symbolum Athanaſij.
THe ſecōd Symbolum of Athanaſius is longer, & ſettethoute more rychely and plenteouſly the one Article, becauſe of the Arriās namely, that Ieſus Chriſte is the onelyonly Sonne of God and oure Lorde. In whome we beleue euen with the ſame Fayth, wherewith we beleue in the Father, as the texte ſayeth in the fyrſt Symbole. I beleue in God, &c. And in Ieſu, &c. For yf he were not very God then muſte he not with lyke Faythe, lyke vntounto the Father be honoured. This diſputeth and dryueth S. Athanaſius in his Symbole. And it is a very defence of the fyrſt Symbole.
Who ſo euer wil be ſaued before al thynges, it is neceſſarye that he hauehave the Catholyke fayth.
Whiche faythe, but yf eueryevery man will kepe whole and inuiolate, withoute doubte he ſhall eternally peryſſhe.
This truely is the righte Catholyke Faythe, that we worſhippe one God in trinite, and the trinite in vnitie.
Neyther confondinge the perſons, neyther ſeperatinge the ſubſtaunce.
The perſon of the Father is one. The perſone of the Sonne another. The perſone of the holy Ghooſte another.
But of the Father of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghooſt, ther is one diuinite, equall glorye coeternall maieſtie.
Suche as is the Father, ſuche is the Sonne, ſuche is the holy Ghooſt.
The Father is vncreate, the ſonne vncreate, the holy Ghoſt is vncreate.
The Father is immeaſurable, the Sonne immeaſurable the holy Ghooſt immeaſurable.
The Father is euerlaſting, the Sonne euerlaſting, the holy Ghooſt euerlaſtinge.
And not withſtāding, there be not thre euerlaſting, but one euerlaſting.
Euen as there be not thre vncreate, nor thre vnmeaſurable, but one vncreat and one vnmeaſurable.
In lyke maner is the Father almightie the Sonne almightie, and the holy Ghooſt almightie.
And yet be they not thre almighties, but one God almightie.
So the Father is God, the Sonne is God, the holy Ghooſt is God.
And yet be there not thre Goddes but one God.
So the Father is the Lord, the Sonne the Lord, the holy ghooſt the Lorde.
And yet be they not three Lordes, but one Lorde.
For as we be compelled by the chriſtian veritie, to cōfeſſe ſeparately eueryevery one perſon to be God and Lorde.
So are we prohibite by the Catholyke relygyon of Chriſtes faythe to ſaye: that there be three Goddes or three Lordes.
The father is made of none, neyther crated, nor gotten.
The ſonne is from the father alone neyther made nor created, but gotten.
The holy Ghoſt is from the father and the ſonne, neyther made, created, nor gotten, but procedynge.
And ſo is there but one father, not three fathers, one ſonne, not three ſonnes, one holy Ghooſt, not three holy ghooſtes.
And in thys trinite, there is none before or after another, nothyng more or leſſe.
But al the three perſōs be coeterne and coequal to them ſelfe.
So that by all wayes as nowe it hath ben aboue ſayde, the trinite in vnite, and the vnite in trinite maye be worſhypped.
He therfore that wyll be ſaued, let hym vnderſtande thus of the trinite.
But it is neceſſary vntounto euerlaſting helth that eueryevery Chriſtian beleue alſo faythfully the incarnation of oure Lorde Ieſu Chriſte.
It is therfore the ryght fayth, that we beleue and confeſſe, that our Lorde Ieſus Chriſte the ſonne of GOD, is God and man.
He is God by the ſubſtaunce of the father, gotten before al worldes, and he is man by the ſubſtaunce of the mother, borne in the world.
Perfect God, perfecte man, beyng of a ſoule reaſonable, and of fleſſhe humayne.
Equal to the father by hys Godheade, leſſe then the father by hys mā heade.
Whiche though he be God & man, yet is there not twayne, but one Chriſte.
Truely he is one, not by the turnyng of hys Godheade into manhead but by aſſumptynge of hys manheade into Godheade.
Yea he is one, not by cōfuſyō or mixture of ſubſtaūce, but by vnite of perſō
For as the reaſonable ſoule, and the fleſſhely body, is or maketh one man, So God and man is one Chriſte.
Vvhiche ſuffred death for oure ſaluation, deſcended to hel, and roſe from death the thyrde daye.
Vvhiche aſcended to heauens, ſitteth on the ryght hande of God the Father almightye.
From thence ſhal he come to iudge the quicke and the deade.
At whoſe commynge al men muſt ryſe with theyr owne bodyes.
And ſhal geue accompte of theyr owne propre dedes.
And they that hauehave done wel, ſhall go into euerlaſting lyfe, thei that hauehave done euyl, into euerlaſtynge fyre.
This is the catholike fayth, which excepte eueryevery mā faythfully, & ſtedfaſtly do beleue, he can not be ſaued.
☞ Symbolum Ambroſij, and Auguſtini.
THe thyrde Symbole ſhould be S. Auguſtyns, and Ambroſes and after S. Auguſtyns baptiſme hauehave ben ſonge, whether that be ſo or not, there is no daunger in it, whether a man beleue it, or not. It is neuertheles a propre ſymbole or confeſſyon (whoſoeuer be the mayſter or authour) made after the maner of a ſonge, not onelyonly to knoweledge oure faythe, but alſo therin to prayſe, and to thanke God, And ſoundeth thus.
We prayſe the O God. We knowledge the to be the Lorde.
All the earth dothe worſhippe the, the father euerlaſtynge.
To the al Angels crye a loude, the heauen, and al powers therin.
To the Cherubyn, and Seraphyn continually do crye.
Holy, holy, holy, Lorde God of Sabaoth.
Heauen and earthe are full of the maieſtye of thy glorye.
The gloryous companye of the Apoſtles prayſe the.
The goodly felowſhyp of the Prophetes prayſe the.
The noble army of martyrs prayſe the.
The holy Churche throughoute all the worlde dothe knoweledge the.
The father of an infinite maieſtie.
Thy honourable true, and onelye ſonne. Alſo the holy Ghooſt the conforter.
Thou arte the Kynge of glorye o Chriſte.
Thou arte the euerlaſtyng ſonne of the father.
Vvhen thou tokeſt vponupon the to delyuer man, Thou dyddeſt not abhorre the virgyns wombe.
Vvhen thou haddeſt ouercome the ſharpenes of death, Thou diddeſt opē the kyngdome of heauē to al beleuers
Thou ſitteſt on the right hande of God in the glorye of the father.
Vve beleue, that thou ſhalt come to be oure iudge.
Vve therfore pray the to helpe thy ſeruauntes, whome thou haſte redemed with thy precyous bloude.
Make them to be nombred with thy ſaynctes in glory euerlaſtynge.
O Lord ſaue thy people, and bleſſe thyne heritage.
Gouerne them, and lifte them vp for euer.
Daye by daye, we magnifye the.
And we worſhyp thy name euer worlde withoute ende.
Voucheſafe O Lorde to kepe vsus thys daye without ſynne.
O Lorde hauehave mercy vponupon vsus, hauehave mercy vponupon vsus.
O Lorde let thy mercy lyght vponupon vsus, as oure truſt is in the.
O Lorde in thy hauehave I truſted, let me neuer be confounded.
❧ The Symbole of Nyce.
I Beleue in one God the Father almightye, maker of heauen & earth, of all thynges viſyble and inuiſyble. ¶ And in one onelyonly Lorde Ieſu Chriſt, Gods onelyonly ſonne, which was gotten of the father before al worldes God of God, light of lyght, very true God of the very true God, gottē, not made, equall with the father, by the whiche al thynges be made.
Vvhiche for vsus mankynde, and for oure ſaluation came doune from heauen, And was incarnate by the holye Ghooſt, of the vyrgyn Mary, And became man, crucifyed alſo for vsus, vnderunder Pōce Pilate, ſuffred and buryed.
And roſe agayne the thyrde day, accordyng to the ſcriptures, and aſcēded into heauen, and ſitteth on the ryght hande of the father, and ſhal come agayn with glorye, to iudge the quicke and the deade, whoſe kyngdome ſhall be endeles. And in the Lorde the holy ghooſt, which quickeneth, which proce deth frō the father & the ſonne, whiche with the father and the Sonne together is worſhypped, and together is glorifyed, which hath ſpoken through the Prophetes.
And one holye Catholyke and Apoſtolyke Churche.
I knoweledge one baptiſme, to the remiſſion of ſynnes, and I abyde the reſurrection of the dead, and the lyfe, of the world to come.
AMEN.