The Account Reckoning and Confession of Faith, Article 1
¶The firſt article.
FYrſt of al I bothe beleue and knowe,His fayth of the vnitie & trinitie of God. that ther is but one a lonly God, and that he is of nature good, true, almighty, ryghteouſe, wyſe and mercyful, the maker and gouernour of all thynges viſible & inuiſible. And that the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghoſt are thre perſones, but the Eſſence & ſubſtance of them is ſimple, vnmixte and but one alone. And concerninge the Godhed and names or thre perſones I agree vtterly in opinion in al thinges wyth the declaracion of the Crede aſwel of Nicene as of Athanaſius.
I beleue that the Sonne hath taken to hym fleſſhe,His belefe of Chriſt the ſonne of God & the ſonne of man. vnderſtandynge therby, that he hath verely and truly of Mary the vndefyled and perpetual virgine taken to hym the nature of man, yea the hole man, whych conſiſteth of body and ſoule, and that after this maner: … the ſame hole mā is ſo taken into the vnitie of ſubſtāce or perſone of the ſonne of God,Of two naures in one perſone that man maketh not a proper or ſpecial perſone, but is taken vntounto the inſeperable, indiuiſible, and vnlouſable perſonage of the ſonne of God.The diſtī cte properties & operations o the two natures in Chriſte diuide not the perſone. And al be it that both natures, that is the Godhed and Manhed ſo kepe ſtyl their natures and properties, that both of thē in hym may truely and naturally be knowen and perceaued, yet neuertheleſſe the diſtincte and ſeueral properties and workinges of natures diuid not the vnitie of perſone. No more than in man the ſoule and body make two perſones. For as thei are of moſt diuers and contrary natures, ſo are they alſo of ſundry properties and operacions. And yet man whych conſyſteth of them both is not two perſones, but one: Euen ſo God and Man is one Chriſt: the perpetual ſonne of God from euerlaſtynge, and the ſōne of Mā frō ye tyme appointed & determined. One perſone, one Chriſt, perfecte God, and perfect Mā. Not that the one nature is made the other, or that they are mixed, confounded or diſordred amonge them ſelues, but that either of thē abydeth ſtyl in his owne propertie. And yet ye vnitie of perſone by theſe ſondrie properties is not diſioyned. And thus one & ye ſame Chriſt touchyng ye propertie of his manhed cried as a chylde, grewe & waxed, incocaſed in wyſedōe, hōgred, thryſted, dyd eat, drynke, ſlepe was hote colde, beatē, dyd ſwet, was wounded, murdered, affrayed, was in heuineſſe, and ſuffred other thinges, whych pertain vntounto the payne and punyſhment of ſynne, and yet was he vtterly gyltles and moſte eſtraunged from ſynne it ſelfe. But touchynge the propertie of hys Godhed, he wyth the Father and ye holy Ghoſt ordreth, goeth thorow, ruleth, ſuſtayneth and nurryſheth all thynges both hyghe & lowe, he lyghtneth the blynde, reſtoreth the lame, calleth vp the dead, wyth a lytle word throweth downe his enemies, beyng deade he taketh agayne to hym lyfe, he aſcendeth vp to heauē, and ſendeth downe the holy Ghoſt as his owne ſpirite. And one and the ſame Chriſte abydynge in one perſone of the ſonne of God doth al theſe thynges, albeit they are contrary in nature and propertie, ſo that euē thoſe thinges, whiche belonge properly to the Godhede, becauſe of the vnitie and perfecciō of perſone, are ſometyme aſcrybed and imputed to the Manhode: and cōtrarye, thoſe thynges whych are proper to the Manhode, are ſometyme ſpoken of the Godhede.Iohan. 3. He ſayd: that he hym ſelfe beynge the ſonne of Man was in heauen, when he had not yet in body aſcended into heauen.1. Petre. 2. Peter alſo ſheweth: that Chriſte ſuffred for vsus, when only hys māhode could ſuffer. But for vnitie of perſone it is trulye ſayd: bothe that the ſonne of God ſuffred, and that the ſonne of mā forgaue ſynnes. For bothe he whyche in one perſone is the ſonne of God, and the ſonne of Man, touchinge the propertie of hys manhode, ſuffred: And he whych in one perſone is the ſonne of God, and the ſonne of Man, touchynge hys Godhed, forgaue ſynnes. So we ſaye: thys man is wyſe, whan notwythſtandynge he conſyſteth aſwel of body as of ſoule. And the body is moſte eſtraunged from wyſedom, yea it is a very poiſon and hyndraūce of knowlege and vnderſtandynge.
And agayne, we ſaye: the ſame mā is ſore cutte and wounded, whan onelyonly the bodye can receaue woundes, and not the ſoule. Thus no man ſayeth. Of man there is made two perſones, whan to either partie hys owne propertie is attributed and applyed. And agayne no man ſayeth: that the natures are mixte, diſordred and confounded, whan of the hole man that is ſayd, whych for the vnitie of perſone pertayneth to the hole, but for the propertie of the parties belongeth onelyonly vntounto one. Paule ſayeth:2. Cor. 12. whan I am weake, then am I ſtronge. Who is it that is weake? Paule. who ryghtly is alſo ſtronge? Paule. But is not thys ſayeng contrarye to reaſon, vnſtable and intollerable? No. for Paul is not of one nature, albeit he is but one perſone. Therfore whan he ſayeth: I am weake, doutleſſe that perſon ſpeaketh whych is Paule, but that that is ſayd, is neither ſpoken nor vnderſtanded of both natures, but only of the weakneſſe of the fleſhe. And whan he ſayeth, I am ſtronge: Surely the perſon of Paule ſpeaketh it: but only hys ſpirite is vnderſtāded. Euen ſo, the ſōne of God is dead: Doutleſſe he (whyche by vnitie and ſingleneſſe of perſone is bothe God and Man) is deade, but that is only touchyng hys manhode. Thus therfore not only I thynke concernynge aſwel the Godhead and perſones, as taking to the nature of mā, but ſo lykewyſe hauehave thought al they both olde and newe that are of ryght fayth and belefe. Yea and ſo thynke they alſo that euen nowe acknowlege the truthe vnfaynedly.