FOraſmuch as it appertaineth to all Chriſtian men, but eſpecially to the miniſters and the paſtours of the Church, being teachers & inſtructers of others, to be ready to giue a reaſon of their faith when they ſhalbe thereunto required: I for my part nowe appointed your Parſon, Vicar, or Curate, hauing before mine eyes the feare of God, & the teſtimonie of my conſcience, do acknowledge for my ſelfe, and require you to aſſent to the ſame. i Fyrſt that there is but one liuing and true God, of infinite power, wiſedome, & goodneſſe, the maker and preſeruer of all things, and that in vnitie of this Godhead, there be three perſons of one ſubſtance, of equall power and eternitie, the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghoſt.

ii I beleeue alſo whatſoeuer is conteined in the holy Canonicall Scriptures, in the which Scriptures are conteined all things neceſſarie to ſaluation, by the which alſo al errours & hereſies may ſufficiently be reproued and conuicted, and all doctrine and Articles neceſſarie to ſaluation eſtablyſhed. I do alſo moſt firmely beleeue and confeſſe all the Articles conteined in the three Creedes: the Nicene Creede, Athanaſius Creede, and our common Creede, called the Apoſtles Creede: for theſe do briefly conteine the principall Articles of our faith, which are ar large ſet forth in the holy Scriptures.

iii I acknowledge alſo that Church to be the ſpouſe of Chriſt, wherein the word of God is truly taught, the Sacraments orderly miniſtred according to Chriſtes inſtitution, and the authoritie of the keys duely vſed. And that euery ſuch particular Church hath authoritie to inſtitute, to change, & cleane to put away Ceremonies and other Eccleſiaſticall rites, as they be ſuperfluous, or be abuſed, and to conſtitute other, making more to ſeemelyneſſe, to order, or edification.

iiii Moreouer I confeſſe that it is not lawfull for any man to take vpon him any office or miniſtery, eyther Eccleſiaſtical or ſecular, but ſuch onely as are lawfully thereunto called by their high authorities, according to the ordinances of this Realme.

v Furthermore I do acknowledge the Queenes Maieſties prerogatiue, and ſuperioritie of gouernement of all eſtates & in all cauſes, aſwel Eccleſiaſticall as Temporal, within this Realme, & other her dominions & countreys, to be agreeable to Gods word, & of right to appertaine to her highneſſe, in ſuch ſort as is in ye late Act of Parliament expreſſed, & ſithens by her Maieſties Iniūctions declared & expounded.

vi Moreouer, touching the Byſhop of Rome, I do acknowledge and confeſſe, that by the Scriptures and word of God, he hath no more authoritie then other Byſhops haue in their prouinces and dioceſſes: And therefore ye power which he now challengeth, that is, to be ye ſupreme head of the vniuerſall Church of Chriſt, and ſo to be aboue all Emperours, Kinges, and Princes, is an vſurped power, contrary to the Scriptures and worde of God, and contrary to the example of the primitiue Church. And therefore is for moſt iuſt cauſes taken away, and abolyſhed within this Realme.

vii Furthermore I do graunt and confeſſe, that the booke of common prayer & adminiſtration of the holy Sacraments, ſet forth by authoritie of parliament, is agreeable to the Scriptures, & that it is Catholike, Apoſtolike, & moſt for the aduauncing of Gods glory, and the edifying of Gods people, both for that it is in a tongue that may be vnderſtanded of the people, and alſo for the doctrine and fourme of miniſtration contained in the ſame.

viii And although in the adminiſtration of Baptiſme, there is neyther exorciſme, oyle, ſalt, ſpittle, or halowing of the water nowe vſed. And for that they were of late yeeres abuſed, and eſteemed neceſſarie, where they perteine not to the ſubſtance and neceſſitie of the Sacrament, they be reaſonably abolyſhed: and yet the Sacrament ful and perfectly miniſtred to all intents and purpoſes agreeable to the inſtitution of our Sauiour Chriſt.

ix Moreouer I do not onely acknowledge, that priuate maſſes were neuer vſed amongſt the fathers of the primitiue Church, I meane publike miniſtration & receiuing of the Sacrament by the prieſt alone, without a iuſt number of communicants, according to Chriſtes ſaying, Take ye, and eate ye, &c. but alſo that the doctrine, which maintaineth the maſſe to be a propitiatorie ſacrifice for the quicke and the dead, and a meane to deliuer ſoules out of purgatorie, is neyther agreeable to Chriſts ordinance, nor grounded vpon doctrine Apoſtolike, but contrarywiſe moſt vngodly & moſt iniurious to the precious redemption of our Sauiour Chriſt, and his onely ſufficient ſacrifice offered once for euer vpon the altar of the croſſe.

x I am of that minde alſo, that the holy Communion or Sacrament of the body and bloud of Chriſt, for the due obedience to Chriſtes inſtitution, and to expreſſe the vertue of the ſame, ought to be miniſtred vnto the people vnder both kindes, & that it is auouched by certaine fathers of the Church, to be a plaine ſacriledge to robbe them of the myſticall cup, for whom Chriſt hath ſhed his moſt precious bloud: Seing he him ſelfe hath ſaid, Drinke ye all of this. Conſidering alſo that in the time of the auncient doctours of the Church, as Ciprian, Ierome, Auguſtine, Gelaſius & others, vi.C. yeeres after Chriſt and more, both the partes of the Sacrament were miniſtred to the people.

Laſt of all, as I do vtterly diſalowe the extolling of Images, Relickes, and fayned myracles, and alſo all kindes of expreſſing God inuiſible, in the fourme of an olde man, or the holy Ghoſt, in fourme of a Doue, and all other vaine worſhipping of God, deuiſed by mans fantaſie, beſides or contrary to ye Scriptures: (as wandring on pilgrimages, ſetting vp of candles, praying vpon beades, & ſuch like ſuperſtition,) which kinde of workes haue no promiſe of reward in ſcripture, but contrarywiſe threatnings and maledictions: So I do exhort all men to the obedience of Gods lawe, and to the woorkes of faith, as charitie, mercie, pitie, almes, deuout and feruent prayer with thaffection of the heart, & notwith the mouth onely, godly abſtinence & faſting, chaſtitie, obedience to the rulers & ſuperiour powers, with ſuch like works and godlynes of life, commaunded by God in his word: which as Saint Paul ſaith, hath promiſes both of this life, and of the life to come, and are workes onely acceptable in Gods ſight.

Theſe thinges aboue rehearſed, though they be appointed by common order, yet do I without all compulſion, with freedome of minde & conſcience, from the bottome of my heart, and vpon moſt ſure perſwaſion, acknowledge to be true and agreeable to Gods word. And therefore I exhort you al, of whom I haue cure, heartily & obediently to embrace and receiue the ſame, that we al ioyning together in vnitie of ſpirit, faith, & charitie, may alſo at length be ioyned together in ye kingdome of God, & that through the •••… ts and death of our Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt. To whom with the Father and the holy Ghoſt be all ••• ry and empire, nowe and for euer. Amen.