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ART. IX. Of original, or birth fin.

Original fin ftandeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk) but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil; fo that the flesh lufteth always contrary to the fpirit; and therefore, in every person born into this world, it deferveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea, in them that are regenerated."

ART. X. Of free-will.

"The condition of man after the fall of Adam, is fuch, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the Grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will."

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ART. XI. Of the juftification of man.

"We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or defervings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a moft wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expreffed in the homily of justification."

ART. XII. Of good works.

"Albeit that good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our fins, and endure the feverity of God's judgement; yet they are pleafing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out neceffarily of a true and lively faith, infomuch, that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known, as a tree is difcerned by the fruit."

ART. XIII. Of works before juftification.

"Works done before the Grace of God, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forafmuch as they spring not of faith in Jefus Chrift; neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the fchool authors fay) deferve grace of con

gruity;

gruity; yea, rather for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of fin."

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Thefe, Sir, are fome of the doctrines of the Church of England, and in them are contained a declaration and acknowledgement of the doctrines I have advanced.-In Art. 9. it is declared, "That we are loft in Adam, and are by nature children of wrath.' -Art. 11. peremptorily afferts, "That we can be restored to the favour of God, and made happy hereafter, only by faith in the death and merits of Jefus Chrift."-By comparing Art. 9, 10, 12, and 13. you may find, "That we must be renewed by the Holy Ghost, before we can lead a life of holiness; and that, unlefs we are thus born again, we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.” It appears, then, that my opinions, which you have confidently declared to be falfe and enthufiaftic, are fome of the doctrines of the eftablished church. But this is not all. Though you now fcruple not to declare openly, that they are falfe and enthusiastic, it is notorious that you once spoke very differently about them. What is more, you once gave it under your hand, that they were. true. You could not, indeed, have en

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tered into the miniftry without this; for it is required of all candidates for the facred office, and made an indispensable condition of their admiffion into it. The 36th canon, requiring fubfcription of fuch as are to be made minifters, fays, "No perfon fhall hereafter be received into the miniftry, except he shall first subscribe to these three articles following:" part of the third of which is, “That he alloweth the book of articles, agreed upon by the archbishops and bishops. of both provinces, and the whole clergy in the convocation, holden at London, in the year of our Lord, 1562."

It is, indeed, frequently faid, that the fubfcription to the articles may be made with a referve, as far as they are agreeable to the holy Scriptures; which amounts to this, "I give it under my hand, that the thirtynine articles are truc, as far as I think they are agreeable to the holy Scriptures." But this is a liberty the subscriber has no warrant to take, and is at best, but a mean evafion. For the latter part of the third article in the 36th canon is, "That he acknowledgeth all and every the articles therein contained, being in number nine-and-thirty, befides the ratification, to be agreeable to the Word of God." Nor have any perfons the liberty of underftanding

ftanding the articles in what sense they please: for in the declaration prefixed to the thirtynine articles, it is faid, "That no man fhall hereafter either print or preach, to draw the article afide any way, but shall submit to it in the plain and full meaning thereof; and Shall not put his own fenfe or comment to be the meaning of the article, but shall take it in the literal and grammatical fenfe." And to prevent all practices of this kind, it is declared by the fifth canon, "Whosoever shall hereafter affirm, that any of the nine-andthirty, agreed upon by the archbishops and bishops of both provinces, and the whole clergy in convocation, holden in London, in the year of our Lord 1562, for avoiding diverfities of opinions, and for the establishing of consent touching true religion, are in any part fuperftitious or erroneous, or fuch as he may not with a good confcience fubfcribe unto; let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and not restored, but only by the archbishop, after his repentance and public revocation of fuch his wicked errors." And in the 36th canon, it is further faid, "To thefe three articles whofoever will fubfcribe, he fhall, for the avoiding of all ambiguities, subscribe in this form of words, fetting down both his chriftian and furname; namely, I, N. N.

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