A declararation [sic] of the twelue articles of the christen faythe with annotations of the holy scripture, where they be grounded in. And the righte foundation and principall comon places of the hole godly scripture, a goodly short declaration, to all Christians profitable and necessarye for to come to the right vnderstondynge of holy Scripture compyled for the commodite of al christen people. By D. Vrbanum Regium.

¶The fyrste Artycle.

I Beleue in God, the father almigh¦ty maker of heauē and earth.

Here marke fyrste,* 1.1 that there is but one God, but they be thre person∣nes. The father and the sonne and the holy goost, as the scripture testifyeth. The thre personnes be lyke euerla∣styng, lyke myghtye, of one maiestye and beynge.

The sonne in the holy trinitye is sent vnto vs in the last tyme, hath ta∣gen vpō him humayne nature to thin∣tent that he shoulde fulfylle the scri∣pture, and redeme vs, accordynge to the good wyll of hys father. And he hath also created all thynges with the father and the hooly goost (after the Godheade) in the beginnynge.* 1.2 Thus sayth the scripture. Heare Israel. The Lorde oure God is an onely Lorde,

And thou shalt loue the Lord thy god with all thy herte, with all thy soule, with all thy mighte.

* 1.3The nature of mankynde is so euel & so sore blynded through synne, that she of her owne power and strengthe can not well comprehende thys arti∣cle, that there is one God, yea althou∣ghe she thynke, there be somewhat, that is God, as the gentyle Cicero maketh mencion, yet knoweth she no∣thyng sure of hym, of hys power and wille. It is easy to perceyue how littel the gentyls haue knowen of god tho∣rough theyr own wittes, thei haue ma¦de many Goddes,* 1.4 and haue waxed ful of vanities in theyr imaginacions, ād haue knowen nothynge truely of the almyghtynes of God. The lyght of nature is to weake for suche hyghe matters. The lyght of grace must shy¦ne here in darkenes, elles is it errour and ignoraunce.

* 1.5God is called oure father, that is a confortable thynge to the faythfull, is he our father, so be we hys children and heyres of hys kyngdome. Euē so

doeth also Esay calle hym, Lord, thou atre our father, oure redemer. And in another place, Lorde oure father arte thou, thou arte the worke mayster we all be workes of thy handes.* 1.6 Therfo∣re pray we. Our father which arte in heuen.

Father almyghtye,* 1.7 God is omni∣potent, all thynges are possyble vnto hym, all thynges be in hys hande, his power, domynyon, and beyng is euer lastynge and endles. Therfore calle hym the Prophetes so often Domi∣num Zabaoth, or exercituum, a Lorde of hostes, Itē Baruch speaketh.* 1.8 Thou Lorde almightye God of Israel, In the fyrst boke of Moyses. I am the al∣mighty God. In the second boke of Moyses, Almighty in hys name. Itē in the boke of Iudyth, The almightye Lorde had hyndered hym. In Iob, Yf thou wouldest pray to the almightye. Item Iohā. v. xiij. xxi. xxij. xxiiij. xxvij. The Angel sayde Luce. i. with God is nothyng vnpossyble. Item in the Re∣uelacions of saynt Ihon. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lorde almighty, whiche

was, and is, and is to come. Item in the .xi,* 1.9 Chap. The Lorde the almighty God is theyr tempel.

Maker, that hast thou in the firste boke of Moyses. In the beginnynge made God heauen and earthe. Reade thereof, the xxxvij. xl. and xlv. Chapit. of Esay. The scripture is full therof.

¶Here agayne marke the light of nature. For nature can not vnderstō∣de the great wonderful workes of cre¦ation, she can not comprehende howe oute of nought should become ought, but the lyght of faythe vnderstondeth the creation,* 1.10 as saynt Paule witnes∣seth. Nowe see, howe blynde all scien∣ces of the gentyls be. Theyr chiefe poyntes be. Of nothynge becometh nothynge. The worlde hath lasted e∣uer and alwayes. The course of hea∣uen hath nether begynnynge nor en∣dynge. The fyrste man neuer was, & the laste shal neuer be. Gendryng and dyenge endureth for euer. The soule hath no propre worke, wherin she hath no nede of the body, whatsoeuer dyeth ones, that same thyng can no

more come agayne. Here doest thou see what an errouious & vntrue thing Philosophie is, for all the same is vn∣trewe, and yet it is the chiefest, that men learne oute of Aristotell. Ther∣fore is an old woman whiche beleueth hygher in the ryght Philosophye thē Aristotell. She hath by her faythe. That God hath created the worlde: that Adam was the firste man: that euen her owne body in the laste daye shalbe raysed agayne: that the soul of man as a cleare brightnes of the euer∣lastyng sonne which shall neuer ceasse to be, but is immortall, That the bode¦ly dyeng & beyng shal ceasse at the day of dome. Therfore ought a yong chri∣sten man to be brought vp not in bo∣kes of the gentylls, but in oure boke of the Byble, men learne nothyng in the heathen bokes, but vngodly thyn∣ges, whiche be cleane contrary to the scripture, and the faythe, and make vs erronious.

Notes

• * 1.1

  One god thre persons
• * 1.2

  Deu. vi
• * 1.3

  the natu¦re bele∣ueth not that the¦re is one God.
• * 1.4

  Roma. i
• * 1.5

  God ou¦re father
• * 1.6

  Mat. vi
• * 1.7

  God is almigh∣ty.
• * 1.8

  Bar. iij. Ge. xvij Exo. xv and .vi Iudith xvi. Iob. viij Luc. i. Apo. iiij
• * 1.9

  Gen. i Esaye xxxij. xlvij. lxv.
• * 1.10

  Ebr. xi.