H. Zanchius his confession of Christian religion Which novve at length being 70. yeares of age, he caused to bee published in the name of himselfe & his family. Englished in sense agreeable, and in words as answerable to his ovvne latine copie, as in so graue a mans worke is requisite: for the profite of all the vnlearneder sort, of English christians, that desire to know his iudgement in matters of faith.

CHAP. V. Of the creation of the worlde, of Angells, and of mans first estate.

I. All things were made by god, and that excee∣ding good.

WE beleeue, that God the Father, by the Sonne, together with the holie ghost, in the space of sixe daies cre∣ated of nothing all things visible & inuisible, which the holie spirite in the holie scriptures comprehendeth vnder the name of heauen & earth; and the same all exceeding good: and appointed the same, for mans vse, and for his owne glorie: so that wee acknowledge aswell the Sonne, and holie ghost, for creator of the

world, as the Father, sith they are all one & the selfe same god.

II. That heauen is distinguished from earth, and the Saintes heauen doth differ from the other heauens.

Neither doe we mingle heauen with earth, or confound the heauens among themselues, but with the holie scriptures wee distinguish them: euen as we see the elements, and al the kindes of liuing creatures, & of other things, to be distinguished. And therefore wee con∣fesse this heauen likewise, wherein the soules of the blessed doe liue with Christ, & where all the bodies of the faithfull shall be, & which Christ calleth his fathers house and paradise, and the Apostle calleth a cuie hauing a foundation, the maker and builder whereof is god: to differ frō the other heauēs, but much more, from earth and the deepes. Whereunto also Paule allu∣deth, where he saieth, he vvas taken vp into the third heauen: namely aboue the heauen which we see, and aboue all the visible and mouea∣ble spheares.

III. The Angells vvere all created good, though some of them continued not in the trueth.

We beleeue also, that all the Angells were created good and righteous, spirituall & im∣mortall substances, indewed with an intelli∣gence and free will: although all of them did

not abide in that goodnes and righteousnes, and (as the Lord Iesus speaketh) in the trueth: but we are taught by the Scriptures, that ma∣nie of them, of their owne will, euen from the beginning sinned, beeing made enimies to god and all goodnesse, yea and of mankinde especiallie of the church of god; liers, & spea∣king lies of their owne, menkillers, diuells, & euill spirites, and for this cause, were thrust downe from heauen into hell, and deliuered to the chaines of darkenesse, and reserued to condemnation.

IV. Causes, vvhy manie of those celestiall spirites were suffered to sinne, and to become euill.

And that this also was not suffered of the diuine wisedome without cause, we learne by the Scriptures. For besides, that he ment in this to set forth his iudgemēts, and his wrath against sinne in all kindes of creatures: he de∣creed also to vse their labour, to tempt & exer∣cise vs in faith, in spirituall fight, in patience, and so to help forward our saluation: & last∣lie, he would haue them the executors & mi∣nisters of his iudgements against mens offen∣ces: that, they which will not imbrace the loue of trueth, wherby they might be saued, might followe the doctrines of diuells, and might beleeue in their lies and so perish.

V. The good Angells were saued by the fauour of God, that they might be Gods mini∣sters and ours.

Againe we beleeue, that innumerable ma∣nie of those celestiall spirites were saued by the fauour of god for Christ, that they should not sinne with the rest, but should abide in the trueth and in obedience: and that these are made the messengers & ministers of god, which doe their seruice for helpe of the elect, and doe defend them against the diuell, and set forward the kingdome of Christ: who do so loue vs, and awaite vpon vs, that they greatly reioyce at our welldoing: yet will they not bee worshipped of vs, but doe instruct vs, that god alone is to be worshipped, and call themselues our fellow-seruants: with whome also vve shall liue an e∣ternall and blessed life in heauen.

VI. Man was created after the image of god.

Wee beleeue, that after all other thinges were created, man also at the last was created to the image and likenesse of God, his bodie being fashioned of earth, and his soule, being a spirituall and immortall substance, made of nothing, and inspired into that body: and that shortly after woman was giuen him, made (concerning the bodilie partes) of his bones, and formed to the same image of God.

VII. That image of god, in what things it especially consisteth.

But we beleeue that this image of god, e∣specially consisted herein: both in that as god is the absolute Lord ouer all thinges, so vnto man were all thinges subiect, the foules of the aire, the fishes of the sea, and beastes of the earth: so as he should bee king of the whole world: & most especiallie, that as god is most holie, and most iust, so man also was created righ∣teousse, in iustice and true holinesse, as the Apostle interpreterh.

VIII. Adam vvas meerelie free before his fall.

Hereuppon wee beleeue, that man in that first estate, was not onely indewed with such a libertie, that he could not will anie thing without consent of his will: (which libertie euer was and is remaining in man) but also was furnished with such strength, that hee might, if he woulde, not haue sinned, and not haue died, but haue continued in righteous∣nesse, and eschewed death: so that deseruedlie it is to be imputed to himselfe and no other, that he lost both.

IX. Errors.

We condemne therfore, the Valentinians, Marcionits, Maniches, and whosoeuer either taught or left anie thing in writing against this article of faith: faininge either that all

thinges were made of some other god, then the father of Christ, or that good things were made of one God which was good, and euill things, of another which was euill: sith none can be god, but he which is chieflie good, and onely maker of al things. We condemne like∣wise, all those which either teache that the soule of man is of the substance of God: or which denie the immortalitie and perpetuall action of the same: or which referr the image of God in man, onelie to his power and rule ouer creatures; or lastly which doe denie that man was created meerelie free.

Notes

• Gen. 1. & 2.
• Col. 1.16.
• Pro. 16.4. Heb. 1.10. Luc. 1.35.
• 2. Cor. 12.2. Mat. 6.10.
• Ioh. 14.2. Luc. 23.43. Heb. 11.16.
• 2. Cor. 12.2.
• Eph. 6.12.
• 1. Reg. 22.21
• 2. Thes. 2.12
• Dan. 7.10.
• Heb. 1.7. Ps. 103.20.
• Luc. 15.7. Apo. 22.9. Mat. 22.30.
• Gen. 1. & 2.
• Gen. 1.28. Ps. 8.7.8.9.
• Eph. 4.24.
• Eccl. 7.30. Sirac. 15.18