It is hoped that the following brief summary of the leading doctrines
held by the two Churches of England and Rome, with the authorities on
which they respectively rest, may prove useful to some of the readers of
these pages, whether as promoting their inquiry, or confirming their
faith.
_Doctrines maintained by the Members of the Church of England and of the
Church of Rome_, _with the authorities claimed by each in their support_.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND. CHURCH OF ROME.
I. I.
Holy Scripture containeth all All saving truth is not contained
things that are necessary to in the Holy Scripture, but partly
salvation: so that whatsoever is in Scripture and partly in
not read therein, nor may be unwritten traditions, which
proved thereby, is not to be whosoever doth not receive with
required of any man, that it like piety and reverence as he
should be believed as an article doth the Scriptures, is accursed.
of the faith, or be thought If any one doth not receive all
requisite or necessary to these books (_viz. the apocryphal
salvation.—6_th_ _Article of mixed with the genuine and
Religion_. See Deut. iv. 2; Isa. canonical books_), with every
viii. 20; Rom. xv. 4; 2 Tim. iii. part of them as they used to be
15–17; Rev. xxii. 8. read in the Catholic Church, and
as they are contained in the
ancient vulgar Latin edition, for
holy and canonical, and shall
knowingly contemn the aforesaid
traditions, let him be
accursed—_Decrees of the Council
of Trent_.
II. II.
We are accounted righteous before If any man shall say that the
God, only for the merit of our good works of a justified man are
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by in such sense the gifts of God,
faith, and not for our own works that they are not also his worthy
or deservings.—11_th_ _Article of merits; or that he, being
Religion_. See Ps. cxliii. 2; justified by his good works,
Luke xvii. 10; Rom. iii. 22–24, which are wrought by him through
27, 28. the grace of God and the merits
of Jesus Christ, of whom he is a
living member, does not really
deserve increase of grace,
eternal life, the enjoyment of
that eternal life, if he dies in
a state of grace, and even an
increase of glory, let him be
accursed.—_Decrees of the Council
of Trent_.
III. III.
The offering of Christ once made If any one say that in the mass
is that perfect redemption, there is not a true and proper
propitiation, and satisfaction, sacrifice offered unto God; or,
for all the sins of the whole that to be offered is nothing
world, both original and actual; else but for Christ to be given
and there is none other us to eat, let him be
satisfaction for sin, but that accursed!—_Decrees of the Council
alone.—31_st_ _Article of of Trent_.
Religion_. Gal. iii. 13; Heb.
vii. 26, 27; ix. 12, 22, 24–28; I further profess, that in the
x. 14; 1 John iii. 1, 2. mass is offered to God a true,
proper, and propitiatory
sacrifice for the quick and
dead.—_Creed of Pope Pius IV_.
IV. IV.
The Romish doctrine concerning It is lawful to represent God and
purgatory, pardons, worshipping, the Holy Trinity by images; and
and adoration, as well of images the images and relics of Christ
as of reliques, and also and the saints are to be duly
invocation of saints, is a fond honoured, venerated, and
thing vainly invented, and worshipped. And in this
grounded upon no warranty of veneration and worship those are
Scripture, but rather repugnant venerated which are represented
to the word of God.—22_d_ by them.—_Decrees of the Council
_Article of Religion_. _Texts of Trent_.
opposed to the doctrine of
purgatory_: Eccl. ix. 5, 6; Isa. I most firmly assert that the
xxxviii. 18; St. Luke xxiii. 43; images of Christ and of the
Heb. ix. 27; Rev. xiv. 13. Mother of God, who was always a
_Texts opposed to the doctrines virgin, are to be had and
of the worship of images and the retained; and that due honour and
invocation of saints_: St. Matt. worship are to be given to
iv. 10; Acts iv. 12; x. 25; 1 them.—_Creed of Pope Pius IV_.
Cor. iii. 11; 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6; 1
John ii. 1, 2. I constantly hold that there is a
purgatory; and that the souls
detained there are assisted by
the prayers of the
faithful.—_Creed of Pope Pius
IV_.
V. V.
There are two Sacraments ordained Whosoever shall affirm that the
of Christ our Lord in the Gospel; Sacraments of the New Law were
that is to say, Baptism, and the not all instituted by Jesus
Supper of the Lord. Those five Christ our Lord; or that they are
commonly called Sacraments, that more or fewer than seven; or that
is to say, Confirmation, Penance, any of them is not truly and
Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme properly a sacrament, let him be
Unction, are not to be counted accursed.—_Decrees of the Council
for Sacraments of the Gospel, of Trent_.
being such as have grown partly
of the corrupt following of the I profess also that there are
apostles, partly are states of truly and properly seven
life allowed in the Scriptures; Sacraments of the New Law
but yet have not like nature of instituted by our Lord Jesus
Sacraments with Baptism and the Christ, and necessary for the
Lord’s Supper, for that they have salvation of all men, (though not
not any visible sign or ceremony all of them to every one,) viz.
ordained of God.—25_th_ _Article Baptism, Confirmation, the Lord’s
of Religion_. St. Matt. xxviii. Supper, Penance, Extreme Unction,
19; xxvi. 26; St. Mark xiv. 22; Orders, and Matrimony.—_Creed of
St. Luke xxii. 19, 20; 1 Cor. xi. Pope Pius IV_.
24.
VI. VI.
It is a thing plainly repugnant Although the mass contain great
to the word of God, and the instruction for the faithful
custom of the primitive Church, people; yet it has not appeared
to have public prayer in the expedient to the Fathers, that it
Church, or to minister the should be everywhere celebrated
Sacraments in a tongue not in the vulgar tongue.—_Decrees of
understanded of the the Council of Trent_.
people.—24_th_ _Article of
Religion_. 1 Cor. xiv. 3, 6, 14,
16, 19.
VII. VII.
The cup of the Lord is not to be Whosoever shall affirm that all
denied to the lay people: for and every one of Christ’s
both the parts of the Lord’s faithful are bound by divine
Sacrament, by Christ’s ordinance command to partake the most holy
and commandment, ought to be sacrament of the Eucharist in
ministered to all Christian men both kinds as necessary to
alike.—30_th_ _Article of salvation, let him be
Religion_. St. Matt. xxvi. accursed.—_Decrees of the Council
26–28; 1 Cor. xi. 28. of Trent_.
I confess also, that under one
kind only is received the whole
and entire Christ, and the true
Sacrament.—_Creed of Pope Pius
IV_.