St. James, the son of Zebedee, said, I believe that he is conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin Mary. This is the first article belonging to the manhood of Christ. We should believe that Christ, the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, took flesh and blood truly of the virgin by the Holy Ghost, and came into this world. very God and man together.

St. John the evangelist said, I believe that he suffered pain under Pontius Pilate, upon the cross, died and was buried. Here we should believe that the same Jesus Christ, very God and man, in the same flesh that he took of the virgin Mary, endured hard pain and sufferings, and even bodily death, by the doom of Pilate, judge of that province, without impairing of his Godhead. Christ bodily suffered hard pain, for we should have sufferance or patience in our adversities and tribulations. He suffered meekly and never trespassed, for we should suffer willingly, who have much trespassed. Christ was crucified, for we should chastise our flesh by penance,* withstanding sins and unlawful lusts; Christ died on the cross bodily, that we should endure the cross of penance, withstanding sin to our lives' end.

The cross of penance hath four parts. The first is sorrow for losing the love of God; the second is sorrow for losing the joy of heaven; the third is sorrow for deserving the pain of hell; and the fourth is sorrow for serving to the fiend and sin. Christ was buried; let this remind us that we hide our good deeds from the favour and estimation of the world, and remember that the earth is naturally the inheritor of our mortal flesh, that our thoughts may be closed from the lusts of this world, stedfastly having in mind the dreadful pains and death of Christ.

St. Thomas of India said, I believe that he went down to hell, and the third day he rose from death to life. Here we should believe that Christ's body lay dead in the sepulchre, without the soul, till the third day; that he rose from death to life; but the Godhead departed not from the body, neither from the soul, and after that the soul was departed from the body, it went down to hell;† and delivered the holy

* Penance is often used to express repentance. It is evident the reformer here means true repentance, and not the bodily penances of the church of Rome, as he refers to mental operations.

†This interpretation of the words of the creed was held by Luther, Melancthon, and most of the reformers, British as well as foreign. It is hardly needful to add that a more general sense is now usually adopted in the protestant churches, considering it to refer to the

souls that were there, through virtue of the Godhead. Christ went down into hell, giving us an example that we go thither by inward thought while we live; having mind upon the bitter pains which are there, that we come not thither after this life. Also he rose the third day, in body and soul together, very God and very man, everlasting. He would not rise before the third day, to show the time that he was verily dead in body. For if he had risen quickly, it had not been believed that he was verily dead. And as each word of true witnessing is confirmed by the mouth of two or three, so that Christ was verily dead in the body, may be known by his lying in the tomb till the third day. On the third day he rose from death, in token that the light of his death had destroyed our double death, both of Adam and of ourselves; and that we should rise from spiritual death by three manner of medicines; by contrition or sorrow of heart, by confession, and satisfaction.

St. James, the son of Alpheus, said, I believe that he ascended to heaven, and there sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father almighty. Here we should believe that Jesus Christ, very God and very man, everlasting, appeared to his disciples after his rising from the dead, teaching them of the kingdom of heaven, and eating with them to show that he was very man as before his death, ascending into heaven raised mankind above all orders of angels. He ascended to open the gate of heaven, he ascended to show the way to men, and to lead man with him, he ascended to pray the Father for mankind.

St. Philip said, I believe that he is to come, to doom the quick and dead. Here we should believe that the same Jesus Christ, very God and very man, shall come to the judgment in the same manner, and with the same wounds that he suffered and bare with him to heaven, and shall doom all mankind, both good and evil, according to their deeds.

That shall be a dreadful doom, and a fearful doomsman. For Christ, who shall be Judge there, is now meek as a lamb, and ready to bow to mercy; but there he will be stern as a lion to all that are damnable, and doom according to righteousness. Before the stern Doomsman, beholding unseen world, according to the correct derivation of the word used. The deliverance of the souls departed is founded on an erroneous interpretation of the text, 1 Peter iii. 19. one of the supports of the doctrine of purgatory, resorted to by the church of Rome.

all saints, angels, and fiends, as John Chrysostom saith, all men and women shall yield reckoning of all their living in earth; of all the deeds that they have done; for what intent and to whose worship they wrought them; and not only of great trespasses, but also of those that seem but small. For of each idle word man shall account there, as

Christ saith himself. For as Isidore saith, "Each word that edifies not the hearer turns into peril to the speaker." That is an idle word, as Jerome saith, which profits not the speaker, neither the hearer. And since reckoning shall be holden of such, much more and without comparison, harder reckoning shall be of sinful speech, as of backbiting, slandering, scorning, false accusing, lying, swearing, cursing, and licentious speech. Also man shall yield reckoning of all the thoughts of his heart that inclined to any sin, as God saith by his prophet. And not only we shall account for deeds done, which we should not have done, but also of deeds left undone, that we should have done. As those that have not done works of mercy to poor needy folk, nor given to them, nor lent to them, nor helped them in their suffering, as Christ shall rehearse at the doom, as he himself saith.

Also of all the time that man hath in earth, he shall yield reckoning, how he has spent it, as it is written in the book of mourning.* And therefore saith Bernard, "All the time given to man, God shall seek how he hath spent it." And of misspending time, Anselm speaks, saying to man," O thou unprofitable and dry tree, worthy everlasting fire, what shalt thou answer in that day when all the time given to thee shall be asked how thou hast spent it?" Also man shall account there of all his worldly goods, how he has gotten them, kept, spent, and lent them. As Christ meaneth by the spiritual understanding of the ten pieces of money and the five talents. Also of all powers of body, as strength, comeliness, swiftness, skill of body-in whose service these have been spent.

Also each man shall yield reckoning of the keeping of his own soul. For if a king had a daughter like to himself, to whom he thought to give great dignity and worship, and took her to any of his realm to keep; the more negligent that man were about her keeping, the stricter reckoning the king would ask of him for her. What then shall the King of heaven do to him to whom he hath committed a daughter most like to himself, that is to say, man's soul; • Lamentations.

the much loved daughter of this King, and ordained to great honour in the bliss of heaven, if this man keep her recklessly? Therefore God commandeth in the book of his law, that each man carefully keep his own soul. The father and mother also shall account for their children whom they chastise not; as is expressed in holy writ, how Eli was punished for his sons, because he chastised them not, as he should have done. Also the prelate or the curate shall account for his subjects, how he taught them by living and by word; as God saith by his prophet, a great dread shall be at his doom.

And

Of the multitude of accusers, man's own conscience, which is defiled with sin and not amended, shall accuse him, not privily but openly. Also a man's own sins, which he would not leave, shall accuse him. As a stolen thing tied to a thief's neck, accuses him, so shall sins not amended in this life accuse sinful wretches. Also holy writ shall accuse them that knew it, and heard it, and lived not thereafter. Such shall bear with them the sentence of condemnation, as Uriah bare with him the sentence of his own death.* in example hereof Christ said, that Moses' law shall accuse the Jews. Also God's creatures which a man has used out of measure and in sin, shall accuse him there, and be as ready to take vengeance upon him as they were before to serve him. The fiends also shall be ready there, accusing sinful men and women, for they, as traitors, enticed to the sin, and when the sin is done they will accuse man thereof. And therefore in the book of Revelation the fiend is called accuser of christian men. And as Augustine saith, "Thou righteous Judge,

then shall the adversary say, doom these to be mine for sin which they have wrought, who would not be thine by grace. Thine they were by nature, for thou madest them of nought, but mine they are now, through sin and wretchedness, which they have wrought. Thine they were, for by thy passion thou hast bought them; mine they are now, for they did the sin that I put into their thought. To thee they were disobedient, to me they were obedient, and to my enticing. Of thee they took the garment of holiness, of me have they taken this coat of sin and filth. Thy garment they have lost, and with mine they have come hither. Righteous Judge, doom these to be mine, and to be damned with me. where shall that wretch abide who is so hard beset? * 2 Sam. xi. 14.

Alas!

Also the benefits which men have received of God, who did not worship him with due service for them, shall accuse them, and be alleged against them. And it is shown in holy writ where the angel came to the place of weeping,* (by which place is understood the doom, for there shall be weeping and wailing, as John saith in the book of Revelation.) And there he rehearsed the benefits which God hath done to the people, and reproved the people, for they had not them in mind, and worshipped him not for them. And the torment which Christ suffered in time of his passion, both wounds, cross, nails, and spear, shall accuse sinful men, as Bernard saith.

Therefore all christian people have stedfast minds upon this sentence, and flee the unlawful lusts of your flesh, and covetings, and deceits of this deceivable world; and believe ye and have ye stedfastly in mind, that Christ shall appear in the judgment, stern as a lion to wicked men's sight, and doom both quick and dead. Of the great dread of that day God speaks by the prophet Joel. The day of the Lord shall be a great day of deliverance, a day of wrath, and of vengeance, of misery, of bitterness; the day of complaining and of accusing, the day of dread and of trembling, the day of crying and of sorrow, the day of darkness and of mourning, the day of calamity and of bitterness; a dreadful day of parting from God for ever, as Anselm rehearses.

St. Bartholomew said, I believe in the Holy Ghost. Here we should believe that the Holy Ghost, the third person in the Holy Trinity, is very God, without beginning and ending, and equal in wisdom, might, and goodness, with the Father and the Son, and that these three persons of the Holy Trinity are one almighty God; and each one mighty, and all one might; and endless good, and all one goodness; and endless truth, and endless wisdom, and endless love, and endless righteous, and endless merciful; all are one truth, one wisdom, one beauty, one love, one righteousness, and one mercy.

St. Matthew said, I believe in the holy church, and communing of saints. We should believe the communion

* Or Bochim, Judges ii.

+ Wickliff then states that the holy church is divided into three parts. One, the church militant here on earth; another, the purgatory of souls abiding the great mercy of God; the third part is in heaven, Christ that is Head of all holy church, with his saints. It has been already observed that Wickliff had not fully renounced the error of purgatory, one of the earliest that crept into the church, and