Chap. 9. 



RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. 



183 



METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



ARTICLES OF THE CHURCH. 



doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, 

 worshipping, and adoration, as well of 

 images as of relics, and also invocation of 

 saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, 

 and grounded upon no warrant of Scrip- 

 ture, but repugnant to the word of God. 



XV. Of spcakinir In the congregation 

 171 S2ich a Tongue as the People understand. 

 It is a thing plainly repugnant to the 

 word of God, and the custom of the prim- 

 itive church, to have public prayer in the 

 church, or to minister the sacraments, in 

 a tongue not understood by the people. 



XVI. Of the Sacraments. Sacraments 

 ordained of Christ, are not only badges or 

 tokens of Christian men's profession ; but 

 rather they are certain signs of grace, and 

 God's good will towards us, by the which 

 he doth work invisibly in us, and doth 

 not only quicken, but also strengthen and 

 confirm our faith in him. 



There are two sacraments ordained of 

 Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to 

 say. Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. 



Those five commonly called sacra- 

 ments ; that is to say, Confirmation, Pen- 

 ance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme 

 Unction, are not to be counted for sacra- 

 ments of the Gospel, being such as have 

 partly grown out of the corrupt followino- 

 of the apostles : and partly are states of 

 life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet 

 have not the like nature of Baptism and 

 the Lord's Supper, because they have not 

 any visible sign, or ceremony ordained of 

 God. 



The sacraments were not ordained of 

 Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried 

 about ; but that we should duly use them. 

 And in such only as worthily receive the 

 same, they have a wholesome effect or 

 operation : but they that receive them un- 

 worthily, purchase to themselves condem- 

 nation, as St. Paul saith, 1 Cor. xi, 29. 



XVII. Of Baptism. Baptism is not 

 only a sign of profession, and mark of dif- 

 ference whereby Christians are distin- 

 guished from others that are not baptized : 

 but it is also a sign of regeneration, or 

 the new birth. The baptism of young 

 children is to be retained in the church. 



XVIII. Of the Lord's Supper. The Sup- 

 per of the Lord is not only a sign of the 

 love that Christians ought to have among 

 themselves one to another, but rather is a 

 sacrament of our redemption by Christ's 

 death : insomuch, that to such as rightly, 

 worthily, and with faith receive the same, 

 the bread which we break is a partaking 

 of the bod}^ of Christ ; and likewise the 

 cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood 

 of Christ. 



Transubstantiation, or the change of the 

 substance of bread and wine in the Sup 



per of our Lord, cannot be proved by 

 Ploly Writ, but is repugnant to the plain 

 words of Scripture, overthroweth the na- 

 ture of a sacrament, and hath given occa- 

 sion to many superstitions. 



The body of Christ is given, taken, and 

 eaten in the Supper, only after a heaven- 

 ly and Spiritural manner. And the means 

 whereby the body of Christ is received 

 and eaten in the Supper, is faith. 



The sacrament of the Lord's supper was 

 not by Christ's ordinance reserved, car-- 

 ried about, lifted up, or worshipped. 



XIX. Of both kinds. The cup of the 

 Lord is not to be denied to the lay people : 

 for both the parts of the Lord's Supper, 

 by Christ's ordinance and commandment, 

 ought to be administered to all Christians 

 alike. 



XX. Of the one oUation of Christ, finish- 

 ed upon the cross. The offering of Christ 

 once made, is that perfect redemption, 

 propitiation, and satisfiiction for all the 

 sins of the whole world, both original and 

 actual : and there is none other satisfac- 

 tion for sin but that alone. Wherefore 

 the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is 

 commonly said, that the priest doth offer 

 Christ for the quick and the dead, to have 

 remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphe- 

 mous fable, and dangerous deceit. 



XXI. Of the Marriage of Ministers. 

 The ministers of Christ are not command- 

 ed by God's law either to vow the estate 

 of single life, or to abstain from marriage; 

 therefore it is lawful for them, as for lill 

 other Christians, to marry at their own 

 discretion, as they shall judge the same 

 to serve best to godliness. 



XXII. Of the rites and ceremonies of 

 Churches. It is not necessary that rites 

 and ceremonies should in all places be 

 the same, or exactly alike : for they have 

 been always different, and may be chang- 

 ed according to the diversity of countries, 

 times, and men's manners, so that nothing 

 be ordained against God's word. Who- 

 soever, through his private judgment, wil- 

 lingly and purposely doth openly break 

 the rites and ceremonies of the church to 

 which he belongs, which are not repug- 

 nant to the word of God, and are ordain- 

 ed and approved by common authority, 

 ought to be rebuked openly, that others 

 may fear to do the like, as one that otTen- 

 deth against the common order of the 

 church, and woundeth the consciences of 

 weak brethren. Every particular church 

 may ordain, change, or aboli.sh rites and 

 ceremonies, so that all things may be 

 done to edification. 



XXIII. Of the riders of the United 

 States of America. The president, the 

 congress, the general assemblies, the gov- 



