I. A sum of the faith of the person and office of Christ the Redeemer.

When therefore the fullness of time was come wherein the promise of redemption made unto the first man was to be accomplished by the second--God, the everlasting Father sent His only begotten Son and Eternal, and therefore true God, of the same nature with the Father, made of a woman, alone, and without the seed of a man, and therefore true man; but without sin, and so true Christ; made subject to the law (Gal. 4:4), and therefore circumcised, that He in most perfect obedience might fulfill that law in the name of us all, made obedient to His Father even unto death, namely for us (for He being without sin deserved not to die) that He might redeem those which were under the law and all the elect even by His obedience, by His death and bloodshedding, that is, by a sacrifice of exceeding virtue (for it was the blood of God) and a most effectual_______ransom:_______that He might, I say, redeem us from sin to the old image of God and to perfect righteousness; yea from death to eternal life, and from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God; and that we might receive adoption of children, and so in the end be taken into full and perfect possession of the heavenly inheritance as sons and lawful heirs. And lastly, that He might gather together all things in heaven and in earth under one head, and join them to Himself, for the glory of God the Father (Eph. 1:10).

II. Christ the Redeemer is true God and true man.

We believe therefore Jesus Christ to be the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14); and so the Son in nature consubstantial and co-eternal to the Father (Phil. 2:6); and lastly, true God Almighty (1 John 5:20). Also true man of the true seed of Abraham and David (Matt. 1:1), conceived without the help of a man, but only by virtue of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the virgin, and without sin; and born of her, endowed with a true soul and human mind, and made like unto us in all things, sin only excepted (Heb. 4:15)--so that He is true God of the substance of the Father, begotten before all worlds, and true man of the substance of His mother, born in the world.

III. Only the Son to be both God and man, and only Christ.

But so we believe that the Son of God is both true God and true man, and therefore the true Christ; and Him alone we confess to be such, since we read that neither the Father, neither the Holy Ghost, but only the Word itself was made flesh (John 1:14). And the apostle sayeth that the Son only was made of a woman (Gal. 4:4) and that He only suffered; although to the creation of the nature which the Son took upon Him, not only the Son but the Father also and the Holy Ghost were all concurrent.

IV. That the Son was made man without any change of Himself, but only assuming to Himself human nature.

And we believe that the Son of God was made man without making any confusion of the divine and human natures, without His conversion into flesh or any change in the flesh, only by assuming of the human nature into the unity of that person. And as Athanasius speaketh, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood into God, so that, that which He was, He did by no means leese [release ?] or let go, but that which He was not, He took upon Him. As the apostle saith, the Son "took on Him the seed of Abraham" (Heb. 2:16), and as he teacheth, that as the Son taking upon Him was not changed into the thing taken, (for God cannot be changed at all) but remained the same that He was, truly distinct from the thing assumed and taken. So that seed taken on Him was not turned into the thing that took it, but was united with the divine nature into the unity only of the same person, according to that saying, "The Word was made flesh." The flesh therefore remained flesh and was not changed into the Word.

V. Neither one nature took on it another nature, nor one person another person, but the person of the Son of God took on Him man's nature.

Whence also we understand that neither the divine nature, common to the three persons, nay indeed one and the selfsame nature of them all, did take on it human nature; nor one person took on it another person, but only another nature. For neither did the Son of God take on Him any son of Abraham, but the seed of Abraham--that is, human nature spreading from Abraham--and therefore we acknowledge not two persons in Christ but only the same alone, by which all things were made, and which was so perfect before it took on it the seed of Abraham, that by the same taking it is not made any other or any perfecter [more perfect] person, or yet indeed any whit unperfect [imperfect].

VI. The human nature was not taken to make a new person in Christ, or to make perfect the former, but only to be coupled and united to His eternal and most perfect person.

For albeit we acknowledge two natures in Christ, the divine and human, yet we do not admit that the human was therefore assumed, that either a new person compounded of that and this, as of the parts, should be made in Christ; or that the former and the eternal person should be made the perfecter [more perfect] by the coupling of a new nature. But only that man's nature being taken into unity of that most perfect and everlasting person, the son of God, remaining the same that He was, might be made that He was not, and might have what to offer unto His Father for us. And therefore we do not simply allow it, if one say, so the person of Christ is compounded of the divine and human nature, as the person of a man consisteth of a soul and a body. But we allow the usual phrase in the church, that Christ clothed Himself or was clothed with our flesh. Whereupon Augustine saith, "Christ came down from heaven as a naked man comes down a hill, but he went up again, clothed with our flesh, as with a garment." For this manner of speech, although it do [does] not perfectly declare the personal union, yet it showeth a manifest difference between the person of the Son of God taking, and our nature taken. For this same cause we embrace those kinds of speeches of the fathers, as man's nature was born of the Son of God to subsist in the person of the Son of God. And such like, separating the person of the Son of God taking, from the nature taken; and teaching that the person of the Son of God by the coming of man's nature, was made neither other, nor more perfect.

VII. A confirmation of the former opinion with an exposition of the place of Athanasius.

Surely we confess with Athanasius that as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ. That is, Christ is only one person, although there be in Him two natures. Yet not that the person of Christ (if we will speak properly) is constituted or made of both these natures, as of the parts; as to the perfect constitution of man, no less the body, as an essential part, then [than] the soul must join together; seeing the person of Christ was already, and that whole and most perfect, before it was showed in the flesh, But the person of man (as of Adam), was none at all until the soul was coupled with the body; and since that neither the soul doth assume unto itself a body, or the body a soul, as the Son of God assumed unto Himself the seed of Abraham, into unity of the same person; and further, since the body and the soul are two existences, as it is manifest in the creation of Adam, but man's nature did never subsist by itself, but only in the person of the Son of God--so that very unjustly do some abuse this godly saying of the holy man, for proof of their own dreams. For He which did show Himself (and He is the person of the Son of God) must needs differ from the flesh, wherein He did show Himself; and that not only before, but also after His resurrection, and sitting at the right hand of His Father; which (as saith Augustine) "added a glory to the flesh, but took not away the nature." [marginal text ref's 1 Cor. 10:9; 1 Pet 3:19 do not seem to fit in w/paragr.]

VIII. How Christ is one only person, and that eternal and unchangeable, but there are in the same two natures; and how it is said to consist of them.

We therefore acknowledge and confess against Nestorius, that in Christ is only one person, and that eternal, most simple and most perfect, and the same shall remain forever--namely, the person of the everlasting Son of God. Further, that unto this eternal person there came in time not another person, but another nature--namely, man's nature; and the same not as a part of that person of whom it was taken, but a thing far different from it, and yet taken unto it, into unity of the same. And therefore we thirdly confess that in one and the selfsame person of Christ, there is now two natures--the divine and the human--in which we doubt not that the same doth subsist, doth live and doth work; for which cause also we fear not to speak thus: Christ consisteth now of His divine nature, and His human being taken into the unity of person; and that He is after a sort compounded of them both.

IX. How the two natures are united into one person without alteration or confusion, the properties and actions of either of them remaining whole and distinct.

But we believe and confess that these two natures are truly and inseparably joined and united into one person of Christ; that yet we doubt not, but each of them remaineth whole and perfect, and the one truly distinct from the other; yea, and that they do hold the essential properties and operations of each of them distinct, without all manner of confusion, so that as the divine nature holding the properties remaineth uncreated, infinite, immeasurable, simply omnipotent and simply wise, even so the human nature holding hirs [??] remaineth created, comprehensible, and determined with certain limits. And as the divine nature hath will and power whereby Christ willeth and worketh, as God, such things as are of God--so hath the human nature will and power whereby Christ, as man, willeth and worketh those things which are of man; so far forth as Christ in that He is God, He willeth not nor worketh by human will or power; so neither as He is man willeth He or worketh He by divine will or power; as it hath been learnedly determined by the fathers both against Eutyches, and against Macarius. We therefore did always like well of that saying of Leo the First, writing unto Flavianus about the same thing, where he saith, "He which is true God, the same is also true man, and in this unity there is no untruth, whereas there meet together the baseness of manhood, and the excellency of the Godhead. For as God is not changed by the partaking, so man (that is man's nature in Christ) is not consumed by the dignity, for each form worketh with communion of the other, their own property, namely the Word worketh that which is proper to the Word, and the flesh performeth that which is proper to the flesh." Thus far Leo that learned man--which he afterwards setteth out by examples whereby it is plainly showed that, as the natures are truly united in Christ, yet remain distinct and not confounded, so also were and are the actions. For things which were proper to the Word, the flesh did not perform, but the Word and that which was proper to the flesh the Word performed not, but the flesh. To raise again Lazarus from death was proper to the Word; but to cry "Lazarus, come forth," was proper to the flesh. Yet both those actions were united to the raising up of Lazarus, because they were both one and in one Christ, and tend both to one purpose--and yet they were distinct. Likewise to forgive sins was a proper action to the divine nature, but to say, "thy sins be forgiven thee," was proper to the human nature. To restore his sight that was born blind was an action of His divine nature; but to put clay upon his eyes and to say, "go...and wash," was of the human nature. Therefore this personal union, as it did not confound the natures, so neither did it the actions, but kept them distinct. Neither yet did it confound the properties of the natures. For there be in one and the same person of Christ these three things--natures, the proprieties and faculties of the natures, and the actions of them. And these proprieties of natures in Christ are after the very same manner that the natures and actions are. Therefore as it is clear, that one nature passeth not into another, nor one action is confounded with another, so is it apparent that their proprieties are after the same sort.

X. That it cannot be proved by the union of the natures, that there is a true and a real changing of the divine proprieties, into the human nature of Christ.

For we allow that axiom or principle of the fathers against the Eutychians, and Monothelites--namely, that "they which have the same essential proprieties, have also the same natures and essences; and they whose natural proprieties are confounded, they have also their natures confounded"--which being of itself true in all things, then is it especially true in God, in whom the essential proprieties are indeed nothing else but the essence itself. That it must in very deed needs follow, if those essential proprieties can truly and properly be communicated to any created substance, so that it may be made such, as God is, as (for example) simply omnipotent, then the divine essence itself can also be communicated unto it--so that it might be made equal to God in substance, and therefore consubstantial with God, if it might be made equal unto Him in power, or any other propriety. So herein is admitted a double, and that a grievous offense. One is that when we communicate truly and properly to a creature those things which belong to God, we make the creature equal to God. Neither can this exception serve to shift it, that God hath them of Himself, but the human nature in Christ taketh them of the Godhead. For even the Son is not of Him, nor hath He His divine essence of Himself, but of the Father. Yet is He notwithstanding equal to the Father and hath the same nature with the Father. Another offense is that while we attribute divine and so infinite proprieties to the human nature, as infinite power, we deprive the same of the own [one] and proper quality; not otherwise than the glory of the resurrection shall deprive our bodies of the baseness of corruption, when it shall be truly communicated unto them; and not otherwise than the clear light of the sun, if it be let into the air, which was lightened only with the light of a candle, it extinguisheth that light. For if the infinite power worketh and doth all things, the finite shall be idle, and therefore none at all. But since this heresy, even in our time, is largely and plainly repelled [?] by many learned men, we which do here exhibit this brief and simple confession of our faith to the Church of God, and to all posterity, will add no more to that which hath been said.

XI. How great the force of this personal union is.

Meanwhile, we believe and confess the force of this union of the natures in the person of Christ to be so great, that first, whatsoever Christ is or doeth according to the divine nature, that same whole Christ, the Son of Man, may be said to be, or to do. And again, whatsoever Christ doth or suffereth according to His human nature, that same whole Christ, the Son of God, God Himself, is said in the Holy Scriptures to be, to do, and to suffer. As that, God (that is Christ, Man and God) redeemed the church with His blood (Acts 20:28)--when as the force of the redemption pertained to the Godhead, the shedding of His blood only to the manhood--yet both these actions are joined in one, and each of them may be spoken alike of whole Christ, although they were and are distinct, because the natures, although distinct, yet are coupled together in Christ's one person. Yea, Christ the Mediator, according to His humanity, never did or doeth anything wherein His divinity did not or doth not work together; and He never performed anything according to His divinity whereunto His humanity was not assisting or consenting--that the fathers very fitly called all the works of Christ the Mediator , that is performed both by God and man. Secondly, as the force of the union is so great between the Father and the Son, that He doeth nothing, nor communicateth any good thing to the world but by the Son--even so the force of the personal union of the two natures is so great that no grace, no salvation, no life can come to us from the deity but by the humanity, apprehended of us by faith; so that He must needs be coupled to the flesh of Christ that [who] will be partaker of eternal life; whereunto that saying of Christ tendeth, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man...ye have no life in you" (John 6:53). Lastly, it causeth that we cannot adore the deity in Christ, but we must also therewith adore the human nature; and that the divine and human nature must both be reverenced with one reverence only, according to that same, "And...when He bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him" (Heb 1:6). Him, saith He, that is, whole Christ, God and man together; when as notwithstanding the human nature of itself, and considered alone in itself neither can nor ought to be worshipped (for God alone is to be worshipped), but the union, (not whatsoever) but this personal union of the divine nature with the human, causeth it. Therefore albeit that God dwell in the saints--yet they are not to be worshipped, nor prayed unto, as is Christ the Man. Wherefore we confess this union whereof we speak to be of great force; yet we say that it is a union which excludeth all confusion and transfusion. For if the union between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost in one essence, (than which union there can be none greater thought or imagined) do not take away the distinction of the person, then neither this union of the natures, and so of the proprieties and actions in one person can take away the distinction of the same, and bring in confusion.

XII. Christ, in that He is man, is endowed with a very great, yet a determinate power, and other gifts.

Finally, we believe that Christ, like as in that He is God, He is simply omnipotent, simply wise; and so it may be said of all His other attributes. So, in that He is man, He is endowed of the Father with a power and knowledge very far, yea, almost infinitely exceeding the power and knowledge of all things created, either in heaven or earth, and yet a determinate or finite power. And so it may be said of all His other gifts and virtues, love, prudence, fortitude, justice, grace, truth and the rest, of which Esaias [Isaiah] saith, "And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, etc. (11:2); and John, He was "full of grace and truth" (1:14); also Luke, He grew "in wisdom...and in favour with God and man" (2:52). For which cause also He is said, in that He is man, to be exalted above all principalities and powers (Eph. 1:21); also that the Spirit is given unto Him above measure (John 3:34); also that in Him lie hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). Whereby it comes to pass that He, in that He is man, is ignorant of nothing; He is able to do all those things which pertain to His office. Yea, and such things as cannot be performed of any created substance, but only of God Himself, may be done by Him, by the power of His deity; yet His human will always working therewithal, evermore by consent and as it were, by desire. So that in all the actions of Christ, as He is God, pertaining to our salvation, always His soul in some sort joineth itself thereunto by love, by desire, and will. As also in all things which He did as man, the deity was always concurrent, yea, even in His death and passion. Not that the deity suffered, but that it willed both the passion and death of Christ, and added to His passion and death an infinite power, even to cleanse us of our sins. To conclude, concerning the two natures in Christ, and the union and proprieties of them, we believe whatsoever hath been determined in the Nycene [Nicene], Constantinopolitane, Ephesian, and Calcedonian councils, against Arrius, Apollinaris, Nestorius and Eutyches; and in the first Synod against the Monothelites.

XIII. Two kinds of actions in Christ; and all those things which we read that He did and suffered were done indeed according to the truth of the matter, and not after a vain show or illusion.

Now from the person of Christ and His natures, and the union of the natures, to pass over peculiarly to His actions and His office. First, we believe that as there are two true natures in Christ, whereof each hath had and hath her true and essential proprieties coupled together, even as the natures are also united but not confounded together. So there are two kinds of actions which our Lord Jesus Christ is said partly to have performed and partly will yet perform for our salvation--some whereof proceed from His deity and some from His humanity. And the same partly have been and partly are so joined together, and yet distinct that each of their forms (as Leo speaketh) always worketh with communion of the other--the Word performing those things which are of the Word, and the flesh those things which pertain to the flesh. Moreover, as those things which Christ did and doeth by virtue of His divine nature were true and not feigned deeds (for He truly reconciled us to His Father; He truly forgiveth sins, and truly sanctifieth and regenerateth), so whatsoever we read that He did or suffered for us according to His humanity, we believe that He did and suffered all those things truly and indeed, and not only in a vain show and (as some speak) an appearance only.

XIV. A declaration of the former opinion.

We believe therefore that Christ, as He was truly conceived of the seed of David and truly borne true man, and did truly eat, drink and perform other human deeds--so also that He truly kept the law for us; that He truly suffered in the flesh (1 Peter 4:1), and died, and rose again from the dead in the same flesh, and ascended with His visible, palpable and human body, circumscribed with true and certain dimensions into the true and created heaven placed above all these visible heavens (Acts 3:21), and there of His free will worketh and abideth till such time as He return again in the same visible body, truly from heaven, to judge the quick and the dead. And that He truly desireth our salvation in heaven, and hath a care over us; and His spiritual and lively motion and feeling worketh in us as His members. And lastly, that He governeth the whole church (Eph. 1:22; 4:16). [marginal ref. Luc. 24:36]

XV. The fruits of the obedience, passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

And we believe that Christ by His perfect obedience deserved eternal life, not only for Himself but also for us. By His passion and death He satisfied for our sins in His flesh. He redeemed us out of the hands of Satan, the tyranny of death, and the bondage of sin. He reconciled us to God in Himself, and made us His beloved, that in Him we might be deemed righteous with the Father; and by His resurrection and ascension into heaven He obtained also for us both the resurrections (as John speaketh) the first and the latter. And that in our name He took unto Himself possession of the heavenly inheritance, and sitteth at the right hand of God (Eph. 1:20)--that is, hath taken to Himself power over all things in heaven and in earth--so that, inasmuch as He is our Mediator and is man, He hath obtained of His Father the second place; is appointed Head of the Church, as well which is in heaven as which is on earth, that from Him, and even from His flesh, is conveyed by His Holy Spirit whatsoever pertaineth to the quickening and to the spiritual life of us, to all those, which as members are fastened unto Him their Head. And therefore we acknowledge, believe and confess, that in Christ alone is placed our whole salvation, redemption, justice, favor of God, and eternal life, according to that saying, "Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30); also, "He is our peace" (Eph. 2:14); also, Jehovah our righteousness (Jer. 23:6); "In whom we have redemption by His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Eph. 1:7); also, "It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell" (Col 1:19); also, "life is in His Son" (1 John 5:11). And therefore we know that the promise concerning redemption, which was made unto the first man, did receive accomplishment in this other Man, Jesus Christ; so that whosoever will be made partaker of it, he must needs be joined to his Head, Christ, and be made a member of Him. For we have redemption and salvation not only by Him as a Mediator, but also in Him as our Head. This is our faith concerning Christ the Redeemer, His person, natures, and office[s], and the salvation of mankind fulfilled and laid up in Him.

XVI. Errors.

Therefore we condemn all, as well the ancient as later, heretics which ever taught or teach the contrary: Arrius, Photinus, and namely, Servetus, and all other ungodly men of that crew, which deny the true deity of Christ; the Cerdonians, the Marcionites, the Valentinians, the Maniches, the Priscillianites, the Apollinarists, and the rest which do oppugne [oppose] the true humanity of Christ--some denying that Christ came in the flesh and that He had true flesh, and do contend that He brought a fantastical body from heaven; or that He was conceived of the elements, and not of the seed of Abraham, and that He was not born of a woman. Others granted Him indeed a true human flesh, but yet depriving Him of a reasonable soul, and substituting His deity in place of His soul. Also the Nestorians, which denied the true union of the human nature with the person of the Son, and did set down two persons in Christ, and two Sons--the Son of God and the son of man. We likewise condemn the Eutychians, which on the contrary side, as Christ is but one only person, so they leave Him but one nature only, namely, the divine, teaching that the human nature which He assumed either is wholly turned into the divine, or else so mingled and confounded with the divine that they make no difference at all in Him between the proprieties and actions of His divine and human natures. We condemn also those which have proceeded from the former, as Macarius with his followers, which make but one only will in Christ, namely the divine, and therefore admit no proper action at all of the human will in Christ. We condemn likewise the Cerdonians also in this point, that they said Christ did not truly suffer, nor was truly dead, but that He feigned a suffering, or (as some heretics say) He suffered and died putatively [supposedly, or commonly believed ?]. And therefore with these we also condemn all which taught or teach the like things, as namely, that Christ rose not again truly in the same flesh wherein He died, but in another of a diverse nature; or else, that if He rose in the same, yet that He did not truly ascend into heaven and carry the same into heaven, and change the place of it. We also with Hierome, Cyrill and other of the fathers, condemn the Originists and their like who taught that Christ rose again with a body like unto a spirit, most subtle, and in its own nature invisible, and not subject to the senses. All those likewise as Jews and Turks, which deny that the world is redeemed by the benefit of Christ's death. Also all those lastly, which go about to prove our salvation to be grounded upon any other thing, either in part or altogether, than only in Christ; and blasphemously do avouch that sins may be expiated or remitted by any other sacrifices than that one sacrifice of Christ only. For we acknowledge one only Redeemer, Jesus Christ, without whom, as there is no true God, so no true salvation. And one only sacrifice, the oblation or offering whereof being once made, not only all the sins of the elect were once washed away in the person of Christ, but also being yet continually washed away even unto the end of the world, are remitted to them that believe.