These are the ten behests, whereof the three first direct us well to God; the other seven direct us to our neighbour. These ten behests are incumbent on each one that hath reason and age, to know and to do. For whoever acts thereagainst wittingly, sins deadly.
THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE CHRISTIAN BELIEF.
These are the twelve articles of the Christian belief, that each Christian man shall believe steadfastly, for otherwise he cannot be saved when he hath wit and reason. And thereof are twelve according to the numbers of the twelve apostles, who appointed them to be observed and to be kept by all those that will be saved. The first, then, belongs to the Father, the next seven (seventh) to the Son, the last four (fourth) to the Holy Ghost; for that is the beginning of the belief, ‘believe in the Holy Trinity;’ that is, in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God and three persons. All these articles are contained in the creed, that the twelve apostles made, whereof each ordained his own.
The first article is this: ‘I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and of earth.’ This article St. Peter ordained.
The second article belongs to the Son, as to His Godhead; that is to say, that He is God, and is this: ‘I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Son of God the Father, and (He) is one with the Father in all things that appertain to the Godhead, but, with regard to the person, who is other than the person of the Father.’ This article St. John the Evangelist ordained.
The third article and the fifth, that follows after, belong to the Son as to His manhood; that is to say, as He is mortal man. Then in the third article is contained, that He was conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the maid Mary. By which it is to be understood that He was conceived in the maid Mary by the deed and by the virtue of the Holy Ghost, and not at all by deed of man. And the maid Mary remained ever maid and whole before and after. This article St. James, St. John’s brother, ordained.
The fourth article belongs to His passion; that is to say, that He suffered death under Pontius Pilate, who was a pagan, and judge at that time in Jerusalem, by the Romans. Under that judge was Jesus Christ condemned wrongfully at the command of three wicked Jews, and crucified, and dead, and placed in a tomb. This article St. Andrew ordained.
The fifth article is as follows: that He went into hell after His death, in order to lead out thence and to deliver the souls of the holy fathers, and of all those that, from the beginning of the world, died in true and good belief, and in hope that they should be saved by Him, because of the sin of the first man. It behoved that all should go into hell and abide there, the good in sure hope that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, should come to deliver them, according as He had promised by His prophets. And for that reason would He after His death go into hell, that is to say, on that side where the saints were, not on that side where were the lost, who were dead in their sin and in their unbelief. And those He led not out, for they are lost for evermore. This article St. Philip ordained.
The sixth article is of His resurrection, to wit, that the third day after His death, in order to fulfil the Scriptures, He arose from death to life, and showed Himself to His disciples, and proved His resurrection to them in many ways for forty days. This article St. Thomas ordained.
The seventh article is, that the fortieth day after His resurrection, when He had eaten with His disciples, He ascended before them quite openly into heaven, who is above every creature that is in heaven, unto the right hand of God the Father, where He made Him [sit]. This article St. Bartholomew ordained.