things are taught as touching mans free will we doe worthily reject them seeing that man is the servant of sinne neither can he doe any thing of himselfe but as it is given him from heaven For who is so bold as to bragge that he is able to performe whatsoever he listeth when as Christ himselfe saith No man can come unto me except my Father which Joh. 6. 44. hath sent me doe draw him Who dare boast of his will which heareth that All the affections of the flesh are enemies against God Rom. 8. 1 Cor. 1. 14. Who will vaunt of his understanding which knoweth that The naturall man cannot perceive the things of the spirit of God To conclude who is he that dare bring forth any one cogitation of his owne which understandeth this that we are not Able of our selves to thinke any thing but That we are sufficient it is altogether 2 Cor. 3. 5. of God Therefore that saying of the Apostle must needs remaine firme and steadfast It is God which worketh in us both to will and Pâ—il 2. 12. to doe even of his good pleasure For no mans minde no mans will is able to rest in the will of God wherein Christ himselfe hath wrought nothing before The which also he doth teach us saying Without me ye can doe nothing Joh. 15. 5. We beleeve that through the disobedience of Adam the sin Artic. 15. that is called Originall hath been spred and powred into all mankinde Now Originall sinne is a corruption of the whole nature and an hereditarie evill wherewith even the very infants in their Psal 51. Rom. 3. Gen. 6. Joh. 3. Rom. 5. Eph. 1. Mothers wombe are polluted the which also as a most noysome roote doth branch out most abundantly all kinde of sinne in man and is so filthy and abominable in the sight of God that it alone is sufficient to the condemnation of all man-kinde Neither are we to beleeve that this sinne is by baptisme utterly extinguishet or plucked up by the rootes seeing that out of it as out of a corrupt fountaine continuall flouds and rivers of iniquitie doe daily spring and flow how be it to the children of God it doth not tend neither is it imputed to condemnation but of the meere favour and mercy of God it is remitted unto them not to this end that they trusting unto this remission should be rocked a sleepe in security but that it may stirre up often sighes in the faithfull by the sense and feeling of this corruption and that they should somewhat the more earnestly desire To be delivered from this body of Rom. 7. 18. 2. death Therefore we doe condemne the errour of the Pelagians which affirme that this Originall sinne is nothing else but a certaine kinde of imitation Out of the Confession of AUSPURGE ALso they that teach that after the fall of Adam all men descended Artic. 2. one from another after a naturall manner have originall sinne even when they are borne We meane by originall sinne that which the holy fathers and all of sound judgement and learning in the Church doe so call namely that guilt whereby all that come into the world are through Adams fall subject to Gods wrath and eternall death and that very corruption of mans nature derived from Adam And this corruption of mans nature comprehendeth both the defect of originall justice integritie or obedience and also concupiscence This defect is horrible blindenesse and disobedience that is to wit to want that light and knowledge of God which should have beene in our nature being perfect and to want that uprightnesse that is that perpetuall obedience that true pure and chiefe love of God and those other gifts of perfect nature Wherefore those defects and this concupiscence are things damnable and of their owne nature worthy of death And this originall blot is sinne indeed condemning and bringing eternall death even now also upon them which are not borne againe by baptisme and the holy Ghost They condemne the Pelagians who denie Originall sinne and thinke that those defects or this concupiscence are things indifferent or punishments onely and not of their owne nature damnable and dreame that man may satisfie the Law of God and may for that peculiar obedience be pronounced just before God These things are thus found in another Edition ALso they teach that after Adams fall all men begotten after Artic. the common course of nature are borne with sinne that is without the feare of God without trust in him and with concupiscence And that this disease or Originall blot is sinne indeed condemning and bringing eternall death even now upon all that are not born again by baptisme and the holy Ghost They condemne the Pelagians and others that deny this Originall blot to be sinne indeed and that they may extenuate the glorie of the merit and benefits of Christ they doe reason that a man may by the strength of his owne reason be justified before God Concerning free will they doe teach that mans will hath some Artic. 18. freedome to * Looke the 1. observat upon this confession performe a civill justice and to make choice of things that are within the reach of reason but it hath no power to performe a spirituall justice without the holy Spirit because Paul saith The naturall man perceiveth not the things which are of the spirit of God and Christ saith without me ye can doe nothing Now this spirituall justice is wrought in us when we are * Looke the 2. observat helped of the holy Ghost And we receive the holy Ghost when we assent unto the word of God that we may be comforted through faith in all terrours of conscience as Paul teacheth when he saith That ye may receive the promise of the spirit through faith These things almost in as many words faith S. Augustine lib. 3. Hypognost We confesse that there is in all men a free will which hath indeed the iudgement of reason not that it is thereby apt without God either to begin or to performe any thing in matters pertaining to God but only in workes belonging to this present life whether they be good or evill In good works I affirme those to be which arise of the goodnesse of nature as to be willing to labour in the field to desire meat or drink to desire to have a friend to desire apparell to desire to build an house to marrie a wife to nourish cattell to learne the art of divers good things to desire any good thing pertaining to this present life all which are not without Gods government yea they now are and had their beginning from God In evill things I account such as these to desire to worship an Image to desire manslaughter This sentence of Augustine doth notably teach what is to be attributed to free will and doth put a plaine difference betweene civill discipline or the exercises of humane reason
our nature so that he is one person God and man Man I say that might suffer both in soule and also in body and made like unto us in all things sin onely excepted for that his flesh was indeed the seed of Abraham and David howbeit by the secret and incomprehensible power of the holy Ghost it was conceived in due time in the wombe of that blessed Virgin And therefore we detest as contrary to that truth all those heresies wherwith the Churches were troubled in times past and namely we detest those devillish imaginations of Servetus who gave to our Lord Iesus Christ an imaginarie Deitie whom he said to be the Idea and patterne of all things and the counterfeit or figurative Son of God to conclude he framed him a body compacted of three elements uncreated and therefore he did mingle and overthrow both his natures We beleeve that in one and the same person which is Iesus Artic. 15. Christ those two natures are truly and inseperably so conjoyned that they be also united either of those natures neverthelesse retaining it distinct proprietie so that even as in this divine conjunction the nature of the word reteining it proprieties remained uncreate infinite and filling all places so also the humane nature remained and shall remaine for ever finite having it naturall forme dimension and also proprietie as from the which the resurrection and glorification or taking up to the right hand of the Father hath not taken away the truth of the humane nature Therefore we doe so consider Christ in his Deitie that we do not spoile him of his humanitie We beleeve that God did declare his infinite love and goodnesse Artic. 16. towards us in this that he hath sent his Son who should die and rise againe and fulfill all righteousnesse that he might purchase eternall life for us We beleeve that by that onely sacrifice which Iesus Christ offered Artic. 17. on the crosse we are reconciled to God that we may be taken for just before him because we cannot be acceptable to him nor enjoy the fruit of our adoption but so farre forth as he doth forgive us our sins Therefore we affirme that Iesus Christ is our entire and perfect washing in whose death we obtaine full satisfaction whereby we are delivered from all those sinnes whereof we are guiltie and from the which we could not be acquitted by any other remedie Out of the ENGLISH Confession VVE beleeve that Iesus Christ the onely Son of the eternall Artic. 2. Father as long before it was determined before all beginnings when the fulnesse of time was come did take of that blessed and pure Virgin both flesh and all the nature of man that he might declare to the world the secret and hid will of his Father which will had been laid up from before all ages and generations and that he might finish in his humane body the mystery of our redemption and might fasten our sins to the crosse and also that hand-writing which was made against us We beleeve that for our sakes he died and was buried descended into hell the third day by the power of his Godhead returned to life and rose againe and that the fourth day after his resurrection whiles his disciples beheld and looked upon him he ascended into heaven to fulfill all things and did place in Majestie and glory the selfe same body where with he was borne wherein he lived on earth wherein he was jested at wherein he had suffered most painfull torments and cruell kinde of death wherein he rose againe and wherein he ascended to the right hand of the Father above all rule above all power all force all Dominion and above every name that is named not onely in this world but also in the world to come And that there he now sitteth and shall sit till all things be fully perfected And although the Majestie and Godhead of Christ be every where aboundantly dispersed yet we beleeve that his body as S. Augustine saith must need be still in one place and that Christ hath given Majestie unto his body but yet hath not taken away from it the nature of a body and that we must not so affirme Christ to be God that we denie him to be man and as the Martyr Vigilius saith That Christ hath left in touching his humane nature but hath not left us touching his Divine nature and that the same Christ though he be absent from us concerning his manhead yet is ever present with us concerning his Godhead From that place also we beleeve that Christ shall come again to execute that generall judgement as well of them whom be shall finde alive in the body as of them that shall be ready dead And therefore that our onely succour and refuge is to flie to the Artic. 18. mercie of our Father by Iesus Christ and assuredly to perswade our mindes that he is the Obtainer of forgivenesse for our sinnes And that by his blood all our spots of sin be washed cleane That he hath pacified and set at one all things by the blood of his crosse That he by the same one onely sacrifice which he once offered upon the Crosse hath brought to effect and fulfilled all things and that for that cause he said when he gave up the Ghost It is finished as though he would signifie that the price and ransome was now fully paid for the sin of mankinde If there be any that thinke this sacrifice not sufficient let them Artic. 19. goe in Gods name and seeke a better We verily because we know this to be the Onely sacrifice are well content with it alone and looke for none other and forasmuch as it was to be offered but once we command it not to be renewed againe and because it was full and perfit in all points and parts we doe not ordaine in place thereof any continuall succession of offerings To conclude we beleeve that this our selfe same flesh wherein Artic. 21. we live although it die and come to dust yet at the last shall returne again unto life by the means of Christs spirit which dwelleth in us and that then verily whatsoever we suffer here in the meane while for his sake Christ will wipe away all teares and heavinesse from our eyes and that we through him shall enjoy everlasting life and shall for ever be with him in glory So be it Out of the Confession of BELGIA VVE beleeve that our most mightie and graciâ—us God Artic. 17. when he saw that man had thus throwne himselfe into the damnation both of spirituall and corporall death and was made altogether miserable and accursed by his wonderfull wisdom and goodnesse was induced both to seeke him when through feare he had fled from his presence and also most lovingly to comfort him giving unto him the promise of his own Son to be boâ—â— of a woman which should breake the head of the Serpent and restore him to felicitie
yea also a curse that he might make or consecrate us as holy unto God For to such men that they may be stirred up to the greater confidence that sure and precious promise is propounded and by preaching ought to be propounded whereby the Lord doth say Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and this Psal 50. they ought to doe as often as they have need and so long as they live Hereof the judgement of St. Augustine is extant Lib. 1. de Penitentia Cap. 1. No man can well meditate of repentance except he be perswaded of the mercie of God toward him or as he saith but he that shall hope for indulgence Now all men which doe truly repent them of their sins and in regard thereof are sorrowfull and mislike themselves ought to cease from the committing of evill and learne to doe that which is Isa 1. good for so writeth Esay in that place wherein he exhorteth to repentance And John Baptist in the like sort admonishing the people saith See that you bring forth or doe the fruits worthy of Luk. 3. Coloss 3. Ephes 4. repentance which doth chiefly consist in mortification or putting off the old man and in putting on the new man which after God is created righteousnesse c. as the Apostolike doctrine doth signifie Moreover the penitent are taught * Looke the first observat upon this confession to come to the Physicians of their souls and before them to confesse their sins to God yet no man is commanded or urged to tell and reckon up his sins but this thing is therefore used that by this means every one may declare their griefe wherewith they be troubled and how much they mislike themselves for their sinnes and may peculiarly desire and know that they obtaine of their God counsell and doctrine how they may hereafter avoyd them and get instruction and comfort for their troubled consciences and absolution by the power of the Keies and remission of sins by the ministerie of the Gospel instituted of Christ and when these things are performed to them of the Ministers they ought to receive them at their hands with confidence as a thing appointed of God to profit and to doe service unto them for their saving health and without doubting to enjoy the remission of their sinnes according to the word of the Lord whose sinnes you remit they are remitted And Joh. 20. they relying upon this undoubted faith ought to be certaine and of a resolute minde that through the ministerie of those Keies concerning the power of Christ and his word all their sinnes be forgiven them And therefore they which by this means and order obtaine a quiet and joyfull conscience ought to shew themselves thankfull for this heavenly bountifulnesse in Christ neither must they receive it in vain or returne againe to their sins according to that faithfull exhortation of Christ wherein he commandeth us to take heed Behold thou art made whole sin no more lest Joh. 5. Joh. 8. a worse thing happen unto the. And see that thou sinne no more Now the foundation whereon the whole vertue and efficacie of this saving repentance doth stay it selfe is the merit of the torments of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour whereof he himselfe saith These things it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise againe the third day and that repentance and remission Luk. 24. of sins should be preached in his name to all people And againe Repent Mark 1. and beleeve the Gospel Also they teach that they whose sin is publike and therefore a publike offence ought to give an * Looke the second observat upon this confession externall testimonie of their repentance when God doth give them the spirit of repentance and that for this cause that it may be an argument and testimonie whereby it may be prooved or made evident that the sinners which have fallen and doe repent doe truely convert themselves Mark 5. and 18. 1 Tim. 5. also that it may be a token of their reconciliation with the Church and their neighbour and an example unto others which they may feare and reverence Last of all the whole matter is shut up with this or such like clause of admonition That every one shall be condemned whosoever he be which in this life doth not repent in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ according to that sentence pronounced by Christ Except ye repent ye shall all in like sort perish as they did who were slaine with the fall of the tower of Silo. Hither to also pertain th that part of the same confession which treateth Of the time of grace CHAP. 20. FVrthermore among all other things they teach concerning the time of grace and the fatherly visitation that men may learne to consider that all that time of age they lead in this life is given them of God to be a time of grace in the which they may seeke their Lord and God his grace and mercie and that they may be loved of him and by this means obtaine here their salvation in Christ whereof the Apostle also made mention in his Sermon which he preached at Athens saying God hath assigned unto man the times which were ordained before and the bands of their habitations Act. 17. that they should seeke the Lord if so be they might have groped after him and found him And by the Prophet Esay the Lord saith In an acceptable time have I heard thee and in the day of salvation Isa 49. 2 Cor 6. have I helped thee Behold now saith Saint Paul is the acceptable time now is the day of salvation Therefore at all times the people be admonished that whilest they live on the earth and are in good health and have in their hands and doe presently enjoy the time of grace offered by God they would truely repent and begin the amendment of their life and reconcile themselves to God that they would stirre up their conscience by faith in Christ and quiet it by the ministerie of the Gospel in the Church and herein confirme themselves that God is mercifull unto them and remitteth all their sins for Christ his sake Therefore when they are confirmed in this grace which is offered them to establish and confirme their calling and doe faithfully exercise themselves in good works then at the length they are also in an assured hope to looke for a comfortable end and they must certainly perswade themselves that they shall assuredly be carried by the Angels into heaven and eternall rest as was the soule of that godly Lazarus that they may be there where their Lord and redeemer Iesus Luk. 16. Joan. 12. and 14. and 17. Christ is and that afterward in the day of resurrection this soule shall be joyned againe with the body to take full possession of that joy and eternall glory which cannot be expressed in words For they shall not
should excell in dignitie the Sacrament of Baptisme For thus some of them are not ashamed to write of the Sacrament of Confirmation As one thing say they is done of the greater that is of the chiefe Bishops which In decret epist Meâ—tiadis To. in Actis Concil cannot be done of the lesser so is it to be worshipped and embraced with greater reverence For to the Apostles it was commanded of God that by the laying on of hands they should give to those that beleeve in Christ the gifts of the holy Ghost Now we must not understand this properly of those private gifts of the holy Ghost which are necessary to every one unto salvation for those the faithfull receive by the preaching of the Gospel and by Baptisme but we must understand it of the publique gifts of the holy Ghost to wit speaking with divers tongues and other gifts which then were necessary for the publique Confirmation of the Gospel touching Christ Therefore after that the authority of the Gospell was sufficiently confirmed by such miracles as that wonderfull gift of tongues did cease so also the ceremonie of laying on of hands whereby that gift was given didaltogether as touching this thing cease Otherwise of a shadow we must make a generall Sacrament of the Church and those that are sicke must be shadowed over because that many were healed by the shadow of Peter In like sort we must make a generall Sacrament of the layhing one of napkins because that many were healed of their diseases when Pauls napkins were laid upon them and we must lye upon the dead because that Paul by stretching himselfe upon a young man did raise him up from death And yet the Pastours of Churches must not have libertie to have no regard to instruct children and youth in that doctrine which is indeed Codly but they must be forced hereunto to teach the Catechisme very diligently Out of the Confession of SUEVELAND Of Baptisme CHAP. 17. AS touching Baptisme we confesse that which the Scripture doth in divers places teach thereof that we by it are buried into the death of Christ made one body and doe put on Rom. 6. 1 Cor. 12. Gal 3. Tit. 3. Act 22. 1 Pet 3. Christ that it is the fonte of regeneration washeth away sins and saveth us But all these things we doe so understand as Saint Peter hath interpreted them where he saith To the figure whereof Baptisme that now is answering doth also save us not by putting away of the filth of the flesh but the profession of a good conscience toward God For without faith it is impossible to please God And we are saved by grace and not by our workes And seeing that Baptisme is a Sacrament of that covenant which God hath made with those that be his promising that he will be their God and the God of their seed and that he will be a revenger of wrongs and take them for his people to conclude seeing it is a token of the renewing of the Spirit which is wrought by Christ therefore our Preachers doe teach that it is to be given to Infants also as well as that in times past under Moses they were circumcised For we are indeed the children of Abraham and therefore that promise I will be thy God and the God Gal. 3. of thy seed doth no lesse pertaine unto us then it did to that ancient people THE FOVRTEENTH SECTION OF THE HOLY SUPPER OF THE LORD The latter Consission of HELVETIA Of the holy Supper of the Lord. CHAP. 12. THE Supper of the Lord which is also called the Lords Table and the Eucharist that is a thankesgiving is therefore commonly called a supper because it was instituted of Christ in that his last Supper and doth as yet represent the same and in it the faithfull are spiritually fed and nourished For the authour of the Supper of the Lord is not an Angel or man but the very Sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ who did first of all consecrate it to his Church And the same blessing and consecration doth still remaine amongst all those who celebrate no other supper but onely that which the Lord did institute and at that doe recite the words of the Supper of the Lord and in all things looke unto Christ onely by a true faith at whose hands as it were they doe receive that which they doe receive by the ministerie of the ministers of the Church The Lord by this sacred rite would have that great benefit to be kept in fresh remembrance which he did for mankinde to wit that by giving up his body to death and shedding his blood he hath forgiven us all our sinnes and redeemed us from eternall death and the power of the Devil and doth now feed us with his flesh and giveth us his blood to drink which things being apprehended spiritually by a true faith doe nourish us up to life everlasting And this so great a benefit is renued so oft as the Supper is celebrated For the Lord said Doe this in remembrance of me By this holy Supper also it is sealed up unto us that the very body of Christ was truely given up for us and his blood was shed for the remission of our sinnes lest that our faith might somewhat waver And this is outwardly represented unto us by the minister in the Sacrament after a visible manner and as it were laid before our eyes to be seene which is inwardly in the fonte invisibly performed by the holy Ghost Outwardly bread is offered by the minister and the words of the Lord are heard Receive eate this is my body take it and devide it amongst you drinke ye all of this this is my bloud Therefore the faithful do receive that which is given by the minister of the Lord and doe eate the bread of the Lord drink of the Lords cup. But yet by the working of Christ through the holy Ghost they receive also the flesh and bloud of the Lord and do feed on them to life everlasting For the flesh and blood of Christ is true meate and drink unto everlasting life yea Christ himselfe in that he was delivered for us and is our Saviour is that speciall thing and substance of the Supper and therefore we suffer no thing to be put in his place But that it may the better and more plainly be vnderstood how the flesh and blood of Christ are the meate and drinke of the faithfull and are received by the faithfull to life everlasting we will adde moreover these foure things Eating is of divers sorts for there is a corporall eating whereby meat is taken into a mans mouth chewed with the teeth and is swallowed downe into the belly After this manner did the Capernaites in times past think that they should eat the flesh of the Lord but they are confuted by him John 6. For as the flesh of Christ cannot be eaten bodily without great wickednesse and crueltie so is it not meate
is therefore very requisite that purposing to come to the Supper of the Lord we doe trie our selves according to the commandement of the Apostle first with what faith we are indued whether we beleeve that Christ is come to save sinners and to call them to repentance and whether each man beleeve that he is in the number of them that being delivered by Christ are saved and whether he have purposed to change his wicked life to live holily and persevere through Gods assistance in true religion and in concord with his brethren and to give worthy thanks to God for his delivery c. We thinke that rite manner or forme of the Supper to be the most simple and excellent which commeth neerest to the first institution of the Lord and to the Apostles doctrine Which doth consist in declaring the word of God in godly prayers the action it selfe that the Lord used and the repeating of it the eating of the Lords body and drinking of his blood the wholesome remembrance of the Lords death and faithfull giving of thanks and in an holy fellowship in the union of the body of the Church We therefore disallow them which have taken from the faithfull one part of the Sacrament to wit the Lords cup. For these doe very grievously offend against the institution of the Lord who saith drinke you all of this which he did not so plainly say of the bread What manner of Masse it was that the Fathers used whether it were tollerable or intollerable we doe not now dispute But this we say freely that the Masse which is now used throughout the Romish Church for many and most just causes is quite abolished out of our Churches which particularly we will not now recite for brevities sake Truly we could not like of it because that of a most wholesome action they have made a vaine spectacle also because it is made a meritorious matter and is said for money likewise because that in it the Priest is said to make the very body of the Lord and to offer the same really even for the remission of the sins of the quicke and the dead Adde this also that they doe it for the honour worship and reverence of the Saints in heaven c. Out of the former Confession of HELVETIA Of the Lords Supper VVE say that the Supper is a mysticall thing wherein the Artic. 22. Lord doth indeed offer unto those that are his his body and blood that is himself to this end that he may more and more live in them and they in him not that the body and blood of the Lord are either naturally united to bread and wine or be locally here inclosed or be placed here by any carnall presence but that bread and wine by the institution of the Lord are signes whereby the true communication of his body and blood is exhibited of the Lord himselfe by the ministerie of the Church not to be meate for the belly which doth perish but to be nourishment unto eternall life We doe therefore use this holy meat oftentimes because that being admonished hereby we doe with the eyes of faith behold the death and blood of Christ crucified and meditating upon our salvation not without a taste of heavenly life and a true sense of life eternall we are refreshed with this spirituall lively inward food with an unspeakable sweetnes and we do rejoyce with a joy that cannot be expressed in words for that life which we have found and we do wholly with all our strength powre out thankesgiving for so wonderfull a benefit of Christ bestowed upon us Therefore we are most unworthily charged of some who thinke that we doe attribute very little to these holy signs For these things * Looke the 1. Observation upon this confession be holy to be reverenced as those which were instituted and received of our high Priest Christ exhibiting unto us after their manner as we have said the things signified giving witnes of the things done representing very difficult things us and by a certain wonderfull Analogie of things signified bringing light to those most evident mysteries Moreover they minister aide and helpe even to faith it selfe and to conclude they doo serve in stead of an oath to binde him that is entered into the profession of Christianitie Thus holily doo we thinke of the sacred signes But we doo alwaies attribute the force and vertue of quickning and sanctifying to him who is life it selfe to whom be praise for ever Amen Out of the declaration of the same confession Of the holy Supper of the Lord. THE Supper of the Lord is a Sacrament to wit the holy institution of the Lord whereby he doth renue and witnesse unto us his bountifulnesse to wit the communion of his body and blood and that by a visible signe For by bread and wine he doth declare unto us what he giveth namely himselfe to be the nourishment of our life for he by his body and blood doth feed us to life eternall Therefore the very gift of God that is the body and blood of the Lord to wit the body of the Lord delivered unto death for us and his blood shed for the remission of sinnes is the chiefest part of this Sacrament For the body and blood of Christ is thus made or prepared to be the lively meat of our soules The Son of God doth die in the flesh for us that he might quicken us he poureth out his blood that he might cleanse us from our sins To conclude he raiseth up his body from the dead that our bodies may receive hope and strength to rise againe Thus therefore doth the Lord offer himselfe to be eaten and possessed of us and not a certaine false imagination of a man or an idle picture in his stead For beside him there is nothing in heaven or in earth that may feed and satiate our soules Now we doe indeed eate the bodie and we doe indeed drinke the blood of our Lord but not so rawly as the Papists have hitherto taught to wit the bread being changed into naturall flesh substantially that is corporally or carnally or the body being included in the bread but spiritually that is after a spirituall manner and with a faithfull minde The Lord is eaten indeed and with fruit by faith that now he may live whole in his and his in him Moreover these holy gifts of God which are not given of any other then of the Lord himselfe according to the institution of the Lord are represented unto us by visible signes to wit bread and wine and offered to our senses not that we should rest in them but that our weaknesse may be helped and we may lift up our hearts unto the Lord knowing that here we must thinke upon greater things to wit not of eating bread or drinking wine but of receiving the Lord himselfe with all his gifts by a faithfull minde Therefore when the guests see the bread on the board
life and death were set before him which if he would not consider nor doe his endeavour therein by choosing of evill he might loose all those good gifts The second part of the knowledge of a mans selfe namely before justification standeth in this that a man acknowledge a right the state of this fall sin and mortalitie For that free liberty of choice which God permitted to the will of man he abused and kept not the law of his justice but swerved therefrom and therein transgressed the commandement of God insomuch as he obeyed the devill and those lying speeches of his and gave credit unto them and performed to the devill such faith and obedience as was due to God alone whereby he stripped and bereaved himselfe and his posteritie of the state of perfection and goodnesse of nature and the grace of God and those good gifts of justice and the Image of God which in his creation were engraffed in him he partly lost them and partly corrupted and defiled them as if with horrible poyson one should corrupt pure wine and by this meanes he cast headlong both himselfe and all his off-spring into sinne death and all kinde of miseries in this life and into punishments eternall after this life Wherefore the spring and principall author of all evill is that cruell and detestable devill the tempter lyer and manslayer and next the free will of man which notwithstanding being converted to evill through lust and naughtie desires and by perverse concupiscence chooseth that which is evill Hereby sinnes according to these degrees and after this order may be considered and judged of The first and weightiest or most grievous sinne of all was without doubt after that sinne of Adam which the Apostle calleth Disobedience for the which death reigneth Rom. 5. over all even over those also which have not sinned with like transgression as did Adam A second kind is originall sin naturally ingendred in us and hereditarie wherein we are all conceived and borne into this world Behold saith David I was borne in iniquitie Psal 51. Ephes 2. and in sinne hath my mother conceived me And Paul We are by nature the children of wrath Let the force of this hereditarie destruction be acknowledged judged of by the guilt and fault by our pronenesse and declination by our evill nature and by the punishment which is laid upon it The third kinde of sinnes are those which are called Actuall which are the fruits of Originall sinne and doe burst out within without privily and openly by the powers of man that is by all that ever man is able to doe and by his members transgressing all those things which God commandeth and forbiddeth and also running into blindnesse and errours worthy to be punished with all kinde of damnation This doctrine of the true knowledge of sinne is of our men diligently handled and urged and to this end were the first and second Tables of the Law delivered to Moses of God that men especially might know themselves that they are conceived and borne in sin and that forthwith even from their birth and by nature they are sinners full of lusts and evill inclinations For hereof it commeth that straight even from the beginning of our age and so forth in the whole course of our life being stained and overcome with many sins men doe in heart thoughts and evill deeds breake and transgresse the commandements of God as it is written The Lord looked down from heaven to behold the children Psal 14. Rom. 3. of men to see if there were any that would understand and seeke God all are gone out of the way they have been made altogether unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one And againe When the Lord saw that the wickednesse of man was great in the Gen. 6. earth and all the cogitations of his heart were onely evill continually And againe The Lord said the imagination of mans heart is evill Gen. 8. even from his youth And Saint Paul saith We were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Ephes 2. Here withall this is also taught that by reason of that corruption and depravation common to all mankinde and for the the sinne transgressions and injustice which ensued thereof all men ought to acknowledge according to the holy Scripture their own just condemnation and the horrible and severe vengeance of God and consequently the most deserved punishment of death and eternall torments in hell whereof Paul teacheth us when he saith The wages of sin is death And our Lord Christ They which have Rom. 6. John 5. done evill shall goe into the resurrection of condemnation that is into pains eternall Where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth They teach also that we must acknowledge * Looke the first observat upon this confession our weaknesse and that great miserie which is ingendered in us as also those difficulties from which no man can ever deliver or rid himselfe by any meanes or justifie himselfe that is procure or get righteousnesse to himselfe by any kinde of works deeds or exercises seeme they never so glorious For that will of man which before was free is now so corrupted troubled and weakened that now from henceforth of it selfe and without the grace of God it cannot chuse judge or wish fully nay it hath no desire nor inclination much lesse any abilitie to chuse that good wherewith God is pleased For albeit it fell willingly and of it owne accord yet by it selfe and by it owne strength it could not * Looke the second observat upon this confession rise againe or recover that fall neither to this day without the mercifull help of God is it able to doe any thing at all And a little after Neither can he which is man onely and hath nothing above the reach of this our nature helpe an other in this point For since that originall sin proceeding by inheritance possesseth the whole nature and doth furiously rage therein and seeing that all men are sinners and doe want the grace and justice Rom. 3. of God therefore saith God by the mouth of the Prophet Esaias Put me in remembrance Let us be judged together count thou if Esa 43. thou have any thing that thou mayest be iustified thy first father hath sinned and thy interpreters that is they which teach thee justice have transgressed against me and a little before speaking of works in the service of God after the invention of man he saith Thou hast not offered unto me the Ram of the burnt offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an offering nor wearied thee with incense And unto the Hebrews it is written Sacrifice and offering and Heb 10. burnt offerings and sinne offerings thou wouldest not have Neither did dest thou approove those things which were offered according to the Law This also must we know
and happinesse Moreover we confesse that God did then at the length fulfill his Artic. 18. promise made unto the Fathers by the mouth of his holy Prephets when in his appointed time he sent his onely and eternâ—â— Son into the world who took upon him the forme of a servant being made like unto men and did truly take unto him the nature of man with all infirmities belonging thereunto sin onely excepted when he was conceived in the wombe of the blessed Virgin Mary by the power of the holy Ghost without any means of man The which nature of man he put upon him not onely in respect of the body but also in respect of the soule for he had also a true soule to the intent he might be true and perfect man For seeing that as well the soule as the body of man was subject to condemnation it was necessary that Christ should take upon him as well the soule as the body that he might save them both together Therefore contrary to the heresie of the Anabaptists which deny that Christ did take upon him the flesh of man we confesse that Christ was partaker of flesh and blood as the rest of his brethren were that he came from the loynes of David according to the flesh I say that he was made of the seed of David according to the same flesh and that he is a fruit of the Virgins wombe borne of a woman the branch of David a flower of the root of Iesse comming of the tribe of Iuda and of the Iews themselves according to the flesh and to conclude the true seed of Abraham and David the which seed of Abraham he tooke upon him being made in all things like unto his brethren sin onely excepted as hath been said before so that he is indeed our true Emmanuel that is God with us We beleeve also that the person of the Son was by this conception Artic. 19. inseparably united and coupled with the humane nature yet so that there be not two Sons of God nor two persons but two natures joyned together in one person both which natures doe still retaine their owne proprieties So that as the divine nature hath remained alwayes uncreated without the beginning of dayes and tearme of life filling both heaven and earth so the humane nature hath not lost his proprieties but hath remained still a creature having both beginning of dayes and a finite nature For whatsoever doth agree unto a true body that it still retaineth and although Christ by his resurrection hath bestowed immortalitie upon it yet notwithstanding he hath neither taken away the trueth of the humane nature nor altered it For both our salvation and also our resurrection dependeth upon the trueth of Christs bodie Yet these two natures are so united and coupled in one person that they could not no not in his death be separated the one from the other Wherefore that which in his death he commended unto his Father was indeed a humane spirit departing out of his body but in the meane season the divine nature did alwaies remaine joyned to the humane even then when he lay in the grave so that his Deitie was no lesse in him at that time then when as yet he was an infant although for a small season it did not shew forth it selfe Wherefore we confesse that he is true God and true man true God that by his power he might overcome death and true man that in the infirmitie of his flesh he might die for us We beleeve that God which is both perfectly mercifull and Artic. 20. perfectly just did send his Son to take upon him that nature which through disobedience had offended that in the selfe same nature he might satisfie for sinne and by his bitter death and passion pay the punishment that was due unto sinne God therefore hath declared and manifested his justice in his owne Sonne being loaden with our iniquities but hath most mercifully powred forth and declared his gracious goodnesse unto us guiltie wretches and worthie of condemnation whilest that in his incomprehensible love towards us he delivered up his Sonne unto death for our sins and raised him up againe from death for our justification that by him we might obtaine immortalitie and life everlasting We beleeve that Iesus Christ is that high Priest appointed to Artic. 21. that office eternally by the oath of his Father according to the order of Melchisedech which offered himselfe in our name before his Father with a full satisfaction for the pacifying of his wrath laying himselfe upon the altar of the crosse and hath shed his blood for the cleansing of our sins as the Prophets had foretold For it is written that the chastisement of our peace was laid upon the Sonne of God and by his wounds we are healed Also that he was carried as a sheepe unto the slaughter reputed amongst sinners and unjust and condemned of Pontius Pilate as a malefactour though before he had pronounced him guiltlesse Therfore he payed that which he had not taken and being just suffered in soul and body for the unjust in such sort that feeling the horror of those punishments that were due unto our sins he did sweat water and blood and at length cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All which he suffered for the remission of our sins Wherefore we do not without just cause professe w th Paul that we know nothing out Iesus Christ and him crucified and that we doe account all things as dung in respect of the excellent knowledge of Iesus Christ our Lord finding in his wounds and stripes all manner of comfort that can be deserved Wherefore there is no need that either we should wish for any other meanes or devise any of our owne braines whereby we might be reconciled unto God besides this one oblation once offered by the which all the faithfull which are sanctified are consecrated or perfected for ever And this is the cause why he was called the Angel Jesus that is to say a Saviour because he shall save his people from their sinnes Last of all we doe beleeve out of the word of God that out Artic. 37. Lord Iesus Christ when the time appointed by God but unto all creatures unknowne shall come and the number of the elect shall be accomplished shall come againe from heaven and that after a corporall and visible manner as heretofore he hath ascended being adorned with great glory and majestie that he may appeare as Iudge of the quicke and the dead the old world being kindled with fire and flame and purified by it Then * Looke the second observat upon this confession all creatures and as well men as women and children as many as have beene from the beginning and shall be to the end of the world shall appeare before this high Iudge being summoned thither by the voyce of Archangels and the trumpet of God For all that have been dead
you forgivenesse of sinnes Acts 13. and from all things from which ye could not be iustified by the law of Moses by him every one that beleeveth is iustified For in the Law also and in the Prophets we reade that If a controversie were risen amongst any and they came to iudgement the Iudge should Deut. 2. 5. iudge them that is iustifie the righteous and make wicked or condemne the wicked And in the 5. Chapter of Isaiah Woe to them which iustifie the wicked for rewards Now it is most certaine that we are all by nature sinners and before the Iudgement seat of God convicted of ungodlinesse and guilty of death But we are justified that is acquitted from sinne and death by God the Iudge through the grace of Christ alone and not by any respect or merit of ours For what is more plaine then that which Paul saith All have sinned and are destitute of the glory of God and are iustified Rom. 3. freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Iesus For Christ tooke upon himselfe and bare the sinnes of the world and did satisfie the justice of God God therefore is mercifull unto our sinnes for Christ alone that suffered and rose againe and doth not impute them unto us But he imputeth the justice of Christ unto us for our owe so that now we are not onely cleansed 2 Cor. 3. from sinne and purged and holy but also indued with the righteousnesse of Christ yea and acquitted from sinne death and condemnation finally we are righteous and heires of eternall life Rom. 4. To speake properly then it is God alone that justifieth us and that onely for Christ by not imputing unto us our sinnes but imputing Christs righteousnesse unto us But because we doe receive this justification not by any works but by faith in the mercy of God and in Christ therefore we teach and beleeve with the Apostle that sinnefull man is justified onely by faith in Christ not by the law or by any workes For the Apostle saith We conclude that man is iustified by faith without the Rom. 3. Rom. 4. Gen. 15. workes of the law If Abraham was iustified by workes he hath whereof to boast but not with God For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeved God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse But to him that worketh not but beleeveth in him that iustifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse And againe You are saved by grace through faith and that not of your selves Eph. 2. it is the gift of God Not by workes lest any might have cause to boast c. Therefore because faith doth apprehend Christ our rigteousnesse and doth attribute all to the praise of God in Christ in this respect justification is attributed to faith chiefly because of Christ whom it receiveth and not because it is a worke of ours For it is the gift of God Now that we doe receive Christ by faith the Lord sheweth at large John 6. where he putteth eating for beleeving and beleeving for eating For as by eating we receive meate so by beleeving we are made partakers of Christ Therefore we doe not part the benefit of justification giving part to the grace of God or to Christ and a part to our selves our charitie workes or merit but we doe attribute it wholly to the praise of God in Christ and that through faith Moreover our charitie and our works cannot please God if they be done of such are not just wherefore we must first be just before we can love or doe any just workes We are made just as we have said through faith in Christ by the meere grace of God who doth not impute unto us our sinnes but imputeth unto us the righteousnesse of Christ yea and our faith in Christ he imputeth for righteousnesse unto us Moreover the Apostle doth plainly derive love from faith saying The end of the commandement is love proceeding 1 Tim. 1. from a pure heart a good conscience and a faith unfeigned Wherefore in this matter we speake not of a fained vaine or dead faith but of a lively quickning faith which for Christ who is life and giveth life whom it apprehendeth both is indeed and is so called a lively faith and doth prove it selfe to be lively by lively workes And therefore James doth speake nothing contrary to this our doctrine for he speaketh of a vaine and dead faith which certain bragged of but had not Christ living within them by faith And James also saith that workes doe iustifie yet he is not contrarie Iames 2. to Saint Paul for then he were to be rejected but he sheweth that Abraham did shew his lively and justifying faith by workes And so doe all the godly who yet trust in Christ alone not to their owne workes For the Apostle said againe I live Gal. 2. howbeit not I but Christ liveth in me But the life which now I live in the flesh I live through the faith of the Sonne of God who loved me and gave himselfe for me I doe not despise the grace of God for if righteousnesse bee by the law then Christ died in vaine c. Of faith and good workes Of their reward and of mans merit CHAP. 16. CHristian faith is not an opinion or humane perswasion but a sure trust and an evident and steadfast assent of the minde to be briefe a most sure comprehension of the truth of God set forth in the Scriptures and in the Apostles Creede yea and of God himselfe the chiefe blessednesse and especially of Gods promise and of Christ who is the consummation of all the promises And this faith is the meere gift of God because God alone of his power doth give it to his elect according to measure and that when to whom and how much he will and that by his holy spirit through the meanes of preaching the Gospel and of faithfull prayer This faith hath also her increases which unlesse they were likewise given of God the Apostle would never have said Lord Luke 11. increase our faith Now all these things which we have said hitherto of faith the Apostles taught them before us even as we set them downe for Paul saith Faith is the ground or sure subsistence Heb. 11. of things hopeed for and the evidence or cleare and certaine comprehension of things which are not seene And againe he saith that all the promises of God in Christ are yea and in Christ are Amen 2 Cor. 1. And the same Apostle saith to the Philippians that it was given them to beleeve in Christ And also God doth distribute unto Rom. 12. 2 Thess 2 and 3. every man a measure of faith And againe All men have not faith and all doe not obey the Gospel Besides Luke witnesseth and saith As many as were ordained to life beleeved And therefore he also calleth faith The faith of Gods elect And againe Faith
sinne is they confirme in men an evill securitie and many false opinions Againe what can be more miserable then either to obscure or to be ignorant of this great benefit namely the remission of sinnes and deliverance from eternall death seeing that there is no difference betwixt the Church and other men when as the light is extinguished concerning free remission of sinnes for the Sonnes sake and concerning Faith whereby remission must be received neither is there any other comfort drawing us backe from eternall death neither can there be any true Invocation without this comfort and God himselfe hath so often commanded that his Son should be heard and the Gospel kept which is a wonderfull decree brought forth out of the secret counsell of the Godhead when it was hid from all creatures therefore it is most necessary that the true doctrine touching remission of sinnes should be kept undefiled But in all ages even from our first fathers time the devils have scattered subtill delusions against the true doctrine concerning the Sonne of God and especially in this article whom notwithstanding God hath oftentimes refuted good teachers being againe raised up that the Church might not utterly perish Adam Seth Noe Sem Abraham Isaac Iacob and others after them did shew the true difference betwixt the Church of God and other men and taught that to the Church was given the promise touching the Mediatour the Sonne of God and touching remission of sinnes and that this remission is to be received freely for the Mediatours sake And they tied Invocation to this God which had manifested himselfe by giving a promise concerning the Mediatour and they had externall rites given them of God which were signes of the promise and the sinewes of the publike Congregation These rites did a great part of the multitude imitate omitting the doctrine of the promises and faith and when they had devised this perswasion that men by observing these rites might deserve remission of sins they heaped up many ceremonies and by little and little boldnesse went so far as commonly it cometh to passe that divers men devised divers gods So the heathen departed from the true Church of God and from the knowlege of the true God and the promise of the Redeemer The same thing also hapned after Moses his time Ceremonies were appointed for this cause that they should be admonitions of the Mediatour of the Doctrine of Faith of free remission for the Mediatours sake But they feigned that sinnes were forgiven for those rites and sacrifices and by this superstition they heaped up sacrifices and forgot the Mediatour and were without true comfort and without true invocation The same thing hapned also after the Apostles time the light of the Gospel being lost wherin is propounded free remission for the Mediatours sake and that to be received by Faith They sought remission by Monasticall exercises by single life by divers observations by the offering in the Masse by the intercession of dead men and many monstrous superstitions were devised as the histories of the whole Church which succeeded the Apostles doe declare Against these errors the infinite mercy of God hath oftentimes restored the voyce of the Gospel And as among the people of Israel he did often raise up Prophets which should purge the doctrine diligently so in the Church after the Apostles time when the writings of Origen and Pelagius and the superstition of the people had corrupted the purity of the Gospel yet notwithstanding as in a myst the light of the Gospel was again kindled by Augustine and him followed Prosper Maximus and others who reproved the false opinions touching this Article Afterward when the Monkes were sprung up and that opinion which feigneth men to merit by their works was a fresh spread abroad yet there was some of a better judgement although they added stubble to the foundation as Huge Bernard Gilbert William of Paris Tauler Ambrose Wesell and others in other places And now by the voyce of Luther the doctrine of the Gospel is more cleered and more evidently restored and the Lambe shewed unto us as the Baptist saith Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World He that beleeveth in the Sonne hath eternall life he that beleeveth not the wrath of God abideth on him The same voyce of the Gospel our Churches doe publish and that without corruption and we doe discerne that discipline or righteousnesse which a man not regenerate may performe from the righteousnesse of faith and that newnesse whereof the Gospel doth preach We say that all men are to be restrained by discipline that is by that righteousnes which even the unregenerate ought after a sort may performe which is an obedience in externall actions according to all the commandements of God appertaining to all men * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession Because that God left this libertie in man after his fall that the outward members might after a sort obey reason and the will in stirring up or omitting outward motions as Achilles may draw his sword or put it up into the sheath Scipio may restraine his members so that he meddle not with another mans wife as in their place these things are truely and copiously declared Now it is most certaine that this discipline is commanded of God and that the breaking thereof is punished with present and eternall punishments even in those which are not converted unto God according to those sayings The law was made for the uniust He that taketh the sword shall perish with the sword Also Fornicatours and adulterers the Lord will iudge Also Wee unto thee which spoilest because thou shalt be spoiled And although all men ought to governe their manners by this discipline and God doth severely command that all kingdomes should defend this discipline and he by horrible punishments doth declare his wrath against this outward contumacie yet this externall discipline even where it is most honest is not a fulfilling of the law neither doth it deserve remission of sinnes neither is it that righteousnesse whereby we are accepted before God nor that light shining in the nature of men as righteousnesse shined in us in our creation or as new righteousnesse shall shine in us in the life eternall But all this discipline is an externall government such as it is like unto the leafe of a figge tree where with our first parents after their fall did cover their nakednesse neither doth it any more take away sinne and the corruption of nature and death then those figge leaves did Hence it is that Paul doth so often cry out that sinne is not taken away by the law Rom. 3. By the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified in his sight And Rom. 8. When it was impossible to the law to iustifie c. And Gal. 2. If righteousnesse doth come by the law then Christ died in vaine And Tit. 3. Not by the workes of righteousnesse which we
have done but according to his mercy he hath saved us And it is a reproch unto the Sonne of God to imagine that any our workes are merits or the price of remission of sinnes and that they are propitiations for sinnes Therefore we doe openly condemne those Pharisaicall and Pelagian doting dreames which feigne that that discipline is a fulfilling of the law of God also that it doth deserve remission either of congruity or of condignity or that it is a righteousnesse whereby men are made acceptable to God And after a few pages in the same Article Seeing that the minde is raised up by this faith it is certain that remission of sinnes reconciliation and imputing of righteousnesse is given for the merit of Christ alone and that Christ is effectuall in us and doth by his holy spirit quicken the beleveers and deliver us from eternall death and withall make us heires of eternall life So saith Paul Rom. 3. We conclude that man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law Also we are iustified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood And Acts 10. To him give all the Prophets witnesse that all that beleeve in him shall receive remission of sinnes Now the words are knowne and manifest Faith doth signifie not onely the knowledge of the historie for that is also in the Devils of whom it is said The devils doe beleeve and tremble but it doth signifie to embrace all the Articles of Faith and among those this article I do beleeve the remission of sinnes neither doe I beleeve that it is onely given to others but to me also This faith is also a confidence resting in the Mediatour according to that Being iustified by faith we have peace So that Paul speaketh of faith which consenting to all the articles of the Creed doth behold and imbrace the promise for it joyneth together faith and the promise Rom. 4. Therefore is it by faith that the promise might be sure In expounding the word Iustified it is usually said To be Iustified doth signifie of unrighteous to be made righteous which being rightly understood doth agree also to our purpose Of unrighteous to be made righteous that is acquitted from the guilt for the Sonne of God his sake that is laying hold by faith upon Christ himselfe who is our righteousnesse as Jeremie and Paul doe say because that by his merit we have remission and God doth impute his righteousnesse to us and for him doth account us just and by giving his holy Spirit doth quicken and regenerate us as it is said Iohn 5. This is life in his Sonne He that hath the Sonne hath eternall life he that hath not the Sonne of God hath not life And Rom. 3. That he may be iust and a iustifier And although newnesse is withall begun which shall be perfect in the life eternall whereunto we are redeemed yet neither for the new qualities nor for any works is any man in this life made just that is acceptable to God and heire of eternall life but onely for the Mediatours sake who suffered rose againe reigneth and prayeth for us shadowing and quickning us For although vertues are here begun yet be they still imperfect and the reliques of sinne do stick in us Therefore we must hold this comfort that the person is accepted for the Sonne of God his sake his righteousnesse being imputed to us as it is said Rom. 4. Abraham beleeved God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Also Blessed are they whose iniquities be forgiven and whose sins be covered Therefore this saying must be understood correlatively We are iustified by faith that is we are justified by confidence in the Son of God not for our qualitie but because he is the reconciler in whom the heart doth rest in confidence of the promised mercy for his sake Which confidence he doth raise up in us by his holy Spirit as Paul saith Ye have received the spirit of the adoption of the sons by whom we cry Abba father Here also we must speake of the exclusive member Paul doth often repeat the word Freely by which it is most certaine that the condition of our merits is excluded Therefore it is said in our Churches We are iustified by Faith aboue which we so understand and declare Freely for the onely mediatours sake not for our contrition or other our merits we have our sinnes forgiven us and are reconciled to God For although contrition and many other vertues are together with Faith or with this confidence kindled in us yet these vertues are not the cause or the merit of the Remission of sinnes neither doth the person please God in regard of them according to that saying No man living shall be iustified in thy sight but the person hath remission and doth certainly please God by reason of the Mediatour who must be apprehended by faith as it is said Eph. 3. By whom we have boldnesse and entrance with confidence by faith in him This whole doctrine is more manifest in the true conversion and daily invocation of the godly When we are in great feare by the knowledge of the wrath of God this one comfort is firme and sure to flie to the Son of God who faith Come unto me all ye that labour and are laden and I will refresh you Also As I live I will not the death of a sinner but that he returne and live Also Grace aboundeth more then sinne In these griefes if man be taught to doubt of the remission of sinnes sorrow will have the upper hand and then follow most grievous murmurings against God and desperation and eternall death but if man be caught that doubting is to be overcome by faith then shall he understand that by the word Faith is not onely signified the knowledge of the story he shall know that confidence doth relie upon the only Mediator and he shall perceive what is meant by these words Freely for the Mediatours sake remission is received by faith alone and so the person is made acceptable This wrastling hath at all times instructed some For though Origen and many other writers and sententiaries have brought forth an impure kind of doctrine yet in Augustine certain others we reade divers sentences which shew that they also received comfort out of these true fountains Who although they do sometime speak unproperly or things unlike because they were somewhat negligent in speaking yet we may easily gather what was their perpetuall judgement if we will judge aright Augustine upon the Psal 31. saith Who be happie not they in whom God shall not finde sins for those he findeth in all men For all men have sinned and are destitute of the glory of God Therefore if sinnes be found in all men it is evident that none are happie but those whose sins be forgiven This therefore the Apostle did thus commend Abraham
holy Ghost doe quicken our hearts when as by faith they are raised up in this comfort as Paul saith Galat. 3. That ye might receive the promise of the spirit through faith Therefore we doe not speake of an idle faith and the unskilfull are deceived whiles they thinke that remission of sinnes doth happen to such as are idle without a certain motion of the minde without wrastling and without a feeling comfort of in true griefes in that age which now is able to understand the voice of doctrine according to that saying Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God And because that in repentance we propound comfort unto the conscience * Looke the 6. observation upon the August confess we doe not here adde questions of predestination or of election but we lead all Readers to the word of God and exhort them to learne the will of God out of his word as the eternall Father by expresse voice commanded Heare him Let them not looke for other revelations Hitherto also pertaineth the fifth Article Of new obedience THE whole benefit of the Son of God is to be considered for he will so take away sinne and death and deliver us from the kingdome of the Devill that sinne being altogether abolished and death vanquished he may restore unto us eternall life wherein God may communicate unto us his wisdome righteousnesse and joy and wherein God may be all in all This great benefit he doth begin in this miserable lumpe of ours in this life as it is written 2 Cor. 5. If so be we shall be found cloathed and not naked Also Matth. 10. They that shall continue to the end shall be saved Therefore when we receive remission of sins and are reconciled and sealed by the holy Ghost it is a horrible madnesse to waste these good gifts as these wasters are described in the parable of the house that was made cleane and in the second Epistle of Peter Chap. 2. it is said If they after they have escaped from the filthinesse of the world are yet tangled againe therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them then the beginning Now these good gifts are wasted or powred out if a man doe not hold the foundation that is the Articles of Faith and either willingly or being deceived imbraceth wicked opinions or Idols also if a man doe fall grievously against his conscience These rules are oftentimes repeated as Galat. 5. They which doe such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God Therefore it is necessarie to have a care to avoide such falls If this manifest necessitie the great punishment to wit the losse of eternall life being set before their eyes doe not moove some to doe good works they shew themselves to be of the number of those of whom it is said 1 Joh. 3. He that committeth sin is of the Devill Also If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is not his And there be many causes of this necessitie First a debt that is an immutable order that the creatures should obey God Therefore Paul saith Rom. 8. Ye are debters Also lest the holy Ghost and faith be shaken of let there be a care to avoyd present punishments because it is most certaine that many falles even of the Elect are fearefully punished in this life as the Church speaketh in Micheas chap. 7. I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned against him And the Histories of all times doe containe fearefull examples of punishments as David Salomon Manasses Josias Nabuchodonozor and innumerable others were grievously punished Wherein this is most to be lamented that in the very punishments many sinnes are heaped up as in the sedition raised up against David and in the renting of the kingdome for the sinne of Salomon And touching the necessitie of doing good works the Lord saith Matth. 5. Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and of the Pharisees ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven The necessitie which is manifold being thus considered there questions insue thereupon what works are to be done How they may be done In what sort they doe please God What rewards they have what is the difference of sins * Looke the first observat upon this confession in the fourth Section what sins doe shake of the holy Ghost and what not What works are to be done IT is the will of God that Faith and works be governed by his word Therefore we must keepe the rule touching good works both internall and externall contained in the commandements of God which doe pertaine to us as it is said Ezech. 23. Walke ye in my commandements And these internall and externall works doe then become the worship of God when they be done in faith and are referred to this end that God by this obedience may be glorified Now we have shewed before that even the unregenerate may performe this externall obedience or discipline as Cicero liveth honestly and for his pains in government deserveth well of all mankinde but his minde is full of doubts touching the Providence of God neither doth he know nor speake unto the true God in invocation neither doth he know the promises and he alwaies doubteth whether he be heard especially when he is in misery and then is he angry with God and thinketh that he is unjustly punished seeing he was a honest Citizen and profitable for the Common-wealth Such darknesse in the minde is great sinne such as reason not being illuminated by God is is not able to judge of Therefore inward obedience true knowledge of God the feare of God sorrowes in repentance trust to obtaine mercie promised for the Sonne of God invocation hope love joy in God and other vertues must be begun also in the regenerate and they must be referred to a proper end to wit that God may be obeyed These kindes of true worship cannot be given unto God without the light of the Gospel and without faith which our adversaries who will seeme to be jolly preachers of good workes do neither understand nor require seeing they omit the doctrine of faith which is a confidence to obtaine mercy resting in the Sonne of God which is an especiall worke and the chiefe worship of God Of workes not commanded of God we shall speake hereafter and we must hold fast that rule Matth. 15. In vaine doe they worship me with the commandements of men And in the Church in falleth out oftentimes that ceremonies devised by men are more carefully kept then the commandements of God yea the authoritie of Pharisaicall and unjust traditions is preferred before the the commandement of God as in many ages for the unjust and wicked commandement of single life the commandement of God concerning true chastitie was horribly violated Therefore we must consider of the difference of the law whereof we will speake againe hereafter How good workes may be done GReat is the infirmitie of man
they set their mindes upon the body of Christ when they see the cup they set their mindes upon the blood of Christ when they see the bread broken and the wine poured out they consider how that the body of Christ was tormented and his blood poured out for their sakes as by bread the bodies are nourished and strengthened as by wine the mindes are made merry so the godly doe beleeve that by the body of the Lord delivered unto death for them they are fed to everlasting life also that by his blood poured out upon the crosse their consciences are renewed to conclude they doe feele the quickning power of Christ which doth confirme them In this sort is the Supper of the Lord accomplished spiritually thus are the bread and wine a Sacrament unto us and not bare and naked signes Hereupon now ariseth a very great rejoycing and thanksgiving for so great benefits also a praising and confessing of the name of God here those works which the Lord once finished are renued and represented but especially the death of the Lord is repeated which although it once hapned and now is past yet unto the faithfull it is as yet fresh and present For the remembrance of the death of Christ which we make in the Supper is farre more noble and holy then theirs who in some prophane banquet are mindfull of their companion when they drinke the wine that he gave them For among these he that is absent worketh nothing but in this holy Supper of the faithfull the Lord is present and doth worke effectually by the spirit in the hearts of them as he who according to his promises is in the middest of them By these things it is most evident that in the holy Supper we doe not take away our Lord Christ from his Church not deny that his body and blood is there received to be our nourishment unto life eternall but we together with our predecessours and the chiefe Prelates of our Religion did and as yet to this day doe deny that the very body of Christ is eaten carnally or that it is present every where corporally and after a naturall manner For we doe openly confesse according to the Scriptures and with all the holy Fathers that Iesus Christ our Lord left this world and went to his Father and that he now sitteth at the right hand of his Father in heavenly glory from whence he shall never descend or be drawne downe into this earthly and transitory world For the true presence of Christ in the Supper is heavenly not earthly or carnall Also we denie that the bread is turned into the body of Christ miraculously so that the bread should become the very body of Christ naturally and substantially yet after a spirituall manner To conclude we denie that the body of Christ is united with the signes by any other then a mysticall meane whereof we have spoken sufficiently in the generall consideration of a Sacrament Seeing therefore we have expressely said and written with the holy Fathers Tertullian Hâ—erome Ambrose and Augustine that the bread is a figure token and signe of the body of Christ and also that by bread and wine the body and blood of the Lord are signified This is it which we would make manifest to wit that the bread is not the very body of the Lord but a token or a Sacrament of his body And yet we do not therefore speake these things as though we did simply deny all kinde of the presence of Christ in the Supper for that kinde of presence which now we have confessed doth remaine true without any prejudice to these kinde of speeches Moreover the word This in this sentence This is my body doth not onely shew bread unto our corporall eyes but therewith also it she weth the very body of Christ unto the eyes of our minde Also we confesse that this use of the Supper is so holy and profitable that whosoever shall worthily that is with a true faith eate of this bread and drinke of this Cup of the Lord he doth receive heavenly gifts from the Lord but Whosoever shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup unworthily that is without faith by which alone we are made partakers of the Lord and of salvation He doth eate and drinke iudgement unto himselfe as Paul wrote to the Corinthians Wherefore we doe often put this diligently into the heads of our people that they take heed that none of them abuse the Lords table but that every one examine himselfe and then eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. Also the Lords Supper is a badge unto us for as one loafe and one wine are made of many graines and grapes so we being the whole multitude of the faithfull are gathered together to be one bread and one body By this we testifie in an outward profession that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ and made the members of Christ to whom we give thanks in whom we are confederates and doe promise to performe mutuall duties one toward another Out of the Confession of BASILL Of the Supper of the Lord. VVE confesse that the Lord Iesus did institute his holy Supper Artic. 6. that his holy passion might be remembred with thanksgiving his death declared and Christian charitie and unitie with true faith testified And as in Baptisme wherein the washing away of our sins is offered by the Minister of the Church and yet is wrought onely by the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost true water remaineth so also in the Supper of the Lord wherein together with the bread and wine of the Lord the true body and the true blood of Christ is offered by the Minister of the Church bread and wine remaineth Moreover we doe firmely beleeve that Christ himselfe is the meat of faithfull soules unto life eternall and that our soules by faith in Christ crucified are fed and moistned with the flesh blood of Christ so that we being Joh. 11. Eph. 1. 4. 5. Col. 1. members of his body as of our onely head doe live in him and he in us wherein at the last day through him and in him we shall rise againe to eternall joy and blessednesse And in the marginall note upon these words Our soules For it is a spirituall meate and therefore it is received of a faithfull soule that is the soules are made full strong mightie peaceable quiet merrie and lively to all things as the body is by the corporall meate Also upon those words The members of the head And so man is made a spirituall member of the spirituall bodie of Christ And in the margent upon these words To be present to wit Sacramentally and by a remembrance of faith which lifteth up a mans minde to heaven and doth not pull down Christ according to his humanitie from the right hand of God Now we doe not include into the bread and drinke of the Lord the naturall true and substantiall body
he hath praised the divine gifts then he maketh the holy and most excellent mysteries and those things which before he had praised being covered and hid under reverent signes he bringeth into sight and reverently shewing forth the divine gifts both he himselfe doth turne to the holy participation thereof and doth exhort the others to participate them to conclude when the holy communion is received and delivered to all he rendering thanks doth make an end of these mysteries Therefore we thinke it necessary to the remining of the institution of Christ in the celebration of the Eucharist and that we may follow the example of the ancient and true Catholike Church that the private Masses of the Priests may be abrogated and that the publique communion of the Lords Supper may be restored Another errour is this that the Eucharist is such a sacrifice as ought to be offered daily in the Church for the purging of the sinnes of the quicke and the dead and for the obtaining of other benefits both corporall and spirituall This error is evidently contrary to the Gospel of Christ which witnesseth That Christ by one oblation once onely made hath made perfect for ever those that be sanctified And because that Christ by his passion and death hath purchased remission of sinnes for us which also is declared unto us by the Gospel in the new Testament therefore it is not lawfull to sacrifice any more for sinne for the Epistle to the Hebrewes saith Where there is remission of sinnes there is no further oblation for sinne For whereas Christ saith Doe this in remembrance of me he doth not command to offer his body and blood in the Supper unto God but to the Church that the Church by eating the bodie and drinking the blood of Christ and by shewing forth the benefit of his death may be admonished of that oblation of the body and blood of Christ which was made once onely on the Crosse for the purging of our sins For so Paul doth interpret this saying of Christ saying So often as ye shall eate he doth not say offer this bread and drinke this cup shew ye forth the death of the Lord till he come And truly we confesse that the ancient Ecclesiasticall writers did call the Eucharist a sacrifice and an oblation but they expound themselves that by the name of Sacrifice they meane a remembrance a shewing forth or a preaching of that Sacrifice which Christ did once offer upon the Crosse as also they call the memoriall of the Passeover and of Pentecost the Passeover and Pentecost it selfe The third errour is this that many doe thinke that the oblation as they call it of the Eucharist is not of it selfe a propitiation for sinnes but that it doth apply the propitiation and merit of Christ to the quick and the dead But we have already shewed that the Eucharist properly is not an oblation but is so called because it is a remembrance of the oblation which was once made on the Crosse Moreover the application of the merit of Christ is not made by any other outward instrument then by the preaching of the Gospel of Christ and by dispensing those Sacraments which Christ hath instituted for this use and the merit of Christ being offered and applied is not received but by faith Mark 16. Preach the Gospel to every creature For by the ministerie of the Gospel the benefits of Christ be offered and applied to creatures that is either to the Iewes or to the Gentiles And it followeth He that shall beleeve and be baptised he shall be saved because that by the receiving of the Sacrament and by faith the benefits offered and applied be received Rom. 1. The Gospel is the power of God to salvation to every one that beleeveth that is the ministery of the Gospel is the instrument ordained of God whereby God is able and effectuall to save all those which beleeve the Gospel Therefore the preaching of the Gospel doth offer or if it liketh any man so to speake doth apply salvation to all men but faith doth receive salvation offered and applied Now in the private Masse bread and wine are so handled that the Priest doth neither publikely declare the Gospel of Christ but doth softly mumble up to himselfe certaine words and especially the words of the Supper or of consecration neither doth he distribute bread and wine to others but he alone taketh them therefore there can be no applying of the merit of Christ in the private Masse This did our true Catholique Elders well perceive who as we have declared before did so severely require that they which were present at the Masse and did not communicate should be excommunicated The fourth errour is this which we have already touched in that they doe require that the words of the Supper or of consecration may be rehearsed softly in the Eucharist seeing that these words are a part of that Gospel which according to the commandement of Christ is to be preached to all creatures For although our Ancestors did sometimes call the Eucharist a mystery yet they did not so call it with this purpose that they would not have the words of the Supper to be rehearsed before the Church in the Eucharist publikely and in a tongue commonly knowne but because that in the Eucharist one thing is seene and another thing understood For Christ himselfe is also called a mysterie who neverthelesse is not to be hid but to be preached to all creatures And because that in the receiving of the Sacrament it is necessarily required that we should have faith and faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the wora of God it is most necessarie that in the Eucharist the word of the Supper that is the word of the Sonne of God should be publiquely rehearsed for this word is the preaching of the Gospel and the shewing forth of the death of Christ Therefore that the Church may understand what is done in the Eucharist and what is offered unto her to be received and that she may confirme her faith it is necessary that in the Eucharist the words of the Lords Supper should be rehearsed publiquely The fifth errour is this that one part of the Eucharist is used in shew of a singular worship of God to be carried about and to be laid up But the holy Ghost doth forbid that any worship of God should be appointed without the expresse commandement of God Deut. 12. You shall not doe every one of you that which seemeth good in his owne eyes And againe That which I command thee that onely shalt thou doe to the Lord see that thou adde nothing thereunto nor detract any thing from it And Matth. 15. In vaine do they worship me teaching for doctrines the precepts of men Clemens in his second Epistle to James and in three Chapters De Consecr Dist 2. saith Certainely so great burnt offerings are offered on the Altar as may be sufficient for the people if so be that
any thing remaine till the next day let them not be kept but with feare and trembling by the diligence of the Clearkes let them be consumed We are not ignorant how they use to delude these words of Clemens by feigning a difference betwixt the worke of those that are ready to die and those that be ready to consecrate But it is evident that the bread which useth to be carried about and to be laid up to be adored is not reserved for those that be weake but in the end is received of them that doe consecrate Cyrill or as others thinke Origen upon the seventh Chapter of Levit. saith For the Lord concerning that bread which he gave to his Disciples said unto them Take it and eate it c. He did not differ it neither did he command it to be reserved till the next day Peradventure there is this mysterie also contained therein that he doth not command the bread to be carried in the high way that thou maist alwaies bring forth the fresh loaves of the word of God which thou carriest within thee c. Out of the Confession of SUEVELAND Of the Eucharist CHAP. 18. AS touching this reverent Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ all those things which the Evangelists Paul and the holy Fathers have left in writing thereof our men doe sincerely teach commend and inculcate and thence they doe with a singular indeavour alwaies publish this goodnesse of Christ towards his whereby he doth no lesse at this day then he did in that his last Supper vouchsafe to give by the Sacraments his true bodie and his true blood to be eaten and to be drunke indeed as the meate and drinke of their soules whereby they may be nourished unto life eternall he giveth it I say to all those who from their hearts have their names to be reckoned among his disciples when as they doe receive this Supper according to his institution so that now he may live and abide in them and they in him and be raised up by him in the last day to a new and immortall life according to those words of eternall truth Take and eate This is my body c. Drinke ye all of this This cup is my blood c. Now our Preachers doe most diligently withdraw the mindes of the people both from all contention and also from all superfluous and curious inquirie unto that which onely is profitable and whereunto onely Christ our Saviour had respect to wit that being fed with him we may live in him and through him and leade such a life as is acceptable to God holy and therefore everlasting and blessed and withall that we among our selves may be one bread and one body which are partakers of one bread in that holy Supper Whereby it cometh to passe that we doe very religiously and with a singular reverence both administer and receive the Divine Sacraments that is the holy Supper of Christ By these things which are thus indeed as we have set them downe your sacred Majestie O most gracious Emperour doth know how falsely our adversaries doe boast that our men doe change the words of Christ and teare them in peeces by humane glosses and that in our Suppers nothing is administred but meere bread and meere wine and also that among us the Supper of the Lord is contemned and rejected For our men doe very carefully teach and exhort that every man doe in a simple faith imbrace these words of the Lord rejecting all devises of men and false glosses and removing away all kinde of wavering doe wholly addict their minde to the true meaning thereof and to conclude doe oftentimes with as great reverence as they may receive the Sacraments to be the lively food of their soules and to stirre up in them a gratefull remembrance of so great a benefit the which thing also useth now to be done among us much more often and reverently then heretofore was used Moreover our Preachers have alwaies hitherto and at this day doe offer themselves with all modestie and truth to render a reason of their faith and doctrine touching all those things which they beleeve and teach as well about the Sacrament as about other things and that not onely to your Sacred Majestie but also to every one that shall demand it Of the Masse CHAP. 19. FVrthermore seeing that after this manner Christ hath instituted his Supper which afterward began to be called the Masse to wit that therein the faithfull being fed with his body and blood unto life eternall should shew forth his death whereby they are redeemed our Preachers by this mean giving thanks and also cōmending this salvation unto others could not chuse but condemne it that these things were every where neglected And on the other side they which do celebrate the Masses do presume to offer up Christ unto his Father for the quicke and the dead and they make the Masse to be such a worke as that by it alone almost the favour of God and salvation is obtained howsoever they doe either beleeve or live Whereupon that most shamefull and twise and thrise impious sale of this Sacrament hath crept in and thereby it is come to passe that nothing at this day is more gainefull then the Masse Therefore they rejected private Masses because the Lord did commend this Sacrament to his Disciples to be used in common Whereupon Paul commandeth the Corinthians when they are to celebrate the holy Supper to stay 1. Cor. 11. one for another and denieth that they doe celebrate the Lords Supper when as every man taketh his own Supper whilest they be eating Moreover whereas they boast that they doe offer up Christ instead of a sacrifice they are therefore condemned of our men because that the Epistle to the Hebrews doth plainly witnesse that as men doe once die so Christ was once offered that he Heb. 5. might take away the sinnes of many and that he can no more be offered againe then he may die againe and therefore having offered one sacrifice for sinnes he sitteth for ever at the right hand of God waiting for that which remaineth to wit that his enemies as it Heb. 10. were a footstoole may be trodden under his feet For with one oblation hath he consecrated for ever them that are sanctified And whereas they have made the Masse to be a good worke whereby any thing may be obtained at Gods hands our Preachers have taught that it is repugnant to that which the Scripture doth teach in every place that we are justified and receive the favour of God by the spirit of Christ and by faith for which matter we alledged before many testimonies out of the Scriptures So in that the death of the Lord is not commended to the people in the Masse our Preachers have shewed that it is contrary to that that Christ commanded to receive these Sacraments in remembrance of himselfe and Paul that we might shew forth the death of
your fathers but walke in my commandements And often are such warnings repeated And Psal 1 18. Thy word is a lanterne to my feet And Numb 15. Let them not follow their owne imaginations The third error is this Hypocrites doe imagine that such works are a kinde of perfection as Monks doe preferre their vowes full of vanitie before the civill and housholders life whereas God by his wonderfull providence hath so joyned mankinde together in fellowship and in these travels and dangers would have our faith prayer and confession or liberalitie one toward another or patience and other vertues to be tried The fourth errour is the opinion of necessitie as some doe write That the fasting of Lent is necessary and other things are arbitrary Neither is it onely a torment of conscience to judge that he is no Christian nor member of the Church of God that eateth flesh on the Saturday or observeth not the fast of Lent but it is also an error that darkeneth great matters as the doctrine of the righteousnes of the Gospel and of the Church what manner of Church it is and how the members of the Church are to be discerned not by meat and drink but by faith prayer and other vertues And against the opinion of necessitie it is expresly said Col. 2. Let no man iudge you in meat or drinke And Gal. 5. Stand in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not againe intangled with the yoke of bondage And that opinion of necessitie hath alwaies bread great discord as in time past there was great contention about Easter day and about leven and now also many such like contentions have risen The fifth errour To the former opinions this errour also is added that the Bishops take to themselves authoritie to ordaine new kinds of worship and to binde consciences as Gregory hath ordained That married men translated to the order of priesthood should forsake the company of their wives and the constitution of confession commandeth to recken up sins and decrees have been made of differences of meats and fasting and such like Of such traditions there are also late bookes set forth full of labyrinths wherein it is written that the transgressions of such ceremonies are mortall sins yea though they be committed without giving offence to others Gerson sought for some mittigations but the true comfort is the voice of the Gospel which would have the understanding of this liberty to be made knowne and maintained in the Church namely by removing those errors whereof hath been spoken But ceremonies invented by man such as are seemely devised for order may be observed without any opinion of merit worship or necessitie as hath been aforesaid out of the Col. 2. Let no man iudge you in meat or drinke And Peter saith Act. 15. Why do ye tempt God laying upon the necks of the disciples a yoke which neither your fathers nor we were able to beare The third rule Those errors being removed whereof the Church must needs be admonished afterward we both observe certain ceremonies which are comely and made for good order and also teach that they ought to be observed even as men cannot live without order And Paul saith 1 Cor. 14. Let all things be done decently and in order And there is a saying of Athanasius Ceremonies are profitable but with knowledge of the truth and in measure It is plain that this last word is opposed to superstition which then also daily increased ceremonies and darkened the truth and burdened consciences and the Churches But we thank God the everlasting Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who for his Son and by him gathereth an eternall Church for that even from the first beginning of mankind he hath preserved the publike ministery of the Gospel and honest assemblies who himselfe also hath set apart certain times for the same and we pray him that henceforth he wil save and govern his Church And we diligently teach that all men ought to help to maintain the publike ministerie and avoid offences and dislentions that scatter the Church as in it proper place more at large is declared Out of the Confession of WIRTEMBERGE Of Ecclesiasticall Ceremonies VVE acknowledge that by Christ the Sonne of God two Artic. 35. Ceremonies were ordained in the Church Baptisme and the Lords Supper which are also to be observed according to the institution of Christ We confesse also that the Apostles did appoint certaine ordinances in the Church That all things be done decently and in order as Paul speaketh such as they be that are set downe 1 Cor. 14. and 1. Tim. 2. The Apostles also in ordaining Ministers of the Church used laying on of hands which being retained out of the custome of the old Law and not being commanded to the Church may be freely observed They ordained also in the Acts of the Apostles That the Gentiles should beware of eating of that which was strangled and of blood not that this observation should be for ever among the Gentiles but for a time and so long to continue till this eating were no more offensive We confesse this also that it is lawfuâ—l for the Bishops with with the consent of their Church to appoint holy days lessons Sermons for edifying for instruction in the true faith in Christ But it is not lawfull for them to thrust upon the Church the ceremonies of the old law for the holy service wherewithall God alone is worshipped Neither is it lawfull either to restore the old ceremonies of the law or devise new to shadow forth the truth already laid open and brought to light by the Gospel as in the day light to set up candles to signifie the light of the Gospel or to carrie banners and crosses to signifie the victory of Christ through the Crosse Of which sort is all that whole furniture of massing attire which they say doth shadow out the whole passion of Christ and many other things of that kinde Much lesse is it lawfull to ordain ceremonies and holy rites by the merit whereof sin may be purged the kingdome of heaven purchased For of that former kind of ceremonies and holy rites Christ out of Esay preacheth saying In vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the precepts of men And Paul saith Let no man iudge you in meat or drink or part of an holy day or of the new Moone c. Hitherto may be added the testimonies of Augustine others touching the observation of such ceremonies But touching the latter kind of ceremonies it is manifest that they are wicked rites reprochful to the death and resurrection of Christ by whose onely merit we have deliverance from sin and inheritance of eternall life by faith Out of the Confession of SUEVELAND Of humane Traditions CHAP. 14. FVrthermore touching the traditions of the Fathers or such as the Bishops and Churches doe at this day ordaine this is the opinion of our men They reckon no traditions
quietly and soberly conferre with their brethren of what things they shall think good rather then themselves to slander and give the adversaries occasion to rayle upon the Gospel But if they will not do it let this publique and everlasting monument witnes to all that come after that we all of our side are and shall be free not only from the grievous reproches with which we are undeservedly laden but also without blame of all the hurly burlies and dissentions that have been hitherto and that which God forbid are peradventure like to be more grievous unlesse it be speedily prevented on both sides And seeing in this Harmonie we speake not onely with our owne but even with the mouth of all those Nations whose Confessions we have brought into one forme of one and the same doctrine we hope it will come to passe that not so much the several names of the French Belgia and other Confessions shall hereafter be heard as that one onely universall simple plaine and absolute Confession of all the Churches speaking as it were with one and the same tongue of Chanaan shall be seene and that they who were thought to be farre wide as hath hitherto not altogether without desert by reason of over many mens private writings beene thought of us and the brethren of the Confession of Auspurge if so be that men keep within the bounds of the Confessions and all cavilling and sophistrie be laid aside and as well faithfull as favourable exposition be admitted shall be thought very neerely to agree in all things And this was the cause why we desired to put the Confession of Auspurge together also with that of Saxony and Wirtemberge in this Harmonie that it might be the more easily kuowne that both we agree with them in all particular points of faith and that there are very few matters hanging in controversie between us For concerning that doubt about the Lords Supper in the thing and of the thing it selfe there is no strife we differ in certaine adjuncts and circumstances of the thing In the thing it selfe I say we agree although as the gifts of God are divers so some doe more plainely some doe not so plainly and perhaps not so fitly utter that which they thinke For we all acknowledge that the holy signs have not a bare signification but that by the ordinance of God they assure our consciences that the things themselves are as truly and certainly given of God to all that come as the signes themselves are given by Gods Minister But this question remaineth whether as the signe so also the present thing it selfe be given to the body or rather the present signe be given to the body but the present thing given onely to the minde and faith Againe whether as both be given to all so both be received of all of some unto life and of other some unto death In like sort we all beleeve the true Communication of the true body and the true blood of our Lord Iesus Christ The controversie standeth in the manner of communicating but who may therefore of right think that the holy unitie of the Churches is to be plucked asunder That they of our side were alwaies desirous of peace and agreement the history of the conference at Marpurge and such things as were afterward done in the yeere 1536. do sufficiently witnesse Moreover so often as there appeared any hope of agreement it is cleare that there was no other cause but the importunitie of some certain men why new and sudden braules being raised the matter could not come or long continue in that agreement which was hoped for For that we may let passe very many other things although in the beginning it were openly known among al that there was no cōtroversie between us no not so much as the very Papists excepted in the opinion about worshipping the mysterie of the holy Trinitie loe about the latter end that unhappy monster of Vbiquitie came forth which if it be admitted will quite overthrow the true doctrine of Christs person and his Natures Hence then come the distractions of Churches hence come so deadly quarrellings But seeing this whole matter hath been often handled by many learned men it is no time for us to deale any farther therein For it is sufficient for us to shew in few words that our men so farre as was possible alwaies provided for the peace of the Church Neither truely hath any man cause after the example of certain Moderators such as not long since have been why he should perswade himselfe that we would heare of this hotch-potch of opinions make a certaine medlie as it were of contrarie qualities But we leave all things whole that every one may so know his owne words being compared with the sayings of others that he shall finde nothing forged nothing taken away nothing put to or wrested And to conclude the forme and drift of this whole work if it be more narrowly viewed shall not unworthily be judged a sound body of Christian doctrine framed and allowed by the writings and as it were by a common councel of the godly Churches well nigh of all Europe For here all the chiefe points of our Religion being discussed and approved are by the publique authoritie of all the chiefe Nations in Christendome with one consent published and knit together yet we must confesse as we afore touched that through the manifold and busie braulings of private persons and glosses as men commonly speak the matter was brought farre from the grounds thereof to things cleane besides the purpose and impertinent For first there beganne to be dealing onely about the Supper then it came to Christs Ascension and sitting in heaven and within a while after to the personall union of both his natures and what stay will there be in the end for many by all mens leave be it spoken seeme to be delighted with this continuall striving that howsoever and whatsoever it might cost them they might not be unknowne But it becometh the Disciples of Christ to seeke peace and to despise glory For as Bernard saith They that despise peace and seeke after glorie they lose both peace and glory Away therefore with those speeches I am of Paul I am of Cephas and let that one saying be heard I am Christs I am the Churches There is something that may be misliked yet there are very many things that may well be liked the same ground worke of faith abideth let therefore the same love continue and let us not thinke much to take them for brethren whom God vouchsafeth to take for sonnes neither let us despise those for whom Christ despised him selfe That thing is assuredly true and very much liked of us that nothing in holy doctrine is to be thought of small importance but rather that even in the least points thereof a certaine faith and full assurance is required flat contrary to the wavering of the Academikes yet we cannot like of too too
rehearsing the context of every Confession because we were to have regard of the order of things and doctrine rather then either of the time or worthinesse of the Churches and Authours that wrote them or other such like circumstance therefore it seemed good without any envie or preiudice of other Confessions either more ancient or more famous to give the first place to the latter Confession of Helvetia both because the order thereof seemed more fit and the whole handling of doctrine more full and convenient and also because that Confession was publiquely approved and subscribed unto by very many Churches of divers Nations Farther upon this doe the rest fitly follow to wit the former Confession of Helvetia and then all other without any choise indifferently save that we had rather ioyne together the Confessions of Germany then sever them each from other according to the argument of every Section Yet we were inforced to put that Confession of the foure Cities as received somewhat late in the last place Which order notwithstanding if it shall not seeme fit and convenient to any it may easily be altered in the second Edition as other Confessions also if any such besides these shall be wanting may in their due place be adioyned To conclude that the godly Reader may want nothing and that no man may suspect any thing to be taken away or added to any of those Cofessions we have here set downe the Articles or chiefe points in the order wherein they were first written Which we desire every man favourably to interpret and to enioy this our labour rather seeking peace and agreement then maliciously hunting after occasions of dissentions PROPER CATALOGVES FOR EVERIE CONFESSION CONTAINED IN THIS HARMONIF AFTER THAT ORDER wherein they were first written The Articles of the former Confession of Helvetia SCripture 1 Interpretation 2 Fathers 3 Humane Traditions 4 The drift of the Scripture 5 God 6 Man and his strength 7 Originall sinne 8 Free will 9 The eternall Counsell touching the restoring of man 10 Iesus Christ and those benefits which we reape by him 11 The drift of the doctrine of the Gospel 12 Faith and the force thereof 13 The Church 14 Of the Ministers of the word 15 Ecclesiasticall power 16 The choosing of Ministers 17 The head shepheard of the Church 18 The duties of Ministers 19 Of the force and efficacie of the Sacraments 20 Baptisme 21 The Eucharist 22 Holy assemblies 23 Of Heretikes and Schismatikes 24 Of things indifferent 25 Of the Magistrate 26 Of holy Wedlocke 27 The Chiefe points of the latter Confession of HELVETIA OF the holy Scripture being the true word of God 1 Of Interpreting the holy Scripture and of Fathers Councels and Traditions 2 Of God his unitie and the Trinitie 3 Of Idols or Images of God Christ and Saints 4 Of the Adoration worship and Invocation of God through the onely Mediatour Iesus Christ 5 Of the providence of God 6 Of the creation of all things of Angels the Devil and Man 7 Of the fall of man sinne and the cause of sinne 8 Of free will and so of mans power and abilitie 9 Of the Predestination of God and Election of the Saints 10 Of Iesus Christ being true God and man and the onely Saviour of the world 11 Of the law of God 12 Of the Gospel of Iesus Christ of the promises also of the spirit and the letter 13 Of Repentance and the Conversion of man 14 Of the true iustification of the faithfull 15 Of Faith and good works and of their reward and the merit of man 16 Of the Catholique and holy Church of God and of the onely head of the Church 17 Of the Ministers of the Church their institution and duties 18 Of the Sacraments of the Church of Christ 19 Of holy Baptisme 20 Of the holy Supper of the Lord. 21 Of holy and Ecclesiasticall assemblies 22 Of the Prayers of the Church of singing and Canonicall houres 23 Of holy dayes fasts and choise of meates 24 Of Comforting or visiting the sick 25 Of the buriall of the faithfull and the care that is to be had for the dead and of purgatorie and the appearing of Spirits 26 Of Rites Ceremonies and things indifferent 27 Of the goods of the Church 28 Of single life Wedlocke and the ordering of a Family 29 Of the Magistrate 30 The Articles of the Confession of Basil OF God 1 Of man 2 Of the care of God toward us 3 Of Christ being true God and true man 4 Of the Church 5 Of the Supper of our Lord. 6 Of the Magistrate 7 Of Faith and workes 8 Of the last day 9 Of things commanded and not commanded 10 Against the errour of the Anabaptistes 11 The chiefe points of the Confession of Bohemia OF the holy Scripture and of Ecclesiasticall writers 1 Of Christian Catechising 2 Of the unitie of the divine essence and of the three Persons 3 Of the knowledge of himselfe Also of sinne the causes and fruits hereof and of the promises of God 4 Of repentance 5 Of Christ the Lord and of Iustification through faith in him 6 Of good workes which be holy actions 7 Of the holy Catholique Church the order and discipline hereof and moreover of Antichrist 8 Of the Ministers of the Church 9 Of the word of God 10 Of the Sacraments in generall 11 Of holy Baptisme 12 Of the Supper of the Lord. 13 Of the Keyes of Christ 14 Of things accessory that is of rites or Ecclesiasticall ceremonies 15 Of the politique or civill Magistrate 16 Of Saints and their worship 17 Of fasting 18 Of single life and wedlocke or the order of married folke 19 Of the time of Grace 20 The Articles of the French Confession OF God and his one onely essence 1 Of the knowledge of God 2 Of the Canonicall bookes of the holy Scripture 3 Of distinguishing the Canonicall booke from the Apocryphall 4 Of the authoritic of the word of God 5 Of the Trinitie of the Persons in one onely essence of God 6 Of the creation of the world 7 Of the eternall providence of God 8 Of the fall of man and his free-will 9 Of originall sinne 10 Of the propagation of originall sinne and of the effects thereof 11 Of the free election of God 12 Of the repairing of man from his fall through Christ 13 Of two natures in Christ 14 Of the hypostaticall union of his two natures 15 Of the death resurrection of Christ and of the fruit thereof 16 Of the merit and fruit of the sacrifice of Christ 17 Of the remission of sinnes and true Iustification 18 Of the Intercession or Mediation of Christ 19 Of iustifying Faith and the gift and effects thereof 20 21 22 Of the abolishing of ceremonies and true use of the mor all law 23 Of the intercession of Saints Purgatory and other superstitious traditions of the Popish sort 24 Of the ministery of the Gospell 25 Of the unitie of the Church and the true
to us in the word of God Wherefore we mislike the rash speeches of such as say that if by the providence of God all things are governed then all our studies and endevours are unprofitable It shall be sufficient if we leave or permit all things to be governed by the providence of God and we shall not need hereafter to be carefull or to be taught in any matter For though Paul did confesse that he did saile by the providence of God who had said to him Thou must testifie of me also Acts 23. 11. at Rome who moreover promised and said There shall not so much as one soule perish Neither shall an haire fall from your heads Yet the mariners devising how they might finde a way to escape the same Paul saith to the Centurion and to the souldiers Vnlesse Acts 27. 34. these remaine in the ship ye can not be safe For God who hath appointed every thing his end he also hath ordained the beginning and the meanes by which we must attaine unto the end The heathens ascribe things to blinde fortune and uncertaine chance but Saint James would not have us say To day or tomorrow we will Iames 4. goe into such acitie and there buy and sell but he addeth for that which you should say if the Lord will and if we live we will doe this or that And Augustine saith All those things which seeme to vaine men to be done unadvisedly in the world they doe but accomplish his word because they are not done but by his commandement And in his exposition on the 148. Psal It seemed to be done by chance that Saul seeking his fathers Asses should light on the Prophet Samuel but the Lord had before said to the Prophet to morrow I will send unto thee a man of the Tribe of Benjamin c. Of the Creation of all things of the Angels the Devill and Man CHAP. 7. THis good and Almighty God created all things both visible and invisible by his eternall word and preserveth the same also by his eternall spirit as David witnesseth saying By the word Psal 33. 6. of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth And as the Scripture saith All things that the Lord created were very good and made for the use and profit of man Now we say that all those things doe proceede from one beginning and therefore we detest the Maniches and Marcionites who did wickedly imagine two substances and natures the one of good the other of evill and also two beginnings and two Gods one contrary to the other a good and an evill Amongst all the creatures the Angels and men are most excellent Touching Angels the holy Scripture saith Who maketh Psal 10 4. 4. Heb. 5. 14. his Angels spirits and his Ministers a flame of fore Also Are they not ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shall bee the heires of salvation And the Lord Iesus himselfe testifieth of the Devill saying He hath beene a murtherer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him When he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own for he is a liar and the Father thereof We teach therefore that some Angels persisted in obedience and were appointed unto the faithfull service of God and men and that other some fell of their owne accord and ranne headlong into destruction and so became enemies to all good and to all the faithfull c. Now touching man the Spirit saith that in the beginning he was created good according to the image and likenesse of God that God placed him in Paradise and made all things subject unto him which David doth most nobly set forth in the 8. Psal Moreover God gave unto him a wife and blessed them We say also that man doth consist of two and those divers substances in one person of a soule immortall as that which being separated from his body doth neither sleepe nor die and a body mortall which notwithstanding at the last judgement shall be raised againe from the dead that from thenceforth the whole man may continue for ever in life or in death We condemne all those which mock at or by subtill disputations call into doubt the immortalitie of the soule or say that the soule sleepeth or that it is a part of God To be short we condemne all opinions of all men whatsoever which thinke otherwise of the creation of Angels Devils and Men then is delivered unto us by the Scriptures in the Apostolike Church of Christ Out of the Confession of BASILL VVE also beleeve that God made all things by his everlasting Artic. 2. word that is by his onely begotten Sonne and and that he upholdeth and worketh all things by his Spirit that is by his owne power And therefore that God as he hath created so he foreseeth and governeth all things And albeit man by the Artic. 3. same fall became subject to damnation and so was made an enemy to God yet that God never laid aside the care of mankinde The Patriarks the promises before and after the Flood likewise the Law of God given by Moses and the holy Prophets doe witnesse this thing Out of the FRENCH Confession THis one onely God hath revealed himselfe unto men first Artic. 2. both in the Creation and also in the Preservation and government of his workes c. Looke the rest in the first Section of the Scripture and the second Section of God We beleeve that God the three persons working together by Artic. 7. his vertue wisedome and incomprehensible goodnesse hath made all things that is not onely heaven and earth and all things therein contained but also the invisible spirits of which some fell headlong into destruction and some continued in obedience Therefore we say that they as they are through their owne malice corrupted are perpetuall enemies to all good and therefore to the whole Church but that these preserved by the meere grace of God are ministers for his glory and for the salvation of the Elect. We beleeve that God hath not onely made all things but also Artic. 8. ruleth and governeth them as he who according to his will disposeth and ordereth whatsoever happeneth in the world Yet we deny that he is the author of evill or that any blame of things done amisse can be laid upon him seeing his will is the soveraigne and most certaine rule of all righteousnesse but he hath wonderfull rather then explicable meanes by which he so useth all the devils and sinnefull men as instruments that whatsoever they doe evilly that he as he hath justly ordained so he also turneth it to good Therefore while we confesse that nothing at all is to be done but by the meanes of his providence and appointment we doe in all humility adore his secrets that are hid from us neither doe we search into those things
which be without the reach of our capacity Nay rather we apply to our owne use that which the Scripture teacheth for our quietnesse and contentation sake to wit that God to whom all things are subject with a fatherly care watcheth for us so that not so much as a haire of our head falleth to the ground without his will and that he hath Satan and all our adversaries so fast bound that unlesse leave be given them they cannot doe us any little harme Out of the Confession of BELGIA VVE know God by two manner of wayes first by the making Artic. 2. preserving and governing of this whole world For that to our eyes is as a most excellent book in which all creatures from the least to the greatest are graven as it were characters and certaine letters by which the invisible things of God may be seen and known of us namely his everlasting power and Godhead as Paul the Apostle speaketh Rom. 1. Chap. 10. which knowledge sufficeth to convince and make all men without excuse c. Looke for the rest in the first Section of the Scripture and in the second Section of God Artic. 12. VVE beleeve that the Father by his word that is by the Son made heaven earth and all other creatures of nothing when he saw it fit and convenient and gave to every one his being forme and divers offices that they might serve their Creator and that he doth now cherish uphold and governe them all according to his everlasting providence and infinite power and that to this end that they might serve man and man might serve his God He also made the Angels all good by nature that they might be his Ministers and might also attend upon the Elect of which notwithstanding some fell from that excellent nature in which God had created them into everlasting destruction but some by the singular grace of God abode in the first State of theirs but the Devils and those wicked spirits are so corrupted and defiled that they be sworn enemies to good and all goodnesse which as theeves out of a watch tower lye in waite for the Church and all the members thereof that by their juglings and deceits they may destroy and lay waste all things Therefore being through their own malice addicted to everlasting condemnation they look every day for the dreadfull punishments of their mischiefs We therefore in this place reject the errour of the Saduces who denied that there were any spirits or Angels as also the errour of the Manichees who hold that the Devils have their beginning of themselves and of their own nature evill and not corrupted by wilfull disobedience We beleeve that this most gracious and mightie God after he had made all things left them not to be ruled after the will of chance or fortune but himselfe doth so continually rule and governe them according to the prescript rule of his holy will that nothing can happen in this world without his Decree and Ordinance and yet God cannot be said to be either the author or guiltie of the evils that happen in this world For both his infinite and incomprehensible power and goodnesse stretcheth so farre that even then he decreeth and executeth his works and deeds justly and holily when as both the devill and the wicked doe unjustly And whatsoever things he doth passing the reach of mans capacitie we will not curiously and above our capacitie inquire into them Nay rather we humbly and reverently adore the secret yet just judgements of God For it sufficeth us as being Christs Disciples to learne onely those things which he himself teacheth in his word neither doe we thinke it lawfull to passe these bounds And this doctrin affordeth us exceeding great comfort For by it we know that nothing befalleth us by chance but all by the will of our heavenly Father who watcheth over us with a Fatherly care indeed having all things in subjection to himself so that not a haire of our head which are every one numbred can be plucked away nor the least sparrow light on the ground without the will of our Father In these things therefore do we wholly rest acknowledging that God holdeth the Devils and all our enemies so bridled as it were with snaffles that without his will and good leave they are not able to hurt any of us and in this place we reject the detestable opinion of the Epicures who fained God to be idle to doe nothing and to commit all things to chance THE FOVRTH SECTION OF MANS FALL SIN AND FREE-WILL The latter Confession of HELVETIA Of mans fall fin and the cause of sin CHAP. 8. MAN was from the beginning created of God after the Image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse good and upright but by the instinct of the Serpent and his own fault falling from goodnesse and uprightnesse became subject to sin death and divers calamities and such an one as he became by his fall such are all his off-spring even subject to sin death and sundry calamities And we take sin to be that naturall corruption of man derived or spread from those our first parents unto us all through which we being drowned in evill concupiscences and cleane turned away from God but prone to all evill full of all wickednesse distrust contempt and hatred of God can doe no good of our selves no not so much as thinke of any And that more is even as Matth. 12. we doe grow in yeers so by wicked thoughts words and deeds committed against the law of God we bring forth corrupt fruits worthy of an evill tree in which respect we through our own desert being subject to the wrath of God are in danger of just punishments so that we had all been cast away from God had not Christ the Deliverer brought us back again By death therefore we understand not only bodily death which is once to be suffered of all us for sins but also everlasting punishments due to our corruption and to our sins For the Apostle Eph. 2. saith We were dead in trespasses and sins and were by nature the children of wrath as well as others But God which is rich in mercie even when we were dead by sins quickened us together in Christ Againe As by one man sin entred into the world and by sin death and Rom. 5. so death went over all men for as much as all men have sinned c. We therefore acknowledge that originall sin is in all men we acknowledge that all other sins which spring here out are both called and are in deed sins by what name soever they be tearmed whether mortall or veniall or also that which is called sin against the holy Ghost which is never forgiven we also confesse that sins are not equall although they spring from the same fountaine Mar. 3. 1 Joh. 5. Matth. 10. 11. of corruption and unbeliefe but that some are more grievous then other even as the Lord hath
that the Lord God for sin doth permit and bring all kinds of afflictions miseries and vexations of minde in this life upon all men such as are heate cold hunger thirst care and anguish sore labours calamitie adversitie dolefull times sword fire diseases griefs and at the last also that intollerable and bitter death whereby nature is overthrowne as it is written Thou shalt die the death Again Cursed is the earth for thy sake Gen. 2. Gen. 3. in sorrow shalt thou eate of it all the daies of thy life thornes also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee And yet it is taught that men must and ought to bear all these punishments patiently seeing that they owe unto God and have deserved a farre more cruell punishment Yet they must not be so perswaded as though they deserved any thing by suffering this punishment or should receive from God any grace or reward in recompense for the merit of these punishments seeing that Paul speaking of a much more worthy crosse and sufferings which the true beleevers take upon them for Christs sake saith that they be not comparable to the glory which shall be shewed unto us And these punishments are layed upon us and are patiently to be borne that we may acknowledge the greatnesse of our sin and how grievous a thing it is and there withall our own weaknesse needs and miserie and that by experience we may know how wicked foule and bitter a thing it is even above all that we are able to conceive for a man to forsake the Lord his God as saith the Prophet And moreover that they which being plunged in these miseries and oppressed with these burthens may again be stirred up to repentance and to seeke for favour and help from God which is a Father full of mercie and compassion Howbeit this is also expressely added that the labours and torments which holy men doe suffer for the name of Christ that is in the cause of eternall salvation for the holy truth of Christ are an acceptable and pleasant sacrifice to God and have great and large promises especially in the life to come the which thing also did even so fall out with Christ our Head of whom the Epistle to the Hebrews speaketh thus that for the ioy that was set before him he endured the crosse who also by himself consecrated and hallowed the crosse to them even to this end that those sufferings which we indure for Christ his names sake might be pleasant and acceptable unto God Out of the FRENCH Confession VVE beleeve that man being created pure and upright and Artic. 9. conformable to the image of God through his own fault fell from that grace which he had received and thereby did so estrange himselfe from God the fountaine of all righteousnesse and of all good things that his nature is become altogether defiled and being blind in spirit and corrupt in heart hath utterly lost all that integritie For although he can somewhat discerne betweene good and evill yet we affirme that whatsoever light he hath it straightwayes becommeth darknesse when the question is of secking God so that by his understanding and reason he can never come to God Also although he be endued with will whereby he is mooved to this or that yet insomuch as that is altogether captivated under sin it hath no libertie at all to desire good but such as it hath received by grace and of the gift of God We beleeve Artic. 10. that all the off-spring of Adam is infected with this contagion which we call Originall sin that is a staine spreading it self by propagation and nor by imitation onely as the Pelagians thought all whose errors we doe detest Neither doe we thinke it necessary to search how this sin may be derived from one unto another For it is sufficient that those things which God gave unto Adam were not given to him alone but also to all his posteritie and therefore we in his person being deprived of all those good gifts are fallen into all this miserie and curse We beleeve that this staine is indeed sinne because that it maketh Artic. 11. all and every man not so much as those little ones excepted which as yet lie hid in their Mothers wombe guiltie of eternall death before God We also affirme that this staine even after baptisme is in nature sinne as concerning the fault howbeit they which are the children of God shall not therefore be condemned because that God of his gracious free goodnesse and mercy doth not impute it to them Moreover we say that this frowardnesse of nature doth alwaies bring forth some fruits of malice and rebellion in such sort that even they which are most holy although they resist it yet are they defiled with many infirmities and offences so long as they live in this world Out of the ENGLISH Confession VVE say also that every person is borne in sinne and leadeth Artic. 18. his life in sinne that no body is able truly to say His heart is cleane That the most righteous person is but an unprofitable servant That the Law of God is perfect and requireth of us perfect and full Obedience That we are able by no meanes to fulfil that Law in this worldly life that there is no mortal creature which can be justified by his own deserts in Gods sight Ou of the Confession of BELGIA VVE beleeve that God of the slime of the earth created man Artic. 14. Gen. 1. 26. Ephes 4. 24. after his Image that is to say good just and holy who had power by his owne free will to frame and conforme his will unto the will of God But when he was advanced to honour he knew not neither did he well understand his excellent state but wittingly and willingly did make himselfe subject to sinne and so Gen. 3. 17. consequently unto eternall death and malediction whilest that giving eare to the words and subtilties of the devill he did transgresse that commandment of life which he had received of the Lord and so did withdraw and alienate himselfe from God his true life his nature being altogether defiled and corrupted by sin Rom. 5. 12. whereby it came to passe that he made himselfe subject both to corporall and to spirituall death Wherefore being made wicked and perverse and also corrupt in all his wayes and endeavours he lost those excellent gifts wherewith the Lord had adorned him so that there were but a few little sparkes and small steps of those gracesleft in him the which notwithstanding are sufficient to leave men without excuse because that what light soever we Acts 14. 16. Rom. 1. 20 21 Joh. 1. 5. have is turned into palpable darkenesse even as the Scripture it selfe teacheth saying The light shined in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not For there Iohn doth manifestly call men darkenesse Therefore * Look the 1. observ upon this Confession Joh. 3. 27. whatsoever
the Church like doting follies to those of the Pelagians And we say that all men since the fall of our first parents which are borne by the coupling together of male and female doe together with their birth bring with them Originall sinne as Paul saith Rom. 5. By one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death And Ephes 2. We were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Neither doe we dislike that usuall definition if it be well understood Originall sinne is a want of Originall iustice which ought to be in us Because that Originall justice was not onely an acceptation of mankinde before God but in the very nature of man a light in the minde whereby he might assuredly beleeve the word God and a conversion of the will unto God and an obedience of the heart agreeing with the judgement of the Law of God which which was graffed in the minde and as we said before man was the temple of God That Originall iustice doth comprehend all these things it may beunderstood by this saying Man was created after the Image and likenesse of God which Paul doth thus interpret Ephes 4. Put ye on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse where undoubtedly by true holinesse he understandeth all those vertues which shine in our nature and are given by God not ascited by art or gotten by instruction as now those shadowes of vertues such as they are in men be ascited because that then God dwelling in man did governe him And when we consider what Originall iustice doth signifie then the privation opposite thereunto is lesse obscure Therefore Originall sinne is both for the fall of our first parents and for the corruption which followed that fall even in our birth to be subject to the wrath of God and to be worthy of eternal damnation except we obtaine remission for the Mediatours sake And this corruption is to want now the light or the presence of God which should have shined in us and it is an estranging of our will from God and the stubbornnesse of the heart resisting the law of the minde as Paul speaketh and that man is not the temple of God but a miserable Masse without God and without justice These wants and this whole corruption we say to bee sinne not onely a punishment of sinne and a thing indifferent as many of the Sententiaries doe say That these evils are onely a punishment and a thing indifferent but not sinne And they doe extenuate this Originall evill and then they feigne that men may satisfie the law of God and by their owne fulfilling of the Law become just The Church must avoid ambiguities Therefore we doe expressely name these evils Corruption which is often named of the ancient writers Evill concupiscence But we distinguish those desires which were created in our nature from that confusion of order which hapned after our fall as it is said Ier. 10 The heart of man is wicked And Paul saith The wisedome of the flesh is omnit is against God This evill Concupiscence we say to be sinne and we affirme that this whole doctrine of sinne as it is propounded and taught in our Churches is the perpetuall consent of the true Church of God Of Free Will Artic. 4. NOw let us make manifest also the doctrine of free will Men truely instructed in the Church have alwaies distinguished betweene discipline and the newnesse of the spirit which in the beginning of life eternall and they have taught that in man there is such freedome of will to governe the outward motions of the members that thereby even the unregenerate may after a sort performe that outward discipline which is an externall obedience according to the Law But man by his naturall strength is not able to free himselfe from sinne and eternall death but this freedome and conversion of man unto God and this spirituall newnesse wrought by the Sonne of God quickning us by his holy Spirit as it is said If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ the same is not his and the will having received the holy Ghost is not idle And we give God thankes for this unspeakable benefit that for the Sonne his sake and through him he giveth us the holy Ghost and doth governe is by his Spirit And we condemne the Pelagians and the Manichces as we have at large declared in an other place Of the difference of sinne Artic. 10. SEeing it is said that sinnes remaine in the regenerate it is necessarie to have a difference of sinnes delivered unto us For out of that saying Luk. 11. He went and tooke unto him seven other spirits worse then himselfe and they enter in and dwelt there c. And of such like sayings it is manifest that some who are regenerate doe grieve and * Looke the 1. Observer upon this confession shake off the holy Ghost and are againe rejected of God and made subject to the wrath of God and eternall punishments And Ezech. 18. it is written when the righteous man shall turne from his righteousnesse and commit iniquitie he shall die therein and when the wicked man shall turne from his wickednesse and doe iudgement and iustice he shall live therein Therefore it is necessary that those sinnes which remaine in holy men in this mortall life and yet doe not shake off the holy Ghost be distinguished from other sinnes for the which man is againe made subject to the wrath of God and to eternall punishments So Paul Rom. 5. distinguisheth betweene sinne that reigneth and sinne that reigneth not And Rom. 8. he saith If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye mortifie the deeds of the body by the spirit ye shall live And in the first Epistle to Timothy Chap. 1. he giveth a rule Fight a good fight keeping faith and a good conscience Therefore when a man doth not keepe the faith but either wittingly or by some errour looseth some part of the foundation that is some article of faith or alloweth Idols as many doe which are deceived with false opinions or doe not uphold themselves by the comfort of faith but are overcome by doubting or by despaire or against their conscience doe breake any commandement of God he doth shake off the holy Ghost and is made againe subject to the wrath of God and to everlasting punishment Of these men faith Paul Rom. 8. If ye live according to the flesh ye shall die And 1 Cor. 6. Neither fornicatours nor adulterers nor Idolaters c. shall inherit the kingdome of God And that the oath Ezech. 18. doth cleerely say As I live saith the Lord I do not desire the death of a sinner but rather that he be converted and live In this oath two parts are joyned together conversion and life God doth desire and that with an oath the conversion of man therefore they doe not please him which retaine a purpose to sinne Now in
right hand of God the Father * Looke the 1. Observation on this Confession Iohn 14. Act. 3. which although it doe signifie an equall participation of glory and majestie yet it is also taken for a certaine place of which the Lord speaking in the Gospel saith That he will goe and prepare a place for his Also the Apostle Peter saith The heavens must containe Christ untill the time of restoring of all things And out of heaven the same Christ will returne unto judgement even then when wickednesse shall chiefly reigne in the world and when Antichrist having corrupted true religion shall fill all things with superstition and impietie and shall most cruelly destroy the Church with fire and bloodshed Now Christ shall returne to redeeme his and to abolish Antichrist by his coming and to judge the quicke and the dead For the dead shall arise and those which shall be found alive in that day Acts 17. which is unknowne unto all creatures shall be changed in the twinckling of an eye and all the faithfull shall be taken up to meete Christ in the ayre that thenceforth they may enter with him into heaven there to live for ever But the unbeleevers or ungodly 1 Cor. 15. Matth 25. 41. 2 Tim. 2. shall descend with the devils into hell there to burne for ever and never to be delivered out of torments We therefore condemne all those which deny the true resurrection of the flesh and those which thinke amisse of the glorified bodies as did Ioannes Hiercsolymitanus against whom Ierome wrote We also condemne those which thought both the devils and all the wicked shal at the length be saved and have an end of their torments For the Lord himselfe hath absolutely set it downe that Their fire is never Mar. 9. quenched and their worme never dyeth Moreover we condemne the Iewish dreames that before the day of Iudgement there shall be a golden world in the earth and that the godly shall possesse the kingdomes of the world their wicked enemies being troad under foote For the Evangelicall truth Matth. 24 and 25. and Luke 18. and the Apostolike doctrine in the 2 to the Thessalonians 2. and in the 2 to Tim. 3. and 4 are found to teach farre otherwise Furthermore by his passion or death and by all those things Rom. 14. 5. which he did and suffered for our sakes from the time of his comming in the flesh our Lord reconciled his heavenly Father unto all the faithfull purged their sinne spoiled death broke in sunder condemnation and hell and by his resurrection from the dead he brought againe and restored life and immortalitie For he is our righteousnesse life and resurrection and to be short he is the fulnesse and perfection the salvation and most abundant sufficiencie of all the faithfull For the Apostle saith So it pleaseth the Father that all fulnesse should dwell in him And In him ye are compleat Coloss 1. and 2. For we teach and beleeve that this Iesus Christ our Lord is the onely and eternall Saviour of * Looke the 1. Observation on this Confession mankinde yea and of the whole world in whom are saved by faith all that ever were saved before the Law under the Law and in the time of the Gospel and so many as shall yet be saved to the end of the world For the Lord himselfe in the Gospel saith He that entereth not in by the doore unto the sheepfold but climeth up an other way he Joh. 10. is a thiefe and a robber I am the doore of the sheepe And also in another place of the same Gospel he saith Abraham saw my daies John 8. Acts 4. and reioyced And the Apostle Peter saith Neither is there salvation in any other but in Christ for among men there is given no other name under heaven whereby they might be saved We beleeve therefore that through the grace of our Lord Christ we shall be saved even as our fathers were For Paul saith That all our fathers 1 Cor. 10. did eate the same spirituall meate and dranke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the sprituall rocke that followed them and that rocke was Christ And therefore we reade that John said That Christ was that Lambe which was slaine from the beginning Apoc. 15. John 1. of the world And that John Baptist witnesseth That Christ is that Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world Wherefore we doe plainly and openly professe and preach that Iesus Christ is the only Redeemer and Saviour of the world the King and high Priest the true and looked for Messias that holy and blessed one I say whom all the shadows of the Law and the Prophesies of the Prophets did prefigure and promise and that God did performe and send him unto us so that now we are not to looke for any other And now there remaineth nothing but that we all should give all glory to him beleeve in him and rest in him onely contemning and rejecting all other aydes of our life For they are fallen from the grace of God and make Christ of no value unto themselves whosoever they be that seeke salvation in any other things besides Christ alone And to speake many things in few words with a sincere heart we beleeve and with libertie of speech we freely professe whatsoever things are defined out of the holy Scriptures and comprehended in the Creeds and in the Decrees of those foure first and most excellent Councels holden at Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon together with blessed Athanasius his Creed and all other Creeds like to these touching the mysterie of the Incarnation of our Lord Iesus Christ and we condemne all things contrary to the same And thus doe we retaine the Christian sound and Catholike faith wholly and inviolable knowing that nothing is contained in the foresaid Creeds which is not agreeable to the Word of God and maketh wholly for the sincere declaration of faith Out of the former Confession of HELVETIA The eternall Counsell of the restoring of man ANd though man by this fault was deputed to damnation Artic. 10. and had incurred most just wrath yet God the Father never ceased to have a care over him the which is manifest by the first promises by the whole Law which as it is holy and good teaching us the will of God righteousnesse and truth so doth it worke anger and stirre up not extinguish sins in us not through it own fault but by ours and by Christ ordained and exhibited for this purpose Iesus Christ and those benefits which we reap by him THis Christ the true Son of God being true God and true Artic. 11. man was made our brother when according tot the time appointed he had taken upon him whole man that is consisting of soule and body and in one indivisible person united two natures yet were not these natures confounded that he might restore us being dead to
life and make us fellow heires with himselfe He taking flesh of the most pure Virgin Mary the holy Ghost working together flesh I say being sacred by the union of the Godhead and like unto ours in all things sin onely excepted because it behooved our sacrifice to be unspotted gave the same flesh to death for the purgation of all sin The same Christ as he is to us a full and perfect hope and trust of our immortalitie so he placed his flesh being raised up from death into heaven at the right hand of his Almightie Father This Conquerour having triumphed over death sin and all the infernall devils sitting as our Captaine Head and chiefe high Priest doth defend and plead our cause continually till he doe reforme us to that Image after which we were created and bring us to the fruition of life everlasting we looke for him to come in the end of the world a true and upright Iudge and to give sentence upon all flesh being first raised up to that judgement and to advance the godly above the skie and to condemn the wicked both in soule and body to eternall destruction Who as he is the onely Mediatour Intercessor Sacrifice and also our high Priest Lord and King so we doe acknowledge and with the whole heart beleeve that he alone is our attonement redemption sanctification expiation wisdome protection and deliverance simply herein rejecting all meane of our life and salvation beside this Christ alone The laetter part of this Article we placed also in the second section which entreateth of the onely Mediatour Out of the Confession of BASILL Of Christ being true God and true man VVE beleeve and confesse constantly that Christ in the time hereunto appointed according to the promise of God was given to us of the Father and that so the eternall word of God was made flesh that is that this Son of God being united to our nature in one person was made our brother that we through him might be made partakers of the inheritance of God We beleeve that this Iesus Christ was conceived of the holy Ghost borne of the pure and undefiled Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate crucified and dead for our sins and so by the one oblation of himselfe he did satisfie God our heavenly Father for us and reconcile us to him and so by his death he did triumph and overcame the world death and hell Moreover according to the flesh he was buried descended into hell and the third day he rose againe from the dead These things being sufficiently approoved he in his soule and body ascended into heaven and sitteth there at the right hand that is in the glory of God the Father Almightie from thence he shall come to judge the quicke and the dead Moreover he sent to his disciples according to his promise the holy Ghost in whom we beleeve even as we doe beleeve in the Father and in the Sonne We beleeve that the last judgement shall be wherein our flesh shall rise againe and every man according as he hath done in this life shall receive of Christ Rom. 2. 2 Cor. 5. Joa 5. the Iudge to wit eternall life if he hath shewed forth the fruits of faith which are the works of righteousnesse by a true faith and unfeined love and eternall fire if he hath committed good or evill without faith or love Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA CHAP. 4. Towards the middle NEither hath any man of all things whatsoever any thing at all whereby he may deliver set free or redeeme himselfe from his sins and condemnation without Christ by whom alone John 15. they which truly beleeve are freed from sinne from the tyrannie and prison of the devill from the wrath of God and from death and everlasting torments And a little after towards the end of the said fourth Chapter Together with this point and after it considering that both the matter it selfe and order of teaching so requireth the Ministers of the Church teach us after our fall to acknowledge the promise of God the true word of grace and the holy Gospell brought to us from the privy counsell of the holy Trinitie concerning our Lord Christ and our whole salvation purchased by him Of these promises there be three principall wherein all the rest are contained The first was made in Paradise in these words I will put enmitie betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seed Gen. 3. and her seed He shall breake thine head and thou shalt bruise his heele The second was made to Abraham which afterwards Iacob also and Moses did renew The third to David which the Prophets recited and expounded In these promises are described and painted forth those most excellent and principall works of 2 King 7. 23. Christ our Lord which are the very ground-worke whereon our salvation standeth by which he is our Mediatour and Saviour Psal 131. 89 namely his conception in the wombe of the Virgin Mary and his birth of her also for he was made the seed of the woman also Isa 9. 11. his afflictions his rising againe from death his sitting at the right hand of God where he hath obtained the dignitie of a Priest and King of which thing the whole life of David was a certaine type for which cause the Lord calleth himselfe another David Eph. 3. 4. and a Shepherd And this was the Gospell of those holy men before the Law was given and since And Chapter the 6. a little from the beginning For this is very certaine that after the fall of Adam no man was able to set himselfe at libertie out of the bondage of sin death and condemnation or come to be truly reconciled unto God but onely by that one Mediatour betweene God and man Christ Iesus through a lively faith in him who alone by his death and blood-shedding tooke from us that image of sinne and death and put upon us by faith the image of righteousnesse and life For he made unto us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification 1 Cor. 2. and redemption But first men are taught that these things are to be beleeved concerning Christ namely that he is eternall and of the nature of his heavenly Father the onely begotten Son begotten from everlasting and so together with the Father and the holy Ghost John 1. Heb. 1. Coloss 1. one true and indivisible God the eternall not created word the brightnesse and the Image or ingraven forme of the person of his Father by whom all things as well those things which may be seene as those which can not be seene and those things which are in heaven and those which are in the earth were made and created Moreover that he is also a true and naturall man our brother in very deed who hath a soule and a body that is true and perfect humane nature which by the power of the holy Ghost he tooke without all sin of Mary a pure Virgin
shall then rise out of the earth the soule and spirit of every one being joyned and coupled together againe to the same bodies wherein before they lived They moreover which shall be alive at the last day shall not die the same death that other men have done but in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye they shall be changed from corruption to an incorruptible nature Then the bookes shall be opened namely the bookes of every mans conscience and the dead shall be judged according to those things which they have done in this world either good or evill Moreover then shall men render an account of every idle word which they have spoken although the world doe now make but a sport and a jest at them Finally all the hypocrisie of men and the deepest secrets of their hearts shall be made manifest unto all so that worthily the onely remembrance of this judgement shall be terrible and fearfull to the wicked and reprobate But of the godly and elect it is greatly to be wished for and is unto them exceeding comfort For then shall their redemption be fully perfited and they shall reape most sweet fruit and commoditie of all those labours and sorrowes which they have suffered in this world Then I say their innocencie shall be openly acknowledged of all and they likewise shall see that horrible punishment which the Lord will execute upon those that have most tyrannically afflicted them in this world with divers kindes of torments and crosses Furthermore the wicked being convinced by the peculiar testimony of their owne conscience shall indeed be made immortall but with this condition that they shall burne for ever in that eternall fire which is prepared for the devill On the contrarie side the elect and faithfull shall be crowned with the crowne of glory and honour whose names the Sonne of God shall confesse before his Father and the Angels and then shall all teares be wiped from their eies Then their cause which now is condemned of heresie and impietie by the Magistrates and Iudges of this world shall be acknowledged to be the cause of the Son of God And the Lord shall of his free mercy reward them with so great glory as no mans minde is able to conceive Therefore we doe with great longing expect that great day of the Lord wherein we shall most fully enjoy all those things which God hath promised unto us and through Iesus Christ our Lord be put into full possession of them for evermore Out of the Confession of AUSPURGE ALso they teach that the word that is the Sonne of God tooke unto him mans nature in the wombe of the blessed Virgin Mary so that the two natures the divine and the humane inseperably joyned together in the unitie of one person are one Christ true God and true man who was borne of the Virgin Mary did truely suffer was crucified dead and buried that he might reconcile his Father unto us and might be a sacrifice not onely for the Originall sinne but also for all actuall sinnes of men The same also descended into hell and did truely rise againe the third day Afterward he ascended into heaven that he might sit at the right hand of the Father and reigne for ever and have dominion over all the creatures sanctifie those that beleeve in him by sending the holy Spirit into their hearts and give everlasting life to such as he had sanctified The same Christ shall openly come againe to judge them that are found alive and the dead raised up againe according to the Creede of the Apostles In the end of this Article after these words by sending his holy Spirit into their hearts these words are found in some Editions BY sending his Spirit into their hearts which may reigne comfort and quicken them and defend them against the Devil and the power of sin The same Christ shall openly come againe to judge the quicke and the dead c. according to the Creed of the Apostles Also they teach that in the end of the world Christ shall appeare to judgement and shall raise up all the dead and shall give unto men to wit to the godly and elect eternall life and everlasting joyes but the ungodly and the devils shall he condemne unto endlesse torments Also we condemne the Origenists who imagined that the devill and the damned creatures should one day have an end of their pains After the first period of this Article this is thus found else-where THey condemne the Anabaptists that are of opinion that the damned men and the devils shall have an end of their torments They condemne others also which now adaies do spread abroad Iewish opinions that before the resurrection of the dead the gody shall get the soveraigntie in the world and the wicked be brought under in every place Out of the Confession of SAXONIE Hitherto pertaineth a part of the third Article THE Son of God our Lord Iesus Christ who is the Image of the eternall Father is appointed our Mediator Reconciler Redeemer Iustifier and Saviour By the obedience and merit of him alone the wrath of God is pacified as it is said Rom 3. Whom he set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood And Heb. 10. It is impossible that the blood of Buls should take away sins But he offering a sacrifice for sins sitteth for ever at the right hand of God c. And although we doe not see as yet * Looke the first observat upon this confession in this our infirmitie the causes of this wonderfull counsell why mankinde was to be redeemed after this sort but we shall learn them hereafter in all eternitie yet these principles are now to be learned In this sacrifice there are to be seene justice in the wrath of God against sin infinite mercie towards us and love in his Son towards mankinde The severitie of his justice was so great that there be no reconciliation before the punishment was accomplished His mercie was so great that his Son was given for us There was so great love in the Son towards us that he derived unto himselfe this true and exceeding great anger O Son of God kindle in our hearts by thy holy spirit a consideration of these great and secret things that by the knowledge of this true wrath we may be sore afraid and that again by true comfort we may be lifted up that we may praise thee for ever Out of the Confession of WIRTEMBERGE VVE beleeve and confesse that the Son of God our Lord Iesus Christ begotten of his eternall Father is true and eternall God consubstantiall with his Father and that in the fulnesse of time he was made man to purge our sins and * Looke the 1. Observat upon this confession to procure the eternall salvation of mankinde that Christ Iesus being very God and very man is one person onely and not two and that in this one person there be two natures not one
us For the Lord saith to him whom he had healed of the palsie Behold thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee Likewise to the adulteresse Iohn 5. Iohn 8. woman which was delivered he said goe thy way and sinne no more By which words he did not meane that any man could be free from sinne whiles he lived in this flesh but he doth commend unto us diligence and an earnest care that we I say should endevour by all meanes and beg of God by prayer that we might not fall againe into sinne out of which we are risen after a manner and that we may not be overcome of the flesh the world or the devill Zacheus the Publican being received into favour by the Lord he cryeth out in the Gospel Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I give Luke 9. to the poore and if I have taken from any man any thing by forged cavillation I restore him foure fold After the same manner we preach that restitution and mercy yea and giving of almes are necessary for them which doe truely repent And generally out of the Apostles words we exhort men saying Let not sinne reigne in Rom. 6. your mertall body that you should obey it through the lusts thereof Neither give ye your members as weapons of unrighteousnesse to sin but give your selves unto God as they that are alive from the dead and give your members as weapons of righteousnesse unto God Wherefore we condemne all the ungodly speeches of certain which abuse the preaching of the Gospel and say To returne unto God is very easie for Christ hath purged all our sinnes For givenesse of sinnes is easily obtained What therefore will it hurt to sinne And we need not take any great care for repentance c. Notwithstanding we alwaies teach that an entrance unto God is open for all sinners and that this God doth forgive all the sinnes of the faithfull onely that one sinne excepted which is committed against Mar. 3. the holy Ghost And therefore we condemne the old and new Novatians and Catharines and especially we condemne the Popes gainfull doctrine of penance and against his Simonie and Simonaical indulgences we use that sentence of Simon Peter Thy Acts 8. money perish with thee because thou thoughtest that the gift of God might be bought with money Thou hast no part or fâ—llowship in this matter for thy heart is not upright before God We also disallow those that thinke that themselves by their owne satisfactions can make recompende for their sinnes committed For we teach that Christ alone by his death and passion is the satisfaction propitiation and purging of all sins Neverthelesse we cease not to urge as was before said the mortification of the flesh and yet we adde further that it must not be proudly thrust upon God for a satisfaction Isa 53. 1 Cor. 1. for our sins but must humbly as it becometh the sonnes of God be performed as a new obedience to shaw thankefull mindes for the deliverance and full satisfaction obtained by the death and satisfaction of the Sonne of God Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA CHAP. 5. NOw that we know what sinne is in the next place we are taught concerning holy repentance which doctrine doth bring great comfort to all sinners and generally it is very profitable and necessary to salvation for all men as well for Christians which begin to learne as for those which have profited yea even for sinners that have fallen yet such which by the grace of God being converted doe repent Of this repentance Iohn Baptist did preach and after him Christ in these words Repent for the kingdome Matth 3. Mar. 1. of God is at hand Afterward also the Apostles preached therof throughout the whole world for so it is written And thus it behoved that repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached Luke 24. in his name among all nations Now this repentance doth wholly arise out of a true knowlege of sinne and the wrath of God And to attaine unto this knowledge we must use the full and entire helpe of the Ministerie by preaching to lay open unto us both the doctrine of repentance or the law touching that righteousnesse which is due unto God and the sentence of God pronounced against sin and also of faith in Christ Iesus and of that holy satisfaction which he hath made for us by suffering most grievous torments This repentance and saving conversion doth our mercifull God by his peculiar gift offer and bestow and he writeth the same in the hearts of the faithfull even as he saith I will give you Ezech. 36. Heb. 8. Ezech. 36. Ierem. 31. a new heart and I will put nay spirit in the midst of you I wil cause you to walk in my waies Again That you may repent of your sins and of your Idolatry And again When I was converted I did repent This saving repentance which doth differ very much from the repentance of Esau and Judas taketh it true and right beginning from this gift of God who bestoweth it and from the Sermons of the word of God whereby sin is reprooved and it hath this in order first that it is a feare and terrour of the secret heart before God and that by repenting and sorrowing it doth tremble at this just and severe judgement and revengement whereupon ariseth a heavie trembling and unquiet conscience a troubled minde a heart so sorrowfull carefull and bruised that a man can have no comfort with himselfe and of himselfe but his soule is full of all griefe sadnesse anguish and terrour whereby he is much troubled because of the feare of that burning wrath which he seeth in the severe countenance of God We have an example in David when he saith There is nothing sound in my flesh because Psal 38. of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinnes I am become miserable and crooked very sore I goe mourning all the day Such a terrour and true sense of sin doth worke in the faithfull an inward change of the minde and the soule and a constant detesting of sin and the causes and occasions thereof Hereunto it is streight way added by ditigent teaching of the troubled terrified and repentant that such men ought in a sincere affection of the heart with repentance and an humble submission of the minde by their confession and invocation to turne unto the Lord and by faith in Iesus Christ our Lord to conceive sure and undoubted trust in his mercie to hold fast the apprehended promise and to relye wholly thereon and seeing they have no righteousnesse of themselves earnestly and faithfully to desire of the Divine grace that God would have mercie on them and vouchsafe of his grace to forgive them their sins for the Son and his precious merits sake who was made an attonement or reconciliation for sin 1 Joh. 2. Gal. 3.
come into condemnation but by making a way through Joan. 5. it they shall passe from death into life The Epistle to the Hebrews to stirre us up to use such exhortations saith Exhort your selves among your selves exhort ye one Heb. 4. another daily so long as it is said to day Let no man among you be hardned by the deceit of sin For we enter into the rest which have beleeved that is which have obeyed the voice of God while we had time given us On the other side we must also hold this most assuredly that if any man being polluted with sins and filthy deeds manifestly contrary to vertue doe in dying depart out of this world without true repentance and faith that his soule shall certainly goe into hell as did the soule of that rich man who wanted faith in the bottomlesse pit whereof there is no drop of grace and that in the day of judgement that most terrible voice of the Son of God sounding in his eares shall be heard wherein he shall say Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire which is prepared Matth. 29. Joh. 5. for the Devill and his Angels for they which have done evill shall come forth to the resurrection of judgement Therefore in teaching they doe continually urge this that no man deferre repentance and turning unto God till he come to be old or till he lyeth sicke in his bed and in the meane time doe boldly practise his wantonnesse in sinnes and in the desires of the flesh and the world because it is written Doe not say The aboundant mercie of the Lord will purgo my sins for mercie and wrath do basten with him and his indignation shall lye upon the sinners Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord put not off from day to day For suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord breaâ—e forth and in thy securitie thou shalt be destroyed and thou shalt perish in time of vengeance But that especially is a most dangerous thing if any man after he hath received the gift of the grace of God and that in the testimonie of a good conscience doth of set purpose and wantonly sinne and contemne and make no account of all those exhortations and allurements proceeding out of a loving heart and that to this end that he may in time think on that which is for his health and repent and moreover doth persist in a bold and blind perswasion of the mercie of God and trusting thereto doth sinne and doth confidently abuse it and goeth forward in that sort without repentance even unto the last pinch and then beginneth being forced thereunto by the terrours of death and the feare of infernall punishments so late to convert himselfe and to call for the mercie of the Lord as when the severe and intollerable anger of the Lord waxeth hot and punishments rush and breake forth as doth the great violence of floods which cannot be resisted Therefore of such a man which thing we speake with sorrow it is hard to beleeve that he can truly repent and therefore it is to be doubted lest that be fulfilled in him which the Lord doth threaten by the Prophet Micheas That instead of grace he shall feele the wrath of God and that it will come to passe that the wrath of God shall slay him For in a fearefull speech doth he say thus Then shall they cry unto the Lord but Mich. 3. he will not heare them but he will hide his face from them at that time because they have continually lived wickedly Yea the Lord himselfe saith Although they cry in mine eares with a loude Ezech. 8. Ier. 7. and 11. Isa 65. and 66. voyce yet will I not heare them seeing they would not heare my voyce when as all the day long I spread out my hands unto them and gave them large time and space for grace For the which cause the holy Ghost cryeth out and saith To day if ye will heare his Psal 95. Heb. 3. voyce harden not your hearts as in the grieving in the day of that tentation in the wildernesse Therefore according to all these things our men doe diligently and out of the grounds of the Scripture exhort that every man doe in time use and follow this faithfull counsell and necessary doctrine that so he may turne away the feare of this most heavie danger yea that he doe not betray the health of his own soule For undoubtedly this horrible danger is greatly to be feared lest whatsoever he be that doth rashly or stubbornly condemne or neglect this time of grace so lovingly granted of the Lord he doe receive and that worthily that reward of eternall punishment which is due thereunto even as Saint Ambrose also amongst many other things which he handleth diversly to this Lib 3. de poenit qui Augustini esse putatur purpose doth thus write and in these words If any man at the very point of death shall repent and be absolved fo this could not be denied unto him and so departing out of this life dieth I dare not say that he departeth hence in good case I doe not affirme it neither dare I affirme or promise it to any man because I would deceive no man seeing I have no certaintie of him Doe I therefore say that he shall be damned neither doe I say that he shall be delivered For what other thing I should say I know not Let him be commended to God Wilt thou then O brother be freed from doubting repent whiles thou art in health If thou wilt repent when thou canst not sin thy sins have left thee and not thou thy sins Yet that no man may despaire they teach this also that if any man in the last houre of his life shew our signs of true repentance which thing doth fall out very seldome for that is certainly true which is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews And this will we also doe so that God Heb. 6. give us leave to doe it that such a one is not to be deprived of instruction comfort absolution or remission of sins For the time of grace doth last so long as this life doth last wherefore so long as we live here it is meet that we should thinke of that Propheticall and Apostolicall sentence To day seeing ye have heard his Heb 3. voyce harden not your hearts Now herein doe our men labour and endeavour themselves most earnestly that all men may obey this loving commandement and counsell and that they speedily repent before the Sunne be darkened after a strange manner and the hils be overwhelmed with darknesse and that laying sinne aside they would turne themselves to God by flying unto him in true confidence and with a constant invocation from the bottome of the heart and that they doe their faithfull indeavour that they be not repelled from the glory of eternall life but that they may live with Christ and his Church in this life
or absolution faith may be either conceived or confirmed For that we may truely repent we thinke that there is nothing more sure and certaine then that of necessitie we should have faith to this end that as the Gospel of Christ doth declare it so we may assuredly beleeve that our sinnes are freely pardoned and forgiven for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake We are not ignorant if we looke unto our workes that we are not onely to doubt but also to dispaire of our salvation because that our workes seeme they never so good cannot stand upright before the severe tribunall seate of God Neither are we ignorant that some doubt of the mercy and favour of God doth alwaies cleave to our flesh so long as we live in the body But seeing that God doth promise unto us his free mercy for Christ his Sonnes sake and doth require of us that we doe obediently beleeve the Gospel of his Sonne he there with also doth require that we mortifie the doubting of the flesh and have a most assured affiance in his mercy that we doe not accuse his promise to be so full of deceit as we are of doubting And that we may conceive sure confidence therein he placed our salvation not in the merits of our righteousnesse which is unperfect but onely in the merits of his Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ whose righteousnesse as it is most perfect so it is most firme and constant in the judgement of God Mar. 1. Repent and beleeve the Gospel He commandeth us to beleeve the Gospel which declareth unto us the certaine favour of God toward us for Christ his sake therefore he will not have us to doubt of his favour towards us but that we may conceive sure confidence thereof Iohn 6. This is the worke of God that ye beleeve in him whom the Father hath sent If God require of us that we beleeve in his Sonne certainely he would not have us to doubt but that we put our sure confidence in him Jam. 1. If any of you want wisedome let him aske of him which giveth it namely of God who giveth I say to all men without exception and upbraideth not and it shall be given him but let him aske with confidence nothing doubting Hilarie saith The kingdome of heaven In Mat. cap. 5. which the Prophets foreshewed Iohn preached and our Lord professed to consist in himselfe he will have us to hope for without any doubting of a wavering will Otherwise iustification through faith is none In Manueli cap. 23. at all if faith it selfe be doubtfull And Augustine saith He that doth despaire of the pardon of his sinnse doth deny that God is morcifull he that doth distrust of the mercy of God doth great iniurie unto God and as much as in him lyeth he denieth that God hath love truth and power in which things all our hope doth consist Sixtus Sixtus Pontifex Tom. 1. Epist Sixti Pont sicis saith He which is doubtfull in faith is an infidell Wherefore we thinke that they who counsell us to doubt of the favour of God towards us doe not onely dissent from the true judgement of the Catholike Church but also provide very ill for the salvation of the Church Of Satisfaction CHAP. 15. AS touching satisfaction we beleeve and confesse that the alone passion and death of the onely begotten Sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ is a satisfaction for our sinnes and that this satisfaction of Christ is offered and applied to us by the ministery of the Gospel and is received of us by faith We also confesse that after the satisfaction of Christ is applied and by faith received we ought necessarily to doe those good workes which God hath commanded not that by them we might purge our sinnes before God but that we might bring forth good fruits of repentance and testifie our thankefulnesse For as touching prayer fasting giving of almes and such like workes we thinke that they are diligently to be performed yet that they have a farre other use then that they should by their merits either satisfie God for our sinnes or apply unto us the merite of Christ Out of the Confession of SVEVELAND Of Confession CHAP. 20. SEeing that true confession of sinnes and such as hath it beginning from godlinesse can be performed of no man whom his repentance and true sorrow of minde doth not force thereunto it cannot be wrested out by any precept Wherefore neither Christ himselfe nor the Apostles would command it Therefore for this cause our Preachers doe exhort men to confesse their sins and there withall they shew what fruit ariseth hereof that a man should secretly seeke for comfort counsell doctrine instruction and at the hands of a man that is a Christian and wise yet by commandement they urge no man but doe rather affirme that such commandements doe hinder godlinesse For that constitution of confessing sinnes unto a Priest hath driven infinite soules unto desperation and is subject to so many corruptions that of late it ought to have beene abrogated and without doubt had beene abrogated if the governours of Churches of late time had burned with so great a zeale to remove away stumbling blocks as in times past Nestorius the Bishop of Constantinople did burne who did utterly abolish secret confession in his Church because that a certaine noble woman going often to Church under pretence of doing the workes of repentance was deprehended to have to doe with a Deacon Infinit such undoubted sinnes were committed every where Moreover the Pontificall lawes doe require that the hearer and judge of confession should be so holy learned wise mercifull that a man can hardly finde out especially among those that are commonly appointed to heare confessions to whom he might confesse himselfe And now the Schoolemen doe thinke that it is better to confesse sinnes to a laie man then to that Priest by whom we may not looke to be edified in godlinesse This is the summe That confession bringeth more hurt then profit which sound repentance and true sorrow of the minde for sinnes committed doth not wring out Therefore seeing this is the gift of God alone that we may repent of our sinnes and be truely sorrowfull for that wee have sinned nothing that may turne to salvation can be done in this matter by commandements as hath hitherto beene too too manifest even by experience THE NINTH SECTION OF IVSTIFICATION BY FAITH AND OF GOOD Workes and their Rewards The latter Confession of HELVETIA Of the true Justification of the faithfull CHAP. 15. TO justifie in the Apostles disputation touching justification doth signifie to remit sinnes to absolve from the fault and the punishment thereof to receive into favour to pronounce a man just For the Apostle faith to the Romans God is he that iustifieth Rom. 8. who is he that can condemne Where to justifie and to condemne are opposed And in the Acts of the Apostles the Apostle saith Through Christ is preached unto
another place He that beleeveth Acts 13. in him is made righteous And this righteousnesse or justification is the remission of sinnes the taking away of eternall punishment which the severe justice of God doth require and to be clothed with Christs righteousnesse or with imputation thereof also it is a reconciliation with God a receiving into favour whereby we are made acceptable in the beloved and fellow heires of eternall life For the confirming of which things and by reason of our new birth or regeneration there is an earnest added to wit the holy Ghost who is given and bestowed freely out of Ephes 1. that infinite grace for Christ his death bloud shedding and his resurrection All these things hath Paul described very excellently in his Epistle to the Romanes where he bringeth in Rom. 4. Psal 32. David speaking in this wise Blessed are they whose iniquitie is forgiven whereof he speaketh in that whole Chapter And to the Gal. 4. Rom. 8. Galathians he saith God sent forth his Son that we might receive the adoption Now because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son crying in your hearts Abba Father For whomsoever God doth justifie to them he doth give the holy Ghost and by him he doth first regenerate them as he promiseth by the Prophet saying I will give them a new heart and I will put my spirit Ezech 11. and 36. Rom 5. in the middest of them that as before sinne had reigned in them to death so also then grace might reigne by righteousnesse unto eternall life through Iesus Christ And this is the communion or participation of the grace of God the Father of the merit of Iesus Christ our Lord and of the sanctification of the holy Ghost this is the law of faith the law of the spirit and life written by the holy Ghost But the lively and never dying spring of this justification is our Lord Iesus Christ alone by those his saving works that is which give salvation from whom all holy men from the beginning of the world as well before the law was published and under the law and the discipline thereof as also after the law have and doe draw have and doe receive salvation or remission of their sins by faith in the most comfortable promise of the Gospel and doe apply and approper it as peculiar to themselves onely for the sole death of Christ and his blood-shedding to the full and perfect abolishing of their sinnes and the cleansing from them all whereof we have many testimonies in the Scripture Holy Peter before the whole countrey at Hierusalem doth proove by sound arguments that Salvation is not to be found in any other then in Act. 4. Christ Iesus alone and that under this large cope of heaven there is no other name given unto men whereby we may be saved And in another place he appealeth to the consenting voyces and testimonies of all the Prophets who spake with one minde and by one spirit as it were by one mouth and thus he said As touching this Iesus Act. 10. all the Prophets beare witnesse that through his name all that beleeve in him shall receive remission of sins And to the Hebrews it is written He hath by himselfe purged our sins and againe We Heb. 1. Eph. 1. 1 Jâ—h 2. have redemption through his blood even the remission of sins And St. John saith We have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation or attonement for our sinnes and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world And againe to the Hebrews We are sanctified by the offering of the body Heb. 10. of Iesus Christ once made and a little after he addeth with one only offering hath he consecrated for ever them that are sanctified namely of God by the spirit of God Therefore all sinners and such as are penitent ought to flie incontinently through their whole life to our Lord Iesus Christ alone for remission of their sins and every saving grace according to that in the Epistle to the Heb. 4. Hebrews Seeing that we have a great high Priest even Iesus the Son of God which is entered into heaven let us hold fast this profession which is concerning Christ our Lord and straight-way he addeth Let us therefore goe boldly unto the throne of grace that we may receive mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of need Also Christ himselfe crying out saith He that thirsteth let him come to Joh. 7. me and drinke And in another place He that cometh unto me shall not hunger and he that beleeveth in me shall never thirst Now they Joh. 6. that attaine to this justification by Christ our Lord are taught to take unto themselves true and assured comfort out of this grace and bountie of God to enjoy a good and quiet conscience before God to be certaine of their owne salvation and to have it confirmed to them by this means that seeing they are here the sons of God they shall also after death in the resurrection be made heires In the meane time they ought both to desire to be brought Rom. 8. Gal. 4. to this that they may receive the fruit of perfect salvation and also cheerefully to looke for it with that confidence according to the promise of the Lord that such shall not come into judgement Joh. 5. but that by making away they have already passed from death into life Of all other points of doctrine we account this the chiefest and weightiest as that wherein the summe of the Gospell doth consist Christianitie is founded and the precious and most noble treasure of eternall salvation and the onely and lively comfort proceeding from God is comprehended Therefore herein our Preachers doe labour especially that they may well instruct the hearts of men in this point of doctrine and so sow it that it may take deepe root Of goods works and a Christian life CHAP. 7. IN the seventh place we teach that they who are made righteous and acceptable to God by faith alone in Christ Iesus and that by the grace of God without any merits ought in the whole course of their life that followeth both altogether joyntly and every one particularly according as the order condition age place of every one doth require to performe and exercise those good works and holy actions which are commanded of God even as God commandeth when he saith Teach them to observe all things which I have commanded you Now these good works or holy actions are not certaine affections devised of flesh and blood for such the Lord forbiddeth but they are expressely shewed and propounded unto us by the spirit of God to doe the which God doth binde us the rule and chiefe square whereof God himselfe is in his word for so he saith by the Prophet Walke not in the Ezech. 20. commandements of your Fathers and keepe
able to bring forth any works which are not polluted with the corruption of our flesh and for that cause be worthy of punishment If it were granted that we were able to bring forth any such works yet the bare remembrance of our sinnes were sufficient to remoove that worke out of the sight of God Therefore we should alwaies stand in doubt staggering as it were this way and that way and our miserable consciences should be in continuall torment unlesse they should relie upon the onely merit of our Saviour Christ his death and passion and rest in it alone Out of the Confession of AUSPURGE THat we might obtaine these benefits of Christs namely remission of sins iustification and life everlasting Christ hath given his Gospel wherein these benefits are layed forth unto us as it is written in the last of Luke that repentance should be preached and remission of sinnes in his name among all nations For whereas all men borne after a naturall manner have sinne in them and cannot truely satisfie the Law of God * Locke the 1. Observat upon this confession the Gospell bewrayeth our sinne and sheweth us Christ the Mediatour and so instructeth us touching remission of sinnes When as the Gospell doth convict us of sinne our hearts thereby terrified must firmely beleeve that there is given unto us freely for Christs sake that remission of sinnes and justification by faith by the which we must beleeve and confesse that these things are given us for Christs sake who was made an oblation and hath appeased the Fathers wrath for us Notwithstanding therefore that the Gospell doe require repentance yet to the end that the remission of our sinnes may be certain and undoubted it teacheth us that remission is given us freely that is that it doth not depend upon the condition of our owne worthinesse nor is given for any works that went before nor for the worthinesse of such as follow after For then should remission be uncertaine if we should thinke that then onely we obtaine remission of sins when we had deserved it by our former works or when our repentance were well worthy of it For in true terrours the conscience findeth no worke which it may oppose against Gods wrath but Christ is given and set forth unto us to appease the wrath of God This honour must not be transferred from Christ unto our own works therefore Paul saith Ye are saved freely Againe Therefore by faith freely that the promise might be sure that is thus shall remission be certaine when we know that it dependeth not upon the condition of our unworthinesse but is given us for Christ his sake This is a sure and necessary comfort to all godly mindes that are terrified with the conscience of their sins And thus doe the holy fathers teach and there is a notable sentence in Saint Ambrose worthy the remembring in these words This God hath appointed that he which beleeveth in Christ should be saved without any worke by faith alone receiving the remission of sinnes Now this word Faith doth not onely signifie a knowledge of the History of Christ but also to beleeve and assent unto this promise that is proper unto the Gospel wherein remission of sinnes justification and life everlasting are promised untous for Christs fake For this promise also doth pertaine to the History of Christ even as in the Creed unto the History is added this article I beleeve the remission of sins And unto this one the other articles touching the History of Christ are to be referred For the benefit is the end of the Historie therefore did Christ suffer and rise again that for him remission of sins and everlasting life might be given unto us These things are found thus in another Edition ALso they teach that men cannot be justified before God by Artic. 4. their owne power merits or works but are justified for Christs sake through faith when they beleeve that they are received unto favour and their sins forgiven through Christ who by his death hath satisfied for our sins This faith doth God impute for righteousnesse unto them before himselfe Rom. 3. and 4. For this cause Christ hath appointed the ministerie of teaching Artic. 5. the Gospel which preacheth repentance and remission of sins and the preaching of either of these is generall and layeth open the sinnes of all men and promiseth remission of them unto all that beleeve for to the end that remission might not be doubted of out that all distressed mindes might know that they ought to beleeve that remission of sinnes is undoubtedly granted unto them for Christ and not for their owne merits or worthinesse All these doe certainly obtaine remission of sinnes And when as we doe in this sort comfort our selves by the promise of the Gospell and doe raise up our selves by saith therewithall is the holy spirit given unto us For the holy spirit is given and is effectuall by the word of God and by the Sacraments When as we doe heare or meditate of the Gospel or doe receive the Sacraments and comfort our selves by faith therewithall the spirit of God is effectuall according to that of Saint Paul Gal. 3. That the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ might be given to them that beleeve And to the Corinthians The Gospel is the ministerie of the spirit And to the Romanes Faith cometh by hearing When as then we doe comfort our selves by faith and are freed from the terrours of sin by the holy spirit our hearts doe conceive the other vertues acknowledge truly the mercie of God and conceive the true love and the true feare of God trust and hope of Gods helpe prayer and such like fruits of the spirit Such therefore as teach nothing concerning this faith whereby we receive remission of sinnes but will have mens consciences stand in doubt whether they obtaine remission or no and do adde further that this doubting is no sinne are justly condemned And these also doe teach that men may obtaine remission of sinnes for their own worthinesse but they doe not teach to beleeve that remission of sinnes is given freely for Christ sake Here also are condemned those phantasticall spirits which dreame that the holy Ghost is given or is effectuall without the word of God Which maketh them contemne the ministerie of the Gospel and Sacraments and to seek illumination without the word of God and besides the Gospel And by this means they draw away mens mindes from the word of God unto their own opinions which is a thing very pernicious and hurtfull Such were in old time the Manichees and Enthusiasts And such are the Anabaptists now adaies These and such like frensies we doe most constantly condemne For they abolish the true use of Gods word and do falsely imagine that the holy spirit may be received without the word and sticking too much to their own fancies they invent wicked opinions and are the cause of infinite breaches These things
brethren according to the measure of gifts which God hath bestowed upon every one Moreover to the end that these things may the better be observed it is the part and dutie of every faithfull man to separate himselfe according to Gods word from all those which are without the Church and to couple himselfe unto this company of the faithfull wheresoever God hath placed it yea though contrary Edicts of Princes and Magistrates doe forbid them upon paine of corporall death presently to ensue upon all those which doe the same Whosoever therefore doe either depart from the true Church or refuse to joyn themselves unto it do openly resist the commandement of God We beleeve that with great diligence and wisdome it ought to be searched and examined by the word of God what the true Artic. 29. Church is seeing that all the Sects that at this day have sprung up in the world doe usurpe and falsely pretend the name and title of the Church Yet here we doe not speake of the company of hypocrites which together with the good are mingled in the Church though properly they doe not pertaine to the Church wherein they are onely present with their bodies but onely of the manner how to distinguish the Body and Congregation of the true Church from all other Sects which doe falsely boast that they be the members of the Church Wherefore the true Church may be discerned from the false by these notes First if the pure preaching of the Gospell doe flourish in it if it have the lawfull administration of the Sacraments according to Christ his institution if it doe use the right Ecclesiasticall discipline for the restraining of vice Finally to knit up all in one word if it doe square all things to the rule of Gods word refusing whatsoever is contrary to it acknowledging Christ to be the onely head of the same By these notes I say it is certaine that the true Church may be discerned From the which it is not lawfull for any man to be severed Now who be the true members of this true Church it may be gathered by these marks and tokens which be common to all Christians such is faith by the vertue whereof having once apprehended Christ the onely Saviour they doe flie sinne and follow righteousnesse loving the true God and their neighbours without turning either to the right hand or to the left and doe crucifie their flesh with the effects thereof not as if no infirmitie at all remained still within them but because they doe fight all their life long against the flesh by the power of the spirit having often recourse unto the blood death passion and obedience of our Lord Christ as unto a most safe refuge in whom alone they are assured to finde redemption for their sins through faith in him But on the other side the false Church doth alwaies attribute more unto her selfe to her owne decrees and traditions then to the word of God and will not suffer her selfe to be subject to the yoake of Christ neither doth administer the Sacraments so as Christ hath prescribed but at her own will and pleasure doth one while adde unto them another while detract from them Furthermore she doth alwaies leane more to men then to Christ and whosoever doe goe about to lead a holy life according to the prescript rule of Gods Word whosoever doth rebuke and reproove her faults as her covetousnesse and idolatry those she doth persecute with a deadly hatred By these marks therefore it is easie to discerne and distinguish both these Churches the one from the other Out of the Confession of AUSPURGE ALso they teach that there is one holy Church that shall continue alwaies Now to speake properly the Church of Christ is a congregation of the members of Christ that is of the Saints which doe truely beleeve and rightly obey Christ though in this life there be many wicked ones and hypocrites mingled with this companie and shall be to the day of judgement Now the Church properly so called hath her notes and marks to wit the pure and sound Doctrine of the Gospel and the right use of the Sacraments And for the true unitie of the Church it is sufficient to agree upon the Doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments Neither is it necessary that humane traditions or rites instituted by men should be alike every where according as Saint Paul teacheth There is one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all These things are thus set down in another Edition ALso they teach that there is one holy Church which is to continue alwaies Now the Church is a Congregation of Saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments rightly administred And unto the true Vnitie of the Church it is sufficient to agree upon the Doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments Neither is it necessary that humane traditions and rites or ceremonies ordained by man should be alike in all places as Saint Paul saith There is one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all Out of the Confession of SAXONY Of the Church GOd will have us to understand that mankinde is not borne by chance but that it is created of God and created not to eternall Artic. 11. destruction but that out of mankinde he might gather unto himselfe a Church to the which in all eternitie he might communicate his wisdome goodnesse and joy and he will have his Sonne to be seene for whom and through whom by his unspeakable wisdome and infinite mercie he hath repaired this miserable nature of men Therefore amongst men he would at all times have a companie whereunto he delivered the doctrine concerning his Sonne and wherein the Sonne himselfe did institute and preserve a ministerie to keepe and spread abroad that doctrine by the which he hath been is and will be effectuall and hath converted many to himselfe as Paul doth manifestly teach The Gospell is the power of God to salvation to every one that beleeveth But it is to be marvelled at and to be lamented that the greatest part of mankinde being carried away with a horrible rage should contemne this voice and testimonie of God and the Son of God and that in this company which hath the name of the Church there have been alwaies many divisions and that the true Church hath been overcome by forreine and domesticall enemies When men doe looke upon these dissentions and doe see that they which imbrace other doctrines repugnant to the Gospell doe get the upper hand in kingdomes multitude and glory they doubt whether there be any Church of God which it is what manner of Church it is and where it should be And for prophane men it is a hard matter to judge hereof but the true Church doth certainly know out of the divine Testament whence these so great furies of men doe arise and yet that amongst them the Church of God
for the belly as all men doe confesse We therefore disallow that Canon in the Popes decrees Ego Berengarius de consecrat Distinct 2. For neither did godly antiquitie beleeve neither yet doe we beleeve that the body of Christ can be eaten corporally and essentially with a bodily mouth There is also a spirituall eating of Christs body not such a one whereby it may be thought that the very meate is changed into the spirit but wherby the Lords body blood remaining in their owne essence and proprietie those things are spiritually communicated unto us not after a corporall but after a spirituall manner through the holy Ghost who doth apply and bestow upon us those things to wit remission of sinnes deliverance and life everlasting which are prepared for us by the flesh and bloud of our Lord which were given for us so as Christ doth now live in us and we live in him and doth cause us to apprehend him by a true faith to this end that he may become unto us such a spirituall meat and drinke that is to say our life For even as corporall meat and drinke doe not onely refresh and strengthen our bodies but also doe keep them in life even so the flesh of Christ delivered and his bloud shed for us doe not onely refresh and strengthen our soules but also doe preserve them alive not because they be corporally eaten and drunken but for that they are * Looke the 1. observat upon this confession communicated unto us spiritually by the Spirit of God the Lord saying The bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of this world also my flesh to wit corporally eaten profiteth nothing it is the Spirit which giveth life And the words which I speake to you are spirit and life And as we must by eating receive the meat into our bodies to the end that it may worke in us and shew his force in our bodies because while it is without us it profiteth us not at all even so it is necessarie that we receive Christ by faith that he may be made ours and that hee may live in us and we in him For he saith I am the bread of life he that cometh to me shall not hunger and he that beleeveth in me shall not thirst any more And also He that eateth me shall live through me and he abideth in me and I in him By all which it appeareth manifestly that by spirituall meat we meane not an Imaginarie but the very body of our Lord Iesus given to us which yet is received of the faithfull not corporally but spiritually by faith in which point we doe wholly follow the doctrine of our Lord and Saviour Christ in the sixth of John And this eating of the flesh and drinking of the bloud of the Lord is so necessary to salvation that without it no man can be saved This spirituall eating and drinking is also without the Supper of the Lord even so often as and wheresoever a man doth beleeve in Christ To which purpose that sentence of Saint Austin doth happily belong Why dost thou prepare thy teeth and belly Beleeve and thou hast eaten Besides that former spirituall eating there is a sacramentall eating of the body of the Lord whereby the faithfull man is partaker not onely spiritually and internally of the true body and blood of the Lord but also outwardly by comming to the table of the Lord doth receive the visible Sacrament of the body and blood of the Lord. True it is that a faithfull man by beleeving did before receive the food that giveth life and still receiveth the same but yet when he receiveth the Sacrament he receiveth something more For he goeth on in continuall communication of the body and blood of the Lord and his faith is daily more and more kindled more strengthened and refreshed by the spirituall nourishment For while we live faith hath continuall encreasings and he that outwardly doth receive the Sacraments with a true faith the same doth receive not the signe onely but also doth enjoy as we have said the thing it selfe Moreover the same man doth obey the Lords institution and commandement and with a joyfull minde giveth thanks for his and the redemption of all mankinde and maketh a faithfull remembrance of the Lords death and doth witnesse the same before the Church of which body he is a member This also is sealed up to those which receive the Sacraments that the body of the Lord was given and his blood shed not onely for men in generall but particularly for every faithfull communicant whose meat and drinke he is to life everlasting But as for him that without faith commeth to this holy table of the Lord he is made partaker of the Sacrament only but the matter of the Sacrament from whence commeth life and salvation he receiveth not at all And such men doe unworthily eate of the Lords table Now they which doe unworthily eate of the Lords bread and drinke of the Lords cup they are guiltie of the body and blood of the Lord and they eate and drinke it to their Iudgement For when as they doe not approach with true faith they reproach and despite the death of Christ and therefore eate and drinke condemnation to themselves We doe not then so joyne the body of the Lord and his blood with the bread and wine as though we thought that the bread is the body of Christ more then after a sacramentall manner or that the body of Christ doth lye hid corporally under the bread so as it ought to be worshipped under the formes of bread or yet that he which receiveth the signe receiveth the thing it selfe The body of Christ is in the heavens at the right hand of his Father And therefore our hearts are to be lifted upon high and not to be fixed on the bread neither is the Lord to be worshipped in the bread though notwithstanding the Lord is not absent from his Church when as they celebrate the Supper The Sun being absent from us in the heavens is yet notwithstanding present amongst us effectually How much more Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse though in body he be absent from us in the heavens yet is present amongst us not corporally but spiritually by his lively operation and so he himselfe hath promised in his last Supper to be present amongst us Joh. 14. 15. and 16. Whereupon it followeth that we have not the Supper without Christ and yet have an unbloody and mysticall Supper even as all antiquitie called it Moreover we are admonished in the celebration of the Supper of the Lord to be mindefull of the body whereof we are made members and that therefore we be at concord with all our brethren that we may live holily and not pollute our selves with wickednesse and strange religions but persevering in the true faith to the end of our life give diligence to excell in holinesse of life It
of Christ which was borne of the pure Virgin Mary suffered for us and ascended into heaven Therefore we doe neither worship Christ in the signes Col. 3. Heb. 1 10. Acts 3. 2 Tim. 4. of bread and wine which we doe commonly call the Sacraments of the body and blood of Christ but in heaven at the right hand of God the Father from whence he shall come to judge the quicke and the dead Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA Of the holy Supper of the Lord. CHAP. 13. IN the thirteenth place we teach touching the Supper of the Lord instituted in the new Testament that we must beleeve with the heart and professe with the mouth that it is a Sacrament instituted of Christ our Lord in his last Supper and that in expresse forme of words that is that concerning bread and wine he hath pronounced that they be his body and his blood and that Matth. 26. Mark 14. Luke 22. they were delivered to his Apostles and so in like sort to the whole universall Church for a monument of his death and that all men should lawfully use the participation thereof even to the end of the world Of this Sacrament the Evangelists doe write and especially Saint Paul whose words even to this day are thus read in the Church I have received of the Lord that 1 Cor. 11. which I also have delivered unto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in that night wherein he was betraied tooke bread c. And a little after When ye come together to wit to the Supper of the Lord Let one tarry for another Therefore according to these things we beleeve with the heart and confesse with the mouth that this bread of the Lords Supper is the body of the Lord Iesus Christ delivered for us and that this Cup or the wine in the Cup is likewise shed for us for the remission of sine And this we affirme according to the expresse words of Christ wherein he saith This is my body This is my blood Which words may not be taken or understood of any other thing nor be otherwise referred then only to the bread and cup of the Lord and the body and blood of the Lord cannot be understood of any other then of the onely true and proper body of Christ which he made meat by his torments and of his blood which being largely poured out of his body he appointed to be drinke for his Church for he had not a naturall body and another blood Therefore our Ministers doe teach that to these certaine words pronounced by Christ our Lord wherein he doth peculiarly pronounce witnesse and institute bread to be his body and wine to be his blood I say to these words no man may adde any thing no man may detract any thing from them but every man in these words is to beleeve * Looke the 1. observat upon this confession that which of themselves they signifie and that no man ought to turne from them either to the right hand or to the left Yet to expound the meaning of this faith we doe further teach that although the bread be the body of Christ according to his institution and wine be his blood yet neither of these doe leave it nature or change or lose it substance but that the bread is and doth remaine bread and that the wine is and doth remaine wine as also the holy Scripture doth give this it owne name to either of them Otherwise if it should cease to be an August in Ioan. Tract 80. Epist 23. ad Bonifa element it should not be a Sacrament seeing that a Sacrament is then made when the word is added to the element Neither could it signifie or beare witnesse if it had nothing in stead of that thing whereof it is a Sacrament or if the thing signified should have any other manner of presence then that which is Sacramentall Wherefore this speech Bread is the body and Wine is the blood of Christ is a sacramentall speech to wit that these two distinct things doe remaine the selfe same thing which in their owne nature they be and yet by reason of a Sacramentall union or Sacramentally they be that also which they doe signifie and whereof they doe testifie and yet not in their owne nature or after a naturall manner but by the institution pronouncing or witnessing of the authour as Paul doth excellently expound this where he thus writeth The cup which we blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ the bread which we break 1 Cor. 10. is it not the communion of the body of Christ Now both the good and the wicked doe use this Sacrament and yet the true beleevers doe receive it to life and those which doe not beleeve doe receive it to judgement and condemnation And although either of them do receive this Sacrament and * Looke the 2 Observat upon this confession the truth thereof sacramentally and outwardly yet the beleevers doe receive it spiritually and so to their salvation without which spirituall receiving there is no worthy receiving in the Sacramentall use For by this meane we are ingrafted into Christ and into his body and by this meane is that true union and communion of Christ with his Church made and in like sort by this meane is the communion of the holy Church which is a certaine spirituall body made amongst and with themselves whereof the Apostle writeth There is one bread and we being many are one body seeing we are all made partakers of one bread 1 Cor. 10. Moreover we are further taught that with this ministerie or Sacrament of the Lord no other thing ought to be done or taken in hand then that one thing which was shewed ordained and expresly commanded of Christ himselfe as when he reached bread severally and peculiarly to his Disciples and in expresse words said Take eate this is my body and in like sort when he reached to them the cup severally and peculiarly saying Drinke ye all of this This is my bloud Thus therefore according to this commandement the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ must be distributed onely and be received in common of the faithfull or beleeving Christians but it must not be sacrificed or set before them or lifted up or shewed forth to this end that there it may be worshipped or kept or carried about And both these must be received in severall elements the body peculiarly and severally and also his holy blood severally as either of them were of the Lord instituted reached forth and given in common to all his Disciples severally And this doctrine was used in the first holy Church and this Sacrament was wholly distributed in both parts and so received But he that beside or contrary to these commandements and institution of Christ dare bring in any other thing or somewhat more and use it with this Sacrament or wantonly invent therein at his
pleasure he doth manifestly and malapertly against our Lord who instituted this Sacrament and committeth a thing cleane contrary to his holy Testament and last will which was declared in his owne words and that expressely Also this Sacrament ought to be received and administred without adoration and without that worship which is due to God alone yet with a due kinde of religion and reverence and chiefly with that which is the chiefest of all namely with faith and examination of himself which in this action is most acceptable to Christ our Lord and most profitable for men which also St. Paul taught the first Church and exhorted it hereunto saying 1 Cor. 11. Let every man trie or examine himselfe and so let him eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily doth eate and drinke his owne iudgement or condemnation because he discerneth not the Lords body And in another place Prove your selves whether ye are in the faith examine your selves 2 Cor. 13. know ye not your owne selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Now I pray unto God that ye doe no evill If so be that any man approach to this table without such a tryall and not making himselfe worthy who hath not first examined himselfe what manner of faith he hath with what purpose he came to this Sacrament or how he had prepared himselfe hereunto I say such a man should greatly prophane and reproach this Sacrament yea the whole institution hereof appointed by Christ For which cause the Ministers of our Churches doe admit none to this Sacrament neither give it unto any but to such as are noted to come unto it seriously and doe so much as in them lyeth prepare themselves hereunto after such a manner as becometh Christian godlinesse Now when the Congregation doth come together to celebrate the use of the Lords Supper and be partakers thereof then according to the example of the Primitive Church our Ministers doe teach in their holy Sermons concerning Christ and concerning the grace which through him and in him is given to sinners and especially concerning his death the sheading of his blood and the redemption and salvation purchased thereby After that the whole Church doth joyne together in faithfull prayers unto God to obtaine this that they may indeed use this Sacrament worthily * Looke the 3. Observat Moreover in the next place absolution from sinnes is lawfully administred the words of the institution are rehearsed and the people by exhortation is stirred up to a reverent consideration of this mysterie and to a cheereful and serious contemplation of the benefits of God the Sacrament is reverently with all godlinesse distributed and the people of the faithfull * Looke the 4. Observat most commonly falling downe on their knees doe receive this Sacrament with thankesgiving with gladnesse with singing of hymnes or holy songs and they shew forth the death of the Lord and admonish themselves of all his benefits to the confirmation of their faith in a true communion with Christ and his bodie And all this we doe according to the meaning of those things which are commanded in the holy Scripture especially according to the saying of Christ Doe this in remembrance Luc. 22. 1 Cor. 11. of me and Paul saith So often as ye shall eat of this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall shew forth the death of the Lord till he come Out of the FRENCH Confession VVE affirme that the holy Supper of the Lord to wit the Artic. 36. other Sacrament is a witnesse to us of our uniting with our Lord Iesus Christ because that he is not onely once dead and raised up againe from the dead for us but also he doth indeed feed us and nourish us with his flesh and bloud that we being made one with him may have our life common with him For although he be now in heaven and shall remaine there till he come to judge the world yet we beleeve that by the secret and incomprehensible vertue of his Spirit he doth nourish * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession and quicken us with the substance of his body and blood being apprehended by faith But we say that this is done spiritually not that we may counterfeit an imagination or thought instead of the efficacie and truth but rather because this mysterie of our union with Christ is so high a thing that it surmounteth all our senses yea and the whole order of nature to conclude because that it being divine and heavenly cannot be perceived nor apprehended but by faith We beleeve as was said before that as well in the Supper as Artic. 37. in Baptisme God doth in deed that is truly and effectually give whatsoever he doth there sacramentally represent and therefore with the signes we joyne the true profession and fruition of that thing which is there offered unto us Therefore we affirme that they which doe bring pure faith as it were a certaine vessell unto the holy Supper of the Lord doe indeed receive that which there the signes doe witnesse namely that the body and bloud of Iesus Christ are no lesse the meate and drinke of the soule then bread and wine are the meate of the body Also out of the 38. Art a little after the beginning And also that that bread and wine which is given us in the Supper is indeed made unto us spirituall nourishment in as much as they doe offer unto our eies to behold that the flesh of Christ is our meate and that his bloud is our drinke Therefore we reject all those phantasticall heads which doe refuse these fignes and tokens seeing that Christ our Lord hath said This is my body and This cup is my bloud Out of the ENGLISH Confession VVE say that Eucharistia that is to say the Supper of the Artic. 12. Lord is a Sacrament that is an evident Representation of the body and blood of Christ wherein is set as it were before our eyes the death of Christ and his Resurrection and whatsoever he did whilest he was in his mortall body to the end we may give him thankes for his death and for our deliverance and that by the often receiving of this Sacrament we may daily renue the remembrance thereof to the intent we being fed with the body and blood of Christ may be brought into the hope of the Resurrection and of everlasting life and may most assuredly beleeve that as our bodies be fed with bread and wine so our soules be fed with the body and blood of Christ To this Chrysost ad Eph. sâ—rm 3. cap. 1. Banquet we thinke the people of God ought to be earnestly bidden that they may all communicate among themselves and openly declare and testifie both the godly society which is among them and also the hope which they have in Christ Jesus For this cause if there had been
mens consciences which had rather use the whole Sacrament neither did we thinke that any crueltie should be used in that matter but so much as in us lyeth together with the ceremony we have restored the holy doctrine touching the fruit of the ceremonie that the people may understand how the Sacrament is laid before them to comfort the consciences of them that doe repent This doctrine doth allure the godly to the use and reverence of the Sacrament For not onely the ceremonie was before maimed but also the chiefe doctrine touching the fruit thereof was utterly neglected And peradventure the maiming of the ceremonie did signifie that the Gospel touching the blood of Christ that is the benefit of Christ his death was obscured Now by the benefit of God the pure Doctrine concerning faith together with this ceremonie is renued and restored This Article we finde placed else-where in the first place amongst those wherein the abuses which are changed are reckoned after this manner EIther kinde of the Sacrament in the Lords Supper is given to the laitie because that this custome hath the commandement of the Lord Matth 26. Drinke ye all of this where Christ doth manifestly command concerning the cup that all should drinke And that no man might cavill that it doth only appertaine to the Priests the example of Paul to the Corinthians doth witnesse that the whole Church did in common use either part This custome remained a long time even in the latter Churches neither is it certaine when or by what author it was changed Cyprian in certaine places doth witnesse that the blood was given to the people The same thing doth Hierome testifie saying The Priests doe minister the Sacrament and distribute the blood of Christ to the people Yea Gelasius the Pope commandeth that the Sacrament be not devided Dist 2. de consecr cap. Comperimus Onely a new custome brought in of late doth otherwise But it is manifest that a custome brought in contrary to the commandements of God is not to be allowed as the Canons do witnesse Dist 8. Cap. Veritate with that which followeth Now this custome is received not only against the Scripture but also against the true Canons and the examples of the Church Therefore if any had rather use both parts of the Sacrament they were not to be compelled to doe otherwise with the offence of their conscience * Looke the 1. observation And because that the parting of the Sacrament doth not agree with the institution of Christ we use to omit that procession which hitherto hath been in use Out of the Confession of SAXONY Of the holy Supper of the Lord. BOth Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord are pledges and testimonies of grace as was said before which doe admonish us of the promise and of our whole redemption and doe shew that the benefits of the Gospel do pertaine to every one of those that use these ceremonies But yet here is the difference by Baptisme every one is ingrafted into the Church but the Lord would have the Supper of the Lord to be also the sinew of the publique congregation c. The rest that followeth pertaineth to the 15. Sect. till you come to these words that follow Even as also in the very words of the Supper there is a promise included seeing he commandeth that the death of the Lord should be shewed forth this Supper distributed till he come That therefore we may use this Sacrament with the greater reverence let the true causes of the institution thereof be well weighed which pertaine to the publique Congregation and to the comfort of every one The first cause is this The Son of God will have the voice of his Gospel to sound in a publique congregation and such a one as is of good behaviour the bond of this congregation he will have this receiving to be which is to be done with great reverence seeing that there a testimonie is given of the wonderfull conjunction betwixt the Lord and the receivers of which reverence Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 11. saying He that receiveth unworthily shall be guiltie of the body and blood of the Lord. Secondly God will have both the Sermon and the ceremonie it selfe to be profitable both for the preservation and also for the propagation of the memory of his passion resurrection and benefits Thirdly He will have every receiver to be singularly confirmed by this testimonie that he may assure himselfe that the benefits of the Gospell doe pertaine to him seeing that the Sermon is common and by this testimonie and by this receiving he sheweth that thou art a member of his and that thou art washed in his blood and that he doth make this covenant with thee Joh. 15. Abide in me and I in you Also I in them and they in me Fourthly he will have this publique receiving to be a confession whereby thou maist shew what kinde of doctrine thou doest imbrace and to what companie thou docst joyne thy selfe Also he will have us to give thanks publiquely and privately in this very ceremonie to God the eternall Father and to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost both for other benefits and namely for this infinite benefit of our redemption and salvation Also he will that the members of the Church should have a bond of mutuall love among themselves Thus we see that many ends doe meet together By the remembrance of these weightie causes men are invited to the reverence and use of the Sacrament and we teach how the use may be profitable We doe plainly condemne that monstrous errour of the Monks who have written that the receiving doth deserve remission of sinnes and that for the works sake without any good motion of him that useth it This Pharisaicall imagination is contrary to that saying Habac. 2. The iust shall live by his faith Therefore we doe thus instruct the Church that they which will approach to the Supper of the Lord must repent or bring conversion with them and having their faith now kindled they must here seeke the confirmation of this faith in the consideration of the death and resurrection and benefits of the Sonne of God because that in the use of this Sacrament there is a witnesse bearing which declareth that the benefits of the Sonne of God doe pertaine to thee also also there is a testimonie that he joyneth thee as a member to himselfe * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession and that he is in thee as he said Joh. 17. I in them c. Therefore we give counsell that men doe not thinke that their sinnes be forgiven them for this works sake or for this obedience but that in a sure confidence they behold the death and merit of the Sonne of God and his resurrection and assure themselves that their sins are forgiven for his sake and that he will have this faith to be confirmed by this admonition and witnesse bearing when as faith comfort the
the sects and opinions of other nations Iohn assembled his flock at Ephesus and taught the Gospel and by the use of the Sacraments the whole companie did declare that they imbraced this doctrine and did invocate this God who delivered the Gospel and that they were separated from the worshippers of Diana Iupiter and other Idols For God will bee seene and have his Church heard in the world and have it distinguished by many publique signes from other nations So no doubt the first Fathers Adam Seth Enoch Noe Sem Abraham had their meetings and afterward the civill government of Israel had many rites that their separation from the Gentiles might be more evident Also God gave a peculiar promise to his congregation Matth. 18. Wheresoever two or three be gathered together in my name I will be in the middest of them Also Whatsoever they agreeing together shall desire it shall be done to them And in the 149. Psalme His praise is in the Church of the Saints And the promises wherein God doth affirme that he will preserve his Church are so much the sweeter because we know that he doth preserve and restore the publique ministerie in well ordered meetings as also in the very words of the Supper this promise is included where he commandeth that The death of the Lord should be shewed forth and this Supper distributed till he come c. Hitherto also pertaineth the last part of the 12. Article of this Confession where these things are found touching the revenues of Monastories IN many places the Churches want Pastours or else Pastours want living These men ought chiefly to be relieved out of the revenues of rich Monasteries then the studies of those which be poore must thereby be furthered and in some places Schooles may be erected especially seeing that it is necessary that the Church should discharge the expences of many poore that they might learne that so out of that number Pastours and Ministers may be chosen to teach the Churches Also hospitals are thence to be relieved wherein it is necessary that the poore which have beene sick a long time should be nourished A great part of the revenues in these countries is by the goodnesse of God transferred to such uses which are indeed godly to wit to nourish Pastours the poore and Schollers to erect Schooles and to relieve Hospitals that which remaineth is bestowed in every Monasterie upon the guiding and ordering of things pertaining to their houses and to think that this is not very sumptuous it is but foolishnesse As for the richer Abbots in these dayes upon what uses they lavish out the revenues the examples of many doe declare whom we could name who do both hate learning Religion and vertue and do waste these almes ravenously and either set no Pastours over their Churches or if they have any they suffer them to starve Out of the Confession of WIETEMBERGE Hitherto pertaineth first the 11. Article Of this Confession VVE think that it is most profitable that children and young men be examined in the Catechisme by the Pastors of their Church and that they be commended if they be godly and well instructed and that they be amended if they be ill instructed The rest is to be seene in the 14. Sect. where the confirmation used in Papisticall Baptisme is handled Hitherto also pertaineth the 16 Art ss 2. Of Prayer BY Prayer God is invocated and true invocation is a worke of faith and cannot be done without faith Now faith doth behold Christ and relie upon his merits onely Wherefore except thou shalt apply unto thy selfe the merit of Christ by faith prayer will stand thee in no stead before God Now prayer is necessarily required for this purpose that by a due consideration of the promises of God faith may be stirred up and kindled in us Therefore it is not absurdly said that sins are cleane taken away by prayer yet must it not so be understood as though the very worke of prayer of it own merit were a satisfaction for sins before God but that by prayer faith is stirred up and kindled in us by which faith we are made partakers of the merit of Christ and have our sinnes forgiven us onely for Christ his sake For before that we doe by prayer invocate God it shall be necessarie to have the merit of Christ applied to us and received by faith Therefore it cannot be that prayer should be such a worke as that for the merit thereof we might obtaine remission of our sins before God Psalme 108. Let his prayer be turned into sinne But it is not possible that prayer should be turned into sinne if of it selfe it were so worthy a worke as that sinne thereby should be purged Isa 1. When you shall stretch out your hands I will turne my eyes from you and when you shall multiply your prayers I will not heare you But God would not turne away his eyes from prayer if of it owne worthinesse it were a satisfaction for our sins Augustine upon the 108. Psal saith That prayer which is not made through Christ doth not onely not take away sinne but also it selfe is made sin Bernard de Quadrages Ser. 5. saith But some peradventure doe seeke eternall life not in humilitie but as it were in confidence of their own merits Neither doe I say this let grace received give a man confidence to pray but no man ought to put his confidence in his prayer as though for his prayer he should obtaine that which he desireth The gifts which are promised doe onely give this unto us that we may hope to obtain even greater things of that mercie which giveth these Therefore let that prayer which is made for temporall things be restrained in these wants onely also let that prayer which is made for the vertues of the soul be free from all filthy and uncleane behaviour and let that prayer which is made for life eternall be occupied about the onely good pleasure of God and that in all humilitie presuming as is requisite of the onely mercie of God Of Almes CHAP. 18. VVE do diligently commend almes and exhort the Church that every man help his neighbour by every dutie that he may and testifie his love But whereas it is said in a certaine place That almes doe take away sinne as water doth quench fire we must understand it according to the analogie of faith For what need was there to the taking away of our sins of Christ his passion and death if sins might be taken away by the merit of almes And what use were there of the ministerie of the Gospell if almes were appointed of God for an instrument whereby the death of Christ might be applied to us Therefore that Christ his honour may not be violated and the ministerie of the Gospell may retaine it lawfull use we teach that almes doth thus take away sinne not that of it selfe it is a worthy worke whereby sinne may either be purged or the
Call upon me in the daye of trouble and I will deliver thee Also we use burials having thereat a decent assembly godly admonitions and songs c. The first part of this 19. Article which is of confirmation was placed in the 13. Section Hitherto also pertaineth the beginning of the 20. Article so far as it speaketh of a certaine time appointed for the service of God NAturall reason doth know that there is an order and the understanding of order is an evident testimony of God neither is it possible that men should live without any order as we see that in families there must be distinct times of labour rest meate and sleepe and every nature as it is best so doth it chiefly love order throughout the whole life Also Paul commandeth That all things in the Church be done decently and in order Therefore there hath beene at all times even from the beginning of mankinde a certain order of publique meetings there hath been also a certaine distinction of times and certaine other ceremonies and that without doubt full of gravitie and elegancie among those excellent lights of mankinde when as in the same garden or cottage there sat together Sem Abraham Isaac and their families and when as that Sermon which Sem made concerning the true God the Sonne of God the distinction of the Church and other nations being heard afterward they together used invocation That which followeth because it treateth of indifferent Traditions in generall is placed in the next Section Out of the Confession of WIRTEMBERGE Of Fasting VVE think that Fasting is profitable not to this end that Artic. 17. either by the merit of it worke it might purge sinnes before God or apply the merit of Christ to him that doth fast but that by sobrietie it may bridle the flesh lest that man being hindered by surfetting and drunkennesse he be the lesse able to obey the calling of God and discharge his dutie negligently But we shall have a fit place hereafter to speak of Fasting Also Article 28. Of Fasting FAsting hath it praise and use But now we doe not speak either of necessary fasting when a man must needs fast for want of meat or of an allegoricall fasting which is to abstaine from all vices but we are to speak of two usuall kindes of fasting whereof the one is a perpetuall fast and this is a sobrietie which is alwaies to be kept in meat and drink throughout the whole course of a mans life for it is never lawfull for us to ravine and to follow surfetting and drunkennesse There is another fast which is for a day when as sometimes we abstaine from meat the whole day such as was used in the Old Testament Levit. 16. Also the examples of Jehosaphat of the Ninivites and others doe witnesse the same thing This kinde of fasting was also used after the publishing of the Gospel as appeareth Act. 13. 14. But afterward there followed a great difference in Churches touching the observation of such a kinde of fasting and as this difference brought no discommoditie to the Church so it testified that the use of this fasting was free And there is a worthy saying among the ancient fathers touching this varietie The difference say they of fastings doth not breake off the agreement of faith Now although some men doe thinke that Christ by his example did consecrate the fast of Lent yet it is manifest that Christ did not command this fast neither can the constitution of our nature abide it that we should imitate the example of Christ his fasting who did abstaine full 40. dayes and 40. nights from all meat and drinke Also Eusebius doth declare and that not obscurely That the use of this Lenten fast was very free in the Church Moreover Chrysostome in Gen. cap. 2. Hom. 11. saith If thou canst not fast yet thou maist abstaine from sinnes and this is not the least thing nor much differing from fasting but fit to overthrow even the fury of the Devill Neither was there any choice of meats appointed because the Apostle had said To the cleane all things are cleane But in the observation of such fasts we must chiefely marke the end The ancient fathers did somtimes fast whole daies together that they might give themselves to publique prayer and by this discipline might admonish their Church especially the youth of dangers that were past or present or hanging over their heads and might stir them up to repentance whereby the wrath of God might be asswaged This is the godly and profitable end of these fastings Others doe fast That by the merit of this worke they may purge their sinnes before God or as some doe speake Apply unto themselves the merit of Christ by their fasting But this end is utterly to be condemned For first the onely death of Christ is the purging of our sinnes Secondly fasting was not ordained for this use that it should be a work whereby the merit of Christ may be applied to us For fasting is either joyned with true repentance and then the merit of Christ is applied to him that repenteth by faith which is the chiefe part of repentance before a man doth begin or end his fasting or else fasting is without repentance and then it is abominable in the sight of God so far is it from applying the merit of Christ to him that fasteth Isa 58. Is it such a fast that I have chosen that a man should afflict his soule for a day and to bowe down his head as a bulrush Augustine Epist 86. ad Casulanum saith I revolving that in my minde which is writen in the Evangelicall and Apostolique Scriptures and in that whole instrument which they call the New Testament doe see that fasting is commanded But on what dayes we ought not to fast and on what dayes we ought to fast I doe not see it defined either by the commandement of the Lord or of the Apostles And by this I thinke that rather a releasing then a binding to fasting is the more fit and apt not to obtaine righteousnesse wherein the beautie of the Kings daughter doth consist inwardly which is obtained by faith but yet to signifie a perpetuall rest And Chrysostom Tom. 4. de Iejun Quadrag Hom. 73. saith If we come daily hither and fast the whole Lent and doe not change our life to the better it will be an occasion of our greater condemnation By these testimonies it is evident that it is neither Apostolique not Catholique to thinke that fasting is a work whereby either sinnes are purged before God or the merit of Christ is applied Hitherto also appertaineth the 29. Article Of the consecrating of water salt wine and other things VVE confesse that the forbidding of water whereby the Leviticall uncleannes was purged was ordained of God in the Old Testament Also we acknowledge that miracle wherby the Prophet Elizeus did heale the barren waters of Jericho by casting in of salt And we embrace that
the use of the keyes which Christ spake of private admonition betweene private persons to wit Thou hast gained thy brother Vpon the same Those ancient customes were in time worne out of use Be it that Obser 6. pag. 132. those painfull punishments and satisfactions which cannot especially at these times be brought into use againe but that they will doe more hurt then good be worne out of use yet notwithstanding this doth nothing hinder but that every Church as it knoweth what is expedient may appoint a certaine kinde of Censure or Ecclesiasticall discipline which it may use where need so requireth that the Church may be satisfied as we have noted before in the first observation upon the Confession of Bohemia and hereafter in the 10. Section and in the third observation upon the Confession of Bohemia Vpon the same We give men warning of this also c. How temporall punishments Obser 7. pag. 132. may be said sometime to be deferred and sometime to be mitigated by good works we have declared a little before to wit in the third observation upon this confession Moreover the word merit both in the words which follow Repentance deserved that God should alter his purpose touching the destruction of Ninive and also in other places wheresoever either this or other Confessions doe use it it is without doubt thus to be taken for that which we say to obtaine and to get as it is often times used among the ancient Latine divines And whereas God here is said to have changed his minde we doe not doubt but that our brethren doe understand it as spoken after the manner of men as when he is said to repent him of some thing or else it is to be referred to the outward preaching of Ionas For as concerning God himselfe it was onely a threatning and not a sentence decreed Vpon the confession of Saxonie VVE affirme that the Ceremonie of private absolution is to be Observ â— page 134. retained in the Church How farre we thinke that this private confession and absolution is to be retained in the Church we have declared a little before to wit in the first observation upon the Confession of Bohemia Vpon the same In true Confession there must be these changes a mortification Observ 2. pag. 134. and a quickning Rom. 6. c. This is most truly said but in a divers sense For neither is contrition or a sense of sinne which is a fruit of sinne common to all signified by the name of mortification insomuch as it is a gift of the holy Ghost proper to the Elect but an abolishing of the old man or of the flesh or of that naturall corruption which taking it beginning of that contrition or sorrow which is according to God whereof that place Psal 5. 19. and Esa 66. 2. is understood is by little and little perfited in the elect and is the beginning of true conversion whereunto on the other side quickning is answerable that is a certaine restoring as it were from death unto life of the minde which was before in a manner dead in that corruption and being perswaded of the free remission of sinnes in Christ by faith it beginneth to hate sinne wherewith it was delighted to love God whom it hated and to conclude to will well and to do uprightly Vpon the same To shake of God and againe to loose c. Looke those things Observ 3. page 136. which are noted in the first observation of the 4. Section upon this Confession Vpon the same This whole custome was appointed for examples sake and is politicall Observ 4. page 137. c. We doe thinke that this custome of publique satisfaction before the Church is in such sort politicall that notwithstanding it may be referred to the Ecclesiasticall order and may altogether be distinguished from those punishments which are meerely civill and from those which are to be inflicted by the civill Magistrate For although such a publique kinde of acknowledging and detesting of sinnes being made in the Church is in no case to be thought to be of any value before God for the ransome of our sinnes much lesse that it should be a Sacrament yet we doe not doubt but that this abasing is both acceptable to God and commodious for the edifying of the Church and that in such places wherein it may be fruitfully used Vpon the same Hath no commandement to inioyne such punishments c. But it Obser 5 pag. 137. hath a commandement lawfully to binde and to loose and to try by diligent search which is true repentance Concerning which thing looke what we have spoken a little before in the 2. observation upon the confession of Auspurge and is hereafter taught more at large in the 11. Section where we doe expressely intreat of the power of the Keyes Vpon the same Are chiefly mitigated for the Sonne of God c. Where the Obser 6. pag. 138. question is of the Church of God we say that all blessings without any exception are bestowed upon it and the members thereof not chiefly but onely for the Sonne of God his sake And these words Even for the very conversions sake our punishments are mitigated because that in the Saints the legall promises being added to their works are not without their effect but have their rewards c. ought as they seeme to be thus taken by adding to them this interpretation They are not without their effect but that must be of meere grace and in respect of Christ alone in whom God doth vouchsafe even to reward both the Saints themselves and also good works having no regard to the blemishes of their works as we have said before in the 3. and 7. observations upon the confession of Auspurge Vpon the same It doth onely pronounce this sentence c. To wit according to Obser 7. pag. 138. the Ecclesiasticall judgements and censures whereof we made mention before and not by any civill authoritie as Officials as they be tearmed in Papacie use to doe Vpon the Confession of Wirtemberge ALthough we thinke that it is not necessary to salvation to râ—ckon Obser 1. pag. 141. up sins c. yet we endeavour that a generall confession of sins may be retained in our Churches c. Seeing that these things pertaine not to the Doctrine of faith but unto the use of Ecclesiasticall discipline of the libertie whereof in particular Churches we have oftentimes spoken else-where we doe not thinke it good that this law should be brought into our Churches being made and received in other places beside the word of God and the custome of the ancient pure Church which did never require private confession of every one of those which did professe the Christian Religion but onely of them of whose sins knowledge was taken in the assembly IN THE NINTH SECTION Vpon the Confession of Bohemia BVt such works as are taught of men what shew soever they have
water baptizing of Bels Conjuring of spirits Crossing Sauing Anointing Conjuring Hallowing of Gods good creatures with the superstitious opinion joyned therewith his worldly Monarchy and wicked Hierarchy his three solemned vows with all his shavelings of sundry sorts his erronious bloody decrees made at Trent with all the subscribers and approvers of that cruell and bloody band conjured against the Church of God And finally we detest all his vain allegories rites signes and traditions brought in the Church without or against the word of God and doctrin of this true reformed Church to the which we joyne our selves willingly in doctrin faith religion discipline and use of the holy Sacraments as lively members of the same in Christ our head promising and swearing by the great name of the Lord our God that we shall continue in the obedience of the doctrine and discipline of this Church and shall defend the same according to our vocation and power all the daies of our lives under the pains contained in the law and danger both of body and soule in the day of Gods fearefull judgement And seeing that many are stirred up by Satan and that Romane Antichrist to promise sweare subscribe and for a time use the holy Sacraments in the Church deceitfully against their own conscience minding hereby first under the externall cloake of Religion to corrupt and subvert secretly Gods true Religion within the Church and afterward when time may serve to become open enemies and persecuters of the same under vain hope of the Popes dispensation devised against the word of God to his greater confusion and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Iesus We therefore willing to take away all suspition of hypocrisie and of such double dealing with God and his Church protest and call the searcher of all hearts for witnesse that our mindes and hearts do fully agree with this our confession promise oath and subscription So that we are not moved for any worldly respect but are perswaded onely in our conscience through the knowledge and love of Gods true Religion printed in our hearts by the holy Spirit as we shall answer to him in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed And because we perceive that the quietnesse and stabilitie of our Religion and Church doth depend upon the safetie and good behaviour of the Kings Majestie as upon a comfortable Instrument of Gods mercie granted to this Countrey for the maintaining of his Church and ministration of Iustice amongst us we protest and promise with our hearts under the same oath hand writ and pains that we shall defend his person and authoritie with our goods bodies and lives in the defence of Christs Evangell Libertie of our countrey ministration of justice and punishment of iniquitie against all enemies within this Realme or without as we desire our God to be a strong and mercifull defender to us in the day of our death and comming of our Lord Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and glory eternally Amen THE ESTATES OF SCOTLAND WITH THE INHABITANTS OF the same professing Christ Jesus and his holy Gospell To their naturall countrey-men and to all other Realmes and Nations professing the same Christ Jesus with them wish grace mercy and peace from God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ with the spirit of righteous judgement of salvation LOng have we thirsted deare brethren to have notified unto the world the summe of that doctrine which we professe and for the which we have sustained infamie and danger But such hath been the rage of Sathan against us and against Christ Iesus his eternall veritie lately borne amongst us that to this day no time hath been granted unto us to cleare our consciences as most gladly we would have done For how we have been tossed at times heretofore the most part of Europe as we suppose doth understand But seeing that of the infinite goodnesse of our God who never suffereth his afflicted utterly to be confounded above expectation we have obtained some rest and libertie we would not but set forth this briefe and plaine confession of such doctrine as is proponed unto us and as we beleeve and professe partly for satisfaction of our brethren whose hearts we doubt not have been and yet are wounded by the despitefull railing of such as yet have not learned to speake well and partly for stopping of the mouthes of the impudent blasphemers who boldly damne that which they have neither heard nor yet understood Not that we judge that the cankred malice of such is able to be cured by this our simple confession No we know the sweet savour of the Gospell is and shall be death to the sonnes of perdition but we have chief respect to our weake and infirme brethren to whom we would communicate the bottome of our hearts lest that they be troubled or carried away by diversitie of rumours which Satan spreads abroad against us to the defacing of this our most godly enterprise protesting that if any man shall note in this our confession any article or sentence repugning to Gods holy word and doe admonish us of the same in writing we by Gods grace doe promise unto him satisfaction from the mouth of God that is from his holy Scriptures or else reformation of that which he shall prove to be amisse For God we take to record in our consciences that from our hearts we abhorre all sects of heresie and all teachers of erronious doctrine and that with all humilitie we imbrace the puritie of Christs Gospell which is the onely food of our souls and therefore so precious unto us that we are determined to suffer the extremitie of worldly danger rather then that we will suffer our selves to be defrauded of the same for hereof we are most certainly perswaded that whosoever denieth Christ Iesus or is ashamed of him in the presence of men shall be denied before the Father and before his holy angels And therefore by the assistance of the Almightie the same our Lord Iesus we firmly purpose to abide to the end in the confession of this our faith as by articles followeth Of God VVE confesse and acknowledge one onely God to whom Deut. 6. Isa 44. Deut. 4. onely we must cleave whom onely we must serve whom onely we must worship and in whom onely we must put our trust who is eternall infinite unmeasurable incomprehensible omnipotent invisible one in substance and yet distinct in three Matth. 28. Gen. 1. persons the Father the Son and the holy Ghost By whom we confesse and beleeve all things in heaven and earth as well visible as invisible to have been created to be retained in their being and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable providence to such end as his eternall wisdome goodnesse and justice hath appointed Prov. 16. them to the manifestation of his glory Of the creation of Man VVE confesse and knowledge this
our God to have created Gen. 1. 2. man to wit our first father Adam to his own image and similitude to whom he gave wisdome Lordship justice free-will and cleare knowledge of himselfe so that in the whole nature of man there could be noted no imperfection From which honour and perfection man and woman did both fall the woman Gen. 2. being deceived by the serpent and man obeying the voice of the woman both conspiring against the Soveraigne Majestie of God who in expresse words had before threatned death if they presumed to eate of the forbidden tree Of Originall sinne BY which transgression commonly called Originall sinne was the Image of God utterly defaced in man and he and his posteritie Eph. 3. Rom. 5. Iohn 3. Rom 5. 8. of nature became enemies to God slaves to Satan and servants to sin Insomuch that death everlasting hath had and shall have power and dominion over all that have not been are not or shall not be regenerate from above which regeneration is wrought by the power of the holy Ghost working in the hearts of the Elect of God an assured faith in the promise of God revealed to us in his word by which faith we apprehend Christ Iesus with the graces and benefits promised in him Of the revelation of the promise FOr this we constantly beleeve that God after the fearefull and and horrible defection of man from his obedience did seeke Adam againe call upon him rebuke his sinne convict him of the Gen. 3. Gen. 12. 15. Isa 7. 8. same and in the end made unto him a most joyfull promise to wit that the seed of the woman should breake down the serpents head that is he should destroy the works of the Devill which promise as it was repeated and made more cleare from time to time so was it imbraced with joy and most constantly received of all those faithfull from Adam to Noe from Noe to Abraham from Abraham to David and so forth to the incarnation of Christ Iesus all we meane the faithfull Fathers under the law did see the joyfull dayes of Christ Iesus and did rejoyce The continuance increase and preservation of the Church VVE most constantly beleeve that God preserved instructed Ezâ—c 16. Gâ—n 12. 13. Exod. 1. 2. Exod. 20. multiplyed honoured decored and from death called to life his Church in all ages from Adam till the comming of Christ in the flesh For Abraham he called from his Fathers countrey him he instructed his seed he multiplied the same he marvellously preserved and more marvellously delivered from the bondage and tyrannie of Pharaoh to them he gave his laws constitutions and ceremonies them he possessed in the land of Canaan to them after Iudges and after Saul he gave David to be Josu 1. 25. 2 Reg. 17. King to whom he made promise that of the fruit of his loynes should one sit for ever upon his regall seat To this same people from time to time he sent Prophets to reduce them to the right way of their God from the which oftentimes they declined by Idolatry And albeit that for the stubborn contempt of justice he 2 Reg. 24. 25. Deut. 28. Ier. 39. Esdr 1. Agge 1. 2. Zach. 3. was compelled to give them into the hands of their enemies as before was threatned by the mouth of Moses in so much that the holy Citie was destroyed the temple burnt with fire and the whole land left desolate the space of 70. yeeres yet of mercie did he reduce them againe to Ierusalem where the Citie and Temple were reedified and they against all temptations and assaults of Satan did abide till the Messias came according to the promise Of the incarnation of Christ Iesus VVHen the fulnesse of time came God sent his sonne his Galat. 4. Luk. 1. 2. eternall wisdome the substance of his own glory into this world who tooke the nature of manhood of the substance of a woman to wit of a Virgin and that by operation of the holy Ghost And so was borne the just seed of David the angel of the great counsell of God the very Messias promised whom we acknowledge and confesse Emmanuel very God and very man two perfect natures united and joyned in one person By which our confession we condemne that damnable and pestilent heresies of Arrius Marcion Eutiches Nestorius and such others as either did denie the eternitie of his Godhead either the veritie of his humane nature either confound them either yet divide them Why it behoveth the Mediatour to be very God and very man VVE acknowledge and confesse that this most wondrous conjunction betwixt the Godhead and the manhood in Christ Iesus did proceed from the eternall and immutable decree of God whence also our salvation springeth and dependeth Election FOr that same eternall God and Father who of meere grace elected us in Christ Iesus his Sonne before the foundation of the world was laid appointed him to be our head our brother Ephes 1. Heb. 2. our Pastour and great Bishop of our soules But because that the enmitie betwixt the justice of God and our sinnes was such that no flesh by it selfe could or might have attained unto God it Iohn 20. behoved that the Sonne of God should descend unto us and take himselfe a body of our body flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones and so become the perfect Mediatour betwixt God and man giving power to so many as beleeve in him to be the sonnes of God as himselfe doth witnesse I passe up to my Father and Iohn 1. Iohn 20. unto your God By which most holy fraternitie whatsoever we have lost in Adam is restored to us againe And for this cause are we not afraid to call God our Father not so much because hee hath created us which we have common with the reprobate as for that that he hath given to us his onely Sonne to be our brother and given unto us grace to acknowledge and embrace him for our Mediatour as before is said It behoved farther the Messias Isa 53. and Redeemer to be very God and very man because he was to beare the punishment due for our transgressions and to present himselfe in the presence of his Fathers judgement as in our person to suffer for our transgression and inobedience by death to overcome him that was authour of death But because the onely Godhead could not suffer death neither yet could the only manhood overcome the same he joyned both together in one person that the imbecillitie of the one should suffer and be subject to death which we had deserved and the infinite and invincible power of the other to wit of the Godhead should triumph and purchase to us life libertie and perpetuall victory and so we confesse and most undoubtedly beleeve Christs Death Passion and Buriall THat our Lord Iesus offered himselfe a voluntary sacrifice unto Heb. 10. Esa 53. his Father for us that he
suffered contradiction of sinners that he was wounded and plagued for our transgressions that he being the cleane innocent Lambe of God was damned in the Deut. 21. Gal. 3. presence of an earthly Iudge that we should be absolved before the tribunall seat of our God that he suffered not onely the cruell death of the Crosse which was accursed by the sentence of God but also that he suffered for a season the wrath of his Father which sinners had deserved But yet we avow that he remained the onely welbeloved and blessed Sonne of the Father even in Heb. 10. 1. the midst of his anguish and torment which he suffered in body and soule to make the full satisfaction for the sins of the people After the which we confesse and avow that there remaineth no other sacrifice for sinne which if any affirme we nothing doubt to avow that they are blasphemous against Christs death and the everlasting purgation and satisfaction purchased to us by the same Resurrection VVE undoubtedly beleeve that insomuch as it was impossible that the dolours of death should retaine in bondage Acts 2. 3. Rom. 6. the Author of life that our Lord Iesus crucified dead and buried who descended into hell did rise againe for our justification and destroying of him who was the author of death brought life againe to us that were subject to death and to the bondage of Matth. 28. Matth. 27. Ioh. 20. â—1 same we know that his resurrection was confirmed by the testimonie of his very enemies by the resurrection of the dead whose sepulchers did open and they did arise and appeared to many within the Citie of Ierusalem It was also confirmed by the testimonie of his Angels and by the senses and judgements of his Apostles and others who had conversation and did eate and drink with him after his resurrection Ascension VVE nothing doubt but the selfe same body which was born Acts 1. Matth. 1â— of the virgin was crucified dead and buried that it did rise againe and ascend into the heavens for the accomplishment of all things where in our names and for our comfort he hath received all power in heaven and earth where he sitteth at the right hand of the Father crowned in his kingdome Advocate 1 Iohn 2. 1 Tim. 2. Psal 110. and onely Mediatour for us Which glory honour and prerogative he alone amongst the brethren shall possesse till that all his enemies be made his footstoole As that we undoubtedly beleeve there shall be a finall judgement to the execution whereof we certainly beleeve that the same our Lord Iesus shall visibly returne even as he was seene to ascend And then we firmly beleeve that the time of refreshing and restitution of all things shall come in so much that those that from the beginning have suffered violence injury and wrong for righteousnesse sake shall inherite that blessed immortalitie promised Apoc. 20. Esa 66. from the beginning but contrariwise the stubborne inobedient cruell oppressors filthy persons Idolaters and all sorts of unfaithfull shall be cast into the dungeon of utter darknesse where their worme shall not die neither yet the fire shall be extinguished The remembrance of which day and of the judgement to be executed in the same is not onely to us a bridle wherby our carnall lusts are refrained but also such inestimable comfort that neither may the threatning of worldly Princes neither yet the feare of temporall death and present danger move us to renounce and forsake the blessed societie which we the members have with our head and onely Mediatour Christ Iesus Whom Esa 1. Col. 1. Heb. 9. 10. we confesse and avow to be the Messias promised the onely head of his Church our just Law-giver our onely high Priest Advocate and Mediatour In which honours and office if man or Angel presume to intrude themselves we utterly detest and abhorre them as blasphemous to our Soveraign and supreame governour Christ Iesus Faith in the holy Ghost THis faith and the assurance of the same proceedeth not Matth. 16. Iohn 14. 15. 19. from flesh and blood that is to say from no naturall powers within us but in the inspiration of the holy Ghost whom we confesse God equall with the Father and with the Sonne who sanctifieth us and bringeth us into all veritie by his own operation without whom we should remain for ever enemies to God and ignorant of his Sonne Christ Iesus For of nature we are so dead so blinde and so perverse that neither can we feele when we are pricked see the light when it shineth nor assent to the will of God when it is revealed unlesse the spirit of the Lord quicken that which is dead remove the darknes from our minds and bow our stubborne hearts to the obedience of his blessed wil. And so as we confesse that God the Father created us when we were not as his Sonne our Lord Iesus redeemed us when we were enemies to him so also do we confesse that the holy Ghost doth sanctifie and regenerate us without all respect of any merit proceeding from us be it before or be it after our regeneration To speake this one thing yet in more plain words as we willingly Rom. 5. spoile our selves of all honour and glory of our owne creation and redemption so doe we also of our regeneration and sanctification for of our selves we are not sufficient to thinke one good thought but he who hath begunne the worke in us is onely he that continueth in us the same to the praise and glory of his undeserved grace 2. Cor. 3. The cause of good workes SO that the cause of good workes we confesse to be not our Iohn 13. Ephes 2. free will but the spirit of our Lord Iesus who dwelling in our hearts by true faith bringeth forth such good workes as God hath prepared for us to walke in For this we most boldly affirme that it is blasphemie to say that Christ abideth in the hearts of such as in whom there is no spirit of sanctification And therefore we feare not to affirme that murderers oppressors cruell persecutors adulterers whoremongers filthy persons Idolaters drunkards theeves and all workers of iniquitie have neither true faith neither any portion of the spirit of the Lord Iesus so long as obstinately they continue in their wickednesse For how soone that ever the spirit of the Lord Iesus which Gods elect children receive by true faith taketh possession in the heart of every man so soone doth he regenerate and renue the same man so that he beginneth to hate that which before he loved and beginneth to love that which before he hated And from thence cometh that continuall battell which is betwixt the flesh and the spirit in Gods children so that the flesh and naturall man according to Gal. 5. the owne corruption lusteth for things pleasing and delectable unto it selfe grudgeth in adversitie is lifted up in prosperitie and at every
Ministers of Christ Iesus yea this is more horrible they suffer women whom the holy Ghost will not suffer to teach in the Congregation to baptize and secondly because they have so adulterated both the one Sacrament and the other with their owne inventions that no part of Christs action abideth in the originall puritie For oyle sait spattle and such like in baptisme are but mens inventions adoration veneration bearing through streets and townes and keeping of bread in boxes or boists are prophanation of Christs Sacraments and no use of the same For Christ sesus said Take eat c. Do you this in remembrance of me By which words charge he sanctified bread and wine to be the Sacrment of his holy body and blood to the end that the one should be eaten and that all should drink of the other and not that they should be kept to be worshipped and honoured as God as the Papists have done heretofore who also have committed sacriledge stealing from the people the one part of the Sacrament to wit the blessed cup. Moreover that the Sacraments be rightly used it is required that the end and cause for which Sacraments were instituted be understanded and observed as well of the Minister as by the receivers For if the opinion be changed in the receiver the right use ceaseth which is most evident by the rejection of the sacrifices as also if the teacher plainly teach false doctrine which were odious and abominable before God albeit they were his owne ordinance because the wicked men use them to another end then God hath ordained The same we affirme of the Sacraments in the Papisticall Church in which we affirme the whole action of the Lord Iesus to be adultered as well in the external forme as in the end and opinion What Christ Iesus did and commanded to be done is evident by the Evangelists and by Saint Paul what the Priest doth at his Altar we need not to rehearse The end and cause of Christs institution and why the selfe same should be used is expressed in these words Doe ye this in remembrance of me As oft as ye shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup you shall shew forth that is extoll preach magnifie and praise the Lords death till he come But to what end and in what opinion the Priests say their Masse let the words of the their own Doctors and writings witnesse to wit that they as Mediatours betwixt Christ and his Church doe offer unto God the Father a sacrifice propitiatory for the sinnes of the quick and the dead which doctrine is blasphemous to Christ Iesus and making derogation to the sufficiencie of his onely sacrifice once offered for purgation of all those that shall be sanctified we utterly abhorte detest and renounce To whom Sacraments appertaine VVE confesse and acknowledge that Paptisme appertaineth as well to the insants of the faithfull as unto them that be of age and discretion And so we damne the errour of the Anabaptists who deny Baptisme to appertaine to children before they have faith and understanding But the Supper of the Lord we confesse to appertain to such onely as be of the houshold of faith and can trie and examine themselves as well in their faith as in their duty towards their neighbours Such as eate and drink at that holy Table without faith or being at dissention with their brethren do eate unworthily and therefore it is that in our Church our Ministers take publique and particular examination of the knowledge and conversation of such as are be admitted to the Table of the Lord Iesus Of the civill Magistrates VVE confesse and acknowledge Empires kingdomes domininions and cities to be distincted or ordained by God the powers and authoritie in the same be it of Emperours in their Empires of Kings in their Realmes Dukes and Princes in their dominions and of other Magistrates in their cities to be Gods holy ordinance ordained for manifestation of his own glory and for the singular profit and commoditie of mankinde so that whosoever goeth about to take away or to confound the whole state of civill pollicies now long established we affirme the same men not onely to be enemies to mankinde but also wickedly to fight against Gods expressed will We farther confesse and acknowledge that such persons as are placed in authoritie are to be beloved honoured feared and holden in most reverent estimation because they are the Lievetenants of God in whose seats God himselfe doth sit and Iudge yea even the Iudges and Princes themselves to whom by God is given the sword to the praise and defence of good men and to revenge and punish all malefactours Moreover to Kings Princes Rulers and Magistrates we affirme that chiefly and most principally the conservation and purgation of the Religion appertaineth so that not onely they are appointed for civill pollicie but also for maintenance of the true Religion and for suppressing of idolatry and superstition whatsoever As in David Iosaphat Ezechias Iosias and others highly commended for their zeale in that case may be espied And therefore we confesse and avow that such as resist the supreame power doing that thing which appertaineth to his charge do resist Gods ordinance and therefore cannot be guiltlesse And farther we affirme that whosoever deny unto them their aide counsell and comfort whilest the Princes and Rulers vigilantly travell in execution of their office that the same men deny their helpe support and counsell to God who by the presence of his Lieutenant doth crave it of them The gifts freely given to the Church ALbeit that the word of God truly preached and the Sacraments rightly ministred and discipline executed according to the word of God be the certaine and infallible signes of the true Church yet we meane not that every particular person joyned with such company is an elect member of Christ Iesus For we acknowledge and confesse that darnell cockell and chaffe may be sown grow and in great aboundance lye in the middest of the wheat that is the reprobate may be joyned in the societie of the elect and may externally use with them the benefits of the Word and Sacraments But such being but temporall professors in mouth and not in heart doe fall backe and continue not to the end And therefore they have no fruit of Christs death resurrection nor ascension but such as with heart unfainedly beleeve and with mouth boldly confesse the Lord Iesus as before we have said shall most assuredly receive these gifts First in this life the remission of sins and that by onely faith in Christs blood In so much that albeit sin remaine and continually abide in these our mortall bodies yet it is not imputed unto us but is remitted and covered with Christs justice Secondly in the generall judgement there shall be given to every man and woman resurrection of the flesh For the sea shall give her dead the earth those that therein be inclosed yea the eternall God shall stretch out his hand on the dust and the dead shall arise uncorruptible and that in the substance of the same flesh that every man now beareth to receive according to their works glory or punishment For such as now delight in vanitie crueltie filthinesse superstition or idolatry shall be adjudged to the fire unquenchable in which they shall be tormented for ever as well in their own bodies as in their souls which now they give to serve the devill in all abhomination But such as continue in well doing to the end boldly professing the Lord Iesus we constantly beleeve that they shall receive glory honour and immortalitie to raigne for ever in life everlasting with Christ Iesus to whose glorified body all his elect shall be made like when he shall appeare againe in judgement and shall render up the kingdome to God his Father who then shall be and ever shall remaine all in all things God blessed for ever to whom with the Sonne and with the holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and ever So be it The Kings Majesties charge to all Commissioners and Ministers within his Realm SEeing that We and Our houshold have subscribed and given this publique Confession of our Faith to the good example of Our Subjects We command and charge all Commissioners and Ministers to crave the same confession of their Parishioners and proceed against the refusers according to Our laws and order of the Church delivering their names and lawfull processe to the Ministers of Our house with all haste and diligence under the pain of 40. pound to be taken from their stipend that We with the advise of Our Counsell may take order with such proud contemners of God and Our laws Subscribed with Our hand At Holyrudhous 1581. the 2. day of March the 14. yeere of Our Reign Now unto the King everlasting immortall invisible unto God only wise be honour and glory for ever and ever Amen
sake And Phil. 1. Phil 2. again I am perswaded that he that began this good worke in you will perform it untill the day of the Lord Iesus Also It is God that worketh in you the will and the deed Where neverthelesse we teach that there are two things to be observed First that the regenerate in the choice and working of that which is good do not onely work passively but actively For they are mooved of God that themselves may do that which they do And Augustine doth truly alleadge that saying that God is said to be our helper For no man can be helped but he that doth somewhat The Manichees did bereeve man of all action and made him like a stone and a block Secondly that in the regenerate there remaineth infirmitie For seeing that sind welleth in us and that flesh in the regenerate striveth against the spirit even to our lives end they do not readily performe in every point that which they had purposed These things are confirmed by the Apostle Rom. 7. Gal. 5. Therefore our free-will is weake by reason of the reliques of the old Adam remaining in us so long as we live and of the humane corruption which so neerely cleaveth to them In the meane while because that the strength of the flesh and reliques of the old man are not of such great force that they can wholly quench the work of the spirit therefore the faithfull are called free yet so that they doe acknowledge their infirmitie and glory no whit at all of their free-will For that which S. Augustine doth repeat so often out of the Apostle ought alwaies to be kept in minde by the faithfull What hast thou that thou hast not received and if thou hast received it why doest thou boast as though thou hadst not received it Hitherto may be added that that commeth not straight way to passe which we have purposed For the events of things are in the hand of God For which cause Paul Besought the Lord that he would prosper Rom. 1. 19. his iourney Wherefore in this respect also free-will is very weak But in outward things no man denieth but that both the regenerate and unregenerate have their free-wil For man hath this constitution common with other creatures to whom he is not inferiour to will some things and to nill other things So he may speake or keep silence go out of his house or abide within Although herein also Gods power is evermore to be marked Numb 24. Luke 1. which brought to passe that Balaam could not go so farre as he would and that Zacharias coming out of the Temple could not speak as he would have done In this matter we condemn the Manichees who deny that the beginning of evill unto man being good came from his free-will We condemn also the Pelagians who affirme that an evill man hath free-will sufficiently to performe a good precept Both these are confuted by the Scripture which saith to the former God made man upright and to the latter If the Son make you free then are you free indeed Out of the former Confession of HELVETIA MAN being the most perfect Image of God in earth and having the Chiesdome of all visible creatures consisting of soul and body whereof this is mortall that immortall after he was made holy of the Lord he by his owne fault falling into sin drew whole mankinde with him into the same fall and made him subject to the same calamitie And this infection which men tearme Originall hath so invaded Artic. 8. the whole stocke that the childe of wrath and the enemie of God can by none other then by the divine help of Christ be cured For if there be any sparke of good fruit remaining here it being weakned daily by our sins declineth to the worse For the force of evill doth get the upper hand neither doth it suffer reason to beare the sway nor the most divine facultie of the minde to have the preheminence Whereupon we do so attribute free-will to man as that knowing Artic. 9. and having a will to do good and evill we finde notwithstanding by experience that of our own accord we may do evill but Gen. 1. we can neither imbrace nor follow any good thing except being illuminated by the grace of Christ we be stirred up and effectually mooved thereunto For God is he which worketh in us both to will Eph. 4. and to bring to passe according to his good will And Salvation is of the Lord destruction of our selves Out of the Confession of BASILL Artic. 2. Of man Gen. 3. and 5. Rom. 5. 1 Cor. 15. Eph. 2. Gen. 6. and 8. Ioh. 3. Rom. 3. VVE confesse that in the beginning man was made of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse after the true Image of God but he fell into sin of his own accord by the which fall whole mankinde is made corrupt and subject unto damnation Hence it is that our nature is defiled and become so prone unto sin that except it be renued by the holy Ghost man of himself can Psal 143. Ephes 2. neither do nor will any good Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA or the WALDENSES Of the knowledge of a mans self Also of sin the causes and fruits thereof and of the promise of God CHAP. 4 FOurthly touching the knowledge of himself man is taught and that after two sorts First the knowledge of his estate yet being in his innocencie or voyd of all fault that is of his nature being perfect from whence he fell Secondly the knowledge of Gen. 1. his sin and mortalitie into which he fell The estate and condition of his innocencie and righteousnesse consisteth in these points that the Lord in the beginning made man after his own Image and likenesse and adorned him with the gifts of his grace or bountie that he engraffed in him righteousnesse and his spirit a soul and a body together with all the faculties and powers thereof and so made him holy just wise immortall and a most pleasant temple for his heavenly spirit in the mind will memory and judgement and bestowed upon him cleare light of understanding integritie and a very ordinate or lawfull love towards God and all his creatures also a full and absolute obedience or habilitie to obey God the true feare of God and a sincere Eccles â—7 Ephes 1. heart and nature that man might be his own possession and his proper and peculiar workmanship created unto the praise of his glorious grace Man being placed in this estate had left unto him free-will so that if he would he was able to fulfill that commandement which God gave him and thereby to retaine righteousnesse both for himselfe and for all his posteritie after him and every way to enjoy a spirit soule body and an estate most Eccles 15. blessed and further also to make a way unto a farre more excellent glory by considering that fire and water