Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n
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A34255
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A Confession of faith put forth by the elders and brethren of many congregations of Christians (baptized upon profession of their faith) in London and the country.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing C5794; ESTC R25352
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47,552
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162
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and callings in the Exercise of their Gifts and Graces so the Churches when planted by the providence of God so as they may injoy opportunity and advantage for it ought to hold e Rom. 16. 1 2. 3 Joh. 8 9 10. communion amongst themselves for their peace increase of love and mutual edification 15. In cases of difficulties or differences either in point of Doctrine or Administration wherein either the Churches in general are concerned or any one Church in their peace union and edification or any member or members of any Church are injured in or by any proceedings in censures not agreeable to truth and order it is according to the mind of Christ that many Churches holding communion together do by their messengers meet to consider f Act. 15. 2 4 6. 22 23. 25. and give their advice in or about that matter in difference to be reported to all the Churches concerned howbeit these messengers assembled are not entrusted with any Church-power properly so called or with any jurisdiction over the Churches themselves to exercise any censures either over any Churches or Persons or g 2 Cor. 1. 24. 1 Joh. 4. 1 to impose their determination on the Churches or Officers CHAP. XXVII Of the Communion of Saints 1. ALL Saints that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by his Spirit and Faith although they are not made thereby one person with him have a 1 Joh. 1. 3. Joh. 1. 16. Phil. 3 10 Kom 6. 5 6. fellowship in his Graces sufferings death resurrection and glory and being united to one another in love they b Eph. 4. 15 16. 1 Cor. 12. 7. 1 Cor. 3 21 22 23. have communion in each others gifts and graces and are obliged to the performance of such duties publick and private in an orderly way c 1 Thes 5. 11. 14. Rom. 1. 12. 1 Joh. 3. 17. 18. Gal 6. 10. as do conduce to their mutual good both in the inward and outward man 2. Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God and in performing such other spiritual services d Heb. 10 24 25. with ch 3. 12 13. as tend to their mutual edification as also in relieving each other in e Act. 12. 29. 30. outward things according to their several abilities and necessities which communion according to the rule of the Gospel though especially to be exercised by them in the relations wherein they stand whether in f Eph. 6. 4. families or g 1 Cor. 12. 14. -27. Churches yet as God offereth opportunity is to be extended to all the houshold of faith even all those who in every place call upon the names of the Lord Jesus nevertheless their communion one with another as Saints doth not take away or h Act. 5. 4 Eph. 4. 28 infringe the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions CHAP. XXVIII Of Baptism and the Lords Supper 1. BAptism and the Lords Supper are ordinances of positive and soveraign institution appointed by the Lord Jesus the only Law-giver to be continued in his Church a Mat. 28 19 20. 1 Cor. 11. 26. to the end of the world 2 These holy appointments are to be administed by those only who are qualified and thereunto called according b Mat. 28. 19. 1 Cor. 4. 1. to the commission of Christ CHAP. XXIX Of Baptism 1. BAptism is an Ordinance of the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ to be unto the party Baptized a sign of his fellowship with him in his death c Rom. 6. 3. 4 5. Col. 2. 12. Gal. 3. 27. and resurrection of his being engrafted into him of d Mar. 1. 4. Act. 26. 16. remission of sins and of his e Rom 6. 2 4. giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of Life 2. Those who do actually professe f Mar. 16. 16. Act. 8. 36 37 repentance towards God faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus are the only proper subjects of this ordinance 3. The outward element to be used in this ordinance g Mat 28. 19 20. with Act. 8. 38. is water wherein the party is to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 4. Immersion or dipping of the person h Mat. 3. 16. Joh. 3 23. in water is necessary to the due administration of this ordinance CHAP. XXX Of the Lords Supper 1. THE Supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by him the same night wherein he was betrayed to be observed in his Churches unto the end of the world for the perpetual remembrance and shewing forth the sacrifice of himself in his death a 1 Cor. 11. 23 24. 25 26. confirmation of the faith of believers in all the benefits thereof their spiritual nourishment and growth in him their further ingagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him b 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. 21. and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him and with each other 2. In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his Father nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the quick or dead but only a memorial of that c Heb. 9. 25 26. 28. one offering up of himself by himself upon the crosse once for all and a spiritual oblation of all d 1 Cor. 11. 24. Mat. 26. 26 27. possible praise unto God for the same so that the Popish sacrifice of the Mass as they call it is most abominable injurious to Christs own only sacrifice the alone propitiation for all the sins of the Elect. 3. The Lord Jesus hath in this Ordinance appointed his Ministers to Pray and bless the Elements of Bread and Wine and thereby to set them apart from a common to an holy use and to take and break the Bread to take the Cup e 1 Cor. 11. 23 24 25 26 c and they communicating also themselves to give both to the Communicants 4. The denyal of the Cup to the people worshiping the Elements the lifting them up or carrying them about for adoration and reserving them for any pretended religious use f Mat 26. 26 27 28. Mat. 15. 9. Exod. 20. 4 5. are all contrary to the nature of this Ordinance and to the institution of Christ 5. The outward Elements in this Ordinance duely set apart to the uses ordained by Christ have such relation to him crucified as that truely although in terms used figuratively they are sometimes called by the name of the things they represent to wit the g 1 Cor. 11. 27. body and Blood of Christ albeit in substance and nature they still remain truly and only h 1 Cor. 11. 26. v. 28. Bread and Wine as they were before 6. That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of Bread and Wine into the substance of Christs
body and blood commonly called Transubstantiation by consecration of a Priest or by any other way is repugnant not to Scripture i Act. 3. 21. Luk. 24. 6. v. 39. alone but even to common sense and reason overthroweth the k 1 Cor. 11. 24 25. nature of the ordinance and hath been and is the cause of manifold superstitions yea of gross Idolatries 7. Worthy receivers outwardly partaking of the visible Elements in this Ordinance do then also inwardly by faith really and indeed yet not carnally and corporally but spiritually receive and feed upon Christ crucified l 1 Cor. 10. 16. ch 11. 23 26. all the benefits of his death the Body and Blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally but spiritually present to the faith of Believers in that Ordinance as the Elements themselves are to their outward senses 8. All ignorant and ungodly persons as they are unfit to enjoy communion m 2 Cor 6 14 15. with Christ so are they unworthy of the Lords Table and cannot without great sin against him while they remain such partake of these holy mysteries n 1 Cor. 11. 29. Mat. 7. 6. or be admitted thereunto yea whosoever shall receive unworthily are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord eating and drinking judgement to themselves CHAP. XXXI Of the State of Man after Death and of the Resurrection of the Dead 1. THE Bodies of Men after Death return to dust a Gen. 3. 19. Act. 13. 36. and see corruption but their Souls which neither die nor sleep having an immortal subsistence immediately b Eccles 12. 7. return to God who gave them the Souls of the Righteous being then made perfect in holyness are received into paradise where they are with Christ and behold the face of God in light c Luk. 23. 43. 2 Cor. 5. 1 6 8. Phil. 1. 23 Heb. 12. 23. and glory waiting for the full Redemption of their Bodies and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell where they remain in torment and utter darkness reserved to d Jud. 6 7. 1 Pet. 3. 19. Luk. 16. 23 24. the judgement of the great day besides these two places for Souls separated from their bodies the Scripture acknowledgeth none 2. At the last day such of the Saints as are found alive shall not sleep but be e 1 Cor. 15. 51 52. 1 Thes 4. 17. changed and all the dead shall be raised up with the self same bodies and f Job 19. 26 27. none other although with different g 1 Cor. 15. 42 43. qualities which shall be united again to their Souls for ever 3. The bodies of the unjust shall by the power of Christ be raised to dishonour the bodies of the just by his spirit unto honour h Act. 24. 15. Joh. 5. 28 29. Phil. 3. 21 and be made conformable to his own glorious Body CHAP. XXXII Of the Last Judgement 1. GOD hath appointed a Day wherein he will judge the world in Righteousness by a Act. 17. 31. Joh. 5. 22. 27. Jesus Christ to whom all power and judgement is given of the Father in which Day not only the b 1 Cor. 6 3. Jud. 6. Apostate Angels shall be judged but likewise all persons that have lived upon the Earth shall appear before the Tribunal of Christ e 2 Cor. 5. 10. Eccles 12 14. Mat. 12. 36. Rom. 14. 10. 12. Mat. 25. 32. c. to give an account of their Thoughts Words and Deeds and to receive according to what they have done in the body whether good or evil 2. The end of Gods appointing this Day is for the manifestation of the glory of his Mercy in the Eternal Salvation of the Elect d Rom 9. 22 23. and of his Justice in the Eternal damnation of the Reprobate who are wicked and disobedient for then shall the Righteous go into Everlasting Life and receive that fulness of Joy and Glory with everlasting reward in the presence e Mat. 25. 21. 34. 2 Tim. 4. 8. of the Lord but the wicked who know not God and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ shall be cast into Eternal torments and f Mat. 25. 46. Mar. 9. 48. 2 Thes 1. 7 8 9 10. punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 3. As Christ would have us to be certainly perswaded that there shall be a Day of judgement both g 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. to deter all men from sin and for the greater h 2 Thes 1. 5 6 7. consolation of the godly in their adversity so will he have that day unknown to Men that they may shake off all carnal security and be always watchful because they know not at what hour the i Mar. 13. 35 36 37 Luk. 13. 35 36. Lord will come and may ever be prepared to say k Rev. 22 20. Come Lord Jesus Come quickly Amen AN APPENDIX WHosoever reads and impartially considers what we have in our forgoing confession declared may readily perceive That we do not only concenter with all other true Christians on the Word of God revealed in the Scriptures of truth as the foundation and rule of our faith and worship But that we have also industriously endeavoured to manifest That in the fundamental Articles of Christianity we mind the same things and have therefore expressed our belief in the same words that have on the like occasion been spoken by other societies of Christians before us This we have done That those who are desirous to know the principles of Religion which we hold and practise may take an estimate from our selves who jointly concur in this work and may not be misguided either by undue reports or by the ignorance or errors of particular persons who going under the same name with our selves may give an occasion of scandalizing the truth we profess And although we do differ from our brethren who are Paedobaptists in the subject and administration of Baptisme and such other circumstances as have a necessary dependence on our observance of that Ordinance and do frequent our own assemblies for our mutual edification and discharge of those duties and services which we owe unto God and in his fear to each other yet we would not be from hence misconstrued as if the discharge of our own consciences herein did any wayes disoblige or alienate our affections or conversation from any others that fear the Lord but that we may and do as we have opportunity participate of the labors of those whom God hath indued with abilities above our selves and qualified and called to the Ministry of the Word earnestly desiring to approve our selves to be such as follow after peace with holyness and therefore we alwaies keep that blessed Irenicum or healing Word of the Apostle before our eyes if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you nevertheless