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A34255 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. 1677 (1677) Wing C5794; ESTC R25352 47,552 162

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whereto we have already attained let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same thing Phil. 3. v. 15 16. Let it not therefore be judged of us because much hath been written on this subject and yet we continue this our practise different from others that it is out of obstinacy but rather as the truth is that we do herein according to the best of our understandings worship God out of a pure mind yielding obedience to his precept in that method which we take to be most agreeable to the Scriptures of truth and primitive practise It would not become us to give any such intimation as should carry a semblance that what we do in the service of God is with a doubting conscience or with any such temper of mind that we do thus for the present with a reservation that we will do otherwise hereafter upon more mature deliberation nor have we any cause so to do being fully perswaded that what we do is agreeable to the will of God Yet we do heartily propose this that if any of the Servants of our Lord Jesus shall in the Spirit of meekness attempt to convince us of any mistake either in judgement or practise we shall diligently ponder his arguments and accompt him our chiefest friend that shall be an instrument to convert us from any error that is in our ways for we cannot wittingly do any thing against the truth but all things for the truth And therefore we have indeavoured seriously to consider what hath been already offered for our satisfaction in this point and are loth to say any more lest we should be esteemed desirous of renewed contests thereabout yet forasmuch as it may justly be expected that we shew some reason why we cannot acquiesce in what hath been urged against us we shall with as much brevity as may consist with plainness endeavour to satisfie the expectation of those that shall peruse what we now publish in this matter also 1. As to those Christians who consent with us That Repentance from dead works and Faith towards God and our Lord Jesus Christ is required in persons to be Baptised and do therefore supply the defect of the infant being uncapable of making confession of either by others who do undertake these things for it Although we do find by Church history that this hath been a very antient practise Rom. 14. 4. 10. 12. 23. yet considering that the same Scripture which does caution us against censuring our brother with whom we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ does also instruct us That every one of us shall give an accompt of himself to God and whatsoever is not of Faith is sin Therefore we cannot for our own parts be perswaded in our own minds to build such a practise as this upon an unwritten tradition But do rather choose in all points of Faith and Worship to have recourse to the holy Scriptures for the information of our judgment and regulation of our practise being well assured that a conscientious attending thereto is the best way to prevent and rectifie our defects and errors 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. And if any such case happen to be debated between Christians which is not plainly determinable by the Scriptures we think it safest to leave such things undecided until the second coming of our Lord Jesus as they did in the Church of old until there should arise a Priest with Vrim and Thummim that might certainly inform them of the mind of God thereabout Ezra 2. 62 63. 2. As for those our Christian brethren who do ground their arguments for Infants baptism upon a presumed foederal Holiness or Church-Membership we conceive they are deficient in this that albeit this Covenant-Holiness and Membership should be as is supposed in reference unto the Infants of Believers yet no command for Infant baptism does immediately and directly result from such a quality or relation All instituted Worship receives its sanction from the precept and is to be thereby governed in all the necessary circumstances thereof So it was in the Covenant that God made with Abraham and his Seed The sign whereof was appropriated only to the Male notwithstanding that the female seed as well as the Male were comprehended in the Covenant and part of the Church of God neither was this sign to be affixed to any Male Infant till he was eight dayes old albeit he was within the Covenant from the first moment of his life nor could the danger of death or any other supposed necessity warrant the circumcising of him before the set time nor was there any cause for it the commination of being cut off from his people being only upon the neglect or contempt of the precept Righteous Lot was nearly related to Aqraham in the flesh and contemporary with him when this Covenant was made yet inasmuch as he did not descend from his loynes nor was of his houshold family although he was of the same houshold of faith with Abraham yet neither Lot himself nor any of his posterity because of their descent from him were signed with the signature of this Covenant that was made with Abraham and his seed This may suffice to shew that where there was both an expresse Covenant and a sign thereof such a Covenant as did separate the persons with whom it was made and all their off-spring from all the rest of the world as a people holy unto the Lord and did constitute them the visible Church of God though not comprehensive of all the faithful in the world yet the sign of this Covenant was not affixed to all the persons that were within this Covenant nor to any of them till the prefixt season nor to other faithful servants of God that were not of descent from Abraham And consequently that it depends purely upon the will of the Law-giver to determine what shall be the sign of his Covenant unto whom at what season and upon what terms it shall be affixed If our brethren do suppose baptism to be the seal of the Covenant which God makes with every beleiver of which the Scriptures are altogether silent it is not our concern to contend with them herein yet we conceive the seal of that Covenant is the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in the particular and individual persons in whom he resides and nothing else neither do they or we suppose that baptism is in any such manner substituted in the place of circumcision as to have the same and no other latitude extent or terms then circumcision had for that was suited only for the Male children baptism is an ordinance suited for every beleiver whether male or femal That extended to all the maies that were born in Abrahams house or bought with his money equally with the males that proceeded from his own loynes but baptisme is not so far extended in any true Christian Church that we know of as to be administred to all the poor infidel servants that the
John 2. 2. 20. 27. full perswasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our Hearts 6. The whole Councel of God concerning all things i 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. Gal. 1. 8 9. necessary for his own Glory Mans Salvation Faith and Life is either expressely set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture unto which nothing at any time is to be added whether by new Revelation of the Spirit or traditions of men Nevertheless we acknowledge the k John 6. 45. 1 Cor. 2. 9 10 11 12. inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God and government of the Church common to humane actions and societies which are to be l 1 Cor. 11 13 14. ch 14. 26. 40. ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence according to the general rules of the Word which are always to be observed 7. All things in Scripture are not alike m 2 Pet. 3. 16. plain in themselves nor alike clear unto all yet those things which are necessary to be known believed and observed for Salvation are so n Ps 19. 7. and 119. 130. clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other that not only the learned but the unlearned in a due use of ordinary means may attain to a sufficient understanding of them 8. The Old Testament in o Rom. 3. 2. Hebrew which was the Native language of the people of God of old and the New Testament in Greek which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the Nations being immediately inspired by God and by his singular care and Providence kept pure in all Ages are therefore p Isa 8. 20 authentical so as in all controversies of Religion the Church is finally to appeal unto them q Act. 15. 15. But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God who have a right unto and interest in the Scriptures and are commanded in the fear of God to read r John 5. 39. and search them therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every Nation unto which they s 1 Cor. 14 6 9. 11 12. 24 28. come that the Word of God dwelling t Col. 3. 16 plentifully in all they may worship him in an acceptable manner and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope 9. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the u 2 Pet. 1. 20 21. Act. 15. 15 16. Scripture it self And therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture which is not manifold but one it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly 10. The supream judge by which all controversies of Religion are to be determined and all Decrees of Councels opinions of antient Writers Doctrines of men and private Spirits are to be examined and in whose sentence we are to rest can be no other but the Holy Scripture delivered by the Spirit into which x Mat. 22. 29. 31. Eph. 2. 20 Acts 28. 23. Scripture so delivered our faith is finally resolved CHAP. II. Of God and of the Holy Trinity 1. THE Lord our God is but a 1 Cor. 8. 4 6. Deut. 6. 4. one only living and true God whose b Jer 10. 10. Isaiah 48. 12. subsistence is in and of himself c Exod 3. 14. infinite in being and perfection whose Essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself d Joh. 4. 24. a most pure spirit e 1 Tim. 1. 17. Deut. 4. 15 16. invisible without body parts or passions who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto who is f Mal. 3. 6. immutable g 1 King 8. 27. Jer. 23. 23. immense h Ps 90. 2. eternal incomprehensible i Gen. 17. Almighty every way infinit k Isa 6. 3. most holy most wise most free most absolute l Ps 115. 3. Isa 45. 10. working all things according to the councel of his own immutable and most righteous will m Pro. 16. 4. Rom. 11 36. for his own glory most loving gracious merciful long suffering abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sin n Exod. 34. 6 7. Hebr. 11. 6. the rewarder of them that diligently seek him and withall most just o Neh. 9. 32 33. and terrible in his judgements p Ps 5. 5 6. hating all sin and who will by no means clear the q Exod. 34. 7. Nahum 1 2 3. guilty 2. God having all r Joh. 5. 26. life Å¿ Ps 148. 13. glory t Ps 119. 68. goodness blessedness in and of himself is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient not u Job 22. 2 3. standing in need of any Creature which he hath made nor deriving any glory from them but onely manifesting his own glory in by unto and upon them he is the alone fountain of all Being x Rom. 11. 34. 35 36. of whom through whom and to whom are all things and he hath most soveraign y Dan. 4. 25. and v. 34 35. dominion over all creatures to do by them for them or upon them whatsoever himself pleaseth in his sight z Heb. 4. 13. all things are open and manifest his knowledge is a Ezek. 11. 5 Act. 15. 18. infinite infallible and independant upon the Creature so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain he is most holy in all his Councels in b Ps 145. 17. all his Works and in all his Commands to him is due c Rev. 5. 12 13 14. from Angels and men whatsoever worship service or obedience as Creatures they owe unto the Creator and whatever he is further pleased to require of them 3. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences d 1 Joh. 5 7. Mat. 28. 19. 2 Cor. 13. 14 the Father the Word or Son and Holy Spirit of one substance power and Eternity each having the whole Divine Essence e Exod. 3. 14. Joh. 14. 11. 1 Cor. 8. 6 yet the Essence undivided the Father is of none neither begotten nor proceeding the Son is f Joh. 1. 14. 18. Eternally begotten of the Father the holy Spirit g Joh. 15. 26. Gal. 4. 6. proceeding from the Father and the Son all infinite without beginning therefore but one God who is not to be divided in nature and Being but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our Communion with God and comfortable dependance on him CHAP. III. Of Gods Decree 1. GOD hath a Is 46.