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A96226 The humble advice of the Assembly of Divines, now by authority of Parliament sitting at Westminster, concerning a confession of faith, presented by them lately to both houses of Parliament. A certain number of copies are ordered to be printed only for the use of the members of both houses and of the Assembly of Divines, to the end that they may advise thereupon.; Westminster Confession of Faith. Westminster Assembly (1643-1652) 1646 (1646) Wing W1427; Thomason E368_3; ESTC R201270 24,629 58

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the Author or Approver of sin V. The most wise righteous and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his owne children to manifold temptations and the corruption of their own hearts to chastise them for their former sinnes or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulnesse of their hearts that they may be humbled and to raise them to a more close and constant dependance for their support upon himselfe and to make them more watchfull against all future occasions of sin and for sundry other just and holy ends VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God as a righteous judge for former sinnes doth blinde and harden from them he not onely withholdeth his grace whereby they might have been inlightened in their understandings and wrought upon in their hearts but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasions of sin and withall gives them over to their own lusts the temptations of the world and the power of Satan where by it comes to passe that they harden themselves even under those meanes which God useth for the softning of others VII As the providence of God doth in generall reach to all Creatures so after a most speciall manner it taketh care of his Church and disposeth all things to the good thereof CHAP. VI. Of the Fall of Man of Sin and of the Punishment thereof OUr first Parents being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan sinned in eating the forbidden fruit This their sin God was pleased according to his wiseand holy counsell to permit having purposed to order it to his own glory II. By this sin they fell from their originall righteousnesse and communion with God and so became dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body III. They being the root of all man-kinde the guilt of this sin was imputed and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation IV. From this originall corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed dis-abled and made opposite to all good and wholly inclined to all evil do proceed all actuall transgressions V. This corruption of nature during this life doth remain in those that are regenerated and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified yet both it self and all the motions thereof are truly and properly sin VI. Every-sin both Originall and Actuall being a transgression of the righteous Law of God and contrary thereunto doth in its own nature bring guilt upon the sinner whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God and curse of the Law and so made subject to death with all miseries spirituall temporall and eternall CHAP. VII Of Gods Covenant with Man THe distance between God and the Creature is so great that although reasonable Creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator yet they could never have any fruition of him as their Blessednesse and Reward but by some voluntary condescension on Gods part which he hath been pleased to expresse by way of Covenant II. The first Covenant made with Man was a Covenant of Works wherein Life was promised to Adam and in him to his Posterity upon condition of perfect and personall obedience III. Man by his Fall having made himself uncapable of Life by that Covenant the Lord was pleased to make a Second commonly called the Covenant of Grace Wherein he freely offereth unto sinners Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ requiring of them Faith in Him that they may be saved and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto Life his holy Spirit to make them willing and able to beleeve IV. This Covenant of Grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a Testament in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator and to the everlasting inheritance with all things belonging to it therein bequeathed V. This Covenant was differently administred in the time of the Law and in the time of the Gospel Under the Law it was administred by Promises Prophecies Sacrifices Circumcision the Paschal Lamb and other Types and Ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews all fore-signifying Christ to come which were for that time sufficient and efficacious through the operation of the Spirit to instruct and build up the Elect in Faith in the Promised Messiah by whom they had full remission of sins and eternall Salvation and is called the Old Testament VI. Under the Gospel when Christ the substance was exhibited the Ordinances in which this Covenant is dispensed are the Preaching of the Word and the Administration of the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper Which though fewer in number and administred with more simplicity and lesse outward glory yet in them it is held forth in more fullnesse evidence and spirituall efficacy to all Nations both Jews and Gentiles and is called the New Testament There are not therefore Two Covenants of Grace differing in substance but one and the same under various dispensations CHAP. VIII Of Christ the Mediator IT pleased God in His eternall purpose to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus His only begotten Son to be the Mediator between God and Man the Prophet Priest and King the Head and Saviour of His Church the Heir of all things and Judge of the World Unto whom He did from all eternity give a People to be his Seed and to be by him in time Redeemed Called Justified Sanctified and Glorified II. The Son of God the second Person in the Trinity being very and eternall God of one Substance and equall with the Father did when the fullnesse of time was come take upon Him mans nature with all the Essentiall properties and common infirmities thereof yet without sin being conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary of her substance So that two whole perfect and distinct Natures the Godhead and the Manhood were inseparably joyned together in one Person without Conversion Composition or Confusion Which Person is very God and very Man yet one Christ the only Mediator between God and Man III. The Lord Jesus in his humane nature thus united to the divine was sanctified and anointed with the holy Spirit above measure having in him all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge in whom it pleased the Father that all fullnesse should dwell to the end that being holy harmlesse undefiled and full of grace and truth he might be thorowly furnished to execute the Office of a Mediator and Surety Which Office he took not unto himself but was thereunto called by his Father who put all power and judgement into his hand and gave him commandment to execute the same IV. This Office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake which that he might discharge he was made under the Law and did perfectly fullfill it endured most grievous torments immediatly in his Soul and most
men and private spirits are to be examined and in whose Sentence we are to rest can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture CHAP. II. Of God and of the holy Trinity THere is but one only living and true God who is infinite in Being and Perfection a most pure Spirit invisible without body parts or passions immutable immense eternall incomprehensible almighty most wise most holy most free most absolute working all things according to the Counsell of his own immutable and most righteous will for his own glory most loving gracious mercifull long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sin the rewarder of them that diligently seek him and withall most just and terrible in his judgements hating all sin and who will by no means clear the guilty II. God hath all life glory goodnesse blessednesse in and of himself and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient notstanding in need of any creatures which he hath made nor deriving any Glory from them but only manifesting his own Glory in by unto and upon them He is the alone Fountain of all Being of whom through whom and to whom are all things and hath most Soveraigne Dominion over them to do by them for them or upon them whatsoever himself pleaseth In his sight all things are open and manifest his knowledg is infinite infallible independent upon the creature so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain He is most holy in all his counsels in all his works and in all his commands To him is due from Angels and men and every other creature whatsoever worship service or obedience he is pleased to require of them III. In the Unity of the God-head there be Three Persons of one substance power and eternity God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost The Father is of none neither begotten nor proceeding The Son is eternally begotten of the Father the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son CHAP. III. Of Gods Eternall Decree GOd from all eternity did by the most wise and holy Counsell of his own Will freely and unchangeably ordaine whatsoever comes to passe yet so as thereby neither is God the Author of sin nor is violence offered to the will of the Creatures nor is the Liberty or contingencie of second Causes taken away but rather established II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to passe upon all supposed conditions yet hath he not decreed any thing because he foresaw it as future or as that which would come to passe upon such conditions III. By the Decree of God for the manifestation of his glory some men and Angels are predestinated unto everlasting life and others fore-ordained to everlasting death IV. These Angels and men thus predestinated and fore-ordained are particularly and unchangeably designed and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished V. Those of man-kinde that are predestinated unto Life God before the foundation of the world was laid according to his eternall and immutable purpose and the secret Counsel and good pleasure of his Will hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory out of his meer free grace and love without any fore-sight of Faith or Good-works or perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the creature as conditions or causes moving him thereunto and all to the praise of his glorious grace VI. As God hath appointed the Elect unto glory so hath he by the eternall and most free purpose of his Will fore-ordained all the means thereunto Wherefore they who are elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season are justified adopted sanctified and kept by his power through faith unto salvation Neither are any other redeemed by Christ effectually called justified adopted sanctified and saved but the Elect only VII The rest of man-kinde God was pleased according to the unsearchable counsell of his own Will whereby he extendeth or with-holdeth mercy as he pleaseth for the glory of his Soveraigne Power over his creatures to passe by and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin to the praise of his glorious justice VIII The Doctrine of this high Mystery of Predestination is to be handled with speciall prudence and care that men attending the Will of God revealed in his Word and yeelding obedience thereunto may from the certainty of their effectuall Vocation be assured of their eternall Election So shall this Doctrine afford matter of praise reverence and admiration of God and of humility diligence and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the Gospel CHAP. IV. Of Creation IT pleased God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the manifestation of the glory of his eternall power wisedome and goodnesse in the beginning to create or make of nothing the World and all things therein whether visible or invisible in the space of six daies and all very good II. After God had made all other creatures he created man male and female with reasonable and immortall souls indued with knowledge righteousnesse and true holinesse after his own Image having the Law of God written in their hearts and power to fulfill it And yet under a possibility of transgressing being left to the liberty of their own will which was subject unto change Beside this Law written in their hearts they received a command not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil which whiles they kept they were happy in their Communion with God and had Dominion over the Creatures CHAP. V. Of Providence GOd the great Creator of all things doth uphold direct dispose and governe all creatures actions and things from the greatest even to the least by his most wise and holy Providence according to his infallible fore-knowledge and the free and immutable counsell of his own Will to the praise of the glory of his wisedome power justice goodnesse and mercy II. Although in relation to the fore-knowledge and decree of God the first Cause all things come to passe immutably and infallibly yet by the same Providence hee ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes either necessarily freely or contingently III. God in his ordinary Providence maketh use of meanes yet is free to work without above and against them at his pleasure IV. The almighty power unsearchable wisedome and infinite goodnesse of God so farre manifest themselves in his Providence that it extendeth it selfe even to the first Fall and all other sinnes of Angels and Men and that not by a bare permission but such as hath joyned with it a most wise and powerfull bounding and otherwise ordering and governing of them in a manifold dispensation to his owne holy ends yet so as the sinfulnesse thereof proceedeth onely from the creature and not from God who being most holy and righteous neither is nor can be
painfull sufferings in his Body was crucified and died was buried and remained under the power of death yet saw no corruption On the third day he arose from the dead with the same body in which he suffered with which also he ascended into Heaven and there sitteth at the right hand of his Father making intercession and shall return to Judge men and Angels at the end of the World V. The Lord Jesus by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself which he through the eternall spirit once offered up unto God hath fully satisfied the Justice of his Father and purchased not only reconciliation but an everlasting inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven for all those whom the Father hath given unto him VI. Although the work of Redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after his Incarnation yet the vertue efficacy and benefits thereof were communicated unto the Elect in all ages successively from the beginning of the world in and by those promises types and sacrifices wherein he was revealed and signified to be the seed of the woman which should bruise the serpents head and the Lambe slain from the beginning of the world being yesterday and to day the same and for ever VII Christ in the work of Mediation acteth according to both Natures by each Nature doing that which is proper to it self yet by reason of the unity of the Person that which is proper to one Nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the Person denominated by the other Nature VIII To all those for whom Christ hath purchased Redemption he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same making intercession for them and revealing unto them in and by the Word the mysteries of salvation effectually perswading them by his Spirit to beleeve and obey and governing their hearts by his Word and Spirit overcoming all their enemies by his Almighty Power and Wisdome in such manner and wayes as are most consonant to his wonderfull and unsearchable dispensation CHAP. IX Of Free-Will GOD hath indued the Will of man with that naturall liberty that it is neither forced nor by any absolute necessity of nature determined to good or evil II. Man in his state of Innocency had freedom and power to will and to doe that which was good and well pleasing to God but yet mutably so that he might fall from it III. Man by his fall into a state of sin hath wholly lost all ability of Will to any spirituall good accompanying salvation so as a naturall man being altogether averse from that good and dead in sin is not able by his own strength to convert himself or to prepare himself thereunto IV. When God converts a sinner and translates him into the state of grace he freeth him from his naturall bondage under sin and by his grace alone inables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good yet so as that by reason of his remaining corruption he doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good but doth also will that which is evil V. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone in the state of Glory only CHAP. X. Of Effectuall Calling ALl those whom God hath predestinated unto life and those only he is pleased in his appointed and accepted time effectually to call by his Word and Spirit out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ inlightning their mindes spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them an heart of flesh renewing their wills and by his almighty power determining them to that which is good and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ yet so as they come most freely being made willing by his grace II. This effectuall Call is of Gods free and speciall grace alone not from any thing at all foreseen in man who is altogether passive therein untill being quickned and renewed by the holy Spirit he is thereby inabled to answer this Call and to imbrace the grace offered and conveyed in it III. Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit who worketh when and where and how he pleaseth So also are all other elect persons who are uncapable of being outwardly called by the Ministry of the Word IV. Others not elected although they may be called by the Ministry of the Word and may have some common operations of the Spirit yet they never truly come unto Christ and therefore cannot be saved much lesse can men not professing the Christian Religion be saved in any other way whatsoever be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of Nature and the Law of that Religion they doe professe And to assert and maintain that they may is very pernicious and to be detested CHAP. XI Of Iustification THose whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth not by infusing righteousnesse into them but by pardoning their sins and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for Christs sake alone nor by imputing faith it self the act of beleeving or any other evangelicall obedience to them as their righteousnesse but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his righteousnesse by faith which faith they have not of themselves it is the guift of God II. Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousnesse is the alone instrument of Justification yet is it not alone in the person justified but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces and is no dead faith but worketh by Love III. Christ by his obedience and death did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified and did make a proper reall and full satisfaction to his Fathers Justice in their behalf Yet in as much as he was given by the Father for them and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead and both freely not for any thing in them their Justification is only of free grace that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners IV. God did from all eternity decree to justifie all the elect and Christ did in the fullnesse of time die for their sins and rise again for their justification neverthelesse they are not justified untill the holy Spirit doth in due time actually apply Christ unto them V. God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified and although they can never fall from the state of Justification yet they may by their sins fall under Gods fatherly displeasure and not have the light of his countenance restored unto them untill they humble themselves confesse their sins beg pardon and renew their faith and repentance VI. The Justification of Beleevers under the old Testament was in all these respects