no their iudgements and defile not your selves with their Idols I am Iehovah your God walke ye in my commandements and keepe my iudgements and doe them Likewise Christ saith Teach them those things which I have Matth 18. commanded you Therefore the ten commandements and love which by faith worketh righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left hand as well toward God as toward our neighbour is a certaine summe a most streight square and a most artificiall shaping or description of all good works Now an example of this square is the most holy life of Christ whereof he himselfe saith Learne of me because I am meeke and humble in heart And Matth. 11. what other thing would he teach by uttering those eight sentences of happinesse then to shew what manner of life the true Matth. 5. children of God ought to lead and what be the works which God hath commanded Therefore according to these things they teach with all care and diligence touching the difference which is to be knowne and kept betwixt those works which are devised and taught of men those which are commanded of God Those works which are commanded of God ought not to be intermitted for humane traditions For Christ doth grievously reprehend this in them that doe otherwise and in the Pharisees saying Why doe you transgresse Matth. 15. the commandements of God for your traditions And againe In vaine doe they worship me seeing they doe only teach the commandements of men * Looke the first observat upon this confession Mark 7. Isa 29. Isa 1. 6â— But such works as are taught of men what shew soever they have even of goodnesse are in no case to be so highly esteemed as those which are commanded of God Yea to say somewhat more if they be not of faith but contrary to faith they are of no value at all but are an abomination and filthinesse before the face of God Now all good works are devided first generally into those which pertaine to all true Christians according to the unitie of faith and Catholike salvation Secondly they are devided particularly into those which are proper to the order age and place of every man as the holy Ghost doth severally teach Elders Masters the common sort Parents children the married the unmarried and every one what be their proper bonds and works Moreover in this point men are diligently taught to know how and wherein good works doe please God Truely they please God no otherwise then in the onely name of our Lord Iesus Christ in whose name they ought to be done to the glory of God according to the doctrine of Paul the Apostle who speaketh thus Whatsoever you doe in words and in deeds doe all in the Coliss 3. 1 Cor. 10. Joh. 15. name of our Lord Iesus And the Lord himselfe saith Without me ye can doe nothing that is nothing that may please God and be for your salvation Now to doe good works in the name of Christ is to doe them in a lively faith in him whereby we are justified and in love which is poured forth into our hearts by the holy Ghost in such sort that God loveth us and we againe love him and our neighbour For the holy Ghost doth sanctifie moove and kindle the hearts of them which are justified to doe these holy actions as the Lord saith He shall be in you And the Apostle The Joh. 14. 1 Joh. 2. anoynting of God teacheth you These two Faith and Love are the fountaine and square of all vertues and good works according to the testimony of the Apostle The end of the commandement is 1 Tim. 1. Hâ—b 11. 1 Cor. 13. love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith not feigned And againe Without faith it is not possible to please God Also without love nothing doth profit a man In the next place they teach why and to what purpose or end such good works as pertaine to Christian godlinesse ought to be done to wit not in this respect that men by these works should obtaine justification or salvation and remission of sins for Christ saith When you have done all those things which were commanded Luk. 1â— you say we are unprofitable servants Also Paul saith Not for the Tit. 3. works of righteousnesse which we have done but through his mercie hath he saved us wherewith all those words of David agree when he prayeth Lord enter not into iudgement with thy servant Psal 143. because that in thy sight shall no flesh living be iustified But Christians are to exercise themselves in good works for these causes following First that by this meane they may proove and declare their faith and by these works be known to be true Christians that is the lively members and followers of Christ whereof our Lord saith Every tree is known by his own fruits Indeed good works Luk. 6. are assured arguments and signs and testimonies and exercises of a lively faith even of that faith which lyeth hid in the heart and to be short of the true fruit thereof and such as is acceptable to God Paul faith Christ liveth in me for in that I now live in the flesh Gal. 2. I live by faith in the Sonne of God And truely it cannot be otherwise but that as sinne doth bring forth death so faith and justification which ariseth thereout doth bring forth life inwardly in the spirit and outwardly in the works of charitie Secondly we must therefore doe good works that Christians might confirme and build up their Election and Vocation in themselves and preserve it * Looke the â— observation upon this confession 2 Pet. 1. by taking heed that they fall not in mortall sinnes even as Saint Peter teacheth among other things writing thus Wherefore brethren endeavour rather to make your Election and Vocation sure or to confirme it And how this may be done he doth briefely declare a little before Therefore giving all diligence thereunto ioyne vertue with your faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse love For if these things be among you and abound in you they will make you that you neither shall be idle nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ In which place Saint Peter doth evidently shew that we must endeavour to exercise our selves in good works * Looke the 3 Observat first for this cause lest that the grace of faith and a good conscience which we have be either lost or defiled but that it may rather be preserved For Sap. 1. Matth. 12. Luk. 1â— the holy Ghost doth flie from Idolaters and departeth from prophane men and the evill and unpure spirit doth returne into an emptie and idle house Also whosoever doth either loose or defile a good conscience what commendable thing or what worke
and the devill a most cruell enemie who for the hatred he beareth to God rageth against mankinde and doth endeavour all that he can especially to destroy the Church as it is written of Peter 1 Pet. 5. Watch because your adversarie the devill goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devoure * Looke the 2. observation upon this confession Therefore although men by their naturall strength may after a sort performe the externall discipline yet are they often overcome by this common infirmitie and the devill also doth oftentimes force men not altogether savage to commit horrible facts as he deceived Eve and compelled the brethren of Ioseph David and others innumerable Therefore what diligence or what advisement can be sufficient for this most subtill enemy Here let us lay hold upon that most sweet comfort The Sonne of God appeared to destroy the works of the Devill 1 John 3. The Sonne of God is the keeper of his Church as he saith Joh. 10. No man shall take my sheepe out of my hands He doth protect us and also by his holy spirit doth confirme our mindes in true opinions as he doth begin eternall life so doth he kindle in our hearts good motions faith the love of God true invocation hope chastitie and other vertues We are not Pelagians but we doe humbly give thanks to the eternall God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and to his Sonne Iesus Christ and to the holy Ghost both for the whole benefit of salvation restored againe to mankinde and also for this benefit that the Sonne of God doth dwell in the Church and doth defend it with his right hand against the furies of the Devils and men and doth drive away the devils from us and doth uphold us in this so great infirmitie of ours and by his word doth kindle in our mindes the knowledge of God and doth confirme and governe our mindes by his holy spirit We doe certainly know that these benefits are indeed given unto us as it is said most comfortably in Zacharie chap. 12. I will powre out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and prayers He nameth the spirit of grace because that in this comfort the Son of God sealing us by his holy spirit doth testifie that we are in favour and that we are delivered from the pains of hell Secondly he nameth the spirit of prayers because that when we have acknowledged the remission of sins we doe not now flie from God we doe not murmure against God but we approach unto him with true faith and hope we doe aske and looke for helpe at his hands we love him and submit our selves to him and thus is the beginning of obedience wrought After that manner saith the Lord Ioh. 14. I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter even the spirit of truth The holy Ghost doth kindle the light of truth in our mindes and new motions in our hearts agreeable to the Law of God Let us acknowledge this so great a gift and let us endeavour to keepe it thankfully and desire daily to be helped in so great dangers of this life The will is not idle when it hath received the holy Ghost How our new obedience doth please God THE Pharisee in Luke chap. 18. doth admire and please himselfe being bewitched with this perswasion that he doth satisfie the law and for this discipline such as it is doth please God Many such there be among men who thinke themselves secure if they performe never so little though it be but a shadow of discipline But the heavenly voice doth often times accuse the arrogancie of these men and therefore the Lord saith Luk. 13. Except ye repent ye shall all in like sort perish and 1 Joh. 1. If we say we have no sinne we are lyers Therefore their imagination is vaine which thinke that obedience doth please God for it own worthinesse and that it is a merit of Condignitie as they speake and such a righteousnesse before God as is a merit of eternall life And yet afterward they do adde that we must alwaies doubt whether our obedience doe please God because it is evident that in every one there is much pollution many sins of ignorance and omission and many not small blemishes Here it is necessary that mens consciences should be instructed aright in either of these points both concerning our infirmitie and also concerning the comfort It is necessarie that the regenerate should have the righteousnesse of a good conscience and obedience begun in this life as hath been said yet neverthelesse in this life there is still remaining in our nature in our soule and in our heart very much pollution which they doe the more see and be waile which have received more light then others as the Prophets and Apostles according to that complaint of Paul Rom. 7. I see another law in my members which striveth against the law of my minde and maketh me captive to the law of sinne There is as yet in every one a great mist manifold ignorance and many sorrowfull doubts errors in counsels raised by distrust by false opinions and a vaine hope many vicious flames of lusts much neglect of dutie murmurings and indignations against God in his punishments to conclude it is unsensiblenesse and madnesse not to be willing to confesse that the feare and love of God is much more cold in us then it ought to be These confessions are repeated in the Sermons of the Prophets and Apostles Psal 143. Enter not into iudgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be iustified And 1 Joh. 1. If we say that we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the trueth is not in us This confession is necessary and mans arrogancie to be reprooved Also the error of our adversaries who feigne that men in this mortall life may satinfie the law of God and of those who say that the evill of concupiscence which is bred with us is not sin not an evill repugnant to the law or will of God is to be reprehended These errours doth Paul manifestly confute Rom. 7. and 8. Then must comfort also be joyned thereunto First let the regenerate person assure himselfe that he is reconciled to God by faith alone that is by confidence in the Mediatour and that the person is certainly accounted righteous for the Some of God the Mediatour and that freely for his merit Secondly let us confesse with true griefe that there remaine as yet in the regenerate man many sinnes and much pollution worthy of the wrath of God Thirdly let him neverthelesse know that obedience and the righteousnesse of a good conscience must be begun in this life and that this obedience although it be very farre from that perfection which the law requireth is neverthelesse in the regenerate acceptable to God for the Mediatours sake who maketh request for us and by his merit doth
merit of Christ applied but that it is a worke and fruit of charitie toward our neighbour by which worke we doe testifie our faith and obedience which we owe unto God Now where faith is there Christ alone is acknowledged to be the purger of sinnes Therefore seeing that almes doth testifie after their manner that Christ doth dwell in the godly it doth also testifie that they have remission of sinnes For except almes be a worke of charitie which may beare witnesse to faith in Christ it is so farre from signifying that man hath remission of sins through Christ that it doth even stinke in the sight of God If I shall distribute saith Paul all my substance that it may be meat for the poore and shall not have love it profiteth me nothing Therefore we teach that good works must be done necessarily that God is to be invocated and that almes is to be given that we may testifie our faith and love and obey the calling of God But in true repentance we teach that we obtaine remission of sins onely for the Son of God our Lord Iesus Christ his sake through faith according to that which Peter saith To him doe all the Prophets beare witnesse that through his name every one that beleeveth in him doth receive remission of sins Of Canonicall houres CHAP. 27. AVgustine writeth in a certaine place that Ambrose the Bishop of Millane did ordaine that the assemblies of the Church should sing Psalmes whereby they might mutually comfort themselves whilest they looked for adversitie and stirre up themselves to beare the crosse lest the people saith he should pine away with the yrkesomnesse of mourning This singing because it was used in a tongue commonly known it had both a godly use and deserved great praise And by the Canonicall decree it appeareth that those houres which they call Canonicall were an appointment of certaine times wherein the whole holy Scripture should be publikely over-run every yeere as in the schooles there be certaine hours appointed for interpreting of authors Such a distribution of houres was peradventure not unprofitable for that time and in it selfe it is not a thing to be condemned But to appoint a speciall kinde of priests to chaunt but those Canonicall hours and to sing them in a strange tongue which commonly is not known to the Church or is not our countrey tongue and that in some place in the night and in the day time without any intermission new singers very often taking one anothers course and to make hereof a worship not to this end that by patience and the comfort of the Scripture we might have hope as Paul saith but that by the merit of this worke a man might mitigate the wrath of God and purge the sinnes of men before God this is it that is contrary to the meaning of that Church which is indeed Catholique 1 Cor. 14. When ye come together according as every one of you hath a Psalme or hath doctrine or hath a tongue or hath revelation or hath interpretation let all things be done unto edifying Hierome upon the Epist to the Ephes Chap. 5. saith Singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts Let young men heare these things let them heare whose office it is to sing in the Church that we must sing to God not with the voice but with the heart and that the threat and the iawes are not to be greased with some sweet liquor as they use to doe that play in Tragedies c. Now that which was spoken touching the use of a tongue that is commonly knowne it must be understood not only of the singing of Psalmes but also of all the parts of Ecclesiasticall ministerie For as Sermons and prayers are to be made in a well knowne tongue to the Church so also must the Sacraments be dispensed in a speech that is knowne For although it be lawfull at some time to use a strange tongue by reason of the learned yet the consent of the Catholike Church doth require this that the necessarie ministeries of the Church be executed in our countrey speech 1 Cor. 14. I had rather in the Church to speake five words with my understanding that I may also instruct others then ten thousand words in a strange tongue Innocentius the third De offi Iud. Ord. C. Quoniam saith Because that in many parts within one Citie and Diocesse there be people of divers languages mingled together having under one faith divers rites and customes we doe straitly command that the Bishops of such Cities or Diocesses doe provide fit men who according to the diversitie of ceremonies and language may execute among them the divine duties and minister the Ecclesiasticall Sacraments instructing them both by the word and by their example Therefore they are to be said to doe godly and Catholikely who doe so appoint the dispensation of the Sacraments the singing of Psalmes and the reading of holy Scripture that the Church may understand that which is said read or sung and the spirit may receive fruit thereby to comfort the minde and to confirme the faith and to stirre up love Out of the Confession of SVEVELAND Of the singing and prayers of Ecclesiasticall men CHAP. 21. ANd for that cause to wit that men should not winke at that offending of God which might be committed under a colour of his service then which nothing can offend him more grievously our Ministers have condemned the most of those things which were used in the singings and prayers of Ecclesiasticall men For it is too too manifest that these have degenerated from the first appointment and use of the Fathers For no man which understandeth the writings of the ancient Fathers is ignorant of this that it was a custome among them wisely to rehearse also to expound a few Psalmes with some Chapter of the Scripture whereas now adaies many Psalmes are chaunted for the most part without understanding and of the reading of the Scripture there be onely the beginnings of Chapters left unto us and innumerable things are taken up one after another which serve rather for superstition then for godlinesse Therefore our Ministers did first of all detest this that many things which were contrary to the Scriptures are mingled with holy prayers and songs as that those things are attributed to Saints which are proper to Christ alone namely to free us from sinne and other discommodities and not so much to obtaine as to give us the favour of God and all kinde of good things Secondly because they are increased so infinitely that they cannot be sung or rehearsed with an attentive minde Now it is nothing but a mocking of God whatsoever we doe in his service without understanding Lastly because that these things also were made meritorious works and to be sold for no small price that we may say nothing hereof that against the expresse commandement of the holy Ghost all things are there said and sung in that tongue which not
weightie speech both of the rites of Moses and of the ceremonies appointed by the authoritie of man For Paul speaketh namely of both kindes denying them to be the righteousnesse of a Christian and forbidding to burden the consciences with such traditions If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world why as though ye lived in the world are ye burdened with traditions Touch not taste not handle not Matt. 15. All that entereth into the mouth defileth not the man And in that place Christ excuseth his Disciples that had broken a tradition that was in use among them and he addeth a notable saying They worship me in vaine with the commandements of men He denieth mans precepts to be true duties availeable unto righteousnesse before God Wherefore they are not the righteousnesse of a Christian nor yet necessarie duties Yet for all that it is apparant how wonderfully the services invented by man have multiplied and increased in the Church unto this day The Monks did daily heape up ceremonies both with new superstitions and also with new waies to bring in money And these trifles were thought to be the chiefest worship of God and the greatest godlinesse whereas Christ doth by a most grave and weightie Oracle forbid that such ceremonies should be accounted for services of God For he doth not forbid the appointing of traditions unto a civill end and use that is for good orders sake but he denieth that any such be any worship of God in saying In vaine doe they worship me And he teacheth that true worships be workes commanded of God as feare faith love patience chastitie walking in ones calling doing of ones dutie c. Acts 15. Peter saith Why doe ye tempt God laying a yoke on the Disciples necke which neither we nor our Fathers were able to beare but by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we beleeve to be saved as doe also they Here Peter sheweth that remission of sinnes and salvation cometh to us by Christ and not by the rites of Moses or the law and doth also give us to understand that such doe grievously sinne which doe burden mens consciences with such ordinances For it is no slight reproofe when he saith Why tempt ye God And 1 Tim. 4. He termeth the forbidding of of meats mariages and such like traditions doctrines of Devils But why doth he use such a sharpe speech His meaning was not that there should be no ordinances at all or that no differences of places and times should be observed but then he accounteth them to be doctrines of Devils when as the benefit of Christ is attributed unto them when they are reputed for righteousnesse and for necessarie services of God when an opinion of necessitie is fastened to them and mens consciences are racked and faith made of no force by them These discommodities Christ and his Apostles would have to be diligently avoided and for that cause they cry out so often and so earnestly against traditions And it is a wonder that the patrons of such superstitious opinions about traditions are no whit moved with such thundering speeches Now as for us we teach that those traditions are not to bee condemned which command nothing against the laws of God and have a civill use and end namely such as are ordained to this end that things might be done orderly in the Church Of which sort are the traditions about holy dayes the Lords day the Nativitie Passeover and the rest also about the holy readings and lessons and such like Now all rites of this kinde we retaine very willingly in our Churches And yet the Church is taught to know what to thinke of such customes to wit that they doe not merit remission of sinnes that they are not the righteousnesse of a Christian nor necessary duties unto Christian righteousnesse but indifferent things which a man may omit where there is no danger of giving offence This qualifying of traditions doth set free the consciences from superstitious opinions and from that old torture and racking And yet it bringeth great commendation to traditions because it sheweth the true use of them All modest men will more willingly obey the traditions after they understand that their consciences are set free from danger in private and that they must so far obey as that the common peace be not disturbed nor the weake ones hurt Againe this interpretation doth defend and preserve publique good manners and discipline because it commandeth to avoid offences Also to observe publike holy dayes the meetings in the Churches readings c. doe serve for examples and to accustome the youth and the common sort thereto Therefore such ordinances are not to be broken but rather with common care and travell to be furthered These be the true and meet commendations of traditions which no doubt doe greatly stirre up such as are godly and staied to love defend and adorne the publike orders The Gospel teacheth to thinke reverently not onely of other civill laws and orders but also of Ecclesiasticall and seeketh the true use of them Yet notwithstanding it appointeth degrees and will have the doctrine touching Christ and things that are heavenly and everlasting discerned from the schooling or Pedagogie of the Church This libertie whereof we speake now was not unknowne to the Fathers For Augustine saith This whole kinde of things hath free observations and to this purpose he discourseth at large Irenaeus saith The disagreement in fasting doth not break off the agreement in faith The Tripartite history gathereth together many examples of rites disagreeing one from the other and in the end addeth a notable saying It was not the Apostles mind to prescribe any thing touching holy dayes but to preach godlinesse and a good conversation But in so manifest a matter it is needles to heape up many testimonies But our adversaries doe here make great outcries That by this doctrine publike discipline and order is overthrowne and disorder and anarchie brought in Likewise that good workes and mortification of the flesh are abolished according to Jovinians surmise These slanders we have partly refuted already there is no confusion or anarchie brought in nor the publique discipline overthrowne when as we teach that traditions which have a civill end and use ought to be observed And we teach also that offences must be foreseene and avoided But touching mortification we answer thus True and unfeigned mortification is to beare the crosse to indure dangers troubles and afflictions This kind of obedience is the worship of God and a spirituall worke as the Psalme teacheth A sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit c. We teach moreover that another kinde of exercise is necessarie It is the dutie of every Christian to bridle his flesh even by bodily discipline labours temperancie meditation of heavenly things and such other exercises fit for his age The neerest and proper end whereof must be this that fulnesse and idlenesse doe not pricke him forward to sinne and
holden But if it once come to passe and the Lord grant that the Churches may at length injoy so great a benefit then there may be one onely confession of faith extant conceived in the same words if the state of the Churches shall seeme to require it Let them therefore leave of in mockage to terme us Confessionists unlesse perhaps they looke for this answer at our hands that it is a farre more excellent thing to beare a name of confessing the faith then of denying the truth For even as moe small streames may flow from one spring so moe confessions of faith may issue out from one and the same truth of faith Now to speake somewhat also of those who while they will seeme to embrace the truth of the Gospell and renounce popish errours shew themselves more unjust towards us then was meet they should we are compelled to finde want of Christian charitie in them This one thing in deed was remaining that after so many dangers losses banishments down-fals woes without number griefs and torments we should also be evill intreated by those of whom some comfort was rather to be looked for But that ancient enemie of the Church is farre deceived by whose subtilties this evill is also wrought for us while he hopeth that we may by his crafts be overwhelmed But bearing our selves bold on that love which the mercifull God through Iesus Christ our Lord beareth unto us and who hath planted a love and feare of him in our mindes we leap for joy in these very things and boast with the Apostle that it will never be the same grace of God alwaies preventing us that tribulation anguish hunger nakednesse the sword false accusation or cursed speaking shall withdraw us from the truth once knowne and undertaken For we know that saying of Chrysostome to be true It is not evill to suffer but to doe evill Neither are we any whit disgraced hereby but they whom I know not what distemperature whetteth against us having deserved nothing and to repay them like for like quitting rayling with rayling far be it from us whom God vouchsafeth this honour that being fashioned like to the image his Son we might through good report and evill report walke on upholden with the stay of a good conscience yea we have resolved with our selves not only to abide the open wrongs of our enemies but even the disdaine of our brethren although never so unjust And what we furthermore thinke of the doctrine of our Lord Iesus Christ the confession of our faith set forth many yeers agoe hath made it known to the whole world and we have God and Angels together with men witnesses of that sincere endeavour by which we laboured and doe as yet to the uttermost of our power labour to set up againe and maintaine the pure worship of God among us on t of Gods word And even as we shewed our selves to be ready at all times to render a reason of the hope that is in us so we thought it a matter worth the pains to make all men privie to that bond which one our part is very straight with the holy and truly Catholike Church of God with every Saint and sound member thereof that so farre as we can we might deliver partly our selves partly the Churches joyned with us from those most grievous crimes by which some mens speeches and books are laid to our charge And when we bethought our selves by what means it might best be done this especially for the present time seemed a meet way unto us which would give offence to no man and might satisfie all that would yeeld unto reason namely to publish this Harmonie of confessions whereby it might sufficiently be understood how falsely we are charged as though we that have rejected popish errors agreed not at all among our selves For to begin with those stout maintainers of the Romish tyrannie who will yet seeme to be defenders of the truth this conference of confessions will plucke every visard from their faces when as it shall plainly appear that all the opinions in these confessions of faith were in other sundry words so laid down that yet the same truth alwaies abideth and there is none at all or very little difference in the things themselves And how narrow must they needs perceive the bounds of that their Catholike Church to be when it shall be openly known that so many kingdomes provinces cities peoples and nations professing the truth of the Gospel doe with common consent renounce the abuses and orders of the Romish Church As for those whom without any desert it pleaseth to count us among the Arrians and Turks they shall see also how farre through the benefit of God we be from such hainous and wicked errours And they also who accuse us of sedition shall perceive how reverently we thinke of the dignitie of Kings and the Magistrates authoritie and they to conclude that not being content with those publike confessions of the Churches of Germanie may by laying against us that forme of new agreement seeme worthily more and more to sever themselves from us and who have alreadie very pithily been refuted by most learned writings they also shall if true agreement be earnestly sought be satisfied with this Harmony For that we may freely say as it is indeed that long ranck of names sealed and written at that booke is such that it seemeth rather to stand idly in the field then to fight manfully And if it had pleased us to follow this pollicie wee might have set downe the names not of seven or eight thousand meane men most famous Princes and some other excepted of whom it may worthily be doubted whether there ever were any such or what they were but also the names of farre moe Churches And this our diligence had beene farre more commendable namely being bestowed not in wringing out and begging from village to village some hundreds of names but in laying out the opinions of most gracious Kings most renowned Princes of noble nations and peoples of most mighty common-wealths and Cities of which a great part hath not been used to dispute in corners or to trifle but hath knowne these many yeeres how even unto blood to suffer many and grievous things for Gods truth sake But we know that the truth hath not it warrant from men nor by men it is simple it will be simply published and taught Therefore we are purposed for this time not to deale by any long disputation with any man but barely to open the meaning of the reformed Churches to knit all the Churches of Christ together with one bond of brotherly love to keepe peace with all men and so farre as it ought to be done to judge well of all men yea and to intreat those who think somewhat too hardly of us that if we disagree from the Confession of no Church that doth truely beleeve they would themselves also beginne to be of the same minde with us and
much peevishnesse through which some do straight way upon very small occasion call their brethren heretikes schismatikes ungodly Mahometans let these speeches be thrown out against Atheists Epicures Libertines Arians Anabaptists such like mischevous persons which desire to have the Lords field utterly destroyed but let us every day grow in faith love and let us teach the flocks committed to our charge to fear God to hate vices and follow after vertues to denie the world and themselves obeying the commandement of our Lord and teacher Iesus Christ who biddeth us not to braule but to love each other Whose example in governing the Church if we will follow we shall raise up those that are afflicted take up those that are falne cōfort the feeble waken the drowsie and not negligently denounce Gods wrath against sinnes and shall draw out the sword of the same word which is no blunt one against hypocrites wolves dogs swine goates and to conclude against all wicked ones which in our Churches mingle themselves with the true sheepe and which cause the word of God to be evill spoken of It were a farre better thing surely then that which some do busying the sharpnesse of their wit in making of certaine trifles that forsooth the knowledge of such subtilties may shake out of our mindes all conscience It was justly said that the strength of the Gospel was weakened through the thorny subtilties of schoole-questions and we through our wayward disputations what else doe we then cause that the authoritie thereof be not strengthned but rather weakned and doe even stagger among the wicked We reade it excellently written in Livie a very grave writer that not onely grudges but also warres have an end and that oftentimes deadly foes become faithfull confederates yea and sometimes Citizens and that by the same speeches of the people of Rome very bitter or cruell enmities have beene taken up betweene men of great account And that which these few words wrought with the heathen shall not godlinesse toward God obtaine at the hands of Christians of Divines and of Pastours of Churches yea of the travell of reading and diligently examining and conferring of this booke shall not be irkesome if upright and sincere judgement if not prejudicate opinions but the love of one truth shall beare sway in all mens hearts it will shortly obtaine it That old contention about the celebrating of Easter very hotly tossed to and fro for two hundred yeeres or there about betweene the Greeks and the Latines was long since by us thought worthy of laughter but we must take good heed lest in a matter not altogether unlike we seeme to be wiser then both if so be that we desire to have the Church whole and not to leave it rent unto the posteritie and would have our selves be counted not foolish among men and not stubborne in the sight of God There hath scarce been any age which hath in such sort seene all Churches following altogether one thing in all points so as there hath not alwaies been some difference either in doctrine or in ceremonies or in manners and yet were not Christian Churches through the world therefore cut asunder unlesse peradventure then when the Bishop of Rome brake off all agreement and tyrannically injoyned to other Churches not what ought to be done but what himselfe would have observed but the Apostle did not so Barnabas indeed departed from Paul and Paul withstood Peter and surely for no trifle and yet the one became not more enemie or strange to the other but the selfe same spirit which had coupled them from the beginning never suffered them to be dis-joyned from them-selves It is the fashion of Romists to command to enforce to presse to throw out oursings and thunder excommunications upon the heads of those that whisper never so little against them but let us according to the doctrine of the holy Ghost suffer and gently admonish each other that is keeping the ground-work of faith let us build love upon it and let us joyntly repaire the wals of Sion lying in their ruines It remaineth that through the same Lord Christ we beseech our reverent brethren in the Lord whose Confessions published we set forth that they take this our paines in good part and suffer us to leane as it were to a certaine stay to the common consent of the reformed Churches against the accusations and reproches of the common adversaries of the truth But it had been to be wished that we might at once have set out all the Confessions of all the reformed Churches but because we had them not all therefore we set out them onely that were come to our hands to which the rest also so farre as we suppose may easily be drawne And we also could have wished that the thing might have beene made common to all the reformed Churches But when as the state of our Churches seemed to force the matter and that they could not abide any longer delay the right well beloved brethren will pardon us with whom by reason of the time we could not impart both the Harmonie it selfe and the Observations as also the intent of this whole Edition Whereas moreover we have put to moe confessions of one and the same Nation as of Auspurge and Saxonie as also the former and latter of Helvetia that was not done without cause for besides that one expoundeth another we thought it good also hereby to ridde them from all suspicion of inconstancie and wavering in opinion which the adversaries are wont to catch at by such repetitions of Confessions Yet why we would not adde some Confessions of the brethren of Bohemia often repeated we will straight way shew a cause and we hope that our reason will easily be liked of them And we have set downe every where two yea in some places three Editions of Auspurge for this respect lest in this diversitie we might seeme to have picked out that which rather favoured our side and to have utterly misliked the other Wherein notwithstanding we have not every where followed the order of times in which every of them came to light but the coppie which we had in our hands printed at Wirtemberge 1572. with a double Edition And we have therefore thought it meet to passe over the Apologies adjoyned to the Confessions as of Auspurge Bohemia Sueveland and England as well that the worke might not grow to be exceeding bigge as also that we might not seeme rather to increase disputations and controversies then to make an Harmonie of doctrine And as for our Observations our minde was to meet with the cavils of sophisters who we know well enough will take hold on the least matters that they may thereby set us on worke Wherefore lest they should charge us to set out a discord rather then a concord of Confessions we have added in the end very short Observations in which we lay open those things which might seeme some what obscurely spoken and
cover our great and unspeakable miseries Thus for the Mediatours sake both the person is received and also our works doe please God that in either of them our faith may shine Therefore Peter saith 1 Pet. 2. Offer up spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God through Iesus Christ This comfort is set forth Rom. 8. Now there is no condemnation to them which doe walke in Christ Iesus And Rom. 3. Ye are not under the law but under grace In that place this question is asked whether our obedience doe please God seeing it doth not satisfie the law Paul answereth that it doth please God Because we are not under the law that is condemned by the law but we are under grace reconciled or received into favour Rom. 8. Who shall condemâ—e Christ hath died for us and is risen againe and sitteth at the right hand of God and maketh request for us that is holy men doe please God for the Son his sake who also offered his obedience for us and maketh request for us We must oppose these sayings to doubting lest faith and invocation be extinguished for doubting doth weaken our invocation Seeing therefore that we know both that new obedience as necessary and that helpe is certainly given us and that this obedience doth please God although it be unperfect and needie let us acknowledge the infinite mercie of God and give thanks for it and have a great care how to governe our actions because we know that we are both helped and that this obedience is acceptable to God for the Sons sake And let this necessitie be alwaies in our eyes that if the benefits of God to wit Iustification and Regeneration be shaken of we loose eternall life according to that saying We shall be cloathed if so be that we be not found naked And Rom. 8. If any have not the Spirit of Christ he is not his And alwaies in Iustification let there be also a beginning of newnesse of life The theefe hanging on the crosse hath good works and those both internall and externall it grieveth him that he had sinned and he confesseth that he is justly punished then by faith he doth acknowledge the Saviour and desireth salvation of him and therefore he heareth expresse absolution and the preaching of eternall life and the promise and resteth in this voice of the Messias and submitteth himselfe to God and doth not beare the punishment impatiently but is eased by acknowledging the Messias and by the hope of eternall life and giveth thanks to God Moreover to give an evident token of his confession he found fault with the other which cursed Christ These things are done by him because this very Messias being partner with him in his punishment in a word doth teach his minde and by the same comfort the Word is effectuall in him and through him the eternall Father doth poure the holy Ghost into the heart of this hearer that he may kindle in him joy love invocation hope of eternall life and other vertues Of Rewards PAul saith Rom. 6. Eternall life is the gift of God through Iesus Christ our Lord and they that are reconciled or justified Are heires annexed with the Sonne of God and that for his sake not for their own merits Faith receiving remission of sins and justification and the hope of eternall life doe relie upon the Son of God the Mediatour as it is said Joh. 6. This is the will of the Father that every one that beleeveth in him should have eternall life And Rom. 5. Being iustified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have accesse through faith unto this grace wherein we stand and reioyce under the hope of eternall life He joyneth faith and hope together and affirmeth that either of them doth relie upon the Mediatour And it is manifest that hope ought not to relie on our works because it is said Psal 142. No man living shall be iustified in thy sight But as they which repent are accounted just by faith for the onely Sonne of God his sake and for him and through him are quickned so for him and not for our merits is eternall life given unto us as the thiefe on the crosse heareth this promise To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Luk 23. Neither must we dreame that the Sonne of God did merit or give unto us a preparation onely to eternall life but let that most comfortable saying of Hosea be alwaies in our sight O death I will be thy death O hell I will be thy destruction For by the Son of God and through him we are delivered from eternall death and translated into life eternall as he saith I give unto them eternall life And 1 Joh. 5. He that hath the Son hath life And let hope be sure and firme as Peter saith 1 Pet. 1. Hope perfectly that is looke for eternall life not with doubtfull opinion in an assured hope to wit for the Mediatours sake And Augustine saith well in his booke of Meditations The certaintie of our whole confidence consisteth in the blood of Christ Let us hold both these points assuredly that he which repenteth doth freely by faith receive remission of sins and justification for the Sonne of God his sake and that he is an heire of eternall life as Paul saith Rom. 8 As many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sonnes of God And if they be children they are also the heires of God Yet notwithstanding this also is true * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession in the 4. Sect. that they which doe shake of the holy Ghost falling from faith or sinning grievously against their conscience and doe not returne unto God by repentance are not heires as it is said Galat. 5. They which doe such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God And 1 Tim. 2. Fight a good fight having faith and a good conscience which some have put away and as concerning faith have made shipwracke And Matth. 25. I was hungry and ye gave me not to eate And These shall goe into everlasting punishment but the righteous shall goe into life eternall Now although life eternall is given to the regenerate for the Sonne of God yet withall it is also a reward of good works as it is said Your reward is plentifull in heaven as a patrimonie is the reward of the labours of a sonne although it be given to the sonne for another cause Moreoever God hath added unto good workes certaine promises of his and therefore even for the good works of holy men God doth give spirituall and corporall gifts even in this life and that diversly as it seemeth good to his unspeakable wisdome 1 Tim. 4. Godlinesse hath the promises of the life present and of that that is to come Mark 10. They shall receive a hundred fold in this life but with tribulation and after this life eternall life Matth. 10. Whosoever shall give unto one of
THE CONFESSIONS OF THE FAITH Of all the CHRISTIAN AND Reformed Churches VVhich purely profess the holy doctrine of the Gospel in all the Kingdoms Nations and Provinces of EUROPE with the order of time when they were written and an exact Table of the principal Articles of Faith which in every Confession is debated Wherein the obscure and difficult places are explained and those things which may in shew seem to contradict each other are plainly and modestly reconciled and such points as yet hang in suspence are sincerely pointed at Freely submitted to all Reformed Churches as a means to knit and unite all the Churches of Christ in one bond of love for the avoiding of Heresies Discords and Schismes in these dangerous times 1 Pet. 3. 15. But sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready alwayes to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear LONDON Printed for Austin Rice and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Three Hearts in St Pauls Church-yard near the West end 1656. A PREFACE IN THE NAME OF THE Churches of France and Belgia which professe the reformation of the Gospell AMbrose in a certaine place saith notably There ought to be no strife but conference among the servants of Christ. For seeing the dulnesse of mans understanding especially in heavenly matters is such that we cannot oft-times perceive matters otherwise very plain it can by no means be denied but that by mutuall conference and friendly and brotherly debating of the matter we come to very great light And that especially seemeth profitable and needfull that some should be set on edge by others that those things which the Lord hath particularly bestowed upon severall members of the Church may redound to the common benefit of the whole body and that all sinister affection set a part Christ who is the Fathers wisdome and the onely Master and Teacher of the Church may be heard and as he is the Prince of peace may so by his spirit joyne together our minds that if it be possible we may all thinke one and the same thing in the Lord. But to strive braule and fiercely and frowardly to contend as fensers doe is so farre from becoming men that are taught of God as that it is not seemely for modest or civill persons And if so be that in all yea even in the very least affairs of mans life that rule of modestie is to be kept what I pray you is to be done when we are in hand with God and Gods matters Surely holy things are holily and devoutly to be handled in the feare of God and love of our neighbour Who if he goe out of the way is by the spirit of meeknesse to be called backe again but if he take the right way he is more and more to be instructed therein to the end it may appeare that we are not driven by any motion of man but that in all things our mindes are ruled and governed by God Yet alas such is the spot and staine of our times that the evill custome of writing whatsoever and even of railing hath seised upon the wits and mindes not of meane men onely but even of those whom it most of all behooved to doe the cleane contrary The rable of Iesuits and such other like fellows whose very reward is the earnest of bondage and cursed speaking how shamelesly and outragiously they are carried against us and the truth and with what bitternesse they cast out against us such things as they have been taught in the schoole of shamelesnesse it may be sufficiently perceived of any man For they when they feele themselves pressed with most strong reasons and overcome with expresse places of Scripture they run to cavils and slanders as to the onely refuge of their errours They say we have revolted from the Catholique Church that we might follow the divers imaginations of men they cry aloud that we are heretiques schismatiques and sectaries and they oft-times in mockage call us Confessionists and moreover they lay in our dish that we neither agree with our selves nor with others who detest the Bishop of Rome but there are as many Religions among us as there are Confessions of Faith And that they may seeme to procure credit to themselves and to give a checke to the Germane Churches especially they bring forth both certaine other writings and especially that Forme of Agreement of late published in Germanie in which there are certaine things to be seene farre differing from those ancient Confessions of Faith which the Churches of the Gospell have even since the beginning given out But let them so thinke that the fault of heresie is not to be laid upon those whose faith altogether relieth on most sure grounds of Scripture that they are no schismatiques who intirely cleave to Gods Church such an one as the Prophets and Apostles doe describe unto us nor to be accounted sectaries who embrace the truth of God which is one and alwaies like itselfe What do they meane I pray you by the name of Confessionists so often repeated For if every man be commanded to make confession of his Faith so often as Gods glory and the edifying of the Church shall require what a wonderfull or strange thing ought it to seeme if Cities if Provinces if whole kingdomes have made profession of their Faith when they were falsely charged by the Popish sort that they had gone from the doctrine of the true beleeving Church but they wil say there ought to be one confession of faith and no moe as though forsooth a confession of faith were to be valued rather by the words then by the thing it selfe What therefore will they say to our Ancestours who when they had the Apostles Creed yet for all that set out the Nicene Chalcedonian and many moe such like Creeds Those Creeds say you were generall Yea surely but so generall that a great part of the world in those elder times followed the frantique heresies of the Arrians whom the godly forefathers by setting forth those Creeds desired to bring home into the Church again The truth saith Hilarie was by the advise and opinions of Bishops many waies sought and a reason of that which was meant was rendered by severall confessions of faith set down in writing And a little after It ought to seeme no marvell right well-beloved brethren that mens faiths began to be declared so thick the outrage of heretiques layeth this necessitie upon us Thus much said Hilarie What that Athanasius Augustine and many other ancients set forth their Creeds also that the puritie of Christian faith might more and more shine forth Therefore if Kingdoms Cities and and whole Provinces have privately made confession of their faith this was the cause thereof for that hitherto the state of times hath not suffered that a generall Councell of all those who professe the reformed Religion might be
Interpretatio taken onely from herselfe that her selfe may be the interpreter of her selfe the rule of charitie and faith being her guide Which kinde of interpretation so far forth as the holy Fathers Artic 3. Patres have followed we doe not onely receive them as interpreters of the Scripture but reverence them as the beloved instruments of God But as for the traditions of men although never Artic. 4. Tradit humanae so glorious and received how many soever of them doe withdraw or hinder us as of things unprofitable and hurtfull so we answer with that saying of the Lord They worship me in vaine teaching the doctrine of men The drift of the Canonicall Scripture is this that God wisheth well to mankind and by Christ the Lord his Sonne hath declared this good will which is received by faith alone and faith must be effectuall through love that it may be shewed forth by an innocent life Out of the Confession of BASILL Of things commanded and not commanded Artic. 10. VVE confesse that as no man can command those things which Christ hath not commanded so likewise no man can forbid those things which he hath not forbidden And in the margent For it is written heare him Also section the third in the same place And much lesse can any man license those things which God hath forbidden c And in the marg God said I am Iehova your God Levit. 18. and by Moses Deut. 10. for Iehovah your God is God of gods a great God and terrible Who therefore among his creatures can grant those things which he hath forbidden In like sort section 4. And againe no man can forbid those things which God hath granted c. The other things which are contained in this article because they belong to other sections they are inserted every one in their places Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA or the WALDENSES Of the holy Scriptures CHAP. I. FIrst of all the Ministers of our Churches teach with one consent concerning the holy Scripture of the new and old Testament which is commonly called the Bible and is lawfully received and allowed of the Fathers which are of best and soundest judgement that it is true certaine and worthy to be beleeved whereunto no other humane writings whatsoever or of what sort soever they be may be compared but that as mans writings they must give place to the holy Scripture First because it is inspired and taught of the holy Ghost and uttered by the mouth of holy men written by them and confirmed by heavenly and divine testimonies which spirit also himselfe openeth and discloseth the meaning how it ought to be understood and the truth of this Scripture in the Church in what manner seemeth him best especially by raising up and giving faithfull Ministers who are his chosen instruments Of which spirit David speaketh when he saith The spirit of the Lord spake by me his word was in my tongue 2 Sam. 22. 2 Pet. 1. and Peter For prophecie came not in old time by will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost and 2 Tim. 3. Rom. 15. Ioh. 5. Paul The whole Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable c. besides the Lord himselfe saith Search the Scriptures And againe Ye are deceived not knowing the Scriptures Mat 22. Luk. 24. neither doe ye understand the power of God And he opened the minds of his Disciples that they might understand the Scriptures Secondly because it is a true and sure testimony and a clear proofe of Gods favorable good will which he hath revealed Heb. 11. concerning himselfe without which revelation of Scripture there is no wholesome knowledge nor faith nor accesse to God For in this such things as are necessarie to doctrine to discipline and government of the holy Church for all and singular persons in the ordinary ministerie of salvation whence also springeth true faith in this I say are all such things fully absolutely and so far forth as is requisite as in a most excellent and most exquisite worke of the Holy Ghost comprehended and included then which no Angel from heaven can bring any thing more certaine and if he should bring any other thing he ought not to be beleeved And this perswasion and beliefe concerning holy Scripture namely that it is taught and inspired of God is the beginning and ground of our Christian profession which taketh beginning from the Word outwardly preached as from an ordinary meane ordained of God for this purpose Wherefore every one ought very highly to esteeme of the divine writings of the holy Prophets and Apostles resolutely to beleeve them and religiously to yeeld unto them in all things diligently to reade them to gather wholesome doctrine out of them and according to them ought every man to frame and order himselfe but especially they who after an holy manner are set over the Church of God For which causes in our Churches and meetings this holy Scripture is rehearsed to the hearers in the common and mother tongue which all understand and especially according to the ancient custome of the Church those portions of the Gospels in Scripture which are wont to be read on solemne holy dayes out of the Evangelists and Apostles writings and are usually called Gospels and Epistles out of which profitable and wholesome doctrines and exhortations and sermons are made to the people as at all times occasion and need requireth We likewise teach that the writings of holy Doctors especially of those that are ancient are also to be esteemed for true and profitable whereof there may be some use to instruct the people yet onely in those things wherein they agree with the holy Scripture or are not contrarie thereunto and so farre forth as they give testimonie to the excellencie thereof to the information and example of the Apostolike Church and swerve not from the consent judgement and decâ—ees of the ancient Church wherein she hath continued unspotted in the truth after what sort they themselves also have charged men to judge and thinke of their writings and have given warning that heed should be taken lest that they being but men too much should be ascribed to them Of which thing S. Augustine speaketh in this manner In preoem in 3. de sanct Trinit Be not thou a servant to my writings as it were to the Canonical Scriptures but in the Canonical Scriptures such things as thou didst not beleeve when thou hast there found them immediately beleeve But in my writings that which thou knowest not for acertaine truth unlesse thou perceive it to be certaine hold it not resolutely And elsewhere he saith Give not as great credit to mine or Ambrose his words as to the Canonical Scriptures This is the â—ight rule to discerne writings by which so greatly 〈◊〉 the Papists that they have cited it in their decretal distinct 9. Chap. Notimets verbis c. Out of the
the same place in the marginall note upon the word Saints Neverthelesse we confesse that they serve in Gods presence and that they reigne with Christ everlastingly because they acknowledged Christ and both in deed and word confessed him to be their Saviour redemption and righteousnesse without any addition of mans merit For this cause doe we praise and commend them as those who have obteined grace at Gods hand and are now made heires of the everlasting kingdome Yet doe we ascribe all this to the glory of God and of Christ We plainly protest that we condemne and renounce all strange Artic. 11. and erroneous doctrines which the spirits of errours bring forth c. And ss 2. Of the selfe same article We condemne that doctrine which saith that we may in no case sweare although Gods glory and the love of our neighbour require it And in the marginall note upon the word Sweare It is lawfull to use an oath in due time For God hath commanded this in the old Testament and Christ hath not forbidden it in the new yea Christ and the Apostles did sweare Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA or the WALDENSES Of the unitie of the divine Essence and of the three Persons CHAP. 3. OVt of this fountaine of holy Scripture and Christian instruction according to the true and sound understanding and meaning of the holy Ghost our men teach by faith to acknowledge and with the mouth to confesse that the holy Trinitie to wit God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are three distinct Persons but in essence one onely true alone eternall almightie and incomprehensible God of one equall indivisible divine essence Of whom through whom and in whom are all things Rom. 11. Exod. 20. who loveth and rewardeth righteousnesse and vertue but hateth and punisheth all iniquitie and sinne According to this faith men are taught to acknowledge the wonderfull workes of God and those properties which are peculiar to each person of the holy Trinitie and of the Divine Vnitie and to acknowledge the soveraigne and infinite power wisedome and goodnesse of the one onely God out of which also ariseth and proceedeth the saving knowledge as well of the Essence as of the will of God One kind of workes or properties of the three persons of the Godhead by which they are discerned one from the other are the inward eternall and hypostaticall proprieties which alwaies remaine immutable and are onely apprehended by the eyes of faith and are these That the father as the fountaine and wel-spring of the Godhead from all eternitie begetteth the Sonne equall to himselfe and that himselfe remaineth not begotten neither yet is he the person of the Sonne seeing he is a person begetting not begotten The Sonne is begotten of the eternall Father from all eternitie true God of God and as he is a person he is not the Father but the Sonne begotten of the essence or nature of the Father and consubstantiall with him which Sonne in the fulnesse of time which he had before appointed for this purpose himselfe alone as he is the Sonne tooke unto him our nature of the blessed Virgin Mary and united it into one person with the godhead whereof we shall speake afterward But the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne and so he is neither the Father nor the Sonne but a person distinct from them eternall and the substantiall love of the Father and of the Sonne surpassing all admiration these three persons are one true God as is aforesaid The other kind of workes in these persons and in the unitie of the godhead issueth as it were into open sight out of the divine essence and the persons thereof in which being distinct they have manifested themselves and these are three The first is the wonderfull worke of Creation which the Creeds doe attribute to the Father The second is the worke of Redemption which is proper to Christ The third is the worke of Sanctification which is ascribed to the holy Ghost for which cause he in the Apostles Creed is peculiarly called holy And yet all these are the proper workes of one true God and that of him alone and none other to wit the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost This true and absolute faith and difficult knowledge of God as well concerning his nature as his will is comprehended and contained in the aforenamed Catholike and Apostolicall Creede and in the decree of the Nicene Councell agreeing therewith and in many other sound decrees and also in Athanasius his confession All which we judge and professe to be true But it hath everlasting and sure grounds on which it relyeth and most weightie reasons by which it is out of the holy Scripture convinced to be true as by that manifestation wherein the whole Trinitie shewed it selfe when Christ the Lord was baptized in Iordane by the commandment Matt. 3. Matt. 28. of Christ because in the name of the persons of the same holy Trinitie all people must be baptized and instructed in the faith Also by Christs words when he saith the holy Ghost the Comforter whom the Father will send in my name shall teach you all these Iohn 14. things and before these words he saith I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter who shall be with you for ever even the spirit of truth Besides we teach that this onely true God one in essence and in divine nature and three in persons is above all to be honoured with high worship as chiefe Lord and King who ruleth and reigneth alwaies and for ever and especially after this sort that we looke unto him above all and put all our confidence in him alone and offering unto him all subjection obedience feare all faith love and generally the service of the whole inward and outward divine worship doe indeed sacrifice and performe it under paine of loosing everlasting salvation as it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve and againe Thou shalt love the Lord thy God Deut. 6. Matt. 22. Mar. 12. Luk. 10. with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy minde and to be short with all thy might as well of the inward as outward powers to whom bee glory from this time forth for evermore Amen Of holy men and their worship CHAP. 17. AS touching holy men it is taught first that no man from the beginning of the world unto this time either was is or can be henceforth unto the end sanctified by his workes or holy actions according to the saying of Moses the faithfull servant of the Lord when he cried out unto the Lord O Lord in thy sight no man Exod. 34. Iob. 15. is innocent that is perfectly holy And in the book of Iob it is written What is man that he should be undefiled and he that is borne of a woman that he should appeare iust to wit before God Behold
among his Saints none is immutable and the heavens are not cleane in his sight how much more abominable and unprofitable man who drinketh in iniquitie as water And the holy Scripture plainly witnesseth throughout all the bookes thereof that all men Ephes 2. Psal 14. even from their birth are by nature sinners and that there neither is nor hath beene any one who of himselfe and by himselfe was righteous and holy but all have gone aside from God and are become Rom. 3. unprofitable and of no account at all And whereas some are made holy and acceptable unto God that is purchased unto them without any worthinesse or merit of theirs by him who alone is holy God himselfe of the meere grace and unspeakable riches of his goodnesse hath ordained and brought them to that estate that they be blessed and called redeemed by Christ cleansed and consecrated by his blood annointed of the holy Ghost made righteous and holy by faith in Christ and adorned with commendable vertues and good deeds or workes which beseeme a Christian profession Of whom many having finished their life and course in such workes have now received and doe enjoy by grace eternall felicitie in heaven where God crowneth those that be his Some of them also God hath indued wiht a certain peculiar grace of his and with divine gifts unto the ministerie and to the publike and common good of the Church such as were the Patriarches Prophets and other holy fathers also Apostles Evangelists Bishops and many Doctors and Pastors and also other famous men and of rare excellencie and very well furnished with the spirit whose memory monuments of their labours and the good things which they did are extant and continue even untill this day in the holy Scriptures and in the Church But especially it is both beleeved and by open confession made knowne as touching the holy Virgin Mary that she was a daughter of the blood royall of the house and family of David that deare servant and friend of God and that she was chosen and blessed of God the Father consecrated by the holy Ghost visited and sanctified above other of her sexe and also replenished with wonderfull grace and power of God to this end that she might become the true mother of our Lord Iesus Christ the Son of God of whom he vouchsafed to take our nature and that she was at all times before her birth in the same and after it a true chaste and pure Virgine and that by her best beloved Sonne the Sonne also of the living God through the price of his death and the effusion of his most holy blood she was dearely redeemed and sanctified as also made one of the deare partakers of Christ by the holy Ghost through faith being adorned with excellent gifts noble vertues and fruits of good workes renowned as happie before all others and made most assuredly a joynt heire of everlasting life And a little after Furthermore it is taught in the Church that no man ought so to reverence holy men as we are to worship God much lesse their Images or to reverence them with that worship and affection of minde which onely are due to God alone And to be short by no meanes to honour them with divine worship or to give it unto them For God saith by the Prophet Esay I am the Lord thy God this is my name I will not give mine honour to another nor my glory to Images Againe a Esa 42. 48. little after But even as that thing is gain-said that the honour due to God should be given to Saints so it is by no meanes to be suffered that the honour of the Lambe Christ our Lord and things belonging to him and due to him alone and appertaining to the proper and true Priesthood of his nature should be transferred to them that is lest of them and those torments which they suffered we should make redeemers or merits in this life or else advocates intercessours and Mediatours in heaven or that we should invocate them and not them onely but not so much as the holy Angels seeing they are not God For there is one onely 1 Tim. 2. Hebr. 9. 1 Tim. 2. 1 Joâ— 2. Redeemer who being once delivered to death sacrificed himselfe both in his body and in his blood there is also one onely Advocate the most mercifull Lord of us all And they are not onely to be reputed and taken for Saints who are gone before us and are fallen a sleepe in the Lord and dwell now in joyes but also they who as there have alwaies beene some upon earth so doe likewise live now on the earth such are all true and godly Christians in what place or countrey soever here or there and among what people soever they lead their life who by being baptized in the name of the Lord may be sanctified and being indued with true faith in the Sonne of God and set on fire are mutually enflamed with affection of divine charitie and love who also acknowledging the justification of Christ doe use both it and absolution from their sinnes and the communion of the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and diligently apply themselves to all holy exercises of pietie beseeming a Christian profession as also the Apostles call such beleevers in Christ which as yet like strangers are conversant here on earth according to the state of mortall men Saints As for example Ye are 1 Pet 2. 2 Cor. 1â— Heb. 1â— a chosen generation a royall Priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people Againe all the Saints greete you In like manner Salute all those that have the oversight of you and all the Saints that is all faithfull Christians For this cause it is taught that we ought with intire love and favour of the heart to embrace all Christians before all other people and when need is from the same affection of love to afford unto them our sevice and to helpe them further that we ought to maintaine the societie of holy friendship with those that love and follow the truth of Christ with all good affection to conceive well of them to have them in honour for Christs sake to give unto Rom 12 Gal 6. 1 Cor 12. them due reverence from the affection of Christian love and to studie in procuring all good by our dutie and service to pleaâ—ure them and finally to desire their prayers for us And that Christians going astray and intangled with sinnes are lovingly and gently to be brought to amendment that compassion is to be had on them that they are with a quiet minde in love so as becometh to be borne withall that prayer is to be made unto God for them that he would bring them againe into the way of salvation to the end that the holy Gospel may be spread farther abroad and Christs glory may be made knowne and enlarged among all men Out of the FRENCH Confession VVE beleeve and acknowledge
unto us through Iesus Christ before the world was but is made manifest by the appearance of our Saviour Jesus Christ Therefore though not for any merit of ours yet not without a means but in Christ and for Christ did God choose us and they who are now engrafted into Christ by faith the same also were elected But such as are without Christ were rejected according to that of the Apostle Prove your selves whether you be 1 Cor. 13. 5. in the faith Know you not your owne selves how that Iesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates To conclude the Saints are chosen in Christ by God unto a sure end which end the Apostle declareth when he saith He hath chosen us in him that we should Ephes 1. 4. be holy and without blame before him through love who hath predestinated us to be adopted through Iesus Christ unto himselfe for the praise of his glorious grace And although God knoweth who are his and now and then mention is made of the small number of the elect yet we must hope well of all and not rashly judge any man to be a reprobate for Paul saith to the Philippians I Phil. 1. 3. c. thinke my God for you all Now he speaketh of the whole Church of the Philippians that you are come into the fellowship of the Gospel and I am perswaded that he that hath begun this worke in you will performe it as it becommeth me to iudge of you all And when the Lord was demanded whether there were few that should be saved he doth not answer and tell them that few or more should be saved or damned but rather he exhorteth every man to Strive Luke 13. to enter in at the streight gate As if he should say it is not for you rashly to enquire of these matters but rather to endeavour that you may enter into heaven by the streight way Wherefore we doe not allow of the wicked speeches of some who say Few are chosen and seeing I know not whether I am in the number of those few I will not defraud my nature of her desires Others there are which say If I be predestinate and chosen of God nothing can hinder me from salvation which is already certainely appointed for me whatsoever I doe at any time But if I be in the number of the reprobate no faith or repentance will helpe me seeing the decree of God cannot be changed Therefore all teachings and admonitions are to no purpose Now against these men the saying of the Apostle maketh much The servants of 2 Tim. 2. 24 c. God must be apt to teach instructing them that are contrary minded proving if God at any time will give them repentance that they may come to amendmennt out of the snare of the devill which are taken of him at his pleasure Beside Augustine also teacheth Lib. de beno perseverantiae Cap. 14. that both the grace of free election and predestination and also holsome admonitions and doctrines are to be preached We therefore condemne those who seeke other where then in Christ whether they be chosen from all eternitie and what God hath decreed of them before all beginning For men must heare the Gospel preached and beleeve it If thou beleeve and be in Christ thou mayest undoubtedly reckon of it that thou art elected For the Father hath revealed unto us in Christ his eternall sentence of predestination as we even now shewed out of the Apostle 2 Tim. 1. This is therefore above all to be taught and well waied what great love of the Father towards us in Christ is revealed we must heare what the Lord doth daily preach unto us in his Gospel how he calleth and saith Come unto me all ye Matth. 11. 18. Iohn 3. 10. that labour and are burthened and I will refresh you And So God loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne for it that all which beleeve in him should not perish but have life everlasting Also Matth. 18. 14. It is not the will of the Father that any of these little ones should perish Let Christ therefore be our looking glasse in whom we may behold our predestination We shall have a most evident and sure testimonie that we are written in the booke of life if we communicate with Christ and he be ours and we his by a true faith Let this comfort us in the temptation touching predestination then which there is none more dangerous that the promises of God are generall to the faithfull in that he saith Aske and ye Luk. 11. shall receive Every one that asketh receiveth and to conclude in that we pray with all the Church of God Our Father which art in heaven and for that in baptisme we are ingrafted into the body of Christ and are fed in his Church oftentimes with his flesh and blood unto everlasting life Thereby we being strengthned we are commanded to worke our salvation with feare and trembling according to that precept of Paul Out of the Confession of BASILL HEreupon we confesse that God before he had created the Artic. 1 ss 3. world had chosen all those to whom he would freely give the inheritance of eternall blessednesse Out of the FRENCH Confession VVE beleeve that out of this universall corruption and damnation wherein by nature are men are drowned God did deliver and preserve some whom by his eternall and immutable counsell of his owne goodnesse and mercy without any respect of their workes he did choose in Christ Iesus and others he left in that corruption and damnation in whom he might as well make manifest his justice by condemning them justly in their time as also declare the riches of his mercy in the others For some are not better then others till such time as the Lord doth make a difference according to that immutable counsell which he had decreed in Christ Iesus before the creation of the world neither was any man able by his owne strength to make an entrance for himselfe to that good seeing that of our nature we can not have so much as one right motion affection or thought till God doe freely prevent us and fashion us to uprightnesse Out of the Confession of BELGIA VVE beleeve that God after that the whole off-spring of Artic. 16. Adam was cast headlong into perdition and destruction through the default of the first man hath declared and shewed himselfe to be such a one as he is indeed namely both mercifull and just Mercifull by delivering and saving those from condemnation and from death whom in his eternall counsell of his owne free goodnesse he hath chosen in Iesus Christ our Lord without any regard at all of their workes but Iust in leaving others in that their fall and perdition whereinto they had throwne themselves headlong Out of the Confession of AUSPURGE THe Confession of Auspurge doth so mention predestination in the 20. Article the title whereof is
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
these little ones to drinke a cup of cold water onely in the name of a disciple he shall not loose his reward Luk. 6. Give and it shall be given to you Exod 20. Honour thy father and thy mother that thou maiest live long upon earth Isa 33. Bread shall be given him and his waters shall be sure they shall see the King in his glorie that is for obedience and good works God doth give quiet Common-weales an honest and meeke government c. Isa 58. Breake thy bread to the hungry and thou shalt be as a garden that is watered c. The example of the widow at Sarepta is well knowne and the Psalmist saith Substance and riches are in his house For seeing that God in this mortall and miserable life doth gather his Church and will have it to be an honest congregation he giveth thereunto many places of entertainment he giveth nests to godly poore families for the bringing up of their children and for the spreading abroad of doctrine to conclude he will preserve the societie of mankinde housholds and common weales and that to this end that a Church may be gathered Therefore he giveth sometime a government not troublesome peace a fruitfull land and other good things for the prayers of holy men for their diligence and for common necessities sake as for Joseph Naaman and Daniel those kingdomes wherein they lived flourished the more And Jerem. 19. The Banished in Babylon are commanded to pray for the peace and wholsome government of that place where they were intertained So also oftentimes punishments are heaped up for the sins of the Church as is to be seene in the punishment of the tribe of Beniamin David and others Now God will have us to understand that these benefits are necessary for the body and to know that they be given of God in asking of them he will have our faith to be exercised as we shall declare more at large in a fit place At this time we have therefore added these few things that in this confession there might be also a Testimonie in our Churches that this true and necessarie doctrine touching good works is faithfully laid open Out of the Confession of WIRTEMBERGE Of Iustification CHAP. 5. VVE beleeve and confesse that to doe and practice such righteousnesse as is acceptable to God these vertues be necessary Faith hope and love and that man cannot of himselfe conceive these vertues but doth receive them of the favour and grace of God and that faith doth worke by love But we thinke that their judgement doth farre disagree from the Apostolike and Catholike doctrine who teach that man is made acceptable to God and accounted just before God for those vertues and that when we come to stand before God in judgement we must trust to the merits of these vertues For man is made acceptable to God and counted just before him for the onely Son of God our Lord Iesus Christ through faith and when we appeare before the judgement seat of God we must not trust to the merit of any of those vertues which we have but onely to the merit of our Lord Iesus Christ whose merit is ours by faith And because that before the tribunall seat of God where the question is of true and eternall righteousnesse and salvation there is no place at all for the merits of men but onely for the mercie of God and the merits of our Lord Iesus Christ alone who is received of us by faith therefore we thinke that the ancient Fathers our Elders said truly that we are justified before God by faith alone Rom. 3. All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God and are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood Galat. 3. The Scripture hath concluded all under sinne that the promise by the Faith of Iesus Christ should be given to them that beleeve And Chap. 5. We through the spirit waite for the hope of righteousnesse through faith For in Christ Iesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Hilarie saith It offendeth the Scribes that man should forgive sinne for they behold nothing but man in Iesus Christ and that he should forgive that which the law could not release For faith alone doth iustifie Ambrose saith They are iustified freely because that working nothing nor requiting any thing by faith alone they are iustified by the gift of God And againe They are evidently blessed whose iniquities are forgiven without any labour or worke and whose sins are covered no helpe of repentance being required of them but onely this that they beleeve Many places might be alleadged as well out of the writings of the Prophets and Apostles as out of the holy Fathers whereby it is prooved that not onely in the beginning through the free mercie of God these vertues to wit Faith hope and love are given unto us but also afterward throughout our whole life and that in our extreame necessitie we are not able to stand before the severe tribunall seat of God but in the confidence of the onely free favour of God shewed unto us in Christ the Son of God For this is that both which Paul teacheth and the Ecclesiasticall writers doe interpret That we are justified before God by faith alone Of good works CHAP. 7. VVE say that good works commanded of God are necessarily to be done and that through the free mercie of God * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession they doe deserve certaine their own either corporall or spirituall rewards But we must not thinke that in the judgement of God where the question is concerning the purging of our sins the appeasing of the wrath of God and the merit of eternall salvation we should trust to those good works which we doe For all the good works which we doe are unperfect neither can they sustaine the severitie of the judgement of God but all our confidence is to be placed in the onely mercie of God for his Son our Lord Iesus Christ his sake Psal 142. Enter not into iudgement with thy servant for no flesh living shall be iustified in thy sight Gal. 5. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other so that ye cannot doe those things that ye would Rom. 7. I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good Dan. 9. We doe not present our supplications before thee for our own righteousnesse but for thy great tender mercies Augustine saith Woe to the life of man be it never so commendable August confess lib. 9. cap. 13. In Monuali cap. 22. if thou examine it setting thy mercie aside And againe All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit my refuge salvation life and my resurrection The mercie of the
Lord is my merit I am not without merit so long as the Lord of mercies is not wanting And if the mercies of the Lord be many I abound in merits Gregorie saith Therefore our righteous Advocate shall Greg. lib. 1. super Ezech. hom 7. in fine Bern. in Serm. 1. annunciat Bâ—â—tae Mariae defend us in the day of iudgement because we know and accuse our selves to be uniust Therefore let us not trust to our teares nor to our actions but to the alleadging of our Advocate Bernard saith Our reioycing is this the testimonie of our conscience not such a testimonie as that proud Pharisee had his thoughts being seduced and seducing him giving witnesse of himselfe and his witnesse was not true But then is the witnesse true when the spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit Now I beleeve that this testimonie consisteth in three things For first of all it is necessarie to beleeve that thou canst not have remission of sins but through the favour of God Secondly that thou canst have no good worke at all except he also give it to thee Lastly that thou canst not deserve eternall life by any works except that also be given thee freely Out of the Confession of SVEVELAND Of Iustification and of Faith CHAP. 3. OVR Preachers doe some what differ from the late received opinions about those things which the people were commonly taught concerning the meane whereby we are made partakers of the redemption wrought by Christ and touching the duties of a Christian man Those points which we have followed we will indeavour to lay open most plainly to your sacred Majestie and also to declare very faithfully those places of Scripture by which we were forced hereunto First therefore seeing that we were taught of late yeeres that works were necessarily required to justification our Preachers have taught that this whole justification is to be ascribed to the good pleasure of God and to the merit of Christ and to be received by Faith alone To this they were mooved especially by these places of Scripture As many as received him to them he gave power to be the sonnes of God even to them that beleeve in his name which are borne not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Ioh. 1. Verily verily I say unto you except a man be borne againe a new hee cannot see the kingdome of God Ioh. 3. No man knoweth the Sonne but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father but the Sonne and he to whom the Sonne will reveale him Matt. 11. Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven Matth. 16. No man can come to me except my Father draw him Ioh. 6. By grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast himselfe For we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good works which God hath ordained that we should walke in them Eph. 2. For seeing it is our righteousnesse and eternall life to know God and our Saviour Iesus Christ and that is so farre from being the worke of flesh and blood that it is necessarie to be borne againe anew neither can we come to the Sonne except the Father draw us neither know the Father except the Son reveale him unto us and Paul doth write so expressely Not of your selves not of works it is evident enough that our works can helpe nothing at all that of unjust such as we are borne we may become righteous because that as we are by nature the children of wrath and therefore unjust so we are not able to doe any thing that is just or acceptable to God but the beginning of all our righteousnesse and salvation must proceed from the mercie of the Lord who of his onely favour and the contemplation of the death of his Son did first offer the doctrine of truth and his Gospel sending those that should preach it and secondly seeing that naturall man cannot as Paul saith 1 Cor. 2. perceive the things that are of God he causeth also the beame of his light to arise in the darknesse of our heart that now we may beleeve the Gospell preached being perswaded of the truth thereof by the holy Spirit from above and then forthwith trusting to the testimonie of this spirit in the confidence of children to call upon God and to say Abba Father obtaining thereby true salvation according to that saying Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Of good works proceeding out of faith through love THese things we will not have men so to understand as though we placed salvation and righteousnesse in the sloathfull thoughts of men or in faith destitute of love which they call faith without forme seeing that we are sure that no man can be just or saved except he doe chiefly love and most earnestly imitate God For those which he knew before he also predestinated to be made like to the image of his Sinne. But no man can love God above all things and worthily imitate him but he which doth indeed know him and doth assuredly looke for all good things from him Therefore we cannot otherwise be justified that is as to become righteous so to be saved for righteousnesse is even our salvation then by being endued chiefly with faith in him by which faith we beleeving the Gospel and therefore being perswaded that God hath taken us for his adopted children and that he will for ever shew himselfe a loving Father unto us let us wholly depend upon his pleasure This faith Saint Augustine doth call in his booke De Fide operibus Evangelicall To wit that which is effectuall through love By this faith we are borne againe and the image of God is repaired in us By this faith whereas we are borne corrupt our thoughts even from our childhood being altogether bent unto evill we become good and upright For hereupon we being fully satisfied with one God the spring of all good things that is never drie but runneth alwaies most plentifully we doe forthwith shew our selves as it were Gods towards others that is toward the true sonnes of God indevouring by love to profit them so much as in us lyeth For He that loveth his brother abideth in the light and is borne of God and is wholly given to the new and to the old commandement touching mutuall love And this love is the fulfilling of the whole law as Paul saith The whole law is fulfilled in one word namely this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe Gal. 5. For whatsoever the law teacheth hitherto it tendeth and this one thing it requireth that at the length we may be reformed to the perfect image of God being good in all things and ready and willing to doe men good the which we cannot doe except we be adorned
whom without some damage to the church we cannot separate from it Againe we must be very vigilant lest that the godly falling fast asleepe the wicked grow stronger and do some mischiefe to the church Further more we teach that it is carefully to be marked wherein especially the truth and unitie of the church consisteth lest that we either rashly breed or nourish schismes in the church It consisteth not in outward rites and ceremonies but rather in the truth and unitie of the Catholike faith This Catholike faith is not taught us by the ordinances or laws of men but by the holy Scriptures a compendious and short summe whereof is the Apostles Creed And therefore we reade in the ancient Writers that there was manifold diversities of ceremonies but that was alwaies free neither did any man thinke that the unitie of the church was thereby broken or dissolved We say then that the true unity of the Church doth consist in severall points of doctrine in the true and uniforme preaching of the Gospel and in such rites as the Lord himselfe hath expresly set downe and here we urge that saying of the Apostle very earnestly As many of us therefore Phil. 3. as are perfect let us he thus minded If any man thinke otherwise the Lord shall reveale the same unto him And yet in that whereunto we have attained let us follow one direction and all of us be like affected one towards another Out of the former Confession of HELVETIA Of the Church THis we hold that of such lively stones being by this meane built upon this lively rocke the Church and the holy gathering together of all the Saints the Spouse of Christ which being cleansed by his blood he shall once in time to come present without blot before his Father is founded The which church though it be manifest to the eies of God alone yet is it not onely seene and known by certaine outward rites instituted of Christ himselfe and by the word of God as by a publique and lawfull discipline but it is so appointed that without these markes no man can be judged to be in this church but by the speciall priviledge of God Out of the Confession of BASILL Of the Church VVE beleeve a holy Christian Church that is a communion Matth. 1. Ephe. 1. Iohn 3. 2 Cor. 11. Ephes 5. Heb. 12. Iohn 1. Galat. 5. Rom. 1. Iohn 1. 1 Iohn 3. of Saints a gathering together of the faithfull in spirit which is holy and the Spouse of Christ wherein all they be Citizens which doe truely confesse that Iesus is the Christ the Lambe that taketh away the sinnes of the world and doe shew forth that faith by the workes of love And a little after This church of Christ doth labour all that it can to keepe the bonds of peace and love in unitie Therefore it doth by no meanes communicate with Sects and the rules of orders devised for the difference of dayes meates apparell and ceremonies Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA Of the holy Church and of the godly institution and government thereof and of Discipline Also of Antichrist CHAP. 8. IN the eighth place it is taught touching the acknowledgeing of the holy Catholike Christian Church And first of all that the foundation and head of the holy Church is Jesus Christ himselfe alone together with the whole merit of grace and truth to life eternall upon whom and by whom this church is at all times built by the holy Ghost the word of God and the Sacraments according to the meaning of that which Christ said unto Peter Matth. 16. upon this rocke to wit whereof thou hast made a true confession I will build my Church And Saint Paul saith Other foundation 1 Cor. 3. can no man lay then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ And in another place And hath appointed him over all things to be Ephes 2. the head of the Church which is his body and the fulnesse of him which filleth all in all things Out of these things it is taught that this is beleeved held and publikely confessed that the holy Catholike church being present at every time and militant upon earth is the fellowship of all Christians and is here and there dispersed over the whole world and is gathered together by the holy Gospel out of all nations families tongues degrees and ages in one faith in Christ the Lord or in the holy Trinitie according to that saying of Saint John who speaketh thus And I saw a great company which no man Apoc. 7. can number of all nations peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the lambe This true church although while it lieth here in the Lords stoore to wit in the wide world and as it were in one heape confusedly gathered together containeth in it as yet as well the pure wheate as the chaffe the godly children of God and the wicked children of the world the living and dead members of the ministers and of the people yet where it is least defiled or most pure it may be knowne even by these signes that follow namely wheresoever Christ is taught in holy assemblies the doctrine of the holy Gospel is purely and fully preached the Sacraments are administred according to Christs institution commandement meaning and will and the faithfull people of Christ doth receive and use them and by these gathereth it selfe together in the unitie of faith and love and in the bond of peace and joyneth it selfe in one and buildeth it selfe hard together upon Christ There therefore is the holy church the house of God the temples of the holy Ghost lively members the parts of the heavenly Ierusalem the spirituall body of Christ and joynts knit together the which are joyned and coupled each with other by one head Christ one spirit of regeneration one word of God the same and sincere Sacraments one faith one love and holy communion one bond of peace order discipline and obedience whether the number of this people be great or small as the Lord witnesseth Where two or three are gathered together in my name Matth. 15. in what countrey or nation and in what place soever this be there am I in the middest of them and contrarily where Christ and the spirit of Christ dwelleth not and the holy Gospel cannot have any place granted unto it c. but on the contrary side manifest errours * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession Rom. 5. and heathenish life have their full course and by getting the upper hand doe spread themselves farre there must also needs be a church so defiled that Christ will not acknowledge it for his welbeloved Spouse seeing that none belongeth to Christ who hath not the spirit of Christ Every Christian is also bound with diligent care to seeke after this and such a true part of the holy church and after he hath found it to joyne and maintaine holy communion and fellowship
therewith as the other part of that point of the Church in our Christian Creed doth declare where we doe professe that we beleeve the communion of Saints and ought altogether with this fellowship or spirituall company of Gods people to maintaine the true unitie and concord of Christs spirit to love and beare good will to all the members to yeeld obedience thereunto and endevour by all meanes possible to procure the profit and furtherance thereof and in truth to hold agreement therewith and by no meanes through stubbornnesse to move schismes seditions and sects against the truth To which thing the Apostle exhorteth all men where he saith So walke or Ephes 4. behave your selves as worthy of the place or vocation whereunto ye are called with all humblenesse and meekenesse with a quiet minde and long suffering for bearing one another and indevour ye to keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace There is one body and one spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your vocation there is one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and Father of all And again Rom. 15. Phil. 2. Rom. 12. 1 Cor 12. Let every man please his neighbour in that that is good to edification Also Doe nothing through strife or for vaine glory Againe Let there not bee dissentions among you He therefore that in this life walketh according to these commandements he is a true and lively member of the holy Church which bringeth forth the fruite of Faith and love * Looke the 2. observation upon this confession And the 1. Observat upon the confession of Saxonie in the fourth Section But he that looseth the spirit of Faith and love in the holy fellowship must needs bee a dead member Together with these things the Ministers of our Churches teach that this is to be thought of their fellowship which is in like manner to be thought of any other Christian fellowship whether it be great or small to wit that it selfe alone is not that holy Catholike Christian Church but onely one part thereof as the Apostle writeth of the church at Corinth Ye are the body of Christ 1 Cor. 12. and members of him every one for his part They teach also that there must be a platforme and certaine order of government in the holy Church Now without a platforme of order and outward government it cannot be in good case or goe well with it no more then it can with any other even the least societie But this platforme of order consisteth chiefly in this that they be both ordinarily called and lawfully ordained who execute due functions in the same beginning at the least and proceeding to those that are of a mean sort and so forth even to the chiefest The next point is that every one doe well discharge that place and as it were his ward to which he is called and use watchfulnesse and suffer nothing to be found wanting in himselfe nor at his own pleasure do closely convey himselfe out of the same or goe beyond the bounds thereof and meddle with other mens charges and moreover that all among themselves submit themselves one to another and all performe obedience from the least to the greatest every man in his owne place whereunto he is called and doe it with the affection of love and of his owne accord not of constraint even for Christs sake and for the care they have of eternall salvation according 1 Pet. 3. Phil. 2. as the Apostles and other holy men have taught concerning this matter and after their examples by which they founded their Churches and according to that also that they brought old lawes or decrees into subjection the which thing our Ministers among themselves doe indeede declare and practise This laudable order of governing the Church together with lawfull discipline that is with the severitie of punishments appointed by God which it hath annexed unto it ought diligently to be exercised to wit so that the wicked and such as abide in manifest sinnes without repentance having their hearts hardened and such sinners as give not obedience to God and to his word and in the Church are authours of great offences and doe not repent or become better after due faithfull and sufficient warning that such I say may be publiquely punished and be removed from the holy fellowship by Ecclesiasticall punishment which * Looke the 3. observat upon this confession commonly is called abandoning excommunication or cursing yet not by the helpe of the civill power but by vertue of the word and the commandement of Christ And that this punishment may indifferently be used towards all no regard or respect is to be had of persons of what degree soever they be whether they be civill or Ecclesiasticall persons according to that sentence of the doctrine of Christ who saith If thy brother trespasse against thee * Looke the 4 Observat Mat. 18. goe and reprove him between him and thee alone if he heare thee thou hast won thy brother if he heare thee not take yet with thee one or two If he heare not these tell it unto the Church and if he hear not the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a Publican And St. Paul together with his fellow Ministers did in expresse words give a commandement hereof writing thus We command you brethren 1 Cor. 5. in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh unordinately and not after the instruction which he received of us And in another place he saith Put from among your selves that wicked man And yet this is not to be concealed that at all times there have beene many in the Church which seemed to be Christians and yet were wicked hypocrites close sinners farre from repentance and that there be and shall be such hereafter even unto the end of the world such as are neither chastened by this discipline of Christ neither can easily be excommunicated or altogether separated from the Church but are to be reserved and committed to Christ alone the chiefe Shepheard and to his coming as the Lord himselfe saith of these men that the Angels in the last day shall first separate such from the righteous and cast them into the fiery furnace where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth Dan. 9. Matth. 24. Mark 12. 2 Thess 2. 2 Pet. â— Here withall it is also taught that that mischievous and wicked Antichrist shall sit in the Temple of God to wit in the Church of whom the Prophets Christ our Lord and the Apostles have foretold us and warned us to take heede of him that the simple sort among the faithfull might avoide him and not suffer themselves to bee seduced by him Now in Antichrist we are to acknowledge a double overthwartnesse to wit dishonestie and deceiving the first is an overthwartnesse of the minde or meaning or a bringing in of false doctrine
and God himselfe Christ Iesus into whose hands the Father hath delivered Joh. 13. all things And he hath instituted and appointed them for great and saving causes and such as are necessary for this Church and all those that beleeve to wit that like as by the preaching of the word so by the administration of the visible Sacraments and the mysteries thereof faith might be helped and furthered and that there might be an assured testimonie and confirmation of the favourable and well pleased will of God towards us and that they might give witnesse to that truth which is signified by them and should reach it out as doth the word to be apprehended by faith and that the mindes of the faithfull in the receiving of them should by faith receive the grace and truth whereof they be witnesses and applying it unto themselves should make it their own and confirme themselves therein and on the other side by giving themselves to God should consecrate and as it were by an oath religiously binde themselves to serve him alone and as it were be joyned together among themselves by the joyning and knitting as of one spirit so also of one body to wit of the Church Eph. 4. of the fellowship of Saints and of love And according to these things the Sacraments as in times past Circumcision was may be called the holy covenants of God Gen. 15. with his Church and of the Church with God the Ministers of faith and love by which the joyning and union of God and Christ our Lord with these beleeving people and theirs againe with Christ is made and persited and that among themselves in one spirituall body of the Church by which also even as by the word Christ and his spirit do cause in the faithfull that is in those that use them worthily a precious participation of his excellent merit neither doth he suffer them to be onely bare and naked ministers and ceremonies but those things that they signifie and witnesse outwardly that doth he worke inwardly to salvation profitably and effectually that is he cleanseth nourisheth satisfieth looseth payeth remitteth and confirmeth They therefore which contemn these Sacraments and through stubbornnesse will not suffer them to be of any force with themselves and making small account of them doe esteeme them as trifles or do otherwise abuse them contrary to the institution will or commandement of Christ all these do grievously sinne against the author thereof who hath instituted them and make a very great hazard of their salvation But if some man would willingly use these Sacraments according to the institution of Christ and yet cannot have leave * Looke the 1. observation upon this confession either intirely or without deceit so to doe as he would as if peradventure one that is taken be kept in prison or if one should be hindred by sleknesse or should live in strange countries among the enemies of the truth such a man in such a case if he doe wholly and truely beleeve the holy Gospel may by that faith be saved although he have not the use of the Sacraments wherefore Augustine upon Iohn cap. 16. hath this worthy saying Beleeve and thou hast eaten seeing that the Sacraments are not necessary to salvation but only by the addition of a certaine condition Also we teach this that the Sacraments of themselves or by their owne vertue for the workes sake or for the onely outward action that is for the bare participation receiving and use thereof cannot give grace nor a justifying or quickning faith to any which before was not inwardly quickned by the holy Ghost and hath no good motion within himselfe I say the Sacraments cannot give to any such either grace or justifying and quickning faith and therefore they cannot justifie any man nor inwardly quicken or regenerate any mans spirit for faith must goe before whereby the holy Ghost doth inwardly quicken and lighten man and stirre up or cause good motions in the heart Without this faith there is neither any justification nor salvation neither doe the Sacraments of or by themselves helpe any whit hereunto as in the holy Scripture manifest examples of this matter are found in many places especially in Judas who received the Sacrament of the Lord Christ himselfe did also execute the function Iohn 13. of a Preacher and yet he ceased not to remaine a devill an hypocrite and the lost sonne neither was he made better by the Sacrament or by the use thereof neither did this profit him any Act. 5. thing to salvation Also in Ananias and his wife who had been baptized of Apostles and had also without doubt received the Lords Supper and yet not withstanding they did continue in their wickednesse injustice and lies against the holy Ghost the Sacraments did neither take away their wickednesse nor give them the saving or justifying faith which maketh the heart the better by repenting and giveth it to God an upright obedient heart and doth appease the conscience Therefore the Sacraments did not give this conscience and this faith unto them as Circumcision and the Sacrifices of the Old Testament did not give a lively and justifying faith without the which faith those things availed nothing to eternall salvation or justification And so doth Saint Paul speake of all those things in his Epistle to the Romanes and bringeth in the example of Abraham and doth witnesse Rom. 4. that he had faith and righteousnesse which is availeable with God before that he was circumcised In like sort he writeth of the people of Israel that they also were baptized and they all did eate one and the same spirituall meate and did all drinke one and the same spirituall drinke but with many of them God was not pleased And therefore even in the abundance of all these things they were thought unworthy to be received and they were rejected of God For if a dead man or one that is unworthy doe come to the Sacraments certainly they doe not give him life and worthinesse but he that is such a one doth load himselfe with a farre greater burthen of fault and sinne seeing that he is unworthy the which thing the Apostle doth expresly declare in the doctrine touching the Supper of the Lord where he saith Whosoever 1 Cor. 10. doth eate of this bread or drinke of this cup of the Lord unworthily he is guiltie of the body and bloud of the Lord Also He doth eate and drinke iudgement to himselfe Lastly this also must be knowne that the veritie of the Sacraments doth never faile them so that they should become not effectuall at any time but in the institution of Christ * Looke the 2. observation upon this confession they doe alwaies exercise their vertue and efficacie in witnessing sealing confirming unto the worthy receivers present grace salvation but unto the unworthy their fault and condemnation whether they be administred by a good and honest Priest or
of that thing which by Christs owne words is assigned to this age and is imparted unto it For so Christ in generall and without exception giveth in charge not touching some but touching all Teach ye all nations and baptize them in the name Matth. 28. Act. 4. of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost And so over children this most holy name is called upon in which alone there is salvation This is further also taught that they who are once lawfully and truely baptized when they come to yeeres ought to do their endeavour that they may learn to acknowledge and know what holy Baptisme is and therewithall the Catholike and Christian faith without which Baptisme availeth nothing to the end that afterward when they doe desire to be partakers of the Lord his Supper they may with their owne mouthes and of their owne accord make profession of their faith and may renew their sanctification by which they were consecrated to the Lord. And such that is which are thus instructed our ministers receive unto this covenant of holy baptisme and * Looke the 1. Observation upon this confession by the laying on of hands do testifie to them that grace is conteined in baptisme to strengthen them to the warfare of faith and so after a convenient and godly manner with use of pure ceremonies and such as are profitable to edifying they bring them to the sacrament of the L. Supper without any reiteration of baptisme as there are evident tokens and examples to be seen of this matter in the Primitive Church which is the true and best maistresse of the posteritie and going before leadeth us the way For if so be that a man should even after a true manner enjoy the Baptisme of Christ and should by meanes here of be buried with Christ into his death to newnesse of life if afterward his life being prolonged he should not according to the doctrine of the holy Gospel shew forth a true and lively faith in Iesus Christ brotherly love towards all those that are consecrated to the Lord and so should leade a life unworthy his place or calling and unworthy of God and his neighbour and should not in baptisme conceive a lively hope of life everlasting such a one should assuredly give certain testimonie of himselfe that he had in vaine received grace in holy Baptisme wherein the name of the holy Trinity was called on over him the which thing God the Lord as his word declareth suffereth Exod. 20. by no meanes to escape unrevenged or unpunished Out of the FRENCH Confession VVE acknowledge that there be two onely Sacraments Artic. 35. common to the whole Church whereof the first is Baptisme the which is given to us to testifie our adoption because that therein we are ingrafted into Christs body that being washed in his blood we may also be renued to holinesse of life by his Spirit This also we say Although we are baptized but once yet the fruit of baptisme doth pertaine to the whole course of our life that this promise to wit that Christ will be alwaies unto us sanctification and justification may be sealed up in us with a sure and firme seale Furthermore although Baptisme be a Sacrament of faith and repentance yet seeing that God doth together with the Parents account their posteritie also to be of the Church we affirme that infants being borne of holy parents are by the authoritie of Christ to be baptized We say therefore that the element of water be it never so Artic. 38. fraile doth notwithstanding truely witnesse or confirme unto us the inward washing of our soules in the blood of Iesus Christ by the vertue and efficacie of the holy Ghost Out of the ENGLISH Confession VVE say that Baptisme is a Sacrament of the remission of Artic. 12. sinnes and of that washing which we have in the blood of Christ and that no person which will professe Christs name ought to be restrained or keept backe therefrom no not the very babes of Christians forsomuch as they be borne in sinne and pertaine unto the people of God Out of the Confession of BELGIA VVE beleeve and confesse that Iesus Christ which is the end of the law hath by his owne bloud sheading made an end of all other propitiatorie sacrifice for sinnes Also that Circumcision which was done by blood being abolished he hath instituted Baptisme in the place thereof whereby we are received into the Church of God and separated from all other nations and all kinde of strange religions being consecrated unto him alone whose badge and cognisance we weare Finally Baptisme is a token unto us that he will be our God for ever who also is our gracious Father Therefore the Lord hath commanded all his to be baptized with pure water In the name of the Father the Sonue and the holy Ghost To signifie that the blood of Christ doth internally through the operation of the Spirit performe and effect that in the soule which water doth externally worke in the bodies For as water being poured upon us and appearing in the body of him that is baptized moistning the same doth wash away the filthines of the body so the blood of Christ washing the soule doth cleanse it from sinne and doth make us the sonnes of God which before were the children of wrath Not that this materiall water doth these things but the sprinckling of the precious blood of the Son of God which is unto us as the red sea wherethrough we must passe that we may depart from the tyranny of Pharaih that is the Devill and enter into the spirituall land of Canaan Therefore the ministers verily doe deliver unto us the Sacraments and the visible thing but it is the Lord himselfe that giveth it unto us that is represented by the Sacrament namely the gifts and invisible graces washing purifying and cleansing our soules from all spots and iniquities renuing in like manner and filling our hearts with all comfort and to conclude giving unto us a certain perswasion of his Fatherly goodnesse cloathing us with the new man and putting off the old man with all his deeds For these causes we do beleeve that every one that desireth to obtaine eternall life ought to be baptized with one baptisme and that once alone which never afterwards is to be itcrated seeing that we cannot be borne twise Neither doth this Baptisme profit us onely at that moment when the water resteth upon us and when we are sprinckled with it but it is available throughout the whole time of our life Therefore here we doe detest the errour of the Anabaptists who are not onely content with one onely Baptisme and that once received but doe also condemne the Baptisme of infants yea of those that be borne of faithfull parents but we by the same reason doe beleeve that they ought to be baptized and sealed with the signe of the covenant for the which in times past the infants amongst
admonished us that they doe disagree from the holy Scriptures and hurt the glory of the passion of Christ For the passion of Christ was an oblation and satisfaction not onely for Originall sinne but also for all other sinnes as it is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews We are sanctified by the oblation of Iesus Christ once made Also By one oblation he hath made perfit for ever those that are sanctified Also the Scripture teacheth that we are justified before God through faith in Christ when we beleeve that our sins are forgiven for Christ his sake Now if the Masse doe take away the sins of the quicke and the dead even for the works sake that is done then justification cometh by the work of Masses and not by faith which the Scripture can not away withall But Christ commandeth us to do it in remembrance of himselfe therefore the Masse is instituted that faith in them which use the Sacrament may remember what benefits it receiveth by Christ and that it may raise up and comfort a fearefull conscience For this is to remember Christ to wit to remember his benefits and to feele and perceive that they be in deed exhibited unto us Neither is it sufficient to call to minde the historie because that the Iewes also and the wicked can doe that Therefore the Masse must be used to this end that there the Sacrament may be reached unto them that have need of comfort as Ambrose saith Because I doe alwaies sinne therefore I ought alwaies to receive a medicine And seeing that the Masse is such a communion of the Sacrament we doe observe one common Masse every Holiday and on other daies if any will use the Sacrament when it is offered to them which desired it Neither is this custome newly brought into the Church For the ancient Fathers before Gregories time make no mention of any private Masse of the common Masse they speake much Chrysostome saith That the Priest did daily stand at the Altar and call some unto the Communion and put backe others And by the ancient Canons it is evident that some one did celebrate the Masse of whom other Priests and Deacons did receive the body of the Lord. For so the words of the Nicen Canon do sound Let the Deacons in their order after the Priests receive the holy communion of a Bishop or of a Priest And Paul concerning the communion commandeth that one tarry for another that so there may be a common participation Seeing therefore that among us the Masse hath the example of the Church out of the Scripture and the Fathers we hope that it cannot be disliked especially for that our publike ceremonies are kept of us for the most part alike unto the usuall ceremonies onely the number of Masses is not alike the which by reason of very great and manifest abuses it were certainly farre better to be moderated For in times past also in the Churches whereunto was greatest resort it was not the use to have Masse said every day as the Tripartite historie lib. 9. cap. 38. doth witnesse Againe saith he in Alexandria every fourth and sixth day of the weeke the Scriptures are read and the Doctors doe interpret them and all other things are done also except onely the solemne manner of oblation or offering Of both kindes of the Sacrament ANd because that we doe celebrate the common Masse that Artic. 2. the people may understand that they also are sanctified through the blood of Christ and learne the true use of this ceremonie either part of the Sacrament in the Supper of the Lord is given to the Laitie because the Sacrament was instituted not onely for a part of the Church namely for Priests but also for the rest of the Church And therefore the people doth use the Sacrament as Christ appointed it And certainly Christ saith Matth. 26. Drinke ye all of this where he saith manifestly concerning the cup that all should drinke And that no man might cavill that it doth only appertaine to the Priests the ordinance 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 for thus he writeth to Cornelius the Pope How doe we teach or provoke them to shed their blood in the confession of his name if we denie the blood of Christ to them which are in this warfare or how shall we make them fit for the cup of Martyrdome if we doe not first admit them by the right of communidation to drinke in the Church the cup of the Lord And Hierome saith The Priests doe minister the Eucharist and devide the blood of the Lord to the people In the Decrees there is a Canon of Pope Gelasius which forbiddeth the Sacrament to be devided these be the words We doe understand that certaine men having received the portion of the holy body onely doe abstaine from the Cup of the holy blood who because that I know not by what superstition they are taught to be tied hereunto either let them unfeignedly receive the whole Sacraments or let them be put backe from the whole Sacraments because that one and the selfe same mystery cannot be devided without great sacriledge In the Tripartite History it is written in the reprehension of Theodosius the Emperour whom Ambrose would not admit to the communion without repentance because that at Thessalonia he had too grievously revenged the death of a few Souldiers which were slaine in an uproare and had murthered seven thousand Citizens here saith Ambrose How caust thou with these hands receive the holy body of the Lord with what rashnesse canst thou take into thy mouth the Cup of that holy blood c. Therefore it is evident that it was the custome of the ancient Church to give either part of the Sacrament to the people onely a new start up custome doth take away one part from the people Here we will not dispute what men are to thinke concerning a received custome contrary to the authoritie of the Apostolike Scripture contrary to the Canons and contrary to the example of the Primitive Church For all godly men doe understand that touching Christian doctrine consciences are to aske counsell at the word of the Lord and that no custome is to be allowed which is contrary to the word of God And although in the Latine Church custome hath changed the ancient manner yet it doth not disallow or forbid it neither in deed ought humane authoritie to forbid the ordinance of Christ and the most received custome of the ancient Church Therefore we have not thought it good to forbid the use of the whole Sacrament and in that ceremonie which ought to be the covenant of mutuall love in the Church we would not contrary to charitie be hard to other
Christ till he come And whereas many doe commonly celebrate the Masses without all regard of godlinesse onely for this cause that they may nourish their bodies our Preachers have shewed that that is so execrable a thing before God that if the Masse of it selfe should nothing at all hinder godlinesse yet worthily and by the commandement of God it were to be abolished the which thing is evident even out of Esay onely For our God is a Spirit and truth and therefore he cannot Isa 2. abide to be worshipped but in Spirit and truth And how grievous a thing this unreasonable selling of the Sacraments is unto the Lord our Preachers would have men thereby to conjecture that Christ did so sharply and altogether against his accustomed manner taking unto himselfe an externall kinde of revengement cast out of the temple those that bought and sold whereas they might seeme to exercise merchandize onely in this respect that they might further those sacrifices which were offered according to the law Therefore seeing that the rite of the Masse which was wont to be celebrated is so many waies contrarie to the Scripture of God as also it is in every respect divers from that which the holy Fathers used it hath beene very vehemently condemned amongst us out of the pulpit and by the word of God it is made so detestable that many of their owne accord have altogether forsaken it and else where by the authoritie of the Magistrate it is abrogated The which thing we have not taken upon us for any other cause then for that throughout the whole Scripture the Spirit of God doth detest nothing so much neither command it so earnestly to be taken away as a feigned and false worship of himselfe Now no man that hath any sparke of religion in him can be ignorant what an inevitable necessitie is laid upon him that feareth God when as he is perswaded that God doth require a thing at his hands For any man may easily foresee how many would take it at our hands that we should change any thing about the holy rite of the Masse neither were there any which would not rather have chosen in this point not onely not to have offended your sacred Majestie but even any Prince of the lowest degree But when as herewithall they did not doubt but by that common rite of the Masse God was most grievously provoked and that his glory for the which we ought to spend our lives was darkened they could not but take it away lest that they also by wincking at it should make themselves partakers with them in diminishing the glory of God Truely if God is to be loved and worshipped above all godly men must beare nothing lesse then that which he doth hate and detest And that this one cause did constraine us to change certaine things in these points we take him to witnesse from whom no secret is hid THE FIFTEENTH SECTION OF ECCLESIASTICALL MEETINGS The latter Confession of HELVETIA Of holy and Ecclesiasticall meetings CHAP. 22. ALthough it be lawfull for all men privately at home to reade the holy Scriptures and by instruction to edifie one another in the true Religion yet that the word of God may be lawfully preached to the people and prayers and supplications publikely made and that the Sacraments may be lawfully ministred that that collection be made for the poore and to defray all necessarie charges of the Church or to supply the wants it is very needfull there should be holy meetings and Ecclesiasticall assemblies For it is manifest that in the Apostolike and Primitive Church there were such assemblies frequented of godly men So many then as doe despise them and separate themselves from them they are contemners of true Religion and are to be compelled by the Pastours and godly Magistrates to surcease stubbornly to separate and absent themselves from sacred assemblies Now Ecclesiasticall assemblies must not be hidden and secret but publique and common except persecution by the enemies of Christ and the Church will not suffer them to be publique For we know what manner assemblies the Primitive Church had heretofore in secret corners being under the tyrannie of Roman Emperours Let those places where the faithfull meet together be decent and in all respects fit for Gods Church Therefore let houses be chosen for that purpose or Churches that are large and faire so that they be purged from all such things as doe not beseeme the Church And let all things be ordered as is most meete for comelinesse necessitie and godly decencie that nothing be wanting which is requisite for rites and orders and the necessarie uses of the Church And as we beleeve that God doth not dwel in temples made with hands so we know that by reason of the word of God and holy exercises therein celebrated places dedicated to God and his worship are not prophane but holy and that therefore such as are conversant in them ought to behave themselves reverently and modestly as they which are in a sacred place in the presence of God and his holy Angels All excesse of apparell therefore is to be abandoned from Churches and places where Christians meet in prayer together with all pride and whatsoever else doth not beseeme Christian humilitie decencie and modestie For the true ornament of Churches doth not consist in Ivorie gold and precious stones but in the sobrietie godlinesse and vertues of those which are in the Church Let all things be done comely and orderly in the Church to conclude Let all things be done to edifying Therefore let all strange tongues keepe silence in the holy assemblies and let all things be uttered in the vulgar tongue which is understood of all men in the company Of prayer singing and Canonicall houres CHAP. 23. TRue it is that a man may lawfully pray privately in any tongue that he doth understand but publique prayers ought in the holy assemblies to be made in the vulgar tongue or such a language as is known to all Let all the prayers of the faithfull be powred forth to God alone through the mediation of Christ only out of a true faith and pure love As for invocation of Saints or using them as intercessors to intreat for us the Priesthood of our Lord Christ and true religion will not permit us Prayer must be made for Magistracie for Kings and all that are placed in authoritie for Ministers of the Church and for all necessities of Churches in any calamity specially in the calamity of the Church prayer must be made both privatly and publikely without ceasing Moreover we must pray willingly and not by constraint nor for any reward neither must we superstitiously tie prayer to any place as though it were not lawfull to pray but in the Church There is no necessity that publike prayers should be in forme and time the same or alike in all Churches Let all Churches use their libertie Socrates in his history saith In any countrey or
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
for mens traditions but such as are condemned in Scripture but such as are contrary to the law of God such as binde the Conscience about meat drink and times and other outward things such as forbid marriage to them who have need thereof to live honestly and the rest of that stamp For such as agree with the Scripture and were ordained for good manners and the profit of men although they be not word for word expressed in the Scriptures neverthelesse in that they proceede from the commandement of love which ordereth all things most decently they are worthily to be accounted rather of God then of man Of this sort were those set downe by Paul that women should not pray in the Church bare-headed 1 Cor 14. 1 Cor. 14. nor men with their heads covered that they who are to communicate together should tarry one for another that no man should speake with tongues in the congregation without an Interpreter that the Prophets without confusion should deliver their Prophecies to be judged by them that sit by Many such the Church at this day for good cause observeth and upon occasion also maketh new which who so refuseth he despiseth the authoritie not of men but of God whose tradition it is whatsoever is profitable For whatsoever truth is said or written by his gift it is spoken and written who is truth as Saint Augustine hath godly written But oftentimes there is disputing about that what tradition is profitable what not that is what set forward godlinesse what doth hinder it But he that shall seek nothing of his owne but shall wholly dedicate himselfe to the publike profit he shall easily see what things are agreeable to the law of God what are not Furthermore seeing the estate of Christians is such that they are also helped by injuries the Christian will not refuse to obey no not unjust lawes so they have no wicked thing in them according to the saying of Christ If any man compell thee to goe with him one mile go with him two Even so servile the Christian ought to become all unto all that he may studie to do and suffer all things so that they be not contrary to the commandements of God to pleasure and profit men withall Hence it cometh to passe that every man so much the more willingly obeyeth the civill lawes which are not repugnant to religion the more fully he is indued with the faith of Christ THE EIGHTEENTH SECTION OF WEDLOCK SINGLE LIFE AND MONASTICALL VOWES The latter Confession of HELVETIA Of Single life Wedlocke and Houshold government CHAP. 29. SVch as have the gift of chastitie given unto them from above so as they can with the heart or whole minde be pure and continent and not be grievously burned with lust let them serve the Lord in that calling as long as they shall feele themselves indued with that heavenly gift and let them not lift up themselves above others but let them serve the Lord daily in simplicitie and humilitie For such are more apt for doing of heavenly things then they which are distracted with private affaires of their family but if againe the gift be taken away and they feele a continuall burning let them call to minde the words of the Apostle It is better to marry then to burne 1 Cor. 7. For wedlock which is the medicine of incontinencie and continencie it selfe was ordained by the Lord God himselfe who blessed it most bountifully and willeth man and woman to cleave Mat. 13. one to the other inseparably and to live together in great love and concord Whereupon we know the Apostle said Marriage Heb. 13. 1 Cor. 7. is honourable among all and the bed undefiled And againe If a Virgin marry she sinneth not We therefore condemne Poligamie and those which condemn second marriages We teach that marriages ought to be made lawfully in the feare of the Lord and not against the lawes which forbid certaine degrees to joyn in matrimony lest the marriages should be incestuous Let marriages be made with consent of the parents or such as be instead of parents and for that end especially for the which the Lord ordained marriages and let them be confirmed publikely in the Church with prayer and blessing of them Moreover let them be kept holy with peace faithfulnesse dutifulnes love also puritie of the persons coupled together Therefore let them take heed of brawlings debates lusts and adulteries Let lawfull judgements and holy Iudges be established in the Church which may maintaine marriages and may represse all dishonestie and shamefulnesse and before whom the controversies in matrimonie may be decided and ended Let children also be brought up of the Parents in the feare of the Lord and let Parents provide for their children remembring the saying of the Apostle He that provideth not for his owne hath 1 Tim. 5. denied the faith and is worse then an infidell But specially let them teach their children honest sciences whereby they may maintaine themselves let them withdraw them from idlenesse and plant in them a true confidence in God in all these things lest they through distrust or overmuch carelesse securitie or filthy covetousnesse waxe loose and in the end come to no good Now it is most certaine that those workes which parents doe in a true faith by the duties of marriage and government of their families are before God holy and good workes indeed and doe please God no lesse then prayers fastings and almes deeds For so the Apostle hath taught in his Epistles especially in those to Timothy and Titus And with the same Apostle we account the doctrine of such as forbid marriage or doe openly dispraise or secretly discredit it as not holy or cleane amongst the doctrines of Devils And we doe detest unclean single life licentious lusts and fornications both open and close and the continencie of dissembling hypocrites when as they are of all men most incontinent All that be such God will judge We doe not disallow riches and rich men if they be godly and use their riches well but we reprove the sect of the Apostoliques c. Out of the former Confession of HELVETIA Of holy Wedlocke VVE thinke that wedlock being appointed of God for all Artic. 37. men that be fit for it and are not called to some other thing is nothing repugnant to the holinesse of any degree The which as the Church doth consecrate and establish with a solemne exhortation and prayer so it is the dutie of the Magistrate to see that it be worthily kept and maintained * Looke the 1. Observation upon this confession and that it be not dissolved but upon just cause Therefore we doe farre reject this Monasticall single life and this whole slothfull kinde of life of superstitious men which is nothing else but an abominable devise as being as much repugnant to the Church as to the common wealth Out of the Confession of BOHEMIA Hitherto pertaineth