THE CONFESSION of FAITH OF The Reformed CHURCHES in the NETHERLANDS WITH The FORMES which they use In The administration of the Sacraments The Exercise of Ecclesiasticall discipline The confirmation of Ecclesiasticall Officers Ministers Elders and Deacons The Celebration of Marriage before the Church Translated out of Dutch into English AMSTERDAM Printed by the Widow of STEVEN SWART 1689. THE CONFESSION of FAITH Revised in the Nationall Synod last held at Dordrecht in the year of our Lord 1618. and 1619. The I Article WE all do believe with the heart and confess with the mouth that there is one onely and single Spiritual Being which we call God everlasting incomprehensible invisible unchangeable infinite almighty perfectly wise just good and a super-abounding fountain of all good II. We know him by two means First by the Creation and maitaning and governing of the whole World seing it is before our eyes as a fair book in which all the Creatures both great and small are as characters showing unto us the invisible things of God viz. his eternal power and Godhead as St. Paul saith Rom. 1.20 All which things are sufficient to convince Mankind and to leave them without excuse Secondly he makes him self known unto us more plainly and fully by his Holy and Divine Word to wit as much as we stand in need of in this life to his Glory and the Salvation of his people III. We confess that this Word of God was not sent nor produced by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost as St. Peter tells us God afterwards by a special care which he takes for us and our Salvation commanded his Servants the Prophets and Apostles to write down his manifested Word And he himself wrote with his own finger the two Tables of the Law. Therefore we call such Writings Holy and Divine Scriptures IV. We comprehend the Holy Scriptures in the two Volumnes of the Old and New Testament which are Canonical Books without all contradiction These are summed up in the Church of God after this manner The Books of the Old Testament are the five Books of Moses viz. Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronome the Book of Joshua Judges Ruth two Books of Samuel and two Books of the Kings two Books of the Chronicles the first Book of Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job the Psalms of David the three Books of Solomon viz. the Proverbs Ecclesiastes and the Song the four great Prophets viz. Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel and Daniel and the other twelf lesser Prophets viz. Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah 〈◊〉 Micah Nahum Habbakuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Those of the New Testament are the four Evangelists viz. Mathew Mark Luke John the Acts of the Apostles the fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul viz. to the Romans two to the Corinthians to the Galatians to the Ephesians to the Philippians to the Colossians two to the Thessalonians two to Timothie to Titus to Philemon to the Hebrews the seven Epistles of the other Apostles viz. the Epistle of James the two Epistles of Peter the three Epistles of John the Epistle of Jude and the Revelation of the Apostle John. V. These Books onely we receive as holy and canonical to the regulating grounding and confirming of our Faith believing without any doubt all which is contained in them not so much because the Church doth receive and take them for such but more especially because the holy Ghost bears witness in our hearts that they are from God seeing they carry the evidence of it along with them for the very blind are able to perceive the fulfilling of those matters that are fore told in the same VI. We distinguish those holy Books from the Apocryphal viz. the third and fourth Book of Ezdras the Books of Tobie and Judith the Books of Wisdom Jesus Syrach Baruch the Appendix to the book of Esther the prayer of the three men in the fire the History of Susanne that of the Image of Bell and the Dragon the prayer of Manasse the Books of the Macchabees All which the Church may read and take instruction out of them in as much as they do agree with the Canonical Books But they have not such a power and efficacy as to confirm by any of their Testimonies any point of the Faith or Christian Religion much less to detract of the authority of those other Holy Books VII We believe that these Holy Scriptures doe fully contain the will of God and that every thing which a man ought to believe unto Salvation is sufficiently taught in the same For because the whole manner of service which God requires of us is writ down in them at large it is unlawfull for any one thô an Apostle to teach otherwise then we are taught by the Holy Scriptures nay though it was an Angel from heaven as St Paul saith For seeing it is forbidden to add unto or take away any thing from the word of God it doth evidently appear that the Doctrine of it is very perfect and compleat in all respects Neither ought we to compare the writings of any men thô never so holy unto those divine Scriptures nor the customs with the truth of God for the truth is above all nor the great multitude nor Antiquity nor Succession of times or Persones nor Councels or Decrees For all men are naturally Lyars and more vain then Vanity it self Therefore we reject with our very heart every thing which doth not agree with this infallible Rule as the Apostles have taught us saying Try the Spirits whether they are of God. And If there come any unto you and bring not this Doctrine receive him not into your house VIII According to this truth and this Word of God we believe in one onely God who is one single Being which are three persons in deed and in truth and from everlasting distinguished according to their incommunicable Attributes viz. the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost The Father is the cause the original and the beginning of all things both visible and invisible the Son is the Word the Wisdom and the Image of the Father the Holy Ghost is the eternal strength and power proceeding from the Father and the Son. Nevertheless God is not by this distinction divided into three since the Holy Scriptures doe teach us That the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost each of them hath his substance distinguished by their Attributes but thus that these three persons are but one onely God Hence it is plain that the Father is not the Son and that the Son is not the Father and that neither the Holy Ghost is the Father nor the Son. Howbeit these persons thus distinguished are not divided nor mixed together For the Father has not taken upon him the Flesh neither hath the Holy Ghost done it but onely the Son the Father hath never been without his Son or without his Holy Ghost for they are all three coeternall and coessential
lawfully called of the Church and consequently of God himselfe to this holy office Secondly Whether you hold the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to bee the onely Word of God and perfect Doctrine to salvation and whether you reject all opinions which are repugnant to the same Thirdly Whether you promise to discharge your office faithfully according to the same Doctrine and to adorne your Doctrine with a godly life submitting your selfe to the admonition of the Church if you should come to miscarry eyther in Doctrine or life according to the received order of the Churches Heereupon hee shall answer yea from my heart Then shall the Minister who demandeth these questions of him or an other if there bee more then one lay his hands upon him and say thus NOTA. This Ceremony shall not bee used in the Confirmation of those who have beene in the Ministery before God our heavenly Father who hath called you to this holy Office enlighten you by his holy Spirit strengthen you by his grace and so governe you in your Ministery that you may walke therein fruitfully as you ought to the gloly of his Name and enlargement of the Kingdome of his Sonne Jesus Christ Amen Afterwards shall the Minister from the Pulpit admonish the Minister Confirmed and the whole Church in following manner Take heed therefore beloved Brother and fellowservant in Christ unto your selfe and to the whole flocke over which the holy Ghost hath made you Overseer to feed the Church of God which hee hath purchased with his owne blood Love the Lord Christ and feede his sheepe taking oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for silthy lucres sake but with a willing minde not as being Lord over the people of God committed to you but as one who is made a patterne to the flocke bee an example to the faithfull in Word in Doctrine in love in faith in purity Hold on in reading admonishing instructing neglect not the gift which is given unto you bee diligent that your progresse may bee made manifest in all Take heed to the Doctrine and bee constant therein beare patiently all sufferings and oppression as a good Souldier of Jesus Christ If you doe these things you shal save your selfe and those that heare you and when the chiefe Shepheard shall appeare you shall receive the incorruptible crowne of glory And yee beloved Christians receive this your Minister in the Lord with all joy and respect consider that God through him speakes to you receive his word which hee according to the Scripture shall declare unto you not as the worde of man but as it is the Worde of God let the feet of those who preach you the glad tidings of peace bee welcome unto you bee obedient to those who are set over you in the Lord for they watch for your soules as those who must give an account there of that they may doe it with joy and not with sighes for this is not profitable to you if you doe these things it shall come to passe that the peace of God shall enter into your houses and that receiving this man in the name of a Prophet yee shall receive the reward of a Prophet and through his word believing in Christ shall inherit eternall life through Christ Yet seeing no man is of himselfe sit for these things let us call upon the name of God. MErcifull Father wee blesse thee that thou hast beene pleased out of lost man kynde to gather a Church to everlasting life through the Ministery of man and that thou hast so graciously provided a faithfull Minister for this Church in this place Wee beseech thee tot fit him more and more with thy Spirit to the Ministery to which thou hast called him enlighten his minde to understand the holy Scriptures give him utterance to publish the mysteries of the Gospell with an undaunted Spirit furnish him with Wisedome to rule aright the people over whom thou hast set him and to keepe them in Christian peace that so thy Church may under his ministery encrease in number and vertue give him courage in all difficulties and troubles which he may meet with in his Ministery that hee being strenghthened ihrough the comforts of thy Spirit remaining stedfastly to the end may be received with all thy faithfull servants into his Masters joy Graunt also to this people that they may carry themselves a right towards this their Minister acknowledging him sent of thee receiving his doctrine with all reverence and submitting themselves to his exhortations that so believing through his word they may bee made pattakers of everlasting life Heare us gracious Father for thy deare Sonne his sake who hath taught us to pray after this manner Our Father c. FORME For the Confirmation of Elders and Deacons when they are confirmed at the same time and if Elders and Deacons bee confirmed a part then shall this Forme bee usud according to occasions BEloved Christians you know that wee now at severall times have propounded uto you the names of our fellow Brethren heere present who are called to the Office of Elders and Deaconship to this Church to know whether there bee any that hath any thing against them why they should not bee Confirmed in their Offices seeing that no body is come before us who hath brought any lawfull exception against them therefore wee are to goe on at this present with the Confirmation of the same for this end yee N N who are to bee confirmed hearken first to ashort Declaration concerning the institution and the Offices of Elders and Deacons Concerning the Elders it is to bee observed that the name of Elders which name is taken out of the Old Testament and signifieth a person who is placed in an honourable Office of Government over others is given to two sorts of Persons which serve in the Church of Christ For the Apostle saith The Elders who rule well are worthy of double honour specially those who labour in the Word and Doctrine out of which it is manifest that in the Apostolicall Church there have beene two sorts of Elders where of the first have laboured in the Word and Doctrine and the others not the former were the Ministers of the Word the Pastours who preach the Gospel administer the Sacraments but the others who did not labour in the Word yet serving the Church had aspeciall charge namely that they tooke oversight of the Church and with the Minister of the Worde did rule the same For after the Apostle Paul had spoken Rom. 12. of the Ministery of the Word as also of the Office of the Deacons hee speakes of this Office afterwards saying Hee that ruleth let him doe it with all diligence and so in an other place 1 Cor. 12. Among other Offices which God hath ordained in his Church hee reckens Government in so much that this sorte of Ministers is given as a helpe and assistance to the others who preach the Gospell as in the
old Testament the Levites were ioyned to the Priests in the common service of the Tabernacle to bee helpers unto them in those things which the Priests alone could not performe remaining notwithstanding distinct offices Besides this it is necessary that to the Ministers of the Word such men be joyned in the Government of the Church that all Lording and Tyranny which can creepe in sooner if the Governmentlye in the hand of one or few may bee kept out of the Church so the Ministers of the Word the Elders make up one Assembly being as a Senate of the Church and representing the whole Church whereunto Christ had respect when hee saith Tell the Church which can not be meant of the Church apart but very well of those who by the Church are chosen to governe the same The Office of the Elders consists herein First To take with the Ministers of the Word the oversight of the Church committed unto them carefully to looke to it that every one carry himselfe aright in his Confession and in his Conversation to admonish those who carry themselves scandalously and to take heed so much as lyes in them that the Sacraments bee not prophaned as also to deale with the penitent according to Christian discipline and to receive them againe into the bosome of the Church as is manifest not onely out of the forenamed saying of Christ but also out of other places of Scripture 1 Cor. 5. 2 Cor. 12. wherein it is apparent that these things belong not to one or a few but to many who are ordained there unto Secondly Whereas the Apostle commandeth that among Christians al things bee done decently and in order and no body ought to minister in the Church but such as are lawfully called there unto according to Christian Constitutions concerning the same therefore it belongs also to the office of Elders to take care thereof and of all things which concerne the good estate of the Church to assist the Minister with their counsell and advise yea all Christians with advise and consolation Thirdly It belongs also to the charge of Elders to looke to the Doctrine and life of the Ministers of the Word to the end all may bee ordered to the edification of the Church and that no strange doctrine bee propounded according to that which wee reade Act. 20 where the Apostle admonisheth to watch diligently against the wolves who might come into the sheepfold of Christ and that they may doe this the better the Elders are bound to search diligently the Scriptures and to exercise themselves continually in meditating of the Mysteries of the faith Concerning the Deacons of the Originall and institution thereof wee may read Act. 6. where wee find that in the beginning the Apostles themselves did serve the poore at whose feet were laid downe the Price of those goods that were sold and by whom distribution was made to every one according to his need but when afterwards there arose a murmuring because the widowes of the Grecians were neglected in the daily ministration therefore there were elected by the advise of the Apostles men who should make it their worke to serve the poore that so the Apostles might give themselves continually to prayer ministery of the Word and this hath beene kept from that time forward in the Church as doth appeare Rom. 12. where the Apostle speaking of this Office saith that those who distribute shall doe it with sincerity and 1 Cor. 12. speaking of helpers hee doth thereby understand those who are ordained by the Church to helpe the poore in their necessities Out of which places it doth sufficiently appeare what belongs to the Office of the Deacons namely First That they Collect and keepe with all faithfulnesse and diligence the Goods which are given to the poore yea to doe their utmost endeavours that many helpers may be found out for the reliefe of the poore The second part of their Office consists in the distribution wherein is not onely required discretion and prudence to give the almes to none but where there is need but also simplicity and cheerefulnesse to distribute the almes with an hearty affection to the poore according to that of the Apostle Rom. 12. 1 Cor. 12. For which end it is necessary that they doe not onely relieve the poore with outward giftes but also with comfortable words out of the Word of God. To the end therefore beloved Brethren N. N. that every one may see that you are willing to take upon you the forenamed Offices every one in his place you shall give answer to that which shall bee propounded unto you First I aske you both Elders and Deacons whether you doe not feele in your hearts that you are lawfully called to these holy Offices each to his by the Church and consequently by God himselfe Secondly Whether you hold the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the onely Word of God and the perfect Doctrine to salvation rejecting all Doctrines which are repugnant to the same Thirdly Whether you promise to performe your Offices as they have beene now described with all faithfulnesse according to your power Yee Elders N. N. in the Governement of the Church with the Ministers of the Word and yee Deacons N N in the Ministring to the poore Further Doe yee promise both together to carry your selves in all Godlinesse submitting your selves also to the admonition of the Church in case you should come to miscarry Heereupon yee shall answer Yea. Whereupon the Minister shall say The Almighty God and Father give unto you all his grace that you may walke in these your Offices faithfully and fruitfully Amen And shall further admonish them as also the whole Church in this following manner Wherefore yee Elders be diligent in governing the Church which with the Ministers of the Word is committed unto you Bee also Watchmen over the House and City of God to admonish every one faithfully and to warne them of their perdition Take heed that the purity of Doctrine and Godlinesse of life be maintayned in the Church And yee Deacons be diligent in Collecting of the almes prudent and cheerefull in distributing of the same Assist the oppressed relieve the true widowes and orphans shew mercifulnesse to all but especially to the houshold of Faith. Bee yee all faithfull in your Offices and keepe the mysteries of faith in a pure conscience and bee good examples in all things to the people In so doing you shall get to your selves a good degree and much cheerefulnesse in the faith of Christ and heereafter enter into your Masters joy On the other side Beloved Christians receive these persons as servants of Christ count the Elders who discharge wel their Office worthy of double honour give your selves willingly to their oversight and governement Provide good meanes for the Deacons to the reliefe of the poore Bee liberall yee rich give thanckfully and contribute willingly And yee poore be poore in spirit and carry