jyggtjgrigf ^ ■ Oigg -1 •'^tJ President White Library Cornell University Cornell University Library BX6335 .Ml 4 Baptist confessions of •3'f^,i,„(',y,,,lj!',-||||jlr *" olin 3 1924 029 452 566 The original of tliis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029452566 BAPTIST CONFESSIONS OF FAITH BAPTIST CONFESSIONS OF FAITH By W. J. McGLOTHLIN, Ph. D., D. D. Professor of Church History In the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Author of "A Guide to the Study of Church History," etc "Die warhayt ist untodtlich." — ffubmaier PHILADELPHIA AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY BOSTON CHICAGO ST. LOUIS TORONTO. CAN. Copyright 191 1 by A. J. ROWLAND, Secretary Published March, 1911 PREFACE An effort has been made to bring together in the fol- lowing pages the most important statements of doctrine put forth by the various bodies of Baptists scattered throughout the world. Material was in hand to make the volume more complete, but the limits of space forbade the incorporation of a few Confessions and catechisms which might have been expected. It is believed, however, that no Confession of much importance which had any large Circulation in any language has been omitted. The volume presents all the material necessary to acquaint one with the doctrinal position of the Baptists throughout the world, and makes an impressive presentation of their substantial unity, with some exceptions, on the more im- portant points of our religion. It is also noteworthy that doctrinal differences have been melting away until there is probably a greater measure of agreement at present than ever before. Special thanks for valuable assistance are due to the management of Colgate Library, Hamilton, N. Y., which contains the best collection of the sources of Baptist history which can be found in this country; to Rev. W. T. Whitley, D. D., Preston, England; to Rev. Claus Peters, Hamburg, Germany; to Rev. C. E. Benander, Stockholm, Sweden; to Rev. H. Andru, Compiegne, France; and to others who have in one way or another aided in the discovery of material or the gathering of information. Some details as to editions of some of the English Confessions have been gleaned from the unpub- vi Preface lished work of the late John Taylor, of Northampton, on " European Confessions of Faith." In the case of the English Confessions whose original editions could be found the effort has been made to reproduce the text as nearly as possible exactly, in all its inconsistencies of spell- ing, punctuation, capitalization, etc. The desire has been to let the reader see the Confession as it first appeared to the world. It would be vain to hope that the work is wholly without mistakes where the reproduction of such a mass of details is involved; but no labor has been spared in an effort to make it as accurate as pos- sible. The translations, except that from the Swedish, are by the author. W. J. McGlothlin. Southern Baptist Thbological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., October, 1910. TABLE OF CONTENTS FAGB Introduction ix-xii PART ONE The Anabaptists 1-23 Earliest Anabaptist Articles 2-9 Other Articles from Bern 9-13 Peter Riedemann's Rechenschaft 13-18 Appeal to the Lords of Lichtenstein 18-23 PART TWO The Mennonites 24-49 Earliest Confession, Circa 1580 24-25 A Brief Confession, etc 26-48 Other Confessions 48-49 PART THREE The English Baptists S0-291 A. Arminian Baptists 54-167 A Short Confession of Faith 54-66 Confession of Faith of Certain English People Living at Amsterdam 66-84 A Declaration of Faith of English Peo- ple Remaining at Amsterdam 85-93 The Faith and Practice of Thirty Con- gregations 95-109 The Standard Confession of 1660 109-122 vii viii Table of Contents PAGE The "Orthodox Creed," 1678 122-161 Somerset Confession 161 Trinitarian Articles 162 Present Doctrinal Position 163 The New Connection 164-167 B. Calvinistic Baptists 168-291 First London Confession 168-201 A Confession of the Faith of Several Churches of Christ 202-215 Assembly or Second London Confession. 215-289 Private Confessions 289-290 Present Doctrinal Position of the Eng- lish Baptists 290-291 PART FOUR American Baptists 293-329 A. Calvinistic Baptists 293-307 The Philadelphia Confession 293-299 The New Hampshire Confession 299-307 Catechisms 307 B. Arminian Baptists 308-329 A Treatise on the Faith of the Free Will Baptists 310-329 PART FIVE Confessions of Other Nationalities 330-368 German Baptist Confession 330-354 French Baptist Confession 354-364 Swedish Baptists 364-367 In Other Lands ogg INTRODUCTION Primitive Christianity drew up no Confessions of Faith. Its interests and efforts were religious, ethical, and prac- tical rather than theological. Repentance toward God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and right living were the requirements of early days. As time passed the intel- lectual aspects of Christianity came into more and more prominence as a result of its contact with Greek philos- ophy and the various religions of the Greek and Roman world. As a consequence of the struggle with this thought without and within the church the first great group of creeds was produced in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries. The earliest is the so-called Apostles' Creed, which is not the product of any ecclesiastical coun- cil, but grew up in the daily needs of practical Christian work. Traces of this creed can be found as early as A. D. 200, and it reached substantially its present form in the fourth century. It is almost wholly a Confession of concrete facts rather than of doctrines. The next creed was drawn up by the first world coun- cil of Christians, held at the call of the Emperor Con- stantine at Nicsea in Asia Minor in A. D. 325. It defined the doctrine of the Trinity, the internal relations of the Godhead, in that form which has been called orthodox by all parties to this day. The third important creed was formulated by the Ecu- menical Council of Chalcedon in Asia Minor in A. D. 451. It defines the interrelation of the human and divine natures in the person of Jesus Christ in that form which, ix Introduction with some variations, has been regarded as the orthodox doctrine of the person of Christ to the present time. The so-called Athanasian Creed is a sort of epigram- matic expansion of that of Nicsea, and was widely in- fluential. Its origin is obscure, but it was probably formulated in the sixth century. These are the important creeds of the patristic period. They are all Oriental and Asiatic in origin. They are brief, dealing with only one phase of doctrine, making no attempt to present a complete system of theological truth. They are the product of the Greek mind, written in the Greek language ; but at the time of their production they expressed the convictions of the great majority of Christians in the then known world. They were the proclamation of the great church, excluding heathendom, Judaism, and the smaller Christian parties. They have commanded the assent of the great majority of Chris- tians throughout the centuries. Creed-making now ceased for nearly a thousand years, till the beginning of the theological controversies aroused by the Reformation. Beginning with the Augsburg Con- fession in 1530, the next century and a half saw the formulation of most of the important modern Confes- sions. This group differs widely from the former. They are almost without exception of European origin, written in Latin or modern languages. They are long, presenting a more or less complete system of doctrine ; they are all sectarian, representing the views of only a party of Chris- tians, and intended to differentiate that party from the rest of Christendom and to justify its existence. The Catholic creeds of this period, both Greek and Roman, were drawn to meet Protestantism. Protestant creeds were drawn to meet the Roman Catholics and also other Protestant parties. Introduction xi The Baptist Confessions were among the last to be produced, coming out of the latter part of the Reforma- tion period, and even more recent times. Most of them were formulated in England after Catholicism had prac- tically ceased to be a religious force in that country ; they are, therefore, drawn against the background of English Protestantism. They constitute the latest group of de- nominational Confessions, most of the Lutheran, Re- formed, Presbyterian, and Congregational Confessions having preceded them. They are not independent pro- ductions, but are the result of grafting Baptist views of baptism, church-membership, church government, and the relation between Church and State upon a Calvinistic or Arminian stock. Such in brief is the relation of Baptist Confessions to those of other denominations. Being congregational and democratic in church govern- ment, Baptists have naturally been very free in making, changing, and using Confessions. There has never been among them any ecclesiastical authority which could im- pose a Confession upon their churches or other bodies. Their Confessions are, strictly speaking, statements of what a certain group of Baptists, large or small, did be- lieve at a given time, rather than a creed which any Baptist must believe at all times in order to hold ecclesias- tical position or be considered a Baptist. In the latter sense there has been no Baptist creed. Churches at their constitution have made their own Confessions, adopted an old one in its original or in a modified form, or, as in the case of the First Baptist Church of Providence, R. I., the oldest Baptist church in America, have had no doctrinal statement whatever. District Associations have sometimes adopted one Confession, sometimes another, have modi- fied the oldest and most notable Confessions to suit their views, have formulated new statements, or have made no xii Introduction doctrinal deliverance of any sort. No Baptist individual, church, Association, or larger body has ever felt per- manently bound by any Confession of Faith in its original, historical, or any other form. And yet the Baptists have preserved a remarkable degree of doctrinal agree- ment throughout their history. This is no doubt due to their insistence upon a converted church-membership, the authority of the Scriptures, and the right and duty of every individual Christian to decide doctrinal questions for himself by a study of the Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Baptist Confessions are almost numberless, but com- paratively few of them have any historical significance. It is manifestly impossible and undesirable to repro- duce any but the most important ones in this work. Some Waldensian and Bohemian articles, as represent- ing the most evangelical forms of Christianity with which we are acquainted just prior to the Reformation, might have been reproduced had such been in existence. But nothing that can justly be called a Confession came from these parties before the Reformation. Accordingly, the work begins with the Anabaptists, who were in many respects the forerunners of the Baptists. part ®ne THE ANABAPTISTS The Anabaptists were not Baptists in the modern ac- ceptation of that term, since they did not insist upon im- mersion as the only acceptable mode or form of baptism. Some of them practised immersion at least occasionally, but none of them required it as a term of communion, and apparently a majority practised affusion. They held, however, so many fundamental Baptist doctrines that their Confessions deserve a place here. So far as known the mode of baptism was never a matter of discussion among them. The question of their relation to earlier evangelical sects, as for example the Waldenses, is still under discus- sion. They betray no consciousness of dependence, stout- ly maintaining the view that their distinctive doctrines were drawn from a direct and faithful study of the word of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So far as the life history of early individual Anabaptists has been traced, they all came out of the Catholic Church, rather than from the sects. This is certainly true of all their leaders, many of whom had been priests or monks in that church. Nor did they ever, so far as known, enter into union or communion with the Waldenses. These con- siderations seem to point almost irresistibly to an inde- pendent origin. On the other hand, the similarity be- tween some of their peculiarities and those of the Wal- denses points strongly to some dependence. The most that can be asserted with confidence in the present state of Baptist Confessions of Faith investigation is that they may have been influenced in their pecuhar doctrinal views by older parties, but were entirely independent in the origination of their ordinances and other ecclesiastical matters. Being the radicals and individualists of their time, they naturally broke up into many parties, differing more or less widely among themselves about various matters. Moreover, they were chiefly interested in practical Christianity, the following and imitation of Christ, the reformation of the lives of the people. Theology and ec- clesiastical affairs with them took a much more subordi- nate place than among the Lutherans and other re- formers; consequently they devoted little attention to creed-building. In general they were anti-Augustinian, i. e., Pelagian or Arminian in their views of the plan of salvation, and were in agreement in their opposition to infant baptism and to the State church. Their funda- mental principle, from which all else sprang, was a church composed of the regenerate only. On almost every other possible point of doctrine there were among them wide differences of opinion. These differences the vari- ous articles which have been preserved to us reflect. As sources for a knowledge of their views we have, in addition to their Articles of Faith, court records, writings of Hiibmaier, Denck, and others, published accounts of disputations, their songs, and finally the writings of their opponents. The most important of their articles fol- low. The fact that they were written in old, and some- times incorrect, German, makes the exact meaning of some passages uncertain. I. Earliest Anabaptist Articles The earliest were a set of seven articles drawn up by the Swabian and Swiss brethren, at Schlatten am Ran- The Anabaptists den, near Schaffhausen, in 1527. So far as known, they were never printed, but Zwingli says (Wks. Ill, 387) that almost every Anabaptist had a copy in German. A manuscript copy in German is found in the Pressburg Cathedral Chapter, and has been published, somewhat condensed, by Beck, " Geschichtsbucher der Wiedertau- fer," p. 4if. The title, as it appears in this MS is " The VII Articles from Schlatten am Randen, drawn up Feb. 24, 1527." The conclusion of this manuscript, not given by Zwingli, is as follows : Dear brethren and sisters, these are the articles which certain brethren hitherto in error and have not understood alike and thereby many weak consciences have been confused, so that the name of God has been grossly blasphemed; there has been, therefore, need that we be agreed in the Lord. To God be the praise and glory. A copy is also found in Bern, and is reproduced some- what condensed by Miiller, " Bernische Taufer," pp. 38f . Zwingli translated them faithfully, he says, into Latin. A translation of his translation follows : " The Articles, which we have drawn up and in which we agree, are these: Baptism, abstention, breaking of bread, avoidance of abominable pastors in the church, sword, swearing. First learn concerning baptism ! Baptism ought to be administered to all who have been taught repentance and a change of life and in truth believe their sms to have been blotted out through Christ, and who wholly wish_ to walk in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and who wish to be buried with him into death that they may be able to rise again with him. To all, then, who ask baptism after this manner and make the request of us for them- selves we administer it. By these means are excluded all baptism of infants, the supreme abomination of the Roman Pontif. For this article we have the testimony and strength of Scripture; we have also the practice of Baptist Confessions of Faith the Apostles, which we shall preserve with simplicity and at the same time with firmness. For we have been made sure. Second : With regard to excommunication we agree as follows: All ought to be excommunicated who, after they have given themselves to the Lord that they might follow him in his precepts and who have been baptized into one body of Christ and are called brethren or sisters, yet slip or fall into sin and are thrown headlong unawares. People of this sort ought, therefore, to be admonished twice in secret; the third time they ought to be corrected publicly before the church according to the precept of the Lord. Moreover, this ought to be done according to the ordinance or injunction of the divine Spirit before the breaking of bread, that all may be able to break and eat the one bread and drink from the one cup unanimously and with the same love. Third : In the breaking of bread we agree and unani- mously prescribe as follows : That those who wish to break the one bread in commemoration of the broken body of Christ and to drink from one cup in commemo- ration of the poured-out blood of Christ, should first be united into one, to-wit, into the one body of Christ, that is, into the church of God in which Christ is head. Afore- over that is particularly through baptism. For, as the divine Paul teaches, we can not be at the same time par- ticipants of the table of the Lord and the table of demons; nor can we be at the same time participants in the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. That is : all who have communion with dead works of darkness have no communion with those who have been called to God out of this world. All who are sunken in evil have no part with good. Thus, therefore, it must follow that those who have not the call of their God into one faith, into one baptism, into one Spirit, into one body with all the children of God, these cannot come together unto one bread; but beyond doubt this must be done if one wishes to break bread according to the precept of Christ. Fourth: Thus we determine concerning the revolt, separation and avoidance which ought to be made frorn that evil which the devil has planted, so that we shall The Anabaptists 5 have no commerce with them nor concur with them in communication in those abominations. That is, since all who have not yet yielded to the obedience of faith and who have not yet given [their] name to the Lord that they wish to do his will, are exceedingly abominable in the sight of God; [therefore] nothing can be done by them which is not abominable. Now, moreover, in the world plainly there is nothing else, nor in all creation, than good and evil, faithful and unfaithful, shadows and light, people of the world and those who are now out of the world, the temple of God and idols, Christ and Be- lial, and no one of these can have part with the other. Known to us also is the precept of the Lord in which he commands that we be separated from the evil, for then he is willing to be our God and we shall be his sons and daughters. Again he prescribed that we should come out of Babylon and the Egyptian land lest we become par- takers of the evils and punishments which the Lord is about to bring upon them. From all which we ought to learn that whatever is not united with our God and Christ is nothing else than an abomination which we ought to avoid. Here we perceive all papistical and secundo-papistical works and contentions of idolatry, processions to churches, houses of feastings, states and alliances of unbelief and many other things similar to these which are held in honor in the world, when never- theless they fight and lead directly against the precept of Christ according to the measure of unrighteousness which is in the world. From all these we ought to be alien and separate, for they are pure abominations which render us hateful to Christ who liberated us from the bondage of the flesh and made us fit for the service of God through the spirit of God which he gave us. By the vigor of this regulation there fall away from us the diabolical arms of violence, such as swords and arms of this kind and all use of them whether for enemies or for friends in virtue of that word of Christ ' You ought not to resist evil.' Fifth : Concerning pastors of the church of God we de- termine as follows : That the pastor of the flock should be, according to the order of Paul through all things, some Baptist Confessions of Faith one who has good testimony from those who are outside the faith. Let his office be to read, admonish, teach, instruct, exhort, correct or communicate in the church, and to preside well over all the brethren and sisters as well in prayer as in the breaking of bread, and in all things that pertain to the body of Christ to watch how it may be sustained and increased, that the name of God may be honored and praised through us, but the mouth of blasphemy may be stopped. But know that a support, if he is in need of it, ought to be supplied by the church which elects him. For he who serves the gospel ought to live of the gospel as the Lord ordained. But if a pastor has committed anything worthy of accusation or cor- rection action ought not to be taken against him except on testimony of two or three witnesses. When they sin they ought to be reproved publicly, that the rest may have fear. But if a pastor be either expelled or led to the Lord through the cross another ought to succeed him at once that the people or flock of God be not scattered but preserved through exhortation and may receive con- solation. Sixth : We agree and determine concerning the sword in this manner: The sword is an ordinance of God, out- side the perfection of Christ by which the evil man is punished and killed, but the good one defended. In law the sword is ordained against the evil for vengeance and death, and for this purpose the magistracy of the world was constituted. But in the perfection of Christ we use excommunication only, for the warning and exclusion of him who has sinned, for the destruction of the flesh alone, for warning and commendation, lest he sin further. Here it is asked by many who do not know Christ's will towards us, whether a Christian can or ought to use the sword against the evil for the defense of the good, or out of love. There was revealed, therefore, to us unani- mously the following response: Christ teaches us that we should learn of him for he is meek and lowly of heart and we shall find rest to our souls. Christ, therefore, said to the woman taken in adultery, not that she should be stoned according to law; (who nevertheless said, ' As the Father commanded me, so I speak ' ) but he spoke The Anabaptists to her with pity and indulgence and warning that she should sin no more, and said, ' Go, sin no more.' That is to be equally observed by us according to the rule of ex- communication. Second, it is asked concerning the sword, whether a Christian can rightly pronounce or speak judgment in secular causes, between force and force, between suit and suit, in which unbelievers are at variance. To which we give this response: Christ was unwilling to decide be- tween brothers who were contending about an inheritance, but drove them from him. Just so, therefore, it must be done by us. Third, it is asked concerning the sword, whether a Christian ought to be an official or magistrate when he is chosen to it. To which we respond thus: Christ was about to be made king, but he fled and did not look back, in accordance with the ordinance of his Father. Thus we also ought to do, rightly to follow him, and we shall not walk in darkness. For he also says : ' If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.' He even interdicts the power of the sword and thus denounces it : ' The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship, but ye are not so.' Further, Paul says, ' Whom God foreknew these he also pre- destined that they should be conformed to the image of his Son.' But Peter also says that He sufifered, did not reign, and left us an example that we should follow his footsteps. Finally, it is taught that a Christian is not permitted to be a magistrate by the things which follow: Magis- tracy is an office after the flesh but a Christian is after the Spirit. The home and corporal habitation of those [magistrates] is in this world, but that of all Christians in heaven. Their citizenship is in this world, that of the Christians in heaven. Their arms are carnal and against the flesh, those of the Christians spiritual against the bulwarks of the devil. Earthly magistrates are armed with brass and iron, but the Christians are clothed with the arms of God — truth, justice, peace, faith, salvation and ■ the word of God. In short, in whatever way our head is disposed toward us, so ought the members of the body 8 Baptist Confessio ns of Faith be disposed toward him in all things, lest there be any disagreement in the body by which it could perish. For every kingdom divided against itself perishes. Since, therefore, Christ is such as is written concerning him, necessarily the members ought also to be such, that the body may remain whole and united for its conservation and edification. Seventh: We agree or determine I. Concerning the oath in the following manner: The oath is a confirmation among those who are in litiga- tion or make promises. And in the law it is taught II. That it be done by the name of God alone, truly not fal- laciously. But Christ who teaches the perfection of the law, forbids all swearing to his [followers], that they swear neither truly nor falsely, neither by heaven nor by the earth nor by Jerusalem nor by themselves. And this for the following cause, III. which he adds, saying, ' Because ye can not make one hair white or black.' Notice, therefore, all swearing is prohibited, because we are able to perform nothing of those things which we promise with an oath since we are not able to change the least thing which pertains to us. But there are some who do not believe the simple precepts of God but say: IV. ' Since God swore to Abralaam by himself who was God, when he promised to be benevolent to him and to be his God as long as he kept his precepts, why may not I also swear when I promise anything to any one?' We re- spond: Hear then what the Scripture says, when God wished to establish a promise to the heirs with certainty that his council would not vacillate he interposed an oath that we might have hope. Listen thou to the meaning of this Scripture: God has the power of taking an oath which he prohibits to thee, for to him all things are possible. God made an oath to Abraham, says Scripture, that he might show that his counsel would not vacillate ; that is, because no man is able to resist his power, there- fore, it is necessary that he keep his oath. But we are not able as was shown above by the word of Christ, to keep an oath or to perform what we have sworn ; there- fore we ought not to swear. Again, there are some who say that there is no prohibition against swearing by God The Anabaptists in the New Testament, but in the Old; but in the New there is prohibition against swearing by heaven, the earth or Jerusalem. To which we reply: V. Hear thou the Scripture, he who swears by the temple or heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. Thou seest that to swear by heaven is prohibited because it is the throne of God himself! O fools and blind, which is the greater, the throne or he that sits upon it? But further there are those who dare to say, ' If it is wicked to swear even when the Lord's name is added to truth, Peter and Paul, the apostles, sinned, for they swore. To whom we reply thus : VI. Peter and Paul testify this only, that it was promised by God to Abraham by an oath ; but they themselves promise nothing, as the examples clearly show. But to testify and to swear are different; for when an oath is taken future things are promised. VII. To Abraham as an old man was promised Christ whom we after a long time have received. But when one testi- fies, testimony is given concerning some present thing, whether it be true and good or not. Just as Symeon was saying and testifying to Mary concerning Christ : ' Be- hold, this one is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign to be spoken against.' After this manner Christ taught us when he says, ' Let your speech be yea, yea, nay, nay, for whatever is added to this is of the evil one.' Thus Christ warns : ' Your speech ought to be nay, nay,' that we may not be willing to understand him as having permitted swearing. Christ is simply yea, and nay. And all who seek him with simplicity find him. Amen." II. Other Articles from Bern Muller {" Bernische Taufer," p. 37) found in the ar- chives of Bern seven articles in manuscript without date which come out of the sixteenth century and describe the order of an Anabaptist congregation. A free translation follows : " First. The brethren and sisters should come together at least three or four times a week, and exercise them- 10 Baptist Confessions of Faith selves in the doctrine of Christ and his apostles, and earnestly warn one another to remain steadfast to the Lord as they have covenanted. " Second. When the brethren and sisters are together, they should select something to read; he to whom God has given the best understanding should expound it, but the others keep silent and hear, so that no more than one should speak at once and hinder the others. The Psalter should be read daily by them. " Third. No one should be frivolous in the congrega- tion of God, neither in word nor in work; and a good manner of life should be observed by them all, also before the heathen. " Fourth. If a brother sees his brother going astray, he should, in accordance with the command of Christ, warn and chastise him in a Christian and fraternal way, as every one is obligated by love to do. " Fifth. No brethren and sisters of this congregation should hold any property as their own, but hold all things in common as the Christians at the time of the Apostles ; and in particular they should lay by a common store from which the poor can be helped as each one has need, and, as at the time of the apostles, no brother be allowed to suffer want. " Sixth. All expenses should be avoided by the breth- ren when they are assembled in the congregation — soup, vegetables and meat be given in the most limited quanti- ties, since the kingdom of heaven is not eating and drinking. " Seventh. The Lord's supper should be celebrated as often as the brethren come together, thereby to proclaim the death of the Lord and warn every one to remember how Christ has given his body for us and poured out his blood for us, that we also might be willing to give our body and life for Christ's sake, that is for the brethren." IIL Anabaptist Articles from Moravia As persecutions thickened in Germany and Switzerland, thousands of Anabaptists made their way to Moravia, where the political conditions made it possible for the The Anabaptists ii lords Lichtenstein to protect them some years on their large estates. They settled at Nikolsburg and other places in great numbers. Soon the various opinions held by them began to clash, and the body was more than once rent by religious dissension. Out of these dissensions come some articles in German in MS form, found in the royal archives at Nuremberg among papers belonging to the years 1527 and 1528, printed by Cornelius, " Miin- sterschen Aufruhr, II, 2ygi. " Beilag," VIII. Nothing further is known of their origin. A translation follows : I. Some Brief Articles " Eight articles of the preacher [s] at Nikolsburg, that one [or those] at Lichtenstein, now imprisoned at Vienna, with many others, who have had themselves baptized a second time. " The gospel should not be preached publicly in the churches, but only in the ear and secretly in the houses. " Christ was conceived in original sin, [that is by a natural birth] . " The Virgin Mary was not a mother of God, but only a mother of Christ. " Christ is not God, but a prophet to whom the message or word of God was entrusted. " Christ did not do enough for the sins of the whole world. " Among Christian men there should be no power or magistracy. " The last day is two years in the future. " The angels were conceived with Christ and took flesh with Christ." Another series at the same place : " Articles of the Anabaptists. " Those who can not hear and confess ought not to be baptized. 12 Baptist Confessions of Faith " He who has property, may not partake of the Lord's supper. " He who is related to any magistracy can not be saved. One must understand that there should be no magistracy. " Satan and the godless will also be saved finally. " The holy Scripture was not given to believers, but to the godless that they might be overcome. " Within two years the Lord will come from heaven and will deal and war with the worldly princes, and will root up the godless, but the pious and unworldly will reign with the Lord on earth. " All who are learned and preach the gospel, are per- verters of the Scriptures. " In the Lord's supper is only bread and wine, although they [the Anabaptists] are not agreed about this. " God strengthen them with visions." Another series is as follows : " Articles discussed by the congregation at Nikols- burg in Moravia. " The gospel is not to be preached in the churches, but in the courts of princes and in their own houses. " Christ was conceived in original sin [that is in a natural way]. " The blessed virgin Mary was not a mother of God, but only a mother of Christ. " Christ is no God, but only a prophet to whom the secrets of God were entrusted. " Christ did not do enough for the sins of the whole world. " There should be no power or magistracy among the Christians. " The last day is said to be two years in the future. " The angels with Christ were without flesh and took flesh with Christ." The same articles, with some Huterish additions, are found in the archives of the Thomas Church at Stras- burg, under the title: The Anabaptists 13 "Articles which the Anabaptists at Augsburg confessed (and which are learned by them with great joy), who still to the number of twenty-five lie imprisoned there and are well to do." [Language not clear.] 2. Peter Riedemann's Rechenschaft Persecution of the Anabaptists broke out in Moravia in 1535. The brethren suffered not only physical violence, but also vile slander and misrepresentation. In order to meet and refute these false accusations, Peter Riedemann, one of their pastors and their ablest literary representative after the death of Hiibmaier, drew up an account of their doctrines and practices which he called " Rechenschaft un- serer Religion." (Reprinted in Calvary's " Mittheilungen," I, 256-417.) It is rather a treatise on doctrine and prac- tice than a Confession, being the longest and most pre- tentious production the Anabaptists put forth in the whole course of their history. Riedemann belonged to the Huterite party which gradually won complete ascendency among the Anabaptists of Moravia and Eastern Europe. The "Rechenschaft" was drawn up about 154S, was printed probably before 1547, and a second edition ap- peared in 1565. It was never formally adopted by any ec- clesiastical body so far as known, but gradually came into wide usage and great influence. It is diffuse, full of repe- titions, and much too long for reproduction here. It bears the title, "Justification (or account, 'Rechen- schaft') of our religion, doctrine and faith, put forth by the brethren commonly called Huterish, through Peter Ryedemann." After a long preface stating the reasons for drawing up the Confession, the body of the work is divided into three parts — an exposition of the twelve articles of religion, then a somewhat orderly statement of distinctive Anabaptist doctrines and practices, and finally 14 Baptist Confessions of Faith a third part, which is largely a repetition of the second, apparently by another hand. The whole is supplied with abundant Scripture references, the Apocrypha being con- stantly quoted as Scripture. Its general theological posi- tion is in agreement with the Protestants of that time, except that a general atonement and the salvation of all infants dying in infancy in virtue of that atonement, is taught. In these views they stood over against all the other reformers of the time. Only a brief summary of its chief teachings can be given here, and is as follows : Only those who truly repent are to be baptized; the candidate kneels while the administrator pours water upon him, repeating the words " I baptize thee in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, who according to thy faith hath forgiven thee thy sins and drawn [thee] into his kingdom and accepted [thee], therefore sin henceforth no more so that no worse thing befall thee ; " baptism should be administered in the presence of the congregation since " the sins are remitted and forgiven the man in baptism, and the congregation has the key " ; teaching and baptizing must not be done by all but only by those who have been called by the Lord and the con- gregation and set apart thereto ; the choice is made by lot where more candidates are presented than are needed; ordination is in the presence of the congregation by the imposition of the hands of the elders ; only those who have been tested are ordained. The various officers of the church are apostles, bishops, pastors, helpers, rulers, elders — each of these classes hav- ing its own more or less distinct function ; The bread and wine of the supper are not the body and blood of Christ, but only reminders of his grace. Community of goods is taught, because " communion of saints exists not only in spiritual but also in temporal things." The true church is composed of true believers, separated from the world and ruled over by the Holy Spirit, where righteousness dwells; existing church buildings, having The Anabaptists 15 been put to idolatrous uses ought to be pulled down and utterly destroyed — Anabaptists never enter them; nor do they have anything to do with priests since these were not called of Christ nor do they preach the gospel as is shown by their evil deeds and their lack of the power of the Holy Spirit. Marriage must be entered into " according to God's direction " ; woman being the weaker is under the yoke of the man who should provide for her in temporal and spiritual things; the ceremony should be in the presence of the congregation by a qualified minister of the word. " Magistracy is set up and ordained of God for a rod of his wrath wherewith to chastise and punish wicked, ruth- less people. . . Therefore one should be obedient and sub- ject to them as ordained of God ... in so far as they do not act contrary to conscience or give commands against God. . . But when they command and act contrary to [the will of] God one must let their command remain un- fulfilled and obey God rather than men, for the conscience is free and subject to God alone. . . Therefore wherever magistracy undertakes to attack the conscience and rule over the faith of men, it robs God of what belongs to him. Therefore it is improper to obey magistracy in such matters." Magistracy, wielding a worldly sword, is out- side Christ. " Among Christians He alone will rule with his spiritual sword. . . God in Christ is alone king and overlord over his people . . . and as he is a spiritual king, so he also has spiritual ministers, wields a spiritual sword." In Christ's kingdom all are brethren on an equality in service, therefore " no Christian is a magis- trate and no magistrate is a Christian, for the child of blessing can never be the minister of vengeance. . . no Christian can rule over the world." Since Christ is the Prince of Peace who is building a peaceful kingdom, all earthly war ends in it. Therefore, " no Christian may either carry on war or exercise ven- geance, and whoever does so has either deserted and denied Christ or the manner of Christ." " Since magistracy is ordained of God and its office commanded, it is also ordained and commanded to pay the taxes necessary to it. . . But for making war, executing 1 6 Baptist Confessions of Faith or shedding blood (when it is demanded especially for that purpose) we give nothing . . . that we make not our- selves partners in other men's sins." Since Christians must not use the sword, so they must not make it for others to use. " Therefore we make neither swords, spears, guns, nor any weapons of this kind." " In the matter of clothes we will make whatever ministers to the needs of our neighbors, but whatever ministers to pride and vainglory in dress we make for no man." " Christians should not go to law with one another. . . From which it follows that no Christian can act as judge, for Christians do not go to law " and a Christian can not judge those who are without. Christians must not swear since it is forbidden by Christ and others. Greeting, that is wishing well in God's name, must oc- cur only between Christians, and must be given and received solemnly and in faith, not thoughtlessly. Other- wise it is sin. Giving the hand and embracing are signs of unity and fellowship, and are therefore to be practiced only in the church. But brother must embrace brother and sister embrace sister. Brothers and sisters must not embrace each other, but only give the hand. Prayer must be made with a right heart, in faith and according to the Spirit. The singing of spiritual songs is pleasing to God when it is done at the impulse of the Spirit and attention is given to the words. " We permit no other than spiritual songs to be sung among us." " Keeping holy day as the world keeps it is an abomi- nation before God, because the wickedness and shame they can not do the rest of the week (on account of work) that they do on holy days. . . But we have one day of rest in which we handle and hear the word of God, and with it awaken our hearts to abide in the grace of God. Now because it is customary for all men to observe Sunday, we also keep the same day so as to give nobody oflfense ;' but not because anything depends on it nor because of' any The Anabaptists 17 commandment; for it is abolished in Christ (Col. 2c), but as was said [we keep it] to exercise ourselves in the word of God." " Trading or merchandising is not permitted among us, because it is a sinful business. . . We permit nobody to buy in order to sell again. But one is suffered to buy for the needs of his house or hand-work so as to carry that on; also to sell and dispose of what one has made in his hand-work, we regard as not improper but right. But this alone we hold to be wrong, viz. when one purchases an article and then sells the identical article which he purchased, and takes from it his gain and thereby raises the price of the object for the poor and cuts off bread from their mouths." " Nor do we allow any one among us to become keeper of a public house, or to sell beer or wine, because all manner of unchaste, ungodly and corrupt doings take place there; and all drunken and worthless scoundrels congregate there and carry on their shameful deeds; to whom place must be given, their orders taken and their blasphemy heard. Therefore we do not believe it is per- mitted to one who fears God to hear and permit such blasphemy for the sake of money." We render free hos- pitality to strangers who are in need. We do not permit drinking among us for " drinking is wicked at the root, no matter how it occurs, invented of the devil with which to catch men and draw them into his net, make them dependent on him and fall away from God, and lead them into all sin." Meetings for one, two, or three days are held in prepa- ration for each celebration of the Lord's Supper. Children were not allowed to attend any but Anabaptist schools. As soon as they were weaned they were put in the care of " sisters " selected by the congregation, who taught them to talk, read, and write, using Scripture as much as possible; at five or six they were put under schoolmasters who continued to make religious instruc- tion prominent; they remained with the schoolmaster i8 Baptist Confessions of Faith till they were old enough to be taught to work at what- ever they were fitted by nature to do. They watch over each other, warn and admonish one another. Gross or incorrigible sinners are expelled. " When one is banned, we have nothing to do with him; avoid his company altogether, so that he may be made ashamed. But he is warned to repent, that he may be thereby moved the more rapidly to return to God." When he has genuinely repented, he is received back into the church. " But, as one is received into the church at the beginning through a sign, baptism, so must he who has fallen away and been cut off from the congregation, be received through a sign, the imposition of hands ; this must be done by a minister of the gospel, by which it is indicated that he is again a partaker in the grace of God and rooted therein." The true adornment of a Christian is not outward, but inward, as Peter says. Christians should not, there- fore, indulge in expensive ornamentation, but avoid and shun it. r [END OF SECOND PART] The third part, apparently written by another hand, is but a repetition in different form of some of the pre- ceding articles, and is more polemical in spirit. 3. Appeal to the Lords of Lichtenstein In 1545 persecution again threatened the brethren in Moravia. In order, if possible, to avert the impending' calamity, they sent to the Moravian nobility Riedemann's " Rechenschaft," and along with it the address which fol- lows. It is found in Codex 215 in the library of the Pressburg Cathedral Chapter in MS form; also in a library at Grau, in MS, and is published in condensed form by Josef Beck, " Geschichtshucher d. Wiedertau- The Anabaptists 19 fer," pp. 169-173. The following is a translation of Beck's text: " Sent to the Moravian Nobility, in the year 1545. We, brethren and true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, who from many and various places, especially of the German nation, have been called through great grace and mercy to the wonderful light of divine knowledge which has arisen in these times and shone to all men, and now assembled in his holy name: wish you the true knowledge of God and of his eternal truth and righteous- ness. Amen ! Beloved Lords of the Land of Moravia! It is well known to you in part how we have come out of various places and lands into the land of Moravia for no other reason than that we desire to serve [God] according to the known truth of God, piously and agreeably; which heretofore has not been permitted to us in many lands on account of the tyranny of the governments which have taken our possessions from us by force, have plunged us into misery and hunted us away, have held many of us in long and wearisome imprisonment and have strangled a good part. But because the Lord God has spied out for his people especially this place and has so favored them that they have assembled here, and we have received with thank- fulness and have undertaken to serve him and walk before him blameless. Although we have been and are still diligent to do this, yet there has gone out from the fickle and especially from those who have gone out of our midst [and] have left the truth and made friends with the world, much evil report and much of such complaint has reached you, wherein we know ourselves to be blame- less in all things. Moreover because many of you are little acquainted with our doings or are in error on account of the slanders against us, we were moved to give you information con- cerning and justification of our doing, teaching and Hfe, especially with regard to certain articles as for example, (a) magistracy, (b) taxes and (c) the assembly, which, we have been informed, are of special interest to you. 20 Baptist Confessions of Faith First, As the foundation and ground of our faith we unite to inform you, that we believe on the only, eternal, living God — who created and preserves heaven and earth and all that therein is — who has power over the hearts of all men and has begotten us again through the word of truth and made us his children through Jesus Christ who is one with God the Father in essence — made man in the virgin Mary in order to save the sinners who turn to God — who after his death again ascended to heaven to represent us and has poured out the promise of the Father in the Holy Ghost upon us his believers, which Spirit proceeded from the Father and Son and is, with the Son and Father in power and being, one God, who still today assembles the churches of Christ or his con- gregation, and makes therein the word of truth living, so that those who serve God with the heart, after they have finished their course, may rejoice in eternal life in peace with him. With regard to magistracy and the obedience which we are under obligation to render it we say, first, that of course there must be in the world governments, and also that they are ordained of God. Further, if any man opposes magistracy in equitable matters he opposes the ordinance of God. Yet we say with Peter that one should obey God rather than men, as also many of you yourselves know, and at first, when we came into the land, in fact showed that you feared to demand of us anything con- trary to the conscience. With regard to taxes we say that if any one objects to paying the government taxes, interest or rent so that the office can be carried on, he would be found to oppose the ordinance of God. Therefore we also, as the govern- ments under which we have sojourned and lived must themselves testify, have never opposed due annual taxes or interest, rent, toll and just socage. But if anything which God has not ordained be demanded [of us] as war taxes and hangman's wages or other things which are not becoming to a Christian and have no ground in Scrip- ture, these we can by no means approve. But in that by many we are compared in all points with the [Anabaptists] of Miinster and are accused of The Anabaptists 21 being of their kind [or spirit] ; it is known to all men who are acquainted with us that nobody has less of the Miinster kind [spirit] than we who hate the same most intensely and testify that it is a work of the devil. With regard to our communion, wherein we, as we have heard, can not be tolerated and which is displeasing to the king and his rulers, the cause is perhaps in part (as people daily charge us) that when many of us were together we did not act at all like those of Miinster ; but we have never had that in mind and also hope not to undertake it forever; again in part the cause is, and this by far the most important, that we walk in the truth, which, however, the world has never been willing to receive. Therefore it is nothing strange to us that we are hated for such love and unity. We, however, know nothing else than that our purpose and assembly is of God, who has also given us, as to the first churches, a mind and heart after Christ Jesus. But because many are moved whom God daily adds [to us], many foolish souls with corrupt purposes are mixed among them. After they have joined [us] under a false pretense and have again given up the truth, they shamelessly slander _ that which they have never yet known, while the truth they have known they misrepre- sent. They say they have been deprived of their posses- sions when as a matter of fact they had nothing, not even enough food for them to move into this land if help had not been given them. And even if some of them had something, they gave it of their own accord for the sup- port of the widows and orphans and needy. It is there- fore our desire and request to you that you will not assent to such unknown faultfinders in their complaint but will also hear our answer. Likewise with regard to the place [stett] which, as we hear, has made complaint against us as if we were cutting off bread from the mouth of country laborers, we know nothing else than that in all true work we are diligent to pay every man his penny, and our honesty is now known among almost all the people. To God be all the honor that the people are now coming to_ us in great numbers. If now any man makes complaint un- 22 Baptist Confessions of Faith justly we can not, therefore, cease to push our work, but desire to live honestly and be blameless toward every man. If any man would see other articles of our faith and religion we send you herewith a justification [" Rechen- schaft"] and a complete summary of our faith and doing composed in the German language [Riedemann's " Rech- enschaft unserer Religion,"] according to which rule we desire to serve the Lord with a good conscience in this land and by faithful work to be useful and helpful to every man; and we desire nothing more than that we with our children, old and sick may sojourn the short time we have yet to live here in the flesh. For we think that God did not without cause lead us into this land to which he has given very much more freedom in regard to faith than to many other lands, so that neither king nor emperor now has power to give it rules and orders, but every one may rest on his faith and serve God the best he knows how. If, however, any one misuses this freedom and does not obey God completely, he will also have his judge. Notwithstanding such freedom (you have now in response to) the steady effort and action of the king to destroy the pious and drive them apart, laid your hand upon the peaceable ones of the Lord and laid hold on God. Therefore now a faintheartedness has fallen upon you and [you] no more have so much earnestness to withstand his desire and demand with bravery and boldness, and are now inclined to lay hand anew on the people of the Lord and scatter them abroad at the demand of the king. With regard to the multitude of our people who are reported to come together in great numbers, even in thousands as some say, we must ever declare that there are of us, adults without the children, in the land here and there somewhere about 2000 and that they live in some twenty-one places, and have more houses in one place than another according as it is better located for work. At Schackowitz, however, about which there is special complaint, there are indeed several of us, [but] many sick, aged and children, who can do little or noth- ing. This, therefore, we have determined to lay before The Anabaptists 23 you and therewith we commend us to the care and pro- tection of the Almighty and therewith have we warned you and all men that no one escapes the judgment of God by laying his hand on the pious. For it has ever been the case that where sympathy with the people of God has been shown God has spared that place for the sake of his people, as happened even to this land as the Turk traversed Austria through and through but did not come into this land." part ^wo THE MENNONITES The Eastern Anabaptists, who came to be called Hu- terite Brethren, after Jacob Huter, were finally scattered and almost exterminated. Those of Western Europe held out through fearful persecutions. The terrible doings of the Miinster Kingdom in 1535, increased their hardships and the disfavor from which they suffered. The name Anabaptist, already loaded with suspicion, fear, and opprobrium, became an intolerable stench in the nostrils of Europe. Persecution broke out with fresh fury, and princes who had not before persecuted, laid their hands to the sword. Frightful sufferings followed, but out of this night of their misfortunes came one great blessing — wild millenarian fanaticism received its death- blow. Henceforth they were the quiet in the land. They were gathered together and the work reorganized chiefly by a Dutchman, Menno Simons, a Catholic priest con- verted to Anabaptist views in 1536. He was a tireless and devoted worker, a popular and successful preacher, and a voluminous writer. Because of his great services in rehabilitating the Anabaptist cause in the Netherlands and North Germany, they came to be called Mennonites in Germany, Russia, and America, while they are usually called Doopsgezinde in the Netherlands and Taufge- sinnte in Switzerland. I. Earliest Confession c. 1580 For many years they drew up no Confession of faith, some of them being opposed to Confessions altogether, and others feeling that they were unnecessary. But about 24 The Mennonites 25 the middle of the sixteenth century the body fell into dis- agreement and dissension, chiefly over questions of dis- cipline and the proper view of the person of Christ, which finally resulted in serious divisions and much strife. After some time the various parties began to put forth statements of their views in the form of Confessions. The earliest one was that of the Waterlanders, or Men- nonites of north Holland, the most liberal wing of the body. It has special interest for Baptists, because it was in the midst of this party that John Smith and other Englishmen became convinced of believers' baptism and began the General Baptist work; and, further, because Hans de Ries and Lubbert Gerrits, who drew up this first Mennonite Confession, were the pastors with whom Smith and his followers corresponded, and who probably drew up one of the so-called Baptist Confessions. In so far as the General Baptists originated from or were influenced by the Anabaptists, that influence was exerted by the Waterlanders, and especially by Ries and Gerrits, the authors of the following Confession. Naturally the early English General Baptists approximated very closely the views and practices expressed in this earliest Mennonite Confession. The following is a translation of the Latin text of Schyn, " Historia Christianorum," etc., I, 172-220. (Compare the Confession signed by Smyth and his fol- lowers, p. 54.) It will be observed that this and all subsequent Con- fessions are much more elaborate and complete and better fortified with Scripture references than those of the Ana- baptists. This is due to the influence of the theological work of Luther, Calvin, and other Reformers, and to the great Protestant Confessions which had been formulated after the work of the Anabaptists had been completed, but before this Confession was drawn up. 26 Baptist Confessions of Faith A BRIEF CONFESSION OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. Prepared by John de Rys and Lubbert Gerrits, Ministers of the Divine Word among the Protestants who, in the Belgian Confederacy, are called Mennonites. ARTICLE I. OF THE UNITY AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. We believe and confess, sacred Scripture preceding and proving it, that there is (a) one God (who is (b) a Spirit or (c) spiritual substance), (d) eternal (e), incomprehensible (f), immense (g), invisible (h), im- mutable (i), omnipotent (k), merciful (1), just (m), perfect (n), wise (o), wholly good (p), the fountain of life and (q) the spring of all good, (r) Creator and (s) Preserver of heaven and earth, of things visible and invisible. a. Deut. 6 : 4; 32 : 39. b. John 4 : 24. c. Rom. i : 10. d. Gen. 21 : 33. Rom. 16 : 26. e. Ps. 129 : 6; Rom. 11 : 33. f. I Kgs. 8 : 27. Mat. 5 : 34. Act. 7 : 48. g. Col. i : 15. h. James I : 17. i. Gen. 17 : i ; 2 Cor. 6 : 18. k. Exod. 34 : 6, 7; Luc. 6 : 36. 1. Ps. II : 7; Col. 3 : 24, 25. m. Lev. 19 : 2; Mat. S : 48. n. Tit. I : 17. o. Ps. 103 : 8; Mat. 19 : 17. p. Jer. 2 : 13. q. James I : 17. r. Gen. 1:1; Exod. 20 : 11; Act. 4 : 24. s. John 5 : 17- ARTICLE II. HOW THIS ONE GOD IS DISTINGUISHED IN SACRED SCRIPTURE. This one God in sacred Scripture is revealed and dis- tinguished into (a) Father, Son and Holy Spirit (b). There are three (and yet) only one God. a. Mat. 3 : 16-19. b. John 5 : 7. The Mennonites 27 ARTICLE III. HOW THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT, ACCORDING TO THIS DISTINCTION, ARE THREE AND ONE. The Father is (a) the spring and principle of all things, who begat his Son from eternity (b), before all creatures (c), in a manner which the human mind cannot compre- hend (d). The Son is the Father's eternal Word and Wisdom (e), through whom are all things (f). The Holy Spirit (g) is God's power, might or virtue (h), proceeding from the Father (i) and the Son (k). These three are neither divided (1) nor distinguished in respect of nature, essence, or essential attributes, such as eternity, omnipotence, invisibility, immortality, glory and similar things. a. Rotn. II : 36; I Cor. 8:6. b. Mic. 5:2. c. Col. i : iS; Heb. 7:2. d. Ps. 2 : 7. e. John 1:1. f. I Cor. i : 22; Col. 2:3. g. John 14 : 26. h. Luc. i : 31. i. John 15 : 26. k. John 16 : 7; Rev. 22 : I. 1. I John 5 : 7. ARTICLE IV. OF THE CREATION, FALL AND RESTITUTION OF MAN. This one God created man, good (a), according to his own image and likeness (b), for salvation or safety, and in him all men for the same happy end (c). The first man fell into sins (d) and became subject to divine wrath, and by God was raised up again through consolatory promises (e) and admitted to eternal life at the same time with all those who had fallen (f) ; so that none of his posterity, in respect of this restitution, is born guilty of sin or blame (g). a. Gen. i : 31. b. Gen. i : 27. c. Rom. 5 : 18. d. Gen. 3:6; Rom. 5 : 19. e. Gen. 3 : 15, 21. f. Gen. 12 : 3; 22 : 18; 26 : 4; Tir\m e • tS or CrA o • r)'? Rom. S : 18. g. Col. 2 : 22. ARTICLE V. OF THE FACULTY OF MAN BEFORE AND AFTER THE FALL. There was in man who was created good (a) and was continuing in goodness, a faculty of hearing, admitting 28 Baptist Confessions of Faith or rejecting evil which was offered to him by the spirit of wickedness (b). Now in the same man, fallen and perverted, was a faculty of hearing, admitting or reject- ing good, occurring and offered by God (c). For just as before the fall (d), hearing and admitting occurring evil, he manifested the faculty of admitting it, so also after the fall (e), by hearing and admitting occurring good, he shows that he has the faculty of accepting it. But that faculty of accepting or rejecting the grace of God truly offered, remains, through grace, in all his posterity (f). a. Gen. i : 31. b. Gen. 3 : i, 6. c. Gen. 38 : 10, 11, 12, 16, 17. d. Gen. 3 : I, 6. e. Gen. 3 : 8, 9, 10, 15. f. Gen. 4 : 6, 7; 6 : 23, 12; Deut. II : 26; 30 : 19; Ps. 81 : 14; Isa. i : 19, 20; 42 : 18, 19, 20, 21 ; Jer. 8 : 7; 25 : 4; Mat. 11 : 17; 22 : 3; 23 : 36; Luc. 13 : 32; Jhan 5 : 34, 40. ARTICLE VI. OF THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD. God foresaw and foreknew (a) all things which have come to pass, are coming to pass, and shall come to pass, both good and evil, but since he is only perfect good (b) and the fountain of life, we believe and confess that he is the sole Author, Origin and Operator of those things which are good, holy, sincere, pure and which agree with his nature; but not at all of sins and damnable evils. For God enjoins that which is good (d) ; he desires that we obey him in that which is good (e) ; he consults for and admonishes to it (f), and makes great promises to those who obey (g). On the contrary he forbids evil (h), exhorts against evil (i), threatens evil doers (k), and punishes them not rarely in this life (1), and denounces against them eternal punishment (m). And by this means shows himself to be an enemy of sinners and that all iniquity is contrary to his holy nature. And therefore, not God who is good, but man who is evil, by voluntarily choosing sin to which the spirit of wickedness leads him, which is dominant in him, is the author (n), origin and operator of sins and all wickedness, and for this reason is worthy of punishment. The Mennonites a. 103 e. 28; Mat. 24 : 13. h. Gen. 2 : 17. i. Gen. 4:6; Deut, 28 : 15. k. Ps. 7 : 12. 1. Gen. 8 : 19, 24. m. Mat. 3 : 47. n. Hos. 13 : 9; Mich. 9:2; Eph. 2 : 1-3. ARTICLE VII. OF god's predestination, election and reprobation. The cause, therefore, to which man owes his misery and condemnation is man's voluntary choice of darkness (a), agreement with sinners (b), and a life which is spent in sins. Perdition, then, has its rise out of man but not at all out of the good Creator. For God, since he is the highest and most perfect good (c), and Love itself, according to the nature of the highest love and goodness, was not able not to have willed that felicity and salvation should fall to the lot of his creatures. He did not, there- fore, predestinate, ordain or create any one of them that he should be condemned : nor did he wish nor decree that they should sin or live in sins that he might subject them to condemnation. But inasmuch as this good God, as truly as he lives, does not delight in the destruction of any (f), nor wish that any should perish, but that all men should be saved (g) and attain to eternal salvation, so also he decreed and created all men for salvation (h) ; and when fallen, through his ineffable love (i) he restored them in Christ and in him ordained and pre- pared for all a medicine of life (k), if indeed Christ was given (1), offered (m) and died for a propitiation for all. In confirmation of which thing God willed that this universal grace, love and benignity should be announced and offered, through the preaching of the gospel, to all creatures or peoples. All who, being penitent and be- lieving, admit or accept that gracious benefit of God in Christ, (who appeared (o) as a propitiation for the world) (p), and persevere in it (q), are and remain (r) through his mercy the elect, concerning whom God decreed, be- fore the foundation of the world was laid (s), that they should become partakers of the heavenly kingdom and glory. But those who disdain or reject that offered 30 Baptist Confessions of Faith grace (t), love darkness in place of light (v), persevere in impenitence and unbelief, render (w) themselves (through that wickedness) unworthy of salvation, and so on account of their own wickedness are justly rejected by God (x), and deprived of that end for which they were created and in Christ destined (y) and called (z), and therefore do not enjoy forever the Supper of the Lord to which they were invited and called. a. John 3 : ig. b. James i : 15. c. Mat. 19 : 17. d. I John 4:8. e. Eze. 33 : II. f. 2 Petr. 3:9. g. I Tim. 2:4. h. Gen. I : 27. i. Gen. 12 : 3; 22 : 18; Rora. 5 : 19. k. Col. i : 19, 20; I John 2:2; Hebr. 2:9. 1. John 3 : 16. m. Eph. s : 2. n. Mat. 28 : 19; Marc. 16 : 15; Eph. 1:9. o. i John 2 : 2. p. Marc. 16 : 15, 16; John i : 12. q. Mat. 24 : 13; Rev. 2 : 10. r. Mat. 22 : 14; Eph. 1:4. s. Mat. 25 : 34. t. Mat. 22 : 5. v. John 3 : 19. w. Acts 13 : 46. x. 2 Chron. IS : 2; I Kgs. IS : 23, 30; 2 Thess. 2 : 10, 11. y. I Pet. 1:2. z. Mat. 22; Luc. 14 : 16, 17, 24- ARTICLE VIIL OF THE INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD. In the fulness of time God has executed (a) the plan which was with him before the foundation of the world was laid, namely, that he would reconcile to himself the world which he saw would be subjected to divine wrath, and to this end has sent his eternal word, or Son (that the promise made by the Father might be fulfilled (b)) from heaven (c), who in the body of the virgin Mary was made flesh or man (e) through the ad- mirable power of God and the incomprehensible operation of his Holy Spirit. Not indeed in such a manner that the divine Essence of the Word or any part of it was changed into visible and mortal flesh and thus ceased to be Spirit, Deity or God ; but so, that, remaining the eternal Son of God (g), which he was before, namely God (h) and Spirit (i), he was made (what he was not before) namely flesh or man (k). And so this same Jesus is our Emmanuel (1), in the same person true God (m) and true man (n), born of Mary, visible and invisible, external and internal, and the true Son of the living God. (o). a. Gal. 4:4. b. Gen. 3 : IS ; 22 : 18 ; 26 : 4 ; Deut. 18 ■ 15 • Isa. 7 : 14; 9 : 5; 11 : i; Jer. 23 : 5. c. John 13 : 3; 16 : 28; The Mennonites 31 17 : 18. d. Luc. I : 27. e. John i : 14. f. Luc. i : 31. Mat. I : 20. g. Hebr. i : 10-12. h. Rom. 9:5. i, 2 Cor. 3 : 17. k. John I : 14. 1. Isa. 7 : 14. m. I John 5 : 20. n. John 8 : 40; I Titn. 2:5. o. Mat. 19 : 16; John 6 : 69; 9 : 35-37. ARTICLE IX. OF THE FINAL CAUSE OF THE ADVENT OF CHRIST INTO THE WORLD AND OF HIS THREEFOLD OFFICE. This person, God (a) and Man (b), Son of the living God (c), came into this world that he might save sinners (d), or that he might reconcile the world, polluted by sins, to God the Father (e). On this account we confess him to be our only Mediator (f), Prophet (g), Priest (h), King (i). Lawgiver (k) and Teacher, whose mis- sion into the world (1) God promised, to whom it is necessary to hearken (m), in whom to believe (n), and whom to follow (o). a. I John s : 20. b. John 8 : 40. c. Mat. 16 : 16. d. Mat. 9 : IS; I Tim. I : 15. . e. 2 Cor. 5 : 19; I John 2:2. f . I Tim. 2:5. g. Deut. 18 : 15. h. Ps. no : 4; Hebr. 3:1. i. Jer. 33 : IS; Mat. 22 : 5. k. Mat. 17 : 5; 28 : 20; Gal. 6:4. 1. Deut. 18 : IS. m. Mat. 17 : S- n. John 3 : 36. o. John 8 : 12. ARTICLE X. OF THE ABROGATION OF THE LAW AND OF LEGAL THINGS. The intolerable burden of the Mosaic law (a), with all its shadows and types, was brought to an end in Christ (b) and removed from the midst of his people; namely, the sacerdotal office (c) together with temple, altar, sac- rifices and whatever was typically connected with the sacerdotal office; and then the royal office (d) and what- ever adhered to that office, as kingdom (e), sword (f), punishment agreeable to the law (g), war, and, in one word, all that which typically looked to Christ's person, function or office and was a shadow and figure of him. a. Acts IS : 10; 2 Cor. 3 : n, 14. b. Col. 2 : 16, 17. c. Hebr. 8 : 4, S ; 10 : I. d. Luc. i : 28, 29 ; John 18 : 33 ; Mat. 20 : 25- 27; Marc. 10 : 43-4S- e. Isa. 2:4; Mich. 4:3. f. Mat. 5 : 38. g. Zech. 9 : 10. 32 Baptist Confessions of Faith ARTICLE XI. OF THE PROPHETIC OFFICE OF CHRIST. And so this true promised prophet (a) revealed to us the will of God and announced all things (b) which God demands and requires from the people of the New Testa- ment (c). For as God through Moses and other prophets spoke with the people of the old covenant and declared to them his will; so in the last days he has spoken to us through this prophet (Son) (d), and has announced to us the mystery which had been silent from the times of ages (e), and has made us certain of those things (f) which were to be spoken later. He has preached the promised gospel (g), instituted and ordained sacraments, functions and offices, prescribed by God to that end and at the same time, both by life (i) and doctrine (k), has demonstrated what the law of Christians is ( 1 ) , what the rule and norm of life, and what sort of life and (m) path [leads] to eternal life. a. Deut. 18 : 15. b. John 17 : 8; Heb. 1:2. c. Deut. 18 : 18. d. Hebr. 1:2. e. Mat. 13 : 35. f. Heb. 3:5. g. Mat. i : 14. h. Mat. 26 : 25, 26 ; 28 : 19. i. Matt. 5 : 6, 7. k. John 10 : 25, 28; I Pet. 2 : 21 ; I John 2:6. 1. Gal. 6:4. m. John 8 : 12. ARTICLE XII. OF THE SACERDOTAL OFFICE OF CHRIST. Moreover, as the only high priest (a) and mediator of the New Testament (b) he prayed his Heavenly Father for all believers (c), even for those who afiSxed him to the cross and killed him (d). And at last, most obedient to the Father (e), he underwent the most extreme and severe passion and offered himself to the Father (f) on the cross through death as a sacrifice (g) and gift for an odor of good fragrance, and indeed a universal sacrifice, which is of perpetual power (h). a. Heb. 5 : 16, 20. b. 2 Tim. 2:5. c. John 17 : 9, 11, 15, 23. d. Lu. 23 : 33. e. Phil. 2:8. f. Matt. 27 : 49; Mark 15 : 39. g. Eph. 5:2. h. Heb. 10 : 12. The Mennonites 33 ARTICLE XIII. OF THE EFFICACY AND DIGNITY OF THE OBEDIENCE AND UNIQUE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST. We confess that the obedience of the Son of God (a), his bitter passion (b), death (c), effusion of blood (d), and unique sacrifice on the cross, is a reconciUation (e) and satisfaction for us all and for the sins of the whole world: and therefore we, through the blood of his cross, have reconciliation (f) and peace with God (g), and at the same time a firm hope and certitude (h) of enter- ing into eternal life (i) if indeed we persevere in faith, and with unshaken faith place hope in the promise of the gospel. a. Phil. 2:8. b. I Pet. 3 : 18. c. Rom. 4 : 25. d. Heb. 9 : 13, 14, 28. e. 2 Cor. s : 19; I John 2:2. f. Col. i : 14, 19, 20. g. Eph. I : 13. h. Heb. 10 : 19. i. Col. i : 23. ARTICLE XIV. OF THE KINGLY OFFICE OF CHRIST. Jesus Christ, our prophet (a) and priest (b), as the promised and only spiritual heavenly king of the New Testament, has erected a spiritual kingdom and has col- lected many spiritual and faithful men, whom he has provided with spiritual and royal laws (e), and whom according to the nature of his kingdom he has clothed with spiritual arms (f). And in it he has ordained law (g), justice, and their ministers. Of this kingdom he is the preserver (i), defender, strong tower (k), firmness and rock (1), and in it he will remain King, ruling unto eternity (m). a. Deut. 18 : 15. b. Heb. 3:1. c. Jer. 23 : 6; Zech. 9:9. d. Matt. 18 : i; 3 : 23. e. Jer. 33 : 15. f. 2 Cor. 10 : 4; Eph. 6 : 13. g. Jer. 23 : 5. h. I Cor. 12 : 28. i. Ps. 121 : 4, 5. k. Ps. 18 : 3; 19 : 2. 1. Acts 4 : H- ™- Luke i : I9- ARTICLE XV. OF THE BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, AND THEIR UTILITY. Christ, after he was dead by the office of the cross in the earth, and it had imposed an end on him, was 34 Baptist Confessions of Faith buried (a), a certain indication that he was dead, and on the third day after death he rose again (b). Thus he conquered death and at the same time made it certain that he was Lord of death, and could not be held in its chains (c), which to all behevers has been a consolatory- certainty (d) that they are to be liberated and so finally raised from the dead. a. Matt. 27 : 58, 59; I Cor. 15 : 4. b. Matt. 28 : 6; Acts 10 : 40. c. Acts 2 : 24. d. I Cor. 15 : 12, 13, 21. ARTICLE XVI. OF Christ's ascent into the heavens and his glori- fication AFTER THE RESURRECTION. For forty days after the resurrection, he was seen by his disciples (a) and manifested himself to them often, lest anyone should in anywise be doubtful of his resur- rection; and at length, being received by a cloud (b), he ascended into the heavens and entered into his glory (c), leading captivity captive (d) and openly making a spec- tacle of spoiled empires and powers (e), he triumphed over them and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty of God (f), made Lord and Christ (g), glorified in body (h), exalted (i) and crowned with glory and honor (k), and so is priest (1) and king over Mt. Zion forever (m). a. Acts 1:3. b. Mark 16 : 19; Acts 1:9. c. Luke 24 : 25. d. Eph. 4:8. e. Col. 2 : 15. f. Mark 16 : 19; Heb. 8:1. g. Acts 2 : 36. h. John 17:5; Phil. 3 : 21. i. Phil. 2:9. k. Heb. 2:7. 1. Ps. 2:6. m. Ps. no : 2-4. Heb. 7 : 2, 3. ARTICLE XVII. WHAT CHRIST, ACCORDING TO HIS SACERDOTAL OFFICE, PERFORMS NOW IN GLORY. The function or holy office of this glorified priest (a), king (b). Lord (c), and Christ, in that heavenly and glorified state, consists in this, that he directs, rules and guards through his Holy Spirit (d) his holy church in the world through the tempests and billows of the sea of this world. For by virtue of his sacerdotal office, (as minister The Mennonites 35 (e) of the sanctuary and of that true tabernacle) he is our Intercessor (f), Advocate (g), and Mediator (h) with the Father. He teaches (i), consoles, strengthens and baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire (k), with his heavenly gifts and fiery virtues; he sups with faith- ful souls spiritually (1), and makes them partake of food and drink vitalizing to souls (m), the efficacious fruit and worth of his merits acquired for us through the cross, and also that true and peculiarly necessary good which is shadowed forth through the sacraments. a. Heb. 8 : i. b. Rev. 1:5. c. Acts 2 : 36. d. Acts 2 : ;i3. e. Heb. 8:2. f. Rom. 8 : 34. g. I John 2:1. h. I Tim. 2:5. i. John 14 : 26; 16 : 13. k. John i : 33; Matt. 3. 11. 1. Rev. 3 : 20. m. John 6 : 32-34. ARTICLE XVIII. WHAT CHRIST, ACCORDING TO HIS ROYAL OFFICE, PERFORMS NOW IN GLORY. According to his royal office in that heavenly state (a), he rules the hearts of believers through his Holy Spirit and Word (b). He receives them into his tutelage (c), covers them with the shadow of his wings (d), clothes them with spiritual arms (e) for the spiritual struggle against all their enemies, the spirits of evil under heaven and whatever in earth fights against them. That glorious, omnipotent (f), heavenly king bears to them in anxiety succors, frees them from the hand of enemies (g), helps them (h) that they may overcome and come off victors, and has prepared for them in heaven a crown of right- eousness (i). And these are the Lord's freedmen, who dwell in the House of the Lord, and upon the holy Mt. Zion (k), who beat their carnal weapons, their swords (1) into hoes and their spears into pruning hooks, who do not bear the sword, who neither teach the art of war nor give assent to carnal wars. a. Ps. 2:9. b. Rom. 8 : 11, 14. c. John 10 : 28. d. Matt. 23 : 36. e. 2 Cor. 10 : 4; Eph. 6 : 12, 13. f. Matt. 28 : 18. g. Luke I : 69. h. 2 Cor. 2 : 16. i. 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 2 : 10. k. 36 Baptist Confessions of Faith ARTICLE XIX. OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT AND ITS NECESSITY. From that which has now been said concerning the as- cension of Christ into heaven, his glorification, offices and functions in glory, we believe and confess that Christ must be confessed, not only according to the flesh (a), or literally according to history, as his holy in- carnation, generation, revelation or appearance in the flesh, passion, death, cross and whatever refers to him; but we must ascend higher (b), know and acknowledge Christ according to the spirit, in his exaltation and glorification (c), according to his holy office in glory (d) : what the holy scripture pronounces concerning all these things must be embraced with a faithful heart; and with earnest prayers God must be supplicated, that the knowledge of Christ and his holy office according to the spirit, through his love and kindness, may be con- summated in us; indeed that the form and image of Christ (e) through him may be born and erected in us, that he may manifest himself to us (f), may live in us (g), may walk (h), teach (i), preach, that miracles done by him according to the flesh, he may consummate in us according to the spirit, heal us from the sickness of souls (k), from deafness, blindness, leprosy, impurity, sin and death; that he may baptize and wash us with the Spirit and fire (m), that he may nourish (n) and restore us (o) with heavenly food and drink and may make us partakers of his divine nature (p) ; that, indeed through his virtue the old man in us (q) may be crucified with him, so as to have communion with his sufferings and conformity to his death (r) ; and that through him we may rise and be restored to a new life (s) and may experience the power of his resurrection (t) : And all these things for the glory and honor of God, our heavenly Father. This we call knowing Christ according to the spirit; without which knowledge, concerning which our conscience ought to be firmly persuaded, the knowledge of Christ according to the flesh does not at all suffice for obtaining salvation. The Mennonites 37 a. 2 Cor. 5 : 16. b. Phil. 3 : 20; Col. 3. i. c. Phil. 2:9; John 17 : 5. d. Heb. 8:1. e. Matt. 12 : 50; Gal. 4 : 19; James i : 18. f. John 14 : 21. g. Eph. 3 : 17; John 14 : 23. h. 2 Cor. 6 : 16. i. Rev. 3 : 20. k. Isa. 35 : 5. 1. Matt. 9 : 12; Isa. 53 : 4, 5. m. Matt 3 : 11. n. Eph. S : 30; John 6 : 48-50. o. I Cor. 12 : 13. p. 2 Pet. 3:4. q. Rom. 6:5. r. Phil. 3 : 10. s. Rom. 6:5. t. Phil. 3 : 10. V. 2 Cor. 5 : 16, 17. I ARTICLE XX. OF TRUE SAVING FAITH. All goods and benefits which Jesus Christ, through his merits, has acquired for the salvation of sinners we graciously enjoy through true and living faith (a), which operates through love (b). This faith is a most certain cognition or knowledge acquired through the grace of God from the sacred scriptures, concerning God (c), concerning Christ and other heavenly things, the cogni- tion and persuasion of which is necessary to salvation; and these things ought to be accompanied with the love of God (d) and with firm confidence in one God (e), who as a kind loving heavenly Father, will give and donate to us all things which, in respect of body and soul, are use- ful and effective for salvation (f), on account of Christ and his merits. a. John 3 : 19, 36; Acts iS : 2; Rom. 5 : i, 2. b. Gal. 5:6; Rom. 10. c. John 17 : 3. d. Gal. 5:6. e. Heb. 11 : I. f. Matt. 7 : 12; John 16 : 23. ARTICLE XXI. OF JUSTIFICATION. Through living faith (a) of this kind we acquire true righteousness (b), that is (c), pardon or remission of all our past, as well as present, sins (d), on account of the poured out blood of Jesus Christ ; as also true righteous- ness which through Jesus, the Holy Spirit co-operating, is abundantly poured out upon or into us: moreover, as out of evil (g), carnal, avaricious, proud men, we are made good, spiritual, hberal, humble, and even out of unjust men, truly just. And this righteousness has its origin in regeneration. 38 Baptist Confessions of Faith a. Gal. 5:6. b. Rom. 5:1. c. Ps. 32 : i. d. I John i : 7- e. I Cor. 6 : 11; Rom. 4 : 25; I John 3:7. f. Tit. 3 : 5. 6. g. I Cor. 6 : II. ARTICLE XXII. OF REGENERATION. Regeneration is a certain divine quality in the mind of a man truly come to himself, an erection of the image of God in man (a), a renovation of the mind or soul (b), a true illumination of the mind with the knovi^ledge of the truth (c), bringing with it a change of will and of carnal desires and lusts, a sincere mortification of internal wickedness (d) and of the old man delighting himself in lust, wickedness and sin: It is, moreover, a vivification which manifests itself in an honest life according to God, in true goodness, justice and holiness. It is a removal of the stony heart (e), full of vanity, stolidity (f ), blindness, ignorance, sin and perverse pleasures, and, on the con- trary, is the gracious gift of the promised heart of flesh (g), replete with the law of God, light (h), sight, wisdom, understanding, virtue and holy desires. This regener- ation has its rise from God (i) through Christ (k). The medium or instrument through which it is generated in us, is the Holy Spirit (1) with all his fiery virtues, apart from any co-operation of any creature. Here con- cerning the regenerate, we affirm that they are born not out of anything whatsoever which the creature does, but from God (m); and by it we become children of God (n), divine, heavenly and spiritually minded, just and holy. We believe and teach that this regeneration is necessary to salvation according to the words of Christ: (o) " Verily, verily I say to thee, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God " ; and " Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." a. Eph. 4 : 24; Col. 3 : 9, 10. b. Rom. 12 : 2; Eph. 4 ; 23. c. John 8 : 32. d. Eph. 4 : 22-24 ; Col, 3 : 9, 10. e. Eze. 36 : 26. f . Eph. 4 : 17, 18. g. Eze. 36 : 26. h. Jer. 31 : 33. Heb. 8 : 10. i. John 8 : 47; I John 4 : i, 2, 6, 7. k. I Pet. I : 3, 23; James I : 18. 1. John 3 : 5. 6. m. John i : 13; I John 3 : 9. n. John I : 12. o. John 3 : 3. 5- The Mennonites 39 ARTICLE XXIII. OF GOOD WORKS. A man, in this way regenerated and justified by God through Christ, lives through love (a) (which is poured out into his heart (b) through the Holy Spirit) with joy' and gladness (c), in all good works, according to the laws and precepts and customs enjoined on him by God through Christ. He watches, gives thanks (d) and blesses God (e) with a pure heart and holy life, for all his benefits and especially for those which pertain to the soul. Such are holy plants of the Lord (f), trees of justice who worship God with good works (g) and ardently expect the blessed remuneration promised them by God (h), through his abundant goodness (i). a. John 14 : 23; Gal. S- b. Rom. 5. c. Ps. 1:2; 10 : 2. d. Ps. 103 : I. e. Matt. 5:8. f. Isa. 61 : 3. g. Matt. 5 : 16. h. Eph. 2:7. i. Luke 6 : 23; I Cor. 3 : 14. ARTICLE XXIV. OF THE CHURCH. Such believing and regenerated men, dispersed through- out the whole earth (a), are the true people of God or Church of Jesus Christ in the earth, which he loved (b) and for which he gave himself up that he might sanctify it, which indeed he did sanctify through the laver, in the word of life. Of this church (c) Jesus Christ is the Foundation, Head (d). Shepherd (e). Leader (f). Lord (g), King, and Master (h). This alone is his adored (i) spouse (k), holy body, flock (1), and people and through regeneration (m) his flesh and bones. But even though a huge multitude of deceivers and hypocrites are hidden and live among this church (n), yet those alone who in Christ are regenerated and sanctified are true members of Christ's body (o), and for this reason heirs of his blessed promises of which great benefits the de- ceivers and hypocrites, on account of their own blame and wickedness, are deprived. 40 Baptist Confessions of Faith a. Matt. 8 : ii; 24 : 3; Rev. 7:9. b. Eph. 5 : 25. c. I Cor. 3 : II. d. Eph. 5 : 23. e. John 10 : 11. f. Phil. 2 : 11. g. Matt. 21 : 5. h. John 13 : 15. i. John 3 : 29; Rev. 21 : 2. k. Eph. 5 : 23. 1. John 10 : 16. m. Eph. 5 : 30. n. Matt. 13 : 24, &c. o. 2. Cor. 5 : 17. p. Luke 14 : 24. ARTICLE XXV. OF THE MINISTRIES TO BE EXERCISED IN THE CHURCH. In this his holy church Christ has ordained an evangel- ical ministry, namely, teaching of the divine word (a), use of the holy sacraments, and the care of the poor (b), as also ministers for performing these ministries : and moreover the exercise of fraternal admonition (c), pun- ishment and finally removal of those who persevere in im- penitence: which ordinances, originating in the word of God, are to be performed only according to the meaning of the same word (d). a. Matt. 28 : 19; Mark 16 : 15. b. Acts 6 : 2, 3, 4. c. Matt. 18 : 15; Luke 17 : 3. d. Matt. 17 : 5. ARTICLE XXVI. OF THE ORDER WHICH IS TO BE OBSERVED IN THE CHURCH ABOUT MINISTRIES. Just as the body consists of divers members and each member performs its own work, for no member is [in turn] hand, eye or foot; in the same way (a) things are done in the Church of God. For although every be- liever is a member of the body of Christ, not everyone is for that reason a teacher, bishop or deacon: but those only who (b) have been set apart to those ministries according to order. Wherefore the administrations of those functions or offices do not pertain to every one, but to the ordained. a. Rom. 12 : 4; I Cor. 12 : 12. b. Heb. 5 : 7. ARTICLE XXVII. HOW ELECTION TO THOSE MINISTRIES IS ACCOMPLISHED. Calling or election to the aforesaid ministries is accom- plished through the ministers of the church and its mem- The Mennonites 41 bers conjointly (a), and by invocation of the name of God : for God alone knows hearts, walks in the midst of the believers (b), who are congregated in his name, and through his Holy Spirit directs their intellects and minds so that through them he manifests and calls forth such as he knows will be useful to his church. a. Acts I : 21 ; 14 : 2. b. Matt. 18 : 19, 20. ARTICLE XXVIII. OF CONFIRMATION TO THE AFORESAID MINISTRIES. But although the election and call aforesaid are ac- complished in the method [aforesaid] , yet confirmation in the ministry itself is performed by the elders of the people in the presence of the church (a) and that for the most part by the imposition of hands. a. Acts 6 : 6 ; 13 : 3 ; I Tim. 4 : 1412 Tim. i : 7. ARTICLE XXIX. OF THE DOCTRINE AND DOCTRINAL BOOKS OF THE SAME MINISTERS. The doctrine which ordained ministers propose to the people ought to be or to agree with that which Jesus Christ brought from heaven (a), which he taught the people by word and work, that is, in doctrine and life, and which the apostles of Christ, at the mandate and ac- cording to the spirit of Christ, announced (c). It (as much as is necessary to us for salvation (d) is contained in the books of the New Testament to which we join all that which is found in the canonical books of the Old Testament and which is consonant with the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles and in accord with the adminis- tration of his spiritual kingdom. a. Heb. 2 : 3; 12 : 25. b. Acts 1:1. c. Matt. 28 : 19; Mark 16 : 15. d. Deut. 4 : i, 2; 2 Tim. 3 : 16. 42 Baptist Confessions of Faith ARTICLE XXX. OF THE SACRAMENTS. Jesus Christ instituted in his church two sacraments (whose administration he attached to the teaching office), namely, Holy Baptism (a) and the Holy Supper (b). These are external and visible actions, and signs of the immense goodness of God toward us ; placing before our eyes, on the part of God, the internal and spiritual ac- tion which God accomplishes (c) through Christ (the Holy Spirit co-operating) by regenerating, justifying, spiritually nourishing and sustaining the souls which repent and believe (d) ; we on our part, by the same means, confess religion, repentance (e), faith (f) and our obedience (g) by earnestly directing our conscience to the service (or worship) of God. a. Matt. 28 : 19; Mark 16 : 15. b. Matt. 26 : 25; Luc. 22 : 19. c. Tit. 3:5. d. Eph. S : 29; Rev. 3 : 23. e. Acts 2 : 38. f. Acts 8 ; 36. g. Matt. 3 : 15. ARTICLE XXXI. OF EXTERNAL BAPTISM. Holy Baptism is an external, visible and evangelical action, in which, according to Christ's precept (a) and the practice of the apostles (b), for a holy end (c), are baptized with water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, those who hear, believe and freely receive in a penitent heart the doctrine of the holy gospel (d) ; for such Christ commanded to be bap- tized, but by no means infants. a. I Pet. 3 : 21. b. Matt. 28 : 19; Mark 16 : 15. c. Acts 2 • 38, 41; 8 : II, 36, 37; 10 : 45, 48; 16 : 15, 32-34; 18 : 8; 19 : 5. d. Matt. 3 : is; Acts 2 : 38; Rom. 6 : 3, 4; Col. 2 : 12. ARTICLE XXXII. WHAT BAPTISM SIGNIFIES INTERNALLY. The whole action of external, visible baptism places before our eyes, testifies and signifies that Jesus Christ The Mennonites 43 baptizes internally (a) in a laver of regeneration (b) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, the penitent and believing man: washing away, through the virtue and merits of his poured out blood, all the spots and sins of the soul (c) and through the virtue and operation of the Holy Spirit, which is a true, heavenly (d), spiritual and living water, [washing away] the internal wickedness of the soul (e) and renders it heavenly (f), spiritual (g) and living (h) in true righteousness and goodness. Moreover baptism directs us to Christ and his holy office by which in glory he performs that which he places before our eyes, and testifies concerning its consummation in the hearts of believers and admonishes us that we should not cleave to external things, but by holy prayers ascend into heaven and ask from Christ the good indicated through it [baptism] (i) : a good which the Lord Jesus graciously concedes and increases in the hearts of those who by true faith become partakers of the sacraments. a. Matt. 3 : 11; John i : 33. b. Eph. S : 26; Tit. 3:5. c. I John 1:7. d. Isa. 44 : 3 ; Eze. 36 : 27 ; Joel 2 : 28 ; John 7 : 38. e. I Cor. 6 : 11; Tit. 3 : 5-7. f. Phil. 3 : 20. g. Rom. 8:9. h. Eph. 2 : 4, 5. i. John 7 : 31. ARTICLE XXXHI. OF THE HOLY SUPPER. The Holy Supper (as also Baptism) is an external and visible evangelical action in which, according to the pre- cepts of Christ (a), and the usage of the Apostles (b), for a holy end (c), we partake of bread and wine. The bread is broken, the wine is poured out and by them are sustained those who, believing, are baptized according to the institution of Christ. The bread is eaten by them, the wine is drunk. Thus Christ's death and bitter suf- fering are proclaimed (d), and all these things are done in commemoration of him. (e). a. Luke 22 : 19. b. Acts 2 : 42; 20 : 11 ; I Cor. 11 : 22. c. I Cor. ID : is; II : 28. d. I Cor. 11 : 25. c. Luke 22 : 19; I Cor. II ; 24. 44 Baptist Confessions of Faith ARTICLE XXXIV. WHAT THE HOLY SUPPER SIGNIFIES. The whole action of the external and visible supper places before our eyes, testifies and signifies that Christ's holy body was broken on the cross (a) and his holy blood poured out (b), for the remission of our sins; that he is now glorified in heaven, is the living bread, food and drink of our souls (c). It places before our eyes Christ's office or ministry in glory while he sups spiritually with believing souls (d) by nourishing and feeding souls with spiritual food (e). Through it we are taught, in that external action, to elevate our hearts on high with holy supplications (f), and to seek from Christ the true and highest good shadowed forth in this supper; (g) and finally it exhorts us to give thanks to God and to exercise unity and love among ourselves (h). a. Luke 22 : 19; I Cor. 11 : 23. b. Mark 14 : 24. c. John 6 : 51, SS- d. Rev. 3 : 20. e. Eph. S : 29. f. Col. 3 : i, 2. g. I Cor. 10 : 16. h. I Cor. 10 : 17. ARTICLE XXXV. OF EXCOMMUNICATION. Ecclesiastical discipline or extreme punishment is like- wise an external action among believers, by which an impenitent sinner, after Christian conversation (a) and sufficient admonition, is excluded from the communion of God and his saints, on account of si«s; and against him the wrath and anger of God (until he comes to himself and amends) is denounced. By which external eccle- siastical exclusion is shown how God has already before- hand dealt with the excluded one on account of his sins, or judged concerning him. With God, therefore, the judgment upon the fallen sinner is antecedent (b), but with the church subsequent judgment. Wherefore special care must be taken, that no one be condemned in the church who has not beforehand been condemned by the word of God. a. Matt. 18 : 15-18; I Cor. 5 : 2, 12. b. John 5 : 22; 12 : 48. The Mennonites 45 ARTICLE XXXVI. OF WITHDRAWAL FROM PERVERSE APOSTATES. Those excluded from the church are by no means admitted (as long as they persevere in sins) to the com- munion of the Holy Supper or other ecclesiastical actions, but we deprive them of these and all other privileges by which any communion, fraternity or spiritual participation in sacred things is signified. And since the life and daily conversation of wicked and perverse men offends and is hurtful (a), and not infrequently a stumbling block to the good, and subjects them to calumny; for these reasons, they withdraw themselves from them, nor do they wish to have any communion with them, their actions, words or works, lest their pure mind be polluted and contaminated and the name of God blasphemed: and all this in this manner, in accordance with the word of God as supreme law; the married do not separate themselves nor do they withdraw themselves from marital privileges, and so nothing is done in this matter which is contrary to love, mercy. Christian justice, want, promises and other similar things. a. I Cor. 5 : S ; 2 Tim. 2 : 10, 17, 18 ; 2 Tim. 3:10; Tit. 3 : 10. ARTICLE XXXVII. OF THE OFFICE OF CIVIL MAGISTRATE. Government or the civil Magistrate is a necessary or- dinance of God (a), instituted for the government of common human society and the preservation of natural life and civil good, for the defense of the good and the punishment of the evil. We acknowledge, the word of God obliging us, that it is our duty to reverence magis- tracy (b) and to show to it honor and obedience in all things wjiich are not contrary to the word of God (c). It is our duty to pray the omnipotent God for them (d), and to give thanks to him for good and just magistrates and without murmuring to pay just tribute and customs ( e ) . This civil government the Lord Jesus did not institute in his spiritual kingdom, the church of the New Testament, 46 Baptist Confessions of Faith nor did he join it to the offices of his church (f) : nor did he call his disciples or followers to royal, ducal or other power; nor did he teach that they should seize it and rule in a lordly manner ; much less did he give to the members of his church the law (g), agreeable to such office or dominion: but everywhere they are called away from it (which voice heard from heaven (h) ought to 'be heeded) to the imitation of his harmless life (i) and his footsteps bearing the cross (k), and in which nothing is less in evidence than an earthly kingdom, power and sword. When all these things are carefully weighed (and moreover not a few things are joined with the office of civil magistracy, as waging war, depriving enemies of goods and life, etc., which [do not agree with] the lives of Christians who ought to be dead to the world), they agree either badly or plainly not at all, hence we withdraw ourselves from such offices and administrations. And yet we do not wish that just and moderate power should in any manner be despised or condemned, but that it should be truly esteemed, as in the words of Paul (1), the Holy Spirit dictating, it ought to be esteemed. a. Rom. 13 : i, 3, 4, 6. b. Tit. 3:1;! Pet. 2 : 13, 17. c. Acts 4 : 19. d. Jer. 29 : 7; I Tim. 2 : i, 2. e. Matt. 22 : 17; Rom. 13 : 7- f. I Cor. 12 : 28; Eph. 4 : 11. g. Matt. 20 : 25-28; Luke 22 : 25-27. h. Matt. 17 : 5. i. John 8 : 12; 10 : 27. k. Heb. 12 : 2, 3; I Pet. 2 : 21-23. 1- Rom. 13 : 1-3. ARTICLE XXXVIII. OF THE OATH. Jesus Christ, King and Lawgiver (a) of the New Testament, has forbidden to Christians every oath (b), and for this reason all oaths are unlawful to the believers of the New Testament. a. Matt. 28 : 20; Gal. 6:4. b. Matt. 5 : 34; James 5 : 10. ARTICLE XXXIX. OF MARRIAGE. Marriage we profess to be an ordinance of God which must be entered into according to the primal institution The Menn onites 47 (a) ; that each man have his own only wife (b) and each woman her own and one husband. This marriage cannot be dissolved except for the cause of adultery (c). Neither do we think it allowable that any of us should enter into marriage outside the Church of God, with wicked, un- beHeving or carnal men (d), and we condemn that (as other sins) by the word of God, the state of the time and the reason of things. a. Gen. 2 : 22; Matt. 19 : 4. b. I Cor. 7:2; Eph. S : 31. c. Matt. 19 : 9. d. Deut. 7:3;! Cor. 7 : 39. ARTICLE XL. OF Christ's return, of the resurrection of the dead, AND of the last JUDGMENT. Lastly, we believe and teach that Jesus Christ, our glorious King and Lord, visibly just as he ascended (a), will return from heaven (b) with power and great glory, and with him all the holy angels (c), that he may be glorified in his saints (d) and may be admired by all be- lievers, and will manifest himself as the Judge of the living and the dead (e). At that time (f) all men, just and unjust, who have lived upon the earth and have died, will rise from the dead (with incorruption (g)) and live again, their souls being reunited with their own bodies in which they had lived evilly or well (h). But those who are alive in that day and have not died, changed in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye, will put on incorruption, (i) and the whole multitude of the human race will stand before the tribunal of Christ (k) to report (1) what each one has done in the body according to that which he has done whether good or evil. Then Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (m), and will place the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left (n), and will give sentence. The just who have lived here holily and have exercised all the works of charity and mercy (o), as the husband (p) of that Christian multi- tude, he will take to himself. They will enter with him into eternal life (q) and celestial joy and glory, where all 48 Baptist Confessions of Faith will always be with the Lord (r) and will possess forever that kingdom (s) which God the Father had prepared for them from the beginning of the world. But the un- righteous who have not known God (t) nor regarded the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, will be condemned to eternal fire (v), which was prepared for the Devil and his angels, and there they will undergo sorrow and eternal perdition (x), from the face of the Lord and the glory of his power. Preserve us, omnipotent God, full of grace and mercy, from the punishment of the impious; and concede to us grace and gifts for a holy life and happy death and a joyous resurrection with all believers. Amen. a. Acts I : 11. b. Matt. 24 : 30; 2 Thess. 1:7. c. Matt. 25 : 31. d. 2 Thess. i : 10. e. Acts 10 : 42; 2 Tim. 4:1. f. Matt. 25 : 32; John 5 : 28. g. I Cor. 15 : 42. h. 2 Cor. 5 : 10. i. I Cor. IS : 51, 52. k. Matt. 25 : 32. 1. 2 Cor. 5 : 10. m. Matt. 25 : 32. n. Matt. 25 : 47. o. Matt. 25 : 35, 36, 37, 38. p. Matt. 25 : 10. q. John 5 : 29; Matt. 25 : 47. r. I Thess. 4 : 17. s. Matt. 25 : 34. t. 2 Thess. 1:8. v. Matt. 25 : 42. x. Isa. 2 : 10; 2 Thess. I : 9. IL Other Confessions Other Mennonite Confessions were drawn up in the lat- ter part of the sixteenth and early in the seventeenth cen- turies, chiefly by the Dutch Mennonites, in the Dutch lan- guage. They were, for the most part, union documents drawn up in an effort to heal the schisms that so griev- ously afflicted the body. 1. The Concept of Cologne, drawn up May i, 1591, and signed by the chief ministers of the Frisian and High Ger- man Mennonites. Schyn, " Historia," II, 79. 2. The next Confession was drawn up at Amsterdam, September 27, 1625, and was called " The Olive Branch." It was an attempt to give a scriptural answer to the ques- tion, " What are the fundamental and unmistakable marks " by which the children of God may be known ? It is found in a condensed Latin form in Schyn II, 85f, and The Mennonites 49 in English, translated directly from the Dutch in Van Braght's " Martyrs' Mirror," pp. 26-32. 3. A Confession treating only of the one God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and of the Incarnation of the Son of God, was presented to the deputies of Holland October 8, 1626, and was accepted by them as the basis of the policy of complete toleration of the Mennonites. Schyn, " Historia," etc., I, 79-85. 4. Another Confession in twenty-one articles was drawn up at Amsterdam, October 7, 1630, called " A Brief Confession of Faith and of the Principal Articles of the Christian Religion." Latin in full in Schyn II, 87-114; English translated from the Dutch in Van Braght, 32-36. 5. The Confession in use at present. The most im- portant of all the Mennonite Confessions was drawn up in eighteen articles at a peace convention held in Dort, April 21, 1632, and was signed by fifty-one ministers, representing the Mennonite churches in sixteen of the leading cities of the Netherlands, and two from the upper country. It was afterward adopted by the Ger- man and French Mennonites of the Palatinate and Alsace and translated into their tongues. It was later translated into English and is still, with some verbal changes, the Confession of the Mennonites of America, by whom it is diligently circulated. It is found in Van Braght's " Martyrs' Mirror," pp. 36-42. These later Mennonite Confessions had no direct in- fluence on Baptist Confessions and, therefore, are not reproduced. part Zhxcc THE ENGLISH BAPTISTS English Baptists, from the beginning of their history, have been divided on the basis of the two great types of theology into two parties, Calvinistic and Arminian. With the exception of the Anabaptists, the theology of all parties of reformers was Augustinian, emphasizing predestination and personal election, a limited atonement, the final perseverance of the saints, and related doctrines. But in the beginning of the seventeenth century there was rising in the Netherlands a new theology, emphasiz- ing the freedom of the will, the universality of the atone- ment, conditional election, possible apostasy, and related doctrines. This theology began as a criticism of Calvin- ism as it then existed in the Netherlands, and produced a tremendous sensation, little short of a national revolu- tion. The English Baptists arose in the Netherlands, and possibly because of their contact with this new theology and their affinity with the Anabaptists or Mennonites, who held this type of doctrine, they adopted a theology which, from its leading representative, James Arminius, soon came to be known as Arminianism. Because they believed in a universal or general atonement they came to be known as General Baptists. Of the two parties or wings of English Baptists priority of origin belongs, therefore, to the Arminians, and these we shall study first. The other party, or wing, will be considered later. Of course, it will be understood that the whole matter is viewed historically. 5° The English Baptists 51 I. Arminian or General Baptist Confessions I. FIRST GROUP No Baptist Confession before 1644, a-^d none of the General Baptist Confessions till that of 1660, specifies immersion or dipping as the mode of baptism, and it is doubtful if the confessions prior to these dates ought to be called Baptist; but such is the custom, and it is fol- lowed here. Some English Puritans came, in the latter part of the sixteenth century, to regard the English Church as un- scriptural, hopelessly corrupt, and incapable of reform. They, therefore, left it and set up independent congre- gations, Calvinistic in theology and life, but congrega- tional and democratic in church government. These views first appeared in eastern England where there had been Dutch Anabaptists for nearly half a century, to whose in- fluence they may have been in some measure due. At any rate, about 1580, under the leadership of Robert Browne, the first independent congregation of this type was set up at Norwich. Similar congregations were soon gathered at London, Gainsborough, Scrooby, and possibly elsewhere soon afterward. The rigorous measures of the English government broke up all these bodies of Independents, or Brownists, as they were sometimes called. For safety and freedom most of them fled to the Netherlands. Browne and some of his followers went to Middleburg, whence he soon returned to England and ultimately re- united with the English Church. Barrow, Greenwood, and Penry, leaders of the London congregation, were hanged in 1593, and the congregation was broken up, a part fleeing to Amsterdam, where they again set up the congregation. In 1606 or the following year, John Smyth, Thomas Helwys, John Morton, and the Gains- borough congregation also fled to Amsterdam, where 52 Baptist Confessions of Faith they set up a second congregation with John Smyth as pastor. In 1608, John Robinson, William Bradford, William Brewster, and the Scrooby congregation fled to Amsterdam, and thence in 1609 to Leyden, whence in 1620 a part came to America in the Mayflower and laid the foundation of New England. All these were what are now called Congregational churches. In Amsterdam they came in contact with the Anabaptists, or Menno- nites, with whom they already had much in common. Both were suffering for their views, while they aspired largely for the same thing — a pure church of believers. These circumstances doubtless drew the two parties together from the first. As early as 1606 we learn that " divers of them [English Independents in the Netherlands] fell into the errors of Anabaptism." In 1608 or 1609 John Smyth, the pastor of the second church at Amsterdam, and a large part of his congregation had come to recognize the unscripturalness of infant baptism and had determined to adopt believers' baptism. It might have been expected that they would go for baptism to the Mennonites with whom they had so much in common. But there were im- portant differences about such questions as the oath, war, civil magistracy, and other things, and conseqviently these Englishmen began baptism anew. Smyth, apparently, baptized himself (probably by affusion, as was the custom of both the English Independents and the Dutch Men- nonites at this time), and then some forty-one others, thus organizing the first English Baptist or Anabaptist church out of members of the second Congregational Church at Amsterdam. Along with infant baptism they also gave up Calvinistic theology and accepted the Ar- minian system, the type, as we have seen, which had been held from the first by the Anabaptists, and which was now greatly agitating the Netherlands, The English Baptists 53 Smyth soon came to feel that he had acted without Scriptural warrant in instituting baptism anew when the Mennonites, which he now regarded as a true church of Christ, were at hand to administer the ordinance. He did not believe they had succession from the apostles, for he distinctly asserts that succession had been " broken oflf " ; nor did he believe succession was in any sense necessary to the existence of a true church or the validity of baptism. He held that one would be warranted in beginning baptism anew if there were no true church in existence, or at hand, to administer the ordinance; but where a true church existed, it was the duty of the indi- vidual to make application to it. He and some others, therefore, apphed to the Mennonites for admission to their communion.^ Helwys, Morton, and other members of his church disagreed with their pastor on this point, and the church was disrupted about 1609. Smyth and his party stood nearer the Mennonites, believing their own baptism to be unscriptural ; Helwys and his party desired to be on a friendly footing with the Mennonites, but asserted the validity of their own baptism, and proposed to preserve their independent organization and identity. Smyth died August, 1612, and his party seem to have been absorbed by the Mennonites ; Helwys and his party, in 1612, returned to England, but continued a friendly correspondence with the Mennonites, while they preserved their own identity and founded the General Baptists in England. The controversy between the two parties and the desire of both to retain the friendship of the Men- nonites, produced the first group of General Baptist Con- fessions. These were all drawn up in the Netherlands, but their exact dates, origin, history, and relations are not entirely clear in most cases. Some of them were 1 " Smyth's Retraction," in Barclay's Inner Life. Appendix to Chap. VI, P- 5. 54 Baptist Confessions of Faith never published, and none of them, it is likely, had any wide circulation, since the entire Baptist body was at this time very small. 1. What is perhaps the earliest of this group is a brief Confession, consisting of twenty articles in Latin (never printed) signed by John Smyth. It has been supposed that this Confession was submitted by Smyth and his party to the Mennonite church of Amsterdam as the basis for their application for membership in that body, though there is nothing in the manuscript to justify the supposition. (Translated in Evans' " Early English Baptists," I, 253f.) 2. Another Confession consisted of thirty-eight articles in Dutch, signed by Smyth and forty-one others. It was drawn up by Hans de Ries, a Mennonite ; was then signed by the English applicants for membership and sent by Ries to other Mennonite churches, with the request for advice as to whether the English ought to be received on that basis. Recently it has been translated into EngHsh by Professor Miiller, and appears in Evans I, 45f. It is in complete accord with the peculiar tenets of the Men- nonites and probably did not properly represent the views of the majority of the English General Baptists as to oaths, war, civil magistracy, etc. It is almost a reproduc- tion of the Confession of Ries and Gerrits, of 1580 (see p. 26), with two'articles, XIX and XXII, omitted. Prof. Miiller's translation follows: A SHORT CONFESSION OF FAITH. Article i. We believe, through the power and instruc- tion of the Holy Scriptures that there is one only God, who is a Spirit, eternal, incomprehensible, infinite, al- mighty, merciful, righteous, perfectly wise, only good, and only fountain of life and all goodness, the Creator of heaven and earth, things visible and invisible. The English Baptists 55 2. This only God in the Holy Scriptures is manifested and revealed in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, being three, and nevertheless but one God. 3. The Father is the original and the beginning of all things who hath begotten his Son from everlasting be- fore all creation. That Son is the everlasting Word of the Father, and his wisdom. The Holy Ghost is his virtue, power, and might, proceeding from the Father and the Son. These three are not divided, nor separated in essence, nature, property, eternity, power, glory or excellency. 4. This only God hath created man good, according to his image and likeness, to a good and happy estate, and in him all men to the same blessed end. The first man was* fallen into sin and wrath and was again by God, through a sweet comfortable promise, restored and af- firmed to everlasting life, with all those that were guilty through him so that none of his posterity (by reason of this institution) are guilty, sinful, or born in original sin. 5. Man being created good, and continuing in good- ness, had the ability, the spirit of wickedness tempting him, freely to obey, assent, or reject the propounded evil : man being fallen and consisting (sic) in evil, had the ability, the T — himself moving freely to obey, assent or reject the propounded good ; for as he through free power to the choice of evil, obeyed and affirmed that evil; so did he through free power to the choice of good, obey and reassent that propounded good. This last power or ability remaineth in all his posterity. 6. God hath before all time foreseen and foreknown all things, both good and evil, whether past, present, or to come. Now, as he is the only perfect goodness, and the very fountain of life itself, so is he the only author, original, and maker of such good things as are good, holy, pure, and of nature like unto him ; but not of sin, or damnable uncleanness. He forbiddeth the evil, he fore- warneth to obey evil, and threateneth the evil doer : he is the permitter and punisher. But evil men, through free choice of all sin and wickedness, together with the spirit of wickedness which ruleth in them, are the authors, * Interlined. S6 Baptist Confessions of Faith originals, and makers of all sin, and so worthy the punishment. 7. The causes and ground, therefore, of man's destruc- tion and damnation, are the man's free choice of dark- ness or sin, and living therein. Destruction, therefore, cometh out of himself, but not from the good Creator. For being perfect goodness and love itself ( following the nature of love and perfect goodness) he willeth the health, good, and happiness of his creatures; therefore hath he predestinated that none of them should be condemned, nor ordained, or will the sinner, or means whereby they should be brought to damnation: yea, much more (see- ing he hath no delight in any man's destruction, nor willing that any man perish, but that all men should be saved or blessed) hath he created them all to a happy end in Christ, hath foreseen and ordained in him a medicine of life for all their sins, and hath willed that all people or creatures, through the preaching of the gospel, should have these tidings published and declared unto them; now all they that with penitence and faithful hearts re- ceive and embrace the gracious benefits of God, mani- fested in Christ, for the reconciliation of the world, they are and continue the elect which God hath ordained be- fore the foundation of the world, to make partakers of his kingdom and glory. But they which despise and contemn this proffered grace of God, which love the darkness more than the light, persevere in impenitence and unbelief, they make themselves unworthy of blessed- ness, and are rejected, excluded from the end whereto they were created and ordained in Christ, and shall not taste forever of the Supper of the Lord, to which they were invited. 8. The purpose which God, before the foundation of the world, had for the reconciliation of the world (which he saw would fall into wrath and want of grace), he hath in the fulness of time accomplished ; and for this purpose hath sent out of heaven his everlasting Word, or Son, for the fulfilling of the promises made unto the fathers and hath caused him to become flesh * . . in the womb of the holy virgin (called Mary) by his word, and power, * Word wanting. The English Baptists 57 and the working of the Holy Ghost. Not that the essence of God, the eternal Word, or any part thereof, is changed into a visible mortal flesh or man, ceasing to be Spirit, God, or God's essence; but that he, the everlasting Son of God, continuing that he was before, namely, God or Spirit, became what he was not, that is, flesh or man ; and he is one person true God and man, born of Mary, being visibly and invisibly, inwardly and outwardly, the true Son of the living God. 9. This Person, God and Man, the Son of the living God, is come into the world to save sinners, or to reconcile the sinful world to God the Father: therefore now ac- knowledge him to be the only Mediator, King, Priest and Prophet, Lawgiver and Teacher, which God hath promised to send into the world, whom we must trust, believe, and follow. 10. In him is fulfilled, and by him is taken away, an intolerable burden of the law of Moses, even all the shadows and figures ; as, namely, the priesthood, temple, altar, sacrifice; also the kingly oflfice, kingdom, sword, revenge appointed by the law, battle and whatsoever was a figure of his person or office, so thereof a shadow or representation. 11. And as the true promised Prophet he hath mani- fested and revealed unto us whatsoever God asketh or requireth of the people of the New Testament; for as God, by Moses and the other prophets, hath spoken and declared his will to the people of the Old Testament; so hath he in those last days, by his Prophet spoken unto us, and revealed unto us the mystery (concealed from the be- ginning of the world), and hath now manifested to us whatsoever yet remained to be manifested. He hath preached the promised glad tidings, appointed and or- dained the sacraments, the offices and ministries, by God thereto destinated ; and hath showed by doctrine and life, the law of Christians, a rule of their life, the path and way of everlasting life. 12. Moreover, as a High Priest and Mediator of the New Testament, after that he hath accomplished the will of his Father in the foresaid works, he hath finally given himself obediently (for the reconciliation of the sins of 58 Baptist Confessions of Faith the world) to all outward suffering, and hath offered up himself in death upon the cross unto the Father, for a sweet savor and common oblation. 13. We acknowledge that the obedience of the Son of God, his suffering, dying, bloodshed, bitter passion, death, and only sacrifice upon the cross, is a perfect reconcili- ation and satisfaction for our sins and the sins of the world ; so that men thereby are reconciled to God, are brought into power, and have a sure hope and certainty to the entrance into everlasting life. 14. Christ, our Prophet and Priest, being also the promised, only spiritual, heavenly King of the New Testament, hath erected, or built, a spiritual kingdom, and united a company of faithful, spiritual men; these persons hath he endowed with spiritual, kingly laws, after the nature of the heavenly kingdom, and hath estab- lished therein justice, righteousness, and the ministers thereof. 15. Having accomplished and performed here upon the earth, by dying the death, his office of the cross he was afterwards buried, thereby declaring that he was truly dead; the third day he rose again, and stood up from the dead, abolishing death, and testifying that he was Lord over death, and he could not possibly be detained by the hands of death, thereby comfortably assuring all the faithful of their resurrection and standing up from death. 16. Afterwards, forty days spent, he conversed amongst his disciples, and ofttimes showed himself unto them that there might no doubt be had concerning his resurrection ; after that, being compassed by a cloud, he was carried up into heaven, and entered into his glory, leading cap- tivity captive, and making a show of his enemies, hath gloriously triumphed over them, and is sat at the right hand of the Majesty of God, and is become a Lord, and Christ, glorified in body, advanced, lifted up, and crowned with praise and glory, and remaineth over Mount Sion a Priest, and King for everlasting. 17. The holy office of this glorified Priest, King, Lord and Christ, in the heavenly glorious being is to help, gov- ern, and preserve, by his Holy Spirit, his holy church The English Baptists 59 and people in the world, through the storm, wind, and troubles of the sea; for, according to his priestly office, as an overseer or steward of the true tabernacle, is he our Intercessor, Advocate, and Mediator by the Father. He teacheth, comforteth, strengtheneth, and baptizeth us with the Holy Ghost, his heavenly gifts and fiery victims, and keepeth his spiritual supper with the faithful soul, making it partaker of the life giving food and drink of the soul, the fruit, virtue, and worth of his merits ob- tained upon the cross ; the only and necessary good signi- fied in the sacraments. 1 8. And according to his kingly office, in his heavenly* being he governeth the hearts of the faithful by his Holy Spirit and Word ; he taketh them into his protection, he covereth them under the shadow of his wings, he armeth them with spiritual weapons for the spiritual warfare against all their enemies, namely, the Spirit of wicked- ness, under heaven, and whatsoever dependeth on them in this earth. He, their most Glorious, Almighty, Heavenly King, standeth by them, delivereth and f reeth them from the hands of their enemies, giveth them victory and the winning of the field, and hath prepared for them a crown of righteousness in heaven. And they being the redeemed of the Lord, who dwell in the house of the Lord, upon the Mount Sion, do change their fleshly weapons, namely, their swords into shares, and their spears into scythes, do lift up no sword, neither hath nor consent to fleshly battle. 19. All these spiritual good things and beneficial, which Christ, by his merits, hath obtained for the saving of sinners, we do graciously enjoy through a true, living, working faith. Which faith is an assured understanding and knowledge of the heart, obtained out of the Word of God, concerning God, Christ, and other heavenly things which are necessary for us to know, and to believe to salvation, together with a hearty confidence in the only God, that he, as a gracious and heavenly Father, will give and bestow upon us, through Christ, and for his merits, whatsoever is helpful and profitable for body and soul for salvation. • Interlined. 6o Baptist Confessions of Faith 20. Through such a faith we obtain true righteousness, forgiveness, absolution from sin through the bloodshed of Christ, and through righteousness, which through the Christ Jesus, by the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, is plentifully shed and poured into us, so that we truly are made, of evil men, good ; of fleshly, spiritual ; of covetous, liberal; of proud, humble; and through regeneration are made pure in heart, and the children of God. 21. Man being thus justified by faith, liveth and worketh by love (which the Holy Ghost sheddeth into the heart) in all good works, in the laws, precepts, ordinances given them by God through Christ; he praiseth and blesseth God, by a holy life, for every benefit, especially of the soul; and so are all such plants of the Lord trees of righteousness, who honor God through good works, and expect a blessed reward. 22. Such faithful, righteous people, scattered in several parts of the world, being the true congregations of God, or the Church of Christ, whom he saved, and for whom he gave himself, that he might sanctify them, ye whom he hath cleansed by the washing of water in the word of life: of all such is Jesus the Head, the Shepherd, the Leader, the Lord, the King, and Master. Now although among these there may be mingled a company of seeming holy ones, or hypocrites; yet, nevertheless, they are and remain only the righteous, true members of the body of Christ, according to the spirit and the truth, the heirs of the promises, truly saved from the hypocrites the dis- semblers. 23. In this holy church hath God ordained the ministers of the Gospel, the doctrines of the holy Word, the use of the holy sacraments, the oversight of the poor, and the ministers of the same offices; furthermore, the exercise of brotherly admonition and correction, and, finally, the separating of the impenitent ; which holy ordinances, contained in the Word of God, are to be administered according to the contents thereof. 24. And like as a body consisteth of divers parts, and every part hath its own proper work, seeing every part is not a hand, eye, or foot ; so is it also the church of God ; for although every believer is a member of the body of The English Baptists 6i Christ, yet is not every one therefore a teacher, elder, or deacon, but only such as are orderly appointed to such offices. Therefore, also, the administration of the said offices or duties partaineth only to those who are ordained thereto, and not to every particular common person. 25. The vocation or election of the said officers is performed by the church, with fasting, and prayer to God ; for God knoweth the heart; he is amongst the faithful who are gathered together in his name ; and by his Holy Spirit doth so govern the minds and hearts of his people, that he by them bringeth to light and propoundeth whom he knoweth to be profitable to his church. 26. And although the election and vocation to the said offices is performed by the aforesaid means, yet, neverthe- less, the investing into the said service is accomplished by the elders of the church through the laying on of hands. 27. The doctrine which by the foresaid ministers must be proposed to the people, is even the same which Christ brought out of heaven, which he, by word and work, that is, by doctrine and life, hath taught, which was preached by the apostles of Christ, by the commandment of Christ and the Spirit, which we find written (so much as is needful for us to salvation) in the Scripture of the New Testament, whereto we apply whatsoever we find in the canonical book of the Old Testament, which hath affinity and verity, which by doctrine of Christ and his apostles, and consent and agreement, with the government of his Spiritual Kingdom. 28. There are two sacraments appointed by Christ, in his holy church, the administration whereof he hath as- signed to the ministry of teaching, namely, the Holy Baptism and the Holy Supper. These are outward vis- ible handlings and tokens, setting before our eyes, on God's side, the inward spiritual handling which God, through Christ, by the cooperation of the Holy Ghost, setteth forth i the justification in the penitent faithful soul ; and which, on our behalf, witnesseth our religion, experience, faith, and obedience, through the obtaining of a good conscience to the service of God. 29. The Holy Baptism is given unto these in the name (>2 Baptist Confessions of Faith of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, which hear, beheve, and with penitent heart receive the doctrines of the Holy Gospel. For such hath the Lord Jesus com- manded to be baptized, and no unspeaking children. 30. The whole dealing in the outward visible baptism of water, setteth before the eyes, witnesseth and signi- fieth, the Lord Jesus doth inwardly baptize the repentant, faithful man, in the laver of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, washing the soul from all pollution and sin, by the virtue and merit of his bloodshed; and by the power and working of the Holy Ghost, the true, heavenly, spiritual, living Water, cleanseth the inward evil of the soul, and maketh it heavenly, spiritual, and living, in true righteousness or goodness. Therefore, the baptism of water leadeth us to Christ, to his holy office in glory and majesty; and admonisheth us not to hang only upon the outward, but with holy prayer to mount upward, and to beg of Christ the good thing signified. 31. The Holy Supper, according to the institution of Christ, is to be administered to the baptized ; as the Lord Jesus hath commanded that whatsoever he hath ap- pointed should be taught to be observed. 32. The whole dealing in the outward visible supper, setteth before the eye, witnesseth and signifyeth, that Christ's body was broken upon the cross and his holy blood spilt for the remission of our sins. That the being glorified in his heavenly Being, is the alive-making bread, meat, and drink of our souls : it setteth before our eyes Christ's office and ministry in glory and majesty, by holding his spiritual supper, which the believing soul, feeding and* . . the soul with spiritual food : it teacheth us by the outward handling to mount upwards with the heart in holy prayer, to beg at Christ's hands the true signified food ; and it admonisheth us of thankfulness to God, and of verity and love one with another. 33. The church discipline, or external censures, is also an outward handling among the believers, whereby the impenitent sinner, after Christian admonition and re- proof, is severed, by reason of his sins, from the com- munion of the saints for his future good ; and the wrath * Word wanting. The English Baptists 63 of God is denounced against him until the time of his contrition and reformation ; and there is also, by this out- ward separation of the church, manifested what God before had judged and fore-handled, concerning this secret sinner, by reason of his sin. Therefore, first before the Lord, the prejudging and predetermining of the mat- ter must pass* . . in respect of the sinner* . . and the after-judging and handling by the church. Therefore the church must carefully regard that none in the church be condemned with it, and be condemned in the Word of God. 34. The person separated from the church may not at all be admitted (so long as he proceedeth in sin) to the use of the holy supper or any other* . . handling, but he must be avoided therein, as also in all other things be- tokening the communion of saints or brotherhood. And as the rebellious life, conversation, or daily company of the godless and perverse, or anything with them, is dan- gerous and hurtful, and oftentimes promoteth scandal and slander to the godly, so must they withdraw themselves from the same rebels, avoiding them in all works and ends whereby their pure souls might be polluted and defiled : yet so that always the Word of God take place, and that nothing take place or be performed that is con- trary to love, mercy, Christian discretion, promise, or any other like matter. 35. Worldly authority or magistry is a necessary or- dinance of God, appointed and established for the preser- vation of the common estate, and of a good, natural, politic life, for the reward of the good and the punishing of the evil; we acknowledge ourselves obnoxious, and bound by the Word of God to fear, honor, and show obedience to the magistrates in all causes not contrary to the Word of the Lord. We are obliged to pray God Almighty for them, and to thank the Lord for good reasonable magistrates, and to yield unto them, without murmuring, beseeming tribute, toll and tax. This office of the worldly authority the Lord Jesus hath not ordained in his spiritual kingdom, the church of the New Testa- ment, nor adjoined to the offices of his church. * Cannot decipher the word. 64 Baptist Confessions of Faith Neither hath he called his disciples or followers to be worldly kings, princes, potentates, or magistrates; neither hath he burdened or charged them to assume such offices, or to govern the world in such a worldly man- ner; much less hath he given a law to the members of his church which is agreeable to such office or govern- ment. Yea, rather they are called of him (whom they are commanded to obey by a voice heard from heaven) to the following of his unarmed and unweaponed life, and of his cross-bearing footsteps. In whom approved noth- ing less than a worldly government, power, and sword. This then considered (as also further, that upon the office of the worldly authority many other things depend, as wars* . . to hurt his enemies in body or good* . . which evilly or not at all will fit or consort with the Christ, and the crucified life of the Christians), so hold we that it be- seemeth not Christians to administer these offices; there- fore we avoid such offices and administrations, notwith- standing by no means thereby willing to despise or con- demn reasonable discreet magistrates, nor to place him in less estimation than he is described by the Holy Ghost, of Paul. 36. Christ, the King and Lawgiver of the New Testa- ment, hath prohibited Christians the swearing of oaths; therefore it is not permitted that the faithful of the New Testament should swear at all. 37. The married estate, or matrimony, hold we for an ordinance of God, which, according to the first institution, shall be observed. Every man shall have his one only wife, and every woman shall have her one only husband ; those may not be separated but for adultery. We permit none of our communion to marry godless, unbelieving, fleshly persons out of the church; but we censure such (as other sinners) according to the disposition and desert of the cause. 38. Lastly, we believe and teach the resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust, as Paul (i Cor. 15) soundly teacheth and witnesseth : The soul shall be united to the body, every one shall be presented before the judgment seat of Christ Jesus, to receive in his own body * Cannot decipher the word. The English Baptists 65 wages according to his works. And the righteous, whosoever hath lived hohly, and through faith brought forth the works of love and mercy, shall enter into ever- lasting Hfe with Christ Jesus, the Bridegroom of the Christian host. But the unsanctified, which have not known God, and have not obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall go into everlasting fire. The Almighty, gracious, merciful God, preserve us from the punishment of the vmgodly, and grant us grace and gifts helpful to a holy life, saving death, and joyful resurrection with all the righteous. Amen. We subscribe to the truth of these Articles, desiring further information. [Forty-two names are attached to this document. We cannot decipher the whole, but the following are plain. A line is drawn through some of them. The * marks them. f Uncertain.] *John Smyth, *Matthew Pigott, Hugh Broomhead, Mary Smyth, *John Grindall, Janus „ *Samuel Halton, Margarett Staveley, Thomas Piggott, flsabella Thomson, John Hardie, *Jane Argan, *Edward Hawkins, Mary Dickens, Thomas Jessopp, Bettriss Dickens, Robert Staveley, Dorothe Hamand, ^Alexander Fleming, *Elnh. Buywater, John Arnfeld, Ann Broomhead, Hannah Piggott, Alexander Parsons, Thomas Solphin, *Joan Haughton, Solomon Thomson, *Joane Brigge, Alexander Hodgin, Alexander Pigott, Ursula Bywater, Margaret Pigott, Dorothea Oakland, Alexander Armfield, John , Elnh. White, Fylis , Dorothe Thomson, Margaret Morris. [We judge the whole of these signatures autograph.] 3. A third Confession, consisting of one hundred and two articles, supposed to have been drawn up by Smyth E 66 Baptist Confessions of Faith in Dutch (very imperfect Dutch, according to Professor Miiller), and published, has also been translated in Evans I, 257f. 4. After Smyth's death, August 1612, and before 1614, this last confession, slightly modified, principally by a rearrangement of the articles and the omission of two of them, was published in English, along with Smyth's " Retraction of His Errors " and an account of his death. The " Epistle to the Reader " is signed " T. P." (prob- ably Thomas Piggot, one of Smyth's party). The author states that he has " annexed a small confession of faith," without giving any information as to its origin or history. John Robinson, in commenting on certain articles of this confession in 1614, calls it " The Confession of Faith Published in Certain Conclusions by the Remainders of Mr. Smyth's Company after his death." (Cf. Robinson's wks., Ill, 237, Ashton ed. ; Crosby, I, Appendix IV.) What is supposed to be the only copy in existence was discovered some years ago in the library of York minster, and reprinted entire in Barclay's " Inner Life," etc., Ap- pendix to Chap. VI. Barclay's reprint of this Confes- sion, which has the distinction of having been published in both Dutch and English, with slight differences, and which probably represents the final views of John Smyth, the founder of the English General Baptists, is repro- duced below. i Propositions and Conclusions concerning True Christian Religion, containing a Confession of Faith of certain English people, living at Amsterdam. I. We believe that there is a God (Heb. xi. 6) against all Epicures and Atheists, which either say in their hearts or utter with their mouths, that there is no God (Psal. xiv. i; Isaiah xxii. 13.) The English Baptists 6^ 2. That this God is one in number (i Cor. viii, 4, 6) against the Pagans or any other that hold a plurality of gods. 3. That God is incomprehensible and ineffable, in re- gard of His substance or essence that is God's essence can neither be comprehended in the mind, nor uttered by the words of men or angels (Exod. iii. 13-15, and xxxiii, 18-21). 4. That the creatures and Holy Scriptures do not in- tend to teach us what God is in substance or essence, but what He is in ef3fect and property (Rom. i. 19, 22; Exod. xxxiii. 23). 5. That these terms. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, do not teach God's substance, but only the hinder parts of God: that which may be known of God (Rom. i., Exod. xxxiii). 6. That God may be known by His titles, properties, effects, imprinted, and expressed in the creatures, and Scriptures (John xvii. 3). 7. That to understand and conceive of God in the mind is not the saving knowledge of God, but to be like to God in His effects and properties; to be made conformable to His divine and heavenly attributes. That is the true saving knowledge of God (2 Cor. iii. 18; Matt. v. 48; 2 Peter i. 4), whereunto we ought to give all diligence. 8. That this God manifested in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Matt. iii. 16, 17) is most merciful, most mighty, most holy, most just, most wise, most true, most glorious, eternal and infinite (Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7; Psalm xc. 2 and cii. 27). 9. That God before the foundation of the world did foresee, and determine the issue and event of all His works (Acts xv. 18), and that actually in time He worketh all things by His providence, according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. i. 11), and therefore we abhor the opinion of them, that avouch, that all things happen by fortune or chance (Acts. iv. 27, 28; Matt. x. 29, 30). 10. That God is not the Author or worker of sin (Psal. V. 4; James i. 13), but that God only did foresee and determine what evil the free will of men and angels 68 Baptist Confessions of Faith would do; but He gave no influence, instinct, motion or inclination to the least sin. 11. That God in the beginning created the world viz., the heavens, and the earth and all things that are therein (Gen. i. ; Acts xvii. 24). So that the things that are seen, were not of things which did appear (Heb. xi. 3). 12. That God created man to blessedness, according to His image, in an estate of innocency, free without cor- ruption of sin (Gen. i. 27; ii. 17, 25) ; He created them male and female (to wit) one man and one woman (Gen. i. 27) ; He framed man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life, so the man was a living soul (Gen. ii. 7; i Cor. xv. 45). But the woman He made of a rib, taken out of the side of the man (Gen. ii. 21, 22). That God blessed them, and commanded them to increase, and multiply, and to fill the earth, and to rule over it and all creatures therein (Gen. i. 28; ix. i, 2; Psal. viii. 6). 13. That therefore marriage is an estate honorable amongst all men, and the bed undefiled : viz. betwixt one man and one woman (Heb. xiii. 4; i Cor. vii. 2), but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. 14. That God created man with freedom of will, so that he had ability to choose the good, and eschew the evil, or to choose the evil, and refuse the good, and that this free- dom of will was a natural faculty or power, created by God in the soul of man (Gen. ii. 16, 17; iii. 6, 7; Eccles. vii. 29). 15. That Adam sinning was not moved or inclined thereto by God, or by any decree of God but that he fell from his innocency, and died the death alone, by the temptation of Satan, his free will assenting thereunto freely (Gen. iii. 6). 16. That the same day that Adam sinned, he died the death (Gen. ii. 17), for the reward of sin is death (Rom. vi. 23), and this is that which the Apostle saith, dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. ii. i), which is loss of in- nocency, of the peace of conscience and comfortable pres- ence of God (Gen. iii. 7, 11). 17. That Adam being fallen did not lose any natural power or faculty, which God created in his soul, for the The English Baptists 69 work of the devil, which is (sin), cannot abolish God's work or creatures : and therefore being fallen he still retained freedom of will (Gen. iii. 23, 24). 18. That original sin is an idle term, and that there is no such thing as men intend by the word (Ezek. xviii. 20), because God threatened death only to Adam (Gen. ii. 17) not to his posterity, and because God created the soul (Heb. xii. 9). 19. That if original sin might have passed from Adam to his posterity, Christ's death, which was effectual be- fore Cain and Abel's birth, He being the lamb slain from the beginning of the world, stopped the issue and passage thereof (Rev. xiii. 8). 20. That infants are conceived and born in innocency without sin, and that so dying are undoubtedly saved, and that this is to be understood of all infants, under heaven (Gen. v. 2; i. 27 compared with i Cor. xv. 49) for where there is no law there is no transgression, sin is not imputed while there is no law (Rom. iv. 15 and v. 13), but the law was not given to infants, but to them that could understand (Rom. v. 13; Matt. xiii. 9; Neh. viii. 3). 21. That all actual sinners bear the image of the first Adam, in his innocency, fall, and restitution in the offer of grace (i Cor. xv. 49), and so pass under these three conditions, or threefold estate. 22. That Adam being fallen God did not hate him, but loved him still, and sought his good (Gen. iii. 8-15), neither doth he hate any man that falleth with Adam; but that He loveth mankind, and from His love sent His only begotten Son into the world, to save that which was lost, and to seek the sheep that went astray (John iii. 16). 23. That God never forsaketh the creature until there be no remedy, neither doth He cast away His innocent creature from all eternity ; but casteth away men irrecov- erable in sin (Isa. v. 4; Ezek. xviii. 23, 32, and xxxiii. 11 ; Luke xiii. 6, 9) . 24. That as there is in all creatures a natural inclma- tlon to their young ones, to do them good, so there is in the Lord toward man; for every spark of goodness in ^o Baptist Confessions of Faith the creature is infinitely good in God (Rom. i. 20; Psal. xix. 4; Rom. X. 18). 25. That as no man begetteth his child to the gallows, nor no potter maketh a pot to break it; so God doth not create or predestinate any man to destruction (Ezek. xxxiii. 11; Gen. i. 27; i Cor. xv. 49; Gen. v. 3). 26. That God before the foundation of the world hath determined the way of life and salvation to consist in Christ, and that He hath foreseen who would follow it (Eph. i. 5; 2 Tim. i. 9), and on the contrary hath deter- mined the way of perdition to consist in infidelity, and in impenitency, and that He hath foreseen who would follow after it (Jude, 4th verse). 27. That as God created all men according to His im- age, so hath He redeemed all that fall by actual sin, to the same end ; and that God in His redemption hath not swerved from His mercy, which He manifested in His creation (John i. 3, 16; 2 Cor. v. 19; i Tim. ii. 5, 6; Ezek. xxxiii. 11). 28. That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sin- ners, and that God in His love to His enemies did send Him (John iii. 16) ; that Christ died for His enemies (Rom. V. 10) ; that He bought them that deny Him (2 Peter ii. i), thereby teaching us to love our enemies (Matt. V. 44. 45)- 29. That Jesus Christ after His baptism by a voice out of heaven from the Father, and by the anointing of the Holy Ghost, which appeared on His head in the form of a dove, is appointed the prophet of the church, whom all men must hear (Matt, iii.; Heb. iii. i, 2) ; and that both by His doctrine and life, which He led here in the earth, by all His doings and sufferings. He hath declared and published, as the only prophet and lawgiver of His Church, the way of peace and life, the glad tidings of the gospel (Acts iii. 23, 24). 30. That Jesus Christ is the brightness of the glory and the engraven form of the Father's substance, sup- porting all things by His mighty power (Heb. i. 3) ; and that He is become the mediator of the New Testament (to wit) the King, Priest, and Prophet of the Church, and that the faithful through Him are thus made spiritual The English Baptists yi Kings, Priests, and Prophets (Rev. i. 6; i John ii. 20; Rev. xix. 10). 31. That Jesus Christ is He which in the beginning did lay the foundation of the heavens and earth which shall perish (Heb. i. 10; Psalm cii. 26) ; that He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, , He is the wisdom of God, which was begotten from ever- lasting before all creatures (Micah v. 2; Prov. viii. 24; Luke xi. 49) ; He was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God ; yet He took to Him the shape of a servant, the Word became flesh (John i. 14), wonderfully by the power of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary; He was of the seed of David according to the flesh (Phil. ii. 7; Heb. 10.; Rom. i. 3) ; and that He made Himself of no reputation, humbled Himself, and be- came obedient unto the death of the cross, redeeming us from our vain conversation, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Himself, as of a lamb without spot and undefiled (i Peter i. 18, 19). 32. That although the sacrifice of Christ's body and blood offered up unto God His Father upon the cross, be a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour, and that God in Him is well pleased, yet it doth not reconcile God unto us, which did never hate us, nor was our enemy, but recon- cileth us unto God (2 Cor. v. 19), and slayeth the enmity and hatred, which is in us against God (Eph. i. 14, 17; Rom. I. 30). 33. That Christ was delivered to death for our sins (Rom. iv. 25), and that by His death we have the remis- sion of our sins (Eph. ii. 7), for He cancelled the hand- writing of ordinances, the hatred, the law of command- ments in ordinances (Eph. ii. 15; Colos. ii. 14) which was against us (Deut. xxxi. 26) ; He spoiled principalities and powers, made a shew of them openly, and triumphed over them on the cross (Colos. ii. 15) ; by death He de- stroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil (Heb. ii. 14). 34. That the enemies of our salvation, which Christ vanquished on His cross, are the gates of hell, the power of darkness, Satan, sin, death, the grave, the curse or condemnation, wicked men, and persecutors (Eph. vi. 12; y2 Baptist Confessions of Faith I Cor. XV. 26, 54, 57; Matt. xvi. 18; Rev. xx. 10, 14, 15), which enemies we must overcome no otherwise than Christ hath done (John xxi. 22; i Peter ii. 21 ; Rev. xiv. 4)- 35. That the efficacy of Christ's death is only derived to them, which do mortify their sins, which are grafted with Him to the similitude of His death (Rom. vi. 3-6), which are circumcised with circumcision made without hands, by putting off the sinful body of the flesh, through the circumcision which Christ worketh (Colos. ii. 11) who is the minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers (Rom. xv. 8 compared with Deut. xxx. 6). 36. That there are three which bear witness in the earth, the spirit, water and blood, and these three are one in testimony, witnessing that Christ truly died ( i John v. 8) for He gave up the ghost (John xix. 30) ; and out of His side pierced with a spear came water and blood (verse 34. 35); the cover of the heart being pierced, where there is water contained. 37. That every mortified person hath this witness in himself (i John v. 10), for the spirit blood, and water of sin is gone, that is the life of sin with the nourishment and cherishment thereof ( i Pet. iv. i ; Rom. vi. 7 ; i John iii. 6). 38. That Christ Jesus being truly dead was also buried (John xix. 39, 42), and that he lay in the grave the whole Sabbath of the Jews ; but in the grave He saw no corrup- tion (Psal. xvi. 10; Acts ii. 31). 39. That all mortified persons are also buried with Christ, by the baptism, which is unto His death (Rom. vi. 4; Colos. ii. 12) ; keeping their Sabbath with Christ in the grave (that is) resting from their own v,?orks as God did from His (Heb. iv. 10), waiting there in hope for a resurrection (Psal. xvi. 9). 40. That Christ Jesus early in the morning, the first day of the week, rose again after His death and burial (Matt, xxviii. 6) for our justification (Rom. iv. 25), be- ing mightily declared to be the Son of God, by the Spirit of sanctification, in the resurrection from the dead (Rom. i.4). The English Baptists 73 41. That these that are grafted with Christ to the simiUtude of His death and burial shall also be to the similitude of His resurrection (Rom. vi. 4, 5.); for He doth quicken or give life unto them, together with Him- self (Coles, ii. 13; Eph. ii. 5, 6) ; for that is their salva- tion, and it is by grace (Eph. ii. 5; i John v. 11, 12, 13; Titusiii. 5, 6, 7). 42. That this quickening or reviving of Christ, this laver of regeneration, this renewing of the Holy Ghost, is our justification and salvation (Titus iii. 6, 7). This is that pure river of water of life clear as crystal, which proceedeth out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb (Rev. xxii. i) ; which also floweth out of the belly of him that believeth in Christ (John vii. 38) ; this is those pre- cious promises whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature, by flying the corruptions that are in the world through lust (2 Pet. i. 4) ; this is the fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God ; this is the white stone wherein there is a name written, which no man knoweth, save he that receiveth it. This is the morning star, this is the new name, the name of God, the name of the City of God; the new Jerusalem which descendeth from God out of heaven; this is the hidden manna, that white clothing, eye salve and gold, and that heavenly supper which Christ promises to them, that overcome (Rev. ii. 7, 17, 18, and iii. 5, 12, 18, 20). 43. That there are three which bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit ; and that these three are one in testimony, witnessing the resurrection of Christ. The Father saith thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee (Acts xiii. 33-35)- The Son testifieth of his own resurrection being forty days with His dis- ciples (Act. i. 3). The Holy Ghost testifieth the same whom Christ sent to His disciples upon the day of Pente- cost (Acts. ii). 44. That every person that is regenerate and risen again with Christ hath these three aforesaid witnesses in himself ( i John v. 10) ; for Christ doth dwell in his heart by faith (Eph. iii. 17) ; and the Father dwelleth with the Son (Joh. xiv. 23) ; and the Holy Ghost likewise (i Cor. iii. 16) ; and that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 74 Baptist Confessions of Faith and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost is with them (2 Cor. xiii. 13). 45. That Christ having forty days after His resurrec- tion conversed with his disciples (Acts i. 3), ascended locally into the heavens (Acts i. 9), which must contain Him unto the time that all things be restored (Acts iii. 21)- That they which are risen with Christ, ascend up spirit- ually with Him, seeking those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, and that they set their affections on heavenly things, and not on earthly things (Col. iii. 1-5). 46. That Christ now being received into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God (Mark xvi. 9), having led cap- tivity captive, and given gifts unto men (Eph. iv. 8) ; that God hath now highly exalted Him, and given Him a name above every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, in earth and under the earth (Phil. ii. 9, 10), that He hath obtained all power both in heaven and in earth (Matt, xxviii. 18), and hath made all things subject under His feet, and hath appointed Him over all things to be the head to the church, that is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all things (Eph. i. 2-23). 47. That the regenerate do sit together with Christ Jesus in heavenly places (Eph. ii. 6), that they sit with Him in His throne as He sitteth with the Father in His throne (Rev. iii. 21), that they have power over nations and rule them with a rod of iron, and as a potter's vessel they are broken in pieces (Rev. ii. 26, 27) ; and that sit- ting on twelve thrones, they do judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. xix. 28), which spiritually is to put all their enemies in subjection under their feet, so that the evil one doth not touch them (i John v. 18), nor the gates of hell prevail against them (Matt. xvi. 28), and that they are become pillars in the house of God, and go no more out (Rev. iii. 12). 48. That Christ Jesus being exalted at the right hand of God the Father, far above all principalities and powers, might, and domination, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in the world to come (Eph. i. 21), The English Baptists 75 hath received of His Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, which He also shed forth upon His disciples on the Day of Pentecost (Act ii. 33). 49. That Christ Jesus, in His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, is more and rather Lord and Christ, Sav- iour, anointed, and King, than in His humiliation, suffer- ings and death (Acts. ii. 36; Phil. ii. 7, 11), for the end is more excellent than the means, and His sufferings were the way by the which He entered into His glory (Luke xxiv. 16), and so by consequent the efficacy of His resurrection in the new creature, is more noble and ex- cellent, than the efficacy of His death in the mortification and remission of sins. 50. That the knowledge of Christ according to the flesh is of small profit (2 Cor. v. 16, 17), and the knowl- edge of Christ's genealogy and history, is no other but that which the Devil hath as well if not better than any man living ; but the knowledge of Christ according to the spirit is effectual to salvation, which is spiritually to be grafted to the similitude of Christ's birth, life, miracles, doings, sufferings, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation (Rom. vi. 3, 6). 51. That Christ Jesus, according to the flesh and history in His doings and suffering, is a great mystery, and divine sacrament of Himself, and of His ministry in the spirit, and of those spiritual things which He worketh in those which are to be heirs of salvation (Rom. vi. 3, 6; Eph. ii. 5, 6), and that spiritually He performeth all those mir- acles in the regenerate which He wrought in His flesh ; He healeth their leprosy, bloody issue, blindness, dumb- ness, deafness, lameness, palsy, fever, He casteth out the devils and unclean spirits, He raiseth the dead, rebuketh the winds and the sea, and it is calm ; He feedeth thou- sands with the barley loaves and fishes (Matt. viii. 16, 17, compared with Isaiah liii. 4, John vi. 26, 27) . 52. That the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son (John xiv. 26, and xvi. 7) ; that He is the eternal spirit, whereby Christ offered Himself without spot to God (Heb. ix. 14) ; and He is that other com- forter, which Christ asketh, obtaineth, and sendeth from the Father (John xiv. 16), which dwelleth in the regener- 76 Baptist Confessions of Faith ate (i Cor. iii. 16), which leadeth them into all truth (John xvi. 13), He is that anointing which teacheth them all things, and that they have no need that any man teach them, but as the same anointing teacheth (i John ii. 20, 27). 53. That although there be divers gifts of the Spirit yet there is but one Spirit, which distributeth to every one as He will (2 Cor. xii. 4, 11; Eph. iv. 4), that the outward gifts of the spirit which the Holy Ghost poureth forth, upon the Day of Pentecost upon the disciples, in tongues and prophesy, and gifts, and healing, and mir- acles, which is called the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire (Acts. i. 5) were only a figure of and an hand leading to better things, even the most proper gifts of the spirit of sanctification, which is the new creature ; which is the one baptism ( Eph. iv. 4, compared with Acts ii. 33, 38, and with Luke x. 17, 20). 54. That John Baptist and Christ are two persons, their ministries are two ministries several, and their bap- tisms are two baptisms, distinct the one from the other (John i. 20; Acts xiii. 25 ; Acts i. 4, 5 ; Matt. iii. 11). 55. That John taught the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, baptizing with water to amendment of life (Matt. iii. 11), thus preparing a way for Christ and His baptism (Luke iii. 3, 6), by bringing men to re- pentance and faith in the Messias, whom he pointed out with the finger (saying), behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world (John i. 31, 29; Acts xix. 4). 56. That Christ is stronger, and hath a more excellent office and ministry than John (Matt. iii. 11); that He baptiseth with the Holy Ghost and fire; that He cometh and walketh in the way which John hath pre- pared; and that the new creature followeth repentance (Luke iii. 6). 57. That repentance and faith in the Messias, are the conditions to be performed on our behalf, for the obtain- ing of the promises (Acts ii. 38; John i. 12); that the circumcision of the heart, mortification and the promise of the spirit, that is, the new creature, are the promises which are made to the aforesaid conditions (Deut. xxx. 6; The English Baptists 77 Acts ii. 38; Gal. iii. 14; 2 Pet. 1. 4, 5), which promises are all yea and Amen in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. i. 20), and that in the regenerate (Gal. iii. 16). 58. That repentance and faith are wrought in the hearts of men, by the preaching of the word, outwardly in the Scriptures, and creatures, the grace of God preventing us by the motions and instinct of the spirit, which a man hath power to receive or reject (Matt, xxiii. 37; Acts vii. 51; Acts vi. 10; Rom. x. 14, 18), that our justifica- tion before God consisteth not in the performance of the conditions which God requireth of us, but in partaking of the promises, the possessing of Christ, remission of sins, and the new creature. 59. That God, the Father, of His own good will doth beget us, by the word of truth (James i. 18), which is an immortal seed (i Pet. i. 23), not the doctrine of repen- tance and faith which may be lost (Luke viii. 13) ; and that God the Father, in our regeneration, neither needeth nor useth the help of any creature, but that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, immediately worketh that work in the soul, where the free will of men can do nothing ( John ii. 13). 60. That such as have not attained the new creature, have need of the scriptures, creatures and ordinances of the Church, to instruct them, to comfort them, to stir them up the better to perform the condition of repentance to the remission of sins (2 Pet. i. 19; i Cor. xi. 26; Eph. iv. 12-23). 61. That the new creature which is begotten of God, needeth not the outward scriptures, creatures, or ordi- nances of the Church, to support or help them (2 Cor. xiii. 10, 12; I Joh. ii. 27; I Cor. i. 15, 16; Rev. xxi. 23), seeing he hath three witnesses in himself, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: which are better than all scriptures, or creatures whatsoever. 62. That as Christ who was above the law notwith- standing was made under the law, for our cause : so the regenerate in love to others, can and will do no other, than use the outward things of the church, for the gain- ing and supporting of others : and so the outward church and ordinances are always necessary, for all sorts of per- 78 Baptist Confessions of Faith sons whatsoever (Matt. iii. 15; xxviii. 19, 20; i Cor. viii. 9). 63. That the new creature although he be above the law and scriptures, yet he can do nothing against the law or scriptures, but rather all his doings shall serve to the confirming and estaWishing of the law (Rom. iii. 31). Therefore he cannot lie, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill, nor hate any man, or do any other fleshly action, and therefore all fleshly libertinism is contrary to re- generation, detestable, and damnable (John viii. 34; Rom. vi. 15, 16, 18; 2 Pet. ii. 18, 19; i John v. 18). 64. That the outward church visible, consists of peni- tent persons only, and of such as believing in Christ, bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life (i Tim. vi. 3, 5; 2 Tim. iii. i, 5; Acts xix. 4). 65. That the visible church is a mystical figure out- wardly, of the true, spiritual invisible church ; which con- sisteth of the spirits of just and perfect men only, that is of the regenerate (Rev. i. 20, compared with Rev. xxi. 2,23, 27). 66. That repentance is the change of mind from evil to that which is good (Matt. iii. 2), a sorrow for sin committed, with a humble heart for the same; and a resolution to amend for time to come ; with an unfeigned endeavor therein (2 Cor. vii. 8, 11 ; Isaiah i. 16, 17; Jer. xxxi. 18, 19). 67. That when we have done all that we can we are unprofitable servants, and all our righteousness is as a stained cloth (Luke xvii. 20), and that we can only suppress and lop off the branches of sin, but the root of sin we cannot pluck up out of our hearts (Jer. iv. 4, com- pared with Deut. xxx. 6, 8). 68. That faith is a knowledge in the mind of the doc- trine of the law and gospel contained in the prophetical, and apostolical scriptures of the Old and New Testament : accompanying repentance with an assurance that God, through Christ, will perform unto us His promises of re- mission of sins, and mortification, upon the condition of our unfeigned repentance, and amendment of life (Rom. x. 13, 14, 15; Acts V. 30-32; and Acts ii. 38, 39; Heb. xi. i; Mark i. 15). The English Baptists 79 69. That all penitent and faithful Christians are breth- ren in the communion of the outward church, whereso- ever they live, by what name soever they are known, which in truth and zeal, follow repentance and faith, though compassed with never so many ignorances and in- firmities; and we salute them all with a holy kiss, being heartily grieved that we which follow after one faith, and one spirit, one Lord, and one God, one body, and one baptism, should be rent into so many sects and schisms : and that only for matters of less moment. 70. That the outward baptism of water, is to be ad- ministered only upon such penitent and faithful persons as are (aforesaid), and not upon innocent infants, or wicked persons (Matt. iii. 2, 3, compared with Matt, xxviii. 19, 20, and John iv. i). 71. That in Baptism to the penitent person, and be- liever, there is presented, and figured, the spiritual bap- tism of Christ, (that is) the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and fire: the baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ: even the promise of the Spirit, which he shall assuredly be made partaker of, if he continue to the end (Gal. iii. 14; Matt. iii. 11 ; i Cor. xii. 13; Rom. vi. 3, 6; Col. ii. 10). 72. That in the outward supper which only baptised persons must partake, there is presented and figured be- fore the eyes of the penitent and faithful, that spiritual supper, which Christ maketh of His flesh and blood: which is crucified and shed for the remission of sins (as the bread is broken and the wine poured forth), and which is eaten and drunken (as is the bread and wine bodily) only by those which are flesh, of His flesh, and bone of His bone: in the communion of the same spirit (i Cor. xii. 13; Rev., iii. 20, compared with i Cor. xi. 23, 26; John vi. 53, 58)." 73. That the outward baptism and supper do not con- fer, and convey grace and regeneration to the participants or communicants: but as the word preached, they serve only to support and stir up the repentance and faith of the communicants till Christ come, till the day dawn, and the day-star arise in their hearts (i Cor. xi. 26; 2 Peter i. 19; I Cor. I. 5-8). §0 Baptist Confessions of Faith 74. That the sacraments have the same use that the word hath; that they are a visible word, and that they teach to the eye of them that understand as the word teacheth the ears of them that liave ears to hear (Prov. x. 12), and therefore as the word pertaineth not to infants, no more do the sacraments. 75. That the preaching of the word, and the ministry of the sacraments, representeth the ministry of Christ in the spirit; who teacheth, baptiseth, and feedeth the re- generate, by the Holy Spirit inwardly and invisibly. 76. That Christ hath set in His outward church two sorts of ministers : viz., some who are called pastors, teachers or elders, who administer in the word and sacra- ments, and others who are called Deacons, men and women: whose ministry is, to serve tables and wash the saints' feet (Acts vi. 2-4 ; Phil. i. i ; i Tim. iii. 2, 3, 8, II, and chap. v.). 77. That the separating of the impenitent, from the outward communion of the church, is a figure of the eternal rejection, and reprobation of them that persist impenitent in sin (Rev. xxi. 27, and xxii. 14-45; Matt, xvi. 18 and xviii. 18; John xx. 23, compared with Rev. iii. 12). 78. That none are to be separated from the outward communion of the Church but such as forsake repentance, which deny the power of Godliness (2 Tim. iii. 5), and namely that sufficient admonition go before, according to the rule (Matt, xviii. 15-18), and that none are to be rejected for ignorance or errors, or infirmities as long as they retain repentance and faith in Christ (Rom. xiv., and I Thess. v. 14; Rom. xvi. 17, 18), but they are to be instructed with meekness; and the strong are to bear the infirmities of the weak; and that we are to support one another through love. 79. That a man may speak a word against the Son, and be pardoned (that is), a man may err in the knowl- edge of Christ's history, and in matters of the outward church, and be forgiven, doing it in an ignorant zeal; but he that speaketh a word against the Holy Ghost (that is) that after illumination forsaketh repentance and faith in Christ, persecutinsf them, tramoling- under The En glish Baptists 8i foot the blood of the covenant : returning with the dog to the vomit; that such shall never be pardoned, neither in this world, nor in the world to come (Matt. xii. 31, 32, compared with Heb. vi. 4, and chap. x. 26-29; 2 Pet. ii. 20, 22). 80. That persons separated from the communion of the church, are to be accounted as heathens and publicans (Matt, xviii.), and that they are so far to be shunned, as they may pollute : notwithstanding being ready to instruct them, and to relieve them in their wants : seeking by all lawful means to win them: considering that excommuni- cation is only for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (i Cor. v. 5, II ; Matt. xi. 19; Luke xv. i, 2). 81. That there is no succession in the outward church, but that all succession is from heaven, and that the new creature only, hath the thing signified, and substance, whereof the outward church and ordinances are shadows (Col. ii. 16, 17), and therefore he alone hath power, and knoweth aright, how to administer in the outward church, for the benefit of others (John. vi. 45) : yet God is not the God of confusion but of order, and therefore we are in the outward church, to draw as near the first institution as may be, in all things (i Cor. xiv. 33) ; there- fore it is not lawful for every brother to administer the word and sacraments (Eph. iv. 11, 12, compared with i Cor. xii. 4, 5, 6, 28, 29). 82. That Christ hath set in his outward church the vocation of master and servant, parents and children, husband and wife (Eph. v. 22-25, chap. vi. i, 4, S, 9), and hath commanded every soul to be subject to the higher powers (Rom. xiii. i), not because of wrath only, but for conscience sake (verse 5) that we are to give them their duty, as tribute, and custom, honour, and fear, not speaking evil of them that are in authority (Jude, verse 8), but praying and giving thanks for them (i Tim. ii. I, 2), for that is acceptable in the sight of God, even our Saviour. 83. That the office of the magistrate, is a disposition or permissive ordinance of God for the good of mankind: that one man like the brute beasts devour not another 82 Baptist Confessions of Faith (Rom. xiii.), and that justice and civility, may be pre- served among men : and that a magistrate may so please God in his caUing, in doing that which is righteous and just in the eyes of the Lord, that he may bring an out- Vfzrd blessing upon himself, his posterity and subjects (2 Kings, X. 30, 31). 84. That the magistrate is not by virtue of his office to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience, to force or compel men to this or that form of religion, or doc- trine : but to leave Christian religion free, to every man's conscience, and to handle only civil transgressions (Rom. xiii), injuries and wrongs of man against man, in murder, adultery, theft, etc., for Christ only is the king, and law- giver of the church and conscience (James iv. 12). 85. That if the magistrate will follow Christ, and be His disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ ; he must love his enemies and not kill them, he must pray for them, and not punish them, he must feed them and give them drink, not imprison them, banish them, dismember them, and spoil their goods; he must suffer persecution and affliction with Christ, and be slan- dered, reviled, blasphemed, scourged, buffeted, spit upon, imprisoned and killed with Christ; and that by the au- thority of magistrates, which things he cannot possibly do, and retain the revenge of the sword. 86. That the Disciples of Christ, the members of the outward church, are to judge all their causes of differ- ence, among themselves, and they are not to go to law, before the magistrates (i Cor. vi. i, 7), and that all their differences must be ended by (yea) and (nay) without an oath (Matt. v. 33-37; James v. 12). 87. That the Disciples of Christ, the members of the outward church, may not marry any of the profane, or wicked, godless people of the world, but that every one is to marry in the Lord (i Cor. vii. 39), every man one only wife, and every woman one only husband (i Cor. vii. 2). 88. That parents are bound to bring up their children in instruction and information of the Lord (Eph. vi. 4), and that they are to provide for their family : otherwise they deny the faith, and are worse than infidels (i Tim. v. 8). 89. That notwithstanding if the Lord shall give a man The English Baptists 83 any special calling, as Simon, and Andrew, James, and John, then they must leave all, father, ship, nets, wife, children, yea, and life also to follow Christ (Luke xiv. 26; Matt. iv. 18-20). 90. That in the necessities of the church, and poor brethren, all things are to be common (Acts iv. 32), yea and that one church is to administer to another in time of need (Gal. ii. 10; Acts xi. 30; i Cor. iv. 8, and chap. ix.). 91. That all the bodies of all men that are dead, shall by the power of Christ, be raised up, out of his own proper seed, as corn out of the seed rotting in the earth (i Cor. XV.). 92. That these which live in the last day shall not die, but shall be changed in a moment : in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (i Cor. xv. 52), for the trump shall blow, and the dead shall be raised up incorruptible, and we shall be changed, not in substance but in qualities ; for the bodies shall rise in honour, in power, in incorrup- tion, and spiritual : being sown in dishonour, in weakness, in corruption, and natural (i Cor. xv. 42, 44). 93. That the bodies, being raised up, shall be joined to the souls, whereto formerly they were united; which to that time were preserved in the hands of the Lord (Rev. vi. 9, Job xix. 25-27). 94. That it is appointed to all men that they shall once die, and then cometh the judgment (Heb. ix. 27), and that the change of them that live on earth at the last day, shall be as it were a death unto them ( i Cor. xv. 52; I Thes. iv. 15-17). 95. That there shall be a general, and universal day of judgment, when every one shall receive according to the things that are done in the flesh, whether they be good or evil (i Cor. v. 10, Acts xvii. 31).* 96. That of the day and hour knoweth no man; no, not the Angels in heaven, neither the Son Himself, but the Father only. (Mark xiii. 32). 97. That Christ Jesus that man, shall judge in that day (Acts xvii. 31), that he shall come in the clouds with glory: and all His holy angels with Him (Matt, xxv.), with a shout, and with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God (i Thes. iv. 16), and He shall 84 Baptist Confessions of Faith sit upon the throne of His glory ; and all nations shall be gathered before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats, setting the sheep on His right hand and the goats on the left (Matt. xxv.). 98. That the king shall say to the sheep, the regenerate, which are on His right hand, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world ; " and it shall be performed ac- cordingly (Matt. XXV.). 99. That the king shall say to them on His left hand, the goats, the wicked ones, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels," and it shall be accomplished accordingly (Matt. xxv.). 100. That after the judgment ended and accomplished, and the last enemy that is death being put under the feet of Christ, then the Son himself shall deliver up the king- dom into the hands of the Father, and be subject unto Him, that subdued all things unto Him, that God may be all in all (i Cor. xv. 24-28). 5. On the occasion of the split in the church Helwys and his party also submitted a set of Latin articles to their Dutch brethren. About 1612 Helwys became con- vinced that it was his duty to return to England and begin Baptist work there. But before leaving the Nether- lands, he drew up and printed in Amsterdam, in 161 1, a Confession of twenty-seven articles in English (possibly a translation of the Latin articles) which has been gen- erally recognized as the earliest Baptist Confession. In republishing it, in 1738, Crosby (Vol II, 389!?) ac- cidentally combined articles twenty-four and twenty-five, thus reducing the number to twenty-six. He was followed by Underbill in his reprint, pp. i-io. The following text is a reproduction of the only copy of the original known to be in existence, and now in the library of York Minster. The transcript was made by Dr. W. T. Whitley, of Pres- ton, England: The English Baptists 85 DECLARATION OF FAITH of ENGLISH PEOPLE Remaining at Am I sterdam in Holland. Heb. II . 6. Without Faith it is impossible to please | GOD. Heb. 11. Rom. 14 . 23. Whatsoever is not off Faith is sin. Prynted . i 6 i i 86 Baptist Confessions of Faith To Al The Humble mynded | which love the truth in simplicitie Grace and | peace. [This is followed by two pages of preface.] A DECLARATION, ETC. WEE BELEEVE AND | CONFESSE | I. That there are THREE which beare record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the SPIRIT; and these THREE are one GOD, in all equalitie, i Jno. 5.7; Phil. 2.5, 6. By whome all thinges are created and pre- served, in Heaven and in Earth. Gen. i Chap. 2. That this GOD in the begining created al things off nothinge, Gen. i. i. and made man ofif the dust off the earth, Chap. 2.7, in his owne ymage, Chap. 1.27, in righteousnes and true Holines. Ephes. 4.24: yet being tempted, fel by disobedience. Chap. 3.1-7. Through whose disobedience, all men sinned. Rom. 5. 12-19. His sinn being imputed vnto all ; and so death went over all men. 3- That by the promised seed off the woman, lESVS CHRIST, [and by] his obedience, al are made righteous. Rom. 5.19. Al are made alive, i Cor. 15.22. His right- eousness being imputed vnto all. 4- That notwithstanding this Men are by nature the Children off wrath, Ephes. 2.3. borne in iniquitie and in sin conceived. Psal. 51.5. Wise to all evill, but to good they have no knowledg. Jer. 4.22. The natural ma perceiveth not the thinges oif the Spirit off God. 1 Cor. 2.14. And therefore man is not restored vnto his former estate, but that as man, in his estate off innocency, have- ing in himselff all disposition vnto good, & no disposition vnto evill, yet being tempted might yeild, or might resist : The E nglish Baptists 87 even so now being fallen, and haveing all disposition vnto evill, and no disposition or will vnto anie good, yet GOD giveing grace, man may receave grace, or my reject grace, according to that saying; Deut. 30.19. / call Heaven and Earth to record. This day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: Therefore chuse life, that both thou and thy seed may live. That GOD before the Foundatio off the World hath Predestinated that all that beleeve in him shall-be saved, Ephes. 1.4, 12 ; Mark 16.16. and al that beleeve not shalbee damned. Mark 16.16. all which he knewe before. Rom. 8.29. And this is the Election and reprobacion spoken of in the Scripturs, concerning salvacion, and condem- nacion, and not that GOD hath Predestinated men to bee wicked, and so to bee damned, but that men being wicked shallbee damned, for GOD would have all men saved, and come to the knowledg off the truth, i Tim. 2.4. and would have no man to perish, but would have all men come to repentance. 2 Pet. 3.9. and willeth not the death of him that deith. Ezec. 18.32. And therefore GOD is the author off no mens comdemnacion, according to the saieing oif the Prophet. Ossea. 13. Thy distruction O Israel, is oif thy selfe, but thy helpe is off mee. 6. That man is justified onely by the righteousness off CHRIST, apprehended by faith, Roman. 3.28. Gal. 2.16. yet faith without works is dead. Jam. 2.17. 7- That men may fall away from the grace off GOD, Heb. 12.15. ^nd from the truth, which they have received & acknowledged. Chap. 10.26. after they have taisted off the heavely gift, and were made pertakers off the HOLY GHOST, and have taisted off the good word off GOD, & off the powers off the world to come. Chap. 6.4, 5. And after they have escaped from the filthines off the World, may bee tangled againe therein & overcome. 2 88 Baptist Confessions of Faith Pet. 2.20. That a righteous man may forsake his righteousnes and perish Ezec. 18.24, 26. And therefore let no man presume to thinke that because he hath, or had once grace, therefore he shall alwaies have grace: But let all men have assurance, that iff they continew vnto the end, they shalbee saved: Let no man then pre- sume ; but let all worke out their salvacion with f eare and trembling. 8. That lESVS CHRIST, the Sonne off GOD the sec- ond Person, or subsistance in the Trinity, in the Fulnes off time was manifested in the Flesh, being the seed off David, and off the Isralits, according to the Flesh. Ro- man. 1.3 and 8.5. the Sonne off Marie the Virgine, made of hir substance. Gal. 4.4. By the power off the HOLIE GHOST overshadowing hir, Luk. 1.35. and being thus true Man was like vnto us in all thing, sin onely excepted. Heb. 4.15. being one person in two distinct natures, TRVE GOD, and TRVE MAN. 9- That lESVS CHRIST is Mediator off the New Testa- ment betweene GOD and Man, i Tim. 2.5, haveing all power in Heaven and in Earth given vnto him. Mat. 28.18. Being the onely KING, Luke 1.33, PREIST, Heb. 7.24, and PROPHET, Act. 3.22. Off his church, he also being the onely Law-giver, hath in his Testament set downe an absolute, and perfect rule off direction, for all persons, at all times, to bee observed ; Which no Prince, nor anie whosoever, may add to, or diminish from as they will avoid the fearefull judgments denounced against them that shal so do. Revel. 22.18, 19. ID. That the church off CHRIST is a compainy off faithful people I Cor. 1.2. Eph. i.i. seperated fro the world by the word & Spirit off GOD. 2 Cor. 6, 17. being kint vnto the LORD, & one vnto another, by Baptisme. i Cor. 12.13. Vpon their owne confessio of the faith. Act. 8.37. and sinnes. Mat. 3.6. The English Baptists 89 II. That though in respect off CHRIST, the Church bee one, Ephes. 4.4. yet it consisteth off divers particuler congregacions, even so manie as there shallbee in the World, every off which congregacion, though they be but^ two or three, have CHRIST given them, with all the meanes off their salvacion. Mat. 18.20. Roman. 8.32. i. Corin. 3.22. Are the Bodie off CHRIST, i. Cor. 12.27. and a whole Church, i. Cor. 14.23. And therefore may, and ought, when they are come together, to Pray, Prophecie, breake bread, and administer in all the holy ordinances, although as yet they have no Officers, or that their Officers should bee in Prison, sick, or by anie other meanes hindered from the Church, i : Pet. 4.10 & 2.5. 12. That as one congregacion hath CHRIST, so hath all, 2. Cor. 10.7. And that the Word off GOD cometh not out from anie one, neither to anie one congregacion in particuler. i. Cor. 14.36. But vnto everie particuler Church, as it doth vnto al the world. Coll. 1.5. 6. And therefore no church ought to challeng anie prerogative over anie other. 13- That everie Church is to receive in all their members by Baptisme vpon the Confession off their faith and sinnes wrought by the preaching off the Gospel, accord- ing to the primitive Institucion. Mat. 28.19. And prac- tice, Act. 2.41. And therefore Churches constituted after anie other manner, or off anie other persons are not according to CHRISTS Testament. 14. That Baptisme or washing with Water, is the outward manifestacion off dicing vnto sinn, and walkeing in newnes off life. Roman. 6.2, 3, 4. And therefore in no wise apperteyneth to infants. 15- That the LORDS Supper is the outward manifestacion off the Spiritual communion betwene CHRIST and the 90 Baptist Confessions of Faith faithful mutuallie. i. Cor. 10.16, 17. to declare his death vntil he come, i Cor. 11.26. 16. That the members off everie Church or Congregacion ought to knowe one another, that so they may performe all the duties off love one towards another both to soule and bodie. Mat. 18.15. i Thes. 5.14. i Cor. 12.25. And especiallie the Elders ought to knowe the whole flock, whereoff the HOLIE GHOST hath made them overseers. Acts 20.28; I Pet. 5.2, 3. And therefore a Church ought not to consist off such a multitude as cannot have par- ticuler knowledg one off another. 17- That Brethren impenitent in one sin after the admoni- tion off the Church, are to bee excluded the comunion off the Sainets. Mat. 18.17. i Cor. 5.4, 13. & therfore not the comitting off sin doth cut off anie from the Church, but refusing to heare the Church to reformacion. 18. That Excommunicants in respect of civil societie are not to bee avoided, 2. Thess. 3.15. Mat. 18.17. 19- That everie Church ought (according to the exaple off CHRISTS Disciples and primitive Churches) vpon everie first day off the weeke, being the LORDS day, to assemble together to pray Prophecie, praise GOD, and breake Bread, and performe all other partes off Spirituall communis for the worship off GOD, their owne mutuall edificacion, and the preservacion off true Religion, & pietie in the church lo 20.19. Act. 2.42 and 20.7, i. Cor. 16.2. and that ought not to labor in their callings accord- ing to the equitie off the moral law, which CHRIST came not to abolish, but to fulfill. Exod. 20.8, &c. 20. That the Officers off everie Church or congregation are either Elders, who by their office do especially feed the flock concerning their soules, Act. 20.28, Pet. 5.2, 3. or Deacons Men, and Women who by their office re- The English Baptists 91 leave the necessities off the poore and impotent brethre concerning their bodies, Acts. 6.1-4. 21. That these OiiScers are to bee chosen when there are persons quahfied according to the rules in Christs Testa- ment, I. Tim. 3.2-7. Tit. 1.6-9. Act. 6.3. 4. By Election and approbacion off that Church or congregacion whereoff they are members, Act. 6.3. 4 and 14.23, with Fasting, Prayer, and Laying on off hands. Act. 13.3. and 14.23. And there being but one rule for Elders, therefore but one sort off Elders. 22. That the Officers off everie Church or congregacion are tied by Ofhce onely to that particuler congregacion whereoff they are chosen. Act. 14.23, and 20.17. Tit. 1.5. And therefore they cannot challeng by office anie aucthor- itie in anie other congregation whatsoever except they would have an Apostleship. 23- That the scriptures off the Old and New Testament are written for our instruction, 2. Tim. 3.16 & that wee ought to search them for they testifie off CHRIST, lo. 5.39. And therefore to bee vsed withall reverence, as conteyning the Holie Word off GOD, which onelie is our direction in al thinges whatsoever. 24. That Magistracie is a Holie ordinance off GOD, that every soule ought to bee subject to it not for feare onelie, but for conscience sake. Magistraets are the ministers off GOD for our wealth, they beare not the sword for nought. They are the ministers off GOD to take vengance on them that doe evil, Rom. 13. Chap. That it is a fearefull sin to speake evill off them that are in dignitie, and to dispise Government. 2. Pet. 2.10. Wee ought to pay tribute, custome and all other duties. That wee are to pray for the, for GOD would have them saved and come to the knowledg off his truth, i Tim. 2.1. 4. And there- fore they may bee members off the Church off CHRIST, 92 Baptist Confessions of Faith reteining their Magistracie, for no Holie Ordinance off GOD debarreth anie from being a member off CHRISTS Church. They beare the sword off GOD, — which sword in all Lawful administracions is to bee defended and supported by the servants off GOD that are vnder their Goverment with their lyves and al that they have accord- ing as in the first Institucion off that Holie Ordinance. And whosoever holds otherwise must hold, (iff they vnderstad themselves) that they are the ministers of the devill, and therefore not to bee praied for nor approved in anie off their administracions, — seing all things they do (as punishing offenders and defending their countries, state, and persons by the sword) is vnlawful. 25. That it is Lawful in a just cause for the deciding off strife to take an oath by the Name off the Lord. Heb. 6.16. 2. Cor. 1.23. Phil. 1.8. 26. That the dead shall rise againe, and the liveingh being changed in a moment, — haveing the same bodies in sub- stance though divers in qualities, i. Cor. 15. 52 and 38. Job 19. 15-28. Luk 24.30. 27. That after the resurrection all men shall appeare before the judgment seat off CHRIST to bee judged according to their workes, that the Godlie shall enioy life Eternall, the wickeed being condemned shallbee tormented ever- lastinglie in Hell. Mat. 25.46. Finis [The above is followed by a long controversial letter against Smith. It contains seventeen leaves as against only four and a half of the confession itself. It charges Smith with the following six errors:] I. That CHRIST concerning the first mother off his Flesh, he affirmed that all the | Scriptures would not The English Baptists 93 prove, that he had it off the virgin Marie, but his second mother | which he said was his nourishmeet, that the Scriptures proved he had of Marie, thus | making CHRIST to have two mothers off his Flesh 2. That men are justified partelie by the righteousness off Christ apprehended by faith, | partely by their owne inherent righteousness, 3- That Adams sin was not imputed vnto anie of his pos- teritie, and that all men | are in the estate off Adam in his innocency before they commit actuall sin, and | there- fore infants were not redeemed by Christ, but as the Angels and all other Creatures. 4- That the Church and Ministery must come by succes- sion contrary to his former, | profession, in words & writings, & that by a supposed succession, he cannot | show, from whome, nor when, nor where 5- That an Elder off one Church is an Elder off all Churches in the World. | 6. That Magistrates may not bee members off Christs Church, and retayne their | Magistracie. | [To these charges Smith replied in a dignified and conciliatory tone in his " Last Book," reprinted in Bar- clay's Inner Life, etc.] 94 Baptist Confessions of Faith II. SECOND GROUP On his return to England Helwys began work in Lon- don, and congregations are soon found in other places as well. Through much opposition from all parties, and persecution from the State Church, these General Bap- tists persevered and grew slowly. For some years they kept up correspondence with the Dutch Mennonites, with whom they were in substantial agreement. (See Evans, II.) They were doubtless aided and stimulated by the rise of the Calvinistic Baptists about 1640. The confu- sion of the period of the Civil War and the Common- wealth afforded them as well as all other free church parties an excellent opportunity which they faithfully utilized. Beginning with this period we have a second group of Arminian Confessions, all of which fall within the latter half of the century. I. That of i6§i. The earliest was drawn up in 1651. Thirty congre- gations in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and adjoining counties, sent two representatives each to a meeting to draw up a statement of their views. This is the first General Baptist Confession to speak for more than one church. The original is very rare, and even a facsimile reprint by John Taylor, of Northampton, is not at all common. This reprint is reproduced here. Only the Scripture references are here given, while in the original the passages are quoted in full; and the signatures of the authors are omitted. The Confession thus abridged is as follows: The English Baptists 95 THE FAITH AND PRACTISE OF THIRTY CONGREGATIONS, GATHERED ACCORDING TO THE PRIMITIVE PATTERN. Published (in love) by consent of two from each Congregation, appointed for that purpose. 1. To inform those who have a desire to know what Religious Duties they hold forth. 2. To undecieve those that are mis-informed thereof. 3. To the end that the said Congregations may in love, and the spirit of Meekness, be informed by any that conceive they walk amiss. Rom. 12. 18. // it he possible, as much as in you' is, have Peace mth all men. London, Printed by /. M. for Will. Lamar, at the Blackmore neer Fleet-bridge, 165 1. g6 Baptist Confessions of Faith To all the Saints and Churches of God, who walk according to the commands of Jesus Christ, in England, Wales, Army, or else-where. Dearly Beloved, and Fellow Citizens of the household of God, Grace, Mercy, and Peace be multiplyed unto you from God, through Jesus Christ ; The Lord preserve your minds and hearts by his holy Spirit, with all those gifts of his Free Grace which he hath bestowed upon you, to adorn the doctrine of the Gospel in every thing whereunto ye are called, to live to the glory and praise of his Grace. Loving Brethren, if we could have con- veniently convayed this Copie unto your hands before it went to the Press, doubtless we might have gained your Christian Ad- vice and Assistance herein, which might have been very Beneficial to the Truth, wherein you are with us ahke concerned and engaged ; but by reason of the distance of place, and also being unacquainted, hath hindred our sending; but we hope our for- wardness herein will not be any hinderance to you for the future, to manifest your con- currence with us, so far as we own the Truth ; for the preserving our Union with God, and our Joy and Peace with each other, but the rather to give you occasion to make use of the Ability and Power God hathbetrusted you with, for our Informati- ons in what you judge is wanting, and for our further Confirmation and Encourage- ment in those things you approve of with us, have we published this ensuing Treatise; That so we may agree with love in peace and truth, by the Assistance of our blessed Lord The English Baptists 97 and Saviour Jesus Christ. So with our Prayers, we subscribe our selves Your Servants in the Lord. [Signatures of its sixty-one authors here.] The Faith and Practise of Thirty Congregations Ezek. 43. II. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the laws thereof ; and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men, &c. H e b r. 3. 6. But Christ as a Son, over his own &c. I. That that God whom we acknow- ledge, ought to be worshipped by all, and above all that are called Gods, and he is Infinite in power and wisdom, universal, invisible, eternal. Ps. 96. 3. 4. ler. 23. 24. Col. I. 17. Rom. i. 20. 2. That God created all creatures visi- ble and invisible, by his own wisdome and power. Col. 1. 16. ler. 10. 12. 3. That God preserveth all creatures which are in being. Nehemiah. 9. 6. Rom. 11. 36. 4. That the creation doth plainly de- clare the Power and Righteousness of God; Ram. i. 20. Isa. 40. 26. 5. That God commandeth men to take a view of his Wise, Powerful, and Righte- ous workes of creation. Isa. 40. 26. 6. That God by his good creatures G 98 Baptist Confessions of Faith called or calleth men to a serious consider- ation, or meditation, that they may further understand his Wisdom and Power. Rom. i. 20. 7. That God doth command men to speak or declare that which they have learned by the teaching of the creatures; Psal. 145. 5. 8. That the consideration of the Lord's handyworks in creatures, is a means to be- get thoughts of God, and of our selves, sutable to his greatness, and our inferior- ity ; Psal. 8. 3, 4. 9. That whatsoever good Meditations, or serious Considerations we have of the glorious works of Creation, ought to break forth with admiration unto thankfulness to God, Psal. 136. from ver. j. to ver. p. 10. That those who did refuse to wor- ship or glorifie God answerably to the teaching of the Creation, the Lord gave them over, or forsook them so far, that they became so desperately wicked, that they did things contrary to nature, Rom. i. 26, 27. 11. God created or made Adam a living soul, and in his own Likeness in Soveraignty or Dominion; Gen. i. 26. 27. 12. That God gave unto Adam Lawes or commands, that he might know his Will; Gen. 2. 16. 17. 13. That God declared unto Adam what penalty or punishment he would cause to befall him, if he disobeyed his Will, Gen. 2. 17. 14. That Adam did sin or disobey the righteous commands of the Lord, Gen. 3- 6. 15. That God told Adam very plainly what death it should be that he would cause to come on him, and what sorrows should attend him in the meanwhile; Gen. 3- 17. 19- The English Baptists 99 16. That all mankind are liable to par- take of the same death or punishment which the Lord in his righteous judgment caused to fall on Adam for his transgression; Rom. 5. 18. 17. That Jesus Christ, through (or by) the grace of God, suffered death for all mankind, or every man; Heb. 2. 9. 18. That Christ Jesus, the second Adam, will as certainly raise all mankind from that death which fell on them, through or by the first Adam's sin or of- fence, as surely as they partake of it ; Rom. 5. 18. 19. That Jesus Christ, his Lordly or Kingly preheminence over all mankind, is vindicated or maintained in the Scriptures account, by vertue of his dying or suffering for them; Rom. 14. 9. 20. That God's Word, Son, or Spirit, are one, i I oh. 5. 7. Jude i. Heh. 10. 29. Rom. 15. 16. God and his Word are one; loh. I. I. The Word quickneth, Psal. 119. 50. The Son quickeneth, Eph. 2. i. And the spirit quickneth loh. 6. 63. So they are one. God giveth Gifts, and the Son doth the same, also the holy Ghost, So they are one. lam. I. 71. Eph. 4. 10, 11. Acts 2. 38. I. Thes. i. 5. loh. 6. 44. lo. 14. 6. Eph. I. 18. I Cor. 12. 3. Math. 10. 40. Gal. 3. 2. 21. That the Lord of all mankind, Jesus Christ, hath the power of giving Lawes for the governing or ruling every man in the World in spiritual worship, Isa. 9. 6, 7. Math. 28. 18. 19, 20. 22. That this Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, is the only or principal high Priest, which offered up sacrifice, or made recon- ciliation for the Sins of the people, Heb. 2. 17. 23. That the high Priest Jesus Christ, loo Baptist Confessions of Faith is not onely King or Governour, but also the Apostle or Prophet of the Truth pro- fessed, or the true profession of Saints Heh. 3. I. 24. That all the riches appertaining to a spiritual and eternal life, were treasured up in Jesus Christ. Col. 2. 3. 25. That there is not, neither ever was any man endued with any abilities and power to do the revealed will of God, but it was given him from above. lam. i. 17. 26. That the gifts of God spring from the pleasure of his will, or of his free grace; even the Lord Jesus Christ sprung from thence, from whom commeth all spiritual mercies : Rom. 8. 32. Heb. 2. 9. 27. That lesus Christ was faithfull in all things whereunto he was appointed, Heh. 3. I, 2. 28. That lesus Christ was not only the Lawmaker, but the Law giver to every man that liveth in the world, in that he giveth every man therein some measure of light. lo. I. 9. 29. That God of his free love giveth several gifts unto men, dividing severally as it pleaseth him, by one and the same spirit; I Cor. 12. II. Eph. 4. 7. 30. That the gifts of God given unto men of his own free grace, though never so richly they may be furnished both with abilities and power, yet those gifts of grace do not demonstrate, or declare them to be faithfull servants; but it doth very plainly prove, that they are called upon thereby to be faithfull Servants; i Cor. 4. i. 2. 31. That those gifts which God of his free grace gives unto men to the enabling or impowering them to obey or believe in his name, are called the grace of God, as they The English Baptists loi spring from the spirit of grace ; Acts. i8. 17- 2,2. That when God of his own boun- tifulness hath given gifts unto men to be improved by them to the praise of his grace, as to believe or obey, then tliose so endued are Stewards of the grace of God, i Pet. 4. 10. 33. That God requireth or command- eth service of men, answerable to those gifts of grace which he of his good pleasure hath bestowed upon them. Col. 2. 6. loh. 12. 37. 34. That it is the gracious pleasure of God, that lesus Christ his life, death, and resurrection, should be made known unto men, and by men, as arguments, or motives, to allure or provoke them to live holy and righteous in this present world; Eph. 5. i. 2. Rom. 6. 4, to ver. 14. 35. That God requireth that man should worship him in Spirit and in truth, or with all the heart, before they outwardly make a profession of him: Acts 8. 36. 37. 36. That all actions performed by man towards God, ought to flow from a principle of Love; i. Cor. 13. i, 2, 3. 37. That God loves man first, and de- clareth, or maketh known his love to men, before any man can Act from a principle of love in obedience to him, lo. 15. 16. 38. That whosoever obeyeth God with those gifts of his free grace, (as a- bilities and power to do his will) never so faithfully. Evangelically, or Unfainedly, giving him the glory of those performances; yet thus believing or obeying doth not pro- cure salvation as eternal life, neither are they any cause at all to move God to bestow it; Ezek. 16. from ver. 3. to ver, 10. Eph. 2. 9. Rom. 4. 2. Jo. 15. 15. I02 Baptist Confessions of Faith 39. That the ground or principal end of mens beheving or obeying God, ought to be for the advancing of the glory of God, or for the Praise of his free grace; I. Cor. 6. 19, 20. 40. That those who serve or fear the Lord, honouring or glorifying him with his gifts bestowed on them, to the praise of his free grace, do demonstratively of openly manifest themselves to be his faithful ser- vants, or children, i. lo. 3. 10. Acts 10. 35- 41. That those which serve the Lord with integrity of mind and spirit, impro- ving their abilities and power given unto them of God, to his glory and praise, are not only called faithful Servants, or the children of the living God, bvit they have the pro- mises of God to be intrusted with more of the manifestations of himself, which is cal- led the misterie which hath bin hid from many ages, and generations, which the dis- obedient shall not injoy. Col. i. 26. 27. 42. That those which love the Lord Jesus Christ, so as to walke in his appointed ways with that strength of ability and power which God of his own mercy hath given unto them, they shall have peace of conscience, being freed from anguish of spirit, having their hearts comforted by the holy Ghost; Rom. 2. 10. 43. That all those that continue sted- fastly unto the end of their lives, pressing forward to the mark (Jesus Christ) that is set before them, shall not only have the comfort and joy which is a part of their portion in this life, but they shall also have a Crown of eternal glory in the life to come; Rev. 22. 14. 2 Tim. 4. 8. 44. That God of his free grace or love, called or calleth sinners to repentance, and The English Baptists 103 afforded or affordeth them time or oppor- tunity to repent or returne unto him; Rom. 4. 2. 45. That all those who refuse to im- prove the gifts of grace which God hath afforded them, so that they repent not, nei- ther turne to him in obedience to his com- mands made manifest unto them, they do despise the goodness of God or his free grace, denying the Lord that bought them, and so are liable to destruction, i Pet. 2. I, 2. 46. That whosoever shall preach, teach, or practise any doctrine in the wor- ship of God, pretending it in the name of Jesus Christ, which is not to be heard or read of in the record of God, which was given by inspiration of the holy Ghost; such teachers are lyable to the curse of God, howsoever, countenanced by men. Gal. i. 8, 9. 47. That the Baptisme which the Lord Jesus commanded his disciples to teach, ought to be known by every one, before they submit themselves, or obey it; Acts. 2. 38. 41. 48. That the way and manner of bap- tising, both before the death of Christ, and since his resurection and ascension, was to go into the water, and to be baptised; Math. 3. 6. Math, i. 5. and 8. 9. 49. That when Baptisme is made known, or any other Action of obedience, then for men to refuse it, they are said to re- ject the counsel of God against themselves; Luk. 7. 30. 50. That those which received the word of God preached by the Ministrie of the Gospel, and were Baptized according to the Counsel of God, at the same time or day they were of the visible Church of God, Acts. 2. 41. 51. That the only foundation of the Church I04 Baptist Confessions of Faith of God, is the Doctrines oi the Apostles or Prophets, as they spring from Jesus Christ the chiefe corner stone, whereon this or any- other people are to be built together as the house of God; Eph. 2. 20, 21. 52. That the chief or only ends of a peo- ple baptised according to the counsel of God, when they meet together as the con- gregation or fellowship of Christ, are, or ought to be, for to walk sutably ; or to give up themselves unto a holy conformity to all the Laws or Ordinances of Jesus Christ, answerable to the gifts and graces received, improving them for the glory of God, and the edification of each other in love, Eph. 4. IS, 16. 53. That Jesus Christ took Bread, and the juice of the Vine, and brake, and gave to his Disciples, to eat and drink with thanksgiving; which practise is left upon record as a memorial of his suffering, to continue in the Church until he come a- gain; i Cor. 11. 23, 24, 25, 26. 54. That the Church ought to call upon God, seeking him by prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, and to be thankful to him for mercies received, sounding forth his praises with understanding. Eph. 6. 16, 17, 18. 55. That if any one of the fellowship neglect the watching over his own heart, and so break out into an evill life and con- versation, and all good meanes that God hath appointed hath been used towards such a one, and that person hath not per- formed, then ought not such a one to break bread with obedient walkers, to shew forth the death of Christ, seeing he doth deny him in life and conversation ; i Cor. 5. 12. 56. That the people of God ought to have a tender respect towards them, as long as there is any hope of being instrumental in the The English Baptists 105 use of that means which God hath appointed for the recovering them out of the snare of sin or wickedness. 2. Thes. 3. 14, 15. 57. That there be contributions made for the relief of those that cannot help them- selves with food and rayment, that are wil- ling to the utmost to put forth their strength and skill in some lawful Way or Calling, especially those that are of the household of Faith; such as through sickness or weak- ness of body cannot labour. Gal. 6. 9. 10. 58. That it is the good pleasure of God, which hath given gifts of his grace to the Saints or Church of God, that some of the gifted men should be appointed or set apart to attend upon the preaching of the word, for the further edifying of the Churches, that they may be enabled to stand against all oppositions according as necessity requires, to the glory of God and their comfort. Eph. 4. 11, 21. 59. That it is the will of God that those Saints or members of the fellowship which are appointed so to spend their labors in teaching or exhorting them in the know- ledge of God to their edification and con- solation, ought to have maintenance of those that receive spiritual food by them. I Cor. 9. II. 60. That the maintenance of the Min- isters which labour in the Word of God, ought to be the free and Charitable Bene- volence, or the chearful contribution of those that acknowledge themselves mem- bers of the same fellowship; 2 Cor. 9. 13. 61. That the servants of God, or the Ministers of the Gospel, ought to be con- tent with necessary food and rayment, and to labour with their hands, that they may not be overchargeable, i Cor. 4. 12. io6 Baptist Confessions of Faith because they are to teach that doctrine to every member. Heb. 13. 5. 62. That those servants of God which labour in the word much, and well, ought to be had in very good estimation; i Tim. 5. 17. 63. That the Church of Jesus Christ ought not to think of any man above what is meet, lest that they give that honour to man, which properly and alone belongeth to God; Psal. 115. i. 2 Cor. 12. 6. 64. That the Church hath directions of God to set apart some men that are sute- ably qualified, to oversee, or order the af- fairs concerning the poor distressed mem- bers of Christ, that they may not be neg- lected, and so perish for want of food and rayment, and to take off that work from ly- ing too heavy upon the care of those which labour in the word and doctrine; Acts. 6. 3, 4. 65. That if the poor fearing God, can- not conveniently have a competent mainte- nance, for the supply of their necessities in that society whereunto they must com- monly resort, that then those men that have the care laid upon them, send or give in- telligence to the other Churches or saints of God, who have ingaged themselves by declaring their willingness towards the re- lief of such a distressed people, Rom. 15. 26. 66. That those men which the Church of God are to make such uses of as the set- ting them to minister unto the saints in things spritual or temporall, it is required that the Church judge those men found in the faith, that their lives and conversations be unblameable, that those which are without, cannot have any just occasion to speak reproachfully of them, that they be not covetous of filthy lucre, neither selfwill- ed, but loving and patient towards all men, apt to teach, and to do good works answer- The English Baptists 107 able to their abilities. Titus i. 7, 8. 9. Acts. 6. 3. 67. That some men amongst the brother- hood who are able to judge in causes of difference that may arise betwixt them in the Church, may be approved or appointed to put an end thereto without partiality, that there may be no unnecessary strivings in the Law to vex one another; i Cor. 6. 5, 6, 7. 68. That whosoever of the Society or Church of God which shall willfully or carelessly neglect any lawful way or calling, and to fall into hunger and nakedness, ought to be exhorted with love and meek- ness, to labour with their abilities in some honest way or calling for their relief which being done orderly, and he or they will not reform, so that sutable exhortations take no place, such an one shall be excluded or ex- communicated, as one that hath denyed the faith; i. Tim. 5. 8. 69. That the offended ought to proceed according to rule, not delaying or prolonging time, but out of a tender care, that their hearts may not be hardned by a custome in sin, that thereby the reclaiming of them from sin may be done with less difficulty ; Mat. 18. IS, 16, 17. . , ,j 70. That if any controversie should so fall out, that the case cannot easily be deter- mined by that society or church where it is first presented, that then use be made of some other society which they are in fellow- ship with, for their assistance therein; Acts 16. I, 2. 71. That there be an orderly improving those gifts that God of his free grace hath bestowed on the Saints, that one may not hinder another, but as occasion serveth, one by one, speaking the things that they have learned of God, that the hearers may be io8 Baptist Confessions of Faith profited, and so put in a capacity to judge of things concerning the glory of God, and their own peace; i Cor. 14. 30, 31. 72. That if any one which hath been of the fellowship of Christ, and hath so far subjected himself to temptations that he de- nyeth to live righteously, or in the fear and love of God and makes shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience, for which he hath been excommunicated according to Order, that it be recorded, and made known to other the Churches, for prevention of evils in them; i Tim. i. 19, 20. 73. That Fasting and Prayer ought to be used, and laying on of hands, for the Ordaining of servants or Officers to attend about the service of God ; Acts 13. 3. 74. That we ought to behave our selves towards all men, no otherwise then we would freely and cheerfully they in the like case (if it should fall out) should do toward us, and that we ought to seek a peaceable life with all men, as far as possibly we can, keeping faith and a good conscience ; Luke 6. 31. Rom. 12. 18. I Tim. i. 19. 75. That we ought to clear our selves, not only from evil Thoughts harbouring in our hearts, or the evils in life and conversa- tion; but as far as we can, vindicate our selves from all those scandalous aspersions that daylie fall about our ears, setting our good names on fire, to the dishonour of God, whereof many are the Instruments by their wilful contrivances, or by the mis-infor- mations of others, which father upon us such principles and practises as we abhor, through ignorant mistakes cunningly sug- gested by some evil willers at least ; 2 Cor. 2. 17. The English Baptists 109 Postscript. THat we do own a Magistratical power for the governing of this our English Nation, to be determined in a just Parlia- mentary way; and that we ought to pray for good Governors, and good Govern- ment; that we may live a peaceable and godly life in all honesty; standing ready at all times, as necessity may require, to vindi- cate such a Magistracy or Magistrates, not only with arguments of sound reason, but also with our Estates and Lives; that Righteousness may reigne, and Vice may be overthrown, without respect of persons. FINIS. 2. The Standard Confession of 1660 The standard Confession of the English General Bap- tists was drawn up in March, 1660, in the midst of the calumnies and persecutions of the Restoration. It is supposed to have been composed by Thos. Grantham (Taylor, "His. Eng. General Baptists," I, 466), and was subscribed by certain elders, deacons, and brethren from various parts of the kingdom, met in London and composing the General Assembly of the General Baptists no Baptist Confessions of Faith and representing, they claim, upwards of twenty thousand members. It was formally presented to King Charles II July 26, 1660, along with an address (Crosby, II, igi; Taylor, I, i86f). It was at once published and was often reprinted. It was also " printed on a sheet to be hung up in a frame," and in this form adorned many homes. It was reaffirmed by the General Assembly, 1663, edited by Thos. Grantham in 1678, with " a few explana- tory supplements, and the testimony of many ancient writers of Christianity," " to shew, that though the com- position of these articles be new, yet the doctrine con- tained therein is truly ancient." The changes were numerous but unimportant. In 1691 the General As- sembly approved its republication " with Brother Grant- ham's explication of the third article " ; it was again approved by the General Assembly in 1697 and 1704, and many later editions are known. The Confession was rather freely edited and reprinted by Crosby, Vol. II, App. IV, and by Underbill, pp. io7f. It represented the entire body of General Baptists in England, and is the first of the General Baptist Confes- sions to prescribe dipping or immersion as the essential form of baptism. If Smyth and his immediate followers did originally practise affusion, as seems most probable, it is not known when the General Baptists began the prac- tice of immersion. The Calvinistic Baptists (or, per- haps we should say Anabaptists) began immersion as early as 1640 or 1641, and incorporated immersion as the only acceptable form of baptism in their first Confes- sion in 1644. This action would naturally influence the General Baptists, and it has been supposed that they gradually adopted immersion until it was made the only acceptable mode in this Confession of 1660. The following is an exact reproduction of the original : The English Baptists iii A BRIEF CONFESSION OR DECLARATION OF FAITH Set forth by many of us, who are (falsely) called Ana-Baptists, to inform all Men (in these days of scandal and reproach) of our inno I cent Belief and Practise; for which we are not on | ly resolved to suffer Persecution, to the loss of I our Goods, but also Life it self, rather | than to decline the same. Subscribed to by certain Elders, Deacons, and Brethren, met at | London, in the first month (called March, 1660.) in the be [ half of themselves, and many others unto whom they belong, in | London, and in several Counties of this Nation, who are of the | same Faith with us. After the Way which men call Heresie, so Worship we the God of our \ Fathers; Believing all things which are written in the Law, and \ in the Prophets, Acts 24, 14. LONDON Printed by G. D. for F. Smith, at the Elephant and Castle, near | Temple-Barr, 1660. [page 3] 112 Baptist Confessions of Faith A BRIEF CONFESSION OR Declaration of Faith, Set out by many of Us, who are (falsely) called Ana-Baptists, to inform all men (in these days of scandal | and reproach) of our innocent Belief, and Practise : for which | we are not only resolved to suffer persecution, to the loss of our | Goods, but also to life it self, rather then to decline the same. 1. We Believe and are verily confident, that | there is but one God the Father, of | whom are all things, from everlasting | to everlasting, glorious, and unword | able in all his attributes, i Cor. 8, 6. Isa. 40. 28. II. That God in the beginning made | Man Upright, and put him into a state | and condition of Glory, without the | least mixture of misery, from which he | by transgression fell, and so came into a miserable and mortal estate, | subject unto the first death. Gen. i. 31. Eccles. 7. 29. Gen. 2. 17. 3. 17, 18, 19. III. That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, | who is the only begotten Son of God, born of tlie Virgin Mary; \ yet as truly Davids Lord, and Davids root, as Davids Son, and Da [page 4] vids Off- spring, Luke 20. 44. Revel. 22. 16. whom God freely sent I into the World (because of his great love unto the World) who as | freely gave himself a ransome for all, I Tim. 2. 5, 6. tasting death \ for every man, Heb. 2. 9. a propitiation for our sins; and not for ours \ only, but also for the sins of the whole World, I John 2. 2. IV. That God is not willing that any should perish, but that all I should come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3. 9. and the knowledge of the truth, \ that they might be saved, I Tim. 2. 4. For which end Christ hath | commanded, that the Gospel (to wit, the glad tydings of remission | of sins) should be preached to every creature, Mark 16. 15. So | that no man shall eternally suffer in Hell (that is, the The English Baptists 113 second death) j for want of a Christ that dyed for them, but as the Scripture saith, | for denying the Lord that bought them, 2 Pet. 2. i. or because they | believe not in the name of the only begotten Son of God, John 3. | 18. Unbelief therefore being the cause why the just and righteous | God, will condemn the children of men ; it fol- lows against all con | tradiction, that all men at one time or other, are put into such a | capacity, as that (through the grace of God) they may be eternally | saved, John 1.7. Acts 17. 2,0. Mark 6.6. //^&. 3. 10, 18, 19. 1 John I 5. 10. John 3. 17. V. That such who first orderly comes into, and are brought up I in the School of Christs Church, and wait- ing there, comes to de|grees of Christianity, rightly quali- fied and considerably gifted by | Gods Spirit; ought to exercise their gifts not only in the Church, | but also (as occasion serves) to preach to the World (they being | ap- proved of by the Church so to do) Acts 11. 22, 23, 24. Acts II. I 19. 20. and that among such some are to be chosen by the Church, | and ordained by Fasting, Prayer, and Laying on of Hands, for the | work of the Ministiy, Acts 13. 2, 3. Acts I. 23. Such so ordained, | (and abi- ding faithful in their work) we own as Ministers of the Gos I pel; but all such who come not first to repent of their sins, believe | on the Lord Jesus, and so Baptised in his name for the remission of | Sins, but are only brought up in the Schools of humane learning, | to the attaining humane arts, and variety of languages, with ma I ny vain curiosities of speech, i Cor. i. 19, 21. 2. i, 4, 5. seeking | rather the gain of large revenues, then the gain of souls to God: | such (we say) we utterly deny, being such as have need rather to | be taught themselves, than fit to teach others, Rom. 2. 21. | VI. That the way set forth by God for m'en to be justified in, is | by faith in Christ, Rom. 5. i. | [page 5] That is to say, when men shall assent to the truth of the Gospel, | believing with all their hearts, that there is remission of sins, and e | ternal life to be had in Christ. | And that Christ therefore is most worthy their con- stant affecti I ons, and subjection to all his Commande- ments, and therefore re 1 solve with purpose of heart so to H 114 Baptist Confessions of Faith subject unto him in all things, and | no longer unto them- selves, 2 Cor. 5. 15. I And so, shall (with godly sorrow for the sins past) commit | themselves to his grace, confidently depending upon him for that | which they believe is to be had in him: such so believing are justifi | ed from all their sins, their faith shall be accounted unto them for | righteous- ness, Rom. 4. 22, 23, 24. Rom. 3. 25, 26. | VII. That there is one holy Spirit, the pretious gift of God, free | ly given to such as obey him, Ephes. 4. 4. Acts 5. 32. that there | by they may be throughly sanctified, and made able (without which | they are altogether un- able) to abide stedfast in the faith, and to | honour the Father, and his Son Christ, the Author and finisher of | their faith; i Cor. 6. 11. There are three that bear record in Hea | ven, the Father, the Word, the holy Spirit, and these three are one ; | which Spirit of promise such have not yet received, (though they | speak much of him) that are so far out of Love, Peace, Long-suffe \ ring. Gentleness, Goodness, Meekness, and Temperance, {the I fruits of the Spirit, Gal. 5. 22, 23.) as that they breath out much | cruelty, and great envy against the Liberties, and peaceable living | of such, as are not of their judgment, though holy as to their conver | sa- tions. I VIII. That God hath even before the foundation of the ■world I chosen, (or elected) to eternal life, such as be- lieve, and so are in | Christ, John 3. 16. Ephes. i. 4, 2 Thes. 2. 13. yet confident we | are, that the purpose of God according to election, was not in the | least arising from fore-seen faith in, or works of righteousness done ] by the creature, but only from the mercy, goodness, and com I passion dwelling in God, and so it is of him that calleth, Rom. 9. 11. | whose purity and unwordable holi- ness, cannot admit of any unclean | person (or thing) to be in his presence, therefore his decree of mer | cy reaches only the godly man, whom (saith David) God hath I set apart for himself, Psal. 4. 3. | IX. That men not considered simply as men, but un- godly men, | were of old ordained to condemnation, con- sidered as such, who turn [page 6] the grace of God The English Baptists 115 unto wantonness, and deny the only Lord God, ] and our Lord Jesus Christ, Jude 4. God indeed sends a strong de I lusion to men, that they might be damned; but we observe that they | are such (as saith the Apostle) that received not the love of the \ truth, that they might be saved, 2 Thes. 2. 10, 11, 12. and so the | indignation and wrath of God, is upon every soul of man that doth | evil, (living and dying therein,) for there is no respect of persons \ with God. Rom. 2. 9, 10, 11. | X. That all Children dying in Infancy, having not ac- tually trans | gressed against the Law of God in their own persons, are only sub | ject to the first death, which comes upon them by the sin of the first | Adam, from whence they shall be all raised by the second Adam ; | and not that any one of them (dying in that estate) shall suf- fer for I Adams sin, eternal punishment in Hell, (which is the second death) | for of such belongs the Kingdome of Heaven, i Cor. 15. 22. Mat. 19. [ 14. not daring to conclude with that uncharitable opinion of others, ] who though they plead much for the bringing of children into the | visible Church here on earth by Baptism, yet nevertheless by their | Doctrine that Christ dyed but for some, shut a great part of them out | of the Kingdome of Heaven for ever. | XI. That the right and only way, of gathering Churches, (accor | ding to Christs appointment, Mat. 28. 19, 20.) is first to teach, or | preach the Gospel, Mark 16. 16. to the Sons and Daughters of | men; and then to Baptise (that is in English to Dip) in the name of | the Father, Son, and holy Spirit, or in the name of the Lord Jesus I Christ ; such only of them, as profess repentance towards God, and \ faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, Acts. 2. 38. Acts 8. 12. Acts | 18. 8. And as for all such who preach not this Doctrine, but instead | thereof, that Scriptureless thing of Sprinkling of Infants (falsly called\Baptisme) whereby the pure word of God is made of no effect, and the | new Testament-way of bringing in Members, into the Church by re | generation, cast out ; when as the bond-woman & her son, that is to | say, the old Testament-way of bringing in Children into the Church 1 by generation, is cast out, as saith the Scrip- ii6 Baptist Confessions of Faith ture, Gal. 4. 30, 22, 23, 24. | Maf. 3. 8, 9. all such we utterly deny, forasmuch as we are com | manded to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, | but rather to reprove them, Ephes. 5. 11. | XII. That it is the duty of all such who are believers Baptized, \ to draw nigh unto God in submission to that principle of Christs [page 7] Doctrine, to wit. Prayer and Laying on of Hands, that they may | receive the promise of the holy Spirit, Heb. 6. i. 2. Acts 8. 12, 15, | 17. Acts 19. 6. 2 Tim. i. 6. whereby they may mortiHe the deeds of \ the body, Rom. 8. 13. and live in all things answerable to their pro | fessed intentions, and desires, even to the honour of him, who hath \ called them out of darkness into his marvellous light. \ XIII. That it is the duty of such who are constituted as aforesaid, | to continue stedfastly in Christs and the Apostles Doctrine, and assem | bling together, in fellow- ship, in breaking of Bread, and Prayer, Acts | 2. 42. | XIV. That although we thus declare the primitive way, and I order of constituting Churches, yet we verily be- lieve, and also de | clare, that unless men so professing, and practising the forme and or|der of Christs Doctrine, shall also beautifie the same with a holy and | wise con- versation, in all godliness and honesty; the profession of I the visible form will be rendered to them of no effect; for without \ holiness no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12. 14. Isa. i. 11, 12, 15, | 16. | XV. That the Elders or Pastors which God hath ap- pointed to I oversee, and feed his Church (constituted as aforesaid) are such, | who first being of the number of Disciples, shall in time appear to be \ vigilent, sober, of good behavour, given to hospitality, apt to teach, \ &c. not greedy of filthy lucre ( as too many National Ministers are) | but patient; not a brawler, not covetuous, &c. and as such chose, | and ordained to office (according to the order of Scripture, Acts 14. | 23.) who are to feed the flock with meat in due season, and in much | love to rule over them, with all care, seeking after such as go astray; | but as for all such who labour to feed them- selves with the fat, more | than to feed the flock, Ezek. 34. 2, 3. seeking more after theirs, | than them, expresly The English Baptists 117 contrary to the practise of the Ministers of | old, who said, we seek not yours, hut you, 2 Cor. 12. 14. All such we I utterly deny, and hereby bear our continued Testi- mony against, | Ezek. 34. XVI. That the Ministers of Christ, that have freely received | from God, ought freely to Minister to others, I Cor. 9. 17. and | that such who have spiritual things, freely Ministered unto them, | ought freely to communi- cate necessary things to the Ministers, (upfon the account of their charge) i Cor. 9. 11. Gal. 6. 6. And as for [page 8] Tyths, or any forced Maintenance, we utterly deny to be the Main | tenance of Gospel Ministers. XVII. That the true Church of Christ, ought after the first and | second admonition, to reject all Hereticks, Tit. 3. 10, II. and in the | name of the Lord to withdraw from all such, as profess the way of | the Lord, but walks dis- orderly in their conversations, 2 Thes. 3. 6. | or any wayes causes divisions or offences, contrary to the Doc- trine I (of Christ) which they have learned, Rom. 16. 17- I XVIII. That such who are true Believers, even Branches in | Christ the Vine, (and that in his account, whom he exhorts to a | bide in him, John 15. i, 2, 3, 4, 5.) or such who have charity out of | a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of Faith unfeigned, | i Tim. I. 5. may nevertheless for want of watchfulness, swerve and | turn aside from the same, vers. 6, 7. and become as withered Bran | ches, cast into the fire and burned, John. 15. 6. But such who add un \ to their Faith Vertue, and unto Vertue Knowledge, and unto Know \ ledge Temper- ance, &c. 2 Pet. I. 5, 6, 7. such shall never fall, vers. \ 8, 9, 10. 'tis impossible for all the false Christs, and false Prophets, | that are, and are to come, to deceive such, for they are kept by the po | wer of God, through Faith unto Salvation, i Pet. i. 5. XIX. That the poor Saints belonging to the Church of Christ, I are to be sufficiently provided for by the Churches, that they neither | want food or rayment, and this by a free and voluntary contributi | on, (and not of necessity, or by the constraint or power of the Ma | gistrate) 2 Cor. 9. 7. i Cor. 8. 11, 12, and this through Ii8 Baptist Confessions of Faith the free and | voluntary help of the Deacons, (called Overseers of the poor) be | ing faithful men, chosen by the Church, and ordained by Prayer | and Laying on of Hands, to that Work, Acts 6. i, 2. 3, 4, 5, 6. So | that there is no need in the Church of Christ, of a Magesterial compul I sion in this case, as there is among others, who being constituted in ] a fleshly and generational way, are necessitated to make use of a | carnal sword, to compel even a small, mean, and short Maintenance | for their poor; when as many other Members of their Churches, can I and do part with great and large Sums of Money, to maintain their | vain fashions. Gold, Pearls, and costly Array, which is expressly con | trary to the Word of God. I Tim. 2. 9, 10. I Pet. 3. 3. Alas, what \ will such do when God riseth up, and when he visiteth, what will they I answer him? Job 31. 14. | [page 9] XX. That there shall be (through Christ who was dead, but is a | live again from the dead) a Resurrection of all men from the graves | of the Earth, Isa. 26. 19. both the just and the unjust, Acts 24. 15. | that is, the fleshy bodies of men, sown into the graves of the earth, | corruptable, dishonourable, weak, natural, (which so con- sidered I cannot inherit the Kingdome of God) shall be raised again, incor | ruptable, in glory, in power, spiritual, and so considered, the | bodies of the Saints, (united again to their spirits) which here suffer | for Christ, shall inherit the Kingdome, raigning together with | Christ, i Cor. 15. 21, 22, 42, 43, 44, 49. I XXI. That there shall be after the Resurrection from the graves of | the Earth, An eternal Judgement, at the appearing of Christ, and | his Kingdome, 2 Tim. 4. i. Heb. 9. 27. at which time of judgement | which is un- alterable, and irrevocable, every man shall receive ac \ cording to the things done in his body, 2 Cor. 5. 10. | XXII. That the same Lord. Jesus who shewed himself alive af J ter his passion, by many infallible proofs. Acts I. 3. which was | taken up from the Disciples, and carried up into Heaven, Luke | 24. 51. Shall so come in like manner as he was seen go into Heaven, \ Acts. i. 9, 10, II. And when Christ who is our life shall appear, we | shall also appear zvith him in glory. Col. 3. 4. For then The English Baptists 119 shall he be ] King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Rev. 19. 16. for the Kingdome | is his, and he is the Governour among the Nations, Psal. 22. 28. | and King over all the earth, Zech. 14. 9. and we shall raign (with ] him) on the Earth, Rev. 5. 10. the Kingdomes of this World, | (which men so mightily strive after here to enjoy) shall become the I Kingdomes of our Lord, and his Christ, Rev. 11. 15. for all is yours, \ (O ye that overcome this world) for ye are Christs, and Christ is \ Gods, 1 Cor. 3. 22, 23. For unto the Saints shall he given the King \ dome, and the greatness of the Kingdome, under (mark that) the \ whole Heaven, Dan. 7. 27. Though (alas) now many men be | scarce content that the Saints should have so much as being a | mong them ; but when Christ shall ap- pear, then shall be their day, | then shall be given unto them power over the Nations, to rule | them with a Rod of Iron, Rev. 2. 26, 27. then shall they receive a | Crown of life, which no man shall take from them, nor they by | any means turned, or overturned from it, for the op- pressor shall I be broken in pieces, Psal. 72. 4. and their now vain, rejoycings | turned into mourning, and bitter Lamentations, as 'tis written, [page 10] Job 20. 5, 6, 7. The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy \ of the Hypocrite but for a moment; though his excellency mount up to | the Heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds, yet shall he perish \ for ever, like his_ own dung; they which have seen hint, shall say, where \ is he? \ XXIII. That the holy Scriptures is the rule whereby -^feaints both | in matters of Faith, and conversation are to be regulated, they being | able to make men wise unto salvation, through Faith in Christ | Jesus, profitable for Doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in | righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly | furnished unto all good works, 2 Tim. 3. 15, 16, 17. John 20. 31. | Isa. 8. 20. I XXIV. That it is the will, and mind of God (m these Gospel I times) that all men should have the free liberty of their own Consci | ences in matters of Religion,_ or Worship, without the least op | pression, or persecution, as simply upon that account ; and that | for any in Au- thority otherwise to act, we confidently believe is ex | 1 20 Baptist Confessions of Faith pressly contrary to the mind of Christ, who requires that whatsoe | ver men would that others should do unto them, they should even | so do unto others, Mat. 7. 12. and that the Tares, and the Wheat | should grow together in the field, (which is the world) until the | harvest (which is the end of the world,) Mat. 13. 29, 30, 38, | 39. J XXV. We believe that there ought to be civil Magis- trates in all I Nations, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them \ that do well, i Pet. 2. 14. and that all wicked lewdness, and fleshly | filthiness, contrary to just and wholesome (Civil) Laws, ought | to be pun- ished according to the nature of the offences ; and this | without respect of any Persons, Religion, or profession whatsoe | ver; and that we and all men are obliged by Gospel rules, to be | subject to the higher Powers, to obey Magistrates, Tit. 3. i. and to \ submit to every Ordinance of man, for the Lords sake, as saith Peter 2. | 13. But in case the Civil Powers do, or shall at any time impose | things about matters of Religion, which we through con- science to I God cannot actually obey, then we with Peter also do say, that we | ought (in such cases) to obey God rather than men ; Acts 5. 29. | and accordingly do hereby declare our whole, and holy intent and | purpose, that (through the help of grace) we will not yield, nor | (in such cases) in the least actually obey them; yet humbly pur [page 11] posing (in the Lords strength) patiently to suffer whatsoever shall | be inflicted upon us, for our conscionable forbearance. | These things (O ye Sons and Daughters of Men) we verily believe | to be the Lords will and mind, and there- fore cannot but speak, | and if herein we differ from many, yea from muUitudes, from the | leai^ned, the wise and prudent of this World, we (with Peter and | John) do herein make our solemne, and serious appeale, namely, I whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto men, (of a con | trary perswasion) more than unto God? Oh let the judicious, | judge righteous judgement ! Acts 4. 19, 20. And in the beleife, and practise of these things, (it being the | good old Apostolical way) our souls have found that rest, and soul | peace, which the world knows The English Baptists 121 not, and which they cannot take | from us ; of whom then should we be afraid? God is become our \ strength, our light, our salvation; therefore, we are resolved | (through grace) to seal the truth or these things in way of suffer | ing persecution, not only to the loss of our goods, free- domes, or I liberties, but with our lives also (if called thereunto.) | Moreover we do utterly, and from our very hearts, in the I Lords fear, declare against all those wicked, and divillish reports, j and reproaches, falsly cast upon us, as though some of us (in & about | the City of London) had lately gotten "Rntves, booReO Iknlves, & the | like, & great store of Arms besides what was given forth by order of | Parliament, intending to cut the throats of such as were contrary | minded to us in matters of Religion, and that many such hnlves, and | Armes, for the carrying on some secret design, hath been found in | some of our houses by search ; we say, from truth of heart, in the | Lords fear, that we do utterly abhor, and abominate the thoughts | thereof, and much more the actions ; and do hereby challenge both | City, and Coun- try (in our innocency herein) as being not able | to prove the things whereof they accuse us; and do for evermore | declare the Inventors of such reports, to be lyers, and wicked de | visers of mischeife, and corrupt designs : God that is above all will | justifie our innocency herein, who well knows our integrity, in what | we here declare, the Lord lay it not to their charge. | In the time of building the decayed House of God, Samballet, & | Tobiah, {wicked Counsellors) hired Shemaiah to make good Nehemiah | afraid; and la- boured against him, that they might have matter for [page 12] an evil report, that they might reproach him, & hinder the building | of the house of God, Neh. 6. 12. For I have heard {saith the Prophet) \ the defaming of many; report, say they, and tve will report it, Jer. 20. 1 10. I Suscribed by certain Elders, Deacons, and Brathren met I at London, in the first Month (called March, 1660.) in the | behalf of themselves, and many others unto whom they be | long, in London, and in several 122 Baptist Confessions of Faith Counties of this Nation, with Us. Joseph Wright, William Jeffery, Thomas Monck, John Hartnoll, Benjamine Morley, Francis Stanley, George Hammon, William Smart, John Reeve, Thomas Parrot, John Wood, Francis Smith, Edward Jones, Humphrey Jones, Matthew Caffen, Samuel Loveday, John Parsons, Senior Thomas Stacy, Edward Stanley, Jonathan Gennings, THE END who are of the same Faith John Hammersly, William Russel, Joseph Keeich, Nicholas Newberry, Samuel Lover, George Wright, John Parsons, Junior, John Claton, Thomas Seele, Michaiel Whiticar, Giles Browne, John Wells, Stephen Torie, Thomas Lathwel, William Chadwell, William Raph, Henry Browne, William Paine, Richard Bowin, Thomas Smith, 3. The " Orthodox Creed," 167S. Charles II had received the Baptist messengers who presented the preceding Confession very graciously, and promised redress. But January 6, 1661, Thomas Venner and the Fifth Monarchy men broke into open rebellion in London. The king at once forbade all meetings of sectaries, and suspicion of complicity in the rebellion fell on the Baptists. In order to clear themselves from such an unjust imputation, they presented to the king and then published a noble apology, setting forth their loyal attitude toward the State (Crosby II, 35-49). As perse- cution continued, they published, on May 8, 1661, a powerful plea for toleration, addressed to the king. Par- liament, and people of England (Crosby II, 98-146). It The English Baptists 123 is marked by ability and learning, but accomplislied little or no mitigation of the severe persecutions. The common sufferings of all Dissenters during this period drove them nearer together, and aroused a desire for closer relations. They emphasized points of agree- ment, rather than dijfferences. This tendency manifested itself in both wings of the Baptists by the production of union Confessions almost simultaneously. In 1677 the Calvinistic Baptists, in order to show their large agree- ment with Presbyterians and Congregationalists, formu- lated a new Baptist Confession by slightly revising the Westminster Confession, which had also been adopted by the Congregationalists after necessary adaptations. The next year, 1678, the General Baptists drew up their so- called " Orthodox Creed " " to unite and confirm all true protestants in the fundamental articles of the Christian religion, against the errors and heresies of Rome." It is supposed to have been written by Thos. Monk, and was signed by fifty-four " messengers, elders, and brethren " from Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and adjoining counties, Jan. 30, 1678 [9]. In accordance with its unionistic design, it approaches the Calvinistic position as nearly as possible, and is of special interest as the first attempt at that compromise between the two great systems of theology which was such a marked characteristic of the work of Andrew Fuller and others in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Moreover, it seeks to meet and overthrow the Socinian views, which had been in- herited by the General Baptists from the Anabaptists, and had disturbed them somewhat from the beginning of their history. Accordingly it is quite full on the Trinity and Person of Christ and related doctrines, seeking to explain all phases of these abstruse questions. It was reprinted by Crosby (III, Appendix I) and by Underbill (pp. I2if). Crosby's text is reproduced here. 124 Baptist Confessions of Faith AN ORTHODOX CREED, OR A PROTESTANT CONFESSION OF FAITH, BEING AN ESSAY TO UNITE AND CONFIRM ALL TRUE PROTESTANTS IN THE FUNDAMENTAL ARTICLES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, | AGAINST THE ERRORS AND HERESIES OF ROME. London, Printed in the year, 1679. The English Baptists 125 An orthodox CREED. I. ARTICLE. Of the Essence of God. We verily believe, that there is Deut. 6:4; 5 : a6. but one, only living and true Ps. 42 : s. God ; whose subsistence is in jer. 10 : 10. and of himself, whose essence Exod. 3 : 14. cannot be comprehended by Ps. 147 : 5. any but himself ; a most pure, spiritual, Hab. i : 13. or invisible substance ; who hath an abso- Deut. 4 : 15, 16. lute, independent, unchangeable, and infi- Col. i : 15. nite being; without matter or form, ActsiyiaS. body, parts, or passions. Luke 24 : 39. For I am the Lord, I change not ; God is Mai. 3 : 6. a spirit. Now unto the king eternal, im- John 4 : 24. mortal, invisible, the only wise God, be ho- 1 Tim. i ; 17. nour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Deut. 14 : is. Ye heard a Voice, but saw no similitude. IL ARTICLE. Of the divine Attributes in God. Every particle of being in heaven and earth, leads us to the infinite being of beings, namely God, who is simplicity, viz. one mere and perfect act, without John s : 26. all composition, and an immense sea of I John i : 5. perfections ; who is the only eternal be- Matt, s : 48. ing, everlasting without time, whose im- Exod. 6 : 3. mense presence, is always every where Isaiah 40 : 28. present, having immutability without any Ps. 90 : 2 : 39 : 7. alteration in being, or will ; in a word, ^eb. 6 : 17. God is infinite, of universal, unlimited, mS.'s ■ 6.''' and incomprehensible perfection, most holy. Num. 23:19. wise, just, and good; whose wisdom is Lev. 20:26. his justice, whose justice is his holiness, Rom. 16 : 27. and whose wisdom, justice, and holiness, DeuVw^'i is himself. Most merciful, gracious, faith- ^^^^ ^ 7^ ful, and true, a full fountain of love, and isaiah4i-4 who is that perfect, sovereign, divine will, job 33- 13 the Alpha of supreme being. lKines8-27 Is it true, indeed, that God will dwell on p^ 145-3 the earth? Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee : how much less this house which I have built. Great is the Lord, and worthy to be praised, and his greatness is incomprehensible. 126 Baptist Confessions of Faith III. ARTICLE. Of the holy Trinity. In this divine, and infinite being, or unity of the Godhead, there are three I John s : 7. persons, or subsistences, the father, the John 15 : 26. word, or son, and the holy spirit, of one 2 Cor. 13 : 13. substance, power, eternity, and will, each Gen. i : 26. having the whole divine essence, yet the Matt. 3 : j6, 17. essence undivided. The father is of none, John 5 : 17. neither begotten nor proceeding ; the son Gal. i : 3. is eternally begotten of the father; the Matt. 16: j6; 12:32. holy ghost is of the father, and the son, Hcb. i : 3. proceeding. All infinite, without begin- Gen. i : 2, 26. ning, therefore but one God, who is in- ^'V'- ' = ^■ divisible, and not to be divided in nature, lCor.'i2^:6 n. or being, but distinguished by several john'i4:ii! properties and personal relations; and we ljohn5:7'26. worship and adore a Trinity in Unity, and q^i. 4:6."' a Unity in Trinity, three persons, and but i Pet. \ ; H. one God ; which doctrine of the Trinity, ^ q^^ ' . ^ . is the foundation of all our communion i jo^n 5 ■ 7. ' with God, and comfortable dependance on him. jj^tt. 28 • 19. And there are three that bare record in heaven, the father, the word, and the holy spirit, and these three are one. Baptizing them in the name of the father, son, and holy Ghost, &c. IV. ARTICLE. Of the divine Nature, or Godhead of Christ. We confess and believe, that the Son John 5: 20; 1:1,2, 3. of God, or the eternal word, is very and Heb. i : 3. true God, having his personal subsistance i Cor. 15 : 16, 17. of the father alone, and yet for ever of 001.1:2,9. himself as God ; and of the father as the Mic 5 : 2. son, the eternal son of an eternal father; Gnolam.or Eternity. not later in beginning. There was never Matt. 2 : 6. any time when he was not, not less in Prov. 8 : 22, 23, 35. dignity, not other in substance, begotten Phil. 2 : 6. without diminution of his father that be- gat, of one nature and substance with the father; begotten of the father, while the father communicated wholly to the son, which he retained wholly in himself, because both were infinite, without in- John 16 : 27, 28. equality of nature, without division of i : 18. essence, neither made, nor created, nor Isaiah 40 : n, u, 22. adopted, but begotten before all time ; not Rev. i : 8, ii. The English Baptists 127 a metaphorical, or subordinate God ; not Phii 2 ■ 6 a God by office, but a God by nature, co- John 10 • 30 equal, coessential, and coeternal, with the isaiah 9 ■ 6 father and the holy ghost. John 17 : s; 8 : 58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Jesus Heb. 13 ,■ 8. Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and Luke 20 144. for ever. David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? V. ARTICLE. Of the second Person of the holy Trinity, taking our flesh. We believe that the only begotten son I John 3:7. of God, the second person in the sacred Uaiah 7 : 14. Trinity, took to himself a true, real, and John i : 14. fleshly body, and reasonable soul, being con- Luke i : 31, 32. ceived in the fulness of time, by the holy Heb. 2 : 16, 17. ghost, and born of the virgin Mary, and John 19 : 34, 36. became very and true man like unto us in Matt. 26 : 38. all things, even in our infirmities, sin Luke 2: 6, 7; 1:35. only excepted, as appeareth by his con- ception, birth, life, and death. He was Matt.i: 18,20; 23 125. of a woman, and by the power of the holy ghost. Gal. 4 : 4. in a supernatural and miraculous manner, was formed of the only seed, Heb. 4 : 15 ; 2 : 13, 14. or substance of the virgin Mary, in Luke 2 : 52. which respect he hath the name of the Gal. 4 : 4. son of man, and is the true son of David Rom. 1 : 3, 4. the fruit of the virgin's womb, to that Luke 3 : 23, 24. end he might die for Adam. Heb. 7 : 14. Gen. 26 : 17. Heb. 2. 16. VI. ARTICLE. Of the union of the two natures in Christ. We believe the person of the son of God, being a person from all eternity ex- Heb. 2 : 14, 16. isting, did assume the most pure nature of Acts 20 : 28. man, wanting all personal existing of its own, into the unity of his person, or Godhead, and made it his own ; the properties of each nature being preserved, and this inseparable and indissolvable union of both natures, and was made by the holy ghost, sanctifying our nature in the Matt, i : 20. virgin's womb, without change of either Luke i : 35. nature, or mixture of both, and of two Rom. i : 3, 4. 128 Baptist Confessions of Faith natures is one Christ, God-man, or Imma- nuel, God with us. Which mystery ex- ceeds the conception of men, and is the wonder of angels, one only mediator, Jesus Christ, the son of God. Matt. I : 23. I Tim. 3 : j6 ; 2 : 5. VII. ARTICLE. Of the communication of Properties. John 10 ; 30; 5 : 26, 27, &c. I John 4 : g. Matt. 9 : 6. John 7 : 42. We believe that the two natures in Christ, continue still distinct in substance, properties, and actions, and remain one and the same Christ: For the properties of the Godhead, cannot agree to the properties of the manhood, nor the pro- perties of the manhood, to the properties of the Godhead; for as the Godhead or divine nature cannot thirst, or be hungry, no more can the manhood be in all, or many places at once. Therefore, we believe, the God- head was neither turned nor transfused into the manhood, nor the manhood into the Godhead, but both, the divine nature keepeth entire all his essential properties to its self, so that the hu- manity is neither omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent : And the human also keepeth his properties, the' often that which is proper to the one nature, is spoken of the person denominated from the other, which must be understood by the figure synecdoche, viz. a part being taken for the whole, by reason of the union of both natures into one person. Hereby perceive we the love of God, be- cause he laid down his life for us. Acts 20 : 28. I Cor. 2 : 8. John 3 : 13. Mark 2 : 10. I John 3 : 16. VIII. ARTICLE. Of the holy Spirit. We believe that there is one holy spi- John s : 7. rit, the third person subsisting in the sa- Matt. 28 : 19. cred trinity, one with the father and son. Gen. i : 26. who is very and true God, of one substance Acts s : 4. or nature with the father and son, coequal, 2 Cor. 13 : 13. coeternal, and coessential with the father i cor. 12 : 6, ii. and son, to whom with the father and son, Isaiah 6 : s, 9. three persons, and but one eternal and Acts 28 : 25, 26. almighty God, be by all the hosts of saints and angels, ascribed eternal glory, Isaiah 6 : 3. and Hallelujahs. Amen. The English Baptists 129 IX. ARTICLE. Of Predestination and Election. The decrees of God are founded on infinite wisdom, and situate in eternity, and are crowned with infallibiHty, as to the event. Now predestination unto life, is the everlasting purpose of God, where- by before the foundation of the world was laid, he hath constantly decreed in his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation, those whom he hath chosen in Christ, and bring them to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour, thro' Jesus Christ, whom he elected before the foundation of the world, and is called God's elect, in whom his soul delighteth, being the lamb foreordain'd, and so predestinated unto the superlative glory of the hypo- statical union. And this not for any fore- seen holiness in his human nature, sith all that did flow out of the hypostatical union, being elected of mere grace, as are all the members of his mystical body. And God the father gave this his elected and beloved son, for a covenant to the people, and said, that his covenant shall stand fast with him; and his seed shall en- dure for ever. And albeit God the father be the efficient cause of all good things he intended to us, yet Christ is the merit- ing cause of all those good things God intended to us in election, viz. repen- tance, faith and sincere obedience to all God's commandments. And so God the father, that he might bring about the eternal salvation of his elect, chose the man Christ, with respect to his human nature, out of the fallen lump of mankind, which in the fulness of time, he made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those that were under it, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And tho' Christ came from Adam, as Eve did, yet not by Adam, as Cain did, viz. by natu- ral propagation. Therefore without any stain of sin, and this second Adam, being by God's eternal decree, excepted out of the first covenant, as being neither God Isaiah 46 ; 10. Acts 15 : iS ; 17 ; 26. Eph. I : IT, Matt. 25 : 34. 1 Tim. X : 9. John 6:37; 10 : 28,29. Eph. z : 4. Rom. II ; 33 ; 8 ; 3o; 9 : 29. 1 Thess. z ; 4. Tit. I : I. I Pet. I : 19, 20. Isaiah 42 : i. Matt 12 : 17, 18. I Pet. 2 : 6. Luke 23 : 35. I Pet. 1 : 19. John I ; 14. Heb. 2 : 16. Col. 2 : 9. I Tim. 1 : 9. Ps. 89 : 23, &c. John 3 : 16. I John 4 : 9, 10, 79. Rom. 3 : 24, 25. 8:3. 1 Cor. 8 : 30. Eph. 2 : 8, 9, 10. Heb. 7:14; xo : 5,6, &c. Gal. 4 : 3. Eph. I : 5. Gen. 2 : 21, &c. 4 : I- 5 :3. Matt. I : 18, 19. Luke I : 35. 2 Tim. 2 : 5. Heb. 9 : 15. Eph. 2 : 13, &c. Isaiah 49 : 6, &c. 2 Thess. 2 : 13. Eph. I : 17, &c. I Cor. 2 : 13. r30 Baptist Confessions of Faith the father, who was justly offended, nor yet sinful Adam, who had offended him in breaking of it. Therefore Christ, the second Adam, was a fit mediator between God and man, to reconcile both in him self, by the shedding and sprinkhng of his blood, according to God's eternal purpose in electing of Christ, and of all that do, or shall believe in him, which eternal election or covenant transaction be- tween the father and son, is very con- sistent with his revealed will in the gos- pel; for we ought not to oppose the grace of God in electing of us, nor yet the grace of the son in dying for all men, and so for us, nor yet the grace of the holy ghost in propounding the gospel, and persuading us to believe it. For until we do believe, the effects of God's displeasure are not taken from us ; for the wrath of God abideth on all them that do not be- lieve in Christ; for the actual declaration in the court of conscience, is by faith as an instrument, not for faith as a meriting cause : for Christ is the meriting cause of eternal life to all that believe, but not of God's will to give eternal life to them, nor yet of God's decree to save us, albeit \ye are chosen in Christ before the founda- tion of the world. Now faith is neces- sary as the way of our salvation, as an in- strumental cause: but the active and pas- sive obedience of Christ, is necessary as a meriting cause of our salvation; there- fore God's eternal decree doth not op- pose his revealed will in the gospel, it being but one, not two diverse or contrary wills. For his decree as king, decreeth the event, or what shall be done infallibly; but his command as a lawgiver, sheweth not what shall be done, but what is the duty of man to do, and leave undone. Therefore God hath, we believe, decreed, that faith as the means, and salvation as the end, shall be joined together, that where one is, the other must be also, for it is written, he that believeth shall be saved ; also, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Now here is a great mystery indeed, for God so administereth his absolute decree that he leaveth us I Thess. I : 5. John 3 : 18, 36. Rom. 3 : 30. Gal. 3 : 8, II. Phil. 3 : 9. Rom. 5 : I, 2. I John 4 : 9^ 10, 19. Heb. II : 6. John I : 11, 12. Acts 13 : 39 ; 20 : 28. Eph. 1 : 14. Rom. 5 : 9, &c John 6 : 40. I Tim. 2 ! 3, 4. Job =3 : 13. Ps 115:3. Job 42 : 2. Isaiah 33 : 22. John 3 : 36. Mark 16 : 16. Acts 16 : 31. Isaiah 14 ; 24. Ps. 115:3; 32:11,12. 89 : 30, 31, &c. The English Baptists 131 much place for an efficacious conditional dispensation, as if the decree itself were conditional. X. ARTICLE. Of Preterition or Reprobation. We do believe, that known unto God are all his works from eternity; therefore he foresaw Adam's fall, but did not de- Acts is : 18. cree it, yet foreseeing it in his eternal counsel and wisdom, did elect and chuse Jesus Christ, and all that do or shall be- lieve in him, out of that fallen lump of mankind. And hath manifested his love and grace by Jesus Christ, his elect or be- loved son, thro' the gospel means, to all; and hath given us his word and oath, to assure us that he desires not the death of the wicked, but rather that they repent, Ezek. 18 : 23, 32. or return to him and live, and if any do 33 : "• perish, their destruction is of themselves : Hos. 13 : 9. and hath decreed to punish all those Jam. i : 13, 14. wicked, or ungodly, disobedient, and un- 2 Thess. i : 9, believing or impenitent sinners, that have, 10:2:12 or shall despise his grace, love, and woings, or strivings of the holy ghost, or long- Heb. 10 : 26, &c. suffering, whether by a total and conti- nued rejection of grace, or by an univer- isa. 30:33: sal and final apostacy ; and such persons, 66 : 24. so living and dying, shall be punished Mark 9 : 4s, 4S. with everlasting destruction in hell fire, with the fallen angels, or devils, and shall Jude4. be fixed in an irrecoverable state of dam- nation, irrevocable under the wrath of Matt. 25 : 41, 46. God, they being the proper objects of it; and shall remain under his inexpressible R<:v 20. : 13, 1+ wrath and justice, in inconceivable tor- ment, soul and body, to all eternity. XL ARTICLE. Of Creation. In the beginning it pleased god the father, Gen. i : i. son, and holy ghost, according to his eternal, Rom. n : 36. and immutable decree, for the mani- Rev. 4 : n. festation of the glory of his eternal power, Heb. n : 3. wisdom, and goodness, to create, or make Col. i : 16. out of nothing, the world, and all things Gen. 5 : i, 2 ; 2 : 7. 132 Baptist Confessions of Faith therein, whether visible or invisible, and created man male and female, vifith a fleshly body, and a reasonable, and invi- sible, or spiritual, angelical, and immor- tal soul, made after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, having the law written in his heart, and power or liberty of will to fulfil it, yet mutable, or under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject to change; and also gave them command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and while they kept this command, they enjoyed most happy com- munion with God, and had dominion over the creatures. And all this wonder- ful work of creation, both in heaven and in earth, was finished in the space of six days, and all very good, and^altho' reason cannot conceive nor comprehend it, yet God's word hath plainly revealed it, and faith believes it. XII. ARTICLE. Of Divine Providence. The Almighty God, that created all things, and gave them their being, by his infinite power and wisdom, doth sus- tain and uphold, and move, direct, dis- pose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest to the least, according to the counsel of his own good will and pleasure, for his own glory, and his crea- tures good. XIII. ARTICLE. Of the first Covenant. The first covenant was made between God and man, before man had sinned in eating of the forbidden fruit, in which covenant God required of man perfect obedience to all the commands thereof, and in case he did so obey he promised to be his God. And on the other part, man promised to perform entire and per- fect obedience to all God's holy com- mands in that covenant, by that strength wherewith God endowed him in his first ;6. Matt. 10:28; 22:31,32. Rev. 6 ; 9. Luk 23 : 46. Acts 7 : 59. Gen. I : 27; 9 : Eph. 4 : 24. Rom. 2 : 14, 15. Eccles. 7 : 29. Gen. 3:6; 2 : 16, 17. Gen. X ; i, 2, 31, Heb. I : 3. Job 28 : II. 26 : 7, &c. Ps. 135 : 5, 6. Matt. 10 : 19, &c. Ps. 65 ; 8, &c. Eph, I ; 11. Hos. 6:7; 8:1. Deut. 26 : 17, 18, 19. The English Baptists 133 creation; by the improvement of which he might have attained unto eternal Hfe without faith, in the blood of the media- tor of the new covenant of grace ; but he sinning against this covenant, which consisted in two roots, viz. To love God a- Matt. 22 : 37, 40. bove all things ; and his neighbour as him- Rom. 2 : 14, 15. self; it being the substance of that law which was afterwards written in two Gen. 3 : 12, 13. tables of stone, and delivered unto Moses upon mount Sinai, and fell under the just Dent. 29 : 19, 20, 21. sentence of eternal death, which was the Eph. 2 : 3. punishment that God had appointed for Rom. i : 20, 32. the breach of it. And under this righteous judgment of God, Adam and his natural posterity, had for ever remained, as the fallen Angels do, had not God of his infinite grace and love, provided his son, Rom. 5 : 12, 18. to take unto himself our nature, and so be- came a fit mediator between God the fa- Eph. 2 : 13, 14. ther, who was offended, and man, who had offended him in breaking his holy law and covenant. XIV. ARTICLE. Of the fall of man, of his sin, and of the punishment thereof. The first man Adam, in eating volun- tarily of the forbidden fruit, incurred the curse of God upon himself, and all his posterity, that came of him by natural ^am. 5 : 12, 14. propagation, viz. corporal and spiritual death, in body and soul eternally ; but Gen. 3 : 10, 12. this covenant was not only made with Eph. 2 : i, 3. him, but with his seed also, which should R"™- 5 : '5, 16, 17- descend from his loins by natural genera- tion ; he standing as a publick person ^eb. 7 : 9, 10. in the stead of all mankind. And, as St. ^^- 5^ : s- Paul saith, by him came sin, and death by Gen. 6 : 5. sin, &c. and so deprived himself, and all 'Rom. 7 : 7. his posterity, of that original righteous- James i : 14. ness, which God created him in. XV. ARTICLE. Of original, or birth, sin. Original sin, is the fault and corruption R"""- 7 : ^i- of the nature of every man, that naturally Gm. 6 : 5. 134 Baptist Confessions of Faith descendeth from Adam by natural genera- Tit. i : 15- tion, by means of which, man has not Rom. 3 : 23. only lost that original righteousness, that ''^°- 5 \ 3- God created him in, but is naturally in- p"'si':'4^ 5. clined to all manner of evil, being con- Job 14 : 4. ceived in sin, and brought forth in ini- Pco/ i '^'22'' quity ; and, as St. Paul saith, the flesh Rom! l\ 23.^ lusteth against the spirit. And therefore Gen. 2 : 17. every man justly deserveth God's wrath, John 5 : 24. and damnation. And this concupisence, Gli^i'ti or indwelling lust, remaineth even in the Rom. j : 17, 21, 22. regenerate, that they cannot love nor 2 : 14. 15. obey God perfectly in this life, according Gal. 3 : 21, 22. to the tenour of the first covenant. Matt. 12 : 33. XVI. ARTICLE. Of the new covenant of grace. The first covenant being broken by Deut. 27 : 26. mans disobedience, and by his sin, he was Coi. i : 13. excluded from the favour of God, and 2 Cor. 4 : 4. eternal life, in which deplorable condition John 3 : 16. of his, God being pleased, out of his free jer. 31 : 31, 32. grace and love to fallen man, in order to his recovery out of this sinful and de- Rom. 3 : 23, 24. plorable estate, hath freely offered him a Gal. 3 : 21, 22. second, or a new covenant of grace, Rom. 3 : 31. which new covenant of grace is Jesus Heb. 8 : 7. Christ, in remission of sins, thro' faith in Gen. 3 : 15. his blood, which God hath promised to Luk. 24 ; 47. give to all them that do obey and submit Eph. i : 7. to the conditions of this covenant, which Ps. 20 : 3. covenant of grace, and eternal salvation Acts 10:43; 3 : 19; annexed to it, is freely and fully offered 26 : 18; 2 : 37, 38. unto all men, upon the terms of the gos- Mark i : 15. pel, viz. repentance and faith. And the Gal. 3 : n, 17. , benefits of this covenant, by God's free Jer. 32 : 40. grace, thro' the redemption that is in 3sa. 42:6. Jesus Christ, whom God has set forth to Rom. 3 : 23, &c. be a propitiation thro' faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the re- Acts 10 : 43. mission of sins that are past thro' the for- Isa. 93 : h. bearance of God, that he might be just, Rom. 5 : 9; 3 : 20. and the justifier of him that believeth in Gal. 3:8; 2:16. Jesus. Therefore, we conclude, that a Rom. 5 : 10, 19; man is justified by faith, without the deeds 10 : 4. of the law ; for by faith we receive that Matt. 3. righteousness that the law, or the first 2 Cor. s : 21. covenant, required of the first Adam ; I Cor. 1 : 30. which righteousness Christ hath fulfilled The English Baptists 135 in our nature which he took of the vir- gin Mary, by his active obedience, and is, by God's free donation, made over to us by imputation; for he hath made him to us wisdom, righteousness and sanctifi- cation. For as by one man's disobe- dience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one, that is Christ, shall many be made righteous. For Christ hath not only fulfilled the sanction of the law, viz. To love God with all his heart, and his neighbour as himself, but hath also voluntarily suffered the curse of the Gal. 3 : 13. law, being made a curse for us, that we i Pet. z : 24. might receive the blessing of Abraham, isa. 53 : 6, 7, 8. and the promise of the spirit thro' Phil. 2 : 7. 8. faith in his blood. And now, albeit the Gal. 3 : 13, 14. essential righteousness of Christ, as he Heb. 7 : 26. is God equal with his father, be not im- Matt. 3 : 15. puted unto us, nor yet his personal Rom. 5 : i8. righteousness, as he was or is man, only, Gal. 4 : 6, 7. yet we believe his mediatorial righteous- Rom. 4 : 3, 4. 23- ness, as God man, is imputed, reckoned, 3 : 25, 28. or made over to us, upon the terms of Tit. 3:7:1:2. this new covenant of grace ; and so being justified by his grace, we are thereby made heirs according to the hope of e- ternal life: for, as St. Paul saith. If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. XVII. ARTICLE. Of Christ and his mediatorial Office. It pleased God, in his eternal purpose, Zech. 6 : 12, 13. to chuse and ordain the Lord Jesus Christ, Gal. 3 ; 17. his only begotten son, according to the Ps. 89 : 28 ; 109 : 10. covenant made between them both, to be the alone mediator between God and Gal. 3 : 19, 20. man, viz. God the father, who was by Heb. 10:15; 12:24. Adam's sin justly offended, and Adam, our common parent, the person offend- I Tim. 2 : 5. ing. Now in order to reconcile God to Job 9 : 33. man, and man to God, who were at a any days-man be- distance, Christ Jesus, the second person twixt | us, &c. in the trinity, being very God, of the Gal. 3 : 16. same substance with his father, did, when Gen. 3 : 15. the fulness of time was come, take unto i Chron. 17 : u. him man's nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities, sin 136 Baptist Confessions of Faith only excepted, being made of a woman, of the seed of Abraham and David; and altho' he came from Adam, and had tru- ly the nature of man, yet not by Adam; and the person of Christ took our nature into union with the divine nature, but he did not take the person of Adam which sinned, therefore we believe he was neither the covenantee, nor yet the coventanter, and so, by consequence, neither the cre- ditor nor the debtor. And being con- cerned by this office or appointment of the father to make peace, it plainly appears, that he is the only fit mediator between God and man, who is very God, and very man; yet one Christ, who was sanctified, and anointed with the holy spirit above measure, and was superlatively and ad- mirably fitted for, and called unto this office by his father, who put all judg- ment into his hand, and power to exe- cute the same, and he willingly under- took the same ; and being made under the law, did perfectly fulfil or keep it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have suffered; our sin, and the punishment of it, being reckoned or imputed to him, he being made a curse for us, and underwent and trod the wine- press of his father's wrath for us, in do- lorous pangs and agony of soul, and pain- ful sufferings in his body, was crucified, dead, and buried, or remained in the state of the dead, yet saw no corruption, and on the third day he arose from the dead, with the same body in which he suffered, with which he also ascended, and there sitteth at the right hand of his father, making intercession for his saints, and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world. And the same Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience to the whole law, and sacrifice of himself, which he, thro' the eternal spirit offered up unto the father, hath fully satisfied the justice of God and reconciled him to us; and hath purchased an ever- lasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those that the father hath given unto him, and now, by a conti- nued act of intercession in heaven, doth Luke I : 35, Heb. 7 : 26. Rom. 9 ; 5. Heb. 5:5; 7 ; 21, &c. Eph. 2 : 14. Ps. 42 : I, 6. 1 Pet. 1 : 19, 20. Heb. 9 : 15 : 1:9. Ps. 45 : 7. Isaiah 6i : i. Col. 2 : 3. Heb. 5 : 5. John 5 : 22, 27. Rom. 10 : 4. 2 Cor. 5 : 21. Gal. 3 : 13. Luke 22 : 44, 45. Isaiah 53 : 10, 11, 12. I Pet. 2 : 24. Matt. 27 : 46. 26 : 37, 38. Acts 13 : 28, &c. Luke 24 : 7. John 20 : 25, 27. Acts I : g, 10, II. Mark 16 : 19. Rom. 8 : 34. Matt. 25 ; 31, &c, Heb. 9 : 14, 15. Eph. 2 : 14, &c. John 17 : 2. I Pet, I : 2, &c. The English Baptists 137 apply the benefits he hath purchased Heb. ^ ■ 17. unto the elect. And in this office of Acts 3 : 22. mediator, he hath the dignity of three Ps. 45 : s, &c. offices, viz. Priest, Prophet, and King : Acts 4 : n, 12. all which offices are necessary for the benefit of his church, and without which we can never be saved. For, in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office, and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfect services, and God's wrath and justice, we stand in need of his priestly office, to reconcile God to us, and us to God ; and in respect of our bondage to sin and Satan, and averse- ness to return to God, we need his kingly office to subdue our enemies, and deliver us captives out of the kingdom and power of sin, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom. And thus, in 2 Tim. 4 ; iS. our nature, he living the life of the Col. i : 13, 14. law, and suffering the penalty due to Heb. 4 : 14, &c. us, continually presents us at the throne of grace ; so is a most won- derful and compleat mediator for his elect. XVIII. ARTICLE. Of Christ dying for all mankind. God the father, out of his royal bounty, i*"™- s : 8- and fountain of love, when all mankind Matt. 20 : 28. was fallen by sin, in breaking of the first 'B.om. s : 3. covenant of works made with them in Heb. 9 : 15. Adam, did chuse Jesus Christ, and sent Ezek. 18 : 23. him into the world to die for Adam, or Heb. 2 : 9. fallen man. And God's love is mani- ' Jo*"" " '■ =• fest to all mankind, in that he is not ' Tim. 2 : 3, &c. willing, as himself hath sworn, and abun- Heb. 10 : 12, &c. dantly declared in his word, that mankind '^'^'■'' '* '■ 'S- should perish eternally, but would have all Tit. 2 : n, 12. to be saved, and come to the knowledge of i Thess. i : 5, 6, 7. the truth. And Christ died for all men, and there is a sufficiency in his death and 1°''° s : 39. 40- merits for the sins of the whole world, ^i^"- =3 : 37. 38. and hath appointed the gospel to be =■• • "• preached unto all, and hath sent forth Acts 13 : 46, 48- his spirit to accompany the word in order to beget repentance and faith : so that if any do perish, it's not for 138 Baptist Confessions of Faith want of the means of grace manifested by Christ to them, but for the non- improvement of the grace of God, of- fered freely to them through Christ in the gospel. XIX. ARTICLE. Of the agreement between the Old and New Testament. The Gospel, or new Covenant, was held forth, or preached to the fathers, from Adam to Christ's coming in the flesh, though it was revealed by sundry degrees, Gal. 3 : 8. and in diverse manners, in types and sha- Gen. 12 : 3. dows, darkly ; yet it was the same gos- Heb. 4 : 2, 3 ; i : j, 2. pel, the same Christ, the same faith for kind, 10 : i. and the very same covenant, that they were justified and saved by, before Christ took flesh of the virgin, that we have now, and is to continue to the end of the world. For as the church of the Heb. 9, 10, and Jews, in their gospel types, had a priest, " chapt. and an altar, and a lamb, and a fire, and without all these no sacrifice could, or was accepted of God, then, nor now, without faith in the anti-type, Christ, whose human nature is the true lamb, the union of natures, the high priest, the divine nature, the altar, and the holy ghost, the heavenly fire. And again : The blood shed upon the brazen altar, Heb. 9 : 14. may be applied to our justification, and the sprinkling of it upon the incense altar, may be applied to the work of sancti- fication by Christ's spirit, sprinkling his blood upon us. And the blood that was Eph. 5 : 2. carried within the vail, into the most I Pet. 1 : 2. holy place, is applied to our glorifica- tion in heaven. And as they had in their church the ark, a figure of Christ's presence, so have we the promise of Heb. 9 ; 7, &c. his presence to the end of the world. And as they had the tables of the old covenant or law, in the ark, so have we the law fulfilled by Christ ; and meet- Matt. 18 : 20. ing God in Christ, it's handed forth by =8 : 19, 20. Christ now to us, as the only rule of our Rom. 3:31; 8:3,4 sanctification and obedience through his 10 : 4. grace. And as they had the manna I John 2 : 6, 7, 8. to nourish them in the wilderness to The English Baptists 139 Canaan; so have we the sacraments, to nourish us in the church, and in our wilderness-condition, till we come to heaven. And as they had the rod that corrected them; so have we the church censures now to correct us, when we of- fend his law ; and their burnt offerings may be applied to Christ, killing of o- riginal sin in us, and their sin offering may be applied to Christ, killing, or taking away our actual sins, and their peace offering may be applied to our reconciliation with God in Christ by his spirit, and so all the rest of those gos- pel-antitypes may be applied. And thus the Old and New Testaments, like the faces of the Cherubins, look one toward an&ther, and hold forth the self-same gospel, salvation to them and us. James 4 : 12. John 16 : 14, 15. I Cor. 4 : 19, &c. XX. ARTICLE. Of Free- Will in Man. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it's neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined, to do good or evil: but man, in the state of innocency, had such power and liber- ty of will to chuse and perform that which was acceptable and well pleasing to God, according to the requirement of the first covenant; but he falling from his state of innocency, wholly lost all ability, or liberty of will, to any spiritual good, for his eternal salvation, his will being now in bondage under sin and Sa- tan, and therefore not able of his own strength to convert himself nor prepare himself thereunto, without God's grace taketh away the enmity out of his will, and by his special grace, freeth him from his natural bondage under sm, enablmg him to will freely and sincerely, that which is spiritually good, according to the tenure of the new covenant of grace in Christ, tho' not perfectly, according to the tenure of the first covenant, which perfection of will is only attainable in the Matt. 17 : X2, Eccles. 7 ; 29. Rom. 5 : 6 ; 8 : 7, 8. John 8 : 44. Eph. 2 : 8, &c. Phil. 2 : 13. Rom. 7 : 14, &c. 8:23. Eph. 4 : 13. 140 Baptist Confessions of Faith state of glory, after the redemption, or resurrection of our fleshly bodies. XXI. ARTICLE. Of Vocation and effectual Calling. Vocation, or calling, general, or corn- mon, is, when God by the means of his word and spirit, freely of his own grace and goodness, doth ministerially acquaint mankind with his gracious good purpose of salvation, by Jesus Christ ; inviting and Matt, n : 28. wooing them to come to him, and to ac- Acts 20 ; 21. cept of Christ revealing unto them the Rom. 16 : 25, 26. gospel covenant, and those that with cor- Tit. 2 : n. dial hearts do improve this common grace, Acts 5 : 31 ; n : he in time worketh unfeigned faith, and Rom. s : 28, 30. sincere repentance in them ; and by his n : s, 7- grace they come to accept of Christ, as their only Lord and Saviour, with their Eph. i : n, &c. whole heart ; and God becomes their fa- Rom. s ; 1. ther in Christ, and they being then effec- Eph. 2 : 8. tually called, are by faith united to Jesus Rom. 4 : 16. Christ by grace unto salvation. XXII. ARTICLE. Of evangelical Repentance. Unfeigned repentance, is an inward and true sorrow of heart for sin, with sincere confession of the same to God, especially that we have offended so gracious a God, and so loving a father, together with a settled purpose of heart, and a careful endeavor to leave all our sins, and to hve a more holy and sanctified hfe, ac- cording to all God's commands. Or it is a turning, or change of the whole man to God, with endeavour, thro' his grace, to mortify the indwelling lust, or corrup- tions, and obtain a great reformation both in the outward and inward man, accord- ing to the will of God, and this repen- tance, for the nature of it, must be con- tinued throughout the whole course of our lives, and is wrought in us by the John 8 : 31, &c. spirit of God ; by the ministry of the law and gospel, in order to our obedience to Rom. 8 : 13. Tit. 2 : 3. 4. 5- Acts 2 : 37. 38. 2 Cor. 7 : ID, 11. Acts 17 : 3°. Ps. 51 : 4- Luke 15 : 17, &c. Ezek. 18 : 30. Eph. 2 : 10. Rom. 8 : 13. Eph. 4 : 20, &c. The English Baptists 141 Christ, or being baptized in his name, I Thess. i : s, 6. but this repentance unto life, is not Acts 3 : 19, 26. wrought without faith in the soul ; for by 2 : 38. faith we receive that grace, that perfects, Heb. n : 6. or carrieth on the work of repentance in Gal. 3 ; s6, &c. the soul, from first to last. XXIII. ARTICLE. Of justifying, and saving Faith. Faith is an act of the understanding, giving a firm assent to the things contain- ed in the holy scriptures. But justifying faith is a grace, or habit, wrought in the soul, by the holy ghost, through preach- ing the word of God, whereby we are en- abled to believe, not only that the Messias is offered to us, but also to take and receive him, as a Lord and Saviour, and wholly and only to rest upon Christ, for giace and eternal salvation. XXIV. ARTICLE. Of Justification by Christ. Justification is a declarative, or judicial sentence of God the father, whereby he of his infinite love, and most free grace, for the alone and mediatorial righteousness of his own son, performed in our nature and stead, which righteousness of God man, the father imputing to us, and by effectual faith, received and embraced by us, doth free us by judicial sentence from sin and death, and accept us righteous in Christ our surety, unto eternal life; the active and passive obedience of Christ be- ing the accomplishment of all that righte- ousness and sufferings the law, or justice of God required, and this being perfectly performed by our mediator, in the very nature of us men, and accepted by the father in our stead, according to that eternal covenant-transaction, between the father and the son. And hereby we have deliverance from the guilt and punishment of all our sins, and are accounted righteous Rom. 10 : 14, fj. Matt. 13 : 20, 21. Acts 24 : 14. Ps.19 : 7,&c.; iig : 72, 2 Pet. I ; I. 1 John s : 4, 5. 2 Cor. 4 : 13. Eph. 2 : 8. Acts 31 : 31 ; 15 : 11. 2 Pet. I : 5, II. Phil. 3 : 8, 9. Acts 8 : 37. Acts 13 : 38, 39. Rom. 8 ; 34, 35. 3 : 23, &c. 4 : 22, &c. 1 Cor. I : 30, 31. 2 Thess. I : 3, 4. Acts 15 : 9. Gal. s : 6. Rom. 8:1: 4 : 6, 7, i Gal. 3 : 13, 14. John 5 : 24. Rom. 3 : 22, 30 ; 5 : 19- a Cor. I ; 30. Eph. I : 7. Rom. 5:9: 10 : 4. Gal. 3 : 13. Heb. 2 : 9, &c. 2 Cor. 5 : 21. Isaiah 53 : 10, &c. 14^ Baptist Confessions of Faith before God, at the throne of grace, by the alone righteousness of Christ the mediator, imputed, or reckoned unto us through faith; for we believe there are six necessary causes of man's justification, or salvation ; viz. First, The efficient cause of our justification, is God's free grace. Secondly, The meritorious cause Rom. 3 : 24. is the blood of Christ. Thirdly, The ma- Rom. 5 : 9. terial cause is Christ's active obedience. 5:19; 4 Fourthly, The imputation of Christ, his 5 : '■ obedience for us, is the formal cause. Eph. i : n, 12 Fifthly, The instrumental cause is faith. Sixthly, God's glory, and man's salvation, is the final cause. Now we princi- pally apply the first and last to God the father; the second and third to Christ the mediator ; the fourth and fifth to the blessed comforter, the holy ghost ; hence it Matt. 28 : 19. is we are baptized in the name of the 2 Cor. 13 : 14. father, of the son, and holy ghost, and i John s : 7. so we worship a trinity in unity, and unity in trinity. XXV. ARTICLE. Of Reconciliation, and Sonship by Christ. Two privileges flow out of our justifi- cation by faith in Christ, viz. our recon- cihation, and adoption, or sonship. Re- conciliation is a gracious privilege, where- by we that were enemies are made friends ; or we that were enemies, rebels, and aliens, are received into favour, or brought near to God through faith in Christ Jesus. And adoption is that power and privilege to be the sons of God, through faith in Christ our surety, who being the eternal son of God, became by incarnation our brother, that by him God might bring many sons unto glory, according to his eternal decree of preserving the human nature of Christ, that it never fell in Adam. And so we are, by faith accord- ing to God's free grace, and Christ's pur- chase, or redemption, and the holy spi- rit's application of it to us, made heirs and joint heirs with Christ, our elder brother, of the same kingdom, and stupendous and unutterable glory, for ever and ever. Rom. 5 : 8, &c. Eph. 2 : 12, &c. I : 5- Gal. 4 : 4, S, 6. Rom. 8 ; 16, 17. Heb. 2 ; : 10, &c. 4 : 15. Matt. I : 18. Heb. 7 : 26. Rom. 8 : 16, 17. The English Baptists 143 XXVI. ARTICLE. Of Sanctification, and good Works. Those that are united unto Christ by Ezek. 36 : 26. effectual faith, are regenerated, and have Eph. 4 : 24. a new heart and spirit created in them, 2 Cor. s : 17. through the virtue of Christ his death, re- I John 3 : 9. surrection, and intercession, and by the Tit. 3 : s. efficacy of the holy spirit, received by 1 Cor. ^ -. 15. faith, and are sanctified by the word and 2 Cor. 3 : 18. spirit of truth, dwelling in them, by de- I Tim. 2 : 20. stroying and pulling down the strong Ps. no : 3. holds, or dominion of sin and lust, and 2Cor. 10:4, 5; 5:17. more and more quickened and strengthen- John 17: 17; 16:14,15. ed in all saving graces, in the practice of Heb. 12 : 14. holiness, without which no man shall see Rom. 7 : 20. the lord. And this sanctification is Gai. s : 16, 17. throughout the whole man, tho' imper- I John 3; 8; 2 : 20. feet in this life, there abiding still in the best saints, some remnants of corruption, which occasions a continual war in the soul, the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; yet through the continual supply of strength from Christ, which flows from him to be- lievers by means of the covenant of grace or hypostatical union with our nature, the regenerate part doth overcome, pressing after a heavenly life, in evangelical obedi- ence to all the commands that Christ, their king, and law-giver, hath command- ed them in his word, or holy scriptures, which are the only rule, and square of Rom. 6 : 14. our sanctification and obedience in all good Eph. 4 : 15. works, and piety. And sith our only assist- 2 Cor. 3 : 18 ; 7:1. ance to good works, such as God hath com- Ps. 112 : i ; 119 : 48. manded, is of God, who worketh in us both to will and to do, we have no cause to John 15 : 4, 6. boast, nor ground to conclude, we merit Isaiah 43 : 13 ; 26 : 12. any thing thereby, we receiving all of Phil. 2 : 13. free and undeserved grace, and when we 2 Cor. 3 : 5. have done the most, yet we are unprofit- job 9 : 2, 3, 20. able servants, and do abundantly fall short ; 25 : 4. and the best duties that we can now per- Gal. 2 : 16. form, will not abide the judgment of jamessig, 10; 3:2. God. Neither do any good works Heb. n : 6. whatsoever, that are done by unregene- isa. 64 : 6. rate men, or without faith in, and love to Prov. 8 : 17. Christ, please God, or are accepted of I Cor. 16 : 22. him. Yet good works are of great ad- James i : 18, &c. 144 Baptist Confessions of Faith vantage, being done in faith, and love. Gal. 5 : 22, 23. and vifrought by the holy spirit, and are John 4: 14; 5:25. to be done by us, to shew our thankful- ness to God, for the grace of the new *'*'• s : 6. covenant by Christ, and to fit us more and ' '^°''- * '• 9- &«• more for glory. And in this sense the Heb. 12 : 28, 29. ten commandments, as handed forth by Christ the mediator, are a rule of life to a I •^°''- '3 '■ '> 3- believer, and shew us our duty to God ^^- 5° : h- and man, as also our need of the grace of God, and merit of Christ. XXVII. ARTICLE. Of Baptism, and the Lord's-supper. Those two sacraments, viz. Baptism, and the Lord's-supper, are ordinances of positive, sovereign, and holy institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his *1^"- =8 • '9. so- church, to the end of the world; and to I Cor. 11:26; 4:1. be administred by those only who are rightly qualified, and thereunto called, according to the command of Christ. XXVIII. ARTICLE. Of the right subject and administration of holy Baptism. Baptism is an ordinance of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, or dipped, a sign of our entrance into the covenant of grace, and ingrafting into Christ, and into Rom. 6 : 3, 4, 5. the body of Christ, which is his church ; I Cor. 12 : 13. and of remission of sin in the blood of Gal. 3 : 27. Christ, and of our fellowship with Christ, Mark 16 : 16. in his death and resurrection, and of our Matt. 3 : n. living, or rising to newness of life. And Acts 2 : 38. orderly none ought to be admitted into Rem. 6 : i, &c. the visible church of Christ, without being Matt. 28 : 19. first baptized; and those which do really profess repentance towards God, and faith ^'^^^ * ■ 37. in, and obedience to our Lord Jesus H^i'v^-' *' Christ, are the only proper subjects of this Acts'2 :'37,'38- ordinance, according to our Lord's holy 8 :35,'36,'&c. institution, and primitive practice ; and ought by the minister, or administrator, to be done in a solemn manner, in the The English Baptists 145 name of the father, son, and holy ghost, Matt. aS : 19. by immersion or dipping of the person in John i : s, 8, 31. the element of water ; this being necessary 3 : 22, 23. to the due administration of this holy sacrament, as holy scripture sheweth and Mark i : 9, 10. the first and best antiquity witnesseth for some centuries of years. But the popish doctrine which they teach and believe, that those infants that die without baptism, or have it not actually, or in desire, '■ are not, nor cannot be saved, we do not believe. Nor yet their practice of ad- mitting persons only upon an implicit faith of the church, nor their superstitious and popish ceremonies of salt, and spittle, and breathing on the face of the party baptized, together with their chrisoms and hallowed lights. Neither do we believe, that infants dying in infancy, without baptism, go to purgatory or lim- bus infantum, as they erroneously teach. Nor do we believe, that the Pope of Rome, or any other persons whomsoever, have power to alter, or change, this ordi- nance of Christ, as they have done by this superstitious, and such like idolatrous inventions and practices of the Romish church. All which superstitions of theirs, are contrary to Christ's institution, or the apostles practice of holy baptism. XXIX. ARTICLE. Of the invisible catholick Church of Christ. There is one holy catholick church, Heb. 12 ; 22, 23. consisting of, or made up of the whole Rev. 14 : i, &c. number of the elect, that have been, are. Col. i : 18. or shall be gathered, in one body under Eph. i : 10, 22 ; Christ, the only head thereof ; which 5 : 23, 26, 27. church is gathered by special grace, and the powerful and internal work of the John 10 : 16. spirit ; and are effectually united unto Gal. 3 : 28. Christ their head, and can never fall Ps. 72:17; 102:28. away. Rev. 13 : 8. XXX. ARTICLE. Of the catholick Church as visible. Nevertheless, we believe the visible church of Christ on earth, is made up of 146 Baptist Confessions of Faith several distinct congregations, which make up that one catholick church, or mystical body of Christ. And the marks by which she is known to be the true spouse of Christ, are these, viz. Where the word of God is rightly preached, and the sacra- ments truly administred, according to Gal. 3 : 26, &c. Christ's institution, and the practice of Acts 2 : 41, &c. the primitive church; having discipline and government duly executed, by mini- Eph. 2 : 19, &c. sters or pastors of God's appointing, and the church's election, that is a true con- I Cor. n : 23, &c. stituted church ; to which church, and Gal. 3 : i. not elsewhere, all persons that seek for Eph. 3 : 21. eternal hfe, should gladly join themselves. Acts 18 : a. And altho' there may be many errors in I Cor. 12 : 13. such a visible church, or congregations, I John 2 : 19. they being not infallible, yet those errors Rev. 2 : 2, 14, &c. being not fundamental, and the church in Tit. 3 : 10, n. the major, or governing part, being not Jude 17:18,19. guilty, she is not thereby unchurched ; Jam. 3 : 13, &c. nevertheless she ought to detect those I Tim. 4 : i. errors, and to reform, according to God's 2 Tim. i : 13, &c. holy word, and from such visible church, or congregations, no man ought, by any Acts zo : 29, &c. pretence whatever, schismatically to sepa- I Cor. 12 : 25. rate. XXXI. ARTICLE. Of Officers in the Church of Christ. The visible church of Christ, being completely gathered and organized, ac- cording to the mind of Christ, consists of officers and members; and the officers, appointed by Christ, to be chosen by his church, for the peculiar administration of ordinances, and execution of the power and duty Christ hath enjoined them to the end of the world, are these three, viz. ♦Bishops, or Messengers; and Elders, or Pastors; and Deacons, or Overseers of the poor ; and the way appointed by Christ, for the calling of any person fitted and gifted by the holy ghost, unto the office Acts i : jo, &c. of bishop, or messenger, in the churches, 13 : 2, 3 ; 14 : 23. is, viz, That he be chosen thereunto by ao : 17, 18. the common suffrage of the church, and 6 : 3, 4, 5, 6. solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, i : 23, 24, &c. 14 : 23. * Or overseer, or shepherd. The English Baptists U7 with imposition of hands, by the bishops of the same function, ordinarily, and those bishops so ordained, have the go- vernment of those churches, that had suffrage in their election, and no other ordinarily; as also to preach the word, or gospel, to the world, or unbelievers. And the particular pastor, or elder, in like manner is to be chosen by the com- mon suffrage of the particular congrega- tion, and ordained by the bishop or mes- senger God hath placed in the church he hath charge of; and the elder, so ordain- ed, is to watch over that particular church; and he may not ministerially act in any other church before he be sent, neither ought his power, or office, any way to infringe the liberty, or due power, or office of his bishop *, God being a God of order, having ordained things most harmoniously, tending every way to unity. The deacons are in like manner to be chosen by election and ordination, and are in their particular congregations, to receive the charity and free benevo- lence of the people; and the bisops and elders so chosen, and ordained, to the work of God, ought to be enabled and capacitated thereunto, by a sufficient and honourable maintenance of the people that chose them, answerable to the dignity of their places, and charge committed to them, without which they cannot dis- charge their duty, as they ought to do, in studying to divide the word of God aright, as St. Paul adviseth Timothy, and also to give themselves wholly to it; and this maintenance is to be given out of the labours, profits, and estates of the people, by equality, and proportionable to their ability, in liberality, God having reserved a portion for all his labourers, out of all the members worldly goods and possessions. Col. 4 : II, 17 ; 2 Cor. 8 : 12, &c.; 2 Cor. 9 : s, 6, &c. I Tim. I : 3. Tit. I : s. Kev. 3 : I, z, &C, Matt. 28 : 19. Mark 16 : 16. Acts 1 : 32. 3 Tim. 4 : 2. Acts 14 : 23. Rom. xo : 15. Acts 13 : 2, 3, 4. 1 Cor. 16 : x6. I Tim. I : 3. Acts 20 : 28. I Cor. II ; 34. Tit. 1 : 5. Heb. 13 : 17. I Cor. 14 : 33. Acts 6 : 1, 2, &c. I Tim. 3 : 8, &c. 1 Cor. 3 : 9. 1 Tim. 3 : 5 ; 4 : 6, 16. 2 Tim. 4 : 5. Tit. I : 7. I Cor. 9 ; I, &c. Phil. 4 : 15, &c. I Tim. 5 : 17, 18. Gal, 6:6,10. Deut. 25 : 4. 3 Cor. II : 7, 8. 1 Tim. 3 : 5, &c. II : 13, &c 3 Tim. I, 3, &c. 3 : 14. &<:. 4 : 1, 2, 5. XXXII. ARTICLE. Of Prayer, with laying on of Hands. Prayer, with imposition of hands by Acts 8: 12, &c. the bishop, or elder, on baptized be- 19 : 6, 7. 148 Baptist Confessions of Faith lievers, as such, for the reception of the 2 Tim. i : 6, 7. holy promised spirit of Christ, we believe Heb. 6 : 2. is a principle of Christ's doctrine, and John 13 .- 16, &c. ought to be practised and submitted to 16 : 7. by every baptized believer in order to re- Eph. i : 13, 14. ceive the promised spirit of the father 2 Tim. i : 6. and son. Acts 2 : 38, 39. XXXIII. ARTICLE. Of the End, and right Administration of the Lord's-supper. The supper of the Lord Jesus, was Luk. 22 ; 17, &c. instituted by him the same night wherein Matt. 26 : 26, &c. he was betrayed ; to be observed in his I Cor. u : 23, &c. church, to the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance, and showing forth Matt. 28 : 20. the sacrifice of himself in his death; and for the confirmation of the faithful be- Gal. 3 : i. lievers in all the benefits of his death and resurrection, and spiritual nourishment and growth in him ; sealing unto them their continuance in the covenant of grace, and to be a band and pledge of communion with him, and an obligation of obedience to Christ, both passively and actively, as also of our communion and union each with other, in the participation of this I Cor. 10 : 16, 17. holy sacrament. And the outward ele- ments of bread and wine, after they are Gal. 3 : i. set apart by the hand of the minister, from common use, and blessed, or conse- crated, by the word of God and prayer, the bread being broken, and wine poured forth, signify to the faithful, the body and blood of Christ, or holdeth forth Christ, and him crucified; and the mini- ster distributing the bread and wine to the communicants, who are to take, or re- ceive, both the bread and wine at the hands of the minister, applying it by I Cor. n : 27, &c. faith, with thanksgiving to God the father, for so great a benefit, and no un- Matt. 26 : 30. baptized, unbelieving, or open profane, I Cor. 5 : 7, 8, 15. or wicked heretical persons, ought to be admitted to this ordinance to profane Acts 2 : 41, &c. it. Neither is that popish doctrine of See the popish transubstantiation to be admitted of, nor catechism, p.ase.&c. adoration of the unbloody sacrifice of the mass, as they call it, together with their denying of the cup to the laity, The English Baptists 149 and many more idolatrous and superstiti- ous practices, decreed in the popish coun- cils of Lateran and Trent. In opposition lb. p. 197, &c. to which, and such like idolatry of Rome, many of our worthy and famous antients, and renowned protestants, lost their lives by fire and faggot in England, whose See Mr. Fox's Book spirits we hope are now in heaven, as of Martyrs, worthy martyrs and witnesses of Christ, in bearing a faithful testimony to this holy ordinance of their Lord and master. Neither may we admit of consubstantia- tion, it being not consonant to God's word. Nor are little infants, that cannot examine themselves, nor give account of their faith, nor understand what is signified by the outward signs of bread and wine, to be admitted to this sacrament. Though St. Austin taught so from John 6 : 63. and many of the Greek churches so believe and practise to this day. And this holy ordinance ought to be often celebrated among the faithful, with examination of themselves, viz. of their faith, and love, and knowledge of these holy and divine mysteries, lest they eat and drink their own damnation, for prophaning of God's I Cor. n : 18, &c. holy ordinance, as many, we fear, have done, and yet do at this day; whose hard and blind hearts the Lord in mercy open, if it be his blessed will. XXXIV. ARTICLE. Of the Discipline and Government of the Church of Christ. We believe that the great king, and lawgiver, Christ, the universal and only head of his church, hath given to his visible church, a subordinate power, or Isaiah 9 : 6. authority, for the well-being, ordering, Matt. 28 : 18. and governing of it, for his own glory, 18 ; 17, n. and the church's profit, and good, the Rev. 2 : 3. executive part of which derivative I Cor. 5 : 4. power of discipline and government, is Heb. 13 : 7, 17. committed to his ministers, proportionable to their dignities and places in the church in a most harmonious way, for the beauty, order, government, and e- stablishment of the same, and consisteth ISO Baptist Confessions of Faith in the exercise and execution of the censors, or rod of correction, he hath appointed therein, for the purgation, or pruning of the same, in order to prevent scandals and offences, both pubHck and private. And in case of personal and private trespasses between party and party, that the member so offended, tell his offence to his brother, between them alone ; and if he shall not hear him, to take one or two more; if he will not hear him then, to tell it unto the church : And the ministers of Christ ought to re- buke them sharply, that sin before them in the church; and in case there be any wicked, publick, and scandalous sinners, or obstinate hereticks, that then the church ought speedily to convene such her mem- bers, and labour to convict them of their sin and heresy, schism, and prophaneness, whatsoever it be ; and after such regular suspension, and due admonition, if such sinners repent not; that then for the honour of God, and preserving the credit of religion, and in order to save the sinner's soul, and good of the church, in obedience to God's law, to proceed and excommunicate the sinner, by a judicial sentence in the name of Christ and his church, tendring an admonition of repen- tance to him, with gravity, love, and au- thority, and all this without hypocrisy, or partiality, praying for the sinner, that his soul may be saved in the day of the Lord ; and under this second degree, of withdrawing, or excommunication, to ac- count him as a heathen, or publican, that he may be ashamed. But upon the third and highest act of excommunication, it being a most dreadful thunderclap of God's judgment, it is most difficult for any church now to proceed in, it being diffi- cult to know when any man hath sinned the unpardonable sin, and so to incur a total cutting off from the church. 2 Thess. 3 : 6. 1 Thess, 5 : 12, &c. 2 Cor. 2 : 5, 6, 7. Lev. 19 : 17, Matt. 18 : 15, &c. 1 Tim. 5 : 20. 2 Tim. 2 : 14. Tit. I : 12, 13, 14. Lev. 13 : 1, &c. Numb. 12 : 14, IS. 2 Thess. 3 ; 6, I Cor. 5 : 4, &c. Tit. 3 : 10. Rev. 2 : 14, 20, &c. Matt. 18 : 17. I Cor. 16 : 22. XXXV. ARTICLE. Of Communion of Saints, and giving to the Poor. All christians that have been baptized into one faith, and united in one true Eph. 4 : 5. Col. 3 : :5. The English Baptists 151 visible way of worshipping the true God, by Christ Jesus our Lord, should keep the unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace, seeing there is but one mystical body of Christ, and should have fellow- ship and communion in each other's suffer- ings, or afflictions, for if one member suf- fer, all are pained with it. Hence it is also they partake of each other's gifts in great variety, which make the harmony of dependency on each other, seeing a need of every member, for the publick use, and common profit of the whole, both in the private as well as more pub- lick, and solemn worship of God's house ; as also an interest in each other's goods and possessions, so far as comports with necessity and charity, according to the charter privileges, or law of their king; and tho' no equality, or property, be pleaded for ; yet the works of charity and mercy, must be minded as a duty to lend to the Lord, and pity and relieve the Lord's poor, weekly laying out for them, as God hath prospered us, accord- ing to our ability in freedom, liberality, and charity, according to our brethrens necessity, whether sick, or in prison, to visit and relieve them, and not only with- in the church, but to all as we have op- portunity, and ability to be doing good. Acts 2 : 46. Eph. 4 : 3. 4. &C. I Cor. 12 ; 12, 13. Acts 4 ; 32. ICor. 12 ; 26; 12 :4, s, &c. 2 Cor. 8 ; 9, ji, &c. Ps. 37 : 26. Prov, II : 25- 19 ; 17. 22 : 22. Deut. IS : 10. Eph. 4 : 28. I Cor. 16 : I, 2 ; 3 : 14. 15- Deut. 15 : 7, &c. Matt. 25 : 35, &c. XXXVL ARTICLE. Of Perseverance. Those that are effectually called, ac- Rom. 8 : 28. cording to God's eternal purpose, being Gal. 3 : 14. justified by faith do receive such a mea- John i : 12, 13. sure of the holy unction, from the holy John 17 : 12, 21. spirit, by which they shall certainly per- 10 ; 28, 29. severe unto eternal life. Rom. i : 17. Jer. 31 : 33, 34- 'B.om. 8 : 30. XXXVn. ARTICLE. Of the sacred Scripture. The authority of the holy scripture dependeth not upon the authority of any 2 Pet. I : 19, &c. 2 Tim. 3 ■- IS, &c- 152 Baptist Confessions of Faith man, but only upon the authority of God, who hath delivered and revealed his mind John 20 : 30, 31. therein unto us, and containeth all things 21 : 25. necessary for salvation ; so that whatsoever Matt. 22 : 29. is not read therein, nor may be proved John 5 : 39, 46, 47. thereby, is not to be required of any man, 10 : 35. that it should be believed as an article of 17 : 12. the christian faith, or be thought requi- Prov. 30 : 5, 6. site to salvation. Neither ought we, since we have the scriptures delivered to us Joshua i : 7. now, to depend upon, hearken to, or re- Rev. 22 : 18. gard the pretended immediate inspira- Deut. 12 : 32. tions, dreams, or prophetical predictions, Isaiah 8 : 20. by or from any person whatsoever, lest we ^ ?^i- ' • '?• be deluded by them. Nor yet do we uiu^Ji\%X°: believe, that the works of creation, nor ^ xhess. 2 : 7, &c. the law written in the heart, viz. natu- ral religion, as some call it, or the hght I Cor. i : 20, &c. within man, as such, is sufficient to inform 2 : 6, 7, &c. man of Christ the mediator, or of the way to salvation, or eternal life by him ; Rom. 15:4,5; 16:25,26. but the holy scriptures are necessary to in- 1 : 16, &c. struct all men into the way of salvation, Gal. s : 22. and eternal life. And we do beheve, that Rom. n : 31, 32. all people ought to have them in their mother tongue, and diligently, and con- 10 : 13, &c. stantly to read them in their particular I Cor. 14 : 4, 9. Scc. places and families, for their edification. Col. 3 : 16. and comfort ; and endeavour to frame 2 Pet. i : 20, 21. their lives, according to the direction of Acts 15 : 15, 16. God's word, both in faith and practi;;e, the holy scriptures being of no private Mati. 22 : 29, 30, interpretation, but ought to be interpreted according to the analogy of faith, and is Acts 17 : 10, &c. the best interpreter of itself, and is sole 18 : 28. judge in controversy. And no decrees of popes, or councils, or writings of any person whatsoever, are of equal authority with the sacred scriptures. And by the holy scriptures we understand, the canoni- cal books of the old and new testament, as they are now translated into our English mother-tongue, of which there hath never been any doubt of their verity, and au- thority, in the protestant churches of Christ to this day. " Then follows the names of the books of the Old and New Testament, as acknowledged in all Protestant con- fessions, after which follow these words "[Crosby's note] : The English Baptists 153 All which are given by the inspiration of God, to be the Rule of faith and life. XXXVIII. ARTICLE. Of the three Creeds. The three creeds, viz. Nicene creed, Athanasius's creed, and the Apostles creed, as they are commonly called, ought throughly to be received, and believed. For we believe, they may be proved, by most undoubted authority of holy scrip- ture, and are necessary to be understood of all christians; and to be instructed in the knowledge of them, by the ministers of Christ, according to the analogy of faith, recorded in sacred scriptures, upon which these creeds are grounded, and ca- techistically opened, and expounded in all christian families, for the edification of young and old, which might be a means to prevent heresy in doctrine, and prac- tice, these creeds containing all things in a brief manner, that are necessary to be known, fundamentally, in order to our salvation; to which end they may be con- sidered, and better understood of all men, we have here printed them under their several titles as followeth, viz. The Apostles Creed. I believe in God the father almighty, &c. The Nicene Creed. We believe in one God, the father al- might, &c. Athanasius his Creed. Whosoever will be saved, before all things, &c. " I have omitted inserting the creeds at length, they be- ing to be found in every common prayer-book, and only observe, that upon the article in the Apostles' Creed, he 154 Baptist Confessions of Faith descended into hell, they thus comment, Not that he, to wit, Christ, went into the place of the damned, but that he went absolutely into the state of the dead. See Doctor Usher in his body of Divinity, p. 174, and Mr. Perkins on the creed " [Crosby's note]. XXXIX. ARTICLE. Of general Councils, or Assemblies. General councils, or assemblies, consist- Acts 15 : i, &c. ing of Bishops, Elders, and Brethren, of the several churches of Christ, and being legally convened, and met together out of all the churches, and the churches ap- pearing there by their representatives, make but one church, and have lawful right, and suffrage in this general meet- Acts 15 : n.&c. ing, or assembly, to act in the name of Matt. 18 : 20. Christ ; it being of divine authority, and is the best means under heaven to preserve unity, to prevent heresy, and superinten- Acts 15 : 30, 31. dency among, or in any congregation vifhatsoever within its own limits, or juris- diction. And to such a meeting, or as- sembly, appeals ought to be made, in case any injustice be done, or heresy, and schism countenanced, in any particular Matt. 18 : 18, 19. congregation of Christ, and the decisive i Cor. 5 : 4, 5, 6. voice in such general assemblies is the major part, and such general assemblies have lawful power to hear, and determine, as also to excommunicate. XL. ARTICLE. Of religious Worship, and the Sabbath-day. The light of nature sheweth there is a Rom. i : 19, 20; a : 15. God, who hath a sovereignty over all, but the holy scripture hath fully revealed it; as also that all men should worship him according to God's own institution and appointment. And hath limited us, by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations i Chron. 16 : 29. whatsoever, or any other way not pre- Ps. 95 : 6, 7, 8. The English Baptists 155 scribed in the holy scriptures ; and all re- 97 : 7. ligious worship is to be given to the 99 : 5. father, son, and holy ghost, and to God Deut. 8 : 6. alone, not to angels, saints, or any other Ps. 103 : 7 ; 14 : 6. creature, and since the fall, not without a mediator, nor in the mediation of any Mark 7 : 7. other but Christ alone ; nor is this wor- Ps. 99 : 8, 9. shipping of God now under the gospel, io6 ; 29, 39. tied to any place, or made more accept- John 4 : 24. able by one place than another. Yet the ^^^- 9 : »■ assembly of the church, ought not to be Exod. 34 : 14. neglected by any. And in order to his I Cor. 8 ; 4. being worshipped, and served, God hath Matt. 28 : 19. instituted one day in seven, for his sabbath Deut. s : 26, &c. to be kept holy unto him, which from John m ■■ 6- the resurrection of Christ, is the first day G^l. 3 : 9. of the week, which is called the Lord's- Heb. 9 : is. day, and is to be observed and continued i Tim. 2 : s. to the end of the world, as a christian Matt. 18 : 20. sabbath, the last day of the week being i°^^ 4 ■• 21. abolished. -And this christian sabbath is Mai- 1 : u. to be kept after a due and reverent man- Heb!"ioV25! ner, in preparing of our hearts, and or- Acts 2 ; 42. dering of affairs so beforehand, that we Exod. 20 : 8. may rest that day from worldly and carnal I Cor. 16 : i, 2. employments, and frequent the solemn Acts 20 : 7. assemblies of the church, and in all pub- Rev. i : 10. lick and private duties of religion, as NciTVi'^&c hearing, meditating, and conferring, and jj^i,! il '-. 25! reading in, or of the holy scriptures, to- Rev. i -. 3. gether with prayer, publick and private, James i : 23, 25. and in the duties of necessity, charity, Rom. 10 : 14. and mercy, and not in any vain or world- Ps. 119 : 15. ly discourse, or idle recreations whatso- Zech. 7 : 2. ever. Luke 21 : 36. Acts 16 : 13, 16. Isa. 56 : 2, 6. XLI. ARTICLE. Of publick and private Prayer. Prayer is an holy, religious, and sacred ordinance of God, and the duty of all men to perform, by the law of God; and to God alone, and no other, whether saint or angel, and in the name of Christ the mediator, and in his name alone, and no other, whether saint or angel, or any other creature. And that for all men living, except they have sinned the un- Matt. 6 ; 7. Jude 20. Heb. 12 : 28. Isaiah 55 : 6. Jcr. 29 : 12 ; 10 : 6, 25. Ps. 32 : 6. Matt. 26 ; 41. Isaiah 30 ; 2. Hos. 4 ; 12. iS6 Baptist Confessions of Faith pardonable sin, both high and low ; espe- James i : s. cially for ministers and magistrates. And John 14 : 13, 14. not for dead saints, nor infernal spirits. 15 : 16. And prayer is to be made in a tongue un- 16 : 23. derstood by the people : And we ought 1 Tim. 2 :"i, 2, 3. to pray for all things necessary according James 5 : 16. to the will of God in Christ Jesus, in a I Thess. 5 : 17, 25. solemn and reverent manner, every way suitable and agreeable to the platform, or 2 Thess. 3 : i, 2. manner of prayer, which Christ taught his Matt. 9 : 38. disciples, and us, in his holy gospel, I Cor. 14 : 14, &c. which is the only perfect rule of all prayers ; and by the assistance of the holy Matt. 6 ; 6, &c. spirit of God, without which we cannot Rom. 8 : 26, 27. pray aright. And this religious worship I Thess. s ; 18. all men are bound, and required to serve Isa. 17 : 65. God in, both public and private, at least Jer. 18 ; 14, 15. two times a day, in all christian families, by prayers, and supplications, interces- Hos. 5 : 4. sions, and giving of thanks to God the Ps. 69 : 6. father, in the name and mediation of Dan. 6 : 10. Christ Jesus our Lord. Ps. 5 : 2, 3. Ps. 55 : IS, 16, 17. Zach. 8 : 21. Phil, i ; 4, 6. I Tim. 4 : 5. Isaiah i : 15. Rev. 5 ; 8. XLII. ARTICLE. Of publick Humiliation, by Fasting and Prayer. Publick humiliation, by fasting and prayer, is an ordinance of God, appoint- ed for his church and people. And it being an extraordinary duty, especially as it hath respect to the church generally, or the nation as such, and therefore we must have due regard to the grounds, ends, and manner, of its being perform- ed ; confessing of, and reforming from sin, both in publick as well as private fasts. Abstaining from our pleasures, as also our common food, in a sensible and real afflicting of our souls before the Lord ; or to seek to God by prayer and fasting for some spiritual, or temporal good, that God hath promised us, or that we stand in need of having due regard to God's word and glory, in this solemn or divine ordinance. Esther 4 : 16. Joel I : 14, 15. 2 : 12, 13, &c. 2 Chron. 20 : 3. Lev. 23 ; 27, &c. Ezra 8 ; 21 ; 9:4. 10 : I. Neh. 9 ; J, 2, 3. Isaiah 58 : 3, 4, &c. Jonah 3 ; 4, 6, &c. Zech. 7 : 5. Matt. 6 : 16, &c. 2 Sam. 12 : 21, 22. The English Baptists 157 XLIII. ARTICLE. Of Family, or relative Duties therein. Parents, and masters, are a sort of sub- ordinate governors, and rulers, in their respective jurisdictions and families; in their respective relative places, according to their capacities, and opportunities ; and are engaged from God's word, to take charge of their families, and rule and govern them according to the word of God, both husbands, parents, masters, and all others concerned in any- such relation; and by their godly and re- ligious example, instruct their families ; they being found carefully keeping of the sabbath-day, in the holy and religious services of hearing the word preached, with publick and private prayer. As also requiring and instructing their families and relations, to follow their godly and religious example, in the private and pub- lick exercises of religion; and calling them to an account, how they spend the sabbath, and other times, and mercies they enjoy; especially the reading of the scriptures, and hearing the word preach- ed, with publick prayer with them, and for them, in order to a blessing for them, and their families. The neglect of which duty, or power of godliness, and religion in families, is one main cause of that wicked atheism, and impiety in the world and families; and of the carnal luke- warmness, and ignorance in churches, to gether with contempt of government ; because many professors make so little ac- count, or conscience of performing any duty at home in their own families. XLIV. ARTICLE. Of Children dying in Infancy. We do believe, that all little children, dying in their infancy, viz. before they are capable to chuse either good or evil, whether born of believing parents, or un- believing parents, shall be saved by the grace of God, and merit of Christ their redeemer, and work of the holy ghost. Gen. 18 : 19. I Sam. 2 : 23, &c. Prov. 30 : II, &c. I Tim. 5 : 8. Matt. 7 : 9, 10. Col. 4 : I. Eph. 4 : 25, &c. 5:4- Josh. 24 ; 15. Eph. 5 : 19, &c. 6 : 1, 2, &c. Prov. 1:1. Acts 10 : 30, 33 I Tim. 3 : 4. I Kings 2 : I, 2, 3. Gen. 49 ; 28, 29. Job I : 5. 1 Chron. 29 : 19. Prov. 22 ; 6, 15. 2 Kings 2 : 24. Prov. 29 : 15, 21. 2 Tim 3 : 15. Isaiah 7 : 16 ; 8:4. 2 Sam. 12 : 19, &c. Ezek. 18 : 4, &c. I Kings 14 ; 13. Matt. iS ; 2, 3, 4. 158 Baptist Confessions of Faith and so being made members of the in- visible church, shall enjoy Hfe everlasting; Jer. 31:29,30. for our Lord Jesus saith, of such belongs Deut. i : 39. the kingdom of heaven. Ergo, we conclude, Matt. 19 : 13, 14. that that opinion is false, which saith, Mark 10 : 13, &c. that those little infants dying before bap- tism, are damned. XLV. ARTICLE. Of the civil Magistrate. The supreme lord and king of all the I^"""- '3 : 1, &c. world, hath ordained civil magistrates to '''■°^- * '■ 'S- be under him, over the people for his I P"- = = >4- own glory, and the publick good. And ^'""^ =° ■ ^■ the office of a magistrate, may be accept- ' Sam. 23 : 3. ed of, and executed by christians, when Ps. 82:3, 4; 72:4,7. lawfully called thereunto ; and God hath Ecdes. 3 : 8. given the power of the sword, into the Frov. 20 : i8. hands of all lawful magistrates, for the I'"''' 3 : 15. defence and encouragement of them that ■'^"^ '° ■ ^'■ do well, and for the punishment of evil ' Chron. 5 : 22. doers, and for the maintenance of justice, Prov. 24:6. and peace, according to the wholesome '^''- 3 : ^• laws of each kingdom, and common- = P'='- = '■ '3, 17- wealth, and they may wage war upon Eccles. 10 : 20. just and necessary occasions. And sub- Prov. 21 : 22. jection in the Lord ought to be yielded Rom. 13 ; 5. to the magistrates in all lawful things ' Tim. 2 : i, 2. commanded by them, for conscience sake, ^^'"'- ^^ ■ '7' "■ with prayers for them, for a blessing upon '7 ■ =s. 27- them, paying all lawful and reasonable ^ S^™- =' • '^' ^^■ custom, and tribute to them, for the assist- '3 : 15. 16. ing of them, against foreign, domestical, and potent enemies. XLVL ARTICLE. Of Liberty of Conscience. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is king of i Tim. 6 : 15. kings, and lord of all by purchase, and Actsio:36; 4:i7,&c. is judge of quick and dead, is only Lord James 4 : 12. of Conscience ; having a peculiar right Rom. 14 : 4. so to be. He having died for that end. Acts 5 : 29. to take away the guilt, and to destroy the i Cor. 7 : 23. filth of sin, that keeps the consciences of Matt. 15:9; 24 ; 9. all men in thraldom, and bondage, till Col. 2 : 20, &c. they are set free by his special grace. i Cor. n : 23. And therefore he would not have the i Pet. 5 : 2, 3. consciences of men in bondage to, or im- Matt. 15 : 14. The English Baptists 159 posed upon, by any usurpation, tyranny, or command whatsoever, contrary to his revealed will in his word, which is the only rule he hath left, for the consci- ences of all men to be ruled, and regu- lated, and guidfcd by, through the assist- ance of his spirit. And therefore the obedience to any command, or decree, that is not revealed in, or consonant to his word, in the holy oracles of scripture, is a betraying of the true liberty of con- science. And the requiring of an implicit faith, and an absolute blind obedience, destroys liberty of conscience, and reason also, it being repugnant to both, and that no pretended good end whatsoever, by any man, can make that action, obedience, or practice, lawful and good, that is not grounded in, or upon the authority of holy scripture, or right reason agreeable thereunto. XLVII. ARTICLE. Of Marriage. Marriage is to be between one Man, and one Woman; neither is it lawful for any Man, to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband, at the same time. And it is lawful for all sorts of people to marry, who are able of judgment to give their consent. But marriage must not be with- in the degree of consanguinity, or affinity, forbidden in the word, nor can any such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful by any law of man, or consent of parties, to live together as man and wife. And it is the duty of christians to marry in the Lord, and therefore those that profess the true religion, ought not to marry with infidels, or idolaters, nor prophane wicked persons in their life, nor yet with any that maintain damnable heresies. Deut. 12 : 32. Micah 6 ; 6, 7, 8. Acts 17 : 25, &c. Deut. 4 : 17, 19. I Cor, 10 : 18. 1 Sam. 15 : 3, &c, Rom. 14 : 10, 12. Gal. I ; 14. Phil. 3 : 6. John 4 : 22. 2 Sam. 3 : 6, &c. Matt. 19 ; 5, 6. Gen. 2 ; 24. Mai. 2 : 15. I Cor. 7 : 36. Heb. 13 : 4. 1 Tim. 4 : 3. Exod. 22 : 16, 17. Gen. 29 : 23. Lev. 18 : 6, &c. 2 Sam. 13 ; 14. Gen. 38 : 16. Deut. 22 : 28. Eph. 5 : 3. I Cor. 7:2; 5:1,4,: Gen. 6 : 2. 1 Cor. 7 : 39. Numb. 25 : I, 2; 2 Cor. 6 : 14, &c. XLVIIL ARTICLE. Of the Lawfulness of an Oath. A lawful oath, is a part of religious Exod. 20 : 7. worship, wherein the person swearing in Deut. 6 : 13 ,- 10 ; 20. i6o Baptist Confessions of Faith truth, righteousness, and judgment, so- Jer. 4 : 2. lemnly calleth God to witness what he Ps. 15 : 4- sweareth, and to judge him according to Zech. 5 : 4. the truth or falseness thereof. And we 2 chron. 6 : 22, 23. are to swear by no other name, but by Isa. 65 : 16. the name of God only, when we are cal- Jer. 12 : 16. led before a lawful magistrate, upon a law- Matt. 5 : 34. ful matter, warranted by God's holy Neh. 13 : 25. word ; and an oath is to be taken in the 2 Kings n : 4, 17. plain and common sense of the words, Ps. 24 : 4. without equivocation, or mental reserva- Heb. 6 : 16. tion, in a solemn and reverent using of jer. 23 : 10. God's holy name ; and such an oath, we Lev. 19 : 12. believe all christians, when lawfully called Eph. 4 : 28. thereunto by the magistrate, may take. Amos 8: 14. But the foolish monastical vows of papists, 1 Sam. ^14 !°2o. and all idle and vain swearing, is an abo- 2 Kings 6 • 31! minable, and wicked prophaning of the Isaiah 48 : 1. holy name of God. Zeph. i : 5. XLIX. ARTICLE. Of the State of man after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead. The bodies of men after death, return Gen. 3 : 19. to dust, and see corruption ; but their Acts 13 : 36. souls, or spirits, which neither die nor Eccles. 12 : 7. sleep, having an immortal subsistence, im- Acts 7 : 59. mediately return to God who gave them; Luke 23 143. the souls of the righteous being then 2 Cor. 5 : i, 6, 8. made perfect in holiness, are received i"''''- 1 : 23- into paradise where they are with Christ, Heb. 12 : 23. and behold the face of God in light and Jude6. glory, waiting for the full redemption of I P='- 3 : 19- their bodies, and the souls of the wicked I-"''' '^ : =3. 24. are cast into hell, where they remain in I Cor. is ; 51, 52. torment and utter darkness, reserved to ^ Thess. 4 : 17, the judgment of the great day. And Job 19: 26, 27. besides these two places, for souls sepa- I Cor. 15 : 42, &c, rated from their bodies, the holy scrip- J°'"' 5 : 28, 29. ture mentions none. And at the last day, I'^"- ^^ ■ "• such of the saints as shall be found alive, ' Cor. 15 : 21, &c. shall not sleep, but be changed, and all the dead shall be raised up with the self ^=^- =° : s, 6. same bodies and none other, although Acts 24 : 15. with different qualities, which shall be I'^ii. 3 : 21. united to their souls for ever and ever, R«v. 19 : i, &c. but the bodies of the unjust, shall by the '4 : 37- power of Christ, as a severe and just judge, be raised to dishonour; and the bodies The English Baptists i6i of the just and righteous, by his spirit, as he is head of the cathohck church, unto honour, and be made conformable with his glorious body, and shall enjoy everlasting life; in singing perpetual praises, and hallelujahs to God for ever and ever. Amen. L. ARTICLE. Of the last Judgment. And lastly, we believe, God hath ap- pointed a day, wherein he will judge the world in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom all power, and judgment is given of the father ; in which day, not only the apostate angels shall- be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon the earth, shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds, and shall receive a just sentence, according to what they have done in their bodies, whether good, or evil, when God, ac- cording to his purpose, will manifest the glory of his mercy, in the salvation of his elect, and of his justice in the eternal damnation of the wicked and disobedient; for then shall the righteous go into ever- lasting life, and receive the fullness of joy and glory, but the wicked, who know not God, nor obey the gospel offered them in Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Amen. 4. Somerset Confession In 1691 the General Baptists, who lived in Somerset and adjacent counties, published a Confession in twenty- seven articles; but it does not seem to have circulated extensively in other parts of the kingdom (Crosby, III, 259-261 ; IV Appen. I; Taylor, I, 361). As it was comparatively unimportant and the text is accessible in Crosby, it is omitted. Acts 17 : 31. John s : 22, 27. Rom. 2 : 16, 2 Tim. 4 : I. 1 Cor. 6 : 3. Jude 6. Matt. 12 : 36. 2 Cor. 5 : lO. Eccles. 12 ; 14. Rom. 14 ; 10, 12. Matt. 25 : 32. Luke 21 ; 28. 1 Thess. 4 : 17. Ps. 16 : II. Luke 12 : 32. Matt. 25 : 46. Ps. 58 : 10. 2 Tim, 4 ; 8. Luke 16 : 28. Rev. 14 : II. John 8 : 24. 2 Thess. I : 8, &c. Rev. 20 : 10, II, &c. 22 ; II, 15. 1 62 Baptist Confessions of Faith 5. Trinitarian Articles The General Baptists were early troubled with doubts on the doctrine of the trinity and the divinity of Christ, having inherited them from the Dutch. The brevity and ambiguity of the Confession of 1660 on this subject was regarded as proof of uncertainty, if not heterodoxy among them. Early in the last quarter of the century, Matthew Cafin, the gifted and inquisitive pastor of the church at Horsham, in Sussex, denied both the true divinity and the true humanity of Christ. The matter was brought before the General Assembly, and after some ten years of fruitless agitation, some brethren, dissatisfied with the ambiguity and uncertainty of the position of the main body, withdrew and formed the " General Association " in 1696, on the basis of a clear, distinct statement on the doctrine of the Trinity. In June, 1704, the two bodies reunited on the basis of two brief articles, entitled, " The Unity of the Churches." These were immediately pub- lished, and are as follows (Taylor I, 47.) : First, respecting Almighty God. — We do believe, and are very confident, that there is one, and but one living and true God, who is from everlasting to everlasting, and changeth not ; without body, parts, or imperfections : es- sentially present in all places ; of infinite power, wisdom and goodness ; the Maker of all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible : and, that in this divine and infinite Being, or Unity of the Godhead, there are Three Persons, the Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, of one substance, power, and eternity. Secondly, respecting the Lord Jesus Christ — We do believe, that there is but one Lord Jesus Christ, the second Person in the Trinity, and the only begotten Son of God; and that he did, in the fulness of time, take to himself our nature, in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, of whom, in respect of the flesh, he was made; and so is true God, and true Man, our Immanuel. The English Baptists 163 The union, however, lasted but a short time, and the General Baptists became deeply leavened with Socinian views. Religion in England was suffering a sad and general decline during the first half of the eighteenth century, and the General Baptists suffered like other de- nominations. Lack of preachers, coldness, strife, di- vision, afflicted all their churches, many of which be- came Socinian or ceased to exist altogether. By the middle of the century the cause lay in almost complete ruins. 6. Present Doctrinal Position This body still preserves its corporate existence under the title, " The General Assembly of the General Baptist Churches in England." The Confession of 1660 has never been repudiated, but the Assembly has welcomed Unitarian churches into its fellowship, and probably a majority of its members are now Unitarian in sentiment. For some years the following summary of faith has been authoritatively prefixed to the Proceedings of the As- sembly as its only statement of doctrine: The Assembly has borne from its foundation, in 1653, the designation, " General Baptist." It consists of Churches which believe that the way of salvation is open to all, and which also regard it as the duty and privilege of all disciples of Christ to avow their faith in their common Lord by observing the Chris- tian ordinance of baptism by immersion, whereby they signify their death to sin and resurrection to newness of life. They mostly, however, believe that the gates of any sectional part of Christ's Church should be as wide open as the gate of His Universal Church, and therefore, that all His Churches may gladly receive into membership any persons who shall confess their personal faith in Christ, and avow their determination to obey Him ac- cording to their light. Considerable difference on vari- 164 Baptist Confession^' of Faith ous doctrinal points also exists in the Churches belong- ing to the Assembly, and some of those Churches may de- sire to add some other designation, besides General Bap- tist, to the name of their Chapel, but these are questions that must be determined by each Church for itself, as the Assembly has no power to interfere in the matter " (Min- utes of the General Assembly). 7. The New Connection In the year 1755, a body of people, who had been con- verted to evangelical, experimental religion under the im- pulse of the Methodist revival, and had set up independ- ent societies, adopted scriptural views of the mode and subjects of baptism, and proceeded to institute the ordi- nance anew by baptizing one another (Taylor, II, 31). In 1770 these churches united with some of the old General Baptist churches, which had either preserved their orthodoxy during the general decline or had been revived by contact with Methodism, to form " The New Connection of General Baptists, formed in 1770, with a design to revive Experimental Religion or Primitive Christianity in Faith and Practice." In order to set forth their views and guard against the introduction of the prevalent Socinianism they drew up six " Articles of Religion," which the preachers were all required to sign. For five years subscription was rigidly enforced on every preacher entering the connection, but in 1775 the Associ- ation decided " that subscription to a creed was not need- ful." Instead, the candidate for ordination was allowed to relate his experience before the Association, and was admitted or rejected, according as his experience was ap- proved or disapproved. These articles were composed by the celebrated Dan Taylor, the chief factor in the or- ganization of " The New Connection," and are given by Taylor, II, 139-142, as follows: The English Baptists 165 Article i. On the Fall of Man. We believe, that man was made upright in the image of God, free from all disorder natural and moral; capable of obeying per- fectly the will and command of God his Maker; yet ca- pable also of sinning: which he unhappily did, and thereby laid himself under the divine curse; which, we think, could include nothing less than the mortality of the body and the eternal punishment of the soul. His nature also became depraved; his mind was defiled; and the powers of his soul weakened — that both he was, and his posterity are, captives of Satan till set at liberty by Christ. Article 2. On the Nature and Perpetual Obligation of the Moral Law. We believe, that the moral law not only extends to the outward actions of the life, but to all the powers and faculties of the mind, to every desire, temper and thought; that it demands the entire devotion of all the powers and faculties of both body and soul to God: or, in our Lord's words, to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength : — that this law is of perpetual duration and obligation, to all men, at all times, and in all places or parts of the world. And, we suppose that this law was obHgatory to Adam in his perfect state — was more clearly revealed in the ten commandments — and more fully explained in many other parts of the bible. Article 3. On the Person and Work of Christ. We believe, that our Lord Jesus Christ is God and man, united in one person: or possessed of divine perfection united to human nature, in a way which we pretend not to explain, but think ourselves bound by the word of God firmly to believe: — that he suffered to make a full atonement for all the sins of all men — and that hereby he has wrought out for us a compleat salvation; which is received by, and as a free gift communicated to, all that believe in him; without the consideration of any works done by us, in order to entitle us to his salvation. — Though we firmly believe, that no faith is the means of justification, but that which produces good works. Article 4. On Salvation by Faith. We believe, that as this salvation is held forth to all to whom the gospel revelation comes without exception, we ought in the i66 Baptist Confessions of Faith course of our ministry, to propose or offer this salvation to all those who attend our ministry : and, having opened to them their ruined wretched state by nature and prac- tice, to invite all without exception, to look to Christ by faith, without any regard to any thing in, or done by, themselves; that they may, in this way alone, that is, by faith be possessed of this salvation. Article 5. On Regeneration by the Holy Spirit. We believe, that, as the scriptures assure us, we are justified, made the children of God, purified and sanctified by faith : — that when a person comes to believe in Jesus (and not before) he is regenerated or renewed in his soul, by the spirit of God, through the instrumentality of the word, now believed and embraced; which renewal of his soul naturally produces holiness in heart and life: — that this holiness is the means of preparing us for the enjoyments and employments of the heavenly world; and of preserving in our souls a comfortable sense of our interest in the Lord, and of our title to glory; as well as to set a good example before men, and to recommend our blessed Redeemer's cause to the world. Article 6. On Baptism. We believe, that it is the indispensible duty of all who repent and believe the gos- pel, to be baptized, by immersion in water, in order to be initiated into a church state; and that no person ought to be received into the church without submission to that ordinance. Signed Dan Taylor William Smith Geo. Hickling. David Wilkin Samuel Deacon John Tarrott W. Thompson James Fenn Robert French John Knott Francis Smith N. Pickering John Stouger Thomas Perkins Charles Parman John Brittain John Grimley W. Summers Henry Poole These " Articles " long continued to be the recognized statement of doctrines among the Baptists of the " New Connection." They are not a complete system, but com- prise a very clear statement of tlie views of these Bap- tists where they differed from the Calvinistic and from The English Baptists 167 other General Baptists. In 1813 it was declared that " the design of the Association, by the maintenance of this institution [for educating ministers] was to pro- mote and cherish the sentiments contained in the articles, drawn up and signed in the year 1770, at the formation of the New Connection " (Taylor, II, 456) ; in 1815 the articles were reprinted in the minutes in lieu of a' circular letter, and the next year the Association reaffirm these principles and determine " that all churches which may hereafter be admitted into it, satisfy it that they maintain the same; and if any church in the connection depart from these principles either in doctrine or practice, and by proper steps cannot be reclaimed, it shall be ex- cluded from the connection" (Taylor, II, 459). These views were also incorporated by Dan Taylor in a catechism for children and young people, which was widely used and was reprinted again and again. A fuller statement of their views may be seen in a Confession which was laid before his church by Dan Taylor when he became pastor in London in 1785, but which was never published (Taylor, II, 470-477). Prior to 1800 a General Baptist preacher, or church, had now and then gone over to the Calvinistic Baptists. The latter had, by that time, forged ahead into a place of influence and power. Moreover, their high and rigid Calvinism had been materially modified by the Methodist revival, the rise of the modern missionary movement, and the theological labors of Andrew Fuller. As the nineteenth century advanced, these two wings of English Baptists gradually approached each other until the ma- jority of the two parties united in a common statement of beliefs in 1891. Divisive names were dropped, and their work united. (See statement under Calvinistic Baptists.) II. The Calvinistic or Particular Baptists I. FIRST LONDON CONFESSION The Calvinistic wing of the English Baptists, unlike the General Baptists, rose in England, and so far as known, apart from Mennonite influences. In 1616 Henry Jacob and some of the exiled Independents returned to England from the Netherlands and began work in Lon- don. In 1633, John Spilsbery and a few others left this church, apparently because they had come to oppose infant baptism. In 1638, others withdrew, and soon afterward a new church was formed on the basis of be- lievers' baptism. There was division of sentiment as to the best means of beginning scriptural baptism again. A part sent Richard Blount to Holland where, as they had heard, there were some who baptized believers by im- mersion. Having obtained baptism in this way from the Rhynsburger Collegiants, he returned and baptized those who sent him. " But the greatest number of the English Baptists, and the more judicious, looked upon all this as needless trouble, and what proceeded from the old Popish Doctrine of right to administer sacraments by an uninterrupted succession, which neither the Church of Rome, nor the Church of England, much less the modern dissenters, could prove to be with them. They affirmed, therefore, and practised accordingly, that after a general corruption of baptism, an unbaptized person might war- rantably baptize, and so begin a reformation." And so it was done (Crosby, I, 101-103; Kiflin MS). This was not later than 1641. The members of this first English Calvinistic Baptist church had all been, as far as known, 168 The Engli sh Baptists i6g Independents. In becoming Baptists they needed only to change their views of the subjects and mode of baptism. They preserved Calvinistic theology, the independence, democracy, and officials of the local churches as they were in the Congregational church. To the controversy over the proper " subject " of baptism which had been agitated on the continent for a century and had been rag- ing in England for twenty-five years, is now added one on the mode of baptism, which begins in 1641 and soon be- comes violent. The distractions of the time somewhat lightened persecution and gave the Baptists a rare oppor- tunity. Many of the best minds of England were at- tracted to their views, and they gained important converts from all the religious parties of the time. England was at this time almost solidly Calvinistic, and their Calvin- istic theology secured for these a much more favorable reception than was accorded the General Baptists, as soon as the difference was recognized. By 1644 there were seven churches in London. They were called Anabaptists and accused of all the errors and enormities which that sect had ever been guilty of or charged ith. The General Baptists were becoming somewhat known, and were Arminian if not Pelagian in theology. In order to distinguish themselves from both the Anabap- tists and the General Baptists, refute the slanders and remove the misunderstandings of which they were the innocent victims, they determined to draw up and pub- lish a statement of their views. Accordingly, the seven congregations united in publishing the following Confes- sion, the first Baptist Confession of the Calvinistic type. The Confession, as will be seen on examination, was not very carefully drawn, and is moderately Calvinistic. It is the first Confession of history to prescribe a single im- mersion as the form of baptism. (" The Orthodox Con- 170 Baptist Confessions of Faith fession of the Eastern Church," drawn up in 1643, pre- scribes a threefold immersion.) It is perhaps the most independent of the Baptist Con- fessions, and is one of the noblest productions ever put forth by them. It probably still represents the views of the Baptists of the world more nearly than any other single Confession. The following is an attempt to re- produce exactly the original edition. The English Baptists 171 * The CONFESSION OF FAITH, Of those Churches which are commonly (though falsly) cal led Anabaptists; Presented to the view of all that feare God, to examine by the touchstone of the Word of Truth: As likewise for the taking off those aspersions which are frequently both in Pulpit and Print, (although unjustly) cast upon them. Acts 4. 20. Wee can not hut speake the things which wee have seene and heard. Isai. 8. 20. To the Law and to the testimony, if they speake not according to \ this Rule, it is because there is no light in them. 2 Cor. I. 9, 10. But wee had the sentence of death in our selves, that wee should not \ trust in our selves, but in the living God, which raiseth the dead; \ who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver, in whom, \ wee trust that he will yet deliver. LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons in Aldersgate-street. 1644. * Title page of edition of 1646 reads, "A Confession of Faith of f seven Congrega- tions or Churches of Christ in London, which are commonly (but unjustly) called Anahaptists. Published for the vindication of the Truth, and Information of the ignorant ; likewise for the taking off of those Aspersions which are frequently both in Pulpit and Print unjustly cast upon them. The second Impression corrected and enlarged. Published according to Order, 1646." + For "seven," subsequent editions have "the severall," 1/2 Baptist Confessions of Faith To ALL THAT DESIRE The lifting up of the Name of the | Loed Jesus in sinceritie, the poore despi- | sed Churches of God in London send greeting, | with prayers for their farther increase in the | knowledge of Christ Jesus. Wee question not hut that it will seeme strange to many men, \ that such as wee are frequently termed to be, lying under that \ calumny and black brand of Here- tickes, and sowers of di \ vision as wee doo, should pre- sume to appear so publickly as \ now wee have done: But yet notwithstanding wee may well \ say, to give answer to such, what David said to his brother,\when the Lords battell zvas a fighting, i Sam. 29. 30. Is there not a cause? I Surely, if ever people had cause to speake for the vindication of the truth of \ Christ in their hands, wee have, that being indeed the miaine wheele at this \ time that sets us aworke; for had any thing by men been trans- acted against \ our persons onely, wee could quietly have sitten still, and committed our Cause to \ him who is a righteous Judge, who will in the great day judge the secrets of | all mens hearts by Jesus Christ: But being it is not only us, but the truth pro \ fessed by us, wee cannot, wee dare not but speake; it is no strange thing to any \ observing -man, what sad charges are laid, not onely by the world, that knozv \ not God, but. also by those that thinke themselves much wronged, if they be not I looked upon as the chiefe Worthies of the Church of God, and Watchmen of the \ Citie: But it hath fared with us from them, as from the poor Spouse seeking \ her Beloved, Cant. 5. 6, 7. They finding us out of that common road-zvay \ themselves walke, have smote us and taken azvay our vaile, that so wee may by \ them be recommended odious in the eyes of all that behold us, and in the hearts \ of all that thinke upon us, which they have done both in Ptdpit and Print, \ charging us with The English Baptists 173 holding Free-will, Falling away from grace, denying Origi I nail sinne, disclaiming of Magistracy, denying to assist them either in persons | or purse in any of their lawfull Commands, doing acts unseemly in the dispen | sing the Ordinance of Baptism, not to be named amongst Christians: All \ which Charges wee disclaime as notor- iously untrue, though by reason of these \ calumnies cast upon us, many that feare God are discouraged and fore- stalled I in harbouring a good thought, either of us or what wee professe; and many that | know not God incouraged, if they can finde the place of our meeting, to get I together in Clusters to stone us, as looking upon us as a people holding such \ things, as that wee are not worthy to live: Wee have therefore for the cleering \ of the truth we professe, that it may be at libertie, though wee be in bonds, \ briefly published a Confession of our Faith, as desiring all that feare God, seri | ously to con- sider whether {if they compare what wee here say and confesse in the \ presence of the Lord Jesus and his Saints) men have not with their tongues in \ Pulpit, and pens in Print, both spoken and written things that are contrary to \ truth; but wee know our God in his owne time will cleere our Cause, and lift \ up his Sonne to make him the chief e cornerstone, though he has been {or now I should be) rejected of Master Builders. And be- cause it may be conceived, that \ what is here published, may be but the Judgement of some one particular Con \ gregation, more refined then the rest; We doe therefore here subscribe it, some \ of each body in the name, and by the appointment of seven Congregations, \ who though wee be distinct in respect of our particular bodies, for con- veniency | sake, being as many as can well meete together in one place, yet are all one in \ Communion, holding Jesus Christ to be our head and Lord; under whose go jj vernment wee desire alone to walke, in following the Lambe wheresoever he \ goeth; and wee beleeve the Lord will daily cause truth more to appeare in the \ hearts of his Saints, and make them ashamed of their folly in the Land of \ their Nativitie, that so they may with one shoulder, more studie to lift up the \ Name of the Lord Jesus, and stand for his appointments and 174 Baptist Confessions of Faith Lawes; which \ is the desires and prayers of the con- temned Churches of Christ in London | for all Saints. Subscribed in the Names of seven Churches in London. William Kiffin. Thomas Patience. Spilsbery. George Tipping. Samuel Richardson. Thomas Skippard. Thomas Munday. Thomas Gunne. John Mahbatt. John Webb. Thomas Killcop. Paul Hobson. Thomas Goare. Joseph Phelpes. Edward Heath. The CONFESSION Of Faith, of those Churches which are commonly (though falsly) called Anabaptists. 1 1 T!m. 6 . i6. 2 I Tim. 2 . 5, Eph. 4 ■ 4, 5> 6- I Cor. 12 . 4, 5, 6, 13. . THat God as he is in himselfe, cannot be comprehended of any but himselfe, 'dweUing in that inaccessible light, that no eye can attaine unto, whom never man saw, nor can see; that there is but ^one God, one Christ, one Spirit, one Faith, | one John'i4!'chap. Baptisme; ^one Rule of holinesse and obedience' i Tim. 6 . 3. for I all Saints, at all times, in all places to be r„,'''y' observed.; 2 Tim. 3 . 15. II. That God is '^ of himselfe, that is, neither from ' ^^^- « ■ *' ano- I ther, nor of another, nor by another, nor % J| ■ "' for another : | " But is a Spirit, who as his being is 2 John 4 . ^4. of himselfe, so he | gives " being, moving, and s Exod. 3 . 14. preservation to all other | things, being in him- selfe eternall, most holy, every way | infinite in 'greatnesse, wisdome, power, justice, goodnesse, pRom-n-s^- truth, &c. In this God-head, there is the Father, ' " • "^ the I Sonne, and the Spirit; being every one of them one and | the same God; and therefore not The English Baptists I7S divided, but distingui- | shed one from another 5 ^ q^^ g g by their severall properties; the | ° Father being « Pro. a . 22/23 from himselfe, the ° Sonne of the Father | from Heb. i . 3 everlasting, the holy ' Spirit proceeding from the I ijoh^iV-'ife Father and the Sonne. Gai."4.6. [Page 2] III. That God hath ' decreed in himselfe from ever- lasting I touching all things, effectually to work and dispose them | ^according to the counsell of his owne will, to the glory | of his Name; in which decree appeareth his wisdome, con- | stancy, truth, and faithfulnesse ; ' Wisdome is that where- | by he contrives all things ; ' Constancy is that whereby | the decree of God remaines al- wayes immutable; '^ Truth | is that whereby he declares that alone which he hath de- | creed, and though his sayings may seeme to sound some- I times another thing, yet the sense of them doth alwayes | agree with the decree; "Faithfulnesse is that whereby he | effects that he hath decreed, as he hath decreed. And | touching his creature man, ' God had in Christ before | the foundation of the world, according to the good plea- I sure of his will, foreordained some men to eternall life | through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of his | grace, ' leaving the rest in their sinne to their just con- | demnation, to the praise of his Justice. IV. ' In the beginning God made all things very good, I created man after his own ^ Image and likenesse, filling | him with all perfection of all naturall excellency and up- | rightnesse, free from all sinne. ° But long he abode not in | this hon- our, but by the 'subtiltie of the Serpent, v^hich J Satan used as his instrument, himselfe with his Angels I having sinned before, and not °kept their first estate, but | left their owne habitation ; first 'Eve, then Adam being | seduced did wit- tingly and willingly fall into disobedience | and transgression of the Commandement of their great | Creator, for the which death came upon all, and reigned | over all, so that all since the Fall are conceived in sinne, | and brought forth in iniquitie, and so by nature children | of wrath, and servants of sinne, subjects of 'death, and all [Page 3] other calamities due to sinne in this world and for ever, | being considered in the state of nature, without relation | to Christ. ^ Esa. 46 . 10 Rom. II . 34, ,. 55,36 Mat. 10 . 29, 30 • Eph. I , II. « Col. 2 . 3. * Num. 23 . 19, 20. ' Jere. lo . lo. Rom. 3 . 4. ° Esa. 44 . 10. ' Eph. I, 3, 4, 5, .6,7. 2 Tim. I . 9. Acts 13 . 48. Rom. 8 . 29. 30. * Jude ver. 4. &6. Rom. g . 11^ 12, 13. Prov. 16 . 4. 1 Gen. i» chap. Col. I . 16. Heb. II . 3. Esa. 45 . 12. 2 Gen. I . 26. 1 Cor. 15 . 45> 46 Eccles. 7 . 31. 8 Psal. 4g . 20. * Gen. 3.1 4, 5. 2 Cor. II . 3. 6 2 Pet. 2 . 4. Jude ver. 6. Job. 8 . 44 « Gen. 3 . I, 2, 6. I Tim. a . 14. Eccles. 7 . 31. Gal, 3 . 22. y Rom. 5 . 12, 18,19 & 6 . 23. Eph. 2 . 3. Rom. 5 . 12- 176 Baptist Confessions of Faith V. All mankind being thus fallen, and become altogether | dead in sinnes and trespasses, and subject to the eternall | wrath of the great God by transgression; yet the elect, | which God hath ^ loved with an everlasting love, are ^ re- | ^ J"- 3' • = deemed, quickened, and saved, not by themselves, £ph.' i .' j,'',. neither | by their own workes, | lest any man & 2 . 4, 9. should boast himself e, | but wholly and onely by ^'^,''"^' ' j '' God of "his free grace and mer- | cie through » j cor!\'.\o, Jesus Christ, who of God is made unto us | 31. wisdome, righteousnesse, sanctification and re- = Cor. 5.21. dempti | on, that as it is written, Hee that re- "' ' ' ^^' '*' joyceth, let him re- | Joyce in the Lord. VI. ' This therefore is life eternall, to know the ' joh. n . 3. onely true | God, and whom he hath sent Jesus Heb. 5 • 9- Christ. ''And on the | contrary, the Lord will a J^hUs/,' 8 render vengeance in flaming fire | to them that Joh. 3.36.' know not God, and obey not the Gospel of | our Lord Jesus Christ. VIL The Rule of this Knowledge, Faith, and Obedi- ence, I concerning the worship and service of God, and all other | Christian duties, is not mans inventions, opinions, devi- | ces, lawes, constitu- tions, or traditions unwritten whatso- | ever, but onely the word of God contained in the Cano- | nicall Scriptures. VIIL In this written Word God hath plainly re- vealed I whatsoever he hath thought needfuU for us to know, be- | leeve, and acknowledge, touch- ing the Nature and Office | of Christ, in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen | to the praise of God. [Page 4] IX. Touching the Lord Jesus, of whom ' Moses and the I Prophets wrote, and whom the Apostles preached, is the | ° Sonne of God the Father, the brightnesse of his glory, | the ingraven forme of his being, God with him and with | his holy Spirit, by whom he made the world, by whom | he upholds and governes all the workes hee hath made, | who also "when the fulnesse of time was come, was made | man of a * woman, of the Tribe of ''Judah, of the seed of | Abraham and David, Joh. 5 2 Tim. 16, Col. 21 Matth. ■39 3-I5- 17. . 18, 23. 15 • 9- Acts 3 Heb. I . 22, 23 . 1, 2 2 Tim. 16, 2 Cor. 3 . 15. 17. z . 20. 1 Gen. 3 . 15 & 22 . 18 & 49 • 10 Dan. 7 .,j& 9 ■ : 24, 25, 26 2 Prov. 8 • 23 Joh. I . I, 2, 3. Col. I . T> I5j i6. 17. 8 Gal. 4 . 4 i Heb. 7 ■ 14 Rev. 5 . 5 with Gen. 49 . 9, 10. 49 ■ I. 5 8 Esa. II . 2, 3, The English Baptists lyy Rom. 1 . 3. & to wit, of Mary that blessed Vir- | gin, by the Mat? i \ i6 with hoIy Spirit comming upon her, and the power | Luke 3 '. 23, 26. of the most High overshadowing her, and was Heb. 2 . 16 also in ° all I things like unto us, sinne only l^.'i:i:'"- excepted. X. * » Tim. 2 . 15 Touching his Office, * Jesus Christ onely is joh.'iV.V' made the | Mediator of the new Covenant, even the everlasting Co- | venant of grace between 2 Hcb. 1. 2. & 3. Go(j and Man, to " be perfectly | and fully the EsL 9' iTi. Prophet, Priest and King of the Church of | God Acts 5 . 31. ' for evermore. XL 1 Prov. 8 . 23 Unto this Office hee was fore-ordained from !i*^i.** everla- | sting, by the 'authority of the Father, ^"d in respect of ! his Manhood, from the womb 4,'5,iSr6i'. i,2,called and separated, and | "anointed also most 3 with Luk. 4. fully and abundantly with all gifts | necessary, Joh."'.V4, 16. God having without measure poured the Spi- | & 3 . si. rit upon him. XII. In this Call the Scripture holds forth two speciall | things considerable ; first, the call to the Office; secondly, | the Office it self. First, 1 Heb. 5 . 4, 5, 6. that ' none takes this honour but | he that is called of God, as was Aaron, so also Christ, it | being an action especially of God the Father, whereby a | speciall covenant being made, hee ordaines his Sonne to | this office : which Cove- a Esa. 53.10. nant is, that 'Christ should be [Page s] made a Sacrifice for sinne, that hee shall see his seed, and I prolong his dayes, and the pleasure of the Lord shall I prosper in his hand; which calling there- s Esa. 42 . 13 fore contains in | it self e ° chusing, * fore-ordain- * i Pet. i . 20 ing, "^ sending. Chusing re- | spects the end, fo.re- ' J"*-- 3 ■ " & ^ ordaining the means, sending the ex- | ecution £5^.61 . i. it self, °all of meere grace, without any condi- • Joh. 3 . 16 tion I fore-seen either in men, or in Christ him- Ro™- 8 ■ 3»- selfe. XIIL So that this Office to be Mediator, that is, to be i Tim. 2 . ;• Pro- 1 phet, Priest, and King of the Church of geb. , . 24 God, is so proper | to Christ, as neither m the ^ct. 4 . 12. whole, nor in any part there- | of, it can be trans- Luke i . 33. ferred from him to any other. J"''- '" • ^• M 178 Baptist Confessions of Faith XIV. This Office it self to wliich Christ was called, is three- | fold, of 'a Prophet, of 'Priest, & of > Deut. 18 . 15 'a. King: this nura- | ber and order of Offices is "',23 shewed ; first, by mens necessi- | ties grievously 2 Psai. I'lo . 3. labouring * under ignorance, by reason ] whereof ^^^- 3 • '-^ ■• ■ they stand in infinit necessity of the Prophetical 1 8Psai'.''2''6. ^ office of Christ to relieve them. Secondly, alien- < Acts 26 . 18. ation from | God, wherein they stand in need ofj^°{-'-3- the Priestly Office to | reconcile them : Thirdly, Eph.'2'."2. our ° utter disability to return | to him, by which « Cant, i . 3. they stand in need of the power of Christ | in J"*"- ^ ■ **• his Kingly Office to assist and govern them. XV. Touching the Prophesie of Christ, it is that ' }°^- ' • '8 & whereby | he hath ^ perfectly revealed the whole l^ '^f^ ^°g. will of God out of I the bosome of the Father, Deut. iS . 15. that is needful for his servants [Page 6] to know, beleeve, and obey; and therefore is called not | 2 Matth. 23 . lo. onely a Prophet and " a Doctor, and the ^ Apostle * M^\' ' ' '' °^ °^^ profession, and the ' Angel of the Cove- 6 1 Cor? i '24. "3"' '' l^ut also the | very '^ wisdome of God, and « Col. 2.3. " the treasures of wisdome | and understanding. XVI. That he might be such a Prophet as thereby to be every | way compleat, it was necessary that he 1 Joh. 1 . 18& should bee ' God, | and withall also that he should ^ ■ ''' be man; for unlesse hee | had been God, he could never have perfectly understood | the will 2 1 Cor. 2 . II, 16. of God, ' neither had he been able to reveale it | 3 ^^,j ^^ ^ij^ throughout all ages ; and unlesse hee had been Deut°. 18 . 15. "'an- hee | could not fitly have unfolded it in his Heb. I.I. ^ own person to ] man.* XVII. ' Heb " ■ % & Touching his Priesthood, Christ ' being conse- ' g^.'J.' ' ' crated, | hath appeared once to put away sinne Rom. 5 . 19. by the offering and | sacrifice of himself, and to Col'''/ '2"' "^'^ ^"^ ^^^^ ^"'^y performed | and suffered all those things by which God, through the | blood of that his Crosse in an acceptable sacrifice, 2 Eph. 2 . 14, 15, might I reconcile his elect onely; "and having ^\ ,. broken downe the | partition wall, and therewith finished & removed all those | Rites, Shadowes, and Ceremonies, is now entred within | the Vaile, * Many additional Scriptural proofs of Christ's deity and his humanity were added to this article in subsequent editions. Rom. 8 . 34. The English Baptists lyg into the Holy of Holiest, that is, to the very | Heavens, and presence of God, where he for ever liveth I and sitteth at the right hand of Majesty, appearing before | the face of his Father to make intercession for such as | come to the Throne of Grace by that new and living way; | and not that » I Pet. 2 . 5. onely, but ' makes his people a spirituall | House, Job. 4 . 23, 24. 2J, ]jQiy Priesthood, to offer up spirituall sacri- [Page 7] fice acceptable to God through him ; neither doth the | Father accept, or Christ offer to the Father any other | worship or worship- pers. xvni. This Priesthood was not legall, or temporary, but ac- I cording to the order ^ of Melchi- 1 Heb. 7 . 17. sedec; "not by a carnall | commandement, but by^ Heb. 7 . 16. the power of an endlesse life ; | " not by an order ' Heb. 7 . 18, 19, that is weak and lame, but stable and per- | feet, ="• ^'■ not for a * time, but for ever, admitting no sue- ^ Heb. 7 . 24, 25 cessor, | but perpetuall and proper to Christ, and of him that ever | liveth. Christ himselfe was the Priest, Sacrifice and Al- | tar : he was ° Priest, ^ Heb. 5 . 6. according to both natures, hee was a | sacrifice most properly according to his humane nature: | ' whence in the Scripture it is wont to be at- ' Heb. jo . 10. tributed to his | body, to his blood; yet the c^^'; '^^'V chiefe force whereby this sa- | crifice was made Esa. 53 . 10. effectuall, did depend upon his 'divine | nature, Matth.20.28. namely, that the Sonne of God did offer him-'^^^^°- =^- selfe I for us: he was the "Altar properly ac-e Heb.'g.'i4& cording to his di- | vine nature, it belonging to 13.10,12.15. the Altar to sanctifie that | which is offered upon f^"%''\^'' it, and so it ought to be of greater | dignity then the Sacrifice it selfe. XIX. 1 I Cor. 15 . 4. _. . , ,„,.,. . I Pet. 3 . 21, 22. Touchmg his Kmgdome, Christ bemg risen Matth. 2B . 18, 19, from the | dead, ascended into heaven, sat on the m. right hand of God | the Father, having all power Acts%°^i'&s. in heaven and earth, given | unto him, he doth 30, 31. spiritually govern his Church, exerci- | sing his loi"" '9 • 36- power ''over all Angels and Men, good and bad, \iu^v^*.'^^.' to the preservation and salvation of the elect, Heb. i . 14. to the over- | ruling and destruction of his ene- i°^- '^ ■ '. i5- » John 5 . 26, 27. mies, which are Re- [Page 8] probates, ''commu- Rom. 5 . 6, 7, 8 & nicating and applying the benefits, | vertue, and Gal 't' 12' 23 f™'* °^ ''■^ Prophesie and Priesthood to his | JohnV.T ij- elect, namely, to the subduing and taking away of their | sinnes, to their justification and adoption of Sonnes, re- | generation, sanctification, preser- i8o Baptist Confessions of Faith vation and strengthe- | ning in all their conflicts against Satan, the World, the | Flesh, and the temptations of them, continually dwelling | in, governing and keeping their hearts in faith and 4 John 13. 1 & filiall I feare by his Spirit, which having 'given io.=8, 29&i4.i)-^ he never takes | away from them, but by it Rom. ii .39. still begets and nourisheth in | them faith, re- Psal. 51 . ID, II. pentance, love, joy, hope, and all heaven- | ly light 2'co"i/%'°' ''^ *-'^^ soule unto immortality, notwithstanding | ' ''' through our own unbeliefe, and the temptations of Satan, | the sensible sight of this light and love be clouded and | overwhelmed for the time. ' Job I and 2. ^ And on the contrary, ruling | in the world over Rom I ''21 & '^■s enemies, Satan, and all the vessels of | wrath, 2.4, 5,6 & 9. limiting, using, restraining them by his mighty 17, 18. po- I wer, as seems good in his divine wisdome 2 f'ct.^. chap^.' ^ justice to the | execution of his determinate counsel], delivering them | up to a reprobate mind, to be kept through their own de- ] serts, in darknesse and sensuality unto judgement.* XX. 1 Cor. 15 . 24, 28. This Kingdome shall be then fully perfected Heb. 9 . 28 when hee | shall the second time come in glory 2 Thess. 1 . 9, 10. to reigne amongst | his Saints, and to be ad- I Thess. 4 . 15, 16, mired of all them which doe be- | leeve, when he "• shall put downe all rule and authority un- | der John 17 . 21, 26. his feet, that the glory of the Father may be full and I perfectly manifested in his Sonne, and the glory of the | Father and the Sonne in all his members. [Page 9] XXI. That Christ Jesus by his death did bring forth i John 15 . 13. salva- I tion and reconciliation onely for the R°™- 8 . 32, 33f ' elect, which were | those which ^ God the Father ro^'*' ^^ ^ gave him; & that the Gospel | which is to be 3.25." preached to all men as the ground of faith, | is, ' Job " . 2 with that " Jesus is the Christ, the Sonne of the ever- *' "• blessed | God, filled with the perfection of all ' Matth. 16 . 16. heavenly and spi- | rituall excellencies, and that johV'9^&7 salvation is onely and alone | to be had through \. &\o . 31. the beleeving in his Name. i Jo°n 5 • "• •^^^I- 1 Eph. 2 . 8. That Faith is the 'gift of God wrought in the Joh. 6.29&4. hearts | of the elect by the Spirit of God, wherelDy p),ii'°' they come to | see, know, and beleeve the truth Gal./.'J'at * This article was considerably shortened in subsequent editions. The English Baptists i8i of ' the Scriptures, & not | onely so, but the ° J?'?- " • "• excellencie of them above all other wri- | tings joh .e^.'eiV ^^ and things in the world, as they hold forth the glory I of God in his attributes, the excellency of Christ in his | nature and offices, and the power of the fulnesse of the | Spirit in its work- ings and operations ; and thereupon | are inabled to cast the weight of their soules upon this | truth thus beleeved. XXIII. Those that have this pretious faith wrought Matth. 7 . 24, 25 in them | by the Spirit, can never finally nor J"^"^ 13 • i- totally fall away; and | though many stormes Esa'.'i^ .' i3,'i4," and floods do arise and beat against | them, yet 15, 16. ' they shall never be able to take them off that | foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened up- | on, but shall be kept by the power of God to salvation, [Page 10] where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they | being formerly engraven upon the palms of Gods hands. XXIV. > Rom. 10 . 17. That faith is ordinarily ' begot by the preaching I Cor. 1 . 21. of the I Gospel, or word of Christ, without re- a ^°™; 1 ; J^^ spect to ^ any | power or capacitie in the creature, Ezek'. 16 . 6. but it is whoUy ' pas- | sive, being dead in sinnes ^ Rom. 3.12. and trespasses, doth beleeve, and | is converted Eph!'/.'ig ''y ^° lesse power, * then that which raised | Col. 2 . 12. Christ from the dead. XXV. J That the tenders of the Gospel to the conver- '&'i 'w.'' sion of I sinners, ^is absolutely free, no way Esa. 55 .' I. ' requiring, as absolute- | ly necessary, any quali- j J'i: ' • 3'- fications, preparations, terrors of | the La"V, or RomTiV;.''' preceding Ministry of the Law, but onely | and &;'. 8. alone the naked soule, as a ''sinner and ungodly " -^"'^ • 3%3' to re- I ceive Christ, as crucified, dead, and 1 Cor. V. 22, buried, and risen a- | gaine, being made "a Prince 23, 24. ' and a Saviour for such sin- | ners. XXVI. That the same power that converts to faith in 1 1 Pet. 1 . 5. Christ, I the same power carries on the ' soule 2 Cor. 12 . 9. still through all du- | ties, temptations, conflicts, sufferings, and continually | what ever a Chris- 2 1 Cor. 15.10. tian is, he is by ^ grace, and by a con- | stant ' Phil. 2 . 12, 13. renewed " operation from God, without which he | Job. 15 . 5. cannot performe any dutie to God, or undergoe Gal. ig, 20. ^jjy I tejnptations from Satan, the world, or men. 1 82 Baptist Confessions of Faith XXVII. That God the Father, and Sonne, and Spirit, is one [Page ii] with 'all beleevers, in their ^ f ul- 1 1 Thess. i . i. nesse, in ' relations, ' as | head and members, ' as ^°^'^\ ' '°'j'^°' house and inhabitants, as ° hus- | band and wife, 2 Col. 2 . g^ 10. one with him, as ' light and love, and one | with & i . 19. him in his inheritance, and in all his ' glory ; and | 3 j°^- ^^- '^• that all beleevers by vertue of this union and one- Heb.lj'.'i"' nesse | with God, are the adopted sonnes of God, * Coi. i . is and heires | with Christ, co-heires and joyntefph' ' ' j°' heires with him of the | inheritance of all the i Cor.^3 f 16, 17. promises of this life, and that which I is to come.* ' ^^^- '^ • 5- 2 Cor. II , 3. ' Gal. 3 . 26. 8 Joh. 17 . 24 XXVIII. That those which have union with Christ, are justified I from all their sinnes, past, ' present, ' Ji>h- 1 • 7. and to come, by the | bloud of Christ; which \° ' ^ justification wee conceive to be | a gracious and 2Cor.V.%. free ^acquittance of a guiltie, sinfull crea- | ture, Rom. 3 . 23. from all sin by God, through the satisfaction ■^-'^'^ '3 . 38, that I Christ hath made by his death ; and this Rom.'; . i applyed in the | manifestation of it through faith. & 3 . 25. 30- XXIX. That all beleevers are a holy and ' sanctified 1 1 Cor. i . i people, I and that sanctification is a spirituall • !"='• = . 9 grace of the ' new | Covenant, and eflfect of the 2 Eph. i . 4 "love of God, manifested | to the soule, whereby a i Joh. 4 . 16. the beleever is in * truth and rea- | litie sepa- « Eph. 4 . 24 rated, both in soule and body, from all sinne and I dead workes, through the ^ bloud of the * P''"'- 3 • 15. everlasting Co- | venant, whereby he also pres- seth after a heavenly and | Evangelicall perfec- tion, in obedience to all the Com- | mands, " which Christ as head and King in this new Co- | » Mat. 28 . 20. venant has prescribed to him. XXX. All beleevers through the knowledge of ^that Rom!'/.'g?io. Justi- [Page 12] tification of life given by the Father, and brought forth | by the bloud of ° ^^^'iii 'I2 Christ, have this as their great privi- | ledge of that new ^ Covenant, peace with God, and re- | conciliation, whereby they that were afarre off, 8 Eph. 2 . 13, 14. were | brought nigh by ' that bloud, and have (as iPhil. 4, 7, the Scripture | speaks) peace 'passing all under- * Considerably shortened in subsequent cdilions. The English Baptists 183 standing, yea, joy in God, | through our Lord 6 Rom. 5 . 10, Jesus Christ, by ° whom wee have re- | ceived the ''■ Atonement. XXXI. That all beleevers in the time of this life, are Eph. 6 . 10, II, if, a (.Qn- I tinuall warfare, combate, and oppo- _ '"' '^' sition against sinne, | selfe, the world, and the 2 Cor. lo . 3. Devill, and liable to all manner | of afflictions, ev. 2 . 9, 10. tribulations, and persecutions, and so | shall con- tinue untill Christ comes in his Kingdome, ] be- ing predestinated and appointed thereunto; and what- I soever the Saints, any of them doe possesse or enjoy of | God in this life, is onely by faith.* XXXII. Joh. 16 . 33. That the onely strength by which the Saints are ina- | bled to incounter with all opposition, and to overcome | all afflictions, temptations, per- Heb. 2 . 9, 10. secutions, and tryalls, is | onely by Jesus Christ, who is the Captain of their salva- | tion, being made perfect through sufferings, who hath | in- gaged his strength to assist them in all their John 15 . s. afflictions, | and to uphold them under all their temptations, and to | preserve them by his power to his ever- | lasting Kingdome. XXXIII. That Christ hath here on earth a spirituall Kingdome, [Page 13] which is the Church, which ' i Cor. i . i. he hath purchased and re- | deemed to himselfe, ^ |p^ '^- '• as a peculiar inheritance : which | Church, as ^ci. '26 . Ik it is visible to us, is a company of visible | i Thes. i . 9. ' Saints, "" called & separated from the world, by |j^°''-J ■ li- the word I and ^ Spirit of God, to the visible pro- 3 Acts 1 . 37 with fession of the faith | of the Gospel, being bap- Acts 10 . 37. tized into that faith, andjoyned 1 to the Lord, and'|°""^J°;^^'°- each other, by mutuall agreement, in | the prac- Maf. ig'. 19, tical injoyment of the 'Ordinances, commanded | 20. by Christ their head and King. fpet^ifi XXXIV. To this Church he hath ^ made his promises, 1 Mat. 28 . 18, and gi- | ven the signes of his Covenant, pres- ^Q^^'^°\g ence, love, blessing, | and protection : here are the fountains and springs of his | heavenly grace * Featley criticised this article as denying real ownership to any but believers. The criticism was recognized in subsequent editions by adding these words: " Outward and temporall things are lawfully enjoyed by a civill right by them who have no faith." 184 Baptist Confessions of Faith continually flowing forth ; ^ thither ought | all men 2 Esa. 8 . 16. to come, of all estates, that acknowledge him to | ' ^'^' ' ^g^' be their Prophet, Priest, and King, to be in- ^l' 3^ 5, rolled amongst | his houshold servants, to be Acts 2 . 41, 47 under his heavenly conduct | and government, ^°i%*\"' to lead their lives in his walled sheep- 1 fold, Eph. 3'. ij. and watered garden, to have communion here with I the Saints, that they may be made to be partakers of their | inheritance in the Kingdome of God. XXXV. And all his servants are called thither, to i Cor. 12 . 6, 7, present their | bodies and soules, and to bring "■ '^• their gifts God hath gi- | ven them; so being Rom. 12 . 4, s, 6. come, they are here by himselfe be- | stowed in ' ^'='- ■* • '°- their severall order, peculiar place, due use, be- | '=^p''- ♦ • '*• ing fitly compact and knit together, according to '^°^- = • 5. 6, 19- the ef- I fectuall working of every part, to the ''^°o the end edification of it | selfe in love. [Page 14] XXXVI. That being thus joyned, every Church has > Acts 1.2. > power gi- ] ven them from Christ for their with'i's 22 25t>ett^'' well-being, to | choose to themselves meet I Cor. 16 . 3". ' persons into the office of | " Pastors, Teachers (o), ! Rom. 12 . 7, 8 Elders, Deacons, being qualified ac- | cording to I Co? it '.8, 28 the Word, as those which Christ has appoiii- | I Tini. 3. chkp. ted in his Testament, for the feeding, governing, Heb. 13 . 7. serving, | and building up of his Church, and that I Pet. 5 . 1, 2, 3. j^Qj^^ other have | power to impose them, either these or any other. XXXVII. Heb. s . 4. That the Ministers aforesaid, lawfully called Acts 4 . 23. \jy the I Church, where they are to administer, Joh"^1 's.'t ought to conti- | nue in their calling, according Acts 20 . 28. to Gods Ordinance, and | carefully to feed the Heb'"'''i^' ^°'^^ °-^ Christ committed to them, | not for . 13 • 7, 17- filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. (&) XXXVIII. I Cor. 9 . 7, 14, That the due maintenance of the Officers afore- Gai. 6 . 6. said, I should be the free and voluntary com- I Thes. 5 . 13. munication of the | Church, that according to I Tim. 5 . 17, Christs Ordinance, they that | preach the Gospel, '*■ should live on the Gospel and not by | con- (a) " Pastors " and " teachers " are otnitted in later editions. (b) The final clause, beginning " and not by constraint," was criticised byFeatley and consequently omitted in the edition of 1646. The entire article was omitted from the editions of 1651 and 1652, probably owing to Quaker influence. The English Baptists 185 Phil. 4 . 15, 16. straint to be compelled from the people by a forced | Law. XXXIX. Mat. 28 . 18, 19. That Baptisme is an Ordinance of the new- Mark 16. 16. Testament, | given by Christ, to be dispensed(a) onely upon persons pro- [Page 15] fessing faith. Acts 2 . 37, 38 or that are Disciples, or taught, who upon | a & 8.36, 37, 38 ^profession of faith, ought to be baptized. (6) &18.8. XL. The way and manner of the ' dispensing of this The word Ordi- I nance (c) the Scripture holds out to be ff^'t" dilf'' dipping or plung- | ing the whole body under underwater, water : it being a signe, must an- | swer the thing y=' s° ^s w'* signified, which are these: first, the ^wash- | ing gtrmentfboth the whole soule in the bloud of Christ: Second- upon the ad- ly, I that interest the Saints have in the "death, minUtrator buriall, and re- | surrection; thirdly, together tuVaUmo-' with a 'confirmation of our | faith, that as cer- destie. (rf) tainly as the body is buried under water, | and ' ^at. 3 , 16. riseth againe, so certainly shall the bodies of the | i° t^ I '. 38. Saints be raised by the power of Christ, in the " Rev. i '. s ' day of the | resurrection, to reigne with Christ. ^-'.-i*-. with Heb. 10, 22. 8 Rom. 6 . 3, 4, 5, XLL ^iCor. isT'^'^' . 28, 2g. The persons designed by Christ, to dispense this Or- I dinance, the ^Scriptures hold forth to^Esa. 8.16. be a(^) preaching | Disciple, it being no where Mat. 28 . 16, 17, tyed to a particular Church, | Officer, or person john4,^?", 2. extraordinarily sent, the Commission | injoyning Acts 20'. 7. the administration, being given to them under | Mat. 26 . 26. no other consideration, but as considered Dis- ciples. (a) Featley declared this article would not be objectionable if the word only were omitted, and again strangely enough it was omitted in subse- quent editions. (fe) Later editions added, " and after to partake of the Lord's Supper." (c) In criticising this article, Doctor Featley denied that the Scripture de- fines baptism as an immersion^ and in subsequent editions the phrase, *' the Scripture holds out to be," is omitted, as well as :he words *' first, the washing the whole soule in the bloud of Christ." To the words " death, buriall, and resurrection " are added " of Christ " in later editions. id) Editions 1651 and 1652 add "which is also our practice, as many eye witnesses can testifie." ie) Doctor Featley ridiculed the expression " preaching Disciple," and in later editions " preaching " is omitted, and the words " being men able to preach the Gospel " are added at the end of the article. " Church, Officer " is changed into *' Church-officer '* in later editions, as it appears in Doctor Featley. i86 Baptist Confessions of Faith XLII. Christ has likewise given power to his whole Acts 2 . 47. Church I to receive in and cast out, by way of Rom. 16 . 2. Excommunication, | any member ; and this power Math. 18 . 17. is given to every particular | Congregation, and i Cor. 5 . 4 not one particular person, either | member or 2 Cor. 2 . 6, 7, Officer, but the whole. ^• [Page 16] XLIII. And every particular member of each Church, how I excellent, great, or learned soever, ought to be subject to | this censure and judgement of Christ; and the Church | ought with great care and tendernesse, with due advice | to proceed against her members. XLIV. And as Christ for the ■■ keeping of this Church in holy | and orderly Communion, placeth some speciall men | over the Church, who by their office are to governe, o- | versce, visit, watch; so likewise for the better keeping | thereof in all places, by the members, he hath given ^ au- | thoritie, and laid dutie upon all, to watch over one ano | ther. XLV. That also such to whom God hath given gifts, being | tryed in the Church, may and ought by the appointment | of the Congregation, to pro- phesie, according to the pro- | portion of faith, and so teach publickly the Word of | God, for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of | the Church. XLVI. Thus being rightly gathered, established, and still pro- I ceeding in Christian communion, and obedience of the | Gospel of Christ, none ought to separate for faults and | corruptions, which may, and as long as the Church con- | sists of men subject to failings, will fall out and arise a- I mongst them, even in true constituted Churches, untill | they have in due order sought redresse thereof. [Page 17] XLVII. And although the particular Congregations be ' Cor. 4 . 17, distinct | and severall Bodies, every one a com- ^ '| • 33- 3^- pact and knit Ci- | tie in it selfe ; yet are they Matth. 28 . 20. Mat. 18 . i6, 17, 18 Act. II . ; 2, 3- I Tim. 5 , . 19, 20, 21 I Acts 20 . 27. 28. Heb. 13 . 17, 24. Mat. 24 . 25- I Thss. 5 . 14. 2 Mark 13 . 34, 37 Gal. 6 . I, I Thes. s . 11. Jude ver. 3, 20. Heb. 10 . 34. 35- & 12 , , 15. I Cor. 14. cha. Rom. 12 . 6. I Pet. 4 . 10, 11. I Cor. 12 ■ 7- I Thes. 5 • 17. 18, 19 Rev. 2. & ^, Chapters Acts 15 . 12. 1 Cor. I . 10. Ephef. 2 . 16. &3- 15. 16. Heb, 10 . 25- Jude ver. Matth. 18 15- • 17- I Cor. 5 . 4, 5- The English Baptists 187 all to walk by one and the same | Rule, and by i Tim. 3 . 15. all meanes convenient to have the counsell | and & 6 . 13, 14. help one of another in all needfull affaires of the | c" /i^s/io,"' Church, as members of one body in the common &4.'i6.' faith I under Christ their onely head. XLVIII. That a civill Magistracie is an ordinance of Rom. 13.1,2, 3,4. God set up I by God for the punishment of i Pet. 2 . 13, 14. evill doers, and for the 1 praise of them that doe i Tim. 2 . 2. well; and that in all lawfuU things | commanded by them, subjection ought to be given by us | in the Lord : and that we are to make supplica- tion and I prayer for Kings, and all that are in authority, that under | them we may live a peace- able and quiet life in all godliness | and honesty. *XLIX. The supreme Magistracie of this Kingdorae we beleeve | to be the King and Parliament freely chosen by the King- | dome, and that in all those civill Lawes which have been | acted by them, or for the present is or shall be ordained, | we are bound to yeeld subjection and obedience unto in | the Lord, as conceiving our selves bound to de- fend both I the persons of those thus chosen, and all civill Lawes | made by them, with our per- sons, liberties, and estates, with J all that is called ours, although we should suffer never so | much from them in not actively submitting to some Ec- 1 clesiasticall Lawes, which might be conceived by them to [Page 18] be their duties to establish which we for the present could | not see, nor our consciences could submit unto ; yet are | we bound to yeeld our persons to their pleasures. L. And if God should provide such a mercie for I Tim. 1 . 2, 3, 4. us, as to I incline the Magistrates hearts so far Psai. 126 . 1. to tender our con- | sciences, as that_ we might Acts g . 31. bee protected by them from | wrong, injury, op- pression and molestation, which long we | for- merly have groaned under by the tyranny and op- * Articles XLIX and L. somewhat modified, are in tlie second edition added as a note to Art. XLVIII. Art. LI tlien becomes XLIX. An Art. L is added, expressing tlie lawfulness of oaths and of a Christian's holding civil office; Art. LII becomes LI, and a final Art. LII on the resurrection is added. All references to the king and Parliament are omitted from edi- tions of 1651 and 1652 when Cromwell was in control of affairs. Baptist Confessions of Faith pres- I sion of the Prelaticall Hierarchy, which God through ] mercy hath made this present King and Parliament won- | derfull honourable, as an instrument in his hand, to throw | downe; and we thereby have had some breathing time, | we shall, we hope, look at it as a mercy beyond our expe- | ctation, and conceive our selves fur- ther engaged for ever | to blesse God for it. LI. iA«s2.4o 41. But if God with-hold the Magistrates allow- %V^^^&^o'- 23! ^'^'^^ ^"'^ I furtherance herein ; ' yet we must not- I Thess. 3.3.' ' withstanding pro- | ceed together in Christian ta.ni^&^o'. 23! ^Jice and | furtherance herein ; ' yet we must not- Tliess. 3.3. _ _ . _ Phil. 1 . 27, 28, 29. communion, not daring to give | place to suspend Ti j,\o,'2i,2-i- °'^'' practice, but to walk in obedience to | Christ in the profession and holding forth this faith be- | fore mentioned, even in the midst of all trialls and affli- | ctions, not accounting our goods, 2 Matth. 28 . 18, lands, wives, children, [fathers, mothers, brethren, '?■ ^°; sisters, yea, and our own lives I dear unto us, I Tim. . 13, 14, tl ■ ^ *j.i • f 15. so we mag finish our course with joy: re- | Rom. 12 . 1, 8. membering alwayes we ought to ^obey God J Cor. 14 . 37. rather then I men, and grounding upon the com- Rev. 2 . 10. mandement, commissi- | on and promise of our Gal. 2 . 4, 5. Lord and master Jesus Christ, who [Page 19] as he hath all power in heaven and earth, so also hath pro- [mised, if we keep his commandements which he hath gi- | ven us, to be with us to the end of the world : and when we | have finished our course, and kept the faith, to give us the | crowne of rijjhteousnesse, which is laid up for all that I love his appearing, and to whom we must give an account | of all our actions, no man bein^ able to discharge us of | the same. LIL And likewise unto all men is to be given what- Rom. 13 . s, 6. 7. soever is | their due ; tributes, customes, and all Matih. 22 . ai. such lawful duties, | ought willingly to bee by Titus 3. us paid and performed, our | lands, goods, and i Pet. 2 . 13. bodies, to submit to the Magistrate in f the Lord, Ephes. 5 . 21, 22. and the Magistrate every way to bee acknow- | & 6 . i, 9. ledged, reverenced, and obeyed, according to 1 Pet. 5 . 5. godlinesse; | not because of wrath onely but for conscience sake. And | finally, all men so to be esteemed and regarded, as is due | and meet for their place, age, estate and condition. LII [sic]. And thus wee desire to give unto God that acVs^2'4" ■4,'is, which is I Gods, and unto Cesar that which Is 16. ' The English Baptists 189 Cesars, and unto all | men that which belongeth John s . 28. unto them, endevouring our | selves to have al- a Cor. 4 . 17. wayes a cleare conscience void of offence | i Tim. 6 . 3, 4, 5. towards God, and towards man. And if any take i Cor. 15 . 58, 59. this that I we have said, to be heresie, then doe wee with the Apostle | freely confesse, that after the way which they call heresie, | worship we the God of our Fathers, beleeving all things | which are written in the Law and in the Prophets and A- I postles, desiring from our soules to dis- claime all heresies [Page 20] and opinions which are not after Christ, and to be sted- | fast, unmo- veable, alwayes abounding in the worke of the | Lord, as knowing our labour shall not be in vain in the | Lord. I Cor. I. 24. Not that we have dominion over your faith, hut are helpers of \ your joy: for by faith we stand. FINIS Second Edition, 1646 The Confession, which appeared in print in 1644, created great surprise by its orthodoxy, sanity, and moderation. So favorable was the impression made that opponents of the Baptists could scarcely believe that these articles fairly represented their views. They elicited much favorable comment, but of course occasioned criti- cism also. In 1645 Dr. Daniel Featley wrote a scurrilous book against the Baptists, entitled, " The Dippers dipt, or. The Anabaptists duck'd and plunged Over Head and Eares, at a Disputation in Southwark." He was a famous scholar and controversialist, and a preacher in the State church in London. He had been a member of the West- minster Assembly, but having fallen under suspicion of disloyalty, he was imprisoned by the Parliamentary au- thorities. In prison he furbished up the notes of a dispu- tation he had had with the General Baptists in 1642, added several chapters against the errors, extravagancies, igd Baptist Confessions of Faith and doctrines of the continental Anabaptists of the six- teenth century, which he ascribed to the EngHsh Baptists whom he called Anabaptists, dedicated the whole to Parliament, and published it in 1645. The last chapter was a criticism of the Confession of 1644, in which, how- ever, he could find only six articles out of fifty-three which he regarded as erroneous. Such an attack from a man of such prominence and fame demanded some reply from the Baptists, especially since it was dedicated to Parliament, at that time not only the lawmaking, but also the ruling body of the kingdom. It seemed best to reply by issuing a new and improved edition of the very Con- fession which Featley had criticized. Accordingly it was subjected to a careful revision, removing obscurities and infelicities of language, reclassifying the material and re- arranging the articles, and removing as far as possible the language objected to by Featley in the six articles criti- cized by him. Indeed, they went so far in this latter re- spect as seriously to weaken the distinctive Baptist char- acter of some of the articles. (See "Review and Ex- positor" for October, 1909.) This revised edition was then dedicated to Parliament, as Featley's attack had been, in a brief but vigorous epistle. They begin : To the Right Honorable the Lords, Knights, Citizens and Burgesses in Parliament Assembled. Right Honorable and Most Noble Patriots, In as much as there hath been a Book [Featley's] lately presented unto you, in whose Dedicatory Epistle there are many hainous accusations unjustly and falsely laid against us, we conceived it necessary to make some declaration of our innocency, and (to that end) humbly to present unto your view this our Confession of Faith. The English Baptists 19 1 Here wee unfainedly declare, what in our hearts wee judge, and what wee teach, and according to this Rule wee desire and endeavour, through the grace of God, to lead our lives. This Confession of our Faith we send forth to speak the truth for us, and so to piake our innocency to appeare; desiring that the same light may guide others also to the same way of truth and of obedi- ence both to God and to the Magistrate, who is the Minister of God to us for good, etc.* In lieu of the brief preface of the original edition, there was a lengthy address " To the judicious and impartiall Reader," in which it is pointed out that all the accusations made against them were made against Christ and the apostles, such as stirring up sedition, introducing nov- elties, preaching in private houses, perverting the people, sectarianism, etc. It then continues : Not fearing to charge us, with holding freewill, falling from grace, denying election, originall sin, children's sal- vation, the Old Testament, and men's proprietie in their estates, and censuring all to be damned that are not of our judgement and practice; all which we disclaime, be- cause they are untrue. And as for the other things whereof wee are accused, wee referre those who desire further satisfaction, to the answers of themf; yet by reason of the many accusations that are cast upon us, although they cannot prove the things whereof we are accused, yet the generalitie of the people are incensed against us, and are incouraged, and set on by such, to seek out the place of our meetings, which are the more private, not because they are private, but because wee have not any more publicke places ; but if any shall please to procure us more larger places to meet in, wee are will- ing to embrace them with thankfulness and joy, although no man should speak for us to those in authoritie, from whom one word were enough to protect us, from the * The whole, with this edition of the Confession, in Underhill, p. I3f. f Brie/e Considerations on Dr. Featly, his Bookf intituled The Dippers Dippt, by Samuel Richardson. 192 Baptist Confessions of Faith violence wee should be subject unto; but as it was then, Acts 17. 5, 6, 7, so it is now; yet must we beare all the blame ; but our God will in his time cleare our innocency, although now many stand looking upon us as a people (holding such things) not worthy to live, and are in danger by the rude multitude gathering together to stone us : and had it been against our persons onely, we would have held our peace, and committed our cause to God ; but considering it is the truth that we profess that suffers, we may not, nor dare not be neuters in matters of so high a nature, but come in and speak to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Therefore to free ourselves, and the truth we profess, from such unjust aspersions, that it may be at liberty, though we are in bonds, wee have published a brief con- fession of our Faith, (which wee conceive most void of contention in these sad and troublesome times), the thoughts of our hearts as in the presence of God wee here declare, that it may appeare to the consciences of them that feare God, what wrong we suffer from some who have ability to (Jude 14, 15) cast mists, and dark clouds, which overshadow the glory of the truth, and them that profess it. And although they acknowledge with us, that the truth is not fully discovered, yet they will tie all future discovery to a former light, and conceive they doe well in so doing. But God will by his truth shew their error, and exalt Jesus Christ the chiefe corner stone, which the builders so much reject. And lest this should be thought to be the judgement of some particular per- sons, this is done by the consent and appointment of seven Congregations or Churches in London, with the names of some of each of them subscribed in behalf of the whole. And although wee bee distinct in our meet- ings, for conveniency; yet wee are one in faith, fellow- ship, and communion, holding Jesus Christ for our Head and Law-giver, under whose rule and government we desire to walke, and to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth, that when our Lord and King shall call us to ac- count, we may be found ready and worthy to be received into our Master's joy. Untill which time we desire to spend these few dayes we have here to remain, to the The English Baptists 193 glory of God, the honour of the Gospel, the Saints com- fort, and our Countries good, to our own account at (2 Thess. r. 8) the great day when Christ shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Subscribed by us in behalf of seven Congregations or Churches of Christ in London. As also by a French Con- gregation of the same judgement. Thomas Gunne John Spilsbery Paul Hobson John Mabbit Samuel Richardson Thomas Goare - Benjamin Cockes Thomas Munden William Kiffen Thomas Kilikop George Tipping Thomas Patient Hanserd Knollys Denis le Barbier Thomas Holms Christophle Duret The sense was in no wise changed in this second edition, contrary to the opinion of Underbill.* The articles on magistracy were somewhat condensed and also altered to suit the changed condition of the kingdom. The two following articles were added : Article L f reads : It is lawfull for a Christian to be a Magistrate or Civill Officer ; and also it is lawfull to take an C)ath, so it be in truth, and in judgement, and in righteousnesse, for confirmation of truth, and ending of all strife ; and that by rash and vaine Oaths the Lord is provoked, and this Land mournes. Acts 8. 38. & 10. i, 2, 35, 44. Rom. 16. 23. Deut. 6. 13. Rom. i. 9. 2 Cor. 10. 11. jer. 4. 2. Heb. 6. 16. Art. LII, also added in this edition, is as follows : " There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust, and every one shall give an account of * Complete in Underbill, pp. 18-23, t Featley had argued that Anabaptists opposed Christians taking the oath and holding office. This article is tbe answer. N 194 Baptist Confessio ns of Faith ^^ himselfe to God, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Acts 24. 15. Rom. 14. 12. The edition is comf)leted by the addition of this noble and touching conclusion following the Confession: The Conclusion. Thus we desire to give unto Christ that which is his, and unto all lawfull Authority that which is their due, and to owe nothing to any man but love, to live quietly and peaceably, as it becometh Saints, endeavouring in all things to keep a good conscience, and to doe unto every man (of what judgement soever) as we would they should doe unto us, that as our practice is, so it may prove us to be a conscionable, quiet, and harmless people, (no ways dangerous or troublesome to human Society) and to labour and work with our hands, that we may not be chargeable to any, but to give to him that needeth both friends and enemies, accounting it more excellent to give than to receive. Also we confesse that we know but in part, and that we are ignorant of many things which we desire and seek to know : and if any shall doe us that friendly part to shew us from the word of God that we see not, we shall have cause to be thankfull to God and them. But if any man shall impose upon us any thing that we see not to be commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ, we should in his strength, rather embrace all reproaches and tortures of men, to be stript of all out- ward comforts, and if it were possible, to die a thousand deaths, rather than to doe any thing against the least tittle of the truth of God, or against the light of our own consciences. And if any shall call what we have said Heresie, then doe we with the Apostle acknowledge, that after the way they call heresie, worship we the God of our Fathers, disclaiming all Heresie (rightly so called) because they are against Christ, and to be sted- fast and immoveable, always abounding in obedience to Christ, as knowing our lai)our shall not be in vain in the Lord, The English Baptists 195 Psalm 74. 21, 22. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause. Remember how the foolish man blasphemeth thee daily. O let not the oppressed returne ashamed, but let the poore and needy praise thy Name. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Finis. Nov. 30, 1646, shortly after the publication of this edi- tion, Benjamin Cox, an Oxford graduate of some culture, who was one of the signers of this edition, and probably assisted in the revision, published twenty-two articles,* which he says were " occasioned by the inquiry of some well-affected and godly persons in the country," and which he entitles, " An Appendix to a Confession of Faith," " published for the further clearing the Truth." They stiffen the Calvinism, declare belief in eternal punishment, define the Christian's relation to the law and to good works more clearly, and express some other points a little more fully than the Confession. They were never published with the Confession so far as known. Later Editions A third edition appeared in London in 1651, and a fourth the following year. These were substantially reprints of the edition of 1646. The more important changes from this edition are indicated in the notes to the Confession. In addition to those there indicated, a few minor verbal changes occur ; there is a slight soften- ing of the Calvinism in Articles III and XXI, and Article XXXVIII, enjoining the support of the ministry, is omitted altogether. This last important change was prob- ably due to the criticism of the Quakers who sharply op- * Underbill, pp. 49-60. 196 Baptist Confessions of Faith posed all ministerial support. It marks the beginning of that opposition to ministerial support among the Baptists which has been so hurtful to them. These two editions were termed " The third Impression corrected," and " The fourth Impression corrected." In Heu of the " Epistle Dedicatory " and the " Preface " to the edition of 1646, these two editions are introduced with an " Epistle to the Reader," which is of sufficient interest to reproduce entire. (Reproduced from 1652 edition.) Courteous Reader, THere is nothing wherein Saints should be more conversant than in promoting the hon- our of the Lord and his Christ, striving and studying to walk before him agree- able to the truth recorded in his word, the consideration of which, is a strong inducement unto us to ingage (to the utmost of our abilities) in this work, that when other men content them- selves by living belozv the rule, we may strive to walk close thereunto, {suitable to the pattern left us by God in his word) and when many account it their glory to turn their backs upon what they professed to have received from Christ, ive may strive to honour God, by a steadfast continuance in zvhat we have received, and in a diligent speaking the things which we have seen and heard from him; the weight of which at first prevailed upon us to declare unto the world this our Confession of faith, and faithful Epistle, which zve have again reprinted, and made publique for the reasons folloiving. First, the invitations and earnest solicitations of several of our Brethren, from all parts of the Nation, whose hearts long to behold {in publique) our stability and perseverance in the zvay and truth of our God, that by it they may have zvherewith to put to silence those who have lately taken liberty to reproach and undervalue the truth professed by tis. Secondly, that the tuorld may behold that through The English Baptists 197 grace, {by which alone we stand) we are preserved from back-sliding or revolting from the way and truth, we for same years have followed God in: In which {through the faith and obedience) we trust to be continued, unto the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Thirdly, that we might prevent Satan and his accom- plices in their enterprises, who have of late abounded more than ordinary, with stratagems and inventions to circumvent poor Saints, in their stability and love unto the truth, amongst which this was no small one {in several remote parts) that we had cast off all our former profession and practise, so that none remained together, worshipping God in his way, owning themselves the Churches of Christ, but were grown up to a further at- tainment and light {as they say) to live more intmediately with God and Christ, than in so low, mean, and con- temptible a way as Ordinances, thinking thereby to stum- ble and dishearten many, whose hearts were approved to God. Fourthly, That we might take off prejudice from the hearts of those {many of which we have comfortable hopes) who are or may be prejudiced against us, from these many invectives, and bitter unjust reproaches, we are or may be {for worshipping our God accord- ing to our consciences and rule of truth) exposed unto, and they {if it be the good pleasure of our God) come to understand our practise, and subject themselves to the Lord in his commands. Lastly, The remembrance of what good this our under- taking hath formerly done in the Countries, where it hath been spread {of which zve have had particular notice from several, whose hearts have been refreshed there- with) is no small inducement to us to bring this forth again in print. Courteous Friend, we desire thee soberly to weigh and consider what we have professed before men and Angels, out of the simplicity of our hearts, and let not prejudice prevent thy profiting, but make it thy great care and study to give up thy understanding to love and receive the truth, as it is in Jesus, delighting thy self in that Govern- ment, which is by his own hand established in his house; iqS Baptist Confessions of Faith be not disheartened although thou shouldst hear of the miscarriage of same, knowing that in many things zve sinne all, and come short of the grace of our God, or if thou shouldst be advertised of the falling away of any one, do but consider we live in the last ages of the world. Wherein many shall bepart [sic] from the truth, (neither is it a new thing for men to relinquish their profession.) But strive thou to follow God fully, and to stand fast in the simplicity of the truth; and God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ he with thee, and be thy guide and Counsellour. Signed in the name, and by the appointment of the aforesaid several Churches, meeting in London. William Kiffin, Edward Harrison, John Spilsbery, Richard Graves, Joseph Sanson, Edward Roberts, Hugh Gosnell, Thomas Waters, Thomas Fault, Henry Forty, Joseph Fatshall, Thomas Young, William Conset, John Watson. In the kaleidoscopic changes of these years in England, both king and Farliament had, by 1651, ceased to be except in name. Moreover, the Baptists who had at first suffered as sectaries were themselves suffering from sectaries, especially the Quakers. In the way of a re- action against the years of tyranny and oppression, free- dom was running into license. George Fox began his work in 1646, emphasizing the authority of the inner light, depreciating if not denying the authority of revelation in Scripture, the atoning work of Christ, the ordinances ; in short, historical and institutional Christianity. This was particularly hurtful to the Baptists who, in some re- spects, had already traveled a long distance on the road Fox was going. Many of their members fell away and made shipwreck of the faith. Rumor, in remote parts of the kingdom, exaggerated the defection in London into The English Baptists 199 the report that all the churches had fallen away. To cor- rect this impression among the Baptists outside London, as well as to state to the world again their views, the Bap- tist churches of London, of which there were now several, united in publishing these editions of 165 1 and 1652. The two former editions constituted the answer of the Bap- tists to the slanders and misrepresentations of their ene- mies; these last two editions were the answer of the London Baptists to the rumor spreading in the country that they had given up their former views and " were grown up to a further attainment and light." It was hoped also that it might steady and confirm any who might be confused and wavering on account of Qua- kerism. To fit the Confession for more effective service in this direction, there was appended an address of eight closely printed pages, " To all the Churches of God sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place profess the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." It was entitled " Heart-bleedings for Professors' Abominations." The title sufficiently indi- cates the spirit and earnestness of its authors. It is in fact a burning and powerful plea for biblical Christianity against the views of the Quakers and Ranters as well as an earnest denial of the charge made by some that Baptist views naturally run into these extremes. It is maintained that those who had left the Baptists went out from them because they were not of them rather than as a logical result of the Baptist doctrines they had once held. It closes with a strong plea for steadfastness and faithful- ness to the truth in the midst of all discouragements.* What is called " The Fourth Impression, corrected " * This address had been published by the churches of London in 1650 as a " general epistle" of warning; it was now and henceforth attached to this confession. 200 Baptist Confessions of Faith was issued in March, 1653, at Leith, Scotland. A brief letter " To the impartiall Reader " is prefixed, setting forth, as the reason for the publication, the errors and prejudices of the time. Apparently Quaker teachings are chiefly in mind. It is " signed in the name and by the Appointment of the Church of Christ, usually meeting at Leith and Edinburgh " by Tho. Spenser, Abra. Holmes, Tho. Powell, John Brady. A " Fifth Impression Corrected " was issued by Henry Hills, London, in 1653. It is a reproduction of the third and fourth editions. The " Assembly," in 1689, speak of " divers impres- sions " of the Confession, but declare that it was then difficult to obtain. It was printed in Crosby's " His. of the Baptists, Vol. I, Appendix." It was reprinted in 1809, and in 1847 appeared as No. 86 in the series of publications issued by the Baptist Tract Society. There may have been other editions. The English Baptists 201 2. SOMERSET CONFESSION The first Confession, as we have seen, was a London Confession, drawn up and published by the seven churches of the city. As is too frequently the case, there was some jealousy and fear of the London churches on the part of those in the country. Accord- ingly the churches in the west of England, in Somer- set and adjacent counties which had formed an Associ- ation in 1653, composed and published a Confession of their faith in 1656. It is signed by representa- tives from sixteen churches in the counties of Somerset, Wilts, Devon, Gloucester, and Dorset, and in a special manner by Thomas Collier who, in the year 1655, had been ordained to the office of " General Superintendent and Messenger to all the Associated Churches," and who probably composed the Confession. In " The Epistle Dedicatory," they disclaim any dislike to " the former Confession of our beloved brethren, whom we own, and with whom we are one both in faith and practice, neither is there anything in ours contradictory to our brethren that we know of." The reasons given for publishing this Confession are: to show their agreement with the London churches, especially in the matter of Calvinism; to bear " a public testimony before all men that (through grace) we do with one soul desire to cleave to the Lord, contending earnestly for the faith that was once given to the saints " (this in opposition to the Quakers, against whose dangerous errors there is a long and ear- nest warning and exhortation) ; there is exhortation also against formality, hypocrisy, and especially " pride in ap- parel and covetousness " ; Underbill, pp. 61 to 106. Crosby's text is reproduced here, except that the Scrip- ture quotations are omitted. (See also Crosby I, Ap- pendix III, for the text.) 202 Baptist Confessions of Faith A CONFESSION OF THE FAITH OF SEVERAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST In the County of Somerset, and of some Churches in the Counties neer ad- jacent. I Peter iii. 15. Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready alwaies to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Mattew X. 32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, which is in heaven. Isaiah viii. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony, if they speak not according to this rule it is because there is no light in them. Acts xvii. II. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of minde, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. London, Printed by Henry Hills, and are to be sold by Thomas Brewster, at the three Bibles at the West end of Pauls, 1656. August 10. The English Baptists 203 A CONFESSION of the FAITH of several congrega- tions of Christ in the county of Somerset, and some churches in the counties near adjacent. Printed at London, Anno 1656. I. WE believe that there is but one God (i Cor. 8:6.), who is immortal, eternal, invisible, only wise (I Tim. i: 17.), holy (Lev. 11:44.), almighty (Gen. 17:1.), in- finite (I Kings 8:27; Isa. 40:28; Ps. 147:5); a Spirit (John 4:24.), glorious in holiness (Ex. 15:11), just, merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in mercy and truth (Ex. 34:6, 7.), faithful in all things (Deut. 7:9.). II. THAT this God, who is so in himself, did according to his own will in time, create all things, by, and for Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:16; John 2:3); who is the word of God (John 1:1) and upholds all things by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3.). III. THAT God made man after his own image (Gen. 1 : 27), in an estate of uprightness and human perfection (Eccles. 7: 29.). IV. THAT God gave Adam a just law, requiring obedience under the penalty of death (Gen. 2: 17), which law he brake, and brought himself and his posterity under the guilt and judgment denounced (Gen. 3:6; Rom. 5: 12, 17, 18, 19.). 1 V- MAN being in this undone estate, God did in the riches of his mercy hold forth Christ in a promise (Gen. 3:15.). VI. THAT in process of time God gave forth his laws by the hand of Moses (Exod. 20; John i : 17), to fallen man (Gal. 3:19), not for justification to eternal life (Gal. 204 Baptist Confessions of Faith 3: 17; Rom. 3:20.), but that all might appear guilty be- fore the Lord by it (Rom. 3 : 19; 5 : 20). VII. THAT out of this condition none of the sons of Adam were able to deliver themselves (Rom. 8:3; Eph. 2 : i, 5 ; Rom. 5:6.). VIII. THAT God continued and renewed the manifesta- tion of his grace and mercy in Christ after the first promise made (Gen. 3), in other promises (Gen. 22: 18 with Gen. 12: 3; Gal. 3: 16.) ; and in types, as the pass- over (Exod. 12:8 and ver. 13 with I Cor. 5:7.), and the brazen serpent (Numb. 21:9 compared with John 3 : 14) ; with the ministry and ministration of Moses and Aaron, the sacrifices, &c. being all figures of Christ (Heb. 7: 8 and Chap. 9.) ; and in prophesies (as Isa. 9:6; 11 : i, 2; 53: 6 compared with I Pet. 2: 24; I Cor. 15 : 3.). IX. THAT God in his son did freely, without respect to any work done, or to be done by them as a moving cause, elect and choose some to himself before the foundation of the world (Eph. i : 3, 4; 2 Tim. 1:9.), whom he in time hath, doth, and will call, justify, sanctify and glorify (Rom. 8: 29, 30). X. THAT those that were thus elected and chosen in Christ were by nature (before conversion) children of wrath even as others (Eph. 2:3; Rom. 3:9.). XI. THAT those that are chosen of God, called and justi- fied, shall never finally fall from him, but being born from above are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation (John 6:39; 10:28; 11:26; I Pet. 1:5; Ps. 89:30, 31, 32, 33, 34; I John 3:9; John 14:19; Heb. 12:2; Jer. 31:3; John 10:29; Ps- 37:28; Jer. 32:40; Rom. 8: 39; I Cor. i : 8, 9; Rom. 8: 30; Ps. 48: 14.). The English Baptists 205 XII. THAT when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman (Gal. 4:4, 5.) according to the promises and prophesies of the scriptures ; who was conceived in the womb of Mary the virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:20.), and by her born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2: 11; Luke 2: (3, XIII. WE believe that Jesus Christ is truly God ( Isa. 9:6; Heb. 1:8; Rom. 9:5.) and truly man, of the seed of David (I Tim. 2:5; Acts 13 : 23 ; Rom. 1:3.). XIV. THAT after he came to be about thirty years of age, being baptized, he manifested himself to be the Son of God (Luke 3:21, 23 with John 2:7, 11.), the promised Messiah, by doing such works both in his life and in his death which were proper unto, and could be done by none but the Son of God, the true Messiah (John 1:49; 6:9, &c.). XV. THAT this man Christ Jesus suffered death under Pilate, at the request of the Jews (Luke 23 : 24.), bearing the sins of his people on his own body on the cross (I Pet. 2:24), according to the will of God (Isa. 53:6), being made sin for us, (2 Cor. 5:11) and so was also made a curse for us (Gal. 3: 13, 14; I Pet. 3: 18.), that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5 : 11.), and by his death upon the cross, he hath obtained eternal redemption and deliverance for his church. (Col i : 14 ; Eph. 1:7; Acts 20 : 28 ; Heb. 9 : 12 ; I Pet. i: 18, 19.). XVI. THAT this same Jesus having thus suffered death for our sins, was buried (Matt. 27:59, 60.), and was also raised by the power of God (Eph. i : 19.) the third day according to the scriptures (I Cor. 15:3, 4.), for our justification (Rom. 4:25.). 2o6 Baptist Confessions of Faith XVII. THAT after he had been seen forty days upon the earth, manifesting himself to his disciples (Acts 1:3.). he ascended into the heavens (Acts 1:9, 10, 11; Heb. 4: 14.), and is set on the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 8:1; Heb. 1:3.), whom the heavens must receive until the time of the Restitution of all things. (Acts 3:21.). XVIII. THAT the Father having thus exalted him, and given him a name above every name (Phil. 2:9.), and hath made him vfho is mediator (I Tim. 2:5), priest (Heb. 10:21; 8:1), prophet (Acts 3:22.), and king to his people (Ps. 2:6; Rev. 15 : 3.). As he is our priest, so is he our peace and reconciliation (Eph. 2:14, 15; Rom. 5:9, 10.), and being enter'd into the holy place, even heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God ( Heb. 9 : 24. ) , making continual intercession for us ( Heb. 7: 24, 25.), he is become our advocate (I John 2: 1.) by whom we have boldness and access unto the throne of grace with acceptance (Heb. 10:19; Eph. 3:12; Heb. 4: 16.). As he is our prophet, so he hath given us the scriptures, the Old and New Testament, as a rule and direction unto us both for faith and practice (John 5:39; I Pet. i: 10, II, 12; 2 Tim. 3: 16; I Pet. 10:20, 21; Eph. 2:20; I Cor. 14:37; Tit. 1:2, 3.); and that he hath sent, doth and will (according to his promise) send his Holy Spirit the Comforter, by whom he leadeth us into all truth (John 14: 26; 16: 13.) ; and by his con- tinual presence with us, and in us (John 14:16, 17.), teaching, opening and revealing the mysteries of the king- dom, and will of God unto us (I Cor. 2: 10, 11, 12, 13; Rev. 2 : 29 ; 5 : 5.), giving gifts in his church for the work of the ministry, and edifying the body of Christ (Eph. 4:8, 12; I Cor. 12:4, 5, 6.), that through the powerful teachings of the Lord, by his Spirit in his church, they might grow up in him (Eph. 4: 15.), be conformed to his will (Ezek. 36:27; I Pet. 1:2.), and sing praises unto his name (Heb. 2:12; I Cor. 14:15.). And as he is The English Baptists 207 our prophet, and king, lord, and law-giver ( Isa. 33 : 22 ; 55 : 4.), Prince of life (Acts 3 : 15.), Prince of peace (Isa. 9:6.), Master of his people (Matt. 23:8.), Head of his church (Col. 1:18.), the Almighty (Rev. 1:8.), so he hath given rules unto us, by the which he ruleth over us (Luke 6:46; John 10:16; I John 2:4; John 14:15; Matt. 28:20.), and ruleth over all things for his church (Eph. 1:22; Rev. 19:16.) and by the power of love ruleth by his Spirit in us (2 Cor. 5: 14; I John 2:5.), making us (in a measure) both able and willing to honour him (Phil. 4: 13; Heb. 13:21; Eph. 6: 10; Phil. 2:13), and bow before him (Ps. 95:6; 110:3; R^v. 4: 10, II.), submitting ourselves to him alone in all his commands with joy (John 15:14; Rev. 14:4; 7:15; Ps. 119:2, 47; Rev. 15:3, 4.). XIX. THAT the Spirit is administred by or through the word of faith preached (Gal. 3:2.), which word was first declared by the Lord himself, and was confirm'd by them that heard him (Heb. 2:3.), which word is called the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:24.), the word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19.), the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6: 17.), the weapon of a Christian (2 Cor. 10: 4.) ; a faithful (Rev. 22:6.), quick, powerful (Heb. 4:12.), plain (Prov. 8:9.), comfortable (Rom. 15:4-). pure (Ps. 12:6.), right, true (Ps. 33:4-). sound (Tit. 2:8.), and wholesome word (I Tim. 6:3.). XX. THAT this spirit of Christ, being administer'd by the word of faith, worketh in us faith in Christ (John 3:5; I Pet. 1 : 22; Acts 16: 14; Gal. 5 : 22.) by virtue of which we come to receive our sonship (John i : 12 ; Gal. 3 : 26.) , and is further administer'd unto us through faith in the promises of God (Eph. i : 13 ; Acts 2 : 38, 39 ; Acts 1:4-). waiting on him in those ways and means that he hath ap- pointed in his word (John 14:15, 16, 17; Luke 11:9, 13.), this faith being the ground of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11 : i.). 2o8 Baptist Confessions of Faith XXI. THAT justification is God's accounting and declaring that man justified from the guilt and condemnation of all his sin, who hath received Jesus Christ and doth believe in him (in truth and power) according to the record given of him by God in scripture (Rom. 4:5; I John 5:10, 11; Joh. 3:36.). XXII. THAT justification from the guilt and condemnation of sin is only obtained through faith in that man Jesus Christ, crucified at Jerusalem, and by God raised from the dead (Rom. 5:1, 9; Acts 13:38, 39; Rom. 4:25; 10: 9.). And that those who bring in any other way of justification, do therein make void, and acquit themselves of having any interest in the gospel and grace of Christ (Gal. 2:21; 5:4.). XXIII. THAT this faith being wrought in truth and power, it doth not only interest us in our justification, sonship, and glory, but it produceth as effects and fruits, a con- formity, in a measure, to the Lord Jesus, in his will, graces and virtues (Rom. 5:3, 4; I John 3:23, 24; 2 Pet. 1:5, 6, 7; Gal. 5:6; Acts 26: 18; I Thess 1:3.). XXIV. THAT it is the duty of every man and woman, that have repented from dead works, and have faith towards God, to be baptized (Acts 2: 38; 8: 12, 37, 38.), that is, dipped or buried under the water (Rom. 6:3, 4; Col. 2: 12.), in the name of our Lord Jesus (Acts 8: 16.), or in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28: 19.), therein to signify and represent a washing away of sin (Acts 22: 16.), and their death, burial, and resur- rection with Christ (Rom. 6:5; Col. 2:12.), and being thus planted in the visible church or body of Christ (I Cor. 12:3.), who are a company of men and women separated out of the world by the preaching of the gospel (Acts 2:41; 2 Cor. 6:17.), do walk together in com- munion in all the commandments of Jesus (Acts 2: 42.), The English Baptists 209 wherein God is glorified and their souls comforted (2 Thes. i: II, 12; 2 Cor. 1:4.)- XXV. THAT we believe some of those commandments further to be as followeth. 1. CONSTANCY in prayer (Col. 2:23, 24.). 2. BREAKING of bread (I Cor. 11:23, 24.). '- 3. GIVING of thanks (Eph. 5 : 20.). 4. WATCHING over one another (Heb. 12: 15.). 5. CARING one for another (I Cor. 12:25) by vis- iting one another, especially in sickness and temptations (Matt. 25:36.). 6. EXHORTING one another (Heb. 3 : 13.). 7. DISCOVERING to each other, and bearing one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2.). 8. LOVING one another (Heb. 13: i.)- 9. REPROVING when need is one another (Matt. 18:15.)- 10. SUBMITTING one to another in the Lord (I Pet. 5:5-). 11. ADMINISTERING one to another accordmg to the gift received, whether it be in spirituals, or tem- porals (I Pet. 4: 10.). 12. THE offender to seek reconciliation, as well as the offended (Matt. 5:23, 24.). 13. LOVE our enemies and persecutors, and pray for them (Matt. 5:44)- 14. EVERY one to work if he be able, and none to be idle (2 Thes. 3: 10, 11, 12. 15. THE women in the church to learn in silence, and in all subjection (I Tim. 2: 11 ; I Cor. 14: 37-)- 16. PRIVATE admonition to a brother offending an- other; and if not prevailing, to take one or two more; if he hear not them, then to tell it to the church ; and if he hear not them, to be accounted as an heathen and publi- can (Matt. 18: 15.). 17. PUBLICK rebuke to publick offenders (I Tim. 5:20.). 18. THE brethren in ministring forth their gifts, ought to do it decently and in order, one by one, that all 2IO Baptist Confessions of Faith may learn, and all may be comforted (I Cor. 14:31, 40.). 19. A SPECIAL care to assemble together, that their duty to God, and the church, may not be neglected (Heb. 10:24, 25.)- 20. AND all things in the church, done in the name and power of the head, the Lord Christ Jesus (Col. 3: 17.). 21. THAT in admitting of members into the church of Christ, it is the duty of the church, and ministers whom it concerns, in faithfulness to God, that they be careful they receive none but such as do make forth evident demonstration of the new birth, and the work of faith with power (John 3:3; Matt. 3:8, 9; Acts 8:37; Ezek. 44 : 6, 7 ; Acts 2 : 38 ; 2 Cor. 9:14; Ps. 26 : 4, 5 ; 101:7.). XXVL THAT those that truly repent, and believe, and are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, are in a fit ca- pacity to exercise faith, in full assurance to receive a greater measure of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 38, 39; Eph. 1:13.). XXVHL [Sic Original] THAT it is the duty of the members of Christ in the order of the gospel, tho' in several congregations and as- semblies (being one in the head) if occasion be, to com- municate each to other, in things spiritual, and things temporal (Rom. 15:26; Acts 11:29; 15:22; 11:22.). XXIX. THAT the Lord Christ Jesus being the foundation and corner stone of the gospel church whereon his apostles built (Eph. 2: 20; Heb. 2:3), He gave them power and abilities to propagate, to plant, to rule and order (Matt. 28: 19, 20; Luke 10: 16), for the benefit of that his body, by which ministry he did shew forth the exceeding riches of his grace, by his kindness towards it in the ages to come (Eph. 2:7), which is according to his promise (Matt. 28:20.). The English Baptists 211 XXX. THAT this foundation and ministration aforesaid, is a sure guide, rule and direction, in the darkest time of the anti-christian apostacy, or spiritual Babylonish captivity, to direct, inform, and restore us in our just freedom and liberty, to the right worship and order belonging to the church of Jesus Christ (I Tim. 3: 14, 15; 2 Tim. 3: 15, 16, 17 ; John 17 : 20 ; Isa. 59 : 21 ; Rev. 2 : 24 ; Isa. 40 : 21 ; Rev. 2:5;! Cor. 14 : 37 ; Rev. i : 3 ; 2 Thes. 3 : 14 ; Rev. 2:11; I Pet. 1 : 25 ; I John 4 : 6 ; 2 Pet. 1:15, 16 ; Isa. 58:11, 12 ; 2 Pet. 3:2; Isa. 8 : 20. ) . XXXI. THAT the church of Jesus Christ with its ministry may from among themselves, make choice of such mem- bers, as are fitly gifted and qualified by Christ, and ap- prove and ordain such by fasting, prayer, and laying on of hands (Acts 13:3; 14:23.), for the performance of the several duties, whereunto they are called (Acts 20: 28; Rom. 12:6, 7, 8; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 6:3.). XXXII. THAT such a ministry labouring in the word and doc- trine, have a power to receive a livelihood of their brethren, whose duty it is to provide a comfortable sub- sistance for them, if they be able, to whom for Christ's sake they are servants (I Cor. 9: 4, 7; I Tim. 5 : 17, 18.). Yet it is commendable in cases of necessity, for them, for example sake, and that they may be able to support the weak, to labour and work with their hands (Acts 20: 24, 25-)- XXXIII. THAT the authority of Christ in an orderly ministry in his church, is to be submitted unto (Heb. 13: 17; 2 Thes. 3:14.)- XXXIV. THAT as it is an ordinance of Christ, so it is the duty of his church in his authority, to send forth such brethren 212 Baptist Confessions of Faith as are fitly gifted and qualified through the Spirit of Christ to preach the gospel to the world (Acts 13 : i, 2, 3; 11:22; 8:14.). XXXV. THAT it is the duty of us believing Gentiles, not to be ignorant of that blindness that yet lieth on Israel, that none of us may boast (Rom. 11:25.), but to have bowels of love and compassion to them, praying for them (Rom. 10: 1.), expecting their calling, and so much the rather, because their conversion will be to us life from the dead (Rom. 11: 15.). XXXVI. THAT it is the will of the Lord, and it is given to the saints not only to believe in him, but to suffer for his name (John 16: 13 ; Phil, i : 26.) and so to pass through many tribulations into the kingdom of God (Acts 14: 22; 2 Tim. 3: 12; 2: 12.). XXXVII. THAT the angels of the Lord are ministring spirits, sent forth for the good of those that shall be the heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14; Ps. 91:11, 12; Acts 27:23; Luke 22: 43.). XXXVIII. THAT the wicked angels (Ps. 78:49.) kept not their first estate in which they were created (Jude 6.), the prince of whom is called the devil (Matt. 8:28.), and the great dragon, and the old serpent, and satan (Rev. 12:9.), and the accuser of our brethren (Rev. 12: 10.), and the prince of this world (John 14: 30.), and a prince that ruleth in the air ; a spirit working in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2.), and our adversary (I Pet. 5:8.), whose children the wicked are (Matt. 13:39; John 8: 44.) To him we ought not to give place (Eph. 4: 27.), whose power Christ hath overcome for us (Heb. 2: 14.), and for him and his angels everlasting fire is prepared (Matt. 25:41.). The English Baptists 213 XXXIX. THAT it is our assured expectation, grounded upon promises, that the Lord Jesus Christ shall the second time appear without sin unto salvation, unto his people, to raise and change the vile bodies of all his saints, to fashion them like unto his glorious body, and so to reign with him, and judge over all nations on the earth in power and glory (Phil. 3:20, 21; Heb. 9:28; Acts 3: 19, 20, 21; Matt. 19 : 28 ; Rev. 2 : 26, 27 ; I Cor. 6 : 2 ; Ps. 72 : 8, 1 1 ; Dan. 7 : 27 ; Zech. 14 : 9 ; Ps. 2:8, 9 ; Jer. 23 : 5, 6 ; Ezek. 21 : 26, 27 ; Isa. 32 : i ; Rev. 11:15; Ps. 82 : 8 ; Rev. 5 : 9, 10; 20:6.). XL. THAT there is a day appointed, when the Lord shall raise the unjust as well as the righteous, and judge them all in righteousness (John 5:28, 29; Acts 24: 15,), but every man in his own order (I Cor. 15:23; I Thes. 4: 16.), taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose punishment will be everlasting destruction from the pres- ence of the Lord (2 Thes. 1:7, 8, 9, 10; Jude 14, 15; Rev. 20: II, 12, 13, 14.). XLL THAT there is a place into which the Lord will gather all his elect, to enjoy him for ever, usually in scripture called heaven (2 Cor. 5:1; John 14:2, 3.). XLH. THAT there is a place into which the Lord will cast the devil, his angels and wicked men, to be tormented for ever, from his presence and the glory of his power, usually in scripture called hell (Mark 9:43, 44, 45; Ps. 9:17; Matt. 25:41; 10:28; 23:33; Luke 10:15; 16: 23- )• XLHL THAT it is both the duty and privilege of the church of Christ (till his coming again) in their fellowship to- gether in the ordinances of Christ, to enjoy, prize, and 214 Baptist Confessions of Faith press after, fellowship through and in the Spirit with the Lord, and each with other (Acts 2:42; I Cor. 11:26; Eph. 2:21, 22; Eph. 4:3, 4, 5, 6; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 3:9; Col. 2:2), which we believe to be attained through the exercise of faith in the death, resurrection, and life of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 16; Col. 2:12; Phil. 3:9, 10, 11; I Pet. 2:5.). XLIV. THAT the ministry of civil justice (being for the praise of them that do well, and punishment of evil- doers) is an ordinance of God, and that it is the duty of the saints to be subject thereunto not only for fear, but for conscience sake (Rom. 13: i, 2, 3, 4, S ; I Pet. 2: 13, 14.) and that for such, prayers and supplications are to be made by the saints (I Tim. 2: i, 2.). XLV. THAT nothing doth come to pass by fortune or chance, but all things are disposed by the hand of God, and all for good to his people (Gen. 45 : 5 ; 50 : 20; Rom. 8:28; Eph. i: 11; Job 14:5; Isa. 4:5, 7.). XLVI. AND that a church so believing, and so walking, though despised, and of low esteem, is no less in the ac- count of her Lord and King, than though BLACK, yet comely. Cant. 1:5. FAIREST, without spot. Cant. 4 : 7. PRECIOUS, Isa. 43 : 4. BEAUTIFUL, Cant. 7:1. HOLY, without blemish, Eph. 5 : 27. PLEASANT, Cant, i : 15. WHOSE soul loveth Christ, Cant, i : 7. RUNNERS after Christ, Cant, i : 4. HONOURABLE, Isa. 43 : 4. THE desire of Christ, Cant. 7 : 10. COMPLEAT in Christ, Col. 2 : 10. LOVERS of the Father, John 16 : 27. The English Baptists 215 THE blessed of the Father, Matt. 25 : 34. KEPT by the Lord, I Pet. 1:5; Isa. 27 : 3. GRAVEN on the palms of his hands, Isa. 49: 16. TENDER to the Lord as the apple of his eye, Zech. 2:8. TAUGHT of the Lord, Isa. 54: 13. ONE that hath obtained mercy, I Pet. 2 : 10. ONE that hath a redemption, Eph. i : 7. THE gates of hell shall not prevail against it, Matt. 16:18. IN that church be glory unto God by Jesus Christ, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Eph. 2: 21. 3. ASSEMBLY OR SECOND LONDON CONFESSION The Restoration, in 1660, greatly altered the position of the Baptists in England. During the Civil War and the Commonwealth, the Presbyterians and Quakers and to some extent other parties had bitterly assailed the Bap- tists, charging them with all the errors and all the calum- nies that had once been heaped upon the Anabaptists. But by 1660 Baptist writings and Confessions had largely corrected the misapprehensions and fears of their oppo- nents. Moreover, the Restoration put the Episcopal Church in power again with a Parliament determined to enforce uniformity. Presbyterians, Independents, Bap- tists, and Quakers became alike Dissenters. Common hardships and sufferings as well as common needs and a better mutual understanding begot a kindlier feeling. The Baptists now gave a signal proof of their desire for as much harmony and fellowship as possible by the prep- aration of this new Confession. The Westminster Confession had been published in 1648. It was the product of much labor, and is certainly one of the noblest of all the Protestant Confessions, if indeed it has a peer. It had been at once adopted by the 2i6 Baptist Confessions of Faith Scottish Kirk and Parliament, displacing Knox's Confes- sion ; slightly altered, it had been adopted by the English Parliament, and was held as authoritative by all English- speaking Presbyterians. In addition to this, it had been adapted to their view of the church and its relation to the State by the Independents or Congregationalists, and adopted as their Confession at the Savoy in 1658. The Baptists of London and the surrounding country now de- termined to show their agreement with these two great Christian bodies by making this Confession the basis of a new statement of doctrine by themselves. In 1675 the political situation seemed to promise some relief to Dis- senters. Quick to seize every opportunity to advance the interests of the denomination, the London Baptist min- isters sent out a circular letter to all the churches of Eng- land and Wales, inviting them to meet in London the following May to devise some means for providing an adequate ministry for the churches. The letter was dated October 2, 1675, and was signed by most of the London ministers, including WiUiam Collins and William Kiffin. It is not known that the meeting was held, but in 1677 such a meeting seems to have been held, and this West- minster Confession, altered to suit Baptist views of the church and its ordinances, was adopted. The work of adaptation was done, it is said, by Elder William Col- lins, pastor of Petty France in London. It was pub- lished anonymously, but is said to have been " put forth by the elders and brethren of many congrega- tions of Christians (baptized upon Profession of their Faith) in London and the country." They affirm the agreement of this Confession in substance with that of 1644; but, as a matter of fact, there are differences of considerable scope and importance. After a careful reading of the former, one feels himself almost in a new The English Baptists 2iy world in this. Tliere are striking phrases and other reminiscences of the former Confession, but in the main all is changed. To begin with, this is much more complete and finished in form. New subjects are treated, e. g., the Scriptures, the Sabbath, marriage, etc., the Calvinism is much more pronounced in some respects, the view of the church is clearer and is more Calvinistic, the adminis- tration of the ordinances is more rigidly the function of officials, the view of the Supper is almost purely Calvin- istic, and there is no restriction of it to those scripturally baptized. The controlling influence in these great changes was undoubtedly the Westminster Confession, the increas- ing stability and regularity of the Baptist churches, and the increasing desire for harmony with other Protestants. It is the first Confession in which the Baptists of London and the country were united. Subsequent editions were, as far as collated, exact reprints of this original edition except in minor details of capitalization, punctuation, etc. After the Act of Toleration, in 1689, the Calvinistic Baptists of England and Wales held their first General Assembly in London. William and Mary were proclaimed king and queen of England February 13, 1689, and the Act of Toleration became the law of the land May 24. On July 22, 1689, William Kiffin, Hanserd Knollys, John Harris, George Barrett, Benjamin Keach, Edward Man, and Richard Adams united in a circular letter to all the Calvinistic Baptist churches of England and Wales, in- viting them to send from each church two messengers, one of whom should be the minister, to a meeting to be held in London beginning September 3, to consider the low estate of the churches, and especially to devise means for raising up a more numerous and better equipped ministry. The response was gratifying. Messengers from one hundred and seven churches in England and 2ii: Baptist Confessions of Faith Wales met in London, September 3, and continued in ses- sion until September 12. Among the many important things done by this first Assembly was the approval of this Confession, a second edition of which had appeared in 1688, and the recommending of its perusal both by other Christians and by their own members. It was published without the appendix of the original edition, and with the following, extracted from their minutes, prefixed : " We the Ministers and Messengers of, and concerned for, upwards of one hundred baptized congregations in England and Wales (denying Arminianism) being met together in London, from the third of the seventh month to the eleventh of the same, 1689, to consider of some things that might be for the glory of God, and the good of these congregations; have thought meet (for the satisfac- tion of all other Christians that differ from us in the point of Baptism) to recommend to their perusal the confes- sion of our faith, which confession we own, as containing the doctrine of our faith and practice, and do desire that the members of our churches respectively do furnish themselves therewith." Hanserd Knollys Pastor Broken Wharf London William Kiffin Do. Devonshire-Sq. Do. John Harris Do. Joiners' Hall Do. William Collins Do. Petty F"rance Do. Hercules Collins Do. Wapping Do. Robert Steed Do. Broken Wharf Do. Leonard Harrison Do. Limehouse Do. George Barret Do. Mile End Green Do. Isaac Lamb Do. Pennington-St. Do. Richard Adams Minister Shad Thames Southwark Benjamin Keach Pastor Horse-lie-down Do. Andrew Gifford Do. Bristol, Fryars Som. & Glouc. Thomas Vaux Do. Broadmead Do. Thomas Winnel Do. Taunton Do. James Hitt Preacher Dalwood Dorset Richd. Tidmarsh Minister Oxford City Oxon William Facey Pastor Reading Berks Samuel Buttall Minister Plymouth Devon Christopher Price Do. Abergavenny Monmouth Daniel Finch Do. Kingsworth Herts John Ball Tiverton Devon The English Baptists 219 Edmond White Pastor Evershall Bedford William Prichard Do. Blaenau Monmouth Paul Fruin Minister Warwick Warwick Richard Ring Pastor Southampton Hants John Tomkins Minister Abingdon Berks Toby Willis Pastor Bridgewater Somset John Carter Steventon Bedford James Web Devizes Wilts Richard Sutton Pastor Tring Herts Robert Knight Do. Stukely Bucks Edward Price Do. Hereford City Hereford William Phips Do. Exon Devon William Hawkins Do. Dimmock Gloucester Samuel Ewer Do. Hempstead Herts Edward Man Do. Houndsditch London Charles Archer Do. Nook-Norton Oxon. In the name and behalf of the whole Assembly." In this form this production became the most in- fluential and important of all Baptist Confessions. New editions appeared in 1693, 1699, 1719, 1720, 1791, 1809, and there were numerous other editions. In 1693 the As- sembly ordered it " translated into Latin with all conve- nient speed," but it is not known that this was ever done. Crosby says, in 1738, that it was at that time " still gen- erally received by all those congregations that hold the doctrine of personal election, and the certainty of the saints' final perseverance" (Crosby II, 317). (For its influence in America, see below.) But for a century and more it has been losing ground in England. In 1888 the Union distinctly declined to reaffirm it, and now, so far as known, only two small bodies, which have no dealings with the great body of British Baptists and little with each other, hold it. [The following is a reproduction of the original edition of 1677.] 220 Baptist Confessions of Faith CONFESSION OF FAITH Put forth by the ELDERS and BRETHREN Of many CONGREGATIONS OF Christians (baptized upon Profession of their Faith) in London and the Coun- try. With the Heart man believeth unto Righteousness, and with the Mouth Confession is made unto Salvation, Rom. lo. lO. Search the Scriptures, John 5. 39. Printed in the Year, 1677. The English Baptists 221 THE CONTENTS. Chap. I. Of the Holy Scriptures, page i. 2. Of God and the Holy Trinity. 9 3. Of Gods decrees. 13 4. Of Creation. 17 5. Of Divine Providence. 19 6. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof: 23 7. Of Gods Covenant. 26 8. Of Christ the Mediator. 28 9. Of Free-will. 35 10. Of Effectual Calling. 37 11. Of Justification. 40 12. Of Adoption. 43 13. Of Sanctification. 44 14. Of Saving Faith. 46 15. Of Repentance unto Life and Salvati- on. 49 16. Of Good works. 51 17. Of Perseverance of Saints. 56 18. Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvati- on. 59 [Page] 222 Baptist Confessions of Faith 19. Of the Law of God. 62 20. Of the Gospel, and of the extent of the Grace thereof. 67 21. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience. 70 22. Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath day. 73 23. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows. 78 24. Of the Civil Magistrate. 81 25. Of Marriage. 83 26. Of the Church. 85 27. Of The Communion of Saints. 94 28. Of Baptism and the Lords Supper. 96 29. Of Baptism. 97 30. Of The Lords Supper. 98 31. Of the state of Man after death, and of the Resurrection of the dead. 103 32. Of The Last Judgment. 105 An Appendix concerning Baptism. 109 [Page] The English Baptists 223 TO THE JUDICIOUS AND IMPARTIAL READER. Courteous Reader, — It is now many years since divers of us (with other sober Christians then living and walking in the way of the Lord that we professe) did conceive our selves to be under a necessity of Pub- lishing a Confession of our Faith, for the information, and satisfaction of those, that did not thoroughly understand what our principles were, or had entertained prejudices against our Profession, by reason of the strange representation of them, by some men of note, who had taken very wrong measures, and accord [page] ingly led others into misapprehensions, of us, and them : and this was first put forth about the year, 1643, in the name of seven Congregations then gathered in London; since which time, diverse im- pressions thereof have been dispersed abroad, and our end proposed, in good measure answered, inasmuch as many (and some of those men eminent, both for piety and learning) were thereby sa- tisfied, that we were no way guilty of those Heterodoxies and fundamental er- rors, which had too frequently been charged upon us without ground, or oc- casion given on our part. And foras- much as that Confession is not now com- monly to be had; and also that many others have since embraced the same truth which is owned therein; it was judged necessary by us to joyn together in giving a testimony to the world; of our firm adhering to those wholesome Principles, by the publication of this which is now in your hand. And forasmuch as our method, and [page] manner of expressing our sentiments in this doth vary from the former (although the substance of the matter is the same) we shall freely impart to you the reason and occasion thereof. One thing that greatly prevailed with us to undertake this work, was (not only to give a full account of ourselves to those Chris- tians that differ from us about the subject 224 Baptist Confessions of Faith of baptism, but also) the profit that might from thence arise unto those that have any account of our labours, in their instruction and establishment in the great truths of the gospel; in the clear understanding and steady belief of which our comfortable walking with God, and fruitfulness before him in all our ways is most nearly concerned. And therefore we did conclude it necessary to express our- selves the more fully and distinctly, and also to fix on such a method as might be most comprehen- sive of those things which we designed to ex- plain our sense and belief of; and finding no defect in this regard in that fixed on by the Assembly, and after them by those of the Congre- gational way, we did readily conclude it best to retain the same order in our present Confession. And also when we observed [page] that those last mentioned did, in their Confession (for reasons which seemed of weight both to themselves and others), choose not only to ex- press their mind in words concurrent with the former in sense, concerning all those ar- ticles wherein they were agreed, but also for the most part without any variation of the terms, we did in like manner conclude it best to follow their example, in making use of the very same words with them both, in those articles (which are very many) wherein our faith and doctrine is the same with theirs. And this we did, the more abundantly to manifest our consent with both, in all the fundamental articles of the Christian re- ligion, as also with many others whose orthodox confessions have been published to the World, on the behalf of the protestants in diverse nations and cities ; and also to convince all that we have no itch to clog re- ligion with new words, but to readily ac- quiesce in that form of sound words which hath been, in consent with the holy scriptures, used by others before us ; hereby declaring before God, angels, and men, our hearty agreement with them, in that wholesome [page] protestant doctrine, which, with so clear evidence of scriptures they have asserted. Some things, indeed, are in some places added, some terras omitted, and some few changed ; but these alterations are of that nature, as that we need not doubt any charge or suspicion of unsoundness in The English Baptists 225 the faith, from any of our brethren upon the ac- count of them. In those things wherein we differ from others, we have expressed ourselves with all candour and plainness, that none might entertain Jealousy of aught secretly lodged in our breasts, that we would not the world should be acquainted with ; yet we hope we have also observed those rules of modesty and humility as will render our freedom in this respect inoffensive, even to those whose sentiments are different from ours. We have also taken care to affix texts of scripture in the margin, for the confirma- tion of each article in our Confession; in which work we have studiously endea- vored to select such as are most clear and pertinent for the proof of what is asserted by us ; and our earnest desire [page] is, that all into whose hands this may come would follow that (never enough commended) example of the noble Bereans, who searched the scrip- tures daily that they might find out whether the things preached to them were so or not. There is one thing more which we sincerely profess, and earnestly de- sire credence in, viz., that contention is most remote from our design in all that we have done in this matter; and we hope the liberty of an inge- nuous unfolding our principles and opening our hearts unto our brethren, with the scripture-grounds on which our faith and practice leans, will by none of them be either denied to us, or taken ill from us. Our whole design is accomplished if we may obtain that justice, as to be measured in our principles and practice and the [page] judgement of both by others, according to what we have now published; which the Lord (whose eyes are as a flame of fire) knoweth to be the doctrine, which with our hearts we most firmly believe, and sincerely indeavour to conform our lives to. And oh that other contentions being laid asleep, the only care and con- tention of all upon whom the name of our blessed Redeemer is called, might 226 Baptist Confessions of Faith for the future be, to walk humbly with their God, and in the exercise of all Love and Meekness towards each other, to perfect holyness in the fear of the Lord, each one endeavouring to have his con- versation such as becometh the Gospel; and also, suitable to his place and capaci- ty, vigorously to promote in others the practice of true Religion and undefiled in the sight of God and our Father. And that in this backsliding day, we might not spend our breath in fruitless complaints of the evils of others ; but may every one begin at home, to reform in the first place our own hearts, and wayes; and then to quicken all that we may have influence [page] upon, to the same work; that if the will of God were so, none might deceive themselves, by resting in, and trusting to, a form of Godliness, without the po- wer of it, and inward experience of the efficacy of those truths that are professed by them. And verily there is one spring and cause of the decay of Religion in our day, which we cannot but touch up- on, and earnestly urge a redress of; and that is the neglect of the worship of God in Families, by those to whom the charge and conduct of them is committed. May not the grosse ignorance, and instability of many ; with the prophaneness of others, be justly charged upon their Parents and Masters, who have not trained them up in the way wherein they ought to walk when they were young; but have neglected those frequent and solemn com- mands which the Lord hath laid upon them so to catechise, and instruct them, that their tender years might be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures; and also by [page] their own omission of Prayer, and other duties of Religion in their famiUes, toge- ther with the ill example of their loose conversation, have inured them first to a neglect, and then contempt of all Piety and Religion ? we know this will not ex- cuse the blindness, or wickedness of any; but certainly it will fall heavy upon those that have been thus the occasion thereof; The English Baptists 227 they indeed dye in their sins ; but will not their blood be required of those under whose care they were, who yet permit- ted them to go on without warning, yea led them into the paths of destruction? and will not the diligence of Christians with respect to the discharge of these duties, in ages past, rise up in judgment against, and condemn many of those who would be esteemed such now? We shall conclude with our earnest prayer, that the God of all grace, will pour out those mea- sures of his holy Spirit upon us, that the professi- on of truth may be accompanyed with the sound belief, and diligent practise of it by us ; that his name may in all things be glorified, through Je- sus Christ our Lord, Amen. A CONFESSION OF FAITH. Chap. I. Of the Holy Scriptures. I. THe Holy Scripture is the on- ^l^^^t % ly sufficient, certain, and lla. 8.' 20. infallible^ rule of all saving Luk. 16. Knowledge, Faith, and Obedi- |9'^3y ^^ ence; Although the^ light of sRoni. i. Nature, and the works of Crea- 19, 20, 21 tion and Providence do so far ma- ^'<=- '^^- ^■ nifest the goodness, wisdom and pl'ah'ig. i, power of God, as to leave men 2, 3. unexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge [page] of God and His will, which is ne- cessary unto Salvation.'' There- »Heb. 1. 1. fore it pleased the Lord at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that His will unto his Church; and afterward for the better preserv- ing, and propagating of the Truth, and for the more sure Esta- blishment and Comfort of the 228 Baptist Confessions of Faith Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the maHce of Satan, and of the World, to commit the same 'Pro. 22. wholly unto' writing; lfojn.°'is'' which maketh the Holy Scriptures 4. 2 Pet. I. to be most necessary, those former 19, 20. ways of Gods revealing his will unto his people being now ceas- ed. 2. Under the Name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written ; are now contained all the Books of the Old and New Testament, which are these, [page] Of the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deauteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, i Samuel, 2 Sa- muel, I Kings, 2 Kings, i Chro- nicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Ne- hemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Pro- verbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamen- tations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Mi- cah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zepha- niah, Haggai, Zechariah, Mala- chi. Of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, The Acts of the Apostles, Pauls Epistle to the Romans, i Corin- thians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, [page] I Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, I Timothy, 2 Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James, The first and second Epistles of Peter, The first, second, and third Epistles of John, the Epistle of Jude, the Revelation. AH which ^2 Tim. 3.16. are given by the'' inspiration of God, to be the rule of Faith and Life. 3. The Books commonly called 8Luk. 24. Apochypha not being of Divine Rome's. 2. inspiration, are no part of the Ca- non (or rule) of the Scripture, and The English Baptists 229 therefore are of no authority to the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of, then other humane writings. 4. The Authority of the Holy Scripture for which it ought to be beUeved dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon' God (who [page] '^ Pet. i. is truth it self) the Author there- z'tim.' 3^.'' of; therefore it is to be received, 16. because it is the Word of God. ^ Thes. 2 5. We may be moved and in- S?i9.' ' duced by the testimony of the Church of God, to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scrip- tures; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the Do- ctrine, and the Majesty of the stile, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God) the full dis- covery it makes of the only way of mans salvation, and many o- ther incomparable Excellencies, and intire perfections thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abun- dantly evidence it self to be the Word of God; yet, notwithstand- ing; our' full perswasion, and 13, 14. assurance of the infallible truth, i Cor. 2. and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and [page] with the Word in our Hearts. 6. The whole Councel of God ^ concerning all things" necessary 3.1™' 16. for his own Glory, Mans Salvation, 17. Gal.'i. Faith and Life, is either expresse- 8, 9. ly set down or necessarily contain- ed in the Holy Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new Revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless we acknowledge ujohne the" inward illumination of 45. , Cor. the Spirit of God, to be necessa- 2. 9, 10, ry for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word, and that there are some 10, 1 1, 12 I Joh. 2. 2, 20, 2'J. II, 12. 3.2. 230 Baptist Confessions of Faith circumstances concerning the wor- ship of God, and government of the Church common to humane actions and societies; which are to iiri"; 14. be'" ordered by the light of na- & ch. '14. ' ture, and Christian prudence ac- 26 & 40. cording to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be ob- served, [page] "^ P^'- 7. All things in Scripture are not ^' ' ■ alike '" plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed "P=j'9-7- for Salvation, are so " clearly an 119. propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the un- learned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them. 16 Rom. 8. The Old Testament in'= He- brew, (which was the Native lan- guage of the people of God of old) and the New Testament in Greek, (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the Nations being immediately inspired by God, and by his singu- lar care and Providence kept pure in all Ages, are therefore"" au- thentical ; so as in all controversies of Religion, the Church is finally "Act. 15.15. to appeal unto them". But be- [page] cause these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have a right unto, and interest in the scriptures, and are commanded in the fear of God to "Johns. read" and search them, there- fore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every Na- i»i Cor. tJQjj^ yjitQ which they" come, J*: 24,^28"' that the Word of God dwelling'" ™Co'l. 3! 16. plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable man- ner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may ^2 Pet. I. have hope. A'c't^i's. 9- The infallible rule of inter- 15, '16. ' pretation of Scripture is the"' " Isa. 8. 20. The English Baptists 231 Scripture it self: And therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold but one) it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly, [page] 10. The supream judge by which all controversies of Religi- on are to be determined, and all Decrees of Councels, opinions of antient Writers, Doctrines of men, and private Spirits, are to be exa- mined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Scripture delivered by the Spirit, into which '^* Scrip- ture so delivered, our faith is fi- nally resolved. CHAP. H. Of God and of the Ho- ly Trinity. I. THE Lord our God is but' one only Uving, and true God ; whose ^ subsistence is in and of himself," infinite in being, and perfection, whose Es- [page] sence cannot be comprehended by any but himself ; * a most pure spirit,^ invisible, without bo- dy, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light, which no man can ap- proach unto, who is" immuta- ble,' immense, * eternal, in- comprehensible," Almighty, every way infinite," most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute," working all things according to the councel of his own immu- table, and most righteous will," for his own glory, most lov- ing, gracious, merciful, long-suffer- ing, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, trans- gression and sin," the reward- er of them that diligently seek him, and withal most just,"* and terrible in his judgments," hating all sin, and who will 21 Mat. 22. 29, 31. Eph. 2. 20. Acts 28. 23. 1 1 Cor. 8. 4, 6. Deut. 6.4. = Jer. 10. 10. Isaiah 48. 12. 3 Exod. 3. 14- *Joh. 4. 24. 5 I Tim. I. 17. Deut. 4. 15, i6- Mai. 3. 6. ' I King. 8. 27. Jer. 23- 23- ® Psal. 90. 2. "Gen. 17. I. u Isa. 6. 3. i^Psal. 16. 3. Isa. 46. 10. "Pro. 16. 4. Rom. " " 36. " Exod. 34- 6> 7. Heb. II. 6. « Neh. 9- 32, 33 »Ps. 5. 5- 5, 6. 232 Baptist Confessions of Faith "Exod. 34.7. by no means clear the" guilty, fpagel 18 Job ?■ '-"• ^' 2. God having all'' life," 26. ' ' glory/" goodness, blessedness, " Ps. 148. in and of himself: is alone in, MPs up and unto himself all-sufficient, not" 68.' ' standing in need of any Crea- ^ Job 22. ture which he hath made, nor de- ^' ^" riving any glory from them, but onely manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them, he 21 Rom. is the alone fountain of all Being,^' ^i- 34, 35, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things, and he ^ Dan. 4. hath most soveraign '^ dominion 25 & 5. 34, 35. over all creatures, to do by them, for them, and upon them, whatsoe- ™ Heb. 4. ver himself pleaseth ; in his sight '' '^' all things are open and mani- lEzek. II. fest, his knowledge is* infinite, fg Act. IS. infallible, and independant upon the Creature, so as nothing is to him contingent, or uncertain; he is , 2Ps. 143. most holy in all his Councels, in^ ''■ all his Works, and in all his 3 Rev. 5. Commands; to him is due^ from 12, 13, 14- Angels and men, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as [page] Creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever he is fur- ther pleased to require of them. 3. In this divine and infinite * ' ^°^\t . Being there are three subsistences,* Is.^g. the Father the Word (or Son) 2 Cor. 13. and Holy Spirit, of one substance, '4- power, and Eternity, each having 6 Exod. 3. the whole Divine Essence," yet Itii." ■ ^^^ Essence undivided, the Father I Cor! 8. 6. is of none neither begotten nor sijoh. I. proceeding, the Son is° Eter- "'*■ "*■ nally begotten of the Father, the Job. 15. boly Spirit' proceeding from Gal. 4. 6. "?« Father and the Son, all infi- nite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be di- vided in nature and Being; but distinguished by several peculiar, relative properties, and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our Communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him. [page] The English Baptists 233 CHAP. III. Of Gods Decree. 1. GOD hath' Decreed in himself from all Eternity, by the most wise and holy Coun- cel of his own will, freely and un- changeably, all things whatsoever comes to passe; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin,^ nor hath fellowship with any ther- in, nor is violence offered to the will of the Creature, nor yet is the liberty, or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather ' established, in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power, and faithfulness* in ac- complishing his Decree. 2. Although God knoweth whatsoever may, or can come to passe upon alP supposed condi- [page] tions; yet hath he not Decreed any- thing,' because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditi- ons. 3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory' some men and Angels are predestinat- ed, or fore-ordained to Eternal Life, through Jesus Christ, to the* praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their ° just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice. 4. These Angels and Men thus pre- destinated, and fore-ordained, are particularly, and unchangeably designed, and their " number so certain, and definite, that it can- not be either increased, or diminished. 5. Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, be- [page] fore the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret Councel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his meer free grace and love ; " without any other thing in the lis. 46. 10. Eph. I. II. Heb. 6. 17. Rom. 9. 15, 18. ' Jam. I. 1 Job. I. 5. •Act. 4. 27, 38, Job. 1 9. II. ' Numb. 23. ig. Epb. I. 3, 4, S- 'Act. 15. 18. •Rom. 9. II, 13, 16, 18. ' I Tim. 5.21. Mat. 25. siph. I. 5, 6. » Rom. 9. 22, 23. Jud. 4. "2 Tim. 2. 19. Job. 13. 18. " Eph. I. 4, 9, "• Rom. 8. 30- 2 Tim. I. 9- I Tlies. 5. 9- ■' Rom. 9. 13, 16. Epb. I. 6, 13. 234 Baptist Confessions of Faith 15 I Pet. I. 2 Thes. 2. 13- i« I Thes. 5- 9, 10. " Rom. 8. 30. 2 Thes. 2. 13- IS I Pet. I- 5- " Job. lo. 26. Joh. 17. 9. Joh. 6. 64. =0 I Thes. I. 4, 5. 2 Pet. I. 10. 2iEph. I. 6. Rom. II- 33- MRom. II. 5. 6. =» Luk. 10. 20. ijohn Job : ^ Rom. I. I. 2. 26. 13. I. 20. 3 Col. 16. Gen. 2. I. 2. I, *Gen. I. ^Gen. 2. creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto. 6. As God hath appointed the Elect unto glory, so he hath by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, fore-ordained '° all the means thereunto, wherefore they who are elected, being fain in Adam," are redeemed by Christ, are effectually" called unto faith in Christ, by his spirit working in due season, are justify- ed, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith" unto salvation; neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctifi- [page] ed, and saved, but the Elect " only. 7. The Doctrine of this high mystery of predestination, is to be handled with special prudence, and care; that men attending the will of God revealed in his word, and yielding obedience thereun- to, may from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their ^ eternal election ; so shall this doctrine afford matter" of praise, reverence, and admiration of God, and'^' of humility, di- ligence, and abundant ^ conso- lation, to all that sincerely obey the Gospel, [page] CHAP. IV. Of Creation. 1. IN the beginning it pleased God the Father,^ Son, and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation of the glory of^ his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to Create or make the world, and all things therein, ' whether visible or in- visible, in the space of six days, and all very good. 2. After God had made all o- ther Creatures, he Created * man, male and female, with" reasonable and immortal souls, ren- The English Baptists 235 dring them fit unto that life to God, for which they were Created; being' made after the image "Eccles. of God, in knowledge, righteous- 7- 29. ness, and true holyness; having the [page] Law of God ' written in their ' Rom. 2. hearts, and power to fulfill it; u. '5. and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the li- berty of their own will, which was' subject to change. scen. 3. 3. Besides the Law written in 6. their hearts, they received" a '^^\\ command not to eat of the tree of ^f 3_ g^ ^g_ knowledge of good and evil; which whilst they kept, they were happy in their Communion with God, and had dominion" over "Gen. i. the Creatures, [page] ^6. ^8. CHAP. V. Of Divine Providence. 1. GOD, the good Creator of all things, in his infinite power, and wisdom, doth ' uphold, di- * Heb. i. rect, dispose, and govern all Crea- f',_ ^%^^ ^5 tures, and things, from the great- 10,' 11. Ps. ' est even to the^ least, by his alif;*;, most wise and holy providence, to the end for the which they were Created; according unto his infal- lible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable Councel of his" "Eph. i. own will; to the praise of the "• glory of his wisdom, power, ju- stice, infinite goodness and mer- cy. 2. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and Decree of God, the first cause, all things come to [page] pass * immutably and infallibly ; Act. 2. 23. so that there is not any thing, be- falls any' by chance, or without "f,™^- ''^• his Providence; yet by the same Providence he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either " ne- p^<^"- ^■ cessarily, freely, or contingent- ly- 3. God in his ordinary Prov- ' Mat. 10. 29, 30, 31. 33- 22, 236 Baptist Confessions of Faith idence ' maketh use of means ; 'Act. 27. yet is free' to work, without,' 31, 44- above, and " against them isa. 55. 10, gj |^^^ pleasure. 8H0S. 1.7. 4. The Almighty power, un- » Rom. 4. searchable wisdom, and infinite "Dan°'3^'' goodness of God, so far manifest 27. ' " themselves in his Providence, that 12 Rom. II. his determinate Councel''' ex- 2^Sam'24'*' tendeth it self even to the first I. I Chro. fall, and all other sinful actions 21. I. both of Angels, and Men; (and that not by a bare permission) which also he most wisely and [page] «2 Kings powerfully'" boundeth, and 19. 28. otherwise ordereth, and govern- • '^' '"• eth, in a manifold dispensation to " Gen. 50. his most holy " ends : yet so, as 20. Isa. 10. the sinfulness of their acts proceed- ^' '■ '^' eth only from the Creatures, and not from God; who being most holy and righteous, neither is nor ijo^'"' *^^" ^^' th^ author or'" appro- 16. ' ' ver of sin. 5. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God, doth oftentimes, leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations, and the corruptions of their own heart, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hid- den strength of corruption, and "2 Chro. deceitfulness of their hearts," 32. 25, 26, that they may be humbled ; and 2''Sam. 24. t° raise them to a more close, and I. 2 Cor.' constant dependence for their sup- 12. 7, 8, 9. port, upon himself ; and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for [page] other just and holy ends. So that whatsoever befalls any " Rom. 8. of his elect is by his appointment, 28. for his glory," and their good. 6. As for those wicked and un- godly men, whom God as a righte- " Rom. I. ous judge, for former sin doth'' ch.'o.'? 8. blind and harden; from them "Deut.' ' ' he not only withholdeth his '° 29. 4- Grace, whereby they might have been inlightened in their under- standing, and wrought upon in The English Baptists m their hearts : But sometimes also withdraweth " the gifts which they had, and exposeth them to such^ objects as their corrupti- ons makes occasion of sin; and withal'^ gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, whereby it comes to pass, that they'"' harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others, [page] 7. As the Providence of God doth in general reach to all Crea- tures, so after a most special man- ner it taketh care of his^° Church, and disposeth of all things to the good thereof. CHAP. VI. Of the fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Pu- nishment thereof. 1. Although God created Man upright, and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it,' and threatened death upon the breach thereof; yet he did not long abide in this honour;^ Satan using the subtilty of the serpent to seduce Eve, then by her [page] seducing Adam, who without any compulsion, did wilfully transgress the Law of their Creation, and the command given unto them, in eating the forbidden fruit; which God was pleased according to his wise and holy Councel to permit, having purposed to order it, to his own glory. 2. Our first Parents by this Sin, fell from their" original righte- ousness and communion with God, and we in them, whereby death came upon all;* all becoming dead in Sin, and wholly defiled,^ in all the faculties, and parts, of soul, and body. 3. They being the' root, and by Gods appointment, Stand- »> Mat. 13. 12. » Deut. 2. 30. 2 King. 8. 12, 13. »Psal. 81. II, 12. 2 Thes. 2. 10, II, 12. 26 Exod. 8. 15. 32. Is. 6. 9, 10. I Pet. 2. 7,8. » I Tim. 4. 10. Amos 9. 8.9. Isa. 43. 3, 4, 5. 1 Gen. 2. 16, 17. 'Gen. 3. 12, 13. 2 Cor. II. ' Rom. 3. 23. * Rom. 5. 12 etc. 6 Tit. 1. IS. Gen. 6. 5. Jer. 17. 9. Rom. 3. 10-19. »Rom. 5. 12-19. I Cor. 15. 21, 22, 45, 49. 238 Baptist Confessions of Faith ing in the room, and stead of all mankind; the guilt of the Sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordina- [page] 'Ps. SI. 5. ry generation, being now' con- ^Job 14. 4. ceived in Sin, and by nature chil- Eph. 2. dren* of wrath, the servants of «Rom. 6. Sin, the subjects" of death and 20 & ch. all other miseries, spiritual, tempo- "i&elf 2 '■^^ ^'^'^ eternal, unless the Lord Je- 14. ' ' jMj" set them free. I Thes. I. 4. From this original corrupti- « Rom 8 ""' whereby we are ^ utterly in- 7. Col.' I. disposed, disabled, and made op- 21. polite to all good, and wholly in- 13 Jam. I. clined to all evil, do" proceed ■4. IS- all actual transgressions. ^^'' '5' 5. This corruption of nature, " Rom. 7. during this Life, doth " remain 18, 23. in those that are regenerated : 20. ''■ and although it be through Christ I Job. I. pardoned, and mortified, yet both 8. it self, and the first motions there- f^'^iJ' of. are truely and properly" 24, 25. ^.'p ^ ■' tr tr J Gal. 5- 17- Sm. [page] CHAP. VII. Of Gods Covenant. 1. THE distance between God and the Creature is so great, that although reasonable Crea- tures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have attained the reward of Life, but by some* voluntary condescension on Gods part, which he hath been pleased to express, by way of Covenant. 2. Moreover Man having brought himself under the curse of the Law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to make a Covenant of Grace wherein he freely oflfereth unto Sinners^ Life and Salvati- on by Jesus Christ, requiring of them Faith in him, that they may be saved; and' promising to [page] give unto all those that are ordain- ed unto eternal Life, his Holy Spi- iLuk. 17. 10. Job 35- 7, 8. 2 Gen. 2. 17- Gal. 3- 10, Rom. 3. 20, 21, 3 Rom. 8. feark 16. 15. 16. Job. 3. 16. » Ezek. 36. 26, 27. Job. 6. 44, Ps. no. 3. The English Baptists 239 rit, to make them willing, and able to believe. 3. This Covenant is revealed in the Gospel; first of all to Adam in the promise of Salvation by the' seed of the woman, and after- wards by farther steps, until the full" discovery thereof was compleated in the new Testament; and it is founded in that* Eternal Covenant transaction, that was be- tween the Father and the Son, about the Redemption of the Elect; and it is alone by the Grace of this Covenant, that all of the posterity of fallen Adam, that ever were' saved, did ob- tain life and a blessed immortali- ty; Man being now utterly unca- pable of acceptance with God up- on those terms, on which Adam stood in his state of innocency. [page] CHAP. VIII. Of Christ the Media- tor. 1. IT pleased God in his eternal purpose, to chuse and ordain the Lord Jesus his only begotten Son, according to the Covenant made between them both,' to be the Mediator between God and Man; the" Prophet,' Priest and* King; Head and Saviour of his Church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world: Unto whom he did from all Eternity' give a people to be his seed, and to be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. 2. The Son of God, the second Person in the Holy Trinity, being [page] very and eternal God, the bright- ness of the Fathers glory, of one substance and equal with him: who made the World, who up- holdeth and governeth all things he hath made: did when the full- ness of time was come take upon him " mans nature, with all »Gen. 3. 15. •Heb. I. I, • 2 Tim. I. 9. Tit. I. 2. 'Heb. II. 6, 13. Rom. 4. I, 2, etc. Act. 4. 12. Joh. 8. 56. ^ Is. 42. I, I Pet. I. 19. 20. = Act. 3. 22. »Heb. 5. « l-'s. 2. 6. Luk. I. 33. Eph. I. 23. Heb. 1.2. Act. 17. 31. ' Is. 53. 10. Job. 17. 6. Rom. 8. 30. » Joh. I. I, 14- Gal. 4. 4. 240 Baptist Confessions of Faith the Essential properties, and com- ' Rom. 8. mon infirmities thereof/ yet ?4 ?6^'''i7^' without sin: being conceived by ch! 4/15.' the Holy Spirit in the Womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her, and the ^ power of the most High oversha- 27 31! 35- dowing her,' and so was made of a Woman, of the Tribe of Judah, of the Seed of Abraham, and Da- vid according to the Scriptures : So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, were inseparably joined together in one Person: without conversion, composition, or confusion: which Person is very i:""' Tim. Goi and very Man; yet one' 2! 5. ' Christ, the only Mediator between God and Man. [page] 3. The Lord Jesus in his hu- man nature thus united to the divine, in the Person of the Son, " Ps. 45. 7. was sanctified, anointed" with Joh 3°34. ^^^ Holy Spirit, above measure ; " Col'. 2. 3.' having in him" all the treasures " Col. I. °^ wisdom and knowledge ; in 19.' ' whom it pleased the Father that'' " Heb. 7. ^1' fullness should dwell : To 26. ' ' the end that being" holy, harm- "Joli. :. less, undefiled, and fuir° " ifeb. 7. °^ Grace, and Truth, he might be 22. thoroughly furnished to execute " Heb. 5. the office of a Mediator, and " 18 j^'oij 5 Surety; which office he took not 22, 27.' upon himself, but was thereunto" Mat. 28. called by his Father; who also Act. 2.36. put'* all power and judgement " Ps. 40. 7, in his hand, and gave him Com- 8. Heb. 10. mandement to execute the same. Jo]'" JO 4 This office the Lord Jesus did 18.' ' most" willingly undertake, '" Gal. 4. 4. which that he might discharge he 2iQ3l';|;''' was made under the Law/" and 13. ' isa. S3, did perfectly fulfill it, and under- [page] 6. I Pet. vi^ent the ^' punishment due to 2*2" Cor ^^' which we should have born 5. 21. ' and suffered, being made " Sin =5 Mat. 26. and a Curse for us : enduring most iuk^M grievous sorrows^" in his Soul; 44. " Mat. and most painful sufferings in his 27. 46. body ; was crucified, and died. The English Baptists 241 and remained in the state of the dead; yet saw no'" corruption: "Act. 13. on the' third day he arose from i?''cor i? 1 i the dead, with the same ^ body in s joh. 20. which he suffered; with which he 25, pr- aise' ascended into heaven: "Mark 16. and there sitteth at the right hand Act. 1.9, of Ms Father,' making interces- 10, n. sion; and shall' return to judge '3^°™' ^' i Men and Angels, at the end of the World. H4b. 9. 24. 5. The Lord Jesus by his per- ^ Act. 10. feet obedience and sacrifice of him- 42- Rom. self, which he through the Eter- Act. 'i. 10. nal Spirit once offered up unto God; hath fully satisfied the Z & 10 Justice of God, procured reconci- 14! Rom. liation, and purchased an Everlast- [page] 3- 25, 26. ing inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven,' for all those whom ' Joh. 17- the Father hath given unto him. ^- ^*"- '• 6. Although the price of Re- demption was not actually paid by Christ, till after his Incarnation,* * 1 Cor. 4. yet the vertue, efficacy, and benefit |j^j, ^ thereof were communicated to the i Pet. i.' Elect in all ages successively, from 10, n. the beginning of the World, in and by those Promises, Types, and Sacrifices, wherein he was reveal- ed, and signified to be the Seed of the Woman, which should bruise the Serpents head;' and the 'Rev. 13. Lamb slain from the foundation of °- the World:' Being the same "Heb. 13. yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. ®- 7. Christ in the work of Medi- ation acteth according to both na- tures, by each nature doing that which is proper to it self; yet by reason of the Unity of the Person, that which is proper to one na- [page] ture, is sometimes in Scripture at- u joh. 3. tributed to the Person " deno- la- minated by the other nature. g^^- '°' 8. To all those for whom Christ "Joh. 6. hath obtained eternal redempti- 37- ch. 10. on, he doth certainly, and effe- &''ch. 17. ctually" apply, and comrauni- 9. ' ' cate the same; making intercessi- "r'-r'^' on for them, uniting them to him- *; fjo'i,.'' self by his spirit,'' revealing s.'^o. »Joh. 1. 242 Baptist Confessions of Faith unto them, in and by the word, the mystery of salvation ; perswa- 1* Rom. 8. ding them to beUeve, and obey ; " '' '*■ governing their hearts by his ^Ts. no. word and spirit, and '° over- 15 25 26 coming all their enemies by his Almighty power, and wisdom ; in such manner, and wayes as are most consonant to his wonderful, " ^\ ^' 0' ^"'^ '" unsearchable dispensati- i-ph. 1.8. Qj^. ^^^ ^j[ Q^ £j.gg^ ^^^ absolute Grace, without any condition foreseen in them, to procure it. [page] 9. This ofBce of Mediator be- >' I Tim. tween God and man, is proper " ^' '• onely to Christ, who is the Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church of God; and may not be either in whole, or any part there- of transfer'ed from him to any o- ther. 10. This number and order of Offices is necessary; for in re- spect of our" ignorance, we '°' stand in need of his prophetical Office; and in respect of our alie- •» Col. I. nation from God," and imper- Q-. fection of the best of our services, ^ ■ 5' ''• we need his Priestly office, to re- concile us, and present us accepta- ble unto God : and in respect of our averseness, and utter inability to return to Cod, and for our re- scue, and security from our spiritu- al adversaries, we need his Kingly 2°Joh. 16. office,^" to convince, subdue, ^' l\ "°' draw, uphold, deliver, and pre- f^^ j,^_ ■ '■ serve us to his Heavenly King- dome. CHAP. IX. Of Free Will. 1. GOD hath indued the Will of Man, with that natural liberty, and power of acting up- ' Mat. 17. on choice; that it is" neither 14' Deut '' forced, nor by any necessity of na- 30! 19. ' tnre determined to do good or evil. 2. Man in his state of innocen- cy, had freedom, and power, to The English Baptists 243 will, and to do that' which was good, and well-pleasing to God ; but yet" was mutable, so that he might fall from it. 3. Man by his fall into a state of sin hath wholly lost* all abi- lity of Will, to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a [page] natural man, being altogether a- verse from that good," and dead in Sin, is not able, by his own strength, to ° convert himself ; or to prepare himself thereunto. 4. When God converts a sin- ner, and translates him into the state of Grace,' he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone, ena- bles him' freely to will, and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so as that by reason of his° remaining corruptions he doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good; but doth also will that which is evil. 5. The Will of Man is made" perfectly, and immutably free to good alone, in the state of Glo- ry only, [page] CHAP. X. Of Effectual Calling. I. THose whom God hath pre- destinated unto Life, he is pleased, in his appointed, and ac- cepted time,^ effectually to call by his word, and Spirit, out of that state of sin, and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and Salvation'' by Jesus Christ; in- lightning their minds, spiritually, and savingly to^ understand the things of God; taking away their* heart of stone, and giving un- to them an heart of flesh; renew- ing their wills, and by his Almigh- ty power determining them ° to that which is good, and effectual- ly drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come ' most free- [page] = Eccl. 7. 29. ^ Gen. 3. 6. • Rom. 5. 6. ch. 8. 7. = Eph. 2. I. 5- ° Tit. 3. 3, 4, 5. Joh. 6. 44. 'Col. I. 13. Joh. 8. 36. 8 Phil. 2. 13. »Rom. 7. IS, 18, 19, 21, 23. "Eph. 4. 13. iRom. 8. 30. Rom. II. 7. Eph. I. 10, II. 2 Thes. 3. 13, 14- = Eph. 2. 1-6. ^Act. 26. 18. Eph. 1. 17, 18. * Ezek. 36. 26. ° Deut. 30. 6. Ezek. 2fi- 27. Eph. I. 19. *Ps. no. 3. Cant. I. 4- 5, 6. > Joh. 3- 8. 244 Baptist Confessions of Faith ly, being made willing by his Grace. 2. This Effectual Call is of God's free, and special grace a- ' 2 Tim. lone ' not from anything at all I. 9. Eph. foreseen in man, nor from any po- wer, or agency in the Creature, ' I Cor. coworking with his special Grace,' 2. 14. the Creature being wholly pas- foh"' s 2 5 ^'^^ therein, being dead in sins and trespasses, until being quickened & renewed by the holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the Grace of- fered and conveyed in it; and that » Eph. I. by no less' power, then that '9. 20. which raised up Christ from the dead. 3. Elect Infants dying in infan- " Joh. 3. 3. cy, are " regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit; who worketh when, and where, and " how he pleaseth : so also are [page] all other elect persons, who are uncapable of being outwardly called by the Ministry of the Word. 4. Others not elected, although they may be called by the Mini- stry of the word," and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet not being effectual- ly drawn by the Father, they nei- ther will nor can truly " come to Christ; and therefore cannot be saved: much less can men that receive not the Christian Religi- on" be saved; be they never so diligent to frame their lives ac- cording to the light of nature, and the Law of that Religion they do profess, [page] Chap. XL Of Justification. 24. ch.' 8. I. THose whom God Effectual- j4°- ly calleth, he also freely^ 5 "V'^'s justifieth, not by infusing Eph! I. 7'. Righteousness into them, but by ' pardoning their sins, and by accounting, and accepting their "Mat . 22. 14. ch. 13. 20, 21. Heb . 6.4 ;, 5. " Joh. 6. 44, 45, 1 I Joh. 2. (>5. 24. 25. "Act. 4- 12, loh. . 4- 22. ch. 17. 3. The English Baptists 245 Persons as '' Righteous ; not for ' ' Cor. i. any thing wrought in them, of- Rom/'s. 17, done by them, but for Christ's 18, 19. ' sake alone, not by imputing faith it self, the act of believing, or any other* evangelical obedience *«''''■ ^' to them, as their Righteousness ; gpj; ^ g but by imputing Christs active obe- 9, 10. dience unto the whole Law, and passive obedience in his death, for their whole and sole Righteous- ness, they" receiving, and rest- "Joli- '■ ing on him, and his Righteousness, [page] jf^^, „_ by Faith; which faith they have 17. not of themselves, it is the gift of God. 2. Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ, and his Righte- ousness, is the ' alone instrument ' Rom- 3- of Justification : yet it is not alone * ■ in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving Graces, and is no dead faith,' ' Gal. 5. 6. but worketh by love. al^k!' ''' 3. Christ by his obedience, and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are justified; and did by the sacrifice of himself, in the blood of his cross, undergoing in their stead, the penalty due un- to them: make a proper, real, and full satisfaction* to Gods justice 'Heb. 10, in their behalf: yet in asmuch as Ji^'iS,' igf ' he was given by the Father for Isa. 53. s, them, and his Obedience and Sa- ^■ tisfaction accepted in their stead, and both' freely, not for any- [page] 'Rom. 8 thing in them; their Justification if-^j^ ^° ■ is only of Free Grace, that both the exact justice and rich Grace of God, might be" glorified in the " ^6""'E^'h Justification of sinners. |_ 'j, ^1, • ^_' 4. God did from all eternity de- 7! " cree to " justifie all the Elect, and " Gal. 3. 8. Christ did in the fulness of time \ 5^?^ '^^• die for their sins, and rise'° a- 6. ' ' gain for their Justification; Never- "Rom. 4. theless they are not justified per- ^5- sonally, untill the Holy Spirit, ?° Kl' doth in due time" actually apply Tit. 3! 4, 5, Christ unto them. 6, 7. 246 Baptist Confessions of Faith 15 Mat. 6. 5. God doth continue to ''^ i^john I. Forgive the sins of those that are 7, p. ' justified, and although they can "Joh. 10. never fall from the state of" "Ps 89 justification; yet they may by their 31.32,33. sins fall under Gods" Fatherly displeasure; and in that conditi- on, they have not usually the ^ ^^l'" ^^" ''S^' °^ ^^^ Countenance restored iiat. ^26. ""t° them, until they '' hum- [page] 75. ' ' ble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith, and repentance. 6. The Justification of Belie- " Gal. 3- 9- vers under the Old Testament 22°"23,'*'24. W3S in all these respects," one and the same with the justificati- on of Believers under the New Te- stament. CHAP. XII. Of Adoption. lEph I ALL those that are justified, God 5. ^oai. 4. vouchsafed, in, and for the iijoh.' I. 12. sake of his only Son Jesus Christ, to jKom. 8.17. make partakers of the Grace' 18. Rev. 3. °^ Adoption; by which they are ta- 12! ' ' ken into the number, and enjoy Heb. 12. the attainment of a full " assu- 3^°\; ^,'/" ranee through Christ, who is both the Author"" and finisher of our Faith, [page] CHAP. XV. Of Repentence unto Life and Salvation. ' Tit. 3. 2, I. SUch of the Elect as are con- verted at riper years, having' sometimes lived in the state of nature, and therein served divers lusts and pleasures, God in their 3, 4. 5- ^ The English Baptists 249 Effectual Calling giveth them Re- pentence unto Life. 2. Whereas there is none that doth good, and sinneth ^ not ; ° Eccl. 7. and the best of men may, through '°- the power, and deceitfulness of their corruption dwelling in them, with the prevalency of temptation, fall into great sins, and provocations; God hath in the Covenant of Grace, merciful- [page] \y provided that Believers so sin- ning, and falling,^ be renewed ' Luk. 22. through Repentance unto Salva- ^'' ^^" tion. 3. This saving Repentance is an' evangelical Grace, where- »Zech. by a person, being by the Holy Spi- if't'"' rit made sensible of the manifold f^y "• evils of his sin, doth, by Faith in Christ, humble himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency ;° praying 5 Ezek. for pardon, and strength of grace, 36. 31. with a purpose and endeavour by I1 ' ^' supplies of the Spirit, to° walk ^Vs. 119. before God unto all well pleasing 6- i'^- »i9- in all things. '^*- 4. As Repentance is to be con- tinued through the whole course of our lives, upon the account of the body of death, and the moti- ons thereof; so it is every mans ii v duty, to repent of his' particu- g" I'xim. lar known sins, particularly, [page] i'. 13, 15. 5. Such is the provision which God hath made through Christ in the Covenant of Grace, for the preservation of Believers unto Salvation, that although there is no sin so small, but it deserves ' ' Rom. 6. damnation; yet there is no sin so ^3- great, that it shall bring damna- tion on them that" repent; »Is. 1. 16, which makes the constant preach- ing of Repentance necessary. Is. 55. 7. CHAP. XVI. Of Good Works. I. GOod Works are only such as g. '^Hek 13. God hath' commanded 21. 250 Baptist Confessions of Faith in his Holy word; and not such as without the warrant thereof, are = Mat. 15. devised by men, out of blind zeal,^ 9. Isa. 29. or upon any pretence of good I '3- intentions, [page] 2. These good works, done in 3 Jam. 2. obedience to Gods command- *Ps ^/i6 ments, are the fruits, and eviden- 12,' 13. ' ces° of a true, and lively faith; = I Job. 2. and by them Believers manifest I' ]^"gj J their ' thankfullness, strengthen 5-1 1. ' ' their" assurance, edifie their" "Mat. 5. brethren, adorn the profession 'i Tim °^ ^^^ Gospel, stop the mouths of 6. I. ' the adversaries, and glorifie ' I Pet. 2. God, whose, workmanship they pl'il I II. ^■'^' created in Christ Jesus ^ ' Eph! 2. ' thereunto, that having their fruit \°- unto holiness, they may have the •Rom. 6. g„(j9 eternal life. 3. Their ability to do good works, is not at all of themselves; "Joh. 15. but wholly from the Spirit'^ of 4. 6. Christ ; and that they may be ena- bled thereunto, besides the graces they have already received, there " ^ ''pi,-?" '^ necessary an " actual influence 13. "' °^ ^^^ same Holy Spirit, to work in them to will, and to do, of his good pleasure; yet are they not [page] hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty, unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they IS Phil. 2. ought to be diligent in'^ stir- l?v c ""'ng "P the Grace of God that is ^i,^''-^"- in them. Isa. 64. 7. 4. They who in their obedi- ence attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to superrogate, and to do more than God re- " Job 9. 2, quires, as that " they fall short 17. Liik.^' °f much which in duty they are 17! 10. bound to do. 5. We cannot by our best works merit pardon of Sin or Eternal Life at the hand of God, by rea- son of the great disproportion that is between them and the glo- ry to come; and the infinite di- The English Baptists 251 stance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor satisfie for the debt of our " former sins ; but when we [page] have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are un- profitable servants; and because as they are good they proceed from his'° Spirit, and as they are wrought by us they are defil- ed " and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of Gods judgment. 6. Yet notwithstanding the persons of Believers being accept- ed through Christ their good works also are accepted in" him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in Gods sight; but that he looking upon them in his Son is pleased to accept and re- ward that which is " sincere al- though accomplished with many weaknesses and imperfections. 7. Works done by unregene- rate men, although for the matter [page] of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use, both to themselves and others; yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by^' faith, nor are done in a right manner accord- ing to the^ word, nor to a right end the"" glory of God; they are therefore sinful and can- not please God ; nor make a man meet to receive grace from^ God ; and yet their neglect of them is more sinful and ^ dis- pleasing to God. [page] CHAP. XVII. Of Perseverence of the Saints. I. THose whom God hath ac- cepted in the beloved, ef- fectually called and Sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his Elect unto, can neither 15 Rom. 3. 20. Eph. 2. 8, 9. Rom. 4. 6. "Gal. 5. 22, 23. "Isa. 64. 6. Ps. 143. 8 Eph. I. 6. I Pet. 2.5. "Mat. 25. 21, 23. Heb. 6. 10, 2»2 King. 10. 30. I King. 21. 27, 29. 21 Gen. 4. S. Heb. II. 4, 6. "Si Cor. 13. I. MMat. 6. 2, 5- ^Anios 5. 21, 22. Rom. 9. 16. Tit. 3. 5. *^Job 21. 14, IS- Mat. 25. 41, 42, 43- 252 Baptist Confessions of Faith totall}' nor finally fall from the ijoh. 10. state of grace;' but shall cer- Ph'il.^'i. 6 tainly persevere therein to the 2 Tim.' 2. end and be eternally saved, see- 19. I Joh. ing the gifts and callings of God ^' ''■ are without Repentance, (whence he still begets and nourisheth in them Faith, Repentance, Love, Joy, Hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality) and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock [page] which by faith they are fastned upon: notwithstanding through unbelief and the temptations of Satan the sensible sight of the light and love of God, may for a time = Psal. 89. be clouded, and obscured from ^ I'cor.'u. them, yet he is still the same,' 32. ' ' and they shall be sure to be ' Mai. 3. 6. kept by the power of God unto Salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palms of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all Eternity. 2. This perseverance of the Saints depends not upon their own free will; but upon the immuta- «Rom. 8. bility of the decree of* Electi- iii 16 '* °"' flowing from the free and un- ^ Rom. 5. changeable love of God the Fa- s' 'o- ther; upon the efficacy of the me- ^° " "*• rit and intercession of Jesus Christ ° »Heb. 6. and Union with him, the" 17, 18. oath of God, the abiding of his [page] I ^°^- 3- Spirit & the ' seed of God with- « Jer. 32. in them, and the nature of the ' 40- Covenant of Grace from all which ariseth also the certainty and in- fallibility thereof. 3. And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, »Mat. 26. ^"<1 t^s neglect of the means of their 70, 72, 74. preservation fall into grievous" sins, and for a time continue there- The English Baptists 253 in ; whereby they incur " Gods " Is. 64. 5. displeasure, and grieve his holy Ijpl, ^ ^^ Spirit, come to have their graces and"^ comforts impaired have "Psal. 51.10, 12. their hearts hardened, and their Consciences wounded," hurt, "Psa. 32. and scandalize others, and bring '' ''■ temporal judgements" upon 1*2 Sam. themselves : yet they shall renew "2. 14. their" repentance and be pre- "Luk. 22. served through faith in Christ Je- 32 & 5. 61, sus to the end. [page] CHAP. XVIII. Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvati- on. 1. ALthough temporary Believ- ers, and other unregenerate men, may vainly deceive them- selves with false hopes, and carnal presumptions, of being in the fa- vour of God, and in a state of salvati- on,' which hope of theirs shall ^Jo'' 8. perish ; yet such as truly beUeve Mat!"?. 22, in the Lord Jesus, and love him 23. in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good Conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assu- red^ that they are in the state '' Job- ^■ of Grace; and may rejoice in the fs, 19^ ii.'^i. hope of the glory of God which [page] ch! 5.' hope shall never make them ° , i3- ashamed. 2,°"' '' 2. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable perswa- sion, grounded upon * a fallible * Heb. 6. hope; but an infallible assurance "' ''" of faith, founded on the Blood and Righteousness of Christ ° re- =Heb. 6. vealed in the Gospel; and also ,'^!r»'. upon the inward" evidence of those graces of the Spirit unto which promises are made, and on the testimony of the' Spirit of _ '^r"™,'/' adoption, witnessing with our Spi- rits that we are the children of God ; and as a fruit thereof keep- ing the heart both" humble and \' }°\ 3. holy. 3. This infallible assurance doth "2 Pet. I. 4, 5, 10, II. 15. «6. i> ^, 3- ^54 Baptist Confessions of Faith not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true Believer, may- wait long and conflict with many » Isa. so. difficulties before he be ° parta- lo. Ps, 88. leer of it; yet being enabled by f-i2.^' '''' ^^^ Spirit to know the things [page] which are freely given him of God, he may without extraordi- nary revelation in the right use of ^ I Joh. 4. means " attain thereunto : and i3- therefore it is the duty of every Heb. 6. II, Qjjg^ jQ gj^g g^jj (jiiigeiice to make their Calling and Election sure, that thereby his heart may be en- larged in peace and joy in the ho- ly Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and chearfulness in the duties of obe- " Rom. 5. dience, the proper " fruits of I, 2, 5. ch. this Assurance; so far is it^' iio'L ' from inclining men to looseness. 13 Rom. 6. 4. True Believers may have the 1-2. assurance of their Salvation divers 12 14' "' ways shaken, diminished, and in- 1* Cant. s. termitted ; as " by negligence in ^^2; 3, 6. preserving of it, by^° falling into 12^' /4V some special Sin, which woundeth 18 Ps'a. 116. the Conscience, and grieveth the "• ^^p 77. Spirit, by some sudden or" vehe- 7,^ 8. ys. 31. jjjgjjt temptation, by Gods with- " Ps. 30. 7. drawing the " light of his coun- [page] tenance and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light; yet are they " I Joh. 3. never destitute of the " seed of i»Luk. 22. God, and Life'" of Faith, that 32. ' ' Love of Christ, and the brethren, that sincerity of Heart, and Con- science of duty, out of which by the operation of the Spirit, this =»Ps. 42. s, Assurance may in due time be"" "' revived: and by the which in igim. 3. jj^g mean time they are''' pre- 27-31. served from utter despair. CHAP. XIX. Of the Law of God. iQg„ , I. GOd gave to Adam a Law of Eccl. 7'. 29. universal obedience," written in his Heart, and a parti- cular precept of not eating the The English Baptists 255 Fruit of the tree of knowledge of [page] good and evil; by which he bound him, and all his posterity to personal entire exact and perpetu- al^ obedience; promised life =Rom. 10. upon the filfilling, and' threat- s^al 3_ ened death upon the breach of it, 10, 12." and indued him with power and ability to keep it. 2. The same Law that was first written in the heart of man,' *Rom. 2. continued to be a perfect rule of '*' ''■ Righteousness after the fall; & was delivered by God upon Mount Si- nai, in° Ten Commandments and ^Deut. 10. written in two Tables; the four **■ first containing our duty towards God, and the other six our duty to man. 3. Besides this law commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people Israel Ce- remonial Laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of wor- ship," prefiguring Christ, his [page] '?^'co'l°'2 graces, actions, sufferings, and be- 17. nefits; and partly holding forth ^ divers instructions' of moral ' ^°^- 5- duties, all which Ceremonial Laws being appointed only to the time of reformation, are by Jesus Christ the true Messiah and only Law- giver, who was furnished with po- wer from the Father, for that end,' 'i4'"i6' „ abrogate and taken away. Ep'h. 2! 4. To them also he gave sundry 14, i6. judicial Laws, which expired to- gether with the state of that peo- ple, not obliging and now by ver- tue of that institution; their ge- neral " equity onely, being of moral use. 5. The moral Law doth for e- ver bind all," as well justified persons as others, to the obedi- ence thereof, and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the" authority of God the Creator, [page] who gave it: Neither doth Christ in the Gospel any way dissolve," B I Cor. 9. 8, 9. 10. ^^Rom. 13. 8, 9, 10. Jam. 2. 8, 10, II, 12. 12 Jam. 2. 10, II. i«Mat. 5. 17, 18, 1 9, Rom. 3. 31. 256 Baptist Confessions of Faith but much strengthen this obli- gation. " Rom. 6. 6. Although true Believers be bill 2 16 "°* under the Law, as a Cove- Rom. 8. i'. nant of Works," to be thereby cha. 10.4. Justified or condemned; yet it is of great use to them as well as to others : in that, as a Rule of Life, informing them of the Will of God, and their Duty, it directs and binds them, to walk accord- 's Rom. 3. ingly ^'^ discovering also the chap 7 7 sinfuU pollutions of their Natures, etc. ' ' ' Hearts and Lives; so as Examin- ing themselves thereby, they may come to further Conviction of. Humiliation for, and Hatred a- gainst Sin; together with a clea- rer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of his Obedience : It is likewise of use to the Regenerate to restrain their Corruptions, in that it for- [page] bids Sin; and the Threatnings of it serve to shew what even their Sins deserve ; and what afflictions in this Life they may expect for them, although free'd from the Curse and unallayed Rigor there- of. The Promises of it likewise shew them Gods approbation of Obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the perfor- mance thereof, though not as due to them by the Law as a Cove- nant of Works; so as mans doing Good and refraining from Evil, because the Law incourageth to the one and deterreth from the o- " Rom. 6. ther, is no Evidence of his being " i^t-et^'s.'s under the Law and not under -13. ' Grace. 7. Neither are the forementi- " Gal. 3. oned uses of the Law " contrary ^'' to the Grace of the Gospel; but do sweetly comply with it; the M Eze. 36. Spirit of Christ subduing'* and inabhng the Will of man, to do [page] that freely and chearfully, which the will of God revealed in the Law, requireth to be done. 27. The English Baptists 257 CHAP. 20. Of the Gospel, and of the extent of the Grace thereof. 1. THE Covenant of Works be- ing broken by Sin, and made unprofitable unto Life; God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ,' the Seed of ' Gen. 3. the Woman, as the means of call- '^' ing the Elect, and begetting in them Faith and Repentance; in this Promise, the ' Gospel, as to ' Rev. 13. the substance of it, was revealed, ^' and therein Effectual, for the Con- version and Salvation of Sinners, [page] 2. This Promise of Christ, and Salvation by him, is revealed only by ' the Word of God ; neither " Rom. i. do the Works of Creation, or '^• Providence, with the light of Na- ture,* make discovery of Christ, or ' Ro- ">■ of Grace by him; so much as in a ''*' '^' ''■ general, or obscure way; much less that men destitute of the Re- velation of him by the Promise, or Gospel ; ^ should be enabled ^ P™. 29. thereby, to attain saving Faith, or Repentance. [f^ ^s. 7, 3. The Revelation of the Go- wii'h ch. spel unto Sinners, made in divers ^°- ^> 3- times, and by sundry parts ; with the addition of Promises, and Pre- cepts for the Obedience required therein, as to the Nations, and Persons, to whom it is granted, is meerly of the " Soveraign Will ° Ps. 147. and good Pleasure of God ; not ^jj ,g _ being annexed by vertue of any Promise, to the due improvement of mens natural abilities, by vertue of Common light received with- [page] out it; which none ever did' ',^°™V'' make, or can so do : And there- fore in all Ages the preaching of the Gospel hath been granted unto persons and Nations, as to the ex- tent, or streightning of it, in great variety, according to the Coun- cell of the Will of God. 4. Although the Gospel be the 18 etc. ^ Ps. no. 3 258 Baptist Confessions of Faith only outward means, of revealing Christ, and saving Grace ; and is, as such, abundantly sufficient there- unto; yet that men who are dead in Trespasses, may be born again. Quickened or Regenerated ; there Cor. 2. is morover necessary, an effectu- i,4- al, insuperable ' work of the Holy 20. ' '' ''' Spirit, upon the whole Soul, for "Joh. 6. the producing in them a new spi- 44- ^ ritual Life; without which no o- l^ 6°"^" "•■ ther means will effect " their Con- version unto God. [page] CHAP. XXI. Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience. I. THE Liberty which Christ hath purchased for Believers un- der the Gospel, consists in their 1 (, , freedom from the guilt of Sin, the 13/ ^' condemning wrath of God, the ==Gal. 1.4. Rigour and^ Curse of the Law; 'Mt. 26. and in their being delivered from •Rom 8 ''^'^ present evil^ World, bon- 3 ' ' dage to" Satan, and Dominion* " Rom. 8. of Sin ; from the " Evil of «f'CoT Afflictions; the Fear, and Sting" 15. 5°4; 55, of Death, the Victory of the J 56, 57. ' Grave, and' Everlasting Dam- 2 Thes. nation ; as also in their ' free ac- 8 Rom', 8. "^sss to God ; and their yielding IS. Obedience unto "im not out of a "Luk I. slavish fear,' but a Child-like [page] I Joh 4. 'ove, and willing mind. 18. All which were common also to "Gal. 3. Behevers under the Law" for '"*' the substance of them; but under the new Testament, the Liberty of Christians is further enlarged in their freedom from the yoke of the Ceremonial Law, to which the Jewish Church was subjected ; "isN^' ^"'^ '" greater boldness of access Heb 10. t° *'^^ Throne of Grace ; and in 19,20,21. fuller Communications of the '^ Free Spirit of God, then Believ- "Jam. 4. ers under the Law did ordinarily Rom. 14. partake of 4. 2. God alone is " Lord of the The English Baptists 259 Conscience, and hath left it free from the Doctrines and Command- ments of men" which are in "Act. 4.19. any thing contrary to his Word, or ^ > ^9- not contained in it. So that to 23.°*^' ^' Believe such Doctrines, or obey Mat. 13. 9. such Commands out of Consci- up , ence,'" is to betray true liberty [page] 22, /i.^"' of Conscience; and the requiring of an " implicit Faith, and absolute " ' Cor. 3. and blind Obedience, is to destroy I' Cor. i. Liberty of Conscience, and Reason also. 24. 3. They who upon pretence of Christian Liberty do practice any sin, or cherish any sinfull lust; as they do thereby pervert the main design of the Grace of the Gospel " " Rom. 6. to their own Destruction; so '> ^■ they wholly destroy'* the end "Gal. 5. of Christian Liberty, which is, 'S- that being delivered out of the \^2u '' hands of all our Enemies we might serve the Lord without fear in Holiness, and Righteousness be- fore him, all the days of our Life, [page] CHAP. XXH. Of Religious Wor- ship, and the Sabbath Day. I. THE light of Nature shews that there is a God, who hath Lordship, and Soveraigntye over all; is just, good, and doth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, cal- led upon, trusted in, and served, with all the Heart, and all the SouV and with all the Might. »Jer. 10. But the acceptable way of Wor- J-^ i^'"'- shipping the the true God, is ^ in- 2 Deut.' 12. stituted by himself; and so limi- 32. ted by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped ac- cording to the imaginations, and [page] devices of Men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible repre- sentations, or ' any other way, _ ° Exo. 20. not prescribed in the Holy Scrip- tures. 2. Religious Worship is to be gi- 4. 5. 6- 26o Baptist Confessions of Faith ' Mat. 4. ven to God the Father, Son and Toh°6 23 Holy spirit, and to him* alone; Mat. 28. not to Angels, Saints, or any other" 19- Creatures; and since the fall, 25°"- '■ not without a." Mediator, nor Col. 2. iS. in the Mediation of any other but' Revel. 19. Christ alone. "Job. 14. 3- Prayer with thanksgiving, 6. ' being one special part of natural 8 p ^,'™' ^" 5' worship, is by God required of ' i^sal. 95. ^jj ^^^ g^j. jj^j^j ;j jjj^y ]jg Psal. 65. 2. accepted, it is to be made in the ' »Joh. 14. Name of the Son, by the help'' u R^om.'^s. of ^^^ Spirit, according to ^ 26. ' his Will; with understanding, ^ I Job. 5. reverence, humility, fervency, '*■ faith, love, and perseverance; [page] 1' I Cor. and when with others, in a " known tongue. 14 i^Tim. "'' 4- Prayer is to be made for 2. I, 2. things lawful, and for all sorts of 2 Sam. 7. men living," or that shall live 152'sam. hereafter; but not" for the 12.21,22, dead, nor for those of whom it ,.^3- may be known that they have sin- Js^ ■ =• ned " the sin unto death. " I Tim. S. The " reading of the jj4-i3. Scriptures, Preaching, and" f. 2""' hearing the word of God, teach- Luk. 8. 18. ing and admonishing one another in Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs, singing with grace in our " Col. 3. Hearts to " the Lord ; as also ifh o *^^ Administration °'' of Baptism, and" 20 mV. 28. ' the Lords Supper are all 19, 20. ' parts of Religious worship of God, =1 1 Cor. II. to be performed in obedience to ^ ■ him, with understanding, faith, =*Esth. 4. reverence, and godly fear; more- 'fi-. ^ over solemn humilitation,^* with [page] ==Exo'. ts'^' fastings; and thanksgiving upon'" I etc. Ps. special occasions, ought to be '°7- used in an holy and religious man- ner. 6. Neither Prayer, nor any o- ther part of Religious worship, is now under the Gospel tied unto, or made more acceptable by, any ^J°^- 4- place in which it is^° performed, 11! I Tim!' °^ towards which it is directed; 2. 8. ' but God is to be worshipped eve- ry where in Spirit, and in truth; The English Baptists 261 as in' private families^ daily, '^'='- '°- and ' in secret each one by him- 2 Mat. 6. self, so more solemnly in the pu- n. Ps. 55. blic Assemblies, which are not '7- carelessely, nor willfully, to be * I M^"'- «■ *• neglected, or forsaken, when 25^ ' '"' God by his word, or providence Act. 2. 42. calleth thereunto. 7. As it is of the Law of nature, that in general a proportion of time by Gods appointment, be set apart for the Worship of God; so [page] by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commande- ment, binding all men, in all Ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a' Sabbath to be "E^o. 20. kept holy unto him, which from the beginning of the World to the Resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week" which is called the Is i''2 Lords day; and is to be contin- Act. 20.' 7- ued to the end of the World, as Rev. 1. 10. the Christian sabbath; the obser- vation of the last day of the week being abolished. 8. The Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men af- ter a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an ,t = holy' rest all the day, from their if^- s». own works, words, and thoughts, isfeh. 13. about their worldly employment, [page] is-zz. and recreations, but also are tak- en up the whole time in the pub- lick and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties' of \Mat 12. necessity and mercy. ^^^^p ^Xm. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows. I. A lawful Oath is a part of reli- %^'"'beuf. ,0. gious worship,^ wherein 20. Jer. 4. the person swearing in Truth, 2. Righteousness, and Judgment, solemnly calleth God to witness saCro. 6. what he sweareth ; '^ and to 22, 23- 262 Baptist Confessions of Faith judge him according to the Truth or falseness thereof. 2. The Name of God only is [page] that by which men ought to swear; and therein it is to be u- sed, with all Holy Fear and reverence, therefore to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious, and dreadful name; or to swear at = Mat. 5. all by any other thing, is sinful and Jam? 's. 12. to ^^' abhorred; yet as in mat- * Heb. 6. ' ter of weight and moment for con- 16. 2 Cor. formation of truth,* and ending '" '^' all strife, an Oath is warranted by the word of God; so a lawful Oath " Neh. 13. being imposed,^ by lawful Au- thority, in such matters, ought to be taken. 3. Whosoever taketh an Oath warranted by the word of God, ought duely to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act; and therein to avouch nothing, but what he knoweth to be the truth ; for that by rash, false, and I'gVl' ^^'" O""^^ the" Lord is pro- Jer. 23. 10. voked, and for them this Land mournes. [page] ., 4. An Oath is to be taken in the rs. 24. 4. plain, and ' common sense of the words ; without equivocation, or mental reservation. 5. A Vow, which is not to be J made to any Creature^ but to God 11.^ e'en. alone,' is to be made and per- 28! 20, 21, formed with all Religious care, ^^- and faithfulness; but Popish Mo- u E h '" ^' '' ""^'''^"^ Vows," of perpetual 28 ' "*■ single life, professed" poverty, and regular obedience, are so far frorn being decrees of higher per- "Mat 10 faction, that they are superstiti- II. ■ ous," and sinful snares, in which no Christian may intangle him- self. CHAP. XXIV. Of the Civil Magi- strate. I. God the supream Lord, and King of all the World, The English Baptists 263 hath ordained CivW- Magistrates to be iRom. 13. under him, over the '■ ^' ^' *• people, for his own glory, and the publicic good; and to this end hath armed them with the power of the Sword, for defence and encourage- ment of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers. 2. It is lawful for Christians to Accept, and Execute the Office of a Magistrate, when called there- unto; in the management where- of, as they ought especially to maintain^ Justice, and Peace, [page] ^2 Sam. according to the wholesome Laws p|' ^j^ of each Kingdome, and Common- 3, '4. wealth : so for that end they may lawfully now under the New Testament ° ° Luk. 3. wage war upon just ''*■ and necessary occasions. 3. Civil Magistrates being set up by God, for the ends aforesaid; subjection in all lawful things com- manded by them, ought to be yielded by us, in the Lord; not on- ly for wrath* but for Consci- *Rom. ence sake; and we ought to make i^plt. L^' supplications and prayers for 17. Kings, and all that are in Authori- ty,° that under them we may '■ Tim. live a quiet and peaceable life, in ^' '' ^' all godliness and honesty. CHAP. XXV. Of Marriage. 1. MArriage is to be between one Man and one Woman;'- 'f4"'M'al 2 neither is it lawful for any man i]; Mat. to have more then one Wife, nor 19. 5, 6. for any Woman to have more then one Husband at the same time. 2. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help' of Husband 'G™- '■ and Wife' for the increase of 3 cen. i. 28. Man-kind, with a legitimate issue, ^ and for* preventing of unclean- ^ Cor. 7. ness 3. 'it is lawful for" all sorts " Heb- }i;^ of people to Marry, who are able 4] 3. with judgment to give their con- 264 Baptist Confessions of Faith sent; yet it is the duty of Christi- ' I Cor. 7. ans ° to marry in the Lord, 35'- and therefore such as profess the [page] true Religion, should not Marry with ■^Neh. 13. infidels,' or Idolators; ^5' ^^' neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are wicked, in their life, or maintain damnable He- resie. 4. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanquini- sLevit. ty," or Affinity forbidden in ■ the word; nor can such incestu- ous Marriage ever be made law- ful, by any law of Man or consent ' Mat. 6.^^^ of parties," so as those persons may live together as Man and Wife, [page] 1 8. I Cor. S- I. CHAP. XXVI. Of the Church. 1. The Catholick or universal Church, which (with re- spect to internal work of the Spirit, and truth of grace) may be called invisible, consists of the iHeb. 12. whole' number of the Elect, 18 Eph '' "^•''- l^^ve been, are, or shall be ga- 1. 10, 22," thered into one, under Christ the ^3, & ch. head thereof; and is the spouse, the 5,^^' ^7' body, the fulness of him that fil- •^ ■ leth all in all. 2. All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the Gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ, according unto it; not destroying their own profession by any Errors everting the foundati- [page] 'l Cor. I. on, or unholyness of conversation,^ 2g, '^ ■ "■ are and may be called visible = Rom. I. Saints;" and of such ought all 7. Eph. I. particular Congregations to be 20, 21, 22. constituted. 3. The purest Churches under 'i Con heaven are subject* to mixture, l^'k ch^Y ^"<^ error; and som have so de- ' Rev. 18. generated as to become ° no 2 Thes. Churches of Christ, but Synago- gues of Satan; nevertheless Christ 2. 11, 12. The English Baptists 265 always hath had, and ever shall have a° Kingdome, in this world, 'Mat. i6. to the end thereof, of such as be- J^' ^^ p^ '^• Have in him, and make profession 102. 28. of his Name. Rev. 12. 4. The Lord Jesus Christ is the ''■ Head of the Church, in whom by the appointment of the Father,' ' Col. i. all power for the calling, instituti- ^|- jg jg on, order, or Government of the 20. ' ' Church, is invested in a supream & Eph. 4. soveraigne manner, neither can the ''■ '^' Pope of Rome in any sense be head [page] thereof, but is ° that Antichrist, ° 2 Thes. that Man of sin, and Son of per- ^' ^"'' dition, that exalteth himself in the Church against Christ, and all that is called God ; whom the Lord shall destroy with the bright- ness of his coming. 5. In the execution of this po- wer wherewith he is so intrusted, the Lord Jesus calleth out of the World unto himself, through the Ministry of his word, by his Spirit,' "Jo'i- ^°- those that are given unto him \°^\ 32? by his Father; that they may walk before him in all the" "Mat. 28. ways of obedience, which he pre- ^°' scribeth to them in his Word. Those thus called he commandeth to walk together in particular so- cieties, or"^ Churches, for their "Mat. 18. mutual edification; and the due 15-20. performance of that publick wor- ship, which he requireth of them in the World, [page] 6. The Members of these Churches are " Saints by cal- _ "Rom. ling, visibly manifesting and evi-_ dencing (in and by their professi- on and walking) their obedience unto that call of Christ; and do willingly consent to walk together according to the appointment of Christ, giving up themselves, to the Lord & one to another by the will of God," in professed subjection " Act. 2. to the Ordinances of the Go- Jh! t^'j, spel. 14. 2 Cor. 7. To each of these Churches 9- "3. 9. I Cor. I. 2. 266 Baptist Confessions of Faith thus gathered, according to his mind, declared in his word, he "Mat. 1 8. hath given all that"^ power and '7. i8. authority, which is any way need- 4 5 "with ^""' ^°'' their carrying on that or- s! 13. der in worship, and discipline, which he hath instituted for them to observe ; with commands, and rules for the due and right exert- ing, and executing of that po- wer. 8. A particular Church gather- ed, and compleatly Organized, according to the mind of Christ, consists of Officers, and Members ; And the Officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the Church (so called and gather- ed) for the peculiar Administrati- on of Ordinances, and Execution of Power, or Duty, which he intrusts them with, or calls them to, to be continued to the end of " Act. 20. the World, are '° Bishops or Elders and 17, with Deacons. 9. The way appointed by Christ for the Calling of any per- son, fitted, and gifted by the Holy Spirit, unto the Office of Bishop, or Elder, in a Church, is, that he be chosen thereunto by the "Act. 14. common" suffrage of the Church ^3- See it self; and Solemnly set apart by nal. °"^'' Fasting and Prayer, with imposi- i» I Tim. tion of hands of the " Eldership of •t- 14- the Church, if there be any before [page] Constituted therein; And of a » Act. 6. 3, Deacon " that he be chosen by 5' 6- the like suffrage, and set apart by Prayer, and the like Imposition of hands. 10. The work of Pastors be- ing constantly to attend the Ser- vice of Christ, in his Churches, in the Ministry of the Word, and Prayer,™ with watching for their Souls, as they that must give an account to him; it is incum- bent on the Churches to whom they Minister, not only to give them all due respect,^' but also to communicate to them of all V. 28. Phil. I. I. =<>Act. 6. Heb. 13. 17. "■I Tim. S- 17, 18. Gal. 6. =*2 2. Tim. 4- 3- Tim. 2. 9. 6- Cor. 14. lAct. II. 19. 20, 21. The English Baptists 267 their good things according to *. 7- their ability, so as they may have a comfortable supply, without being themselves ^* entangled in Secular Affairs; and may also be capable of exercising ^° Hospita- lity towards others; and this is re- quired by the ^° Law of Nature, and by the Express order of our [page] Lord Jesus, who hath ordained that they that preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel. 11. Although it be incumbent on the Bishops or Pastors of the Churches to be instant in Preach- ing the Word, by way of Office; yet the work of Preaching the Word, is not so peculiarly confin- ed to them; but that others also' ^^ ^^ _ gifted, and fitted by the Ho- i i'et.'4' ly Spirit for it, and approved, and '"> "• called by the Church, may and ought to perform it. 12. As all Believers are bound to joyn themselves to particular Churches, when and where they have opportunity so to do; So all that are admitted unto the privi- 2 , Thes. ledges of a Church, are also ^ s. 14. under the Censures and Govern- | ^^'^' ^• ment thereof, according to the ' '*' Rule of Christ, [page] 13. No Church-members upon any offence taken by them, hav- ing performed their Duty required of them towards the person they are offended at, ought 10 disturb any Church order, or absent thems- elves from the Assemblies of the Church, or Administration of any Ordinances, upon the account of such offence at any of their fellow- members; but to wait upon Christ^ ',s ie' in the further proceeding of the Eph. 4.: Church. 3- 14. As each Church, and all the Members of it, are bound to' '18 Ps pray continually, for the good izi. 6. and prosperity of all the Churches of Christ, in all places; and upon all occasions to further it (every 17. 268 Baptist Confessions of Faith one within tlie bounds of their places, and caUings, in the Exer- cise of their Gifts and Graces) so the Churches (when planted by the providence of God so as they may injoy opportunity and ad- fiRom. vantage for it) ought to hold [page]' i^Tofi % communion amongst them- 9, 10.' ' selves for their peace, increase of love, and mutual edification. IS. In cases of difficulties or differences, either in point of Do- ctrine, or Administration; where- in either the Churches in general are concerned, or any one Church in their peace, union, and edifica- tion ; or any member, or members, of any Church are injured, in or by any proceedings in censures not agreeable to truth, and order : it is according to the mind of Christ, that many Churches holding com- munion together, do by their mes- «Act. 15. sengers meet to consider," and t'2,%3,' ^. S'"^'^ *'^^''' advice in, or about that matter in difference, to be report- ed to all the Churches concerned ; howbeit these messengers assem- bled, are not entrusted with any Church-power properly so called ; or with any jurisdiction over the Churches themselves, to exercise any censures either over any [page] '2 Cor. Churches, or Persons: or' to I'joh. 4. 1. impose their determination on the Churches, or Officers. CHAP. XXVII. On the Communion of Saints. I. All Saints that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by '; J°''-Toi, his Spirit, and Faith; although j] Jg, ■' • they are not made thereby one Phil. 3.10. person with him, have" fellow- Rom. 6. 5, ship in his Graces, sufferings, = Eph. 4. death, resurrection, and glory ; 15, 16.' and being united to one another I Cor. 12. in love, they^ have communion 3! 21' ' '" each others gifts, and graces; 22, 2'3. and obliged to the perfor- The English Baptists 269 mance of such duties, publick and private, in an orderly way," as ' ■ Thes. do conduce to their mutual good, ^J^; J^" both in the inward and outward 12. i Joh. man. [page] ^ '/'s'^' 2. Saints by profession are '"■ bound to maintain an holy fel- lowship and communion in the worship of God, and in perform- ing such other spiritual services,* *Heb. 10. as tend to their mutual edifi- wlth^ch. cation; as also in relieving each 3. 12, 13. other in" outward things ac- b A t 12 cording to their several abilities, 29, 30. ' and necessities ; which communi- on, according to the rule of the Gospel, though especially to be ex- ercised by them, in the relations wherein they stand, whether in" «Eph. 6. families, or' Churches; '1' Cor. yet as God offereth opportunity 12. 14 is to be extended to all the hous- -27- hold of faith, even all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus; nevertheless their communion one with ano- ther as Saints, doth not take away or' infringe the title or pro- 'Act. 5.4 priety, which each man hath in his ^ ' goods and possessions, [page] CHAP. XXVIII. Of Baptism and the Lords Supper. 1. BAptism and the Lords Supper are ordinances of positive, and soveraign institution ; ap- pointed by the Lord Jesus the on- ly Law-giver, to be continued in his Church' to the end of the ^f^\o^' world. I fcor. 2. These holy appointments are 11.26. to be administered by those only, who are qualified and thereunto ^.^^^ ^g called according" to the com- ,5. 'i cor. mission of Christ, [page] 4- '• CHAP. XXIX. Of Baptism. I. BAptism is an Ordinance of the New Testament, ordain- 270 Baptist Confessions of Faith ed by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party Baptized, a sign of his fel- = Rom. 6. lowship with him, in his death," c'of'2^12 ^nd resurrection; of his being Gal! 3. 27. engrafted into him ; of * re- * Mar. I. mission of sins; and of his" gi- 26. le"' 'v'ms up unto God through Jesus = Rom. ' 6. Christ, to live and walk in new- 2, 4- ness of Life. , ^ 2. Those who do actually pro- le.^'^'Act. fess " repentance towards God, 8. 36, 37'. faith in, and obedience, to our Lord Jesus, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance, [page] 3. The outward element to be 'Mat. 28. used in this ordinance' is wa- whh^Act. t^""' wherein the party is to be 8. 38. ' baptized, in the name of the Fa- ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 4. Immersion, or dipping of ° 'fi^'' T^'h '^^ person " in water, is necessa- 23! ^' ""y t° the due administration of this ordinance. CHAP. XXX. Of the Lords Supper. 1. THE Supper of the Lord Je- sus, was instituted by him, the same night wherein he was betrayed, to be observed in his Churches unto the end of the [page] world, for the perpetual remem- brance, and shewing forth the sa- 1 1 Cor. crifice in his death ' 25! ^26. '*' confirmation of the faith of belie- vers in all the benefits thereof, their spiritual nourishment, and growth in him, their further in- gagement in, and to, all duties 2 1 Cor. which they owe unto him ; ^ 10- 1,17, 3j,(j jQ [jg ^ bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other. 2. In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all, for remission of sin of the quick or " ^f°-.2' ,Q AtdiA ; but only a memorial of that ' one offering up of himself, by 25, 26, 28 The English Baptists 2yi himself, upon the crosse, once for all ; and a spiritual oblation of all * ' ' Cor. possible praise unto God for likf^^e. the same ; so that the Popish sa- 26, 27. crifice of the Mass (as they call it) is most abominable, injurious to Christs own only sacrifice, the [page] alone propitiation for all the sins of the Elect. 3. The Lord Jesus hath in this Ordinance, appointed his Ministers to Pray, and bless the Elements of Bread and Wine, and thereby to set them apart from a common to an holy use, and to take and break the Bread ; to take the Cup,^ b i Cor. and (they communicating also 11.23,24, themselves) to give both to the . '^' • ^"^• Communicants. 4. The denyal of the Cup to the people, worshiping the Ele- ments, the lifting them up, or car- rying them about for adoration, and reserving them for any pre- tended religious use,° are all eMat. 26. contrary to the nature of this Or- if't^'' ^^' dinance, and to the institution of Exod.'io?' Christ. 4, 5. 5. The outward Elements in this Ordinance, duely set apart to [page] the uses ordained by Christ, have such relation to him crucified, as that truely, although in terms used figuratively, they are sometimes called by the name of the things 7 , cor. they represent, to wit' body and Blood of 11.27. Christ; albeit in substance, and nature, they still remain truly, and only ' » i Cor. Bread, and Wine, as they were "• ?s * before. =' '^■ 6. That doctrine which main- tains a change of the substance of Bread and Wine, into the substance of Christs body and blood (com- monly called Transubstantiation) by consecration of a Priest, or by any other way, is repugnant not to oAct. 3. Scripture" alone, but even to 21. Luk. common sense and reason ; overthroweth 24- 6 & 5. the" nature of the or- u?'cor. dinance, and hath been and is the 11.24. 25. 272 Baptist Confessions of Faith cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross Idolatries, [page] 7. Worthy receivers, outward- ly partaking of the visible Ele- ments in this Ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally, and cor- porally, but spiritually receive, " I Cor. and feed upon Christ crucified '" & 10. i6. ch. all the benefits of his death: the II' ^^' Body and Blood of Christ, being then not corporally, or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of Believers, in that Ordinance, as the Elements themselves are to their outward senses. 8. All ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy "2 Cor. communion" with Christ; so ■ '■*' '5' are they unworthy of the Lords Table; and cannot without great sin against him, while they remain such, partake of these holy myste- " I Cor. ries," or be admitted thereun- Maf.'V. 6. *° • y^^ whosoever shall receive unworthily are guilty of the Bo- dy and Blood of the Lord, eating and drinking judgment to them- selves, [page] CHAP. XXXL Of the State of Man af- ter Death and of the Resurrection of the Dead. I. THE Bodies of Men after I i't Death return to dust,' J'; 36 /^ ■ and see corruption; but their Souls (which neither die nor sleep) having an immortal subsistence, f-^'^^- immediately^ return to God who gave them ; the Souls of the Righteous being then made per- fect in holyness, are received into paradise where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God, = Luk. 23. in light » and glory; waiting \\. 6 i: for the full Redemption of their thii. i'. 23. Bodies ; and the souls of the wick- [page] Heb. 12. ed, are cast into hell; where they remain in torment and utter dark- The English Baptists 273 ness, reserved to* the judge- 'Jud. 6. ment of the great day; besides ^- ' '^'^'• these two places for Souls separa- Luk.' i6. ted from their bodies, the Scrip- 23. 24- ture acknowledgeth none. 2. At the last day such of the ° i Cor. Saints as are found alive shall not I^Th'es^l' sleep but be° changed; and all 17. the dead shall be raised up with 'Job 19. the self same bodies, and" none 'i^'Cor' other; although with different' is. 42,' 43. qualities, which shall be uni- ted again to their Souls for ever. 3. The bodies of the unjust shall by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour; the bodies of the just by his spirit unto honour,' s Act. 24. and be made conformable to ^s', 29 '' his own glorious Body, [page] Phil. 3. 21. CHAP. XXXII. Of the Last Judge- ment. 1. GOD hath appointed a Day wherein he will judge the , . world in Righteousness, by*^ Je- 3,^' '''■ sus Christ ; to whom all power joh. 5. 22, and judgement is given of the Fa- 27. ther ; in which Day not only the "^ ' ' *'T'/'6 Apostate Angels shall be judg- 3- Ju . . ed; but likewise all persons that have lived upon the Earth, shall appear before the Tribunal of Christ; " to give an account of ' ^ Cor. their thoughts, Words, and _ Eccles. 12. Deeds, and to receive according 14. Mat. to what they have done in the Rim'n body, whether good or evil, [page] ,o_ [2. 2. The end of Gods appoint- Mat. 23. ing this Day, is for the manifesta- 32 etc. tion of the glory of his Mercy, in the Eternal Salvation of the Elect;' 22°" a'' and of his Justice in the Eter- nal damnation of the Reprobate, who are wicked and disobedi- ent; for then shall the Righteous go into Everlasting Life, and re- ceive that fulness of Joy, and Glo- ^"'■34^^' ry, with everlasting reward, in 2 'XiV. the presence ° of the Lord: 4-8- s 274 Baptist Confessions of Faith but the wicked who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into E- » Mat. 25. ternal torments, and " punished 46. Mar. 9. ^j^jj everlasting destruction, from 2 Thes. I. the presence of the Lord, and 7, 8, 9, 10. from the glory of his power. 3. As Christ would have us to be certainly perswaded that there '2 Cor. shall be a Day of judgement, both' 5- '"' "• to deter all men from sin, and s 2 Thes. for the greater ' consolation of J- 5. 6, 7. jjjg godly, in their adversity; so [page] will he have that day unknown to Men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always "Mar. 13. watchful, because they kno^y not 35, 36, 37. at what hour, the ° Lord will Luk. 13. come; and may ever be prepared iiR^ev^^22. t° say." Cotne Lord Jesus, Come quickly, 20. ' ' Amen. AN APPENDIX. WHosoever reads, and impartially considero what we have in our foregoing confession declared, may rea- dily perceive. That we do not only con- center with all other true Christians on the Word of God (revealed in the Scrip- tures of truth) as the foundation and rule of our faith and worship. But that we have also industriously endeavoured to manifest, That in the fundamental Articles of Christianity we mind the same things, and have therefore expressed our belief in the same words, that have on the like occasion been spoken by other societies of Christians before us. This we have done, That those who are desirous to know the principles of Religion which we hold and practise [page] may take an estimate from our selves (who jointly concur in this work) and may not be misguided, either by undue reports ; or by the ignorance or errors of particular persons, who going under the same name with our selves, may give The English Baptists 275 an occasion of scandalizing the truth we profess. And although we do differ from our bre- thren who are Pjedobaptists ; in the sub- ject and administration of Baptisme, and such other circumstances as have a neces- sary dependence on our observance of that Ordinance, and do frequent our own assernblies for our mutual edificati- on, and discharge of those duties, and services which we owe unto God, and in his fear, to each other : yet we would not be from hence misconstrued, as if the discharge of our own consciences herein, did any wayes disoblige or alienate our affections, or conversations from any o- thers that fear the Lord; but that we may and do as we have opportunity par- ticipate of the labours of those, whom God hath indued with abilities above [page] our selves, and qualified, and called to the Ministry of the Word, earnestly desi- ring to approve ourselves to be such, as follow after peace with holyness, and therefore we alwaies keep that blessed Irenicum, or healing Word of the Apostle before our eyes ; if in any thing ye be o- therwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you; nevertheless whereto we have already attained ; let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Phil. 3. v. IS, 16. Let it not therefore be judged of us (because much hath been written on this subjedct, and yet we continue this our practise different from others) that it is out of obstinacy, but rather as the truth is, that we do herein according to the best of our understandings worship God, out of a pure mind yielding obedience to his precept, in that method which we take to be most agreeable to the Scrip- tures of truth, and primitive practise. It would not become us to give any such intimation, as should carry a sem- blance that what we do in the service of [page] God is with a doubting conscience, or with any such temper of mind that we do thus for the present, with a reservation that we will do otherwise hereafter upon more mature deliberation; nor have we any cause so to do, being fully perswad- 276 Baptist Confessions of Faith ed, that what we do is agreeable to the will of God. Yet we do heartily pro- pose this, that if any of the Servants of our Lord Jesus shall, in the Spirit of meek- ness, attempt to convince us of any mi- stake, either in judgement or practise, we shall diligently ponder his arguments; and accompt him our chiefest friend that shall be an instrument to convert us from any error that is in our ways, for we can- not wittingly do any thing against the truth, but all things for the truth. And therefore we have indeavoured seriously to consider, what hath been al- ready offered for our satisfaction in this point; and are loth to say any more lest we should be esteemed desirous of re- newed contests hereabout: yet foras- much as it may justly be expected that we shew some reason, why we cannot ac- [page] quiesce in what hath been urged against us ; we shall with as much brevity as may consist with plainness, endeavour to satisfie the expectation of those that shall peruse what we now publish in this mat- ter also. I. As to those Christians who consent with us, That Repentance from dead works, and Faith towards God, and our Lord Je- sus Christ, is required in persons to be Bap- tised; and do therefore supply the defect of the (infant being uncapable of making confession of either) by others who do undertake these things for it. Although we do find by Church history that this hath been a very antient pra- ctise; yet considering, that the same Scripture (Rom. xiv. 4, 10, 12, 23) which does caution us against censuring our brother, with whom we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, does also instruct us. That every one of us shall give an account of himself to God, and what- soever is not of Faith is sin. Therefore we cannot for our own parts be perswaded in our own minds, to build such a pra- [page] ctise as this, upon an unwritten tradition : But do rather choose in all points of Faith and Worship, to have recourse to the holy Scriptures, for the information of our judgment, and regulation of our The English Baptists 277 practise; being well assured that a con- scientious attending thereto, is the best way to prevent, and rectifie our defects and errors. 2 Tim. 3. 16, 17. And if any such case happen to be debated between Christians, which is not plainly determi- nable by the Scriptures, we think it safest to leave such things undecided until the second coming of our Lord Jesus ; as they did in the Church of old, until there should arise a Priest with Urim and Thum- mim, that might certainly inform them of the mind of God thereabout, Esra, 2. 62, 63. 2. As for those our Christian brethren who do ground their arguments for In- fants baptism, upon a presumed foederal holiness, or Church-Membership, we conceive they are deficient in this, that albeit this Covenant-Holiness and Mem- bership should be as is supposed, in refe- [page] rence unto the Infants of Believers; yet no command for Infant baptism does im- mediately and directly result from such a quality, or relation. All instituted Worship receives its san- ction from the precept, and is to be thereby governed in all the necessary cir- cumstances thereof. So it was in the Covenant that God made with Abraham and his Seed. The sign whereof was appropriated only to the Male, notwithstanding that the fe- male seed as well as the Male were com- prehended in the Covenant and part of the Church of God; neither was this sign to be affixed to any Male Infant till he was eight dayes old, albeit he was within the Covenant from the first mo- ment of his life; nor could the danger of death, or any other supposed necessi- ty, warrant the circumcising of him be- fore the set time, nor was there any cause for it; the commination of being cut off from his people, being only upon the neglect, or contempt of the precept, [page] Righteous Lot was nearly related to Abraham in the flesh, and contemporary with him, when this Covenant was made; yet inasmuch as he did not de- scend from his loynes, nor was of his household family (although he was of the 278 Baptist Confessions of Faith same houshold of faith with Abraham) yet neither Lot himself nor any of his poste- rity (because of their descent from him) were signed with the signature of this Covenant that was made with Abraham and his seed. This may suffice to shew, that where there was both an express Covenant, and a sign thereof (such a Covenant as did separate the persons with whom it was made, and all their off-spring from all the rest of the world, as a people holy unto the Lord, and did constitute them the visible Church of God, (though not comprehensive of all the faithful in the world) yet the sign of this Covenant was not affixed to all the persons that were within this Covenant, nor to any of them till the prefixt season; nor to other faith- ful servants of God, that were not of de- [page] scent from Abraham. And consequently that it depends purely upon the will of the Law-giver, to determine what shall be the sign of his Covenant, unto whom, at what season, and upon what terms, it shall be affixed. If our brethren do suppose baptism to be the seal of the Covenant which God makes with every believer (of which the Scriptures are altogether silent) it is not our concern to contend with them here- in ; yet we conceive the seal of that Cove- nant is the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in the particular and individual persons in whom he resides, and nothing else, neither do they or we suppose that baptism is in any such manner substituted in the place of circumcision, as to have the same (and no other) latitude, extent, or terms, then circumcision had ; for that was suited only for the Male children, baptism is an ordinance suited for every believer, whether male, or female. That extended to all the males that were born in Abrahams house, or bought with his money, equally with the males that pro- [page] ceeded from his own loynes ; but bap- tisme is not so far extended in any true Christian Church that we know of, as to be administered to all the poor infidel ser- vants, that the members thereof purchase The English Baptists 279 for their service, and introduce into their families; nor to the children born of them in their house. But we conceive the same parity of reasoning may hold for the ordinance of baptism as for that of circumcision ; Exodus 12. 49. viz. one lav\r for the stran- ger, as for the homeborn : If any desire to be admitted to all the ordinances, and priviledges of Gods house, the door is open ; upon the same terms that any one person was ever admitted to all, or any of those priviledges, that belong to the Christian Church; may all persons of right challenge the like admission. As for that text of Scripture, Rom 4. II., He received circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised; we conceive if the Apostles scope in that place be duly at- tended to, it will appear that no argument [page] can be taken from thence to inforce In- fant baptism; and forasmuch as we find a full and fair account of those words gi- ven by the learned Dr. Lightfoot (a man not to be suspected of partiality in this controversie) in his Hor. Hebrai, on the I Cor. 7. 19. p. 42, 43- we shall trans- cribe his words at large, without any comment of our own upon them. (Latin and English here in parallel columns. Latin omitted and no attempt made to follow the lining of the English.) Circumcision is nothing, if we respect the time, for now it was without use, that end of it being especially fulfilled; for which it had been instituted : this end the Apostle declares m these words, Rom. 4. II, -r^pov'S". &c. But I fear that by most translations they are not sufficiently suited to the end of circumcision, and the scope of the Apostle whilst something of their own is by them inserted. , ,. . . ,, And after the Doctor hath represented diverse versions of the words agreeing for the most part in sense with that which we have in our bibles he thus proceeds. (Latin and English.) Other versions are to the same purpose ; as if circumcision was given to Abraham for a Seal of that Righteousness which he had 28o Baptist Confessions of Faith being yet uncircumcised, which we will not deny to be in some sense true, but we believe that circumcision had chiefly a far different respect. Give me leave thus to render the words; And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the Righteousness of Faith, which was to be in the uncircumcision. Which was to be (I say), not which had been, not that which Abraham had whilst he was yet uncircumcised ; but that which his uncircumcised seed should have, that is the Gentiles, who in time to come should imitate the faith of Abraham. Now consider well on what occasion circumcision was instituted unto Abraham, setting before thine eyes the history thereof. Gen. 17. This promise is first made unto him, Thou shall be the father of many nations (in what sense the Apostle explaineth in that chapter) and then there is subjoined a double seal for the con- firmation of the thing, to wit, the change of the name Abram to Abraham, and the institution of circumcision v. 4, Behold as for me, my Covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the Father of many nations. Wherefore was his name called Abraham? for the sealing of his promise. Thou shalt be the father of many na- tions. And wherefore was circumcision instituted to him? For the sealing of the same promise. Thou shalt be the father of many ttations. So that this is the sense of the Apostle, most agreeable to the institution of circumcision; he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the Righteousness of Faith which in time to come the uncircumcision (or the Gentiles) should have and obtain. Abraham had a twofold seed, natural, or the Jews; and faithful, of the believing Gentiles: his natural seed was signed with the sign of circumcision, first indeed for the distinguishing of them from all other Nations whilst they as yet were not the seed of Abraham, but especially for the memorial of the justification of the Gentiles by faith, when at length they should become his seed. Therefore circumcision was of right to cease, when the Gentiles were brought into the faith, forasmuch as then it had obtained its last and chief end, and thenceforth circumcision is nothing. [page] Thus far he, which we earnestly desire may be seriously weighed, for we plead not his authority, but the evidence of truth in his words. 3. Of whatsoever nature the holiness of the children mentioned, i Cor. 7. 12. be, yet they who do conclude that all such children (whether Infants or of riper years) have from hence an immediate right to baptism, do as we conceive put more into the conclusion, than will be found in the premises. The English Baptists 281 For although we do not determine po- sitively concerning the Apostles scope in the holiness here mentioned, so as to say it is this, or that, and no other thing; Yet it is evident that the Apostle does by it determine not only the lawfulness but the expedience also of a believers coha- bition with an unbeliever, in the state of marriage. And we do think that although the Apostles asserting of the unbelieving [page] yoke-fellow to be sanctified by the be- liever, should carry in it somewhat more then is in the bare marriage of two infi- dels, because although the marriage cove- nant have a divine sanction so as to make the wedlock of two unbelievers a lawful action, and their conjunction and cohabi- tation in that respect undefiled, yet there might be no ground to suppose from thence, that both or either of their per- sons are thereby sanctified; and the Apo- stle urges the cohabition of a believer with an infidel in the state of wedlock from this ground, that the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife; nevertheless here you have the in- fluence of a believers faith ascending from an inferior to a superior relation; from the wife to the husband who is her head, he- fore it can descend to their off-spring. And therefore we say, whatever be the nature or extent of the holiness here intended, we conceive it cannot convey to the children an immediate right to baptism; because it would then be of another na- ture, and of a larger extent, then the root, [page] and original from whence it is derived, for it is clear by the Apostles argument that holiness cannot be derived to the child from the sanctity of one parent on- ly, if either father or mother be (in the sense intended by the Apostle) unholy or unclean, so will the child be also, there- fore for the production of a holy seed it is necessary that both the Parents be sanctified; and this the Apostle positive- ly asserts in the first place to be done by the believing parent, although the other be an unbeliever, and then consequen- tially from thence argues, the holiness of their children. Hence it follows, that as 282 Baptist Confessions of Faith the children have no other holiness then what they derive from their Pa- rents; so neither can they have any right by this holiness to any spiritual privi- ledge, but such as both their Parents did also partake of: and therefore if the un- believing Parent (though sanctified by the believing Parent) have not thereby a right to baptism, neither can we con- ceive, that there is any such priviledge, derived to the children by their birth ho- liness, [page] Besides if it had been the usual practise in the Apostles dayes for the father or mother, that did believe, to bring all their children with them to be baptised; then the holiness of the believing Corinthians' children, would not at all have been in question when this Epistle was written; but might have been argued from their passing under that ordinance, which re- presented their new birth, although they had derived no holiness from their Pa- rents, by their first birth; and would have layen as an exception against the Apostles inference, else were your Children unclean, &c. But of the sanctification of all the children of every believer by this ordi- nance, or any other way, then what is before- mentioned, the Scripture is alto- gether silent. This may be also added; that if this birth holiness do qualifie all the children of every believer, for the ordinance of baptism ; why not for all other ordi- nances? for the Lords Supper as was pra- ctised for a long time together? for if re- course be had to what the Scriptures [page] speak generally of this subject ; it will be found, that the same qualities which do intitle any person to baptism, do so also for the participation of all the Ordi- nances, and priviledges of the house of God, that are common to all believers. Whosoever can and does interrogate his good Conscience towards God when he is baptized (as every one must do that makes it to himself a sign of Salvation) is capable of doing the same thing, in eve- ry other act of worship that he performs. 4. The arguments and inferences that The English Baptists 283 are usually brought for, or against In- fant baptism from those few instances which the Scriptures afford us of whole families being baptized; are only con- jectural; and therefore cannot of them- selves, be conclusive on either hand: yet in regard most that treat on this subject of Infant baptism, do (as they conceive) improve these instances to the advantage of their present argument: we think it meet (in like manner as in the cases before menti- oned so in this) to shew the invalidity of such inferences, [page] Cornelius worshipped God with all his house, the Jailor, and Crispus the chief ruler of the Synagogue, believed God with each of their houses. The household of Ste- phanus addicted themselves to the Ministry of the Saints: so that thus far Worship- ping, and Believing runs parallel with Baptism. And if Lydia, had been a mar- ried person, when she believed, it is pro- bable her husband would also have been named by the Apostle, as in like cases, in- asmuch as he would have been not only a part, but the head of that baptized household. Who can assign any probable reason, why the Apostle should make mention of four or five households being baptized and no more? or why he does so often vary in the method of his salutations, Rom. i. 6. sometimes mentioning only particular persons of great note, other times such, and the Church in their house? the Saints that were with them; and them belonging to Narcissus, who were in the Lord; thus saluting either whole families, or part of families, or only particular persons in fa- [page] milies, considered as they were in the Lord, for if it had been a usual practise to baptize all children, with their pa- rents; there were then many thousands of the Jews which believed, and a great number of the Gentiles, in most of the principal Cities in the World, and among so many thousands, it is more than proba- ble there would have been some thou- sands of housholds baptised ; why then should the Apostle in this respect signa- lize one family of the Jews and three or 284 Baptist Confessions of Faith four of the Gentiles, as particular instances in a case that was common? whoever supposes that we do wilfully debar our children, from the benefits of any pro- mise, or priviledge, that of right belongs to the children of believing parents; they do entertain over-severe thoughts of us: to be without natural affections is one of the characters of the worst of persons, in the worst of times. Wee do freely confesse our selves guilty before the Lord, in that we have not with more circum- spection and diligence train'd up those that relate to us in the fear of the Lord; [page] and do humbly and earnestly pray, that our omissions herein may be remitted, and that they may not redound to the prejudice of our selves, or any of ours : but with respect to that duty that is in- cumbent on us, we acknowledge our selves obliged by the precepts of God, to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to teach them his fear, both by instruction and ex- ample; and should we set light by this precept, it would demonstrate that we are more vile then the unnatural Heathen, that like not to retain God in their know- ledge, our baptism might then be justly accompted, as no baptism to us. There are many special promises that do incourage us as well as precepts, that do oblige us to the close pursuit of our du- ty herein : that God whom we serve, being jealous of his Worship, threatens the visiting of the Fathers transgression upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him: yet does more abundantly extend his mercy, even to thousands (respecting the off- [page] spring and succeeding generations) of them that love him, and keep his com- mandments. When our Lord rebuked his disciples for prohibiting the access of little chil- dren that were brought to him, that he might pray over them, lay his hands up- on them, and blesse them, does declare, that of such is the Kingdom of God. And the Apostle Peter in answer to their inquiry, that desired to know what they must do The English Baptists 285 to be saved, does not only instruct them in the necessary duty of repentance and baptism; but does also thereto encourage them, by that promise which had refe- rence both to them, and their children ; if our Lord Jesus in the forementioned place, do not respect the qualities of children (as elsewhere) as to their meek- ness, humility, and sincerity, and the like; but intend also that those very persons and such like, appertain to the Kingdom of God, and if the Apostle Peter in men- tioning the aforesaid promise, do respect not only the present and succeeding ge- nerations of those Jews, that heard him [page] (in which sense the same phrase doth oc- curre in Scripture) but also the immedi- ate off-spring of his auditors; whether the promise relate to the gift of the Holy Spirit, or of eternal life, or any grace, or priviledge tending to the obtaining thereof; it is neither our concerne nor our interest to confine the mercies, and promises of God, to a more narrow, or lesse compasse then he is pleased grati- ously to offer and intend them; nor to have a light esteem of them ; but are o- bliged in duty to God, and affection to our children; to plead earnestly with God and use our utmost endeavours that both our selves, and our off-spring may be partakers of his Mercies and gracious Promises : yet we cannot from either of these texts collect a sufficient warrant for us to baptize our children before they are instructed in the principles of the Christian Religion. For as to the instance in little children, it seems by the disciples forbidding them, that they were brought upon some other account, not so frequent as Baptism must be supposed to have been, if from the be- ginning believers children had been ad- mitted thereto : and no account is given whether their parents were baptised be- lievers or not; and as to the instance of the Apostle ; if the following words and _ practise, may be taken as an interpretati- on of the scope of that promise we cannot conceive it does refer to infant baptism, because the text does presently 286 Baptist Confessions of Faith subjoyn; Then they that gladly received the word were baptised. That there were some believing chil- dren of believing parents in the Apostles dayes is evident from the Scriptures, even such as were then in their fathers family, and under their parents tuition, and edu- cation; to whom the Apostle in several of his Epistles to the Churches, giveth commands to obey their parents in the Lord ; and does allure their tender years to hearken to this precept, by reminding them that it is the first command with promise. And it is recorded by him for the praise of Timothy, and encouragement of pa- [page] rents betimes to instruct, and children early to attend to godly instruction, that 'airb ppecos from a child, he had known the holy Scriptures. The Apostle John rejoyced greatly when he found the children of the E- lect Lady walking in the truth; and the children of her Elect Sister joyn with the Apostle in his salutation. But that this was not generally so, that all the children of believers were ac- counted for believers (as they would have been if they had been all baptised) may be collected from the character which the Apostle gives of persons fit to be chosen to Eldership in the Church which was not common to all believers; among o- thers this is expressely one, vis. If there be any having believing, or faithful chil- dren, not accused of Riot or unruly; and we may, from the Apostles writings on the same subject collect the reason of this qualification, vis. That in case the person designed for this office to teach and rule in the house of God, had children capa- ble of it ; there must be first a proof of [page] his ability, industry, and successe in this work in his own family; and private ca- pacity, before he was ordained to the exercise of this authority in the Church, in a publick capacity, as a Bishop in the house of God. These things we have mentioned as having a direct reference unto the con- troversie between our brethren and us; other things that are more abstruse and The English Baptists 287 prolix, which are frequently introduced into this controversie, but do not neces- sarily concern it, we have purposely a- voided; that the distance between us and our brethren may not be by us made more wide; for it is our duty, and con- cern so far as is possible for us (retaining a good conscience towards God) to seek a more entire agreement and reconciliati- on with them. We are not insensible that as to the or- der of God's house, and entire communion therein there are some things wherein we (as well as others) are not at a full accord among our selves, as for instance ; the [page] known principle, and state of the con- sciences of diverse of us, that have agreed in this Confession is such; that we can- not hold Church-communion, with any other than Baptised-believers, and Churches constituted of such; yet some others of us have a greater liberty and freedom in our spirits that way; and therefore we have purposely omitted the mention of things of that nature, that we might concurre, in giving this evidence of our agreement, both among our selves, and with other good Christians, in those important articles of the Christian Reli- gion, mainly insisted on by us : and this notwithstanding we all esteem it our chief concern, both among our selves, and all others that in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours, and love him in sin- cerity, to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace ; and in order thereunto, to exercise all lowli- ness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. And we are purswaded if the same me- [page] thod were introduced into frequent pra- ctise between us and our Christian friends who agree with us in all the fundamental articles of the Christian faith (though _ they do not so in the subject and admini- stration of baptism) it would soon beget a better understanding, and brotherly affection between us. In the beginning of the Christian Church, when the doctrine of the baptism 288 Baptist Confessions of Faith of Christ was not universally understood, yet those that knew only the baptism of John, were the Disciples of the Lord Je- sus; and Apollos an eminent Minister of the Gospel of Jesus. In the beginning of the reformation of the Christian Church, and recovery from that Egyptian darkness wherein our fore- fathers for many generations were held in bondage; upon recourse had to the Scriptures of truth, different apprehen- sions were conceived, which are to this time continued, concerning the practise of this Ordinance. Let not our zeal herein be misinterpre- ted: that God whom we serve is jealous [page] of his worship. By his gracious provi- dence the Law thereof, is continued a- mongst us; and we are forewarned by what hapned in the Church of the Jews, that it is necessary for every generation, and that frequently in every generation to consult the divine oracle, compare our worship with the rule, and take heed to what doctrines we receive and pra- ctise. If the ten commandments exhibited in the popish Idolatrous service books had been received as the entire law of God, because they agree in number with his ten commands, and also in the substance of nine of them; the second Command- ment forbidding Idolatry had been ut- terly lost. If Ezra and Nehemiah had not made a diligent search into the particular parts of Gods law, and his worship ; the Feast of Tabernacles (which for many centuries of years, had not been duly observed, ac- cording to the institution, though it was retained in the general notion) would not have been kept in due order, [page] So may it be now as to many things re- lating to the service of God, which do retain the names proper to them in their first institution, but yet through inadver- tency (where there is no sinister design) may vary in their circumstances, from their iirst institution. And if by means of any antient defection, or of that ge- neral corruption of the service of God, The English Baptists 289 and interruption of his true worship, and persecution of his servants by the Anti-christian Bishop of Rome, for many gene- rations; those who do consult the Word of God, cannot yet arrive at a full and mutual satisfaction among themselves, -what was the practise of the primitive Christian Church, in some points rela- ting to the Worship of God : yet inasmuch as these things are not of the essence of Christianity, but that we agree in the fundamental doctrines thereof, we do apprehend, there is sufficient ground to lay aside all bitterness and prejudice, and in the spirit of love and meekness to im- [page] brace and own each other therein; leav- ing each other at liberty to perform such other services, wherein we cannot con- cur apart unto God, according to the best of our understanding. FINIS. 4. PRIVATE CONFESSIONS Other Confessions were published by private indi- viduals in this period, and attained some circulation. One was by John Bunyan, another by the famous Welsh preacher. Vavasor Powell. In 1697 Benjamin Keach and his son, Elias Keach, the former pastor at Horsley- down and the latter at Tallow Chandler's Hall, London, united in a Confession of faith for their congregations. The body of the Confession and the appendix on disci- pline were identical in both, but each had a preface, dedication, and signatures appropriate to itself. That of Benjamin Keach was signed by members of his church, August 10; that of his son, five days later. The reasons given by Elias Keach in the letter " To the Reader " for publishing this Confession were the general ignorance of Baptist doctrines and usages on the part of the Baptists themselves, as well as others, the bulkiness, expensiveness, and scarcity of the former Confession, its T 290 Baptist Confessions of Faith omission of some matters of importance, and the need of a treatise on discipline, as well as to distinguish them- selves from some who bear the same name; and, finally, to arm the members against error and show " that the Baptists are not such Scare-Crows as some would make the unwary believe." It professes to be a condensation of the last Confession, with the addition of articles on the imposition of hands and the singing of psalms in public worship. But there are several more or less im- portant differences in doctrine. It was provided with an appendix on discipline, entitled, " The Glory and Orna- ment of a True Gospel-constituted Church," written by Benjamin Keach and drawn largely from Doctor Chauncey. Only one English edition is known, but it exerted a great influence on the Philadelphia Confession and the Baptists of the middle colonies of America. During the eighteenth century the English Calvinistic Baptists published no Confessions of note. They suf- fered with the general decline in religion, and for three- quarters of the century manifested little life in any di- rection. In 1764 Dr. John Gill's church, in London, pub- lished their Confession in twelve articles. It is rigidly Calvinistic. 5. PRESENT DOCTRINAL POSITION OF THE ENGLISH BAPTISTS With the rise of the Methodist movement and the work of Andrew Fuller, a great change was wrought in the theology of English Calvinistic Baptists. It was nothing less than the grafting of the Arminian doctrine of a uni- versal atonement upon the old Calvinistic stock and the consequent serious and earnest offer of salvation to all men. Simultaneously with this change in Baptist the- ology came the work of Carey and the beginnings of The English Baptists 2gi foreign missions, with the rise of the practical tasks of the Sunday-school, Bible societies, tract societies, and similar organizations. Men's minds were turned to the practical side of Christianity, and their horizon was sud- denly enlarged to include the whole world in the vision of their obligation and opportunity. They turned away from theological controversies and formulas. The old Confessions gradually fell into disuse, but no others took their places. The Union repeatedly declined to draw up any new Confession or prescribe one. The Arminian and Calvinistic wings by degrees approached each other. The rancors and contentions of former years were grad- ually forgotten in the presence of the great thrilling tasks of the nineteenth century. Finally, in 1888, the great majority of both parties dropped party names and united in a working compact for the furtherance of the King's business. The brief statement which forms the doctrinal basis of The Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland was formulated by the council and adopted by the Union April 23, 1888. It was because of dissatisfaction with this statement that Spurgeon withdrew from the Union in 1888, remaining aloof until his death in 1892. The statement was published in regular order in the proceed- ings of the Union for that year, and has never been re- printed. The statement, which was adopted with only seven dissenting voices in a meeting of seventeen or eighteen hundred messengers, is as follows: Whilst expressly disavowing and disallowing any powers to control belief, or to restrict enquiry, yet, in view of the uneasiness produced in the churches _ by re- cent discussions, and to show our agreement with one another, and with our fellow-Christians on the great truths of the Gospel, the Council deem it right to say that: 292 Baptist Confe ssions of Faith A. Baptized into the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we have avowed repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ— the very ele- ments of a new life; as in the Supper we avow our union with one another, while partaking of the symbol of the body of our Lord, broken for us, and of the blood shed for the remission of sins. The Union, therefore, is an association of Churches and Ministers professing not only to believe the facts and doctrines of the Gospel, but to have undergone the spiritual change expressed or im- plied in them. This change is the fundamental principle of our church life. B. The following facts and doctrines are commonly believed by the churches of the Union : — (i). The Divine Inspiration and Authority of the Holy Scripture as the supreme and sufficient rule of our faith and practice ; and the right and duty of individual judgment in the interpretation of it. (2), The fallen and sinful state of man. (3), The Deity, the Incarnation, the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Sacrificial and Medi- atorial work. (4), Justification by faith — a faith that works by love and produces holiness. (5), The work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of sinners and in the sanctification of all who believe. (6), The Resurrection; the Judgment at the last day, according to the words of our Lord in Matt. 25. 46.* Upon this statement the great majority of the Baptists of Great Britain still stand. There are still small bodies, remnants of former parties, who stand aloof; but the great majority of British Baptists stand and work to- gether upon the basis of this brief statement of facts and doctrines. * " It should be stated, as a historical fact, that there have been brethren in the Union, working cordially with it, who while reverently bowing to the authority of Holy Scripture, and rejecting the dogmas of Purgatory and Universalism, have not held the common interpretation of these words of our Lord," patt jFout AMERICAN BAPTISTS A. Calvinistic Baptists I. The Philadelphia Confession In England the Arminian, but in America the Cal- vinistic Baptists were the earlier party. Roger Williams and his associates came to America as Independents, holding the type of Calvinism which prevailed among that party at the time in England. When he became a Baptist he carried his theology with him into the organi- zation of the First Church of Providence, the earliest Baptist church in America. At that date there was no Calvinistic Baptist Confession in existence. The church drew up none, and has continued to this day without any statement of doctrine. A few other Calvinistic Baptist churches were organized in New England, in the Middle Atlantic and Southern colonies within the seventeenth century, but no Confession of faith was published, and none adopted, as far as known. The earliest Association, the Philadelphia, was organized in 1707. The Calvinistic Baptists in this region showed more vigor, harmony, and aggressiveness than elsewhere. Moreover, they seem to have been in more constant and intimate relations with their English brethren than those of other sections. Elias Keach had been converted in this region, and had then been very active in preaching and establishing churches in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He returned to England about 1692, and became pastor in London. 293 294 Baptist Confessions of Faith As we have seen, he and his father united in publishing a Confession of Faith in London in 1697. This Confession is the first one we hear of in America. The church at Middletown, N. J., fell into doctrinal confusion early in the eighteenth century, and being unable to restore har- mony again, called a council to assist them in 1712. Among other things, this council recommended that the members " should subscribe to Elias Reach's Confession of Faith, at the least the covenant annexed to it," and that such as subscribed should be regarded as the Baptist church. Accordingly, this was done; forty-two of the sixty-eight members agreed to the proposition and sub- scribed, and in this way the church was reconstituted on the basis of Keach's Confession. The first notice of the Confession of 1689 occurs in 1716, in connection with the interesting Welsh Tract Church, in New Jersey. According to the records of this church (I, i8f) the Confession was "translated to Welsh by Abel Morgan (minister of the gospel in Philadelphia), to which was added. An article relative to Laying on of hands ; Singing Psalms ; and Church-Covenants. This Confession (after being read and thoroughly considered at our quarterly meeting, February 4, 1716) was signed." It is not known that this Welsh edition was ever pub- lished. The first reference to any Confession of faith by an Association in America was by the Philadelphia Associ- ation, in 1724. In reply to a query concerning the Sab- bath, the Association refers " to the Confession of Faith, set forth by the elders and brethren met in London, 1689, and owned by us." It is not known that the Confession had been adopted by the Association in any formal way ; nevertheless, it was evidently already regarded as their standard of doctrine. References to " our Confession of American Baptists 295 faith," " the Confession of Faith," etc., in 1727 and 1729, almost certainly refer to the same Confession. Finally, the Association assembled at Philadelphia, September 25, 1742, ordered the printing of a new edition of this Con- fession, the first of this or any other Baptist Confession, to be printed in America. It was to have two additional articles, " concerning singing of psalms in the worship of God," and " laying of hands upon baptized believers." Jenkin Jones and Benjamin Griffith were also requested to " prepare a short treatise of discipline, to be annexed to the Confession of faith" (Minutes Philadelphia As- sociation, 1742). There had been tremendous controversy among Eng- lish Baptists over singing in public worship and the imposition of hands upon the newly baptized, and articles in favor of both practices had found place in Reach's Confession. Imposition of hands was not general among Calvinistic Baptists in England, or in America in the earliest times; but the influence of Keach's Confession and of the Welsh Baptists (Minutes of Welsh Tract Church) had been decisive, and the Philadelphia Baptists now incorporate the practice in their doctrinal statement. The two articles, which are numbers XXIII and XXXI, are reprints of Articles XXVII and XXIII of Keach's Confession. The next year the Association adopted the Discipline, prepared and presented by Benjamin Griffith. Mr. Jones had been unable to give attention to the matter, and Mr. Griffith had used a "Tract published by Mr. Elias Keach," a manuscript by Abel Morgan, some writ- ings of Doctors Owen and Goodwin, and previous actions of the Association on matters of discipline. His com- pilation was now added as an appendix to the Confession, and the whole was published 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, with the title: 296 Baptist Confessions of Faith A CONFESSION OF FAITH, Put forth by the Elders and Brethren Of many CONGREGATIONS OF CHRISTIANS (Baptized upon Profession of their Faith) In London and the Country. Adopted by the Baptist ASSOCIATION met at Philadelphia, Sept. 25, 1742. The SIXTH EDITION. To which are added, TWO Articles viz. Of Imposition of Hands, and Singing of Psalms in Public Worship. ALSO A Short Treatise of Church Discipline. With the Heart Man believeth unto Righteous- ness, and with the Mouth Confession is made unto Salvation, Rom. 10.20. Search the Scriptures, John 5.39. PHILADELPHIA : Printed by B. FRANKLIN. M,DCC,XLIII. American Baptists 297 It is an exact reprint of the Assembly Confession of 1689, with the addition of the following articles, taken verbatim from Keach's Confession: CHAPTER XXIII. OF SINGING PSALMS, &C. We believe that ' acts 16 25 eph 5 19 col 3 16 ' singing the praises of God, is a holy Ordinance of Christ, and not a part of natural religion, or a moral duty only ; but that it is brought under divine institution, it being in- joined on the churches of Christ to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; and that the whole church in their public assemblies, as well as private christians, ought to ' heb 2 12 jam 5 13 ' sing God's praises according to the best light they have received. Moreover, it was prac- ticed in the great representative church, by ' matt 26 30 mat 14 26 ' our Lord Jesus Christ with his disciples, after he had instituted and celebrated the sacred ordinance of his Holy Supper, as a commemorative token of re- deeming love. CHAPTER XXXI. OF LAYING ON OF HANDS. We believe that (Heb 5 12 and 612 Acts 8 17 18 and 19 6) laying on of hands (with prayer) upon bap- tized believers, as such, is an ordinance of Christ, and ought to be submitted unto by all such persons that are admitted to partake of the Lord's Supper; and that the end of this ordinance is not for the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, but for (Eph i 13 14) a farther reception of the Holy Spirit of promise, or for the addition of the graces of the Spirit, and the influences thereof; to con- firm, strengthen, and comfort them in Christ Jesus; it being ratified and established by the (Acts 8 and 19 6) extraordinary gifts of the Spirit in the primitive times, to abide in the Church, as meeting together on the first Day of the week was. Acts 2 i that being the day of worship, or Christian Sabbath, under the gospel; and as preaching the word was. Acts 10 44 and as Baptism 298 Baptist Confessions of Faith was, Mat 3 16 and prayer was, Acts 4 31 and singing Psalms, &c was Acts 16 25 26 so this of laying on of hands was, Acts 8 & ch 19 for as the whole gospel was confirmed by (Heb 234) signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost in general, so was every ordinance in like manner confirmed in particular. The Philadelphia Association published many editions of the Confession in this form. From this Association it went into the churches, and into other Associations, so that it is justly called in America " The Philadelphia Con- fession of Faith." The Charleston Association adopted it in 1767. The article on the laying on of hands was omitted from all the editions published by this Association, though the one on singing is retained. The second edition, published at Charleston, 1813, has, in addition to the Confession, a " Summary of Church Discipline " and " The Baptist Catechism," bound in leather, and making a neat volume. In 1 83 1 Rev. Daniel Sheppard issued an edition in which the Scripture references were quoted in full at the bottom of the page ; the summary of disciphne was retained, and an " appendix," supposed to have been drawn up by Oliver Hart and others, and treating various questions of Baptist polity and practice, was added. The whole makes a leather-bound volume of three hundred and three pages. A fourth edition appeared in 1850, and there may have been others. Many churches and other Associations, both North and South, adopted this Confession. In recent years it has been losing ground, especially in the North, but it is still widely used, and in the South is probably the most influential of all Confessions. The larger Baptist bodies in America have, as a rule, abstained from making doctrinal statements or formally American Baptists 299 adopting existing Confessions. Indeed, the Southern Baptist Convention, in its address " to the Brethren in the United States," at its organization in 1845, says: " We have constructed for our basis no new creed, acting in this matter upon a Baptist aversion for all creeds but the Bible." 2. The New Hampshire Confession The only Confession of any note produced by Ameri- can Calvinistic Baptists is the so-called " New Hampshire Confession of Faith." Indeed, it is doubtful if it ought to be called Calvinistic, since it is non-committal on every point of difference between the Calvinistic and Arminian systems. It is brief and very moderately Calvinistic. It emanated from the region where Arminian influences among American Baptists have always been strongest, and it faithfully reflects the modifying tendency of their presence. It is perhaps the most widely used and influ- ential statement of doctrine among American Baptists at the present time. Its origin explains its name. On June 24, 1830, the Baptist Convention of New Hampshire appointed a committee " to prepare and pre- sent at our next annual session, such a Declaration of Faith and Practice, together with a Covenant, as may be thought agreeable and consistent with the views of all our churches in this State." Next year the committee reported that it had made some progress, but had been unable to finish its task. At the request of the members they were discharged, and Rev. I. Person was " appointed to finish the work and report to the Board of this Con- vention as soon as convenient." June 26, 1832, he sub- mitted to the Board the draft of a Confession, which was received and referred to " a select committee consisting of [Baron] Stow, [J. Newton] Brown, and [Jonathan] Go- 300 Baptist Confessions of Faith ing, with the author. Two days later this committee re- ported to the convention in favor of adopting the articles " with some slight alterations ; but after some discussion it was resolved to refer them to the disposal of the Board." The matter never came before the convention ' again. The next day, however, it came before the Board anew. The articles were presented, and after discussion, referred to " brethren Stow and Brown to be revised and presented at the next meeting of the Board." October 10 and II, 1832, the Board heard the report of the com- mittee, discussed it at length, received it, and discharged the committee. Brown was then appointed to prepare a complete copy for the next meeting of the Board, incor- porating the alterations which had been decided on in this discussion. January 15, 1833, Mr. Brown presented the work. The Board ordered the words " article " or " ar- ticles " stricken out wherever they occurred, and the word "Declaration" substituted. It was then voted " that the Declaration of Faith and Covenant prepared by Bren. Stow and Brown, and now read before the Board of this Convention, are entitled to their unanimous approbation, and are by them cordially recommended to the adoption of the churches." ^ It contained sixteen articles, and was published with the authority of the Board of the Baptist State Convention of New Hampshire. In 1853 Rev. J. Newton Brown, who was then editorial secretary of the American Baptist Publication Society, on his own authority revised this Confession, adding two articles, one on "Repentance and Faith," and one on " Sanctification," making eighteen in all. In this form he incorporated it in "The Baptist Church Manual," and circulated it widely. It was copied in other church man- uals and thus further popularized until it has become al- 1 Minutes N. H. Bap. His. Soc. 1891. American Baptists 301 most the sole Confession used in the North, East, and West, where Calvinism has been most modified by Ar- minianism. In 1867 Rev. J. M. Pendleton, who was then pastor at Upland, Pa., incorporated this Confession in his " Church Manual." This manual was widely circulated among the " Landmark " Baptists, of whom Doctor Pendleton was a leader. It thus came to be adopted as the doctrinal statement of most of the newer churches and Associations of this type. It was recently adopted by the Landmark Convention, and is said to be the statement recognized by most of the Associations. It was adopted as the " Articles of Faith " of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary after Article XIII had been changed by striking out the word " visible " and inserting " particular," making it read, " particular church," in- stead of " visible church." In 1890 Rev. E. T. Hiscox, in his " Standard Manual," divided the article on " Baptism and the Lord's Supper " into two, making nineteen articles in all. In his " New Directory " he has further enlarged it, so that it now con- tains, as published by him, twenty articles. All efforts to discover a copy of the original edition have proved unavailing. The following is reproduced from William Crowell's " Church Members Hand-Book," and may not be the exact original text, though it is cer- tainly substantially so. Additions made in 1853 are en- closed in brackets, while other changes are indicated in the notes. Declaration of Faith. i. Of the Scriptures. We believe [that] the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that it has God for its author, salvation for 302 Baptist Confessions of Faith its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true centre of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. ii. Of the True God. [We believe] That there is one, and only one, living and true ^ God, [an infinite, intelHgent Spirit,] whose name is JEHOVAH, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth ; inexpressibly glorious in holiness ; [and] worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; revealed under the personal and relative distinctions of ^ the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ; ^ equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious ofifices in the great work of redemption. iii. Of the Fall of Man. [We believe] That man was created in a state of * holi- ness, under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy and happy state ; in con- sequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint but choice, being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, wholly given to the gratification of the world, of Satan, and of their own sinful passions,^ therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse. iv. Of the Way of Salvation. [We believe] That the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace ; through the Mediatorial Ofifices of the Son of God, who [by the appointment of the Father, freely] took upon him our nature, yet without sin ; honored the [divine] law by his personal obedience, and made atone- ^ " true and living" in ed. 1853, 2 " revealed ... of the Father,'* is as follows in ed. 1853, " that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father," etc. ^ " Ghost " in ed. 1853. *"a state of," omitted in ed. 1853. ^ " wholly given . . . sinful passions " is changed to *' positively inclined to evil " in ed. 1853. American Baptists 303 ment for our sins by his death " ; being ''risen from the dead he is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in his wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, [he] is every way quahfied to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Saviour. V. Of Justification [We believe] That the great Gospel blessing which Christ of his fulness bestows on such •* as believe in Him, is Justification ; that Justification consists in '' the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life, on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through His own redemption and righteous- ness,^ [by virtue of which faith his perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us of God;] that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other blessing needful for time and eternity. vi. Of the Freeness of Salvation. [We believe] That the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel ; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, [penitent,] and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth except ® his own [inherent de- pravity and] voluntary refusal to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ,^" which refusal will subject him to ^^ an aggravated condemnation. vii. Of grace in Regeneration. [We believe] That in order to be saved, we ^^ must be regenerated or born again; that regeneration consists ^ Ed. 1853 reads, "and by his death made a full atonement for our sins'* for " and made . . . death." ' " that having risen " in ed. 1853. a For "of his . . . such" ed. 1853 has "secures to such." b For " consists in " ed. 1853 has " includes." s For " His own redemption and righteousness " ed. 1853 has " faith in the Redeemer's blood." » " But " in ed. 1853. ""For "refusal to . . . Jesus Christ" ed. 1853 has "rejection of the gospel." ^ " which refusal ... to " changed to " which rejection involves him in.'* '2 " Sinners " in ed. 1853. 304 Baptist Confessions of Faith in giving a holy disposition to tlie mind ; and ^^ is effected in a manner above our comprehension or calculation,^* by the power of the Holy Spirit, [in connection with divine truth,] so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel ; and that its proper evidence is ^^ found in the holy fruit which we bring forth to the glory of God. viii. Of Repentance and Faith. [This article added in 1853.] We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred du- ties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God ; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Je- sus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour. ix. Of God's Purpose of Grace. [We believe] That Election is the gracious ^° purpose of God, according to which he [graciously] regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners; that being perfectly con- sistent with the free agency of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end; that it is a most glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, being in- finitely [free,] wise, holy, and unchangeable; that it ut- terly excludes boasting, and promotes humility, [love,] prayer, praise, trust in God, and active imitation of his free mercy; that it encourages the use of means in the highest degree ; that it is " ascertained by its effects in all who [truly] believe the gospel ; [that it] is the founda- tion of Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves, demands and deserves our ^* utmost diligence. 33 Pqj. " aj^(j " g(3^ jgj2 lias " that it." ^* " Or calculation" omitted in ed. i8 'Sj, ., and ascended to heaven, where He is the sole ^ ; g.*, xhes 3 : Mediator between God and men, and whence He 13; i' Tim. 2 • 5;' will return to judge the living and the dead. J^T'""- * '■ l' Heb. 1:2-6; 4 : 15; Rev. I : 7. V OF SALVATION BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. We believe that, in order to be saved, the sin- i Kgs. 8 : 47, ner must repent of his sins, accept the work of Lk ^I'.H "5?' *' Jesus and be united to Him by faith. This jno. i : 12, 13; union produces justification, regeneration and 3 : 3, 16, 36; Act. sanctification, without which no one shall see f°9-^i''cOT ™'- ^ " the Lord. We believe also that true faith al- 30, 3:; Eph. 2 : ways manifests itself by works pleasing to God. 8; Heb. 12 : 12- 17; Jas. 2 : 14, 18, 26; I Pet. 2 : I, 2, II, 12; 1 Jno. 3 : 4-9; Mat. VI ''■''-"■ OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. We believe that it is the Holy Spirit who, ' Sam. 10 : 6; applying to the heart the truths of Scripture, ^Ich ^7 • 12-' produces in those who have been elected ac- Jno. 3 : 3, 6; 16: cording to the foreknowledge of God the Chris- 8; Rom. 5:5; tian life in its principle and in its effects, and Cor's'^'ie^'cal renders them capable of persevering therein to b : 'i6, 18, 22; the end. Eph. i : 4. 5 ;' 5 : 9; I Pet. I : 2, 22, 23. Confessions of Other Nationalities 359 VII OF THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD We believe that God instituted a ministry of Deut. 4:5; the Word composed originally of prophets, 7 f'j|? "mV ^^""^ apostles, evangelists or missionaries, of elders or 18-20;' Mk.' 3 :' pastors and teachers, for the purpose of leading '3-1 5; Lk. 10 : i- sinners to conversion and of directing them in g°' . J^ ^l-'lc • the Christian Hfe. This ministry, in those of e.'zl,' 23, '33; 20 • its branches which were to come down to us, 17-28; 21 : '8; i that is, the work of pastors and that of evangel- ^°'': '^ 30 ^'Eph' ists, is to continue till the return of Christ. 4 :'ii;' i Tim: ' 3 : 1-7; 4 : IS, 16: 2 Tim. 2 : 2; I Pet. 5 : 1-5. VIII OF LOCAL CHURCHES We believe that a local church constituted Mt. 18 : 17, according to the Word of God is an assembly of ^°: g^'^.j.' ff'. baptized believers, independent of all authority 24,' 26; 14: 23,' other than that of Jesus Christ, the sole head of 27; 15 : 3, 22; the Church universal, which is His body. ^|/ ^'Qg° l.' 15 . The members of the local church, associated in i, 3; 2 Cor. 8 : a voluntary agreement, are governed by the laws 19. ^3, 24; Phil- of Christ, and exercise, in the general interest, Jz- 2' Tim'^l^' 2-' the duties which are imposed upon them ac- Tit. 1:5; Heb.' cording to the gifts which they have received. 13 = 17; i Pet. 5 ! The Christians who have a special charge in '"*• the local church are the pastors, the deacons and the deaconesses, whose duties are indicated in the New Testament IX OF BAPTISM We believe that baptism is, for Christians ^Mat. 28 : 19; voluntarily dead to the world and to sin, the ^: l^'. 5-9' 10; striking and solemn emblem of burial and of j, i; Act. 2: 38- resurrection with Christ, to whom they are 41; 8 : 36-59; 10: united by faith, to live in Him a new and holy 47; 16 : 33; Rom. life.— We believe, after the order of Christ, His ? : \\.%'gS'-3 ., example and that of the apostles, that the im- 27; Col. '2 : 12; mersion of believers must precede admission into Ti'. 3:5:1 Pet. the local church and participation in the com- ^ ■ "■ munion. 360 Baptist Confessions of Faith X OF THE SUPPER We believe that the supper, instituted by our Mt. 26 : 26-29; Savior Jesus Christ, is to be observed in the \J^.22-'x^'2a\ churches until He returns; that the bread and Act. 2 : 42; 20 : the wine, in which all the members of the church 7; i Cor. 10 : 16, participate, are the symbols of the body and the ''' " ' ^3-29. blood of our Savior; that by this communion, the members, in participating therein, profess to form the same body with Christ, and to be united to one another in the same Spirit. XI OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST AND OF THE RESURRECTION. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will ^^*"- ![ = '?; return from heaven as He ascended thither, con- ,^ ' '? L^f'sf-"* ' formably to the declaration of the Scripture. We 46; Mk. 8 :' 38; believe in the resurrection of the dead, both of ^^■_^^,-?^'' J"p- the just and the unjust, and in the final judg- 'f -"/J . jj'-' Ro'm ment, where will take place the eternal sepa- z :' 5; i Cor. 15 : ration of the good and the evil, these going away i^. ^o. 42-58; i to eternal punishment and the just to life J Thes* i -^e-H- eternal. 2 Pet. 3 : 10- ' XII '3; Rev. I : 7. OF THE SANCTIFICATION OF SUNDAY We believe that, conformably to the example Mt. 28 : i; Mk. of the apostles and of the first Christians, the J^ y^J 20 •^'* ' first day of the week is to be considered as the 26; Act. 20': 7; i day of the Lord, in memory of the resurrection Cor. 16 : 2; Heb. of Jesus Christ, and that, in consequence, we *^ 3""' ^^^' ' ■ ought to employ Sunday for the edification of our souls in our holy assemblies and for works 1 of charity, thus preparing ourselves for the rest which remaineth for the people of God. XIII OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT We believe that civil government was ordained Mt. 17 : 24, 27; of God for the interest and good order of so- H' i'ola^^'^f^' ciety and that it is necessary to pray for magis- ^-,'1 Tim. 2:1,'' trates and the constituted authorities, to honor y Tit. 3:1:1 them and obey them in all things which are not "'• ^ '■ '3-i7- contrary to the teachings of the holy Scriptures, according to the words of the Savior : " Ren- der unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's." Confessions of Other Nationalities 361 THE CHURCH FORMATION OF LOCAL CHURCHES The apostles, or their companions in labor, after having baptized the first believers, or- ganized them to form the local churches, to which they communicated the divine laws which they were to follow. It is thus that the churches of Jerusalem, of Antioch, of Corinth, of Philippi, of Ephesus, of Rome, of Colossae were formed. „ ^ „ This was the apostolic rule. j„™- . f_ \ }^' To-day still, in order to form a local church. Act! 2 ■ 3^, 41, it is necessary that the missionary begin by 47: 5 : i3> u; baptizing those who have accepted the evan- ^J. '' f'^^j * j' . gelical doctrines. Once constituted, this asso- 19-30; "13 :' i, 3' ciation continues to add to itself as new mem- (comp. Act. 14 : bers the baptized believers who desire to unite ,'.'1''. '* ' f^i -., .. *^ 15 . 3» 4> 22, 30, with It 16 : 14, 40; 18 : Baptism, which is the entrance into the church, 8, 10; 19 : i-s; constitutes between the new member and the old con'12^: "13; ' ones a true covenant with reciprocal engage- phii. 1:1. ments. The candidate in submitting to baptism accepts publicly the evangelical doctrines, pledges himself to put them in practice, in accord with those to whom he is united ; and the church, on its part receives him into its bosom as one of its members and makes him partaker of all its spiritual privileges. II NOMINATION TO THE OFFICES OF THE CHURCH After having founded in person the first Act. i : 15-23; churches the apostles while still living commit- \: ?'^^. 'i-'.^".' ted the continuation of their work in the Chris- 4, '12, 22, 23; 16 : tian assemblies to pastors and teachers, whom 4; 20 : 17, 28; the Scripture denominates without distinction I'-'jg ,|- Phil bishops, eiders or pastors, who, as well as their " ; ',°'col.' 4^"'iV; successors, were to build upon the foundation i Thes. s : 12-14; which has been laid. They were installed in f ^^^'-.^ ■■^'/.-'s; their functions by prayer and the imposition of ^. j^'. 5'. j^.'^^. the hands of the elders. z Tim. i : 6; 2 : After the death of the apostles the choice and f^^/'^-.'^' % 'le nomination of pastors always appertained to the • • . 5. • churches. We preserve their principle. 362 Baptist Confessions of Faith III PASTORS AND TEACHERS The Scripture establishes no distinction of Act. 20 : 17-28; rank or of authority between pastors and teach- j; g ['g^; z'cor.'* ' ers, nor between bishops or overseers and 1': 24; 'n : 7-10; elders or pastors, except such as are due to PWl- ' '\'\^ greater age. — The elders, as overseers chosen by jf^' |; J'.'g.' ^ . the church, are charged with the administration 12-16; 5': i,'i8; of baptism and the supper, direction of worship 6 • .3"'°j Tit. i : and the deliberations of the church, and with 5-9 : " ^^^- 5 = 3- the execution of its decisions. They are never to lord it over the church of God, but to make themselves models of the flock, watching over their souls as having to render an account. Relative to their conduct, the pastors are sub- ject, like all the other members, to the discipline of the church, but always in accordance with i Tim. 5 : 19. A pastor charged with the direction of a church can at the same time devote himself to secular occupations ; but it is desirable that he give himself exclusively to his spiritual voca- tion. IV DEACONS AND DEACONESSES Besides elders or pastors, the sole function- Act. 6 : 1-6 aries of a local church are the deacons and withe's :%?3 26- deaconesses. They should be elected by the as- 40, and' 21 :'8); sembly and installed in their charge by the im- R°"- i* : i, 2; position of hands. They should possess the -j;^; 3 ! |_' l^ qualities^ required by the Scriptures; their office is to assist the pastors in their ministry, to serve the church in consecrating to it the gifts they have received from the Lord, and in charging themselves with all that which has relation to the material wants of the assembly. V VOTE AND ADMISSION Each local church ought itself to attend to its Mat. 18 : 17; own affairs independently of all political or re- v:'^'' ■ 26^^27^. \^ '■ ligious authority. In the reception of candidates 2,' 4, 22, 29; is : ' for baptism, as in questions for discussion, 3, 4, 12, 22, 23, everything ought to end as far as possible by a R^om^ie^ "1^2'- i vote. All members, whatever may be their sex Cor.' 5 ; "16': 3; or their position, have the same voice in the 2 Cor. 2 : 6-8; 8 : church, and the decision is determined by the '9-23- majority of the votes cast. Confessions of Other Nation alities 363 The admission of a new member coming from another church of baptized believers takes place upon the presentation of a letter of recommenda- tion from the church he has left. When he has no letter of recommendation the brother who is a stranger should confess his faith, make known his principles, and the church decides. VI CHURCH DISCIPLINE According to evangelical teachings, the church Mat. i8 : 15- ought to exclude from its bosom all its members f°fco?°?-' /xhes'' whose profession of piety is contradicted by their 3 : e-is; i Tim.' conduct; who transgress knowingly one of the i : 19, .20; 6: 3- commandments of God and who reject the fra- xit^i^'^o ^ii-'^' ternal exhortations which are addressed to them jno. 9,'ii;'Rev/ with a view of bringing them to repentance and 2:11, 20. abandonment of their sins. The rejected member is excluded from th supper and deprived of all his rights in the church, but is not rejected from the public meet- ings for worship. VII RESTORATION The excluded member can, upon his request, z Cor. 2 : i-n. be re-admitted into the church, if his conduct proves that he has become again pious and faith- ful. VIII INDEPENDENCE OF THE CHURCHES AND DUTIES OF THE MEMBERS TOWARD THEIR PASTORS Our churches being, according to the apos- ' r°(' r-'i^-^' tolic example, separated from the State and ac- Eph 5 ': 23 29- cepting no pay, it is the duty and the privilege Phil! 4: 14-16;' of the members to sustain their pastors, to ' T^^^^^.s = '2, second them in their efforts, and to have for j|: \ p^i; cj' them love, esteem and respect, for the sake of ' the work which they do. OF THE CONGREGATION I THOSE WHO HAVE PART IN IT Outside of the church which is composed of baptized believers who participate in the supper, is " the congregation " which is 364 Baptist Confessions of Faith composed of all those who are not members of the church, but who attach themselves to the flock by frequenting the evangelical worship or by requesting the visits of the pastor, without being converted or baptized. — All those are admitted who declare themselves to be attached to evangelical worship, who request to be enrolled upon the register of " the congregation " and whose conduct does not dishonor the gospel. II RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION Those who are considered members of the " Congregation " have the right: 1. To the presentation or consecration of their children to God by the prayer of the pastor and of the church; 2. To the religious instruction of their children; and for them- selves, to the particular instruction given to adults; 3. To the visits of the pastor ; 4. To the benediction of their marriage; 5. To the religious ceremony of burial. Ill DUTIES OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION The members of the " congregation," even as the members of the church, ought to consider it a duty and a privilege to con- tribute according to their means to the general expenses of the worship and to the work of evangelization. IV EXCLUSION In the various cases mentioned below the name of the member is erased from the register of the " congregation " ; 1. When he requests its erasure ; 2. When he abandons the worship; 3. If he conducts himself in a disgraceful manner. 3. Swedish Baptists One of the most vigorous and prosperous of the younger Baptist bodies is that of the Swedish Baptists. The first church was organized in 1848, and they now number nearly fifty thousand, despite the fact that they have suffered much persecution, and have lost hosts of members by emigration. Their churches are not legal- Confessions of Other Nationalities 365 ized by the government, and there is, therefore, no legally recognized Confession. Moreover, they have not laid any emphasis on Confessions, and commonly say they have no Confession but the Bible. In 1868 a country church sought and obtained legaliza- tion from the government on the basis of a Confession drawn up by itself. This Confession is described as containing " a few meager statements, just barely suf- ficient in number and contents to serve the purpose of obtaining legal sanction from the government for the church as a Baptist church. Besides, that church held some tenets which were out of harmony with the views of the Baptists in general." This Confession was never adopted elsewhere, and the church has been dissolved; the Confession, however, figures with the civil and ec- clesiastical authorities as the Baptist Confession because it is the only one ever presented to them as the basis for legalization. Shortly before 1861 a Confession was drafted and adopted by the First Baptist Church of Stockholm. This Confession was laid before the Conference of all the Baptist churches in Sweden, held in Stockholm, June 23- 28, 1861, and by them adopted as " The Confession of Faith of the Swedish Baptists, adopted at their general Conference, June 28, 1861." The above facts and the fol- lowing translation were communicated by Rev. C. E. Benander : 1. We believe that the Holy Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament (the cornmonly so-called Apoc- ryphal Books excepted) are inspired by God and con- stitute the one perfect rule for our Christian faith and practice. 2. We believe that there is one only living and true God — who is a Spirit infinite in all perfections — ; who has re- 366 Baptist Confessions of Faith vealed Himself in three equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 3. We believe that the first man Adam was created holy, in the image of God, but fell by voluntary trans- gression of the law of God into a state of sin and death ; and that in consequence of his fall all his natural posterity have inherited his corruption, are void of all will to turn to God, and without power perfectly to keep his law, and therefore they are guilty before the wrath of God and condemned to eternal punishment. 4. We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ in his one person united true Godhead and true manhood, that he through his perfect obedience before the law of God and through his atoning death has opened for all a way to re- demption and salvation from this lost state, and that every one who from his heart believes in him will become a partaker of this redemption and salvation without any merit or worthiness of his own. 5. We believe that the gospel — viz. the glad tidings of the salvation which is acquired through Christ — ought to be preached to the whole world; that every one who hears the gospel is under obligation to repent — viz. with a sincere grief before God to confess and abandon his sins, and at the same time to believe in Christ as his only and all-sufiicient Savior — , and that whosoever may refuse to do so will incur upon himself a worse condemnation. 6. We believe that saving faith is a gift from God and entirely a fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit through the word; that all who are to be saved have been given by the Father to the Son and were chosen in him for salvation and sonship before the foundation of this world was laid ; and that we ought with utmost diligence to seek to obtain assurance of our own election. 7. We believe that the law of God has for its end to be: i)a restraint for the ungodly to restrain them from performing all the evil purpose of their heart; 2) a schoolmaster to bring sinners to Christ, in as much as it sets before them the just claims of God and his wrath over sin, shows them their inability to fulfil these claims, and thus awakens in them the need of grace and forgive- ness of sin; 3) a rule for the walk of believers to be fol- Confessions of Other Nationalities 367 lowed in the spirit of the new covenant; — and that, therefore, with these ends in view the law ought to be inculcated in all. 8. We believe that baptism ought to be administered only to such as have personally by a trustworthy confes- sion given evidence of possessing a living faith in Christ ; that it is properly administered only through the im- mersion of the whole person in water ; and that it should precede admittance into the fellowship of the church and participation in the Lord's supper. 9. We believe that a true Christian church is a union of believing and baptized Christians, who have cove- nanted to strive to keep all that Christ has commanded, to sustain public worship, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to choose among themselves shepherds or over- seers, and deacons, to administer baptism and the Lord's supper, to practice Christian church-discipline, to pro- mote godliness and brotherly love, and to contribute to the general spread of the gospel; — also that every such church is an independent body, free in its relation to other Christian churches and acknowledging Christ only as its head. 10. We believe that the first day of the week was kept holy by the apostolic churches as the Lord's day, in- stead of the Jewish Sabbath, and that we specially on this day are together for common worship and to exercise ourselves in godliness. 11. We believe that civil government is ordained by God, and regard it our duty to honor and pray for the King and the magistracy and in all things to obey the laws of the land, unless they plainly are in conflict with the law of Christ. 12. We believe that this world is to come to an end; that our Lord Jesus Christ will again appear on the earth on the last day, wake up the dead from their graves, and execute a general judgment in which all wicked men will be irrevocably condemned to eternal punishment, while all believing and righteous men will be solemnly established in their possession of the kingdom which was prepared for them from the beginning of the world. 368 Baptist Confessions of Faith 4. In Other Lands Of Baptist Confessions in other lands, there is little to say. On the mission fields the churches naturally re- flect the opinions of the missionaries from whatever land or party they come. The Canadian Baptists have laid no stress on confes- sional statements, and now circulate no recognized Con- fession. The same conditions probably prevail in South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Hungary has nearly twelve thousand and Russia nearly twenty-five thousand Baptists, while many other countries have a few churches and members, but nothing has been learned as to their confessions. ^ ■.. ' T iiu^iiiiiulliilUitiMfitiJimtiiHiuiiiiimtfiHHitHiHMH^