In 2010,
the 450th anniversary
of the Scottish Reformation, we looked for a few weeks at the Scots
Confession of 1560: see below for the text of the
Scots Confession.
The Scots
Confession - 1560
Chapter 1 -
God
Chapter 2 - The
Creation
of Man
Chapter 3 - Original
Sin
Chapter 4 - The Revelation of the
Promise
Chapter 5 - The Continuance, Increase, and Preservation
of the
Kirk
Chapter 6 - The
Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Chapter 7 - Why the
Mediator
Had to Be True God and True Man
Chapter 8 -
Election
Chapter 9 - Christ's Death,
Passion,
and Burial
Chapter 10 - The
Resurrection
Chapter 11 - The
Ascension
Chapter 12 - Faith in the
Holy
Ghost
Chapter 13 - The
Cause
of Good Works
Chapter 14 - The Works Which Are
Counted
Good Before God
Chapter 15 - The
Perfection
of the Law and The Imperfection of Man
Chapter 16 - The
Kirk
Chapter 17 - The
Immortality of Souls
Chapter 18 - The Notes by Which the
True Kirk
Shall Be Determined From The False, and Who Shall Be Judge
of Doctrine
Chapter 19 - The Authority of the
Scriptures
Chapter 20 - General
Councils,
Their Power, Authority, and the Cause of Their Summoning
Chapter 21 - The
Sacraments
Chapter 22 - The Right
Administration of the Sacraments
Chapter 23 - To Whom Sacraments
Appertain
Chapter 24 - The
Civil
Magistrate
Chapter 25 - The
Gifts
Freely Given to the Kirk
Chapter 1 - God
We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone
we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom only we must
worship, and in whom alone we put our trust. Who is eternal,
infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent,
invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three
persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. By whom we
confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible
and invisible to have been created, to be retained in their
being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable
providence for such end as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and
justice have appointed, and to the manifestation of his own
glory.
Index
Chapter 2 - The Creation of Man
We confess and acknowledge that our God has created man,
i.e.., our first father, Adam, after his own image and
likeness, to whom he gave wisdom, lordship, justice, free
will, and self-consciousness, so that in the whole nature of
man no imperfection could be found. From this dignity and
perfection man and woman both fell; the woman being deceived
by the serpent and man obeying the voice of the woman, both
conspiring against the sovereign majesty of God, who in
clear words had previously threatened death if they presumed
to eat of the forbidden tree.
Index
Chapter 3 - Original Sin
By this transgression, generally known as original sin,
the image of God was utterly defaced in man, and he and his
children became by nature hostile to God, slaves to Satan,
and servants to sin. And thus everlasting death has had, and
shall have, power and dominion over all who have not been,
are not, or shall not be born from above. This rebirth is
wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost creating in the
hearts of God's chosen ones an assured faith in the promise
of God revealed to us in his Word; by this faith we grasp
Christ Jesus with the graces and blessings promised in him.
Index
Chapter 4 - The Revelation of the Promise
We constantly believe that God, after the fearful and
horrible departure of man from his obedience, did seek Adam
again, call upon him, rebuke and convict him of his sin, and
in the end made unto him a most joyful promise, that "the
seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent,"
that is, that he should destroy the works of the devil. This
promise was repeated and made clearer from time to time; it
was embraced with joy, and most constantly received by all
the faithful from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from
Abraham to David, and so onwards to the incarnation of
Christ Jesus; all (we mean the believing fathers under the
law) did see the joyful day of Christ Jesus, and did
rejoice.
Index
Chapter 5 -
The Continuance, Increase, and Preservation of the Kirk
We most surely believe that God preserved, instructed,
multiplied, honored, adorned, and called from death to life
his Kirk in all ages since Adam until the coming of Christ
Jesus in the flesh. For he called Abraham from his father's
country, instructed him, and multiplied his seed, he
marvelously preserved him, and more marvelously delivered
his seed from the bondage and tyranny of Pharaoh; to them he
gave his laws, constitutions, and ceremonies; to them he
gave the land of Canaan; after he had given them judges, and
afterwards Saul, he gave David to be king, to whom he gave
promise that of the fruit of his loins should one sit
forever upon his royal throne. To this same people from time
to time he sent prophets, to recall them to the right way of
their God, from which sometimes they strayed by idolatry.
And although, because of their stubborn contempt for
righteousness he was compelled to give them into the hands
of their enemies, as had previously been threatened by the
mouth of Moses, so that the holy city was destroyed, the
temple burned with fire, and the whole land desolate for
seventy years, yet in mercy he restored them again to
Jerusalem, where the city and the temple were rebuilt, and
they endured against all temptations and assaults of Satan
till the Messiah came according to the promise.
Index
Chapter 6 - The Incarnation of Jesus
Christ
When the fullness of time came God sent his Son, his
eternal wisdom, the substance of his own glory, into this
world, who took the nature of humanity from the substance of
a woman, a virgin, by means of the Holy Ghost. And so was
born the "just seed of David," the "Angel of the great
counsel of God," the very Messiah promised, whom we confess
and acknowledge to be Emmanuel, true God and true man, two
perfect natures united and joined in one person. So by our
Confession, we condemn the damnable and pestilent heresies
of Arius, Marcion, Eutyches, Nestorius, and such others as
did either deny the eternity of his Godhead, or the truth of
his humanity, or confounded them, or else divided them.
Index
Chapter 7 -
Why the Mediator Had to Be True God and True Man
We acknowledge and confess that this wonderful union
between the Godhead and the humanity in Christ Jesus did
arise from the eternal and immutable decree of God from
which all our salvation springs and depends.
Index
Chapter 8 - Election
That same eternal God and Father, who by grace alone
chose us in his Son Christ Jesus before the foundation of
the world was laid, appointed him to be our head, our
brother, our pastor, and the great bishop of our souls. But
since the opposition between the justice of God and our sins
was such that no flesh by itself could or might have
attained unto God, it behooved the Son of God to descend
unto us and take himself a body of our body, flesh of our
flesh, and bone of our bone, and so become the Mediator
between God and man, giving power to as many as believe in
him to be the sons of God; as he himself says, "I ascend to
my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God." By
this most holy brotherhood whatever we have lost in Adam is
restored to us again. Therefore we are not afraid to call
God our Father, not so much because he has created us, which
we have in common with the reprobate, as because he has
given unto us his only Son to be our brother, and given us
grace to acknowledge and embrace him as our only Mediator.
Further, it behooved the Messiah and Redeemer to be true God
and true man, because he was able to undergo the punishment
of our transgressions and to present himself in the presence
of his Father's judgment, as in our stead, to suffer for our
transgression and disobedience, and by death to overcome him
that was the author of death. But because the Godhead alone
could not suffer death, and neither could manhood overcome
death, he joined both together in one person, that the
weakness of one should suffer and be subject to death--which
we had deserved--and the infinite and invincible power of
the other, that is, of the Godhead, should triumph, and
purchase for us life, liberty, and perpetual victory. So we
confess, and most undoubtedly believe.
Index
Chapter 9 - Christ's Death, Passion, and
Burial
That our Lord Jesus offered himself a voluntary sacrifice
unto his Father for us, that he suffered contradiction of
sinners, that he was wounded and plagued for our
transgressions, that he, the clean innocent Lamb of God, was
condemned in the presence of an earthly judge, that we
should be absolved before the judgment seat of our God; that
he suffered not only the cruel death of the cross, which was
accursed by the sentence of God; but also that he suffered
for a season the wrath of his Father which sinners had
deserved. But yet we avow that he remained the only, well
beloved, and blessed Son of his Father even in the midst of
his anguish and torment which he suffered in body and soul
to make full atonement for the sins of his people. From this
we confess and avow that there remains no other sacrifice
for sin; if any affirm so, we do not hesitate to say that
they are blasphemers against Christ's death and the
everlasting atonement thereby purchased for us.
Index
Chapter 10 - The Resurrection
We undoubtedly believe, since it was impossible that the
sorrows of death should retain in bondage the Author of
life, that our Lord Jesus crucified, dead, and buried, who
descended into hell, did rise again for our justification,
and the destruction of him who was the author of death and
its bondage. We know that his resurrection was confirmed by
the testimony of his enemies, and by the resurrection of the
dead, whose sepulchers did open, and they did rise and
appear to many within the city of Jerusalem. It was also
confirmed by the testimony of his angels, and by the senses
and judgment of his apostles and of others, who had
conversation, and did eat and drink with him after his
resurrection.
Index
Chapter 11 - The Ascension
We do not doubt but that the selfsame body which was born
of the virgin, was crucified, dead, and buried, and which
did rise again, did ascend into the heavens, for the
accomplishment of all things, where in our name and for our
comfort he has received all power in heaven and earth, where
he sits at the right hand of the Father, having received his
kingdom, the only advocate and mediator for us. Which glory,
honor, and prerogative, he alone amongst the brethren shall
possess till all his enemies are made his footstool, as we
undoubtedly believe they shall be in the Last Judgment. We
believe that the same Lord Jesus shall visibly return for
this Last Judgment as he was seen to ascend. And then, we
firmly believe, the time of refreshing and restitution of
all things shall come, so that those who from the beginning
have suffered violence, injury, and wrong, for
righteousness' sake, shall inherit that blessed immortality
promised them from the beginning. But, one the other hand,
the stubborn, disobedient, cruel persecutors, filthy
persons, idolaters, and all sorts of the unbelieving, shall
be cast into the dungeon of utter darkness, where their worm
shall not die, nor their fire be quenched. The remembrance
of that day, and of the Judgment to be executed in it, is
not only a bridle by which our carnal lusts are restrained
but also such inestimable comfort that neither the
threatening of worldly princes, nor the fear of present
danger or of temporal death, may move us to renounce and
forsake that blessed society which we, the members, have
with our Head and only Mediator, Christ Jesus: whom we
confess and avow to be the promised Messiah, the only Head
of his Kirk, our just Lawgiver, our only High Priest,
Advocate, and Mediator. To which honors and offices, if man
or angel presume to intrude themselves, we utterly detest
and abhor them, as blasphemous to our sovereign and supreme
Governor, Christ Jesus.
Index
Chapter 12 - Faith in the Holy Ghost
Our faith and its assurance do not proceed from flesh and
blood, that is to say, from natural powers within us, but
are the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; whom we confess to be
God, equal with the Father and with his Son, who sanctifies
us, and brings us into all truth by his own working, without
whom we should remain forever enemies to God and ignorant of
his Son, Christ Jesus. For by nature we are so dead, blind,
and perverse, that neither can we feel when we are pricked,
see the light when it shines, nor assent to the will of God
when it is revealed, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus
quicken that which is dead, remove the darkness from our
minds, and bow our stubborn hearts to the obedience of his
blessed will. And so, as we confess that God the Father
created us when we were not, as his Son our Lord Jesus
redeemed us when we were enemies to him, so also do we
confess that the Holy Ghost does sanctify and regenerate us,
without respect to any merit proceeding from us, be it
before or after our regeneration. To put this even more
plainly; as we willingly disclaim any honor and glory from
our own creation and redemption, so do we willingly also for
our regeneration and sanctification; for by ourselves we are
not capable of thinking one good thought, but he who has
begun the work in us alone continues us in it, to the praise
and glory of his undeserved grace.
Index
Chapter 13 - The Cause of Good Works
The cause of good works, we confess, is not our free
will, but the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, who dwells in our
hearts by true faith, brings forth such works as God has
prepared for us to walk in. For we most boldly affirm that
it is blasphemy to say that Christ abides in the hearts of
those in whom is no spirit of sanctification. Therefore we
do not hesitate to affirm that murderers, oppressors, cruel
persecutors, adulterers, filthy persons, idolaters,
drunkards, thieves, and all workers of iniquity, have
neither true faith nor anything of the Spirit of the Lord
Jesus, so long as they obstinately continue in wickedness.
For as soon as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, whom God's
chosen children receive by true faith, takes possession of
the heart of any man, so soon does he regenerate and renew
him, so that he begins to hate what before he loved, and to
love what he hated before. Thence comes that continual
battle which is between the flesh and Spirit in God's
children, while the flesh and the natural man, being
corrupt, lust for things pleasant and delightful to
themselves, are envious in adversity and proud in
prosperity, and every moment prone and ready to offend the
majesty of God. But the Spirit of God, who bears witness to
our spirit that we are the sons of God, makes us resist
filthy pleasures and groan in God's presence for deliverance
from this bondage of corruption, and finally to triumph over
sin so that it does not reign in our mortal bodies. Other
men do not share this conflict since they do not have God's
Spirit, but they readily follow and obey sin and feel no
regrets, since they act as the devil and their corrupt
nature urge. But the sons of God fight against sin; sob and
mourn when they find themselves tempted to do evil; and, if
they fall, rise again with earnest and unfeigned repentance.
They do these things, not by their own power, but by the
power of the Lord Jesus, apart from whom they can do
nothing.
Index
Chapter 14 -
The Works Which Are Counted Good Before God
We confess and acknowledge that God has given to man his
holy law, in which not only all such works as displease and
offend his godly majesty are forbidden, but also those which
please him and which he has promised to reward are
commanded. These works are of two kinds. The one is done to
the honor of God, the other to the profit of our neighbor,
and both have the revealed word of God as their assurance.
To have one God, to worship and honor him, to call upon him
in all our troubles, to reverence his holy Name, to hear his
Word and to believe it, and to share in his holy sacraments,
belong to the first kind. To honor father, mother, princes,
rulers, and superior powers; to love them, to support them,
to obey their orders if they are not contrary to the
commands of God, to save the lives of the innocent, to
repress tyranny, to defend the oppressed, to keep our bodies
clean and holy, to live in soberness and temperance, to deal
justly with all men in word and deed, and, finally, to
repress any desire to harm our neighbor, are the good works
of the second kind, and these are most pleasing and
acceptable to God as he has commanded them himself. Acts to
the contrary are sins, which always displease him and
provoke him to anger, such as, not to call upon him alone
when we have need, not to hear his Word with reverence, but
to condemn and despise it, to have or worship idols, to
maintain and defend idolatry, lightly to esteem the reverend
name of God, to profane, abuse, or condemn the sacraments of
Christ Jesus, to disobey or resist any whom God has placed
in authority, so long as they do not exceed the bounds of
their office, to murder, or to consent thereto, to bear
hatred, or to let innocent blood be shed if we can prevent
it. In conclusion, we confess and affirm that the breach of
any other commandment of the first or second kind is sin, by
which God's anger and displeasure are kindled against the
proud, unthankful world. So that we affirm good works to be
those alone which are done in faith and at the command of
God who, in his law, has set forth the things that please
him. We affirm that evil works are not only those expressly
done against God's command, but also, in religious matters
and the worship of God, those things which have no other
warrant than the invention and opinion of man. From the
beginning God has rejected such, as we learn from the words
of the prophet Isaiah and of our master, Christ Jesus, "In
vain do they worship Me, teaching the doctrines and
commandments of men."
Index
Chapter 15 -
The Perfection of the Law and The Imperfection of Man
We confess and acknowledge that the law of
God is most just, equal, holy, and perfect, commanding those
things which, when perfectly done, can give life and bring
man to eternal felicity; but our nature is so corrupt, weak,
and imperfect, that we are never able perfectly to fulfill
the works of the law. Even after we are reborn, if we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth of
God is not in us. It is therefore essential for us to lay
hold on Christ Jesus, in his righteousness and his
atonement, since he is the end and consummation of the Law
and since it is by him that we are set at liberty so that
the curse of God may not fall upon us, even though we do not
fulfill the Law in all points. For as God the Father beholds
us in the body of his Son Christ Jesus, he accepts our
imperfect obedience as if it were perfect, and covers our
works, which are defiled with many stains, with the
righteousness of his Son. We do not mean that we are so set
at liberty that we owe no obedience to the Law--for we have
already acknowledged its place--but we affirm that no man on
earth, with the sole exception of Christ Jesus, has given,
gives, or shall give in action that obedience to the Law
which the Law requires. When we have done all things we must
fall down and unfeignedly confess that we are unprofitable
servants. Therefore, whoever boasts of the merits of his own
works or puts his trust in works of supererogation, boasts
of what does not exist, and puts his trust in damnable
idolatry.
Index
Chapter 16 - The Kirk
As we believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, so
we firmly believe that from the beginning there has been,
now is, and to the end of the world shall be, one Kirk, that
is to say, one company and multitude of men chosen by God,
who rightly worship and embrace him by true faith in Jesus
Christ, who is the only Head of the Kirk, even as it is the
body and spouse of Christ Jesus. This Kirk is catholic, that
is, universal, because it contains the chosen of all ages,
of all realms, nations, and tongues, be they of the Jews or
be they of the Gentiles, who have communion and society with
God the Father, and with his Son, Christ Jesus, through the
sanctification of his Holy Spirit. It is therefore called
the communion, not of profane persons, but of saints, who,
as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, have the fruit of
inestimable benefits, one God, one Lord Jesus, one faith,
and one baptism. Out of this Kirk there is neither life nor
eternal felicity. Therefore we utterly abhor the blasphemy
of those who hold that men who live according to equity and
justice shall be saved, no matter what religion they
profess. For since there is neither life nor salvation
without Christ Jesus; so shall none have part therein but
those whom the Father has given unto his Son Christ Jesus,
and those who in time come to him, avow his doctrine, and
believe in him. (We include the children with the believing
parents.) This Kirk is invisible, known only to God, who
alone knows whom he has chosen, and includes both the chosen
who are departed, the Kirk triumphant, those who yet live
and fight against sin and Satan, and those who shall live
hereafter.
Index
Chapter 17 - The Immortality of Souls
The chosen departed are in peace, and rest from their
labors; not that they sleep and are lost in oblivion as some
fanatics hold, for they are delivered from all fear and
torment, and all the temptations to which we and all God's
chosen are subject in this life, and because of which we are
called the Kirk militant. On the other hand, the reprobate
and unfaithful departed have anguish, torment, and pain
which cannot be expressed. Neither the one nor the other is
in such sleep that they feel no joy or torment, as is
testified by Christ's parable in St. Luke XVI, his words to
the thief, and the words of the souls crying under the
altar, "O Lord, thou that art righteous and just, how long
shalt thou not revenge our blood upon those that dwell in
the earth?"
Index
Chapter 18 -
The Notes by Which the True Kirk Shall Be Determined From
The False, and Who Shall Be Judge of Doctrine
Since Satan has labored from the beginning to adorn his
pestilent synagogue with the title of the Kirk of God, and
has incited cruel murderers to persecute, trouble, and
molest the true Kirk and its members, as Cain did to Abel,
Ishmael to Isaac, Esau to Jacob, and the whole priesthood of
the Jews to Christ Jesus himself and his apostles after him.
So it is essential that the true Kirk be distinguished from
the filthy synagogues by clear and perfect notes lest we,
being deceived, receive and embrace, to our own
condemnation, the one for the other. The notes, signs, and
assured tokens whereby the spotless bride of Christ is known
from the horrible harlot, the false Kirk, we state, are
neither antiquity, usurped title, lineal succession,
appointed place, nor the numbers of men approving an error.
For Cain was before Abel and Seth in age and title;
Jerusalem had precedence above all other parts of the earth,
for in it were priests lineally descended from Aaron, and
greater numbers followed the scribes, Pharisees, and
priests, than unfeignedly believed and followed Christ Jesus
and his doctrine . . . and yet no man of judgment, we
suppose, will hold that any of the forenamed were the Kirk
of God. The notes of the true Kirk, therefore, we believe,
confess, and avow to be: first, the true preaching of the
Word of God, in which God has revealed himself to us, as the
writings of the prophets and apostles declare; secondly, the
right administration of the sacraments of Christ Jesus, with
which must be associated the Word and promise of God to seal
and confirm them in our hearts; and lastly, ecclesiastical
discipline uprightly ministered, as God's Word prescribes,
whereby vice is repressed and virtue nourished. Then
wherever these notes are seen and continue for any time, be
the number complete or not, there, beyond any doubt, is the
true Kirk of Christ, who, according to his promise, is in
its midst. This is not that universal Kirk of which we have
spoken before, but particular Kirks, such as were in
Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, and other places where the
ministry was planted by Paul and which he himself called
Kirks of God. Such Kirks, we the inhabitants of the realm of
Scotland confessing Christ Jesus, do claim to have in our
cities, towns, and reformed districts because of the
doctrine taught in our Kirks, contained in the written Word
of God, that is, the Old and New Testaments, in those books
which were originally reckoned as canonical. We affirm that
in these all things necessary to be believed for the
salvation of man are sufficiently expressed. The
interpretation of Scripture, we confess, does not belong to
any private or public person, nor yet to any Kirk for
pre-eminence or precedence, personal or local, which it has
above others, but pertains to the Spirit of God by whom the
Scriptures were written. When controversy arises about the
right understanding of any passage or sentence of Scripture,
or for the reformation of any abuse within the Kirk of God,
we ought not so much to ask what men have said or done
before us, as what the Holy Ghost uniformly speaks within
the body of the Scriptures and what Christ Jesus himself did
and commanded. For it is agreed by all that the Spirit of
God, who is the Spirit of unity, cannot contradict himself.
So if the interpretation or opinion of any theologian, Kirk,
or council, is contrary to the plain Word of God written in
any other passage of the Scripture, it is most certain that
this is not the true understanding and meaning of the Holy
Ghost, although councils, realms, and nations have approved
and received it. We dare not receive or admit any
interpretation which is contrary to any principal point of
our faith, or to any other plain text of Scripture, or to
the rule of love.
Index
Chapter 19 - The Authority of the
Scriptures
As we believe and confess the Scriptures of God
sufficient to instruct and make perfect the man of God, so
do we affirm and avow their authority to be from God, and
not to depend on men or angels. We affirm, therefore, that
those who say the Scriptures have no other authority save
that which they have received from the Kirk are blasphemous
against God and injurious to the true Kirk, which always
hears and obeys the voice of her own Spouse and Pastor, but
takes not upon her to be mistress over the same.
Index
Chapter 20 -
General Councils, Their Power, Authority, and the Cause of
Their Summoning
As we do not rashly condemn what good men, assembled
together in general councils lawfully gathered, have set
before us; so we do not receive uncritically whatever has
been declared to men under the name of the general councils,
for it is plain that, being human, some of them have
manifestly erred, and that in matters of great weight and
importance. So far then as the council confirms its decrees
by the plain Word of God, so far do we reverence and embrace
them. But if men, under the name of a council, pretend to
forge for us new articles of faith, or to make decisions
contrary to the Word of God, then we must utterly deny them
as the doctrine of devils, drawing our souls from the voice
of the one God to follow the doctrines and teachings of men.
The reason why the general councils met was not to make any
permanent law which God had not made before, nor yet to form
new articles for our belief, nor to give the Word of God
authority; much less to make that to be his Word, or even
the true interpretation of it, which was not expressed
previously by his holy will in his Word; but the reason for
councils, at least of those that deserve that name, was
partly to refute heresies, and to give public confession of
their faith to the generations following, which they did by
the authority of God's written Word, and not by any opinion
or prerogative that they could not err by reason of their
numbers. This, we judge, was the primary reason for general
councils. The second was that good policy and order should
be constitutes and observed in the Kirk where, as in the
house of God, it becomes all things to be done decently and
in order. Not that we think any policy of order of
ceremonies can be appointed for all ages, times, and places;
for as ceremonies which men have devised are but temporal,
so they may, and ought to be, changed, when they foster
superstition rather than edify the Kirk.
Index
Chapter 21 - The Sacraments
As the fathers under the Law, besides the reality of the
sacrifices, had two chief sacraments, that is, circumcision
and the Passover, and those who rejected these were not
reckoned among God's people; so do we acknowledge and
confess that now in the time of the gospel we have two chief
sacraments, which alone were instituted by the Lord Jesus
and commanded to be used by all who will be counted members
of his body, that is, Baptism and the Supper or Table of the
Lord Jesus, also called the Communion of His Body and Blood.
These sacraments, both of the Old Testament and of the New,
were instituted by God not only to make a visible
distinction between his people and those who were without
the Covenant, but also to exercise the faith of his children
and, by participation of these sacraments, to seal in their
hearts the assurance of his promise, and of that most
blessed conjunction, union, and society, which the chosen
have with their Head, Christ Jesus. And so we utterly
condemn the vanity of those who affirm the sacraments to be
nothing else than naked and bare signs. No, we assuredly
believe that by Baptism we are engrafted into Christ Jesus,
to be made partakers of his righteousness, by which our sins
are covered and remitted, and also that in the Supper
rightly used, Christ Jesus is so joined with us that he
becomes the very nourishment and food for our souls. Not
that we imagine any transubstantiation of bread into
Christ's body, and of wine into his natural blood, as the
Romanists have perniciously taught and wrongly believed; but
this union and conjunction which we have with the body and
blood of Christ Jesus in the right use of the sacraments is
wrought by means of the Holy Ghost, who by true faith
carries us above all things that are visible, carnal, and
earthly, and makes us feed upon the body and blood of Christ
Jesus, once broken and shed for us but now in heaven, and
appearing for us in the presence of his Father.
Notwithstanding the distance between his glorified body in
heaven and mortal men on earth, yet we must assuredly
believe that the bread which we break is the communion of
Christ's body and the cup which we bless the communion of
his blood. Thus we confess and believe without doubt that
the faithful, in the right use of the Lord's Table, do so
eat the body and drink the blood of the Lord Jesus that he
remains in them and they in him; they are so made flesh of
his flesh and bone of his bone that as the eternal Godhood
has given to the flesh of Christ Jesus, which by nature was
corruptible and mortal, life and immortality, so the eating
and drinking of the flesh and blood of Christ Jesus does the
like for us. We grant that this is neither given to us
merely at the time nor by the power and virtue of the
sacrament alone, but we affirm that the faithful, in the
right use of the Lord's Table, have such union with Christ
Jesus as the natural man cannot apprehend. Further we affirm
that although the faithful, hindered by negligence and human
weakness, do not profit as much as they ought in the actual
moment of the Supper, yet afterwards it shall bring forth
fruit, being living seed sown in good ground; for the Holy
Spirit, who can never be separated from the right
institution of the Lord Jesus, will not deprive the faithful
of the fruit of that mystical action. Yet all this, we say
again, comes of that true faith which apprehends Christ
Jesus, who alone makes the sacrament effective in us.
Therefore, if anyone slanders us by saying that we affirm or
believe the sacraments to be symbols and nothing more, they
are libelous and speak against the plain facts. On the other
hand we readily admit that we make a distinction between
Christ Jesus in his eternal substance and the elements of
the sacramental signs. So we neither worship the elements,
in place of that which they signify, nor yet do we despise
them or undervalue them, but we use them with great
reverence, examining ourselves diligently before we
participate, since we are assured by the mouth of the
apostle that "whoever shall eat this bread, and drink this
cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord."
Index
Chapter 22 -
The Right Administration of the Sacraments
Two things are necessary for the right administration of
the sacraments. The first is that they should be ministered
by lawful ministers, and we declare that these are men
appointed to preach the Word, unto whom God has given the
power to preach the gospel, and who are lawfully called by
some Kirk. The second is that they should be ministered in
the elements and manner which God has appointed. Otherwise
they cease to be the sacraments of Christ Jesus. This is why
we abandon the teaching of the Roman Church and withdraw
from its sacraments; firstly, because their ministers are
not true ministers of Christ Jesus (indeed they even allow
women, whom the Holy Ghost will not permit to preach in the
congregation to baptize) and, secondly, because they have so
adulterated both the sacraments with their own additions
that no part of Christ's original act remains in its
original simplicity. The addition of oil, salt, spittle, and
such like in baptism, are merely human additions. To adore
or venerate the sacrament, to carry it through streets and
towns in procession, or to reserve it in a special case, is
not the proper use of Christ's sacrament but an abuse of it.
Christ Jesus said, "Take ye, eat ye," and "Do this in
remembrance of Me." By these words and commands he
sanctified bread and wine to be the sacrament of his holy
body and blood, so that the one should be eaten and that all
should drink of the other, and not that they should be
reserved for worship or honored as God, as the Romanists do.
Further, in withdrawing one part of the sacrament--the
blessed cup--from the people, they have committed sacrilege.
Moreover, if the sacraments are to be rightly used it is
essential that the end and purpose of their institution
should be understood, not only by the minister but also by
the recipients. For if the recipient does not understand
what is being done, the sacrament is not being rightly used,
as is seen in the case of the Old Testament sacrifices.
Similarly, if the teacher teaches false doctrine which is
hateful to God, even though the sacraments are his own
ordinance, they are not rightly used, since wicked men have
used them for another end than what God had commanded. We
affirm that this has been done to the sacraments in the
Roman Church, for there the whole action of the Lord Jesus
is adulterated in form, purpose, and meaning. What Christ
Jesus did, and commanded to be done, is evident from the
Gospels and from St. Paul; what the priest does at the altar
we do not need to tell. The end and purpose of Christ's
institution, for which it should be used, is set forth in
the words, "Do this in remembrance of Me," and "For as often
as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do show"--that
is, extol, preach, magnify, and praise--"the Lord's death,
till He come." But let the words of the mass, and their own
doctors and teachings witness, what is the purpose and
meaning of the mass; it is that, as mediators between Christ
and his Kirk, they should offer to God the Father, a
sacrifice in propitiation for the sins of the living and of
the dead. This doctrine is blasphemous to Christ Jesus and
would deprive his unique sacrifice, once offered on the
cross for the cleansing of all who are to be sanctified, of
its sufficiency; so we detest and renounce it.
Index
Chapter 23 - To Whom Sacraments Appertain
We hold that baptism applies as much to the children of
the faithful as to those who are of age and discretion, and
so we condemn the error of the Anabaptists, who deny that
children should be baptized before they have faith and
understanding. But we hold that the Supper of the Lord is
only for those who are of the household of faith and can try
and examine themselves both in their faith and their duty to
their neighbors. Those who eat and drink at that holy table
without faith, or without peace and goodwill to their
brethren, eat unworthily. This is the reason why ministers
in our Kirk make public and individual examination of those
who are to be admitted to the table of the Lord Jesus.
Index
Chapter 24 - The Civil Magistrate
We confess and acknowledge that empires, kingdoms,
dominions, and cities are appointed and ordained by God; the
powers and authorities in them, emperors in empires, kings
in their realms, dukes and princes in their dominions, and
magistrates in cities, are ordained by God's holy ordinance
for the manifestation of his own glory and for the good and
well being of all men. We hold that any men who conspire to
rebel or to overturn the civil powers, as duly established,
are not merely enemies to humanity but rebels against God's
will. Further, we confess and acknowledge that such persons
as are set in authority are to be loved, honored, feared,
and held in the highest respect, because they are the
lieutenants of God, and in their councils God himself doth
sit and judge. They are the judges and princes to whom God
has given the sword for the praise and defense of good men
and the punishment of all open evil doers. Moreover, we
state the preservation and purification of religion is
particularly the duty of kings, princes, rulers, and
magistrates. They are not only appointed for civil
government but also to maintain true religion and to
suppress all idolatry and superstition. This may be seen in
David, Jehosaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah, and others highly
commended for their zeal in that cause.
Therefore we confess and avow that those who resist the
supreme powers, so long as they are acting in their own
spheres, are resisting God's ordinance and cannot be held
guiltless. We further state that so long as princes and
rulers vigilantly fulfill their office, anyone who denies
them aid, counsel, or service, denies it to God, who by his
lieutenant craves it of them.
Index
Chapter 25 - The Gifts Freely Given to
the Kirk
Although the Word of God truly preached, the sacraments
rightly ministered, and discipline executed according to the
Word of God, are certain and infallible signs of the true
Kirk, we do not mean that every individual person in that
company is a chosen member of Christ Jesus. We acknowledge
and confess that many weeds and tares are sown among the
corn and grow in great abundance in its midst, and that the
reprobate may be found in the fellowship of the chosen and
may take an outward part with them in the benefits of the
Word and sacraments. But since they only confess God for a
time with their mouths but not with their hearts, they
lapse, and do not continue to the end. Therefore they do not
share the fruits of Christ's death, resurrection, and
ascension. But such as unfeignedly believe with the heart
and boldly confess the Lord Jesus with their mouths shall
certainly receive his gifts. Firstly, in this life, they
shall receive remission of sins and that be faith in
Christ's blood alone; for though sin shall remain and
continually abide in our mortal bodies, yet it shall not be
counted against us, but be pardoned, and covered with
Christ's righteousness. Secondly, in the general judgment,
there shall be given to every man and woman resurrection of
the flesh. The seas shall give up her dead, and the earth
those who are buried within her. Yea, the Eternal, our God,
shall stretch out his hand on the dust, and the dead shall
arise incorruptible, and in the very substance of the
selfsame flesh which every man now bears, to receive
according to their works, glory or punishment. Such as now
delight in vanity, cruelty, filthiness, superstition, or
idolatry, shall be condemned to the fire unquenchable, in
which those who now serve the devil in all abominations
shall be tormented forever, both in body and in spirit. But
such as continue in well doing to the end, boldly confessing
the Lord Jesus, shall receive glory, honor, and immortality,
we constantly believe, to reign forever in life everlasting
with Christ Jesus, to whose glorified body all his chosen
shall be made like, when he shall appear again in judgment
and shall render up the Kingdom to God his Father, who then
shall be and ever shall remain, all in all things, God
blessed forever. To whom, with the Son and the Holy Ghost,
be all honor and glory, now and ever. Amen.
Arise, O Lord, and let thine enemies be confounded; let
them flee from thy presence that hate thy godly Name. Give
thy servants strength to speak thy Word with boldness, and
let all nations cleave to the true knowledge of thee. Amen. |
