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The Scots
Confession
A. D. 1560 - John
Knox
Index:
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, ie., 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 mose 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 sepulchres 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 fulful 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 conjuction, 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."
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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.
Othewise 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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