A.
D. 1560 - John Knox Index: Historical
Note 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 - GodWe 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 ManWe 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 SinBy 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 PromiseWe 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 KirkWe 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 ChristWhen the fulness 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 ManWe acknowledge
and confess that this wonderful union betwee the Godhead and the humanity in Christ
Jesus did arise from the eternal and immutable decree of God from which all our
salvation spirngs and depends. Index Chapter
8 - ElectionThat 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 BurialThat 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 ResurrectionWe 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 AscensionWe 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, idolators, and all sorts of the unbellieving, 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 pormised 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 GhostOur 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 WorksThe 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 persecuters, adulterers, filthy persons,
idolators, 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 fatih, 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 GodWe
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 ManWe 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 fulfull 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 ackowledged 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 KirkAs 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 SoulsThe 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 DoctrineSince 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 nembers followed the scribes, pharisees,
and prests, 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 ScripturesAs 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 yer 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 SummoningAs
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 SacramentsAs 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." Index Chapter
22 - The Right Administration of the SacramentsTwo 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. Index Chapter
23 - To Whom Sacraments AppertainWe 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 MagistrateWe 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 civl powers, as
duly established, are not merely enemies to himanity 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 KirkAlthough 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. Index
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