I. A CONFESSION OF FAITH Of Seven Congregations or Churches of Christ in London, which are commonly, but unjustly, called Anabaptists; published for the Vindication of the Truth and Information of the Ignorant: likewise for the taking off of those Aspersions which are frequently, both in Pulpit and Print, unjustly cast upon them. Printed at London, Anno 1646. (Second edition.) I. THE Lord our God is but one God, whose subsistence is in himself; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; who is in himself most holy, every way infinite, in greatness, wisdom, power, love; merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth: who giveth being, moving, and preservation to all creatures.1 II. In this divine and infinite Being there is the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; each having the whole Divine essence, yet the essence undivided; all infinite without any beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties.2 III. God hath decreed in himself, before the world was, concerning all things, whether necessary, accidental, or voluntary, with all the circumstances of them, to work, dispose, and bring about all things according to the counsel of his own will, to his glory (yet without being the author of sin, or having fellowship with any there 1 1 Cor. viii. 6; Isa. xliv. 6, and xlvi. 9; Exodus iii. 14; 1 Tim. vi. 16; Isaiah xliii. 15; Psalm cxlvii. 5; Deut. xxxii. 3; Job xxxvi. 5; Jeremiah x. 12; Ex odus xxxiv. 6, 7; Acts xvii. 28; Rom. xi. 36. 2 1 Cor. i. 3; John i. 1, and xv. 26; Exod. iii. 14; 1 Cor. viii. 6. in): in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, unchangeableness, power, and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree; and God hath, before the foundation of the world, foreordained some men to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of his grace: leaving the rest in their sin, to their just condemnation, to the praise of his justice.1 IV. In the beginning God made all things very good: created man after his own image, filled with all meet perfection of nature, and free from all sin; but long he abode not in this honor, Satan using the subtlety of the serpent to seduce first Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who, without any compulsion, in eating the forbidden fruit, transgressed the command of God, and fell, whereby death came upon all his posterity: who now are conceived in sin, and by nature the children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and other miseries in this world and forever, unless the Lord Jesus Christ set them free.2 V. God, in his infinite power and wisdom, doth dispose all things to the end for which they were created; that neither good nor evil befalls any by chance, or without his providence; and that whatsoever befalls the elect is by his appointment, for his glory, and their good.3 VI. All the elect, being loved of God with an everlasting love, are redeemed, quickened, and saved, not by themselves, nor their own works, lest any man should boast, but only and wholly by God, of his free grace and mercy, through Jesus Christ, who is made unto us by God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption and all in all, that he that rejoiceth might rejoice in the Lord.4 VII. And this is life eternal, that we might know him the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. And on the con 1 Isa. xlvi. 10; Eph. i. 11; Rom. xi. 33; Psalm xxviii. 15, cxv. 3, cxxxv. 6, and cxliv.; 1 Sam. x. 9, 26 ; Prov. xvi 4, 33, and xxi. 6; Exod. xxi. 13; Isa. xlv. 7; Matt xvi. 28, 30; Col. i. 16, 17; Numb. xxiii. 19, 20; Rom. iii. 4; Jer. x. 10, xiv. 22; Eph. i. 4, 5; Jude 4, 6. 2 Gen. i. 1, and iii. 1, 4, 5; Col. i. 16; Isa. xlv. 12; 1 Cor. xv. 45, 46; Eccl. vii. 29; 2 Cor. xi. 3; 1 Tim. ii. 14; Gal. iii. 22; Rom. v. 12, vi. 22, and xviii. 19; Eph. ii. 3. 3 Job xxxviii. 11; Isa. xlvi. 10, 11; Eccl. iii. 14; Matt. x. 29, 30; Exod. xxi. 13; Prov. xvi. 33; Rom. viii. 28. 4 Jer. xxiii. 6, and xxxi. 3; Eph. i 3, 7, and ii 4,9; 1 Thess. v. 9; Acts xiii 38; 2 Cor.v. 21; Jer. ix. 23, 24; 1 Cor. i. 30,31. trary, the Lord will render vengeance, in flaming fire, to them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.1 VIII. The rule of this knowledge, faith, and obedience concerning the worship of God, in which is contained the whole duty of man, is (not men's laws or unwritten traditions, but) only the Word of God contained in the Holy Scriptures: in which is plainly recorded whatsoever is needful for us to know, believe, and practise; which are the only rule of holiness and obedience for all saints, at all times, in all places, to be observed.2 IX. The Lord Jesus Christ, of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, the apostles preached, he is the Son of God, the brightness of his glory, etc., by whom he made the world; who upholdeth and governeth all things that he hath made; who also, when the fulness of time was come, was made of a woman, of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David; to wit, of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her, the power of the Most High overshadowing her; and he was also tempted as we are, yet without sin.3 X. Jesus Christ is made the mediator of the new and everlasting covenant of grace between God and man, ever to be perfectly and fully the prophet, priest, and king of the Church of God for evermore.4 XI. Unto this office he was appointed by God from everlasting; and in respect of his manhood, from the womb called, separated, and anointed most fully and abundantly with all gifts necessary, God having without measure poured out his Spirit upon him.5 XII. Concerning his mediatorship, the Scripture holds forth Christ's call to his office; for none takes this honor upon him but he that is called of God, as was Aaron, it being an action of God, whereby a special promise being made, he ordains his son to this 1 John vi. 36; and xvii. 3; Heb. v.9; 1 Thess. i. 8. 2 Col. ii. 23; Mat. xv. 9, 6; John v. 39; 2 Tim. iii 15-17; Isa. viii. 20; Gal. i. 8, 9: Acts iii. 22, 23. 3 Gen. iii. 15; xxii. 18, and xlix. 9, 10; Dan. vii. 13, and ix. 24-26; Prov. viii. 23; John i. 1-3; Heb. i. 8, ii. 16, iv. 15, and vii. 14; Gal. iv. 4; Rev. v. 5; Rom. i. 3, and ix. 10; Matt. i. 16; Luke iii. 23, 26; Isa liii. 3-5. 4 1 Tim. ii. 5; Heb. ix. 15; John xiv. 6; Isa. ix. 6, 7. 5 Prov. viii. 23; Isa. xi. 2—5, xli. 6, xlix. 15, and lxi. 1, 2; Luke iv. 17, 22; John i. 14, 16, and iii. 34. office; which promise is, that Christ should be made a sacrifice for sin; that he should see his seed, and prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand; all of mere free and absolute grace towards God's elect, and without any condition foreseen in them to procure it.1 XIII. This office to be mediator, that is, to be prophet, priest, and king of the Church of God, is so proper to Christ, that neither in whole, nor any part thereof, can it be transferred from him to any other.2 XIV. This office to which Christ is called is threefold — as a prophet, priest, and king: this number and order of offices is necessary, for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our great alienation from God, we need his priestly office to reconcile us; and in respect of our averseness and utter inability to return to God, we need his kingly office, to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom.3 XV. Concerning the prophecy of Christ, it is that whereby he hath revealed the will of God, whatsoever is needful for his servants to know and obey; and therefore he is called not only a prophet and doctor, and the apostle of our profession, and the angel of the covenant, but also the very wisdom of God, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, who forever continueth revealing the same truth of the gospel to his people.4 XVI. That he might be a prophet every way complete, it was necessary he should be God, and also that he should be man: for unless he had been God, he could never have perfectly understood the will of God; and unless he had been man, he could not suitably have unfolded it in his own person to men.5 That Jesus Christ is God, is wonderful clearly expressed in the 1 Heb. v. 4-6; Isa. liii. 10, 11; John iii. 16; Rom viii. 32. 21 Tim. ii. 5; Heb. vii. 14; Daniel vii. 14; Acts iv. 12; Luke i. 33; John xiv. 6. 3 Deut. viii. 15; Acts iii. 22, 23, xxvi. 18; Heb. iii. 3, and iv. 14, 15; Psalm ii. 6; 2 Cor. v. 20; Col. i. 21; John xvi. 8; Psalm cx. 3; Cant. i. 3; John vi. 44; 4 John i 18, xii. 49, 50, and xv., and xvii. 8; Matt. xxiii. 10; Deut. xviii. 15; Heb. iii. 1; 1 Cor. i. 24; Col. ii. 3; Mal. iii. 1. 5 John i. 18; Acts iii. 22; Deut. xviii. 15; Heb. i. 1. Scriptures. He is called the mighty God.1 The Word was God.2 Christ, who is God over all. God manifested in the flesh.1 The same is very God.5 He is the first. He gives being to all things, and without him was nothing made. He forgiveth sins.8 He is before Abraham.9 He was, and is, and ever will be the same.10 He is always with his to the end of the world." Which could not be said of Jesus Christ, if he were not God. And to the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.12 Also, Christ is not only perfectly God, but perfect man, made of a woman.13 Made of the seed of David.14 Coming out of the loins of David.15 Of Jesse and Judah.16 In that the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he himself likewise took part with them.17 He took not on him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham.18 So that we are bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh.19 So that he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified, are all of one.20 XVII. Concerning his priesthood, Christ, having sanctified himself, hath appeared once to put away sin by that one offering of himself a sacrifice for sin, by which he hath fully finished and suffered all things God required for the salvation of his elect, and removed all rites and shadows, etc., and is now entered within the veil into the holy of holies, which is the presence of God: Also, he makes his people a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through him. Neither doth the Father accept, or Christ offer to the Father, any other worship or worshippers.21 XVIII. This priesthood was not legal or temporary, but according to the order of Melchisedeck, and is stable and perfect, not for a time, but forever, which is suitable to Jesus Christ, as to him that ever liveth. Christ was the priest, sacrifice, and altar; he was a priest according to both natures; he was a sacrifice according to his |