other. There may be this inconvenience
in a confession very short and general,
that takes in all, that it does not so well
serve to excite or to express that due
sense of sin, nor to exercise that humility
and self-abasement, wherewith we should
always confess our sins to God. On the
other hand, the inconvenience of a very
particular and distinct confession of sins
will be this, that some sins, with their ag-
gravations, may be confessed in the name
of the whole congregation, of which it is
by no means to be supposed that all are
guilty; and then they, who through the
grace of GoD have been kept from them.
CONFESSIONS OF FAITH.
229
cannot in good earnest make such con-
fession. — Clagetfs Answer to Disse)iters.
The General Confession with the Abso-
lution, was first inserted in the Morning
and Evening Prayer, by the Second Book
of King Edward VI.
A Confession was formerly recited in the
office for the first hour of the morning, ac-
cordhig to the rites of the English Churches.
It occurred in the course of prayers which
came at the end of the service : and had this
arrangement been regarded by the reform-
ers, the Confession and Absolution would
now be placed immediately before the col-
lect for the day. There were, however, good
reasons for placing the Confession at the
beginning of the office. Christian humility
would naturally induce us to approach the
infinitely holy God with a confession of
our sinfulness and unworthiness ; and this
position of the Confession is justified by
the practice of the Eastern Church in the
time of Basil, who observes that the people
all confessed their sins with great con-
trition, at the beginning of the nocturnal
service, and before the psalmody and
lessons commenced. — Palmer.
Even in the most penitential parts of
our service, even in the midst of accommo-
dation to the wants of persons entering on
a course of amendment, there is a prospect
opened, of mature, established, and vic-
torious Christianity .... Our " Almighty
and most merciful Father" is entreated
not only to remit the punishment, but to
abolish the power of sin. And the abso-
lution and remission of our sins itself, is
made to consist, not merely in the reversal
of a sentence, and removal of a curse, but
in the influence of the Holy Spirit, conse-
quent on true repentance, and productive,
not of mere temporary and outward amend-
ment, but of that inward abiding " purity
and holiness, for the rest of our life,"
which, " at the last," will bring us to
" God's eternal jov." — Bishop Jehb.
CONFESSIONS OF FAITH. The
systems of theology drawn up by foreign
reformers were frequently called Confes-
sions of Faith. The following are the Con-
fessions of the diff"erent Churches.
I. That of the Greek Church, entitled
" The Confessions of the True and Genuine
Faith," which was presented to Mohammed
II., in 145;J, but which gave place to the
" Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and
Apostolic Greek Church," composed by
Mogila, metropolitan of Kiev, in Russia,
and approved in 164.'3, with great solemn-
ity, by the patriarchs of Constantinople,
Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. It
contains the standard of the principles of
the Russian Greek Church. — See ]\[r.
Palmer's (of Magd. Coll. Oxf.) Collection
of Russian Symbolical Books ; and 3Ir.
Neale's Hist, of the Greek Church.
2. The Church of Rome, though she has
always received the Apostles', Nicenc, and
Athanasian Creeds, had no fixed public
and authoritative symbol till the Covmcil
of Trent. A summary of the doctrines
contained in the canons of that council is
given in the creed published by Pius IV.,
(1564,) in the form of a bull. It is intro-
duced by the Nicene Creed, to which it
adds twelve articles, comprising those doc-
trines which the Church of Rome finally
adopted after her controversies with the
Reformers. (See Creed of Pope Pius
IV.)
3. The Lutherans call their standard
books of faith and discipline, " Libri S}Tn-
bolici Ecclesice Evangelicic." They contain
the three creeds above mentioned, the
Augsburg Confession, the Apology for that
Confession by Mclancthon, the Articles of
Smalcald, drawn up by Luther; the Cate-
chisms of Luther ; and, in many churches,
the Form of Concord, or Book of Torgau.
The best edition is that by Tittmann,
Leipsic, 1817. The Saxon, (composed by
Melancthou,) Wurtemberg, Suabian, Po-
meranian, Mansfeldlian, and Copenhagen
Confessions agree in general with the sym-
bolical books of the Lutherans, but are of
authority only in the countries from which
they are respectively called.
4. The Confessions of the Calvinistic
Churches are numerous. The following
are the principal : — (1.) The Helvetic Con-
fessions are three — that of Basle, 1530;
the Summary and Confession of the Hel-
vetic Churches, 1536; and the " Expositio
Simplex," &c., 1566, ascribed to Bullinger.
(2.) The Tetrapolitan Confession, 1531, —
which derives its name from the four cities
of Strasburg, Constance, Memmingen,
and Lindau, by the deputies of which it
was signed, — is attributed to Bucer. (3.)
The Palatine or Heidelberg Confession,
framed by order of the Elector Palatine
John Casimir, 1575. (4.) The Confession
of the Gallic Churches, accepted at the first
synod of the reformed, held at Paris, 1559.
(5.) The Confession of the Reformed
Churches in Belgium, di-awn up in 1559,
and approved in' 1561. (6.) The Confes-
sion of Faith of the Kirk of Scotland,
which was that composed by the assembly
at AVestminster, was received as the stand-
ard of the Scotch national faith, in 1690. —
See the following article. See also Har-
mony of Confessions, or the Faith of Chris-
tian and Reformed Churches, 1643; and
230 CONFESSION, WESTMINSTER.
Sylloge Confessionum, sub tempus Re-
formandae Ecclesiae, Oxon. 1804.
CONFESSION OF FAITH, WEST-
MINSTER. The Confession of Faith
which was drawn up by the Puritans in
England, and which is adopted by the
Scottish establishment. The ordinance
under which the assembly which drew up
this Confession sat at Westminster com-
mences thus :
An Ordinance of the Lords and Commons
assembled in Parliament, for the calling
of an Assembly of learned and godly
Divines, and others, to be consulted
with by the Parliament, for the settling
of the government and liturgy of the
Church of England ; and for vindicating
and clearing of the doctrine of the said
Church from false aspersions and inter-
pretations. June 12, 1643.
"WTiereas, amongst the infinite blessings
of Almighty God upon this nation, none
is nor can be more dear unto us than the
purity of our religion ; and for that, as
yet, many things remain in the liturgy,
discipline, and government of the Church,
which do necessarily require a further and
more perfect reformation than as yet hath
been attained ; and whereas it hath been
declared and resolved by the Lords and
Commons assembled in Parliament, that
the present Church-government by arch-
bishops, their chancellors, commissars,
deans, deans and chapters, archdeacons,
and other ecclesiastical officers depending
upon the hierarchy, is evil, and justly of-
fensive and burdensome to the kingdom, a
great impediment to reformation and
growth of religion, and very prejudicial to
the state and government of this kingdom ;
and therefore they are resolved that the
same shall be taken away, and that such a
government shall be settled in the Church
as may be most agreeable to God's holy
word, and most apt to procure and pre-
serve the peace of the Church at home,
and nearer agreement with the Chui-ch of
Scotland, and other Reformed Churches
abroad ; and, for the better effecting here-
of, and for the vindicating and clearing of
the doctrine of the Church of England
from all false calumnies and aspersions, it
is thought fit and necessary to call an
Assembly of learned, godly, and judicious
Divines, who, together with some mem-
bers of both the Houses of Parliament, are
to consult and advise of such matters and
things, touching the premises, as shall be
proposed unto them by both or either of
the^ Houses of Parliament, and to give
their advice and counsel therein to both or
CONFESSION, KIRK OF SCOTLAND.
either of the said Houses, when, and as
often as, they shall be thereunto required.
The Confession consists of thirty-three
chapters, of which the following are the
heads : —
CHAP.
I. Of the Holy Scripture.
II. Of God, and of the Holy Trinity.
III. Of God's Eternal Decree.
IV. Of Creation.
V. Of Providence.
VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of
the Punishment thereof.
VII. Of God's Covenant with Man.
VIII. Of Christ the Mediator.
IX. Of Free Will.
X. Of Eff-ectual Calling.
XL Of Justification.
XII. Of Adoption.
XIII. Of Sanctification.
XIV. Of Saving Faith.
XV. Of Repentance unto Life.
XVI. Of Good Works.
XVII. Of the Perseverance of the Saints.
XVIII. Of Assurance of Grace and Sal-
vation.
XIX. Of the Law of God.
XX. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of
Conscience.
XXL Of Religious Worship, and the Sab-
bath-day.
XXII. Of lawful Oaths and Vows.
XXIII. Of the Civil Magistrate.
XXIV. Of Marriage and Divorce.
XXV. Of the Church.
XXVI. Of Communion of Saints.
XXVII. Of the Sacraments.
XXVIII. Of Baptism.
XXIX. Of the Lord's Supper.
XXX. Of Church Censures.
XXXI. Of Synods and Councils.
XXXII. Of the State of Men after Death,
and of the Resurrection of the Dead.
XXXIII. Of the last Judgment.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
was approved by the general assembly of
the Kirk of Scotland, on the 27th of
August, 1647, Sess. 23, and was ratified
by Act of the Scottish Parliament, 7th
February, 1649. — See next article.
CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE
KIRK OF SCOTLAND, or THE NA-
TIONAL COVENANT.
Subscribed at first by the King's Majesty,
and his Household, in the Year 1580;
thereafter by persons of all ranks in the
year 1581, by ordinance of the Lords of
secret council, and acts of the General
Assembly ; subscribed again by all sorts
of persons in the year 1590, by a new
ordinance of council, at the desire of the
CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND
231
General Assembly : with a general bond
for the mamtaining of the true Christian
religion, and the King's person ; and,
together with a resolution and promise,
for the causes after expressed, to main-
tain the true religion, and the King's
Majesty, according to the foresaid Con-
fession and acts of Parliament, subscrib-
ed by Barons, Nobles, Gentlemen, Bur-
gesses, Ministers, and Commons, in the
year 1638 : appro ven by the General
Assembly 1638 and 1639; and sub-
scribed again by persons of all ranks and
qualities in the year 1639, by an ordin-
ance of council, upon the supplication
of the General Assembly, and act of the
General Assembly, ratified by an act of
Parliament 1640 ; and subscribed by
King Charles II. at Spey, June 23, 1650,
and Scoon, January 1, 1651.
We all and every one of us under-writ-
ten, protest, That, after long and due
examination of our own conscience in
matters of true and false religion, we are
now throughly resolved in the truth by the
word and Spuit of God : and therefore we
believe with our hearts, confess with our
mouths, subscribe with our hands, and con-
stantly affirm, before God and the whole
world, that this only is the true Christian
faith and religion, pleasing God, and bring-
ing salvation to man, which now is, by the
mercy of God, revealed to the world by the
preaching of the blessed evangel ; and is
received, believed, and defended by many
and sundry notable kirks and realms, but
chiefly by the kirk of Scotland, the King's
Majesty, and three estates of this realm, as
God's eternal truth, and only ground of our
salvation ; as more particularly is express-
ed in the Confession of our Faith, establish-
ed and publickly confirmed by sundry acts of
Parliaments, and now of a long time hath
been openly professed by the King's Ma-
^"esty, and whole body of this realm both
in burgh and land. To the which Confession
and Form of Religion we willingly agree
in our conscience in all points, as unto
God's undoubted truth and verity, ground-
ed only upon his written word. And
therefore we abhor and detest all contrary
religion and doctrine ; but chiefly all kind
of Papistry in general and particular heads,
even as they are now damned and confuted
by the word of God and Kirk of Scotland.
But, in special, we detest and refuse the
usurped authority of that Koman Anti-
christ upon the Scriptures of God, upon the
kirk, the civil magistrate, and consciences
of men ; all his tyrannous laws made upon
indifferent things against our Christian
liberty ; his erroneous doctrine against the
sufficiency of the written word, the perfec-
tion of the law, the office of Christ, and his
blessed evangel ; his corrupted doctrine
concerning original sin, our natural in-
ability andrebelHon to God's law, our justifi-
cation by faith only, our imperfect sanctifi-
cation and obedience to the law ; the nature,
number, and use of the holy sacraments ;
his five bastard sacraments, with all his
rites, ceremonies, and false doctrine, added
to the ministration of the true sacraments
without the word of God ; his cruel judg-
ment against infants departing without the
sacrament ; his absolute necessity of baptism;
his blasphemous opinion of transubstantia-
tion, or real presence of Christ's body in
the elements, and receiving of the same by
the wicked, or bodies of men ; his dispens-
ations with solemn oaths, perjuries, and
degrees of marriage forbidden in the word,
his cruelty against the innocent divorced ;
his devilish mass ; his blasphemous priest-
hood ; his profane sacrifice for sins of the
dead and the quick; his canonization of
men ; calling upon angels or saints depart-
ed, worshipping of imagery, relicks, and
crosses ; dedicating of kirks, altars, days ;
vows to creatures ; his purgatory, prayers
for the dead ; praying or speaking in a
strange language, with his processions,
and blasphemous litany, and multitude of
advocates or mediators ; his manifold
orders, auricular confession ; his desperate
and uncertain repentance ; his general and
doubtsome faith ; his satisfactions of men
for their sins ; his justification by works,
opus operatum, works of supererogation,
merits, pardons, peregrinations, and sta-
tions ; his holy water, baptizing of bells,
conjuring of spirits, crossing, sayning,
anointing, conjuring, hallowing of God's
good creatures, with the superstitious opi-
nion joined therewith ; his worldly mon-
archy, and wicked hierarchy ; his tliree
solemn vows, with all his sha veilings of
sundry sorts ; his erroneous and bloody
decrees made at Trent, with all the sub-
scribers or approvers of that cruel and
bloody band, conjured against the kirk
of God. And finally, we detest all his
vain allegories, rites, signs, and tradi-
tions brought in the kirk, without or
against the word of God, and doctrine of
this true reformed kirk ; to the vrhich we
join ourselves willingly, in doctrine, faith,
religion, discipline, and use of the holy
sacraments, as lively members of the same
in Christ our Head : promising and swear-
ing, by the great name of the Lord our
God, that we shall continue in the obedi-
ence of the doctrine and discipline of this
132
CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND.
kirk,* and shall defend the same, accord-
ing to our vocation and power, all the days
of our lives ; under the pains contained in
the law, and danger both of body and soul
in the day of God's fearful judgment.
And seeing that many are stirred up by
Satan, and that Roman Antichrist, to
promise, swear, subscribe, and for a time use
the holy sacraments in the kirk deceitfully,
against their own conscience ; minding
hereby, first, under the external cloak of
religion, to corrupt and subvert secretly
God's true religion within the kirk ; and
afterward, when time may serve, to become
open enemies and persecutors of the same,
under vain hope of the pope's dispensation,
devised against the word of God, to his
greater confusion, and their double con-
demnation in the day of the Lord Jesus :
we therefore, willing to take away all
suspicion of hypocrisy, and of such double
dealing with God, and his kirk, protest,
and call the Searcher of all hearts for
witness, that our minds and hearts do fully
agree with this our Confession, promise,
oath, and subscription : so that we are not
moved with any worldly respect, but are
persuaded only in our conscience, through
the knowledge and love of God's true re-
ligion imprinted in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit, as we shall answer to him in the day
when the secrets of all hearts shall be
disclosed.
And because we perceive, that the quiet-
ness and stability of our religion and kirk
doth depend upon the safety and good beha-
viour of the King's Majesty, as upon a com-
fortable instrument of God's mercy granted
to this country, for the maintaining of his
kirk, and ministration of justice amongst
us; we protest and promise with our
hearts, under the same oath, hand- writ, and
pains, that we shall defend his person and
authority with our goods, bodies, and lives,
in the defence of Christ, his evangel, liber-
ties of our country, ministration of justice,
and punishment of iniquity, against all
enemies within this realm or without, as
we desire our God to be a strong and mer-
ciful defender to us in the day of our death,
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ; to
whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit,
be all honour and glory eternally. Amen.
Likeas many Acts of Parliament, not
only in general do abrogate, annul, and
rescind all laws, statutes, acts, constitu-
tions, canons civil or municipal, with all
other ordinances, and practique penalties
* The Confession which was subscribed at
Halyrud-house the 25tli of February, 1587-8,
by the King, Lennox, Huntly, the Chancellor, ment.
and about ninety-five other persons, hath here |
whatsoever, made in prejudice of the true
religion, and professors thereof; or of the
true ku'k, discipline, jurisdiction, and free-
dom thereof; or in favours of idolatry
and superstition, or of the Papistical kirk :
as Act 3, Act 31, Pari. 1, Act 23, Pari. 11,
Act 114, Pari. 12, of King James VL
That Papistry and superstition may be
utterly suppressed, according to the in-
tention of the Acts of Parliament, repeated
in the fifth Act, Pari. 20, King James VL
And to that end they ordain all Papists
and priests to be punished with manifold
civil and ecclesiastical pains, as adversaries
to God's true religion, preached, and by
law established, within this realm, Act 24,
Pari. 11, King James VL ; as common
enemies to all Christian government. Act
18, Pari. 16, King James VL ; as rebellers
and gainstanders of our Sovereign Lord's
authority. Act 47, Pari. 3, King James VI. ;
and as idolaters, Act 104, Pari. 7, King
James VI. But also in particular, by and
attour the Confession of Faith, do abolish
and condemn the Pope's authority and
jurisdiction out of this land, and ordains
the maintainers thereof to be punished.
Act 2, Pari. 1, Act 51, Park 3, Act 106,
Pari. 7, Act 114, Pari. 12, King James VL,
do condemn the Pope's erroneous doctrine,
or any other erroneous doctrine repugnant
to any of the articles of the true and
Christian religion, publicly preached and
by law established in this realm ; and
ordains the spreaders and makers of books,
or libels, or letters or writs of that nature,
to be punished. Act 46, Pari. 3, Act 106,
Pari. 7, Act 24, Pari. 11, King James VL,
do condemn all baptism conform to the
Pope's kii'k, and the idolatry of the mass ;
and ordains all sayers, wilful hearers, and
concealers of the mass, the maintainers
and resetters of the priests, Jesuits, traf-
ficking Papists, to be punished without
any exception or restriction, Act 5, Pari.
1, Act 120, Park 12, Act 164, Park 13, Act
193, Park 14, Act 1, Park 19, Act 5, Park
20, King James VL, do condemn all erro-
neous books and writs containing erro-
neous doctrine against the religion pre-
sently professed, or containing superstitious
rites and ceremonies Papistical, whereby
the people are greatly abused, and ordains
the home-bringers of them to be punished,
Act 25, Park 11, King James VL, do con-
demn the monuments and dregs of bygone
idolatry, as going to crosses, observing the
festival days of saints, and such other su-
added, ** Agreeing to the word." Sir John
Maxwell of Pollock hath the original parch-
CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND.
233
perstitious and Papistical rites, to the dis-
honour of God, contempt of true religion,
and fostering of great error among the
people ; and ordains the users of them to
be punished for the second fault as idol-
aters. Act 104, Pari, 7, King James VI.
Likeas many Acts of Parliament are con-
ceived for maintenance of God's true and
Christian religion, and the purity thereof,
in doctrine and sacraments of the true
church of God, the liberty and freedom
thereof, in her national, synodal assem-
blies, presbyteries, sessions, policy, disci-
pline, and jurisdiction thereof; as that
purity of religion, and liberty of the church
was used, professed, exercised, preached,
and confessed, according to the reforma-
tion of religion in this realm. As for in-
stance, the 99th Act, Pari. 7, Act 25, Pari.
11, Act 114, Pari. 12, Act 160, Pari. 13, of
King James VI., ratified by the 4th Act of
King Charles. So that the 6th Act, Pari.
1, and 68th Act, Pari. 6, of King James
VL, in the year of God 1579, declare the
ministers of the blessed evangel, whom
God of his mercy had raised up, or here-
after should raise, agreeing with them that
then lived, in doctrine and administration
of the sacraments ; and the people that
professed Christ, as he was then offered
in the evangel, and doth communicate
with the holy sacraments (as in the reform-
ed kirks of this realm they were presently
administrate) according to the Confession
of Faith, to be the true and holy kirk of
Christ Jesus within this realm. And
decerns and declares all and sundry, who
either gainsay the word of the evangel re-
ceived and approved as the heads of the
Confession of Faith, professed in Parlia-
ment in the year of God 1560, specified also
in the first Parliament of King James VL,
and ratified in this present Parliament, more
particularly do express ; or that refuse the
administration of the holy sacraments, as
they were then ministrated ; to be no
members of the said kirk within this realm,
and true religion presently professed, so
long as they keep themselves so divided
from the society of Christ's body. And
the subsequent Act 69, Pari. 6, of King
James VI. declares, that there is no other
face of kirk, nor other face of religion,
than was presently at that time, by the
favour of God, established within this
realm : " "VVliich therefore is ever styled
God's true religion, Christ's true reli-
gion, the true and Christian religion, and
a perfect religion ; " which, by manifold
Acts of Parliament, all within this realm
are bound to profess, to subscribe the arti-
cles thereof, the Confession of Faith, to
recant all doctrine and errors re})ugnant
to any of the said articles. Act 4 and 9,
Pari, 'l, Acts 45, 46, 47, Pari. 3, Act 71,
Pari. 6, Act 106, Pari. 7, Act 24, Pari. 11,
Act 123, Pari. 12, Act 194 and 197, Pari.
14, of King James VI. And all magis-
trates, sheriffs, &c. on the one part, are
ordained to search, apprehend, and punish
all contraveners : For instance. Act 5, Pari.
1, Act 104, Pari. 7, Act 25, Pari. 11, King
James VI. ; and that, notwithstanding of
the King's Majesty's licences on the con-
trary, which are discharged, and declared
to be of no force, in so far as they tend in
anywise to the prejudice and hinder of the
execution of the Acts of Parliament against
Papists and adversaries of true religion,
Act 106, Pari. 7, King James VI. On the
other part, in the 47th Act, Pari. 3, King
James VI. it is declared and ordained,
Seeing the cause of God's true religion
and his Highness's authority are so joined,
as the hurt of the one is common to both ;
that none shall be reputed as loyal and
faithful subjects to our sovereign Lord, or
his authority, but be punishable as rebel-
lers and gainstanders of the same, who
shall not give their confession, and make
their profession of the said true religion :
and that they who, after defection, shall
give the confession of their faith of new,
they shall promise to continue therein in