¶ The confestion of the faith of the Sweserlandes.  
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¶ This confestion was first written and set out by the mini sters of the church and congregation of Sweverland/ where all godliness is received/ and the word had in most reverence/ and from thence was sent unto the emperors majesty/ then holding a gryat counsel or parliament in the year of our lord God. M.u. C.xxxvii. in the month of February. Translated out of latin by George usher/ a scotchman/ who was burned in Scotland/ the year of our lord M.u. C. xl.vi.  
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Of the holy scripture.  
THe canonical or holy scripture which is the word of god taught and given by the holy sprite, & puplyshed unto the world by the prophets and holy apostles, which also is the most perfit and ancient science and doctrine of wisdom/ it alone containeth consumatly all godliness and all sort and manner of fashion of life.   

Of the exposition of scripture.  
The interpretation or exposition of this holy writ ought and should be sought out of itself, so that it should be the own interpreter, the rule of charity and faith having governance.   

¶ Of man's traditions.  
As to other things, of traditions of men how beautiful & how much received soever they be, what so ever traditions withdraweth us & stoppeth us fro the scripture, of such do we answer the sayings of the lord as of things hurt full and unprofitable, they worship me in vain teaching the doctrines of man. Mathi. xv.   

¶ Of the holy fathers.  
For the which sort of interpretation so far as the holy fathers hath not gone fro it, not only do we receive them as interpreters of the scripture but also we honour and worship them as chosen and beloved instruments of God   

¶ The end & intent of the scripture.  
The principal intent of all the scripture canonical is to declare that God is benivolent and friendly minded to mankind, and that he hath declared that kindness in and through jesus christ his only son, the which kindness is received by faith, but this faith is effectuous through charity and expressed in an innocent life   

¶ Of God.  
Of God we believe in this sort, that he is almighty, being one in substance and three in persons, which even as he hath created by his word, that is his son, all things of nothing, so by his spirit and providence governs he, preserve, & nourisheth he, most truly, ryghtously, and wisely all things.   

¶ Of man.  
Man which is the perfectest image of God in earth, and also is the chief dignity and honour among all creatures visible, being made of soul and body, of the which twain the body is mortal, the soul immortal, when he was create of god holy, by falling in vice and sin through his own fall, drew with him in that same ruen & fall, & so subjecteth all mankind to the same calamity & wretchedness that he fell in.   

¶ Of original sin.  
And so this pestiferous infection which men calleth original, hath infect and overspread the whole kind of man, so far that by no help (he being the son of wrath and vengaunge and enemy of god) could be healed by any means but by the help of god only, for if there be any good that remaineth in man after the fall, that same being jointelie made weaker and weaker by our vice turns to the worse, because the strength and power of evil overcometh it, and neither suffereth it us to follow reason nor yet to exersyse the godliness of our mind.   

¶ Of free-will.  
Wherefore we attribute so free will to man as we which witting & willing to do good, feel experience of evil, Also evil truly we may do of our own will, but to embrace and follow good (except we be elluminat stirred up and mounted, by the grace of Chryst) we may not, for god is he which worketh in us, both to will, to perform, and to accomplish for his own good will sake, and of god cometh our health and salvation, but of ourself cometh perdition.   

¶ Of the eternal mind of God to restore man.  
And howbeit that through his fault man was subject unto damnation, and also was run under the just indingnation of God to take vengeance of him, yet god the father never ceased to take a merciful cure over him, the which thing is manifest not only of the first princes and the whole law, which as it is holy and good teaching us the will of god, righteousness, and truth, so worketh it wrath and storeth up sin within us, and slacketh it not, and that not through any fault of itself but through our vice, but also clearly appeareth it through Christ which was ordained and given for that purpose.   

¶ Of jesus Christ and that is done by him.  
This Christ the very son of God, & very God and very man also was made our brother, at the time appointed he took upon high whole man, made of soul and body, having two natures unpermyxte and one divine parson, to the intent that he should restore unto life us that were deed, and make us arise of God annexte with himself, he also after that he had taken upon him of the immaculate virgin by operation of the holy ghost flesh, which was holy because of the union of the godhead, which is and also was like to our flesh in all things except in sinfulness, and that because it behoved the sacrifice for sin to be clean and inmaculate, gave that same flesh to death for to expel all our sin by that means, and he also to the intent that we should have one full and perfect hope and trust of our inmortalitie hath raised up again fro death to life his own flesh, and hath set it and placed it in heaven at the right hand of his almighty father.  
And there he sitteth our victorious champion, our guider, our captain, and heed, also our highest bishop in deed/ sin, death, and hell, being victoriously overcome by him, and defendeth our cause and pleateth it perpetually until he shall reform and fashion us to that likeness to which we were create, and bring us to be partakers of eternal life, and we look for him and believeth that he shall come at the end of all ages to be our true righteous just judge, and shall pronofice sentence against all flesh, which shallbe raised up before to that judgement/ and that he shall exalt the godly a 'bove the heavens, but the ungodly shall he condemn both body & soul to eternal destruction.  
And as he only is our mediator, and entercessour, host and sacrifice, bishop, lord, and our king. Also do we acknowledge and confess him only to be our atonement and ransom, satisfaction, expiation, or wisdom, our defence, and our only deliverer, refusing utterly all other mean of life and salvation, except thus by Chryst only.   

¶ The end of the preaching of the Gospel.  
And therefore in the whole doctrine of the evangelists anunnciat and show to be the first, and chiefly to be inculcated and taught that we are safe only by the mercy of God, and merit of our saviour Christ. And that men may perceive and understand the better how necessary is the mercy of god, and Christ's merits for them, their sins should be clearly showed to them by the law, and remission by Christ's death.   

¶ Of faith & of the power of it.  
And these so godly benefits with the very sanctification of the holy spirit, do we obtain by faith, the very true gift of God, and not through any other power or strength of ourselves or merits.  
Which faith is one certain and undoubted substance and aprehensyon of all things that we hope for to come of the kindness of god, and it cometh first out of the self charity, it worketh noble fruits of all virtues, yet not with standing we attribute no thing to the deeds, although they be godly yet be they men's works and acts, but the health and salvation that is obtained, we attribute to the grace of god only, and truly this worshipping alone is the very true worshipping of god, faith I mean most pryngnaunt & plentiful of good works without any confidence in the works.   

¶ The congregation or church.  
Also we hold and believe that the church, which is the congregation & election of all holy men, which also is the spouse of Christ whom he shall present without spot unto his father washing it in his own blood, is of such lively stones aforesaid laid upon this lively rock on this manner.  
The which church howbeit, it be evidently known only to the eyes of God, yet be certain eternal rights institute by Christ and be one public and lawful teaching, teaching of the word of god, not only is it spied and known, but it is also so constituted by them that without the ceremonies there is no man reckoned to be of it, except it be by a singular privilege of God   

¶ The ministers of the word of god.  
And for this cause we grant the ministers of the church to be Cooperators of God as Paul calleth them, by whom God giveth and ministereth both know ledge of ourself, and remission of sin, and converteth men to himself, raiseth them up, and comforteth them, affrayeth them also, and judgeth them/ but so that the virtue and efficacy thereof we ascribe also to the Lord, and the ministration of the sacraments. For it is manifest that this efficacy and power is not bound nor knit to any creature, but is dispensed liberally and free lie who soever and when soever he shall please/ for he that watereth is nothing, nor yet is he that planteth any thing, but he that giveth the encreasment, which is God.   

¶ The power of the church.  
The authority to preach God's word, and to feed the lords flock, the which properly is the power of the keys, prescribing and commanding, all men both high and low all like, should be holy and inviolate, and should be committed only to them that are meet therefore/ and chosen other by the election of God, or else by a sure and advised election of the church, or by their will to whom the churches depute & appoint that office of choosing.   

¶ The choosing of ministers or officers.  
This ministration and office should be granted to no man but to him whom the ministers of the church, and they unto whom the charge is given by the churches, & found judged to be of knowledge in the law of god, & of innocent life, the which saying it is the very election of God, it is well and justly approved by the voice of the church, and the imposition of hands of the heeds of the priests.   

¶ The heed & shepherd of the church.  
Christ verily himself is the very true heed of his church and congregation, and the only pastor and herd, and he also giveth presidents, heeds, and teachers, to the intent that in the external administration they should use the power of the church well and lawfully, wherefore we know not them that are heeds & pastors in name only, nor yet the Romenishe heeds.   

¶ The duty of ministers or officers.  
The chief and principal office of this ministration is to preach repentance and remission of sin through jesus Christ, to pray continually for the people, to give diligence wholly to holy studies and to the word of God, and resist and pursue the devil always with the word of god, as with the sword of the spirit, and that with a deadly hatred, and by all means to chasten him away, to defend the holy citizens of Christ.  
And by all means compel and reprove the faulty and vicious, and to exclude from the church them that steereth to far, and that by a godly consent and agreement of them which are chosen of the ministers and magistrates for correction, or to punish them by any other way convenient and profitable means, so long until they come to a mendment, and so be safe, for this is the returning of the church again, for one such Citizen of Chryst if he acknowledge and confess his error with converted mind and life, for all this doctrine seeketh and willeth that we require willing and healthful correction, exhilarite, or comfort all godly by a new study of godliness.   

¶ Of the power or strength of sacraments.  
There is twain which are named in the church of God sacraments, baptism and howsling, these be tokens of secret things, that is of godly and spiritual things, of which things they take the name, are not of naked syngnes, but they are of signs and be cities together, for in baptism the water is the sign, but the thing and verity is regeneration and adoption, in the people of God. In the howsling & thanks giving the bread and the wine are signs, but the thing and verity is the communion of the body of our lord, health and salvation found and remission of sins, the which are received by faith even as the signs and tokens are received by the bodily mouth.  
Wherefore we affirm the sacraments not only to be badges and tokens of christian society, but to be also synes of the grace of God, by the which the ministers worketh with God, to the end that the promise bringeth the work to pass, but so as is aforesaid of the ministration of the word, that all the same power be ascribed to the lord.   

¶ Of Baptym.  
We affirm baptism to be by the institution of the lord, the laver of regeneration, the which regeneration the lord exhibiteth to his chosen by a visible sign by the ministration of the congregation as is a foresaid, in the which holy laver we wash our infants for this cause, because it is wickedness to reject and cast out of the fellowship & company of the people of God the that are borne of us which are the people of God, except them that are expressly commanded to be rejected by the voice of God, and for this cause chiefly, because we should not presume ungodly of their election.   

¶ Of the sacrament of the altar.  
But the mystical supper is in the which the lord offereth his body and his blood, that is his own self verily to his own, for this intent he might live more and more in them and they in him/ not so that the body and blood of the lord are communed naturally to the bread and wine, or closed in them as in one place, or put in them by any carnal or marvelous presence, but because the body and blood of our lord are received verily of one faithful soul, and be cause the bread and the wine by the institution of the lord, are tokens be whicha the very communion or participation of the lords body and blood are exhibited of the lord himself through the ministration of the church, not to be a meat corruptible of the belly, but to be a noryshement and meat of eternal life  
And this holy meat do we use oft for this cause, for when through the monition and remembrance of it, we behold with the eye of our faith, the death and blood of him that was crucified, and remember our salvation and health, not with out a taste of heavenly life, and very true feeling of eternal life/ when we do this we are wonderfully refreshed through this spiritual living and eternal food.  
And that with an unspeakable sweetness we exult and rejoice with a mirth unexpressible in words, for the salvation that is found, and we all & whole are effused with all our power and strength, utterly in doing of thanks for so wonderful a benefit of Christ toward us  
Therefore it is greatly without our deservings that some aleges and sayeth of us that we attribute little to the holy sacraments, for they are holy things and honourable, because they are in stitute and ordained by our high priest Christ, and received exhibiting the things that they syngnifie in their own manner as is aforesaid, being witness to the thing that is done in deed, representing so high and hard things, & bringeth by wonderful correspondence and likeness of similitude a light and a clearness to the ministers that they syngnifie, so wholly is our believe and estimation of the sacraments, but verily appropriatting the virtue of quickening and sanctifying to him only which is life, to whom be all honour and praise for ever Amen.   

¶ Of coming to church.  
We believe and think the holy conventions and gatherings should be holden on this manner and sort, so that first, chiefly, and before all things the word of God be preached to the people openly in an open and public place, and that daily, and the secret and the obscure places of the scripture be opened and declared by meet and competent men. And that by the holy supper of thanks, called howseling, the faith of the godly be oft exersysed, and that they should be continually in prayer for all men, and for the necessities of all men.  
But the rest of ceremonies, which as they are unprofitable so are they innumerable, as vescels, garments, wax, lights, altars, gold, silver, in so moch as they serve to subvert the true religion of God, and chiefly Idols and Images, that stand open to be worshipped, and give offence and slander, and all such profane and ungodly things do we abandon reject and put away from the holy congregation and convention.   

¶ Of heretyckes and sysmattyckes.  
We also abandon and reject from our holy conventions all them that departeth from the society and fellowship of the holy church, and bringeth in strange or ungodly sects and opinions, with the which evil the Anabap tistes are chiefly infect this time/ the which we judge should be constrained and punished by the magistrates and high powers, if they obstinately do resist and will not obey the monission of the church, and that for the intent that they should not infect & corrupt the flock of God through their wicked evil.   

¶ Of things indifferent.  
The things that are called, and in deed also are indifferent, howbeit a god lie man may use them freely and in every place and at all times, yet not withstanding he should use them with knowledge and of charity to the glory of God truly, and the edification of the church and congregation.   

¶ Of Magistrates or governors.  
And saying every magistrate and high power is of God, his chief and principal office is (except he would rather use tyranny) to defend the true worshipping of God from all blasfemy, and to procure true religion, and as the prophet doth teach of the voice of God, to execute for his power, in which part a true and sincere preaching of the word of God remaineth with a right and diligent institution of the discipline of citizens, and of the schools just correction and nurture, with liberality toward the ministers of the church, with a solicitat and thoughtful charge of the poor, to the which end all the richesse of the church is referred. This I say hath the first and chief place in the execution of the magistrate.  
Then after to judge the people by equal and godly laws, to excersyce & maintain judgement and justice, to defend the common wealth, and punish transgressors according to their fault, other in goods, their bodies, or their lives, and when the magistrate executeth these things he honoureth god as he should in his vocation, and we (howbeit we be free both in our boby and all our goods, and in the studies of our mind and thought also with a true saith) knoweth that we should be subject in holiness to the magistrate, and should keep fidelity & promise to him so long as his commandments, statutes, and imperes evidently repungneth not with him for whose sake we honour and worship the magistrates.   

¶ Of holy matrimony.  
We judge marriage which was institute of God for all men apt & meet therefore, which are not called from it by any other vocation, to repugn to holiness of no order, the which marriage as the church auctoriseth it, and celebrates, and solempniseth it with orison and prayer. And therefore we reject and refuse this monckely chastity and all hole this slothful and slouggishe sort of life of superstitious men, as abominably invented and excogitat thing, and abandon it as a thing repugnant both to the common weal and to the church. And so confirmeth and stablissheth it, so it belongeth to the magistrate to see that it be worthily both begun and worshipped, and not broken but for a just cause.   

¶ A declaration or witnessing, of our mind.  
It is not our mind for to prescribe by this brief chapters a certain rule of the faith to all churches and, for we know no other rule of faith but the holy scripture/ and therefore we are well contented with them that agreeth with these things, Howe beit they use an other manner of speaking or confession different apartly to this of ours in words, for rather should the matter be considered then the words.  
And therefore we make it free for all men to use their own sort of speaking as they shall perceive most profitable for their churches, and we shall use the same liberty.  
And if any man will attempt to corrupt the true meaning of this our confession he shall hear both a confession and a defence of the verity & truth.  
It was our pleasure to use these words at this present time that we might declare our opinion in our religion and worshypenge of God.  
FINIS  The truth will have the upper hand.