3/lP/OB LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON, N. J. PRESENTED BY PROF. B. B. WARFIELD, D,D, BX 9183 .S4 1850 Shaw, Robert, An exposition of the Confession of faith of the I AN / '^ / ' / \< 3/iz/q8 EXPOSlTIO^v \*:"'%'.-:*! S'.'.'-< THE CONFESSION OF FAITH WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY;0F DIVINES. BT THE REV. ROBERT SHAW, WHITBURN. WITH AN INTRODUCTOKY ESSAY, BY THE REV. WILLIAM M. HETHERINGTON, LL.D. jFourti) iEDitton. JOHNSTONE AND HUNTER: LONDON, I EDINBURGH, PATERNOSTER ROW. 15 PRINCES STREET. EDINBURGH JOHNSTONE AND HUNTEK, 104 HIGH STREET. CONTENTS. Page Act of Assembly, - - _ _ v Preface, .-_._- vii Introductory Essay, - . - . - ix Chapter I. Of the Holy Scripture, - - - - 1 » II. Of God, and of the Holy Trinity, - - 23 « III. Of God's Eternal Decree, . . - 42 « IV. Of Creation, .... 6C w v. Of Providence, - - - - 65 n VI. Of the FaU of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof, - - - - - 73 H VII. Of God's Coyenant with Man, - - 84 « VIII. Of Christ the Mediator, . - . Bb „ IX. Of Free-will, 115 „ X. Of Effectual Calling, - - - - 118 „ XL Of Justification, . - . - 124 „ XII. Of Adoption, 137 ,r XIII. Of Sanctification, - - - - 141 „ XIV. Of Saving Faith, - - - - 145 H XV. Of Repentance unto Life, _ _ - 154 „ XVI. Of Good Works, - - - - 162 n XVII. Of the Perseverance of the Saints, - - 171 II XVIII. Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation, - 181 „ XIX. Of the Law of God, . - - - 192 II XX. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience, 200 „ XXI. Of ReUgious Worship, and the Sabbath-day, - 212 I. XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows, - - - 235 „ XXIII. Of the CivH Magistrate, - - - 240 „ XXIV. Of Marriage and Divorce, - - - 253 II XXV. Of the Church, .... 258 . XXVI. Of Communion of Saints, - - - 271 IV CONTENTS. Page Chap. XXVII. Of the Sacraments, - - - 279 f, XXVIII. Of Baptism, - - - - 283 n XXIX. Of the Lord's Supper, - - - 292 r. XXX. Of Church Censures, - - - 302 r. XXXI. Of Synods and Councils - - - 306 n XXXII. Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead, - - 312 n XXXIII. Of the Last Judgment, - - - 320 Index, - - - . - - -327 ACT APPROVING THE CONFESSION OF FAITH. Assemlly at Edinhitrgh, August 27, 1647. Sess. 23. A Confession of Faith for the Kirks of God in the three kingdoms, being the chiefest part of that uniformity in reli- gion, which by the Solemn League and Covenant, we are bound to endeavour : And there being accordingly a Con- fession of Faith agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines sitting at Westminster, with the assistance of Commissioners from the Kirk of Scotland; which Confession was sent from our Commissioners at London to the Commissioners of the Kirk met at Edinburgh in January last, and hath been in this Assembly twice publicly read over, examined, and con- sidered; copies thereof being also printed, that it might be particularly perused by all the members of this Assembly, unto whom frequent intimation was publicly made, to put in their doubts and objections, if they had any : And the said Confession being, upon due examination thereof, found by the Assembly to be most agreeable to the Word of God, and in nothing contrary to the received doctrine, worship, discipline, and government of this Kirk. And, lastly. It being so necessary, and so nmch longed for, that the said Confession be, with all possible diligence and expedition, approved and established in both kingdoms, as a principal part of the intended uniformity in religion, and as a special means for the more effectual suppressing of the many dan- gerous errors and heresies of these times; the General As- sembly doth therefore, after mature deliberation, agree unto, and approve the said Confession, as to the truth of the mat- ter (judging it to be most orthodox, and grounded upon the Word of God); and also, as to the point of uniformity, agree- ing for our part, that it be a common Confession of Faith for the three kingdoms. The Assembly doth also bless the Lord, and thankfully acknowledge his great mercy, in that 60 excellent a Confession of Faith is prepared, and thus far n ACT OF ASSEMBLY. agreed ujion in both kingdoms; Avliich we look upon as a great strengthening of the true Reformed religion against the common enemies thereof. But, lest our intention and mean- ing be in some particulars misunderstood, it is hereby ex- pressly declared and provided, That the not mentioning in this Confession the several sorts of ecclesiastical officers and assemblies, shall be no prejudice to the truth of Christ in these particulars, to be expressed fully in the Directory of Government. It is further declared. That the Assembly imderstandeth some parts of the second article of the tliirty- one chapter only of kirks not settled, or constituted in point of government : And that although, in such kirks, a synod of INIinisters, and other fit persons, may be called by the Magistrate's authority and nomination, without any other call, to consult and advise with about matters of religion; and although, likewise, the Ministers of Christ, without dele- gation from their churches, may of themselves, and by virtue of their office, meet together synodically in such kirks not yet constituted, yet neither of these ought to be done in kirks constituted and settled; it being always free to the IMagistrate to advise with synods of 5linisters and Ruling Elders, meeting upon delegation from their churches, either ordinarily, or, being indicted by his authority, occasionally, and pro re nata; it being also free to assemble together synodically, as Avell p7'o re nata as at the ordinary times, upon delegation from the churches, by the intriusical power received from Christ, as often as it is necessary for the good of the Church so to assemble, in case the Magistrate, to the detriment of the Church, withhold or deny his consent; the necessity of occasional assemblies being first remonstrate unto him by humble supplication. A. Ker. PREFACE. In preparing the following Exposition of the Confession of Faith, framed by the Westminster Assembly of Di- vines, it has been the object of the author to state the truths embraced in each section, to explain the terms employed wherever it seemed necessary, and to illus- trate and confirm the doctrines. To avoid swelling the volume to an undue size, the arguments have been stated with the utmost possible brevity; in the illustra- tions, conciseness, combined with perspicuity, has been studied, and numerous passages of Scripture, which elucidate the subjects treated of, have been merely re- ferred to, without being quoted at large. It is hoped that the attentive reader will here find the substance of larger works compressed within a small space; that materials for reflection will be suggested ; and that an examination of the texts of Scripture marked, will throw much light upon the points to which they refer. The AVestminister Confession of Faith contains a simple exhibition of the truth, based upon the Word of God ; but its several propositions are laid in opposition to the heresies and errors which had been disseminated in various ages. It has, therefore, been a prominent object of the author of the Exposition to point out the numerous errors against which the statements in the Confession are directed. The reader will thus find the Vlll PREFACE. deliverance of the "Westminster Assembly of Divines upon the various errors by which the truth has been corrupted in former times, and will be guarded against modern errors, which are generally only a revival of those that had previously disturbed the Church, and that had been long ago refuted. To render the work more accessible for reference, a Table of Contents has been prefixed, and a copious In- dex added, which will show, at a glance, the various subjects discussed, and the manifold errors that have been noticed, in the course of the work. To have transcribed the proofs from Scripture an- nexed to each proposition by the Westminster Assem- bly of Divines, would have extended this volume to an inconvenient size, but the texts have been inserted after each section; and the additional labour of those who will take the trouble of turning to these proofs in their Bibles will be amply compensated. Their scriptural knowledge will be enlarged, and they will be satisfied that every truth set down in the Confession is " most agreeable to the Word of God." Of this the author of the Exposition is so completely convinced, that he has rot found it necessary to differ from the compilers of the Confession in any one point of doctrine. The lan- guage, in some cases, might admit of improvement; but " as to the truth of the matter," he cordially concurs in the judgment of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1647, that it is "most orthodox, and grounded upon the Word of God." And if the Con- fession, two hundred years ago, contained a faithful ex- hibition of the truth, it must do so still ; for scriptural truth is, like its divine Author, " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Whitburn, May 12, 1845. )i INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. There have been many objections urged against the use of Creeds and Confessions of Faith, at different periods, and with various degrees of skill or plausibility. It is not necessary either to enumerate all these objec- tions or to answer them all, since many of them have sunk into oblivion, and others have already met suffi- cient refutation. Almost the only objection which is now urged with any degree of confidence, is that which accuses Confessions of usurping a position and authority due to divine truth alone. This objection itself has its origin in an erroneous view of w^Lat a Confession of Faith really is, and of what it is in which the necessity of a Confession being framed consists. The necessity for the formation of Confessions of Faith does not lie in the nature of the sacred truth revealed to man ; but in the nature of the human mind itself. A Confession of Faith is not a revelation of divine truth — it is "not even a rule of faith and practice, but a help in both," to use the words of our own Confession ; but it is a declaration of the manner in which any man, or number of men — any Christian or any Chm'ch — understands the truth which has been revealed. Its object is, therefore, not to teach divine truth ; but to exhibit a clear, systematic, and intelligible declaration of our own sentiments, and .to furnish the means of ascertaining the opinions of others, especially in religious controversies. INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. The trutli of this view, and the explanation which i|' "-l gives of the necessity for the existence of Creeds and Confessions, may be easily shown. The human mind is so prone to error, and of such widely diversified capa- city in every respect, that when even a simple truth is presented for its reception, that truth may be reproducec I in almost as many different aspects as there were dif - ferent minds to which it was presented. Suppose it a single sentence, uttered in a voice, or written in ti language understood by all — each man might under- stand it in his own way, putting upon it the construc- tion which, to him, seemed the clearest ; but it would be impossible to ascertain, whether they all understood it in the same sense or not, by their merely repeating the very words which they had heard or read, unless they were all to state, each in his own words, what they understood it to mean. Each man might then say, " 1 believe its meaning was to this effect." This would be really his Creed, or Confession of Faith, respecting that truth ; and when all had thus stated their belief, if any- thing like a harmonious consent of mind among them could be obtained, it would be their united Confession of Faith, with regard to that particular truth so revealed and understood. But it would be more than this — it would be both a bond of union among themselves on that point, and also a conjoint testimony to all other men ; not as ab- solutely and certainly teaching that truth, but as abso- lutely and certainly conveying the sense in which these men understood it, so far as their statement was itself distinct and intelligible; and it might prove the tenn of admission to the body of those who had thus emitted a joint declaration of what they believed to be the mean- ing of that truth. To this extent, we think, all intelligent and candid persons will readily concur; and so far, it must be evident that there is no infringement of the natural liberty of any man, nor any attempt to control or over* bear his conscientious convictions respecting what he INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XI believes to be truth in any given or supposable case. If any man cannot agree with the joint testimony borne by those \vho are agreed, this may be a cause of mutual re- gret ; but it could neither confer on them any right to compel him to join them, contrary to his convictions, nor entitle him to complain on account of being excluded from a body of men with whose opinions he did not concur. No man of strict integrity, indeed, could even wish to become one of a body of men with whom he did not agree on that peculiar point which formed the basis of their association. Now, let this view be applied to the subject of reli- gious truth — taking care, at the sametime, to mark the special points which the idea of religious truth neces- sarily introduces. Religious truth is the revelation of God's will to man — whether that revelation be conveyed orally, or in a written record. As it comes now to us, it is in a written record. This we believe to be the very Word of the very God of truth. In this respect, it is to every soul the only and the all-sufficient rule of faith, with regard to " what man is to believe concern- ing God, and what duty God requires of man." But the question immediately arises, as above suggested, whether all to whom - this revelation of God's w^ill has been made understand it in the same sense ? If any man say, that his only rule of faith is the Bibje, ever)' man who believes the Bible to be the Word of God will agree in this sentiment ; but still the question re- turns, " What do you understand the Bible to teach." It would be no answer to this question, Merely to repeat a series of texts ; for this would give no information in what sense these texts were understood. This must be manifest to every one who reflects for a moment. All who even profess the Christian name, however dis- cordant their opinions may be, at least assume to believe the Bible ; but each jarring sectarian gives his own con- struction to the language of that sacred book ; and it is only in consequence of the statement in his own words of what that construction is, that it can be known whe- Xll INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. , ther his sentiments accord with, or differ from, those of the majority of professing Christians. This, as before remarked, arises not out of the nature of the truth re- vealed, but out of the nature of the minds to whom that truth is presented. The question is not, therefore, one respecting God's truth, but respecting man's truth — not respecting the truth of the Bible, but respecting man's apprehension of that truth. Another element now comes into view. The Bible not only contains a revelation of eternal truth, which it is man's duty to receive and to hold; but it also appoints a body of men to be the depositaries and teachers of that truth — a Church, which is not a voluntary association of men who have ascertained that there is a harmony of sentiment sufficient for a basis of union, but a divine institution, subject directly to God, and having no autho- rity over conscience. And, to complete this idea, let it further be observed, that God, in instituting the Church, has^promised to bestow upon it the Holy Spirit, to lead it into the knowledge of the truth. This promise, further, is not to the Church in an aggregate capacity alone, but also to every individual member thereof, so as both to preserve inviolate his own responsibility, and to secure his personal union with God. The realization of this great promise provides what in no other case exists, or can exist — an infallible umpire for the decision of all questions that can arise respecting Christian faith. For it may be confidently maintained, that whenever jarring Churches or individual Christians have been enabled to seek the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit in a sincere, humble, and earnest spirit, they have obtained such a decision of the point in dispute as to put an end to contention, and to secure the unity of the Spirit in the bonds oF peace: and further, notwithstand- ing all the various aspects in which Christianity has, during the course of many centuries, been externally disguised, there has been still an amount of real har- mony of belief such as none but an infallible teacher and arbiter could have secured. TNTRODUCTORY ESSAY. Xlll The Christian Church, as a divine institution, takes the Word of God alone, and the whole Word of God, as her only rule of faith; but she must also frame and pro- mulgate a statement of what she understands the Word of God to teach. This she does, not as arrogating any authority to suppress, change, or amend anything that God's Word teaches, but in discharge of the various duties which she owes to God, to the world, and to those of her own communion. Since she has been constituted the depositary of God's truth, it is her duty to him to state, in the most distinct and explicit terms, what she understands that truth to mean. In this manner she not only proclaims what God has said, but also appends her seal that God is true. Thus a Confession of Faith is not the very voice of divine truth, but the echo of that voice from souls that have heard its utterance, felt its power, and are answering to its call. And, since she has been instituted for the purpose of teaching God's truth to an erring world, her duty to the world requires that she should leave it in no doubt respecting the man- ner in which she understands the message which she has to deliver. Without doing so the Church, would be no teacher, and the world might remain untaught, so far as she was concerned. For when the message had been stated in God's own words, every hearer must attempt, according to the constitution of his own mind, to form some conception of what these words mean; and his conceptions may be very vague and obscure, or even very erroneous, unless some attempt be made to define, elucidate, and correct them. Nor, indeed, could either the hearers or the teachers know that they understood the truth alike, without mutual statements and explana- tions with regard to the meaning which they respec- tively believe it to convey. Still further, the Church, has a duty to discharge to those of its own communion. To them she must produce a form of sound words, in order both to promote and confirm their knowledge, and also to guard them against the hazard of being led into errors; and, as they must be regarded as all agreed, with XIV INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. \ respect to the main outline of the truths which they be- lieve, they are deeply interested in obtaining some secu- rity that those who are to become their teachers in future generations shall continue to teach the same divine and saving truths. The members of any Church must know each other's sentiments — must combine to hold them forth steadily and consistently to the notice of all around them, as witnesses for the same truths ; and must do their utmost to secure that the same truths shall be taught by all its ministers, and to all candidates for ad- mission. For all these purposes the formation of a Creed, or Confession of Faith, is imperatively necessary; and thus it appears that a Church cannot adequately discharge its duty to God, to the world, and to its own members, without a Confession of Faith. There never has been a period in which the Christian Church has been without a Confession of Faith, though these Confessions have varied both in character and in extent. The first and simplest Confession is that of Peter: " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." That of the Ethiopian treasurer is similar, and almost identical : " I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." This Confession secured admission into the Church; but, without this, admission could not have been obtained. It was not long till this simple and brief primitive Confession was enlarged; at first, in order to meet the perverse notions of the Judaizing teachers, and next, to exclude those Avho were beginning to be tainted with the Gnostic heresies. It then became necessary, not only to confess that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but also that Jesus Christ was come in the flesh, in order to prevent the admission, and to check the teaching, of those who held that Christ's human nature was a mere phantasm or appearance. In like manner the rise of any heresy rendered it necessary, first, to test the novel tenet by the Word of God and by the decision of the Holy Spirit, and then to add to the existing Con- fession of Faith a new article, containing the deliverance of the Church respecting each successive heresy. Thus, LN'TRODUCTORY ESSAY. XV in the discharge of her duty to God, to the world, and to herself, the Church was constrained to enlarge the Confession of her Faith. But this unavoidable enlarge- ment ought not to be censured as unnecessarily length- ened and minute ; for, let it be observed, that it led to a continually increasing clearness and precision in the testimony of what the Church believes, and tended to the progressive development of sacred truth. Further, as the need of a Confession arises from the nature of the human mind, and the enlargement of the Confession was caused by the successive appearance and refutation of error, and as the human mind is still the same, and prone to the same erroneous notions, the Confession of Faith, which contains a refutation of past heresies, fur- nishes, at the sametime, to all who understand it, a ready weapon wherewith to encounter any resuscitated heresy. The truth of this view will be most apparent to those who have most carefully studied the various Con- fessions of Faith framed by the Christian Church. And it must ever be regarded as a matter of no small im- portance by those who seek admission into any Church, that in its Confession they can obtain a full exhibition of the terms of communion to which they are required to consent. The existence of a Confession of Faith is ever a standing defence against the danger of any Church lapsing unawares into heresy. For although no Church ought to regard her Confession as a standard of faith, in any other than a subordinate sense, still it is a standard of admitted faith, which the Church may not lightly abandon, and a term of communion to its own members, till its articles are accused of being erroneous, and again brought to the final and supreme standard, the Word of God and the teaching of the Holy Spirit, sincerely, humbly, and earnestly sought in faith and prayer. II. Quitting the subject of Confessions of Faith in general, we direct our attention to the Confession of Faith framed by the Westminster Assembly of Divines. The first thing which must strike any thoughtful reader, XVI INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. i after having carefully and studiously perused the "West- minster Assembly's Confession of Faith, is the remark- able comprehensiveness and accuracy of its character, viewed as a systematic exhibition of divine truth, or what is termed a system of theology. In this respect it may be regarded as almost perfect, both in its arrange- ment and in its completeness. Even a single glance over its table of contents will show with what exquisite skill its arrangement proceeds from the statement of first prin- ciples to the regular development and final consummation of the whole scheme of revealed truth. Nothing essen- tial is omitted; and nothing is extended to a length disproportioned to its due importance. Nor do we think that a systematic study of theology could be prosecuted on a better plan than that of the Confession of Faith. Too little attention, perhaps, has been shown to the Con- fession in this respect; and we are strongly persuaded that it might be most advantageously used in our theolo- gical halls as a text-book. This, at least, may be affirmed, that no private Christian could fail to benefit largely from a deliberate and studious perusal and reperusal of the Confession of Faith, for the express purpose of obtaining a clear and systematic conception of sacred truth, both as a whole, and with all its parts so arranged as to dis- play their relative importance, and their mutual bearing upon, and illustration of, each other. Such a deliberate perusal would also tend very greatly to fortify the mind against the danger of being led astray by crude no- tions, or induced to attribute undue importance to some favourite doctrine, to the disparagement of others not less essential, and with serious injury to the harmonious analogy of faith. There is another characteristic of the Westminster Confession to which still less attention has been gene- rally directed, but which is not less remarkable. Framed, as it was, by men of distinguished learning and ability, who were thoroughly conversant with the history of the Church from the earliest times till the period in which they lived, it contains the calm and settled judgment of INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XVU these profound divines on all previous heresies and sub- jects of controversy which had in any age or country agitated the Church. This it does without expressly naming even one of these heresies, or entering into mere controversy. Each error is condemned, not by a direct statement and refutation of it, but by a clear, definite, and strong statement of the converse truth. There was, in this mode of exhibiting the truth, singular wisdom combined with equally singular modesty. Everything of an irritating nature is suppressed, and the pure and simple truth alone displayed; while there is not only no ostentatious parade of superior learning, but even a concealment of learning the most accurate and profound. A hasty or superficial reader of the Confession of Faith will scarcely perceive that, in some of its apparently simple propositions, he is perusing an acute and conclu- sive refutation of the various heresies and controversies that have corrupted and disturbed the Church. Yet, if he will turn to Church history, make himself acquainted with its details, and resume his study of the Confession, he will be often surprised to find in one place the wild theories of the Gnostics dispelled; in another, the Arian and Socinian heresies set aside; in another, the very essence of the Papal system annihilated; and in another, the basis of all Pelagian and Arminian errors removed. Thus viewed, the Confession of Faith might be so con- nected with one* aspect of Church liistory as to furnish, if not a text- book according to chronological arrange- ment, in studying the rise and refutation of heresies, yet a valuable arrangement of their relative importance, doc- trinally considered. And when we advert to the fact that, owing to the sameness of the human mind, there is a perpetually recurring tendency to reproduce an old and exploded error, as if it were a new discovery of some hitherto unknown or neglected truth, it must be obvious that were the peculiar excellence of our Confession, as a deliverance on all previously existing heresies, better known and more attended to, there would be great reason to hope that their re-appearance would be ren- h XVlll INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. dered almost impossible, or, at least, that their grovvth would be very speedily and effectually checked. Closely connected with this excellence of the Confes- sion of Faith is its astonishing precision of thought and language. The whole mental training of the eminent divines of that period led to this result. They were accustomed to cast every argument into the syllogistic form, and to adjust all its terms with the utmost care and accuracy. Every one who has studied the propositions of the Confession must have remarked their extreme pre- cision; but, without pecuhar attention, he may not per- ceive the astonishing care which these divines must have bestowed on this part of their great work. This may be best shown by an instance. Let us select one from chapter iii., " On God's Eternal Decree," sections 3 and 4 : "By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto ever- lasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death. These angels and men thus predestinated and foreor- dained," &c. The expressions to w^iich we wish to draw the readei'-'s attention are the words predestinated and foreordained, A hasty or superficial reader might perceive no difference between these words. But, if so,' why are ih.Qj both used ? for there is no instance or mere tautological repetition in the concise language of the Confession. But, further, let it be well remarked that the word " predestinated" is used only in connec- tion with "everlasting life," and the word "foreordained" with " everlasting death." And when the compound form of the proposition is assumed, both terms are used to represent each its respective meml)er in the general affirmation. Why is this the case? Because the West- minster Divines did not understand the meaning of the terms predestination and foreordinaiion to be identi- cal, and therefore never used these words as synonymous. By predestination they meant a positive decree deter^ mining to confer everlasting life; and this they re- garded as the basis of the whole doctrines of free grace^ arising from nothing in man, but having for its divine INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XIX origin the character and sovereignty of God. 'By fore- ordination, on the other hand, they meant a decree of order, or arrangement, detei^mining that the guiltif shoidd he condemned to everlasting death ; and this they regarded as the basis of judicial procedure, accord- ing to which God " ordains men to dishonour and wrath for their sin," and having respect to man's owji character and conduct. Let it be further remarked, that while, according to this view, the term predestination could never with propriety be applied to the lost, the terni foreordination might be applied to the saved, since they also are the subjects, in one sense, of judicial procedure. Accordingly there is no instance in the Confession of Faith where the term jjredesfination is applied to the lost, though there are several instances where the term foreordination, or a kindred term, is applied to the saved. And let this also be m-arked, that the term ^'eprobation, wdiich is so liable to be misunderstood and applied in an offensive sense to the doctrine of predes- tination, is not even once used in the Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. Later writers on that doctrine have indeed employed that word, as older writers had done, and had thereby fur- nished occasion to the opponents of the doctrine to mis- represent it; but the Westminster Divines cautiously avoided the use of an offensive term, carefully selected such words as were best fitted to convey their meaning, and in every instance used them with the most strict and definite precision.* Many other examples might be given of the remarkable accuracy of thought and lan- guage which forms a distinguished characteristic of the Confession of Faith; but we must content ourselves with suggesting the line of investigation, leaving it to every reader to prosecute it for himself Another decided and great merit of the Confession * In the Exposition it has been found necessary to use the term reproba- tion, in consequence of its frequent occurrence in tlie writings of the most eminent modern authors; wlio have, however, been careful to explain it, so as to guard against the harsh misconstruction of its meaning by prejudiced opponents. When so explained it is harmless ; but it might have been as well. had a term so liable to be perverted never been employed. XX INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. consists in the clear and well-defined statement which it makes of the principles on which alone can securely rest the great idea of the co-ordination, yet mutual sup- port, of the civil and the ecclesiastical jurisdictions. It is but too usual for people to misunderstand those parts of the Confession which treat of these jurisdictions — some accusing those passages of containing Erastian con- cessions, and others charging them with being either lawless or intolerant. The truth is, they favour no ex- treme. Proceeding upon the sacred rule, to render to Csesar what is Cissar's, and to God what is God's, they willingly ascribe to the civil magistrate a supreme power in the State — all that belongs to his province, not merely with regard to his due authority over the persons and property of men, l)ut also with regard to what pertains to his own official mode of rendering homage to the King of kings. It is in this latter department of magis- terial duty that what is called the power of the civil magistrate, circa sacra — about religious matters, con- sists. But there his province ends, and he has no power in sacris — in religious matters. This is most carefully guarded in tlie leading proposition of chapter xxx. : — " The Lord Jesus Christ, as King and Head of his Church, hath therein appointed a government in THE hands of Church Officers, distinct from the Civil Magistrate." The leading Erastlans of that period, learned and subtle as they were, felt it impos- sible to evade the force of that proposition, and could but refuse to give to it the sanction ot the Legislature. They could not, however, prevail upon the Assembly either to modify or suppress it; and there it remains, and must remain, as the unanswered and unanswerable refutation of the Erastian heresy by the Westminster Assembly of Divines. In modern times it has been too much the custom of the opponents of Erastianism tacitly to grant the Erastian argument — or, at least, the prin- ciple on which it rests — by admitting, or even asserting, that if a Church be established, it must cease to have a separate and independent jurisdiction, and must obey INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXI the laws of the State, even in spiritual matters; but then declaring, that as this is evidently wrong, there ought to be no Established Church. There is more peril to both civil and religious liberty in this mode of evading Eras- tianism than is commonly perceived ; for, if it were gene- rally admitted that an Established Church ought to be subject, even in spiritual matters, to the civil jurisdiction of the State, then would civil rulers have a direct and admitted interest in establishing a Church, not for the sake of promoting Christianity, nor with the view of rendering homage to the Prince of the kings of the earth, but for the purpose of employing the Church as a powerful engine of State policy. That they would avail themselves of such an admission is certain; and this w^ould necessarily tend to produce a perilous con- test between the defenders of religious liberty and the supporters of arbitrary power; and if the issue should be the triumph of Erastianism, that issue would inevitably involve the loss of both civil and rehgious liberty in the blending of the two jurisdictions — which is the very es- sence of absolute despotism. Of this the framers of our Confession were well aware; and, therefore, they strove to procure the well-adjusted and mutual counterpoise and co-operation of the two jurisdictions, as the best safeguards of both civil and religious liberty, and as founded on the express authority of the Word of God. It never yet has been proved, from either Scripture or reason, that they WTre wrong, although their views have been much misunderstood and grievously misrepre- sented. But, instead of prosecuting this topic, we refer to the comment on those chapters which treat of the civil magistrate, of synods, and of Church censures, as giving a very accurate and intelligible explanation of the doctrine of the Confession on these subjects. The* Confession of Faith has often been accused of advocating intolerant and persecuting principles. It is, however, in truth, equally free from latitudinarian laxity on the one hand, and intolerance on the other. An intelligent and candid perusal of chapter xx.. XXll INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. " On Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience," ought of itself to refute all such calumnies. The mind of man never produced a truer or nobler proposition than the follo^Ying: — " God alone is Lord of the con- science, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship." The man who can comprehend, entertain, and act upon that principle, can never arrogate an overbearing and intolerant authority over the conscience of his fellow- man, much less wdeld against him the weapons of re- morseless persecution. But there is a very prevalent, and yet very false, method of thinking, or pretending to think, respecting toleration and liberty of conscience. Many seem to be of opinion that toleration consists in making no distinction between truth and error, but re- garding them with equal favour. This opinion, if care- fully analyzed, would be found to be essentially of an infidel character. Many seem to think that by liberty of conscience is meant, that every man should be at liberty to act in everything according to his own incli- nation, without regard to the feelings, convictions, and rights of other men. This would, indeed, be to convert liberty into lawlessness, and to make conscience of licen- tiousness. But the Confession proceeds upon the prin- ciple that truth can be distinguished from error, right from wrong; that though conscience cannot be com- pelled, it may be enlightened; and that when sinful, corrupt, and prone to licentiousness, men may be law- fully restrained from the commission of such excesses as are offensive to public feeling, and injurious to the moral ^velfare of the community. If this be intolerance, it is a kind of intolerance of which none will complain but those who wish to be free from all restraint of law, human or divine. Nothing, in our opinion, but a wil- ful determination to misrepresent the sentiments ex- pressed in the Confession of Faith, or a culpable degree of wilful ignorance respecting the true meaning of these sentiments, could induce any man to accuse it of favour- INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXIU ing intolerant and persecuting principles. Certainly the conduct of those who framed it gave no countenance to such an accusation, though that calumny has been often and most pertinaciously asserted. On this point, also, it would he well if people would take the trouble to ascertain what precise meaning the framers of the Con- fession gave to the words which they employed; for it is not doing justice to them and their w^ork to adopt some modern acceptation of a term used by them in a different sense, and then to charge them with holding the sentiment conveyed by the modern use or misuse of that terra. Yet this is the method almost invariably employed by the assailants of the Confession of Faith. III. In order to form a right conception of the Con- fession of Faith, it is absolutely necessary to have some acquaintance with the history of the period in which it w^as composed. A brief outline, however, is all that our present space can afford. There was, from the beginning, a very strong and essential difference be- tween the Reformed Churches of England and of Scot- land; arising, in a great measure, out of the pecuhar elements prevailing at the time in the respective king- doms. In England, the Reformation was begun, con- ducted, and stopped, almost entirely according to the pleasure of the reigning sovereign. In Scotland, it was begun, carried forward, and completed, in spite of the determined opposition of the sovereign. In England, therefore, the will of the monarch was an essential ele- ment from the first, and continued to be so throughout the course of the Reformation; and the Church of Eng- land was accordingly based upon, and pervaded by, the evil influence of the Erastian principle, the sovereign being recognised as the supreme judge in causes eccle- siastical as well as in causes civil. The Church of Scot- land assumed a very different basis, and gave her undi- vided allegirjice to a far other King : she assumed as the sole rule the Word of God alone, and the w^hole Word of God, in all matters of doctrine, worship, government, XXIV INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. and discipline; and paid her allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to him alone, as the only Head and King of the Church, There was, therefore, in the Church of Scotland, from the first, a degree of spiritual indepen- dence — ^of true religious liberty, to which the Church of England never could attain. This spiritual independence enjoyed by the Church of Scotland was by no means agreeable to James YI., who set himself to subvert it by every means which fraud (by him called " king-craft") could devise, or force ac- complish. He did not wholly succeed, though, by banishing the faithful and the fearless, and overawing the timid, he did manage to mould it somewhat into conformity with his arbitrary will, and imposed upon it a set of sycophantic and tyrannical prelates. His sterner but not less deceitful son, Charles I., urged on by the narrow-minded and cruel Laud, seeking to complete what his father had begun, drove Scotland to the necessity of rising in defence of her liberties, civil and sacred. This gave rise to the great National Covenant of 1638, by which the people of almost the entire kingdom were knit to God and to each other, in a solemn bond for the maintenance and defence of sacred truth and freedom. The contest proceeding, a General Assembly was held at Glasgow towards the close of the same year, in which the system of Prelacy was abolished, and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland restored. In vain did the king attempt to overthrow this second Reformation, even by the extreme measure of an attempted invasion. The tide of war rolled back from the Scottish borders, and the Church and kingdom continued covenanted and free. But a storm had been long gathering in England, and was ready to burst forth with uncontrollable might. Although the progress of the Reformation in England had been paralized in all its elements, and stopped short long ere it had reached anything like completeness, still there were many who ardently desired to promote the greater purity of the English Church, by additional reforms in doctrine, worship, and discipline. This could INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXV not be obtained ; but the persevering efforts of these true Reformers gave rise to the Puritan party, as they were designated, and prepared for a more intense and formid- able struggle. On the other hand, while the Puritans were striving for further reform, what may be termed the Court party were receding further and further from the principles of the Reformation, and gradually approxi- mating to those of Rome. The evil genius of the un- happy Laud brought matters to a crisis. His influence urged on the unfortunate king to the adoption of mea- sures formidable alike to both civil and religious liberty. The free spirit of England was at length aroused ; and the contest between the despotic monarch and his free- hearted subjects began to assume the aspect of a civil war. The Parliament declared its own sittings perma- nent; and regarding the despotic principles and conduct of the bishops as the direct cause of the oppression un- der which they had so long groaned, passed a bill for the abolition of Prelacy. The king unsheathed the sword of civil war; and the English Parliament sought the as- sistance of Scotland, as necessary to preserve the liber- ties of both kingdoms. The leading Scottish statesmen were well aware, that if the king should succeed in his attempt to overpower the English Parliament, he would immediately assail Scotland with increased power and determination. But at the sametime, as their whole contest had been on sacred ground, they could not enter into an offensive and defensive alliance with the English Parliament for any less hallowed cause, or with any less important object in view. Had the king not gone be- yond his own province, and invaded that of religion, they would have left his jurisdiction and authority un- questioned and untouched. For such reasons they would not frame with England a civil league, except it were based upon, and pervaded by, a religious covenant. To these views England consented ; and the consequence was, the formation of The Solemn League and Cove- nant — a document which we cannot help regarding as the noblest and best, in its essential nature and princi- XXVI INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. pies, of all that are recorded among the international transactions of the world. A considerable time before this important event took place, the idea had been entertained in England that it would be extremely desirable to call a " general synod of the most grave, pious, learned, and judicious divines," for the purpose of deliberating respecting all things necessary for the peace and good government of the Church. This desire had been intimated as early as 1641; while it was not till June 12, 16'43, that Parlia- ment issued the Ordinance calling the Assembly. Al- though, therefore, the Solemn League and Covenant exercised no little influence in the deliberations of that Assembly, it was not the cause of that Assembly being held. At the time when the Assembly was called to- gether, there was no organized Church in England. Prelacy had been abohshed, and no other form of Church government was in existence. It did not meet as a Church court, in any accurate sense of that expression, but was in reality merely an assembly of divines, called together in a case of extreme emergency, to consult, de- liberate, and advise, but not to exercise directly any judi- cial or ecclesiastical functions. This it is necessary to bear in mind, not for the purpose of casting any slight upon its character and proceedings, but for the purpose of showing how utterly groundless are the assertions of those who charge it with being constituted on an Erastian principle. It could not have met except under the pro- tection of Parliament. It was not an ecclesiastical court at all ; for it had no conformity with either the Epis- copalian, Presbyterian, or Congregational systems of Church government ; it neither ruled the Parliament, nor was ruled by the Parliament ; it deliberated, reasoned, voted, formed its own free judgment concerning the important matters before it, and gave the result as its advice to Parliament, to be followed or rejected by that body on its own responsibility. When the members of Parliament, Avho formed a constituent element of it as lay assessors, strove to introduce Erastian principles into INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXVll its decisions, it met these attempts with strong, perseve- ring, and invincible opposition — wilHng rather that its whole protracted labours should be rejected, than that, by any weak and sinful compromise, it should consent to the admission of an evil principle. The greater part of the divines of whom the Westmin- ster Assembly was composed were of the Puritans ; but nearly all of these had been originally Episcopalians, so far, at least, as regarded their ordination, and their having held the ministerial office in connection with the Prelatic Estabhshment. The Independents w^ere at first only five in number — Goodwin, Nye, Burroughs, Bridge, and Simpson — but afterwards increased to about a dozen. There were only two of the divines that entertained Erastian principles — Lightfoot and Coleman. The Scot- tish commissioners, appointed to consult and deliberate, but not to vote, were six in number, four of whom were ministers — Henderson, Baillie, Rutherford, and Gil- lespie; and two elders — Lord Maitland and Johnston of Warriston. The whole number of the Assembly amounted to one hundred and forty-two divines, and thirty-two lay assessors; but of this number seldom more than from sixty to eighty gave regular attendance. The Assembly was convened for the first time on Satur- day, July 1, 1643, and it continued to hold regular meetings till February 22, 1649 ; when, instead of being formally dissolved, it was formed into a committee for the trial of ministers. In this character it continued to meet occasionally till March 25, 1652, when Cromwell forcibly dissolved the Long Parhament, and put an end to everything to which it had given existence. The number of sessions held by the Westminster Assembly was one thousand one hundred and sixty-three, and the period of its duration five years, six months, and twenty- one days. The general result of the Westminster Assembly's deliberations was the framing of the Confession of Faith, the Directory for Public Worship, a Form of Church Government and Discipline, and the Catechisms, Larger XXVIU INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. and Shorter. When these had been completed, the Scottish Commissioners returned to their own country, laid the fruits of those labours in which they had been so long and arduously engaged before the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and obtained the ratification of those important productions. So careful, however, was the Church of Scotland to guard against the possible admission of anything that could be even suspected to have the slightest taint of Erastianism, that the Assembly, in its Act approving the Confession of Faith, of date August 27, 1647,* inserted an expla- nation of chapter xxxi., relating to the authority of the civil magistrate to call a synod — restricting that autho- rity to the case of " Churches not settled or constituted in point of government," and protecting the right of the Church to hold assemblies on its own authority, " by the intrinsical power derived from Christ," even though the civil magistrate should deny his consent. To this the Scottish Parliament offered no opposition ; but the English Parliament refused, or at least declined, to ratify or sanction it, and re-committed certain particulars in discipline. These particulars were section 4, chapter xx., "Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience;" chapter xxx., " Of Church Censures;" and chapter xxxi., '' Of Synods and Councils." Let the intelligent and candid reader peruse carefully the above-named passages, and he cannot but perceive the folly, absurdity, or perverse malevolence of those who accuse the Con- fession of Faith of being tainted with intolerance and Erastianism; since the very passages on which such persons pretend to found their accusations were those which the decidedly Erastian, and not peculiarly tole- rant Parliament of England, refused to sanction. It is painful to be constrained even to allude to the con- tinued fabrication of such calumnious charges, and that, too, by some who either do know, or ought to know, that they are utterly untrue. " What shall I do in order to become famous ? " said an ambitious youth to * The reader will find this Act prefixed — Vide page v. INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXIX an ancient sophist. " Kill a man who is famous al- ready, and then your name will be always mentioned along with his," was the sophist's reply. On some such principle those men seem to act, who charge the Con- fession of Faith with intolerance, as if that were the ready way to procure renown. But the sophist neglected to draw the distinction between fame and infamy; and it may ultimately appear that those who seek celebrity by attempting to kill the reputation of the Westminster divines, have committed a similar mistake. But it is not necessary here to prosecute the vindica- tion of the Westminster Assembly and the Confession of Faith. That has been effectually done recently by various publications, to which the reader is referred. This only would we further state, with regard to such accusations, that Presbyterians in general, and Scottish Presbyterians in particular, have long been guilty of [the most uno;rateful neglect and disregard towards the memories of the truly great and good men by whom the admirable subordinate standards of their Church were framed. It would be absurd to ascribe perfection either to the men or to their works; but it is worse than absurd to permit them to be vilified by assailants of all kinds, certainly in no respect the equals of these men, without uttering one w^ord in their defence. The best mode of defending them, however, is to draw to them the quickened attention of the public mind. Let them be read and studied profoundly; let them be exposed to the most minute and sifting examination; let every pro- position be severely tested by the strictest laws of rea- soning and by the supreme standard of the Word of God. Whatever cannot endure this investigation, let it he cast aside, as tried in the balance and found wanting ; for this is only consistent with its own frank admission, that " all synods and councils, since the apostles' times, whether general or particular, may err, and many have Rrred; therefore they are not to be made the rule of faith or practice, but to be used as a help in both." But so far as it does stand an examination so searching — and XXX INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. of that we have no fear — let it no longer be exposed to the wanton assaults of rude ignorance, guileful calumny, or bitter malevolence. This, and nothing less thain this, is due to the memory of the illustrious dead, and to the living Confession of their Faith, and to our own reve- rential attachment to the sacred doctrines therein stated and maintained. IV. Our prefatory remarks were begun by directing attention to the necessity for the existence of Creeds and Confessions, and the important purposes subserved by these subordinate standards; and we resume that view for the purpose of stating the inference to which it ought to lead. Since a Church cannot exist without some Confession, or mode of ascertaining that its mem- bers are agreed in their general conception of what they understand divine truth to mean ; and since the succes- sive rise of heretical opinions, and their successive refutation, necessarily tends to an enlargement of the Confession, and at the sametime to an increasing deve- lopment of the knowledge of divine truth, ought it not to follow, that the various Confessions of separate Churches would have a constant tendency to approxi- mate, till they should all blend in one harmonious Con- fession of one Church general ? No one who has studied a harmony of Protestant Confessions can hesitate to ad- mit that this is a very possible, as it is a most desirable, result. When, further, we rise to that spiritual element to which also our attention has been directed, we may antici- pate an increasing degree of enlightenment in the Chris- tian Church, bestowed by the Holy Spirit, in answer to the earnest prayers of sincere and humble faith, which will greatly tend to hasten forward and secure an amount of Christian unity in faith and love far beyond what has existed since the times of the apostles. Entertaining this pleasing idea, we might expect both that the latest Confession of Faith framed by a Protestant Church would be the most perfect, and also that it might form a basis of evangelical union to the whole Church. To INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXXI some this may seem a startling, or even an extravagant idea. But let it be remembered, that, owing to a pecu- liar series of unpropitious circumstances, the West- minster Assembly's Confession of Faith has never yet been adequately known to the Christian Churches. By the Scottish Church alone was it fully received ; and in consequence of the various events w^hich have since be- fallen that Church, comparatively little attention has been paid to the Confession of Faith till recent times. It is now, we trust, in the process of becoming more known and better understood than formerly; nnd w^e feel assured that the more it is known and the better it is understood, the more highly will its great and varied excellences be estimated. This w^ill tend, at the same- time, to direct to it the attention of other Churches ; and we cannot help anticipating the degree of surprise which will be felt by many ingenuous minds, that they had remained so long unacquainted with a production of such remarkable value. Should this be the case, as we venture to hope, and should any serious objections be entertained by fair and candid minds with regard to some expressions in the Confession, there could be no great difficulty in appending to these some slight verbal explanations, showing what they were intended to mean, and how we understand them ; for we are fully per- suaded that by far the greater proportion of objections that could be entertained by any evangelical Christian or Church would relate merely to peculiar terms, and would be founded almost entirely on a misconception of what meaning these terms were intended to convey. For our own part, we wish no alteration, even of a single word ; but neither do we think it necessary to allow the erroneous interpretation of a word to operate as an ob- stacle to the reception by other Churches of our Con- fession of Faith, if, by the explanation of that word, the obstacle might be removed. Such a result would be the realization of the great idea entertained by the leading members of the West- minster Assembly, and especially by the Scottish com- XXXll INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. missioners — ■with Avhom, indeed, it originated. No nar • row and limited object could satisfy the desires and anticipations of these enlightened and large-hearted men. With one comprehensive glance they surveyed the con- dition of Christendom and the world — marked its neces- sities, and contemplated the remedy. Thus they formed the great, and even sublime idea of a Protestant union throughout Christendom; not merely for the purpose of counterbalancing Poper}', but in order to purify, strengthen, and unite all true Christian Churches; so that, with combined energy and zeal, they might go forth, in glad compliance with the Redeemer's com- mands, teaching all nations, and preaching the everlast- ing gospel to every creature under heaven. Such was the magnificent conception of men whom it has been too much the fashion to stigmatize as narrow-minded bigots. It is not in the heart of a bigot that a love able to em- brace Christendom could be cherished — it is not in the mind of a bigot that an idea of such moral sublimity could be conceived. It may be said, no doubt, that this idea was premature. Premature it was in one sense; for it could not be then realized ; but the statement of it was not premature, for it was the statement of the grand result which ought to have been produced by the Reformation. In still another sense it was not prema- ture, any more than it is premature to sow the seed in spring from which we expect to reap the autumnal har- vest. The seed must be sown before the harvest can be produced — the idea must be stated before it can be rea- lized. It must then be left to work its way into the mind of man — to grow, and strengthen, and enlarge, till in due time it shall produce its fruit in its season. May it not be hoped that tlie fruit-bearing season is at hand? All things seem hastening forward to some mighty change or development. On all sides the ele- ments of evil are mustering with almost preternatural rapidity and power. Popery has, to an unexpected degree, recovered from its deadly wound and its ex- hausted weakness, and is putting forth its destructive INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXXlll energies in every quarter of the world. In England the dread aspect of Laud ean Prelacy has re-appeared — called, indeed, by a new name, but displaying all the formidable characteristics of its predecessor — the same in its lofty pretensions, in its Popish tendencies, in its supercilious contempt of every other Church, and in its persecuting spirit. The civil government appears to be impelled by something like infatuation, and is introducing, or giving countenance to, measures that are darkly ominous to both civil and religious liberty, as if hastening onward to a crisis w hich all may shudder to contemplate. The masses of the community are in a state ripe for any con- vulsion, how^ever terrible, having been left for genera- tions uneducated and uninstructed in religious truth. The Scottish Ecclesiastical Establishment has been rent asunder; its constitution has been changed, or rather subverted; and those who firmly maintained the prin- ciples of the Church of Scotland have been constrained to separate from the State, in order to preserve these principles unimpaired. The Church of Scotland is again disestablished, as she has been in former times ; but she is free — free to maintain all those sacred principles be- queathed to her by reformers, and divines, and martyrs — free to offer to all other evangelical Churches the right hand of brotherly love and fellowship — free to engage with them in the formation of a great evangelical union, on the firm basis of sacred and eternal truth. Surely these concurring events are enough to constrain all who are able to comprehend them, to long for some sure rallying ground on which the defenders of religious truth and liberty may plant their standard. Such rallying ground we think the Confession of Faith would afford, w^ere its principles carefully considered and fully understood. And we would fondly trust we may che- rish the hope of at length accomplishing the Christian enterprise for which the Westminster Assembly met together, and of realizing the great idea which filled the minds of its most eminent Christian patriots. "The errors which prevented the success of the West- c XXXIV INTRODUCTORY ESS.VY minster Assembly may be to us beacons, both warning from danger and guiding on to safety. In their case, political influence and intrigue formed one baneful ele- ment of deadly power. Let all political influence be dis- trusted and avoided, and let political intrigue be utterly unknown in all our religious deliberations. In times of trouble and alarm, ' Trust not in princes, nor in the sons of men,* with its divine counterpart, ' Trust in the Lord, and stay yourselves upon your God,' should be the watchword and reply of all true Christian Churches. Dissensions among brethren, groundless jealousies, and misconstructions, and want of openness and candour, were grievously pernicious to the Westminster Assembly. If the Presbyterians and the Independents could have banished the spirit of dissension, expelled all petty jea- lousy, and laid their hearts open to each other in godly simplicity and sincerity, all the uniformity that was really necessary might have been easily obtained. And if all truly evangelical Christians, whether they be Pres- byterians, or Independents, or Baptists, or Methodists, or Episcopalians, such as some that could be named, would but give full scope to their already existing and strong principles and feelings of faith and hope and love, there could be little difficulty in framing such a Christian union — term it Presbyterian or Evangelical, so that it be truly scriptural — as might be able, by the blessing and the help of God, to stem and bear back the growing and portentous tide of Popery and Infidelity, that threaten, with their proud waves, once more to overwhelm the world. " Has not the time for this great evangelical and scrip- tural union come ? It is impossible for any one to looli abroad upon the general aspect of the world with even a hasty glance, without perceiving indications of an almost universal preparation for some great event. The nations of the earth are still — not in peace, but like wearied combatants, resting on their arms a brief breathing space, that, with recovered strength and quickened animosity, they may spring anew to the mortal struggle. During INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXXV this fallacious repose there has been, and there is, an ex- ertion of the most intense and restless activity, by prin- ciples the most fiercely hostile, for the acquisition of partisans. Despotism and Democracy, Superstition and Infidelity, have alike been mustering their powers and calling forth their energies, less apparently for mutual destruction, according to their wont and nature, than in order toform an unnatural coalition and conspiracy against the very existence of free, pure, and spiritual Christi- anity. Nor, in one point of view, has Christianity been recently lying supine and dormant. Many a noble enter- prise for the extension of the gospel at home and abroad has been planned and executed; and the great doctrines of saving truth have been clearly explained and boldly proclaimed, with earnest warmth and uncompromising faithfulness. A time of refreshing also has come from the presence of the Lord — a spirit of revival has been poured forth upon the thirsty Church, and the hearts of Christian brethren have learned to melt and blend with a generous and rejoicing sympathy, to which they had too long been strangers. Can all these things be beheld and passed lightly over, as leading to nothing, and portend- ing nothing? That were little short of blind infatuation. What they do fully portend it were presumptuous to say; but it is not difficult to say for what they form an un- precedented preparation. What now prevents a world- wide evangelical and scriptural union? 'AH things are prepared, come to the marriage.' *• If ye love Me, love one another.' ' Because He laid down his life for us, we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.' Had these been fully the principles and rules of conduct of the Westminster Assem.bly, its great idea might have been realized. Let them be those that animate and guide all Christian Churches now. They have been felt in our great unions for prayer; they should be felt by all who venerate and can understand the standards of the Westminster Assembly. And if they be, then may we not only accomplish the object of its Solemn League and Covenant, concur in its Confession of Faith, and rea- XXXVl INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. lize its great idea of a general evangelical union; but we may also, if such he the will of our Divine Head and King, be mightily instrumental in promoting the uni- versal propagation of the gospel, and drawing down from above the fulfilled answer of that sacred prayer in which we all unite — 'Thy kingdom come: Thy will BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.'" CONFESSION OF FAITH. CHAPTER I. OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. Section I. — Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the good- ness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inex- cusable ; ^ yet they are not sufficient to give that know- ledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation ; ^ therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church ; ^ and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing ; ^ which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary ; ^ those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased." Rom. ii. 14, 15 ; i. 19, 20. Ps. xix. 1-3. Rom. i. 32; ii. 1. 1 Cor. i. 21 ; ii. 13, 14. Hebrews i. 1. * Prov. xxii. 19-21. Luke i. 3, 4. Rom. XV. 4. Matt. iv. 4, 7, 10. Isa. viii. 19, 20. 6 2 Tim. iii. 15. 2 Pet. i. 19. -» Hebrews i. 1, 2. EXPOSITION. There are few doctrines of supernatural revelation that have not, in one period or another, been denied or contro- verted ; and it is a peculiar excellence of the Westminster Confession of Faith, that its compilers have stated the several articles in terms the best calculated, not only to convey an accurate idea of sacred truths, but to guard against contrary 2 CONFESSION OF FAITH. [CHAP. .T, errors. In opposition, . on the one hand, to those who deny the existence of natural religion, and, on the other hand, in opposition to Deists, who maintain the sufficiency of the light of nature to guide men to eternal happiness, this section asserts, — • 1. That a knowledge of the existence of God, and a num- ber of his perfections, is attainable by the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence. 2. That the light of nature is insufficient to give fallen man that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is neces- sary unto salvation. 3. That God has been pleased to grant to his Church a supernatural revelation of his will. 4. That this revelation has been committed to writing, and that the Holy Scripture is most necessary, the ancient modes of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased. First. That there is a God is the first principle of all re- ligion, whether natural or revealed, and we are here taught that the being of God and a number of his perfections may be discovered by the light of nature. By the word God is meant a Being of infinite perfection ; self-existent and inde- pendent ; the Creator, Preserver, and Lord of all things. " It is true, indeed, that to give a perfect definition of God is impossible, neither can our finite reason hold any pro- portion with infinity ; but yet a sense of this Divinity we have, and the fii"st and common notion of it consists in these three particulars, — that it is a Being of itself, and independent from any other ; that it is that upon which all things that are made depend ; that it governs all things." * When we affirm that the being of God may be discovered by the light of nature, we mean, that the senses and the reasoning powers, which belong to the nature of man, are able to give him so much light as to manifest that there is a God. By our senses we are acquainted with his woiks, and by his works our reason may be led to trace out that more excellent Being who made them. This the Scripture explicitly asserts, Rom, i, 19, 20 : " That which may be known of God is manifest in them (i. e., in men), for God hath showed it unto them. For the invi- sible things of liim from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead." The existence of God is not less indubitable than our own existence. Every man knows, with absolute certainty, that he himself exists. He knows also that he had a beginning, and that he derived his being from a succession of creatures like himself. However far * Pearson en the Creed, Art. I. SECT. 1.] THE nOLY SCRIPIURr. 3 back he supposes this succession to be caiTied, it does not afford a satisfactory account of the cause of his existence. His ancestors were no more able to make themselves than he was ; he must, therefore, ascend to some original Being, who had no beginning, but had life in himself from all eter- nity, and who gives life and being to all other creatures. This is the Being whom we call God. But " we are not only con- scious of our own existence, we also knoAv that there exists a great variety of other things, both material and spiritual. It is equally inconceivable that these things should liave ex- isted from all eternity in their present state, or t'lat they should have fallen into this state by chance ; and, conse- quently, as there was a time when they did not exist, and as it was impossible for them to produce themselves, it follows that there was some exterior agent or creator to wliom the world owed its beginning and form : that agent or creator we call God." * The amazing works of providence, the re- gular and unerruig motions of the heavenly luminaries for so many thousand years, the never failing return of summer and winter, seed-time and harvest, day and night, and innu- merable other wonders, clearly manifest the existence of a Supreme Being, who upholds and governs all things. In the works of creation and providence, too, we see the clearest characters of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. " The more that we know of these works, we are the more sensible that in nature there is not only an exertion of power, but an adjustment of means to an end, which is what we call wis- dom, and an adjustment of means to the end of distributing happiness to all the creatures, which is the highest concep- tion that we can form of goodness." f As the marks of .a Deity are so clearly impressed upon all the works of creation, so we learn from the history of former times, and from the observation of modern travellers, that in every country, and at every period, some idea of a Superior Being, and some species of di\ine worship, have prevailed. The persuasion of a God is universal, and the most ancient records do not conduct us to a period in the history of any people when it did not exist. That truth must certainly be a dictate of nature, to which all nations liave consented. There is much practical Atheism in the v^^orld, but it may be questioned whether any have been able entirely to erase from their mind the impression of a Supreme Being. It is, indeed, affirmed, Ps. xiv. 1, " The fool liath said in his heart. There is no God;" but it is rather the wish of the unsanctified * Pretyman's Elements of Christian Theology, vol, ii. p. G2. t Hill's Lectures, vol. i. p. 9. 4 CONFESSION OF FAITH. (^CIIAP. I. affections, than the proper determination of the deliberate judgment, which these words express. Though some may in words disavow the being of God, yet the teiTors which they feel in their own breasts, especially upon the commission of some daring wickedness, force upon them the conviction that there is a Supreme Being, who ■na'iII judge and punish the transgressors of his law. Conscience, indeed, is in the place of a thousand witnesses to this ti*uth. The Apostle Paul, who tells us that '* there is a law written in the hearts of men," adds that "their conscience bears witness, and their thoughts accuse, or else excuse one another," — Rom. ii. 15. Conscience reproves, condemns, and scourges a man for his wicked deeds, and anticipates the account which he must give of all his actions, and thus demonstrates that there is a God. The Scriptures, accordingly, Uike the being of God for granted, and instead of fii'st proving that there is a God, begin with telling us what God did. " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." — Gen. i. 1. This knowledge of God, which is attainable by the light of nature, serves various usefvil purposes. It is a testimony of the goodness of God towards all his creatures. — Acts xiv. L7. As it shows men their duty, and convinces them of sin, in many points ; so it has had son^ influence on mankind, at least by the fear of punishment, in restraining them from extreme degi-ees of wickedness. — Rom. ii. 14, 15. It excites men to seek after a clearer revelation of God, and prepares the way for their receiving the gospel of his grace. — Acts x-sdi. 27. It serves to vindicate the conduct of God as a righteous governor, in his severe dealing with obstinate sinners, both here and hereafter. This will leave them without excuse in the great day, when God shaU judge the secrets of all hearts. —Rom. i. 20, 21, and ii. 15, 16. But the knowledge of God by the light of nature being obscure and defective. The second proposition asserts the insufficiency of the light of nature to give fallen man that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation. The extent of knowledge, in regard to the things of God, which man is capable of attaining, cannot be ascertained from the writings of modern Deists, who, how much soever they affect to desi)ise supernatural revelation, have derived the greater part of their sentiments respecting God, and moral obliga- tion, from that source. The history of past times and an- cient nations shows, that the greater part of mankind, in eveiy country destitute of supernatural revelation, knew but little of the true God, or of their duty towards him. " The world by wisdom knew not God ;" even the leai-ned Athe- SECT. I.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 5 nians were so ignorant of the tme God that they dedicated an altar " to the iinknoM-n God." The heathen world was sunk in the most abominable idolatry and gross superstition. Not only were the heavenly luminaries deified, but almost every creature on earth was worshipped as a god, and innumerable imaginary beings had divine honours paid them. Though some heathen philosophers attained some considerable know- ledge of the nature of God, and inculcated upon their fol- lowers several moral virtues, this did not prevent them from complying with the idolatry of their country, or deter them from the commission of the most gross and unnatural crimes. — Rom. i. 21-28. From the light of nature we may learn that there is evil both moral and penal in the world ; but as to the question how sin entered into the world, and how deliverance from it may be obtained, the light of nature is entirely silent. It shows men their sin and misery, but it discovers not the plain and certain way of salvation. The Scriptures assure us, that there is no salvation for sinful men in any other name but that of Jesus Christ, — that there is no salvation through him but by faith, and that there can be no faith nor knowledge of Christ but by revelation, — Acts iv. 12 ; Mark xvi. 16 ; Rom. x. 14-17. The Scripture affirms, in terms the most express, that " where there is no vision," or revelation, " the people perish ;" and it desci-ibes those who are destitute of di\dne revelation, as " having no hope, and without God in the world." — Prov. xxix. 18 ; Eph. ii. 12. God does nothing in vain ; and were the light of nature sufficient to guide men to eternal happiness, it cannot be supposed that a divine revelation would have been given. But,— The tJdrd proposition asserts, that God has been pleased to grant to his Church a supernatural revelation of his will. It cannot be considered as a thing incredible that God should make a revelation of his mind and will to men. Has he framed men so as that they should be capable of making known tlieir mind to one another, by speech and by writing ? And shall it be deemed a thing incredible that he should communicate his mind to them in a similar way ? " It was, indeed, out of infinite love, mercy, and compassion, that God would at all reveal his mind and will unto sinnei-s. He might for ever have locked up the treasures of his wisdom and pnidence, wherein he abounds towards us in his Word, in his own eternal breast. He might have left all the sons of men unto that woful darkness, whereinto by sin they had cast themselves, and kept them, with the angels who sinned before them, under the chains and power of it, unto the () CONFKS -ION OF FAITH. [[CHAP. I. judgment of the great day. But from infinite love he con- descended to reveal himself and his will unto us." * The mind of God was not revealed to the Church all at once, but by several parts and degrees, as in his infinite wisdom he saw meet. He spake unto the fathers by the prophets " at sun- diy times, and in divers manners." — Heb. i. 1. The "sun- dry times " may be understood " as referring to the matter of ancient revelation, given in diflferent parts, and at different times, thus conveying the idea of the gradual development of truth in different ages, and by different persons ;" and the "divers manners"may be understood "as indicating ihevarious ifxiys in which these revelations were communicated, — i. e., by dreams, visions, symbols, Urim and Thummim, prophetic ecstacy, &c."+ Under the new dispensation, God has com- pleted the whole revelation of his will by his Son, and no new revelation is to be expected to the end of the world. ThefouHli proposition asserts, that this revelation has been committed to writing. Until the time of !Moses, or for a period of two thousand five hundred years, no part of the sacred books was written. God then communicated his will to the Church by immediate revelation ; and the long lives of the patriarchs enabled them to preserve uncorrupted what was so revealed, and to transmit it from generation to gene- ration. Two persons might have conveyed it down from Adam to Abraham ; for ]Methuselah lived above three hun- dred years v/hile Adam was yet alive, and Shem lived almost a hundred years with Methuselah, and above a hundred years with Abraham. But after the lives of men were shortened, and revelation was greatly enlarged, it pleased God that the whole of his revealed will should be committed to writing, that the Church might have a standing rule of faith and prac- tice, by which all doctrines might be examined, and all ac- tions regulated, — that sacred truth might be preserved uncor- rupted and entire, — that it might be propagated throughout the several nations of the earth, and might be conveyed down to all succeeding generations. Though, in the infancy of the Church, God taught his people withoiit the written Word, yet now that his former ways of revealing his will to his people have ceased, the Holy Scripture, or written Word, is most necessary. Without this the Church would be left to the uncertainty of tradition and oral teaching ; but the written Word is a sure test of doctrines, and a light in a dark place, both of which are most necessary. — Isa.viii. 20; 2 Pet. i. 19. * Owen on Hebrews, i. 1. + Stuart's Commentary on the Hebrews, i. 1. SECT. 2, 3.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 7 Section II. — Uucler the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the Books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these : — OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Genesis. I. Kings. Ecclesiastes. Amos. Exodus. II. Kings. The Song of Obadiah. Leviticus. I. Chronicles. Solomon. Jonah. Numbers. II. Chronicles. Isaiah. Micah. Deuteronomy. Ezra, Jeremiah Nahum. Joshua. Nehemiah. Lamentations. Habakkuk. Judsyes. Esther. Ezekiel. Zephauiab. Ruth. Job. Daniel. Haggai. Zechariah. , I. Samuel, Psalms. Hosea. II. Samuel. Proverbs. Joel. Malachi. OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. Matthew. 1 I. Corinthians. I Timothy. I. Peter. Mark. II. Corinthians. II. Timothy. II. Peter. Luke. Galatians. Titus. I. John. John. Ephesians. Philemon. II. John. Acts of the Philippians. Epistle to the III. John. Apostles. Colossians. 1 Hebrews. Jude. Epistle to the I. Thessalonians. ' Epistle of Book of the Romans. II. Thessalonians. ! James. Revelation. All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.^ Section III. — The Books commonly called Apo- crypha, not being of divine inspiration, ai'e no part of the canon of the Scripture ; and, therefore, are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any other- wise approved or made use of, than other human writings.^ » Luke xvi. 29, 3L Eph. ii. 20. Rev. xxii. 18, 19. 2 Tim. iii, 16. " Luke xxiv. 27, 2 Pet. i. 21. Rom. iii. 2. EXPOSITION. These sections relate to the true canon, and the divine in- spiration of the Holy Scriptures. In opposition to the Romish Church, which reckons the apocryphal books of equal autho- rity with the Scriptures, it is asserted that these books are no part of the canon of the Scripture ; and in opposition to the Deists, who deny that the Scriptures of the Old and New 8 CONFESSION OP FAITH. QciIAP, I. Testaments are the Word of God, it is affirmed that all the sacred books are given by inspiration of God. The term Scriptures signifies writings in general, but is ap- propriated to the Word of God, which is also, by way of emi- nency, called the Bible, or 600^, because it is incomparably the best of all books. The sacred books are divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The former includes those books which were written under the old dis- pensation of the covenant of grace, or prior to the incarna- tion of the Son of God; the latter includes those books which were written after the commencement of the neto dis- pensation, or posterior to the advent of Christ. The Apostle Paul lays a foundation for this distinction ; for he uses the phrases Old Testament and New Testament, and in one in- stance designates the writings of JNIoses and the prophets by the former title. — 2. Cor. iii. 14. The word canon lite- rally signifies a rule, and was early used to designate the In- spired Scriptures, which form a perfect rule of faith and life. The Sacred Scriptures are now collected into one volume, but that volume contains a considerable number of separate books, written by different persons, and in different ages. How, then, do we ascertain the authenticity and genuine- ness of each of these books, and why do we receive them as canonical, to the exclusion of all others ? In determin- ing a question of this kind, we must employ the same me- thod which we follow when the genuineness of any other book is the subject of investigation. How do we know that the books which bear the names of Homer, Horace, Tacitus, and Livy were really composed by them, but by the uni- form testimony of all succeeding ages ? In the same way do we ascertain that the writings of the Apostles and Evan- gelists are genuine ; Ave have the testimony of their contem- poraries and immediate successors, who are the most com- petent witnesses in this case. The task of searching the records of antiquity has been undertaken by learned men, and executed with great industry and zeal. The result of their inquiries is, that the books now included in the New Testament were received as inspired by the primitive Church, and numerous passages were quoted from them by the earliest Christian writers ; that catalogues of these books, which coincide with ours, are inserted in the works of dif- ferent authors who flourished in the third and fourth cen- turies ; and that these books were publicly read in Chris- tian congregations, and were continually appealed to by Christian writers, as the standard of faith, and the supreme SECT. 2, 3.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 9 judge of controversies. The canon of the Old Testament is ascertained by a short process, — we know that the Jews arranged their sacred books into three classes, the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiogi-aphy, or holy writings. Now, our Lord, just before his ascension, thus addressed his dis- ciples, — " These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me." — Luke xxiv. 44. The Psalms are here put for the Hagiography, probably because they were the principal book, or occupied the first place in that division. Our Lord, by adopting this common division of the sacred books, which comprehended all the Hebrew Scriptures, ratified the canon of the Old Testament, as it was received by the Jews. This, however, does not deter- mine what particular books were then included in the Sacred Volume ; but on this point we have th.e testimony of the Jewish historian, Josephus, who indeed does not name the books of the Old Testament, but he numbers them, and so describes them that there is scarcely room for any mistake. His testimony is corroborated by that of several of the early Christian fathers, who have furnished us with catalogues of the books of the Old Testament, from which it appears, that the canon then existing was the same as that which we now possess. Besides, a Greek translation of the Old Testa- ment, known by the name of The Septuagint, was made tAvo hundred and seventy years before the Christian era, in which are the same books that are at present found in the Hebrew copies. The books commonly called Apocrypha, were never ad- mitted int'o the list of canonical books, imtil the Council of Trent, at its fourth session, 1546, placed them in the same rank with the inspired writings. They are rejected by the Protestant Churches for the following reasons : — The Jews, to whom the oracles of God were committed, and who were n-ever blamed for unfaithfulness to their trust, never ac- knowledged these books to be of divine authority. They were not written in the Hebrew, but in the Greek language, and the authors of them were posterior to Malachi, in whom, according to the universal testimony of the Jews, the spirit of prophecy ceased. No part of these books is quoted by Christ or his apostles, nor a single Avord found in all the New Testament from which it can be inferred that such books were in existence. These books contain many things erro- neous, superstitious, and immoral ; and some of the writers, instead of advancing a claim to inspiration, acknowledge 10 CONFESSION OF FAITH. fCHAP. I. their own weakness, and apologise for their defects. The Church of England, though she does not receive the apocry- phal books as canonical Scripture, and therefore does not " apply them to establisli any doctrine," yet she directs cer- tain portions of them to be read in the chui'ch, " for example of life, and instruction of manners." Now, as these por- tions are read promiscuously with the lessons taken from the canonical books, and no notice is given to the people that they are selected from the Apocrypha, they are in reality undistinguished from the inspired writings ; and how- ever good and instructive these apocryphal lessons may be, it never can be justified that they should thus be put on a level with the Word of God. The Holy Scripture is called the Word of God, because it is given by inspiration of God. " The possibility of inspira- tion seems to be granted by all who profess to be Christians, though there is a great diversity of opinion with respect to its nature and degrees, as applied to the Scriptures. Some are of opinion that the inspiration of the Scriptures amounted to nothing more than a mere superintendence over the mjnds of the sacred writers, so as to prevent them from publishing gross errors. Others go a little further, and maintain that, besides superintendence, the understandings of the several writers were enlarged, — that their conceptions were elevated above the measure of ordinary men, — and that with their minds thus elevated, they were left to their own judgment both as to matter and words. The advocates of plenary in- spiration, again, maintain that the Holy Spirit suggested to the minds of the persons inspired not only the matter to be communicated, but also the words in which the communi- cation was to be made. A fourth party are for taking in all these supposed kinds of inspiration now mentioned ; and they maintain that the sacred writers sometimes wi'ote un- der mere superintendence, sometimes under superintendence accompanied with a high elevation of conception, and at other times under a divine suggestion, or what is called plenary inspiration, according to the nature of the subject on which they wrote." * At no remote period, the plenary and verbal inspiration of the Scriptures was very generally abandoned. Events, however, have occurred of late years, which have occasioned a more thorough investigation of the subject ; and the most eminent writers who have treated of it more lately, maintain the plenary inspiration of the sacred books in opposition to tl?bse who hold that it was merely partial and occasional, * Stevenson on the Offices of Christ, p. 50-51. SECT. 2, 3.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 11 and their verbal inspiration, in opposition to those who hold that only the sentiments or matter, and not the words, are inspired. " We are humbly of opinion," says Dr Stevenson, " that inspiration, as employed in communicating the sacred oi'acles to men, is only of one kind, and that this is the inspira- tion of suggestion, according to which not only the matter, but the words also, were communicated to the minds of the sacred wiiters. 1. The Scriptures themselves take notice of only one kind of inspiration, and represent it as extending to all the parts of Scripture, — to those which are historical and moral, as well as to those which are prophetical and doctrinal.— 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17 ; 2 Pet. i. 21. 2. There must have been more than an enlargement of the understand- ing, and an elevation of conception in inspiration, since a gi'eat many of the things were such as could not have entered into the hearts of men or of angels, had they not been suggested to the mind by the Divine Spirit. Of this description were the events foretold by the sacred writers many years before they took place, and the whole of the doc- trines that relate to the supernatural plan of man's redemp- tion. — 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10. 3. For similar reasons we must insist for the suggestion not only of tlie ideas, but also of the words of Scripture. To us it is altogether inconceivable how the sacred writers, who, like other men, were accustomed to think in words, could have the ideas suggested to their own minds, except in words ; or hoAv they could have written intelligibly about future events, with which they could have had no pre- vious acquaintance, and on doctrinal subjects, far above theii' comprehension, had not the language, as well as the matter, been furnished to them by Divine suggestion. — 1 Cor. ii. 13. 4. If Avhat has been called the inspiration of superin- tendence a.nd elevation, could in any case be deemed to have been sufficient, it must have been in cases where the sacred writers may be supposed to have had a prior acquaintance, from other sources, with the subjects on v^'liich they were called to write ; such as subjects of morality and history. But even in these cases, plenary inspiration seems to have been absolutely necessary. "With regard to moral subjects, it may be observed, that although the remains of the law of nature furnish man with certain moral sentiments, yet, in his fallen state, his views of right and wrong arc so dark and confused, that there is not, perhaps, any case in whicli plenary inspiration was more necessary than this, in order that man might be furnished with a perfect rule of duty. With re- spect to history, where the facts recorded may be supposed to have been known by the sacred writers from their own 12 CONFESSION OF FAITH. [^CHAP. I. observation, or from other aiithentic sources, it may be ob- served, in general, that sacred histoiy diffei-s, in the main ends proposed by it, from profane history." While profane liistory has for its object only the civil and political benefit of individuals and nations, the inspired historians propose a much higher aim, — the advancement of salvation in subser- Adency to the glory of God in Christ, — an aim which requires a manner of thinking and writing peculiar to itself. " Neither does the variety of style found throughout the Scriptures form, in our apprehension, any valid objection to the doctrine of plenary inspiration. Though the inspired penmen were under infallible direction, both in regard to the sentiments to be communicated by them, and the phraseology best adapted to express these sentiments ; yet tlie Holy Spirit, for wise reasons, seems to have accommodated his sugges- tions, so far as relates to mere style, to the age in which they ■v\a'ote, and their respective talents for composition. 5. We observe further, in support of plenary inspiration, that unless it be admitted the Bible has no valid claim to be called the W^ord of God. The Scriptures frequently lay claim to a diAdne ongin in support of theu^ supreme autho- rity as a rule of faith and manners ; but if the sacred wTiters were only under what is called superintendence, we cannot see the justness of that claim. It would be a gross perversion of words, to call a man the author of a book, who had no hand in its composition further than merely guarding its real author from falling into gross error. The designation, the Word of God, must suggest to every unprejudiced mind, that the Bible is from God, both in respect of sentiment and ex- pression. Nor does it render the matter any better to tell us, that though some parts of the Bible were written under the mere superintendence of the Spirit, yet others were written by the inspiration of suggestion ; for this throws a suspicion over the whole, since it is impossible for us to de- termine what parts wei-e dictated by plenary inspiration, and what parts were not. The safe way is to hold by the doc- trine of the Bible itself, that inspiration is one in kind ; that it is not a partial, but a full or plenary inspiration ; and that this applies to the whole of the sacred volume. * All Scrip- ture is given by inspiration of God.' " * Section IY. — The authority of tlie Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or Church, hut * Stevenson on the Offices of Christ, pp. 51-57. See al.-o the admirable work of Professor Ggiussen, on " The Plenary Inspiration of the Holy Scrip- tures," which must set this question at rest. SECT. 4, 5.] XnE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 13 ■wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; and, therefore, it is to be received, because it is the AVordofGod.^ Section V. — We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverend esteem of the Holy Scripture, ^^ and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, (w^hich is to give all glory to God,) the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evi- dence itself to be the Word of God.; yet, notwithstanding our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and Divine authority thereof, is from the inward Avork of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.'* » 2 Pet. i. 19,21. 2 Tim. iii. 16. I " 1 John ii. 20, 27. John xvi. 13, 1 John V. 9. 1 Thess. ii. 13. 14. 1 Cor. ii. 10-12. Isa. lix. '0 1 Tim. iii. 15. 21 EXPOSITION. These sections teach us, that the authority of the ScripturdT' depends not upon any man or Church, but wholly upon God, the author thereof, and then points out the e\ddences that the Scriptui-e is the Word of God. The first of these heads is stated in opposition to the Papists, who maintain that the authority of the Scriptures is derived from the Church. The absurdity of this idea is easily evinced. The true Church of Christ is founded on the Scriptures, and therefore the authority of the Scriptures cannot depend on the Church. — Eph. ii. 20. That the Holy Scripture is the Word of God, is proved both by external and internal evidences. 1 . The external evidences are such as these : — The character of the sacred penmen — the miracles wrought by them, for the decla-red purpose of at- testing their divine mission and inspiration — the exact ac- complishment of numerous prophecies recorded in Scripture — the antiquity of the Scriptures, taken in connection with their wonderful preservation to this ' day-j-the effects pro- duced by the Scriptures, effects which cnuld never have been accomplished by the lessons of philosophy, nor the force i of human laws — and the influence which the Scriptures have 14 CONFESSION OF FAITH. []CHAP. I. had in civilizing the most barbarous nations, and in meliorat- ing the condition of society at large, wherever the knowledge of them has been disseminated. 2. The internal evidences are such as these : — The incomparable sublimity of the doctrines contained in the Scriptures, and their revealing many truths which could not be discovered by nature or reason — the ex- tent and purity of their precepts — the representation which they give of the character and moral administration of God — the exact adaptation of the revelation they contain to the state and wants of man — the entire harmony of their several parts, though written by different persons, and in different ages — the majesty of their style — and the scope and ten- dency of the whole to advance the glory of God, and secure the salvation of men. Such arguments as these may pro- duce a rational conviction that the Scriptures are the Word of God ; but it is only the Holy Spirit's effectual application of them to the heart, in their self-evidencing light and power, that can produce a cordial and saving persuasion of it. " He that believeth hath the witness in himself." Though many who believe are not qualified to demonstrate the inspiration of the Scriptm-es by rational arguments, yet, by the expe- rience they have of their power and efficacy on their own hearts, they are infallibly assured that they are the Word of God ; and they can no more be convinced, by the reasonings and objections of infidels, that the Scriptures are the produc- tion of men, than they can be persuaded that men created the sun, whose light they behold, and by whose beams they are cheered. Section YI. — The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his o^Yn glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripturf, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture : unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. ^^ Nevertheless, we acknowledge tlie inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessai-y for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word ;^^ and that there are some circum- stances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, »2 2 Tim. iii. 15-17. Gal. i. 8, 9. 1 »3 John vi. 45. I Cor. ii. 9-12. 2 Thess. ii. 2. SECT. 6, 7.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 15 which are to be ordered by the hght of nature and Christian pnidence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed. ^^ Section YII. — All things in Sci-ipture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all ; ^^ yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understand- ing of them^*'. 1* 1 Cor. xi, ]3, 14. 1 Cor. xiv. 2G, 1 !« 2 Pet. iii. 16. 40. I 16 ps. cxix. 105, 130. EXPOSITION. These sections relate to the perfection and perspicuity of the Scriptures. 1, In regard to the ])erfection, or sufficiency, of the Scrip- tures, it is acknowledged that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, in regard to which no express injunctions are given in Scrip- ture, and which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word. The Apostolic rule in such cases is, — " Let all things be done decently and in order," — 1 Cor. xiv. 40 ; but this general iide does not authorise the introduction into the Church of rites and ceremonies of human invention, in order to set oft' the worship of God. This cannot be justified by any plea of expediency, with a view of rendering the services of the Church more attractive, and conciliating those that are withawt. " And it may be here remarked, that it was one of the first and greatest mistakes into which the Church fell, after insjnration ceased, to make too free a use of this doctrine of expediency. The abuses which have crept in under this specious disguise were not foreseen. The Fathers saw no harm in an indiff'erent ceremony, to which, perhaps, their new converts were attached from long custom. By adopting things of this kind, the Church, which was at first simple, and unencumbered with rites, became strangely meta- morphosed ; and in place of her simple robe of white, assumed a gorgeous dress, tricked oft' with gaudy ornaments and va- rious colours. And this practice of inventing new ceremonies went on increasing, until, in process of time, the burdensome vitual of the Levitical law was not comparable to the liturgy 16 CONFESSION OP FAITH. [^CHAP. I. of the Christian Church. Who that now attends a Romish chapel on some ' high day,' would suppose that the service performed was connected with the religion of the New Tes- tament ?" * In maintaining the perfection of the Scriptures, we do not insist that every article of religion is contained in Scripture in so many words ; but we hold that conclusions fairly de- duced from the declarations of the "Word of God are as truly parts of divine revelation as if they were expressly taught in the Sacred Volume. That good and necessaiy consequences deduced from Scripture are to be received as part of the rule of our faith and practice, is evident from the example of our Saviour in proving the doctrine of the resurrection against the Sadducees, — Matt. xxii. 31, 32 ; and from the example of Paul, who proved that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, by reasoning with the Jews out of the Old Testament Scriptures. — Acts xvii. 2, 3. " All Scripture " is declared to be " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, foi instruction in righteousness ; " but all these ends cannot bft obtained, unless by the deduction of consequences. Legiti- mate consequences, indeed, only bring out the full meaning of the words of Scripture ; and as we are endued with the faculty of reason, and commanded to search the Scriptures, it was manifestly intended that we should draw conclusions from what is therein set down in express words. By the jjerfection of Scripture, then, we mean, that the Scripture, including necessary consequences as well as the express words, contains a complete revelation of the will of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life. The Scripture is represented as 2?e7'fect, fitted to answer every necessary end, — Ps. xix. 8, 9 ; it is sufficient to make " the man of God perfect," and able to make private Christians " wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus." — 2 Tim. iii. 15-17. So com- plete is the Scripture, that its Author has peremptorily pro- hibited either to add to, or to diminish ought from it. — Deut. iv. 2 ; Rev. xxii. 18, 19. The perfection of the Scriptures is to be maintained in opposition to those enthusiasts who pretend to new revela- tions of the Spirit, and in opposition to the Church of Rome, which " receives traditions with the same veneration that they do the Scriptures." No new revelations are to be added to the oracles of God, for Christ and his apostles have foretold the rise of false prophets, and wai'ned us not to g'ive heed to their pretended revelations. — IMatt. xxiv. 11, * Alexander on the Canon of the Scriptures. SECT. 6, 7.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 17 24. The Apostle Paul denounces a curse upon all who preach any other gospel than that which is contained in the Scrip- tures. — Gal. i. 8, 9. The uncertainty of private revelations furnishes another argument against them. Such is the de- ceitfulness of the heart, that men are apt to mistake their own fancies and imaginations for revelations of the Spirit, and such is the subtlety of Satan, that he sometimes trans- forms himself into an angel of light. Private revelations, therefore, must be very uncertain to ourselves, and much more so to others. And it may be observed, that none plead for the authority of private revelations but such as, by the contrariety of their oj^inions and practices to the Scriptures, manifest themselves to be led by a spirit of delusion. Neither are the traditions of men to be added to the Word of God. Traditions have been a fertile source of corruption in religion, both among Jews and Christians. The Jews pretended that besides what Moses committed to wiiting, he received from God a variety of revelations, which he com- municated verbally to Aaron, and w^hich w^ere orally trans- mitted from generation to generation. These traditions mul- tiplied exceedingly, especially after the Sjiirit of prophecy was withdrawn from the Church ; and when Christ appeared on earth, he found the Jews so far degenerated, that their religion consisted almost entirely in the observation of such traditions. Plence we find him declaring, " Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." " In vain they do w^orship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." — INIatt. xv. 6, 9. In the same way have a multitude of the corruptions in the doctrine and wor- ship of the Romish Church sprung iip. They, after the ex- ample of the Jews, pretend that Christ and his apostles de- livered many things which are not found in the Scriptures, and which have come down to us by tradition. But how can it be shown that those articles of religion, or institutions of worship, which they say have come down by tradition, were really received from the mouth of Christ, or from the teaching of his apostles ? Or, supj^osing that they were de- rived from this source, how can it be ascertained that they have been conveyed down to us without alteration or corrup- tion ? The fact is, many of these traditions, which are called ajjostolical, can be traced to their commencement, at a period much later than that of the apostles. To admit unwritten traditions would open a door for all the innovations and cor- ruptions which the fancies of men may devise, and would ma;ke void the law of God. But as our Lord strongly con- B 18 CONFESSION OF FAITH. [[cHAP. I. demned the Jewish tradilions, so we justly reject the mass of traditions received by the Romish Church. 2. The Scriptures are clear and perspicuous in all things necessary to salvation. We allow that there are doctrines revealed in the Scriptures which surpass the comprehension of created beings, such as, the doctrine of the Trinity, the eternal generation and the incarnation of the Son of God, These are mysteries which we cannot comprehend, but the doctrines themselves are plainly taught in the Scriptures, and we must receive them on the divine testimony. We also admit that in the Scriptures there are some things obscure and " hai'd to be understood." But this obscurity is chiefly in history and prophecies, which do not so nearly concern our salvation. As in nature everything necessary for the support of life occurs almost everywhere, and may be found on the most easy search, while other things less necessary, such as its gems and gold, lie concealed in certain places, and can only be discovered and obtained by great exertions and unwearied industry ; so there are things in the Scrip- tures, ignorance of which will not endanger the salvation of the soul, that are abstruse and difficult to be imderstood, even by those who possess acute minds and great learning. But we maintain, that all those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly revealed in some place of Scripture or other, that every serious inquirer, in the due use of ordinary means, may iindei'stand them. This may be inferred from the fact that their author is God. If he intended them to be a rule of faith and life to men, surely he has adapted them to the understandings of men. There are numerous injunctions to read and search the Scriptures, but these necessarily imply that they are perspicuous and intelligible. Christians are also commended for searching the Scriptures, and trying by the written Word the doctrines delivered to them. — Acts xvii. II. If the Scriptures were unintelligible to common Chris- tians, and the interpretation of the Church were necessary to discover their meaning, then such Christians would have no foundation. upon which a divine faith could rest. Their faith must be ultimately resolved into the testimony of men; but human testimony, being fallible, cannot be the ground of an infallible persuasion. Notwithstanding the subjective perspicuity of the Scrip- tures, we acknowledge the imvard illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in them. This arises from the blindness and perversity of the human understanding, as now corrupted I SECT. 8-10.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 19 and depraved. — 1 Cor. ii. 14. If the enlightening influences of the Holy Spirit were unnecessary, then the greatest ade})ts in human literature would he best acquainted with the Scrip- tures ; this, however, is not the case. — INIatt. xi. 25. In the promises of God, and in the prayers of the saints, the special illumination of the Spirit is i-epresented as necessa.ry to enable us savingly to understand the things of God, — John xiv. 26 ; Ps. cxix. 18, &c. Section YIII — The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the WTiting of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical ; ^' so as in all controversies c.c reli- gion the Church is finally to appeal unto them.^'' But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, wdio have right unto and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear God, to read and search them,^^ therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come,^° that the Word of God dweUing plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner,^' and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope.^^ Section IX. — The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scriptm-e (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.^^ Section X. — The Supreme Judge, by which all con- troversies of religion ai-e to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, ai-e to be examined, and in v>'hose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.^'* 1- ]\Jatt. V. 18. I 21 Col. iii. 16. i» Isa. viii. 20. Acts xv. J5. Jolm 1 22 Rom. xv. 4. V. 39. 46. 2-'* 2 ret. i. 20, 21. Acts. xv. 15, IG. 19 John V. 39. 24 ]^jatt. xxii. 29, 31. Eph. ii. 20. 2" 1 Cor. xiv. C, 9, 11, 12, 24, 27, 28. | Acts, xxviii. 25. 20 CONFESSION OF FAITH. (]CHAP. EXPOSITION. There are four heads embraced in these sections. Fhst, That the Scriptures, in the original languages, have come down to us uncorrupted, and are, therefore, authentical. Secondly, That the Scriptures are to be translated into the vul- gar language of every nation unto which they come^ Thirdly^ That the infallible rule of the intei-pretation of Scnpture is the Scripture itself. Fourthly, That the Scriptures are the supreme standard of religious triith; and that the Suisreme .Judge, by which all controversies in religion are to be deter- mined, is the Holy Spirit speaking to us in the Scriptures. 1. The Old Testament, except a few passages which were written in Chaldee, was originally written in Hebrew, the lan- guage of the Jews, to whom the prophetical oracles were committed. The passages which were written in Chaldee, are the eleventh verse of the tenth chapter of the Prophecies of Jeremiah ; from the second verse of the fourth chapter of Daniel, to the end of the seventh chapter ; and the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of Ezra. The New Testament was originally written in Greek, the language which, at the time of writing it, was most universally known. The original language of the Gospel according to Matthew, is indeed a subject of controversy. The ancients, with one voice, affirm that it was written in Hebrew, and this opinion is supported by many modern critics ; othei'S, equally learned, maintain that it was originally composed in Greek. Several of the latest writers on this subject have adopted the opinion that there w^ere two originals, Hebrew and Greek, both written by Matthew himself, — the one for the use of the Jews, the other for tlie use of the Gentiles. Though the autographs of the inspired writings have long since disappeared, yet there is ample evidence that, by the singular care and providence of God, they have been preserved pure in all ages, and that the copies which we now possess generally coincide with the originals. The -purity of the Old Testament Scriptures is confirmed by the general coincidence of the present Hebrew coj)ies with all the early translations, and particularly with the Septuagint version. It may also be obsers'-ed, that although our Lord frequently reproved the rulers and teachers of the Jews for their eiToneous and false doctrines, yet he never accused them of any corruption in their sacred books; and the Apostle Paul reckons it among the privi- leges of the Jews, that to them " were committed the oracles of God," without ever insinuating that they had been un- iaithful to their trust. The animosity which lias ever since SECT. 8-10.]] THE HOLY SCRIPTURE. 21 prevailed betAvixt Jews and Christians has rendered it im- possible for either of them to vitiate these sacred writings without immediate detection. The corruption of the books of the New Testament is altogether incredible. Had any party entertained a wish to alter them, it would have been impossible for them to succeed. Copies were speedily mul- tiplied ; they were early translated into the different lan- guages of the several nations among which the gospel was planted ; the Christian fathers embodied numerous quota- tions from them into their writings ; various sects soon arose, keenly opposed to each other, but all receiving the same sacred books, and these became a check upon each other, and rendered corruptions and interpolations impracticable. Every succeeding age increased the difficulty ; and though the comparison of a multitude of ancient manuscripts and copies has discovered a vast number of various readings, occasioned by the inadvertency and inaccuracy of tran- scribers, yet none of these differences affect any one article of the faith and comfort of Christians. 2. As the Scriptures Avere originally written in the lan- guages which, at the time of writing them, were most gene- rally understood, God has hereby intimated his will, that they should be translated into the vernacular language of different nations, that every one may read and understand them. This we maintain in opposition to the Church of Rome, which forbids the translation of the Scriptures into the vulgar languages, and declares the indiscriminate reading of them to be highly dangerous. Though the free use of the Scriptures be prohibited by that Church, they were cer- tainly intended by God for all ranks and classes of mankind. All are enjoined to read the Scriptures (John v. 39); and the laity are commended not only for searching them, but for trying the doctrines of their public teachers by them. — Acts xvii. 11. It is, therefore, necessaiy that the Scriptures should be translated into the language of every nation; and the use of translations is sanctioned by the apostles, who fre- quently quoted passages of the Old Testament from the Septuagint. 3. The best and only infallible rule of interj^retation of Scripture, is the Scripture itself. Some things that are briefly and obscurely handled in one place, ai-e more fully and clearly explained in other places ; and, therefore, when we would find out the true sense of Scripture, Ave must com- pare one passage Avith another, that they may illustrate one another; and Ave must never affix a sense io any particulai* text, but such as is agreeable to " the analogy of faith," or 22 CONFESSION OF FAITH. [[c'lIAP. I. the general scheme of divine truth. The compilers of the Confession affirm, that the sense of Scripture is not manifold, but one. No doubt, many passages of Scripture have a com- plex meaning, — as some prophecies have several steps of ful- filment, in the Jewish nation, the Christian Church, and the heavenly state, and some passages have one thing that is t}T)ical of another. Yet these only make up that one and en- tire sense intended by the Holy Ghost. No Scripture can have two or more meanings properly different, and nowise subordinate one to another, because of the unity of truth, and because of the perspicuity of the Scripture. 4. That the Scriptures are the supreme standard of reli- gious truth, is asserted in opposition to the Socinians, who maintain that reason is the standard by which we are to judge of the doctrines of revelation, and that we are bound to receive nothing as time which reason does not comprehend. There is, no doubt, much use for the exercise of reason in matters of religion; but, it may be remarked, "that the office of reason, in reference to a revelation, is not to discuss its contents, to try them by its own standard, and to approve or disapprove, as they agree or disagree with it ; for this would be to treat it as if it were not a levelation, at the moment when we acknowledge it to be such ; or to insinuate that the Word of God, although known to be his Word, is not entitled to credit, unless it be supported by independent proof. The sole province of reason is to examine the evi- dence exhibited to show that it is his Word, and to investi- gate its meaning by rules which are used in determining the sense of any other book. These preliminaries being settled, the state of mind which a revelation demands is faith, im- plicit faith, to the exclusion of doubts and objections ; the subjection of our understanding to the authority of God, — en- tire submission to the dictates of infinite wisdom. The reason is, that his testimony supplies the place of all other evidence." * That the Supreme Judge, by which all controversies in religion are to be determined, is no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture, is asserted in opposition to the Papists, who maintain that the Church is an infallible judge in religious controversies ; though they do not agree among themselves whether this infallible authority resides in the Pope, or in a council, or in both together. Now, the Scrip- ture never mentions such an infallible judge on earth. Nei- ther Pope, nor councils, possess the properties requisite to constitute a supreme judge in controversies of religion; for * Dick's Lectures on Theology, vol. ii., p. 5. SECT. 1 .] OF GOD AND OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 23 they are fallible, and have often erred, and contradicted one another. Althongh the Church or her ministers are the official guardians of the Scriptures, and although it belongs to them to explain and enforce the doctrines and laws con- tained in the Word of God, yet their authority is only minis- terial, and their interpretations and decisions are binding on the conscience only in so far as they accord with the mind of the Spirit in the Scriptures. By this test, the decisions of councils, the opinions of ancient writers, and the doctrines of men at the present time, are to be tried, and by this rule all controversies in religion must be determined. — Isa. viii. 20 ; Matt. xxii. 29. CHAPTER II. OF GOD AND OF THE HOLY TRINITY. Section I. — There is but one only ^ living and true God,^ who is infinite in being and perfection,^ a most pure spirit,^ invisible,^ without body, parts, ^ or passions,^ immutable,^ immense,^ eternal,^" incomprehensible," almighty ,^^ most wise,^^ most holy,^^ most free, ^^ most absolute, ^^ working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will,^'' for his own glory; ^^ most loving, ^^ gracious, merciful, long- suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin;^'* the re warder of them that diligently seek him;^^ and withal most just and terrible in his judgments; ^^ hating all siu,-^ and who will by no means clear the guilty.** 1 Deut. vi. 4, 1 Cor. viii. 4, 6. 2 1 Thess. i. 9. Jer. x. 10. ^ Job xi. 7-9 ; xxvi. 14. * John iv. 24. « 1 Tim. i. 17. « Deut. iv. 15, 16. John iv. 24. Luke xxiv. 39. "> Actsxiv. II, 15. ^ James i. 17. Mai. iii. 6. 9 1 Kings viii. 27. Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. 10 Ps. xc. 2. 1 Tim. i. 17. " Ps. cxlv, 3. ^2 Gen. xvii. 1. Rev, iv. & ^3 Rom. xvi. 27. 1* Isa. vi. 3. Rev. iv. 8. 15 Ps, cxv. 3. i« Exod. ill. 14. 17 Eph. i. 11. 18 Prov. xvi. 4. Rom. xi. 36. 19 1 Johniv. 8, 16, 20 Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. ^i Heb. xi. 6 22 Neh. ix. 32; 33. 23 pg. v. 6, 6. 2* Nah, i. 2, 3. Exod. xxxiv. 7. 24 CONFESSION OF FAITH. j_CHAP. II. Section II — God hath all life,*'* glory, ^^ goodness,^ blessedness,^ in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made,^'' not deriving any glory from them,^ but only manifesting his own glory, in, by, unto, and upon them : he is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom, are all things ;^^ and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth.^^ In his sight all things are open and manifest; ^^ his know- ledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature,^ so as nothing is to him contingent or uncer- tain.^^ He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. ^° To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience, he is pleased to require of them.^ 25 John V. 26. I 32 Rev. iv. 11. 1 Tim. vi. 15. Dan. 26 Acts vii. 2. iv. 25, 35. 27 Ps. cxix. 68. I 33 Heb. iv. 13. 1 Tim. vi. 15. Rom. ix. 5. I 3* Rom. xi. 33, 34. Ps. cxlvii. 5. 29 Acts xvii. 24, 25. 3s Acts xv. 18. Ezek. xi, 5. so Job xxii. 2, 3. | 36 Ps. cxlv. 17. Kom. vii. 12. 31 Rom. xi. 36. j st Rgv. v. 12-14. EXPOSITION. We are here taught, — First, That there is but one God. Secondly, That he is the only living and true God. Thirdly, That he is a most pure spirit. Fourthly, That he is possessed of all possible perfections. 1. The assertion, that there is but one God, does not mean that there is hut one divine person, for it is afterwards stated, that " in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons;" but it means that the Divine Being is numerically one in nature or essence. This is affirmed in opposition to the Polytheism of heathen nations, and to the heresy of the Tritheists, who hold that there are three distinct Godheads, or that one Godhead is divided into three distinct parts. The unity of the Divine Being might be discovered by the light of nature, for the same process of reasoning which leads to the idea of a God, leads also to the conclusion, that there can be no more Gods than one. There can be but one first cause, one self-existent, independent, omnipotent, infinite, and Supreme Being ; it is a contradiction to suppose otherwise. Hence, SECT. I, 2."] OF GOD AND OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 25 though the nide unthinking mxiltitude among the Pagans adored gods many, and lords many, yet the wiser of their philosophers had their one supreme god; and their poets sung of one sovereign deity, whom they called the Father of gods and men. It is unquestionable, however, that the heathen world received a multiplicity of gods, and the phi- losophers contented themselves with empty speculations about the nature of the Deity; and, instead of instructing the vulgar in the unity of God, confirmed them in their error, by practically complying with the customs of their country. But divine revelation has firmly established the doctrine of God's unity. Jehovah solemnly declares, " I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me." — Deut. xxxii. 39. " Before me there was no god formed, neither shall there be after me." — Isa. xliii. 10. The inspired Avriters of the Old Testament have said of him, " The Lord he is God; there is none else besides him" (Deut. iv. 3.5} ; and, " Hear, O Israel : the Lord our God is one Lord." — Deut. vi, 4. Jesus adds his testimony to this great truth; he told the scribe that came to question him about his religion, " The first of %all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord;" and he spoke with high approbation of the answer returned to this, in which " the scribe said imto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth : for there is one God; and there is none other but he." — Mark xii. 29, 32. The Apostle Paul often inculcates the same truth : " We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one." — 1. Cor. viii. 4. "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." — 1. Tim. ii. 5. 2. It is asserted, that this God is the only living and true God. The name of God is, indeed, given in Scripture to various other beings, on account of some resemblance which, in some particular respect, they bear to God. Angels are called gods, on account of the excellence of their nature. — Ps. xcvii. 7. Magistrates are called gods, because, in the execution of their office, they act in God's name, and be- cause we are bound to obey them. — Exod. xxii. 28. Moses was a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron was his prophet, because Aaron received the divine messages, which he caiTied to Pharaoh immediately from Moses; whereas other prophets received their messages to the people immediately from God himself. — Exod. vii. 1. Idols are called gods, because idola- ters account them gods, and honour them as such. And Satan is called the god of this world, because he rules over the greater part of the world, and they are his servants, and 26 CONFESSION OP FAITH. [cHAP. II. do his works, — 2 Cor. iv. 4. But, " though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, yet to us there is but one God," who is the only living and true God. He is styled the living God, in order to distinguish him from idols, which are altogether destitute of life. The opposition between the living God and dead idols the Psalmist states and illustrates in a manner the most convincing. — Ps. cxv. 3-7. He is styled the true God, in opposition to imaginary and fictitious gods. The heathen, besides worshipping dead idols, worshipped also living creatures. — Deut. xxxii. 17. These were only gods in their vain imagination, not in reality. They were called gods, but they w^ere not gods by nature. — Gal. iv. 8. Between the true God and all rival gods there is an infinite disparity. 3. It is asserted that this God is a most pure Spirit, — that is, he is an incorporeal, immaterial, invisible, and immortal Being, wdthout bodily parts or passions. " No man hath seen God at any time." He " dwelleth in light, which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see." He is described as " invisible, incorruptible, and immortal." The Confession affirms that God is a pure Spirit, according to the Scriptures, and in opposition to an ancient sect of heretics, who, understanding everything spoken of God in a literal sense, held that God has bodily parts and a human form. These heretics are called Antliropomorphites ; a name com- pounded of two Greek words, — the one signifying human, and the other, shape or form. That corporeal parts and bodily members, — such as eyes, ears, hands, and face, — are ascribed to God in the Scriptures is certain; but such language is used in accommodation to our capacities, and must be understood in a way suitable to a pure spirit. Were the great God to speak of his essence and perfections as he is in himself, in- stead of being informed, we w^ould be confounded. He, there- fore, employs human properties and actions as emblems of his own spiritual perfections and acts. AVe become acquainted with persons and things by seeing them or hearing of them ; and to intimate the perfect knowledge which God has of his creatures, eyes and ears are ascribed to him. It is chiefly by our hands that we exert our bodily strength ; and hands are ascribed to God to denote his irresistible power. We look with an air of complacency and satisfaction on those whom we love ; and God's face denotes the manifestation of his favour. In the same manner must we explain the several 2mssions that are ascribed to God, — such as anger, fury, jealousy, revenge, bowels of mercy, &c. " Passion produces a vehemence of action ; so when there is, in the providences of SECT. 1, 2.] OF GOD AND OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 27 God, such a vehemence as, according to the manner of men, wonld imiDort a passion, then that passion is ascribed to God. When he punishes men for sin, he is said to be angry ; when he does that by severe and redoubled strokes, he is said to be full oifury and revenge ; when he punishes for idolatry, or any dishonour done to himself, he is said to be jealous ; when he changes the course of his proceedings, he is said to repent ; Avhen his dispensations of providence are very gentle, and his judgments come slowly from him, he is said to have bowels. And thus all the varieties of providence come to be expressed by all that variety of passions which, among men, might give occasion to such a variety of proceeding." * 4. It is asserted that this God is possessed of all possible perfections. The perfections of God are called his attributes, because they are ascribed to him as the essential properties of his nature. These attributes are variously, though imper- fectly distinguished, in our ways of thinking about them. They have been called natural and moral, incommunicable and communicable attributes, — the latter is the most common distinction. Those attributes are called incommunicable, of which there is not the least resemblance to be found among creatures ; and those are called communicable, of which there is some faint, though very imperfect resemblance to be found among creatures. Without attempting to class the divine perfections under these two heads, we shall arrange the several parts of the description of God contained in the two sections now before us under the following particulars : — 1. God is infinite. To be infinite, according to the literal signification of the word, is to be unbounded, — unlimited. As applied to the other attributes of God, this term denotes their absolute perfection. He is infinite in his wisdom, power, holiness, &c. As these perfections must be considered after- wards, we only notice, at present, that God is infinite in his being, or essence. From this results his incomprehensibility, or that supereminent perfection which can be comprehended by none but himself. A perfect kuoAvledge of God is com- petent to none but himself, whose understanding is infinite. " Canst thou by searching find out God ? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection ?" — Job xi. 7. His infinity, as applied to his being, also includes his immensity and his omni- presence. Betwixt these a distinction may be drawn. His omnipresence has a relation to creatures actually existing, with every one of which he is intimately present ; but his immensity extends infinitely beyond the boundaries of all created substance. God fills all places at once — heaven, and * Burnet on the Thrty-Nine Articles, Art. i. 28 CONFESSION OP FAITH. CflAP. 11. earth, and hell — with his essential presence. " Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off ? Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him ? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth ? saith the Lord."— Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. 2. God is self-existent and inde'pendent. He has all life, glory, and blessedness, in and of himself. His existence is neces- sary and nnderived ; for his name is, " I am that I am." — Exod, iii. 14. His glory and blessedness are likewise unde- rived. His glory necessarily results from, or rather consists in, the absolute perfection of his OA\m nature, and his blessed- ness is all summed up in the possession and enjoyment of his own infinite excellencies. Being thus all-sufficient in and imto himself, he must be independent of any other being. He stands not in need of any creatures which he has made, nor can he derive any gloiy from them. Every other being receives its all from him, but he receives no advan- tage from any. " For his pleasure all things ai-e and were created ; but none can be profitable to God, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself ; nor is it any gain to him that they make their ways perfect." — Rev. iv. 11 ; Job xxii. 2, 3. 3. God is the fountain of all being. As he has life in and of himself, so he is the author of that life which is in every living creature. " In him we live, and move, and have our being." All the life of the vegetative, animal, and rational world, the life of grace here, and the life of glory hereafter, are of him, and derived from him. " With him is the foun- tain of life," — of all sorts of life. " Of him, and through him, and to him, are all things." — Rom. xi. 36, From this it follows, that God has most sovereign dominion over all his creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth. He who is the first cause of all things, must also be the last end. As he gave being to all crea- tures, so he must have an absolute right to rule over tliem, and to dispose of them for tlie ends of his own glory. Hence we are told, that " his kingdom ruleth over all," and that " he doeth according to his will in the anny of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth : and none can stay his hand, or say xmto him, What doest thou?" — Ps. ciii. 19; Dan. iv. 35. But God has not only a right to exercise sove- reign dominion over his creatures, he has also an indisput- able claim to their service and obedience. This claim is likewise founded upon his giving them their being. They are not their own, but the Lord's ; him, therefore, they are bound to serve. Hence the Confession, with great propriety. SECT. 1, 2.^ OF G-OD A2