Confession of Faith Ratification Act 1690

1. Introductory Text

2. Our Soveraigne Lord and Lady The King and Queens Majesties...

3. THE CONFESSION OF FAITH under written was this day produced...

4. Chap. i. Of the Holy Scripture

   1. ALTHOUGH the light of Nature and works of Creation and...

   2. 2. UNDER the name of the Holy Scripture or the word...

   3. 3. THE Books commonly called Apocrypha not being of divine inspiration...

   4. 4. THE authority of the Holy Scripture for which it ought...

   5. 5. We may be moved and induced by the testimony of...

   6. 6. The whole counsell of God concerning all things necessary for...

   7. 7. ALL things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves...

   8. 8. THE OLD Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language...

   9. 9. THE infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture...

   10. 10. THE supreme judge by which all controversies of Religion are...

5. Chap. ii. Of God and the Holy Trinity

   1. 1. THERE is but one only living and true God who...

   2. 2. GOD hath all life glory goodness blessedness in and of...

   3. 3. IN the unity of the Godhead there be three persons...

6. Chap. iii. Of Gods Eternal Decree

   1. 1. GOD from all eternity did by the most wise and...

   2. 2. ALTHOUGH God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass...

   3. 3. BY the decree of God for the manifestation of his...

   4. 4. THOSE angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained are particularly...

   5. 5. THOSE of mankind that are predestinated unto life God before...

   6. 6. AS God hath appointed the elect unto glory so hath...

   7. 7. THE rest of mankind God was pleased according to the...

   8. 8. THE doctrine of this high mystery of Predestination is to...

7. Chap. iv. Of Creation

   1. 1. IT pleased God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for...

   2. 2. AFTER God had made all other creatures he created man...

8. Chap. v. Of Providence

   1. 1. GOD the great Creator of all things doth uphold direct...

   2. 2. ALTHOUGH in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God...

   3. 3. GOD in his ordinary providence maketh use of means yet...

   4. 4. THE Almighty power unsearchable wisdom and infinite goodness of God...

   5. 5. THE most wise righteous and gracious God doth often times...

   6. 6. AS for those wicked and ungodly men whom God as...

   7. 7. AS the providence of God doth in generall reach to...

9. Chap. vi. Of the fall of man of sin and of the punishment thereof

   1. 1. OUR first parents being seduced by the subtilty and temptation...

   2. 2. BY this sin they fell from their originall righteousness and...

   3. 3. THEY being the root of all mankind the guilt of...

   4. 4. FROM this originall corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed disabled...

   5. 5. THIS corruption of nature during this life doth remain in...

   6. 6. EVERY sin both original and actuall being a transgression of...

10. Chap. vii. Of Gods covenant with man

    1. 1. THE distance between God and the creature is so great...

    2. 2. THE first Covenant made with man was a Covenant of...

    3. 3. MAN by his fall having made himself uncapable of life...

    4. 4. THIS Covenant of Grace is frequently set forth in the...

    5. 5. THIS Covenant was differently administred in the time of the...

    6. 6. UNDER the Gospell when Christ the substance was exhibited the...

11. Chap. viii. Of Christ the Mediator

    1. 1. IT pleased God in his eternall purpose to choose and...

    2. 2. THE Son of God the second person of the Trinity...

    3. 3. THE Lord Jesus in his human nature thus united to...

    4. 4. THIS office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake which...

    5. 5. THE Lord Jesus by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of...

    6. 6. ALTHOUGH the work of redemption was not actually wrought by...

    7. 7. CHRIST in the work of mediation acteth according to both...

    8. 8. TO all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption he...

12. Chap. ix. Of free will

    1. 1. GOD hath indued the will of man with that naturall...

    2. 2. MAN in his state of innocency had freedom and power...

    3. 3. MAN by his fall into a state of sin hath...

    4. 4. WHEN God converts a sinner and translates him into the...

    5. 5. THE will of man is made perfectly and immutably free...

13. Chap. x. Of Effectuall calling

    1. 1. ALL those whom God hath predestinated unto life and those...

    2. 2. THIS effectuall call is of Gods free and speciall grace...

    3. 3. ELECT infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by...

    4. 4. OTHERS not elected although they may be called by the...

14. Chap. xi. Of Justification

    1. 1. THOSE whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth not...

    2. 2. FAITH thus reciveing and resting on Christ and his righteousness...

    3. 3. CHRIST by his obedience and death did fully discharge the...

    4. 4. GOD did from all eternity decree to justify all the...

    5. 5. GOD doth continue to forgive the sins of those that...

    6. 6. THE justification of believers under the Old Testament was in...

15. Chap. xii. Of Adoption

    1. 1. ALL those that are justified God vouchsafeth in and for...

16. Chap. xiii. Of Sanctification

    1. 1. THEY who are effectually called and regenerated having a new...

    2. 2. THIS sanctification is throughout in the whole man yet imperfect...

    3. 3. IN which war although the remaining corruption for a time...

17. Chap. xiv. Of saving Faith

    1. 1. THE grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled to...

    2. 2. BY this faith a christian believeth to be true whatsoever...

    3. 3. THIS faith is different in degrees weak or strong may...

18. Chap. xv. Of Repentance unto Life

    1. 1. REPENTANCE unto life is an evangelicall grace the doctrine whereof...

    2. 2. BY it a sinner out of the sight and sense...

    3. 3. ALTHOUGH repentance be not to be rested in as any...

    4. 4. AS there is no sin so small but it deserves...

    5. 5. MEN ought not to content themselves with a generall repentance...

    6. 6. AS every man is bound to make private confession of...

19. Chap. xvi. Of good works

    1. 1. GOOD works are only such as God hath commanded in...

    2. 2. THOSE good works done in obedience to Gods commandments are...

    3. 3. THEIR ability to do good works is not at all...

    4. 4. THEY who in their obedience attain to the greatest height...

    5. 5. WE cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin...

    6. 6. YET notwithstanding the persons of believers being accepted through Christ...

    7. 7. WORKS done by unregenerate men although for the matter of...

20. Chap. xvii. Of the perserverance of the Saints

    1. 1. THEY whom God hath accepted in his beloved effectually called...

    2. 2. THIS perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own...

    3. 3. NEVERTHELESS they may through the temptations of Satan and of...

21. Chap. xviii. Of the assurance of grace and salvation

    1. 1. ALTHOUGH hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves...

    2. 2. THIS certainty is not a bare conjecturall and probable persuasion...

    3. 3. THIS infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence...

    4. 4. TRUE believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers...

22. Chap. xix. Of the Law of God

    1. 1. GOD gave to Adam a Law as a Covenant of...

    2. 2. THIS Law after his fall continued to be a perfect...

    3. 3. BESIDE this Law commonly called Moral God was pleased to...

    4. 4. TO them also as a body politick he gave sundry...

    5. 5. THE Moral Law doth for ever bind all as well...

    6. 6. ALTHOUGH true believers be not under the Law as a...

    7. 7. NEITHER are the forementioned uses of the Law contrary to...

23. Chap. xx. Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

    1. 1. THE liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the...

    2. 2. GOD alone is Lord of the conscience and hath left...

    3. 3. THEY who upon pretence of Christian liberty do practise any...

    4. 4. AND because the powers which God hath ordained and the...

24. Chap. xxi. Of Religious worship and the Sabbath day

    1. 1. THE light of nature sheweth that there is a God...

    2. 2. RELIGIOUS worship is to be given to God the Father...

    3. 3. PRAYER with thanksgiving being one speciall part of religious worship...

    4. 4. PRAYER is to be made for things lawfull and for...

    5. 5. THE reading of the Scriptures with godly fear the sound...

    6. 6. NEITHER prayer nor any other part of religious worship is...

    7. 7. AS it is of the law of nature that in...

    8. 8. THIS Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord when...

25. Chap. xxii. Of lawfull Oaths and Vows

    1. 1. A lawfull oath is a part of religious worship wherein...

    2. 2. THE name of God only is that by which men...

    3. 3. WHOSOEVER taketh an oath ought duely to consider the weightiness...

    4. 4. AN oath is to be taken in the plain and...

    5. 5. A vow is of the like nature with a promissory...

    6. 6. IT is not to be made to any creature but...

    7. 7. NO man may vow to do any thing forbidden in...

26. Chap. xxiii. Of the Civil Magistrate

    1. 1. GOD the supreme Lord and King of all the world...

    2. 2. IT is lawfull for Christians to accept and execute the...

    3. 3. THE civil Magistrate may not assume to himself the administration...

    4. 4. IT is the duty of people to pray for Magistrates...

27. Chap. xxiv. Of Marriage and Divorce

    1. 1. MARRIAGE is between one man and one woman neither is...

    2. 2. MARRIAGE was ordained for the mutuall help of husband and...

    3. 3. IT is lawfull for all sorts of people to marry...

    4. 4. MARRIAGE ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity...

    5. 5. ADULTERY or fornication committed after a contract being detected before...

    6. 6. ALTHOUGH the corruption of man be such as is apt...

28. Chap. xxv. Of the Church

    1. 1. THE Catholick or universall Church which is invisible consists of...

    2. 2. THE visible Church which is also catholick or universall under...

    3. 3. UNTO this Catholick visible Church Christ hath given the ministry...

    4. 4. THIS Catholick Church hath been sometimes more sometimes less visible...

    5. 5. THE purest Churches under heaven are subject both to mixture...

    6. 6. THERE is no other head of the Church but the...

29. Chap. xxvi. Of the Communion of Saints

    1. 1. ALL saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head...

    2. 2. Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship...

    3. 3. THIS Communion which the saints have with Christ doth not...

30. Chap. xxvii. Of the Sacraments

    1. 1. SACRAMENTS are holy signs and seals of the Covenant of...

    2. 2. THERE is in every sacrament a spirituall relation or sacramentall...

    3. 3. THE grace which is exhibited in or by the sacraments...

    4. 4. THERE be only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord...

    5. 5. THE sacraments of the Old Testament in regard of the...

31. Chap. xxviii. Of Baptism

    1. 1. BAPTISM is a sacrament of the New Testament ordained by...

    2. 2. THE outward element to be used in this sacrament is...

    3. 3. DIPPING of the person in the water is not necessary...

    4. 4. NOT only those that do actually profess faith in and...

    5. 5. ALTHOUGH it is a great sin to contemn or neglect...

    6. 6. THE efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment...

    7. 7. THE sacrament of baptism is but once to be administred...

32. Chap. xxix. Of the Lords Supper

    1. 1. OUR Lord Jesus in the night wherein he was betrayed...

    2. 2. IN this sacrament Christ is not offered up to his...

    3. 3. THE Lord Jesus hath in this ordinance appointed his ministers...

    4. 4. PRIVATE masses or receiving this sacrament by a priest or...

    5. 5. THE outward elements in this sacrament duely set apart to...

    6. 6. THAT doctrine which maintaines a change of the substance of...

    7. 7. WORTHY receivers outwardly partaking of the visible elements of this...

    8. 8. ALTHOUGH ignorant and wicked men receive the outward elements in...

33. Chap. xxx. Of Church Censures

    1. 1. THE Lord Jesus as King and head of his Church...

    2. 2. TO these officers the keys of the kingdom of heaven...

    3. 3. CHURCH censures are necessary for the reclaiming and gaining of...

    4. 4. FOR the better attaining of these ends the officers of...

34. Chap. xxxi. Of Synods and Councills

    1. 1. FOR the better government and further edification of the Church...

    2. 2. AS Magistrates may lawfully call a synod of ministers and...

    3. 3. IT belongeth to Synods and Councills ministerially to determine controversies...

    4. 4. ALL Synods or Councills since the Apostles times whether generall...

    5. 5. SYNODS and councills are to handle or conclude nothing but...

35. Chap. xxxii. Of the state of men after death and of the Resurrection of the dead

    1. 1. THE bodies of men after death return to dust and...

    2. 2. AT the last day such as are found alive shall...

    3. 3. THE bodies of the unjust shall by the power of...

36. Chap. xxxiii. Of the last Judgement

    1. 1. GOD hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the...

    2. 2. THE end of Gods appointing this day is for the...

    3. 3. AS Christ would have us certainly to be perswaded that...