adopted A.D. 1596 by Henry Ainsworth's English Separatist church while in Amsterdam
A TRVE CONFESSION OF THE FAITH, and hvmble acknovvledgment of the alegeance, vvhich vve hir Maiesties Subjects, falsely called Brovvnists, doo hould tovvards God, and yeild to hir Majestie and all other that are ouer vs in the Lord. Set dovvn in Articles or Positions, for the better & more easie vnderstanding of those that shall read yt: And published for the cleering of our selues from those vnchristian slanders of heresie, schisme, pryde, obstinacie, disloyaltie, sedicion, &c. vvhich by our adversaries are in all places given out against vs.
Wee beleeue with our hearts & confes with our mouths.
That ther is but one God, one Christ, one Spirit, one Church, one truth, one Faith, one Rule of obedience to all Christians, in all places.
That God is a Spirit, whose beeing is of himself, and giveth beeing, moving, and preservation to all other things beeing himself eternall, most holy, every way infinit, in greatness, vvisdome, povvre, goodnes, justice, truth, &c. And that in this Godhead there bee three distinct persons coeternall, coequall, & coessentiall, beeing every one of thê one & the same God, & therefore not divided but distinguished one frô another by their severall & peculiar propertie: The Father of none, the Sonne begotten of the Father from everlasting; the holy Gost proceding from the Father and the Sonne before all beginnings.
That God hath decreed in himself from everlasting touching all things, and the very least circumstances of every thing, effectually to vvork and dispose thê according to the counsell of his ovvn vvill, to the prayse and glorie of his great name. And touching his cheefest Creatures that God hath in Christ before the foundation of the world, according to the good pleasure of his vvill, ordeyned som men and Angells, to eternall lyfe to bee accomplished through Iesus Christ, to the prayse of the glorie of his grace. And on thother hand hath likevvise before of old according to his iust purpose ordeined other both Angels and men, to eternall condemnation, to bee accomplished through their own corruption to the prayse of his justice.
That in the beginning God made all things of nothing very good: and created man after his own image and lykenes in righteousness and holines of truth. That streight ways after by the subtiltie of the Serpent which Sathan vsed as his instrument himself withhis Angells having sinned before and not kept their first estate, but left their own habitation; first Eva, then Adam by hir meanes, did wittingly & willingly fall into disobedience & transgression of the commâdement of God. For the which death reigned over all: yea even ouer infants also, whichhave not sinned, after the lyke manner of the transgression of Adam, that is, actually: Yet are all since the fall of Adam begotten in his own likenes after his image, beeing conceyued and borne in iniquitie and soo by nature the children of wrath and servants of sinne, and subject to death, and all other calamities due vnto sinne in this world and for euer.
That all mankinde being thus fallen and become altogether dead in sinne, & subiect to the eternall vvrath of God both by originall and actuall corruption: The elect are redeemed, quickned, raysed vp and saued againe, not of themselues, neither by vvorks, lest anie man should bost himself; but vvholly and only by God of his free grace and mercy through faith in Christ Iesus, vvho of God is made vnto vs vvisdome, & righteousnes, & sanctificatiô, & redemption, that according as it is vvritten, Hee that reioyceth let him reioyce in the Lord.
That this therfore only is lyfe eternall to knovv the only true God, & vvhom hee hath sent into the vvorld Iesus Crist. And that on the contrarie th eLord vvill rêder vengeance in flaming fire vnto them that knovv not God, & vvhich obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ.
That the rule of this knovvledge faith & obedience, concernign the vvorship & service of God & all other christiâ dutyes, is not the opinions, devises, lavves, or constitutions of mê, but the vvritten vvord of the everlyving God, conteyned in the canonicall bookes of the old and nevv Testament.
That in this vvord Iesus Christ hath reveled vvatsoever his father thought needfull for vs to knovv, beleeue & obey as touching his person & Offices, in vvom all the promises of god are yea, & in vvom they are Amen to the prayse of God through vs.
That touching his person, the Lord Iesus, of vvhô Moses & the Prophets vvrote, & vvhô the Apostles perached, is the everlasting Sonne of God, by eternall generation, the brightnes of his Fathers glorie, & the engrauen forme of his Person; coessentiall, coequall, & coeternall, god vvith him & vvith the holy Gost, by vvhô hee hath made the vvorlds, by vvhom hee vphouldeth and governeth all the works hee hath made; vvho also vvhen the fulnes of tyme vvas come, vvas made man of a vvoman, of the Tribe of Iudah, of the seed of Dauid & Abraham, to vvyt of Mary that blessed Virgin, by the holy Ghost comming vpon hir, & the povvre of the most high ouershadovving hir; & vvas also in all things lyke vnto vs, sinne only excepted.
That touching his Office, hee only is made the Mediator of the nevv Testament, even of the euerlasting Couenant of grace betvveen God & man, to bee perfectly & fully the Prophet, Priest, & King of the Church of God for euermore.
That hee vvas frô euerlasting, by the iust & sufficient authoritie of the father, & in respect of his manhood frô the womb, called & separated heervnto, & anoynted also most fully & aboundantly vvith all necessarie gifts, as is vvritten; God hath not measured out the Spirit vnto him.
That this Office, to bee Mediator, that is, Prophet, Priest and King of the Church of God, si so proper to him, as neither in the whol, nor in anie part therof, it câ be trâsferred frô him to anie other.
That touching his Prophecie, Christ hath perfectly revealed out of the bozome of his father, the vvholl vvord & vvill of God, that is needfull for his seruants, either ioyntly or seuerally to knovv, beleeue & obey: That hee hath spoken & doth speake to his Church in his ovvn ordinance, by his ovvn ministers and instruments only, and not by anie false ministrie at anie tyme.
That toching his Priesthood, beein consecrated, hee hath appeered once to put avvay sinne, by offring & sacrificing of himsell; and to this end hath fully performed aud suffred all those things, by which God through the blood of that his crosse, in an acceptable sacrifice, might bee reconciled to his elect; & having brokê dovvthe partition vvall, & thervvith finished & remoued al those legal rites, shadovves, & ceremonies, is now entred vvithin the vayle into the holy of Holies to the very heauen, and presence of God, vvhere hee for euer lyueth, and sitteth at the right hand of Maiestie appering before the face of his Father, to make intercession for such as come vnto the Throne of grace by that nevv & living vvay; And not that only, but maketh his people a spirituall hovvse, an holy Priesthood, to offer up spirituall sacrifices, acceptable to God through him. Neither doth the Father accept, or Christ offer anie other sacrifice, vvorship, or vvorshippers.
That touching his Kingdom, beeing risen, ascended, entred into glory, set at the right hand of God, al povvre in Heaven and earth giuê vnto him; vvhich povvre hee novv exerciseth ouer all Angells and men, good and dad [sic], to the preservation and saluation of the elect, to the overruling and destruction of the reprobate; communicating and applying the benefits, virtue and frutes of hsi prophecy and Priesthood vnto his elect, namely to the remission, subduing, and takeing avvay of their sinnes, to their iustification, adoption-of-sonnes, regeneration, sanctification, preservation & strêgthning in all their spirituall conflicts against Sathan, the vvorld & the flesh &c. continually dvvelling in, governing & keeping their hearts in his tue faith and fear by his holy spirit, vvhich having once givê yt, hee never taketh avvay from them, but by yt still begetteth and nourisheth in them repentance, faith, loue, obedience, comfort, peace, ioy, hope, and all christian vertues, vnto immortallitie, notvvithstanding that yt be sometymes through sinne and tentation, interrupted, smothered, and as yt vvere overvvhelmed for the tyme. Againe on the contrary, ruling in the vvorld over his enimies, Sathan, and all the vessels of vvrath; limiting, vusing, restrayning them by his mightie povvre, as seemeth good in diuiue vvisdome and iustice, to the execution of his determinate counsell, to vvit to their seduction, hardning & condemnation, delyvering them vp to a reprobate mynde, to bee kept in darcknes, sinne and sensuallitie vnto iudgment.
That this Kingdom shall bee then fully perfected vvhen hee shal the second tyme come in glorie vvith his mightie Angells vnto iudgment, to abolish all rule, authoritie and povvre, to put all his enimies vnder his feet, to seperate and free all his chosen from them for ever, to punish the vvicked vvith everlasting perdition from his presence, to gather, ioyne, and carry the godly with himself into endlesse glory, adn then to deliver vp the Kingdome to God, even the Father, that so the glorie of the father may bee full and perfect in the Sonne, the glorie of the Sonne in all his members, and God bee all in all.
That in the meane tyme, bisides his absolute rule in the world, Christ hath here in earth a spirituall Kingdome and æ canonicall regiment in his Church ouer his servants, which Church hee hath purchased and redeemed to himself, as a peculiar inheritance (notwithstanding manie hypocrites do for the tyme lurk emongest thê) calling and winning them by the powre of his word vnto the faith, seperating them from emongst vnbeleevers, from idolitrie, false worship, superstition, vanitie, dissolute lyfe, & works of darkness, &c.; making them a royall Priesthood, an holy Nation, a people set at libertie to shew foorth the virtues of him that hath called them out of darknes into his meruelous light, gathering and vniting thê together as members of one body in his faith, loue and holy order, vnto all generall and mutuall dutyes, instructing & governing thê by such officers and lawes as hee hath prescribed in his word; by which Officers and lawes hee governeth his Church, and by none other.
That to this Church hee hath made the promises, and giuen the seales of his Covenant, presence, loue, blessing and protection: Heere are the holy Oracles as in the side of the Arke, suerly kept & puerly taught. Heere are all the fountaynes and springs of his grace continually replenished and flowing forth. Heere is hee lyfted vp to all Nations, hither hee inuiteth all mê to his supper, his mariage feast; hither ought all men of all estates and degrees that acknowledg him their Prophet, Priest and King to repayre, to bee enrolled emongst his houshold seruants, to bee vnder his heauenly conduct and government, to leade their lyues in his walled sheepfold, & watered orchard, to haue communion heere with the Saincts, that they may bee made meet to bee partakers of their ineritânce in the kingdome of God.
That as all his seruants and subiects are called hither, to present their bodyes and soules, and to bring the guyfts God hath giv them; so beeing come, they are heer by himself bestowed in their severall order, peculiar place, due vse, beeing fitly compact and knit together by euery ioynt of help, according to the effectuall work in the measure of euery parte, vnto the edification of yt distributed these guifts, vnto seuerall functions in his Church, hauing instituted and ratified to contynue vnto the worlds end, only this publick ordinarie Ministerie of Pastors, Teachers, Elders, Deacons, Helpers to the instruction, government, and seruice of his Church.
That this ministrie is exactly described, distinguished, limited, concerning their office, their calling to their office, ther administration of their office, and their maintenance in their office, by most perfect and playne lawes in Gods word, which lawes it is not lawfull for these Ministers, or for the wholl Church wittinly to neglect, transgresse, or violate in anie parte; nor yet to receiue anie other lawes brought into the Church by anie person whatsoever.
That none may vsurp or execute a ministrie but such as are rightly called by the Church whereof they stand ministers; and that such so called ought to gyve all diligence to fulfill ther ministerie, to bee found faithfull and vnblamable in all things.
That this ministerie is alyke given to euery Christian congregation, with like povvre and commission to haue and enioy the same, as God offeret fit men and meanes, the same rules given to all for the election and execution therof in all places.
That as every christian Congregation hath povvre and commandement to elect and ordeine their ovvn ministerie according to the rules prescribed, and whilest they shal faithfully execute their office, to haue them in superaboundant loue for their vvorke sake, to provide for them, to honour them and reuerence them, according to the dignitie of the office they execute. So have they also povvre and commandement when anie such defalt, either in their lyfe, Doctrine, or administration breaketh out, as by the rule of the word debarreth them from, or depriveth them of their ministerie, by due order to depose them from the ministerie they exercised; yea if the case so require, and they remayne obstinate and impenitent, orderly to cut them off by excommunication.
That Christ hath given this povvre to receiue in or to cut off anie member, to the vvholl body together of euery Christian Congregation, and not to anie one member aparte, or to moe members sequestred from the vvholl, or to anie other Congregation to doo it for thê: yet that ech Congregation ought to vse the best help they can heer vnto, and the most meet member they haue to pronounce the same in their publick assembly.
That euery member of ech Christian Congregation, hovv excellent, great, or learned soeuer, ought to be subject to this censure & iudgment of Christ; Yet ought not the Church vvithout great care & due advise to procede against such publick persons.
That for the keeping of this Church in holy & orderly communion, as Christ hath placed some speciall men over the Church, who by their office are to governe, ouersee, visite, watch, &c. So lykevvise for the better keeping therof in all places, by all the members, hee hath giuen authoritie & layd duty vpon thê all to watch one ouer another.
That vvhilest the Ministers and people thus remayne together in this holy order and christian communion, ech one endevoring to do the will of God in their calling, & thus to vvalke in the obedience of faith Christ hath promised to bee present with them, to blesse & defend them against all adverserie povvre, & that the gates of Hell shall not prevayle against them.
But when & vvhere this holy order & diligent vvatch was intermitted, neglected, violated. Antichrist that man of sinne corrupted & altered the holy ordinances, offices, & administratiôs of the church brought in & erected a strange new forged ministerie, leitourgie and government & the Nations Kingdoms & inhabitants of the earth, were made drunken vvith this cup of fornications & abhominations, & all people enforced to receiue the Beasts marke and worship his image & so brought into confusion & babilonish bondage.
That the present ministerie reteyned & vsed in Englâ of Arch b[ishops], Lo[rds], Deanes, Prebendaries, Canons, Peti-Canons, Arch-Deacons, Chancellors, Commissaries, Priests, Deacons, Parsons, Viccars Curats, Hireling rouing Preachers, Church-wardens, Parish-clerkes their Doctors, Proctors, & wholl rable of those Courts with all from & vnder them set ouer these Cathedrall & Parishionall Assemblies in this confusion, are a strange & Anti-christian ministerie & offices; & are not that ministerie aboue named instituted in Christs Testament, or allovved in or ouer his Church.
That their Offices, Entrance, Administration and maintenance, with their names, titles, prvileges, & prerogatiues the povvre & rule they vsurp ouer and in these Ecclesiasticall assemblies ouer the wholl ministerie, wholl ministration and affaires therof, yea one ouer another by their making Priests, citing, suspending, silencing, deposing, absoluing, excommunicating, &c. Their confounding of Ecclesiasticall and Civile iurisdiction, causes & proceedings in their persons, courts, cômissions, Visitations, the rest of lesse rule, taking their ministerie frô and exercising it vnder them by their prescription and limitation, swearing Canonicall obedience vnto them, administring by their devised imposed, stinted popish Leiturgie, &c. are sufficient proofs of the former assertion, the perticulars therin beeing duly examined by and compared to the Rules of Christs Testament.
That these Ecclesiasticall Assemblies, remayning in confusino and bondage vnder this Antichristian Ministerie, Courts, Canons, worship, Ordinances. &c. without freedom or povvre to redresse anie enormitie, have not in this confusion and subiection, Christ their Prophet, Priest, and King, neither can bee in this estate, (whilest wee iudge them by the rules of Gods word) esteemed the true, orderly gathered, or côstituted churches of Christ, whereof the faithfull ought to beecome or stand Members, or to haue anie Spirituall communion vvith them in their publick vvorship and Administration.
That by Gods Commandment all that will bee saued, must vvith speed come forth of this Antichristian estate, leaving the suppression of it vnto the Magistrate to vvhom it belongeth. And that both all such as haue receyued or exercised anie of these false Offices or anie pretended function or Ministerie in or to this false and Antichristian constitution, are vvillingly in Gods feare, to giue ouer and leaue those vnlavvfull Offices, and no longer to minister in this maner to these Assemblies in this estate. And that none also, of what sort or condition soever, doo giue anie part of their Goods, Lands, Money, or money vvorth to the maintenance of this false Ministerie and vvorship vpon anie Commandement, or vnder anie colour vvhatsoeuer.
That beeing come forth of this antichristian estate vnto the freedom and true profession of Christ, besides the instructing and vvell guyding of their ovvn Families, they are vvillingly to ioyne together in christian communion and orderly couenant, and by confession of Faith and obedience of Christ, to vnite themselues into peculiar Congregatiôs; vvherin, as members of one body vvherof Christ is the only head, they are to vvorship and serue God according to his word, remembering to keep holy the Lords day.
That such as God hath giuen guiftes to enterpret the Scriptures, tryed in the exercise of Prophecie, giving attendance to studie and learning, may and ought by the appointment of the Congregation, to teach publickly the vvord, vntill the people bee meet for, and God manifest men vvith able guifts and fitnes to such Office or Offices as Christ hath appointed to the publick ministerie of his church; but no Sacraments to bee administered vntill the Pastors or Teachers bee chosen and ordeyned into their Office.
That vvheras ther shalbee a people fit, and men furnished with meet and necessarie guifts, they doo not only still continue the exercise of Prophecie aforesayd, but doo also vpon due tryall, proceed vnto choyce and ordination of Officiers for the ministerie and servise of the Church, according to the rule of Gods vvord; And that soe they hold on still to vvalke forward in the ways of Christ for their mutuall edification and comfort, as it shall please God to giue knowledge and grace thervnto. And perticularly, that such as bee of the seed, or vnder the government of anie of the Church, bee euen jn their infancie receiued to Baptisme, ond made pertakers of the signe of Gods Couenant made with the faithfull and their seed throvghout all Generations. And that all of the Church that are of yeeres, and able to examine themselues, doo communicate also in the Lords Supper both men and vvomen, and in both kindes bread and vvyne in which Elements, as also in the vvater of baptisme, euen after their are consecrate, there is neyther transubstantiation into, nor Consubstantiation with the bodye and bloode of Iesus Christ; vvhome the Heauens must conteyne; vntill the tyme that al things bee restored. But they are in the ordinance of God signes and seales of Gods euerlasting couenant, representing and offring to all the receiuers, but exhibiting only to the true beleevers the Lord Iesus Christ and all his benefits vnto righteousnes, sanctification and eternall lyfe, through faith in his name to the glorie and prayse of God.
That thus beeing righly gathered, established, and still proceeding in christian communion & obedience of the Gospell of Christ, none is to seperate for falts and corruptions which may and so long as the Church consisteth of mortall men, will fall out & arise emong them, even in a true constituted Church, but by due order to seeke redresse therof.
That such as yet see not the truth, may heare the publik doctrine and prayers of the church, and with al meeknes are to bee sought by all meanes: Yet none who are growne in yeeres to bee received into their communion as members, but such as doo make confession of their faith, publickly desiringg to bee receiued as members, and promising to walke in the obedience of Christ. Neither anie Infants, but such as are the seed of the faithfull by one of the parents, or vnder their education and gouernment. And further not anie from one Congregation to bee receiued members in another, without bringing certificate of their former estate and present purpose.
That though Congregations bee thus distinct and severall bodyes, every one as a compact Citie in it self, yet are they all to walke by one and the same rule, & by all meanes convenient to haue the counsell and help one of another in all needfull affayres of the Church, as members of one body in the common Faith, vnder Christ their head.
That it is the Office and duty of Princes and Magestrates, who by the ordinance of God are supreme Governers vnder him over all persons and causes within their Realmes and Dominions, to suppress and root out by their authoritie all false ministeries, voluntarie Relligions and counterfeyt worship of God, to abolish and destroy the Idoll Temples, Images, Altares, Vestments, and all other monuments of Idolatrie and superstition and to take and convert to their own civile vses not only the benefit of all such idolitrous buyldings & monuments, but also the Revenues, Demeanes, Lordships, Possessions, Gleabes and maintenance of anie false ministeries and vnlawfull Ecclesiasticall functions whatsoever within their Dominions. And on the other hand to establish & mayntein by their lawes every part of Gods word his pure Relligion and true ministerie to cherish and protect all such as are carefull to worship God according to his word, and to leade a godly lyfe in all peace and lyalltie; yea to enforce al their Subiects whether Ecclesiasticall or civile, to do their dutyes to God and men, protecting & mainteyning the good, punishing and restreyning the evill according as God hath commanded, vvhose Lieuetenants they are heer on earth.
That therfore the protection & commandement of the Princes and Magistrats maketh it much more peaceable, though no whit at all more lawfull, to vvalke in the vvayes and ordinances of Iesus Christ vvhich hee hath commanded his church to keep vvithout spot and vnrebukeable vntill his appeering in the end of the vvorld. And that in this behalf the brethren thus mynded and proceeding as is beforesaid, doo both contynually supplicate to God, and as they may, to their Princes and Gouernours that thus and vnder them they may leade a quiet and peaceable lyfe in all godlynes and honestie.
That if God encline the Magistrates hearts to the allovvance & protection of them therin they accompt it a happie blessing of God who granteth such mourcing Fathers and nourcing Mothers to his Church, & be careful to walke vvorthie so great a mercy of God in all thankfulnes and obedience.
That if God vvithold the Magistrates allovvance and furtherâce heerin, they yet proceed together in christian couenant & communion thus to vvalke in the obedience of Christ evê through the middest of all tryalls and aflictions, not accompting their goods, Lands VVyves, Children, Fathers, Mothers, brethren, Sisters, no nor their ovvn lyues dear vnto thê, so as they may finish their course with ioy, remembring alvvayes that wee ought to obey God rather thê mâ, & grounding vpon the commandement, commission and promise of our Saviour Christ, vvho as hee hath all povvre in heauê & in earth, so hath also promised if they keep his commandements vvhich hee hath giuê without limitatiô of tyme, place, Magistrates allovvance or disallowance, to bee with them vnto the end of the world and vvhen they haue finished their course and kept the faith, to giue them the crovvn of righteousnes vvich is layd vp for all them that loue his appeering.
That they doo also vvillingly and orderly pay and performe all maner of lavvfull and accustomed dutyes vnto all men, submitting in the Lord themselues, their bodyes, Landes, Goods and lyves to the Magistrates pleasure. And that euery vvay they acknovvledge, reverence and obey them according to godlynes, not because of vvrath only but also for conscience sake.
And thus doo vvee the Subjects of God and hir Ma'tie falsely called Brovvnists labour to giue vnto God that vvhich is Gods, & vnto Cæsar that vvhich is Cæsars, endevoring our selues to haue alvvayes a cleere conscience tovvards God and tovvards men: And if anie take this to be heresie, then doo vvee vvith the Apostle freely confesse that after the vvay vvhich they call heresie vve vvorship God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ; beleeving all things that are vvritten in the Lavv, and in the Prophets & Apostostles: And vvhatsoeuer is according to this vvord of truth published by this State or holden by anie reformed churches abrode in the vvorld.
Finally, vvheras vvee are much slandered, as if vve denyed or misliked that forme of prayer commonly called the Lrods Prayer vvee thought it needfull heere also concerning it to make knovvn that vvee beleeue and acknovvledg it to bee a most absolute & most excellent forme of prayer sush as no men or Angells can set downe the like And that it was taught & appointed by our Lord Iesus Christ, not that vvee should bee tyed to the vse of those very words, but that vvee should according to that rule make all our requests & thanksgyuing vnto God, forasmuch as it is a perfect forme and patterne conteyning in it playne & sufficient directions of prayer for all occasions and necessities that haue been, are, or shalbee to the church of God, or anie member therof to the end of the world.
Now unto him that is ahle to keep us that wee fall not, & to present us faltlesse before the presence of his glorie with joy; that is to God only wise our Sauiour, bee glory, & Majestie & dominion, & powre both now & for euer. Amen.
as reprinted in Baptist Confessions of Faith by William Lumpkin (Judson Press), 82-96, but without Scripture references.
