The Westminster Confession of Faith. A.D. 1647 (part 3 of 4)

VII. Neither are the forementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the gospel, but do sweetly comply with it:¹⁶²⁶ the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully which the will of God, revealed in the law, requireth to be done.¹⁶²⁷ VII. Neque interim Legis usus isti iam memorati, Evangelii gratiæ adversantur, sed cum eadem conspirant suaviter,¹⁶²⁸ voluntatem humanam ita subjugante ac imbuente Christi Spiritu, ut idem illud præstare valeat spontanee ac alacriter, quod ab illa exigit voluntas Dei in lege sua revelata.¹⁶²⁹ Chapter XX. Cap. XX. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience. De Libertate Christiana deque Libertate Conscientiæ. I. The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law;¹⁶³⁰ and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin,¹⁶³¹ from the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation;¹⁶³² as also in their free access to God,¹⁶³³ and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a childlike love and¹⁶³⁴ willing mind.¹⁶³⁵ All which were common also to believers under the law;¹⁶³⁶ but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged in I. Libertas quam Christus acquisivit fidelibus sub Evangelio in eo sita est, quod a reatu peccati, ab ira Dei condemnante, a legis Moralis maledictione immunes fiant,¹⁶³⁷ quod a præsenti malo seculo, a dura Satanæ servitute, dominioque peccati:¹⁶³⁸ ab afflictionum malo, ab aculeo mortis, a sepulchri victoria ab æterna denique damnation¹⁶³⁹ liberentur; Quodque libere eis liceat ad Deum accedere:¹⁶⁴⁰ eique non e metu servile, verum e filiali dilectione, promtoque animo præbere valeant obedientiam.¹⁶⁴¹ Atque hæc quidem omnia cum fidelibus sub lege habent communia.¹⁶⁴² Verum sub Novo Testamento ulterius adhuc se extendit libertas Christiana; in quantum

their freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law, to which the Jewish Church was subjected;¹⁶⁴³ and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace,¹⁶⁴⁴ and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of.¹⁶⁴⁵ nempe Legis ceremonialis jugo, cui subjecta erat Ecclesia Judaica, eximuntur;¹⁶⁴⁶ majoremque confidentiam ad thronum gratiæ accedendi,¹⁶⁴⁷ sed et effusiorem gratuiti Spiritus Dei communicationem sunt consecuti, quam ordinarie sub Lege fideles participarunt.¹⁶⁴⁸ II. God alone is Lord of the conscience,¹⁶⁴⁹ and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his Word, or beside it in matters of faith or worship.¹⁶⁵⁰ So that to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commands¹⁶⁵¹ out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience;¹⁶⁵² and the requiring of¹⁶⁵³ an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience, and reason also.¹⁶⁵⁴ II. Deus solus Dominus est conscientiæ,¹⁶⁵⁵ quam certe exemit doctrinis et mandatis hominum, ubi aut verbo ejus adversantur, aut in rebus fidei et cultus quicquam ei superaddunt.¹⁶⁵⁶ Unde qui ejusmodi aut doctrinas credunt, aut mandatis obtemperant, quasi ad id ex conscientia teneantur, veram ii conscientiæ libertatem produnt.¹⁶⁵⁷ Qui autem vel fidem implicitam, vel obedientiam absolutam cæcamque exigunt, næ illi id agunt, ut cum conscientiæ, tum rationis etiam destruant libertatem.¹⁶⁵⁸ III. They who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, do practice any sin, or cherish any lust, do thereby destroy the end of Christian liberty; which is, that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.¹⁶⁵⁹ III. Qui sub prætextu Christianæ libertatis, cuivis aut cupiditati indulgent aut peccato assuescunt, eo ipso libertatis Christianæ finem corrumpunt; nempe ut e manibus inimicorum nostrorum liberati, Domino in sanctimonia et justitia coram ipso omnibus diebus vitæ nostræ absque metu serviamus.¹⁶⁶⁰

IV. And because the power¹⁶⁶¹ which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another; they who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God.¹⁶⁶² And for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or to the power of godliness; or such erroneous opinions or practices, as, either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the Church; they may lawfully be called to account, and proceeded against by the censures of the Church,¹⁶⁶³ and by the power of the Civil Magistrate.^16641665 IV. Quoniam vero potestates quas Deus ordinavit, et libertas quam acquisivit Christus non in eum finem a Deo destinatæ sunt ut se mutuo perimant, verum ut se sustentent ac conservent invicem; Qui itaque sub libertatis Christianæ prætextu potestati cuivis legitimæ (civilis sit sive Ecclesiastica) aut legitimo ejusdem exercitio contraiverint, ordinationi divinæ resistere censendi sunt,¹⁶⁶⁶ Quique vel ejusmodi opiniones publicaverint, praxesve defenderint, quæ lumini naturæ, aut religionis Christianæ de fide, de cultu, aut moribus principiis notis, aut pietatis denique vi ac efficaciæ adversantur; vel ejusmodi opiniones praxesve erroneas, quæ aut sua natura aut publicationis defensionisve modo, externæ paci ac eutaxiæ, quas in Ecclesia sua stabilivit Christus, perniciem minitantur; omnino licitum est tum ab iis facti rationem reposcere, tum in eos qua censuris Ecclesiasticis,¹⁶⁶⁷ qua civilis magistratus potestate animadvertere.¹⁶⁶⁸

Chapter XXI. Cap. XXI. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day. De cultu religioso et de Sabbato. I. The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is good, and doeth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.¹⁶⁶⁹ But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited to¹⁶⁷⁰ his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations¹⁶⁷¹ or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.¹⁶⁷² I. Constat quidem naturæ lumine esse Deum qui in universa Primatum obtinet ac absolutum Dominium, eundemque bonum esse ac omnibus beneficum, proindeque toto corde, tota anima, totisque viribus timendum esse et diligendum, laudandum ac invocandum, eique fidendum esse ac serviendum.¹⁶⁷³ At rationem verum Deum colendi acceptabilem ipse instituit, itaque voluntate sua revelata definivit, ut coli non debeat secundum imaginationes ac inventa hominum, aut suggestiones Satanæ, sub specie quavis visibili, aut alia via quaviscunque quam scriptura sacra non præscripsit.¹⁶⁷⁴ II. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to him alone:¹⁶⁷⁵ not to angels, saints, or any other creature:¹⁶⁷⁶ and since the fall, not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone.¹⁶⁷⁷ II. Cultus religiosus Deo Patri Filio et Spiritui sancto, eique soli est exhibendus,¹⁶⁷⁸ non angelis, non sanctis, neque alii cuivis creaturæ,¹⁶⁷⁹ nec ipsi Deo quidem post lapsum citra Mediatorem, aut quidem per Mediatorem alium quam Jesum Christum.¹⁶⁸⁰ III. Prayer with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship,¹⁶⁸¹ is by God required of all III. Supplicationem cum gratiarum actione, quæ est inter partes præcipuas divini cultus,¹⁶⁸² Deus fieri

men;¹⁶⁸³ and that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,¹⁶⁸⁴ by the help of his Spirit,¹⁶⁸⁵ according to his will,¹⁶⁸⁶ with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance;¹⁶⁸⁷ and, if vocal, in a known tongue.¹⁶⁸⁸ iubet ab hominibus universis;¹⁶⁸⁹ quæ, quo Deo grata sit et accepta, est in nomine Filii,¹⁶⁹⁰ subsidio spiritus ejus,¹⁶⁹¹ et secundum ipsius voluntatem,¹⁶⁹² cum intellectu, reverentia, humilitate, fervore, fide, amore, ac perseverantia offerenda;¹⁶⁹³ et quidem, si vocalis sit, in lingua nota est efferenda.¹⁶⁹⁴ IV. Prayer is to be made for things lawful,¹⁶⁹⁵ and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter;¹⁶⁹⁶ but not for the dead,¹⁶⁹⁷ nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death.¹⁶⁹⁸ IV. Preces pro rebus non nisi licitis sunt faciendæ,¹⁶⁹⁹ pro hominibus autem cuiuscunque generis, vivis scilicet, aut etiam victuris aliquando;¹⁷⁰⁰ pro mortuis autem neutiquam;¹⁷⁰¹ sed neque pro iis, de quibus constare possit eos peccatum ad mortem perpetrasse.¹⁷⁰² V. The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear;¹⁷⁰³ the sound preaching;¹⁷⁰⁴ and conscionable hearing of the Word, in obedience unto God with understanding, faith, and reverence;¹⁷⁰⁵ singing of psalms with grace in the heart;¹⁷⁰⁶ as, also, the dne administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ; are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God:¹⁷⁰⁷ besides religious oaths,¹⁷⁰⁸ vows,¹⁷⁰⁹ solemn V. Scripturarum lectio cum timore pio;¹⁷¹⁰ verbi prædicatio solida,¹⁷¹¹ ejusdemque auditio religiosa ex obedientia erga Deum, cum intellectu, fide et reverentia;¹⁷¹² Psalmorum cum gratia in corde cantatio,¹⁷¹³ prout etiam Sacramentorum, quæ Christus instituit, debita administratio, et participatio digna, sunt divini cultus reiigiosi partes, et quidem ordinarii.¹⁷¹⁴ Religiosa insuper juramenta,¹⁷¹⁵ votaque;¹⁷¹⁶ solennia jejunia,¹⁷¹⁷

fastings,¹⁷¹⁸ and thanksgivings upon several¹⁷¹⁹ occasions;¹⁷²⁰ which are, in their several times and seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.¹⁷²¹ solennesque gratiarum actiones, pro varietate eventuum¹⁷²² ; suo quæque tempore ac opportunitate sancte quidem ac religiose sunt adhibenda.¹⁷²³ VI. Neither prayer, nor any other part of religious worship, is now, under the gospel, either tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed, or towards which it is directed:¹⁷²⁴ but God is to be worshiped every where¹⁷²⁵ in spirit and¹⁷²⁶ truth;¹⁷²⁷ as in private families¹⁷²⁸ daily,¹⁷²⁹ and in secret each one by himself,¹⁷³⁰ so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly or willfully to be neglected or forsaken, when God, by his Word or providence, calleth thereunto.¹⁷³¹ VI. Hodie sub evangelio neque preces, nec ulla pars alia religiosi cultus ita cuivis alligatur loco in quo præstetur aut versus quem dirigatur,¹⁷³² ut inde gratior evadat et acceptior; verum ubique Deus colendus est¹⁷³³ in spiritu ac veritate;¹⁷³⁴ quotidie¹⁷³⁵ quidem inter privatos parietes a quavis familia,¹⁷³⁶ ut etiam a quolibet seorsim in secreto;¹⁷³⁷ at solenniter magis in conventibus publicis, qui certe quoties eo nos Deus vocat, seu verbo suo seu providentia, non sunt vel ex incuria vel obstinatione animi aut negligendi aut deserendi.¹⁷³⁸ VII. As it is of the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:¹⁷³⁹ which, from the VII. Quemadmodum est de lege naturæ ut indefinite portio quædam temporis idonea divino cultui celebrando sejuncta sit ac assignata; ita in verbo suo Deus (præcepto morali, positivo ac perpetuo, homines omnes cujuscunque fuerint seculi obligante) speciatim e septenis quibusque diebus diem unum in Sabbatum designavit, sancte sibi observandum.¹⁷⁴⁰ Quod

beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,¹⁷⁴¹ which in Scripture is called the Lord's day,¹⁷⁴² and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.¹⁷⁴³ quidem ab orbe condito ad resurrectionem usque Christi dies ultimus erat in septimana; deinde autem a Christi resurrectione in septimanæ diem primum transferebatur;¹⁷⁴⁴ qui quidem in Scriptura Dies Dominicus¹⁷⁴⁵ nuncupatur, estque perpetuo ad finem mundi tanquam Sabbatum Christianum celebrandus.¹⁷⁴⁶ VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations;¹⁷⁴⁷ but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.¹⁷⁴⁸ VIII. Tunc autem hoc Sabbatum Deo sancte celebratur, quum post corda rite præparata, et compositas suas res mundanas, homines non solum a suis ipsorum operibus, dictis, cogitatis; (quæ circa illas exerceri solent) a recreationibus etiam ludicris quietem sanctam toto observant die;¹⁷⁴⁹ verum etiam in exercitiis divini cultus publicis privatisque, ac in officiis necessitatis et misericordiæ toto illo tempore occupantur.¹⁷⁵⁰ Chapter XXII. Cap. XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows. De Juramentis, votisque licitis. I. A lawful oath is a part of religious worship,¹⁷⁵¹ wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserteth or promiseth; and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth.¹⁷⁵² I. Juramentum licitum est pars cultus religiosi,¹⁷⁵³ qua (occasione justa oblata) qui jurat, Deum, de eo quod asserit aut promittit, solenni modo testatur; eundemque appellat se secundum illius quod jurat veritatem aut falsitatem judicaturum.¹⁷⁵⁴ II. The name of God only is that II. Per solum Dei nomen jurare

by which, men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence;¹⁷⁵⁵ therefore to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name, or to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred.¹⁷⁵⁶ Yet as, in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God, under the New Testament, as well as under the Old,¹⁷⁵⁷ so a lawful oath, being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters ought to be taken.¹⁷⁵⁸ debent homines, quod quidem cum omni timore sancto ac reverentia est inibi usurpandum.¹⁷⁵⁹ Proindeque per nomen illud gloriosum ac tremendum jurare leviter, aut temere, vel etiam omnino jurare per rem aliam quamviscunque, sceleratum est et quam maxime perhorrescendum.¹⁷⁶⁰ Veruntamen sicut in rebus majoris ponderis et momenti secundum verbum Dei licitum est jusjurandum non minus quidem sub Novo quam sub Vetere Testamento:¹⁷⁶¹ ita sane jusjurandum licitum, authoritate legitima si exigatur, non est in rebus ejusmodi declinandum.¹⁷⁶² III. Whosoever taketh an oath ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully persuaded is the truth.¹⁷⁶³ Neither may any man bind himself by oath to any thing but what is good and just, and what he believeth so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform.¹⁷⁶⁴ Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority.¹⁷⁶⁵ III. Quicunque juramentum præstat eum pondus actionis tam solennis rite secum perpendere oportet, atque juratum de nullo asseverare quod verum esse non habeat sibi persuasissimum.¹⁷⁶⁶ Neque licet cuivis ad agendum quicquam obstringere semet jurejurando, nisi quod revera bonum justumque est, quod ille ejusmodi esse credit, quodque ipse præstare potest statuitque.¹⁷⁶⁷ Veruntamen de re bona justaque jusjurandum, legitima authoritate si exigatur, peccat ille qui detrectat.¹⁷⁶⁸ IV. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of IV. Juramentum præstandum est sensu verborum vulgari quidem ac

the words, without equivocation or mental reservation.¹⁷⁶⁹ It can not oblige to sin; but in any thing not sinful, being taken, it binds to performance, although to a man's own hurt:¹⁷⁷⁰ nor is it to be violated, although made to heretics or infidels.¹⁷⁷¹ manifesto, sine æquivocatione aut reservatione mentali quaviscunque.¹⁷⁷² Ad peccandum quenquam obligare nequit, verum in re qualibet cui abest peccatum, qui semel illud præstitit, adimplere tenetur, vel etiam cum damno suo;¹⁷⁷³ neque sane licet, quamvis hæreticis datum aut infidelibus, violare.¹⁷⁷⁴ V. A vow is of the like nature with a promissory oath, and ought to be made with the like religious care, and to be performed with the like faithfulness.¹⁷⁷⁵ V. Votum, naturæ consimilis est cum juramento promissorio, parique debet tum religione nuncupari tum fide persolvi.¹⁷⁷⁶ VI. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone:¹⁷⁷⁷ and that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily, out of faith and conscience of duty, in way of thankfulness for mercy received, or for the¹⁷⁷⁸ obtaining of what we want; whereby we more strictly bind ourselves to necessary duties, or to other things, so far and so long as they may fitly conduce thereunto.¹⁷⁷⁹ VI. Non est ulli creaturæ, sed Deo soli nuncupandum,¹⁷⁸⁰ et quo gratum illi esse possit acceptumque, est quidem lubenter, e fide, officiique nostri conscientia suscipiendum, vel gratitudinis nostræ ob accepta beneficia testandæ causa, vel boni alicujus, quo indigemus, consequendi; per hoc autem nosmet ad officia necessaria arctius obligamus; vel etiam ad res alias quatenus quidem et quamdiu istis subserviunt.¹⁷⁸¹ VII. No man may vow to do any thing forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he hath no promise VII. Nemini quicquam vovere licet se acturum, quod aut verbo Dei prohibetur; aut officium aliquod inibi præceptum impediret, quodve non est in voventis potestate, et cui præstando vires illi Deus non est pollicitus.¹⁷⁸²

or ability from God.¹⁷⁸³ In which respect,¹⁷⁸⁴ popish monastical vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are so far from being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitions and sinful snares, in which no Christian may entangle himself.¹⁷⁸⁵ Unde Pontificiorum illa de perpetuo coelibatu, de paupertate, deque obedientia regulari vota Monastica, tantum abest ut perfectionis gradus sint sublimiores, ut superstitionis plane sint ac peccati laquei, quibus nulli unquam Christiano semetipsum licet implicare.¹⁷⁸⁶ Chapter XXIII. Cap. XXIII. Of the Civil Magistrate. De Magistratu Civili. I. God, the Supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good, and to this end hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the defense and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil-doers.¹⁷⁸⁷ I. Supremus totius Mundi Rex ac Dominus Deus, Magistratus Civiles ordinavit qui vices ejus gerant supra populum ad suam ipsius gloriam, ac bonum publicum; in quem finem eosdem armavit potestate gladii, propter bonorum quidem animationem ac tutamen, animadversionem autem in maleficos.¹⁷⁸⁸ II. It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called thereunto;¹⁷⁸⁹ in the managing whereof, as they ought especially to maintain piety, justice, and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each commonwealth,¹⁷⁹⁰ so, for that end, they may lawfully, now under the New Testament, wage war upon just and necessary occasion.¹⁷⁹¹ ^&¹⁷⁹² II. Christianis, quoties ad id vocantur, Magistratus munus et suscipere licet et exequi;¹⁷⁹³ in quo quidem gerendo, ut pietatem præcipue, justitiam, ac pacem secundum salubres cujusque Reipublicæ leges tueri debent,¹⁷⁹⁴ ita quo illum finem consequantur, licitum est iis vel hodie sub Novo Testamento in causis justis ac necessariis bellum gerere.¹⁷⁹⁵

III. The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and Sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven:¹⁷⁹⁶ yet he hath authority, and it is his duty to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the Church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire, that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed, all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed, and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered, and observed.¹⁷⁹⁷ For the better effecting whereof he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.¹⁷⁹⁸ III. Magistratui Civili verbi et sacramentorum administrationem, aut clavium regni coelorum potestatem assumere sibi non est licitum:¹⁷⁹⁹ nihilo tamen minus et jure potest ille, eique incumbit providere ut Ecclesiæ unitas ac tranquillitas conservetur, ut veritas Dei pura et integra custodiatur, ut supprimantur blasphemiæ omnes, hæresesque, ut in cultu ac disciplina omnes corruptelæ ac abusus aut præcaveantur aut reformentur, omnia denique instituta divina, ut rite statuminentur, administrentur, observentur.¹⁸⁰⁰ Quæ omnia quo melius præstare possit, potestatem habet tum Synodos convocandi, tum ut ipsis intersit, prospiciatque, ut quicquid in iis transigatur sit menti divinæ consentaneum.¹⁸⁰¹

The above section is changed in the American revision, and adapted to the separation of Church and State, as follows:

[III. Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and Sacraments (2 Chron. xxvi. 18); or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. xvi. 19; 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2); or, in the least, interfere in matters of faith (John xviii. 36; Mal. ii. 7; Acts v. 29). Yet as nursing fathers, it is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the Church of our common Lord, without giving the preference to any denomination of Christians above the rest, in such a manner that all ecclesiastical persons whatever shall enjoy the full, free, and unquestioned liberty of discharging every part of their sacred functions, without violence or danger (Isa. xlix. 23). And, as Jesus Christ hath appointed a regular government and discipline in his Church, no law of any commonwealth should interfere with, let, or hinder, the due exercise thereof, among the voluntary members of any denomination of Christians, according to their own profession and belief (Psa. cv. 15; Acts xviii. 14-16). It is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the person and good name of all their people, in such an effectual manner as that no person be suffered, either upon pretence of religion or infidelity, to offer any indignity, violence, abuse, or injury to any other person whatsoever: and to take order, that all religious and ecclesiastical assemblies be held without molestation or disturbance (2 Sam. xxiii. 3; 1 Tim. ii. 1; Rom. xiii. 4).]

IV. It is the duty of people¹⁸⁰² to pray for magistrates,¹⁸⁰³ to honor their persons,¹⁸⁰⁴ to pay them tribute and other dues,¹⁸⁰⁵ to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience' sake.¹⁸⁰⁶ Infidelity or difference in religion doth not make void the magistrate's just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to him:¹⁸⁰⁷ from which ecclesiastical persons are not exempted;¹⁸⁰⁸ much less hath the Pope any power or jurisdiction over them in their dominions, or over any of their people; and least of all to deprive them of their dominions or lives, if he shall judge them to be IV. Debet populus pro Magistratibus preces fundere,¹⁸⁰⁹ personas eorum honore prosequi,¹⁸¹⁰ tributa aliaque eis debita persolvere,¹⁸¹¹ obtemperare licitis eorum mandatis, ac propter conscientiam subjici illorum authoritati;¹⁸¹² quæ si justa sit ac legitima, non eam illorum infidelitas, non religio diversa cassam reddit, neque populum liberat a debitæ, illis obedientiæ præstatione,¹⁸¹³ qua viri quidem Ecclesiastici non eximuntur,¹⁸¹⁴ multo minus in ipsos magistratus, intra ditionem suam, ant ex eorum populo quemvis potestatem ullam habet aut jurisdictionem Papa Romanus, minime vero omnium vita illos aut principatu exuendi, si ipse

heretics, or upon any other pretense whatsoever.¹⁸¹⁵ scilicet eos hæreticos esse judicaverit, vel etiam alio prætextu quoviscunque.¹⁸¹⁶ Chapter XXIV. Cap. XXIV. Of Marriage and Divorce. De Conjugio et Divortio. I. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband at the same time.¹⁸¹⁷ I. Conjugium inter unum virum ac foeminam unam contrahi debet; neque viro ulli uxores plures, nec ulli foeminæ ultra unum maritum eodem tempore habere licet.¹⁸¹⁸ II. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife;¹⁸¹⁹ for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and of the Church with an holy seed;¹⁸²⁰ and for preventing of uncleanness.¹⁸²¹ II. Conjugium erat institutum, cum propter mariti uxorisque auxilium mutuum,¹⁸²² tum propter humani generis prole legitima, Ecclesiæqeu sancto semine incrementum,¹⁸²³ tum vero etiam ad impudicitiam declinandam.¹⁸²⁴ III. It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able with judgment to give their consent.¹⁸²⁵ Yet it is the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord.¹⁸²⁶ And, therefore, such as profess the true reformed religion should not marry with infidels, Papists, or other idolaters: neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life, or maintain damnable heresies.¹⁸²⁷ III. Matrimonio jungi cuivis hominum generi licitum est, qui consensum suum præbere valent cum judicio;¹⁸²⁸ Veruntamen solum in Domino connubia inire debent Christiani;¹⁸²⁹ proindeque quotquot religionem veram reformatamque profitentur, non debent Infidelibus, Papistis, aut aliis quibuscunque idololatris connubio sociari; neque sane debent qui pii sunt impari jugo copulari, conjugium cum illis contrahendo qui aut improbitate vitæ sunt notabiles, aut damnabiles tuentur hæreses.¹⁸³⁰ ;

IV. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the Word;¹⁸³¹ nor can such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful by any law of man, or consent of parties, so as those persons may live together, as man and wife.¹⁸³² The man may not marry any of his wife's kindred nearer in blood than he may of his own, nor the woman of her husband's kindred nearer in blood than of her own.¹⁸³³ IV. Connubia intra consanguinitatis affinitatisque gradus in verbo Dei vetitos iniri non est licitum;¹⁸³⁴ neque possunt ejusmodi incesta conjugia quavis aut humana lege, aut consensione partium fieri legitima, adeo ut personis illis ad instar mariti et uxoris liceat unquam cohabitare.¹⁸³⁵ Non licet viro e cognatione uxoris suæ ducere, quam si æque seipsum attingeret sanguine, ducere non liceret; sicuti nec foeminæ licet viro nubere a mariti sui sanguine minus, quam a suo liceret, alieno.¹⁸³⁶ V. Adultery or fornication, committed after a contract, being detected before marriage, giveth just occasion to the innocent party to dissolve that contract.¹⁸³⁷ In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce,¹⁸³⁸ and after the divorce to marry another, as if the offending party were dead.¹⁸³⁹ V. Adulterium aut scortatio si admittatur post sponsalia, ac ante conjugium detegatur, personæ innocenti justam præbet occasionem contractum illum dissolvendi;¹⁸⁴⁰ quod si adulterium post conjugium admittatur, licebit parti innocenti divortium lege postulare ac obtinere;¹⁸⁴¹ atque quidem post factum divortium conjugio alteri sociari, perinde acsi mortua esset persona illa quæ conjugii fidem violabat.¹⁸⁴² VI. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments, unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage; yet nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by VI. Quamvis ea sit hominis corruptio ut proclivis sit ad excogitandum argumenta, indebite illos quos Deus connubio junxit dissociandi; nihilominus tamen extra adulterium ac desertionem ita obstinatam, ut cui nullo remedio, nec ab Ecclesia nec a

the Church or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage;¹⁸⁴³ wherein a public and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed; and the persons concerned in it, not left to their own wills and discretion in their own case.¹⁸⁴⁴ Magistratu civili subveniri possit, sufficiens causa nulla esse potest conjugii vinculum dissolvendi.¹⁸⁴⁵ Atque hac quidem in re procedendi ordo publicus et regularis est observandus, nec personæ illæ, quarum jus agitur, sunt suo arbitrio judiciove in causa propria permittendæ.¹⁸⁴⁶ Chapter XXV. Cap. XXV. Of the Church. De Ecclesia. I. The catholic or universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.¹⁸⁴⁷ I. Catholica sive Universalis Ecclesia ea quæ est invisibilis constat e toto electorum numero, quotquot fuerunt, sunt, aut erunt unquam in unum collecti, sub Christo ejusdem Capite; estque sponsa, corpus ac plenitudo ejus qui implet omnia in omnibus.¹⁸⁴⁸ II. The visible Church, which is also catholic or universal under the gospel (not confined to one nation as before under the law) consists of all those, throughout the world, that profess the true religion,¹⁸⁴⁹ and of¹⁸⁵⁰ their children;¹⁸⁵¹ and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ,¹⁸⁵² the house and family of God,¹⁸⁵³ out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.¹⁸⁵⁴ II. Ecclesia visibilis (quæ etiam sub Evangelio, Catholica est et universalis, non autem unius gentis finibus, ut pridem sub lege, circumscripta) ex iis omnibus constat, undecunque terrarum sint, qui veram religionem profitentur,¹⁸⁵⁵ una cum eorundem liberis;¹⁸⁵⁶ estque Regnum Domini Jesu Christi,¹⁸⁵⁷ Domus et familla Dei,¹⁸⁵⁸ extra quam quidem ordinarie fieri nequit ut quivis salutem consequatur.¹⁸⁵⁹

III. Unto this catholic visible Church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and doth by his own presence and Spirit, according to his promise, make them effectual thereunto.¹⁸⁶⁰ III. Catholicæ huic Ecclesiæ visibili dedit Christus ministrorum ordinem, oracula, ac instituta Dei ad sanctos usque ad finem mundi in hac vita colligendos simul et perficiendos; in quem finem præsentia sua, spirituque secundum ipsius promissionem, eadem reddit efficacia.¹⁸⁶¹ IV. This catholic Church hath been sometimes more, sometimes less visible.¹⁸⁶² And particular churches, which are members thereof, are more or less pure, according as the doctrine of the gospel is taught and embraced, ordinances administered, and public worship performed more or less purely in them.¹⁸⁶³ IV. Ecclesia hæc Catholica extitit quandoque magis quandoque minus visibilis.¹⁸⁶⁴ Ecclesiæ autem particulares (quæ sunt illius membra) eo magis minusve puræ sunt, qui majori aut minori cum puritate in iis docetur excipiturque Evangelii doctrina, administrantur divina instituta, cultusque publicus celebratur.¹⁸⁶⁵ V. The purest churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error;¹⁸⁶⁶ and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan.¹⁸⁶⁷ Nevertheless, there shall be always a Church on earth to worship God according to his will.¹⁸⁶⁸ V. Purissimæ omnium quæ in terris sunt Ecclesiæ, cum mixturæ tum etiam errori sunt obnoxiæ,¹⁸⁶⁹ eousque autem nonnullæ degenerarunt, ut ex Ecclesiis Christi factæ demum sint ipsius Satanæ Synagogæ;¹⁸⁷⁰ nihilominus tamen nunquam deerit in terris Ecclesiæ, quæ Deum colat secundum ipsius voluntatem.¹⁸⁷¹ VI. There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ:¹⁸⁷² nor can the Pope of Rome, in any VI. Ecclesiæ caput extra unum Dominum Jesum Christum nullum est;¹⁸⁷³ nec ullo sensu caput ejus esse

sense be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the Church against Christ, and all that is called God.¹⁸⁷⁴ potest Papa Romanus, qui est insignis ille Antichristus, homo ille peccati et perditionis filius; in Ecclesia semet efferens adversus Christum, et supra quicquid dicitur Deus.¹⁸⁷⁵ Chapter XXVI. Cap. XXVI. Of the Communion of Saints. De Communione Sanctorum. I. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head, by his Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory:¹⁸⁷⁶ and being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other's gifts and graces,¹⁸⁷⁷ and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.¹⁸⁷⁸ I. Sancti omnes, qui capiti suo Jesu Christo per Spiritum ejus ac per fidem uniuntur, gratiarum ejus, perpessionum, mortis, resurrectionis ac gloriæ ejus habent communionem;¹⁸⁷⁹ atque inde etiam amore conjuncti sibimet invicem mutuam donorum suorum gratiarumque societatem quandam ineunt,¹⁸⁸⁰ ac ad ejusmodi officia præstanda publica et privata obligantur, quæ ad mutuum eorum bonum conducant, cum quoad internum tum etiam quoad externum hominem.¹⁸⁸¹ II. Saints, by profession, are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification;¹⁸⁸² as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. II. Qui sanctos sese profitentur, sanctam illi societatem et communionem inire tenentur et conservare, cum in divino cultu, tum alia officia spiritualia præstando, quæ ad mutuam eorum ædificationem conferre possint;¹⁸⁸³ Quin etiam porro sublevando se mutuo in rebus externis, pro ratione cujusque vel facultatum

Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.¹⁸⁸⁴ vel indigentiæ. Quæ quidem communio, prout opportunitatem Deus obtulerit, est ad eos omnes, qui ubivis locorum Domini Jesu nomen invocant, extendenda.¹⁸⁸⁵ III. This communion which the saints have with Christ, doth not make them in anywise partakers of the substance of his Godhead, or to be equal with Christ in any respect: either of which to affirm is impious and blasphemous.¹⁸⁸⁶ Nor doth their communion one with another, as saints, take away or infringe the title or propriety¹⁸⁸⁷ which each man hath in his goods and possessions.¹⁸⁸⁸ III. Hæc autem communio qua sancti cum Christo potiuntur, eos substantiæ Deitatis ejus neutiquam reddit participes, nec ullo respectu æquales Christo: Quorum utrumvis affirmare impium est ac blasphemum;¹⁸⁸⁹ neque sane communio illa, quæ iis secum mutuo quatenus sanctis intercedit; cujusquam ad bona et possessiones suas jus privatum vel tollit vel imminuit.¹⁸⁹⁰ Chapter XXVII. Cap. XXVII. Of the Sacraments. De Sacramentis. I. Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace,¹⁸⁹¹ immediately instituted by God,¹⁸⁹² to represent Christ and his benefits, and to confirm our interest in him:¹⁸⁹³ as also to put a visible difference between those that belong unto the Church and the rest of the world;¹⁸⁹⁴ and solemnly to engage them to the service of God in Christ, according to his Word.¹⁸⁹⁵ I. Sacramenta sunt foederis gratiæ signa sacra et sigilla,¹⁸⁹⁶ immediate a Deo instituta,¹⁸⁹⁷ ad Christum ejusque beneficia repræsentandum, ad jus nostrum in illo confirmandum,¹⁸⁹⁸ prout etiam ad illos qui Ecclesiam spectant a reliquis illis qui sunt e mundo, visibili discrimine separandum,¹⁸⁹⁹ utque ii solenniter devinciantur ad obedientiam et cultum Deo in Christo juxta verbum ejus exhibendum.¹⁹⁰⁰ II. There is in every sacrament II. In Sacramento quolibet est inter

a spiritual relation or sacramental union, between the sign and the thing signified; whence it comes to pass that the names and the¹⁹⁰¹ effects of the one are attributed to the other.¹⁹⁰² signum et rem significatam relatio quædam spiritualis, sive Sacramentalis unio; unde fit ut alterius nomina et effectus alteri quandoque tribuantur.¹⁹⁰³ III. The grace which is exhibited in or by the sacraments, rightly used, is not conferred by any power in them; neither doth the efficacy of a sacrament depend upon the piety or intention of him that doth administer it,¹⁹⁰⁴ but upon the work of the Spirit,¹⁹⁰⁵ and the word of institution, which contains, together with a precept authorizing the use thereof, a promise of benefit to worthy receivers.¹⁹⁰⁶ III. Quæ in Sacramentis sive per ea rite adhibita exhibetur gratia, per vim aliquam iis intrinsecam non confertur, neque ex intentione vel pietate adininistrantis pendent Sacramenti vis ac efficacia;¹⁹⁰⁷ verum ex operatione Spiritus,¹⁹⁰⁸ ac verbo institutionis, quod complectitur cum præceptum, unde celebrandi Sacramenti potestas fit, tum etiam promissionem de beneficiis digne percipientibus exhibendis.¹⁹⁰⁹ IV. There be only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the gospel, that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord: neither of which may be dispensed by any but by a minister of the Word lawfully ordained.¹⁹¹⁰ IV. Sacramenta duo tantum sunt a Christo Domino nostro in Evangelio instituta, Baptismus scilicet, et coena Domini; quorum neutrum de debet nisi a ministro verbi legitime ordinato dispensari.¹⁹¹¹ V. The sacraments of the Old Testament, in regard of the spiritual things thereby signified and exhibited, were, for substance, the same with those of the New.¹⁹¹² V. Sacramenta Veteris Testamenti si res spirituales per ea significatas exhibitasque respiciamus, quoad substantiam eadem fuere cum his sub Novo.¹⁹¹³ Chapter XXVIII. Cap. XXVIII. Of Baptism. De Baptismo. I. Baptism is a sacrament of the I. Baptismus est sacramentum

New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ,¹⁹¹⁴ not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church,¹⁹¹⁵ but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace¹⁹¹⁶ , of his ingrafting into Christ,¹⁹¹⁷ of regeneration,¹⁹¹⁸ of remission of sins,¹⁹¹⁹ and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life:¹⁹²⁰ which sacrament is, by Christ's own appointment, to be continued in his Church until the end of the world.¹⁹²¹ Novi Testamenti, a Jesu Christo institutum,¹⁹²² non solum propter solennem personæ baptizatæ in Ecclesiam visibilem admissionem,¹⁹²³ verum etiam ut signum eidem sit, et sigillum cum foederis gratiæ,¹⁹²⁴ tum suæ in Christum insitionis,¹⁹²⁵ regenerationis,¹⁹²⁶ remissionis peccatorum,¹⁹²⁷ ac sui ipsius Deo per Christum dedicationis, ad ambulandum in vitæ novitate.¹⁹²⁸ Quod quidem Sacramentum e Christi ipsius mandato est in Ecclesia ejus ad finem usque mundi retinendum.¹⁹²⁹ II. The outward element to be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the gospel lawfully called thereunto.¹⁹³⁰ II. Elementum externum in hoc Sacramento adhibendum est Aqua; qua baptizari debet admittendus, a ministro Evangelii legitime ad hoc vocato, in nomine Patris et filii et Spiritus Sancti.¹⁹³¹ III. Dipping of the person into the water is not necessary; but baptism is rightly administered by pouring or sprinkling water upon the person.¹⁹³² III. Baptizandi in aquam immersio necessaria non est; verum baptismus rite administratur aqua superfusa vel etiam inspersa baptizando.¹⁹³³ IV. Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ,¹⁹³⁴ but also the infants IV. Non illi solum qui fidem in Christum eique se obedientes fore actu quidem profitentur,¹⁹³⁵ verum

of one or both believing parents are to be baptized.¹⁹³⁶ etiam infantes qui a Parente vel altero vel utroque fideli procreantur, sunt baptizandi.¹⁹³⁷ V. Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance,¹⁹³⁸ yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it,¹⁹³⁹ or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.¹⁹⁴⁰ V. Quamvis grave peccatum sit institutum hoc despicatui habere vel negligere;¹⁹⁴¹ non tamen ei salus et gratia ita individue annectuntur, ut absque illo nemo unquam regenerari aut salvari possit,¹⁹⁴² aut quasi indubium omnino sit regenerari omnes qui baptizantur.¹⁹⁴³ VI. The efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered;¹⁹⁴⁴ yet, notwithstanding, by the right use of this ordinance the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited and conferred by the Holy Ghost, to such (whether of age or infants) as that grace belongeth unto, according to the counsel of God's own will, in his appointed time.¹⁹⁴⁵ VI. Baptismi efficacia ei temporis momento quo administratur non adstringitur.¹⁹⁴⁶ Nihilominus tamen, usu debito hujus instituti non offertur solum promissa gratia, verum etiam omnibus (tam infantibus quam adultis) ad quos gratia illa e consilio Divinæ voluntatis pertinet, per Spiritum Sanctum in tempore suo constituto realiter confertur et exhibetur.¹⁹⁴⁷ VII. The sacrament of baptism is but once to be administered to any person.¹⁹⁴⁸ VII. Sacramentum Baptismi eidem personæ non est nisi semel administrandum.¹⁹⁴⁹ Chapter XXIX. Cap. XXIX. Of the Lord's Supper. De Coena Domini. I. Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted I. Dominus noster Jesus eadem qua prodebatur nocte instituit corporis

the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord's Supper, to be observed in his Church, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death, the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, their further engagement in, and to all duties which they owe unto him; and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body.¹⁹⁵⁰ et sanguinis sui sacramentum, Coenam Domini quam dicimus, in Ecclesia sua ad finem usque mundi celebrandum, in perpetuam memoriam sacrificii sui ipsius in morte sua oblati, et ad beneficia istius omnia vere fidelibus obsignandum; in eorum item alimentum ac incrementum in Christo spirituale; quoque ad officia cuncta præstanda, prius quidem illi debita, arctiori adhuc nodo tenerentur; ut vinculum denique ac pignus foret communionis illius quæ iis cum Christo et secum ipsis mutuo, tanquam corporis ipsius mystici membris, intercedit.¹⁹⁵¹ II. In this sacrament Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sins of the quick or dead,¹⁹⁵² but only a commemoration of that one offering up of himself, by himself, upon the cross, once for all, and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same;¹⁹⁵³ so that the Popish sacrifice of the mass, as they call it, is most abominably injurious to Christ's one only sacrifice, the alone propitiation for all the sins of the elect.¹⁹⁵⁴ II. In hoc Sacramento non Patri suo offertur Christus, sed neque inibi fit reale aliquod sacrificium ad peccatorum remissionem vivis aut mortuis procurandam;¹⁹⁵⁵ verum unicæ istius oblationis, qua Christus semet ipsum ipse in cruce, et quidem omnino semel obtulit, commemoratio solum; una cum spirituali propterea laudis omnimodæ Deo redditæ oblatione.¹⁹⁵⁶ Unde Pontificiorum istud sacrificium Missæ (uti loqui amant) plane detestandum sit oportet, utpote maxime injuriam uni illi unicoque Christi sacrificio, quod quidem unica est pro peccatis electorum universus propitiatio.¹⁹⁵⁷