An harmony of the confessions of the faith of the Christian and Reformed Churches which purelie professe the holy doctrine of the Gospell in all the chiefe kingdomes, nations, and prouinces of Europe: the catologue and order whereof the pages following will declare. There are added in the ende verie shorte notes: in which both the obscure thinges are made plaine, & those thinges which maie in shew seeme to be contrarie each to other, are plainelie and verie modestlie reconciled, and if anie points doe as yet hang in doubt, they are sincerelie pointed at. All which things, in the name of the Churches of Fraunce and Belgia, are submitted to the free and discrete iudgement of all other Churches. Newlie translated out of Latine into English. Also in the end is added the confession of the Church of Scotland. Alowed by publique authoritie.

THE THIRD SECTION. OF THE E∣TERNALL PROVIDENCE OF God, and the creation of the world. (Book 3)

THE LATTER CONFESSION OF HELVETIA.

Of the prouidence of God. CHAP. 6.

WE beleeue that all things, both in heauen and in earth, and in al creatures are sustei∣ned and gouerned by the prouidence of this wise, eternall, and omnipotent God. For Dauid witnesseth, and saith, The Lord is high aboue all nations, and his glorie aboue the heauens. VVho is as our God who dwelleth on high and yet humbleth him selfe, to beholde the thinges that are in heauen and earth? Againe he saith, Thou hast foreseene all my * 1.1waies. For there is not a worde in my tongue, which thou knowest not whollie, O Lord, &c. Paul also witnesleth and saith, By him we * 1.2liue, mooue, and haue our being. And, of him, and through him, and for him, are all thinges. Therefore Augustine both truelie and according to the scripture saide in his booke de agone Christi, cap. 8. The Lord said, Are not two sparrowes solde for a far∣thing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without the will of your father? By speaking thus he woulde giue vs to vnderstand that whatsoeuer men count most vile, that also is gouerned by the almigh∣tie power of God. For the trueth which saide, that all the haires of our heads are numbred, saith also that the birdes of the aire

are fed by him, and the lilies of the fielde are clothed by him.

We therfore condemne the Epicures who denie the pro∣uidence of God, and all those, who blasphemouslie affirme, that god is occupied about the poles of heauen, and tha•• he neither seth nor regardeth vs or our affaires. The prince∣lie prophet Dauid also condemned these men, when as ••e * 1.3said, O Lord, How long, how long shall the wicked triumph, they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Lord doth not see, neither doth the God of Iacob regarde it. Vn∣derstand ye vnwise among the people, and ye fooles when will yea wise. He that hath planted the eare, shall he not heare, and he th•• hath formed the cie, how should he not see? Notwithstanding 〈◊〉〈◊〉 doe not contemne the meanes whereby the prouidenced God worketh, as though they were vnprofitable, but w•• reach, that we must applie our selues vnto them, so farre as they are commended to vs in the word of God. VVhetfore we mislike the rash speeches of such as saie, that if by the prouidence of God all thinges are gouerned, then all o•• studies and endeuours are vnprofitable. It shall be suffici∣ent, if we leaue or permit all things to be gouerned by th•• prouidence of God, & we shal not need herafter to be care∣ful or to be taught i•• any matter. For though Paul did con∣fes that he did saile by the prouidence of god, who had said * 1.4to him, Thou must testifie of me also at Rome, who moreouer pro∣mised & said, There shal not so much as one soule perish. Neith•• shal an haire fal from your heads. Yet the mariners deuising how they might finde a waie to escape, the same Paul sait•• * 1.5to the Centurion, & to the souldiers, Vnlesse these remaine i•• the ship, ye can not be safe. For God who hath appointed euer∣thing his end, he also hath ordained the beginning and th•• meanes by which we must attaine vnto the end. The hea∣thens ascribe thinges to blinde fortune and vncertain•• * 1.6chaunce, but Saint Iames would not haue vs saie, To dai•••• to morrow we will go into such a Citie, and there buie and sell: but he addeth, for that which you should saie, if the Lord wil, and if we liue, we will doe this or that. And Augustine saith, All those thinges which seeme to ••aine men to be done vnaduisedlie in the world, they doe but accomplish his word, because they are not do••••▪ but by his commaundement. And in his exposition on the 148. Psal. It seemed to be done by chaunce, that Saull seeking his fathers Asses should light on the Prophet Samuell: but the Lord

had before said to the Prophet, to morrowe I will send vnto the a man of the Tribe of Beniamin, &c.

Of the creation of all thinges, of the Angells, the Deuill, and man. CHAP. 7.

THis good and almightie God created all things both visible and inuisible by his eternall word, and preser∣ueth the same also by his eternal spirit: as Dauid witnesseth, saying: By the word of the Lorde were the heauens made, and all the * 1.7host of them by the breath of his mouth. And (as the scripture saith) All thinges that the Lord created were verie good, And made for the vse and profit of man. Now we saie, that all those thinges doe proceed from one beginning: and there∣fore we detest the Manichees & Ma••cionites, who did wic∣kedly imagine two substances and natures, the one of good, the other of euill; and also two beginnings, and two gods, one contrarie to the other, a good, and an euill.

Amongest al the creatures, the Angels and men are most excellent. Touching Angells the holie scripture saith, Who * 1.8maketh his Angells spirites, and his ministers a flame of fire. Also, Are they not ministering spirites sent forth to minister for their sakes, which shalbe the heires of saluation? And, the Lord Iesus him selfe testifieth of the Deuill saying, He hath bene a mur∣therer from the beginning, and abode not in the trueth, because the••e is no trueth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his owne•• for he is a lier, and the Father thereof. We teach therefore that some Angels persisted in obedience, & were appo••nted vnto the faithfull seruice of god & men, and that other some fell of their owne accord, and ranne headlong into destruction, & so became enimies to all good, & to all the faithfull, &c.

Now touching man, the spirit saieth, that in th•• begin∣ning he was created good according to the image, and likenes of God, that god placed him in paradise and made all thinges subiect vnto him▪ which Dauid doth most noblie set forth in the 8 Psal. Moreouer God gaue vnto him a wife, and bles∣sed them. VVee sai•• also, that man doth consist of two and those diuers substances in one person, of a soule immortall (as that which being separated from the bodie, doth nei∣ther sleepe, nor die) and a bodie mortal, which notwithstan∣ding at the last iudgement shall be raised againe from the

dead that from thenceforth the wholl man maie continue for euer, in life or in death. VVe condemne all those, which mocke at, or by subtill disputations call into doubt the im∣mortality of the soules, or say that the soule sleepeth, or that it is a part of God. To be short, we condemne all opinions of al men whatsoeuer, which thinke otherwise of the creation of Angels, deuils, and men, then is deliuered vnto vs by the scriptures in the Apostolike Church of Christ.

* 1.9 OVT OF THE CONFESSION OF BASILL.

WE also beleeue, that God made all thinges by hi•• euerlasting word: that is, by his onelie begotten sonne•• and that he vpholdeth and worketh all thinges by his spirit, that is, by his owne power. And therefore that God, as he hath created, so he foreseeth and gouerneth all * 1.10thinges. And albeit man by the same fall became subiect to damnation, & so was made an enimie to god, yet that God neuer laid aside the care of mankinde. The Patriarks, the promises before and after the flood, likewise the law of God giuen by Moses & the holie Prophets, do witnes this thing.

* 1.11 OVT OF THE FRENCH CONFESSION.

THis one onelie God hath reuealed himselfe vnto men: first, both in the creation, and also in the preser∣uation, and gouernement of his workes, &c. Looke the rest in the first Section, of the scripture, and the second Section, of God.

* 1.12 WE beleeue that God, the three persons working toge∣ther, by his vertue, wisdome, and incomprehensible goodnes hath made all thinges, that is, not onelie hea∣uen and earth, and all thinges therein contained, but also the inuisible spirits, of which some fell head long into destru∣ction, and some continued in obedience. Therefore we saie that they, as they are through their owne malice corrupted, are perpetuall enimies to all good, and therfore to the whol Church▪ but that these, preserued by the meere grace of God, are ministers for his glorie, and for the saluation of the Elect.

We beleeue that God hath not onlie made al things, but * 1.13also ruleth and gouerneth them, as he who according to hi••

will disposeth and ordereth whatsoeuer happeneth in the world. Yet we denie that he is the author of euill, or that anie blame of thinges done amisse, can be laid vpon him, se∣ing his will is the soueraigne and moste certaine rule of all righteousnes, but he hath wonderfull rather then explica∣ble meanes, by which he so vseth al the deuiles and sinnefull men as instruments, that whatsoeuer they doe euillie, that he as he hath iustlie ordeined, so he also turneth it to good. Therfore while we confes that nothing at all is ••o be done, but by the meanes of his prouidence and appointment, we doe in al humility adore his secrets that are hid fr•••• vs, nei∣ther doe we search into those thinges which be without the reach of our capacitie. Nay rather we applie to our owne vse that which the scripture teacheth for our qui••••nes ••nd ••on∣tentation sake, to wit, that God, to whome all thing•• are subiect, with a Fatherlie care watcheth for vs, so that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••o much as a haire of our head f••lleth to the ground, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 out his will. and that he hath Satan and all ou•• aduersarie so fast bound, that vnles leaue be giuen them, they cannot do vs anie litle harme.

OVT OF THE CONFESSION OF BELGIA.

* 1.14 WE know God by two manner of wa•••••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by the making, preseruing, and gouerning 〈…〉〈…〉 worlde. For that to our eies is as a moste excellent b••oke, in which al creatures from the least to the greatest 〈◊〉〈◊〉 gra∣uen, as it were characters, and certaine l••••ters▪ by which the inuisible things of God may be seene and k••••w••e of v••: namelie his euerlasting power and godheade, as Paull ••he Apostle speaketh, Rom. 1. Chap. 10. 〈…〉〈…〉 suf∣ficeth to conuince and make all men without 〈…〉〈…〉 &c. Looke for the rest in the first Section, of the scripture, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in the se∣cond Section, of God.

Artic. 12.

WE beleeue that the father by his worde, that is, by the sonne, made heauen, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and al other crea∣tures of nothing, when he saw it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and conuenient, and gaue to euerie one his beeing, for•••• and diuers offices, that they might serue their creator, & that he doth now cherish,

vpholde, and gouerne them al, according to his euerlasting prouidence and infinite power▪ and that to this ende, that they might serue man, and man might serue his God. He al∣so made the Angels, all good by nature, that they might be his ministers, and might also attend vpon the elect: of which notwithstanding some fel from that excellent nature in which God had created them, into euerlasting destructi∣on: but some by the singular grace of God abode in the first state of theirs▪ but the Deuills, and those wicked spirits, are so corrupted and defiled, that they be sworne enemies to good & all goodnes, which as theeues out of a watch towe▪ lie in waite for the Church and al the members thereof, that by their iuglings and deceits they may destroie and la••e waste all things. Therefore beeing through their owne ma∣lice addicted to euerlasting condemnation, they looke eue∣rie daie for the dreadful punishments of their mischeifes. We therefore in this place reiect the errour of the Saduce••, who denied that there were any spirits or Angels, as also the errour of the Manichees, who holde that the Deuills haue their beginning of themselues, and are of their owne nature euill, and not corrupted by willfull disobedience.

We beleeue that this moste gracious and mightie God, after he had made al things, left them not to be ruled after the will of chaunce or fortune, but himselfe doth so conti∣nuallie rule and gouerne them, according to the prescri•••• rule of his holie will, that nothing can happen in this world without his decree and ordinance, and yet God cannot be said to be either the author, or guilty of the euils that hap∣pen in this world. For both his infinite and incomprehen∣sible power and goodnes streatcheth so farre, that euen the•• he decreeth and executeth his workes and deedes iustlie and holily, when as both the deuil and the wicked doe vn••u∣s••••ie. And whatsoeuer things he doth passing the reach of mans capacitie, we will not curiouslie and aboue our capa∣citie inquire into them: Nay, rather we humblie and reue∣rentlie adore the secret, yet iust iudgements of God. For i•• sufficeth vs (as being Christs disciples) to learne onely those things which he himselfe teachth in his word, neither do•••• thinke it lawful to passe these boundes. And this doctrine a∣fordeth vs exceeding great comforte. For by it we know that

nothing befalleth vs by chaunce, but all by the will of our heauenlie father, who watcheth ouer vs with a fatherly care in deede, hauing all things in subiection to him selfe, so that not a haire of our heade (which are euerie one numbred) can be plucked awaie, nor the least sparrow light on the ground, without the will of our father. In these things there∣fore doe we wholly rest, acknowledging that God holdeth the Deuills and all our enemies so bridled as it were with snaffles, that without his will and good leaue they are not able to hurt any of vs: and in this place we reiect the detesta∣ble opinion of the Epicures, who fained God to be idle, to do nothing, and to commit all things to chaunce.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 139. 3.
• * 1.2

  Acts. 17. 28. Rom. 11. 36.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 94.
• * 1.4

  Acts. 23. 11.
• * 1.5

  Acts. 27. 34.
• * 1.6

  Iames. 4.
• * 1.7

  Psal. 33. 6.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 104. 4. Heb. 5. 14.
• * 1.9

  Artic. 1.
• * 1.10

  Art. 3.
• * 1.11

  Artic. 2.
• * 1.12

  Arti••. 7.
• * 1.13

  Art. 8.
• * 1.14

  Art. 2.