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.

I beleeue the remission of sinnes.

HEere manie and great corruptions are deuised of our aduersaries. I beleeue, nay, saie they, I doubt: also, Then I wil beleeue, when I shall haue merites enow. Also, they do not say, I beleeue certainely that remission is giuen freely for the Sonne of God, not for anie merites of ours, or anie worthines of ours. Also, They doe not rightlie shew what sinne is, and feigne that man is able to satisfie the law of god, and that by the fullfilling of the lawe, he becommeth iust before God, in this life. Therefore first, as touching sinne, and the cause thereof, we do faithfullie retaine the doctrine of the true Church of God. Seeing that God in essence is one, the eternall Father, the coeternall Sonne, being the image of the Father, and the coeternall holie Ghost, pro∣ceeding from the Father and the sonne, of infinit wisedome, power, and goodnes, true, iust, bountiful, chaste, moste free, as he describeth him selfe in his lawe; and seeing he hath therfore made the Angells & men, that being frō al eternity he might impart vnto them his light, wisedome, & goodnes, and that they should be the temples of God, wherein god might dwell, that God might be all in all, as Paull speaketh: he therefore created them at the beginning good and iust, that is, agreeing with the minde and will of God, and plea∣sing him. He also gaue them a cleare knowledge of God, and of his wil, that they might vnderstand that they were made of God, that they might be obedient, as it is written in the sift Psalme: Thou art not a God that loueth wickednes. But the deuilles and men abused the libertie of their will, swarued from God, and by this disobedience they were made sub∣iect to the wrath of God, and lost that vprightnes, wherein they were created. Therefore freewill in the Deuill and in men was the cause of that fal, not the wil of god, who neither willeth sinne, nor alloweth it, nor furdereth it, as it is writ∣ten, When the Deuill speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his owne, and he is the Father of lying. And 1. Ioh. 3. He that committeh sinne, is of the deuill, because the deuill sinneth from the beginning. Now sinne, is that, whatsoeuer is contrarie to the iustice of God, which is an order in the minde of god (which he did 〈…〉〈…〉 by his owne voicein the lawe and in the gos∣pell)

whether it be originall disobedience, or actuall, for the which the person is both guiltie, and condemned with euer∣lasting punishment, except he obtaine remission in this life, for the Sonne the Mediatours sake. We doe also condemne the madnes of Marcion, the Manichees, & such like, which are repugnant in this wholl question to the true consent of the Church of God.