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.

OVT OF THE CONFESSION OF BOHEMIA.

Of the word of God, or the holie Gospell, CHAP. 10.

* 1.1 ANd seeing that the administration of thee new test•• ment, & also the word and the sacraments are lawful∣ly committed to the Ministers of the Church, and their lippe•• * 1.2ought to preserue knowledge, that the law maie be sought at their mouth, therefore in this Chapter it is further taught, what the word of God, and the holie gospell is. Now the Prea∣ching of the word of God and of the Gospell, is the true ministerie of grace, instituted and commaunded of Christe our Lord, wherein the full and perfect will of God, touching eternall reconciliation, necessarie to saluation, and made manifest in the holie scripture, is declared and preached vnto all people. This doctrine did Christ giue in charge vnto his disciples in the wordes of this

sentence, Goye into all the world, and preach the Gospell to eue∣rie * 1.3creature. This doctrine doth Peter professe before Cor∣nelius, when he saith. He commaunded vs to preach vnto the * 1.4people, and to testifie that this is he, that is ordeined of God to be the Iudge of the quick and the dead. To him also giue all the Pro∣phets wines, that through his name, all that beleeue in him, shall receiue remission of sinnes.

This ministery is more honorable, greater, and more ne∣cessarie to saluation, then are the sacraments: the which is prooued by that sentence of the moste excellent Apostle * 1.5Saint Paul, For Christ sent me not to Baptize (that is, not chief∣lie to do this) but to preach the Gospell. For onelie through the pure Gospell, and the preaching thereof, is faith sow∣ed inwardlie in the heart by the holie Ghost, and from thence also must we conceiue and seeke the true meaning of God and Christ, touching all thinges necessarie to salua∣tion, and also touching the sacramentes them-selues. A∣mongst those, who by reason of their age are able to vse their vnderstanding, it is of necessitie, that the preaching of the Gospell go before the receiuing of the sacramentes. Wherof we maie see an euident proofe in those three thow∣sand which were conuerted by Peter: also in Cornelius, & * 1.6in the Chamberlaine we maie see, that, according to the ex∣ample of Phillippe, the question is thus to be made, Doest thou beleeue with all thy heart? Then it maie be that thou who hast true faith grafted in thy heart maiest receiue profit, by the participation of the sacraments. For without the hea∣ring of the word of God, which is the sauing power of God, no * 1.7man shall wittinglie attaine vnto faith and saluation, accor∣ding * 1.8to that saying of Paull. Therfore faith commeth by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And againe, How shall they be∣leeue in him, of whome they haue not heard? Therefore herein our preachers endeuour them selues moste earnestlie, that in our Ecclesiastical meetings they maie propound vnto the people the sincere word of God, without all mixture or in∣uentious of men. For which cause also they do, by an aun∣cient custome, recite in the mother and vulgare tongue, which maie be vnderstood of all, not onelie those Chapters which are appointed to be read out of the gospell at certaine times, but also all other partes of holie scripture, and do ex∣hort

the people with an earnest desire to heare the word o•• God, and to frequent those Ecclesiasticall meetings, that by the diligent teaching of the Gospell, and by often repea∣ting it in their sermons, they maie first teach the people re∣pentance and faith, and then the vse and administration of the sacraments, and by this meanes prepare them to the right receiuing of the sacraments: & afterwardes also, bo•••• whilest the sacraments be administred, and after they be administred, they doe conuenientlie instruct them in all those thinges which the Lord commaunded, and chieflie in those things which doe appertaine to the leading of an ho∣nest life, and such a one, as beseemeth a Christian professi∣on; * 1.9as Christ saith, Teach them to keepe all things which I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 commaunded you.

In this place also it is taught verie diligentlie, and as the matter requireth, touching the difference, which is to be ob∣serued betwixt the worde, or doctrine, and worke of the lawe, and betwixt the worde and force of the holie Gospell. The worde or ministerie of the lawe and of the olde Testament, is the worde of death, feare, and of the letter, also the worde of wrath and the worde of malediction: but the worde of the new Testament, that is, of the holie Gospell, is the mi∣nisterie of faith, and the spirit of cleerenes, or glorie through our Lord Iesus Christ, the worde of grace, of the new coue∣nant, the worde of comfort, and the messenger of peace. Of * 1.10them both the Apostle writeth thus, The letter killeth, but the spirit quickneth. And Christ saith, The wordes which I speake, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 spirit and life. Also there is mention made of the vse of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 law, in the fourth Chapter of this confession (beginning with these wordes. This doctrine of the true knowledge of sinne, &c.) 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is to be seene before in the fourth Section, whereunto all that Chapter apperteineth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 3.
• * 1.2

  Malac. 2.
• * 1.3

  Marc. 16.
• * 1.4

  Act. 10.
• * 1.5

  1. Cor. ••.
• * 1.6

  Act. 2. Act. 8.
• * 1.7

  Rom. 1.
• * 1.8

  Ro. ••0.
• * 1.9

  Math. 28.
• * 1.10

  2. Cor. 3▪ Ioh. 6.