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.

Of Contrition. CHAP. 13.

WE call Contrition a feeling of the wrath of God▪ or a sorrow and great feare of the minde, raised by the knowledge of the greatnes of our sinnes, and the weigh∣tines of the wrath of God. And we thinke that such a Con∣trition, as the law of God doth vse to stirre vp in man, is ne∣cessarilie required in true repentance: but to teach that it

doth deserue remission of sinnes, or that it is a purging of our sinnes before God, we thinke it contrarie to the Aposto∣like doctrine. God truelie doth not despise a contrite and an humble heart, as the Psalme saith: but therefore he doth not despise it, because the Sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ tooke vpon him a contrite & humble heart, by whose onelie contrition and humiliation our sinnes are purged be∣fore God, and his wrath is pacified. Now we are made par∣takers of this pacification, when with a contrite and humble heart we beleeue, that Iesus Christ alone is our reconciler with the heauenlie Father. Isa. 53. He was wounded for out tran∣gressions, he was broken for our iniquities: the chastisment of our peace was vpon him, and by his stripes we are healed. 1. Ioh. 2. He is the propitiation for our sinnes. Act. 10. To him giue all the Prophets witnes, that through his name, all that beleeue in him, shall haue re∣mission of their sinnes. Also the examples of Cain, Esau, Saul, Iudas Iscarioth, and such like, doe witnes, that Contrition is not a merit of remission of sinnes. For these men, although they had so great contrition, that it seemed to them a thing more tollerable to dispatch their life either by strangling, or by thrusting themselues in with swordes, rather then to suffer those horrible griefes, yet could they not obteine re∣mission of their sinnes. The Glosse saith, If we looke narrow∣lie to the matter, remission of sinnes is to be attributed to the grace of God, not to contrition. Wherfore we confesse, that to shew forth true repentance, Contrition is necessarie, yet not to this ende, that it should be any merit or purging of our sinnes before God: but that man, acknowledging the greatnes of his sinnes, should be stirred vp to seeke remission of sinnes & saluation, in the onelie free clemencie and mercie of God, and that onelie for Iesus Christ our Lord his sake, by faith.