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 the buriall of the faithfull and of the care which is to be had for such as are dead, of purgatorie, and the appearing of spirites.

THe scripture willeth that the bodies of the faithful, as being temples of the holie ghost, which we truelie beleeue shall rise againe at the last daie, should be honestly without anie superstition committed to the earth, & besides that we should make honourable mention of them which haue godlilie died in the Lord, & performe al duties of loue to such as they leaue behinde them, as their widowes and fa∣therles children. Other care to be taken for the dead, we teach none. Therfore we do greatly mislike the Cynikes, who neglected the bodies of the dead, or did verie carelesselie and disdainfullie cast them into the earth, neuer spake so much as a good word of the deade, nor anie whit regarded those whome they left behinde them. Againe, we condemne those which are too much and preposterouslie officious to∣warde the deade, whoe like Ethnikes doe greatlie la∣ment and bewaile their dead (we do not discommend that moderate mourning, which the Apostle doth allow, 1. Thess. 4. but iudge it an vnnaturall thing, to be touched with no sor∣row) & do sacrifice for the dead, & mumble certein praiers, not without their pennie for their paines, thinking by these their dueties, to deliuer these their friendes from torments, wherein they being wrapped by death, they suppose they maie be ridde out of them againe by such lamentable songs. For we beleeue, that the faithfull, after the bodilie death, do go directlie vnto Christ, and therefore do not stand in neede of the helpe or praiers for the dead, or any other such duty of them which are aliue. In like manner we beleue, that the vnbeleeuers be cast headlong directlie into hell, from whence there is no returne opened to the wicked, by any du¦ties of those which liue.

But as concerning that which some teach concerning the fire of Purgatorie, it is flat contrarie to the Christian faith, (I beleeue the remission of sinnes, and life euerlasting) and to the absolute purgation of sinnes made by Christ: and to these sayings of Christ our Lord: Verilie, verilie I saie vn∣to * 1.1you, he that heareth my word, and beleeueth in him that sent me, hath euerlasting life, and shall not come vnto condemnation: but

* 1.2 hath passed from death vnto life. Againe, He that is washed, nee∣deth not saue to wash his feete, but is cleane euerie whitte, and ye are cleane. Now that which is recorded of the spirits or soules of the dead, sometime appearing to them that are aliue, and crauing certaine duties of them, whereby they maie be set free, we count those apparitions among the delusions, crafts and deceits of the deuill, who as he can transforme him∣selfe into an Angell of light, so he laboureth tooth and naile either to ouerthrow the true faith, or else to call it * 1.3into doubt. The Lord in the olde Testament forbad to en∣quire the truth of the dead, and to haue any thing to do with Spirits. And to the glutton, being bound in torments, as the trueth of the gospell doeth declare, is denied anie returne to his brethren. The Lord by his worde pronouncing and saying. They haue Moses and the Prophets, let them heare them▪ if they * 1.4heave not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they beleeue, if one shall arise from the dead.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohn. 5.
• * 1.2

  Ioh. 1••.
• * 1.3

  Deut. 18.
• * 1.4

  Luc. 16.