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1. THE Province charged to call our National Synod is charged also to bring with it the Original Confession of Faith, which shall to this purpose be subscribed by this Assembly, and sent unto that Province.
2. The Synod reading over the Confession of Faith, and explaining the 18th, 20th, and 22d. Articles of the said Confession concerning our Justi∣fication
before God, expresseth its detestation of those Errors which are now-a-days broached to the contrary, and in particular their Errors, who deny the Imputation of Christ's Active and Passive Obedience (by which he hath most perfectly fulfilled the whole Law) unto us for Righteousness.* 1.1 And therefore Provincial Synods, Colloquies and Consistories shall have a careful Eye on those persons who be tainted with that Error, be they Ministers or private Christians, and by the Authority of this Assembly shall silence them; and in case of a wilful stubborn persistency in their Errors, to depose them, if they have a Pastoral Charge in the Church; from the Ministry. And Letters shall be writ unto Master Piscator to intreat him not to trouble the Churches with his new-fangled Opinions; as also from this Assembly to the Universities of England, Scotland, Leyden, Geneva, Heydelberg, Basil and* 1.2 Herborne (in which Piscator is Professor,) requesting them to joyn with us also in this Censure. And in case the said Piscator shall pertinaciously adhere unto his Opinions, Master Sohnius and Ferrier are to prepare an Answer to his Books, and that it be ready against the Meeting of the next National Synod. And this Article shall be read, and in all points most exactly observed by the Provincial Synods.
3. The Provinces are exhorted seriously to debate in their Synods how to word the five and twentieth Article of our Confession, and to bring with them their maturest thoughts about it unto the next National Synod, be∣cause in expressing our Faith about the Catholick Church, mentioned in the Creed, we have nothing in our Confession concerning the Church Militant and Visible. As also they are intreated to consider whether it would not be fit to subjoyn ths word Pure unto those of the True Church, which is in the nine and twentieth Article.
* 1.34. The question being moved, whether in Treating of the Call of our first Pastors and Reformers, it were expedient that we should lay the stress of their Authority for Preaching and Reforming, upon that Call and Ordina∣tion, they had in the Church of Rome, or no. This Synod doth judge that we ought according to the one and thirtieth Article, to found it princi∣pally upon their extraordinary Vocation, whereby they were by an inward powerful impulse from God raised up and commanded to exercise their Ministry, rather than to charge it upon the sorry Relicks of a corrupted Call and Ordination in the Romish Church.
5. That Article treating of Antichrist, shall be the one and thirtieth in order in our Confession of Faith, and shall be thus worded. Whereas the Bishop of Rome hath erected for himself a temporal Monarchy in the Christi∣an World, and Usurping a Soveraign Authority, and Lordship over all Churches and Pastors, doth exalt himself to that degree of Insolency, as to be called God, and will be adored, arrogating unto himself All Power in Heaven and in Earth, and to dispose of all Ecclesiastical matters, to define Ar∣ticles of Faith, to authorise and expound at his pleasure the sacred Scriptures, and to buy and sell the Souls of men, to dispense with Vows, Oaths and Covenants, and to institute new Ordinances of Religious Worship.
And in the Civil State, he tramples under foot all Lawful Authority of Magistrates, setting up and pulling down Kings, disposing of Kings and of their Kingdoms at his pleasure: We therefore believe and maintain that he is truly and properly The Antichrist, the Son of Perdition, predicted by the Holy Prophets, that great Whore cloathed with Scarlet, sitting upon seven Mountains in that great City, which had dominion over the Kings of the Earth; and we hope and wait that the Lord according to his promise, and as he hath already begun will confound him by the Spirit of his Mouth, and destroy him finally by the brightness of his coming.
6. The word Superintendant in the two and thirtieth Article is not to be understood of any superiority of one Pastor above another, but only in ge∣neral of such as have office and charge in the Church.
7. The words substance and nourish shall remain unchanged in the six and thirtieth Article, according as it hath been decreed by the Synods of Rochel in the year 1571. and of Nismes in the year 1572.
8. The Confession of Faith being read was sworn and subscribed by all the Deputies in the names of their respective Provinces, and they did far∣ther most solemnly ingage by their promise never to depart from it, and protested that this was that very doctrine which was taught in all their Churches.
9. The Provinces are exhorted for the future at the opening of their Sy∣nods to read this Confession of Faith, and our Book of Discipline. And Monsieur Chamier is appointed to draw up an Apology for this our Con∣fession, and to bring it with him unto the next National Assembly.
Our Righte∣ousness by the Imputa∣tion of Christs active and passive Obe∣dience.
In another Copy Ziguen.
The Call of our first Pa∣stors and Reformers was extra∣ordinary, & not from the Church of Rome.