Church
Government - John Calvin
Puritan
Hard Drive - Still Waters
Revival Books
The Form of Prayers and
Ministration of the Sacraments, etc.
Used in the English Congregation
at Geneva (1556)
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth;
I believe and confess[a] my Lord God
eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, and invisible,[b] one in substance,[c] and three in person,[d] Father, Son and Holy Ghost, who, by his almighty
power and wisdom,[e] has not only
of nothing created heaven, earth, and all things therein contained,[f] and man after his own image,[g] that he might in him be glorified; [h] but also by his fatherly providence,[i] governs, maintains, and preserves the same,
according to the purpose of his will.[k]
a. Rom. 10:9-10
b. Gen. 17:1; Ps. 63:1ff.; Ps. 139:1-16
c. Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:4-6
d. Gen. 1:26; 1 John 5:7; Matt. 3:16-17; Matt. 28:19
e. Heb. 1:2; Prov. 8:22-30
f. Gen. 1:1; Jer. 32:16; Ps. 33:6-7
g. Gen. 1:26; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10
h. 1 Cor. 6:20; John 17:1; Prov. 16:4
i. Matt. 6:26-32; Luke 12:24-30; 1 Pet. 5:7; Phil. 4:6
k. Eph. 1:11
And in Jesus Christ
his only Son, our Lord;
Which was conceived by the Holy Ghost
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
I believe also and confess Jesus Christ the only Saviour and Messiah,[a] who being equal with God,[b] made himself of no reputation, but took on him the
shape of a servant, and became man in all things like unto us (except sin),[c] to assure us of mercy and forgiveness.[d] For when through our father Adam's transgression we
were become children of perdition,[e]
there was no means to bring us from that yoke of sin and damnation, but only
Jesus Christ our Lord: [f] who
giving us that by grace, which was his by nature,[g] made us (through faith) the children of God: [h] who when the fullness of time was come,[i] was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost,[k] born of the virgin Mary (according to the flesh),
and preached on earth the gospel of salvation,[l] till at length, by tyranny of the priests, he was
guiltless condemned under Pontius Pilate,[m] then president of Jewry, and most slanderously
hanged on the cross betwixt two thieves as a notorious trespasser, where taking
upon him the punishment of our sins,[n] he delivered us from the curse of the Law.
a. Matt. 1:21; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 1:15
b. John 1:1; Phil. 2:6-7; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 John 5:20; Rom. 9:5
c. Heb. 2:16-17; Phil. 2:7-8; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5
d. Rom. 8:32ff.; 1 John 2:1
e. Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 5:16-18; Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:10,13
f. Acts 4:12; 1 Pet. 2:6; Isa. 28:16; Rom. 9:33
g. John 1:14; Heb. 1:5; Rom. 1:4; Ps. 2:7
h. Gal. 3:26; Rom. 8:14; John 1:12; Eph. 1:5
i. Gal. 4:4; Acts 2:22
k. Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:31,35; Rom. 1:3
l. Acts 10:36; Rom. 1:5
m. John 7:32; 11:47-48,53; 12:10-11,42; Matt. 12:14; Matt. 27; Luke 23
n. Gal. 3:13; Isa. 53:6-10
He descended into hell;
the third day he rose again
from the death;
And forasmuch as he, being only God, could not feel death; neither, being
only man, could overcome death, he joined both together, and suffered his
humanity to be punished with most cruel death: feeling in himself the anger and
severe judgment of God, even as if he had been in the extreme torments of
hell,[o] and therefore cried with a loud
voice, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [p]
Thus of his free mercy,[q]
without compulsion, he offered up himself as the only sacrifice to purge the
sins of all the world, so that all other sacrifices for sin are blasphemous and
derogate from the sufficiency hereof. The which death, albeit it did
sufficiently reconcile us to God;[r]
yet the scriptures commonly do attribute our regeneration to his resurrection;[s] for as by rising again from the grave the third
day,[t] he conquered death,[u] even so the victory of our faith stands in his
resurrection, and therefore without the one, we cannot feel the benefit of the
other: For as by death, sin was taken away,[x] so our righteousness was restored by his
resurrection.
o. Acts 2:27; 1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:4-5,; 7, 10
p. Ps. 22:1; Matt. 27:46
q. Isa. 53:1ff.; Heb. 9:12,14, 25-26, 28; 10:12,14; 10:5-18; Gal. 1:4; Rom.
4:25; 5:8-10; 1 John 1:7
r. Col. 1:20
s. Rom. 10:9; 1 Pet. 1:3
t. Matt. 28:5-8; Acts 10:40; 1 Cor. 15:4
u. Hosea 13:14; 1 Cor. 15:26, 55-57
x. Rom. 4:25
He ascended into heaven;
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence shall he come to judge the quick and the dead.
And because he would accomplish all things,[y] and take possession for us in his kingdom, he ascended into heaven,[z] to enlarge that same kingdom by the abundant power
of his Spirit,[a] by whom we are
most assured of his continual intercession toward God the Father for us.[b] And altogether he is in heaven,[c] as touching his corporeal presence, where the
Father has now set him on his right hand,[d] committing unto him the administration of all
things,[e] as well in heaven
above as in the earth beneath; yet is he present with us his members,[f] even to end of the world, in preserving and
governing us with his effectual power and grace, who (when all things are
fulfilled which God has spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the world
began)[g] will come in the same
visible form in the which he ascended,[h] with an unspeakable majesty, power, and company, to separate the
lambs from the goats, the elect from the reprobate,[i] so that none, whether he be alive then or dead
before, shall escape his judgment.[k]
y. Eph. 4:10; John 14:2-3; Eph. 2:4-7
z. Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9, 11; 1 Cor. 15[?]
a. Luke 24:49; John 14:16-17, 26; Acts 2:1ff.
b. Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1
c. Acts 1:9-11; 3:21
d. Col. 3:1; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 1:3; 10:12; 12:2
e. Eph. 1:20-22; Phil. 2:9; Col. 2:10
f. Matt. 28:20
g. Acts 3:21
h. Acts 1:11
i. Matt. 25:46; Phil. 3:20
k. Matt. 24:30-31; Acts 10:42; 1 Cor. 15:22-23; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 2 Thess.
1:7-10; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
Moreover, I believe and confess the Holy Ghost, God equal with Father and
the Son,[a] who regenerates and
sanctifies us, rules and guides us into all truth, persuading most assuredly in
our consciences that we are the children of God,[b] brethren to Jesus Christ, and fellow heirs with him
of life everlasting. Yet notwithstanding it is not sufficient to believe that
God is omnipotent and merciful; that Christ has made satisfaction; or, that the
Holy Ghost has this power and effect, except we do apply the same benefits to
ourselves[c] which are God's
elect.[d]
a. Matt. 3:16-17; 1 John 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:2, 22; 1 Cor. 6:11,19; John 16:7-13;
Acts 17[?]
b. Rom. 8:13-17; Gal. 4:6-7
c. Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; 10:9ff.; 1 John 3:23
d. John 17:2-3
The holy catholic church;
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
I believe therefore and confess one holy church,[e] which (as members of Jesus Christ,[f] the only head thereof) [g] consents in faith, hope, and charity,[h] using the gifts of God, whether they are temporal
or spiritual,[i] to the profit
and furtherance of the same. Which church is not seen to man's eye, but only
known to God:[k] who of the lost
sons of Adam, has ordained some, as vessels of wrath, to damnation, and has
chosen others, as vessels of his mercy, to be saved;[l] the which also, in due time, he calls to integrity
of life and godly conversation, to make them a glorious church to himself.[m]
But that church which is visible, and seen to the eye,[n] has three tokens, or marks, whereby it may be
discerned. First, the word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments,[o] which as it is above the authority of the same
church,[p] and only [alone] sufficient to instruct us in all things concerning
salvation,[q] so is it left for
all degrees of men to read and understand.[r] For without this word, neither church, council nor
decree can establish any point touching salvation.[s]
The second [mark] is the holy sacraments:[t] to wit, of baptism and Lord's Supper; which sacraments Christ has
left unto us as holy signs and seals of God's promises. For as by baptism once
received, is signified that we (as well infants as others of age and
discretion) being strangers from God by original sin,[u] are received into his family and congregation, with
full assurance, that although this root of sin lies hidden in us, yet to the
elect it shall not be imputed;[x]
so the Supper declares, that God, as a most provident Father,[y] does not only feed our bodies, but also spiritually
nourishes our souls with the graces and benefits of Jesus Christ (which the
scripture calls eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood).[z] Neither must we, in the administration of these
sacraments, follow man's fantasy, but as Christ himself has ordained, so must
they be ministered; and by such as by ordinary vocation are thereunto called.[a] Therefore, whosoever reserves and worships these
sacraments, or contrariwise contemns them in time and place, procures to
himself damnation.
The third mark of this church is ecclesiastical discipline,[b] which stands in admonition and correction of
faults. The final end whereof is excommunication, by the consent of the church
determined,[c] if the offender is
obstinate. And besides this ecclesiastical censure, I acknowledge to belong to
this church a political magistrate,[d] who ministers to every man to every man justice, defending the good
and punishing the evil; to whom we must render honour and obedience in all
things, which are not contrary to the word of God.[e]
And as Moses, Hezekiah, Josiah, and godly rulers purged the church of God
from superstition and idolatry,[f] so
the defence of Christ's church appertains to the Christian magistrates, against
all idolaters and heretics, as Papists, Anabaptists, with suchlike limbs of
Antichrist, to root out all doctrine of devils and men,[g] as the Mass, Purgatory, Limbus Patrum,[1] prayer to saints, and for
the dead; freewill, distinction of meats, apparel, and days; vows of single
life, presence at idol service, man's merits, with suchlike, which draw us from
the society of Christ's church wherein stands only [alone] remission of sins, purchased by Christ's blood to
all them that believe,[h] whether
they
are Jews or Gentiles and lead us to vain confidence in creatures, and
trust in our own imaginations. The punishment whereof, although God oftentimes
differs in this life,[i] yet after the
general resurrection,[k] when our
souls and bodies shall rise again to immortality, they shall be damned to
unquenchable fire;[l] and then we
which have forsaken all man's wisdom to cleave unto Christ, shall hear that
joyful voice, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit ye the kingdom prepared
for you from the beginning of the world,[m] and so shall go triumphing with him in body and
soul,[n] to remain in glory
everlasting, where we shall see God face to face,[o] and shall no more need one to instruct another; for
we shall all know him, from the highest to the lowest: To whom, with the Son
and the Holy Ghost, be all praise, honour, and glory, now and ever. So be it.
e. Matt. 16:18; John 10:3-5; Eph. 5:25-27; Rom. 8:28ff.; Song 2
f. Eph. 1:10,; 22-23; Col. 1:18; 1Cor.; 12:12-13
g. Eph. 4:15-16
h. Eph. 4:1-6; Phil. 3:16; Col. 2:2
i. Acts 2:41ff.; 4:32ff; Rom. 12:4ff.; 1 Cor. 12: 1ff.; Eph. 4:7,11-12
k. Rom. 2:28-29[?]
l. Rom. 9:23; Eph. 1:4-6, 11-12
m. Rom. 8:30; Eph. 5:26-27
n. Matt. 16:17; 1 Cor. 15:9
o. Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 10:14, 17; 2 Cor. 3-4; Eph. 2:20; John 10:3-6; 2
Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21
p. Eph. 2:19-21; Matt. 17:5[?]; John 10:3-8
q. John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:15-17
r. Josh. 1:7-9; John 5:39
s. Eph. 5:17; Matt. 15:1-20
t. Matt. 26:26-30; 28:19; Rom. 4:11; Eph. 5:26[?]
u. Rom. 5:6-10; Eph. 2:1-7; Titus 3:5; Gal. 3[?]; Rom. 7:18ff.
x. Rom. 4:5-8[?]; Ps. 32:1-2
y. 1 Cor. 11:23-29
z. John 6:48-58
a. Heb. 5:4; John 3:27
b. Matt. 18:15-22; Luke 17:3-4; Lev. 19:17; Ecclesiasticus 19:13-17
c. 1 Cor. 5:1ff.
d. Rom. 13:1-7; Wisdom 6:4; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-14
e. Acts 5:29
f. Ex. 32:26-28; 2 Kings 18:4; 23:1ff.; 2 Chron. 29; 35:1ff.
g. 2 Tim. 4:2-4; Col. 2:8, 16-23; Matt. 15:1-9; Isa. 29:13; Heb. 9:12,14,;
25-26,28; 10:10, 12, 14; Acts 10:15; 1 John 2:22; Rom. 7:6; Gal. 5:1; Col. 2:8;
Rom. 14:1ff.; 1 Tim. 4:1-8; Matt. 19:10-12; 1 Cor. 7:2, 9; 1 Cor. 8[?]; 1 Cor.
10:25; 2 Cor. 6:16; Luke 17:23; Rom. 3:19-20; 1 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 4:9-10
h. Isa. 33:24; Matt. 18:18; John 20:23; 2 Cor. 5:9-13; Rom. 1:16; 10:11-12;
Eph. 2:11ff.
i. 2 Pet. 2; Jude 4-16; Rom. 9[?]
k. Acts 24:15; 1 Cor. 15:12ff.; Phil. 3:19-21; 1 Thess. 4:13ff.
l. 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Isa. 30:27; John 5:29
m. Matt. 25:21, 23, 34, 36
n. 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 5:9-10; John 5:29; Isa. 26:19
o. 1 Cor. 13:12; 1 John 3:2; Jer. 7:34; Heb. 8:11
Note for Confession
1. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, the souls of some
persons pass from this life into a place of limbo neither heaven nor hell,
but some other abode to await their final disposition. Papists hold that Limbus
Patrum is the place bordering hell and
purgatory where the Old Testament patriarchs waited until their redemption was
completed by Christ, specifically by his descent into hell. The Romish notion
of Christ's descent into hell is openly repudiated in this confession; see the
exposition of the phrase, "He descended into hell," as found above.
See Richard A. Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological
Terms (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1985),
"limbus," p. 178. [Ed.]
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