We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come; and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom, by them, we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins, (Rom. A A . 28:38, Gen. 4:4, Heb. Of God's Eternal Decree Chapter IV. 19:5–6, Prov. 2:7–8, Isa. 2. 5. 5:25–26, Acts 2:38, 41), 7. 5. 2:16, Luke 17:10) So as, a man’s doing good, and refraining from evil, because the law encourageth to the one, and deterreth from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law; and not under grace. The text is newly typeset, and biblical references are given in full. It is the duty of the people to pray for magistrates, to honor their persons, to pay them tribute and other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience' sake. 1:19-20, Ps. The latter can be bought in a convenient A5 It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin: and the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve; and what afflictions, in this life, they may expect for them, although freed from the curse thereof threatened in the law. 18:17–18, John 20:21–23, 2 Cor. 51) who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him. 77:1–12) yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day. 9:11, 13, 16, 18), 3. 9:6–7, 1 Tim. In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. 143:2) but that He, looking upon them in His Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections. 1:15, Amos 5:21–22, Hosea 1:4, Rom. 7:25) the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them, (John 14:16–17, 1 John 2:27, 1 John 3:9) and the nature of the covenant of grace: (Jer. (Gen. 2:17, Gal. Paul’s Epistles III. As it is of the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which in Scripture is called the Lord's Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed. 6:3–4, 1 Cor. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God, and estate of salvation (Job 8:13–14, Micah 3:11, Deut. (Ps. 31:22, Ps. 4:30, 31, Ps. (Acts 8:13, 23), 6. But the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace. 32:5–6) upon which, and the forsaking of them, he shall find mercy; (Prov. It is a creed, and one from which all evangelical Christians will derive much bene"t if it is carefully studied. (1 Sam. 9:14, 1 Pet. 2. (Rom. 9:24, 26, Col. 1:19–20, Eph. II. 7:29, Rom. 7:22, Luke 22:20, 1 Cor. 1. It is a companion volume to The Book of Church Order, which contains the other constitutional documents of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, namely, the Form of Government, the Book of Discipline, and the Directory for the Public Worship of God. Habakkuk Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man’s duty to endeavour to repent of his particular sins, particularly. 11:25–29) worshipping the elements, the lifting them up, or carrying them about, for adoration, and the reserving them for any pretended religious use; are all contrary to the nature of this sacrament, and to the institution of Christ. V. The will of man is made perfectly and immutable free to good alone, in the state of glory only. (John 1:12, Acts 16:31, Gal. 4. Lamentations Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father’s justice in their behalf. 2:1–2, John 17:20, 2 Sam. (Rom. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone: and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily, out of faith, and conscience of duty, in way of thankfulness for mercy received, or for the obtaining of what we want, whereby we more strictly bind ourselves to necessary duties; or, to other things, so far and so long as they may fitly conduce thereunto. 64:5, 7, 9, 2 Sam. 9:11, 13, 16, Eph. Reader Width. 10:5, Rom. 13:6), 1. 19:1–3, Rom. 13:19, Heb. 6:11, 19) but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, (Heb. 5:21, Matt. 3:23) and so became dead in sin, (Gen. 2:17, Eph. 145:3) almighty, (Gen. 17:1, Rev. Nor can such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful by any law of man or consent of parties, so as those persons may live together as man and wife. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto. This text of the Westminster Confession of Faith is is derived from a 1646 manuscript edited by S. W. Carruthers. Later American revisions of the Westminster Confession are included in an appendix. 13:14) not to angels, saints, or any other creature: (Col. 2:18, Rev. 5:2–4, 6) have their hearts hardened, (Isa. 5:31–32) and, after the divorce, to marry another, as if the offending party were dead. Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, (Matt. Joel 28:18–20), 2. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; (1 John 1:8, 10, Rom. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. 2:13) so, for that end, they may lawfully, now under the new testament, wage war, upon just and necessary occasion. 50:10) yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; (1 John 3:9, Luke 22:32, Job 13:15, Ps. Today, many Christians are turning back to the puritans to, "walk in the old paths," of God's word, and to continue to proclaim old truth that glorifies Jesus Christ. 28:19, 1 Cor. 3. 9:2, Matt. 2:2–5, 1 Cor. These angels and men, thus predestinated, and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished. 4. God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; he is the alone foundation of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom, are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth. In this sacrament, Christ is not offered up to his Father; nor any real sacrifice made at all, for remission of sins of the quick or dead; but only a commemoration of that one offering up of himself, by himself, upon the cross, once for all: and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God, for the same: so that the popish sacrifice of the mass (as they call it) is most abominably injurious to Christ's one, only sacrifice, the alone propitiation for all the sins of his elect. 23:8–10, 2 Cor. 5:14, 16, 18–23) discovering also the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts, and lives; (Rom. II. 3:11, 1 Cor. 7. (Luke 17:10, Neh. 34:7), 2. This catholic Church hath been sometimes more, sometimes less visible. 23:3, 1 Pet. 1:19, 21, 2 Tim. 1:20, 1 Cor 11:27–34, Jude 23), 4. 10:10, 14, Heb. 3:25–26) and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto Him. 5:12–14), 3. 3:27, Tit. 23:23–24) eternal, (Ps. 4:19–20, Matt. (James 1:13–14, 17, 1 John 2:16, Ps. There is no new theology. Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead. 4:2–3, Col. 2:15), 1. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. (Eph. 5:9–10, 1 Tit. 1:2, Eph. 1. 2. All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the New Testament. III. 3:10, Rom. 9:15,18) yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, (James 1:13,17, 1 John 1:5) nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. This catholic church hath been sometimes more, sometimes less visible. (Acts 4:19, Acts 5:29, 1 Cor. IV. 21:13, Deut. 130:3), 6. 15:4), 9. (Rom. 6:12, 14, 1 Pet. 18:24–28), 5. 2:13), 5. 4:3, 6, 16–17, 23–24, Heb. (Gal. Plain text. 26:18) or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; (Matt. The heart of the volume is Bower's critical text of the confession. Painstakingly checked and indexed, the critical text is supported by a four-column comparison of the authoritative manuscript and printings. 14:4, Ps. aThe text of the Westminster Confession of Faith is that adopted by The United Presby-terian Church in the United States of America in 1958. 11:27) and grieve His Holy Spirit, (Eph. Tags: « Prev: Chapter 24 (22) Next » CHAPTER XXIV (PCUS) CHAPTER XXII (UPCUSA) Of Lawful Oaths and Vows [6.120] 1. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet, because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful and can not please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God. Found inside – Page 1But in this book, Wayne Grudem shows how the Bible answers “Yes” to both of these questions, arguing that the Free Grace movement contradicts both historic Protestant teaching and the New Testament itself. Although repentance be not to be rested in, as any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the pardon thereof, which is the act of God's free grace in Christ; yet it is of such necessity to all sinners, that none may expect pardon without it. 2:6, Luke 1:33) the Head and Saviour of His Church, (Eph. 8:9–10, Acts 10:1–2, Rev. V. Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated. 4:4) So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. 5:17–19) they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God. (1 Pet. The outward elements in this sacrament, duly set apart to the uses ordained by Christ, have such relation to him crucified, as that, truly, yet sacramentally only, they are sometimes called by the name of the things they represent, to wit, the body and blood of Christ; albeit, in substance and nature, they still remain truly and only bread and wine, as they were before. (Exod. 4:10, Amos 9:8–9, Rom. 10:20) wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserteth, or promiseth, and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth. 15:1–20, Exod. 2:10–12, 1 Tim. 4. This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables: (James 1:25, James 2:8, 10–12, Rom. Sproul brings this tried-and-true text to bear on the church and life today. The Westminster Confession of Faith is the most comprehensive statement of biblically-based Christian belief available. III. The Apostles. 1:30–31, Rom. In ascertaining the approved texts and proof texts, it has been assumed that the general assemblies desired errors, either in the manuscripts with which they were presented, or in the documents as printed, to be corrected. (Ps. 43:3–5, 14), 1. 19:9, Rom. 3:16, 1 John 5:9, 1 Thess. The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: (Gen. 3:19, Acts 13:36) but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: (Luke 23:43, Eccl. The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture. 12:14) and bring temporal judgments upon themselves. 1:20, Acts 17:24, Ps. (Luke 3:14, Rom. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which is good and well-pleasing to God; but yet mutably, so that he might fall from it. (2 Tim. The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings. The outward element to be used in the sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the gospel, lawfully called thereunto. These good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life. (John 14:6, 1 Tim. (Gal. (1 Cor. 12:28, Eph. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. III. 26:26–27) so that the popish sacrifice of the mass (as they call it) is most abominably injurious to Christ’s one, only sacrifice, the only propitiation for all the sins of His elect. There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, to swear vainly, or rashly, by that glorious and dreadful Name; or, to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred. VIII. 15:9–12) and of their children: (1 Cor. 115:3) most absolute; (Exod. Proverbs 9:22–23, Eph. 37:11, Matt. 33:5–6) in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days; and all very good. 32:40, Isa. 11:33) and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the Gospel. 5:17, 38–39, 1 Cor. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. 2. 29:29) that men, attending the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship, is by God required of all men: and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son, by the help of his Spirit, according to his will, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and, if vocal, in a known tongue. 8:34, Acts 13:42, Luke 4:16, Acts 2:42), 7. JAMES is one of the shortest books in the bible and is sold at or near the publisher's cost and offered up for the collector who wished to have an unbroken set of this keepsake editions. For each of the Catechisms, one series of letters follows another without interruption. It elected a Committee on the Constitution and charged it to "present for adoption to the General Assembly meeting in the autumn of 1936 the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms as the confession of the faith of this church." The Epistle of Jude This their sin, God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory. Ligonier Ministries, founded by R.C. 22:1–29, Gen. 49:10, 1 Pet. 12:48, Gen. 34:14) and solemnly to engage them to the service of God in Christ, according to His Word. 5:19, Heb. (1 John 5:16), 5. 51:8) hurt and scandalize others, (2 Sam. God did, from all eternity, decree to justify the elect; and Christ did, in the fullness of time, die for their sins and rise again for their justification; nevertheless they are not justified until the Holy Spirit doth, in due time, actually apply Christ unto them. For the better attaining of these ends, the officers of the church are to proceed by admonition, suspension from the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for a season; and by excommunication from the Church, according to the nature of the crime, and demerit of the person. Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, (Luke 18:15–16, Acts 2:38–39, John 3:3, 5, 1 John 5:12, Rom. 8:7, Rom. 6:17, Rom. The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man's nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance. 25:29) and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption make occasion of sin; (Deut. The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. At the direction of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly, these proof texts are presented largely in full. 1:10–11, 13, Tit. In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it can not be either increased or diminished. I. I Kings By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. 2:20, Acts 15:11), 3. 5:1–2, Heb. 51:7–12, Ps. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him, not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God's sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections. It is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the person and good name of all their people, in such an effectual manner as that no person be suffered, either upon pretense of religion or of infidelity, to offer any indignity, violence, abuse, or injury to any other person whatsoever: and to take order, that all religious and ecclesiastical assemblies be held without molestation or disturbance. There is in every sacrament a spiritual relation, or sacramental union, between the sign and the thing signified; whence it comes to pass that the names and effects of the one are attributed to the other. To them also, as a body politic, He gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people; not obliging any other now, further than the general equity thereof may require. 2:8), 8. 1:4–5, 10–11, 1 John 2:3. (Rom. However it is a mixed bag. 16:20–21, Rom. The outward element to be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the Gospel, lawfully called thereunto. 2:20, Rev. (James 1:14–15, Eph. 1:19–20, Rev. II. I. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage: yet, nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by the church, or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage: wherein, a public and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed; and the persons concerned in it not left to their own wills, and discretion, in their own case. Ezra This covenant was differently administered in the (time of the law), and in the (time of the gospel): (2 Cor. 1:4, 9) and all to the praise of His glorious grace. 7:14, 17–18, 23, James 3:2, Prov. (John 15:4–6, Ezek. 8:32) and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead; (2 Cor. 12:24, Heb. Chapter 25.6, on the head of the church, was rewritten, and the identification of the Roman Catholic pope as the Antichrist was removed. 50:10) and be the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair. 4. A modern exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. In this extensive exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, Sam Waldron shows that this work is a masterly statement of the historic Christian faith. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation: so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. 13:8), 7. (Gal. (Isa. Introduction and Bibliography Annotated Text of the Confession (1647) Annotations to the Confession V. A vow is of the like nature with a promissory oath, and ought to be made with the like religious care, and to be performed with the like faithfulness. Div., Th. 2:8), 1. Young, and Ned B. Stonehouse, who was replaced in 1941 by John H. Skilton) to study the texts and proof texts of those documents. 8:30, 2 Tim. 4. 26:29), 6. 143:2, Ps. 5:7, 2 Cor. The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of His Father; (Rom. They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. 25:22, 32–34, Ps. 9:5, 1 Pet. Why begin here? 20:15, Eph. V. The sacraments of the Old Testament, in regard of the spiritual things thereby signified and exhibited, were, for substance, the same with those of the New. (Matt. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord's day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath. (1 Cor. Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation, XX. 2:5) the Prophet, (Acts 3:22) Priest, (Heb. (Acts 2:23, Matt. Sproul, exists to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. 1:21), 4. 100:2–3, Job 22:2–3, Job 35:7–8, Luke 17:10, Acts 17:24–25), 2. That Committee submitted to the Eighteenth General Assembly (1951) "the text of the Confession of Faith, together with the proof texts as revised by the Committee." 3. 2:12, Phil. 15:19), 5. 2. This edition Includes the full text of the scriptural proofs. The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly. 9:16, Tit. 2. R.C. 20:4–6, Col. 2:23), 2. 8:1, 12, 1 John 3:2–3, Ps. 2:5) he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only. (Acts 15:18, Ezek. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor, by any absolute necessity of nature, determined to good, or evil. 11:23–29, Acts 2:42) beside religious oaths, (Deut. (Luke 16:29, 31, Eph. II. God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. 5:17), 6. 5:9) out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto: (Rom. 3:12, Rom. An ellipsis also separates verses when the proof text is not a continuous text. (John 10:28, 2 Thess. Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein He was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of His body and blood, called the Lord’s Supper, to be observed in His Church, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in His death; the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in Him, their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto Him; and, to be a bond and pledge of their communion with Him, and with each other, as members of His mystical body. 5:17) endured most grievous torments immediately in His soul, (Matt. 2:14-15, Rom. 28:19–20), 6. Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church; but also, to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life. 10:1–4, Heb. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. (Exod. Job 2:2), 4. We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come; and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom, by them, we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins, but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants: and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled, and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God's judgment. 2:16, Tit. This explanation of the Westminster Confession of Faith is written to make plain the original intent meaning of the doctrines and church ordinances of the ministers and elder governors, who adopted the Confession to be the confession of the Church of Scotland in 1647. 3:21) the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely, and cheerfully, which the will of God, revealed in the law, requireth to be done. 1:19–20, Ps. VIII. Whosoever taketh an oath ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully persuaded is the truth: (Exod. 2. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation, or mental reservation. Nor can the pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof. It also includes a Scripture index to the day of redemption occasion to praise... 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