Confession of the Christian Religion, Confession · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of the promiſes of redemption and ſaluation by Chriſt.
I. That Chriſt, the man from heauen, was promiſed by grace to ſaue vsus.
WHen therfore the firſt earthly man, by his owne fault had fallen into ſo miſerable an eſtate, through diſobedience, and together with him, all his poſteritie, which had ſinned in him, and were in deede to bee conceiued in ſinne, and to bee borne the children of wrath: we beleeue that god of his meere grace and fauour, promiſed vntounto Adam and Eue, and in them to all mankinde, an other man from heauen, Gen. 3.15 1. Cor. 15.47.48 Mat. 1.20 Luc. 1.34 Ebr. 4.15 Ioſ. 7.14that ſhould be the true ſubſtance of verie woman, but cō ceiued without the ſeede of man, & ſo ſhould be born of a virgine without ſinne: in whome, as in another head of mankinde, conſiſting of a diuine and humaine nature, beeing the true image of the father, and full of the holie ſpirite, that ſhould bee ſupplied, which in Adam the firſt head, by his owne fault, was decaied: that is, that hee the ſecond man, in the name of all vsus, which were to bee ingrafted into him by his ſpirite, Rom. 6.5 & 11.17.and by a ſpirituall regeneration ſhould become fleſh of his fleſh, and bone of his bone, Io. 5.6 Eph. 5.29 Phil. 2.8 Rom. 5.19 Eph. 2.13.14ſhould moſt perfectly bee obedient vntounto god: and by his obedience and death ſhould take away ſinne, ſhould appeaſe the wrath of god, ſhould redeeme vsus, iuſtifie vsus, ſanctifie vsus, and gouerne vsus by his ſpirite, ſhould indue vsus with true libertie, and with power to do god, and laſtly ſhould ſaue vsus & glorifie vsus to eternall life.
II. The promiſe of redemption by Chriſt was verie neceſſarie.
For Adam, not as a priuate perſon, but as the parent and originall of all mankinde, as he was indued with a righteouſneſſe, which he ſhould hauehave diſperſed into all his poſteritie, as hereditarie, for which cauſe it is vſed alſo to be called originall righteouſnes: ſo by his diſobediēce, in ſtead of righteouſnes, he brought vppon all men great iniquitie, and a ſpring of all ſinne, and in ſtead of eternall life eternall death. Therefore there was neede of an other head, from whome, through his obedience, that true and heauenlie righteouſneſſe, holineſſe, and life might bee deriued into all the members. This ſame is Chriſt.
III. To what ende that promiſe was made preſently after the tranſgresſion.
And wee beleeue, that this promiſe was made immediatlie after the tranſgreſſion, euē from the beginning of the worlde, and afterwards oft times mētioned to the holy fathers, declared, yea and confirmed and ſealed by diuerſe and ſundrie meanes, ſignes, and ſacraments: that not onelyonly wee which were to bee borne after the comming of the Meſſias, but alſo all other, which from the firſt creation ſhould beleeue in this promiſe, and in true faith ſhould imbrace the Sauiour which was to come, might by that faith bee made partakers of the following redemption, might bee iuſtified and ſaued.
IV. As manie as beleeued in Chriſt that vvas to come, from the firſt beginning, were ſaued.
Wee beleeue therefore that as manie ſince the making of the world, as beleeued in Chriſt promiſed, and to come, they were ingrafted vntounto him by this faith: made partakers of his following obedience, of his paſſion, death, and redemption: that they did eate his bodie that was to come and to bee betrayed, and dranke his blood that was to bee ſhedd: and finallie that they were all chriſtians, and indued with the ſpirite of Chriſt, and ſaued vntounto eternall life, as well as we.
V. Errors.
Therefore wee condemne and abhorre all thoſe, which ſaye that none were ſaued that were before the comming of Chriſt: and that thoſe fathers receiued no promiſes concerning eternall ſaluation, but onelyonly concerning things temporall.