The Account Reckoning and Confession of Faith, Article 6
¶The .vi. Article.
SYxtlye, Cōcernyng the church, thus we thynke:Of the church of the electe. yt the Church in ye ſcriptures is diuerſly takē. Fyrſt it is takē for thoſe choſē, which by ye wyl of God are appointed to eternal lyfe. Of whyche Paule ſpeaketh, ſayeng:Ephe. 1.5. that ſhe hath neither wrynkle nor ſpotte. Thys Church is knowen only vntounto God. For he only (after the worde of Salomon) hath knowen the hertes of the chyldren of men. But neuertheleſſe,3. Reg. 8. they that are membres of thys churche knowe verely that they themſelues are electe, and are membres of thys fyrſt Churche, becauſe they hauehave fayth in Chriſt. But they know none other mēbres therof beſyde themſelues, for ſo is it wrytten in the acres of the Apoſtles:Act. 13. And they beleued as many as were ordeined to eternal lyfe. Therfore they that beleue are ordeyned to eternal lyfe. But who truly beleueth, no man knoweth but he that beleueth.Ephe. 1.2. 2. Cor. 1.11 The felicitie of fayth is to knowe that he is the inheritoure of eternal lyfe. He therfore nowe is ſure that he is the choſen of God. For he (after the worde of the Apoſtle) hathe the earneſt of the ſpirite, wherwith he beyng diſpouſed and ſealed, knoweth hym ſelfe to be made, not bond, but verely free, and the ſonne of the familie. For that ſpirite can not diſceyue. Whych, yf he beare recorde vntounto vsus & certifyeth our cōſciences, that God is oure father, & that we beynge ſure and wythout feare do cal hym father, not doutyng but that we ſhal go vntounto the euerlaſtyng inheritaunce, than is it certayne that the ſpirite of of the ſonne of God is powred into oure hertes. It is certayne therfore that he is electe whych is ſo ſurely by faith perſwaded. For they that beleue are ordeyned to eternall lyfe.Act. 13. But many in times paſt were, and many nowe are choſen, whych yet hauehave no fayth. The bleſſed mother of God,
Iohn and Paule whyle they were yet but infantes and lytleones were they not electe? & that before the creacyō of the world? but thys they knewe not in their īfācy nother by fayth nor reuelacyon. Mathew, Zacheus, ye righth ād thefe, & Magdalē were they not alſo electe before the world was made? and yet they knewe not that, tyl they were lyghtned by the ſpirite, and drawen of the father vntounto Chriſt Hereof therfore it maye be gathered,Ionh. 6. that this fyrſt churche is knowen onlye vntounto God, and that they only whiche hauehave a ſure and an vnſhakē fayth knowe them ſelues to be membres of thys churche.
Agayne the Churche is taken vniuerſally for al that are rekened vnderunder the name of Chriſt, that is,Of the vnē uerſall & ſenſible Churche. whych hauehave gyuen theyr names to Chriſt. Of which a great ſort acknowlege Chriſt ſenſibly by confeſſion of fayth, & vſe of Sacramentes, and yet in theyr hertes other they abhorre hym, or els knowe him not. Therfore we thinke, that ſo many as acknowledge the name of Chriſt,In thys church aſwell the euel as the good are cōteyned. are of that Church. So was Iudas of the church of Chriſte, & al they that ſtept backe from Chriſt. For of the Apoſtles Iudas was aſwel thought to be of the churche of Chriſt, as Peter or Iohn, whan he was nothynge leſſe. But Chriſt knewe who was hys, and who was the deuelles. Of thys knowen and ſenſible church (albeit it agree not in thys worlde) are al that with mouth cōfeſſe Chriſt, although there be many reprobates amonge them.Mat. 25. For Chriſt paynteth out thys church by a proper parabel of ten virgins, wherof fyue were wyſe, and fyue folyſhe. Thys churche alſo ſomtyme is called electe, albeit it is not ye fyrſt church, whych is wyth out ſpotte. but lyke as by the iudgement of men it is Goddes church for the ſenſible confeſſion of fayth, ſo by the ſame reaſon it is called electe. For we iudge them both faythful and choſen, whyche gyue theyr names to Chriſt.1. Pet. 1. So ſpake Peter, ſayeng: To the electe whych are ſcattered thorow Pontus. &c. where by the name of Electe he vnderſtādeth al them whych were of the cōgregacions, to the whiche he wrote, and not them only whiche properly are choſen of the Lorde. For as they were vnknowē vntounto Peter, ſo could he not wryte vntounto them.
Fynally, the Churche is taken for eueryevery partyculer aſſemble, company and congregacion of thys vniuerſal & ſenſible church, as: The church of Rome, the Churche of Auſbrough. The Church of Lyōs. There are alſo other maner of takynges of the Churche, whych I wyl paſſe ouer wyth ſylence at thys tyme.
But here I beleue that ther is one Church of them, whyche hauehave the ſame holy ſpirite that certifyeth them, that they are the true chyldren of the houſholde of God, and theſe are the fyrſt frutes of churches. That church I beleue verely can not erre, namely in thoſe chefe foundacions of ye fayth, wherin the chefe pointe of true religion conſyſteth.
I beleue alſo that the vniuerſal & ſenſible congregacion is one church, ſo longe as it holdeth thys true confeſſion of fayth, wherof it is ſayde alredy. And I beleue that al they are of ye churche, whyche gyue theyr names to it accordynge to the rule and promyſe of Goddes worde. I beleue alſo that the infātes Iſaac, Iacob, Iudas and all that were of the ſede of Abraham, & alſo thoſe chyldren whoſe parentes in the begynnyng of the churche at the preachinge of the Apoſtles came to take parte wyth Chriſte, are of thys Church. For yf Iſaac and the reſidue had not bene therof, they had not receyued the badge of the church. Seyng therfor they were of the churche, the infantes and chyldren of the primatiue churche were alſo therof. And for that cauſe I beleue & knowe that they were marked wyth the Sacrament of Baptyme.The fathers & mothers, godfathers & god mothers & the churche it ſelfe acknowledge their infantes to be of the church by the recepte whereof, they were rekened to be of the nombre of the Churche. For ſo the very infantes acknowlege before the receyuynge of Baptyme by the mouthes of theyr parentes, and of theyr godfathers and godmothers when they are offered to the churche, yea rather becauſe the promyſe offereth them whyche is made no leſſe vntounto oure infantes, but muche larger and more often than to the infantes of the olde Hebrewes.
Theſe are the foundacions of baptyſynge infantes and commendynge them to the churche, agaynſt whych al the craftye inuencions and ſubtyll deuices of the Catabaptiſtes can do no thynge. For not only they that beleue are to be baptyſed, but alſo they that acknowlege, and they that are of the churche by the promyſes of Goddes worde. For otherwyſe vtterly none of the Apoſtles ſhulde hauehave baptyſed any man or womā, becauſe they were not throughly aſſured of the fayth of them that confeſſed and gaue theyr names.Act. 8.5. For Symon the iuggler and enchaunter, Ananias, Saphiras and Iudas the traytoure wyth many mo were baptyſed, whan they gaue theyr names to be chriſtianes,Gen. 17. and yet they had no fayth. Contrarywyſe Iſaac beynge an infant was circumciſed, whan he profered not hys name neither beleued, but the promyſe gaue the name. Then, ſeynge that our infantes are in the ſame ſtate that ye Iewes chyldrē were, the promyſe both prefereth the name & acknowlegeth them to pertayn to our church. Therfore baptyme (we ſpeake of the Sacrament of baptyme) as verely as Circū ciſion requyreth nothynge but one of theſe, that is, other confeſſion or proferynge of the name: or els the couenaunt or promyſe. Al whych thynges ſhalbe made more euidente by theſe that folowe.