The Agreement of the Associated Ministers and Churches, Text
The Confeſsion of Faith.
I Believe that there is one onlyaDeut. 6. 4. 1 Chron. 8. 4. 6. living and true God,I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth. And in Ieſus Chriſt his onelyonly Sonne our Lord, which was conceived by the Holy Ghoſt, Borne of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and Buried. He deſcended into Hell. The third day hee poſe againe from the Dead. Hee aſcended into Heaven, and ſitteth at the right Hand of GOD, the Father Almighty. From thence he ſhall come to iudge the Quick and the Dead. I believe in the Holy Ghoſt. The Holy Catholike Church. The Communion of Saints. The forgiveneſs of Sins. The Reſurrection of the Body, and the Life Everlaſting. Amen. b1 Theſ. 1. 9. Ier. 10. 10.who is a moſt pure ſpirit,cIo. 4. 24. infinite in being and perfectiondIob 11. 7, 8, 9.. And that in the Unity of the Godhead there are three dictinct Perſons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoſt; and theſe three are one God, the ſame in ſubſtance, equal in power, and glorye1 Ioh. 5. 7. 2 Cor. 13. 14. Mat. 28. 19..
2. I believe that God hath revealed his whole counſel, concerning his own glory, and mans ſalvation, in the Scriptures of the Old and new Teſtament, which were given by divine inſpirationf2 Pet. 1. 21. to be the perpetual and onelyonly rule of our faith and obedienceg2 Tim. 3. 16, 17. Eph. 2. 20. Rev. 22. 18, 19..
3. I believe that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,hGen. 1. and all things in them of nothing, in the ſpace of ſix dayes, and all very good; and that he upholdethiHeb. 1. 3. all things by the word of his Power, and governethkPſ. 103. 19. & 13 5. 6. all things according to the counſel of his own willlEph. 1. 11. Mat. 10. 29, 30..
4. I believe that God created man after his own image, in knowledge, righteouſneſs, and true holineſs;mGen. 1. 26, 27. Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 24. And that he gave him a Law,nRom. 2. 14, 15 promiſing life upon perfect obedience, and threatning diſobedience with deathoGen. 2. 17. Gal. 3. 10..
5. I believe that man having broken this Law, loſt the image of God, and communion with him,pGen. 3. 6, 7, 8 and brought himſelf & his whole poſterity into an eſtate of ſin and miſeryqGen. 2. 17. with Rom. 5. 12. 18, 19. Eph. 2. 1, 2. 3..
6. I believe that man not being able to deliver himſelf from the curſe,rRom. 5. 6. & 8. 3. God ſo loved the world,sIo. 3. 16, 17. that he promiſed,tGen. 3. 15. 1 and accordingly when the fulneſs of time was come, ſent forth his Son Jeſus ChriſtuGal. 4. 4. who took to him our nature,wHeb. 2. 14 16 and became man,x1 Tim. 2. 5. Rom. 5. 15. being conceived by the Holy Ghoſt in the wombe of the Virgin Mary, of her ſubſtance, and born of her,yLuk. 1. 27, 31, 35, 42. & 2. 7. Gal. 4 4 yet without ſin, zHeb. 4. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 2i.who having fulfilled all righteouſneſsaMat. 3. 15. & 5. 17. was made a curſe for us,bGal. 3. 13. ſuffered death upon the croſs,cLuk. 23. 33 Ph. 2. 8. was buried, and the third day he roſe again,d1 Cor. 15. 4. aſcended into heaven,eActs 1. 9, 10. and ſitteth at the right hand of GodfEph. 1. 20. Rom. 8. 34 making interceſſion for usgHeb. 7. 25..
7. I believe that all the fruits of Chriſts Mediatorſhip ſhall be effectually communicated to all,hAct 13. 48. and onelyonly iRom. 11. 7.thoſe who in him were elected unto ſalvation, before the foundation of the world,kEph. 1 4, 5. which the Holy Ghoſt doth certainly apply by working faith in them,lEph. 2. 8. Ioh. 6. 37. thereby uniting them in their effectual calling to Chriſt theirhead, mEph. 3. 17. 1 Cor 1. 9. Col. 1 88.and into one Church which is his body,nEph. 1. 22. 23. & 4. 15, 16. juſtifying, oRom 8. 30.adopting,pIo. 1. 12. Eph. 1. 5. ſanctifyingq1 Co. 6. 11. Eph. 2. 10. and bringing them into communion with him in all ſpirituall bleſſings r1 Co. 1. 9. Eph. 1. 3..
8. I believe Chriſt hath appointed that thoſe who profeſs his name, ſhould for the begettingsRom. 10. 17. and increaſet1 Pet. 2. 2. of grace and knowledge, exerciſe an holy communion together,uAct 2. 42. 46. under the adminiſtration of all his Ordinances,wNeh. 8. 1, 2 3. Acts. 15. 21. Mat. 28. 19, 20 2 Tim. 4. 2. Acts 2. 42. Col. 3. 16. 1 Cor. 11. 24, 25, 26. Heb. 3. 13. Levit. 19. 17. Mat. 18. 17, 18. 1 Cor. 5. ult. which they are carefully to obſerve till his ſecond comingx2 Cor. 3. 11. Eph, 4. 12. 13. Heb. 12. 27. Matth, 28. 19, 20. 1 Cor. 11. 26. 1 Tim. 6. 14..
9. I believe that Chriſt ſhall come again at the end of the world;yActs 1. 11. 1 Theſ. 4, 16, 17, and that then the Bodies of all thoſe that ſhall bee found dead, ſhall bee raiſed, and the reſtz1 Cor. 15. 12. to the end. changed, and all brought before him to judgement, which he ſhall paſs upon them according to their works,†2 Cor. 5. 10. whereby the righteous ſhall be adjudged to eternal life in heaven, and the wicked to eternal death in hell*Mat. 25 31. to the end..
I do heartily take the Lord to be my GodaDeut. 26. 16 and chief good,bPſa. 73. 25. to the end. & 4. 6, 7. and Ieſus Chriſt to bee my onelyonly Saviour and Redeemer,cPhil. 3. 8, 9. and the Holy Ghost to bee my Sanctifier,dPſal. 51. 11 Eph. 4. 30. giving my ſelfe up wholly to this one God, to love him with all my heart, with all my ſoule, and with all my might,eDeut. 6. 5. Mat. 22 37. Luk. 10. 37. to obey him ſincerely, and faithfullyfIoſh. 24. 14. in all his Lawes contained in the Holy Scriptures,gNumb. 15. 39, 40. Deu. 12. 32. though never ſo croſs to my deſires, or intereſt of Credit, Pleaſure, and Profit,hMat. 10. 38 16. 24. Luk. 9. 23. & 14. 26. and all this to the death:iRev. 2. 10. Mat. 10. 22. And in particular, I conſent and reſolve, in the ſtrength of Christ, to hold conſtant Communion with the Church of CHRIST in the publike VVorſhip of GOD,kActs 2. 42. 46. Heb. 10. 25. and to ſubmit unto the Diſcipline and Government which CHRIST hath ordainedlMat. 18. 15, 16, 17. for his own glory, and his peoples good,m2 Cor. 13. 10. & 108. and that I may have the opportunity of the injoyment of theſe priviledges, for the advancement of mine obedience, I reſolve and promiſe to ſubmitn1 Theſ. 5. 12, 13. Heb. 13. 17. to the Miniſteriall guidance and overſight exerciſed according to the Rules of the VVord, in this Congregation, and to the brotherly advice and admonition oHeb. 3. 13. Lev. 19. 17. Eph. 5. 11.of fellow-Chriſtians here.