burying of sins into the death of Christ, a rising and walking in
newness of life, a putting on of Christ, a washing of regeneration, a
being baptized by one Spirit into one body, and the answer of a good
conscience toward God, read: Rom. 6:3; Col. 2:12; Gal. 3:27; Tit. 3:5;
1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Pet. 3:21.
ARTICLE XXII.
_Of the Lord’s Supper or the breaking of bread_, we believe and
confess: As baptism is an ordinance and institution of the Lord, by
which believers are united with each other by one Spirit in fellowship
with Christ; so the Supper is a worthy ordinance and institution of
Christ, by which believers who have been baptized according to the
ordinance of Christ, are taught and admonished, to live and walk in
Christ even as they have received him by faith in baptism, and to be
bound by brotherly love to their neighbors, with whom they are to live
and walk in the unity of the Spirit, according to the same rule of
the divine word; and that they are to remember hereby, with heartfelt
contemplation, the bitter suffering and death of the Lord.
And in order to put men in remembrance of this, it pleased the Lord
Jesus for this purpose to use bread and wine, things well known among
men, and thereby to implant into the hearts of believers heavenly and
hidden things; thereby teaching men to remember, that, as bread from
many broken grains is made into one bread, and the wine being pressed
from many grapes and made one beverage thereby being necessary, useful
and adapted as food and drink for the body of man; even so Christ, from
ardent love, suffered himself to be broken on the cross, his blood to
be shed, and trod the winepress of suffering alone, to minister by his
flesh and blood, as necessary meat and drink, to the souls of men;
by which we are taught, that like as bread is of many grains broken
and prepared as bread, and wine is of many grapes pressed and made a
beverage; so also, many believers, from various places, are by one
faith become one bread or church, and bound together in fellowship; in
order that thereby all those who worthily receive, and eat and drink
with the mouth this bread and wine, may hereby through faith in the
Spirit, receive, and become partakers of, Christ and all his heavenly
riches, and thus be strengthened in the faith, fed in the soul, and
be bound together by fervent love, with God and their neighbors, as
members of one body.
But believers must in no wise place any confidence in these visible
memorials, as though they in themselves were more sacred and worthy
than other like, common meat and drink, or had power to give unto men
grace and forgiveness of sins. By so doing one should depart with the
heart from his Creator, and seek grace from the creature, where it is
not to be found. But believers must receive these signs as nothing more
than bread and wine, confide with a firm heart only in that which is
thereby taught and signified, and look upon and regard these signs as
figures, as the Holy Ghost is wont, in the Holy Scriptures, to call the
signs, that which is signified by them. And as in this institution of
the Supper by Christ the cup is called the New Testament in his blood,
which cup is really not the New Testament itself, but is figuratively
so called, because the blood of Christ which he shed for the sin of the
world, is proclaimed and recommended to us through the New Testament;
which signifies, that as a testator by a testament bequeathes to his
heirs his property, which they are to receive and enjoy after his
death; so has Christ in his last Supper--since he could not remain with
them--bequeathed his last will in the New Testament, together with all
its heavenly riches, to his friends and followers; in order that all
those who in this testament are specified and recorded as children of
God and heirs of Christ, shall enjoy his glorious riches; whereupon
they receive in the Supper, with the mouth, only natural bread and
wine; but through faith there is received, according to the Spirit,
Christ’s flesh and blood, which he gave as an atonement for the human
race, of which the natural bread and wine, and the Supper are figures,
signs, and representations.
Hence, believers are to use this worthy institution of Christ among
each other, and thereby, through an ordained blameless minister,
proclaim with great reverence the bitter suffering and death of the
Lord.
And after God has been thanked with an humble heart, for his boundless
grace and mercy, and been called upon by fervent prayers, the bread
shall be broken by the minister, the wine poured out, and be received
by all believers baptized according to the ordinance of Christ, and
each shall, examining himself, use, and avail himself of the same, with
heartfelt contemplation of the broken body and shed blood of the Lord
Jesus. This shall constantly be observed by believers in this manner,
when time and place permit, until the appearing of Jesus Christ from
heaven.
Of this institution and ordinance of Christ, read: “And as they were
eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to
the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the
cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for
the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth
of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you
in my Father’s kingdom.” Matt. 26:26–29; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19.
How the apostles in accordance with this also practiced and observed
it in the same form and manner, with bread and wine, read: “I have
received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the
Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread: and
when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is
my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After
the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This
cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink
it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever
shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall
be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For
he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation
to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” 1 Cor. 11:23–29; Acts
2:42; 20:7,11.
How the bread and wine in the Supper are not the real body and blood of
Christ, but signs of his communion with the believer, read: “The cup
of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of
Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body
of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are
all partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are
not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” 1 Cor.
10:16–18.
Mark, the Israelites did not eat the altar, but only the sacrifice, and
thereby were partakers of the altar. Thus also, Christians do not eat
and drink with the mouth the real body and blood of Christ, but only
bread and wine, as figures; but according to the soul, they, by faith,
receive Christ Jesus, with all his benefits, and are thus partakers of
the true altar Christ Jesus.
Read in regard to this: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me
shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the
words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John
6:35,63.
ARTICLE XXIII.
_Of the feet-washing of believers_ we confess: After our Leader Christ
Jesus had celebrated the Supper with his apostles, he, before his
suffering, used another ordinance with them, and commanded that they
should observe it with each other. He rose from supper, girded himself
with a linen towel, poured water into a basin, washed the disciples’
feet, and wiped them with the towel; saying to them: Ye call me Master
and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and
Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s
feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done
to you. And he also added: If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye
do them.
And we find that the apostles observed this ordinance of Christ in this
manner, and that they counted it, in the ministry of the saints, among
the good works, and required it of believers. Hence, the believers, as
successors and followers of Christ and his apostles, ought also, when
time and place permit, practice and observe this ordinance of Christ.
When their fellow believers, out of love, visit them, they shall, with
heartfelt humility, receive them with the kiss of love and peace into
their houses, and as a ministration to their neighbors, according to
the humiliation of Christ, wash their feet; sincerely considering how
the most worshipful Son of God humbled himself, not only washing the
feet of his apostles, but much more, washing and purifying with his
precious death and blood, all our souls and consciences from the stain
of eternal condemnation. On this the pious ought herein to meditate
with an humble heart.
How Christ practiced this ordinance with his apostles, and commanded it
to be observed, read, John 13:4–17.
And also, how the apostles required it of believers as one of the
good works, read: “Let not a widow be taken into the number under
three-score years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported
of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged
strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet,” etc. 1 Tim. 5:9,10.
How the pious fathers practiced this ordinance with the guests whom
they received, read: Genesis 18:4; 19:2. And also: Luke 7:38; John
11:2; Acts 16:33.
ARTICLE XXIV.
_Of good works._ Of good works we believe and confess: That for
every true Christian it is not enough, in every respect according to
the Scriptures, to confess the faith aright with the mouth, and to
regard Christ Jesus as our only Head, Redeemer, and Savior, but that
above this we must necessarily manifest from our faith, as a fruit
of gratitude, virtuous works. Thus also, it is not enough, that we
put off all the accursed works of the flesh, and seek to bury them
by baptism into the death of Christ; but we must also rise from this
death of sin, and live and walk after the Spirit in a new life adorned
with good works; and thus we are not only to put off the old man with
his evil deeds, but it is also our duty to put on the new man with his
good deeds, in righteousness and true holiness, and to let our light
so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our
Father in heaven; in order that thus all believers, as a tree by its
good fruits, may be known and distinguished by their good works from
all unfruitful and unbelieving men.
These good works must not be performed through an outward appearance of
holiness to please mortal men; nor must we follow herein the hypocrites
and self-righteous Pharisees, and others, whose works mainly consist in
[things of] their own choice, and self-invented commandments, which,
according to the Scriptures, is only a vain and unavailing worship; but
we must work out from our faith such divine virtues as are taught, and
required of us in the holy Scriptures, and in which we have the example
of Christ and his apostles, whose footsteps we are so highly commanded
to follow; and all this we must do from the heart, to the honor of
him who created us; thus learning from Christ to be meek and lowly in
heart, and thereby to put off all pride, which latter is the beginning
of all destruction, and proceeds from man’s sinful heart, and manifests
itself outwardly in the adorning of and display in dress [in the style
of], living, and in words and works; and on the contrary, to adorn
ourselves inwardly with an humbled spirit, which does not think much of
itself, but in lowliness esteems his neighbor better than himself; and
outwardly in our conversation after our lowly Head and Example, Christ
Jesus.
Thus we must also put off avarice, which is called the root of all
evil, whence proceed many sinful desires and unrighteous works, and, on
the other hand, put on the love and mercy of our heavenly Father, and
manifest it towards our neighbors and all men by works of mercy; seeing
the practice of love and mercy is the chief sacrifice with which we can
please our Creator in this present time.
Likewise we must put off all unclean lusts and desires, fornication,
and all uncleanness, each preserving, on the contrary, his body chaste,
holy, and pure, and abstaining also from all drunkenness, revelings and
banquetings; in excessive eating and drinking, and on the contrary,
live soberly, temperately, righteously, and godly in this world, with
humble fasting and constant praying to God Almighty, and not to make
provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
We also must not walk in the way of sinners, nor hold fellowship with
light-minded persons, where foolish talking and lies are bandied about;
but we must associate with the pious, whose conversation treats of
godliness, and who speak with tongues truly circumcised; and gladly
attend the assembly of the believers, where we hear the praise of
the Lord proclaimed; and furthermore, observe according to all our
ability the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, and thus by
patient continuance in well doing seek for eternal life, remembering
that Almighty God has promised eternal life to that faith which in
this manner works by love; just as he has pronounced the sentence of
eternal death upon unbelief with its evil works; and that all boasted
faith without good works (as the body without the spirit), in itself
is dead. But all the pious who thus evince divine virtue from their
faith, and seek to excel in good works, must not suppose that they are
able to merit salvation by their good works, or that God does owe them
anything for them; but all true Christians are to consider themselves
unprofitable servants, who of themselves can do nothing good; but
that Almighty God, by his grace works in them both to will and to do
that which is good, and that they are encompassed with a body of sin,
which lusts against the Spirit, against which they have a continual
warfare until the last enemy, which is death, shall be vanquished. For
this reason all the pious fall far too short in good works, are very
imperfect and frail, and hence, are in duty bound to pray daily, with
an humble heart, to Almighty God, for forgiveness and remission of
sins, and to give heartfelt praise, honor and thanks to him for his
saving grace which he has manifested towards us. And thus we hope to be
saved only through the unmerited grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, and not through our good works. Tit. 3:8; Luke 18:10.
Of the deadly works of darkness, which separate men from God, and which
we must put off and lay aside by faith, read: “Seeing that ye have put
off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man,” etc. Col.
3:9,10.
Read further concerning the twenty-three sins which are worthy of
eternal death. Rom. 1:29–31.
Of the ten works of unrighteousness which shall not inherit the kingdom
of God, read: 1 Corinthians 6:9,10.
Of the seventeen works of the flesh to which the kingdom of God is
denied, read: Gal. 5:19–21; Matt. 7:23.
Of the good and virtuous works which the believers are to manifest from
their faith as fruits of gratitude, read: “Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works,” etc. Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet.
2:12; Phil. 2:15.
“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and
honor and immortality, eternal life.” Rom. 2:7; John 8:39; James 2:22;
Gal. 5:6.
“But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” 1
Tim. 2:10.
“That they do good, that they be rich in good works,” etc. 1 Tim. 6:18.
Of the nine beatitudes, read: Matt. 5:1–11.
Of the seven works of mercy, read: Matthew 25:35,36.
Of the nine fruits of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22,23.
Of the seven cardinal virtues which we are to evince from our faith,
and that where this does not follow, we are blind, read: 2 Pet. 1:5–7.
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is
dead also.” James 2:26. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they
were judged every man according to their works.” Rev. 20:13; 2 Cor.
5:10.
How we are saved not through any works which we have done, but only
through the grace of God, read: “But we believe that through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.” Acts 15:11.
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us.” Tit. 3:5; Eph. 2:5; 2 Tim 1:9; Luke 17:10; Acts
4:12; 15:11.
ARTICLE XXV.
_Of marriage._ Of marriage we confess: That the same is honorable and
an ordinance of God, who in the beginning instituted this state with
the two human beings first created in the image of God, blessed it,
and joined them together. And since this divine ordinance, through the
hardness of the heart and the evil wantonness of man had fallen into
great disorder, so that men, through the lusts of the flesh, married
whomsoever they would, and took unto them many wives, and then, for
divers reasons, dismissed them by a bill of divorcement and married
others; therefore Christ as a perfect Lawgiver, rejected and abolished
the writing of divorcement and permission of Moses, together with
all abuses thereof, referring all that heard and believed him to the
original ordinance of his heavenly Father, instituted with Adam and Eve
in Paradise; and thus re-establishing marriage between one man and one
woman, and so inseparably and firmly binding the bond of matrimony,
that they might not, on any account, separate and marry another, except
in case of adultery or death.
Hence, every believer who desires to enter into matrimony, must follow
this doctrine of Christ and the above example, and unite himself in
marriage only with one person, who has been, by a like faith with him,
born from above, of God, and renewed, and created after the image of
God. And such persons, after their parents and the church have given
their consent, shall, in the presence of the church, with fervent
prayer to God, be joined together by a minister. This we believe to be
marrying in the Lord, of which God is himself the Author and Joiner. 2
Pet. 1:1; Jn. 3:3; 1 Jn. 5:4.
But all unregenerated persons, who are not yet sanctified by faith
in Christ, and do thus marry, we also regard as being in honorable
matrimony, but not in the Lord. Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 7:12.
And, as Christ accepts none as his bride and a member of his body, but
those alone who are united with him by faith; so also, believers cannot
sever their bodies which are sanctified and surrendered to God, as
members of Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost from Christ, and unite
them in marriage with the unregenerate, and thus be unequally yoked
together with unbelievers, who are not known to the church, by faith
and Christian baptism, as brethren or sisters in fellowship, seeing
that baptism is the first Christian ordinance in the church, after
which all other ordinances of God follow. Eph. 5:30; Gal. 3:26.
Thus marriage is advised by the holy Ghost, to avoid fornication and
all uncleanness; but if any one does not need this, and can without it,
keep himself pure and undefiled, in a virginal state, in order to serve
the Lord the better and without hindrance, it is commended still more
highly. Hence, marriage is free for all, but no commandment.
How God the Lord in the beginning instituted marriage, read: “And the
Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make
him a helpmeet for him.” “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken
from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” “Therefore
shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his
wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Gen. 2:18,22,24.
How Christ rejected all abuses of marriage, and renewed the ordinance
of his Father, read: “Have ye not read, that he which made them at
the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause
shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and
the twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but
one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put
asunder.” Matt. 19:4–6,8; 1 Corinthians 7:10.
“Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers
and adulterers God will judge.” Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 7:2.
“The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her
husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only
in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 7:39; Gen. 1:27; 24:4; Exodus 34:16; Num. 36:6;
Deut. 7:3; Tob. 7:13.
Concerning the transgressors of this, and their punishment, read: Gen.
6:3; Num. 25:1; Nehemiah 13:26,27; 1 Kings 11:1.
ARTICLE XXVI.
_Of the swearing of oaths_, we confess: That the people of the Old
Testament were permitted to swear in various ways by the name of the
Lord; either by lifting up their hand toward heaven, or by putting
it on the thigh of some one, which was done in various ways, and
into which practice, through the artifice of man, many abuses were
introduced, so that they would swear by heaven and earth, by Jerusalem,
by their head, the temple, the gold of the temple, the altar, and the
sacrifice; on account of which the Lord Christ, who had come from God,
and been sent, to execute judgment and righteousness, being the only
lawgiver, utterly abolished and prohibited all the aforesaid swearing,
whether permitted or feigned and, in place thereof, referred all his
hearers and followers, only to yea and nay, which is so in truth.
And we also find that the high apostles of Christ, as obedient sheep
of their only Shepherd, followed the doctrine of Christ in this
respect. Hence all believers are in duty bound obediently to follow
this doctrine of Christ and the course of his apostles, putting away
all lying, and dealing only in truth, and thus testifying in all true
matters, whether before authority, or however the case may be, only
with yea that which is yea, and with nay that which is nay, without
adding anything more; and to keep these few words, little in sound,
but great and strong in signification, as inviolable as an oath, thus
showing themselves to be obedient followers of Christ and his apostles.
Of the rejection and abolishment of the ancient custom of swearing,
and how Christ commanded yea and nay in place of it, read: “Again,
ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is
God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by
Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou
swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is
more than these cometh of evil.” Matt. 5:33–37; 23:21.
“But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be
yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” James 5:12.
“When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things
that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there
should be yea, yea, and nay, nay? For all the promises of God in him
are yea, and in him Amen.” 2 Cor. 1:17,20.
ARTICLE XXVII.