A13257:176
A confession of faith made by common consent of divers reformed churches beyond the…A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the…
A confession of faith made by common consent of divers reformed churches beyond the seas: with an exhortation to the reformation of the Church. Perused and allowed according to the Queens Majesties injunctions.A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the seas: with an exhortation to the reformation of the Churche. Perused and allowed accordinge to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions.
London: printed by Henry Wykes for Lucas Harrison, 1568
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
There are some Sacraments of the old Testament, and other some belonging 1to the people of the new Testament. The Sacraments of the old law: were Circumcision, the Paschal lamb, which was offered up. For the which cause it is referred to the Sacrifices, which were offered from the beginning of the world. The Sacraments of the new Testament, are Baptism, and the Lords Supper. 2Some reckon seven Sacraments of the new Testament, of the which we acknowledge, Repentance, making ⟨p. 67⟩of Ministers, (yet not after the Popish sort, but according to the Apostles manner) and Matrimony to be profitable ordinances of God, but no Sacraments: Confirmation, and extreme Unction, or aneling, are the inventions of man, which the Church may want, without any damage. Neither use we them in our churches. For they have some things, which we can not allow. We utterly detest all the merchandise, which the Romistes practise, in dispensing for their Sacraments. The author of all Sacraments 3is not man, but God only: Men can not institute Sacraments, for they pertain to the service of God, and it belongeth not to mens duty, to invent or make God his service, but to receive & keep that, which 4is delivered to them of God. Moreover, the Sacraments have promises annexed to them, which require faith: But faith resteth only upon the word of God: and the word of God is likened to tables or letters, the Sacraments 5to seals, wherewith GOD only ⟨image 113⟩sealeth his letters. And as God is the author of his Sacraments, so continually 6he worketh in that Church, wherein the Sacraments are rightly ministered. So that the faithful, when they receive the Sacraments of God his ministers, do acknowledge that God doeth work in them, and therefore receive the Sacraments, as though it were at GOD his hands. They know also that the ministers viciousness (if there be any notorious sin in them) hurteth not them, seeing