Deed; and finally, to reprefs all Appetite of our Neighbour's Hurt r; are the good Works of the second Table, which are moft pleafing and acceptable unto God, as thefe Works that are commanded by himself. The contrary whereof is Sin moft odious, which always difpleafeth him, and provoketh him to Anger; as not to call upon him alone, when we have Need, nor to hear his Word with Reverence, to contemn and defpise it ; to have, or to worship Idols, to maintain and defend Idolatry; lightly to esteem the Reverend Name of God; to profane, abuse, or contemn the Sacraments of Chrift Jefus; to difobey or refift any that God hath placed in Authority (while they pass not over the Bounds of their Office,) to murder, or consent thereto; to bear Hatred, or to suffer innocent Blood to be shed, if we may withstand it t; and finally, the Tranfgreffion of any other Commandment in the first or fecond Table, we confefs and affirm to be Sin, whereby God's Anger and Displeasure is kindled against the proud, unthankful World: So that good Works we affirm to be thefe only, that are done in Faith w, and at God's Commandment x, who in hisLaw hath expreffed what the Things be that please him: And evil Works we affirm, not only thefe that exprefly are done against God's Commandment y; but these also that in Matter of Religion, and worfhipping of God, have no other Affurance, but the Invention and Opinion of Man; which God from the Beginning hath ever rejected, as by the Prophet Isaiah z, and by our Master Chrift Jefus, we are taught in thefe Words, In vain do they worship me, teaching for Doctrine the Precepts of Men.

Eph.6.1,7. Ezek.22.1,&c. 1Cor.6.19,20. 1 Thef.4.3. --7. Jer.22.3, &c. Ifa. 50.1.1 Thef. 4.6. Rom. 13.2. t Ezek.22.13,&c. u 1 John 3.4. w Rom.14.23. Heb.11.6. *I Sam. 15.22. I Cor. 10.31. y 1 John 3.4. z Ifa. 29, 13. a Mat. 15. 9. & Mark 7. 7.

Art. XV. Of the Perfection of the Law, and the Imperfection of Man.

T

He Law of God, we confefs and acknowledge, moft juft, most equal, most holy, and most per

C 3

fect; commanding those Things, which, being wrought in Perfection, were able to give Life, and able to bring Man to eternal Felicity h: But our Nature is fo corrupt, fo weak, and fo imperfect, that we are never able to fulfil the Works of the Law in Perfection c; yea, if we fay we have no Sin, even after we are regenerated, we deceive ourselves, and the Verity of God is not in us d, And therefore it behoveth us to apprehend Chrift Jefus, with his Juftice and Satisfaction, who is the End and Accomplishment of the Law, by whom we are set at this Liberty, that the Curfe and Malediction of God fall not upon us, albeit we fulfil not the fame in all Points e: For God the Father beholding us in the Body of his Son Chrift Jefus, accepteth our imperfect Obedience, as it were perfect f, and covers our Works, which are defiled with many Spots g, with the Juftice of his Son. We do not mean, that we are fo fet at Liberty, that we owe no Obedience to the Law; (for that before we have plainly confeffed) but this we affirm, That no Man in Earth (Chrift Jefus only excepted) hath given, gives, or fhall give in Work, that Obedience to the Law, which the Law requires: But, when we have done all Things, we must fall down, and unfeignedly confefs that we are unprofitable Servants h; and therefore, whosoever boast themselves of Merits of their own Works, or put their Truft in the Works of Supererogation, boast themselves in that which is nought, and put their Trust in damnable Idolatry.

b Lev. 18.5. Gal.3. 12. 1 Tim. .8. Rom.7.12. Pfal.19. 7--II. c Deut.5.29. Rom. 10.3. d 1 Kings 8.46.& 2Chr. 6.36. Prov.20.9. Eccl.7.22. 1 John 1.8. e Rom. 10.4. Gal. 3.13. Deut.27.26. fPhil.2.15. g Ifa.64.6. h Luke 17.10.

A

Art. XVI. Of the Kirk.

8 we believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; fo do we moft conftantly believe, that from the Beginning there hath been, and now is, and to the End of the World shall be, one Kirk, that is to fay, oneCompany and Multitude of Men chofen of God, who rightly worship and embrace him by true Faith in Christ

Jefus

Jefus i, who is the only Head of the fame Kirk, which alfo is the Body and Spoufe of Chrift Jefus: Which Kirk is Catholick, that is Univerfal, because it containeth the Elect of all Ages, of all Realms, Nations, and Tongues, be they of the Jews, or be they of the Gentiles, who have Communion and Society with God the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift, through the Sanctification of his holy Spirit k; and therefore it is called the Communion, not of profane Perfons, but of Saints, who, as Citizens of the heavenly Jerufalem, have the Fruition of the most ineftimable Benefits, to wit, of one God, one Lord Jefus, one Faith, and one Baptifm m; out of which Kirk, there is neither Life, nor eternal Felicity; and therefore we utterly abhor the Blafphemy of them, that affirm, That Men which live according to Equity and Juftice, shall be saved, what Religion that ever they have professed. For,as without Chrift Jefus there is neither Life nor Salvation n, to fhall there none be participant thereof, but fuch as the Father hath given unto his Son Chrift Jefus, and these that in Time come unto him,avow his Doctrine, and believe in him o, we comprehend the Children with the faithful Parents p. This Kirk is invifible, known only to God, who alone knoweth whom he hath chofen q, and comprehendeth as well (as faid is) the Elect that be departed, commonly called, TheChurch triumphant,as thofe that yet live and fight againft Sin and Satan,and fhall live hereafter r.

i Mat.28.20. Eph.1.4. kCol.1.18. Eph.5.23,24, &c. Rev.7.9. Eph.2.19. m Eph.4.5. n John 3.36. John 6.37.39,65. & 17.6. p Acts 2.39. q 2Tim.2.19. John 13.18. r Eph.1.10. Col.1.20. Heb.22.4.

Art. XVII. Of the Immortality of the Soul.

TH

He Elect departed are in Peace, and rest from their Labours; not that they fleep, and come to a certain Oblivion, as fome Phantasticks do affirm,but that they are delivered from all Fear and Torment, and all Temptation, to which we, and all God's Elect, are fubject in this Life t; and therefore do bear the Name of the Church Militant: As contrariwife, the Reprobate C 4 fRev.14.13. Ifa.15.8. Rev. 7.14,--17. & 21.4.

and

and Unfaithful departed, have Anguish, Torment and Pain, that cannot be expreffed ; fo that neither are the one nor the other in fuch a Sleep, that they feel not their Torment; as the Parable of Chrift Jefus in Sixteenth of Luke w, his Words to the Thief x, and thefe Words of the Souls crying under the Altary, 'O Lord, thou that art righteous and juft, how long fhalt thou not revenge our Blood upon those that dwell on the Earth?' do teftify.

2 Rev. 16. 10, 11. Ifa. 66. 24. Mark 9. 44, 46, 48. w Luke 16. 23, 24, 25, x Luke 23. 43 y Rev. 6. 9, 10.

Art. XVIII. Of the Notes, whereby the true Kirk is difcerned from the false; and who shall judge of the Doctrine.

B

Ecaufe that Satan from the Beginning hath laboured to deck his peftilent Synagogue with the Title of the Church of God, and hath inflamed the Hearts of cruel Murders, to perfecute, troublé and moleft the true Kirk, and Members thereof; as Cain did Abel a, Ifhmael, Ifaacb; Efau, Jacob c; and the whole Priesthood of the Jews, Chrift Jefus himself and his Apoftles after him d: It is one Thing moft requifite, that the true Kirk be difcerned from the filthy Synagogues, by clear and perfect Notes, left we, being deceived, received and embrace, to our own Condemnation, the one for the other. The Notes, Signs, and affured Tokens whereby the immaculate Spoufe of Chrift Jefus is known from the horrible Harlot, the Kirk malignant, we affirm, are neither Antiquity, Title ufurped, lineal Descent, Place appointed, nor Multitude of Men approving an Error; for Cain in Age and Title was preferred to Abe! and Seth e; Jerufalem had Prerogative above all Places of the Earth f, where also were the Priests lineally defcended from Aaron; and greater Number followed the Scribes, Pharifees, and Priefts, than unfeignedly believed and approved Chrift Jefus and his Doctrine g, and yet, as we fuppofe, no Man of found Judgment will

grant

a Gen.4.8. b Gen.21.9. c Gen.27.41. d Mat.23.34. John 15.18,19,20,24. & 11.47,53. Acts 4. 1,--3.&5.17, 18. Gen.4. fPfal.48,2,3. Mat.5.35. g John 12.42.

grant that any of the forenamed were the Church of God. The Notes therefore of the true Church of God we believe, confefs, and avow to be, Firft, The true preaching of the Word of God, wherein God hath revealed himself unto us, as the Writings of the Prophets and Apoftles do declare. Secondly, The right Administration of the Sacraments of Chrift Jefus, which must be annexed unto the Word and Promife of God, to feal and confirm the fame in our Hearts b. Laf, Ecclefiaftical Difcipline uprightly miniftred as God's Word prefcribeth, whereby Vice is repreffed, and Virtue nourished i. Wherefoever, then, thefe former Notes are feen, and of any Time continue (be the Number never fo few, about two or three) there without all Doubt is the true Church of Chrift, who, according to his Promise, is in the midst of them k: Not that Univerfal, of which we have before spoken; but particular, fuch as were in Corinthus 1, Galatia m, Ephefus n, and other Places, wherein the Miniftry was planted by Paul, and were of himself named the Churches of God: And fuch Churches, we the Inhabitants of the Realm of Scotland, Profeffors of Chrift Jefus, profefs ourfelves to have in our Cities, Towns, and Places reformed, for the Doctrine taught in our Churches, contained in the written Word of God, to wit, in the Books of Old and New Teftaments; in thofe Books we mean, which of the Ancients have been reputed Canonical, in the which we affirm, that all Things neceffary to be believed for the Salvation of Mankind, are fufficiently expreffed o. The Interpretation whereof, we confefs, neither appertaineth to private nor publick Perfon; neither yet to any Kirk for any Preheminence, or Prerogative, perfonally or locally, which one hath above another; but appertaineth to the Spirit of God, by whom alfo the Scripture was writtenp. When Controverfy then happeneth, for the right Understanding

Eph.2.20. Acts 2.42. John 10.27.& 18.37. 1Cor.1. 23,24. Mat.28.19,20. Mark 16.15,16. 1Cor.11.23.--26 Rom. 4.11. Mat. 18.15,---18. Cor. 5.4,5. k Mat. 18. 19,20./1Cor. 1.2. & 2Cor. 1.2. m Gal. 1.2. n Acts 20. 17. 0 John 20.31. 2 Tim. 3.16.17. p 2Pet.1 20,21.