ARTICLE VII.-ON WORKS OF SUPEREROGATION. "O hear this, all ye people: ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world; high and low, rich and poor: one with another. My mouth shall speak of wisdom: and my heart shall muse of understanding. I will incline mine ear to the parable: and show my dark speech upon the harp. Wherefore should I fear in the days of wickedness: and when the wickedness of my heels compassed me round about? There be some that put their trust in their goods, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches. But no man may deliver his brother: nor make agreement to God for him; for it cost more to redeem their souls: so that he must let that alone for ever.”—Psalm xlix. 1-8. Prayer book version. CONFESSION OF SAXONY. MELANCTHON. We said before, that these controversies do pertain to the interpreting of two articles of the creed, "I believe the remission of sins," and "I believe the Holy Catholic Church." Neither do we speak of unnecessary or light things. It is most necessary that in the Church the doctrine concerning sin should be propounded; and that men should know what sin is, and that there should be an evident difference between political judgments and the judgments of God. But seeing our adversaries do not teach aright what sin is, they confirm men in an evil security and many false opinions. Again, what can be more miserable than either to be obscure or to be ignorant of this great benefit-namely, the remission of sins, and deliverance from eternal death? For there is no difference between the Church and other men, when the light is extinguished, concerning free remission of sins for the Son's sake; and concerning faith whereby remission must be received: neither is there any other comfort drawing us back from eternal death; neither can there be any true invocation without this comfort: and God himself hath so often commanded that his Son should be heard, and the Gospel kept, which is a wonderful decree brought forth out of the secret counsel of the Godhead, when it had been hid from all creatures therefore it is most necessary that the true doctrine touching the remission of sins should be kept undefiled. was given the promise touching the Mediator, the Son of God, and touching remission of sins; and that this remission is to be freely, for the Mediator's sake. And they urged invocation to this God, which had manifested himself by giving a promise concerning the Mediator; and they had external rites given them of God, which were signs of the promise, and the sinews of public congregation. These rites did a great part of the multitude imitate, omitting the doctrine of the promises and faith: and when they had devised this persuasion, that men, by observing these rites, might deserve remission of sins, they heaped up many ceremonies; and by little and little, boldness went so far (as commonly it cometh to pass) that divers men devised divers gods. So the heathen departed from the true Church of God, and from the knowledge of the true God and the promise of the Redeemer. The same thing also happened after Moses his time. Ceremonies had been appointed for this cause, that they should be admonitions of the Mediator: but the multitude, forgetful of the promise of the Mediator, of the doctrine of faith, of free remission for the Mediator's sake, feigned that sins were forgiven for those rites and sacrifices; and by this superstition they heaped up sacrifices and forgot the Mediator, and were without true comfort and true invocation. The same thing happened, also, after the apostles' time. The light of the Gospel being lost, wherein is propounded free remission for the Mediator's sake, and that to be received by faith; they sought remission by monastical exercises, by single life, by divers observations, by the offering in the mass, by the intercession of dead men; and many monstrous superstitions were devised, as the histories of the whole Church which succeeded the apostles do declare. Against these errors the infinite mercy of God hath oftentimes restored the voice of the Gospel: and as, among the people of Israel, he did often raise up prophets which should purge the doctrine diligently: so in the Church, after the apostles' time, when the writings of Origen and But in all ages, even from our first Pelagius, and the superstition of the peofather's time, the devils have scattered ple, had corrupted the purity of the Gossubtile delusions against the true doctrine pel, yet, notwithstanding, as in darkness, concerning the Son of God; and especially the light of the Gospel was again kindled in this article: whom, notwithstanding, by Augustine and him followed Prosper, God hath oftentimes refuted, good teach- Maximus, and others, who reproved the ers being again raised up, that the Church false opinions touching this article. Aftermight not utterly perish. Adam, Seth, wards, when the monks were sprung up, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and and that opinion which feigneth men to others after them, did show the true dif- merit by their works was afresh spread ference betwixt the Church of God and abroad; yet there were some of a better other men; and taught that to the Church | judgment, although they added stubble to the foundation: as Hugo, &c. And now, by the voice of Luther, the doctrine of the Gospel is more cleared, and more evidently restored, and the Lamb showed unto us; as the Baptist saith (John i. 29, and iii. 36). The same voice of the Gospel our churches do publish, and that without corruption: and we do expressly discern that discipline, or righteousness, which a man not regenerate may perform, from the righteousness of faith, and that newness whereof the Gospel doth preach. We say that all men are to be restrained by discipline; that is, by that righteousness which even the unregenerate ought, and after a sort may, perform: which is an obedience in external actions, according to all the commandments of God appertaining to all men. Because that God left this liberty in man after his fall, that the outward members might, after a sort, obey the reason and the will, in stirring up or omitting outward motions: as, Achilles may draw his sword, or put it up into the sheath; Scipio may restrain his members, so that he meddle not with another man's wife; as in their place these things are truly and copiously declared. Now it is most certain, that this discipline is commanded of God, and that the breaking thereof is punished with present and eternal punishments, even in those which are not converted unto God; according, to those sayings, "Fornicators and adulterers the Lord will judge,” (Heb. xiii. 4.) Also, "Woe unto thee which spoilest, for thou shalt be spoiled," (Isa. xxxiii. 1.) But although all men ought to govern their manners by this discipline, and God doth severely command that all kingdoms should defend this discipline, and he by horrible punishments doth declare his wrath against this outward contumacy: yet this external discipline, even where it is most honest, it is not a fulfilling of the law, neither doth it deserve remission of sins, neither is that righteousness whereby we are accepted before God, nor that light shining in the nature of men, as righteousness shineth in us in our creation, or as new righteousness will shine in us in life eternal. But all this discipline is an eternal government such as it is; like unto the leaf of the figtree wherewith our first parents, after their fall, did cover their nakedness: neither doth it any more take away sin, and the corruption of nature, and death, than those fig-leaves did.-Art. 3. CONFESSION OF BOHEMIA. No man from the beginning of the world unto this time either was, or now is, or can be henceforth unto the end, sanctified by his works or holy actions: according to the saying of Moses, the faithful servant of the Lord, when he cried out unto the Lord (Exod. xxxiv. 9), "O Lord, in thy sight no man is innocent," that is, perfectly holy. And in the book of Job, xv. 15: "Behold, among his saints, none is immutable, and the heavens (angels) are not clean in his sight." And the Holy Scripture plainly witnesseth throughout all the books thereof that all men, even from their birth, are by nature sinners; Eph. ii. 1, and that there neither is, nor hath been any one, who, of himself, and by himself, was righteous and holy; Ps. xiv. 3, but "all have gone aside from God, and are become unprofitable;" Rom. iii. 12, and of no account at all. And whereas some are made holy and acceptable unto God, that is. purchased unto without any worthiness or merit of theirs, by him who alone is holy.-Chap. 17. LATTER CONFESSION OF HELVETIA. There is but one baptism in the Church of God: for it is sufficient to be once baptised or consecrated unto God. For baptism once received doth continue all a man's life, and is a perpetual sealing of our adoption unto us. Moreover, by the sacrament of baptism God doth separate us from all other religions and nations, and doth consecrate us a peculiar people to himself. We therefore, by being baptised, do confess our faith, and are bound to give unto God obedience, mortification of the flesh, and newness of life; yea, and we are billed soldiers for the holy warfare of Christ, that all our life long we should fight against the world, Satan, and our own flesh. Moreover, we are baptised into one body of the Church, that we might well agree with all the members of the Church in the same religion and mutual duties. We believe that of all others is the most perfect form of baptism wherein Christ was baptised, and which the rest of the apostles did use in baptism. Those, therefore, which by man's device were added afterwards, and used in the Church, we think them nothing necessary to the perfection of baptism. (And in the margin. Yea, we have utterly rejected some of them, as merely superstitious; some, as being manifestly brought, by the negligence of bishops, from the baptism of those which be of age, unto the baptism of infants; and some, to be short, as altogether unprofitable; as it is clearly expounded in the confession of Wirtemburg.) Of which kind is exorcism, and the use of lights, oil, salt, spittle, and such other things. For we believe that the baptism of the Church, which is but one, was sanc tified in God's first institution of it, and was consecrated by the Word, and is now of full force, by and for the first blessing of God upon it.-Chap. 20. The Epistle to the Colossians reproveth those which by an overmuch abstinence will get unto themselves an opinion of holiness. Therefore we do altogether mislike the Tatians, &c.-Chap. 24. CONFESSION OF SUEVELAND. If St. Paul (than whom no man at any time did teach Christ more certainly) do earnestly affirm that through Christ we have obtained such liberty in outward things, that he doth not only give authority to any creature to burden those which believe in Christ, no, not so much as with those ceremonies and observations which notwithstanding God himself appointed, and would have to be profitable in their time; but also denounceth, "that they be fallen away from Christ, and that Christ shall nothing at all profit them" (Gal. v. 2-4) who suffer themselves to be addicted thereunto; what shall we then think of those commandments which men have devised of their own brain, not only without any oracle, but also without any example worthy to be followed, and which are therefore made unto many not only beggarly and weak, but also hurtful; not elements, that is, rudiments of holy discipline, but impediments of true godliness? How much more unjustly shall any man take unto himself authority over the inheritance of Christ, to oppress them with such kind of bondage! and how far shall it remove us from Christ, if we submit ourselves unto those things! For who doth not see the glory of Christ (to whom we ought holy to live, whom he hath wholly redeemed to himself, and restored to liberty, and that by his blood) to be more obscured, if, besides his authority, we do bind our conscience to those laws which are the inventions of men, than to those which have God for their author, although they were to be observed, but only observed for their time? Certainly, it is a less fault to play the Jew than the heathen. Now it is the manner of the heathen to receive laws for the worship of God which have their beginning from man's invention only, God never being asked counsel in the matter. Wherefore, if in any matter at all, certainly here, that saying of Paul hath a place: "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men," (1 Cor. vii. 23.).. Moreover, the case so standeth with us that, although we could pray and fast so religiously, and so perfectly do all those things which God hath enjoined us, that nothing more could be required of us (which hitherto no mortal man hath at any time performed); yet for all this we must confess that we are unprofitable servants. Therefore, what merit can we dream of?-Chap. 8, 10. CONFESSION OF BASLE. The church of Christ doth herein labour all that she can to keep the bonds of peace and love in unity. Therefore she doth by no means communicate with sects, and the rules of orders, devised to make a difference of days, meats, apparel, and ceremonies.-Art. 5, sec. 3. No man can prohibit that which Christ himself hath not probibited. For this cause we know that auricular confession, holydays dedicated to saints, and such-like things, had their beginning of men, and were not commanded of God; as, on the other side, we know that the marriage of ministers was not forbidden. And again, no man can forbid those things which God hath permitted: therefore we think that it is not by any means forbidden to receive meats with thanksgiving.-Art. 10, 1-4. CONFESSION OF WIRTEMBURG. Whereas some men do think that man can come to that state in this life, as to be able by his works not only to fulfil the ten commandments, but also to do more and greater works than are commanded in the law (which they call works of supererogation), it is contrary to the doctrine of the prophets and apostles, and it is repugnant to the judgment of the true Catholic Church.-Chap. 6. CONFESSION OF AUGSBURG. That which our adversaries do accuse us of, that we neglect the doctrine of good works, is a manifest slander. For the books of our divines are extant, wherein they do godly and profitably teach, touching good works, what works in every calling do please God. And whereas in most churches there hath been of a long time no mention of the most special works, namely, of the exercises of faith, and of the praise of such works as pertain to civil government, but for the most part they spent all their sermons in setting forth the praises of human traditions, and in commending holy-days, fastings, the state of monks, fraternities, pilgrimages, the worship of saints, rosaries, and other unprofitable services; now, by the goodness of God, the Church is reclaimed unto the true and profitable worship which God doth require and approve. The prophets do bewail this calamity of the Church in very vehement sermons; that, the true worship of God being forgotten, men's ceremonies, and a wicked confidence in ceremonies, should have the chief place in the Church. From this error they revoke the Church unto the true service of God, and unto good works indeed. What can be more forcibly spoken than that sermon in the 50th Psalm: "The God of gods, the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth," &c. Here God doth preach unto all mankind, condemning their vain trust in ceremonies; and propoundeth another worship, giving them to understand that he is highly displeased with them that in the Church do so preach ceremonies, that they overturn the true worship of God. the preaching of repentance in general, and willeth all men to believe, and to receive the benefit of Christ; as Christ himself saith, "Come unto me all ye that are laden." And St. Paul saith, "He is rich towards all," (Rom. x. xii.) Albeit, therefore, that contrition in repentance be necessary, yet we must know that remission of sins is given unto us, and that we are made just of unjust, that is, reconciled or accepted, and the sons of God, freely, for Christ, and not for the worthiness of our contrition, or of any other works which either go before or follow after. But this same benefit must be received by faith, whereby we must believe that remission of sins and justification is given us for Christ's sake. This knowledge and judgment bringeth sure consolation unto troubled minds; and how necessary it is for the Church, consciences that have had experience can easily judge. There is in it no absurdity, no difficulty, no crafty deceit. Here needeth no disputations of predestination, or such like: for the promise is general, and detracteth nothing from good works; yea, rather, it doth stir up men unto faith and unto truly good works. For both these parts of doctrine ought always to be in the Church: namely, the Gospel of faith, for to instruct and comfort men's consciences; and also the doctrine that declareth which are good works indeed, and which is the true worship of God. As for our adversaries, seeing that they do corrupt the doctrine of faith, they cannot give any sound comfort to the consciences; for they will have men to stand in doubt of the remission of their sins, and yet afterwards they bid men seek remis--Art. 20. sion by their own works. They devise monkeries, and other such works, and then they abolish the true worship of God; for prayer and other spiritual exercises are laid FROM THE NATIONAL COVENANT OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND. Subscribed at first by the King's Majesty, and his Household, in the year 1580. Subscribed by Barons, Nobles, Gentlemen, Burgesses, Ministers, and Commons, in 1638: approved by the General Assembly, 1638 and 1639. Ratified by an Act of Parliament, 1640: and subscribed by King Charles II. at Spey, June 23, 1650, and Scoon, Jan. 1, 1651. aside when men's minds are not established in a true trust in Christ. Moreover, their works of the second table cannot please God except faith go with them. For this obedience, which is but begun, and is imperfect, doth please God for Christ's sake! alone. Thirdly, they debase the works commanded of God, and prefer man's traditions far before them. These they set out with most godly titles, calling them the perfection of the Gospel; but in the meantime they speak so coldly of the duty of a man's calling, of magistracy, of marriage, &c., that many grave men have doubted whether these states of life did please God or no. Therefore our preachers have with great care and study set forth both these kinds of doctrine; namely, teaching the Gospel concerning faith, and adjoining therewith a pure and holy doc-original sin, our natural inability and rebel trine of works. First, touching faith and justification, they teach thus. Christ hath fitly set down the sum of the Gospel when, as in the last of Luke, he willeth, "That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name." For the Gospel reproveth and convinceth sins, and requireth repentance, and withal offereth remission of sins for Christ's sake, freely, not for our own worthiness. And like as We detest and refuse the usurped authority of that Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God, upon the Kirk, the civil magistrates, and consciences of men; all his tyrannous laws made upon indifferent things against our Christian liberty; his erroneous doctrine against the sufficiency of the written Word, the perfection of the law, the office of Christ, and his blessed evangel; his corrupted doctrine concerning lion to God's law, our justification by faith only, our imperfect sanctification and obedience to the law; the nature, number, and use of the holy sacraments; his five bastard sacraments, with all his rites, ceremonies, and false doctrine, added to the ministration of the true sacraments without the word of God; his cruel judgments against infants departing without the sacrament; his absolute necessity of baptism; his blasphemous opinion of transubstantiation, We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life, at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins; but when we have done all we can, we have done but our because, as they are good, they proceed from his spirit; and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the society of God's judgment. or real presence of Christ's body in the They who in their obedience attain to elements, and receiving of the same by the greatest height which is possible in wicked, or bodies of men; his dispensations this life, are so far from being able to with solemn oaths, perjuries, and degrees supererogate, and to do more than God of marriage forbidden in the world; his requires, as that they fall short of much cruelty against the innocent divorced; his which in duty they are bound to do. devilish mass; his blasphemous priesthood; his profance sacrifice for sins of the dead and the quick; his canonisation of men; calling upon angels or saints departed, worshipping of imagery, relics, and crosses; dedicating of kirks, altars, and days; vows to creatures; his purgatory, prayers for the dead; praying or speaking in a strange language, with his processions, and blasphemous litany, and multitudes of advo-duty, and are unprofitable servants; and cates or mediators; his manifold orders, auricular confession; his desperate and uncertain repentance; his general and doubtsome faith; his satisfactions of men for their sins; his justification by works, opus operatum, works of supererogation, merits, pardons, peregrinations, and stations; his holy water, baptising of bells, conjuring of spirits, crossing, sayning, anointing, conjuring, hallowing of God's good creatures with the superstitious opinion joined therewith; his worldly monarchy, and wicked bierarchy; his three solemn vows, with all his shavelings of sundry sorts; his erroneous and bloody decrees made at Trent, with all the subscribers and or approvers of that cruel and bloody band, conjured against the Kirk of God. And finally, we detest all his vain allegories, rights, signs, and traditions, brought in the Kirk, without or against the word of God and doctrine of this true Reformed Kirk; to the which we join ourselves willingly, in doctrine, faith, religion, discipline, and use of the holy sacraments, as lively members of the same in Christ our head: promising and swearing by the great name of the Lord our God, that we shall continue in the obedience of the doctrine and discipline of this Kirk, and shall defend the same, according to our vocation and power, all the days of our lives; under the pains contained in the law, and danger both of body and soul in the day of God's fearful judgment. CONFESSION OF WESTMINSTER. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable, and unreprovable in God's sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.-Chap. 16: 4, 5, 6. THE CONFESSION OF THE ENGLISH AND CONFESSION OF IRELAND. 1615. The works which God would have his people to walk in, are such as he hath commanded in his holy Scripture, and not such works as men have devised out of their own brain, of a blind zeal and devotion, without the warrant of the word of God. Voluntary works besides, over and above God's commandinents, which they call works of supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogance and impiety. For by them men do declare, that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his sake than of bounden duty is required. In the 39th Art. of the Church of England these words are added: whereas Christ saith plainly, when ye have done all that are commanded to you, we are unprofitable servants.-Art. 14. Christ, by his obedience and death, did full discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to his Father's All worship devised by man's fantasy, justice in their behalf. Yet, inasmuch as besides or contrary to the Scriptures (as he was given by the Father for them, and wandering on pilgrimages, setting up of his obedience and satisfaction accepted in candles, stations and jubilees, pharisaical their stead, and both freely, not for any-sects and feigned religions, praying upon thing in them; their justification is only beads, and such-like superstitions), hath of free grace; that both the exact justice not only no promise of reward in Scripand rich grace of God might be glorified ture, but contrariwise threatenings and in the justification of sinners.--Chap. 11: 3. | malédictions.-Art. 9: 10. |