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5, 6, 0, stanza 1. I believe in God the Father, maker of the heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ our Savior, God's own Son of matchless worth. of God. We thank you for this Lord's Day. We rejoice once again in your goodness towards us. Thank you for carrying us through this past week. We thank you now for this Lord's Day Sabbath where we can come in from out of the world to rejoice in our triune God and to sing the praises of Christ.

And we pray in this study hour that you would help us to have our minds focused upon your truth as we reflect upon our confession of faith and its summary of biblical truth. We pray that you would help us to love your truth all the more and to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our precious Savior. And we pray in his name. Amen.

Well, I've handed out a sheet there. That is the preface to the confession of faith. It's not included in a lot of the publications that we have. Some of them do have them. I've got to get my hands on one of them, like we've got our friends over here have. Who else has the one with the preface to the confession in it, besides our good man over here? No? Okay, well, you can fight him afterwards for it. But this is, as we noted in our study on baptism, there's an appendix that was included at the end of the confession of faith that's also not in a lot of our copies of the confession. Well, there was also a preface, an introduction, they called it the epistle. As you can see, it bears the mark of an epistle or a letter to the judicious and impartial reader.

And so this was included in the Confession of Faith in its original publication, and then of course in its official publication as it was adopted and confirmed publicly after the Act of Toleration was passed in 1689. So we're going to do an introduction to the Confession of Faith this morning with this epistle as sort of our launching pad. So let's read this and then we'll jump into a study of the introduction to the Second London Confession of Faith. So, to the judicious and impartial reader, courteous reader, it is now many years since diverse of us, with other sober Christians then living and walking in the way of the Lord that we profess, did conceive ourselves to be under a necessity of publishing a confession of our own faith, for the information and satisfaction of those that did not thoroughly understand what our principles were or had entertained prejudices against our profession, by reason of the strange representation of them by some men of note who had taken very wrong measures and accordingly led others into misapprehension of us and them. And this was first put forth about the year 1643. I put in brackets there, that was the first London confession of faith that they're referring to.

In the name of seven congregations then gathered in London, since which time diverse impressions thereof have been dispersed abroad, and our end proposed in good measure answered, inasmuch as many, and some of those men eminent, both for piety and learning, were thereby satisfied that we were no way guilty of those heterodoxies and fundamental errors. judged necessary by us to join together in giving a testimony to the world of our firm adhering to those wholesome principles by the publication of this which is now in your hand.

And for as much as our method and manner of expressing our sentiments in this doth vary from the former, although the substance of this matter is the same, we shall freely impart to you the reason and occasion thereof. One thing that greatly prevailed with us to undertake this work was, of which our comfortable walking with God and fruitfulness before him in all our ways is most nearly concerned. And therefore, we did conclude it necessary to express ourselves the more fully and distinctly and also to fix on such a method as might be most comprehensive of those things we designed to explain our sense and belief of. And finding no defect in this regard in that fixed on by the assembly, in a congregational way, or the Sabbath declaration, those that generated it, we did readily conclude it best to retain the same order in our present confession. And also, when we observed that those last mentioned did in their confessions, for reasons which seemed of weight both to themselves and others, choose not only to express their mind in words concurrent with the former, in sense concerning all those articles wherein they were agreed, but also for the most part, without any variation in these articles, which are very many, wherein our faith and doctrine and also to convince all that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but do readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which have been, in consent with the holy scriptures, used by others before us, hereby declaring before God, angels, and men our hearty agreement with them in that wholesome Protestant doctrine which, with so clear evidence of scriptures, they have asserted.

Some things, indeed, are and some few changed. But these alterations are of that nature as that we need not doubt any charge or suspicion of unsoundness in the faith from any of our brethren upon the account of them. In those things wherein we differ from others, we have expressed ourselves with all candor and plainness that none might entertain jealousy of ought secretly lodged in our breasts that we would not the world should be acquainted with. Yet we hope we have also observed those rules to those whose sentiments are different from ours.

We have also taken care to affix texts of scripture at the bottom for the confirmation of each article in our confession, in which work we have studiously endeavored to select such as are most clear and pertinent for the proof of what is asserted by us. And our earnest desire is that all into whose hands this may come would follow that never enough commended example of the noble Bereans, who search the scriptures daily that they might find out whether the things preached to them were so or not. There is one thing more which we sincerely profess and earnestly desire credence in. That contention is most remote from our design in all that we have done in this matter.

And we hope that the liberty of an ingenuous unfolding our principles and opening our hearts unto our brethren, with the scripture grounds of our faith and practice, will by none of them be either denied to us or taken ill from us. All design is accomplished if we may have attained that justice as to be measured in our principles and practice, and the judgment of both by others according to what we have now published, which the Lord, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, knoweth to be the doctrine with which our hearts we most firmly believe and sincerely endeavor to conform our lives to.

And oh, that other contentions being laid asleep, the only caring contention of all upon whom the name of our blessed Redeemer to walk humbly with their God in the exercise of all love and meekness toward each other, to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord, each one endeavoring to have his conversation such as becometh the gospel, and also suitable to his place and capacity, vigorously to promote in others the practice of true religion and undefiled in the sight of God our Father, and that in this backsliding day we might not spend our breath in fruitless complaints of the evils of others, But may everyone begin at home to reform in the first place our own hearts and ways, and then to quicken all that we may have influence upon to the same work.

That if the will of God were so, none might deceive themselves by resting in and trusting to a form of godliness without the power of it, an inward experience of the efficacy of those truths that are professed by them. And verily there is one spring and cause of the decay of religion urge a redress of, and that is the neglect of the worship of God in families by those to whom the charge and conduct of them is committed. May not the gross ignorance and instability of many with the profaneness of others be justly charged upon their parents and masters who have not trained them up in the way wherein they ought to walk when they were young, but have neglected those frequent and solemn commands which the Lord hath laid upon them, so to catechize and instruct them God of all grace will pour out those measures of his Holy Spirit upon us, that the profession of truth may be accompanied with the sound belief and diligent practice of it by us, that his name may in all things be glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hopefully, as we read that, you appreciate And the first is the necessity and utility of creeds and confessions of faith. There has been throughout the history of the church, and there is in our own day, sort of an antipathy or an opposition to creeds and confessions. In the very least, a denigration of their value and their authority. But to the worst point, even an utter rejection of creeds and confessions of faith.

Carl Truman. in his book, The Credal Imperative, wrote, creeds and confessions are, in fact, necessary for the well-being of the church. And churches that claim not to have them place themselves at a permanent disadvantage when it comes to holding fast to that form of sound words, which was so precious to the aging Paul as he advised his young protege, Timothy, wrote many years ago, it is necessary to have a sound and well-formed faith received from the Fathers, confirmed by the Scriptures, and confessed by the Church, so that we are not carried away by every wind of doctrine and deceived by the trickery of men. You see, the necessity and the utility there, the necessity is that And although the scriptures are the only rule of faith, still it is not only lawful, but necessary that there should be public symbols of this faith, brief and compendious expositions, expositions rather, of doctrine, to which the church may adhere the defense of truth. to express her faith in the form of confessions, lest she be carried about with every wind of doctrine.

You can turn with me, just as we observe two things, if you turn with me in your Bibles first, to see the apostolic call to doctrinal fidelity and defense. Fidelity to a creedal and confessional Christianity is biblical. And I think as we approach the scriptures, there is, if not a command, there is an assumption by the Apostle in order to defend the truth. So first off, 2 Timothy 1. In 2 Timothy 1, we have this, the language of the epistle that we read is picked up from this 1 Timothy, excuse me, 2 Timothy, my apology, 2 Timothy 1 passage. Notice in 2 Timothy 1, the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

The history of the church has seen this holding fast the pattern of sound words as something of a banner text for the use, the necessity and the utility of creeds and confessions. How are we to hold fast the pattern of sound words? We are to engage in a regular words that are good for our health. The word there for sound is employed within physical context in ancient Greece with regards to wellness or health for the body. Well, the same thing applies for the soul, and creeds and confessions and capturing what the Bible discloses, what God in his word discloses, are helps for us to be sound and wholesome and healthy in the soul we are to hold fast the pattern of sound words.

You can turn to Jude with me as well. Jude and verse three, and as you're turning there, I'm gonna read a text, or a quote rather, from John Gill here regarding the passage we just looked at. Indeed, with regards to sound words, sound doctrinal, wholesome words, indeed when words have long obtained and have been very useful to convey just ideas be easily part of it, though they are not syllabically expressed in Scripture. So you hear what he's saying there.

Even though the words of creeds and confessions are not syllabically expressed in Scripture, in other words, they're not phrased the same way. They're summary capturings of what the Bible say. So while we might use a particular phrase, for example, the Son of God is constantly or explicitly expressed in scripture.

And less other and better words can be substituted in their room, and especially they are to be tenaciously abode by, when the apparent design by dropping or changing them is to set aside the truth signified by them, such as trinity, unity, essence, person, imputed righteousness, and satisfaction. He's saying there that when the apparent design by dropping or changing remove or completely abolish to set aside the language outside of the scripture that's used to defend words in the scripture. And the design for that is that they could set aside the truths that are signified by them. So we have signifying words, the language of a creed or a confession, and we have the things signify the actual words and doctrines in the scripture. signifying words, in other words, the language of creeds and confessions. Again, such as trinity, unity, essence, person, imputed righteousness, satisfaction, et cetera.

In Jude 3, we have this apostolic command to do exactly what we're about to read. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the Saints. So there is an objective ground, an objective collection, an objective reality of handed down delivered to the Saints truths that are to be earnestly contended for. And one of the ways that we have seen throughout the history and confessions that the faithful might be protected throughout the ages. So there is this fidelity to a creedal and confessional Christianity that is biblical. And we see it in the apostolic call to doctrinal fidelity and defense. And we also see it in the actual apostolic use of creeds. You can turn to 1 Corinthians 15 with me for a moment. 1 Corinthians 15. is not our works, our deeds. Remember the madness of the idea, you know, preach the gospel and when possible use words? That's dumb.

The gospel is I deliver to you that which I also receive that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures so we have there and someone continue that all the way through all the way through verse 7 and in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. And so we see here something of an appropriation of, of a reflection of, of a stating of an early Christian creed that captures the blessed incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ is that which is central to historic and biblical Christianity. So we see hopefully in just a small amount of time the necessity and the utility of creeds and confessions. They are vital for the health of the church.

Secondly, with regards to introductory matters, just some general history and context of the Second London Confession. And essentially, just some things with regards to 17th century prior to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Savoy Declaration. And in 17th century England, you have a lot going on. At the time of the writing of the First Baptist, the First London Confession of Faith, there was sort of the Civil War going on within England in 1660. 17 years prior to the actual writing of the Second London Confession of Faith, there was the restoration of monarchical reign.

There was a period of time of about 11 years where there was no monarch, and it was basically a time of general freedom for nonconformists and for religious freedom. and something called the Clarendon Code, which didn't bear well for anyone outside of the Church of England. So nonconformists, Puritan Baptists, Particular Baptists, Congregationalists, and others, were persecuted if they did not adhere to the Church of Common Prayer. who rejected both the Book of Common Prayer and certainly would not assent to it, they would be ejected from their pastorates. There was something called the Great Ejection, by which or in which 2,000 Puritan nonconformists were forcibly removed from their pulpits and had to convene in what were called conventicles, sort of secret gatherings. But the Baptists all throughout this time gather and to organize their churches.

The Second London Confession of 1677, that's when it was first written, was produced during that time of the restoration of monarchical reign and the reign of the Clarendon Code, specifically the Act of Human to the state church. So the 1677 was produced during that time, and it could not be widely published until 1689, when the Act of Toleration was passed, and there were eases that were set upon nonconformists. There was a measure of religious liberty that returned to England. So that's the reason And it wasn't even in 1689 where it was affirmed by the Particular Baptists. That was a year prior, in 1688, when they convened the General Assembly of Particular Baptist Churches there in and around London for the gathering together and for the public affirmation of the Second London Confession of Faith.

What instituted that, or what was the spark or catalyst And the ascension of William III of Orange and Mary II to the throne. There were concerns at that time. Why was there this glorious revolution or this overthrow of King James II? It was because of his desire to return England to really under the umbrella of the Catholic Church.

So this opposition to King James II, this So the Act of Toleration is passed in 1689, freedom of worship for non-conformist Protestants comes, and the 1677 Second London Confession of Faith is officially published. Some of the notable signatories on that Confession of Faith, Nehemiah Cox, who was probably the primary and the editor of the Confession of Faith, very prominent with regards to chapel. Benjamin Keech, also a local particular Baptist theologian. William Kiffin, who would have been present at the First London Baptist Confession of Faith, who would have been prominent in the writing of that. He was also alive during the writing of the Second London Confession of Faith.

Hercules Collins, another great name. I just found out recently that I have an ancestor from the late 17th century. I got an old family member named Hercules. And then Hansard Nollis. Hansard Nollis was the oldest of all of them. He was born, the only one born in the 16th century. He was born in 1599 and lived to the ripe age of either 91 or 92, dying in 1691.

And then lastly, by way of introduction, before we move into some of the contents of the epistle proper, The character of the confession of faith, and we'll see this a little bit, and this should be the character of any confession of faith. And the first is that we see it's a faithful expression of what the Bible teaches on important matters of doctrine.

Very often, those who are against creeds and confessions will set the confession against the scriptures as if they're competing for two sources It simply is our theological conclusions. Either we make theological conclusions and we don't articulate them detailed in a confession of faith, or we have theological conclusions and we articulate them in a confession of faith. The first position is very dangerous. And such persons cannot be held to a particular standard whereby in tyranny and Protestant potpourri.

But the affirmation of subscription to and having an operational and functional affinity for a confession of faith is to be biblical and is on important matters of doctrine. Secondly, a demonstration of, in this case, particular Baptist fidelity to a received theological heritage.

One of the things that they're doing largely in this confession of faith is exactly that. They're showing that they have received the heritage of theological antiquity, that they affirm it, and that they want their peers of the Presbyterian and Congregational persuasion And some within the Church of England, who aren't completely mad, they want them to see that they adhere to the ancient truth, that they subscribe to those things that are to be most surely believed among us. in the midst of differences. So they articulate that, and we'll note that in a number of minutes, that they're seeking to, unto the end of a peace and a harmony and a clarity, though uncompromisingly, they're asserting their theological differences, and we'll note what those are. I bracketed a few of them in the epistle. Fourthly, an encouragement for the faithful. One of the purposes in those things that they do confess.

And then, fifthly, a computation of the errors of heretics. There isn't a lot of polemicism in the confession. There is a lot of clear statement of truth that, by virtue of that statement, times ago, and that is the Doctrine of the Lord's Supper. That is the most polemical chapter in the entirety of the Confession, targeted against the madness and the voodoo and the blasphemy of the Roman Catholic Church.

OK, then let's get to the body of the Epistle. There are seven things that we'll try to observe here in the next 20 minutes. context of their new confession. You'll see I've done sort of a versification here in these paragraphs or sentences. That's not how it originally looks. I've just separated it into particular verses in order to sort of better study it as we're moving through and drawing some particular points. So paragraphs one and two there are a reminder of their previous confession in the context of their new one.

They bring to the fore the It has been sort of lost and wasn't really available in print anymore. You know, you couldn't really access it like you can today, after having recovered it and mass-published it. But back then, it wasn't so available. And so we see here, at the end of paragraph two, we read, since which time diverse and of those heterodoxies and fundamental errors which had too frequently been charged upon us without ground or occasion given on our part. That's putting it lightly.

I believe there's a work you can listen to and perhaps read, Dr. Jim Renahan. I can't remember his name, but I think the work is called The Dipper's Dip or something like that. And the misrepresentations of particular Baptists in that writing are absolutely terrible and vile. And the man who wrote it knows that he was wrong, but he was simply trying to misrepresent particular Baptists. articulations by some men of note who had taken very wrong measures and accordingly led others into misapprehension of us and them.

Thank you. So what is the context of their new confession? It is to deal with those strange representations and misapprehensions again, because the first confession has been lost to posterity to a large degree and no longer available in print. to show what other good men of the Puritan and congregational persuasion had assessed, that they were in no way guilty of the heredoxies and fundamental errors that they had beforehand and contemporaneously been charged with. So they're being charged with these heresies and heterodoxies and errors. But those who are charging them are wrong. And even many Presbyterians and many congregational Notably, the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Christ, salvation, even some points of covenant theology.

So that's the context of the writing. They remind regarding the previous confession, and they make a remark as to the context of writing the new confession. Secondly, a note regarding generational consistency and theological harmony in paragraphs three and four. Particularly, notice paragraph four.

And for as much as our method and manner of expressing our sentiments in this, that's the Second London Confession of Faith, doth vary from the former, the first. Let's just pause there for a moment. The way that they present their doctrines and articulate the doctrines in the Second London Confession of Faith is different in structure than the way they do it in the First London. because largely in the second as they stay here they're following after the same order and structure of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Savoy Declaration so they're just of faith against the second on certain points of doctrine, particularly covenant theology and the role of the Old Testament law for the Christian. Those of progressive covenantalism or new covenant theology will go to the First London Confession and say that those back then did not adhere to the covenant theology a generation later than the particular Baptists articulated. and caved under the pressure of the Presbyterians and the Congregationalists and modified their covenant theology and their approach to the law. Well, no, because the writers of the Second Bund clearly state here, although the substance of this matter is the same. So the substance of the first and the substance of the second are the same, it's just that in the second, they're following after the structure of the Westminster Confession and the Salloway.

Also, there are some who call themselves Christmas Calvinists. I mentioned this to others before. Noel, no limited atonement, you know, tulip, Noel, Christmas Calvin. Those who believe in a 4.5 Calvinism, they also call it, will go to the first London Confession of Faith and state that it somehow both in the first and in the second, they affirm limited atonement or particular redemption, and they affirm the chapter seven covenant theology.

Thirdly, the specific reasons given for the publication The first thing that they're doing is exactly that. They want to make it perspicuous. They want to make it clear with regards to what they believe, because those who differ from them at the point of baptism, church polity, and some nuances with regards to covenant theology are arguing that they are heterodox on things like the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Christ, and the doctrine of salvation. And so they're trying to make it clear that, yeah, we differ with you on baptism, church government, and on covenant theology, not covenant theology largely, but the proper representation of it, we differ with you on those things, but in having no itch to clog religion with new words, we have essentially just repeated what you have stated in your confessions of faith, where we concur with those articulations, and so they're bringing those who have these faulty ideas as to what these particular Baptists are all about, they're writing to bring clarity to those who differ with them.

Secondly, they are writing for the profit of those who do consent. For the profit of those who do consent. Notice sort of a, right after the bracketed phrase in paragraph five, for the profit that might instruction and establishment in the great truths of the gospel. In the clear understanding and steady belief of which are comfortable walking with God in their context, and by virtue of their labors us.

Thirdly, under the specific reasons given for the publication of the confession, we have here to demonstrate their orthodoxy in a Catholic spirit. Notice in paragraph six there, we see the reference best to retain the same order in their present confession.

So they're demonstrating their orthodoxy, their doctrinal soundness, and they're doing it in this Catholic spirit. They're not just saying, you guys are horrible, we're orthodox. No, they're saying that they agree, in large part, about 80% to 85% of the second London and about 90% with regards to the Savoy Declaration of Faith, so they're demonstrating their orthodoxy in the spirit of Catholicism, not Catholicism with a capital C. Fourthly, and largely with regards to the volume of this epistle, we see 80% to 85% of the Second London is either identical or nearly identical to the Westminster. And 90% of the Second London is either identical or nearly identical to the Savoy Declaration of Faith.

And under this point, the extensive theological agreement, we want to note the particular Baptist's commitment to antiquity. Their commitment to theological antiquity, even more than the Westminsterians and the Congregationalists, they're more Nicene and they're more Chalcedonian than their predecessors.

Do they have the advantage of time? Yes. But the Westminsterites and the Congregationalists could have, having Nicaea and Chalcedon, expanded more in their chapters two and eight. But the Baptists are more clearly Nicene and more clearly Chalcedonian in their articulation. But they state this language here. Notice the language of the beginning of paragraph or verse nine.

And also to convince all that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but do readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which have been in consent with the holy scriptures used by others before us. If you want to know my favorite phrase in the entire They have no itch to clog religion with new words. Throughout the history of the church, theologians have noticed that there is this peculiar desire on the part of heretics and errorists to be novel. And we're not to be novel in the Christian church, because we have handed down to us the once for all, to the saints, delivered truth.

This is Spurgeon on this point. It is a great mercy Thomas Aquinas, it is love of novelties which men are wont to wonder at most. Yeah, this is why maybe the Apostle Paul writes and argues against or wants Timothy to protect against these tickling of the ears doctrines and these things that the errorists and the heretics seek to steal men away with from the truth. It is the love of novelties which men are wont to wonder at most.

We need the flesh lusts against the spirit. And that's not only at the point of things like adultery and murder. That's at the point of the flesh desiring to wonder at novelty. We're to dig our heels into but that wouldn't make biblical illustrative sense. But we're to dig our heels into the rock of truth and not be stolen away by the love and wonder of novelty. Vincentius.

Shun them, so he's writing against people who, he's writing against theologians who bring novel words. Shun them as you would a viper, as you would a scorpion, as you would a basilisk. all those whose soundness of character leads them to hold the dignity of antiquity to be more honorable than mere newfangled novelty, and who have preserved the tradition of their fathers unadulterated, speaking to a verse in, I think, Romans 11. I'd have to remember either that or he's speaking to the point of consubstantiality. But anyway, he goes on to say, it is, on the contrary, they who are surfeited with the familiar and accustomed So you may even still see the language of country folk preserves the ancient fashion, while of these are cunning experts in radomachy, that's fighting words. The language bears the brand of the new philosophy.

In other words, novelty is terrible. Well, novelty in some things is good, but not novelty in others. But these alterations are of the nature is that we need not doubt any change or suspicion of unsoundness in the faith for many of our brethren upon the account of them. So what they're saying there. of odds secretly lodged in our breasts that we would not, the world should be acquainted with.

So they have, so basically three things under the modifications made for biblical fidelity and for conscience's sake. The first is additions. The first is additions, and we'll just note three of them. One smaller than the, well actually we'll note five of them. The first is in chapter one of the Holy read the edition, the Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

You can go back to 2014 and listen to Jim Renahan and Carl Truman on the Doctrine of the Scriptures and Jim Renahan specifically on this edition, which is a good edition, not changing any theology, but it's a good edition to write about 2 3rds larger than the Westminster Confession of Faith, and about twice as large as the Savoy Declaration, and the language added by the Baptist there is, in this divine and infinite being, there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word, or Son, and Holy Spirit, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided, all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal in their declaration of the doctrine of God.

There is an addition of a phrase in chapter eight, paragraph three. It's in the Savoy, but not in the Westminster, and it's speaking with regards to Christ, speaking with regards to the Son of God, to the Son of God in the person of the Son, in his assumed humanity, receiving the Holy Spirit was every way suited unto divine wisdom, unto the order of the holy persons in their subsistence and operation, that this work, the work of the incarnation, should be undertaken and accomplished in the person of the Son. In other words, the clause was added there in order to separate or distinguish the Son of God as the one who assumes humanity, and that being by virtue of the fact that he is eternally generated from the Father. We'll push off clarity until we get to chapters 2 and chapter 8.

There's also the addition of two completely significant paragraphs and new paragraphs in chapter 8 on the doctrine of Christ regarding the threefold office of Christ as mediator, prophet, priest, and king. So two new paragraphs that are absolutely glorious. Now, changes. What were the changes then? There were theological changes. Chapter 7, the Doctrine of the Covenant, the Covenant of Grace. Chapter 26, the Doctrine of the Church. Chapter 28 is greatly changed of the ordinances of baptism in the Lord's Supper. And then, of course, Chapter 29.

In this divine and intimate being, there are three, not persons, but they are persons. subsistence is instead of persons in two three and then ordinances instead of sacraments in 2829 the Baptists use the language of sacraments in their writing the reason they change their sacraments unto the end of the world to be observed, namely baptism and the Lord's Supper, but sacrament they use in other writings.

There are some deletions in the Second London Confession of Faith. Partial deletions, one notable is in Chapter 21, paragraph 4, there is no paragraph 4, on Christian liberty and liberty of conscience. The Westminster has language concerning the power of the civil We don't want the government in the business of the church. We know what that looks like. And so the Baptists rightly removed that from their publication. And then there are some complete deletions or non-retentions by the Baptists. The Westminster Confession of Faith has a chapter on church centers and on synods and councils.

I'll just note what six and seven Secondly, the need to preserve and maintain family worship. And then lastly, and doxologically, a desire for the glory of God through right belief and attendant practice. So it's a comprehensive document, this epistle, this preface to the Second London Confession of Faith. And hopefully, we can see in only a, though it took And we see their commitment to ancient truth, that they are the recipients of a heritage of antiquity that they would not abandon and neither should we.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time together. We rejoice in your goodness to us and making us alive in Christ Jesus and growing us in the grace and in the knowledge of the same. And we pray that we go into ready to worship, do help us by your spirit to worship you aright, to be focused upon the elements of worship, and to be refreshed by the preaching of your word. We pray in Christ's name, amen.

That's a lot of information coming at you there. Any questions at all? This is a question that in St. John's Cathedral in Edinburgh, there's a replica of the stool that this lady called Jenny Geddes Thank you, first of all, that was very unifying. That was good.

You mentioned, and if you said this already, forgive me, but you said that 85% Where did they get that little bit more? Well, they got that little bit more largely in the doctrine of the church. Because of the church, chapter 26, the Baptists are almost identical ecclesiastically to the Congregationalists. Because the Congregationalists didn't hold to a Presbyterian church governance, they hold to a Congregationalist That probably makes up the biggest difference. Yeah. All right. Thanks, everybody. Appreciate your time.