You have in front of you the epistle to the Second London Confession of Faith. It's not included in the Confession of Faith that we have, neither is the appendix, but this was included in the 1677 Confession that was republished in 1688 and in 1689, as well the appendix. So I thought it good now that we've gone through, I believe if the count is proper, we're now on our 13th time through the Confession of Faith since 2007. The last time that we restarted the confession, we did something similar where we read this epistle and then looked at some of the things that the Baptists are doing in publishing this confession of faith.
So you have this in front of you. I'm going to read it, and then we'll have a look at some things in an 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 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 misapprehensions of us and them.
And this was first put forth about the year 1643 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, as some of these men eminent both for piety and learning, were thereby satisfied that we were no way guilty of those heterodoxies and fundamental errors which had too frequently been charged upon us without ground or occasion given on our part. And forasmuch as that confession is not now commonly to be had, and also that many others have since embraced the same truth which is owned therein, it was 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 the 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 not only to give a full account of ourselves to those Christians that differ from us about the subject of baptism, but also the profit that might from thence arise unto those that have any account of our labors, in their instruction and establishment in the great truths of the gospel, in the clear understanding and steady belief of which are comfortable walking with God and fruitfulness before him in all our ways is most nearly concerned." When you see some words spelt strangely, it's not because I typed a typo, but that's how the particular Baptist, that's how people wrote in the 17th century.
And where was I? There we go. 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 which we design to explain our sense and belief of. And finding no defect in this regard in that fixed on by the assembly, that's the Westminster Assembly from 1643 to 1646, and after them by those of the congregational way, which is the 1658 Savoy Declaration of Faith and Order.
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 confession, for reasons which seemed of weight both to themselves and others, choose not only to express their mind in words concurrent with the former and sense concerning all those articles wherein they were agreed, but also for the most part, without any variation of the terms, we did in like manner conclude it best to follow their example in making use of the very same words with them both. In these articles, which are very many, wherein our faith and doctrine is the same with theirs, and this we did the more abundantly to manifest our consent with both, in all the fundamental articles of the Christian religion, as also with many others whose orthodox confessions have been published to the world on behalf of the Protestants in diverse nations and cities. 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 hath 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 in some places added, some terms omitted, and some few change, but these alterations are of that nature as that we need not doubt any charge or suspicion of unsoundness in the faith for many 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 observed those rules of modesty and humility as will render our freedom in this respect inoffensive even to those whose sentiments are different from ours. We have also taken care to affix texts of scripture in the margin 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 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 the liberty of an ingenuous unfolding our principles and opening our hearts unto our brethren with the scripture grounds on which our faith and practice leans will by none of them be either denied to us or taken ill from us. Our whole design is accomplished if we may obtain 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 which with our hearts we must firmly believe and sincerely endeavor to conform our lives to and oh that other contentions being laid asleep the only care and contention of all upon whom the name of our blessed Redeemer is called might for the future be to walk humbly with their God and in the exercise of all love and meekness towards 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. and 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 in our day, which we cannot but touch upon and earnestly 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, that their tender years might be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures. and also by their own omission of prayer and other duties of religion in their families, together with the ill example of their loose conversation, have inured them first to a neglect and then contempt of all piety and religion. We know this will not excuse the blindness or wickedness of any, but certainly it will fall heavy upon those who have thus been the occasion thereof. They indeed die in their sins, but will not their blood be required of those under whose care they were, who yet permitted them to go on without warning, yea, led them into the paths of destruction?
And will not the diligence of Christians with respect to the discharge of these duties in ages past rise up in judgment against and condemn many of those who would be esteemed such now, we shall conclude with our earnest prayer that the 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.
Introduction
I don't want us to underestimate or to undervalue the excellence of that letter that we just read. Again, this is the epistle, the introductory words to our confession of faith, and they're packed with glorious things. Not a dry adherence to articles of religion, but an invitation and an encouragement unto a whole-souled owning of that truth and a demonstration of the veracity and the glory of the truth in our lives, in our homes, in our churches, and unto the end that we might glorify God in all things. You can see behind you here, this is the result of a chat GPT prompt. of information and basically the historical background of the Confession of Faith.
The Confession of Faith, of course, is commonly called the 1689, but it is more properly the 1677 Confession of Faith. which was published during a time where the particular Baptists, amongst others, were persecuted by the Church of England for their dissenting from the Church of England. At the time, there was something called the Clarendon Code, which across the course of five years essentially penalized anyone who did not conform to the strictures of the Church of England. And so the particular Baptists in 1677 They published the Confession of Faith in response to the errors of Thomas Collier. Essentially, one of the reasons they published it was that one of their own had deviated from the faith once for all delivered to the saints, and so they responded in like kind, first by Nehemiah Cox, a young particular Baptist who wrote Vindiciae Veritatis in 1677, which is simply the vindication of truth against Collier's heresies, and then the Confession was published the same year.
It was republished in 1688. Once the Act of Toleration was passed, particular Baptists, Congregationalists, dissenting Presbyterians could sort of come out of the woodwork, if you will, and confess publicly the faith once for all delivered. And so it was officially owned at the General Assembly in 1689 with signatories and with the republication of the Confession of Faith. So that's just some of the history.
I won't read through it all. But notably, the First London Confession of Faith, published in 1644. It says the second edition of the First London. That doesn't mean the Second London.
That's 1677. That's just the second edition of the First Confession, revised in 1646. And then, of course, our confession in 1677. You can see in 1646, the Westminster Confession of Faith, our particular Baptist forebears refer to them as that assembly, which they followed in the way of doctrine.
And then in 1658, at the top right, the Savoy Declaration, the particular Baptists followed them in like kind, with the only exception essentially being the doctrine of baptism. Okay, so you can see in your copy of this letter, I've put bolded text prepended by a number in brackets with two asterisks around it. That's just some of the things that we're going to look at here in an introduction. to the confession of faith with the time that remains. So,
Five C's of the Epistle
just some observations on this introductory epistle, and just five C's that hopefully can guide us as we work through this. Five C words, and those are continuity, catholicity, candor, confirmation and conversation. And I'll refer to these numbers as we move through. So first of all, with regards to continuity, in number one,
Continuity: The First London Confession
we have the first confession and its purpose. We see, we read that diverse of us did conceive ourselves to be under necessity. That's just before that bolded portion. And then you can see that there's a twofold aim with regards to the first London Confession.
Information for those who did not thoroughly understand and satisfaction for those who held prejudices. So the publication of the First London was for, essentially, that twofold reason. Those who didn't understand what the Baptists believed, the particular Baptists, there were a lot of what, as they say, misapprehensions of us and them at the end of that bolded text. There were those who had false understanding of what the particular Baptists were. they thought perhaps they were like the Anabaptists who were radical reformers outside of the pale of orthodoxy and so they publish the first London in order to to answer those misapprehensions.
There was, there is a the cause of the prejudice. As we read here, you can read that there was a strange representation of them by some men of note. That is, a strange representation of what the Baptists believe by certain notable theologians and pastors of a different persuasion. And so it's issued first London in the name of seven congregations, then gathered in London.
And it was the outcome of, as we can read in that bolded text, men eminent for both piety and learning. and to basically communicate that the Baptists were in no way guilty of those heterodoxies and fundamental errors that they were being charged of. So then
Continuity: Occasion for the Second London
there's this occasion for a new confession, the confession which is ours, and the confession which this letter introduces, and that's number two. If you see bolded section number two, there is an occasion for a new confession. And there are two reasons given for the publication of the new confession, our Second London Confession of Faith. And those two reasons are these.
First, that the earlier confession, the First London Confession of Faith, is, quote, not now commonly to be had. And so it was scarce. It was hard to find. It was published, but it was no longer commonly to be had, as they said, and also for the reason of many others have since embraced the truth.
So the first London can't really be found, it's scarce, and a number of others have come to believe what the particular Baptists believe, and so they thought it good to publish another confession in order to answer those two things, the absence of the first, and also for the fact that some more had embraced the truth. Just pausing for a moment and to see a larger scope of the reason why the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith was published. It was a renewed Baptist testimony for three things. First, for a new generation that lacked the old confession.
B, against a heterodox voice that was preaching in the West of London, you can see 1674, 1676, Thomas Collier, a heretic who came from out of the particular Baptist ranks who was preaching a bad doctrine of salvation and a bad doctrine, not just bad, but a terrible doctrine of salvation and a terrible doctrine of the Trinity and of Christ. Rejecting the deity of Christ and teaching gross error with regards to the Trinity. And so, again, a new generation lacked the old confession against a heterodox voice from within their own circles, and then C, to demonstrate that they stood alongside fellow presidents, presidents? Alongside fellow Protestants who were enduring a common persecution.
They wanted to demonstrate their fidelity and their solidarity with the members of the Assembly, that is Westminster Presbyterians, and also, as they say, those of the congregational way, again, in order to, along with those who were persecuted, demonstrate their fellow, their common faith with them. And so getting back to this paragraph 2, which again is the occasion for a new confession. The first was not commonly to be had, and there were many others who had since embraced the truth, and so they publish a new confession of faith. This new work is, quote, a testimony to the world of, quote, firm adhering to those wholesome principles.
It's sort of a 1 Peter 3.15 reality, a demonstration to those who are watching of their faithfulness in the faith which is once for all delivered to the saints. While it's a new work and a new publication, it is an old faith. the particular Baptists are reaching back to those before them in order to hold that deposit, that theological heritage of truth, for their own generation, but also that it might be propagated to future generations. Essentially, when we think of confessional Christianity, it is simply the expectation of the exhortative content of the apostolic letters. For example, when Paul writes to Timothy, he exhorts that his beloved son, 2 Timothy 1-2, and true son in the faith, 1 Timothy 1-2, he exhorts him to hold fast the pattern of sound words which he has heard from Paul, and to keep by the Holy Spirit that good thing which was committed to him. 2 Timothy 1, 13 to 14.
That's essentially what confessional Christianity is doing. It's holding fast the pattern of sound words, and by the Holy Spirit, keeping that good thing which was committed to him. And when Paul writes that, to keep that good thing which was committed to him, he's not saying keep it internally and just keep it to yourself. but to hold it, to defend it, to propagate it, and to ensure that your generation and future generations are not estranged from it. You can
Creeds and Confessions as Articulation of Scripture
turn with me, in fact, for a moment in the Old Testament to the book of Nehemiah, because not only does this apply to preaching, But this applies as well and some have noted that it applies also to creeds and confessions. In Nehemiah 8, notice what we see here with regards to Preaching, but also as it applies to creeds and confessions. Nehemiah 8 and verse 6. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.
Then all the people answered, Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands, and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Now look at verse 8. So they read distinctly from the book in the law of God, and they gave the sense and helped them to understand the reading. You see here what preaching does, first off, is it takes the Word of God and the preacher gives the sense of the text, using words outside of the Bible in order to articulate what is inside the Bible.
And creeds and confessions are doing the same thing. A confession of faith is not something outside and external to the Bible that is somehow in opposition or added to it in Protestant profession of faith. It is simply what the Bible says. When someone asks us the question, what does the Bible say with regards to its doctrine, we can simply hand them the confession of faith.
This is what the Bible says. And so when people are contra creed, contra confessions, I would say that, you know, as long as the creed and the confession is accurate, obviously Thomas Collier's confession is not good, but wholesome creeds and wholesome confessions are simply the summation and the articulation of what the Bible says on particular heads of theology. What does the Bible say with regards to God? What does the Bible say with regards to Christ?
What does the Bible say with regards to man in sin, man in a state of grace, man in a state of glory? What does the Bible say with regards to the blessed reality of salvation, justification by faith alone, adoption, all of those blessed pieces of the salvation that Christ has perfectly afforded us. And so the occasion for a new confession, and that reality of Nehemiah 8, it's essentially what Philip does in Acts chapter 8 with the Ethiopian. Remember that occasion.
Philip is walking along and the Ethiopian eunuch comes along and the Ethiopian eunuch is reading from the book of Isaiah. He's reading specifically, well, and what Philip responds to is the Ethiopian eunuch's reading of Isaiah 53. Who is this man of sorrows acquainted with grief? And so Philip does what Nehemiah says.
He gives the Ethiopian the sense of what that is. It's not speaking of the nation of Israel. It's not speaking of any other man, save for the God-man, Jesus Christ, who came into this world, sinners to save. So Philip does what that Nehemiah proclamation, and that's what confessions do.
So moving along, we see next, well, just with regards to the creation of the new confession, there's a key qualification here. The method and manner is different in the Second London Confession of Faith. They say that it doth vary from the former, although the substance of the matter is the same. That's an important statement, because some believe that those who subscribe to the First London had a little bit of a different theology than those who subscribe to the Second London.
But notice, though the method and manner of the articulation is different, the substance of the matter is the same. It's the same doctrine, it's just simply presented differently. It follows the Westminster and the Savoy chapter structure and theology structure, but with some differences, as we will see. So that is the continuity.
It's the same as the London, as far as substance, just presented a little bit differently, and it is for a testimony to the world of the Baptists' firm adhering to those wholesome principles of doctrine and practice. Next, we have the C heading.
Catholicity: Universal Reformed Consensus
Secondly, Catholicity. Catholicity simply means a universal reality to the faith, a Catholic faith, not Roman Catholic, but the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, like we read in the Apostles' Creed. It is universal. The doctrine is held by Christians throughout geography and throughout chronology, throughout the earth and throughout time, There is a Christianity that is held that is a common faith to all.
And with regards to this Catholicity, and number four in the letter, we see the adoption of the Westminster and Savoy order and wording. The language that we read there is, and finding no defect in this regard in that fixed on by the assembly, that's number four, and after them by those of the congregational way, we did readily conclude it best to retain the same order in our present confession. So they follow the Presbyterians and the Congregationalists. Those things fixed on by the Assembly and the Congregational way, they follow.
And there is a precedent here of using the very same words with them both, and that is, where doctrine agrees, and they say, which are very many. The very high percentage of what they retain from the Presbyterians and Congregationalists, it's significant. It's definitely more than 80%. The differences that we see, of course, are on the doctrine of baptism.
The Presbyterians and the Congregationalists were both Paedo-Baptist Christians, so we differ, and that's what we'll see here in a moment under the heading of candor. We have a such similarity with those of the assembly in the congregational way that we followed their wording the same words with them both which are very many as the letter says and the purpose. Of this Catholicity, the purpose of adhering to that faith once for all delivered is, quote, to manifest our consent with both the Westminsterians and the Congregationalists in all the fundamental articles of the Christian religion. It's a wonderful collegial, friendly statement.
They're not anathematizing the Paedo-Baptists, not at all. They're speaking with regards to hearty agreement in wholesome Protestant doctrine. They're speaking with regards to using the very same words to manifest their consent with both in all the fundamental articles of the Christian religion. There is this wider consent as well.
Probably what could be in view is the continental reformed, those of the three forms. Notice the language is that they're in concert with Protestant confessions in diverse nations and cities whose Orthodox confessions, right before number five there, whose Orthodox confessions have been published to the world. So not only are they in union with the Presbyterians and the Congregationalists on the island, that is in England and Wales and elsewhere there on the island, but also on the continent with the Reformers there, with the Reformed that were there, and probably specifically the Netherlands, but elsewhere as well. Germany, et cetera.
So Catholicity, particular Baptists placed themselves deliberately inside the Reformed Protestant consensus. They didn't see themselves as outliers. They didn't see themselves as external to that tradition, but deliberately placed themselves inside the Reformed Protestant consensus. So that's the adoption of the Westminster and Savoy order and wording. under Catholicity.
Secondly, under Catholicity,
Catholicity: No New Words
we also see that there are no new words. They adhere to the form of sound words, as we read from Paul's letter to Timothy. The language is glorious. It's one of my favorite statements in the entirety of the Confession, in number five there, right at the beginning of number five, and also to convince all that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but do readily acquiesce, that is, to rest in comfortably readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which hath been, in consent with the Holy Scriptures, used by others before us.
And this emphasis here as well, hereby declaring before God, angels, and men, another quote from the Scriptures, a citation from the Scriptures, our hearty agreement with them in that wholesome Protestant doctrine with which so clear evidence of Scriptures they have asserted. So there is this desire not to be novel, The novelty bad. Tradition, good. That is, hearty, wholesome, Protestant tradition is good.
They had no itch to clog religion with new words. It's a stance against doctrinal novelty, which was all around them. The Anabaptists, the Socinians on the continent, but also men like Thomas Collier, men like John Biddle and John Best, who were propagating an anti-Trinitarian essentially Aryan Christianity, and so it was necessary, and it's necessary for us. I mean, we should heartily cheer these words, and we ought to have a like mind.
We have no itch to clog religion with new words, but we want to rest comfortably in the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints, that form of sound words, 2 Timothy 1, used in consent with the Holy Scriptures. They're simply doing what the particular Baptists are doing is the same as what their forebears did at Chalcedon in 451. The opening of the definition of Chalcedon is, we then, following the Holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess. That's what the particular Baptists were doing in the 17th century.
In consent with those before them and those around them who hold to the wholesome Protestant doctrine, they with one consent teach men to confess the truths that follow in the confession of faith. I think we ought to appreciate that theological language is inherited and stewarded. It's not invented. We shouldn't be scratching our heads and beards and trying to think of new ways to articulate things.
We have a blessed theological inheritance throughout the ages. When we think of confessions of faith, we ought to think of the ascended Christ, by his spirit, through those men gifted to the church, holding on to the deposit of blessed truth throughout the ages. And so a confession of faith, our confession of faith, is a result of that. It's the work of the ascended Christ, who by spirit-empowered men, protect and defend and proclaim the truth throughout the ages.
So no new words, but rather the form of sound words. And
Catholicity: Deliberate Alterations
thirdly, and lastly, under Catholicity, we have deliberate alterations. The language of number six, some things indeed are in some places added. some terms omitted, 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." Some of those things that that language is referring to Opening, for example, the opening sentence on scripture as the only sufficient certain and infallible rule in chapter 1, verse 1. The omission of sacrament and seal in chapters 28, 29, and 30. which we treated when we were in those chapters, and also the language of positive ordinances in Chapter 28, the subjects and mode of baptism in Chapter 29, of course, associational church governance in 2815, and then And then, of course, the addition of chapter 20, which is of the gospel in the extent of the grace thereof. They follow the Savoyans there, but those are some additions, omissions, and things changed which do not affect the holding of wholesome Protestant doctrine and ought not to incur by those who are different from them any charge, as they say, of suspicion or unsoundness in the faith.
So there are, while they hold largely to the Westminster and the Savoy, they deviate a little bit with deliberate alterations where they felt it necessary to proclaim the proper things on those not fundamental to the Christian faith as they had previously noted.
Candor: Openness and Plainness
Moving on then next to candor. And candor simply means, and they use the word here, they use the phrase candor and plainness. Candor simply means an openness of words without malice. Speaking plainly without hiding, you know, particular intentions in the background.
Saying plainly what you believe without concealment or evasion. And we see that in number seven. Well, we see it first in number three. There's this twofold two-fold design, apology and edification, a defense of the faith and an edification for the brethren, to give a full account of ourselves, it says, to those Christians that differ from us about the subject of baptism, and then edification, the profit that might from thence arise in instruction and the establishment of believers in the faith.
So there's this candor. This is what we're doing. There's candor not only in the apologetical round, that is, the defense of the truth and the edification of those who are like-minded, but also, notice this language with regards to candor. They wanted to, quote, express themselves more fully and distinctly in a comprehensive way or method.
So the Baptists aren't hiding things, they're not trying to be serpentine, but they're rather trying to express themselves openly and plainly, those truths which are most surely believed among them. And then there's this candor, not only in what they're doing, but also in difference. That is, all candor and plainness In number seven there, all candor and plainness so that nothing is secretly lodged in our breasts. They're not secretly holding back things while declaring another thing, or they're not not declaring things that they believe, but rather they're declaring everything that they believe with regards to those particular and chief heads of doctrine that marks Protestant Christianity.
This candor, this openness and plainness is tempered by, quote, rules of modesty and humility so as to be inoffensive even to those who differ. It's the stuff of Ephesians 4. There's this modesty and humility and an inoffensiveness in the way that they're approaching this. First, they're showing a hearty agreement with regards to Protestant doctrine, but then they're saying, this is where we differ, and we're doing so with all modesty and humility, in order that by our candor and plainness, it might be seen that we're inoffensive in our presentation of those things surely believed.
We see with regards to that candor and plainness, there are scripture proofs affixed in the margin, as they say, chosen as the most clear and pertinent texts for the doctrines that are articulated. So they're not just saying a thing, but they're saying something with regards to what the Bible says, and then giving proof texts that serve the purpose of those particular doctrines. And very often, as you may have heard before, those proof texts might not be so openly stating what a particular clause in the confession is saying, but rather it's a launching pad for further investigation into that particular truth. Sometimes it's not so clear.
You might go to a proof text and say, ah, what does this have to do with what I just read? But if you read a commentary on it, if you read a Gill, a Henry, a Poole, it would open up sort of an understanding like, oh yeah, I see what they're doing there with that particular statement. So they're saying things, they're concluding from the Bible, and then giving those biblical texts that support that particular conclusion. So there is, we could say on the part of the Baptist, a conviction and a charity that come together in the presentation of what they believe.
They have convictions, but it's in the spirit of charity that they are disclosing both agreement and difference.
Confirmation: The Berean Standard
Moving on then to the next C, number four, is confirmation. Confirmation. And this concerns also paragraph seven again, but paragraph eight, a candor indifference. We already noticed proof texts in the margin that they're articulating by a clarity and a plainness, a candor and a plainness, but then paragraph eight, but number eight, right at the bottom of the first page, we see the Berean example. that never enough commended example of the noble Bereans, a reference to Acts 17, and the Bereans who searched the scriptures daily to see if the apostolic declaration of the gospel and doctrine was right.
Testing by the scriptures, we see that in chapter one of the Confession of Faith. We test all things by the Scriptures. The Scriptures themselves are the sole infallible, inerrant, and inspired rule of all saving faith and knowledge and the final adjudicator of all controversies and doctrinal differences. And so they have the spirit of the Bereans and they want to know that the Confession of Faith is not extra-biblical in the sense of it's trying to conclude things that are outside of the Bible, but rather, yes, extra-biblical, it is a summary of what the Bible says.
Again, what does the Bible say? You can hand somebody the Second London Confession of Faith. So the Berean example, the confession The confession is pointing to the scriptures as the result of a Berean effort. The confessors invite testing, rather than asking for assent on their own authority.
So the particular Baptists are saying, this is what we believe, but not just saying, this is what we believe, so trust us, but rather, this is what we believe, and take it to the Holy Scriptures, and see if what we're saying is false. And
Conversation: Conduct Worthy of the Gospel
number five is conversation, remember. You've heard that recently from Pastor Butler in his preaching, that conversation in the old way of using it doesn't mean speaking, but it means the manner of walking. It means that Philippians 1, 27, conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we see it in number nine on the back of the page there.
We see not contention, but communion. We see a plea and a prayer, and they use the language here, that contention is most remote from our design. It's a wonderful statement. That contention is most remote from our design. presenting and publishing their confession of faith, they don't have a spirit of contention, they have a spirit of wholesome and plain profession of what the Bible says concerning doctrine.
It's a wonderful spirit for all Christians to have. Not a spirit of contention, not a spirit to be embattled all the time, not the spirit to jump on Twitter and Facebook and comment sections of blogs and just spew out your contention, Sometimes it's okay not to go to your keyboard. It's sometimes okay not to type things out and hit enter. I think we ought to think of the epistle here and the spirit of the particular Baptists.
It is one not of contention. Contention is most remote from their design. They ask for justice to be judged according to what we have now published. They openly present it and asked to be judged according to what they have presented.
And they set themselves before the terror of the Lord, if you will. Notice they use the language of God as that witness, quote, whose eyes are as a flame of fire from the book of Revelation. The Lord whose eyes are as a flame of fire is called to be a witness to their sincerity of doctrine. And they pray that other contentions being laid asleep, that the church would pursue five particular things, and just very quickly.
First, walking humbly with their God. It's a Micah 6. Reference, love and meekness towards each other. We see that in the apostolic letters such as Ephesians.
Perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. Again, all of these quoting scripture. Conversations such as becometh the gospel. That's the Philippians 127.
And then true religion and undefiled, a quote from the book of James. So they pray that any contentions would be laid asleep and that the church would pursue those things. Humility, love and meekness, holiness, sound conversation, true and undefiled religion in the sight of God. And
Reformation Begins at Home
number 10, we see Reformation begins at home. Family worship. In this backsliding day, they say, they refuse the fruitless complaints of the evils of others and instead call to action this beginning of catechetical instruction at home. If the home is absent from the Christian religion, that is a cause of what they say of backsliding in this day.
The church is central to Christianity. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than the dwelling places of Jacob. The home is nevertheless an important place, and they refer to the catechetical instruction of those in their tender years, or those in their younger years, that in their tender years it might be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed. And then they give this wonderful closing prayer.
We shall conclude with our earnest prayer that the 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. As we work through the confession of faith, we ought to hopefully roll around these things in our minds. these aspects of the confession that come from this particular epistle in the spirit of the particular Baptists, which is one to defend the truth, to defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints, to propagate that truth, to ensure that future generations inherit that truth, and to buy that truth and for the glory of the God of that truth, so conduct themselves in a manner of humility, love, meekness, and the reverent fear of God in all holiness before that one whose eyes are as a flame of fire. That should be our spirit, our activity, our hope, and our prayer.
Well, let us pray, and then if you have any questions, we do have five minutes remaining. Let's pray.
Closing Prayer
God, we thank you for this time briefly reading through this particular letter. We thank you that it is rich with Bible, rich with a focus upon the Spirit, the declarations, the exhortations of the Holy Scriptures. And we pray as we work through our confession of faith once again for the 13th time that you would help us to rejoice in the truth, to glory in what God has revealed in the Holy Scriptures, to humbly receive those things that our precious triune God has revealed to the sons and daughters of men. And we pray that you'd go with us into worship, help us to honor you and to praise you and to be whole-souled focused on the things of our blessed God.
And we pray in the name of Christ, amen.
Questions and Answers
Any questions about any of that that we covered? Any questions about our stuff? Yes, Leslie. I'm just curious whether all year produces Did he correct any sort of oddities or did he double down?
He doubled down, yeah. He doubled down and it actually, so yeah, he got worse as he went along. Nehemiah Cox, his confutation is essentially because of an additional word to the body of divinity. His first edition, Collier's, was bad, but it got worse.
It was a progressive, really from the 1640s, the mid 1640s, all the way through to the mid 1670s, Collier was progressively getting worse and worse and worse. In the western, in the west country, so west of London, he did have a faithful following who were with him to the end, yeah. the independents, what was their, are they Presbyterians, or were they just practicing in a non, you know, the hierarchy of the Presbyterians? Yeah, they were like the Presbyterians, but they had essentially our form of church government. They would be like infant sprinkling particular Baptists.
They were very close to the particular Baptists. Our confession takes a lot of what they articulated, but that's essentially the only difference is Sprinkley. And some of them held to a covenant theology that might have been more Presbyterian. John Owen didn't.
John Owen was a Congregationalist and Independent. Thomas Goodwin is another notable independent, but yeah, they were like Presbyterians, but with our church government. Yeah. Yeah.
What's the difference between the first and second edition of the first London? Yeah, I can't really speak too intelligently to that. They made just some subtle modifications. It wasn't significant, but I'd have to refer to maybe some of Renaghan's stuff.
I can't recall what the difference was, but I know it wasn't substantial. It was fairly minimal. One more thing. What was the general conclusion?
After this was published by the Protestants, how did they perceive the particular Baptist in London? Yeah. Some were like, okay, that's cool. We had misapprehensions.
Some were just, you know, some were still oppositional. If you read some, especially because of the chapter on baptism, Presbyterians didn't, while they may have renounced the charges of being anabaptist to a certain degree because the confession is so close to theirs. Nevertheless, there was still a railing against them because of the doctrine of baptism. But it did certainly clear up things with some.
But with others, they didn't necessarily double down, but they just remained in opposition. Anything else? Yeah, it was, what church, let's see, do I have that here? I think I might have had it.
He was sent, I think, by the Petit France Church in the 1640s. to plant churches in the West country and to minister in the West country of London. So yeah, he was, he came from a particular Baptist church, but then, but then slowly deviated to gross error. Yeah. What was the gross error of?
So he, he had a, probably the worst one was his doctrine of Christ. He's saying that Christ is, is only the son of God in both natures. Essentially, He essentially became Aryan with his doctrine of Christ. He came to the point where he essentially renounced limited atonement in some of the articles of Calvinism.
He basically became an Arminian Aryan. Thanks everybody. Appreciate it.