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XXXIV. Of holy baptism.
We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, who is the end of the law,
hath made an end, by the shedding of his blood, of all other sheddings of
blood, which men could or would make as a propitiation or satisfaction for
sin: and that he, having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood,
hath instituted the sacrament of baptism instead thereof; by which
we are received into the church of God, and separated from all other people
and strange religions, that we may wholly belong to him, whose ensign and banner
we bear: and which serves as a testimony to us, that he will forever be our
gracious God and Father. Therefor he has commanded all those, who
are his, to be baptised with pure water, "in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Thereby signifying to us, that as water
washeth away the filth of the body, when poured upon it, and is seen on
the body of the baptised, when sprinkled upon him; so doth the blood of
Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost, internally sprinkle the soul, cleanse
it from its sins, and regenerate us from children of wrath, unto children of
God. Not that this is effected by the external water, but by the sprinkling
of the precious blood of the Son of God; who is our red sea, through which
we must pass, to escape the tyranny of Pharaoh, that is, the devil, and to
enter into the spiritual land of Canaan. Therefore the ministers, on their
part, administer the sacrament, and that which is visible, but our Lord
giveth that which is signified by the sacrament, namely, the gifts and invisible
grace; washing, cleansing and purging our souls of all filth and unrighteousness;
renewing our hearts, and filling them with all comfort; giving
unto us a true assurance of his fatherly goodness; putting on us the new man,
and putting off the old man with all his deeds. Therefore we believe, that
every man, who is earnestly studious of obtaining life eternal, ought to be but
once baptised with this only baptism, without ever repeating the same:
since we cannot be born twice. Neither doth this baptism only avail us, at
the time when the water is poured upon us, and received by us, but also
through the whole course of our life; therefore we detest the error of the
anabaptists, who are not content with the one only baptism they have once
received, and moreover condemn the baptism of the infants of unbelievers,
whom we believe ought to be baptised and sealed with the sign of the covenant,
as the children in Israel formerly were circumcised, upon the same promises,
which are made unto our children. And indeed Christ shed his blood no
less for the washing of the children of the faithful, than for adult persons;
and therefore they ought to receive the sign and sacrament of that, which
Christ hath done for them; as the Lord commanded in the law, that
they should be made partakers of the sacrament of Christ's suffering and
death, shortly after they were born, by offering for them a lamb, which
was a sacrament of Jesus Christ. Moreover, what circumcision was to the
Jews, baptism is to our children. And for this reason Paul calls baptism
the circumcision of Christ.
XXXV. Of the holy supper of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe and confess, that our Saviour Jesus Christ did ordain and institute
the sacrament of the holy supper, to nourish and support those
whom he hath already regenerated and incorporated into his family, which
is his church. Now those, who are regenerated, have in them a two-fold life,
the one corporal and temporal, which they have from the first birth,
and is common to all men: the other spiritual and heavenly, which is given
them in their second birth, which is effected by the word of the gospel, in
the communion of the body of Christ; and this life is not common, but is
peculiar to God's elect. In like manner God hath given us, for the support
of the bodily and earthly life, earthly and common bread, which is subservient thereto,
and is common to all men, even as life itself. But for the support of the spiritual
and heavenly life, which believers have, he hath sent a living bread, which descended from
heaven, namely, Jesus Christ,
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who nourishes and strengthens the spiritual life of believers, when they eat him,
that is to say, when they apply and receive him by faith in the spirit.
Christ, that be might represent unto us this spiritual and heavenly bread,
hath instituted an earthly and visible bread, an a sacrament of his body, and
wine as a sacrament if his blood, yo testify by them unto us, that as certainly
as we receive and hold this sacrament in our hands, and eat and
drink the same with our mouths, by which our life is afterwards nourished,
we also do as certainly receive by faith (which is the hand and mouth of
our soul) the Irue body and blood of Christ our only Saviour in our souls, for
the support of our spiritual life. Now, as it is certain and beyond all doubt,
that Jesus Christ hath not enjoined to us the use of his sacraments in vain,
so he works in us all that he represents to us by these holy signs, though the
manner surpasses our understanding, and cannot be comprehended by us,
as the operations of ihe Holy Ghost are hidden and incomprehensible. In
the mean time we err not, when we say, that what is eaten and drunk by us
is the proper and natural body, and the proper blood of Christ. But the
manner of our partaking of the same, is not by the mouth, but by the spirit
through faith. Thus then, though Christ always sits at the right hand of
his Father in the heavens, yeti doth he not therefore cease to make us partakers
of himself by faith. This feast is a spiritual table, at which Chriet
communicates himself with all his benefits to us, and gives us there to enjoy
both himself, and the merils of his suffering and death, nourishing,
strengthening and comforting our poor comfortless souls, by the eating of
his flesh, quickening and refreshing them by the drinking of his blood.
Further, though the sacraments are connected with the thing signified,
nevertheless both are not received by all men: the ungodly indeed receives
the sacrament to his condemnation, but he doth not receive the truth of the
sacrament. As Judas and Simon the sorcerer, both indeed received the
sacrament, but not Christ, who was signified by it, of whom believers only
are made partakers. Lastly, we receive this holy sacrament in the assembly
of the people of God, with humility and reverence, keeping up amongst
us a holy remembrance of the death of Christ our Saviour, with thanksgiving:
making there confession of our faith, and of the christian religion.
Therefore, no one ought to come to this table, without having previously
rightly examined himself; lest by eating of this bread and drinking of this
cup, he eat and drink judgment to himself. In a word, we are excited by
the use of this holy sacrament, to a fervent love towards God, and our
neighbour. Therefore we reject all mixtures and damnable inventions,
which men have added unto, and blended with the sacraments, as profanations
of them: and affirm that we ought to rest satisfied with the ordinance,
which Christ and his apostles have taught us, and that we must
speak of them in the same manner as they have spoken.
XXXVI. Of Magistrates.
We believe that our gracious God, because of the depravity of mankind,
hath appointed kings, princes and magistrates, willing that the world should
be governed by certain laws and policies; to the end that the dissoluteness
of men might be restrained, and all things carried on among them with good
order and decency. For this purpose he hath invested the magistracy with
the sword,
for the punishment of evil doers, and for the protection of
them that do well. And their office is, not only to have regard unto, and
watch for the welfare of the civil state; but also that they protect the sacred
ministry; and thus may remove and prevent all idolatry and false worship; that
the kingdom of antichrist may be thus destroyed, and the
kingdom of Christ promoted, They must therefore countenance the preaching
of the word of the gospel every where, that God may be honoured and
worshipped by every one, as he commands in his word. Moreover, it is
the bounden duty of every one, of what state, quality or condition soever
he may be, to subject himself to the magistrates; to pay tribute, to show
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