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The French Confession of 1559
The French subjects who wish
to live in the purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To the
King.
Sire, we thank God that hitherto
having had no access to your Majesty to make known the rigor of the
persecutions that we have suffered, and suffer daily, for wishing to live in
the purity of the Gospel and in peace with our own consciences, he now permits
us to see that you wish to know the worthiness of our cause, as is shown by the
last Edict given at Amboise in the month of March of this present year, 1559,
which it has pleased your Majesty to cause to be published. This emboldens us
to speak, which we have been prevented from doing hitherto through the
injustice and violence of some of your officers, incited rather by hatred of us
than by love of your service. And to the end, Sire, that we may fully inform
your Majesty of what concerns this cause, we humbly beseech that you will see
and hear our Confession of Faith, which we present to you, hoping that it will
prove a sufficient answer to the blame and opprobrium unjustly laid upon us by
those who have always made a point of condemning us without having any
knowledge of our cause. In the which, Sire, we can affirm that there is nothing
contrary to the Word of God, or to the homage which we owe to you.
For the articles of our faith, which are all
declared at some length in our Confession, all come to this: that since God has
sufficiently declared his will to us through his Prophets and Apostles, and
even by the mouth of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we owe such respect and
reverence to the Word of God as shall prevent us from adding to it any thing of
our own, but shall make us conform entirely to the rules it prescribes. And
inasmuch as the Roman Church, forsaking the use and customs of the primitive
Church, has introduced new commandments and a new form of worship of God, we
esteem it but reasonable to prefer the commandments of God, who is himself
truth, to the commandments of men, who by their nature are inclined to deceit
and vanity. And whatever our enemies may say against us, we can declare this
before God and men, that we suffer for no other reason than for maintaining our
Lord Jesus Christ to be our only Savior and Redeemer, and his doctrine to be
the only doctrine of life and salvation.
And
this is the only reason, Sire, why the executioners' hands have been stained so
often with the blood of your poor subjects, who, sparing not their lives to
maintain this same Confession of Faith, have shown to all that they were moved
by some other spirit than that of men, who naturally care more for their own
peace and comfort than for the honor and glory of God.
And therefore, Sire, in accordance with your
promises of goodness and mercy toward your poor subjects, we humbly beseech
your Majesty graciously to examine the cause for which, being threatened at all
times with death or exile, we thus lose the power of rendering the humble
service that we owe you. May it please your Majesty, then, instead of the fire
and sword which have been used hitherto, to have our Confession of Faith
decided by the Word of God: giving permission and security for this. And we
hope that you yourself will be the judge of our innocence, knowing that there
is in us no rebellion or heresy whatsoever, but that our only endeavor is to
live in peace of conscience, serving God according to his commandments, and
honoring your Majesty by all obedience and submission.
And because we have great need, by the
preaching of the Word of God, to be kept in our duty to him, as well as to
yourself, we humbly beg, Sire, that we may sometimes be permitted to gather
together, to be exhorted to the fear of God by his Word, as well as to be
confirmed by the administration of the Sacraments which the Lord Jesus Christ
instituted in his Church. And if it should please your Majesty to give us a
place where any one may see what passes in our assemblies, we shall thereby be
absolved from the charge of the enormous crimes with which these same
assemblies have been defamed. For nothing will be seen but what is decent and
well-ordered, and nothing will be heard but the praise of God, exhortations to
his service, and prayers for the preservation of your Majesty and of your
kingdom. And if it do not please you to grant us this favor, at least let it be
permitted us to follow the established order in private among ourselves.
We beseech you most humbly, Sire, to believe
that in listening to this supplication which is now presented to you, you
listen to the cries and groans of an infinite number of your poor subjects, who
implore of your mercy that you extinguish the fires which the cruelty of your
judges has lighted in your kingdom. And that we may thus be permitted, in
serving your Majesty, to serve him who has raised you to your power and
dignity.
And if it should not please you,
Sire, to listen to our voice, may it please you to listen to that of the Son of
God, who, having given you power over our property, our bodies, and even our
lives, demands that the control and dominion of our souls and consciences,
which he purchased with his own blood, be reserved to
him.
We beseech him, Sire, that he may lead
you always by his Spirit, increasing with your age, your greatness and power,
giving you victory over all your enemies, and establishing forever, in all
equity and justice, the throne of your Majesty: before whom, may it please him
that we find grace, and some fruit of this our present supplication, so that
having exchanged our pains and afflictions for some peace and liberty, we may
also change our tears and lamentations into a perpetual thanksgiving to God,
and to your Majesty for having done that which is most agreeable to him, most
worthy of your goodness and mercy, and most necessary for the preservation of
your most humble and obedient subjects and servants.
Confession of Faith made in one accord by the
French people, who desire to live according to the purity of the Gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ. A. D. 1559.
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Article I.
We
believe and confess that there is but one God, who is one sole and simple
essence, spiritual, eternal, invisible, immutable, infinite, incomprehensible,
ineffable, omnipotent; who is all-wise all-good, all-just, and all-merciful.
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Article II.
As
such this God reveals himself to men; firstly, in his works, in their creation,
as well as in their preservation and control. Secondly, and more clearly, in
his Word, which was in the beginning revealed through oracles, and which was
afterward committed to writing in the books which we call the Holy
Scriptures.
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Article III.
These Holy Scriptures are comprised in the canonical books of
the Old and New Testaments, as follows: the five books of Moses, namely:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; then Joshua, Judges, Ruth,
the first and second books of Samuel, the first and second books of the Kings,
the first and second books of the Chronicles, otherwise called Paralipomenon,
the first book of Ezra; then Nehemiah, the book of Esther, Job, the Psalms of
David, the Proverbs or Maxims of Solomon; the book of Ecclesiastes, called the
Preacher, the Song of Solomon; then the book of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations
of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zecharaiah, Malachi; then the Holy Gospel
according to St. Mathew, according to St. Mark, according to St. Luke,
according to St. John; then the second book of St. Luke, otherwise called the
Acts of the Apostles; then the Epistles of St. Paul: one to the Romans, two to
the Corinthians, one to the Galatians, one to the Ephesians, one to the
Philippians, one to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy,
one to Titus, one to Philemon; then the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of
St. James, the first and second Epistles of St. Peter, the first, second, and
third Epistles of St. John, the Epistle of St. Jude; and then the Apocalypse,
or Revelation of St. John.
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Article IV. We know
these books to be canonical, and the sure rule of our faith, not so much by the
common accord and consent of the Church, as by the testimony and inward
illumination of the Holy Spirit, which enables us to distinguish them from
other ecclesiastical books upon which, however useful, we can not found any
articles of faith.
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Article V.
We
believe that the Word contained in these books has proceeded from God, and
receives its authority from him alone, and not from men. And inasmuch as it is
the rule of all truth, containing all, that is necessary for the service of God
and for our salvation, it is not lawful for men, nor even for angels, to add to
it, to take away from it, or to change it. Whence it follows that no authority,
whether of antiquity, or custom, or numbers, or human wisdom, or judgments, or
proclamations, or edicts, or decrees, or councils, or visions, or miracles,
should be opposed to these Holy Scriptures, but, on the contrary, all things
should be examined, regulated, and reformed according to them. And therefore we
confess the three creeds, to with: the Apostles', the Nicene, and the
Athanasian, because they are in accordance with the Word of God.
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Article VI.
These
Holy Scriptures teach us that in this one sole and simple divine essence, whom
we have confessed, there are three Persons: the Father, Son, and the Holy
Spirit. The Father, first cause, principle, and origin of all things. The Son,
his Word and eternal wisdom. The Holy Spirit, his virtue, power, and efficacy.
The Son begotten from eternity by the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeding
eternally from them both; the three persons not confused, but distinct, and yet
not separate, but of the same essence, equal in eternity and power. And in this
we confess that which has been established by the ancient councils, and we
detest all sects and heresies which were rejected by the holy doctors, such as
St. Hilary, St. Athanasius, St. Ambrose, and St. Cyril.
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Article VII.
We
believe that God, in three co-working persons, by his power, wisdom, and
incomprehensible goodness, created all things, not only the heavens and the
earth and all that in them is, but also invisible spirits, some of whom have
fallen away and gone into perdition, while others have continued in obedience.
That the first, being corrupted by evil, are enemies of all good, consequently
of the whole Church. The second, having been preserved by the grace of God, are
ministers to glorify God's name, and to promote the salvation of his elect.
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Article VIII.
We
believe that he not only created all things, but that he governs and directs
them, disposing and ordaining by his sovereign will all that happens in the
world; not that he is the author of evil, or that the guilt of it can imputed
to him, as his will is the sovereign and infallible rule of all right and
justice; but he has wonderful means of so making use of devils and sinners that
he can turn to good the evil which they do, and of which they are guilty. And
thus, confessing that the providence of God orders all things, we humbly bow
before the secrets which are hidden to us, without questioning what is above
our understanding; but rather making use of what is revealed to us in Holy
Scripture for our peace and safety, inasmuch as God, who has all things in
subjection to him, watches over us with a Father's care, so that not a hair of
our heads shall fall without his will. And Yet he restrains the devils and all
our enemies, so that they can not harm us without his leave.
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Article IX.
We
believe that man was created pure and perfect in the image of God, and that by
his own guilt he fell from the grace which he received, and is thus alienated
from God, the fountain of justice and of all good, so that his nature is
totally corrupt. And being blinded in mind, and depraved in heart, he has lost
all integrity, and there is no good in him. And although he can still discern
good and evil, we say, notwithstanding, that the light he has becomes darkness
when he seeks for God, so that he can in nowise approach him by his
intelligence and reason. And although he has a will that incites him to do this
or that, yet it is altogether captive to sin, so that he has no other liberty
to do right than that which God gives him.
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Article X.
We
believe that all the posterity of Adam is in bondage to original sin, which is
an hereditary evil, and not an imitation merely, as was declared by the
Pelagians, whom we detest in their errors. And we consider that it is not
necessary to inquire how sin was conveyed from one man to another, for what God
had given Adam was not for him alone, but for all his posterity; and thus in
his person we have been deprived of all good things, and have fallen with him
into a state of sin and misery.
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Article XI.
We
believe, also, that this evil is truly sin, sufficient for the condemnation of
the whole human race, even of little children in the mother's womb, and that
God considers it as such; even after baptism it is still of the nature of sin,
but the condemnation of it is abolished for the children of God, out of his
mere free grace and love. And further, that it is a perversity always producing
fruits of malice and of rebellion, so that the most holy men, although they
resist it, are still stained with many weaknesses and imperfections while they
are in this life.
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Article XII.
We
believe that from this corruption and general condemnation in which all men are
plunged, God, according to his eternal and immutable counsel, calls those whom
he has chosen by his goodness and mercy alone in our Lord Jesus Christ, without
consideration of their works, to display in them the riches of his mercy;
leaving the rest in this same corruption and condemnation to show in them his
justice. For the ones are no better than the others, until God discerns them
according to his immutable purpose which he has determined in Jesus Christ
before the creation of the world. Neither can any man gain such a reward by his
own virtue, as by nature we can not have a single good feeling, affection, or
though, except God has first put it into our hearts.
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Article XIII.
We
believe that all that is necessary for our salvation was offered and
communicated to us in Jesus Christ. He is given to us for our salvation, and
'is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption:' so that if we refuse him, we renounce the mercy of the Father, in
which alone we can find a refuge.
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Article XIV.
We
believe that Jesus Christ, being the wisdom of God and his eternal Son, has put
on our flesh, so as to be God and man in one person; man, like unto us, capable
of suffering in body and soul, yet free from all stain of sin. And as to his
humanity, he was the true seed of Abraham and of David, although he was
conceived by the secret power of the Holy Spirit. In this we detest all the
heresies that have of old troubled the Church, and especially the diabolical
conceits of Servetus, which attribute a fantastical divinity to the Lord Jesus,
calling him the idea and pattern of all things, and the personal or figurative
Son of God, and, finally, attribute to him a body of three uncreated elements,
thus confusing and destroying the two natures.
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Article XV.
We
believe that in one person, that is, Jesus Christ, the two natures are actually
and inseparably joined and united, and yet each remains in its proper
character; so that in this union the divine nature, retaining its attributes,
remained uncreated, infinite, and all-pervading; and the human nature remained
finite, having its form, measure, and attributes; and although Jesus Christ, in
rising from the dead, bestowed immortality upon his body, yet he did not take
from it the truth of its nature, and wee so consider him in his divinity that
we do not despoil him of his humanity.
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Article XVI.
We
believe that God, in sending his Son, intended to show his love and inestimable
goodness towards us, giving him up to die to accomplish all righteousness, and
raising him from the dead to secure for us the heavenly life.
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Article XVII.
We
believe that by the perfect sacrifice that the Lord Jesus offered on the cross,
we are reconciled to God, and justified before; for we can not be acceptable to
him, nor become partakers of the grace of adoption, except as he pardons [all]
our sins, and blots them out. Thus we declare that through Jesus Christ we are
cleansed and made perfect; by his death we are fully justified, and through him
only can we be delivered from our iniquities and transgressions.
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Article XVIII.
We
believe that all our justification rests upon the remission of our sins, in
which also is our only blessedness, as says the Psalmist (Psa. 32:2). We
therefore reject all other means of justification before God, and without
claiming any virtue or merit, we rest simply in the obedience of Jesus Christ,
which is imputed to us as much to blot out all our sins as to make us find
grace and favor in the sight of God. And, in fact, we believe that in falling
away from this foundation, however slightly, we could not find rest elsewhere,
but should always be troubled. Forasmuch as we are never at peace with God till
we resolve to be loved in Jesus Christ, for of ourselves we are worthy of
hatred.
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Article XIX.
We
believe that by this means we have the liberty and privilege of calling upon
God, in full confidence that he will show himself a Father to us. For we should
have no access to the Father except through this Mediator. And to be heard in
his name, we must hold our life from him as from our chief.
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Article XX.
We
believe that we are made partakers of this justification by faith alone, as it
is written: 'He suffered for our salvation, that whosoever believes on him
should not perish.' And this is done inasmuch as we appropriate to our use the
promises of life which are given to us through him, and feel their effect when
we accept them, being assured that we are established by the Word of God and
shall not be deceived. Thus our justification through faith depends upon the
free promises by which God declares and testifies his love to us.
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Article XXI.
We
believe that we are enlightened in faith by the secret power of the Holy
Spirit, that it is a gratuitous and special gift which God grants to whom he
will, so that the elect have no cause to glory, but are bound to be doubly
thankful that they have been preferred to others. We believe also that faith is
not given to the elect only to introduce them into the right way, but also to
make them continue in it to the end. For as it is God who has begun the work,
he will also perfect it.
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Article XXII.
We
believe that by this faith we are regenerated in newness of life, being by
nature subject to sin. Now we receive by faith grace to live holily and in the
fear of God, in accepting the promise which is given to us by the Gospel,
namely: that God will give us his Holy Spirit. This faith not only does not
hinder us from holy living, or turn us from the love of righteousness, but of
necessity begets in us all good works. Moreover, although God works in us for
our salvation, and renews our hearts, determining us to that which is good, yet
we confess that the good works which we do proceed from his Spirit, and can not
be accounted to us for justification, neither do they entitle us to the
adoption of sons, for we should always be doubting and restless in our hearts,
if we did not rest upon the atonement by which Jesus Christ has acquitted
us.
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Article XXIII.
We
believe that the ordinances of the law came to an end at the advent of Jesus
Christ; but although the ceremonies are no more in use, yet their substance and
truth remain in the person of him in whom they are fulfilled. And, moreover, we
must seek aid from the law and the prophets for the ruling of our lives, as
well as for our confirmation in the promises of the gospel.
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Article XXIV.
We
believe, as Jesus Christ is our only advocate, and as he commands us to ask of
the Father in his name, and as it is not lawful for us to pray except in
accordance with the model God has taught us by his Word, that all imaginations
of men concerning the intercession of dead saints are an abuse and a device of
Satan to lead men from the right way of worship. We reject, also, all other
means by which men hope to redeem themselves before God, as derogating from the
sacrifice and passion of Jesus Christ. Finally, we consider purgatory as an
illusion proceeding from the same shop, from which have also sprung monastic
vows, pilgrimages, the prohibition of marriage, and of eating meat, the
ceremonial observance of days, auricular confession, indulgences, and all such
things by which they hope to merit forgiveness and salvation. These things we
reject, not only for the false idea of merit which is attached to them, but
also because they are human inventions imposing a yoke upon the conscience.
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Article XXV.
Now
as we enjoy Christ only through the gospel, we believe that the order of the
Church, established by his authority, ought to be sacred and inviolable, and
that, therefore, the Church can not exist without pastors for instruction, whom
we should respect and reverently listen to, when they are properly called and
exercise their office faithfully. Not that God is bound to such aid and
subordinate means, but because it pleases him to govern us by such restraints.
In this we detest all visionaries who would like, so far as lies in their
power, to destroy the ministry and preaching of the Word and sacraments.
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Article XXVI.
We
believe that no one ought to seclude himself and be contented to be alone; but
that all jointly should keep and maintain the union of the Church, and submit
to the public teaching, and to the yoke of Jesus Christ, wherever God shall
have established a true order of the Church, even if the magistrates and their
edicts are contrary to it. For if they do not take part in it, or if they
separate themselves from it, they do contrary to the Word of God.
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Article XXVII.
Nevertheless we believe that it is important to discern with care and
prudence which is the true Church, for this title has been much abused. We say,
then, according to the Word of God, that it is the company of the faithful who
agree to follow his Word, and the pure religion which it teaches; who advance
in it all their lives, growing and becoming more confirmed in the fear of God
according as they feel the want of growing and pressing onward. Even although
they strive continually, they can have no hope save in the remission of their
sins. Nevertheless we do not deny that among the faithful there may be
hypocrites and reprobates, but their wickedness can not destroy the title of
the Church.
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Article
XXVIII.
In this belief we declare that, properly speaking,
there can be no Church where the Word of God is not received, nor profession
made of subjection to it, nor use of the sacraments. Therefore we condemn the
papal assemblies, as the pure Word of God is banished from them, their
sacraments are corrupted, or falsified, or destroyed, and all superstitions and
idolatries are in them. We hold, then, that all who take part in those acts,
and commune in that Church, separate and cut themselves off from the body of
Christ. Nevertheless, as some trace of the Church is left in the papacy, and
the virtue and substance of baptism remain, and as the efficacy of baptism does
not depend upon the person who administers it, we confess that those baptized
in it do not need a second baptism. But, on account of its corruptions, we can
not present children to be baptized in it without incurring pollution.
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Article XXIX.
As
to the true Church, we believe that it should be governed according to the
order established by our Lord Jesus Christ. That there should be pastors,
overseers, and deacons, so that true doctrine may have its course, that errors
may be corrected and suppressed, and the poor who are in affliction may be
helped in their necessities; and that assemblies may be held in the name of
God, so that great and small may edified.
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Article XXX.
We
believe that all true pastors, wherever they may be, have the same authority
and equal power under one head, one only sovereign and universal bishop, Jesus
Christ; and that consequently no Church shall claim any authority or dominion
over any other.
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Article XXXI.
We
believe that no person should undertake to govern the Church upon his own
authority, but that this should be derived from election, as far as it is
possible, and as God will permit. And we make this exception especially,
because sometimes, and even in our own days, when the state of the Church has
been interrupted, it has been necessary for God to raise men in an
extraordinary manner to restore the Church which was in ruin and desolation.
But, notwithstanding, we believe that this rule must always be binding: that
all pastors, overseers, and deacons should have evidence of being called to
their office.
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Article XXXII.
We
believe, also, that it is desirable and useful that those elected to be
superintendents devise among themselves what means should be adopted for the
government of the whole body, and yet that they should never depart from that
which was ordained by our Lord Jesus Christ. Which does not prevent there being
some special ordinances in each place, as convenience may require.
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Article
XXXIII.
However, we reject all human inventions, and all laws
which men may introduce under the pretense of serving God, by which they wish
to bind consciences; and we receive only that which conduces to concord and
holds all in obedience, from the greatest to the least. In this we must follow
that which the Lord Jesus Christ declared as to excommunication, which we
approve and confess to be necessary with all its antecedents and
consequences.
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Article XXXIV.
We
believe that the sacraments are added to the Word for more ample confirmation,
that they may be to us pledges and seals of the grace of God, and by this means
aid and comfort our faith, because of the infirmity which is in us, and that
they are outward signs through which God operates by his Spirit, so that he may
not signify any thing to us in vain. Yet we hold that their substance and truth
is in Jesus Christ, and that of themselves they are only smoke and shadow.
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Article XXXV.
We
confess only two sacraments common to the whole Church, of which the first,
baptism, is given as a pledge of our adoption; for by it we are grafted into
the body of Christ, so as to be washed and cleansed by his blood, and then
renewed in purity of life by his Holy Spirit. We hold, also, that although we
are baptized only once, yet the gain that it symbolizes to us reaches over our
whole lives and to our death, so that we have a lasting witness that Jesus
Christ will always be our justification and sanctification. Nevertheless,
although it is a sacrament of faith and penitence, yet as God receives little
children into the Church with their fathers, we say, upon the authority of
Jesus Christ, that the children of believing parents should be baptized.
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Article XXXVI.
We
confess that the Lord's Supper, which is the second sacraments, is a witness of
the union which we have with Christ, inasmuch as he not only died and rose
again for us once, but also feeds and nourishes us truly with his flesh and
blood, so that we may be one in him, and that our life may be in common.
Although he be in heaven until he come to judge all the earth, still we believe
that by the secret and incomprehensible power of his Spirit he feeds and
strengthens us with the substance of his body and of his blood. We hold that
this is done spiritually, not because we put imagination and fancy in the place
of fact and truth, but because the greatness of this mystery exceeds the
measure of our senses and the laws of nature. In short, because it is heavenly,
it can only be apprehended by faith.
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Article
XXXVII.
We believe, as has been said, that in the Lord's
Supper, as well in baptism, God gives us really and in fact that which he there
sets forth to us; and that consequently with these signs is given the true
possession and enjoyment of that which they present to us. And thus all who
bring a pure faith, like a vessel, to the sacred table of Christ, receive truly
that of which it is a sign; for the body and the blood of Jesus Christ give
food and drink to the soul, no less than bread and wine nourish the body.
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Article
XXXVIII.
Thus we hold water, being a feeble element, still
testifies to us in truth the inward cleansing of our souls in the blood of
Jesus Christ by the efficacy of his Spirit, and that the bread and wine given
to us in the sacrament serve to our spiritual nourishment, inasmuch as they
show, as to our sight, that the body of Christ is our meat, and his blood our
drink. And we reject the Enthusiasts and Sacramentarians who will not receive
such signs and marks, although our Savior said: 'This is my body, and this cup
is my blood.'
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Article XXXIX.
We
believe that God wishes to have the world governed by laws and magistrates, so
that some restraint may be put upon its disordered appetites. And as he has
established kingdoms, republics, and all sorts of principalities, either
hereditary or otherwise, and all that belongs to a just government, and wishes
to be considered as their Author, so he has put the sword into the hands of
magistrates to suppress crimes against the first as well as against the second
table of the Commandments of God. We must therefore, on his account, not only
submit to them as superiors, but honor and hold them in all reverence as his
lieutenants and officers, whom he has commissioned to exercise a legitimate and
holy authority.
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Article XL.
We
hold, then, that we must obey their laws and statutes, pay customs, taxes, and
other dues, and bear the yoke of subjection with a good and free will, even if
they are unbelievers, provided that the sovereign empire of God remain intact.
Therefore we detest all those who would like to reject authority, to establish
community and confusion of property, and overthrow the order of justice.
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