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and unfeignedly Pray, may be long and Glorious, with Roval Refolutions, Inviolably to maintain the Toleration.

Deus enim bec Otia fecit.

414

Undoubtedly if the fame had been the Liberty of thofe Times, our Fathers would have been far from Exchanging a moft pleafant Land (dulce folum patrie) for a vast and howling Wilderness; Since for the enjoyment of fo defirable Liberty a confiderable number of Learned, Worthy and Pious Perfons were by a Divine Impulfe and Extraordinary concurrence of Difpofitions engaged to adventure their Lives Families and Eftates upon the vaft Ocean, following the Lord into a Wilderness, a Land then not fown: Wherein Innumerable difficulties ftaring them in the Face were outbid by Heroick Refolution, Magnanimity & confidence in the Lord alone. † Our Fathers trufted in the Lord and were delivered, they trufted in bim and were not confounded. It was their care to be with the Lord, and their indulgence, * That the Lord was with them, to a Wonder preferving fu porting protecting and animating them; dilpatching and deftroying the Pagan Natives by extraordinary Sicknefs and Mortality, that there might be room for his People to ferve the Lord our God in. It was the Glory of our Fa

Ter.z.z +Pfal. 22.4,5

2 Chron. 15. 2. Pfal.80.8.9: thers,

thers, that they heartily profeffed the only Rule of their Religion from the very first to be the Holy Scripture, according whereunto, fo far as they were perfwaded upon diligent Inquiry, Solicitous fearch and faithful Prayer conformed was their Faith, their Worship together with the whole Administration of the Houle of Chrift, and their manners, allowance being given to humane Failures and Imperfections.

That which they were moft Solicitous about, and wherein their Liberty had been retrained, refpected the Worship of God and the Government of the Church of Chrift according to his own appointment, their Faith and Profession of Religion being the fame, which was generally received in all the Reformed Churches of Europe, and in Subftance the Affemblies Confeffion, as fhall be fhewn anon.

It cannot be denied, that the Ulage of the Chriftian Church whose Faith wholly refted upon the Word of God refpecting Confeffions of Faith is very Ancient and that which is univerfally, acknowledged to be molt fo, and of Univerfal acceptance and confent is commonly called the Apoftles Creed, a Symbol fign or Badge of the Chriftian Religion, called the Apostles, not because they compofed it, for then it muft have been received into the Canon of the Holy Bible, but because the mat

ter of it agreeth with the Doctrine & is taken out of the Writings of the Apostles. Confequent hereunto, as the neceffity of the Church for the Correcting Condenining & Suppreffing of Herefy & Error required, have been emitted Ancient and Famous Confeffions of Faith compofed and agreed upon by Oecumentcal Coun-, cils. e. g. Of Nice against Artius, of Conftantinople against Macedonius, of Ephefu against Neftorius, of Calcedon against Eutyches. And when the Light of Reformation broke forth to the difperfing of Popith darkness, the Reformed Nations agreed uponConfeffions of Faith, famous in the World & of efpecial fervice to theirs and fanding Ages. And among thofe of latter times Published in cur Nation moft worthy of Repute and Acceptance we take to be the Confeffion of Faith, Compofed by the Reverend Jembly of Divines Convened at Westminster, with that of the Savoy, in the subftance & in expreffions for the moft part the fame : the former† profeffedly affented & attefted to, by the Fathers of ourCountry by Unanimous Vote of the Synod of Elders & Meffengers of the Churches met at Cambridge the last of the 6th. Manib 1648. The latter owned and confented to by the Elders and Meffengers of the Churches Affembled at Boften. May 12th. 1680. The fame we doubt not to profefs to have been the conftant Faith of the

† See the Preface to the Platform of Church Difcipline.

Churches

Churches in this Colony from the first Foundation of them. And that it may appear to the Christian World, that our Churches do not maintain differing Opinions, in the Doctrine of Religion, nor are defirous for any reafon to conceal the Faith we are perfwaded of: The Elders and Meffengers of the Churches in this Colony of Connecticut in New-England, by vertue of the Appointment and Encouragement of the Honourable the General Affembly, Convened by Delegation at Say Brook, Sept. 9th. 1708. Unanimously agreed, that the Confeffion of Faith owned and Confented unto by the Elders and Meffengers of the Churches Afft mbled at Befion in New England May 12th. 1680. Being the fecond Seffion of that Synod be Recommended to the Honourable the General Affembly of this Colony at their next Seffion, for their Publick Teftimony thereto, as the Faith of the Churches of this Colony, which Confeffion together with the Heads of Union and Articles for the Adminiftration of Church Government here with emitted were Prefented unto and approved and eftablifhed. by the faid General Affembly at New Haven on the 14th. of October 17c8.

This Confeflion of Faith we offer as our firm Perfwafion well and fully grounded upon the Holy Scripture, and Commend the fame unto all and particularly to the people of our Colony to be examined accepted and con

ftantion

tantly maintained. We do not affume to ourfelves, that any thing be taken upon trust from us, but commend to our people thefe following Counfels.

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1. That you be immoveably and unchangeably agreed in the only fufficient, and invariable Rule of Religion, which is the Holy Scripture the fixed Canon, uncapable of aadition or diminution. You ought to account nothing ancient, that will not ftand by this Rule,† nor any thing new that will. Do not hold your felves bound to Unfcriptural Rites in Religion, wherein Custom it felf doth many times mifguide. Believe it to be the honour of Religion to refign and captivate our Wifdom and Faith to Divine Revelation. I

II. That You be determined by this Rule in the whole of Religion. That your Faith be right and Divine, the Word of God must be the foundation of it and the Authority of the Word the reafon of it. + You may believe the most Important Articles of Faith, with no more than an Humane Faith And this is evermore the cause, when the Principle Faith is refolved into, is any other than the holy Scripture. For an Orthodox Chriflian to refolve bis Faith, into Education Inftruation and the perfwafion of others is not an higher reafon, than a Papi, Mahometan,or Pagan can produce for his Religion.

. 8. zo. Rev. 21. 18,19. † fer. 6, 16. Mat 19. 8.
17. 1
Mat. 1, 27. Job 5.9. + Luk. 10 25.

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