The Project Continues
You may have thought that the 1689 Proofing Project was complete, but in reality it is still going quite strong behind the scenes. I have now compared 8 editions of the confession, cataloged over 400 variants, discovered a number of errors in what I have already posted, and changed my approach to a number of areas of this project. The goal at this point is to host all of this work on a website at some point in the future. And to top it all off, today was very exciting. I was able to look at microfilm copies of the first two editions of the confession! There is currently a stack of about 80 pages of paper printed from a microfilm machine sitting on my desk. At the moment I only have the 1677, but I was able to look at some important variants in the 1688 while I was there. I realize that most people probably think I’m crazy, but I think this is quite enjoyable. And I hope and pray that when it is all done it will be useful to the body of Christ.
By Grace Are You Saved
I had occasion today to mention the false gospel of the so called Church of Christ (the Restoration Movement COC for the sake of clarity) and this evening as I reflected on that conversation, a line from a hymn that I heard growing up in the COC popped into my head. I have a hymnal compiled by people from the COC, so I went looking for it. I was unsuccessful, but I spotted a title in the index that I just had to investigate. By Grace Are You Saved. Now, the folks in the COC believe in grace. But they believe in grace the way a Roman Catholic believes in Grace. Grace is that undeserved chance and/or help that gets you into a position where you can do the works required to get you to heaven. So naturally I was curious what they would do with it. After all, the title is taken from that great passage of gospel truth, Ephesians 2:8-10.
Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
(NAS95)
I have heard those in the COC invent some very creative ways to get around this passage. But anyone who is honest with the text will see that works of any kind are completely excluded from the justification of the Christian, and that we are saved so that as a result we will do the good works that God has prepared for us to do. Or to say it another way, “not as a result of works,” but with the result of works.
I was not at all surprised when I read the hymn. Somehow they had managed to turn salvation by grace into salvation by obedience. While it repeatedly decries “men’s works,” the chorus ends in a telling and all too predictable way:
“If you trust in His word and obey each command, A home there awaits in that beautiful land.”
A Reformation Day Reflection
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther, a German monk and theology professor posted 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg church. It was simply a list of statements regarding indulgences that Luther wished to engage in public debate on. But for Luther, theological debate wasn’t a disinterested academic exercise. Luther was concerned about truth, the holiness of God, and the good of the poor masses who were being robbed by wicked men claiming to represent God. This event has gone down in history as the spark that started the Protestant Reformation.
But that was only the beginning. Luther was brought up on charges of heresy for teaching, among other things, the biblical gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. He was summoned to stand before the diet (an official meeting of rulers) that was being held at Worms. The diet had other business to attend to, but on April 17, 1521 Luther was brought before the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the electors, and a portion of the estates.
Luther’s books were laid out before him and he was asked if they were his. In a voice barely audible he answered, “The books are all mine, and I have written more.” He was then asked, “Do you defend them all, or do you care to reject a part?” Luther responded, “This touches God and his Word. This affects the salvation of souls. Of this Christ said, ‘He who denies me before men, him will I deny before my father.’ To say too little or too much would be dangerous. I beg you, give me time to think it over.”
Luther’s request was granted. He was given until the next day. That night he penned a prayer that gives us a glimpse at the anguish he was experiencing.
Oh God, Almighty God everlasting. How dreadful is the world! Behold how its mouth opens to swallow me up and how small is my faith in Thee. Oh the weakness of the flesh! Oh the power of Satan! If I am to depend upon any strength of this world all is over: the knell is struck, sentence has gone forth. Oh God! Oh God! Oh Thou my God! Help me against all the wisdom of this world. Do this, I beseech Thee. Thou shouldest do this by Thy own mighty power, for the work is not mine, but Thine. I have no business here. I have nothing to contend for with these great men of the world. I would gladly pass my days in happiness and peace. But the cause is Thine and it is righteous and everlasting. Oh Lord, help me! Oh faithful and unchangeable God, I lean not upon man, it were vain. Whatever is of man is tottering. Whatever precedes from him must fail. My God, my God, dost Thou not hear? My God, are Thou no longer living? Nay! Thou canst not die! Thou dost but hide Thyself. Thou has chosen me for this work, I know it. Therefore, oh God, accomplish Thine own will. Forsake me not for the sake of Thy well beloved Son Jesus Christ: my defense, my buckler, and my stronghold. Lord, where art Thou? My God, where art Thou? Come, I pray Thee, I am ready. Behold me prepared to lay down my life for Thy truth, suffering like a lamb, for the cause is holy. It is Thine own. I will not let Thee go! No, nor yet for all eternity! And though the world should be thronged with devils and this body which is the work of Thine hands should be cast forth, trodden under foot, cut in pieces, consumed to ashes… my soul is Thine! Yes, I have Thine own word to assure me of it. My soul belongs to Thee and will abide with Thee forever! Oh amen! Oh God, send help! Amen.
On the following day, the eighteenth, a larger hall was chosen and was so crowded that scarcely any save the emperor could sit. The terror of the Holy conspired to give Luther a hearing before the German nation. When the question was put to him again, he responded as follows.
“Most serene emperor, most illustrious princes, most clement lords, if I have not given some of you your proper titles I beg you to forgive me. I am not a courtier, but a monk. You asked me yesterday whether I would repudiate them. They are all mine, but as for the second question, they are not all of one sort. Some deal with faith and life so simply and evangelically that my very enemies are compelled to regard them as worthy of Christian reading. Even the bull itself does not itself does not treat all of my books as of one kind. If I should renounce those, I would be the only man on earth to damn the truth confessed alike by friends and foes. A second class of my works inveighs against the desolation of the Christian world by the evil lives and teachings of the papists. Who can deny this when the universal complaints testify that by the laws of the popes the consciences of men are racked? Should I recant at this point, I would open the door to more tyranny and impiety, and it will be all the worse should it appear that I had done so at the instance of the Holy Roman Empire. A third class contains attacks on private individuals. I confess I have been more caustic than comports with my profession, but I am being judged, not on my life, but for the teaching of Christ, and I cannot renounce these works either, without increasing tyranny and impiety. When Christ stood before Annas, he said, ‘Produce witnesses.’ If our Lord, who could not err, made this demand, why may not a worm like me ask to be convicted of error from the prophets and the Gospels? If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. I have been reminded of the dissensions which my teaching engenders. I can answer only in the words of the Lord, ‘I came not to bring peace but a sword.’ If God is so severe, let us beware lest we release a deluge of wars, lest the reign of this noble youth, Charles, be inauspicious. Take warning from the examples of Pharaoh, the king of Babylon, and the kings of Israel. God it is who confounds the wise. I must walk in the fear of the Lord. I say this not to chide but because I cannot escape my duty to my Germans. I commend myself to Your Majesty. May you not suffer my adversaries to make you ill disposed to me without cause. I have spoken.”
The examiner replied, “Martin, you have not sufficiently distinguished your works. The earlier were bad and the latter worse. Your plea to be heard from Scripture is the one always made by heretics. You do nothing but renew the errors of Wyclif and Hus. How will the Jews, how will the Turks, exult to hear Christians discussing whether they have been wrong all these years! Martin, how can you assume that you are the only one to understand the sense of Scripture? Would you put your judgment above so many famous men and claim that you know more than they all? You have no right to call into question the most holy orthodox faith, instituted by Christ the perfect lawgiver, proclaimed throughout the world by the apostles, sealed by the red blood of the martyrs, confirmed by the sacred councils, defined by the Church in which all our fathers believed until death and gave us as an inheritance, and which we are forbidden by the pope and the emperor to discuss lest there be no end of debate. I ask you Martin—answer candidly and without horns—do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?”
Luther replied, “Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”
~Adapted from “Here I Stand” by Roland Bainton, and lectures given by R.C. Sproul
1689 Confession Proofing Project: Chp. 32 Of the Last Judgment
Chapter 32
Of the Last Judgment
1. God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness, by Jesus Christ; to whom all power and judgment[1] is given of the Father; in which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon the earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words and deeds and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
2. The end of God’s[2] appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of his mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of his justice, in the eternal damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient; for then shall the righteous go into everlasting life and receive that fullness[3] of joy and glory with everlasting reward[4], in the presence of the Lord; but the wicked, who know not God and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments and punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.
3. As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded[5] that there shall be a day of judgment[6], both to deter all men from sin, and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity, so will he have that[7] day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come, and may ever be prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus; come quickly. Amen.
[1] So TC; variant spelling: judgement BCF, ME
[2] So ME; Gods BCF, TC
[3] So TC; variant spelling: fulness BCF, ME
[4] So BCF, TC; rewards ME
[5] So ME, TC; variant spelling: perswaded BCF
[6] So TC; variant spelling: judgement BCF, ME
[7] So BCF, TC; the ME
1689 Confession Proofing Project: Chp. 31 Of the State of Man after Death and Of the Resurrection of the Dead
Chapter 31
Of the State of Man after Death and Of the Resurrection of the Dead
1. The bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption; but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness[1], are received into paradise, where they are with Christ and behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies; and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell; where they remain in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment[2] of the great day; besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.
2. At the last day, such of the saints as are found alive shall not sleep, but be changed; and all the dead shall be raised up with the selfsame[3] bodies and none other; although with different qualities, which shall be united again to their souls forever[4].
3. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor[5]; the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honor[6], and be made conformable to his own glorious body.
[1] So ME, TC; variant spelling: holyness BCF
[2] So TC; variant spelling: judgement BCF, ME
[3] So ME, TC; self same BCF
[4] So TC; for ever BCF, ME
[5] So TC; variant spelling: dishonour BCF, ME
[6] So TC; variant spelling: honour BCF, ME
1689 Confession Proofing Project: Chp. 30 Of the Lord’s Supper
Chapter 30
Of the Lord’s Supper
1. The supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by him the same night wherein he was betrayed, to be observed in his churches, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance and showing[1] forth the sacrifice of himself[2] in his death, confirmation of the faith of believers in all the benefits thereof, their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, their further engagement[3] in and to all duties which they owe unto[4] him; and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him and with each other.
2. In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the quick or dead, but only a memorial of that one offering up of himself by himself upon the cross[5], once for all; and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same. So that the popish sacrifice of the mass, as they call it, is most abominable, injurious to Christ’s[6] own only sacrifice the alone propitiation for all the sins of the elect.
3. The Lord Jesus hath, in this ordinance, appointed his ministers to pray and bless the elements of bread and wine and thereby to set them apart from a common to an[7] holy use and to take and break the bread; to take the cup and, they communicating also themselves, to give both to the communicants.
4. The denial[8] of the cup to the people, worshipping the elements, the lifting them up, or carrying them about for adoration and reserving them for any pretended religious use, are all contrary to the nature of this ordinance and to the institution of Christ.
5. The outward elements in this ordinance, duly[9] set apart to the uses[10] ordained by Christ, have such relation to him crucified, as that truly[11], although in terms used figuratively, they are sometimes called[12] by the name[13] of the things they represent, to wit, the[14] body and blood of Christ, albeit, in substance and nature, they still remain truly and only bread and wine, as they were before.
6. That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ’s[15] body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, by consecration of a priest, or by any other way, is repugnant not to Scripture alone, but even to common sense and reason, overthroweth the nature of the ordinance and hath been and is the cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross idolatries.
7. Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive and feed upon Christ crucified and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses.
8. All ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Christ, so are they unworthy of the Lord’s[16] Table and cannot, without great sin against him, while they remain such, partake of these holy mysteries, or be admitted thereunto; yea, whosoever shall receive unworthily, are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, eating and drinking judgment[17] to themselves.
[1] So ME, TC; variant spelling: shewing BCF
[2] So ME, TC; BCF omits “of himself”
[3] So ME, TC; variant spelling: ingagement BCF
[4] So BCF, TC; to ME
[5] So ME, TC; variant spelling: crosse BCF
[6] So ME, TC; Christs BCF
[7] So BCF, TC; a ME
[8] So ME, TC; variant spelling: denyal BCF
[9] So ME, TC; variant spelling: duely BCF
[10] So BCF, TC; use ME
[11] So ME; variant spelling: truely BCF
[12] So BCF; caused ME
[13] So BCF, TC; names ME
[14] So ME, TC; BCF omits “the”
[15] So ME, TC; Christs BCF
[16] So ME, TC; Lords BCF
[17] So BCF, TC; variant spelling: judgement ME
1689 Confession Proofing Project: Chp. 29 Of Baptism
Chapter 29
Of Baptism
1. Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of his[1] giving up unto[2] God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life.
2. Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in and obedience to, our Lord Jesus[3], are the only proper subjects of this ordinance.
3. The outward element to be used in this ordinance is water, wherein the party is to be baptized, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
4. Immersion, or dipping of the person in water, is necessary to the due administration of this ordinance.
[1] So BCF, TC; ME omits “his”
[2] So BCF, TC; into ME
[3] So BCF, TC; Jesus Christ ME
1689 Confession Proofing Project: Chp. 28 Of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Chapter 28
Of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
1. Baptism and the Lord’s[1] Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign[2] institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver[3], to be continued in his church to the end of the world.
2. These holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ.
[1] So ME, TC; Lords BCF
[2] So ME, TC; variant spelling: soveraign BCF
[3] So ME, TC; variant spelling: law-giver BCF
Royal Knavery
Hamlet
April 16 – May 1, 2009
This Knave will almost certainly be there.
“…the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the
first and now, was and is, to hold, as ’twere, the
mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature,
scorn her own image, and the very age and body of
the time his form and pressure.” – Act III, Scene 2
