To the judicious and impartiall Reader

Courteovs READER;

IT is no wonder if it seeme strange to thee, that wee should publish a confession of our faith, who are frequently termed to be Heretiques and Schismatiques, and what not, though unjustly; neither is it any discouragement unto us, though this sect (as they call the Anabaptists) is¹ every where spoken against, and in that we are charged (for Christs Name sake) with the same things our Lord Jesus Christ, and his Apostles were accused of; it’s a mercy, an honour, and a comfort unto us, when we remember what our Lord hath said unto us, Blessed are ye when² men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evill falsly, for my sake; Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the Prophets that were before you. The Disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord; it’s enough for the Disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the Master of the house³ Belzebub, how much more shall they call them of his houshold? If the world hate you, yee know that it hated me before it hated you: if yee were of the world, the world would love her owne, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therfore the world hateth you. The servant is not greater then the Lord; if⁴ they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you, &c. All these things will they doe unto you for my Names sake, because they know not him that sent me; Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution; but rejoyce in as much as yee are partakers of Christs sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, yee may be clad also with exceeding joy.

Our Lord Jesus was accused to be a sedtious and mutinous fellow:⁵ Paul was called a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition, and a ring-leader⁶ of the sect of the Nazarens; Saying, Away with such a fellow,⁷ for it is not fit he should live; Saying, This fellow perswadeth men to worship God contrary to the Law: and our Lord Jesus Christ was accused of perverting the people, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar;⁸ and that he and his Disciples did teach novelties, and brake the traditions of the Elders. Christ was accused to have a Devill, and to⁹ be mad, saying to the people, Why doe yee heare him? Paul was esteemed to be mad: also they said, What will this babler say? And that he taught new doctrine: and Christ was accused to speake blasphemy, and they all condemned him to be guilty of death. So some are offended at us for meeting in houses to preach, and would have us punished for it; notwithstanding, it was Christ and his Apostles practice to doe so, whose example we are to follow. Christ taught upon a mountaine, and in a ship.¹⁰ Paul preached from house to house; also the Church met together in an upper roome, where Peter preached; and Paul preached, and converted Lydia by the River side; the Disciples met together in the night in an upper roome; Paul preached two yeares in an hired house, and received all that came unto him. If he had lived in these dayes and done so, it’s to be feared some would have petitioned against him: So some accuse us to be disturbers of the peace of the Common-wealth; yet all that know us can testifie for us, that wee meet together and depart in a peaceable manner: And from Acts 17. 5, 6, 7. it will appeare, what persons they were that disturbed the publick peace, it’s fit such persons should be taken notice of and accordingly punished.

So we are blamed, because we frequent not their Temples; we dare not¹¹ trust in lying words, saying, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of¹² the Lord are these; we know the most High dwelleth not in Temples made with hands; and that wee are the Temple of the living God; and that our bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost; and that Christs Church is not built with dead stones. And because there are but a few of us, some conceive we are in an error, and that the least number should yeeld to the greater; then it seemes, if the number of the Papists or Atheists¹³ exceed the number of the Protestants, they must forsake their Religion. God in times past suffered all Nations to walke in their own wayes; there was but one true Prophet to 400 false. After three yeares preaching and working miracles by Christ, there was but a small number. Christ cals his,¹⁴ a little flocke: the Scripture declares the greatest number followed after the beast. Also those that preach amongst us, are esteemed as the Apostles were, to be unlearned and ignorant men. Apollo was instructed more perfectly in the way of God by Aquila, a tradesman, and Priscilla his¹⁵ wife: but the Scripture saith; As every man hath received the gift,¹⁶ even so minister the same one to another, as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God. Also some say of us, that wee be of severall sects, and¹⁷ that wee cannot agree among our selves. Pilate and Herod agreed together to crucifie Christ; wee dare not agree as the Jewes did that if any did confesse that Jesus was the Christ, he should be put out of the Synagogue. The union Christ prayed for, we desire, and for such an agreement as¹⁸ agreeth not with the truth, we may not agree unto, therefore we desire it not; yet the Paedobaptists differ more among themselves then we doe, and if this¹⁹ their reason have any strength in it, it is against themselves: the severall sects of Paedobaptists, be Papists, Arrians, Nestorians, Pelagians, Donatists, Eutychians, Grecians, Lutherans, Arminians, Episcopans, Nicolaites, Calvinists, Zuinglians, Hussites, and above twenty other severall sects, which are all baptizers of infants, and notwithstanding, for other points, are all asunder, and have all rent one from another, therefore we send²⁰ them to follow the counsell of Christ.

As the Watchmen dealt with the Spouse of Christ, in her seeking her beloved,²¹ so they deale with us, they finding us out of that common and broad way themselves walke in, they smite us, and take away our vaile, and vaile us with reproaches, and odious names; to incense all, both good and bad, against us, that wee may appeare vile in the eyes and hearts of all that behold us, or shall heare of us, which they indeavour to doe, both in Pulpit and print,²² not fearing to charge us, with holding free-will, falling from grace, denying election, originall sin, childrens salvation, the old Testament, and mens proprietie in their estates, and censuring all to be damned that are not of our judgement and practice; all which wee disclaime, because they are untrue. And as for the other things, whereof wee are accused, wee referre those who desire further satisfaction to the answers of them²³: yet by reason of the many accusations that are cast upon us, although they cannot prove the things whereof we are accused, yet the generalitie of the people are incensed against us, and are incouraged, and set on by such, to seek out the place of our meetings, which are the more private, not because they are private, but because wee have not any more publicke places; but if any shall please to procure us more larger places to meet in, wee are willing to imbrace them with thankfulnesse and joy, although no man should speak for us to those in authoritie, from whom one word were enough to protect us, from the violence we should be subject unto; but as it was then, Acts 17. 5, 6, 7. so it is now; yet must²⁴ wee beare all the blame; but our God will in his time cleare our innocency, although now many stand looking upon us as a people (holding such things) not worthy to live, and are in danger by the rude multitude gathering together to stone us: and had it been against our persons onely, we would have held our peace, and committed our cause to God; but considering it is the truth that we professe that suffers, we may not, nor dare not be neuters in matters of so high a nature, but come in and speak to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

Therefore to free our selves, and the truth we profess, from such unjust aspersions, that it may be at liberty, though we be in bonds, wee have published a briefe confession of our Faith, (which we conceive most void of contention in these sad and troublesome times) the thoughts of our hearts as in the presence of God wee here declare, that it may appeare to the consciences of them that feare God, what wrong we suffer from some who have ability to cast mists,²⁵ and dark clouds, which overshadow the glory of the truth, and them that professe it. And although they acknowledge with us, that the truth is not fully discovered, yet they will tie all future discovery to a former light, and conceive they doe well in so doing. But God will by his truth shew their error, and exalt Jesus Christ the chiefe corner-stone, which the builders so much reject. And lest this should be thought to be the judgement of some particular persons, this is done by the consent and appointment of seven Congregations or Churches in London, with the names of some of each of them subscribed in the behalfe of the whole. And although wee bee distinct in our meetings, for conveniency; yet are we one in faith, fellowship, and communion, holding Jesus Christ for our Head & Law-giver, under whose Rule and government we desire to walke, and to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth, that when our Lord and King shall call us to account, we may be found ready and worthy to be received into our Masters joy. Vntill which time we desire to spend these few dayes we have here to remain, to the glory of God, the honour of the Gospel, the Saints comfort, and our Countries good, to our own account at the great day when Christ shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on²⁶ them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Subscribed by us in the behalfe of seven Congregations or Churches of Christ in London. As also by a French Congregation of the same judgement.

• Thomas Gunne. John Mabbit.
• Thomas Munden. George Tipping.
• John Spilsbery, Samuel Richardson
• William Kiffen. Thomas Patient.
• Paul Hobson. Thomas Goare.
• Hanserd Knollys. Thomas Holms.
• Benjamin Cockes. Thomas Kilikop.
• Denis le Barbier. Christophle Duret.

Footnotes

1. Acts 28. 22. ↩

2. Mat 5. 11, 12. ↩

3. Mat. 10. 24, 25 ↩

4. Joh. 15. 18, 19, 20, 21. See Acts 21. 28. 30, 31. & 14. 22. 2 Tim. 3. 12. 1 Pet. 4. 13. ↩

5. Luk. 23. 25. ↩

6. Acts 24. 1. 5. 6 ↩

7. Acts 18. 13. ↩

8. Luk. 23. 2. 14. Mat. 15. 1. to 9 ↩

9. Joh. 10. 20. Act. 26. 24, 25 Act. 17. 18, 19. Mark. 14. 64. ↩

10. Mat. 5. 1. 2. & 13. 2. Acts 20. 20. Act. 1. 13. 15, 16 & 2. 2. Act. 16. 13, 14. Act. 20. 7, 8, 9. Act. 28. 30, 31. ↩

11. Acts 7. 48. ↩

12. Act. 17. 24, 25. 1 Cor. 3. 16. 1 Cor. 6. 3. 19. 1 Pet. 2. 4, 5. Joh. 4. 20. &c. ↩

13. Acts 14. 16. Exod. 23. 2. 1 King. 22. 6, 7, &c. ↩

14. Acts 1. 14, 15. Luk. 12. 32. Mat. 7. 13, 14. Rev. 13. 7. 16. 17. ↩

15. Acts 4. 13. Acts 18. 1, 2, 3. 26 ↩

16. 1 Pet. 4. 10, 11. See 1 Cor. 14. 3. 26. 31. ↩

17. Luke 23. 12. Ioh. 9. 22. See 1 Cor. 1. 10, 11. ↩

18. Iohn 17. 21. ↩

19. Eph. 4. 3. to 17. ↩

20. Mat. 7. 3, 4, 5. ↩

21. Song 3. 2. 5. with 5, 6, 7. ↩

22. Acts 16. 19. ↩

23. In a small Treatise, intituled, Briefe Considerations on Dr Featly his Book, intituled, The dipper dipt, by Samuel Richardson. ↩

24. Act 17. 5, 6, 7. ↩

25. Jude 14. 15. ↩

26. 2 Thess. 1. 8. ↩