The Preface

Courteous reader: it is now many years since a number of us — together with other sober Christians then living and walking in the way of the Lord that we profess — came to see ourselves under a necessity of publishing a confession of our faith, for the information and satisfaction of those who did not thoroughly understand what our principles were, or who had taken up prejudices against our profession because of the strange way some men of note had represented them. Those men had measured us very wrongly, and so led others into misapprehensions both of us and of them. This confession was first put forth around the year 1643, in the name of seven congregations then gathered in London; and since that time various printings of it have been spread abroad, and the purpose we proposed has, in good measure, been answered — for many were thereby satisfied (some of them men eminent in both piety and learning) that we were in no way guilty of those heterodoxies and fundamental errors so often charged upon us without any ground or occasion given on our part. And since that confession is no longer commonly to be had, and since many others have since embraced the same truth it owns, we judged it necessary to join together in giving the world a testimony of our firm adherence to those wholesome principles, by publishing the present work now in your hand.

And because our method and manner of expressing our convictions here differs from the former — though the substance of the matter is the same — we will freely share with you our reason and occasion for it. One thing that greatly moved us to undertake this work was not only to give a full account of ourselves to those Christians who differ from us about the subject of baptism, but also to consider the profit it might bring to those who depend on our labors for their instruction and establishment in the great truths of the gospel; for it is in the clear understanding and steady belief of those truths that our comfortable walking with God, and our fruitfulness before him in all our ways, is most nearly concerned. We therefore concluded it necessary to express ourselves the more fully and distinctly, and to fix on a method as comprehensive as possible of the things we meant to set forth. Finding no defect in this regard in the method settled on by the Assembly, and after them by those of the Congregational way, we readily concluded it best to keep the same order in our present confession. And further, observing that those last named had chosen, in their confession, not only to express their mind in words agreeing with the former in sense on all the articles where they were agreed, but for the most part without any variation of the very terms — and they did so for reasons that seemed weighty both to themselves and to others — we likewise concluded it best to follow their example, and to make use of the very same words with them in those articles (which are very many) where our faith and doctrine is the same as theirs. We did this all the more fully to manifest our agreement with both, in all the fundamental articles of the Christian religion, and with many others as well whose orthodox confessions have been published to the world on behalf of the Protestants in various nations and cities; and also to convince everyone that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but readily rest in that form of sound words which, in agreement with the holy Scriptures, has been used by others before us. By this we declare, before God, angels, and men, our hearty agreement with them in that wholesome Protestant doctrine which, with such clear evidence of Scripture, they have asserted. Some things, indeed, are in some places added, some terms omitted, and a few changed; but these alterations are of such a kind that we need not fear any charge or suspicion of unsoundness in the faith from any of our brethren on their account.

In those things where we differ from others, we have expressed ourselves with all candor and plainness, that none might suspect anything secretly lodged in our hearts that we would be unwilling for the world to know. Yet we hope we have also observed those rules of modesty and humility that will make our freedom in this respect inoffensive, even to those whose convictions differ from ours.

We have also taken care to set down texts of Scripture in the margin, for the confirmation of each article in our confession. In this work we have studiously endeavored to choose those that are most clear and pertinent for the proof of what we assert; and our earnest desire is that all into whose hands this may come would follow that example — never sufficiently commended — of the noble Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether the things preached to them were so or not.

There is one thing more that we sincerely profess and earnestly ask you to believe: that contention is the farthest thing from our intent in all we have done in this matter. We hope that the liberty of frankly unfolding our principles, and of opening our hearts to our brethren together with the scriptural grounds on which our faith and practice rest, will be neither denied us by any of them nor taken ill from us. Our whole purpose is accomplished if we may obtain only this much justice — to be measured in our principles and practice, and to have both judged by others, according to what we have now published; which the Lord (whose eyes are as a flame of fire) knows to be the doctrine that with our hearts we most firmly believe, and to which we sincerely endeavor to conform our lives. And oh, that other contentions being laid to rest, the only care and contention of all who are called by the name of our blessed Redeemer might from now on be to walk humbly with their God — exercising all love and meekness toward one another, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord, each one striving to have his manner of life such as becomes the gospel, and, according to his place and ability, vigorously promoting in others the practice of true and undefiled religion in the sight of God and our Father. And oh, that in this backsliding day we might not spend our breath in fruitless complaints about the evils of others, but that every one of us might begin at home — to reform our own hearts and ways first, and then to stir up all whom we can influence to the same work — so that, if it be the will of God, none might deceive themselves by resting in and trusting to a mere form of godliness, without its power and without the inward experience of the efficacy of those truths they profess.

And truly there is one spring and cause of the decay of religion in our day that we cannot help but touch upon, and earnestly press for its remedy: the neglect of the worship of God in families, by those to whom the charge and conduct of them is committed. May not the gross ignorance and instability of many, and the profaneness of others, be justly charged upon their parents and masters, who have not trained them up in the way they ought to walk while they were young, but have neglected the frequent and solemn commands the Lord has laid upon them — to catechize and instruct them, so that their tender years might be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures? And have they not, by their own neglect of prayer and the other duties of religion in their families, together with the ill example of their loose manner of life, accustomed their children first to a neglect, and then to a contempt, of all piety and religion? We know this will not excuse the blindness or wickedness of any; but it will certainly fall heavily upon those who have thus been the occasion of it. Such children indeed die in their sins — but will not their blood be required of those under whose care they were, who yet permitted them to go on without warning, and even led them into the paths of destruction? And will not the diligence of Christians in ages past, in discharging these very duties, rise up in judgment against, and condemn, many of those who would be esteemed Christians now?

We will conclude with our earnest prayer: that the God of all grace would pour out such measures of his Holy Spirit upon us that the profession of truth may be accompanied with the sound belief and diligent practice of it among us, so that his name may in all things be glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.