The Great Confessions of the Faith
From Gospel Translations
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The Great Confessions of the Faith
In England during the 1630s and 1640s, Congregationalists and Baptists emerged from the Church of England. Their early existence was marked by repeated cycles of persecution at the hands of Parliament and of the established religion of the crown. The infamous Clarendon Code was adopted in the 1660s to crush all dissent from the official religion of the state. Periods of rigorous application and intervals of relaxation of these coercive laws haunted Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists alike.
Presbyterians and Congregationalists suffered no less than did Baptists under this harassment. Their united front of doctrinal agreement was a main reason for their relative success in resisting government tyranny. All Presbyterians stood by the Westminster Confession of 1647. Congregationalists adopted virtually the same articles of faith in theSavoy Declaration of 1658.
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)
While the Civil War raged in England between the Puritan Parliament and the king (1642-1649), changes were made in the Anglican Church. In 1643, the Episcopal form of government, with its hierarchical parishes and bishops, was abolished by Parliament. A new structure was requested. It would be formulated by an assembly of one hundred twenty-one clergymen (the “divines”) and thirty laymen: 10 members of the House of Lords, and 20 members of the House of Commons. This “Westminster Assembly of Divines” met at the historic Westminster Abbey (which adjoins the Houses of Parliament) in London, from which the confession derives its name.
Most of those who were present when the Assembly convened in 1643 were Presbyterian Puritans. Eight Scottish commissioners were allowed to be part of the gathering, in appreciation for their aid in fighting the king. While the Scottish representatives had no official role in the proceedings, their presence remained influential. The Assembly held 1,163 sessions between July 1, 1643, and February 22, 1649. A quorum of 40 members was required.
As work proceeded, a Directory of Worship was prepared to replace the Episcopal prayer book. In addition, a new confession of faith was drafted for the Church of England. This Westminster Confession has become the most important of the great Protestant creeds of the Reformation era. Work on the confession began in July, 1645, and continued with many interruptions until its completion in December, 1646. The confession was presented to both Houses of Parliament in 1647 under the title: “The Humble Advice of the Assembly of Divines, Quotations and Texts of Scripture Annexed, Presented by Them Lately to Both Houses of Parliament.”
The Westminster Confession is a summary of major Christian beliefs in thirty-three chapters. Classic reformed biblical theology permeates the confession, with emphasis on the covenant relationships between God and man. In the matter of church government, it presents the Presbyterian view: with presbyteries (or synods) which oversee local congregations. In the matter of baptism, it holds for infant baptism, consistent with the covenant approach to Christian heritage. This believes that God often saves whole households, and that an infant is considered a part of the covenant through his godly parents, until he proves otherwise by his lifestyle choices.
To help explain the confession, a Larger Catechism was prepared by the Westminster Assembly, to be used by ministers in the pulpit for public teaching. A Shorter Catechism was published for instructing children.
Though the Westminster Confession was used only briefly by the Church of England, it was adopted for common use in 1647 by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Today, the Westminster Confession remains the authoritative statement of faith in most Presbyterian churches.
The Savoy Declaration (1658)
Many conservative evangelical Christians found the Westminster Confession to be an accurate statement of faith according to the Scriptures, but they differed in the matters of church government and baptism. These fell into two groups: the Congregationalists and the Baptists.
To maintain the growth they enjoyed, an assembly of Congregationalist leaders met in the Savoy Palace in London on September 29, 1658. The Synod adopted a “Declaration of Faith and Order, Honored and Practiced in the Congregational Churches.” Based largely on the Westminster Confession, the Savoy Declaration included a section on “The Institution of Churches and the Order Appointed in Them by Jesus Christ.” The Congregational form of church government was advocated.
The London Baptist Confession of 1677
Those who understood the Scriptures to teach believer’s baptism also needed a clear statement of faith. These were known as “Baptists.” Feeling their substantial unity with the suffering of the Presbyterians and the Congregationalists under the same cruel injustice, Baptists met to publish their substantial harmony with them in doctrine.
A circular letter was sent to Particular Baptist churches in England and Wales, asking each assembly to send representatives to a meeting in London in 1677. A confession consciously modeled after the Westminster Confession was approved and published. It has ever since born the name of the London Confession of 1677. Because this document was drawn up in dark hours of oppression, it was issued anonymously.
The preface to the original publication of 1677 says in part: “It is now many years since diverse of us ...did conceive ourselves under a necessity of publishing a confession of our faith, for the information and satisfaction of those that did not thoroughly understand what our principles were, or had entertained prejudices against our profession….”
“Forasmuch as this confession1 is not now commonly to be had; and also that many others have since embraced the same truth which is owned therein; it was judged necessary by us to join together in giving a testimony to the world of our firm adhering to those wholesome principles…”
“We did conclude it necessary to confess ourselves the more fully and distinctly, ...and finding no defect in this regard in that fixed on by the [Westminster] Assembly, and after them by those of the Congregational way, we did conclude it best to retain the same order in our present confession... for the most part without any variation of the terms... making use of the very same words with them both... This we did to... convince all that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but to readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which hath been used by others before us… In those things wherein we differ from others, we have expressed ourselves with all candor and plainness... Contention is most remote from our design in all that we have done in this matter.”
The London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689
William and Mary assumed the English throne in 1689. On May 24 of that very year the Act of Toleration was enacted. Within two months, several London pastors called for a general meeting of Baptists from England and Wales. Representatives of one hundred and seven congregations met in London from September third to the twelfth. They adopted the London Confession of 1677 with some important corrections.
One of the reasons for the growth of Baptist congregations was the movement’s distinctives. The Baptists did not recognize sacraments per se, as did the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics. They believed in two ordinances: the Lord’s Supper and baptism of professing believers. Early Baptists preferred to be baptized by immersion in “living waters”: water that flowed in a river or stream. In the Baptist church government, the congregation ruled. It had total autonomy: it could call a pastor and dismiss him. There were no bishops or superintendents in the Baptist structure. No group had any governmental power over other individual congregations.
In summary, the understandings of the evangelical Christian faith as proclaimed in the Scriptures were set forth in the Westminster Confession in 1647. Updates were made 1) for congregational church government in the Savoy Declaration in 1658, and 2) for believer’s baptism in the (first) London Confession of 1677.
The main body of the Westminster Confession was again preserved in the London Confession of Faith of 1689, which incorporated the minor revisions of both the Savoy Declaration and the first London Confession. This London Baptist Confession of 1689 has stood the test of time and become one of the most important statements of evangelical faith in the history of the church. It is used this day by thousands of congregations around the world.
