Declaration of the Faith and Practice of
the Church of Christ,
in
Carter-Lane, Southwark, under the Pastoral Care of Dr. John Gill, Read and
assented to, at the Admission of Members.
HAVING been enabled, through divine
grace, to give up ourselves to the Lord, and likewise to one another by the
will of God, we account it a duty incumbent upon us, to make a declaration of
our faith and practice, to the honour of Christ, and the glory of his name;
knowing, that as with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness, so with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation; (Rom. 10:10) a which declaration is as follows, viz.,
I. We believe, That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, are (2 Tim.
3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21) the word of God, and the only (John 5:39; Acts 17:11; 2
Peter 1:19, 20) rule of faith and practice.
II. We believe, That there is but one (Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; Jer.
10:10) only living and true God: that there are (1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19)
three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are
equal in nature, power, and glory; and that the Son ((John 10:30; Phil. 2:6;
Rom. 9:5; 1 John 5:20) and the Holy Ghost (Acts 5:3, 4; 1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 2 Cor.
3:17, 18) are as truly and properly God as the Father. These three divine
persons are distinguished from each other, by peculiar relative properties: The
distinguishing character and relative property of the first person is begetting; he has begotten a Son of the
same nature with him, and who is the express image of his person; (Ps. 2:7;
Heb. 1:3) and therefore is with great propriety called the Father: The distinguishing character and relative property of
the second person is that he is begotten;
and he is called the only begotten of the Father, and his own proper Son; (John
1:14; Rom. 8:3, 32) not a Son by creation, as angels and men are, nor by
adoption, as saints are, nor by office, as civil magistrates; but by nature, by
the Father's eternal generation (Ps. 2:7) of him in the divine nature; and
therefore he is truly called the Son:
The distinguishing character and relative property of the third person is to be
breathed by the Father and the Son,
and to proceed from both, (Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6; John 15:26 and 20:26 and 20:22;
Gal. 4:6) and is very Properly called the
Spirit, or breath of both. These three distinct divine persons, we profess
to reverence, serve, and worship as the one true God. (1 John 5:7; Matthew
4:10)
III. We believe, That before the world began God did elect (Eph. 1:4; 1 Thess.
1:4 and 5:9; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 8:30; Eph. 1:5; 1 John 3:1; Gal. 4:4, 5; John
1:12) a certain number of men unto everlasting salvation whom he did
predestinate to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ of his own free grace,
and according to the good pleasure of his will; and that in pursuance of this
gracious design, he did contrive and make a covenant (2 Sam. 23:5; Ps. 89:2,
28, 34; Isa. 42:6) of grace and peace with his son Jesus Christ, on the behalf
of those persons; wherein a Saviour (Ps. 89:19; Isa. 49:6) was appointed, and
all spiritual (2 Sam. 23:5; Isa. 55:3; Eph. 1:3) blessings provided for them;
as also that their (Deut. 33:3; John 6:37, 39 and 10:28, 29; Jude 1) persons,
with all their grace (2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 1:3; Col. 3:3, 4) and glory, were put
into the hands of Christ, and made his care and charge.
IV. We believe, That God created the first man, Adam, after his image, and in his likeness, an upright, holy, and
innocent creature, capable of serving and glorifying him: (Gen. 1:26, 27; Eccl.
7:29; Ps. 8:5) but he sinning, all his posterity sinned in him, and came short
of the glory of God; (Rom. 5:12 and 3:23) the guilt of whose sin is imputed;
(Rom. 5:12, 14, 18, 19; 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 2:3) and a corrupt nature derived to
all his offspring descending from him by ordinary and natural generation: (Job
14:4; Ps. 51:5; John 3:6; Ezek. 16:4-6) that they are by their first birth
carnal and unclean; averse to all that is good, incapable of doing any, and
prone to every (Rom. 8:7, 8 and 3:10-12; Gem 6:5) sin: and are also by nature
children of wrath, and under a sentence of condemnation; (Eph. 2:3; Rom. 5:12,
18) and so are subject, not only to a corporal death, (Gen. 2:7; Rom. 5:12, 14;
Heb. 9:27) and involved in a moral one, commonly called spiritual; (Matthew
8:21; Luke 15:24, 32; John 5:25; Eph. 3:1) but are also liable to an eternal
death, (Rom. 5:18 and 6:23; Eph. 2:3) as considered in the first Adam, fallen and sinners; from all which
there is no deliverance, but by Christ, the second Adam. (Rom. 6:23 and 7:24, 25 and 8:2; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Cor. 15:45,
47)
V. We believe, That the Lord Jesus Christ, being set up from (Prov. 8:22, 23;
Heb. 12:24) everlasting as the Mediator of the covenant, and he having engaged
to be the (Ps. 49:6-8; Heb. 7:22) Surety of his people, did In al. 4:4; Heb.
2:14, 16, 17) human nature, and not before, neither in whole, nor in part; his
human soul being a creature, existed not from eternity, but was created and
formed in his body by him that forms the spirit of man within him, when that
was conceived in the womb of the virgin; and so his human nature consists of a
true body and a reasonable soul: both which, together and at once the Son of
God assumed into union with his divine person, when made of a woman, and not
before; in which nature he really suffered, and died (Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3;
Eph. 5:2; 1 Peter 3:18) as the substitute of his people, in their room and
stead; whereby he made all that satisfaction (Rom. 8:3, 4 and 10:4; Isa. 42:21;
Rom. 8:1, 33, 34) for heir sins, which the law and justice of God could
require; as well as made way for all those blessings (1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7)
which are needful for them both for time and eternity.
VI. We believe, That eternal Redemption which Christ has obtained by the
shedding of his blood (Matthew 20:28; John 10:11, 15; Rev. 5:9; Rom. 8:30) is
special and particular: that is to say, that it was only intentionally designed
for the elect of God, and sheep of Christ, who only share the special and
peculiar blessings of it.
VII. We believe, That the justification of God's elect, is only by the
righteousness (Rom. 3:28 and 4:6 and 5:16-19) of Christ imputed to them,
without the consideration of any works of righteousness done by them; and that
the full and free pardon of all their sins and transgressions, past, present,
and to come, is only through the blood of Christ, (Rom. 3:25; Eph. 1:7; Col.
2:13; 1 John 1:7, 9) according to the riches of his grace.
VIII. We believe, That the work of regeneration, conversion, sanctification,
and faith, is not an act of (John 1:13; Rom. 9:16 and 8:7) man's free will and
power, but of the mighty, efficacious, and irresistible grace (Phil. 2:13; 2
Tim. 1:9; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3; Eph. 1:19; Isa. 43:13) of God.
IX. We believe, that all those, who are chosen by the Father, redeemed by the
Son, and sanctified by the Spirit, shall certainly and finally (Matthew 24:24;
John 6:39, 40 and 10:28, 29; Matthew 16:18; Ps. 125:1, 2; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24;
Heb. 2:13; Rom. 8:30) persevere; so that not one of them shall ever perish, but
shall have everlasting life.
X. We believe, That there will be a resurrection of the dead; (Acts 24:15; John
528, 29; Dan. 12:2) both of the just and unjust; and that Christ will come a
second time to judge (Heb. 9:28; Acts 17:31; 2 Tim. 4:1; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 1
Thess. 4:15-17) both quick and dead; when he will take vengeance on the wicked,
and introduce his own people into his kingdom and glory, where they shall be
for ever with him.
XI. We believe, That Baptism (Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26) and the
Lord's Supper are ordinances of Christ, to be continued until his second
coming; and that the former is absolutely requisite to the latter; that is to
say, that those (Acts 2:41 and 9:18, 26) only are to be admitted into the
communion of the church, and to participate of all ordinances in it, (Mark
16:16; Acts 8:12, 36, 37 and 16:31-34 and 8:8) who upon profession of their
faith, have been baptized, (Matthew 3:6, 16; John 3:23; Acts 8:38, 39; Rom.
6:4; Col. 2:12) by immersion, in the name of the Father, (Matthew 28:19) and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
XII. We also believe, That singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
vocally, (Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25; 1 Cor. 14:15, 26; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16) is
an ordinance of the Gospel, to be performed by believers; but that as to time,
place, and manner, every one ought to be left to their (James 5:13) liberty in
using it.
Now all and each of these doctrines and ordinances, we look upon ourselves
under the greatest obligation to embrace, maintain,, and defend; believing it
to be our duty (Phil. 1:27; Jude 3) to stand fast in one spirit, with one mind,
striving together for the faith of the Gospel.
And whereas we are very sensible, that our conversation, both in the world and
in the church, ought to be as becometh the Gospel of Christ; (Phil. 1:27) we
judge it our incumbent duty, to (Col. 4:5) walk in wisdom towards them that are
without, to exercise a conscience (Acts 24:16) void of offence towards God and
men, by living (Titus 2:12) soberly, righteously, and godly in this present
world.
And as to our regards to each other, in our church-communion; we esteem it our
duty to (Eph. 4:1-3; Rom. 12:9, 10, 16; Phil. 2:2, 3) walk with, each other in
all humility and brotherly love; to watch (Lev. 19:17; Phil. 2:4) over each
other's conversation; to stir up one (Heb. 10:24, 25) another to love and good
works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as we have
opportunity, to worship God according to his revealed will; and, when the case
requires, to warn, (1 Thess. 5:14; Rom. 15:14; Lev. 19:17; Matthew 18:15-17)
rebuke, and admonish one another, according to the rules of the Gospel.
Moreover, we think ourselves obliged (Rom. 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:26) to sympathize
with each other, in all conditions, both inward and outward, which God, in his
providence, may bring its into; as also to (Rom. 15:1; Eph. 4:12; Col. 3:13)
bear with one another's weaknesses, failings and infirmities; and particularly
to pray for one another, (Eph. 6:18, 19; 2 Thess. 3:1) and that the Gospel, and
the ordinances thereof, might be blessed to the edification and comfort of each
others souls, and for the gathering in of others to Christ, besides those who
are already gathered.
All which duties we desire to be found in the performance of, through the
gracious assistance of the Holy Spirit whilst we both admire and adore the
grace, which has given us a place, and a name in God's house, better than that
of sons and daughters. (Isa. 56:5)
