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to the abdicated, or, in the Stile of our Acts of Parliament, the for feited King James; and, fince his Death, to the Pretender unto the British Crown; except it can be proved, that we acknowledge that the Pretender hath a juft and legal Authority of the fupreme Ma giftrate, which, becaufe of his Infidelity, we make void: This were indeed to contradict the alledged Articles of the Westminster Confeffion. But fince we are perfwaded that he hath no Right or Title whatfomever, that he is not a Magiftrate, and hath no manner of Authority in thefe Iflands, the People whereof owe him not the leaft Obedience; it may be alledged that we injure him: But there is not the fmalleft Colour for charging us with contradicting the Principles of our own Confeffion, when we utterly renounce and difclaim his imaginary King(hip.

It is not fimply becaufe he is a Papift that we pay no Allegiance to that pretended King; but because he hath now no Right to the British Throne, whatever be his Religion; any Title which other wife he might have had being vacated and anulled, by thofe, who, according to our Principles, had an undoubted Power to limit the Succeffion of the Crown, as appeared neceffary for the publick Good: As all the Plea which the late King James could have made for himfelf, and his Pofterity, was entirely deftroyed by his tyrannical Invafion of the fundamental Laws and Conftitutions of Go vernment, whereby he was expofed to a juft and neceffary Forfei

ture.

Wherefore, though, no doubt, his embracing that abominable Idolatry, and being fo deeply impreffed with the cruel and impious Maxims of that falfe and bloody Religion, gives us a higher Relish of the infinite Goodness of a merciful God, in eftablilhing upon the Throne our prefent excellent Sovereign KING GEORGE; and infpires, with a greater Ardour, our fincere Wishes for the Stability and Glory of his Reign; fhows us, in a more fhining Light, the Bleffings of the Proteftant Succeffion in his illuftrious Family; and increafes our Horror at the difinal Profpect of Things, if ever an avenging God fhould fend the Pretender to be a Scourge unto thefe Nations: Yet we do not change our Principles, by pretending that his Infidelity makes void his juft and legal Author ty; for to us there does not appear fo much as the leaft Shadow of any Authority, which that Perfon can lay claim to in Britain, but very plain Demonftrations of the contrary.

We have now given an Account of all the different Ufes and Parpofes of Confeflions of Faith, which we thought of any Impor tance; have endeavoured to illuftrate, explain and vindicate them; and to confider all the material Objections, which, we could ima gine, might be brought against them: And fo we have finished all that was at firft propofed in this Effay. What particularly relates to this Edition of our Confeffions, &c. will be accounted for in a fe parate Advertisement.

Addenda Page xci. 1. 47.

Yea fo extremely abfurd is this Scheme, that according thereto it would be impoffible to frame a Confeffion, or an Acknowledgment of a Minifter's or a private Chriftian's Faith, which the Church might expect an Affent to, even in the Original Greek and Hebrew Texts of Scripture, fuppofing that the Perfons fully understood thefe Languages. For if a Minifter fhould, for Inftance, doubt whether the Text of Scripture, that speaks moft plainly of the Divinity of our Saviour, ought to be understood of him; and thinks it rather fhould be applied otherwife, he cannot poffibly fubfcribe the riginal Words of that Text, fo as they may be a Teft of his Orth doxy in this Particular, and the Church which should determine their Application to fefus Chrift,and require a Minifter or Chriftian, in order to his Admiffion among them, to give his Affent to thele Scriptural Phrafes fo understood, would, equally with us, expofe it felf to all the clamorous Objections which are made against humane Creeds.

This will appear further, if we confider the feveral various Readings which are to be found in the Sacred Writings, one of which alone is genuine, and must have the fole Claim to the Dignity and Authority of infpired Words. Now it feems according to the Prin ciples of our Adverfaries, that no Church could fix upon this genuine Reading, and require an Affent to it from their publick Teachers, fince that were indeed to determine what were Scripture, what not, and the demanding an Affent to fuch a Determination, would be exclaimed against as an arbitrary Impofition; as a native Confequence of which, no publick Confeffion of Faith, could be compofed in the Words of fuch Texts of Scripture as admit of various Readings, whereby a great many Paffages of the Holy Oracles will be neceffarily excluded.

This Difficulty will prove of greater Extent and Importance, with refpect to thefe who deny the divine Authority, of fome of thefe Books of the New Teftament, which have been generally received by Chriftians: As on the other Hand, were this novel Scheme of Confeffions allowed, fuch People as Mr. Whifton, who would obtrude upon the Church a new Set of pretended infpired Wri tings, might alledge, That a Profeffion of their Faith, in the Phrafes of thefe Books adopted by them, and embraced as the Word of God, were fufficient to all the Privileges of Chriftian or minifterial Communion; and that it were a manifeft Invafion of their religious Freedom, to require any other Tefts of Orthodoxy from them; and furely it feems to argue every way as great an Authority in Matters of Faith, for a Church to determine what Books the thinks. divinely inspired, and which muft accordingly be owned as fuch by her Members, as it is for the fame Church, to declare what Do Etrines the judges to be the fundamental Principles of Christianity, unto which all ought to give their Affent, who lay claim to Church Privileges, or at least pretend to the Office of a publick Teacher.

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A Divifion of the Whole into three Parts according to the different Ufes and Ends of Creeds and Confeffions

PART I

6

7

Ontaining thofe Purpofes of Confeffions, which were of the most general and extenfive Nature, and had a regard not only to the Members of the particular Churches which framed them, but to the whole World Firft End propofed by Churches in publishing their Confeffions, to give a fair and authentick Account of the Doctrine maintained by them; and clear the Mifreprefentations made of them, and the Calumnies wherewith they were blackned ibid.. The Opinions of Adverfaries generally placed in a very unfair Light, which makes it more neceffary to publish authentick Confellions of their Faith

ibid.

This End of Creeds illuftrated and applied to the State of the pri nitive Chriftians

All of the Proteftant Churches at the Reformation

7,8,9

10

This End of peculiar Advantage to the Church of Scotland, t Principles, Worthip and Government whereof are, in a part cular Manner, loaded with Calumnies and unfair Milreprefer tations The Occafion hereof accounted for, from the Circumftances Page Things during the Civil War, when the Westminster Confeffio was compofed

II, 12, 1

At the Reftauration, and till the prefent Time Whence not only the more ignorant and angry, but Writers of better Character, are very partial in their Accounts of what re lates to this Church

14,

The Injuftice of charging the Notions of one or two particula Members upon the whole Body.

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And the plain Equity of judging concerning their Sentiments ac cording to their publick Confeffions, Catechifms, &c. How much the Fal hood of thefe Calumnies would appear by a juft Confideration of our Confeffion, inftanced with refpect to our alledged Principles concerning both Civil and Ecclefiaftical Government And the Doctrines of Predeftination, Juftification, &c. 16, 17, 18 The Injuftice of imputing to Perfons fuppofed Confequences of their Opinions, which they deny The great Mifchiefs of Anger, Impericufhefs, and Uncharitablenefs in managing Controverfies

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19, 20

- 20

21

A palpable Miftake of Sir Richard Steil noted, no Degree of Perfe cution in Scotland

22

The Second Defign of publishing Creeds, That Chriftian Societies might in the molt folemn Manner make Profeffion of the true Religion, and glory in it before the World

This is the Duty of the Church

23

ibid.

The Bleflings of pure Religion beftowed on the Church of Scot land in a diftingui hing Manner, and preferved to her by a Train of extraordinary Providences

24, 25

ibid 26

That it is the Duty of a Church, in the more folemn and publick Manner, to own the Truth, when it is ridiculed and defpifed in the World, and deferted by other Churches This practifed by the Church of Scotland The uncommon Advances of the Reformation with respect to the Worship and Government of the Church of Scotland, with Remarks thereupon A Conjecture concerning the Caufes hereof, and of the different 26, 27, 28 Turn which the Reformation took in England, &c. 28, 29, 30

A Third Defign of Confeflions, to maintain Union and Fellowfhip among the feveral Churches, which profeffed the true Religion; and to contribute to their mutual Comfort and Edifica

tion,

All the Churches of Chrift are but one Body, whence arifeth the 30, 35 • great Obligation to Love and Harmony

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