A Confession Of Faith
The Presbyterian ministers gladly welcomed the opportunity to ordain Matthew Henry. To that end that asked for a written Confession Of Faith. On May 9, 1687 Matthew Henry offered the following.
A Confession Of Faith
1. I believe that there is a God, an incomprehensible, perfect Being; a Spirit, infinite, eternal, unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, and truth, having His being of Himself, and giving being to all things.
I believe that the living and true God is but one. And that in the unity of the Godhead there is a trinity of persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that these Three are but One God, the same in substance, equal in power, and glory. This is a revealed mystery which I do believe, but cannot comprehend.
2. I believe that this God, who was God from eternity, did in the beginning of time, create, or make out of nothing, the world, the heaven, and earth, and all things visible and invisible, and this He did by the Word of His eternal power, in the space of six days, and all very good.
And that the same God doth by the same power uphold and maintain the creatures in that being which He at first gave them, by the constant concurrence of providence, for by Him all things subsist, from the highest angel to the meanest worm.
And that this God in the right of creation and preservation, is the supreme absolute Sovereign and rector of the world, ruling and governing all His creatures and all their actions, according to the wise, holy, and eternal counsel of His own will, to the praise and glory of His own good name.
3. I believe that God, as the governor of the world, hath given a law to His rational creatures, according to which they are to walk, in order to their glorifying and enjoying Him.
And that to the present sons of men, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are given, as the only rule to direct them both in faith and practice.
That this Book of Scripture was given by inspiration of God, holy men speaking and writing as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
And that this is the foundation of all revealed religion, and a perfect sufficient rule of direction to the children of men.
4. I believe that God made man upright in His own image, consisting in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, with dominion over the inferior creatures.
And that He made a covenant of works with him, promising life, upon condition of a perfect and perpetual obedience, threatening death upon disobedience; and giving him command of trial, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil upon pain of death.
5. I believe that man being left to the freedom of his own will, at the instigation of the devil, sinned against God in eating the forbidden fruit, and so fell from his estate of holiness and happiness; and he being a common person, all his posterity fell with him into an estate of sin and misery.
That all the sons of men are born children of disobedience, wanting original righteousness, and under a corruption of the whole nature, slaves to the flesh, the world, and the devil.
And consequently children of wrath, obnoxious to the justice of God, and the condemnation of the law.
And that no creature is able to deliver them out of this condition.
6. I believe that God having from all eternity, of His mere good pleasure, elected a remnant of mankind to everlasting life, did, in infinite wisdom, find out a way to save and deliver them out of this sinful and miserable estate, and to bring them into a state of salvation; and that was by giving His only begotten Son to be their Redeemer, who being God, and one with the Father, according to the determinate counsel of God, did, in the fullness of time, take upon him, our nature, a true body, and reasonable soul, and became man, being conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, and called Jesus.
I believe that this Jesus was the true Messiah, promised to, and expected by the patriarchs under the old testament.
That He lived a holy sinless life, and fulfilled all righteousness, being made under the law; that He underwent the miseries of this life, the wrath of God for our sins, and as a sacrifice for sin died a cursed death upon the cross, thereby satisfying divine justice for the sins of man, and so reconciling us to God, and bringing in an everlasting righteousness.
That He was buried, and that having conquered death, he rose again the third day, and having commissioned His apostles and ministers to preach the gospel to all the world, He ascended into heaven, where He is and continued to be, God and man, our prevailing Intercessor with the Father, and the glorified Head over all things to the Church. In all this gloriously executing the three great offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.
7. I believe that in Jesus Christ there is a new covenant of grace made and published in the gospel, the tenor of which is, that all those who in the sight and sense of their lost and undone condition by nature come to Jesus Christ, and truly repent of all their sins, and heartily renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh, and all their own righteousness in point of justification, and by a lively faith cordially resign themselves to Jesus Christ as their Prince and Saviour, covenanting to be His humble servants, and serving Him accordingly, ( sincerely though not perfectly), in all manner of gospel obedience, shall have all their sins pardoned, their peace made, their persons justified, their natures sanctified, and their souls and bodies eternally saved.
8. I believe that the Holy Spirit doth effectually apply the redemption purchased by Christ to all the elect, by working in them that which is required of them, convincing them of sin, enlightening their minds with the knowledge of Christ, renewing their wills, and not only persuading them, but powerfully enabling them to embrace Jesus Christ, as He is freely offered in the gospel.
And that the same Spirit continues to dwell in them, and to work all their works in them, weakening their corruptions, strengthening their graces, guiding their way, comforting their souls, witnessing their adoption, enabling them more and more to die unto sin, and to live unto righteousness, and keeping them faithful and steadfast unto the end.
9. I believe that all true believers make up one invisible sanctified Church, which is the mystical body of Jesus Christ, receiving vital influence from Him as from their Head, and having communion in the same spirit of faith and love.
And that all those who by baptism outwardly profess faith in Christ, as the true Messiah, make up the universal visible Church of Christ on earth, of which Jesus Christ is the only ruling Head, and as such hath instituted ordinances for worship and discipline, which are to be observed and kept pure in particular churches, which are to be observed and kept pure in particular churches, and hath appointed the standing office of a gospel ministry, for the due administration of those ordinances, to the edification of the Church, and hath promised to be with them always to the end of the world.
10. I believe that God hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained, who will raise the bodies of all men from the grave, and judge them all according to their works, sending the wicked, impenitent, and unbelievers, into everlasting punishment, and receiving the righteous into life eternal, to be together for ever with the Lord.
And that then He shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, that God may be all in all to eternity."