Confession of Faith, According to the Holy Word of God.

ARTICLE I.

Of the only God of heaven and earth.. By the grace of God, according to the import of the holy Scriptures, we believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only, eternal, almighty, and true God; who is the Creator of heaven and earth, with all things visible and invisible; so that all things derive their origin and being from him alone, and are all sustained, governed and upheld by his almighty word. He is a just, perfect, holy, incomprehensible and indescribable, spiritual Being; consisting of or through himself, Ex. 3:14, and not needing the help or assistance of any thing; but is himself the origin and fountain of every good thing. From his overflowing goodness every good and perfect gift proceeds and descends. And he is the living One, eternal, without beginning or end, an almighty, true God and Lord of Hosts, a commanding King over all, and above us all in heaven and earth, a terrible Judge and an avenging, consuming fire; the true Light, just, righteous and holy, full of grace and peace, and a God of love and of all comfort, longsuffering and of great mercy.

And this only good, and only wise, exalted God, who is all in all, dwells with his worshipful, glorious existence above in heaven, in a light which no man has seen, nor can see, and is present everywhere with his Spirit and power, filling heaven and earth, so that heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool. From his all-seeing eye nothing is hid, but he is an omniscient hearer and beholder of the hearts and secret intents and thoughts of all men; all things being naked and open unto his eyes. 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:13.

And since he is such an omniscient God, full of all grace and mercy, and a God of all comfort, with whom alone the fountain of wisdom and all good gifts are to be found; and since he will not give this his divine honor to another, therefore all men are in duty bound, to seek, by ardent prayer and with a desiring heart, all grace, peace, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life, in God alone and in none other.216

And to this only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, before whose worshipful majesty the angels stand with trembling; whose word is true, 361and whose command is powerful; who is a righteous Judge over all; finally every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that he alone is Lord, to the praise of his glory.

And this only, eternal, true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, consists in one true Father, and one true Son, and one true Holy Ghost. And besides this only God there never has been another, nor ever will be.

Concerning this only, eternal God, read: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29.

Through Isaiah he speaks: For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Is. 46:9; 45:5; 44:6; 43:11; 41:4.

Through Paul he says: That an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 1 Cor. 8:4; 12:6; Eph. 4:6.

And in this only God we must necessarily believe to salvation, as the beginning and foundation of the Christian faith. Read: For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb. 11:6.

To believe in this God, is also called a principle of the Christian doctrine. Read Heb. 6:1; Jas. 2:19. John 17:8; 14:1; Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:9.

ARTICLE II.

Of the eternal birth and Godhead of the only and eternal Son of God, we confess: That the Son of God was born and proceeded from all eternity, in an ineffable manner, from the true God, his Father; of the essence and substance of the almighty God, as a Light from the true Light, true God from the true God; being in the form of God, the likeness of the invisible God, the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person; so that he was born and proceeded from God his Father as the brightness of the everlasting light, the immaculate reflection of the power of God, and the image of his goodness; being equal with his Father in essence, form, and attributes; as eternal, almighty, holy, and the like. For it is an inevitable consequence that like produces like.

Thus, as the stone spoken of by the prophet Daniel, which was cut out of the mountain without hands, and itself became a great mountain, is of the same essence and substance with the mountain; so also the precious, elect corner-stone, Jesus Christ, was born or proceeded from God the almighty Father (who is called a mountain and rock forever), and is of the same essence and substance with him. Hence, Christ Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is to be believed in, confessed, served, honored, and worshiped by all believers, as the true God with his Father. But as this is also a matter of faith, and not of reason or comprehension, all this must be viewed, believed, judged, and spoken of not humanly, nor carnally, but divinely and spiritually.