Second Confession

Also drawn up at Amsterdam, on the 7th of October, 1630, called: Confession of Faith, and the principal articles of the Christian doctrine.

[Not divided into separate articles, except the articles of belief in God, and the manner of life in the church.]

We believe with the heart, and confess with the mouth, that there is one only, eternal, incomprehensible, spiritual Being, which in Scripture is called God; to whom alone is ascribed omnipotence, mercy, righteousness, perfection, wisdom, all goodness, and omniscience, and who is called a fountain of life, and the source of all good, the Creator of all things, and the Preserver of the same; who in the Old Testament bears various names: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God Schadai, the God Jehovah, the God of

Israel, I am that I am, the Alpha and Omega, and so on; but who in the New Testament is called by three distinct names: God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whom we confess to differ this far, namely, that the Father, as far as He is Father, is another than the Son; and the Son, as far as He is Son, is another than the Father; and the Holy Ghost, as far as He is a true Holy Ghost, is another than the Father and the Son; and that they, although differing in name, are nevertheless in their divine nature and attributes one only, undivided God, according to the testimony of the apostle: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Romans 10, verse 9; Deuteronomy 6, verse 4; Isaiah 45, verses 5 and 21; Romans 3, verse 30; First Corinthians 8, verse 4; Ephesians 4, verse 6; Genesis 21, verse 33; Psalm 90, verse 2; Isaiah 49, verse 28; Psalm 145, verse 3; Fourth Esdras 8, verse 21; Genesis 17, verse 1; Second Corinthians 6, verse 18; Exodus 34, verses 6 and 7; Luke 6, verse 36; Psalm 11, verse 7; Colossians 3; Leviticus 19, verse 2; Matthew 5, verse 48; First Timothy 1, verse 2; Psalm 103, verse 8; Matthew 19, verse 17; Psalm 139; James 1, verse 17; Genesis 1, verse 1; Job 38 and 39; Exodus 3, verse 6; 6, verse 6; 5, verse 1; Revelation 1, verse 8; 22, verse 13; Matthew 28, verse 19; John 14, verse 16; First John 5, verse 7. [n44-1]

That this Holy God, by His great power and incomprehensible wisdom, created, in six days, out of nothing, heaven and earth, together with all things visible and invisible; and on the sixth day prepared man a body of the dust of the earth, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and thus made him a living soul, or man; that He exalted this man above all creatures, endowed him with wisdom, understanding and reason, and made him lord over all creatures; indeed, above all this, created him in His divine image, in holiness and righteousness, for immortality, and placed him in the garden of Eden, where he might have been happy forever, yet requiring of him true obedience, saying: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." From this we see the free will of man. Genesis 1, verses 6, 9, 14, and 24; Jeremiah 32, verse 17; Acts 17, verse 24; Genesis 1, verses 26 and 28; 2, verse 7; Sirach 17, verse 5; Wisdom of Solomon 2, verse 23; Genesis 2, verses 8 and 9.

That man, through the subtlety of the serpent and the envy of the devil, was brought to disobey his Creator; by which he, with all his descendants, fell into death and condemnation, and thus, from the most glorious, became the most miserable creature. Genesis 3, verse 4; Wisdom of Solomon 2, verse 24; Fourth Esdras 7, verse 48; Romans 5, verse 12; First Corinthians 15, verse 21.

That the Lord God, seeing the fall of His most glorious creature, and that he could be redeemed from it neither through himself nor through any other creature, showed that He was a gracious and merciful God, indeed, the supreme or only goodness, in that He sought to reconcile to Himself, out of pure grace and without any merit, man and all who had fallen in him. Psalm 49, verse 8; Revelation 5, verse 3; Psalm 33, verse 5; Matthew 19, verse 17; Romans 5, verse 12; 3, verse 24; Second Corinthians 5, verse 19.

But since the justice of God required that the sin committed should not go unpunished, and since no creature could satisfy it, He not only frequently promised man to send His only beloved Son as a Savior, but prefigured it by various types. Genesis 3, verse 15; 12, verses 3 and 7; 16, verse 18; 24, verse 19; 7, verse 14; 9, verse 6; 11, verse 10; chapter 53; Jeremiah 23, verses 5 and 6; 33, verse 15; Daniel 7, verse 13; 9, verse 24; Micah 5, verse 2; Haggai 2, verse 23; Matthew 3, verse 1; Exodus 12, verse 3; 25, verse 17; Numbers 21, verse 9; Deuteronomy 30, verse 15; Sirach 15, verse 14. [n44-2]

That the Lord, after the fall as well as before it, left man his free will to accept, through faith in the promised Savior, the offered grace of God, or to reject it, is evident not only from the sending out of His prophets, apostles, and disciples, but also from the kind invitation of His beloved Son; and this justly, so that He, as a righteous judge, might have just cause, on the last day, to punish the despisers with the pains of hell, and reward the obedient lambs with the joys of heaven. Matthew 28, verse 19; Mark 16, verse 15; Acts 17, verse 31; Matthew 11, verse 28; 22, verse 9; First Timothy 1, verse 15; Titus 2, verse 11; Second Thessalonians 1, verse 8; Acts 3, verse 46; Romans 2, verse 5; Baruch 3, verse 29; John 3, verses 16 and 36; First Thessalonians 1, verse 6; Hebrews 6, verse 10. [n44-3]

That the Lord, being a true God, who does not repent of what He has promised, when the time which He, in the secret counsels of His divine will, had determined was fulfilled, sent His only, own and true Son as a redeemer into the world. First John 5, verse 20; Deuteronomy 7, verse 8; Galatians 4, verse 4.

And since there has been for many years, and still is daily, much dispute concerning this birth of our Savior according to the flesh, we therefore believe and confess that it is a supernatural birth, which cannot be fathomed by human reason. Yet we believe and confess, by virtue of the Scriptures, that the eternal, not spoken, but itself speaking, real Word, which was before the foundation of the world in great glory with the Father, was before Abraham, was in the beginning with God, and was itself God; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, and through which all things are created and have their being; that this same real Word, in the fullness of the time, came forth from the Father, and descended from heaven into the lowest parts of the earth, and, according to the prophecy (Isaiah 7), was (at Nazareth, that He might be called a Nazarene) conceived in the virgin body of Mary (who, although betrothed to Joseph of the house of David, yet was not known by him) by the power of the most high God, and the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, and became flesh, remaining what He had been, namely, God and the Son of God, and becoming what He had not been, namely, man and the son of man; in this manner, that we confess that the child which Mary bore, and which was born at Bethlehem, grew up, and suffered on the cross, was outwardly and inwardly, visibly and invisibly, while He lived here, the only, own, and true Son of God, and the Redeemer of us all. John 1, verse 1; 17, verse 5; 8, verse 58; Micah 5, verse 1; John 1, verse 3; 16, verse 28; Ephesians 4, verse 9; Matthew 1, verse 20; Luke 1, verse 31; Matthew 2, verse 23; John 1, verse 14; Romans 9, verse 5; Psalm 2, verse 7; Matthew 3, verse 17; Luke 2, verses 6 and 40; Matthew 27; 17, verse 5.

We believe and confess also, that He came to redeem us from the curse, and therefore became obedient to the law, was circumcised on the eighth day, and named with the name announced by the angel before He was born, namely, Jesus, that He might make His holy name agree with His holy work, namely, to save His people from their sins. Galatians 3, verse 13; 4, verse 5; Genesis 17, verse 12; Galatians 4, verse 4; Luke 2, verse 21; Matthew 1, verse 21; 18, verse 11; Luke 19, verse 10.

We also confess that He is our only true high Prophet, High Priest, and spiritual King, who, in His office as a prophet, has proclaimed to us God's great, secret counsel of the eternal peace with God, through the holy Gospel, and, moreover, all that is necessary for us to the new life. Deuteronomy 18, verse 15; Psalm 110, verse 4; Hebrews 3, verse 1; Jeremiah 33, verse 15; Matthew 2, verse 15; 13, verse 35; Luke 10, verse 5; John 3, verse 3; Matthew 18, verse 9.

Who, in His office as priest, has not only offered up on the cross a sacrifice for His believing lambs that will avail forever, but, after His glorious resurrection, has entered into the holy of holies, indeed, the most holy, namely heaven, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood; by which He has obtained eternal redemption for all those who believe in Him; indeed, He sits at the right hand of God His heavenly Father, where, as a high priest, He pours out His holy prayers for the ignorance of His people, and obtains forgiveness for them. Ephesians 5, verse 2; Hebrews 10, verse 12; 9, verse 12; Colossians 3, verse 1; Hebrews 5, verses 2 and 5.

Who, in His office as king, as a victorious prince has vanquished death, the devil, hell, and all our enemies, and has prepared a place for the members of His kingdom; ruling with the scepter of His word, and protecting those who put their trust in Him, helping them to triumph till they receive the everlasting kingdom at His hand. Second Timothy 1, verse 10; Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15; John 14, verse 2; Psalm 45, verse 6; Ecclesiasticus 29, verse 25; Second Corinthians 2, verse 14. [n44-4]

But since His kingdom was not of this world, He did not take possession of it by carnal weapons of iron or steel, but through suffering and fighting in the flesh; to this end He prepared Himself for temptation, tribulation and suffering, and took upon Him the cursed death of the cross, under Pontius Pilate. We confess, moreover, that this same Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified at Jerusalem, and tasted death on mount Calvary, with the cry of His groaning Spirit, and amid the convulsions of heaven and earth, was the only and own Son of God, and that we are reconciled to God by the blood and death of His Son, who by Himself purged our sins. John 18, verse 36; Matthew 4, verse 1; Luke 4, verse 1; Matthew 16, verse 21; Galatians 3, verse 13; Deuteronomy 21, verse 23; First Timothy 6, verse 13; Matthew 27; Luke 23; First John 3, verse 16; Romans 8, verse 22; 5, verse 10; Hebrews 1, verse 3.

Who also, as a sign that He was really dead, was taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea, who wrapped Him in a clean white cloth, and laid Him in a new hewn tomb, before which a great stone was rolled, and a guard placed. Matthew 27, verse 57.

But since it was impossible that He should be held by the hands of death, or that the Holy One should see corruption, we therefore believe and confess also that by the glory of the Father, according to the predictions of the prophets, He was raised from the dead on the third day, amid the convulsions of heaven and earth, and arose bodily; and that He certainly also confirmed His resurrection for forty days by words, signs, and miracles; that He taught, comforted, and admonished His disciples, and finally, on Mount Olivet, was received by a cloud, and in their sight ascended visibly into heaven, and entered into the holy of holies, seating Himself, as a true high priest, mediator, and advocate between God and man, at the right hand of the Majesty on high, where He appears continually before His Father's face to make intercession for His believers. Acts 2, verse 24; Psalm 16, verse 10; Romans 6, verse 4; Acts 13, verse 34; Matthew 28, verse 2; John 20, verse 4; Luke 24, verse 36; Acts 1, verse 12; Hebrews 9, verse 12; First John 2, verse 1; First Timothy 2, verse 5; Romans 8, verse 34.

And since before His precious suffering He taught and comforted them, not to let their hearts be afraid, and that when He had ascended to heaven He would send them another comforter, the Holy Ghost; therefore we believe that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, blessed forever, was, as true God, also found true in this matter, and did send, ten days after His ascension, the Holy Ghost in visible form to, or upon, His apostles in Jerusalem; which Holy Ghost is a wisdom, strength, and power of God, that proceeds from the Father through the Son, and, no less than the Father and the Son, is with them an eternal, undivided God; also a teacher, leader and guide to all God fearing and consolation seeking souls, showing them the way to and into the spiritual Canaan. John 14, verse 1; 15, verse 26; 16, verse 7; Matthew 21, verse 3; Romans 9, verse 5; John 5, verse 20; Acts 2, verse 2; Luke 1, verse 35; Acts 5, verse 3; John 14, verse 26.

We believe also, that the Lord God chose, first the holy angels in heaven, then two sanctified persons in Paradise, and finally, out of all the various nations of the earth, a penitent and believing people for His people; which is not only called a general Christian church or congregation of God fearing men, but which the Lord Christ has purchased with His precious blood, and washed and cleansed with the waters of the Holy Ghost, that He might present to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. And since she is so dear to Him, He would, for the prosperity and growth of His kingdom, not leave this holy church unprovided for, but provided her, not only before, but also after His ascension, with faith, love, hope, and other ordinances, and also with two special ministries, namely, the ministry of the holy Word, and the care for the poor, or the office of deacon; and appointed in it some prophets, pastors, teachers, helpers and rulers, to provide by common counsel wisely for the church of God; and sent them out.

Genesis 2, verse 22; Fourth Esdras 5, verse 27; Acts 20, verse 28; Ephesians 5, verse 26; First Corinthians 6, verse 20; Luke 10, verse 1; Ephesians 4, verse 11; First Corinthians 12, verse 28; Mark 16, verse 15.

In like manner, the apostles also commanded their followers to choose such men with fasting and prayer. First, they shall be examined, then let them minister; and the believer shall honor, love and obey these men. Acts 6, verse 3; 16, verse 2; First Timothy 3, verse 10; First Thessalonians 5, verse 13; Hebrews 13, verse 17; First Timothy 5, verses 17 and 18.

And inasmuch as this church bears the figure of the true church in heaven, they practice here on earth, outwardly in the preaching of the Word, of baptism, the supper, and other Christian ordinances, and inwardly in the spirit, a true communion, here and also in heaven with God and all the sanctified of the Lord, after which, in the last day, the true reality will follow. Acts 4, verse 32; Hebrews 12, verse 22.

Matters, in which those who unite in this church submit willingly and obediently to the customs, laws and ordinances which the Lord Christ, as the chief Head of His church, Ephesians 5, verse 32, and only Lawgiver of the New Testament, Matthew 28, verse 20, has ordained in His church, and which are also taught and, in our weakness, practiced by us, namely:

1. The Baptism of penitent and believing adults, which is an outward evangelical act, in which the man who truly repents of his sins, who clothes his heart with faith in Christ, and thereby mortifies and buries his earthly members, and rises to a new, penitent life, is baptized by a blameless minister ordained to it, with common water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, for the remission of all his sins; and such a man, once baptized upon true repentance and scriptural faith, we do not baptize again. Acts 2, verse 38; Mark 16, verses 15 and 16; Acts 8, verses 14, 34, 36, and 37; 10, verse 43; First Corinthians 3, verse 5; Romans 6, verse 4; Matthew 3, verse 11; Acts 10; Matthew 28, verse 19; Ephesians 4, verse 5; Hebrews 6, verse 2.

2. The holy Supper of the Lord, also called the Christian communion, which is to be held among believers only, not with consecrated, but with common bread and wine; not only in remembrance of the precious, holy, and bitter suffering and death, and the glorious resurrection of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, but also of the comforting fruits thereby prepared for all believers; that they, by virtue of this, may not only be moved to sincerely lament the bitter suffering and death of Jesus Christ, which He endured for the remission of their sins, but also to praise and bless the Lord, with an inward, spiritual thanksgiving, for the benefits which have sprung from it; and also to confirm their Christian, brotherly, and spiritual communion by a holy and godly life, to the praise of the Lord. Matthew 26, verse 26; Luke 22, verse 19; Acts 2, verse 46; 20, verse 7; Mark 14, verses 22 and 23; John 6, verse 51; First Corinthians 10, verses 16 and 17; First Corinthians 11, verses 23 and 24.

3. Then follows the Washing of the Saints' Feet; that is, when our fellow believers from distant places come to visit us, we wash their feet, as opportunity offers, after the custom of the Old Testament, and the example of Christ; thereby declaring our humility toward God and our neighbor, with a humble prayer that the Lord would strengthen us more and more in humility, and that, as we have washed one another's feet, He would be pleased to wash and cleanse our souls with His blood and the waters of the Holy Ghost, from every stain and impurity of sin, that we may appear pure and blameless before His Father. Genesis 18, verse 4; John 13, verse 5; First Timothy 5, verse 10; Luke 22, verse 26; Philippians 2, verse 3.

4. Likewise, The Works of Love, which we divide into three parts: (1) That a believer is bound to bring his alms, according as the Lord has blessed him, to the deacons, so that they may have the means to properly support the poor believers. (2) To visit, comfort, attend, and nurse, according to the nature of the case, the sick, the imprisoned, and sorrowing hearts. (3) When we see our fellow believers in oppressive household cares, bad circumstances, or with an insufficient income, to assist them with advice and in deed, and by giving them our business in preference to a stranger. Matthew 6, verse 1; Luke 12, verse 33; 16, verse 9; Acts 6, verse 13; Matthew 25, verse 35; Hebrews 13, verses 1 to 3.

5. As Marriage, which was good and rightly instituted in Paradise, was afterwards abused through lust by the children of the first world, and also through hardness of heart by the Jews, the great Lawgiver of the New Testament restored it according to its original ordinance, Matthew 19, verse 4; and the apostle says, First Corinthians 7, verse 39: "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." By this we understand that a believer is not at liberty to unite in marriage with an unbeliever, but only with one who, with him, of one heavenly Father, of incorruptible seed, and thus of a spiritual generation, is born anew, heavenly and spiritual; for since they in baptism have offered up their members to God, and have given them to the obedience of their Head, Christ, they cannot take these, their members, away from Christ, their Head, and be yoked together with one who is unregenerate. Genesis 2, verse 24; 6, verses 1 and 2; Deuteronomy 24, verse 1; Matthew 19, verse 8; First Peter 1, verse 23; John 3, verse 15; Romans 12, verse 1; First Peter 1, verse 22; Ephesians 5, verse 23.

6. The Office of the Secular Authority we recognize as an ordinance of God, for the protection of the good, and the punishment of the wicked; we also recognize that we owe it honor, obedience, custom, taxes, and tribute, and that we should also pray for it; but we do not find that Paul mentions it among the offices of the church, nor that Christ taught His disciples such a thing, or called them to it; but, on the contrary, that He commanded them to follow Him in His defenseless life and cross bearing footsteps, forbidding all revenge, not only that with arms, but also the returning of railing for railing, and, on the contrary, commanding to pray for one's enemies, to do good to those who do us evil; and much of a similar nature which is connected with the office of the magistracy; and so we are afraid to fill such offices in our Christian calling. Romans 13, verses 2 and 3; First Peter 2, verse 13; Acts 4, verse 19; Matthew 22, verse 17; Romans 13, verse 7; Titus 3, verse 1; Jeremiah 29, verse 7; First Corinthians 12, verse 28; Matthew 20, verse 25; Luke 22, verse 25; John 8, verse 12; 10, verse 27; Hebrews 12, verse 2; First Peter 2, verse 21; Romans 12, verse 19; Matthew 5, verse 44.

7. The Swearing of Oaths, permitted in the Old Testament, and into which many abuses have crept, is forbidden by Christ and James, without any distinction; therefore it is not lawful for a Christian to swear the oath of blasphemy. Deuteronomy 6, verse 13; 10, verse 20; Matthew 5, verse 37; James 5, verse 12.

8. But as in a good government ordinances without penalties lose their force, the Lord also has not failed to attach penalties to His ordinances; for Paul says: "Those that sin, rebuke before all, that others also may fear" (First Timothy 5, verse 20). Christ also, in Matthew 18, has taught us to rebuke sinners. Paul teaches us to purge out the old leaven, and to put away from among us those who are wicked; by which we understand the Christian Ban, which is instituted for the shaming and conversion of the sinner, and for the purpose of keeping the church pure, lest a little leaven leaven the whole lump (First Corinthians 5, verses 6 and 13; Deuteronomy 13, verse 5; Second Thessalonians 3, verse 14; Galatians 5, verse 9), according to Matthew 16, verse 19: "I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" ; and Matthew 18, verse 18: "Whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This discipline is used against those who have once been enlightened, and have received as truth the sound doctrine of Christ, but who afterwards fall into false doctrine and heresy. These, after they have been admonished once or twice, but still persist in their evil principles, shall, by Christian Separation, be avoided and shunned. Titus 3, verse 10. Further, it is also used against persons who are going astray in the gross works of the flesh, upon sufficient confession of such persons themselves, or upon the testimony of other commendable witnesses; for the church must have such, before she may proceed with the separation. Galatians 5, verse 21; Ephesians 5; First Corinthians 5, verse 3; 6, verse 9. [n44-5]

9. We understand that Marrying out of the Church is sinful, since it is contrary to the command of the Lord, and has at various times been reproved by the Lord and His prophets, through deeds as well as through words; and since it is a sin arising either from a carnal, sensual life, or from a want of confidence in God, as though He would not provide him with a virtuous spouse; and is, moreover, committed with premeditation, for which reason it cannot be included in Galatians 6, verse 1

"If a man is overtaken in a fault, . . restore such a one in the spirit of meekness," but much rather in Numbers 15, verse 30: "The soul that does anything presumptuously .... shall be cut off from among his people," therefore many God fearing men, who were assembled at different times, have understood, as we also understand, that marriage out of the church, with the impenitent and with unbelievers, is also to be punished with separation from the church, that they may the more earnestly seek repentance.

But as all sins are not equally great, and do not actually deserve separation without previous admonition, there is observed in the reproving of sin between brother and brother the rule in Matthew 18, verses 15 to 18. And if any man is overtaken in a fault, then the rule of Galatians 6, verse 1 is followed.

Now, since we also understand that there can be no separation where no withdrawing is found, we confess also that we are in duty bound to admonish (First Thessalonians 3, verse 15) the one separated, to reconcile himself to the church by true repentance; and if there is in him a willingness to reconcile himself, to make haste with the anointing or reinstating, and not to wait with those who have married out of the church, until he or she brings with him, or her, the spouse married out of the church. [n44-6] Second Corinthians 2, verse 8. But if the good admonition should be heedlessly rejected, since the daily company of the ungodly apostates is unedifying, polluting, offensive, and frequently hardens the sinner in his wicked life, we confess that the person separated, or punished with a ban, is to be avoided and shunned, even without the aforesaid admonition, immediately after the separation, in common, free, worldly dealings, such as eating and drinking, buying and selling, and other such unnecessary matters; yet with this distinction, that it be done with such moderation and discretion that the Word of God may everywhere retain its place, and the higher laws and commandments of the Lord, by which the believer is bound to the separated one, be not broken, but that everywhere necessity, word, promise, love, benevolence, mercy, justice, and Christian discretion be observed. First Corinthians 5, verse 5; Second Timothy 2, verses 16 to 18; Second Thessalonians 3, verse 14; Titus 3, verse 10; Luke 6, verse 36; Second Peter 1, verse 6.

Likewise, if one man understands the passage about shunning, in First Corinthians 5, in a higher, and another man in a lower sense, both men being God fearing in their life, they should, until further enlightenment, be borne with in love, without contention or disputing.

Whoever seeks, in human weakness, to live according to these, the chief, as well as to the other commandments, doctrines, and ordinances of the Lord (more fully defined in His holy Word), and thus to accomplish his pilgrimage on this earth, of him we believe that he will not only feel at his departure from earth a sure witness of his conscience, and have a glad hope, but at the resurrection of the dead will indeed find it to be so, that all his sins will be forgiven him through the holy merits and comforting intercession of Christ. Luke 24, verse 47; Colossians 1, verse 14; Acts 13, verse 38; First Timothy 2, verse 5; First John 2, verse 1; Romans 8, verse 34.

Finally, we believe also that our Savior Jesus Christ, forever blessed, shall visibly come again in the clouds, as He ascended before; not so humble, lowly, and serving, as He appeared to the world in His holy incarnation, but glorious and magnificent, with the power and glory of all His angels; not to call the sinner to repentance, but to hold the last judgment; to which end He will not only sit upon the throne of His glory, but, as the natural sun in springtime draws forth from the earth not only flowers, herbs and good fruits, but also nettles, thistles, and thorns, so also the true Sun of righteousness, Jesus Christ, blessed forever, will then, with the sound of the trumpet, call forth and cause to rise from the earth all the great number of the dead who from the beginning of the world up to the present day have lived, died, and sown their bodies in the earth to corruption; and as the womb gives up her fruit, so shall the sea, hell, and death give up their dead; then shall the dead be covered with their own skin, and with their own eyes behold God, indeed, be clothed with their own bodies, in or with which they have here served or despised the Lord. And after those who will then be still living have been changed to immortality in the twinkling of an eye, the general multitude of all mankind will be placed before the holy throne of God, where the books of conscience shall be opened, and also another book, which is the book of life; and the dead shall be judged according to what is written in these books, that everyone may receive in his own body either good or evil, according to what they have done, or how they have lived here. Then will the Lord, as a righteous judge, separate the believers from the ungodly, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats; and will set the believers, as obedient lambs, on His right hand, but the unbelievers, as wicked, rebellious, stinking goats, on His left hand. He will look upon the lambs with His loving eyes, and say to them in a voice sweet as the honeycomb: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." But upon the goats His angry face shall be like the lightning, and His voice sound like the thunder, and He shall say to them: "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Matthew 1, verse 21; Acts 4, verse 12; First Timothy 1, verse 15; Acts 1, verse 11; Revelation 1, verse 7; Matthew 24, verse 30; Second Thessalonians 1, verse 7; Matthew 25, verse 31; 16, verse 27; Acts 17, verse 31; Jude, verse 14; Daniel 7, verses 9 and 13; Malachi 4, verse 2; First Thessalonians 4, verse 16; Matthew 24, verse 31; John 5, verse 29; Daniel 12, verse 2; First Corinthians 15, verse 42; Fourth Esdras 7, verse 32; Revelation 20, verse 13; Job 19, verse 26; Revelation 1, verse 7; Second Corinthians 5, verse 10; Matthew 16, verse 27; Romans 2, verse 6; First Corinthians 15, verse 51; Matthew 25, verse 32; Ezekiel 34, verse 17; Matthew 25, verses 33, 34, and 41; Fourth Esdras 16, verse 10; Second Thessalonians 1, verse 8; Luke 17, verse 24.

And we also further confess that then the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be changed into blood, the stars shall fall from heaven, and the earth and all that is in it shall be burned with fire; and then shall the irrevocable sentence of the Greatest King be executed. Second Peter 3, verse 10; Revelation 6, verses 12 and 13.

Then shall the ungodly, like sheep for the slaughter, be driven to hell, and be cast into the great bottomless pit, where there will be no lack of fuel. There they shall not be laid on beds of down, but on biting moths, and be covered with gnawing worms, and tormented with flaming fire, so that their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, but the torment of their pain shall ascend as the smoke of a fiery furnace, and it shall last forever and ever. But on the contrary, we confess that the blessed of God shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and shall then be led by the Lord Christ, their spiritual bridegroom, into heaven, before the throne of God, where He shall deliver up again to the Father the kingdom and all power, that God may be all in all. Psalm 49, verse 14; Isaiah 30, verse 33; 14, verse 11; Second Thessalonians 1, verse 9; Mark 9, verse 48; Isaiah 66, verse 24; Revelation 9, verse 2; 14, verse 11; First Thessalonians 4, verse 17; Matthew 25, verse 6; First Corinthians 15, verse 28.

Then shall the blessed of God be changed through the glory of God from glory to glory; their tears shall be wiped away; the crown of life, of glory, and of gladness shall be placed on their heads; palms of victory shall be put in their hands, and they shall be adorned with the white robe of the righteousness of the saints. So shall they be joined to all the saints of God, and be led to the fountain of living waters, there to be refreshed for everlasting consolation; they shall be fed on the spiritual mount Zion; indeed, they shall follow the sweet Lamb, Jesus Christ, who has bought them with His blood and death, in the heavenly pleasure grounds, through contemplation of the holy God on His inestimable throne, the heavens in their beauty, and the angels in their joy. Second Corinthians 3, verse 18; Philippians 3, verse 21; Isaiah 25, verse 8; Revelation 7, verse 17; James 1, verse 12; Second Timothy 4, verse 8; Fourth Esdras 2, verses 43 and 46; Revelation 7, verse 9; 19, verse 8; Matthew 8, verse 11; Revelation 7, verse 17; 14, verses 1 and 4; Fourth Esdras 8, verse 21; Baruch 3, verse 24.

Then shall the blessed of God abound in heavenly joy, so that with angelic tongues and heavenly voices they will begin to sing with all the saints of God the new song, giving to Him who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, praise, honor, glory, and blessing, forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 14, verse 3; 7, verses 10 and 12.

Thus done by us, the undersigned ministers, teachers, and elders of the United Friesic and High German Churches, for ourselves, as well as in the name of our fellow brothers and ministers, and the strangers assembled at these proceedings with us, here at Amsterdam. October the 7th, 1730, new style; and it was subscribed to by fourteen persons, heads of the churches, for themselves as well as in the name of the churches by whom they were sent. [n44-7]