The Roman Church comes in for a fair share of vituperation, for its "corruptions", "superstitions", and "idolatries" "Nevertheless", it says, "as some trace of the Church is left in the papacy In the thirtieth General Synod of the Reformed Church of France June 6 to July 10, , the only approach to a Confession of Faith that could be made was the adoption by the slender majority of sixteen votes of the following vague resolution:.
She declares, through the organ of her representatives, that she remains faithful to her principles of faith and freedom on which she was founded. With her fathers and her martyrs in the Confession of Rochelle, and with all the Churches of the Reformation in their respective creeds, she proclaims the sovereign authority of the Holy Scriptures in matters of faith, and salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, who died for our sins, and was raised again for our justification.
She preserves and maintains, as the basis of her teaching, of her worship and her discipline, the grand Christian facts represented in her religious solemnities, and set forth in her liturgies, especially in the Confession of sins, the Apostles' Creed, and in the order for the administration of the Lord's Supper.
The Heidelberg Catechism, published in by order of the Elector Palatine, Frederick III, was generally accepted by Calvinists throughout the world as a faithful and authoritative exposition of the faith of the Reformed Churches.
Many mainline Protestant Churches include corporate confession in regular worship. For instance the Presbyterian Church USA's. The statement is incorrect insofar as Protestants do not practice auricular confession (confessing ones' sins to a priest in order to receive.
It was drawn up with the twofold purpose of furnishing a manual of Christian doctrine and serving as a public profession of faith. In questions and answers, it treats of man's sin and misery , the redemption by Christ , and the gratitude of the redeemed The second part is the largest, as it gives an explanation of the Apostles' Creed and the sacraments. The third part deals with the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer. The general tone of the document is moderate, with the exception of the truculent 80th question, for which the professors are not responsible; for it did not appear in the first edition, and was later inserted by the fanatical Elector.
Since it has been in no small measure the source of Protestant anti-Catholic intolerance, it is worth while to lay it before the reader:. The Lord's Supper testifies to us that we have full forgiveness of all our sins by the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself has once accomplished on the cross; and that by the Holy Ghost we are engrafted into Christ, who with his true body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and is to be there worshipped.
But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead have not forgiveness of sins through the sufferings of Christ, unless Christ is still daily offered for them by the priests; and that Christ is bodily under the form of bread and wine, and is therefore to be worshipped in them. And thus the Mass, at bottom, is nothing else than a denial of the one sacrifice and passion of Jesus Christ, and an accursed idolatry. Schaff doubts the "wisdom of inserting controversial matter into a catechism"; but strangely enough pronounces, that "it must be allowed to remain as a solemn protest against idolatry" Creeds of Christendom, I, If the central dogma of the Catholic worship is really idolatrous, what is the harm in proclaiming it as such in a Confession of Faith?
The Heidelberg Catechism was translated info all the languages of Europe, and into several extra-European tongues. It obtained great authority in Scotland and England; but during the following century it was supplanted by the Westminster Confession. It was introduced into America by the Dutch and German Reformed churches, and is said to be now more highly prized by the American Reformed Churches than by the Germans in the Fatherland. The Confessio Belgica is venerated as of symbolic authority, together with the Heidelberg Catechism, by the Reformed Churches in Belgium, Holland and their offshoots throughout the world.
This document, consisting of thirty-seven articles, was written in French about , by Guy de Bray, assisted by other preachers. The intentions of the authors, we are told by one of themselves, was not to issue a new creed, but to prove the truth of their belief from the canonical writings. They follow closely the Confessio Gallicana, seeking to support their theses by texts of Scripture. Translations were made into Dutch and Latin, and the document was submitted to Calvin and many other Reformed divines. In a copy was transmitted to Philip II with a letter protesting the innocence of the innovators from crime and rebellion.
In the opinion of Calvinists, the wrecking of churches and maltreatment of priests and nuns were not crimes but imperative duties. The Synod of Dort, the most representative gathering of the Calvinists, was convened by the authority and at the expense of the States-General. It opened its sessions at Dort, or Dordrecht, November 13, , and concluded its labors after sessions, May 9, The delegates chosen by the French Huguenots were forbidden by the crown to leave France.
The occasion of this international gathering was the defection from pure Calvinism of the Remonstrants see Arminianism. Since the members of the synod were orthodox on the subject of predestination absolute, the condemnation of the Remonstrants was a foregone conclusion. The canons were framed in the most unbending form, and ministers who refused to subscribe were deposed. Although the foreign delegates attached their names to the canons of Dort, yet, outside of the Netherlands, these were never regarded as authoritative. In England, especially, there was fierce opposition, and from rival pulpits the pros and cons of God's or Calvin's eternal decree were thundered into the ears of the bewildered people.
The numerous Minor Reformed Confessions, such as the Marchica Brandenburg , the Hungarian, the Bohemian, and the Polish, being of a local and for the most part of an ephemeral nature, need not detain us. For an account of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Anglican Church the reader is referred to the article Anglicanism. They retained the offensive coda to Art. Episcopalians, also, have not yet eliminated from their articles the calumny Art. The Scottish Confession— By the year , Protestantism in Scotland, through the aid of English gold and troops, had gained complete ascendency.
Losing no time, the Protestant "Lords of the Congregation", convened a revolutionary Parliament of the estates of the realm, at Edinburgh, August 1, whose first act was to repudiate the Catholic religion, and commission John Knox and other preachers to compile a new creed. Familiar with the Swiss Confessions, Knox performed his task in four days. The document, amended by the leaders, was submitted to Parliament and with very little discussion and a mere handful of dissentient votes, ratified by the estates, August 17 Though repudiated by Queen Mary, who was at the time in France, it was imposed upon the people as the religion of Scotland and the exercise of the ancient worship was forbidden under penalty of confiscation, exile, and death.
The "Confessio Scotica", or "Confession of the Faith and Doctrine belevet and professit be the Protestantis of Scotland", begins with a brief preface, in which the writers "take God to recorde in our consciences, that fra our heartis we abhorre all sectis of heresie and all teachers of erroneous doctrine. The Confession presents, in twenty-five articles, a summary of the Christian Faith as held by the Scottish Protestants.
The articles follow broadly the lines of the Apostles' Creed. They are written in a vigorous, original, and, for a document proceeding from the pen of Knox, in an extremely moderate style. The moderation was obviously due to the necessity of securing, if possible, for the sake of legality, the signature of the Catholic sovereign.
Although the ground tone of the Confession is Calvinistic, yet the Calvinistic tenets are not set forward with prominence. It is only when treating of the "Kirk" and the Sacraments that the "Papistical Kirk" and the Catholic doctrine of the Holy Mass are denounced and misrepresented: The development of Presbyterianism was a lucid commentary on the new principle herein tentatively propounded.
After the forced abdication of Queen Mary in , Parliament again proclaimed the Confession as the creed of "the only true and holy Kirk of Jesus Christ within this realm"; and it remained the doctrinal standard of the Scots, until superseded by the Westminster Confession.
In the estimation of the Presbyterian preachers, the Confession of Knox was sadly defective; it had failed to denounce with sufficient vigor the Roman Antichrist. This omission was deemed particularly unfortunate about , when the young King James VI had fallen under the spell of his French kinsman, Esme Stuart, upon whom the king had bestowed the earldom of Lennox, and who reigned supreme in his councils. It was probably at the suggestion of this able and unscrupulous politician, that James commissioned the preacher John Craig to draw up the most violent condemnation of Papistry that ever issued from a Calvinistic pen.
It is known to historians as the King's Confession, sometimes as the "Scotica Secunda", later, when the religious conflicts in Scotland turned on the question of prelacy in general, as the "National Covenant". After endorsing the Confession of Faith in , it proceeds to "abhor and detest all contrary Religion and Doctrine; but chiefly all kind of Papistry in general and particular heads", among others, "the usurped tyranny of the Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God, upon the Kirk, the civil magistrate, and consciences of men; all his tyrannous laws made upon indifferent things, against our Christian liberty; It remained for generations the strong spiritual pabulum which fortified the Scottish people against Papistry, until men began to think for themselves.
These documents, together with a "Directory of Worship", were the fruits of the long labors of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, convened in Westminster Abbey by authority of the Long Parliament at the opening of the Civil War. After the abolition of prelacy in September, , the religious condition of England was completely chaotic. In order to stem the evil, Parliament by an ordinance dated June 12, , "thought fit and necessary to call an Assembly of learned, godly and judicious divines, to consult and advise of such matters and things, touching the premises, as shall be proposed unto them by both or either of the Houses of Parliament, and to give their advice and counsel therein to both or either of the said Houses, when, and as often as they shall be thereunto required.
The ordinance provides that forty members shall constitute a quorum; "that William Twisse, Doctor in Divinity shall sit in the chair. On June 22, King Charles, from Oxford, issued a decree condemning the proposed assembly, annulling beforehand all its proceedings, and prohibiting his subjects from taking any part in it.
This had the consequence of keeping nearly all the Episcopalians away, thus placing the Puritans in supreme control.
The assembly was formally opened in King Henry VII's chapel in the historic abbey; but since no matter for discussion was submitted to the divines by the Parliament, and they were inhibited from taking the initiative, an adjournment was taken until the following week, when, as its first task, the assembly was ordered to revise the Anglican "Thirty-nine Articles", "for the purpose of simplifying, clearing, and vindicating the doctrines therein contained".
Ten weeks were devoted to this work; the divines had remodeled the first fifteen, when they were ordered to lay aside the "Articles" and engage in matters of more pressing importance to the Parliament. The war with King Charles was proceeding with disastrous results to the Parliamentary party. Success seemed possible only through the aid of the Scots. Now the Scots demanded, as an indispensable condition of alliance, "the reformation of religion in the kingdoms of England and Ireland, in doctrine, worship, discipline and government, according to the Word of God, and the example of the best reformed Churches".
In other words, they insisted upon the adoption by the English of Presbyterianism in its integrity, a system repugnant to the national instincts and traditions of Englishmen. But there was no alternative, except the collapse of the rebellion. A "Solemn League and Covenant", framed by the Presbyterian preacher, Henderson, was sworn and subscribed by the Scottish and English Parliaments, by the General Assembly of Scotland, and by the Westminster divines, and afterwards by the lords and commons of both nations.
To aid the inexperienced English divines in drawing up Presbyterian formularies, six Scottish commissioners, four preachers and two laymen, were sent to Westminster, with authority to take part in the discussions, but without votes.
In a question-and-answer letter that Cardinal Gibbons personally signed, we find these statements:. Is Sunday the first day of the week, and did the Church change the seventh day — Saturday — for Sunday, the first day? The Catholic Church … by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.
From the office of Cardinal Gibbons, through Chancellor H. Thomas, November 11, , we read the following:. Of course, the Catholic Church claims that the change [of the Sabbath to Sunday] was her act … and the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power. The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, hidden under veil of flesh.
Not the Creator of the Universe in Genesis 2: Mosna, Storia della Domenica , , pages God simply gave His [Catholic] Church the power to set aside whatever day or days she would deem suitable as Holy Days. The Church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days, as holy days.
This same Church, by the same divine authority, taught the doctrine of Purgatory long before the Bible was made. We have, therefore, the same authority for Purgatory as we have for Sunday. Sunday is a Catholic institution, and its claim to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles … From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.
Have you any other way of proving that the [Catholic] Church has power to institute festivals or precept? Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her — she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority. Which is the Sabbath day? Saturday is the Sabbath day. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Excerpts from Manual of Christian Doctrine , p.
How prove you that the Church hath power to command feasts and holy days? By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday , which Protestants allow of, and therefore they fondly contradict themselves , by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same Church. For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday.
Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible. We Catholics, then, have precisely the same authority for keeping Sunday holy instead of Saturday as we have for every other article of our creed, namely, the authority of the Church … whereas you who are Protestants have really no authority for it whatever; for there is no authority for it [Sunday sacredness] in the Bible , and you will not allow that there can be authority for it anywhere else.
It was the Catholic Church which, by the authority of Jesus Christ, has transferred this rest [from the Bible Sabbath] to the Sunday … Thus the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church.
Translations were made into Dutch and Latin, and the document was submitted to Calvin and many other Reformed divines. Some Protestant denominations believe not only in the individual nature of confession but the corporate nature as well. Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand If you have further questions or need for clarification after reading the article, please write me again. But there was no alternative, except the collapse of the rebellion.
It would be an error to attribute [the sanctification of Sunday] to a definite decision of the Apostles. There is no such decision mentioned in the Apostolic documents [that is, the New Testament]. It must be confessed that there is no law in the New Testament concerning the first day. Rites and ceremonies, of which neither Paul nor Peter ever heard, crept silently into use, and then claimed the rank of divine institutions.
Killen, The Ancient Church , p. Outside the church, its observance was legalized for the Roman Empire through a series of decrees starting with the famous one of Constantine in , an edict due to his political and social ideas. Hyde, Paganism to Christianity in the Roman Empire , page It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church.
News of March 18, Protestantism , in discarding the authority of the [Roman Catholic] Church, has no good reason for its Sunday theory, and ought logically to keep Saturday as the Sabbath. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church. Protestants … accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change.
But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that in accepting the Bible, in observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope. Reason and common sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these two alternatives: Some theologians have held that God likewise directly determined the Sunday as the day of worship in the New Law, that He Himself has explicitly substituted the Sunday for the Sabbath.
But this theory is now entirely abandoned. It is now commonly held that God simply gave His Church the power to set aside whatever day or days she would deem suitable as Holy Days. The Church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days as holy days. Regarding the change from the observance of the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday, I wish to draw your attention to the facts:.
The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man. Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say, this Church, instituted by Christ to teach and guide man through life, has the right to change the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to Sunday….
We frankly say, yes, the [Roman Catholic] Church made this change, made this law , as she made many other laws, for instance, the Friday abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages and a thousand other laws….
It is always somewhat laughable, to see the Protestant churches, in pulpit and legislation, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in their Bible. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church. No, it cannot be done, it is impossible. The observance of Sunday is solely a law of the Catholic Church, and therefore is not binding upon others.
The church changed the Sabbath to Sunday and all the world bows down and worships upon that day in silent obedience to the mandates of the Catholic church. The day is now changed from the seventh to the first day … but as we meet with no Scriptural direction for the change , we may conclude it was done by the authority of the [Catholic] church. And where are we told in the Scriptures that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day … The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the [Catholic] church has enjoined it.
We have made the change from the seventh day to the first day, from Saturday to Sunday, on the authority of the one holy Catholic Church. We will have to continue paying the penalty of our wrongdoings. We obtain complete forgiveness From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For the evangelical Protestant movement, see Confessing Movement.
For statements of faith, see creed. For other uses, see Confess disambiguation and Confession disambiguation. This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. Learn how and when to remove these template messages. This article includes a list of references , but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. October Learn how and when to remove this template message.
This article's lead section does not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Please discuss this issue on the article's talk page. The Sacrament of Penance.
In The Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 14, from New Advent: Archived from the original on Retrieved 11 Apr Dictionary of Doctrinal and Historical Theology. Archived from the original on 28 April Retrieved 27 April Pastoral Care and the Means of Grace. The reason is simply that Wesley assumed the validity of Anglican practice in his day as reflected in the Book of Common Prayer.
His later comments on the priestly office substantiate this. Just as preaching in the Methodist movement was not a substitute for Holy Communion, so for Wesley class meetings did not take the place of personal confession and absolution.
The Ghost of Wesley [extracts from his writings]. The United Methodist Book of Worship. The Unofficial United Methodist Handbook. Confession is an "office of the keys" see Matthew A declaration of forgiveness is permanent and binding because it comes from Jesus Christ himself. Occasionally, they may ask the minister to anoint them, hear their confession or absolve them of sin. In fact, confession and absolution do not have to be done by an ordained minister: Wherever necessary, the minister encourages the dying person to seek reconciliation with and forgiveness from family members or friends.
The United Methodist Church. All clergy of The United Methodist Church are charged to maintain all confidences inviolate, including confessional confidences. The Book of Offices and Services. Order of Saint Luke. The Methodist Church in Singapore. Romney , "Repentance" , Ensign , November Both Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob truly believed that the Fifth Step was absolutely necessary if an alcoholic was to be cured.
Even Anne Smith, commonly referred to as the 'Mother of A. Retrieved from " https: Confession religion Anglican sacraments Christian terminology Sacraments. Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Pages using web citations with no URL Articles lacking in-text citations from October All articles lacking in-text citations Wikipedia introduction cleanup from November All pages needing cleanup Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from November All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify Articles with multiple maintenance issues All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May CS1 maint: Date format Articles needing more detailed references.
Views Read Edit View history. In other projects Wikimedia Commons. This page was last edited on 13 September , at