Post by JEM on Nov 30, 2005 1:58:20 GMT
The Confession of Walden Baptists 1761
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while at Abbey Lane Church and reaffirmed in 1775 at Upper Meeting where it became their Church Roll that new members were expected to read, believe, adhere to and sign.
WE BELIEVE
The Church of Christ meeting at Walden in the County of Essex. Their Covenant renewed and Confession of Their Faith made this 16th day of September 1761
(Drawn up by the Rev Mr Gwennap at the request of the Church)
We whose names are here unto subscribed do in the fear and presence of God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost agree as having already given up ourselves to Him by His grace, to give up ourselves to one another to worship Him (by the influence of His Spirit) according to the directions given to us in His Word.
And to every man that asketh us the reason of our Hope to answer with meekness and fear that
1st. WE BELIEVE That there is a God who is a Spirit, infinite, eternal,
unchangeable in His Being, Wisdom, Power, Holiness, Justice, Goodness and Truth: that therefor there cannot be more than one; who is the First cause and Last end of all things, the Creator of the visible and invisible worlds, the Father, and therefore the ruler of them.
2nd. WE BELIEVE That Man has lost his Original Rectitude. The moral image of the blessed God which was his glory and his privilege by his voluntary transgression of the Law of Nature and Creation: and
thereby is not only ignorant of his Duty and Happiness but averse to it. That therefore there is an absolute necessity of a Divine Revelation to inform him of the possibility of his Recovery and the Means of it.
3rdly. WE BELIEVE That this revelation is contained in the Holy Scriptures
of the Old and New Testament; which is a complete and therefor sufficient Rule for the Faith and Obedience of fallen Man: and upon the testimony of this written Word of God we believe
4thly . WE BELIEVE. That there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and that these three are the One only living and true God; the same in Essence, Testimony and Design; equal in Power and Glory:- Though we humbly confess we have no clear and adequate Idea how are so, nor expect it until finite can comprehend infinite, and the Creature is equal to the Creator.
5thly. . WE BELIEVE that all mankind so far share in our first Father’s guilt and inherit his corruption as to be liable to Punishment, and that therefore all the Children of Adam die, because by nature children of wrath and altogether born in sin
6thly . WE BELIEVE That the blessed God from Everlasting did design some of his Creatures to everlasting Happiness: that men are the objects of his love, while Angels the more noble Creatures that kept not their first Estate were irrecoverably doomed to everlasting misery
that those of the fallen race of Adam who are passed by, perish not for their invincible ignorance or weakness but their wilful obstinacy and disobedience, the neglect and abuse of the means in their power; that since they improve not natural light, God is neither unjust or unkind in witholding from them supernatural Grace.
7thly . WE BELIEVE that those of Adam’s posterity who were fore ordained to happiness, as Creatures were chosen in a Mediator
as fallen----That this Mediator is the Son of God, the Eternal Word, with whom God the Father covenanted before Time as their for their restoration and the security of their Happiness - ---In consequence of which He came into the World at the time by God appointed, promised to and foretold by the Old Testament Saints, took on Him the nature of those He was to redeem in a supernatural way, and so was God manifested in the flesh.
8thly . WE BELIEVE that Jesus of Nazareth was this appointed and predicted Messiah who on Earth yielded perfect Obedience to the Moral Law and suffered Death which the violation of it deserved and thereby atoned for His people’s guilt and procured their happiness.----That therefore this obedience and sufferings were meritorious and are accepted as done and suffered for them and in their stead, by which they are redeemed from the Curse and entitled to Glory.
9thly. WE BELIEVE that the same Jesus who suffered without the gates of Jerusalem rose again the third day from the Dead as a proof that He had satisfied for his people’s sins, which was confirmed afterwards by the glory of many miracles. That He ascended to His Father’s right hand as his people’s Intercessor and Forerunner there and in order to fit them for it.
10thly . WE BELIEVE He sends down His spirit to apply the Redemption He has purchased, by uniting them to Himself through faith in their Effectual Calling and having begun the good work carries it on in their sanctification and preservation to Eternal life.
11thly . WE BELIEVE
that it is His will that those who are joined to Him by His Spirit should associate together for His worship and mutual advantage
that He is the sole Head and Lawgiver of such societies gathered according to His command
that none have authority over the consciences of any but he who is Lord over All
that he has appointed proper Officers and Servants (Pastors, Elders & Deacons) who he qualifies by Gifts and Grace and calls by the particular Churches He designs that they shall serve
that the Work of the Ministry is in the Word, Prayer and all the Ordinances of His House which He has appointed for His peoples Edification and Comfort.
that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are signs of His people’s fellowship with Him and one another and Obligations to Him , being calculated to strengthen their faith and Hope and therefore are to be continued till He comes.
12thly . WE BELIEVE
that in the meantime the Souls of his people
immediately at Death pass into glory and the souls of the wicked into the prison of Hell
that then their bodies shall be raised and judged according to their works.
that the wicked shall be sentenced to everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal.
S Wooley
Jas G Searle
John King
Abr’. Cornell
Wm. Rankin
James Cornell
Lewis Andrews
John Sprigg
James Erswell
James Moul
Stephen Player
Edw’d. Prior
Elizabeth Downham
Lydia Hall
Ann Adams
Sarah Groon
Mary Sprigg
Ann Bones
Amy Daye
Sarah Prior
Mary Erswell
Mary Seaman
Eliz Bernard
Rachel Cornell Senior
Mary Cornell
Rachel Pruday
On an additional page is the list of those who joined the Church after the settlement of Mr Gwennap ( which was in 1764) which number 68 No 20 being Eliz. Fuller
********************************
while at Abbey Lane Church and reaffirmed in 1775 at Upper Meeting where it became their Church Roll that new members were expected to read, believe, adhere to and sign.
WE BELIEVE
The Church of Christ meeting at Walden in the County of Essex. Their Covenant renewed and Confession of Their Faith made this 16th day of September 1761
(Drawn up by the Rev Mr Gwennap at the request of the Church)
We whose names are here unto subscribed do in the fear and presence of God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost agree as having already given up ourselves to Him by His grace, to give up ourselves to one another to worship Him (by the influence of His Spirit) according to the directions given to us in His Word.
And to every man that asketh us the reason of our Hope to answer with meekness and fear that
1st. WE BELIEVE That there is a God who is a Spirit, infinite, eternal,
unchangeable in His Being, Wisdom, Power, Holiness, Justice, Goodness and Truth: that therefor there cannot be more than one; who is the First cause and Last end of all things, the Creator of the visible and invisible worlds, the Father, and therefore the ruler of them.
2nd. WE BELIEVE That Man has lost his Original Rectitude. The moral image of the blessed God which was his glory and his privilege by his voluntary transgression of the Law of Nature and Creation: and
thereby is not only ignorant of his Duty and Happiness but averse to it. That therefore there is an absolute necessity of a Divine Revelation to inform him of the possibility of his Recovery and the Means of it.
3rdly. WE BELIEVE That this revelation is contained in the Holy Scriptures
of the Old and New Testament; which is a complete and therefor sufficient Rule for the Faith and Obedience of fallen Man: and upon the testimony of this written Word of God we believe
4thly . WE BELIEVE. That there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and that these three are the One only living and true God; the same in Essence, Testimony and Design; equal in Power and Glory:- Though we humbly confess we have no clear and adequate Idea how are so, nor expect it until finite can comprehend infinite, and the Creature is equal to the Creator.
5thly. . WE BELIEVE that all mankind so far share in our first Father’s guilt and inherit his corruption as to be liable to Punishment, and that therefore all the Children of Adam die, because by nature children of wrath and altogether born in sin
6thly . WE BELIEVE That the blessed God from Everlasting did design some of his Creatures to everlasting Happiness: that men are the objects of his love, while Angels the more noble Creatures that kept not their first Estate were irrecoverably doomed to everlasting misery
that those of the fallen race of Adam who are passed by, perish not for their invincible ignorance or weakness but their wilful obstinacy and disobedience, the neglect and abuse of the means in their power; that since they improve not natural light, God is neither unjust or unkind in witholding from them supernatural Grace.
7thly . WE BELIEVE that those of Adam’s posterity who were fore ordained to happiness, as Creatures were chosen in a Mediator
as fallen----That this Mediator is the Son of God, the Eternal Word, with whom God the Father covenanted before Time as their for their restoration and the security of their Happiness - ---In consequence of which He came into the World at the time by God appointed, promised to and foretold by the Old Testament Saints, took on Him the nature of those He was to redeem in a supernatural way, and so was God manifested in the flesh.
8thly . WE BELIEVE that Jesus of Nazareth was this appointed and predicted Messiah who on Earth yielded perfect Obedience to the Moral Law and suffered Death which the violation of it deserved and thereby atoned for His people’s guilt and procured their happiness.----That therefore this obedience and sufferings were meritorious and are accepted as done and suffered for them and in their stead, by which they are redeemed from the Curse and entitled to Glory.
9thly. WE BELIEVE that the same Jesus who suffered without the gates of Jerusalem rose again the third day from the Dead as a proof that He had satisfied for his people’s sins, which was confirmed afterwards by the glory of many miracles. That He ascended to His Father’s right hand as his people’s Intercessor and Forerunner there and in order to fit them for it.
10thly . WE BELIEVE He sends down His spirit to apply the Redemption He has purchased, by uniting them to Himself through faith in their Effectual Calling and having begun the good work carries it on in their sanctification and preservation to Eternal life.
11thly . WE BELIEVE
that it is His will that those who are joined to Him by His Spirit should associate together for His worship and mutual advantage
that He is the sole Head and Lawgiver of such societies gathered according to His command
that none have authority over the consciences of any but he who is Lord over All
that he has appointed proper Officers and Servants (Pastors, Elders & Deacons) who he qualifies by Gifts and Grace and calls by the particular Churches He designs that they shall serve
that the Work of the Ministry is in the Word, Prayer and all the Ordinances of His House which He has appointed for His peoples Edification and Comfort.
that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are signs of His people’s fellowship with Him and one another and Obligations to Him , being calculated to strengthen their faith and Hope and therefore are to be continued till He comes.
12thly . WE BELIEVE
that in the meantime the Souls of his people
immediately at Death pass into glory and the souls of the wicked into the prison of Hell
that then their bodies shall be raised and judged according to their works.
that the wicked shall be sentenced to everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal.
S Wooley
Jas G Searle
John King
Abr’. Cornell
Wm. Rankin
James Cornell
Lewis Andrews
John Sprigg
James Erswell
James Moul
Stephen Player
Edw’d. Prior
Elizabeth Downham
Lydia Hall
Ann Adams
Sarah Groon
Mary Sprigg
Ann Bones
Amy Daye
Sarah Prior
Mary Erswell
Mary Seaman
Eliz Bernard
Rachel Cornell Senior
Mary Cornell
Rachel Pruday
On an additional page is the list of those who joined the Church after the settlement of Mr Gwennap ( which was in 1764) which number 68 No 20 being Eliz. Fuller