Page:The Laws and Acts of Parliament of Scotland.djvu/201

Rh 16.The perfeSfioun of the Law, and the imperfeffiioun of man. ■ 3. rHE Law ofGod we confeffe and acknowledge maift juft, maift equall, maifthalie, and maift per- ^ e j- ,s - fine, commaunding thir thingis, quhilk being wrocht in perfeftioun , were abill to give life , and abill iTim'.i.i*. to bring man to Eternallfelicitie. Bot our nature is fa corrupt, fa weake , and fa unperfite , that we ar never vaiZ'.^ abill to fulfill the warkes of the Law in perfeftioun. Zea, gif we fay we have na finne , evin after we ar re- o^.zs- generated, we deceive our felves, andtheveritieofGodisnotinus 1. And therefore, itbehoovis us to ap- ^°™- s io -j- prehendChriftJefus with his Juftice and fatisfadion, quhaistheendand accomplifliment of the Law, be achr!& 3 s, quhome we arfet at this liberty, that the curfe and malediclion of God fall not upon us, albeit we fulfill not pro^L"' thefameinallpoyntes. For God the Father beholding us , in the body of his Sonne Chrift Jefus , acceptis ll^ ; ,*•;*£ our imperfite obedience , as it were perfite , and covers our warks , quhilk ar defy led with mony fpots , with g^ 3 ; ' 3 zS the Juftice of his Sonne. We do not meane that we ar fo fet at liberty , that wee awe na obedience to the Law p M- z. is. ' (for that before wee have plainly confefied) bot this we affirme , that na man in earth ( Chrift Jefus onlie ex- ii!k.* 7 .;,. cept) hes given, gives, orfallgiveinworke, that obedience to the Law , quhilk the Law requiris. Bot when we have done all things, wemuftfall downe and unfeinedly confefle, that we are unprofitable fer- vands. And therefore, quhofoever boaftis themfelves of the merits of their awin works, or put their truft in the works of Supererogation, boaft themfelves in that , quhilk is nocht , and put their truft in damna- ble Idolatry. 17. Of the Kirk. AS We believe inane God, Father, Sonne, and halie Ghaift -. fa do we maift conftantly believe, that M «. **■">- from the beginning there hes bene, and now is , and to the end of the warld fall be , ane Kirk , that is to fay, ane company and multitude ofmenchofen of God, whorichtly worfhip and imbrace him, be trew col'.i.ts. faith in Chrift Jefus, quha is the only head of the fame Kirk, quhilk alfwa is the bodie and fpoufe of Chrift fifeij!' Jefus , quhilk Kirk is Catholike , that is , univerfall , becaufe it conteinis the Eleft of all ages , of all Realmes, Nations, andTounges, be they of the Jcwes , or be they of the Gentiles, quha have communion & focie- tie with God the Father, and with his Son Chrift Jefus, throw the fanclificatioun of his haly Spirit , and a b<*-7-* therefore is it called the Communion , not ot prophane perfounes , bot of Sands , quha as citizenis of the heavenly Jerujalem , have the fruitioun of the maift ineftimable benefites, to wit , of ane God, ane LORD Eph 2 Iy JESUS, ane Faith , and ane Baptifme : out of the quhilk Kirk , there is nouthe%lyfe , nor Eternall felici- tie. And therefore we utterly abhorre the blafphemie of them that affirme, that men quhilk live according to equitie and Juftice, fall be faved , quhat Religioun that ever they have profefled. For as without CHRIST ffi + ?■ J E S U S, there is nouther life nor Salvation ; fo fall there nane be participant thereof, bot fik as the Father m'. i 7. t. hes given unto his Sonne CHRIST JESUS, and they that in time cum unto him, avowe his doclxine and beleeve into him, (we comprehend the Children with the faithfull parentes) this Kirk is invifi'ole', n-im.i. i 9. knawen onelie to God, quha alaneknawis whom he hes chofen, and comprehends alfweill ( as laid is ) the J° h h - «^*- Elecl that be departed, commonlie called the Kirk Triumphant , and they that zit live and fecht againft fin coi.' s '. ^ and Nathan, as they that fall live hereafter. f ■«.* 18. The immortalitie of the Sanies. Apo. 14. ij. ai. z$. 8. 00. 7. is. . ■ zi.4. Apoc.lfi.lo, 'HE ElecT: departed are in peace and reft fra their labours: not that they fleep, and come to a certaine A Oblivion, as fome Phantaftickes do affirme: bot that they are delivered fra all feare and torment, and *£ all temptatioun, to quhilk we and all God his Elect are fubject in this life, and therefore do beare the name *p°£ of the Kirk Militant: As contrariwife, the reprobate , and un-faithfull departed have anguifh , torment, & ".. paine, that cannot be exprefied. Sa that neither are the ane nor the uther in fik fleepe, that they feele not M l'i.l%^' their torment , as the Parable of Chrift Jefus in the 1 6. oiLuke, his words to the thiefe, and thir wordes of the f^ 4J faules crying under the Altar-. OLord, thou that art righteous andjuji, How lang fall thou not revenge our £««<■«• n» blude upn thir that dwells in the Earth , dois declair. Apod*™. 19. Of the notes, be the quhilk the trew Kirk is decerned fra the falfe, and quha fall be Judge of the doctrine. E CAUSE That Satlian from the beginning, hes laboured to deck his peftilent Jynagoge with the G « n .4.s. title of the Kirk of GOD, and hes inflamed the heartes of cruell murtherers , toperlecute, trouble ^°^- 9 r andmoleft, die trewe Kirk , and members thereof, as Cain did Abel, Ifmaellfaac , Efdw Jacob , aad m«. «1 34'- the haill Priefthead of the Jewes ; Chrift Jefus himfelfe, and his Apoftles after him. It is ane thing maift re- 1°. ' * i quifite, that the true Kirk be decerned fra the filthie Synagogues , be cleare and perfite notes , leaft we being job.' "'. Ill deceived , receive and imbrace to our awin condemnatioun , the ane for the uther. The notes , fignes , and ^ 4 x &c affuredtakens, whereby the immaculate Spoufe of Chrift Jefus is knawen fra the horrible harlot , the Kirk Aa.s.17, Malignant: We affirme are neither Antiquitie, Title ufurped , Lineal defcent , place appoynted, Gen. 4 .i. nor Multitude of men approving ane error: for Cain in age and title was preferred to Abel and Seth: lutf.])' 2 " D d z Jerufr- B