The Confession on Scripture

bookslover · #1 (**permalink**) 04-02-2008, 12:01 AM

I have always loved this paragraph:

We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), 1.5

The entire first chapter of the Confession is a marvel.

If a finer statement regarding the nature of Scripture than this paragraph has been written by uninspired men, I'd like to read it.

KMK · #2 (**permalink**) 04-02-2008, 12:17 AM

Very true. I remember hearing that the Confession or the Catechism was given the title of "One of the Greatest English Language works of all time" or something like that. Does anyone have any info on this?

armourbearer · #3 (**permalink**) 04-02-2008, 01:19 AM

George Gillespie provides an expansion of this section of the Confession in his Miscellany Question on assurance:

Quote:

The Scripture is known to be indeed the word of God, by the beams of divine authority which it has in itself, and by certain distinguishing characters, which do infallibly prove it to be the word of God; such as the heavenliness of the matter; the majesty of the style; the irresistible power over the conscience; the general scope, to abase man and to exalt God; nothing driven at but God's glory and man's salvation; the extraordinary holiness of the penmen of the Holy Ghost, without respect to any particular interests of their own, or of others of their nearest relations (which is manifest by their writings); the supernatural mysteries revealed therein, which could never have entered into the reason of men; the marvellous consent of all parts and passages (though written by divers and several penmen), even where there is some appearance of difference; the fulfilling of prophecies; the miracles wrought by Christ, by the prophets and apostles; the conservation of the Scriptures against the malice of Satan and fury of persecutors; these, and the like, are characters and marks which evidence the Scriptures to be the word of God; yet all these cannot beget in the soul a full persuasion of faith that the Scriptures are the word of God; this persuasion is from the Holy Ghost in our hearts. And it has been the common resolution of sound protestant writers (though now called in question by the sceptics of this age) that these arguments and infallible characters in the Scripture itself, which most certainly prove it to be the word of God, cannot produce a certainty of persuasion in our hearts, but this is done by the Spirit of God within us, according to these scriptures, 1 Cor. 2:10-15; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 John 2:27; 5:6-8, 10; John 6:45.