1) The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain,
and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and
obedience,a although the light of nature, and
the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the
goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable;
yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his
will which is necessary unto salvation.b
Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers
manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his
church;c and afterward for the better
preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure
establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of
the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit
the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to
be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will
unto his people being now ceased.d
(a 2 Timothy
3:15-17, Isaiah
8:20, Luke
16:29,31, Ephesians
2:20; b Romans
1:19-21, Romans
2:14,15, Psalms
19:1-3; c Hebrews
1:1; d Proverbs
22:19-21, Romans
15:4, 2 Peter
1:19,20)
2) Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these:
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, II Kings, I Chronicles, II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomen, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations,Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, The Acts of the Apostles, Paul's Epistle to the Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, To Titus, To Philemon, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Epistle of James, The first and second Epistles of Peter, The first, second, and third Epistles of John, The Epistle of Jude, The Revelation
All of which are given by the inspiration of God, to be the
rule of faith and life.e
(e 2
Timothy 3:16)
3) The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of
divine inspiration, are no part of the canon or rule of the
Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the church of
God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other
human writings.f
(f Luke
24:27,44, Romans
3:2)
4) The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it
ought to be believed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man
or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author
thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of
God.g
(g 2 Peter
1:19-21, 2
Timothy 3:16, 2
Thessalonians 2:13, 1 John
5:9)
5) We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the
church of God to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy
Scriptures; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of
the doctrine, and 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, and many other incomparable excellencies, and entire
perfections 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.h
(h John
16:13,14, 1
Corinthians 2:10-12, 1 John
2:20,27)
6) The whole counsel of God concerning all things
necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is
either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy
Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether
by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of
men.i Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward
illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving
understanding of such things as are revealed in the
Word,j and that there are some circumstances
concerning the worship of God, and government of the church,
common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by
the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the
general rules of the Word, which are always to be
observed.k
(i 2
Timothy 3:15-17, Galatians 1:8,9;
j John
6:45, 1
Corinthians 2:9-12; k 1 Corinthians 11:13,14, 1 Corinthians 14:26,40)
7) All things in Scripture are not alike plain in
themselves, nor alike clear unto all;l yet
those things which are necessary to be known, believed and
observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in
some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but
the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a
sufficient understanding of them.m
(l 2 Peter
3:16; m Psalms
19:7, Psalms
119:130)
8) The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native
language of the people of God of old),n and the
New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it
was most generally known to the nations), being immediately
inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept
pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so as in all
controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal to
them.o But because these original tongues are
not known to all the people of God, who have a right unto, and
interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded in the fear of God
to readp and search them,q
therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of
every nation unto which they come,r that the
Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in
an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the
Scriptures may have hope.s
(n Romans
3:2; o Isaiah
8:20; p Acts
15:15; q John
5:39; r 1
Corinthians 14:6,9,11,12,24,28;
s Colossians 3:16)
9) The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture
is the Scripture itself; and therefore when there is a question
about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not
manifold, but one), it must be searched by other places that
speak more clearly.t
(t 2 Peter
1:20,21, Acts
15:15,16)
10) The supreme judge, by which all controversies of
religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils,
opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private
spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to
rest, can be no other but the Holy Scripture delivered by the
Spirit, into which Scripture so delivered, our faith is finally
resolved.u
(u Matthew
22:29,31,32, Ephesians 2:20, Acts
28:23)