The Second Helvetic Confession
CHAPTER 1 - Of The Holy Scripture Being The True Word of God
CANONICAL SCRIPTURE. We believe and confess the canonical Scriptures of the holy
prophets and apostles of both Testaments to be the true Word of God, and to have
sufficient authority of themselves, not of men. For God himself spoke to the
fathers, prophets, apostles, and still speaks to us through the Holy Scriptures.
And in this Holy Scripture, the universal Church of Christ has the most complete
exposition of all that pertains to a saving faith, and also to the framing of a
life acceptable to God; and in this respect it is expressly commanded by God
that nothing be either added to or taken from the same.
SCRIPTURE TEACHES FULLY ALL GODLINESS. We judge, therefore, that from these
Scriptures are to be derived true wisdom and godliness, the reformation and
government of churches; as also instruction in all duties of piety; and, to be
short, the confirmation of doctrines, and the rejection of all errors, moreover,
all exhortations according to that word of the apostle, "All scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof," etc. (II Timothy
3:16-17). Again, "I am writing these instructions to you," says the apostle to
Timothy, "So that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God,"
etc. (I Timothy 3:14-15). SCRIPTURE IS THE WORD OF GOD. Again, the selfsame
apostle to the Thessalonians: "When," says he, "You received the word of God
which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men but as what it
really is, the Word of God," etc. (I Thess. 2:13) For the Lord himself has said
in the gospel, "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of my Father speaking
through you"; therefore "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects me
rejects him who sent me" (Matt. 10:20; Luke 10:16; John 13:20)
THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WORD OF GOD. Wherefore when this Word of
God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that
the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that
neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from
heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not
the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless
the Word of God remains still true and good.
Neither do we think that therefore the outward preaching is to be thought as
fruitless because the instruction in true religion depends on the inward
illumination of the Spirit, or because it is written "And no longer shall each
man teach his neighbor..., for they shall all know me" (Jer. 31:34), And
"Neither he who plants nor he that waters is anything, but only God who gives
the growth" (I Cor. 3:7). For although "No one can come to Christ unless he be
drawn by the Father" (John 6:44), And unless the Holy Spirit inwardly illumines
him, yet we know that it is surely the will of God that his Word should be
preached outwardly also. God could indeed, by his Holy Spirit, or by the
ministry of an angel, without the ministry of St. Peter, have taught Cornelius
in the Acts; but, nevertheless, he refers him to Peter, of whom the angel
speaking says, "He shall tell you what you ought to do."
INWARD ILLUMINATION DOES NOT ELIMINATE EXTERNAL PREACHING. For he that
illuminates inwardly by giving men the Holy Spirit, the same one, by way of
commandment, said unto his disciples, "Go into all the world, and preach the
gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). And so in Phillippi, Paul preached
the word outwardly to Lydia, a seller of purple goods; but the Lord inwardly
opened the woman's heart (Acts 16:14). And the same Paul, after a beautiful
development of his thought, in Romans 10:17 at length comes to the conclusion,
"So faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God by the preaching
of Christ."
At the same time we recognize that God can illuminate whom and when he will,
Even without the external ministry, for that is in his power; but we speak of
the usual way of instructing men, delivered unto us from God, both by
commandment and examples.
HERESIES. We therefore detest all the heresies of Artemon, the Manichaeans, the
Valentinians, of Cerdon, and the Marcionites, who deny that the Scriptures
proceeded from the Holy Spirit; or did not accept some parts of them, or
interpolated and corrupted them.
APOCRYPHA. And yet we do not conceal the fact that certain books of the Old
Testament were by the ancient authors called apocryphal, and by the others
ecclesiastical; in as much as some would have them read in the churches, but not
advanced as an authority from which the faith is to be established. As Augustine
also, in his De Civitate Dei, book 18, ch. 38, remarks that "In the books of the
Kings, the names and books of certain prophets are cited"; but he adds that
"They are not in the canon"; and that "those books which we have suffice unto
godliness."
CHAPTER 2 - Of Interpreting The Holy Scripture; and of Fathers, Councils, and Traditions
THE TRUE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE. The apostle peter has said that the Holy
Scriptures are not of private interpretation (2 Pet. 1:20), and thus we do not
allow all possible interpretations. Nor consequently do we acknowledge as the
true or genuine interpretation of the Scriptures what is called the conception
of the Roman Church, that is, what the defenders of the Roman Church plainly
maintain should be thrust upon all for acceptance. But we hold that the
CANONICAL SCRIPTURE. We believe and confess the canonical Scriptures of the holy
prophets and apostles of both Testaments to be the true Word of God, and to have
sufficient authority of themselves, not of men. For God himself spoke to the
fathers, prophets, apostles, and still speaks to us through the Holy Scriptures.
And in this Holy Scripture, the universal Church of Christ has the most complete
exposition of all that pertains to a saving faith, and also to the framing of a
life acceptable to God; and in this respect it is expressly commanded by God
that nothing be either added to or taken from the same.
SCRIPTURE TEACHES FULLY ALL GODLINESS. We judge, therefore, that from these
Scriptures are to be derived true wisdom and godliness, the reformation and
government of churches; as also instruction in all duties of piety; and, to be
short, the confirmation of doctrines, and the rejection of all errors, moreover,
all exhortations according to that word of the apostle, "All scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof," etc. (II Timothy
3:16-17). Again, "I am writing these instructions to you," says the apostle to
Timothy, "So that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God,"
etc. (I Timothy 3:14-15). SCRIPTURE IS THE WORD OF GOD. Again, the selfsame
apostle to the Thessalonians: "When," says he, "You received the word of God
which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men but as what it
really is, the Word of God," etc. (I Thess. 2:13) For the Lord himself has said
in the gospel, "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of my Father speaking
through you"; therefore "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects me
rejects him who sent me" (Matt. 10:20; Luke 10:16; John 13:20)
THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WORD OF GOD. Wherefore when this Word of
God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that
the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that
neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from
heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not
the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless
the Word of God remains still true and good.
Neither do we think that therefore the outward preaching is to be thought as
fruitless because the instruction in true religion depends on the inward
illumination of the Spirit, or because it is written "And no longer shall each
man teach his neighbor..., for they shall all know me" (Jer. 31:34), And
"Neither he who plants nor he that waters is anything, but only God who gives
the growth" (I Cor. 3:7). For although "No one can come to Christ unless he be
drawn by the Father" (John 6:44), And unless the Holy Spirit inwardly illumines
him, yet we know that it is surely the will of God that his Word should be
preached outwardly also. God could indeed, by his Holy Spirit, or by the
ministry of an angel, without the ministry of St. Peter, have taught Cornelius
in the Acts; but, nevertheless, he refers him to Peter, of whom the angel
speaking says, "He shall tell you what you ought to do."
INWARD ILLUMINATION DOES NOT ELIMINATE EXTERNAL PREACHING. For he that
illuminates inwardly by giving men the Holy Spirit, the same one, by way of
commandment, said unto his disciples, "Go into all the world, and preach the
gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). And so in Phillippi, Paul preached
the word outwardly to Lydia, a seller of purple goods; but the Lord inwardly
opened the woman's heart (Acts 16:14). And the same Paul, after a beautiful
development of his thought, in Romans 10:17 at length comes to the conclusion,
"So faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God by the preaching
of Christ."
At the same time we recognize that God can illuminate whom and when he will,
Even without the external ministry, for that is in his power; but we speak of
the usual way of instructing men, delivered unto us from God, both by
commandment and examples.
HERESIES. We therefore detest all the heresies of Artemon, the Manichaeans, the
Valentinians, of Cerdon, and the Marcionites, who deny that the Scriptures
proceeded from the Holy Spirit; or did not accept some parts of them, or
interpolated and corrupted them.
APOCRYPHA. And yet we do not conceal the fact that certain books of the Old
Testament were by the ancient authors called apocryphal, and by the others
ecclesiastical; in as much as some would have them read in the churches, but not
advanced as an authority from which the faith is to be established. As Augustine
also, in his De Civitate Dei, book 18, ch. 38, remarks that "In the books of the
Kings, the names and books of certain prophets are cited"; but he adds that
"They are not in the canon"; and that "those books which we have suffice unto
godliness."
CHAPTER 2 - Of Interpreting The Holy Scripture; and of Fathers, Councils, and Traditions
THE TRUE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE. The apostle peter has said that the Holy
Scriptures are not of private interpretation (2 Pet. 1:20), and thus we do not
allow all possible interpretations. Nor consequently do we acknowledge as the
true or genuine interpretation of the Scriptures what is called the conception
of the Roman Church, that is, what the defenders of the Roman Church plainly
maintain should be thrust upon all for acceptance. But we hold that the
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