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History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

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ut I contend for <strong>the</strong> liberty <strong>of</strong> adorn<strong>in</strong>g and<br />

expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> foundations when once laid, and<br />

with design to show that <strong>the</strong> Spirit <strong>of</strong> God does not<br />

cease from daily impart<strong>in</strong>g to us more and more<br />

light." How truly catholic! and how happily <strong>the</strong><br />

mean is here struck between those who say that<br />

Confessions ought to be abolished because <strong>the</strong>y<br />

tyrannically forbid process, and those who hold<br />

that <strong>the</strong>y are to be changed <strong>in</strong> not one iota, because<br />

<strong>the</strong>y are already perfect!<br />

This Confession <strong>of</strong> Faith, be<strong>in</strong>g revised by a<br />

synod that met <strong>in</strong> Antwerp <strong>in</strong> May, 1566, was <strong>in</strong><br />

that year repr<strong>in</strong>ted and published.[6] Follow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

example <strong>of</strong> Calv<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> his celebrated letter to <strong>the</strong><br />

K<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> France, which accompanied his Institutes,<br />

<strong>the</strong> Reformed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands prefaced <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

Confession <strong>of</strong> Faith with a letter to <strong>the</strong> K<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong><br />

Spa<strong>in</strong>. Their Confession was <strong>the</strong>ir defense aga<strong>in</strong>st<br />

<strong>the</strong> charges <strong>of</strong> heresy and disloyalty which had<br />

been preferred aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong>m; it was <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

"protestation before God and his angels" that what<br />

<strong>the</strong>y sought was "to enjoy <strong>the</strong> liberty <strong>of</strong> a pure<br />

conscience <strong>in</strong> serv<strong>in</strong>g God, and reform<strong>in</strong>g<br />

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