Notes

1. See the text of this document in Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, volume 1, pages 690-91.

2. The proof texts had already been carefully prepared by the Assembly for publication with the Confession, but were omitted in the first printed copies sent to parliament.

3. Published in London, 1659, as A Declaration of the Faith and Order owned and practised in the congregational Churches in England; agreed upon and consented unto by their Elders and Messengers in their Meeting at the Savoy, Octob. 12. 1658.

4. These are the original proof texts, derived from Schaff's edition, and corrected from the editions published by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland mentioned below. Editions published by the PCUSA after 1894 display a moderately revised set of proof texts; likewise for editions of the OPC after 1956. Editions published by the PCUS after 1910, and by the PC(USA) after 1983, display an entirely different set of Scripture proofs prepared by order of the General Assembly of the PCUS.

5. Originally the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America.

6. When in 1983 the UPCUSA joined with the PCUS to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), no provision was made for the adoption of an authoritative edition of the Confession of Faith for the new denomination; instead, the different texts formerly adopted by the UPCUSA and PCUS appear together in the current PC(USA) Book of Confessions.

7. Currently available on microfiche from the American Theological Library Association in Evanston, Illinois.

8. FPCS 1994 and OPC read "unexcusable."

9. UPCUSA, FPCS 1973 and PCA read "they are."

10. UPCUSA omits "The Gospels according to." PCUS reads "The Gospel according to."

11. UPCUSA omits "Paul's Epistles to the." PCUS reads "The Epistles of Paul to the."

12. FPCS, OPC, and PCA add "of John."

13. PCUSA 1789 and PCUS read "for."

14. UPCUSA omits "that."

15. PCUS and UPCUSA read "the language of every people."

16. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "may."

17. UPCUSA reads "whom."

18. UPCUSA reads "and."

19. For authoritative PCUSA interpretation of chapter 3 see the "Declaratory Statement" in Appendix B.

20. PCUSA 1789 and UPCUSA read "Decrees."

21. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA omit "is."

22. PCUS and UPCUSA read "free grace and love alone."

23. PCUS and UPCUSA read "Besides."

24. UPCUSA, FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "may be humbled."

25. FPCS, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA read "upon."

26. FPCS 1994 and OPC read "occasions."

27. PCUS reads "giveth."

28. PCUS reads "cometh."

29. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "parts and faculties."

30. FPCS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA read "offereth."

31. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "eternal life."

32. FPCS, OPC, and PCA omit "the."

33. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "acts."

34. In 1948 the PCUS here inserted two chapters, "Of the Holy Spirit" and "Of the Gospel," as chapters 9 and 10, making "Of Free Will" chapter 11. See Appendix B.

35. FPCS, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA read "it is."

36. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "was."

37. PCUS reads "converteth."

38. PCUS reads "translateth."

39. PCUS reads "enableth."

40. FPCS 1973 and PCA read "to do good alone."

41. PCUS chapter 12.

42. FPCS 1994 and OPC read "a heart."

43. For authoritative PCUSA interpretation of § 3 see the "Declaratory Statement" in Appendix B.

44. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "to."

45. UPCUSA reads "whatsoever than by Christ."

46. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "laws."

47. PCUS and UPCUSA read "without warrant of the Word of God" instead of "very pernicious, and to be detested."

48. PCUS chapter 13.

49. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "not."

50. PCUS chapter 14.

51. PCUS chapter 15.

52. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "once effectually called."

53. PCUS chapter 16.

54. PCUS chapter 17.

55. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "it is."

56. PCUS chapter 18.

57. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "beside."

58. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA omit "as."

59. PCUS reads "because of."

60. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA omit "Yet."

61. UPCUSA reads "and in themselves praiseworthy and useful" instead of "and of good use both to themselves and others."

62. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "an heart."

63. UPCUSA reads "they come short of what God requires, and do not make any man meet to receive the grace of God."

64. PCUS chapter 19.

65. PCUS chapter 20.

66. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "the state of grace."

67. PCUS chapter 21.

68. PCUS reads "toward."

69. PCUS, UPCUSA, FPCS 1973, and PCA read "Besides."

70. PCUS chapter 22. The Savoy Declaration inserts a new chapter here as chapter 20, "Of the Gospel, and of the Extent of the Grace Thereof." See text in Appendix A. The subsequent chapters are re-numbered accordingly.

71. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "a willing mind."

72. Savoy Declaration reads "or not contained in it" instead of "or beside it in matters of faith or worship."

73. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "if matters."

74. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "commandments."

75. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA omit "of."

76. Savoy Declaration reads "as they do thereby pervert the main design of the grace of the gospel to their own destruction; so they wholly destroy the end of Christian liberty," etc.

77. Savoy Declaration entirely omits § 4.

78. FPCS, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA read "powers."

79. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA omit "and by the power of the civil magistrate."

80. PCUS chapter 23.

81. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "doth."

82. FPCS, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA read "by."

83. FPCS, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA read "representation."

84. PCUS and UPCUSA omit "nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death."

85. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "beside."

86. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "and vows."

87. PCUS, FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "special occasions." PCUSA 1789 and UPCUSA read "special occasion."

88. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "in truth."

89. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "is the law of nature."

90. PCUS chapter 24.

91. UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA omit the final sentence.

92. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA omit "the."

93. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "of ability."

94. FPCS, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA read "respects."

95. PCUS and UPCUSA omit "Popish."

96. PCUS chapter 25.

97. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "occasions."

98. Savoy Declaration, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA differ substantially in § 3. See text in Appendix A and Appendix B.

99. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "the people."

100. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "or other dues."

101. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "magistrates' just" (plural form).

102. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "to them."

103. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "and jurisdiction."

104. PCUS chapter 26. UPCUSA chapter 24 differs substantially. See Appendix C.

105. OPC omits "a."

106. PCUS reads "Romanists, or any idolaters."

107. PCUS reads "dangerous."

108. FPCS 1973, OPC, and PCA read "by the Word."

109. PCA omits "lawful."

110. Savoy Declaration, PCUS, OPC, and PCA omit the final sentence.

111. Savoy Declaration entirely omits § 5.

112. Savoy Declaration entirely omits § 6.

113. PCUS chapter 27.

114. Savoy Declaration reads "2. The whole body of men throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, are and may be called the visible catholic Church of Christ, although as such it is not intrusted with the administration of any ordinances, or hath any officers to rule or govern in or over the whole body."

115. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "together with their children."

116. PCUS and UPCUSA read "through which men are ordinarily saved and union with which is essential to their best growth and service."

117. Savoy Declaration entirely omits § 3.

118. Savoy Declaration entirely omits § 4.

119. PCUS and UPCUSA read "apparently no churches of Christ" instead of "no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan."

120. Savoy Declaration reads "Nevertheless, Christ always hath had, and ever shall have a visible kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in him, and make profession of his name."

121. UPCUSA reads "The Lord Jesus Christ is the only head of the Church, and the claim of any man to be the vicar of Christ and the head of the Church is unscriptural, without warrant in fact, and is a usurpation dishonoring to the Lord Jesus Christ." PCUS reads "The Lord Jesus Christ is the only head of the Church, and the claim of any man to be the vicar of Christ and the head of the Church, is without warrant in fact or in Scripture, even anti-Christian, a usurpation dishonoring to the Lord Jesus Christ."

122. OPC and PCA omit the remainder of § 6 after "head thereof."

123. Savoy Declaration adds "whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. § 5. As the Lord is in care and love towards his Church, hath in his infinite wise providence exercised it with great variety in all ages, for the good of them that love him, and his own glory; so, according to his promise, we expect that in the latter days, Anti-christ being destroyed, the Jews called, and the adversaries of the kingdom of his dear Son broken, the churches of Christ being enlarged and edified through a free and plentiful communication of light and grace, shall enjoy in this world a more quiet, peaceable, and glorious condition than they have enjoyed."

124. PCUS chapter 28.

125. PCUS reads "being united."

126. FPCS 1973 and PCA read "grace."

127. UPCUSA reads "to conduce."

128. PCUS reads "their profession."

129. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, and FPCS 1994 read "property."

130. PCUS chapter 29.

131. FPCS, PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA omit "the."

132. PCUS chapter 30.

133. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "unto."

134. PCUS chapter 31.

135. PCUS and UPCUSA omit "only."

136. UPCUSA reads "once."

137. PCUS and UPCUSA read "the so-called sacrifice of the mass is most contradictory to Christ's own [PCUS "one"] sacrifice, the only propitiation for all the sins of the elect."

138. PCA reads "only."

139. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "his elect."

140. PCUS and UPCUSA read "and bring judgment on themselves" instead of "to their own damnation."

141. PCUS omits the final sentence of § 8.

142. PCUS chapter 32. The Savoy Declaration omits this entire chapter. Compare with "Of the Institution of Churches and the Order Appointed in Them by Jesus Christ" in Appendix A.

143. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, and PCA omit "the."

144. PCUS chapter 33. The Savoy Declaration omits this entire chapter. Compare with "Of the Institution of Churches and the Order Appointed in Them by Jesus Christ" in Appendix A.

145. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA replace § 2 with the following words, added to § 1: "and it belongeth to the overseers and other rulers of the particular churches, by virtue of their office, and the power which Christ hath given them for edification, and not for destruction, to appoint such assemblies;^a and to convene together in them, as often as they shall judge it expedient for the good of the Church.^b a. Acts 15. b. Acts 15:22, 23, 25."

146. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA § 2

147. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA § 3

148. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, UPCUSA, OPC, and PCA § 4

149. PCUS chapter 34.

150. PCUSA 1789, PCUS, and UPCUSA read "Man."

151. FPCS, OPC, and PCA read "beside."

152. PCUS chapter 35.

153. PCUS omits "be."

154. Proofs for § 2 follow Schaff instead of FPCS ed., in which all proofs are consolidated into one note.

155. In 1903 the PCUSA added to the Confession a chapter 34, "Of the Holy Spirit," and chapter 35, "Of the Gospel of the Love of God and Missions." See text in Appendix B.

156. This was done in the course of overtures for union with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in order to accomodate the semi-Arminian views and revivalistic orientation of many members of that body.