The Doctrines and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church

African Methodist Episcopal Church

• Publisher: UNC at Chapel Hill Library
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781469633251
• eBook ISBN: 9781469633268
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations
• Index: Social Sciences

Published in 1817, The Doctrines and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first definitive guide to the history, beliefs, teachings, and practices of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Beginning with a brief history, the book moves into a presentation of the "Articles of Religion," including the Trinity, the Word of God, Resurrection, the Holy Spirit, scripture, original sin and free will, justification, works, the church, purgatory, the sacraments, baptism, the Lord's Supper, marriage, church ceremonies, and government. Immediately following the articles is an extended four-part catechism that more fully explicates the meanings and implications of the doctrinal statements.

A DOCSOUTH BOOK. This collaboration between UNC Press and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library brings classic works from the digital library of Documenting the American South back into print. DocSouth Books uses the latest digital technologies to make these works available in paperback and e-book formats. Each book contains a short summary and is otherwise unaltered from the original publication. DocSouth Books provide affordable and easily accessible editions to a new generation of scholars, students, and general readers.

CHAPTER I.

SECTION I. ARTICLES OF RELIGION.

I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.

THERE is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness: the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this God-head, there are three persons of one substance, power and eternity;—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

II. Of the Word, or Son of God, who was made very Man.

THE Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of [Page 12] one substance with the Father, took man’s nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the God-head and manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.

III. Of the Resurrection of Christ.

CHRIST did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s nature, where-with he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day.

IV. Of the Holy Ghost.

THE Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

[Page 13] V. The Sufficiency of the Holy Scripture for Salvation.

HOLY Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture, we do understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the church.

The Names of the Canonical Books.

GENESIS,

Exodus,

Leviticus,

Numbers,

Deuteronomy,

Joshua,

Judges,

Ruth,

The First Book of Samuel,

The Second Book of Samuel,

The First Book of Kings,

The Second Book of Kings,

[Page 14]The First Book of Chronicles,

The Second Book of Chronicles,

The Book of Ezra,

The Book of Nehemiah,

The Book of Esther,

The Book of Job,

The Psalms,

The Proverbs,

Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher,

Cantica, or Songs of Solomon,

Four Prophets the greater,

Twelve Prophets the less:

All the Books of the New Testament as they are commonly received, we do receive and account canonical.

VI. Of the Old Testament.

THE Old Testament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Testament, everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being both God and man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, who feign that the old Fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although the law given from God [Page 15] by Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites, doth not bind Christians, nor ought the civil precepts thereof of necessity be received in any commonwealth: yet, notwithstanding, no christian whatsoever is free from the obedience of the commandments, which are called moral.

VII. Of Original or Birth Sin.

ORIGINAL sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk) but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.

VIII. Of Free-Will.

THE condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and works to faith, and calling upon God: Wherefore we have no power to do good works, without the grace of God by Christ [Page 16] preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.

IX. Of the Justification of Man.

WE are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings;—Wherefore, that we are justified by faith, only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.

X. Of Good Works.

ALTHOUGH good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgments: yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known, as a tree is discerned by its fruit.

XI. Of Works of Supererogation.

VOLUNTARY works, besides, over and above God’s commandments, [Page 17] which they call works of supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety. For by them men do declare, That they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his sake than of bounden duty is required: Whereas Christ saith plainly, When ye have done all that is commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants.

XII. Of Sin after Justification.

NOT every sin willingly committed after justification, is the sin against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after justification: After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of God, rise again, and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned, who say they can no more sin as long as they live here; or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.

[Page 18] XIII. Of the Church.

THE visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments duly administered according to Christ’s ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.

XIV. Of Purgatory.

THE Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshipping, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocations of saints, is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of scripture, but repugnant to the word of God.

XV. Of speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the People understand.

IT is a thing plainly repugnant to the word of God, and the custom of the primitive church, to have public prayer in the church, or to minister the sacraments, in a tongue not understood by the people.

[Page 19] XVI. Of the Sacraments.

SACRAMENTS ordained of Christ, are not only badges or tokens of Christian men’s profession: but rather they are certain signs of grace, and God’s good will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also, strengthen and confirm our faith in him.

There are two sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord, in the gospel; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

Those five commonly called sacraments; that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have partly grown out of the corrupt following of the Apostles; and partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet have not the like nature of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, because they have not any visible sign, or ceremony ordained of God.

The Sacraments were not ordained [Page 20] of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about; but that we should duly use them. And in such only as worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation; but they that receive them unworthily, purchase to themselves condemnation, as St. Paul saith.

XVII. Of Baptism.

BAPTISM is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christians are distisguished from others that are not baptised; but it is also a sign of regeneration, or the new birth. The baptism of young children is to be retained in the church.

XVIII. Of the Lord’s Supper.

THE Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather is a sacrament of our redmeption by Christ’s death: insomuch, that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same, the bread which we break is a [Page 21] partaking of the body of Christ; and likewise the cup of blessing, is a partaking of the blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ; but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.

The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after a heavenly and scriptural manner.— And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper, is faith.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was not by Christ’s ordinance, reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.

XIX. Of both kinds.

THE cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people: for both the parts of the Lord’s Supper, by Christ’s ordinance and commandment, ought to be administered to all Christians alike.

[Page 22] XX. Of the one oblation of Christ, finished upon the Cross.

THE offering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual: and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphemous fable, and dangerous deceit.

XXI. Of the Marriage of Ministers.

THE ministers of Christ are not commanded by God’s law either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage; therefore, it is lawful for them, as for all other Christians, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve best to Godliness.

XXII. Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches.

IT is not necessary that rites and [Page 23] ceremonies should in all places be the same, or exactly alike: for they have been always different, and may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and men’s manners, so that nothing be ordained against God’s word.—Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely, doth openly break the rites and ceremonies of the church to which he belongs, which are not repugnant to the word of God, and are ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, that others may fear to do the like, as one that offendeth against the common order of the church, and woundeth the consciences of weak brethren.

Every particular church may ordain, change, or abolish, rites and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification.

XXIII. Of the Rulers of the United States of America.

THE president, the congress, the general assemblies, the governors, [Page 24] and the councils of state, as the delegates of the people, are...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• About This Edition
• Summary
• Contents
• Chapter I.
• Chapter II.
• Chapter III.
• Part II