Pre-Westminster Confessions

Compare the Westminster Confession with its historical predecessors: the Scots Confession (1560), Second Helvetic Confession (1566), and Irish Articles of Religion (1615) — documents that shaped the Westminster Assembly's work.

Read doctrinally, then drill into the text.
Each theme gathers the relevant standards side by side. Use the linked entries to move from summary comparison back into full section context.
Prolegomena
Holy Scripture
1
The authority, sufficiency, and interpretation of Holy Scripture as the rule of faith and life.
Theology Proper
God and the Holy Trinity
1
The one true God: His being, attributes, and the three persons of the Trinity.
God's Eternal Decree and Predestination
1
The eternal, wise, and holy counsel of God's will, including election, predestination, and reprobation.
Creation and Providence
Creation and Providence
1
God's work of creating all things and His ongoing preservation and government of the world.
Hamartiology
The Fall and Original Sin
1
The fall of man, original sin, the corruption of human nature, and the state of free will.
Christology
Christ the Mediator
1
The person, natures, offices, and saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Mediator between God and man.
Soteriology
Salvation: Calling, Justification, and Sanctification
1
The application of redemption: effectual calling, justification by faith alone, adoption, sanctification, repentance, and perseverance of the saints.
The Law of God
The Law and the Gospel
1
The moral law of God, its uses under the covenant of grace, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ecclesiology
The Church and Its Government
1
The visible and invisible church, its marks, officers, councils, and the communion of saints.
The Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper
1
The nature and efficacy of the sacraments, the administration of baptism, and the Lord's Supper.
Christian Life
The Civil Magistrate
1
The authority and duties of the civil magistrate in relation to the church, oaths, and marriage.
Eschatology
Death, Resurrection, and Last Judgment
1
The state of souls after death, the resurrection of the body, and the final judgment at the last day.