The Savoy Declaration is a Congregationalist confession of Faith. Its full title is A Declaration of the Faith and Order owned and practised in the Congregational Churches in England. It was drawn up in October 1658 by English Independents and Congregationalists meeting at the Savoy Hospital, London. It consists of a preface, a confession, and a platform of discipline. [1]
The Savoy Assembly met at the Savoy for eleven or twelve days from 12 October 1658. [2] Representatives, mostly laymen, were present from more than one hundred independent churches. Thomas Goodwin, who was a Westminster divine and author of the Westminster Confession of Faith, and John Owen were the leaders in a committee of six divines appointed to draw up a confession. [3] [4] The writers were influenced by the Cambridge Platform, which was the statement of church government produced by the Congregational churches in New England. [5] The 1647 Westminster Confession of Faith of the Church of England was used as a basic template.
Thomas Goodwin, author of the Westminster Confession of Faith, saw the Savoy Declaration as a revision of the Westminster Confession with the "latest and best". [6] The Savoy Declaration authors adopted, with a few alterations, the doctrinal definitions of the Westminster confession, reconstructing only the part relating to church government; the main effect of the Declaration of the Savoy assembly was to confirm the Westminster theology. [3] There was the addition of a new chapter entitled Of the Gospel, and of the Extent of the Grace Thereof. Other changes include a replacement to chapters 30 and 31 of the Westminster Confession concerned with Congregational church government. In these chapters the autonomy of local churches is asserted. It also included the words "Christ's active obedience" in chapter 11: Of Justification. While "the assembly voting almost unanimously that both Christ’s active and passive obedience were necessary for justification", [7] the words "active" as well as "whole" were omitted. Because exact wording is required [8] the Savoy Declaration makes this explicit.
The Declaration would be adopted by the Reforming Synod in Colonial New England in 1680. [9]
The following is a chapter comparison between Westminster and Savoy:
| Westminster | Savoy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Of the Holy Scripture | 1. Of the Holy Scripture | |
| 2. Of God, and of the Holy Trinity | 2. Of God, and of the Holy Trinity | |
| 3. Of God's Eternal Decree | 3. Of God's Eternal Decree | |
| 4. Of Creation | 4. Of Creation | |
| 5. Of Providence | 5. Of Providence | |
| 6. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof | 6. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof | |
| 7- Of God's Covenant with Man | 7. Of God's Covenant with Man | |
| 8. Of Christ the Mediator | 8. Of Christ the Mediator | |
| 9. Of Free Will | 9. Of Free Will | |
| 10. Of Effectual Calling | 10. Of Effectual Calling | |
| 11. Of Justification | 11. Of Justification | |
| 12. Of Adoption | 12. Of Adoption | |
| 13. Of Sanctification | 13. Of Sanctification | |
| 14. Of Saving Faith | 14. Of Saving Faith | |
| 15. Of Repentance Unto Life | 15. Of Repentance unto Life and Salvation | Significantly rewritten |
| 16. Of Good Works | 16. Of Good Works | |
| 17. Of The Perseverance of the Saints | 17. Of the Perseverance of the Saints | |
| 18. Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation | 18. Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation | |
| 19. Of the Law of God | 19. Of the Law of God | |
| 20. Of the Gospel and the Extent of Grace Thereof | New to Savoy | |
| 20. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience | 21. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience | |
| 21. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day | 22. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day | |
| 22. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows | 23. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows | |
| 23. Of the Civil Magistrate | 24. Of the Civil Magistrate | |
| 24. Of Marriage and Divorce | 25. Of Marriage | |
| 25. Of the Church | 26. Of the Church | Removes 2 articles, adds 31 [10] |
| 26. Of the Communion of the Saints | 27. Of the Communion of Saints | |
| 27. Of the Sacraments | 28. Of the Sacraments | |
| 28. Of Baptism | 29. Of Baptism | |
| 29. Of the Lord's Supper | 30. Of the Lord's Supper | |
| 30. Of Church Censures | Removed in Savoy | |
| 31. Of Synods and Councils | Removed in Savoy | |
| 32. Of the State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead | 31. Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead | |
| 33. Of the Last Judgment | 32. Of the Last Judgment |
Formally titled Of the Institution of Churches, and the Order appointed in them by Jesus Christ, the platform is composed of 30 articles and sets forth the principles of Congregational Church polity. [11]
It is a new document, not a revision of either the earlier congregationalist Cambridge Platform or the Form of Presbyterial Church Government produced by the Westminster Assembly, at which key framers of Savoy were present.
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The Reforming Synod, also called the Synod of Boston was a synod convened in Colonial New England for two sessions in 1679 and 1680. It was convened by the Massachusetts General Court in response to perceived spiritual decay, set to answer two questions: “What are the Evils that have provoked the Lord to bring his judgments on New England?", and, “What is to be done, that so these evils may be reformed?” Spiritual decline was in part attributed to the Half-Way Covenant and surrounding controversy.
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Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : "Goodwin, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.