Preface to the 1689 London Baptist Confession in modern English:
It has now been many years since several of us (along with other Christians who lived and walked in the way of the Lord that we profess) were compelled to publish a confession of our faith. Our purpose was to inform and satisfy people who did not understand what we believed or had prejudices against our beliefs because of particular people who distorted our beliefs and wrongly led others into wrong knowledge concerning us and themselves. We first came up with this idea around the year 1643. We were seven congregations gathered in London. Since then, we proposed our goal to other congregations, and we were answered by many (and some of these men were godly men full of piety and learning) who were satisfied that we were not guilty of the wrong beliefs and fundamental errors that others had often accused us of without reason or anything that we had done.
Then, since a common confession was not generally available, and since many others had embraced the same truth contained within our confession, we decided it was necessary to work together to give a testimony to the world concerning our firm belief in these doctrines. So, we wrote this confession that you now possess.
Our method and way of expressing our beliefs differs from the Westminster Confession (although the substance is the same), so we wanted to share with you the reason for why we are writing. One thing we wanted to accomplish with this work was to not only explain our beliefs and how they are different from Christians who have a different view of baptism, but also to instruct and establish in the great truths of the Gospel those who read our work. We want people to have a clear understanding and steady belief concerning living a fruitful Christian life before God in all their ways.
Therefore, we decided it was necessary to express ourselves more fully and distinctly, and to choose a method that would comprehensively explain our doctrines and beliefs. Since we found no problem with the method taken by the Westminster assembly and by the congregationalists, we concluded that it was best to keep the same order in our confession.
And, we observed that the congregationalists, in their confession (for reasons that they considered important for themselves and others), chose to express their beliefs using essentially the same words as those of the Westminster Confession concerning every doctrine they agreed with and, for the most part, did not change any of the terms. Likewise, we decided it was best to follow their example by using the same words as both of those confessions regarding the doctrines (which are very many) in which our faith and doctrine were the same as theirs.
Another important reason we did this was to demonstrate our unity with both groups in all the fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion. We also wanted to demonstrate our unity with many others, whose orthodox confession have been published to the world on behalf of Protestants in various nations and cities.
Furthermore, we wanted to convince all that we do not desire to hinder religion with new words. Rather, we readily agree with sound words in conformity with the holy Scriptures that have been used by others before us. In this way, we declare before God, angels, and men our full agreement with these words and their right Protestant doctrine, which are supported with the clear evidence of Scripture. We have added, left out, and changed some words, but these changes are of such a nature that other Christians should not doubt our soundness of faith.
In the areas where we differ from others, we have expressed ourselves with all honestly and plainness, so that no one should accuse us of hiding things we do not want the world to know about. Nevertheless, we hope we have also been modest and humble so that the freedoms we have taken will be inoffensive, even to those whose beliefs are different from ours.
We have also been careful to attach Scripture texts at the bottom to support each article in our Confession. We sought to choose Scriptures that were the most clear and relevant to prove our assertions. Our earnest desire is that everyone who acquires this confession would follow the example of the noble Bereans (who cannot ever be commended enough), who searched the Scriptures daily, so that they could find out whether the things preached to them were true or not.
There is one more thing we profess that we want people to understand, namely, that we do not want our work to cause conflict. We hope that people will not deny to us or be offended by this liberty of laying out our beliefs and opening our hearts to our brethren with these Scriptural grounds of our faith and practice.
Our purpose is accomplished if people judge us by our principles and practice and according to what we have published, which the Lord—whose eyes are as a flame of fire—knows to be the doctrine which we firmly believe with our hearts and sincerely seek to conform our lives to.
We hope that instead of focusing excessively on our differences, the focus of all who are called by the name of our blessed Redeemer would be to walk humbly with their God in the exercise of all love and meekness towards each other, as well as to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. We should seek to have conversations that are worthy of the gospel and appropriately according to our situation. We should seek to vigorously promote in others the practice of true religion that is undefiled in the sight of God our Father.
We hope that during this time that is filled with much backsliding, we would not spend our energy fruitlessly criticizing others. Rather, we hope people would exert their energies starting at home, to first reform our own hearts and ways, and then to exhort everyone we have influence over to do the same.
We hope that, if this is the will of God, nobody would deceive themselves into resting and trusting in a form of godliness without its power and without an inward experience of the power of the truths they profess.
Truly, there is one root cause for the decay of religion today which we must mention and urge correction concerning. This is the neglect of worshipping God in families by those who have the responsiblity to lead in doing this.
Perhaps the gross ignorance and instability of many, as well as the profaneness of others, can be blamed upon their parents and leaders, who have not trained them up in the way they should walk when they were young.
Rather, they have neglected the many solemn commands that the Lord has given to them to catechize and teach children, so that their early years would be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures.
Furthermore, perhaps their neglect of prayer and leading in other duties of religion in their families, along with their being bad examples because of their nominal conversion, led others to neglecting and having contempt for piety and religion.
We know this does not excuse anyone's blindness or wickedness. However, those who have contributed to this problem will be judged harshly. Of course, the blind and wicked will die in their sins, but those who had authority over them will also have blood on their hands, since they allowed those they had responsibility over to continue in sin without warning, and actually led them into paths of destruction.
Moreoever, the diligence of Christians in earlier times who fulfilled their responsibilities in these areas will rise up in judgment against, and condemn, many today who have neglected their responsibilities.
We conclude with our earnest prayer that the God of all grace will pour out those measures of his Holy Spirit upon us, so that the profession of truth may be accompanied with sound belief and our diligent practice of it, as well as that his name may in all things be glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.