Nevin: Reformation Thought, Again

“It [Heidelberg Catechism] is much more indeed than a Catechism, in the ordinary sense; being so constructed as to serve, at the same time, the purpose of the full church Confession. It stands forth accordingly with special prominence, not only among the Catechisms, but among the regular Confessions also, of the period to which it belongs. In this view, it holds, we may say, the very highest distinction. If the question be asked, which among all the symbolical books that have appeared in the Reformed Church, has the best claim to be regarded in the light of an ecumenical or general symbol; the answer must be given undoubtedly, that it is the Heidelberg Catechism” (J. W. Nevin, History and Genius of the Heidelberg Catechism (Chambersburg, 1847), 17).