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where God has placed it: There is a Claffis of NecfJary Articles, and that is the Apostles Creed, which Tertullian calls [regulam fidei] the Rule of Faith; and according to this, we must teach Neceffi ties: But what comes after This, is not fo necessary; and he that puts upon his own Doctrines a Weight equal to this of the Apostles declaration, either must have an Apoftolical Authority, and an Apoftolical Infallibility, or elfe he tranfgreffes the proportion of Faith, and becomes a falfe Apostle. The Catholick Church hath been too much, and too foon divided: We are only fallen out about That, of which if we had been ignorant, we had not been much the worse; But in things fimply necessary, God hath preferved us ftill unbroken; All Nations, and all Ages recite the [Apoftles] Creed, and all pray the Lords Prayer, and all pretend to walk by the Rule of the Commandments: Second Vifitation-Sermon Tit. 2, 7. Again: Which [viz. the Apostles] Creed, faith he, unless it had contained all the entire object of Faith, and the Foundation of religion; it cannot be imagined to what purpose it should ferve: And that it was fo esteemed by the whole Church of God in all Ages, appears in This, that fince Faith is a neceffary pradifpofition to Baptifm in all perfons capable of the ufe of reafon, all Catechumens in the Latin Church coming to Baptifm were interrogated concerning their Faith, and gave fatisfaction, in the recitation of this Creed: And in the East they profeffed exactly the fame Faith. -This was that [ben

καὶ ἀμώμητο πίςις, ἥντες κηρύττει ἡ ἁγία τὸ θεῖ και θολικὴ καὶ αποςολικὴ ἐκκλησία, καὶ ἐδένα τρόπον καινισμὸν Sean,] right and unblamable Faith, which the' Holy Catholick and Apoftolick Church of God preaches, and which can in no wife receive any Innovation. Now fince the Apostles and Apoftolical Men and Churches, in these their Symbols, did

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did recite particular Articles to a confiderable Number; and were so minute in their recitation, as to defcend to Circumstances; it is more than probable, that they omitted Nothing of Neceffity; and that thefe Articles are not general Principles, in the bofom of which many more Articles equally necessary to be believed explicitely, and more particular, are infolded; but that it is as minute an explicntion of thofe [prima credibilia] Fundamentals I before reckoned, as is neceffary to Salvation. But if This was fufficient to bring men to Heaven Then, why not Now? If the Apostles admitted all to their Communion, that believed this Creed; why fball We exclude Any, that preferve the fame entire? Why is not our Faith of thefe Articles of as much Efficacy for bringing us to Heaven, as it was in the Churches Apoftolical, who had guides more infallible, that might without Error have taught them Superstructures enough, if they had been necellary? And fo They did: But that they did not infert them into the Creed, when they might have done it with as much certainty as thefe [the reft of the] Articles; makes it clear to my understanding, that other things were not neceffary, but these were; that whatever profit and advantages might come from other Articles, yet Thefe were fufficient; and however certain perfons might accidentally be obliged to believe much more, yet This was the one and only Foundation of Faith upon which All persons were to build their Hopes of Heaven. Neither are we obliged to make thefe Articles more particular and minute, than the [Apoftles] Creed. For although whatfoever is certainly deduced from any of these Articles made already fo explicit, is as certainly true, and as much to be believed as the Article itself; becaufe [ex veris poffunt non nifi vera fequi] from Truth, nothing but Truth can follow: yet, because it

is not certain that our deductions from them are certain; and what One calls evident, is fo obfcure to Another, that he believes it is falfe ;it is the best and only Jafe courfe, to reft in that explication the Apoftles have made.- For no Age can, by declaring any point, make That be an Article of Faith, which was not fo in all ages of Christianity before such declaration: Libert. of Proph. Sect. I, § 7, 10, 11, 12. Again: If it were confidered (faith h‹) concerning Athanafius's Creed, how many people understand it not, how contrary to natural reafon it feems, hom little the Scripture fays of thofe curiofities of Explication, and how Tradition was not clear on his fide for the Article itself, much less for those forms and minutes ; — it had not been amifs if the final judgment had been left to Jefus Chrift: And indeed to Me it feems very hard, to put Uncharitableness into the Creed, and fo to make it become as an Article of Faith: Sect. II, § 36. And again, speaking even of the Nicene Creed itfelf; Some wife perfons (faith he) confider it in all circumstances, and think the Church had been more happy, if he had not been in fome fenfe constrained to alter the fimplicity of her Faith, and make it more curious and articulate, So much that he had need be a fubtle man to understand the very Words of the New Determinations.

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another confideration, whether or no it might not have been better determined, if with more Simplicity; and another yet, whether or no, fince many of the Bishops who did believe this thing, yet did not like the nicety and cu riofity of expreffing it, it had not been more agreeable to the Practice of the Apostles to have made a determination of the Article by way of Expofition of the Apostles Creed, and not to have inlarged the Creed with it : For fince it was an Explication of an Article of the Creed of the Apostles, as Sermons are of places of Scripture; it was thought by fome, that Scripture might Gg 3 with

with good profit and great Truth be expounded, and yet
the Expofitions not be put into the Canon or go for
Scripture, but That left ftill in the naked original
Simplicity:
If the Nicene Fathers had done
fo too, poffibly the Church would never have repented
it. Sect. II, § 25, 27.

The Litany.

8.

O God the Father of Heaven, have
mercy upon us miferable Sinners.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the
World, have mercy upon us miferable
Sinners.

O God the Holy Ghoft, proceeding from the Father and the Son, have mercy upon us miferable Sinners.

O'Holy, Bleffed, and Glorious Trinity, three perfons, and One God, have mercy upon us miferable Sinners.

O God the Father of Heaven, have mercy upon us miferable Sinners.] Forgiving our Sins, and beftowing all Bleffings upon us, by thy abfolute and fupreme Authority, as Father and Governour of the Universe; and out of thy infinite Goodness and Compaffion, through the Mediation and Interceffion of thy Son Jefus Christ our Lord.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the World, bave mercy upon us miferable Sinners.] Applying to us the Redemption purchased by thy Blood, and procuring us Pardon of our Sins, and all other Bleffings, through thy meritorious Interceffion and and Mediation on our behalf.

O God the Holy Ghoft, proceeding from (both by Derivation of Being, and by being continually Sent forth from) the Father and the Son, have mercy upon us miferable Sinners.] Sanctifying our Hearts; comforting us with thy perpetual Afliftance and Fellowship; and conferring all Spiritual Gifts and Graces upon us, according to the Will and good Pleasure of our Heavenly Father, through Chrift our Saviour.

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Three Perfons, and One God.] Not One_compound Being, conftituted or made up of Three Parts: Not One Species, confifting of Three coordinate Individuals: Not One Perfon, confidered only under Three different Denominations. For the first of thefe Notions, is repugnant to the Simplicity and Perfection of the Divine Nature: The fecond, entirely deftroys the Unity of God: The third, either wholly takes away the very Being of the Son and Holy Spirit, or at leaft introduces fuch a total Confufion of Perfons, that the Father might as truly have been faid to be incarnate, as the Son; and the Holy Ghost to be our Creator and Redeemer, as properly as our Sanctifier; and the Father to have been fent by either of Them, as They by Him: All which, are abfolutely contrary to the Doctrine of Scripture, and to the whole Oeconomy of the Gospel. But the Meaning of thefe Words, [Three Perfons and yet but One God,] understood confiftently, muft be; that the Power and Divine Authority of each of the three Perfons in their feveral Operations, being diftinctly acknowledged; there is yet nevertheless but One God, or One Supreme unoriginated independent abfolute Governour of all things, viz. God the Father Almighty governing all things by bis Son and by his Spirit.

It is abfolutely neceffary (faith Dionyfius Roma

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