recover its former esteem and value, and for several ages hath, next to the holy scriptures, been always reputed the most venerable and divine extant; and whilst all other creeds, excepting the Nicene, and that commonly ascribed to Athanasius, have perished as to their use, with their very birth and framing, this hath outlived them all, and for several hun. dred years hath been uninterruptedly used, and even before those two other creeds, it hath been perpetually and constantly preferred.

Such a peculiar honor hath almighty God been pleased in his most wise providence, to put upon this particular creed: To the explication of the several articles whereof, I shall forthwith proceed; first repeating the creed itself, which is to be the subject of the ensuing discourse, and is as follows:

"I believe in God the father almighty maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the holy ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven,and sitteth at the right hand of God the father almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the

holy ghost, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."

CHA P. II.

The reason for which it is said in the singular number, I believe; the meaning of the word believe: by believing in God, we assent to his existence, and unity; the Greek and ancient Latin creeds read, I believe in ONE God, which was designed against some blasphemous deniers of the divine unity, who negatively were not the Jews since they ownit: nor the heathens principally, seeing the greater, or at least the wiser part of them acknowledged it: but positively, they were certain ancient heretics; in opposition unto whom, this clause of ONE God is to be considered, either absolutely or relatively: absolutely it signifies, that there is but ONE God; the Valentinians, Cerdonians, Marcionites, and others, introduced several Gods; the reason for which they did it; the authors of this heresy lived in the apostles time; against it the creed declares, that we must believe in ONE God; which being understood relatively, or as it hath reference to what immediately follows in the creed, signifies that ONE and the same God is the father almighy maker of heaven and earth, in contradiction to several heretics, who maintain

ed opinions contrary thereunto; the title FA THER, denotes God to be the origin of all beings, in contradiction to the Gnosticks, and others, who being worse than the heathens, disowned him to be such, and refused to give him the appellation of FATHER, which is here briefly explained, but attributed it to another being, different from him: or, it denotes the peculiar relation of the father unto the son, in which sense it hath been also understood in the creed, which is the primary sense thereof, wherein it hath been in the creed from the foundation of christianity. The proper notion of the word ALMIGHTY; it hath a threefold signification in the creed: First, It denotes God's infinite power, which shews the reason why it is placed before the making of heaven and earth; in this sense it was attended against the Valentinians, Simonians, Menandrians, &c. whose heresies are explained: Secondly, It implies God's providential government of the world, in opposition to the denial thereof by the Gnosticks and Marcionites; the former of whom at least, ascribed this word ALMIGHTY, thus understood, to another being, diverse from the supreme and only God; the reason of their blasphemies againt the divine providence: Thirdly, It includes God's immensity and omnipresence, in contradiction to the error of the Gnosticks, which confined God within a certain limited space. What is to be understood by MAKER, and what by HEAVEN and EARTH; the blasphemous tenets of several heretics about the creation of the

world; Simon Magus, and several others, attributed the making thereof to angels; the portentous system of the Valentinians, concerning the origin of beings, and the creation of the universe; the Cerdonians and Marcionites maintained two eternal principles, God and the devil, the latter of whom they affirmed to have been the former and maker of the world: against all these heretics it was inserted in the creed, that the supreme God, the father almighty, is maker of heaven and earth.

THE first words at the head of the creed,

which must be supposed to be of like force with respect to every article and clause therein, are I believe; wherein are two things observable: the first whereof is, the number, wherein the word believe is expressed; which is not the plural, we believe, but the singular believe; which came from the manner of the Catechumens repeating the creed, or at least yielding their assent unto it at baptism, which they did severally and apart; or, if for convenience sake, many might recite or assent unto the creed together, yet each one to declare his proper personal belief thereof, said I believe; so writes Salvian, "at baptism thou didsts not only renounce the devil and all his works, but thou saidst, I believe in God the father almighty, and in Jesus Christ his son:"

and to the same purpose it is related by Vigilius Tapsensis, that "those who came to the sacred laver of regeneration confessed thus, "I believe in God the father almighty and in Jesus Christ his only son, and in the holy ghost:" it being most fit and proper, that every person at his admission into the christian church, should make a particular and personal declaration of his faith and belief.

But there is further observable in these two words, the act mentioned or specified therein, viz. Believing; which, that I may avoid all needless and impertinent criticisims, I do in brief apprehend to signify in this place no oher, than the full and undoubted assent of our mind and understanding to the truth and verity of every particular clause and article contained in this creed or symbol.

The first whereof is, that we believe in God, which worthily deserves to be placed in the beginning of the creed; since, according to the observation of Origen, "a fitting apprehension and faith of God is the basis and foundation of all virtues:" In which expression there are contained these two things, the existence of God, and the unity of the godhead. That the existence and being of God is here first of all professed, is no wonder,