An Exposition of the Symbol or Creed of the Apostles

THE RESOLVTION OF THE CREEDE.

One, of the Actions of faith, which are

To beleeve in God: which hath three partes:

I. To beleeue God as hee hath reuealed himselfe in his worde.

II. To acknowledge him in particular to be my God.

III. To put my confidence in him.

To beleeve a thing: and this action hath two partes:

I. To acknowledge the thing.

II. To apply the thing to my selfe; as to beleeue the Church is to acknowledge the Church, & that I am a member of it.

The second the Object, which is

God, distinguished into 3. person.

I. The first is described by his

I. Name, Father.

II. Attribute, Almightie.

III. Worke, Creatour of heaven and earth.

II. The second is described by his

I. Titles, which are foure.

I. Iesus.

II. Christ.

III. His Sonne.

IIII. Our Lord.

II. Incarnation, & it hath 2. parts:

The conception, where cōsider

the partes

The personn all vnion.

The sanctification of that masse or lumpe wherof the body of Christ was framed.

The cause efficient, the H◊gh◊st.

The byrth, where is mētioned the mother of Christ, described by her

Name; Mary.

Qualitie; a virgine.

III. Estate afterward of

Humiliation set downe

Generally in these wordes, Suffered vnder, &c. where is noted the time of his suffering when P. Pilat was president of Iurie.

By partes, which are 4.

I. His crucifying.

II. His death.

III. His buriall.

IIII. His descending into hell.

Exaltation hauing 3. parts.

I. His resurrection.

II. His ascension.

III. His sitting at his fathers right hand: & it is set forth by the

Place, Heaven.

The effect, his cōming to iudgement.

III. The third person described by his name, Holy Ghost, infolding his office.

The Church, described by his

Qualities,

Holy.

Catholicke.

Prerogatiues which are 4.

I. Communion of saintes.

II. Forgivenesse of sinnes.

III. Resurection of the body.

IV. Life everlasting.

p. 1AN EXPOSITION OF THE CREEDE.

I beleeue in God, &c.

NO man iustly can be offended at this, that I begin to treate of the doctrine of faith without a text; though some be of minde, that in Catechising the minister is to proceed as in the ordinarie course of preaching, only by handling a set portion of scripture: & therfore that the handling of the Creed being no scripture, is not convenient. Indeed I graunt, that other course to be commendable: yet I doubt not, but in Catechising the minister hath his libertie to follow or not to follow a certaine text of scripture, as we doe in the usuall course of preaching. My reason is taken from the practise of the Primitive Church; whose Catechisme (as the authour of the Epistle to the Hebrewes sheweth) was contained in sixe principles or grounds of religion, which were not taken out of any set text in the olde Testament: but rather was a forme of teaching gathered out of the most cleare places thereof. Hence I reason thus: [Heb. 6.1, 2, 3.] That which in this point was the use and maner of the Primitiue Church, is lawfull to be used of vs now: but in the Primitiue Church it was the maner to Catechize without handling any set text of scripture: and therefore the ministers of the Gospell at this time may with like libertie doe the same: so be it they doe confirme the doctrine which they teach with places of scripture afterwarde.

Now to come to the Creed, let vs begin with the name or title thereof. That which in English we call the Apostles Creed, in other tongues is called Symbolum, that is, a shot or a badge. It is called a shot, because as in a feast or banket euery man payeth his part: which being all gathered, the whole (which we call the shot) amounteth: and so out of the seuerall p. 2writings of the Apostles ariseth this Creed or briefe cō fession of faith. It is a badge, because as a soldier in the field by his badge & livery is knowen of what band he is, & to what captain he doth belong: euē so by this beleefe a Christiā mā may be distinguished & known frō all Iewes, Turkes, Atheists, & all false professors: & for this cause it is called a badge.

p. 2Againe it is called the Creed of the Apostles, not because they were the penners of it, conferring to it besides the matter [Ruffin. in expos. Symb. & Hierony. ad Pam.] the very stile & frame of words, as we haue them now set downe. Reason. I. there are in this Creed certaine words and phrases which are not to be found in the writings of the Apostles, and namely these: He descended into hell; the Catholike Church. The latter wherof no doubt [Pacianus epist. 1. ad Sympro.] first began to be in use, when after the Apostles daies the Church was dispersed into all quarters of the earth. II. Secondly if both matter and wordes had bene from the Apostles, why is not the Creed Canonicall scripture, as well as any other of their writings? III. The Apostles had a summarie collection of the points of Christian religion which they taught, and also deliuered to others to teach by; consisting of two heades, faith and love: as may appeare by Pauls exhortation to Timothie, [2. Tim. 1.13.] wishing him to keepe the patterne of holesome words: which he had heard of him in faith and love, which is in Christ Iesus. Now the Creede consists not of two heads but of one, namely of faith only and not of loue also. VVherefore I rather thinke, that it is called the Apostles Creede because it doth summarily conteine the chiefe and principall pointes of religion, handled and propounded in the doctrine of the Apostles: and because the pointes of the Creed are conformable and agreeable to their doctrine and writings.

And thus much of the Title. Now let vs heare what the Creed is? It is a summe of things to be beleeued concerning God and concerning the Church, gathered foorth of the scriptures. For the opening of this description. First I say, it is, a summe of things to be beleeued, or an abridgement. …