{"number":105,"title":"THE FIRST PART OF THE CREEDE, OF GOD THE FATHER, CREATOR","part":"THE SECOND PART, OF MANS DELIVERIE","questions":[26],"paragraphs":[],"clauses":[],"items":[],"text":"I *BELEEVE in God the father Almighty, Creatour of heauen and earth.*\n\nTo beleeue *in God,* is, to beleeue 1. *That there is a God, and hee such a one, as hee hath manifested himselfe in his woord and woorkes.* 2. *That he is such a one to me, and that whatsoeuer he hath manifested of his nature, hee will apply and refer to my safety.*\n\nObiect. *In the Creed the father only is said to bee God.*[^1] *Therefore the son & the holy ghost are not god.* Ans. We deny the antecedent. Because the name of god in the creed is put essentially, & cōpriseth al 3. persons, that is, it is put for God the father, the Son, & the holy Ghost. These 3. therefore, *The Father, the Son, & the holy Ghost,* are one subiect by appositiō of the word, *God,* as if it should bee saide: I beleeue in one God, who is the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost. The rest, which commeth betweene each of these in the Creede, appertaine to the description of each person: and this is easily proued. First, *these words, I beleeue, and the particle, in, are referred after the same maner and sense to al three persons.* For it is as well said, *I beleeue in the Son,* and, *I beleeue in the holy ghost,* as, *I beleue in the father.* But we may beleue but in one god. Wherefore as we beleeue in the father, in that he is God: so beleeue wee also in the Sonne and the holy ghost, because they are God. When then it is said, *I beleeue in the sonne,* &, *I beleeue in the holy ghost,* in both places is necessarily vnderstoode the woord, *God.* Furthermore, *if of these woordes of the first article, it followe, that the father onely is God, then of the same words by the like reason it should followe, that the Father onlie is omnipotent, and creatour of heauen and earth:* which the whole Scripture crieth to bee most false. But of especiall consideration is this name of *God,* but only once mentioned in the Creede, thereby to signifie, that the true God is but only one.\n\n[^2]Wee are moreouer to obserue in this place, that it is one thing *to beleeue God,* another thing, *to beleeue in god,* For that sheweth a faith of knowledge, or historicall, this declareth true faith or confidence. *To beleeue god,* if wee speake properly, is to beleeue there is a GOD, and hee such a one, according to whatsoeuer is ascribed vnto him, as he hath manifested himselfe in his woorde. *To beleeue in god,* is, to be perswaded, that whatsoeuer God is, & is said to be, he is al that, and referreth it all to my safety, for his sonnes sake; that is to resolue that he is such a one towards me.\n\n[^3] *To beleeue in the Father,* is, to beleeue, 1 *That hee is the Father of our Lorde Jesus Christ.* 2 *That he is also my father for Christs sake,* that is, that he beareth a fatherly good will towards me, as hauing adopted vs, by Christ & in Christ, to be his sonnes. God is called *a Father.* First, *In respect of christ his onlie begotten & naturall Sonne.* Secondly, *In respect of all creatures, as he is Creator, & preseruer of them all.* Thirdly, *In respect of the elect,* whom beeing adopted in his beloued Sonne, he regenerateth. Wherefore GOD is our Father in respect both of our Creation, adoption, and regeneration.\n\n*When the name of the Father is opposed to the Sonne,* it signifieth the first person of the God-head: but *when it is referred to the creatures,* it signifieth the whole diuine nature, which is the Father, the Sonne, and the holy ghost: Or, *the name of Father as it is opposite to the Sonne, is vnderstood personallie,* as heere in the Creede: *but as it is compared with the creatures, it is taken essentially: as,* Our father which art in heauen.\n\n*To beleeue in God almightie,* is to beleeue in such a one,[^4] 1 *Who is able to doe whatsoeuer he will, yea also those thinges which he will not, if they be not contrarie to his nature:* as hee could haue kept Christ frō death, but he would not. 2 *Who doth all thinges euen with his becke and worde onlie, without anie difficultie.* 3 *Who alone hath power to woorke al thinges, and is author of that power which is in all his creatures.* 4 *Who is also vnto me Almightie and omnipotent, and both can and will direct all thinges, to my safetie,* that is, who will vse his omnipotencie to the preseruing and sauing of mee, not only for that he hath nothing wanting vnto him for performance hereof to my behoofe, but also for that no creature is able to stop or hinder it. There is no good then so hard or full of difficultie, but he is able to giue me: no euil so great, but he can auert it from me. And this is properly *to beleeue in god almightie and omnipotent.* Neuerthelesse those things which go before are necessarily linked with the latter. For except we beleeue God to bee such, that is omnipotent, wee shall not be able to beleeue that God is such to vs in christ: that is, wee shall not bee able to apply his almightinesse and omnipotency vnto vs: so also in the rest which our faith apprehendeth concerning God, these two are to be ioyned, to wit, that God is such, both in himselfe and towards vs.\n\nObiection. *God is not able to make that which is once doone, vndoone. Therefore he is not omnipotent.* Answere. To haue the power to ly, or to be changed and the like, is no part of omnipotencie, but of infirmity. Now a passiue power, as to suffer change, and defects, are in creatures, not in God. Furder it is Gods omnipotency, to be able to do whatsoeuer he will. By inuerting it therefore I conclude thus: Because GOD is not able to will and doe that which is against his nature, and which would destroy it, he is omnipotent.\n\n*To beleeue in the creatour, is,* 1 *To beleeue in him,*[^5] *who is creator of al thinges.* 2 *Who sustaineth and gouerneth by his prouidence those thinges which he hath created.* 3 *Who hath created all thinges, and so my selfe also, to his owne glorie, and to the obtaining at length of my saluation: & that I may be a vessel of mercie, hee bringeth mee to that saluation by his especiall prouidence, where-with hee embraceth his chosen.* 4 *Who hath created all other thinges to his glorie, and for vs,* euen to serue for the safetie of his Church. More brieflie thus: *I beleeue in God the Creatour,* that is, I beleeue that God, who hath created all thinges, and gouerneth them by his prouidence, hath created mee and the faithfull in the world, to celebrate and serue him: and all other thinges, to serue for our safetie. *All thinges are yours: and you are Christes, and Christ is Gods:* as if he should say, All thinges are created for vs, euen as wee are created for God.\n\nTo this first part of the Creede belong three Common places, verie necessarie to be knowen.\n\n1 *Of GOD.*\\\n2 *Of the Creation.*\\\n3 *Of Gods prouidence.*\n\n[^1]: The word, God, in the creede, is ment essentially to all three persons, not personallie to one.\n[^2]: One thing to beleeue God, an other thing, to beleue in God.\n[^3]: What is to beleeue in the father, and why God is called a father.\n[^4]: What is to beleeue in God Almightie.\n[^5]: What is to beleeue in God the Maker or Creatour."}