AN 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:¹ 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 Primitive 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 writings of the Apostles ariseth this Creed or briefe cōfession 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.

Againe it is called the Creed of the Apostles, not because they were the penners of it, conferring to it besides the matter² 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 doubt³ 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,⁴ 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. Wherefore 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. It hath bene the practise of teachers both in the new and old Testament to abridge and contract summarily the religion of their time. This the Prophets used. For when they had made their Sermons to the people they did abridge them and penned them briefly: setting them in some open place, that all the people might reade the same. So the Lorde bad Habakuk to write the vision which he saw, and to make it plaine upon tables, that he may runne that readeth it.⁵ And in the new Testament the Apostles did abridge those doctrines, which otherwise they did handle at large, as may appeare in the place of Timothy afore named.⁶ Now the reason why both in the old & new Testament the doctrine of religion was abridged, is that the understanding of the simple, as also their memory might be hereby helped, & they better inabled to iudge of the truth, & to discerne the same frō falshood. And for this end the Apostles Creed being a summary collectiō of things to be beleeued, was gathered briefly out of the word of god⁷ for the helping of memory & understanding of men. I adde that this Creede is concerning God and the church. For in these two points consisteth the whole summe therof. Lastly, I say, that it is gathered forth of the scripture, to make a difference betweene it & other writings, and to shew the authoritie of it.

There be two kind of writings in which the doctrine of the church is handled, & they are either divine or Ecclesiasticall. Diuine, are the bookes of the old & new Testament penned either by Prophets or Apostles. And these are not only the pure word of God, but also the scripture of god, because not only the matter of them, but the whole disposition thereof with the stile & the phrase was set down by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost. And the authoritie of these bookes is diuine, that is, absolute and soveraigne, & they are of sufficiēt credit in and by thēselves needing not the testimony of any creature, not subiect to the cēsure either of mē or angels, binding the cōsciēces of all mē at all times, & being the only foūdatiō of faith, & the rule & canō of all truth.

Ecclesiasticall writings are all other ordinary writings of the church consenting with scriptures. These may be called the word or truth of God, so far forth as their matter or substance is consenting with the written worde of God: but they cannot be called the scripture of God because the stile and phrase of them was set downe according to the pleasure of man. And therfore they are in such sort the word of god, as that also they are the word of men. And their authoritie in defining of trueth & falshood in matters of religion is not soveraigne, but subordinate to the former: and it doth not stand in the authority & pleasures of men & councels, but in the consent which they haue with the scriptures.

Ecclesiasticall writings are either generall, particular, or proper. Generall, are the Creedes and confessions of the Church dispersed over the whole world, and among the rest the Creed of the Apostles, made either by the Apostles themselues, or by their hearers & disciples, apostolical men, delivered to the Church, & conveyed from hand to hand to our times. Particular writings are the confessions of particular Churches. Proper writings, are the books & confessions of private men. Now betweene these we must make difference. For the Generall Creede of the Apostles, (other universall Creeds in this case not excepted) though it be of lesse authoritie then Scripture; yet hath it more authoritie then the particular and priuate writings of Churches and men. For it hath bene received and approved by universall consent of the Catholike Church in all ages, and so were neuer these: in it the meaning and doctrine can not be changed by the authoritie of the whole Catholicke Church: and if either the order of the doctrine or the wordes whereby it is expressed, should upon some occasion be changed, a particular Church of any cuntry can not doe it, without Catholike consent of the whole Church: yet particular writings & cōfessions made by some speciall Churches may be altered in the words & in the points of doctrine by the same Churches without offence to the Catholicke Church. Lastly it is receiued as a rule of faith amōg all churches to try doctrines & interpretations of scriptures by, not because it is a rule of it selfe, for that the scripture is alone; but because it boroweth his authority from scripture with which it agreeth. And this honour no other writings of men can haue.

Here some may demaund the number of Creeds. Answ. I say but one Creede, as there is but one faith: and if it be alledged that we have many Creedes, as besides this of the Apostles, the Nicene Creede, and Athanasius Creede, &c. I answer, the severall Creedes and confessions of Churches containe not seuerall faithes and religions, but one and the same; and this called the Apostles Creed is most ancient, & principall: all the rest are not new Creedes in substance, but in some points penned more largely for the exposition of it, that men might better avoid the heresies of their times.

Futther, it may be demaunded, in what forme this Creed was penned? Answ. In the forme of an answer to a question. The reason is this. In the Primitiue Church, when any man was turned from Gentilisme to the faith of Christ, and was to be baptised, this⁸ question was asked him, What beleeuest thou? then he answered according to the forme of the Creede, I beleeve in God, &c. And this manner of questioning was used euen from the time of the Apostles. When the Eunuch was converted, by Philip, he said, What doth let me to be baptised? Philip said, If thou doest beleeve with all thine heart, thou maiest. Then he answered,⁹ I beleeve that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God. By this it appeares, that although all men, for the most part, amongst vs can say this Creede, yet not one of a thousand can tell the ancient and first use of it: for commonly at this day of the simpler sort it is said for a prayer, being indeede no prayer: and when it is used so, men make it no better then a charme.

Footnotes

1. Heb. 6.1, 2, 3. ↩

2. Ruffin. in expos. Symb. & Hierony. ad Pam. ↩

3. Pacianus epist. 1. ad Sympro. ↩

4. 2. Tim. 1.13.
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5. Hab. 2.2. ↩

6. 2. Tim. 1.13.
   ↩

7. Aug. serm. 119. de temp. Cassian. li. 6. de Incarnat. domini. ↩

8. Cyril. Catec. 1. Mystag. Tertull. de resurrect. Origē. bō. 5. in Nū. ↩

9. Act. 8.38. ↩