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A38583 The reasonableness of our Christian service (as it is contained in the Book of Common-Prayer) evidenced and made clear from the authority of Scriptures and practice of the primitive Christians, or, A short rationale upon our morning and evening service as it is now established in the Church of England wherein every sentence therein contained is manifestly proved out of the Holy Bible, or plainly demonstrated to be consonant thereto / composed and written by Thomas Elborow, vicar of Cheswick ; and since his death made publick by the care and industry of Jo. Francklyn ... Elborow, Thomas. 1678 (1678) Wing E324; ESTC R31410 96,665 240

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may say it or sing it and were justly to be blamed in case we should refuse the doing so The 100 Psalm is joyned with it and the Minister may make his choice of either because both are Thanksgivings unto God enforced almost with the very same reasons and arguments RUBRICK Then shall be sung or said the Apostles Creed by the Minister and the people standing Except only such days as the Creed of St. Athanasius is appointed to be read I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth Mark 9.24 Heb. 1.2 John 14.1 Psal 124.8 And in Jesus Christ his onely Son our Lord John 1.18 John 14.1 Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary Mat. 1.20 23. Luk. 1.27 31. Suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried Mat. 27.2 1 Tim. 6.13 He descended into Hell the third day he rose again from the dead Act. 2.31 32. 1 Cor. 15.4 Ephes 4.9 1 Pet. 3.19 He ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty Act. 1.9 Ephes 4.9 10. Heb. 12.2 From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead Act. 1.11 Act. ●0 42 Act. 17.31 I believe in the Holy Ghost Mat. 28.19 Act. 19.2 1 John 5.7 The holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints Psal 87. Psal 110.3 Isa 54.2 3. 1 Cor. 10.16 Ephes 1.3 4. Ephes 4.15 16. Heb. 10.22 23 24 25. 1 John 1.7 The forgiveness of sins Luk. 24.47 Act. 2.38 Colos 2.13 The resurrection of the body 1 Cor. 15. And the life everlasting Rom. 6.23 Amen Mark 9.24 EXPLANATION This is called the Creed or Belief because all necessary points to be credited or believed in order to our Salvation are contained in it It is the Key of the Holy Scriptures an Abridgment of the Gospel Christ taught it the Apostles the Apostles taught it the Church and the Church us Though it be not Canonical Scripture as to the make yet as to the matter contained in it it is for it contains in it the very Scripture Word and Truth of God It is of greater Authority then any other Ecclesiastical Traditions of this nature whether they are Confessions of particular Churches or Writings of private men The Nicene and Athanasian Confessions mentioned and used in our Liturgy are not new Creeds but larger Explications of this It is called the Apostles Creed either because they themselves used it or because it contains the heads of that Doctrine which they taught the world and it is the Judgment of some very learned men that it is more Ancient then many writings of the New Testament At first perhaps it was no part of the Liturgy or publick Service only a prescribed Lesson for the Catechumens to be instructed in and whereof they were to make publick rehearsal in order to their admission unto Baptism There is mention made of it in the most Ancient writers of the Church and however some objections may be made against the Apostolicalness of it yet those objections certainly are not unanswerable But however most certain it is that it is so Apostolical as to the matter that it may without offence carry its denomination from the Apostles and be called their Creed because it is a most excellent Epitome and Abridgment of their Doctrine contrived in a very near resemblance to their Language and a great part of it undoubtedly digested by the Apostolical Church For if the Apostolical Churches had not this very Creed in express words yet they had a Creed very much resembling this as to the substance of the Articles though with some few syllabical variations If at any time the Articles concerning the Holy Ghost and the Church were omitted in the Creed yet they were supplied from the form of Catechizing then in use which form was in truth a Creed and with the rehearsal of which the Catechumens were Baptized Though not in Tertullian yet in Cyprian we find express mention of the Holy Church Remission of sins and everlasting life but then indeed as it is noted by Jerom all the mysteries of the Christian Faith were upon the matter terminated in the Resurrection of the flesh into which they were baptized 1 Cor. 15.19 and with it Tertullian concludes his rule of Faith yet was not the Article of Life everlasting any after-new addition only it was represented in a different order Let but the African parcels of Tertullian and Cyprian be united together and a Creed may be found as to the Essentials conformable to this of the Apostles and the like may be found in the Epistles of Ignatius who was disciple to one of them Neither was there any need for the Apostles or Fathers to commit this Creed to writing in regard it was the great depositum of the Church conveyed down from one Age to another in a Traditional way supposed by some to be the one Faith mentioned Ephes 4.5 and the form pattern or summary of sound words mentioned 2 Tim. 1.13 the body of Faith made up in all its proportions mentioned Rom. 12.6 and the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints mentioned Jude vers 3. This Creed and the other two the Nicene and the Athanasian which are but Explanations of this are ordered to be said after the Lessons to shew that Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.17 we must first hear and then confess and they are ordered to be said standing because they are summaries of the Gospel which was ever rehearsed in that posture and because the Catechumens used to make rehearsal of their Faith in a standing posture which posture is also significant and notes that gallant resolution which ought to be in us to maintain and defend that Faith and Religion which we profess The Creed Explained I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth I for my self as every Christian ought to believe for himself do believe there is a God do believe God and do believe in God I confess him put all my trust and confidence in him acknowledge my self obliged to do his will and to obey his commands I own his title God his personality Father his power Almighty and admire and adore him for his operations and works for he is the Maker of heaven and earth He is able to do whatever is fit for God to do he can do what he will and more then he will whatever implies not a contradiction in it self or argues not imperfection in him He is so Almighty that he is liable to no imperfections and his Almightiness appears remarkably in the Creation of the World for he is the Maker of heaven and earth He made something of nothing and out of that something he made all things the glorious Heaven Angels and Spirits the Starry Heaven Sun Moon and lesser Lights with all the glorious Constellations the Airy Heaven winged Fowls Clouds and Vapours Hail and feather'd Snow Rain Lightning and terrible Thunder He made
worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity 1 John 5.7 Revel 4.8 Mat. 28.19 Rom. 11.36 Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance The Jews and Turks have a Faith such as it is for they worship one God and many of them keep that Faith whole and in a sense undefiled for as they believe one God so they live according to what they believe The meer Pagans and Heathens have a Faith too for they worship more Gods then one they will rather admit of too many then none at all few Atheists are to be met with amongst any of these as Atheism stands in direct opposition to a Deity Yet all Jews Turks and Pagans may be termed Atheists and Infidels in opposition to the Christian Religion in regard they all deny the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Godhead which all sound Christians do believe worship and adore For there is one person of the Father another of the Son and another of the Holy Ghost But the Godhead of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all one the Glory equal the Majesty co-eternal Such as the Father is such is the Son and such is the Holy Ghost Mat. 28.19 1 John 5.7 Heb. 1.3 John 10.30 Philip. 2.6 The doctrine of the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of Godhead and Divine Essence is the peculiar doctrine of Christians and that which remarkably distinguishes the Christian Religion from all other Religions in the world Though all the world besides opposed it yet Christians have ever believed and embraced it and as they have believed so they have been baptized and have always given glory to God one in Essence Father Son and Holy Ghost three in Person always acknowledging in the blessed Trinity and unspeakable Deity one substance in work not divided in will agreeing in omnipotence and glory equal The Heathens especially the Platonists had some broken notions of this admirable Mystery which ought to be the subject of our adoration and devotion rather then of our curiosity and search The Jews had many dark adumbrations of it but it was only cleared and revealed to Christians God the Father in the Creation of the world God the Son in the Redemption of mankind God the Holy Ghost in the Sanctification of the Church To search too far into this Mystery is rashness to dispute it is folly to deny it madness to believe it is true piety and to know it is life The Father uncreate the Son uncreate and the Holy Ghost uncreate Gen. 1.2 3. The Father incomprehensible the Son incomprehensible and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible 1 Tim. 6.16 The Father eternal the Son eternal and the Holy Ghost eternal Deut. 33.27 Psal 90.2 God a self-being gave being to the Creatures he was himself without beginning gave a beginning to time and to the world in time he made something of nothing and of that something he made all things God who created the world was himself uncreated and as uncreated so incomprehensible for if he could be comprehended he should not be God and as incomprehensible so eternal that is God from everlasting before all time and to everlasting when time shall be no more And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal As also there are not three incomprehensibles nor three uncreated but one uncreated and one incomprehensible So likewise the Father is Almighty the Son Almighty and the Holy Ghost Almighty And yet they are not three Almighties but one Alighty So the Father is God the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God And yet they are not three Gods but one God So likewise the Father is Lord the Son Lord and the Holy Ghost Lord And yet not three Lords but one Lord 1 John 5.7 Revel 1.8 Revel 4.8 1 Cor. 8.5 6. God is potentially one personally three one in Essence three in Subsistence in the diversification of Names as the Scripture hath made the distinction three but in Nature Substance and Essence one so the holy Fathers of the Church have forced themselves to speak because they knew not how to speak better nor more clearly in so deep a Mystery neither had they spoken so much I suppose had not the enemies to Christianity extorted it from them and forced them to speak out where they had a mind to be silent When the great doctrine of the Trinity which is the peculiar doctrine of Christians was opposed they thought themselves obliged to defend it and in such terms too as to declare their own meaning though perhaps not to all capacities very intelligible For as it follows in this Creed the meaning of the Church so far as she can express her meaning is this For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord So are we forbidden by the Catholick Religion to say there be three Gods or three Lords Revel 4.8 Heb. 1.3 Rom. 11.36 1 John 5.7 Christians only defended that form of Baptism instituted by our Saviour and that Faith into which they were baptized viz. into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Mat. 28.19 and if in their own defence they have used expressions not so candidly received and embraced by all that read them they are not to be blamed for it but their opposers who forced them to make use of what expressions they could in their own defence They chose rather to be accounted fools for Christ then to betray and yield up that form of Christ's Institution by which they were initiated in Baptism to be his Disciples The Father is made of none neither created nor begotten His name is I am which shews him to be a self-being Exod. 3.14 and the Heathen Aristotle dyed with an expression in his mouth not much differing when he called upon the Being of Beings to have mercy on him And other Heathens both Poets and Philosophers taking their Light perhaps from the Sacred Scriptures have used terms equivalent to shew God the Father who is the original principle of the Deity to be a self-being by whose bounty and benefit all things are as he himself is by and from himself and by the benefit of none The Son is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten John 1.14 18. The Son of God who is also very God in respect of his Divine Nature not a Son by way of Eminence but by Essence not by Priviledge or Prerogative but by Nature and Substance was of the Father alone not differing from him in respect of Deity but in respect of Personality He was not made for he was in the beginning before any thing was made and all things were made by him John 1.1 2 3. neither was he created for he was before all creatures his goings forth have been from everlasting Mic. 5.2 He was before the world was In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God John 1.1 We