admitted Proselytes into their Religion by this Rite or Ceremony of Baptizing besides that of Circumcision as hath been observed unto us by men well verst in Rabbinical Writings and the Rituals of all ages as Ainsworth on Gen. 17.12 Heins. his Exâ—râ— on Act. 18.3 Lud de Dieu his Append on Matth. 23.15 and more fully and copiously Doctor Hammond in his fourth Quaere But indeed the Jewish and the Christian Baptisms had different purposes and designations by the one the Proselytes were baptised into Moses that is the Mosaic Law and Oâ—conomie by the other into Christ that is into his Faith Rule and Discipline And it is farther observed by the forementioned Writers that of the Jewish proselytes not onely men of years were baptized but their young Children were also baptized with them and received into the bosome of that Church to be instructed in their Law when they should come to years Which usage was taken up by John the Baptist and afterwards by Christ and his Apostles and continued in the reformed Common wealth though to another purpose and design as we touched before and this Ceremony was thought sufficient to be retained for that end when Circumcision was abolished If the issue of the Question touching Infants-baptism lay upon this Whether the Apostles of Christ did baptize Infants The Scripture by its own light doth not clear the doubt it tells us they baptized whole housholds which testimonies do of themselves make it but probable that they baptized the children of those housholds but if Catholic tradition and the voice of the Church he allowed so much civility and credit with us as to be believed for a matter of fact and story then the business would soon be put beyond all pretensions of scruple and made as secure and firm to our sense as any Article of our Creed As upon the testimony of Travellers and credible men I might be induced to believe firmly and undoubtedly that there is such a City as Constantinople though I neither saw it nor doth the Scripture make any mention of it APHOR. 6. Where it may not be had desire supplies the defect THis must be understood of the adulti or men in years that have not participated of the holy mysteries but do earnestly desire and long for them but by some impediment and invincible necessity cannot obtain them If the fault be not on their side there is no danger but the internal benefit of the Sacrament is communicated to them without the external symbols The penitent Thief on the cross went to heaven without Baptism when Simon Magus went to hell with it the children of Bethlehem that were baptized in their own blood were qualified for heaven by that Baptism without the Baptism of water and Martyrdom in any other doth entitle them to a crown even a crown of glory though unbaptized When the Emperour Valentinian died without Baptism but had determined to receive it but that he was prevented by death St. Ambrose doth state his case thus Quem regeneraturus eram amisi sed ille noâ— amisit gratiam quam poposcit I lost him saith he whom I was about to regenerate or baptise but he hath not lost the grace oâ— fruit of that Ordinance which he desired In such cases Baptismus flaminis supplet baptismum fluminis the Baptism of the Spirit doth supply the want of water-baptism and the Spirit himself doth officiate for the Minister sometimes From hence we may infer that the case of children dying without Baptism is not forlorne and disperate we may not be such Rhadamanths as to passe damnatory sentences upon them for want of that which was not in their power to compass God doth not tye any to those ordinary Laws and methods whereby he saves man but such as may have them and are capable to use them If the Parents be wanting to their child in this duty the sin sure lyes at their door and not the child's and God will require it at their hands as he did at the hands of Moses In like manner the Church of England hath declared her judgement touching the want of the Eucharist if there be no more than the bare defect If any person by extreme sickness or any other just impediment do not receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper if he truly repent him of his sins and stedfastly believe that Christ died for him he doth eat and drink the body and blood of Christ profitably to his souls health though he do not eat the Sacrament with his mouth So the Rubric for the communion of the sick A Prayer occasionally conceived upon the entring into a ruinous Church where no Prayers or Sermons had been in many years before O Eternal Holinesse and immense Goodness how sad and desolate is this place which was lately frequented by a people called by thy name to call upon thy name to seek thy face and to find thee here in thine own appointments and holy dispensations how forlorne is it now become being made a Court of Owls and a place for Satyrs to dance in I acknowledge the hand-writing upon the walls and the charactets of thy just displeasure who doest proportion punishments to the offences and makest the one legible in the analogy and suitablenesse of the other Lord if my sins have drawn thâ—se lines of confusion and of stones emptiness if by any remisness or perfunctoriness in holy Ministeries if by want of zeal for thy glory or any other way I have awaked thy justice lo here in all humility I prostrate my self before thee imploring mercy and pardon and confessing to thy glory that thou art just in all that is come upon us And if the sins of the Congregation that used to meet here have contributed to this judgement and turned away thy presence from this place either by sleighting the Mysteries that were here dispensed or the Dispensers of them we must say again that righteous art thou O Lord and true are thy judgements Thou hast been just in shutting up the doors of thy House against them that did shut their ears and hearts against thee and in taking away that food from before them which they loathed or lightly regarded Yet O Lord be mercifull both to Priest and People and turn not away thy face utterly in displeasure from them as we confesse thy justice so we implore thy mercy Lift up the light of thy countenance upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate and cause thy face to shine upon it Turn thee unto us O Lord and renew our dayes as of old Have mercy upon a distressed Church and a distracted â—tate Behold thy Ministers that are smitâ—en into Corners and their respective Congregations that wander like sheep without a shepherd that travel to and fro â—o seek the word of the Lord and cannot â—ind it Gather them O thou Shepherd of Israel â—nd do thou guide and lead them forth â—nd let thy rod and staff comfort
antientest of them living in the year 160. saith that the whole Church of God dispersed through the World received it from the Apostles and carefully preserved it entire who by their agreement in this faith did seem to dwell in one house and to be animated with one Spirit More testimonies to this effect are amaâ—sed together by the worthy pains of Mr. Ashwell in his Fides Apostolica In this Creed saith reverend Perkins is the pith and substance of Christian Religion taught by the Apostles embraced by the antient Fathers and sealed by the blood of Martyrs It was composed saith he either by the Apostles or Apostolical men who were their Hearers and immediate Heirs of their belief and is of more authority than any writings of Church or Church-men whatsoever was approved by the universal consent of the Catholic Church in all ages is next in authority to the Scriptures and the order of the words ought not to be altered Thus he The Creed is called the Apostles quia ab ore Apostolorum receptum because it was taken from the mouths of the Apostles saith Nowell or as Vâ—sin doth express it because they delivered that Summary of Doctrine to their Disciples from whom the succeeding Churches did afterwards receive the same and transmit it to posterity The substance or matter of it is ipsissima Scriptura saith learned Iunius pure Scripture Et nihil in eo est quod solidis Scripturae testimoniis non consignetur saith Calvin there is no article joynt or limb in it that hath not a scriptum est written upon it that is not found for the sense and substance though not terminis terminantibus in the authentic Canon of Scripture The whole Sysâ—â—m or body of it is mentioned or hinted at least by these circumlocutions in Scripture the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 1 Tim. 6.20 that precious â—agâ— jewel or depositum that was betrusted â—o Timothy the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 2 Tim. 1.13 that form draught or pattern of wholsome words and is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Rom. 6.17 that form of doctrine that is that frame or system of doctrinal Truths which the Apostles did in the first place deliver as the ground-work of all other super-structures and such expressions APHOR. 3. The fullness and sufficiency of the Apostolical Creed IN this Creed there is neither want nor waste nothing defective or redundant it is breve simplex plenum saith St. Augustin short and plain but full and comprehensive doctis indoctisque commune the meanest Christian must know so much and the greatest Clerk need know no more for the substance of his belief We may say of this as Athanasius speaks of the Nicen Creed wch is for substance the same with it that it is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a full and sufficient system of fundamental verities for the averting of impiety and the establishment of piety in Christ It is Regula una immobilis et irreformabilis in the language of Tertullian the sole Rule of Faith and such a one as is immovable and unreformable that admits neither supplement nor correction As in other Sciences so in this there must be some principles that are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} worthy of belief of themselves and that are fixt and immovable and indemonstrable otherwise there would be no end of disputes and controversies or any satisfaction to the busie mind of man for when a proposition is resolved into these principles there we must take up our rest there is the ultimate resolution and non-ultrà in that point As in the Mathematics omne mobile movetur super immobili every movable moâ—â—â— upon somthing that is immovable so in all discourses every demonstrable proposition is reducible to some indemonstrable principle which is the dernier ressort the last appeal and by consent of parties the final decision of all controversie The Church of Rome whose Sea hath on shoar being not contented with this number of Articles and catalogue of Fundamentals which the Apostles left us hath doubled the Cube and enlarged the Philacteries of our Creed as wide again by an addition of a dozen articles more qui pari passu ambulant that are of equal dignity 4th perfixed before them and Spalato in confide and necessity with the others so material every one of them that there is no salvation to be expected without them a curse is denounced against every man that shall rejâ—ct or deny them So that the Pope is not onely Dictator and Lord of our faith but is himself a prime article in it and the very corner-stone of our Religion as a Cardinal Champion of his Holiness hath given us to understand in these words Romani Pontificis potestatem infallibilitatem esse rei Christianae summam ejusque sententiam pro normâ Regulâ fidei habendam asserimus Erasmus a sober and learned man doth wish that the Christian World had been contented with that one Creed of the Apostles in lieu of all the several Confessions that are in the World for saith he there was never less faith in the World than since the time that confessions of faith were multiplied Vbi caepit minùs esse fidei inter Christianos mox increvit symbolorum modus numerus De Ratione verae Theologiae APHOR. 4. Of the Patriarchs Creed IT were not difficult to demonstrate the truth of this Aphorism by giving proof of each article in order But inâ—â—nding onely some strictures and short animadversions in this place I may not take so much liberty to expatiate I shall at present onely show that the main substance of the Christian Faith was known to Gods chosen from the beginning even long before Christ came in the flesh 1. The article of the blessed Trinity to wit the triple personality of the Godhead was revealed unto them as is proved by Zanchius in his eight books de tribus Elohim by Petrus Galatinus de arcanis veritatis Catholicae and by that learned Noble man of France Sieur du Plessis de veritate Relig Christ cap. 6. 2. Christ the second person of the Trinity was abundantly revealed unto the Fathers of the old Testament that they might be saved saith Augustine by faith in Christ that was to come as we are saved by faith in Christ who is come Their faith and ours had the same object there is but one faith Ephes. 4.5 the difference was onely in the tense or time but the effect was the same All the periods and several acts of mans Redemption by Christ as his Incarnation Passion Resurrection c. were not unknown to the servants of God in old time and the glorious fruits and effects of theâ— were not hidden from them but were assured unto them through faith A Redeemer was promised even to the first sinner after his
PRAYER BLessed Lord thou hast been gracious unto thy people and wonderfull in all thy doings towards the children of men Thou hast been pleased since thou hast created us for thy self to guide our steps unto thee and to set us in the paths that lead unto everlasting life By teaching us to believe (a) rightly in thee to walk (b) uprightly before thee and in all our Addresses (c) to speak advisedly and discreetly unto thee And thou hast been farther pleased to afford thy servants suitable and convenient helps for the performance of those Duties thou hast enjoyned them even thy holy Sacraments which thou hast ordained to nourish and strengthen our saith in thee to enflame our love towards thee and to embolden our addresses unto thee by assuring and sealing (d) unto us all the gracious promises that thou hast made unto thy Church in thy beloved Son Lord teach us to use these helps and means discreetly reverently and thankfully as thine own holy institutions Continue them still unto us and let thy holy Spirit be ever present with them that they may be instrumental and effectual to those ends and purposes for which thou hast ordained them Lord hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place and have mercy and pardon the sins of this most sinfull Nation Heal all our rents and breaches Thou whose name is the Repairer (e) of the breaches and tâ—e Restorer of the paths to dwell in let this ruin (f) be under thy hand and be thou a Healer Say unto this Nation as thou didst once to thy antient people (g) I will bring it health and cure and I will cure them and reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth Grant this for thy mercies sake and make haste to help O Lord God of our Salvaâ—ion How long O Lord at length repent And of our miseries relent Thine earely mercy shew That we may unknown comforts tast And for long daies of sorrow past As long of joy bestow The preceding Aphorisms resolved into Questions and Answers for the better fixing of them in the memory and a farther illustration of them to weaker understandings THis short Abstract is fram'd and contrived first Axiomatically by way of Theses Aphorisms or Axioms as Hippocrates summ'd up the Rules of his art in Aphorisms Piscator Junius and Grynaeus have delineated the Body of Theology in the like form In the second place These Theorems are handled Dramatically by inter-locutions or by Questions and Answers which was the antient way not onely of teaching Philosophy used by Socrates and Plato but also of planting the Christian Faith and propagating it over the world This Method and Oeconomy will much conduce not onely to illustrate the matter in hand and insinuate it to the understanding but will serve also to rivet it the faster in the minds of the learners that they may be as goâ—ds and nails fastned by the Masters of the Assemblies It is a command of Moses concerning the Law Thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children Deut. 6.7 In the Hebrew it is Exacues thou shâ—lt sharpen these precepts and set a point on them that they may penetrate as men sharpen a stake to drive it into the ground or set an edge on a knife by often drawing it over the whetstone So it is needfull that such Rules should be often inculcated and repeated that they may pierce deeper and hold faster And lest I might seem to obtrude any thing Magisterially or like a Dictator on any mans belief I have pointed to the rock from whence they were hewn by subjoyning Scripture-citations to each of them I have also confirm'd them by the authority of some ancient and modern writers such as were the Heads of their Tribes and renowned men in their Generations The Protestants of France took just offence at the Sorbon Doctors when they published the Capital points of Christian Religion in 25. Propositions without any proofs of Scripture for any of them but obtruded naked Conclusions and Axioms tanquam pro imperio nullis rationibuâ— aut firmamentis adjectis But I hope I have prevented such objections by what is added to these Theorems OF THE CREED HOw many parts be there of Christian Religion There are four general parts thereof which are universally embraced of the whole Church of God through the World and do virtually contain the whole Body of Divinity namely the Creed the Commandments the Lords Prayer and the Sacraments What is the preeminence and excellency of man above other creatures As man was made after a different manner from all other creatures here below so he was made to a different end namely eternal happiness after this life For the attainment whereof God hath shewed him what to do prescribed the means thereunto conducing if he make a right use of them What are those means that God hath appointed unto man for obtaining eternal happiness They are chiefly these two first to believe rightly in God secondly to live uprightly before him that is according to his will revealed in his word Living and believing making up the whole duty of man What word do you mean The word wherein God declared his will is the Scripture which is the authentic Rule of faith and manners life and belief containing all points of necessary and saving Truthâ— to make the man of God perfect and to carry him on to his designed end of happiness and glory What are the chiefest points of faith and right belief The chief and fundamental points of faith and true belief and which are necessary to be received of all to whom they are propounded are summed up in these 12. points or articles which are contained in the Apostles Creed which Creed is the key to all other doctrinal points of Religion How did the Patriarchs and Servants of God of old time believe before this Creed was framed They believed as we do and were saved by the saith contained in this Creed every article thereof being revealed unto them and to be found dispersedly in the writings of Moses and the Prophets for as theâ—e was but one Church from the beginning of the world so there was but one Faith which is common to us and them and to all that shall come after us What do these 12. articles contain or concern Some do concern God the Father as the first article some God the Son as the six articles immediately following and some do concern God the Holy Ghost as the eighth article The four last do set forth the state of Gods Church both in this world and in the next What is meant by Christ's descending into Hell which is mentioned in the Creed That article or period may safely be understood either of these two waies 1. First that the soul of Christ descended locally among the infernal Spirits not to suffer but to manifest the power of his Godhead which is the interpretation of the Fathers and divers eminent Writers
and that I have a share and interest in them The Catholic Church here mentioned is not visible for it is an object of our faith not of our sight and faith is of things not seen Heb. 11.1 This Holy-Guild society Fraternity of the Rosie-Cross as I may not unfitly term it is invisible for it is Caetus praedestinatorum a company of men predestin'd to Salvation whose names are written in the book of life enroll'd in that sacred Register among the Candidates of eternity Now who those are and whose names are there registred we are not allowed to know that such there are we know and firmly believe but who they are we know not having no certain {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or infallible indication to know them by for they do not carry the marks of their election in their foreheads God alone knoweth them that are his We have not the gift of knowing men and discerning spirits by inspection we may know their persons but for their eternal state and condition we may probably guess at but not make a sure and infallible judgement There is Indaeus in occulto Judaeus in propatulo we may know the one but do not know the other to know the reins and the heart is the prerogative of him that made and moulded both As this Church is not visible so it is not topical or confined to one place but is Catholic or universal both for times places and persons They robb Christ of his inheritance that confine his Kingdom or Church within one Nation Canton or Conventicle as Donatus did arrogantly affirm That God had no Church in the world but in that part of Africa where he and his party swayed none was within the Ark of Gods Church but who had entered into his Cock-boat God gave his Son the Heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession of his Kingdom there is no end no limits of duration or extension They are therefore injurious to him that would retrench his inheritance and robb him of any part of his purchased possession by denying a Catholic Church Hear the expostulation of Optatus with the old Donatists upon this point Si sic pro voluntate vestrâ in angustam coarctatis Ecclesiam si universas subducitis gentes ubi erit illud quod silius dei meruit quod libenter largitus est ei pater dicens Dabo tibi gentes haereditatem tuam ut quid tale infringitis promissum ut a vobis mittatur quasi in carcerem latitudo regnorum APHOR. 6. Of the Nicen and Athanasian Creeds THe Nicen Creed which is extant in our Liturgy was fram'd by the Fathers of the first general Council that was held at Nice a City of Bythinia and was conven'd by the renowned Emperour Constantine in the year 325. where 318. Bishopâ— were assembled whence St. Hierom calls this Creed fidem 318. patrum the faith of the three hundred and eighteen Fathers or Bishops In this Council the Heresie of Arrius a Presbyter of Alexandria who denied the Divinity of Christ and thereby did much disturb the peace of the Church was arraign'd and condemn'd It is reported by Sozomen that the Arrians held another Council at Nice in Thrace in opposition to the former in the year 359. Here was Nice against Nice but the truth did at last {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} prevail and overcome and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} canere trumph over Error and Heresie Athanasius was in those daies a stout opposer of the Arrians and stood up single in defence of the truth when all the world was almost turn'd Arrian as Hierom complains whereby he got a fame suitable to his name He was by their means four times banished and oft times brought into jeopardy of his life so violent was this storm in the Church so that Vincentius Lirinensis rightly terms the Arrian Heresie a Bellona and a Fury for the bitternss of i. During his banishment at Rome this good man composed the Creed that bears his name and presented it to Pope Iulius and afterwards to the Emperour Iovinian when he was elected Emperour and when he himself after all troubles was advanced to the Patriarchal dignity of Alexandria So that these Creeds were made not as supplements but explanations of the Apostolical Creed occasioned by the turbulency of some Spirits who out of some vain glory or discontented singularity raised those sad tragedies in the Church which continued long and sharp for we read of 120 Bishopt banished at one time into the I le of Sardinia by Thrasimundus an Arrian King of the Gothes The 3. Creeds the Nicen Athanasian and Apostolical Creeds ought throughly to believed and received because they may be proved by most certain warrants of holy Scripture so the 8th Article of the Church of England which is also received among the Articles of Ireland in terminis APHOR. 7. Gloria patri a little Creed AS the Apostles Creed was called Symbolum that is a badge or token or mark of difference quod fideles perfidos secerneret to distinguish believers from unbelievers or a certain watch-word as they have in the Wars to know a friend from a foe So this little Hymn of glory which is symbolum parvum a little Creed was brought in as a Shibboleth a privy mark or token to make discovery of dissembling professors and Covert Arrians who desir'd to live in the bosom of the Church though they were enemies to the faith and peace of it It was not as the great symbol to distinguish believers from unbelievers but true believers from mis-believers or such as believed amiss touching the article of the holy Trinity It was brought in use about the time of the Nicen Council or as some say before For long before this period we read that Polycarpus that blessed Martyr in the very place and at the hour of his martyrdom had a kind of Doxology very neer and much like to this who concluded his prayer and his lifâ—â—n these words Therefore in all things I praise thee I bless thee I glorifie thee O Father Almighty through the eternal Priest of our profession Jesus Christ thy beloved Son To whom with thee O Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for evermore Amen As we have received saith St. Basil so we baptize As we baptize so we believe and as we believe so we give glory His meaning is that as we believe in three persons and one God so we baptize into the names of these three And as we baptize into their names so we give glory unto them joyntly and severally So that in the most solemn Offices of the Church as Confessing Baptizing and giving Praise the holy individual Trinity is professed and acknowledged This was the use and purport