36 The proper Notion of the word ALMIGHTY, it hath a threefold fignification in the Creed: Firft, It denotes God's Infinite Power, which fhews the Reafon why it is placed before the making of Heaven and Earth; in this fenfe it was intended against the Valentinians, Simonians, Menandrians, &c. whofe Herefies are explained: Secondly, It implies God's Providential Government of the World, in oppofition to the Denial thereof by the Gnofticks, and Marcionites the former of whom at least, afcribed this word ALMIGHTY, thus underflood, to another Being, diverfe from the fupreme and only God; the reafon of their Blafphemies against the Divine Providence: Thirdly, It includes God's Immenfity and Omniprefence, in contradiction to the Etror of the Gnofticks, which confined God within a certain limited Space. What is to be understood by MAKER, and what by HEAVEN and EARTH; the blafphemous Tenets of feveral Hereticks about the Creation of the World, Simon Magus, and feveral others, attributed the making thereof to Angels; the por tentous Syftem of the Valentinians, concer concerning the Origin of Beings, and the Creation of the Universe; the Cerdonians and Marcionites main tained two Eternal Principles, God and the Devil, the latter of whoni they affirmed to have been the Former and Maker of the World: Against all thefe Hereticks it was inferted in the Creed, That the fupreme God, the Father Almighty, is maker of Heaven and Earth. T HE firft words at the Head of the Creed, which must be fup pofed to be of like force with respect to every Article and Claufe therein, are I believe; wherein are two things obfervable: The firft whereof is, the Number, wherein the word Believe is expreffed, which is not the Plural, We believe, but the Singular, I believe which came from the manner of the Catechumens repeating the Creed, or at least yielding their affent unto it at Baptifm, which they did feverally and apart; or, if for convenience fake, inquis, Diabomany might recite or affent unto the lo, &c.& quid Creed together, yet each one to de- poftea, Credo, inquis, in clare his proper perfonal Belief thereof, Deum Patrem faid I believe, fo writes Salvian, y At omnipotentem, & in Je fam Chriftum filium ejus. De Gubern. Dei, lib. 6. p. 197, 198. 3. E 2 Baptifm Abrenuncio, Baptifm, thou didst not only renounce the Devil and all his Works, but thou faidft, I believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jefus Chrift his Son: And to the fame purpose it is related by Vigilius Tapfenfis, z Ad facrum Lavacrum Rege nerationis venientes, confeffi fic, Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, & in Jefum Chriftum Filium ejus unigenitum, & Spiritum Sanctum. Inter. Oper. A thanaf. Tom. 2. lib. 11. ad Theoph. p. 591. That all those who came to the facred Laver of Regeneration confeffed thus, I belive in God the Father Almighty, and in Jefus Chrift bis only Son, and in the Holy Ghoft; it being moft fit and proper, that every Perfon at his admiffion into the Christian Church, fhould make a particular and perfonal Declaration of his Faith and Belief. But there is farther obfervable in thefe two words, the Act mentioned or fpecified therein, viz. Believing; which, that I may avoid all needlefs and impertinent Criticifms, I do in brief apprehend to fignify in this place no other, than the full and undoubted affent of our Mind and Understanding to the truth and verity of every particular Clause and Article contained in this Creed or Symbol. The firft whereof is, That we believe in God, which worthily deferves to to be placed in the beginning of the Creed; fince, according to the obfer vation of Origen, a a 『, · Βάσιν 38 οἶμαι καὶ ἑδραίωμα fitting Apprehenfion and in warwy 7 de agμóFaith of God is the Badóžav te n Tísir, fis and Foundation of all Dialog. 1. p. 1. Vertues: In which Expreffion there are contained thefe two things, The Existence of God, and the Unity of the Godhead: That the Existence and Being of God is here firft of all profeffed, is no wonder, fince on it our whole Religion depends; this is the Foundation of every thing that is facred; without it Religion would be a mere fancy and conceit, the most foolish and unreasonable thing in the World: He therefore, faith the Apo-Heb. xi. 6, file, that cometh unto God, muft believe that he is; that is, must be fully perfuaded in his mind, that there is a God; and not only yield a naked Affent to the certainty of his Being and Entity, but apprehend him under due and congruous Notions to his Nature and Effence, as the firft Caufe and Foundation of all things, infinite, unbegotten, immortal, perpetual,only, whom no Bodily Shape can de E 3 557 • Prima caufa, fundamentum cunctorum quæcunque eunt, infinitus, ingenitus, immortalis, perpetuus, folus, quem nulla deliniat forma corporalis, nulla determi nat circumfcriptio, qualitatis expers, quantitatis, fine fitu, motu, & habitu. Arnob. lib. 1. p. 6. fcribe, fcribe, or Circumfcription determine,without Quantity or Quality, Difpofition, Mo tion or Habit, as Ruffinus writes in his Expofition of this Article, When thou beareft, faith he, the Word GOD, understand a Subftance, without be Deum cum audis, fubftan તે tiam intellige fine initio, fine fine, fimplicem, fine ulla admixtione, invifibilem, incorpoream; in qua. nihil adjunctum, nihil creatum fit, fine auctore, eft enim ille qui Au etor eft omnium. Expof. in Symb. ginning, and without S. 4. p. 566. end, fimple, without mixture, invifible, incorporeal; to whom nothing is adjoined, in whom nothing is created, without Author, for he himself is the Author of all. But, the Existence of God having been in all Ages univerfally acknowledged, without any confiderable Oppofition thereunto, the Unity of the Godhead hath been more generally inculcated as the chiefeft and more principal fenfe of this Article; for the better understanding of which, it will be convenient to take notice of the obOrientis Ec- fervation of Ruffinus, That in all the clefiæ omnes Eaftern Creeds, it is, I believe in ONE God the Father; where, if by the Eastern he means the Nicene, or Conftantinopolitan, it is certainly true; or, if he means the ancient Creeds ufed before either of thofe, it is true not only of the Eastern, but of the Weflern allo; ita tradunt, Credo in u num Deum Fof. in Symb. §. 4. p. 565. e for |