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verts were made to the faith of Christ, contained an unequivocal declaration of the most important doctrines of Scripture. The great Apostle expounded the Word of Revelation at considerable length. He manifested forth the divine mission of our Saviour, his miracles, his sufferings, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, the remission of sins through faith in his name, repentance unto salvation, and the efficacy of spiritual influence. To all these truths an assent was given previously to the admission of the three thousand converts into the sanctuary of Christ's holy religion.

Q. What more is required by us, in these our days, when we receive Christians into the bosom of our Church?

A. The only difference is (but that is the very point we are arguing) that with us these articles of belief are expressed more methodically, and in preciser terms.

Q. Do the Scriptures afford any other evidence of the Apostolic usage in this respect?

A. We have an account, Acts viii. 26. 40, of the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch by St. Philip, which furnishes us with an argument similar to the last. The Eunuch declared previously to his being baptized, his belief that "Jesus Christ was the Son of God.". Which confession of faith, though short and simple,

must be taken comprehensively, as including an acknowledgment of the death and passion of our Saviour Christ, and of faith in his blood; for this reason, Philip had just explained out of the Scriptures how these things were; whereupon the Eunuch believing was baptized. "We should observe," says the Bishop of Winchester, "that the Eunuch does not merely profess his belief in Jesus as a teacher sent from God, or as the Christ expected by the Jews, but he declares his belief that Jesus Christ, the circumstances of whose life and resurrection Philip had related, is the Son of God, the Messiah of whom the Prophets wrote, and whom Isaiah in particular had described in terms appropriate to God alone z "

Q. Considering that you have now sufficiently explained how far, and in what sense, confessions of faith were required by the Apostles from the earliest professors of our religion; proceed to notice what the custom of the Church was after the death of our Lord's Disciples.

A. In the age succeeding the Apostolic, when the knowledge of the Redeemer had already become widely spread, and societies of Chris

* Elements of Chr. Theol. vol. ii. Art. ii. p. 105. See also Grabe's Annotata, § 5. ad cap. v. vi. vii. of Bull's Jud. Ecc. Cath. and August. tom. iv. De Fide et op. cap. ix.

tians were formed in different parts of the world, it became prudent, or rather it became necessary, to adopt more precise forms and ceremonies to preserve uniformity in doctrine and consistency in practice".

Creeds properly so called, then came into general use. Regular questions were proposed to the candidates for admission into the Christian covenant, and regular answers expected. An acknowledgment of the truth of the articles of religion was indeed deemed so essential as to be required even at Clinic Baptism. And when persons were unable to answer for themselves, by reason of their tender age or infirmities, their sponsors promised for them.

In process of time, as the good cause still further advanced, Church discipline became, as was naturally to be expected, still more systematic. It was then found necessary to divide Christians into two orders, Believers and Catechumens; the former of whom were admitted to participate in all the privileges of the ecclesiastical establishment; the latter, not yet baptized, formed no part of the Christian assem

Bulli Judic. Ecc. Cathol. cap. vi. § 18.

▸ Clinic baptism is the performance of the baptismal rite to one upon a sick or death bed.

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blies, and were not made partakers of the Holy Communion d.

Schools also were opened to instruct the uninformed in the knowledge of the Creeds. Learned divines, called Catechists, were appointed to preside in the schools, to explain on what passages of Scripture, and on what arguments from reason, articles of faith were built. In short, a perfect system was adopted and acted upon.

Q. Have you any other argument to advance in proof of the early admission of Creeds, properly so called, into our Church?

A. It is agreeable to the common principles of reasoning to conclude, that such must have been the case. For every community, to preserve its existence, and secure its well being, requires to be governed by laws. Creeds are the Christian's laws. We argue then from necessity, that there must have been Creeds in the Church from the time of its first regular establishment.

Q. Is it necessary that the same Creeds should be adopted every where, and at all times?

A. Irenæus is of opinion that the canon of truth cannot be changed. Tertullian observes,

d Mosheim's Ecc. Hist. cent. 1. c. ii. § 7, and Bingham's Orig. Ecc. b. i. c. iv.

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Irenæus, lib. i. cap. ii. and iii. lib. iii. cap. iv.

"there is but one rule of faith, fixed and unalterable f."

Which declarations go the full length of affirming, that Creeds should invariably be one and the same, as to the substance of them, in every point of doctrine. As indeed must be the case, if they give a faithful interpretation of the truths delivered in Scripture. And if they do not, theirs is not the canon of truth: the Church who adopts them is not the true Church of Christ.

But, though all Creeds must essentially be the same, and agree in expressing the substance of what our Saviour and his Apostles taught: still any church is at liberty, under proper authority, to determine the words in which its Creeds shall be expressed; just as it may regulate its form of prayer. Of the exercise of which power our Protestant church afforded an eminent example at the Reformation".

Q. You mentioned that after the death of the Apostles, Creeds soon began to multiply in the Church. Why did not our Church adopt some of them in preference to Creeds of later date?

'Tertullian de Virg. Vel. c. i.

h

Bingham's Orig. Ecc. b. x. c. iii. § 6.

Lege fidei manente, cetera jam disciplinæ et conversationis admittunt novitatem correctionis, operante scilicet et proficiente usq. ad finem gratiâ Dei. Tertull. de Virg. Veland.

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