A. Because of the many heresies which subsequently arose at different times, and spread their baneful influence among men, which required notice and refutation, such as the brevity and artless character of the early Creeds did not, neither could be expected to afford'.

Q. But why should we lose sight of the primitive simplicity of the doctrines of Christ, because some men are over-curious and speculative?

A. We answer this question by another. Why should any nation not be at peace, because its neighbours are litigious? Evidently because attacks must be resisted, fortresses raised, and the frontiers guarded.

Just so, our Christian community is obliged to defend itself by following its adversaries through the labyrinths of controversy, however unwillingly, and however much it must be regretted. In every instance truth may and will at last prevail; but its champions have to assume their spiritual armour, they become loaded with their weapons of defence; and the baneful effects of

Propter nonnullos hæreticos addita quædam videntur, per quæ novellæ doctrinæ sensus crederetur excludi. Ruffini Exposit. Symb. Apost. See also Burnet on the Thirty-nine Articles. Introduct. p. 3, and Hales on Faith in the Holy Trinity, vol. 1. letter i. p. 11.

C

the conflict can never be removed, never be forgotten.

Q. Have we in consequence introduced any Article into our Creeds, as a doctrine of Scripture, which was unknown to, and not sanctioned by, the Apostles and early fathers of the Church?

A. If that were the case, we should have acted contrary to our own declarations: for we profess to derive each and all of our doctrines from Christ and his Apostles; so that whatever does not proceed from them, nor may be proved out of their works, is not considered necessary to salvation, nor required of any one to be believed.

No; the evil is not that we have adopted new doctrines, but that we have been forced, in explaining the old, to adopt and argue upon terms not found in Scripture.

This must ever be a matter of deep regret, because on subjects of such sublime mystery as those which relate to the nature of the Godhead, there never can be perfect safety, but in the very words of Holy Writ'. In proportion as

k Article vi.

' Mosheim's Ecc. Hist. vol. vi. p. 42. note z. And Origen de Princ. lib. i. cap. 3. Ουδεν ανθρωποις των θείων σαφές, &c, Justin Martyr Exposit. Fid. p. 379. c.

we are obliged to deviate from the observance of this caution, we become exposed to the risk of being wounded through the sides of our own explanations. At the same time, however, we are proud to maintain, that notwithstanding every difficulty, our Reformed Church has in the most admirable manner avoided all extremes, and approached as near as any human institution well could do towards perfection".

Q. You have stated that additions were at different times made to our Creeds in opposition to heresies which sprang up in the Church. Why were not those additions expunged after the heresies had ceased to exist?

A. 1st. Seeing the doctrines thus introduced are agreeable to the Word of God, no harm can be supposed to arise from their continuance in our Creeds.

2dly. Were we to keep continually altering our formularies, confusion and a love of change would be introduced into the Church to its manifest and great injury..

m

By human institution we only mean that the rites, and ceremonies, and Creeds of our Church are the composition of uninspired men. For our Church, in its origin, is divine, being founded on the rock of Christ, and deriving the substance of its Articles of belief from the revealed Word of God, as contained in the works of the inspired Apostles. Vid. Archdeacon Balguy's Discourses, vi. and vii. on Church Authority.

3dly. It would be difficult to apply the case, and say what heresies have ceased to exist.

Q. Do the reasons you have advanced, why the Creeds in use among the primitive Christians should not be now adopted as our rule of faith, tend in any degree to subtract from the merit of those early Creeds?

A. By no means. We have already tacitly acknowledged their excellence, when we extolled the beautiful simplicity with which they were composed. They cannot, we are satisfied, be read without advantage and pleasure. And this further benefit must result from their perusal, that they will afford a convincing proof of the general conformity of our Church with them on all essential points ".

Q. Mention a few of them.

A. Among others may be noticed the Creeds

"It is very observable, that although there was so great a diversity of Creeds, as that scarce two Churches did exactly agree therein, yet the form and substance of every Creed was in a great measure the same; so that except there had been, from the very plantation of Christianity, a form of sound words, or a system of faith, delivered by the first planters thereof, it is not easy to conceive how all Churches should harmonize, not only in the Articles themselves, into which they were baptized, but in a great measure also in the method and order of them." Lord Chancellor King, cap. i. p. 31. See also Wall on Infant Baptism, Part 2. chap. ix. § 10.

of Irenæus, Tertullian, Origen, Gregory, and Lucian.

Q. Why do ticular?

you fix upon these Creeds in par

› A. First, because of the celebrity of their authors, and the commanding influence they exercised in forming and fixing the opinions of Christians in the second and third centuries.

Secondly, Because of the excellence of the Creeds themselves.

Thirdly, With a view of tracing, by means of the evidence they afford, the conformity of our tenets with those of believers in the ages immediately succeeding the Apostolic, till we come to the time, early in the fourth century, when our Creeds rest upon the authority of General Councils.

Thus we become possessed of an unbroken chain of important testimony in favour of the genuineness of our faith, no less satisfactory than convincing, reaching even from the Apostolic era.

Q. Which is the most ancient of the Creeds you have selected?

A. That composed by Irenæus.

Q. When and where did he flourish?

P The first General Council was held at Nice in Bithynia, A. D. 325.