contracts, from which it is with greater probability derived, both by ancient and modern writers.

SECT. 2.-Why called Canon, and Regula Fidei.

Another usual name of the Creed was Kavov, the rule, so called because it was the known standard or rule of faith, by which orthodoxy and heresy were examined and judged. As when the council of Antioch,' says of Paulus Samosatensis, "that he was an apostate from the rule," it is plain the meaning is, he had deviated in his doctrine from the Creed, the rule of faith. Agreeably to this, it is commonly styled among the Greeks, "Opoç and "Exdoσis Пisews, the determination or exposition of the faith; and sometimes simply Пlisis, the faith; which answers to the Latin name Regula Fidei, the rule of faith, the common appellation of it in Irenæus, Tertullian, Novatian, and St. Jerom,? where they speak of heretics, and their deviations from the common articles of the Christian faith contained in the creeds of the Church.

SECT. 3.-Why called Mathema.

Another ordinary appellation of the Creed in the ancient Greek writers, is Mánua, the lesson, so called from the obligation the catechumens were under to learn it. This may easily be mistaken by an unwary reader for a lesson in the Bible, unless where some note of distinction is added to it. Therefore, when we read in the council of Constantinople, under Mennas, that after the reading of the Gospel, in time of the communion-service," the holy lesson was read accord

1 Epist. Con. Antioch, ap. Euseb. lib. vii. c. 30. 'Aπosàç тš kavóvoç. 2 Socrat. lib. ii. c. 39 et 40. lib. v. c. 4. Theodoret. Hist. lib. i. c. 7. Iren. lib. i. c. 19. Tertul. de Præscript. c. 13. Regula est autem Fidei, quâ creditur unum omninò Deum esse, &c. It. de Veland. Virgin. c. 1. Regula autem Fidei una omninò est, sola immobilis et irreformabilis, credendi scilicet in unicum Deum omnipotentem, &c. 6 Novatian. de Trinit. c. I et 9. Regula Veritatis. Hieron. Ep. 54. ad Marcellam, contra Errores Montani. Primum in fidei regulâ discrepamus, &c. • Con. C. P. sub Menna. Act. 5. tom. v. p. 151. Το ἁγία μαθήματος κατὰ τὸ συνηθὲς λεχθέντος.

ing to custom," we are not to understand it of any other lesson out of the Bible, but of the creed, which was then made part of the communion-service. And so Socrates 1 sometimes uses the word; and Valesius has observed, that in two manuscripts of that author, where the Nicene creed is recited, the title of Mathema is set before it. But Leontius Byzantinus speaks more explicitly, and calls it, by way of distinction, the decree, or lesson of faith, speaking of the creed, which the fathers of the council of Chalcedon were about to make.

SECT. 4.—Why called Γράμμα and Γραφή.

Valesius has also observed out of Socrates, that it is sometimes styled Toapn simply and absolutely, and гpaupa, which words, though they are usually taken to signify the Holy Scripture, yet here they must have another meaning; for the creed, properly speaking, is not an inspired writing, unless in that sense as it may be said to be collected out of the inspired writings; but here those words signify only, in a common sense, letters or learning; and so are used as the foregoing word, Mathema, with a peculiar reference to the learning of the catechumens. Some also allege Cyprian for another name, as if he called the creed peculiarly the sacrament of faith. But I am not satisfied that Cyprian's meaning is so to be restrained. For he is rather speaking in general against profaning the mysteries of religion, which include the sacraments, or any other religious rites, as well as the creed; applying that text of Scripture to his purpose," Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they tread them under their feet, and turn again and rent you." Or, if it be limited to any particular mystery, it should rather signify baptism than the creed;

1 Socrat. Hist. lib. iii. c. 25. Tà λoirà re panμaroc. Usser. de Symbolis, p. 20, shows the same out of Justinian, Maxentius, and Photius. Vales. Not. in Socrat. lib. i. c. 8. 8 Leont. de Sectis. Act. vi. p. 515. Vales. Not. in Cypr. Testim. ad Quirin. lib. iii. c. 50.

*Εδοξεν αὐτοῖς ὥτε ὅρον πίσεως και μάθημα ποιῆσαι. Theodor. Hist. lib. i. c. 8.

5

Sacramentum Fidei non esse profanandum.-Ne dederitis sanctum canibus, &c.

for baptism is sometimes called, "the sacrament of faith," by St. Austin,' and the "sacrament of faith and repentance," by Fulgentius and others, as I shall more particularly show when I come to treat of baptism. For which reason I do not take this to be any particular name given to the creed by any ancient writer: but the creed is the faith itself, the “credulitas,” as some middle-age writers call it, and the sacrament of faith is baptism.

SECT. 5.—Whether that which is commonly called The Apostles' Creed, was composed by the Apostles in the present form of Words.

The next inquiry is into the original and nature of the ancient creeds; which will admit of three questions: First whether that, which is commonly called the Apostles' creed, was composed by the Apostles in the same form of words, as it is now used in the Church? Second, whether the Apostles made or used any creeds at all for the institution of catechumens, or the administration of baptism? Third, if they did; what articles were contained in them? The first question is now generally resolved in the negative, by learned men, though many both of the Ancients and Moderns have been of a different opinion. Some have thought that the twelve Apostles in a full meeting, composed the creed in the very same form of words as now it is used in the Church; and others have gone so far as to pretend to tell what article was composed by every particular Apostle. Dr. Comber is so positive in the matter, as to say, "we have no better medium to prove the books were written by those authors whose names they bear, than the unanimous testimony of antiquity; and by that we can abundantly prove the Apostles were the authors of this creed." For this he cites Clemens Romanus, Irenæus, Origen, Tertullian, Ruffinus,

1 Aug. Ep. 23. ad Bonifac. Sicut secundùm quendam modum sacramentum corporis Christi corpus Christi est, sacramentum sanguinis Christi sanguis Christi est, ita sacramentum Fidei Fides est. Fulgent. de Fide ad Petrum, c. 30. Per sacramentum fidei et pænitentiæ, id est, per baptismum liberatus. 3 Vid. Herardi Turonensis Capitul. 140. ap. Wharton. Auctarium Historiæ Dogmaticæ Usserii, p. 368. Gloria Patri, ac Sanctus, atque Credulitas, et Kyrie Eleison à cunctis reverenter canatur. It. Edictum Reccaredi Regis ap calcem concilii Toletani tertii. • Comber's Companion

to the Temple, p. 132.

Ambrose, Austin, Jerom, Pope Leo, Maximus Taurinensis, Cassian, and Isidore. But none of these writers, except Ruffinus, speak home to his purpose; but only say, the creeds in general are of apostolical institution; which, for the substance, no one denies; for they speak of several forms, and yet ascribe them all to the Apostles: which is an argument, they did not mean this particular form any more than others. For the Nicene creed is often called the Apostles' creed; and yet no one believes that that creed was composed, totidem verbis, by the Apostles. Ruffinus indeed seems to say, "there was an ancient tradition, that the Apostles, being about to depart from Jerusalem,' first settled a rule for their future preaching; lest, after they were separated from one another, they should expound different doctrines to those, whom they invited to the Christian faith. Wherefore being all assembled together, and filled with the Holy Ghost, they composed this short rule of their preaching, each one contributing his sentence, and left it as a rule to be given to all believers." And for this reason, he thinks, it might be called the symbol, because that word in Greek signifies both a test, and a collation of opinions together. The author under the name of St. Austin, is a little more particular in the story: for he pretends to tell us what article was put in by each particular Apostle: Peter said, “I believe in God the Father Almighty." John, "Maker of Heaven and Earth." James, "And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord." Andrew added, "Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary." Philip said," Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried." Thomas, "He descended into Hell; the third day he rose again from the dead." Bartholomew,

1 Ruffin. Expos. Symboli, ad calcem Cypriani. p. 17. Discessuri itaque ab invicem, norman prius futuræ sibi prædicationis in commune constituunt; ne fortè alius ab alio abducti, diversum aliquid his qui ad fidem Christi invitabantur, exponerent. Omnes ergò in uno positi, et Spiritu Sancto repleti, breve istud futuræ sibi, ut diximus, prædicationis indicium, conferendo in unum quod sentiebat unusquisque, componunt; atque hanc credentibus dandam esse Regulam statuunt. Symbolum autem hoc multis et justissimis causis appellare voluerunt. Symbolum enim Gracè et indicium dici potest, et Collatio, hoc est, quod plures in unum conferunt. Aug. de Tempore, Ser. 115. al. 42. in Append. tom. x. p. 675.

2

"He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty." Matthew, "From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead." James, the son of Alphæus, added, “I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church." Simon Zelotes, "The Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins." Jude, the brother of James, "The Resurrection of the body." Matthias, "Life everlasting."

But now there is an insuperable difficulty lies against this tradition, which is this, that there are two or three articles here mentioned, which are known not to have been in this creed for three or four ages at least. For Ruffinus himself tells us, the descent into Hell, was neither in the Roman creed,' which is that we call, the Apostles' Creed, nor yet in any creed of the Eastern Churches; only the sense of it might be said to be couched in that other expression, “He was buried." Bp. Usher and Bp. Pearson have demonstrated the truth of this observation by a particular induction from all the ancient creeds, and showed this article to be wanting in them all for four hundred years, except the creed of Aquileia, which Ruffinus expounds, and the creed of the council of Ariminum, mentioned in Socrates. Others have made the same observation upon the article concerning the communion of Saints, which is not to be found either in the creed of Aquileia, or any ancient Greek or Latin creed for above the space of four hundred years. Nor is the article of the life everlasting, expressly mentioned in many creeds, but only inclusively contained in the resurrection of the body; which is the concluding article in many ancient creeds. These are plain demonstrations, without any other argument, that the creed as it stands in the present form, could not be composed, in the manner as is pretended, by the Apostles. The silence of The Acts of the Apostles about any such composition, is a collateral evidence against it. The silence of ecclesiastical writers, for above three whole centuries, is a further confirmation. The variety of creeds

'Ruffin. Expos. Symboli. p. 22. Sciendum sanè est, quod in Ecclesiæ Romanæ Symbolo non habetur additum, descendit ad inferna,' sed neque in Orientis Ecclesiis habetur hic sermo. Vis tamen verbi eadem videtur esse in eo quod sepultus dicitur. 2 Socrat. lib. ii. c. 37.