"There are many of the profound mysteries of our holy "faith, to which not a few are able to extend their re"searches; but into which a considerable number, ow❝ing either to their youth or to the imbecility of their understanding, are unable to inquire. And, therefore, as we have just said, he who is able, but unwil❝ling, cannot be saved."* It is evident, then, that to ascertain precisely the number of necessary articles, is not requisite to our spiritual comfort. It is sufficient to know in general, that he who has learned cordially to love God as reconciled in Christ, and to place his confidence in him, holds what is necessary; and that, mean time, it is the incumbent duty of all Christians, to make progress in the knowledge of the mystery of God, and of Christ. XVII. It is of no great importance, besides, to the Church at large, to know quite correctly the precise number of fundamental articles. It does not become us to ascend into the tribunal of God, and to pronounce concerning our neighbour, for how small a defect of knowledge, or for how inconsiderable an error, he must be excluded from heaven. It is much safer to leave that to God: and even supposing we had succeeded in discovering it, still we should possess no clear and positive rule of admission to the communion of the Church. It may not be safe and expedient for us to receive into church-fellowship, a person chargeable with some error or sin; whom, however, we should not dare, on account of that error or sin, to exclude frem heaven. Nor, were even this point once determined, would the way be prepared for perfect peace and harmony in the • Concili: Gallic: a Sermondo edit. Tom. ii. p. 257. articles are maintained, no great solicitude ought to be discovered with respect to the rest. Though one article be of greater importance than another, none of the truths of God ought to be esteemed so trivial and contemptible, that it is of whether very little consequence our sentiments concerning them be right or wrong.9 Had it been an object of high utility, in short, to have the number of necessary articles fixed and determined, that God who is unbounded at once in wisdom and in goodness, would not have neglected to consult the welfare of his Church in this instance, and would have defined the number in the Sacred Volume. Since he has not been pleased to do this, we may rest assured that it was not necessary. churches of Christ; as if, provided the necessary XVIII. After what has been said, we are now prepared to return the following answer to the question proposed in the first section; to wit, that, if you consider only the truths expressly mentioned in the Creed, all the necessary articles of our Religion are not contained in this summary. For it contains nothing about the Word of God, which is the immediate object, the rule, and the source of our faith; and which is therefore denominated "the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets;" that is, the Foundation which was laid by the Apostles and Prophets, and on which our faith ought to be built :-Nothing respecting our sin and misery, the knowledge of which is inculcated in Scripture as particularly necessary:-Nothing relative to justification by faith without the works of the law, the knowledge of which article, however, the Apostle valued so highly, that in comparison of it he accounted all other things but loss and dung-so highly, that he declares that whosoever desire to be justified by the law, have no part in Christ, and are fallen from grace:"-Nothing even regarding the worship and service of God, and the leading of a holy life; which cannot be rightly performed, unless they are both known, and believed to be necessary. XIX. If any of the Protestant Divines have affirmed that all fundamental articles are contained in the Creed, they did not intend by this expression, that they considered the mere repetition of the words of the Creed, a sufficient sign of Christianity. Our faith consists not in words, but in sense; not in the surface, but in the substance; not in the leaves of a profession, but in the root of reason. All the heretics of the present day, that claim the name of Christians, are willing enough to subscribe the words of the Creed; each however affixing to them whatever sense he pleases, though diametrically opposite to sound doctrine. It must be remarked, also, that such of the Protestants as have held this language with regard to the Creed, have included under the articles expressed in it, those which are necessarily supposed or deduced, and without which the articles expressed can be neither thoroughly understood, nor sincerely acknowledged. xx. As all necessary points are not expressly contained in the Creed; so all that it doth contain, are not indispensably necessary. Who would presume to question the salvation of all those, who perhaps know not that Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, or who are ignorant of the precise time of his resurrection? VOL. I. y Philip. iii. 8, 9. 2 Gal. v. 4. L 3. Who would pronounce it impossible for any man to be saved, that does not understand the article respecting Christ's descent into hell, or that concerning the Catholic Church, or the Communion of saints? As for us, we dare not act so rigorous a part, lest we should be found false witnesses against the generation of God's children. XXI. Neither the ancient Fathers, however, nor the chief men of the Reformed churches, can be justly accused of having done wrong, when they inserted in Creeds and Confessions articles not absolutely necessary, and even when they sometimes expressed those articles in other terms than those of Scripture. Since all the truths of our holy faith are exceedingly precious, and are at the same time intimately connected together, prudence requires us to provide for the security of such as are necessary, by maintaining those which, although less necessary, are yet worthy of all acceptation. It is expedient, also, for the Church, solicitously to distinguish and separate herself from all who pervert the truth and her safety is ill consulted by those who, under the specious pretext of peace and toleration, would have her to embrace with open arms, all that hold errors not entirely fundamental. Conduct of this sort would be utterly unworthy of the chaste Spouse of Jesus. As heretics, too, are accustomed to use general expressions with a view to deceive, and while they retain the words of Scripture, impose on them a foreign and unnatural sense; necessity sometimes indispensably requires us, for the purpose of detecting the wiles of seducers with the greater facility, to express the genuine meaning of Scripture in our own language. Thus the Orthodox, long ago, wisely distinguished themselves from the Arians by the term Consubstantial. The experience of all ages clearly shows, that persons who calumniate forms of that kind, and are pleased with none excepting such as are extremely brief, and composed entirely of the mere words of Scripture, are secretly entertaining some mischievous design, 10 * Ομοούσιος. |