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Now as for these apostolic demands, they might not always be exactly the same, nor still confined to the forementioned particulars, in every church, and at every season, they might not mention the very same particulars without either addition or diminution, but al low themselves the liberty of expression according as they saw occasion, and so in this respect they might sometimes vary and alter; although, as to the fundamentals of Christianity, that Jesus of Nazareth was Christ the Messias, and the like, they never omitted them: and the form of their expression, and delivery of their confessions of faith, was generally the same, near the method and order of our present creed; for had it not been so, it is almost impossible to conceive, how all churches should so harmoniously agree in the general form and order of their respective creeds, when yet they all disagree in the words and expressions used therein.

This apostolical system professed at baptism, was not committed to writing, but observed by, or left with the governors of every church to use it on the like occasion, whose duty it was to preserve it undefiled and incorrupt, and to make it the terms of christianity: and admission to their communion; unto which, some think St. Paul might have an eye,

when he exhorted Timothy "to keep that which was committed to his trust," and "to hold fast the form of sound words:" but whether he had or no, I shall not here enquire. This is certain, that not only Timothy, but the apostolical churches, and all others who received it from them, were solicitous and careful to preserve those articles and that form of faith, which was delivered unto them by the apostles; and as the apostles, so they in imitation of their example, did always at baptism require the assent of the person to be baptized, unto the creed, or articles of the christian faith; which is a thing so universally known, as that it may seem almost needless to produce any quotations for the proof of it: Thus Ruffinus relates, that in his days, "the ancient custom was retained at Rome, for persons to be baptized, publicly to recite the creed:" and Salvian, that "at baptism the christians profest their faith in God the father almighty, and in Jesus Christ his son;" according unto which, Vigilius Tapsensis, or whosoever else was the author of those books concerning the trinity. to Theophilus, extant amongst the works of Athanasius, writes, that "those who came to the sacred laver of regeneration, confessed, saying, I believe in God the father almighty, and in Jesus Christ his only son, and in the

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holy ghost ;" and long before any of these Justin Martyr assures us, that "none were baptised unless they did first declare their as sent to the doctrine and faith of the gospel."

Not long after the apostles days, and even in the apostolic age itself, several heresies sprung up in the church, subversive of the fundamentals of christianity; to prevent the malignant effects whereof, and to hinder such heretics from an undiscernible mixing themselves with the orthodox christians, as also to establish and strengthen the true believers in the necessary truths of the christian religion, the christian verities opposite to those heresies, were inserted in the creed; and together with those other articles, which had without any intermission been constantly used from the time of the apostles, were proposed to the assent and belief of all persons who came to be baptized: the governors of the church judging this a prudent and an effectual course, to preserve the fundamentals of religion from being undermined and overthrown by cunning and subtle heretics; which is the second way by which the creed was composed, viz. The doctors and governors of the church did add unto those of the apostles, other articles, in opposition to gross and fundamental heresies

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and errors, as they appeared and grew up, as Ruffinus informs us; "that whereas it was in the beginning of the Roman creed, I believe in God the father almighty," there were some other clauses added thereto in the creeds of several churches, occasioned by certain heretics to exclude the sense of their new doctrine; as particularly in the Aquileian creed, "to the word almighty was subjoined invisi ble, impassible, in contradiction to the heresy of the Sabellians, or Patripassians, that the father was born of the virgin, and so became both visible and passible." But, there is no need of any farther testimonies to prove this, point at present, seeing a great part of the ensuing treatise will be an abundant confirmation thereof,

I would not be here mistaken, as if I did mean, that none of those articles which were introduced into the creed, and settled there in opposition to heresies, were ever used before, or demanded at baptism by the administerer thereof: but my meaning is, that every church being at liberty to express the fundamental articles of the christian faith in that way and manner, which she saw fit pro re nata. or as occasion offered; it is not improbable, but that before damnable heresies sprung up, they,

might not always to a tittle follow the same form of words, or exactly ask the same questions. As for example, the doctrines of the trinity, of Jesus of Nazareth's being Christ, or the Messias, of remission of sins through his name, and of the resurrection, were at the first preaching of the gospel sufficient, without a particular explication of the actions of the father, and the state of the son; as Philip only required the Eunuch to believe, that Jesus Christ was the son of God: and if at some seasons they might mention the humiliation and exaltation of Christ, and the several acts. thereof, at other seasons they might omit them, and not constantly express the particulars in that order in which they are now found in the creed, till the appearance of contrary heresies gave them occasion so to do; so that when any article was added to the creed, it was not the introduction of a new point, but the vindieating and settling of an old one, and a constant perpetual profession and declaration of that truth, which before was only arbitrarily and uncertainly expressed, seeing every one, before those contrary errors arose, was supposed firmly to believe and own it. In which respect I may say of the creed as Vincentius Lirinensis doth of the canons and determina

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