Contained in the Apostles’ Creed. The Seventh Sermon
In my two last sermons I entreated of true faith and the effects thereof; and among the rest in one place I said, that the articles of the christian faith are, as it were, a brief summary of true faith: now therefore I think it to be not beside the purpose, and part of my duty, to lay before you those twelve articles of our belief. For they are the substance and matter of true faith, wherein faith is exercised: which because it is the ground! of things hoped for, here is plainly and briefly declared in these articles what things those are that are to be hoped for. But let no man at this present look for at my hand the busy? and full disccurse of the articles of our faith: I will but briefly go through them, touching only the most necessary points. They are in another place handled more at large by several parts. Pray ye with me to the Lord, that he will vouchsafe to shew to us his ways, to guide and preserve us in them, to the glory of his own name, and the everlasting salvation of our souls.
First, I have to say somewhat touching the common name, whereby the articles of our faith are usually called the Symbol or Creed of the Apostles. A symbol is as much to say as a conferring together, or else a badge. The articles are called a conferring together, because, by the laying together of the apostles’ doctrine, they were made and a el δξιθετά σε ον ἐμὰ preached by the apostles, and received of the—catholic or universal hare Ἐπὶ what he was that first did thus dispose and write these articles, it is not known, nor left in writing of the holy scriptures. Some there are that do attribute it to the apostles themselves, and therefore do call it by the name of the Apostles’ Creed. St Cyprian, the martyr, in his exposition of the Apostles’ Creed, saith: “Our ancestors have a saying, that after the Lord’s ascension, when by the coming of the Holy Ghost the fiery tongues sat upon every one of the apostles, so [1 substantia, Lat.] [2 operosam, Lat.]
[3 et collatio, et indicium, Lat.]
that they spake both divers and sundry languages, whereby there was no foreign nation nor barbarous tongue to which they seemed not sufficiently prepared to pass by the way; they had a commandment from the Lord, to go unto all nations to preach the word of God. When therefore they were in a readiness to depart, they laid down among themselves a platform of preaching for them all to follow, lest peradventure, being severed one from another, they should preach divers things to them that were converted to the faith of Christ. Wherefore being there all together, and replenished with the Holy Ghost, they gathered one every one’s several sentence, and made that breviary (as I said) to be a pattern for all their preachings to be framed by, appointing it for a rule to be given to them that should believe.” This saith Cyprian. But whether they were of the apostles’ own making or no, or else that other, the apostles’ disciples, made them, yet this is very well known, that the very doctrine of the apostles is purely contained and taught in them. These twelve articles are called -also-a-badge, becadse by that sign, as it were by a badge, true Christians are discerned from false.
Now I will declare what order I will use in expounding them unto you. This whole breviary, or abridgement of faith, may be divided into four parts; so that the three first parts may make manifest the mysteries of the three Persons in one Godhead; and that the fourth may lay forth the fruits of faith, that is to say, what good things we look for by faith, and what good things God bestoweth on them that put their trust in him. And yet, this notwithstanding, I will proceed
[4 Tradunt majores nostri, quod post ascensionem Domini, cum]
[per adventum sancti Spiritus super singulos quosque apostolos ig-]
[nex linguse sedissent, ut loquelis diversis variisque loquerentur, per]
[quod eis nulla gens extera, nulla linguse barbaries inaccessa videretur]
[et invia, preeceptum eis a Domino datum, ob preedicandum Dei ver-]
[bum, ad singulas quemque proficisci nationes. Discessuri itaque ab]
[invicem normam prius futurze sibi preedicationis in commune consti-]
[tuunt, ne forte alius ab alio abducti diversum aliquid his, qui ad fidem]
[Christi invitabantur, exponerent. Omnes ergo in uno positi, et]
[Spiritu sancto repleti, breve istud futurse sibi (ut diximus) preedica-]
[tionis indicium, conferendo in unum quod sentiebat unusquisque, com-]
[ponunt, atque hanc credentibus dandam esse regulam statuunt.—]
[Cypr. Expos. in Symb. Apost. in init. ed. Oxon. 1682. This tract is]
[not Cyprian’s, but was written by Ruffinus.]]
herein even orderly so as the twelve articles are placed or set down.
The first article of christian faith is this: “1 believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” And this first article of the Creed containeth two especial points: for first we say generally, I believe in God; then we descend particularly to the distinction of the Persons, and add, the Father Almighty. For God is one in substance, in and three in Persons. Wherefore, understanding the unity the substance, we say plainly, I believe in God: and again, keeping and not confounding the Persons, we add, In the Father Almighty, In Jesus Christ his only Son, and in the Holy Ghost. Let us therefore believe that God is one, not many, and pure in substance; but three in Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. For in the law it is written: Hearken, Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” And again, in the gospel we read that the Lord saith: “Baptize them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost2.” ἘΞ By the way, this is singularly to be marked of us; that, when we pray, we say, “Our Father which art in heaven, give us this day our daily bread;” but that, when we make confession of our belief, we say not, We believe, but, “1 believe.” For faith is required of every one of us, for every particular man to have without dissimulation in his heart, and without double meaning to profess it with his mouth. It was not enough for Abraham to have faith for all his seed; neither will it avail thee any thing for another to believe, if thou thyself art without faith: for the Lord requireth faith of every particular man for himself. Wherefore, so oft as we confess ~~ our faith, every one of us by himself doth say, “I believe.” But what it is to believe, I have declared already in my fourth sermon.
It followeth in the confession, “I believe in God.” God is the object and foundation of our faith, as he that is the everlasting and chief goodness, never weary, but alway ready at our need. We therefore believe in God; that is to say, we put our whole hope, all our safety, and ourselves wholly into his hands, as unto him that is able to preserve and bestow on us all things that are requisite for our behoof.