Christian churches from Mohammedan or pagan institutions, is, their agreement in holding the Bible to be the word of God. and the foundation of religion. But they do not agree in holding the Bible to be the only and sufficient rule of faith. This is the distinguishing and fundamental tenet of Protestantism. As the Christian religion differs from the Jewish, in being the religion of the whole Bible, or of both the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures; so, the Protestant form of Christianity differs from the Romish, in being the religion of the Bible only, whereas part of the Romish faith is avowedly derived from a distinct authority, and professes to be of a supplemental character. In addition, therefore, to the differences of religious opinion arising from various exposition or interpretation of the common and supreme rule of faith, the Christian world is divided by the introduction of doctrines not derived from the Christian Scriptures, and resting on the decisions of human authority, of which the church claims to be the depository in matters of faith. It is quite obvious, that the latter class of differences among Christians is not fairly attributable to the religion of the Bible.

With regard to the matter of faith, there are, of necessity, certain points upon which all who hold the Bible to be true, must be agreed; and an eminent Roman-catholic civilian has exhibited, in the following articles, the common faith of all professed Christians.

1. That there is but one God, the Creator, of infinite perfection.

2. That He rules and directs all things by his providence. 3. That it is our duty to love Him with all our hearts. 4. That it is our duty to repent of the sins we commit. 5. That God pardons the truly penitent.

6. That there is a future state of rewards and punishments, where all mankind shall be judged according to their works. 7. That God sent his Son into the world to be its Saviour, the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him.

8. That Jesus Christ, the Messiah, taught, wrought miracles, suffered, died, and rose again, as is related in the four Gospels.

9. That he will hereafter make a second appearance on the earth, raise all mankind from the dead, judge the world in righteousness, bestow eternal life on the virtuous, and punish the workers of iniquity.*

Of these nine articles, the first six are common to the Jewish and the Christian faith, and are, indeed, recognised in the Koran. The mission, prophetic authority, and reappearance of Jesus Christ, are also articles of belief among the Mohammedans, whose faith is, so far, less antichristian than the Jewish, and approaches to that of the Unitarian sect among Christians. The only article, therefore, which is exclusively Christian, as being peculiar to the faith derived. from the Christian Scriptures, is that which recognises the Divine character of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the author of our salvation. In the following chapters will be seen the varied exposition given by different churches, of this cardinal article of the common faith, and the nature of the additions superinduced upon the Christian doctrine.

Butler's "Confessions of Faith," p. 199.

CHAPTER II.

Points of agreement between the Latin, Greek, and Protestant Churches.-The Apostles' Creed.--The Nicene.-The Athanasian.-Points of difference between the Western and Eastern Churches.-Derivation of the rites and institutions of the Romish Church from those of Paganism.-Evidence the basis of faith.

ALL the more ancient churches, Latin, Greek, and Oriental, as well as the Anglican and other Protestant national churches, have received among their formularies the ancient symbol commonly called THE APOSTLES' CREED; but with some variation. The clause respecting our Lord's descent into hell, is not found in the ancient copies, and is considered to be, by some writers, an unauthorized addition. "This article," says Bishop Burnet, "is mentioned by no writer before Ruffin, who, in the beginning of the fifth century, does indeed speak of it; but he tells us, that it was neither in the symbol of the Roman nor of the Oriental churches, and that he found it in the symbol of his own church at Aquileia. None of the fathers in the first ages, neither Irenæus, Tertullian, nor Origen, in the short abstracts that they give us of the Christian faith, mention any thing like this; and in all that great variety of creeds that was proposed by the many councils that met in the fourth century, this is not in any one of them, except in that which was agreed to at Arimini, and was pretended, though falsely, to have been made at Sirmium: in that, it is set down in a Greek word that does exactly answer to Ruffin's Inferna, Karax@óvia; and it stood there instead of 'buried.' When it was put in the creed that carries Athanasius's name, though made in the sixth or seventh century, the word was changed to "Adns, or Hell; but yet it seems to have been understood to signify Christ's burial, there being no other word put for it in that creed. Afterwards, it was put into the symbol of the Western church: that was done at first in the words in which Ruffin had expressed it,

as appears by some ancient copies of creeds which were published by the great Primate Usher."*

With respect to the Creed itself, all Protestant writers of authority concede, that it has no pretensions to be considered as the production of the apostolic age, or even of any very early antiquity; but the grounds upon which this and the other two Creeds are retained in the Anglican church, are thus stated by the same prelate: "Neither this nor the other creeds have any authority upon their own account. Great respect is indeed due to things of such antiquity, and that have been so long in the church; but, after all, we receive those creeds, not for their own sakes, or for the sakes of those who prepared them, but for the sake of the doctrine that is contained in them; because we believe that the doctrine which they declare is contained in the Scriptures." +

The Nicene Creed is so named as having been published in its original form by the Council of Nice, A. D. 325; but the clauses declaratory of belief in the divinity of the Holy Spirit, were added by the second of the general councils, convened at Constantinople by the Emperor Theodosius, A. D. 381. The words Filioque ("and from the Son") were not, however, inserted at that time, but were first added by the Western church, and are rejected by the Greek church, which adheres to the Byzantine or Constantinopolitan edition of the creed. The Filioque clause, which has occasioned such fierce and bitter contention between the two churches, was not generally inserted in the Latin creed till subsequently to A. D. 830. Mr. Butler affirms, indeed, that it is recited in the first council of Bracara, A. D. 411, and in the third council of Toledo, A. D. 589. It is admitted to have originated with the churches of Spain in the fifth century, and thence to have spread itself over all the West.§

+ See Barrow on the Creed, Works, vol. i. p. 444. Bishop Pearson on the Creed, vol. ii. p. 341. Lord King's "Crit. Hist. of the Apostles' Creed," p. 24. Mosheim's "Eccl. Hist." vol. i. part ii. c. 3.

Burnet on Art. 8.

§ Butler's "Confessions of Faith," p. 2. Mosheim, Cent. ix. ii. 3. § 18. Burnet on Art. 8.

The design of the Nicene Creed was, to terminate by authority the Arian controversy. Yet, all the Arian bishops present subscribed to it, except two; and Osius, the senior bishop, "with whose hand the Nicene Creed itself was set down and framed for the whole Christian world to subscribe unto," subsequently, "with the same hand, ratified the Arian confession." Thus the decision failed altogether of producing the intended effect. Peace and unity were not restored to the churches; but to the unhappy precedent of introducing force and authority into the church and the affairs of religion, set by this famous council of Nice, may be chiefly ascribed the ruin of the Christian interest in the East.

The third creed, erroneously ascribed to Athanasius, is affirmed to have been privately drawn up about the middle of the fourth century; but it was not received into the public formularies of the Western church till a much later period. It was never sanctioned by any general council;† was never received by the Oriental churches; and is rejected by all the Protestant churches except the Anglican. According to Hooker, it was "first exhibited under Julius, Bishop of Rome, (A.D. 337,) and afterwards, as we may probably gather, sent to the Emperor Jovinian for his more full information concerning that truth which Arianism so mightily did impugn." Bishop Burnet, however, rejects this improbable story, remarking, that this creed "was never heard of before the eighth century; and then it was given out as the creed of Athanasius, or as a representation of his doctrine, and so it grew to be received by the Western church; perhaps the more early, because it went under so great a name, in ages that were not critical enough to judge of what was genuine and what was spurious."‡

Hooker, B. v. § 42. Lardner's Works, vol. iv. p. 63.

The first council which sanctioned it was the Lateran, held in 1123.

↑ Burnet on Art. 8. That Athanasius could not be its author, is also admitted by Mr. Butler. It has been attributed to Vigilius Tapsensis, an African bishop. But Waterland contends, that Hilary, Bishop of Arles, composed it about A. D. 430, for the use of the Gallican clergy. It did not obtain general consent even in France, however, till about A. D. 850; and was not received at Rome till about A. D. 1014.