THE History of the Creed has been amply discussed by Usher, It is maintained by the Church of Rome, that the Apostles And even that each of them delivered his own article II. III. IV. The Contents of the Dissertations in both Volumes are faithfully translated This they attempt to prove from the title, from the term matter The term Symbolum does not signify a collection; and if it The argument taken from the Fathers is very uncertain The argument derived from reason, rather injures than serves That the contrary opinion is far more probable, is evinced by That each of the Apostles delivered his own sentence, is al- In the original simplicity of the Christian Religion, there was no Creed except that of Christ in Mat. xxviii. 19. But in course of time, heresies increasing, various articles ISSERTATION II. The knowledge of necessary articles is either more or less III. Nothing ought to be deemed a fundamental article, which And which is not clearly stated there That only is to be held fundamental, without which neither That also is evidently a fundamental article, to the rejec- tion of which, God has annexed a threatening of destruc- Every thing is not fundamental, to which a promise of life And that, without which, what is necessary can be neither In fine, that which the nature of the thing shows to be no less, or even more necessary, than that which is propound- A distinction betwixt these marks of fundamental articles An equally distinct knowledge of necessary articles, is not indispensably requisite in all Nor are all the articles included in it, necessary Yet such articles are not improperly inserted in Creeds IV. SECT. Which is the less wonderful, because the faculties of the ra- Yet amongst the acts of faith, there is one that holds the In the exercise of faith, an equally distinct order is not ob- VI. VII. The soul also, by faith, surrenders itself to Christ, as its Lord XXIII. Hence arises that Syllogism of faith, the conclusion of which Of the above-mentioned acts of faith, some belong to it an- tecedently, some formally, and some consequently What Historical faith is, and whether it be rightly so termed |