The Sum of Christian Religion 2, Part 2 · Subpart 1 – Subpart 8
THE FIRST PART OF THE CREEDE, OF GOD THE FATHER, CREATOR.
I BELEEVE in God the father Almighty, Creatour of heauen and earth.
To beleeue in God, is, to beleeue 1. That there is a God, and hee ſuch a one, as hee hath manifeſted himſelfe in his woord and woorkes. 2. That he is ſuch a one to me, and that whatſoeuer he hath manifeſted of his nature, hee will apply and refer to my ſafety.
Obiect. In the Creed the father only is ſaid to bee God. The word, God, in the creede, is ment eſſentially to all three perſons, not perſonallie to one.Therefore the ſon & the holy ghoſt are not god. Anſ. We deny the antecedent. Becauſe the name of god in the creed is put eſſentially, & cōpriſeth al 3. perſons, that is, it is put for God the father, the Son, & the holy Ghoſt. Theſe 3. therefore, The Father, the Son, & the holy Ghoſt, are one ſubiect by appoſitiō of the word, God, as if it ſhould bee ſaide: I beleeue in one God, who is the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghoſt. The reſt, which commeth betweene each of theſe in the Creede, appertaine to the deſcription of each perſon: and this is eaſily proued. Firſt, theſe words, I beleeue, and the particle, in, are referred after the ſame maner and ſenſe to al three perſons. For it is as well ſaid, I beleeue in the Son, and, I beleeue in the holy ghoſt, as, I beleue in the father. But we may beleue but in one god. Wherefore as we beleeue in the father, in that he is God: ſo beleeue wee alſo in the Sonne and the holy ghoſt, becauſe they are God. When then it is ſaid, I beleeue in the ſonne, &, I beleeue in the holy ghoſt, in both places is neceſſarily vnderſtoode the woord, God. Furthermore, if of theſe woordes of the firſt article, it followe, that the father onelyonly is God, then of the ſame words by the like reaſon it ſhould followe, that the Father onlie is omnipotent, and creatour of heauen and earth: which the whole Scripture crieth to bee moſt falſe. But of eſpeciall conſideration is this name of God, but only once mentioned in the Creede, thereby to ſignifie, that the true God is but only one.
One thing to beleeue God, an other thing, to beleue in God.Wee are moreouer to obſerue in this place, that it is one thing to beleeue God, another thing, to beleeue in god, For that ſheweth a faith of knowledge, or hiſtoricall, this declareth true faith or confidence. To beleeue god, if wee ſpeake properly, is to beleeue there is a GOD, and hee ſuch a one, according to whatſoeuer is aſcribed vntounto him, as he hath manifeſted himſelfe in his woorde. To beleeue in god, is, to be perſwaded, that whatſoeuer God is, & is ſaid to be, he is al that, and referreth it all to my ſafety, for his ſonnes ſake; that is to reſolue that he is ſuch a one towards me.
What is to beleeue in the father, and why God is called a father.To beleeue in the Father, is, to beleeue, 1 That hee is the Father of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt. 2 That he is alſo my father for Chriſts ſake, that is, that he beareth a fatherly good will towards me, as hauing adopted vsus, by Chriſt & in Chriſt, to be his ſonnes. God is called a Father. Firſt, In reſpect of chriſt his onlie begotten & naturall Sonne. Secondly, In reſpect of all creatures, as he is Creator, & preſeruer of them all. Thirdly, In reſpect of the elect, whom beeing adopted in his beloued Sonne, he regenerateth. Wherefore GOD is our Father in reſpect both of our Creation, adoption, and regeneration.
When the name of the Father is oppoſed to the Sonne, it ſignifieth the firſt perſon of the God-head: but when it is referred to the creatures, it ſignifieth the whole diuine nature, which is the Father, the Sonne, and the holy ghoſt: Or, the name of Father as it is oppoſite to the Sonne, is vnderſtood perſonallie, as heere in the Creede: but as it is compared with the creatures, it is taken eſſentially: as, Our father which art in heauen.
To beleeue in God almightie, is to beleeue in ſuch a one,What is to beleeue in God Almightie. 1 Who is able to doe whatſoeuer he will, yea alſo thoſe thinges which he will not, if they be not contrarie to his nature: as hee could hauehave kept Chriſt frō death, but he would not. 2 Who doth all thinges euen with his becke and worde onlie, without anie difficultie. 3 Who alone hath power to woorke al thinges, and is author of that power which is in all his creatures. 4 Who is alſo vntounto me Almightie and omnipotent, and both can and will direct all thinges, to my ſafetie, that is, who will vſe his omnipotencie to the preſeruing and ſauing of mee, not only for that he hath nothing wanting vntounto him for performance hereof to my behoofe, but alſo for that no creature is able to ſtop or hinder it. There is no good then ſo hard or full of difficultie, but he is able to giuegive me: no euil ſo great, but he can auert it from me. And this is properly to beleeue in god almightie and omnipotent. Neuertheleſſe thoſe things which go before are neceſſarily linked with the latter. For except we beleeue God to bee ſuch, that is omnipotent, wee ſhall not be able to beleeue that God is ſuch to vsus in chriſt: that is, wee ſhall not bee able to apply his almightineſſe and omnipotency vntounto vsus: ſo alſo in the reſt which our faith apprehendeth concerning God, theſe two are to be ioyned, to wit, that God is ſuch, both in himſelfe and towards vsus.
Obiection. God is not able to make that which is once doone, vndoone. Therefore he is not omnipotent. Anſwere. To hauehave the power to ly, or to be changed and the like, is no part of omnipotencie, but of infirmity. Now a paſſiue power, as to ſuffer change, and defects, are in creatures, not in God. Furder it is Gods omnipotency, to be able to do whatſoeuer he will. By inuerting it therefore I conclude thus: Becauſe GOD is not able to will and doe that which is againſt his nature, and which would deſtroy it, he is omnipotent.
To beleeue in the creatour, is, 1 To beleeue in him, What is to beleeue in God the Maker or Creatour.who is creator of al thinges. 2 Who ſuſtaineth and gouerneth by his prouidence thoſe thinges which he hath created. 3 Who hath created all thinges, and ſo my ſelfe alſo, to his owne glorie, and to the obtaining at length of my ſaluation: & that I may be a veſſel of merciemercy, hee bringeth mee to that ſaluation by his eſpeciall prouidence, where-with hee embraceth his choſen. 4 Who hath created all other thinges to his glorie, and for vsus, euen to ſerue for the ſafetie of his Church. More brieflie thus: I beleeue in God the Creatour, that is, I beleeue that God, who hath created all thinges, and gouerneth them by his prouidence, hath created mee and the faithfull in the world, to celebrate and ſerue him: and all other thinges, to ſerue for our ſafetie. All thinges are yours: and you are Chriſtes, and Chriſt is Gods: as if he ſhould ſay, All thinges are created for vsus, euen as wee are created for God.
To this firſt part of the Creede belong three Common places, verie neceſſarie to be knowen.
1 Of GOD.
2 Of the Creation.
3 Of Gods prouidence.
OF GOD.
THE principall queſtions are,
1 Whether there be a God.
2 What hee is, or what manner of God hee is whom wee woorſhip, and in what hee differeth from Idols.
3 Whence it may appeare that there is but one God.
4 What the names of Eſſence, Perſon, and Trinitie, ſignifie.
5 In what the Eſſence differeth from the perſon.
6 Whether theſe names are to bee vſed in the Church, and whether they are had in the Scripture.
7 Howe manie perſons there bee of the godheade.
8 Howe theſe differ one from another.
9 For what cauſe this doctrine is to bee helde in the Church.