Exposition of the Apostles Creed, Title page – To the reader
A verie familiare & fruiteful expoſition of the .xii. Articles of the chriſtian faieth conteined in the cō mune crede, called the Apoſtles Crede, made in dialoges, wherein thou moiſte learne al thinges neceſſarie to be beleued▪ Compiled bi Peter viret a frenche man & tranſlated in to engliſhe
Peter Viret vntounto the faithful reader grace and peace frome oure Lord Ieſus Chriſte.
ABoute thre or foure yeres paſt at the deſyre of certaine good perſones I had enterpryſed to wryte a certaine familiar expoſiciō vpō the crede of the Apoſtles, conteynynge the articles of the fayth and chriſtian religion. And vponupon the prayer of our Lord Ieſus Chriſte. And lykewyſe vponupon the commaundementes, whyche be the ſumme of all the lawe of God, folowynge thys purpoſe, I have already begone to write vpō the crede and that for diuers cauſes, for notwythſtandynge that diuers men of knowledge hauehave alredie traueled aboute thys mattier, as well in the laten, as in the frenche: yet neuertheles I do conſidre that the darkenes of erroure and ignoraunce hath bene ſo great vponupon the earth that it is verie harde and dificulte vntounto the poore, blynde, and ignoraunte to comprehēde the trueth of God, and knowe the darknes in the whiche they hauehave bene, and yet be, althought that they which deſy2re to aduaūce the glorie of God, do infourme them ſelues, by all meanes to drawe them vntounto the vnderſtandynge and knoweledge of hys worde. Yet I do ſee euerye daye we confeſſe all with the mougth one ſelfe fayth and religion, and neuertheles the greateſt parte of them which wylbe holden for chriſtians, denie by theyr workes that whyche they confeſſe with their mouthes, for thys cauſe hauehave I ryghte wyllyngly taken the payue to declare ſumthinge more largli, and familiarly, the crede of the Apoſtles then other hauehave done, whyche hauehave wrytten before me, for to ſhewe by lyuely reaſons vntounto the ſuperſticious chriſtians, and Idolatours, howe they do and beleue all contrarie to the fayth whyche wyth theyr mouthes they confeſſe, to the ende they may learne to beleue wyth the hert that which they confeſſe wyth theyr mouthes and that the Lorde wyth good ryght do not reproue thē of that, the whych he did accuſe the hypocrites which were amonge the olde people of Iſraell, ſayynge, theſe people honour me wyth theyr lippes, & draw nere vntounto me with their mouthes but theyr hertes be very farre from me, and therfore do they honour me in vaine, teaching the doctrines and co…maundementes of men.
And to avoyde thys reproue, I hauehave wyllynglye geuen occaſion the better to conſidre the ſence and vnderſtandynge of the wordes of thys confeſſion, and by the ſame to ſhewe the errours and abuſes, by the which the chriſtianitie is al corrupted to be pourged & made clean, & becauſe that they wil not, or cā not take the leyſure to reade the holy ſcriptures, or els hauehave not the vnderſtandynge to comprehend them, I hauehave wyllyngly ſhewed vntounto the ſimple and ignoraunte people, that if they haddenone other ſcripture, but the confeſſion of the fayth, the whyche they do vſe euerye daye in theyr crede they hauehave inoughe to make thē inexcuſable before God, & to learne to knowe the errours, and falſe opinions in the whiche they hauehave be holdē, in caſe they dyd well vnderſtand that whyche they do confeſſe.
Theſe be the principall cauſes, that hath moued me to make thys trectiſe, the whych hath lyne lōge time among my writinges, becauſe I did abide to hauehave had leiſure to hauehave made an ende of the reſte, the whyche I was wyllynge to hauehave ſet forthe in thys ſame treatiſe. Neuertheles in aſmuche as thys is all ready finiſhed, and that ther is ſo moche tyme gottē it doth ſeme vntounto me not to be euyl to ſet forwarde that whyche dyd ſerue to no purpoſe in my ſtudye for to edifie & enſtructe alwaies more and more the pore ignorauntes vntounto the whyche I hauehave moſte principall regarde if I ſhal know that my laboure, and thys maner of procedynge may profitte vntounto any, I ſhall when it ſhall pleaſe God to gyue me tyme & oportunitie proceade and ſet forth the reſt.