Exposition of the Principal Scriptures Used in our English Liturgy, Part 16 – Part 17
The Text.
The text hath two parts:
Articles.
Assent: Amen.
fLexicon Theolog. Altenstaig. in verb. articulus.Articulus ab arctando
Passiue, quia quiddam est arctatum in se.
Actiue, quia alios arctat ad credendū.
In the profession, or whole bodie of articles, two points are remarkable:
The
Act
Obiect
of faith.
Act: I beleeue. Where note the
Personalitie: I.
Formalitie of faith: beleeue in.
Howsoeuer one must pray for another, saying Our Father; yet eueryevery one must beleeue for himselfe: I beleeue: Habacuck 2. 4. See Gospell on S. Thomas day.
Formalitie: Beleeue in. For (asgSer. 181. de temp. Augustine andhLib. 3. sent. dist. 23. Lombard teach) there is great difference betweene
Credere deum, to beleeue there is a God.
Credere deo, to beleeue God.
Credere in deum, to beleeue in God.
Multi & mali, many bad men, yea theiIames 2. 19. Diuell himselfe doth beleeue that there is a God: but a Christian ought to beleeue inkIohn 6. 29. God: that is,lAugust. tract. 29. in Iohan. tom. 9 fol. 167. Credendo amare, credendo in eum ire, credendo ei adhaerere. Confessing God to be his God, in whom he puts all his trust and confidence, manifesting his faith inmIames 2. 18. deedes, as well as in words: according to that of nLib. 4. cap. 14.Irenaeus: To beleeue, is to doe as God will.
The matter or obiect of the Creede concerneth
God
Essentially in
Name: God.
Attributes,
Almighty: Maker of heauē and earth.
Personally
Father.
Sonne.
Holy Ghost.
Church.
Concerning the name,oDe doctrin. Christ. lib. 1. cap. 6. Augustine saith it is impossible that foure letters and two syllables, Deus, should containe him, whom the heauen of heauens could not containe: pDionysius de diuinis nom. cap. 1.Dei nomen mirabile nomen, super omne nomen, sed sine nom…e.
ForqGranat. dux p…e…s. cap. 1. if all the land were paper, and all the water inke… eueryevery plant a pen, and eueryevery other creature a readie writer: yet they could not set downe the least peece of his great greatnes. De Deo cum dicitur, non potest dici. No name can expresse his nature fully: yet he doth vouchsafe to be praised in our words, and by our mouthes, or rather indeed by his owne words, and owne spirit; for he must be called and called vponupon, as he hath reuealed himself in Scripture, where hee is knowne by the namerExod. 15. 3. Iehoua, or God: and therefore this name is not properly communicable to any creature, thoughs1. Cor. 8. 5. analogically giuen to many.
In God.] Not gods, as the Nicene Creed, in one God. For God (astLib. 5. Considerat. ad Eugenium. Bernard said) is vnissimus, the most one:uTertull. lib. 1. aduersus Marcion. cap 3. si non est vnus, non est, either one or none.
Attributes:
Almightie.
Maker of
Heauen.
Earth.
God is able to doe whatsoeuer he will, andxThom. 1. part. quaest. 15. art. 5. more then hee will too: more by his absolute power, then hee will by his actuall: Matth. 3. 9. …6. 53.
He can neither lie, nor die: Dicitur enimyAugust. de ciuit. Dei, lib. 5. cap. 10. omnipotens faciendo quod vult▪ non patiendo quod non vult.
Creator.] His almightines doth proue that he is God, and the creation of the world that he is almighty, Ierem. 10. 11. Let any make a world (saith Augustine) and hee shall bee God. Angels, men, and diuels can make and vnmake some things: but they cannot make them, otherwise then of some kinde of matter which was before: neither can they vnmake them, but by changing them into some other thing which remaineth after. Only God made all things of nothing, and can at his good pleasure bring them againe to nothing.
zDu Bartas 1. day, 1. weeke, fol. 8.Nothing▪ but nothing, had this Lord almightie, whereof, wherewith, whereby, to build this Citie.
Of heauen and earth.] And all that therein is: Exod. 20. 11.
a2. Cor. 12. 2.Heauen is threefold, where
Soules are, the glorious, or heauen of heauens: 1. Kings 18. 27.
Fowles are, the airy heauē: Gen. 1. 30.
Stars are, the firmament: Gen. 1. 17.
Earth containeth land and sea: Psal. 24. 1. Nam omnipotens bAugust. Soliloqui. cap. 9.van eadem que manus dei crea…t in coelo angelos, & in terra vermiculos: non superior in illis, non inferior in ist is.
Thus (ascRamus de religion. Christ. lib. 1. cap. 9. one said) almightie God is knowne, ex postico tergo, lic…et non ex antica facie: by his effects, ad extra, though not in his essence, ad intra. Seculum est speculum: The creation of the world is a glasse, wherein (saithdRom. 1. 20. S. Paul) wee may behold Gods eternall power and Maiestie: which the diuineeDu Ba…tas vbi s…p. fol. 6. 7. 58. Poet paraphrastically:
The world is a schoole, where in a generall storie,
God alwaies reades dumbe lectures of his glorie.
fIn Tim …o.Plato called it Gods epistle: the renowned HermitegTripar…. hist. lib. 8. cap. 1. Antonius, a booke, wherein eueryevery simple man who cannot reade, may notwithstanding spell that there is a God. It is the Shepheards Kalender, and the Ploughmans Alphabet.
This appertaineth essentially, and generally to the whole Trinitie: for the Father is not onelyonly Creator, and Almightie, but the Sonne, and holy Ghost.
The creation in the masse of the matter, is attributed to God the Father: in the disposition of the forme, to God the Sonne: in the preseruation of both, to God the holy Ghost.
It is said of God personally:
Father.
Sonne.
Holy Ghost.
The Father is the first, not in any prioritie of nature, or honour, or time, buthPerkins vponupon the Creed. order: or (as theiPater est priucipium, non de principio: filius principium à princip. Thom. 1 parti sum. quaest. 33. art. 4. schoole) Prioritate originis: according to that of Athanasius in his Creed, The Father is of none, the Sonne is of the Father alone, the holy Ghost of both. I will send (saithkIoh. 15. 26. Christ) from the Father, euen the Spirit of truth. Ego mittam à Patre spiritum,lAugustin. de Trinit. lib. 4. cap. 20. Ostendens quòd pater est totius diuinitatis, vel si m…lius dicitur deitatis principium. Adore simply, rather then explore subtilly, this ineffable mysterie. Scrutari temeritas est, credere pietas est, nosse vitaest, Bernard, de considerat, ad Eugenium, lib. 5.
HemDurandus rationali diuinor…m, lib. 4. cap. 48. §. 2. is father of
Christ by nature, singulariter.
Good men, by adoption, specialiter.
All men, and allnOmnipater, vt Prudentius. Hym… de Eulalia Virgine. things, by creation, generaliter; as y• worke is appropriated vntounto him in regard of his power.
And in Iesus Christ his onelyonly Sonne our Lord.
That which concerneth the second person is more largely set downe then all the rest, teaching vsus hereby, that as we should respect other doctrine, so this in more speciall sort, as being the center of all the Creed and Scriptures circumference: 1. Cor. 2. 2.
This person is described by his
Titles:
1. Iesus.
2. Christ.
3. His onelyonly Sonne.
4. Our Lord.
Estate of
Humiliation,
Incarnation,
Passion.
Exaltation.
1. Iesus is hisoTertull. lib. aduers. Prax. & Thom. 2. part. quaest. 37. art. 2. proper name, giuen him by thepLuke 1. 31. Angell. Other, if any hauehave theqConsule Pet. Galatin. de Arcanis lib. 3. cap. 20. Iansen. concord. cap. 7. Pagnin. interp. nom. Hebraic. very name, were typicall Sauiours only. Iesus Naue, the figure of Christ as a King: Iesus Sydracke, the figure of Christ as a Prophet: Iesus Iosedecke, the figure of Christ as a Priest.rContra Faustum. lib. 12. cap. 36. Augustine,sLib. 1. de demonstration. Euang. cap. 29. Eusebius, and generally all expositors vponupon the 3. of Zucharie.
This sweet name containes in it a thousand treasuries of good things, in delight whereof S. Paul vseth it fiue hundred times in his Epistles, as Genebrardus obserueth.
2. Christ] His appellatiuetCaietan. & Aretius in 1. Matth. Calu. Catecbis. title of office and dignitie. Concerning these two titles, Iesus and Christ, see the Gospell Dom. 1. post Natiuit.
3. His only Sonne; which implieth that he is
God: Iohn 1. 1.
A distinct person from the Father: Mat. 28. 19.
God, because he is a son, not as other by fauor, butuRuffin. in Symbol. by nature: whatsoeuer the Son receiueth of ye Father, he receiueth it by nature, not by grace, & he receiueth not as other, apart, but all that the Father hath, sauing the personall proprietie.
Only sonne] Called thexMat. 1. 25. first begotten, in respect of his mother and humane nature:yIohn 3. 16. onelyonly begotten in respect of his Father, and diuine nature. For the holy Spirit is not begotten, but proceeds (as the Scripture doth distinguish) zM…lancthon exposit Symbol. Nicen. …om. 1. fol. 403.Nasci est à potentia intelligente, quia filius cogitatione nascitur, & est …mago patris: at procedere est à voluntate, quia spiritus sanctus est amor, &c. I belieue: Lord helpe mine vnbeliefe.
The coniunction, And, prooueth that the Sonne is equall with the Father, as concerning his Godhead: and yet a distinct person.aAugust. de … lib. 11. cap. 10. & Lombard. 1. sent. dist. 25. Alius personaliter, nowaliud essentialiter. I beleeue in God the Father, And in Iesus Christ.
Our Lord, as our
Creator.
Redeemer.
Gouernor, as head of the Church: Eph. 4. 5.
bIn vita cius.Suetonius obserueth that Augustus refused the name of Lord.cLib. 6. cap. 22. vli Platina iu vita Christi. Orosius notes that it was at that time when Christ was borne, that all Lordship might be giuen vntounto him. See Epistle Dom. 17. post Trinit.
Christs incarnation is Israels dLuke 2. 25.consolation:Incarnat. for all sound comfort stands in happinesse, all happinesse in fellowship with God, all fellowship with God is by Christ: who for this cause being very God, became very man, that he might reconcile God to man, and man to God: he becameeTertull. lib. 2. contra Marc. little, that we might be great; the Sonne of man, that we might be thefCyp. ser. de El…mosyna. sonnes of God.
His incarnation hath two parts:
Conception.
Birth.
Conceiued by the holy Ghost.] Works of power are attributed to the Father, of wisdome to the Sonne, of louelove to the holy Ghost. WhereforegMaldonat. in 1. Mat. & August. Enchirid. cap. 37. because this was a worke of highest louelove in God toward mankind, it is ascribed especially to the holy Spirit: Luke 1. 35. The holy Ghost shall come vponupon thee, and the power of the most high shall ouershadow theehCaluin. in loc.. Signifying hereby that this mystery cannot be seene cleerely, therefore not to be examined curiously. S.iFides matris, non libido conceperat. Enchirid. cap. 34. Augustine calles it a sweet coniunction, where speech is husband, and eare wife. Meaning, that as soone as the blessed Virgin assented to the Angels message, she conceiued.
Birth] I make Christs incarnation a part of his humiliation, because there can be no greater abasement, then that hee, who thundred in the cloudes, should cry in the cradle; kBernard. ser. 1. in …. Dom.swadled in a few ragges, whom the heauen of heauens could not containe; that the eternall Word should become anlAugust. ser. 5. de temp. Lambit vbera regens siaera… acet, vt verbum est. Idem de sym. lib. 4. cap. 4. infant; that he who was the father of Mary, should be now the sonne of Mary.
The Scripture tels vsus, how man comes fouremIdem. ser. 20. de temp. waies into the world.
1. By the helpe of man and woman, as all are vsuallie borne.
2. Without any man or woman, and so the first man was created.
3. Of a man without a woman, and so was Eua made.
4. Of a woman without a man, and so was Christ borne.
Of the Virgin Mary.] Where the mother of Christ is described by her
Name, Mary.
SurnamenBaronius annal. tom. 1. fol. 45. & Epipbanius Haeres. 78., Virgin.
The new Iesuits, and old Friers, hauehave many wonderfull extrauagant conceits of thisoLexicon Theolog. verb. Maria. name: let it suffice that it is added in the Gospell, and Creed, to shew that Christ came of the linage of Dauid: and that therefore he was the true Messias, as God had promised and prophecied by the mouthes of all his holy seruants.
Virgin] ApPerkins refor. Catholic. Tit. traditio…, & Reza consess. cap. 3. art. 23. perpetuall Virgin
Before
In
After
Christs birth.
Before his birth against
1. Iewes.
2. Gentiles.
3. Cerinthians.
VntoUnto the first we say with qCyril. Hierosol. Cat. 12. Augustin. lib. 3. de Symbol. cap. 4.Cyril: Pariet Aaronis virga sine semine, & non pariet virgo sine semine? aut vtrum que negate aut vtrum que concedite.
Against the second, we hauehave
Ficta: rRuffin. & Cyril. vbi supra.Qui enim è Iouis cerebro Mineruam, & ex eiusdem femore Bacchum, falsò prognatum esse fabulamini: quomodo ex vtero virginali Christum nasci dicitis impossibile?
Facta: Quoniam animalia multasLactant. instit. lib. 4. cap. 12. Augustin. de mirabil script. lib. 3. cap. 2. Ambros, Hexam. l. 5. cap. 20. sine commistione generantur. And Plutarch in the life of Numa, spake like antLuke. 1. 35. Angell: Incredibilo non est, vt spiritus Dei cum muliere coeat, ei que sobolis quaedam principia ingoneret.
3. TheuIrenaeus lib. 1. cap. 25. Cerinthians,xCl…mens Rom. instit. lib. 6. cap. 6. Ebionits, andyIremaeus lib. 1. cap. 24. Carpocratian Heretikes held that Christ was the naturall sonne of Ioseph: & verus. & merus h…m…. Contrary to text, Mat. 1. 25. Luk. 3. 23. See the Gospell Dom. 1. post Epiphan.
In his birth against
zAugustin. de Haeresib. cap. 82. & contra Iulian. lib. 1. cap. 2.Iouinian.
aSwar…z tom. 2. in 3. Thom. disput. 5. sect. 2.Durandus.
VntoUnto these that of Esay 7 is opposed: Ecce …, & pariet filium. The which words are to be construed in censu composito, non diuiso: scilicet integra perman…e… & conceptura, & paritura: nam quale signum vel prodigium esset vt quae fuit virgo conciperet, & corrupta pareretbAugust. epist. 3.? Hic si ratio quaeritur, non erit mirabile. Si poscitur exemplum, non erit singulare. Demus Deum aliquid posse, quod nos fateamur inuestigare non posse.cIdem …pist. 146 & Enchirid. cap. 34. Si v…l per nasccutem corrumperetur eius integritas, non iam ille de virgine nasceretur, vti tota confitetur Ecclisia. Fides adsit, & nulla quaestio remanebit. See the Gospell of the purification.
After his birth against the
OlddHieron. lib. adue…s. Heluid. & Augustin. …aeres. 84. Heluidians.
New Antidicomarianits, holding it a point of zeale to disgrace this holy Virgin: whereas it is our dutieeMaster Perkins vponupon this article. rather highly to reuerence her, as being the Mother of our Lord; a Prophetesse on earth, a Saint in heauen, (as thefAugust. ser. 15 de temp. Fulgent. ser. de lau…ib. Mariae. Fathers vsually) the window of heauen, through which it pleased the light of the world, to illuminate such as fit in darknesse, and in the shadow of death. Of such estimation in the Church, that whereas thegNicen. first generall Councell was assembled against Arrius, to maintaine the honour of the Sonne, and so by consequence of the Father: ThehConstantinopolitan. second against Macedonius, to maintaine the honour of the holy Ghost: TheiEphesi…. third was assembled against Nestorius, tokSwar…z praes. disp…, t…m …. in 3. Thom. Magdeburg. ce…t. 5. col. 889. maintaine the dignitie of the blessed Virgin. And therefore let not vsus giuegive her too little, though the Papists hauehave giuen her too much. See Gospell on the Annunciation.
Passion.
Christs passion is set downe
First summarily,
Suffered vnderunder Pontius Pilat.
Then particularly,
Crucified,
Dead,
Buried.
All which our Sauiour did not endure for himselfe, but for vsus. HelEsay 53 5. was wounded for our transgressions, and broken for our iniquities. InmAmbros. de fide ad Gration. lib. 2. cap. 3. me, & pro me doluit, qui pro se nihil habuit quod doleret. O Domine Iesu doles non tua, sed v…laera mea. Hen1. Pet. 2. 21. suffered for vsus, leauing vsus an example,oAugust. ser. 8. de temp. that his passion might deliuer vsus from sinne, and his actions direct vsus to vertue; teaching patience, humilitie, obedience, charitie. Greater patience cannot bee found, then for the author of life, to suffer an ignominious death iniustly; no greater humilitie, then for the Lord of all Lords to submit himselfe to be crucified among theeues; nor greater obedience, then to be willing rather to die, then not to fulfill the commandement of his Father; nor greater charitie, then to lose his life, to saue his enemies. For louelove is more shewed in deedes, then in words, and more in suffering then in doing. See Gospell on Sunday before Easter, and Epistle 2. Sunday after Easter.
pAugustin. de doctrin. Christ. lib. 1. cap. 14.Nos immortalitate malè vsi sumus, vt moreremur:
Christus mortalitate bene vsus, vt viueremus.