Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Assertions
1. Aſſert. THe BAPTISMAL COVENANT expounded in the antient CREED is the ſumm and Symbol of Chriſtianity, by which Believers were to be diſtinguiſhed from unbelievers, and the outward Profeſſion of it was mens Title to Church-communion, and the Heart-conſent was their Title-condition of Pardon and Salvation; And to theſe ends it was made by Chriſt himſelf. Matth. 28. 19, 20. Mark 16. 16.
2. All that were baptized did profeſs to Believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt, and devoted themſelves to him, with profeſſion of Repentance for former ſins, and renouncing the Luſts of the Fleſh, the World and the Devil, profeſſing to begin a new and holy life, in hope of everlaſting glory.
3. This form of Baptiſmal Covenanting and Profeſſion begun with Chriſtianity (and called our Chriſtening, or making us Chriſtians) hath been propagated and delivered down to us to this day, by a full and certain tradition and teſtimony and leſs alterations than the holy Scriptures.
4. The Apoſtles were never ſuch formaliſts and friends to ignorance and hypocriſie, as to encourage the baptized to take up with the ſaying [I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt] without teaching them to underſtand what they ſaid. Therefore undoubtedly they expounded thoſe three Articles: And that expoſition could be no other in ſenſe than the Creed is. And when Paul reciteth the Articles of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 15. and mentioneth the Form of ſound words, we may be ſure that they all gave the people one unchanged expoſition as to the ſenſe: Chriſtianity was one unchanged thing.
5. Though I am not of their mind, that think the twelve Apoſtles each one made an Article of the Creed, or that they formed and tyed men to juſt the very ſame ſyllables, and every word that is now in the Creed; yet that they ſtill kept to the ſame ſenſe, and words ſo expreſſing it, as by their variation might not endanger the corrupting of the faith by a new ſenſe, is certain from the nature of the caſe, and from the Agreement of all the antient Creeds, which were ever profeſſed at baptiſm, from their dayes; that cited by me (Append. to the Reformed Paſtor) out of Irenaeus, two out of Tertullian, that of Marcellus in Epiphanius, that expounded by Cyril, that in Ruffinus, the Nicene, and all mentioned by Uſher and Voſſius agreeing thus far in ſenſe; And no one was baptized without the Creed profeſſed.
6. As Chriſt himſelf was the Author of the Baptiſmal Creed and Covenant, ſo the Apoſtles were the Authors of that Expoſition which they then uſed and taught the Church to uſe: And they did that by the Holy Ghoſt as much as their inditing of the Scripture.
7. Therefore the Church had a Summary and Symbol of Chriſtianity (as I ſaid before) about twelve years before any Book of the New Teſtament was written, and about ſixty ſix years before the whole was written: And this of Gods own making: which was ever agreed on, when many Books of the New Teſtament were not yet agreed on.
8. Therefore men were then to prove the truth of the Chriſtian Religion, by its proper Evidences and Miracles, long before they were to prove that every word (or any Book) of the New Teſtament was the infallible perfect Word of God.
9. Therefore we muſt ſtill follow the ſame Method, and take Chriſts Miracles to be primarily the proof of the Chriſtian Religion, long before the New Teſtament Books were written.
10. Therefore if a man ſhould be tempted to doubt of the certainty of this or that Book, words or reading, it followeth not that he muſt therefore doubt of the Chriſtian Faith.
11. A thouſand Texts of Scripture may be not known and underſtood, by one that is Juſtified: but all the Baptiſmal Articles and Covenant muſt be underſtood competently by all that will be ſaved.
12. Thoſe Church-Tyrants, Dogmatiſts or ſuperſtitious ones, who deny the ſufficiency of this Teſt and Symbol (made by Chriſt and his Spirit) to its proper uſe, (to be the Symbol of ſuch as in Love and Communion we are to take for Chriſtians) do ſubvert the ſumm of Chriſts Goſpel and Law, and do worſe than they that add to, or alter the leſſer parts of the Word of God.
13. Therefore our further Additional Confeſſions muſt be only to other ſubordinate ends; As 1. To ſatisfie other Churches that doubt of our right underſtanding the faith: 2. To be an enumeration of Verities which Preachers ſhall not have leave to preach againſt (though they ſubſcribe them not.)
14. Object. Hereticks may profeſs the Baptiſmal Creed. Anſw. 1. And Hereticks may profeſs any words that you can impoſe on them, taking them in their own ſenſe. All the Councils are not large enough to keep out ſubſcribing Hereticks. We muſt not make new Symbols, Rules and Laws as oft as Knaves will falſly profeſs, or break the old ones: there being none that may not be falſly profeſſed and violated. 2. Many ſubſcribe to the whole Scriptures, that yet are Hereticks. 3. Church Governours are for this, to caſt out thoſe or puniſh them, who preach, teach and live contrary to the certain and ſufficient Rule which they profeſs. Judicatures are not to make new Laws, but to puniſh men for breaking Laws. A heart-Heretick-only is no Heretick in foro Eccleſiae. He that teacheth Hereſie muſt be proved ſo to do, and judged upon proof: which may be done without new additional Symbols, Rules or Laws of faith. So that all this contradicts not the ſufficiency of the Baptiſmal Creed as the Symbol of Chriſtian Love, Communion and Concord. I thought meet to add this more fully to what I ſaid in the Epiſtle, to convince men of the true terms of Union, and of the heinous ſin of all the ſorts of Adding and Corrupting overdoers, that divide us.