ore THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES T H R G RXX-U N D S O F T H E CHRISTIAN'S BELIEF ; o R T H E Apoflles Greed Explained ; I N A Concife, eafy, and familiar Manner. I N Twenty-three moral Difcourfes. By J.H-..- C. A. D. S. Be always ready to give an Account of the Faith that is in. you. i -Pet. c. iii. v. 18. For if any Man knows not, he flaall not be known, i Cor. c, xiv. v. 8. BIRMINGHAM: Printed and fold by T. Holliwell, at No. 32, in Moor-ftrcet; and J. P. Coghlan, in Duke-Street, Grofvenor-Squarej LONDON. " MjDCCjLXxYT" THE IF we examine into the Caufe of fb much Infidelity, Immorality and Wickednefs, reigning in this Age ; we may juftly attribute it to the want of Faith, or ignorance of the Chriftians Belief. In order then to remove the Caufe, or put a flop to the ruinous pro- grefs, which Immorality and Infide- lity are making upon us ; I (hall en- A 2 deavour 75 1 ' * iv PREFACE. deavour by the following Difcourfes (which I have collected from the works of the mod eminent Divines ; from whom I have not Scruple in many pla- ces to borrow, not only the Thoughts , but even the Expreffions of fome of them, who have treated on the like Subjeci) to lay before you the great and important Truths of our Chriflian Religion ; by explaining to you in the mofl eafy, clear, and familiar manner iheApoftles Creed ; which is fo called, as being generally afcribed or attributed to the Apoftles, as St. Ambrofe ; (a) Rurmus ; (b] S. Leo the great ; (c) St. Jerome ; (d) St. Auguftin ; (e) and Caf- fian; (a) in Serm. xxxvili. (b] in expofi. Symb. Apoft. , 2, (c) in Epift, c. xiii, (d) adverf^ error, Joan ? Hicrofol. Apoft, PREFACE. iian \(f] and innumerable other authors affirm. But notwithstanding thefe primitive Vouchers ; there are fome who difpute whether this Creed was compofed by the Apoftles, before their difperfion from Jerufalem ; for if fo fay they, how can it be imagined that St. Luke in his Hi {lory of the A els of the Apoftles, would have totally omitted fo confide- rable a Fact as this ; neither can it be conceived that ieveral Councils, and Synods, amongfl the primitive Chrifti- ans, or at leaft fome of them, would in their Decifions of Faith and Doctrine, have had fome reference to this Creed, Apoft. 61, Cap. 9. (e) Scrm. de Temp. 115. (fj De Incar. Dom, L. 5. as vi PREFACE. as their ftandard, andbafis, if any fuch had been at that time ; whereas no fuch thing appears : Befides if the Apo- files had at that time really framed and delivered this Creed to their Suc- ceflbrs, then every Church would have agreed therein. Now in anfwer to all this, it may be replied, that tho' the ancient Councils and Synods make no mention of it, yet, this is no abfolute proof, that there was not then fuch a Creed in being ; for no one can deny, but that it is very anci- ent and Apoftolical ; fince it is certain that the greater part of it, if not all, as to the chief Articles or Subftance there- of was compofed by the Apoftles, and left PREFACE. vii left by them to their Succeflbrs, and, was always made ufe of in Baptifm from the very beginning, tho' not per- haps in the fame Form as we find it at prefent ; fome parts being changed or added by the Church in oppofition to certain Herefies as they fprung up. Again we find in a Creed, which St, Irenceus (Bifhop of Lyons, who lived in the Second Century, and was Scho~ lar of St. Polycarp, the Difciple of St. John) repeats, not much unlike to ours, where he allures us that the Church dif- ferfed throughout the -whole World, had received this Faith from the Apojtles and their Difeiples (g) And Tertullian affirms the fame in one of his Creeds, where he fe) Lib, i, c, ii. viii PREFACE. he fays that, that rule of Faith has been current in the Church from the begin- ning of the Gofpel. Hanc regulam ab inilio Evangelii dccucurriffe (h). And it is very remarkable altho there was fb great a diverfity of Creeds, yet the Form and Subitance of every Creed was in a great meafure the fame ; fo that unlefs there had been from the beginning oi Chriflianity a Form or Syftem of Faith delivered by the Apoftles, it is not ea-- fy to conceive, how all Churches fhould agree, not only in the Articles them- felves, but alfo in a great roeafure in the Method and order of them. All that I (hall farther affirm is, that this Creed, which contains the Sum- mary, (A) adverf, Praxeam. PREFACE. mary, or chief Articles of the Chriflians Belief, has always been held in the greateft veneration in all Chriftian Churches, and has been generally looked upon in all Ages, to have been compiled by the Apoflles themfelves. The ancient Fathers and Do&ors of the Catholick Church make frequent men" tion of it, as a facred Depofitum of Faith, which the Catholick Church re- ceived from the Apoflles, or Difciples of Chrift, and carefully tranfmitted to Pofterity. " Let credit be given, fays " St. Ambrofe (i) to the Apoftles Creed, " which the Catholick Church has al- " ways preferved and kept inviolable. " And again in his 38 Sermon, he fays, a " that (0 Epift. 81. ad Sine. Pap. PREFACE. " that our Faith is comprifed in the " Symbol of the Apoftles, who compof- " ed it by mutual confent, that it might " ferve as a Key to exclude the Dark- " nefs of Hell, and make way for the " light of Chrift. St. Auguftin likewife aflerts the fame thing; " the holy Apoftles, fays he, " have delivere d a fet form of Faith) " comprifed in twelve Articles which lf they called a Symbol ; as being a " Token of union a mo ngft true belie* " vers, and a certain Rule for the dif- te covery, and condemnation of fuch " as are mifled by Herefy. (k) n Caffian fays that this Creed compre- hends in itfelf, tho' in few words, ef the " Faith (t) Serm, dc Temp, 181* PREFACE. " Faith of both Teftamcnts and the ef fenfe of the whole Scripture, (/} And 4t St. Peter Chryfologus, fays, that it is < c the entrance into Life, the Gate of tf Salvation ; a peculiar, innocent, and " pure Confeflion. (m] And many o- ther fuch like noble Expreflions were made ufeofby the primitive Writers to declare their Efteem of this Creed. Now what I chiefly intend or defign by the following Difcourfes, is to ex- plain and deliver to you the tru^> fenfe and meaning of each Article of the Creed, and to fhew what thofe Truths are, which we are obliged to. believe ; a 2 and (I) De Incarn. Dom, L. 5, (TO) In Symb, Apoft, Scrm. xii PREFACE. and how far they ought to have an In- fluence over our Lives and Aclions ; and I fhall alfo endeavour to defend our Chriftian Belief horn, any Evil or difa- greeable Impreflion which thofe Blaf- phemous and infidious Writings (that haye been publifhed in this our prefent Age) might caft upon the Minds of un- wary Chriftians ; and I fhall endeavour to obviate thofe Evils by letting them fee the weaknefs of human Reafon in Matters of Faith. And if no more than one fingle Per- fon fhould hereby receive either a De- fence, AfTiftance, or a Comfort from this my Labour, I fhould then blefs and praife God who made me his Inftrument of PREFACE, xiii of that Good ; and highly rejoice in the fuccefs of this my undertaking. For is it not enough to draw Tears from the Eyes of every thinking Chriftian ? Who has any bowels of eompaflion for his fellow Creatures, or his poor deluded Country Men, to fee f uch Floods of In- fidelity daily pouring in upon us, when he knows from Truth itfelf, that he who does not believe fhall be condemned. St * ar; ,. c.xvi.v.iqj And to fee fuch Crowds of new invent- ed feds, and pretended Religions thrufting themfelves in among us, when be feels from his own inward Confci- oufnefs, that there can be but one Truth pr Faith* Some iv R R E F A C E. Some of thefe, the produce in ap- pearance, only of a diftemperec} Iniagi.^ nation, while others, more flagitious, are Herefies revived from many ages ago, then condemned, rejected, anda'f* ter a time, almolt entirely obliterated, whofe very Tenets are now fcarce any where to be found, but in the Trium- phant Arguments of thofe great Men, who oppofed, confuted, an4 filenced them, Good God! when will thy anger ceafe ! or when mail an End be put, to this the fevereflof all thy Scourges.--^ But what am I faying ? Let us not lofc Cor.c. Confidence in Him, fmce it has been U V, ig. long ago foretold us, this was to be ; and PREFACE. and that Men would one Day turn their Ear from Truth to Fables. Let us^^ therefore comfort ourfelves in the cer- tain afTurance, that thefe alfo fhall vanifh in their turn, for we are aflured, that Hea- ven and Earth fhall pafs away, before one finale title of God's Word. No. 9 St. Mat. No ! Chrift has built his Church upon a c ' Rock, and in fpite of all the Malice of St