restoration, might make it the more necessary, or convenient at least, to insert these Articles in the Creeds, and to express the punishment of the damned by the words eternal fire: for the Origenists, at that time, denied both the eternity of the fire and also its reality, as appears from Orosius in St. Austin °.

40. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.

This is to be understood, like all other such general propositions, with proper reserves and qualifying constructions. As, for instance, if, after laying down a system of Christian morality, it be said, This is the Christian practice, which except a man faithfully observe and follow, he cannot be saved, it would be no more than right and just thus to say: But no one could be supposed hereby to exclude any such merciful abatements or allowances as shall be made for men's particular circumstances, weaknesses, frailties, ignorance, inability, or the like; or for their sincere intentions, and honest desires of knowing and doing the whole will of God; accompanied with a general repentance of their sins, and a firm reliance upon God's mercy, through the sole merits of Christ Jesus. There can be no doubt, however, but that men are accountable for their Faith, as

"Ignem sane æternum, quo peccatores puniantur, neque esse ignem verum, neque æternum prædicaverunt, dicentes dictum esse ignem propriæ conscientiæ punitionem, æternum autem, juxta etymologiam Græcam, non esse perpetuum," &c.-Epist. Orosii ad August., in August., vol. viii. p. 609.

PПLOTS TOTEúon. So Bryling's copy, which our translators followed.

The Latin copies have, "fideliter, firmiterque crediderit." And the other Greek copies, Πιστῶς τε καὶ βεβαίως πιστεύσῃ. Or, ἐκ πίστεως βεβαίως πιστεύσῃ.

well as for their practice; and especially if they take upon them to instruct and direct others, trusting to their own strength and parts, against the united judgment and verdict of whole Churches, ancient and modern.

CHAPTER XI.

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND VINDICATED, BOTH AS TO THE RECEIVING AND RETAINING THE ATHANASIAN CREED.

THERE would be no occasion for this chapter, had not a late Author of name and character, out of his abundant zeal to promote Arianism, taken upon him to disparage this excellent form of Faith; nay, and to apply, with some earnestness, to the governors of our Church to get it laid aside. He thinks "it may well deserve the most serious and deliberate consideration of the governors of the Church, whether it would not be more advantageous to the true interest of the Christian religion to retain only those more indisputable forms";" that is, to have this wholly taken away, or at least not imposed in our Articles or Liturgy. Then he subjoins his reasons which, because they may be presumed to be the closest and strongest that can be offered on that side, and because they have hitherto stood without any particular confutation on one hand, or retractation on the other, I shall here take upon me to answer them as briefly as may be.

OBJECTION I.

The first is, that this Creed is confessed not to be Athanasius's, but the composition of an uncertain obscure author, written in one of the darkest and most ignorant ages of the Church, having never appeared till

Clarke's Script. Doctr., first edit., pp. 446, 447.

about the year 800, nor been received in the Church till so very late as about the year 1000.

ANSW. As to the false facts contained in this Article, I need only refer to the preceding sheets. As to the. Creed being none of Athanasius's, which is certainly true, it is to be considered that our Church receives it not upon the authority of its compiler, nor determines anything about its age or author; but we receive it because the truth of the doctrines contained in it may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture, as is expressly said in our Eighth Article. I may add, that the early and general reception of this Creed by Greeks and Latins, by all the Western Churches, not only before, but since the Reformation, must needs give it a much greater authority and weight than the single name of Athanasius could do, were it ever so justly to be set to it. Athanasius has left some Creeds and Confessions, undoubtedly his, which yet never have obtained the esteem and reputation that this hath done: because none of them are really of the same intrinsic value, nor capable of doing the like service in the Christian Churches. The use of it is, to be a standing fence and preservative against the wiles and equivocations of most kinds of heretics. This was well understood by Luther, when he called it "a bulwark to the Apostles' Creed";" much to the same purpose with what has been above cited from Ludolphus Saxo. And it

b "Athanasii scilicet Symbolum est paulo prolixius, et ad confutandos Arianos bæreticos, aliquanto uberius declarat, et illustrat Articulum alterum de Divinitate Christi Jesu... estque hoc velut propugnaculum primi illius Apostolici Symboli."—Luther., de Trib. Symbol., vol. vii. p. 139.

Thus also Alexander of Hales, 100 years before Ludolphus. "Causa multiplicationis Symbolorum fuit triplex: Instructio Fidei,

was this and the like considerations that have all along made it be of such high esteem among all the Reformed Churches, from the days of their great leader.

OBJECTION II.

The second reason assigned for laying this form aside is, that it is so worded as that many of the common people cannot but be too apt to understand it in a sense favouring either Sabellianism or Tritheism.

ANSW. This objection is not particularly levelled against this Creed, but against all Creeds containing the doctrine of a Coeternal Trinity in Unity. It is therefore an objection rather against the Faith of the Church (which those gentlemen endeavour constantly to run down, under the notion of Sabellianism, or Tritheism), than against this particular form of expressing it.

I may further add, that the common people will be in no danger of running either into Sabellianism or Tritheism if they attend to the Creed itself (which fully obviates and confutes both those heresies), instead of listening to those who first industriously labour to deceive them into a false construction of the Creed, and then complain of the common people's being too apt to misunderstand it. This is not ingenuous, nor upright dealing with the common people.

OBJECTION III.

A third reason is, that there are in this Creed many phrases which... may seem to give unbelievers a need

veritatis explanatio, erroris exclusio... Erroris exclusio, propter hæreses multiplices pullulantes, causa fuit Symboli Athanasii, quod cantatur in prima." -Alexand. Alens., Part iii., q. 82; Membr. 2, vol. i. p. 279, (p. 541); Johan. Januensis in his Catholicon (An. 1286), under Symbolum, says the same thing. (See above, p. 37.)