- Descent into Hell-Thaddeus-Scriptural Grounds-- Pentecostal Sermon-Apollinarian Heresy-Psalm lxviii.-Lower Parts of the Earth-Epistle of St. Peter, its Interpretation Debatable-The Modern View, the Patristic View-The Spirits in Prison- Bishop Horsley-Clement of Alexandria-Ignatius— Cyril—The Resurrection, Types and Prophecies of it -Calculation of Time-His Appearances-Divine Right Hand of God-Contrast-The Name Advocate EIGHTH ARTICLE. The Trinity, a Doctrine Essentially of the Gospel- PAG 85 The Church-Meaning and Derivation of the Name-Its CHAPTER IX. TENTH ARTICLE. Forgiveness of Sins-Inherent Difficulty of it-Depend- ing on Atonement-Socinian Error-Scriptural Idea of Reconciliation with God-Obtained and Assured to us in the Sacraments-History of Socinian and ELEVENTH ARTICLE. The Future Resurrection-Analogies for it-Scriptural TWELFTH ARTICLE. Life Everlasting-No mention in this Creed of Reproba- PAGE 119 125 133 138 141 THE APOSTLES' CREED. IN ENGLISH. I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried, He descended into hell, The third day He rose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty ; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy Catholic Church ; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of Sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life Everlasting. IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK. Πιστεύω εἰς τὸν Θεὸν Πάτερα παντοκράτορα, ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς· Καὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν, τὸν συλληφθέντα ἐκ Πνεύματος ̔Αγίου, γεννηθέντα ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου, παθόντα, ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου, σταυρωθέντα, θανόντα, καὶ ταφέντα, κατελθόντα εἰς ᾅδου, τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρα ἀναστάντα ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς, καθεζόμενον ἐν δεξιᾷ Θεοῦ πατρὸς παντοδυνάμου, ἐκεῖθεν ἐρχόμενον κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. Πιστεύω εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ̔́Αγιον, ἁγίαν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἁγίων κοινωνίαν, ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, ζωὴν αἰώνιον. ̓Αμήν. INTRODUCTION. THE HE Creeds of the Christian Church are the formal expression of the "Faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints." Such expression is both natural and necessary. It is natural to a religion which springs from the hidden impulse of an inward principle; it is necessary to a body whose members are pledged to each other and united for common action, and whose bond of union is the acknowledgment of "One Lord, one Faith." It has in both regards the authoritative sanction of Holy Scripture. First, St. Paul recognises it as vital to the spirit of religion: "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." * Next he alludes to it as required by the external constitution of the Church, and its rule as a society: "Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses."† The confession thus *Rom. x. 9, 10. † 1 Tim. vi. 12; cf. Heb. x. 23: and its immediate connection with the reference to baptism in ver. 22 (R.V.). |