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through all nations. Therefore condensing the summary of the whole Catholic faith, in which the integrity of belief is shown, and the equality of the Omnipotent God (that is of the Holy Trinity) is declared, and the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, who, for the salvation of the human race, descending out of heaven from the Father, deigned to be born of a Virgin,-how he suffered death, how, being buried, he rose again, and in the flesh. ascended into heaven, and sat at the right hand of the Father, how he should come to be our Judge, how he should bestow the remission of sins on those who were regenerate in holy baptism, and how there should be a resurrection of the human race in the same flesh to eternal life,—thus they taught. And this Creed the holy Apostles established among them, by the Holy Spirit.'

4. Another ancient, although it be likewise an apocryphal authority, we find in the Apostolic constitutions, a work every way remarkable, and, whoever may have been its author, deserving an honorable place amongst the most interesting remains of Christian antiquity. The opinions of the learned differ as to the probable age of this work, but the year A. D. 300 is likely, on the whole, to be near the truth. The extract we have made is from the form pronounced by adult converts at the time of their baptism, seventh book, 42nd chapter. p. 523 of 1st vol. of Mansi's Collection: and is in these words.

Patre de cœlo descendens, de Virgine nasci dignatus est, quoquo ordine, vel quando mortem pertulerit, quomodo sepultus surrexerit, et in carne ipsa cœlos ascenderit, ad dextramque Patris consederit, judex venturus sit, ac qualiter remissionem peccatorum sacro baptismate renatis contulerit, et resurrectionem humani generis in eadem carne in vitam æternam futuram, sic docuerunt. Symbolum enim Græce, Latine collatio dicitur. Et hoc prædicti sancti Apostoli inter se per Spiritum sanctum salubriter (ut dictum est) condiderunt.'

(e) 'I believe and am baptised into one unbegotten, only true God Almighty, the Father of Christ, the Author and Maker of all things, from whom are all things, and in the Lord Jesus Christ his only begotten Son, the first born of every creature, begotten through the will of the Father, before the ages, not made, by whom all things were made in heaven and in earth, whether visible or invisible. Who in the last days descended from heaven, and took flesh of the holy Virgin Mary, lived holy in the world according to the laws of God and his Father, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and died for us, and after his passion, the third day, rose again from the dead for us, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father, to come again at the consummation of the age, with glory to judge the quick and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. I am baptised also into the Holy Ghost, that is, the Comforter, who operated in all things from the beginning, who was afterwards sent to the Apostles according to the promise of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

(e) “ Πιζέυω και βαπτίζομαι εις ἕνα αγέννητον μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν παντοκ. ράτορα τον πατερα τε χριςε κτίςην καὶ δημιεργὸν τῶν ἁπάντων· ἐξ ὁῦ τα πάντα· καὶ ἐἰς τὸν κύριον Ιησεν, τον Χριςὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἀυτοῦ υἱὸν, τὸν πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως, τὸν πρὸ αἰώνων εὐδοκία τοῦ πατρὸς γεννηθεντα οὐ κτισθέντα· δὲ οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο τὰ εν ερανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, ὁρατὰ τε καὶ ἀόρατα· τὸν ἐπ' ἐσχάτων ἡμερῶν κατελθόντα ἐξ οὐρανων, καὶ σάρκα αναλαβόντα· καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένε Μαρίας γεννηθέντα· καὶ πολιτευσάμενον ὁσίως κατὰ τοὺς νόμες τε Θεου καὶ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ςαυρωθέντα ἐπὶ Ποντίε Πιλάτου καὶ ἀποθανόντα ὑπὲρ ἡμων· καὶ ἀναςάντα ἐκ νεκρῶν μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν τῆ τρίτη ημερα· καὶ ἀνελθόντα εις τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ κατεσθέντα ἐν δεξια τοῦ πατρός· καὶ πάλιν ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ άιωνος μετά δόξης κρίναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς, οὗ τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἔςαι τέλος· βαπτίζομαι καὶ ἐἰς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τουτέςι τὸν παράκλητον, το ἐνεργῆσαν ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπ ̓ ἀιῶνος ἁγίοις, ὕφερον δέ ἀποςαλεν καὶ τοῖς ἀποςτόλοις παρά το πατρὸς κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ιησοῦ Χριςού, καὶ μετὰ τοὺς ἀποςόλους δὲ πᾶσι τοῖς πιςεύεσιν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ καθολικῃ ἐκκλησία εις σαρκὸς ἀνάςασιν· καὶ εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν· και εις βασιλείαν ουρανῶν· και εις ζωήν του μέλλοντος αἰωνος.

and after the Apostles, to all who believe in the holy and Catholic Church, in the resurrection of the flesh, and in the remission of sins, and in the kingdom of heaven, and in the life of the age to come.'

5. We shall now turn to the Creed of the famous Origen, who may be placed about A. D. 230, a little later than Tertullian. (See the appendix to Bishop Pearson's Exposition of the Creed, p. 592 of the London ed. of 1832, where it is quoted from the translation of Rufinus.) (f) Those things which are plainly delivered by the preaching of the Apostles, are the following:

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'First, that there is one God who created and arranged all things, who caused all things to exist out of nothing, who from the first creature and condition of the world is the God of all the just, the God of Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the twelve Patriarchs, Moses and the Prophets: and that this God in these last days, as by his Prophets he had previously promised, sent our Lord Jesus Christ, first to call Israel, but secondly, to call the Gentiles after the unbelief of the people of Israel. This God, just and good, the Father of our Lord Jesus

Symbolum Origenis.

(f) Ex Prom. Ор. лεдɩ αоzov interprete Rufino.

Species vero eorum, quæ per prædicationem Apostolicam manifeste traduntur, istæ sunt:

Primo, quod unus Deus est, qui omnia creavit atque composuit, quique ex nullis fecit esse universa, Deus a prima creatura et conditione mundi omnium justorum, Deus Adam, Abel, Seth, Enos, Enoch, Noe, Sem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. xII Patriarcharum, Moysis, et Prophetarum : et quod hic Deus in novissimis diebus, sicut per Prophetas suos ante promiserat, misit Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, primo quidem vocaturum Israel, secundo verò Gentes post perfidiam populi Israel. Hic Deus justus et bonus, Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi, legem et prophe. tas et evangelia ipse dedit, qui et Apostolorum Deus est et veteris et novi Testamenti. Tum deinde quia Jesus Christus ipse qui venit, ante

Christ, himself gave the law, the Prophets, and the Gospel, who is the God of the Apostles, and of both the Old and the New Testament. Jesus Christ, who came in due time, was born of the Father before every creature. Who, after having ministered to the Father in the constitution of all things, (for by him all things were made,) in these last times, emptying himself, was made man: he became incarnate although he was God, and he who was God remained man. He assumed a body like our body, differing only in this, that he was born of the Virgin and the Holy Spirit. And as this Jesus Christ was born and suffered in truth, and not in appearance only, he died a common death, but truly he rose again from the dead; and having conversed with his disciples after his resurrection, he was taken up. Then they (the Apostles) announced that the Holy Spirit was associated with the Father and the Son in honor and dignity. Whether begotten or not, has not been plainly discerned. But these things are to be ascertained by investigating the Sacred Scriptures with all our power, and with a sagacious inquisition. And truly it is preached in the Churches that this Holy Spirit inspired each of the saints, whether Prophets or

omnem creaturam natus ex Patre est. Qui, cum in omnium conditione Patri ministrasset (per ipsum enim omnia facta sunt) novissimis temporibus seipsum exinaniens homo factus est; incarnatus est cum Deus esset, et homo mansit quod Deus erat. Corpus assumpsit nostro corpori simile, eo solo differens quod natum ex Virgine de Spiritu sancto est. Et quoniam hic Jesus Christus natus et passus est in veritate et non per imaginem, communi hac morte verè mortuus est: verè enim a mortuis resurrexit, et post resurrectionem conversatus cum discipulis suis assumptus est. Tum deinde honore ac dignitate Patri ac Filio sociatum tradiderunt Spiritum sanctum. In hoc non jam manifeste discernitur, utrum natus an innatus. Sed inquirenda jam ista pro viribus sunt de sacra Scriptura et sagaci perquisitione investiganda. Sane quod iste Spiritus sanctus unumquemque sanctorum vel Prophetarum vel Apostolorum inspiravit,

Apostles, and that there was none other in the ancients, or in those who were inspired at the coming of Christ. Finally, after that the soul, possessing its proper life and substance, departs out of this world, an award according to its merits awaits it; either it will possess the inheritance of eternal life and felicity, if its actions secure this to it, or it will be delivered into punishment, and into eternal fire if the guilt of its wickedness has turned it that way: but there will also be a time for the resurrection of the dead, when this body which is sown in corruption shall arise in incorruption, and what is sown in ignominy shall arise in glory. And this likewise is delivered in ecclesiastical preaching, that every rational soul possesses the freedom of the will,' &c.

§ 6. Next after Origen, we may place the 1st Council of Antioch, which assembled A. D. 266 on account of the heresy of Paul of Samosata. Eusebius saith of him, (see his Eccles. Hist. Book 7. Ch. 27. Rev. Mr. Cruse's translation p. 302) that he "entertained low and degrading notions of Christ, contrary to the doctrine of the Church, and taught that he was in nature but a common man.”

We shall cite but a single paragraph on the Deity of Christ, from the long and eminently Scriptural epistle of the Fathers of this Council, addressed to Paul before he

et non alius spiritus in veteribus, aliud verò in his qui in adventu Christi inspirati sunt, manifestissimè in ecclesias prædicatur. Post hæc jam quod anima substantiam vitamque habens propriam, cum ex hoc mundo discesserit, et pro suis meritis dispensabit, sive vitæ aeternæ ac beatitudinis hæreditate potitura, si hoc ei sua gesta præstiterint; sive igne æteruo ac suppliciis mancipanda, si in hoc eam scelerum culpa detorserit: sed et quia erit tempus resurrectionis mortuorum, cum corpus hoc, quod in corruptione seminatur, surget in incorruptione,et quod seminatur in ignominia, surget in gloria. Est et illud definitum in ecclesiastica prædictione, omnem animam rationabilem esse liberi arbitrii, &c.

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