38. "At whose coming all men shall rise again. with their bodies, and shall give account for their own works."

Here are two very expressive phrases, "all men," all that have died, or shall die, to obviate the false opinion of a partial resurrection; and "with their bodies," to obviate the notion of those who either thought that the soul only should continue for ever, while the body should be left to perish, or that the resurrection-body should be quite of another matter, form, or kind, than what our bodies are here. I have hinted in my Latin notes above, that some words are wanting in the Ambrosian Manuscript; and I may here observe farther, that in the words of the Creed, as they commonly run, there is not all the accuracy that might have been; for "all men shall" not "rise," but only all that die. However, it seems that about that time there was some variety of sentiments in respect of that Article, as we may learn from Gennadius'; which was owing to the different reading of 1 Cor. xv. 51, from whence, probably, arose some variation in the copies of this Creed. See Pearson on the Apostles' Creed, Art. 7.

39. "And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire."

This is the express doctrine of Scripture, and appears almost in the same words, John v. 28, Matt.

66

9 Omnium Hominum erit Resurrectio: Si omnium erit, ergo omnes moriuntur, ut mors ab Adam ducta omnibus filiis ejus dominetur, et maneat illud privilegium in Domino, quod de eo specialiter dicitur: non dabis Sanctum tuum videre corruptionem,"-Hanc rationem, maximâ patrum turbâ tradente, suscepimus. Verùm quia sunt et alii, æque Catholici et eruditi viri, qui credunt, anima in corpore manente, mutandos ad incorruptionem et immortalitatem eos qui in adventu Domini vivi inveniendi sunt, et hoc eis reputari pro resurrectione ex mortuis, quod mortalitatem immutatione deponant, non morte; quolibet quis adquiescat modo, non est hæreticus, nisi ex contentione hæreticus fiat. Sufficit enim in Ecclesiæ lege, carnis resurrectionem credere futuram de morte.-Gennad. Eccles. Dogm. c. 7.

178 A Commentary on the Athanasian Creed.

xxv. 46, to say nothing of many other texts to the same effect. Yet this article, or rather these two articles, had not gained admittance into the Apostles' Creed so early as the fourth century, the latter of them not at all. But, I suppose, the opinion said to have been started by Origen,-that wicked men, and even devils, after a certain revolution, should have their release and 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 1. 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

1 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, etc.-Epist. Orosii ad August. inter Aug. Op. tom. viii. p. 607.

2 ПIOTS LOTεúon. 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 τίστεως βεβαίως πιστεύση.

accountable for their faith, as 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.

3

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 1.

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

3 Clarke's Script. Doct. first edit., pp. 446, 447.

4 Ibid.

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

Ans. 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 any thing 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 was this and the like considerations that have all along made it to be of such high esteem

5 Athanasii scilicet Symbolum est paulo prolixius, et ad confutandos Arianos hæreticos, aliquanto uberius declarat, et illustrat Articulum alterum de Divinitate Christi Jesu- estque hoc velut propugnaculum primi illius Apostolici Symboli.-Luther. de Trib. Symbol. Oper. tom. vii. p. 138.

6 Thus also Alexander of Hales, 100 years before Ludolphus :"Causa multiplicationis Symbolorum fuit triplex: Instructio Fidei, veritatis explanatio, erroris exclusio. Erroris exclusio, propter Hæreses multiplices pullulantes, causa fuit Symboli Athanasii, quod cantatur in Prima."-Alexand. Alens. Part iii. Q. 69, Membr. 2, p. 541. Johan. Januensis, in his Catholicon (an. 1286), under Symbolum, says the same thing.

among all the reformed Churches, from the days of their great leader.

Objection 2.

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.

Ans. This objection is not particularly levelled against this Creed, but against all Creeds containing the doctrine of a co-eternal 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 3.

A third reason is, that "there are in this Creed many phrases, which may seem to give unbelievers a needless advantage of objecting against religion; and, among believers themselves, cannot but to the vulgar have too much the appearance of contradictions: and sometimes (especially the damnatory clauses) have given offence to the piousest and most learned men, insomuch as to have been the principal reason of Mr. Chillingworth's refusing to subscribe the Thirtynine Articles."

Ans. As to unbelievers, and their objections, the