THE APOSTLES' CREED. which the Emperor Theodo-| sius the Great found at Jerusalem, in the hall of Pontius Pilate, among the public records; the things were acted in the nineteenth year of Tiberius Casar, Emperor of the Romans, and in the seventeenth year of the government of Herod, the son of Herod, king of Galilee, on the eighth of the calends of April, which is the twenty-third day of the month of March, in the CCnd Olympiad, when Joseph and Caiaphas were rulers of the Jews: being a History written in Hebrew by Nicodemus of what happened after our Saviour's crucifixion The APOSTLES' CREED. It is affirmed by Ambrose, "that the twelve apostles, as skilful artificers, assembled together, and made a key by their common advice, that is, the Creed; by which the darkness of the devil is disclosed, that the light of Christ may appear. Others fable that every apostle inserted an article, by which the creed is divided into twelve articles; and a sermon, fathered upon St. Austin, and quoted by the Lord Chancellor King, fabricates that each particular article was thus inserted by each particular apostle : * "Peter.-1. I believe in God the Father Almighty; "John.-2. Maker of heaven and earth; "James.-3. And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; "Andrew.-4. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; Philip.-5. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; "Thomas.-6. He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead; "Bartholomew.-7. He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; “Matthew.-8. From thence shall he come to judge the quick and the dead; "Simon Zelotes.-10. The communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; Archbishop WAKE says, "With respect to the apostles being the authors of this creed, it is not my intention to enter on any particular examination of this matter, which has been so fully handled, not only by the late critics of the Church of Rome, Natalis Alexande-3 Du Pin, &c., but yet more especially by Arch bishop Usher, Gerard Vossius, Suicer, Spanhemius,8 Tentzelius, and Sam Ambr. Opera, tom. iii. Serm.38, p.265. Diatrib. de Symb. 7 Suicer. Thesaur. Eccles. tom. ïì. Voce σύμβολον. p. 1036, &c. 8 Spanhem. Introd. ad Hist. Eccles ii. c. 3. 9 Ernest. Tentzel. Exercit. select. Ex ercit. I. THE APOSTLES' CREED. trasnage, among the Protestants. It shall suffice to say, that as it is not likely that had any such thing as this been done by the apostles, St. Luke would have passed it by, without taking the least notice of it; so the diversity of creeds in the ancient church, and that not only in expression, but in some whole articles too, sufficiently shows, that the Creed which we call by that name, was not composed by the twelve apostles, much less in the same form in which it now is."2 Mr. Justice BAILEY says, "It is not to be understood that this Creed was framed by the apostles, or indeed that it existed as a creed in their time;"3 and after giving the Creed as it existed in the year 600, and which is here copied from his Common Prayer Book, he says, "How long this form had existed before the year 600, is not exactly known. The additions were probably made in opposition to particular heresies and errors." The most important " addition," since the year of Christ 600, is that which af firms, that Christ descended into hell. This has been proved not only to have been an invention after the apostles' time, but even after the time of Eusebius. Bishop Pearson says, that the descent into hell was not in the ancient creeds or rules of faith. "It is not to be found in the rules of faith delivered by Irenæus, by Origen, or by Tertullian. It is not expressed in those creeds which were made by the councils as larger explications of the Apostles' Creed; not in the Nicene, or Constantinopolitan; not in those of Ephesus, or Chalcedon; not in those confessions made at Sardica, Antioch, Seleucia, Sirmium, &c. It is not mentioned in several confessions of faith delivered by particular persons; not in that of Eusebius Caesariensis, presented to the council of Nice ;s not in that of Marcellus, bishop of Ancyra, delivered to Pope Julius, not in that of Arius and Euzoius, presented to Constantine 10 not in that of Acacius, Bishop of Caesarea, delivered into the synod of Seleucia ; not in that of Eustathius, Theophilus, and Silvanus, sent to Liberius ;12 there is no mention of it in the creed of St. Basil 13 in the creed of Epiphanius,14 Gelasius, Damasus, Macarius, &c. It is not in the creed expounded by St. Cyril, though some have produced that creed to prove it. It is not in the creed expounded by St. Augustine ;15 not in that other,16 attributed to St. Augustine in another place; not in that expounded by Maximus Taurinensis; nor in that so often interpreted by Petrus Chrysologus; nor in that of the church of Antioch, delivered by Cassianus ;17 neither is it to be seen in the MS. creeds set forth by the learned Archbishop of Armagh. It is affirmed by Ruffinus, that in his time it was neither in the Roman nor the Oriental Creeds."18] The EPISTLE of PAUL the APOSTLE to the LAODICEANS. This Epistle has been highly esteemed by several learned men of the Church of Rome, and others. The Quakers have printed a translation, and plead for it, as the reader may see, by consulting Poole's Annotations on Col. iv. 16. Sixtus Senensis mentions two MSS., the one in the Sorbonne Library at Paris, which is a very ancient copy, and the other in the Library of Joannes a Viridario, at Padua, which he transcribed and published; and which is the authority for the following translation. There is a very old translation of this Epistle in the British Museum, among the Harleian MSS., Cod. 1212.] 1 He salates the brethren; 3 exhorts them to persevere in good works, 4 and not be moved by vain speaking. 6 Rejoices in his bonds, 10 and desires them to live in the fear of the Lord. PA DAUL an Apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, to the brethren which are at Laodicea. 2 Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 3I thank Christ in every prayer of mine, that ye continue and persevere in good works, looking for that which is promised in the day of judgment. 4 Let not the vain speeches of any trouble you, who pervert the truth, that they may draw you aside from the truth of the gospel which I have preached. 5 And now may God grant, that my converts may attain to a perfect knowledge of the truth of the gospel, be beneficent, and doing good works which accompany salvation. 6 And now my bonds, which I suffer in Christ, are manifest, in which I rejoice and am glad. to me to live shall be a life to Christ, to die will be joy. 9 And our Lord will grant us his mercy, that ye may have the same love, and be like-minded. 10 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have heard of the coming of the Lord, so think and act in fear, and it shall be to you life eternal; 11 For it is God, who worketh in you; sin. 12 And do all things without 13 And what is best, my beloved, rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, and avoid all filthy lucre. 14 Let all your requests be made known to God, and be steady in the doctrine of Christ. 15 And whatsoever things are sound, and true, and of good report, and chaste, and just, and lovely, these things do. 16 Those things which ye have heard, and received, think on these things, and peace shall be with you. 17 All the saints salute you. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 7 For know that this shall turn to my salvation for ever, which shall be through your 19 Cause this Epistle to be prayer, and the supply of the read to the Colossians, and the Holy Spirit. Epistle of the Colossians to be Whether I live or die; (for) | read among you. The EPISTLES of PAUL the APOSTLE to SENECA, with SENECA'S to PAUL Several very learned writers have entertained a favourable opinion of these Epistles. They are undoubtedly of high antiquity. Salmeron cites them to prove that Seneca was one of Cæser's household, referred to by Paul (Philip, iv. 22), as saluting the brethren at Philippi In Jerome's enumeration of illustrious men, he places Seneca, on account of these Episties, amongst the ecclesiastical and holy writers of the Christian church. Sixtus Senensis Sap published them in his Bibliotheque, p. 89, 90; and it is from thence that the present translation is made. Baronius, Bellarmine, Dr. Cave, Spanheim, and others, contend that they are not genuine.] SUPPOSE, Paul, that you have been informed of that conversation, which passed yesterday between me and my Lucilius, concerning hypocrisy and other subjects; for there were some of your disciples in company with us; of those doctrines, and their grandeur, that I suppose the age of a man is scarce sufficient to be instructed and perfected in the knowledge of them. I wish your welfare, my brother. Fare well. СНАР. ІІ. PAUL to SENECA Greeting. RECEIVED your letter yes terday with pleasure; to which I could immediately have wrote an answer, had the young 2 For when we were retired into the Sallustian gardens, through which they were also man been at home, whom I inpassing, and would have gone tended to have sent to you: another way, by our persuasion they joined company with us. 3 I desire you to believe, that we much wish for your conversation; 2 For you know when, and by whom, at what seasons, and to whom, I must deliver every thing which I send. 3 I desire therefore you would not charge me with negligence, if I wait for a proper per 4 We were much delighted with your book of many Epistles, which you have wrote to son. some cities and chief towns of 4 I reckon myself very happy provinces, and contain wonder-in having the judgment of so ful instructions for moral con- valuable a person, that you are duct: 5 Such sentiments, as I suppose you were not the author of, but only the instrument of conveying, though sometimes both the author and the instru ment. delighted with my Epistles: 5 For you would not be esteemed a censor, a philosopher, or be the tutor of so great a prince, and a master of every thing, if you were not sincere I wish you a lasting pros 6 For such is the sublimity perity. |