2. To believe wrongly is called in Scripture heresy, and we read in God's Word that heresies are "works of the flesh, and that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." * The reasons why heresies are permitted is told us by S. Paul, "There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." "b Of the extent to which heresy will spead S. Peter prophecies, "There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them." e 3. As a right faith is so necessary, and a wrong faith is so dangerous, how are we to know what is the right one? We answer; that Christ established His Church, as a witness to the true faith, giving it His authority to teach, and the Holy Spirit to be its guide into all truth; wherefore S. Paul calls the Church "the pillar and ground of the truth;" and our Lord promised that "the gates of hell shall not prevail" against His Church, that is, none of the powers of evil, exerted in per:secution, or in disseminating falsehood, shall shake the foundations of the faith. Either the Apostles' Creed or some analogous .form of confession of the truth faith is alluded to & Gal. v. 19-21. d S. Matt. xxviii. 19. b 1 Cor. xi. 19. c 2 S. Pet. ii. 1. f 1 Tim. iii. 15. by S. Paul, when he speaks to S. Timothy of the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me.' "a The Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Creed of S. Athanasius contains "the faith once for all delivered to the saints." In them the same truth is taught, prominence being given in the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds to certain doctrines, which were disputed by heretics, at the time they were drawn up. We will explain briefly the Apostles' Creed, which contains all that a Christian ought to believe to his soul's welfare. THE APOSTLES' CREED: 1. E believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth. E believe that there is one living and true God, and one only; eternal, infinite in His perfections and all powerful. (1) He is every where present. (2) He is infinitely wise; he knows the past, the present, and 2. To believe wrongly is called in Scripture heresy, and we read in God's Word that heresies are "works of the flesh, and that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." a The reasons why heresies are permitted is told us by S. Paul, "There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. Of the extent to which heresy will spead S. Peter prophecies, "There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them." c " b 3. As a right faith is so necessary, and a wrong faith is so dangerous, how are we to know what is the right one? We answer; that Christ established His Church, as a witness to the true faith, giving it His authority to teach, and the Holy Spirit to be its guide into all truth; wherefore .S. Paul calls the Church "the pillar and ground of the truth;" and our Lord promised that "the gates of hell shall not prevail" against His Church, that is, none of the powers of evil, exerted in persecution, or in disseminating falsehood, shall shake the foundations of the faith. g Either the Apostles' Creed or some analogous .form of confession of the truth faith is alluded to & Gal. v. 19-21. d S. Matt. xxviii. 19. b 1 Cor. xi. 19. c 2 S. Pet. ii. 1. f 1 Tim. iii. 15. by S. Paul, when he speaks to S. Timothy of the "form of sound words which thou hast heard of The Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Creed of S. Athanasius contains "the faith once for all delivered to the saints." In them the same truth is taught, prominence being given in the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds to certain doctrines, which were disputed by heretics, at the time they were drawn up. We will explain briefly the Apostles' Creed, which contains all that a Christian ought to believe to his soul's welfare. THE APOSTLES' CREED. 1. E believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth. E believe that there is one living and true God, and one only; eternal, infinite in His perfections and all powerful. b (1) He is every where present. (2) He is infinitely wise; he knows the past, the present, and a the future, and our secret thoughts. (3) He is infinitely holy, so He loves virtue and hates iniquity; not only does He see and hate evil, but He will also punish it, for, (4) He is infinitely just.c His punishments will be very terrible, for, (5) God is infinitely powerful; but (6) God is infinitely good, as appears in His great love for us.e (7) He is also infinitely merciful, therefore our fears raised by a sense of His justice and power are tempered by a sense of His mercy. In His mercy He has made to us immense promises which are sure to be fulfilled, because (8) He is infiintely true. g The blessedness of these promises can not be conceived by man, for (9) God is incomprehensible. And the fulfilment of these promises will not be for a time, but for ever, because (10) God is eternal and unchangeable. h i God is one, but in the Godhead are three Persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.k These three Persons are all perfectly equal, coeternal, and of the same substance.1 We have an illustration of this in our selves, we are composed of mind, body, and soul. So also the sun has light, substance, and warmth, so the clover leaf is a Ecclus. xxiii. 18, 19; xxxix. 24, 25. b Hab. i. 13; Prov. xv. 9, 26; Wisd. xiv. 9. e Rom. ii. 5-11. d Esther xiii. 9. e Jer. xxxi. 3 S. John iii. 16; Ps. cxlv. 16. f Ezek. xxxiii. 11, 12; Ps. cxlv. 8; ciii. 13. 8 Numb. xxiii. 19; 2 S. Pet. i. 4. h Job xxxvi. 26. i Eph. i. 3. J1 Tim. iii. 16. kActs v. iii. 4; 1 S. John v. 7. 1 S. John v. 17, 18; x. 30; 1 Cor. vi. 19. |