FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143  
144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   >>   >|  
that this Creed adds to the Scriptures, but that it adds to the original 'Symbolum Fidei', the 'Regula', the 'Canon', by which, according to the greater number of the 'ante'-Nicene Fathers, the books of the New Testament were themselves tried and determined to be Scripture. Now this 'Symbolum' was to bring together all that must be believed, even by the babes in faith, or to what purpose was it made? Now, say they, the Nicene Creed is really nothing more than a verbal explication of the common Creed, but the clause in the Athanasian ('which faith', &c.), however fairly deduced from Scripture, is not contained in the Creed, or selection of certain articles of Faith from the Scriptures, or not at least from those preachings and narrations, of which the New Testament Scriptures are the repository. Might not a Papist plead equally in support of the Creed of Pope Pius: "The new articles are deduced from Scripture; that is, in our opinion, and that most expressly in our Lord's several and solemn addresses to St. Peter." So again Sherlock's answer to this paragraph from the Notes is evasive,--for it is very possible, nay, it is, and has been the case, that a man may believe in the facts and doctrines contained in the New Testament, and yet not believe the Holy Scripture to be either divine, infallible, or complete. Sect. IV. p. 50. We know not what the substance of an infinite mind is, nor how such substances as have no parts or extension can touch each other, or be thus externally united; but we know the unity of a mind or spirit reaches as far as its self-consciousness does, for that is one spirit, which knows and feels itself, and its own thoughts and motions, and if we mean this by 'circum-incession', three persons thus intimate to each other are numerically one. The question still returns; have these three infinite minds, at once self-conscious and conscious of each other's consciousness, always the very same thoughts? If so, this mutual consciousness is unmeaning, or derivative; and the three do not cease to be three because they are three sames. If not, then there is Tritheism evidently. Ib. p. 64. St. Paul tells us, 1 Cor. ii. 10. 'That the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God'. So that the Holy Spirit knows all that is in God, even his most deep and secret counsels, which is an argument that he is very intimate with him; but this is not all: it is the manner of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143  
144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Scripture

 

consciousness

 

Scriptures

 

Testament

 

contained

 

infinite

 

intimate

 

articles

 
conscious
 

spirit


deduced
 

thoughts

 

Spirit

 
Nicene
 

things

 
Symbolum
 
reaches
 

searcheth

 

externally

 

argument


substances

 

manner

 
counsels
 

united

 
secret
 

extension

 

evidently

 

Tritheism

 
mutual
 

derivative


unmeaning

 

circum

 

incession

 

motions

 

returns

 

question

 

numerically

 

persons

 
verbal
 
explication

common

 

clause

 

Athanasian

 

preachings

 

narrations

 

fairly

 

selection

 

purpose

 

greater

 

number