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2 Cor. 13. 14.

HE grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghoft, be with us all evermore. Amen.

Paraphrafe on the Bleffing.

My chriftian brethren, I fhall now conclude this part of the fervice with the benediction ufed by St Paul, (2 Cor. xiii. 14.) committing both you and myself to the care and protection of the ever-bleffed trinity; intreating the great God, in whom three perfons are united, that we may be abfolved by the grace, obtained for us by our bleffed Lord and Saviour in the great work of redemption; that we may be juftified by the love of the Father, who is now reconciled to us by his blood: and that, finally, we may be fanctified by partaking of the communication of the Holy Ghoft. Amen.

Here endeth the Order of Evening Prayer throughout the Year.

Upon thefe Feafts; Christmas-day, the Epiphany, St Matthias, Eafterday, Afcenfion-day, Whitfunday, St John Baptift, St James, St Bartholomew, St Matthew, St Simon and St Jude, St Andrew, and upon Trinity-Sunday, fhall be fung or faid at Morning Prayer, inftead of the Apoftles Creed, this Confeffion of our Chriftian Faith, commonly called The Creed of St Athanafius, by the Minifter and People, fanding.

Quicunque vult.

Hofoever will be faved: before all things it is neceffary that he hold the Catholick Faith.

2. Which Faith, except every one do keep whole and undefiled: without doubt he fhall perish everlaftingly.

PARAPHRASE.

1. Since the gospel is to be preached to every creature, (Mark 16. 15.) who are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, (Matt. xxviii. 19.) in order to obtain falvation; it is neceflary that every man believe in thefe three perfons of the holy Trinity, in the names of whom he is baptized.

2. And fince we are directed by the apoftle to hold fast the form of found words; (2 Tim, i. 7.) and fince it is enjoined us to contend carneftly for the faith once delivered to the faints; (Jud. iii.) fince the heredes, which oppofe this doctrine, are declared to be damnable, and fince all thole fhall be damned who do not believe these fundamentals of chriftianty, which are effential qualifications for baptifm, we cannot think it ¿ breach

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3. And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.

4. Neither confounding the Perfons; nor dividing the Substance.

5. For there is one Perfon of the Father, another of the Son and another of the Holy Ghost,

6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal.

7. Such as the Father is, fuch is the Son and fuch is the Holy Ghoft.

The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate and the Holy Ghost uncreate.

The Father incomprehenfible, the Son incomprehenfible: and the Holy Ghoft incomprehenfible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal: and the Holy Ghost eternal;

8. And yet they are not three eternals: but one eternal. As also there are not three incomprehenfibles, nor three uncreated but one uncreated, and one incomprehenfible. So likewife the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty: and the Holy Ghost Almighty;

And yet they are not three Almighties: but one Almighty.

PARA PHRASE.

breach of chriftianity to fay, that they who make heretical innovations, contrary to this faith, fhall, without doubt, perish everlastingly,

3. This catholic faith, which was formerly delivered to the apostles, implies that we are bound to worship the three Perfons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, in an unity of effence.

4. Neither fhould we, by confounding the perfons, make them one perfon under different denominations; nor make them three Gods by dividing the effence.

5. For Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, are three different hypoftafes of the divinity, and have each of them their perfonality.

6. But there is but one Godhead belonging to thefe three perfons, as they all partake of equal glory and of eternal majefty.

7. And every perfon fhares of the effential attributes of God, being all uncreated, incomprehenfible, eternal and omnipotent.

8. Yet we should not understand hereby, that they are three diftin&t, uncreated, incomprehenfible, and eternal beings.

So the Father is God, the Son is God: and the Holy Ghost is God;

And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.

So likewife the Father is Lord, the Son Lord: and the Holy Ghost Lord;

And yet not three Lords: but one Lord.

For like as we are compelled by the Chriftian verity: to acknowledge every Perfon by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion, to fay, There be three Gods, or three Lords.

9. The Father is made of none: neither created, nor begotten.

10. The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created, but begotten.

11. The Holy Ghoft is of the Father, and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. 12. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. 13. And in this Trinity none is afore or after other: none is greater or less than another;

14. But the whole three Perfons are co-eternal together: and co-equal.

15. So that in all things, as is aforefaid: the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped.

PARAPHRASE.

9. The Father is felf-exiftent as his being was not conferred upon him by any other; not being created by men or angels, nor begotten like the fon.

10. The Son derives his existence from the Father, not being produced as a creature, but from all eternity, in a manner not to be conceived. This origination is, in the fcripture phrafes, ftiled, begetting.

11. The Holy Ghost derives his effence equally from the Father and the Son, and this, in the language of fcripture, is called going out or proceeding.

12. So that only one of thefe perfons is Father, one is Son, and one is Holy Ghoft: none of the perfonal attributes of any being communicate to the other two.

13. Nor is any of these persons fuperior to the other two, either in ignity or power.

14. All of them are equal in eternity, dignity, and power.

15. So that when, in our addreffes to the Godhead, we pay our adoration to any one perfon, we, in effect, worship all three.

16. This

16. He therefore that will be faved, muft thus think of the Trinity.

17. Furthermore it is neceflary to everlasting falvation, that he alfo believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

18. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confefs, that our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, is God and Man;

19. God, of the Subftance of the Father, begotten before the worlds: and Man, of the Substance of his mother, born in the world;

20. Perfect God and perfect Man of a reasonable foul, and human flesh fubfifting;

21. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead: and inferior to the Father, as touching his Manhood;

22. Who although he be God and Man: yet he is not two, but one Chrift.

23. One; not by converfion of the Godhead into flesh : but by taking of the Manhood into God;

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16. This is the orthodox chriftian faith, concerning the trinity, and by this only we can hope for falvation.

17. We fhould likewife endeavour to believe rightly concerning Chrift's incarnation, in order to render our faith perfect.

18. For we are bound to believe that both the divine and human natures are united in our bleffed Saviour Jefus Christ.

19. As he is God, he derived his divine nature from the Father, by a generation that preceeded all time: as he was man, he was composed of the bodily fubftance of his mother, and born in time.

20. Not being merely, according to the heretical opinion of Arius and his followers, a being of an exalted nature, but true and perfect God, nor was his humanity, according to the opinions of the Apollinarians, absorbed by his divinity, but he was perfect man likewife; which manhood of Christ confifts in the union of a rational foul with a human body. 21. Being entirely upon an equality with the Father, in respect of his being God but inferior to him, as participating of human nature,

22. But tho' our bleffed Saviour united the divine and human nature, we should not conclude, as the Neftorians have done, that he comprises two perfons; but that, by the union of deity with humanity, he became that one fingle perfon, who goes by the apellation of Jefus Chrift.

23. Having become one by bearing the human nature, in conjunction with the divine, and not by converting the divine nature into a human body.

24. One altogether; not by confufion of Subftance: but by unity of Perfon.

25. For as the reasonable foul and flesh is one Man: fo God and man is one Christ.

26. Who fuffered for our falvation: defcended into hell, role again the third day from the dead.

27. He afcended into heaven, he fitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence he fhall come to judge the quick and the dead.

28. At whofe coming all men fhall rise again with their bodies and fhall give account for their own works.

29. And they that have done good, fhall go into life everlafting and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. 30. This is the Catholic Faith: which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be faved.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever fhall be: world without end. Amen.

PARAPHRASE.

24. And this by a very close and perfect union, yet not fuch as to confound the human and divine nature, and to make Chrift have but one will, (which was the herefy of the Eutychians and Monothelites) but by a perfonal unity refembling that which we perceive in our own nature.

25. For as the rational foul and human body conftitute an individual, in like manner God and man make but one Chrift.

26. We believe that our bleffed Lord fuffered death upon the crofs, in crder to procure us the remiffion of our fins; that he defcended into hades or hell; and on the third day rofe from the dead.

27. I believe likewile that he afcended into heaven, and is now feated in the plenitude of glory at God's right hand, from whence, in procefs of time, he fhall come to judge the quick and the dead.

28. And at his coming all men fhall appear before his judgment feat, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor. v. 10.

29. And bad men fhall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal. Matt. xxv. 46.

30. This being the catholic faith preached by our bleffed Saviour and his apoftles, they cannot, from God's ordinary mercy, hope for falvation, till they renounce their wicked errors and heretical pravity.

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