The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
“There is a double faith, a faith which is the doctrine we do believe, and faith which is the grace whereby we believe; and this faith is a matter of experience wrought in our hearts by the Spirit of God. The main office of the Holy Spirit is in opening general truths, to reveal our particular interest in those truths, and to breed special faith whereby we make them our own, because the Spirit of God reveals the mind of God to every particular Christian, 1 Corinthians 2:11,12; for as the things believed are truths above nature, so the grace of faith whereby we believe is a grace above nature.”
“Where sacred truths are truly apprehended, there the Spirit works an impression in the soul suitable to the things believed; every article hath a power in it which the Spirit doth imprint upon the soul. The belief of God to be the Father Almighty breeds an impression of dependence, reverence, and comfort. The belief and knowledge of Christ crucified, is a crucifying knowledge. The true knowledge and faith in Christ rising, is a raising knowledge. The knowledge of the abasement of Christ is an abasing knowledge; because faith sees itself one with Christ in both states. We cannot truly believe what Christ hath wrought for us, but at the same time the Spirit of Christ worketh something in us.”
“It is convenient for the giving of due honor to every person to consider of the work appropriated to every one: all come from the Father; all are exactly performed by the Son in our nature for the redemption of those that the Father hath given him. The gathering out of the world of that blessed society (which we call the church) into an holy communion, and the sanctifying of it, and sealing unto it all the privileges believed, as forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the body, and life everlasting, etc., proceed from the Holy Ghost.”
“Though it is we that answer, yet the power by which we answer is no less than that whereby God created the world and raised Christ from the dead. The answer is ours, but the power and strength is God’s, whereby we answer, who performs both his part and ours too in the covenant. It is a higher matter to believe than the common sort think it. For this answer of faith to these truths, as it is caused by the power of God’s Spirit, so is it powerful to answer all temptations of Satan, all seducements of the world, all terrors of conscience from the wrath of God and the curse of the law; it setteth the soul as upon a rock above all.”
“These articles are touchstones at hand to try all opinions by, for crooked things are discerned by bringing them to the rule. What directly, or by immediate consequence, opposeth these, is to be rejected as contrary to the platform as wholesome doctrine. “
“These grounds of faith have likewise a special influence in direction and encouragement unto all Christian duties. A holy life is but the infusion of holy truths. “Men of an ill belief, cannot be of a good life’ (Augustine). If there be a delighting in unrighteousness, there will not be a love of the truth; and if we love not the truth, then there will be a preparedness to believe any lie, and that by God’s just judgment, Thess. 2: 12.” ~ Richard Sibbes
