timate to us, that the framers of the symbol did on this account omit to prefix the preposition in, before the other articles which immediately succeed, as it is observed by Ruffinus, that "it is not said in the holy church, nor in the remission of sins, nor in the resurrection of the body; for, if the preposition in had been added, it would have had the same force with what went before. But now in those words, where our faith in the Deity is declared, it is said to be in God the father, and in his son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost; but, where the creed speaks of creatures and mysteries, the preposition in is not added; as we do not say in the holy church, but that we believe the holy church, not as in God, but as a church congregated by God; and we do not say in the forgiveness of sins, nor in the resurrection of the body, but the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the body; by this preposition therefore, the creator is distinguished from the creatures, and divine things separated from humane." So that the not prefixing the preposition in before the holy Catholic church, and the other articles which follow, directs us, according to the said observation of Ruffinus, to believe them after another manner than the precedent articles before whom that syllable is prefixed; that on the former we are to believe as God, whilst Z

we are only simply to believe the latter as myse teries revealed by God; or as the author of a sermon, who passeth under the name of St. Austin, expresseth it, with particular relation to the article of the holy Catholic church; which I now come in the next place to consider, that the creed obligeth us "to believe the church, but not in the church; for the church is not God, but the house of God." By all which, it appears, that the ancients observed a great difference in the manner of their believing the several articles of the creed, laying a great stress upon this little preposition in; and which is yet farther observable, the Greeks contented not themselves with the bare suppression thereof before the holy Catholic church, but to make the distinction more evident and remarkable, inserted also another I believe between that and the precedent article of the Holy Ghost: from whence it comes to pass, that the modern Greek creeds thus run; wherein they are exactly followed by the present French and Nether Dutch, Pisteuo eis pneuma, hagion pisteuo tene hagian ekklesian katholikene. I believe in the Holy Ghost, I believe the holy Catholic church.

But, to insist no longer on these criticisms, and to come to the article of the holy Catholic church; there is this thing in the first place

to be remarked concerning it, that the ancient creeds vary in the order and place thereof. In several of them it is the very last article of all; as in a creed of Cyprian's, wherein we profess to believe "the remission of sins, and life everlasting through the holy church." The reason whereof is alledged by one who falsly passeth under the name of St. Austin, to be, "because if any one be found out of the church, he is not to be reckoned in the number of sons; for he shall not have God for his father, who will not have the church for his mother;" or, as it may be gathered from St. Cyprian, the design thereof was, to signify that remission of sins and life everlasting, could not be obtained but in and through the holy Catholic church."

But in the generality of creeds, this article possesseth the same place that it doth in ours, immediately following our faith in the Holy Ghost; the reason whereof is thus given by Tertullian, in whom the clear mention of this article is first found, "that after the pledging of our faith and hope in the trinity, the mention of the church is necessarily added, because where those three, the father, the son and the Holy Ghost are, there is the church, which is the body of them." Not much different wherefrom, St. Austin writes, that "the right

order of faith required, that the Church should be subjoined to the trinity, as an house to his occupier, a temple to its God, and a city to its builder.

But, besides the different placing of this article in the primitive creed, there is this to be remarked concerning the words thereof, that the more ancient symbols had only the holy church, as is to be seen in Cyprian and several others: the word Catholic being afterwards added by the Greeks, as I shall hereafter shew, by way of explication or determination; from whom it was received by the Latins, and by them inserted in their creed, wherein we now read the holy Catholic church. Into the meaning and intent whereof, I now proceed to enquire; in which, the sense of the word church is first to be considered, and the effections thereof, which are in number three, unity, sanctity and universality. As for the church, which we are obliged to believe, though it be capable of various significations, yet the affection of universality being joined with it, makes it evident, that it must be here necessarily understood of the visible Catholic, universal church, which comprehends within its bounds all men and women, who throughout the whole world make a visible profession of the Christian religion, and own the doctrine delivered

by our Saviour and his apostles; who, though necessarily divided into many separate congregations and particular churches, yet compose but that one general church, which is here affirmed by the creed to be one, holy and Catholic.

Now that the unity of the church is herein contained, appears not only from that this article is in the singular number, and from that the fathers put this constant interpretation upon it; but also from that in some creeds, to render it the more obvious and indisputa-. ble, the word one is added thereto, as in the Nicene, or rather Constantinopolitan creed, "I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic church" and in the exposition thereof, by Alexander bishop of Alexandria, he expresses it by "the one and only Catholic and Apostolic church."

Now, though in several respects the universal church may be said to be one, yet, that it may not go beyond the bounds of my designed task, I shall only take notice of what was principally intended by the inserters of it in the creed, which was, that the church is one as to her faith and doctrine; that though she be enlarged through the face of the whole earth, yet all her members universally assent to the same necessary truths of the gospel,