A Golden Chain

The Creed therefore sets down two things concerning faith, namely, the action of faith and his object, which also are the parts of the Creed. The action in these words, I believe: the object in all the words following, in God the Father Almighty, maker, &c. And first let us begin with the action.

The Creede therefore setts downe two thinges concerning faith, namely, the action of faith and his obiect, which also are the parts of the Creed. The action in these wordes, I beleeue: the obiect in all the wordes following, in God the Father Almightie, maker, &c. And first let vs beginne with the action.

I believe in God] We are taught to say, I believe, not we believe, for two causes. First because (as we touched before) in the Primitive Church this Creed was made to be an answer to a demand or question, which was demanded of every particular man that was baptized: for they asked him thus; What doest thou believe? then he answered, I believe in God the Father, &c. And thus did every one of years make profession of his faith: and it is likely that Peter alluded hereunto,¹ saying the stipulation or answer of a good conscience maketh request to God. The second cause is, howsoever we are to pray one for another by saying• O our Father, &c. yet when we come to years, we must have a particular faith of our own: no man can be saved by another mans faith, but by his own, as it is said:² The just shall live by his faith. But some will say, this is not true, because children must be saved by their parents faith: the answer is this, the faith of the parent doth bring the child to have a title or interest to the Covenant of grace and to all the benefits of Christ: yet doth it not apply the benefits of Christs death, his obedience, his merits, and righteousness unto the infant: for this the believer doth only unto himself and to no other. Again, some may say, if children do not apprehend Christs benefits by their parents faith, how then is Christs righteousness made theirs and they saved? Answer. By the inward working of the holy Ghost, who is the principal applier of all graces, whereas faith is but the instrument. As for the places of scripture that mention justification and salvation by faith, they are to be restrained to men of years: whereas infants dying in their infancy, and therefore wanting actual faith which none can have without actual knowledge of Gods will and word, are no doubt saved by some other special working of Gods holy spirit, not known to us.