Whatever other words may be necessary to some, besides those that directly express the above-said Matter of Belief, in God the Father, Son, and Ghost, they are not to this end necessary, that we may have more matter of Faith than is there contained, as if it were not all that is essential, but that this may by the ignorant be better understood: so that those other particular Articles, which some call Fundamentals, are but expositions of those three Fundamentals, that indeed we may receive them. 6. In point of duty, a Minister must require a more full and large expression of his Faith from one man than from another, viz. From those that he hath apparent cause to suspect of not understanding, or not believing what the more Comprehensive Concise Terms do express: but yet, if either he neglect that duty, (or his previous inquiry and examination) though sinfully, or if the party that gave no cause of suspicion, be yet ignorant, or an unbeliever, it doth not follow, that the Concise Profession was a Nullity for want of larger Explication. He that professeth to believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, hath made a Profession of saving Faith in all the Essentials, as to the sense of the words, and it is to be taken as valid, in foro Ecclesiastico, in the Judgement of the Church if there be not some of the above-named particulars apparent to invalidate it, (as Contradiction, apparent Ignorance, Derision, &c.) May it not be the safest way to imitate the Scripture examples in such cases, where we alway find Profession in order to Baptism, made but in few comprehensive terms? for, as by this way we follow the surest Guide, so are we most likely to comprehend all the Essentials, and leave none out; when spinning out a Profession to a Volume in more particular Explicatory terms, if these same generals be not among them, may leave out much of the Essence of Religion, which these do comprehend. Not that I would have the people hear no longer discourses for Explication; but it is one thing, to put them into a Sermon, or Discourse; and another thing, to put them into the Profession of Faith.
Whatever other words may be necessary to some, besides those that directly express the above-said Matter of Belief, in God the Father, Son, and Ghost, they are not to this end necessary, that we may have more matter of Faith than is there contained, as if it were not all that is essential, but that this may by the ignorant be better understood: so that those other particular Articles, which some call Fundamentals, are but expositions of those three Fundamentals, that indeed we may receive them. 6. In point of duty, a Minister must require a more full and large expression of his Faith from one man than from another, viz. From those that he hath apparent cause to suspect of not understanding, or not believing what the more Comprehensive Concise Terms do express: but yet, if either he neglect that duty, (or his previous inquiry and examination) though sinfully, or if the party that gave no cause of suspition, be yet ignorant, or an unbeliever, it doth not follow, that the Concise Profession was a Nullity for want of larger Explication. He that professeth to believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, hath made a Profession of saving Faith in all the Essentials, as to the sense of the words, and it is to be taken as valid, in foro Ecclesiastico, in the Judgement of the Church if there be not some of the above-named particulars apparent to invalidate it, (as Contradiction, apparent Ignorance, Derision, &c.) May it not be the safest way to imitate the Scripture examples in such cases, where we alway find Profession in order to Baptism, made but in few comprehensive terms? for, as by this way we follow the surest Guid, so are we most likely to comprehend all the Essentials, and leave none out; when spinning out a Profession to a Volumn in more particular Explicatory termes, if these same generals be not among them, may leave out much of the Essence of Religion, which these do comprehend. Not that I would have the people hear no longer discourses for Explication; but it is one thing, to put them into a Sermon, or Discourse; and another thing, to put them into the Profession of Faith.
