The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness…

4. But the fullest proof is universal historical tradition and consent of the Christian Churches, who have ever used Catechizing and the Creed as the profession of faith, in order to baptism, and this as from the Apostles, without the least notice of any other original of it: There is some difference in words between that recited by Irenaeus, and two recited by Tertullian, and that which we now use, and some little difference between that of Marcellus in Epiphanius, and that of Aquileia in Ruffinus, and ours now used: And the forming of the Nicene Creed in other words doth show that the Churches took not themselves to be so tied to the same words of the former Creed as not to alter any part of them: And it is supposed that before the Nicene Creed, the Greek Church had a Creed that had as much of the words of the Nicene as of that called the Apostles. And no doubt it was the wisdom of the Apostles and the Churches, not to lay too much on particular words, and make them seem essential to baptism or more necessary than they were: And to this day if any in other words expressed the same thing, he may be baptized. But ad melius esse and for concord and safety the Churches that still agreed in words of the same sense, and mostly the same words as to all that explained the essentials of Christianity, found it more and more needful to agree in every word, and leave men no room for dangerous diversity (though over and above they may explain their minds.) From whence it was that so great contentions have risen about some single word, as the Nicene [Greek or Hebrew] and the Latins Filióque, lest the Creed should be altered ⟨p. 173⟩at the will of man, and the Christian faith seem to be an uncertain mutable thing.

4. But the fullest proof is universal historical tradition and consent of the Christian Churches, who have ever used Catechizing and the Creed as the profession of faith, in order to baptism, and this as from the Apostles, without the least notice of any other original of it: There is some difference in words between that recited by Irenaeus, and two recited by Tertullian, and that which we now use, and some little difference between that of Marcellus in Epiphanius, and that of Aquileia in Ruffinus, and ours now used: And the forming of the Nicene Creed in other words doth shew that the Churches took not themselves to be so tyed to the same words of the former Creed as not to alter any part of them: And it is supposed that before the Nicene Creed, the Greek Church had a Creed that had as much of the words of the Nicene as of that called the Apostles. And no doubt it was the wisdom of the Apostles and the Churches, not to lay too much on particular words, and make them seem essential to baptism or more necessary than they were: And to this day if any in other words exprest the same thing, he may be baptized. But ad melius esse and for concord and safety the Churches that still agreed in words of the same sence, and mostly the same words as to all that explained the essentials of Christianity, found it more and more needful to agree in every word, and leave men no room for dangerous diversity (though over and above they may explain their minds.) From whence it was that so great contentions have risen about some single word, as the Nicene and the Latines Filióque, lest the Creed should be altered