A69028:13
The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…
The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milk for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his son, Adoniram Bifield.The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milke for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his sonne, Adoniram Bifield.
London: printed by G.M. for Philemon Stephens and Christopher Meredith, 1626
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
To the Christian Reader.
Christian Reader, it was the Authors purpose, if God had spared him life so long, to have finished this Exposition upon the Creed; but man purposeth, and God disposeth. It pleased God to •aish his course, before he had finished this work; *yet God in his divine providence hath so disposed of it, as that you may find the substance of those Articles which are not here perfected, to be handled in some of his other labours, unto which briefly I refer you: For the ninth Article, concerning the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, I refer you to his Treatise called The Principles, or, the pattern of wholesome words, Chap. 23. And whereas The Communion of Saints consists of two parts: First, The communion of the members with the head; Secondly, The communion of the members among themselves: for the former read his Exposition upon the Colossians, Chap. 1. vers. 18. pag. 121, 122, 123. for the latter, read his Exposition upon the third of Peter, ver. 7. pag. 169. for this title, Saints, read his Exposition upon the Colossians, Chap. 1. ver. 1. pag. 7, 8, 9. If you would be directed how to carry your selves in this communion amongst the Saints, and towards the godly, read his little Treatise called The Rules of a holy life, Chap. 25. For the tenth Article, The forgiveness of sins, I refer you to his Book of the Principles, Chap. 24. as also to his Exposition upon the Colossians, Chap. 1. vers. 14. pag. ⟨image 5⟩108, 109. Would you know what course to take to be delivered from your sins, then I refer you to his little Treatise, called The Doctrine of the beginning of Christ, or, The Catalogue of sins, Chap. 2. pag. 14. For the eleventh Article, The resurrection of the body, I refer you to his Book of the Principles, Chap. 26. For the last Article, Everlasting life, I refer you to his Exposition upon the third Chapter of Peter, ver. 7. where this is largely handled from pag. 141. to 163. The Author hath handled most of these things in divers parts of this Treatise, called the Rule of Faith, which you may easily find out by the use of the Index: These things I thought good to acquaint thee withal for thy help and benefit: as also to show that by the divine providence good supply, even out of the Authors own works may be made of that defect, which by his immature death may be thought to be in this Rule of Faith.