A69028:1389
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
THE CREED. › Article 2 › And in Jesus.THE CREEDE. › Article 2 › And in Iesus.
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.
The fourth thing is, to what he was Anointed, or to what Office? I answer, he was Anointed to be all that which the Ceremonial Anointing did signify. Now three sorts of men were Anointed, Priests and Kings ordinarily, and the Prophet Elisha extraordinarily; which shadowed out, that the Messiah should be both the Prophet, the Priest, and the King of the Church, and to all these three was he called: and accordingly qualified with three especial gifts, Wisdom, Holiness, and Power: Wisdom fits him for his prophetical Office, and holiness for his Priestly Office, and Power for his regal Office: and so he answers to three things in our misery: The first is our ignorance, the second is the corruptions & disorder of our lives, the third is the guiltiness, by which we are liable to eternal punishment: our ignorance he takes away as a Prophet, our guiltiness as a Priest, and our corruption and disorder as a King bringing us into order.
The fourth thing is, to what he was Anointed, or to what Office? I answer, hee was Anointed to bee all that which the Ceremoniall Anointing did signifie. Now three sorts of men were Anointed, Priests and Kings ordinarily, and the Prophet Elizeus extraordinarily; which shadowed out, that the Messias should be both the Prophet, the Priest, and the King of the Church, and to all these three was he called: and accordingly qualified with three especiall gifts, Wisedome, Holinesse, and Power: Wisedome fits him for his propheticall Office, and holinesse for his Priestly Office, and Power for his regall Office: and so he answers to three things in our misery: The first is our ignorance, the second is the corruptions & disorder of our liues, the third is the guiltinesse, by which we are lyable to eternall punishment: our ignorance hee takes away as a Prophet, our guiltinesse as a Priest, and our corruption and disorder as a King bringing vs into order.
His work then is threefold, to be a Prophet to the Church, a Priest and a King: his work as Prophet is to teach the Church all needful knowledges: His work as Priest, is to make satisfaction ⟨p. 221⟩for the sins of the Elect: His work as a King is to gather and rule the Church.