A69028:2653
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.
3. I add, dwelling every where, to note that I define the Church, that is Catholic, as the Creed calls it: which terms in the most evident sense agree to the Church now under the Gospel, since the partition wall between Jews and Gentiles was broken down: and yet in some sense it may agree to the Church from the beginning: for even in the time of the Jewish Church, the Nations were not simply barred from fellowship with the Jews; and therefore we read of three sorts of people that belonged to the Jewish Church, to wit, the Jews themselves and Proselytes, that is Gentiles that professed the Jewish religion, and were circumcised, and withal religious or devout men, that were Gentiles converted to the Jewish religion, but were not circumcised, such as were Cornelius, and divers others.
3. I adde, dwelling euery where, to note that I define the Church, that is Catholicke, as the Creed calls it: which tearms in the most euident sense agree to the Church now vnder the Gospell, since the partition wall between Iewes and Gentiles was broken downe: and yet in some sense it may agree to the Church from the beginining: for euen in the time of the Iewish Church, the Nations were not simply barred from fellowship with the Iewes; and therefore we read of three sorts of people that belonged to the Iewish Church, to wit, the Iewes themselues and Proselites, that is Gentiles that professed the Iewish religion, and were circumcised, and withall religious or deuoute men, that were Gentiles conuerted to the Iewish religion, but were not circumcised, such as were Cornelius, and diuers others.
The special nature of the Church, in which it differs from all other companies of men, is expressed in the other words of the definition, and so they show us three things;
The speciall nature of the Church, in which it differs from all other companies of men, is exprest in the other wordes of the definition, and so they shew vs three things;