A69028:280
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 1 › I Believe in God.THE CREEDE. › Article 1 › I Beleeue in God.
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.
4. When none of these were sufficient to bring man to a perfect knowledge of God: nor to so much as might save his soul, and bring him into happy fellowship with God, God was pleased in the book of Scripture, to extract out of the infinite depths of knowledges which were in his eternal mind, a frame of descriptions, and testimonies concerning himself, and his will, and this in his due time by degrees he gave unto the Church, and is contained in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles.
4. When none of these were sufficient to bring man to a perfect knowledge of God: nor to so much as might saue his soule, and bring him into happy fellowship with God, God was pleased in the book of Scripture, to extract out of the infinite depths of knowledges which were in his eternall minde, a frame of descriptions, and testimonies concerning himselfe, and his will, and this in his due time by degrees he gaue vnto the Church, and is contained in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles.
5. To make all these helps more effectual unto the eternal blessedness of the Elect, he sent his own Son who was the engraven form of his Person, and his perfect Image, to take mans nature, and to come and dwell amongst us, and through his humanity to make God as it were after a most ⟨p. 48⟩glorious sort visible: The God-head shining through his flesh as the Candle through the Lantern, Joh. 1. & 14. 9. and in that nature he did himself teach and instruct man concerning God. Heb. 1. 1.
5. To make all these helpes more effectuall vnto the eternall blessednesse of the Elect, he sent his owne Sonne who was the ingrauen forme of his Person, and his perfect Image, to take mans nature, and to come and dwell amongst vs, and through his humanity to make God as it were after a most