A69028:34
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.
Thus as they are wholesome words. Secondly they are said 1to be Patterns: the Collection of the choicest truths into one frame or body, is called here a Pattern: and so the Creed may be said to be a Pattern of wholesome words, because in the Creed there is as it were a short, but lively resemblance of all those truths in a little room which are at large, and dispersedly handled throughout all the Bible: and therefore, fitly was the Creed called the little Bible. Yea, it may be called a pattern, because we may compare with it all the truths we read of in Scripture, and mark how they agree with, or suite to the Articles of our Creed, and because we may try all Doctrine we hear, and free our selves from the Entanglement of such controversies about opinions that agree not with, or belong not to our Creed.
Thus as they are wholesome words. Secondly they are said 1to be Patternes: the Collection of the choisest truthes into one frame or body, is called heere a Patterne: and so the Creed may be said to be a Patterne of wholsome words, because in the Creed there is as it were a short, but liuely resemblance of all those truthes in a little roome which are at large, and dispersedly handled throughout all the Bible: and therefore, fitly was the Creed called the little Bible. Yea, it may be called a patterne, because we may compare with it all the truthes we reade of in Scripture, and marke how they agree with, or suite to the Articles of our Creed, and because we may trie all Doctrine we heare, and free our selues from the Intanglement of such controuersies about opinions that agree not with, or belong not to our Creed.
- 1How the Creed is a Pattern.How the Creed is a Patterne.
As the Decalogue is a pattern of all duties to be done, and 1