CHAPTER II

ON THE FIRST ARTICLE OF THE CREED

“I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH”

QUESTION I

A Brief Explanation of the First Article

The import of these words is this: I believe with certainty, and without any doubt profess my belief, in God the Father, the first person, to wit, of the Trinity, who by his omnipotent power, created from nothing, preserves and governs the heaven and the earth, and all things which are contained in the compass of heaven and earth; and not only do I believe in him from the heart, and profess this belief with the lips, but with the greatest zeal, and piety tend towards him, as the supreme and most perfect good. Let this serve as a sort of brief comprehensive view of this first article. But whereas great mysteries lie concealed under almost every word, the pastor must now give them a more diligent consideration, that, as far as God has permitted, the faithful people may draw nigh, with fear and trembling, to the contemplation of the glory of the divine Majesty.

QUESTION II

What is meant by the word “Believe”

The word believe, therefore, does not here mean to think, to imagine, to opine; but, as the sacred letters teach, it has the force of a most decided assent, by which the mind gives a firm and unhesitating assent to God revealing his mysteries. As far, therefore, as regards the explanation of the present passage, he who firmly and without hesitation is persuaded of anything, is said to believe. Nor ought any one to suppose that the knowledge derived through faith is less certain because those objects are not seen, which faith propounds to us to be believed; for the divine light by which we perceive them, although it does not render the objects themselves clear, yet suffers us not to doubt regarding them; for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath himself shone in our hearts, that the Gospel be not hidden to us, as to those that are lost.

QUESTION III

The Matters propounded in the Creed are not to be curiously investigated, but simply asserted

From what has been said it now follows, that he, who is endued with this heavenly knowledge of faith, is free from an inquisitive curiosity. For when God commands us to believe, he does not propose to us to search into the divine judgments, or inquire into their reason and their cause, but commands an immutable faith, by the efficacy of which the mind reposes in the knowledge of eternal truth. And indeed, whilst the apostle beareth witness, that God is true, and every man a liar, if it would be the part of an arrogant and presumptuous person to disbelieve the asseveration of a grave and sensible man affirming anything as true, and to urge him to support what he had stated by reasons and authorities; of what temerity and folly would it be for one who hears the word of God himself, to demand reasons for his heavenly and saving doctrine? Faith, therefore, is to be held to the exclusion not only of all doubt, but also of the desire of demonstration thereof.

QUESTION IV

It is not enough for Salvation that we believe. It is also necessary that we make Profession of our Faith

But the pastor should also teach, that he who says, I believe, besides declaring the inward assent of the mind, which is an internal act of faith, should also with open profession of faith profess, and with the greatest alacrity confess, proclaim openly what he holds inwardly in his heart. For the faithful should possess the same [spirit, on which the prophet relied, when he said: I believed, therefore have I spoken; and should follow the example of the apostles, who replied to the princes of the people: We cannot but speak the things, which we have seen and heard. [They should further] be excited by that splendid saying of St. Paul: I am not ashamed of the Gospel; for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth; also, by [those words], by which the truth of this sentiment is especially confirmed: With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

QUESTION V

The Excellence of the Christian faith “in God”

Hence, we may learn the dignity and excellence of Christian wisdom, and how much we owe to the divine goodness: we, to whom it is given at once to ascend as it were by footsteps of faith, to the knowledge of that which surpasses in excellence, and which is most earnestly to be sought.

QUESTION VI

How much the Christian Wisdom concerning God differeth from the Philosophical Knowledge of Divine Things

For in this, Christian philosophy and the wisdom of this world differ much, since the latter, guided solely by the light of nature, and having made gradual advances by reasoning on effects, and on those objects which are at last perceived by the senses, after lengthy toils, at length with difficulty reaches the contemplation of the invisible things of God, and discovers and understands the first cause and author of all things; whilst, on the contrary, the former doth so sharpen the quickness of the human mind, that without difficulty it is enabled to penetrate the heavens, and, illumined with divine splendour, contemplates first the eternal source of light itself, and next, the things that are placed below him; so that, as the Prince of the Apostles says, we experience with the most exquisite pleasure of mind, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable, that we have been called out of darkness into his marvellous light. Justly, therefore, do the faithful profess first to believe in God, whose majesty, with the prophet Jeremiah, we declare to be incomprehensible; for, as the apostle says, He dwelleth in light inaccessible, which no man hath seen, nor can see; for when he spake unto Moses, he himself said: Man shall not see me and live.

For, in order that it may be capable of rising to [the contemplation of] the Deity, than whom there is nothing more sublime, our mind must necessarily be entirely abstracted from the senses; a state for which we have by nature no capacity in the present life.

But although this be the case, God, nevertheless, says the apostle, left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave rains from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. This is the reason that philosophers conceived nothing mean of the Deity; and removed from him everything corporeal,—everything gross, and compound; but ascribed to him the perfect power and fulness of all good, from whom, as from an eternal and inexhaustible fountain of goodness and benignity, should flow every perfect gift to all creatures; calling him the wise, the author of truth, the loving, the just, the most beneficent; designated him also by other appellations expressive of supreme and absolute perfection; and said that his immense and infinite excellence filled every place, and extended through all things. This is much better and much more clearly proved from the sacred Scriptures, as in the following passages: God is a spirit. Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect; All things are naked and opened unto his eyes; Oh! the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God; God is true; I am the way, and the truth, and the life; Thy right hand is full of righteousness; Thou openest thine hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature; and finally: Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy face? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I descend into hell, thou art present; if I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, [even there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me]; and: Do I not fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord? These are great and glorious truths touching the nature of God; and philosophers attained a knowledge of them, from the investigation of the works of God, in accordance with the authority of the sacred volumes. The necessity of the heavenly teaching, however, we also recognize, if we reflect, that not only does faith, as we have already observed, make known clearly and at once to the rude and uneducated those truths, the knowledge of which philosophers only attained by long study, but likewise that the knowledge of things, which is obtained by the discipline of faith, is much more certain, and much more free from error, than if the mind had arrived at the knowledge of those same things, by the reasonings of human science. But how much superior must that knowledge of the Deity be deemed, the access to which cannot be acquired by all in common from the contemplation of nature, but is opened peculiarly by the light of faith unto those who believe? This [knowledge] is contained in the articles of the Creed, which disclose to us the unity of the divine essence, and the distinction of three persons; and also, that God is the ultimate end of man’s existence, from whom we are to expect the enjoyment of heavenly and eternal happiness; for we have learned from St. Paul, that God is a rewarder of them that seek him. How great are these rewards, and whether they are such as that human reason could have aspired to a knowledge of them, we learn from these words of Isaiah, long before [the time of] the apostle: Since the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the ears: The eye hath not seen, O God, beside thee, what things thou hast prepared for them that wait for thee.

QUESTION VII

It is to be professed that there is one God, not more than one

But from what has been said, it must also be confessed that there is but one God, not many gods. For, as we attribute to God supreme goodness and perfection, it is impossible that what is supreme and most perfect can be found common to many. If a being lack anything necessary to supreme perfection, it is by the very fact imperfect, and therefore cannot have the nature of God. This is also proved from many passages of Scripture; for it is written: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; again: Thou shalt not have strange gods before me is the command of God; and again, he often admonishes us by the prophet: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. The apostle also openly testifieth: One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

QUESTION VIII

The name of God is sometimes attributed to created natures, but improperly

It should not, however, surprise us, if the sacred Scriptures sometimes give the name of God to creatures; for when they call the prophets and judges gods, they do so not after the manner of the Gentiles, who, in their folly and impiety, formed to themselves many gods; but they wished to express, by a manner of speaking by no means unusual, some excellent quality or function conferred on them by the gift of God. The Christian faith therefore believes and professes, as is taught in the Nicene Creed in confirmation of this truth, that God in his nature, substance, and essence is one; but, soaring still higher, it so understands him to be one that it reverences Unity in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity. Of this mystery we now proceed to speak.

QUESTION IX

God is in a general way styled the Father of all men, but in a peculiar way the Father of Christians

The word Father comes next in the Creed; but as the word Father is applied to God for more reasons than one, we must first determine what is the more strictly appropriate meaning of the word in this present instance. Some even, on whose darkness faith never showed its light, conceived God to be an eternal substance, from whom things had their origin, and by whose providence all things are governed, and enabled to preserve their order and condition. As, therefore, he to whom a family owes its origin, and by whose wisdom and authority it is governed, is called Father; so, by an analogy derived from things human, God was by them called Father, because they recognized him as the creator and governor of the universe. The sacred Scriptures have also made use of the same appellation, when, speaking of God, they declare that to him the creation of all things, power, and admirable providence, are to be attributed; for we read: Is not he thy Father that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and created thee? And again: Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us?

But God, particularly in the New Testament, is much more frequently, and in a certain sense peculiarly, called the Father of Christians, who have not received the spirit of bondage in fear, but have received the spirit of adoption of the sons of God, whereby they cry Abba, Father; for the Father hath bestowed on us that manner of charity, that we should be called, and be the sons of God; and if sons, heirs also, heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, who is the firstborn amongst many brethren, for which cause he is not ashamed to call us brethren. Whether, therefore, one look to the common cause of creation and providence, or the special one of spiritual adoption, justly do the faithful profess to believe, that God is their Father.

QUESTION X

What mysteries are to be inferred from this appellation of “Father,” and of the distinction of the Persons in sacred things

But the pastor will teach that, on hearing the word Father, besides the meaning which we have unfolded, the mind should be uplifted to the contemplation of loftier mysteries. Under the name of Father, the divine oracles begin to open unto us that which is more abstruse, and more deeply hidden in that inaccessible light in which God dwelleth, that which human reason and research not only could not attain, but even conjecture to exist. For this name implies, that in the one essence of the Godhead not one person only is to be believed, but a distinction of persons. For in one Godhead there are three persons; the Father, who is begotten of none; the Son, who is begotten of the Father before all worlds; the Holy Ghost, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son likewise from all eternity. But in the one substance of the Divinity the Father is the first person, who with his only begotten Son and the Holy Ghost is one God and one Lord, not in the singularity of one person, but in the Trinity of one substance. Now these three persons (for it would be impious to suppose anything unlike or unequal in them), are understood to be distinct only by their peculiar relations; for the Father is unbegotten, the Son begotten of the Father, the Holy Ghost proceeds from both; and we confess the same essence of the three persons, the same substance, in such wise that we believe that, in the confession of the true and eternal Godhead, we are piously and religiously to adore both distinction in the persons, unity in the essence, and equality in the Trinity. For when we say that the Father is the first person, this is not to be understood to mean that in the Trinity there is anything before or after, greater or less,—for far be this from the minds of the faithful—seeing that the Christian religion proclaims the same eternity, the same majesty of glory in the three persons. But the Father, because he himself is the beginning, without beginning, we truly and without hesitation affirm to be the first person; who, as he is distinguished by his peculiar relation of paternity, so of him alone is it especially true that he begot the Son from eternity; for, when in this confession we pronounce together the names of God and Father, it intimates to us that he was always God and Father. But whereas there is nothing in which it is more dangerous to make investigation, or more serious to err, than in the knowledge and explanation of this the most profound and difficult of things, let the pastor instruct the people that they religiously retain the terms “essence” and “person,” by which this mystery is expressed; and let the faithful know that unity belongs to the essence and distinction to the persons. But it behoveth not to inquire with too great subtlety into these truths, when we recollect that he who is a searcher after majesty shall be overwhelmed by glory; we ought to be satisfied with what we know and are assured of by faith, that we have been taught to this effect by God himself; and that to dissent from his oracles is the extreme of folly and misery. He has said: Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and again, There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. Let him, however, who by the divine bounty believes these things, constantly beseech and implore God, and the Father, who made all things out of nothing, and orders all things sweetly, who gave us power to become the sons of God, and who made known to the human mind the mystery of the Trinity,—let him, I say, pray without intermission, that, admitted at some time into the eternal tabernacles, he may be worthy to see how great is the fecundity of the Father, who, contemplating and understanding himself, begot the Son, like and equal to himself; how a love of charity in both, entirely the same and equal, which is the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, connects the begetter and the begotten by an eternal and indissoluble bond; and that thus there is one essence of the Trinity, and a perfect distinction of the three persons.

QUESTION XI

“Omnipotent.” What we are here to understand by the word “Omnipotent”

In order to show with how great religion and piety the God of all holiness is to be adored, the sacred Scriptures are wont to express his supreme power and immense majesty by various names; but the pastor should more particularly set forth, that the attribute of “omnipotence” is that which is most frequently ascribed to God. Thus himself saith of himself. I am the Almighty God; and again, Jacob, when sending his sons to Joseph, thus prayed for them: May my Almighty God make him favourable to you. In the Apocalypse it is also written, The Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty; and elsewhere the last day is called the great day of God Almighty. Sometimes the same thing is expressed in several words, thus: No word shall be impossible with God; Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Thy power is at hand when thou wilt; and many other passages of the same import. From all these forms of speech we can clearly perceive what is comprehended under this single word Almighty. For by it we understand that there neither is, nor can be conceived in mind or imagination, anything which God cannot effect; for not only this faculty (which, although it be of surpassing greatness, nevertheless, in some wise falls within our own comprehension), namely, that all things may be brought to nothing, and that many worlds may suddenly start into existence from nothing; but even far greater things, of which the human mind cannot form the remotest notion, lie within his power.

QUESTION XII

Since God is Omnipotent, he cannot err or be deceived

But although God can do all things, yet he cannot lie, or deceive, or be deceived, or sin, or perish, or be ignorant of anything. Such things are compatible with that nature only, whose actions are imperfect; but God, whose acts are ever all-perfect, is said to be incapable of these, because to be capable of them appertains to infirmity, not to the supreme and infinite power over all things, which he possesses. Thus then whilst we believe God to be omnipotent, we consider that there is entirely excluded from him whatever is not most closely connected, and consistent with, the perfection of his essence.

QUESTION XIII

Why Omnipotence is the only attribute mentioned in the Creed, other names of the Deity being omitted; and concerning the utility of this faith

But the pastor should show how rightly and wisely all other names of God have been omitted in the Creed, and that alone of Almighty proposed to our belief. For when we acknowledge God to be omnipotent, we also of necessity confess that he is omniscient, and all things are subject to his dominion and authority. When we doubt not that all things may be accomplished by him, it naturally follows that we must also be convinced of all other things regarding him, the absence of which would render the manner of his omnipotence altogether unintelligible to us. Besides, nothing contributes more to confirm our faith and hope, than if we have it deeply implanted in our hearts, that all things are possible with God; for, whatever may afterwards be set forth, however great, however wonderful it may be, and however it may transcend the order and manner of things, easily and without hesitation receives assent, when the mind has once received the knowledge of the omnipotence of God. Nay more, the greater are the truths which the divine oracles may teach, so much the more willingly does the mind deem them worthy of belief; nor, whenever we expect any good thing, is our mind broken down by the magnitude of the boon it desires, but is elevated and confirmed by frequently considering that there is nothing impossible to an omnipotent God.

With this faith, then, should we be especially fortified whenever we are obliged to perform any wondrous works for the use and advantage of our neighbour, or when we wish to obtain by prayer anything from God. In the one case, we learn [the necessity of such faith] from the Redeemer himself, who, when rebuking the apostles for their incredulity, said to them: If ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove from hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you; and in the other, St. James beareth witness: Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed about. Therefore, let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. This faith also brings with it many advantages. It forms us, in the first place, to all modesty and lowliness of mind, as saith the Prince of the Apostles: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God. It also admonishes us not to fear where there is no cause of fear, but to fear God alone, in whose power we ourselves and all that we have are placed; for our Saviour says: I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear; fear him, who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. We also make use of this faith in order to know and celebrate the infinite mercies of God towards us; for he, who considers the omnipotence of God, cannot be so ungrateful in disposition, as not frequently to exclaim: He that is mighty hath done to me great things.

QUESTION XIV

The word “Omnipotent” is not here attributed to the Father in such a way that it be not also applied to the Son or the Spirit

But, when in this article we call the Father Almighty, let no one be led away by the error of therefore excluding from the participation of this attribute the Son and the Holy Ghost. For as we say the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Ghost is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but one God; so, in like manner, we confess that the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty; and yet, there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. The Father, however, we for a particular reason call Almighty, because he is the source of all origin; as we also attribute wisdom to the Son, because he is the eternal Word of the Father; and goodness to the Holy Ghost, because lie is the love of both. These, however, and other such appellations, may be given indiscriminately to the three Persons, consistently with the rule of the Catholic faith.

QUESTION XV

“Creator of heaven and earth.” How and why God created heaven and earth

How necessary it is to have previously imparted to the faithful a knowledge of the omnipotence of God, may be ascertained from what we are now about to explain with regard to the creation of all things. For, when no room for doubt respecting the omnipotence of the Creator is left, we the more readily believe the miraculous production of so mighty a work. For God formed not the world from any sort of material, but created it out of nothing, and that not constrained by force or necessity, but spontaneously and of his own free will. Nor was he impelled to the work of creation by any other cause than that he might impart to the things by him created his own goodness; for the nature of God, essentially and supremely happy in itself, stands not in need of anything; as David saith: I have said to the Lord, Thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods. But as, influenced by his own goodness, he hath done whatsoever he pleased, so when he created all things, he followed no external model or form; but contemplating, and, as it were, imitating, the universal model which is contained in the divine intelligence, the supreme Architect, with infinite wisdom and infinite power, attributes peculiar to himself, created all things in the beginning: For he spake, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created.

QUESTION XVI

What is here to be understood by “heaven and earth”

By the words heaven and earth must be understood all things which heaven and earth contain; for, besides the heavens, which the Prophet called the work of his fingers, he also added the brilliancy of the sun, and the beauty of the moon, and the other stars; and, that they may be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, he so ordered the orbs of heaven in a certain and constant course, that nothing varies more than their continual revolution, yet nothing is more certain than that variety.

QUESTION XVII

Of the Creation of the Spiritual Heavens and Angels

Moreover, he himself created from nothing spiritual nature and angels innumerable, to serve and minister unto him; and these he afterwards enriched and adorned with the admirable gifts of his grace and power. For that the devil and the rest of the rebel angels were gifted with grace at the beginning of their creation, is clearly to be inferred from the words of the sacred Scriptures, that the devil abode not in the truth. On which subject, St. Augustine says as follows: He created the angels with a good will, that is, with pure love, by which they might adhere to him, at once giving them a nature, and according them grace. Hence we are to believe that the holy angels never were without good will, that is, the love of God. As to their knowledge, there is this testimony of Holy Scripture: Thou, my Lord, O King, art wise according to the wisdom of an Angel of God, to understand all things upon earth. Finally, to them the inspired David doth ascribe power, in these words: Mighty in strength, doing his commandments; and hence it is that they are often called in Scripture the powers and the hosts of the Lord. But although they were all adorned with celestial gifts, very many, nevertheless, having revolted from God, their Parent and Creator, were hurled from those most lofty mansions of bliss, and shut up in the darkest dungeons of the earth, where they suffer the eternal punishment of their pride. Of them, the Prince of the Apostles thus saith: He spared not the angels that sinned; but delivered them, cast down into the place of torments, into the chains of hell, to be tormented and to be reserved unto judgment.

QUESTION XVIII

On the Creation of the Earth

God also commanded, by his word, the earth to stand in the midst of the world, rooted in its own stability, and made the mountains ascend, and the valleys descend, into the place which he founded for them; and lest the waters should inundate the earth, he set a bound which they may not pass over, neither shall they turn again to cover the earth. He, furthermore, not only clothed and adorned it with trees, and every variety of herb and flower, but filled it, as he had already [filled] the waters and the air, with innumerable sorts of living creatures.

QUESTION XIX

On the Creation of Man

Lastly, he formed man from the slime of the earth, so created and qualified in body, as to be immortal and impassible, not however by the strength of nature, but by the divine gift. But as regards the soul of man, he created it to his own image and likeness; gifted him with free will; and so tempered all his motions and appetites, that they should at all times be subject to the control of reason. He then added the admirable gift of original righteousness, and next gave him dominion over all other animals. From the sacred history of Genesis, the pastor will easily make himself acquainted with these things for the instruction of the faithful.

QUESTION XX

In the words “Heaven and Earth,” all things, both visible and invisible, are comprehended

What we have said, then, concerning the creation of all things, is to be understood by the words heaven and earth, which is thus briefly set forth by the prophet: The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded; and still more briefly by the Fathers of the Council of Nice, who added in their Creed those words: of all things visible and invisible; for whatever things exist in the universe, and were created by God, either fall under the senses, and are included in the word visible, or may be perceived by the mind, and are expressed by the word invisible.

QUESTION XXI

The things created by the Power of God cannot subsist without his Government and Providence

We must not, however, understand that God was in such wise the creator and accomplisher of all things, as to suppose that, when once the work was completed and perfected, those things which he had made could continue to exist unsupported by his infinite power. For as they obtain their existence from the supreme power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator, so, unless his continual providence were ever present unto the things created, and by the same power by which they were first produced, they would instantly return to their original nothing. This the Scripture declares, when it saith: How could anything have endured, if it had not been thy will? or been preserved, if not called by thee?

QUESTION XXII

God, by his Government, doth not overturn the force of Secondary Causes

But not only does God protect and govern all existing things by his providence; but also by an eternal virtue doth in such a manner impel to motion and action whatever moves and acts, and this, as that, although he excludes not, he yet prevents, the agency of secondary causes, for his altogether invisible influence extends to all things, and, as the wise man beareth witness, reacheth from end to end, mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly. Hence the apostle, when announcing to the Athenians the God, whom not knowing they adored, said: He is not far from every one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being.

QUESTION XXIII

The Creation of things is not to be attributed to the Father only

Let thus much suffice, in explanation of the first article of the Creed, with this additional observation, however, that the work of creation is common to all the persons of the Holy and Undivided Trinity; of the Father, whom, according to the doctrine of the apostles, we in this place declare to be Creator of heaven and earth; of the Son, of whom we read in the holy Scriptures: All things were made by him; and of the Holy Ghost: The Spirit of God moved upon the waters; and again: By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth.