contiguous residence, were all united into one church by the Apostles,
and the Savior enjoins it on _all_ his disciples to love one another,
to "be one, as He and his Father are one." Therefore, it was then
sinful to divide and separate true Christians from one another, and
must be so at present, as a general rule. Now, as human creeds, when
extended so as to embrace minor doctrines, on which good men differ,
necessarily do divide, them, such creeds are inconsistent with the
precepts of Christ. The result of these two principles, the duty to
exclude fundamental errorists on the one hand, and the command not to
separate, but to unite the true disciples of Christ on the other, by
reciprocal limitation, affords us the rule, to employ a human creed
specifying the cardinal truths of the Scriptures, but not to include in
it minor doctrines, which would divide the great mass of true disciples
of Christ; nor to introduce more specifications of government or modes
of worship, than are necessary to enable enlightened Christians to walk
harmoniously together.

Accordingly, we find that such was the character of the earliest
uninspired creed of the church, the only one that was extensively
employed in the admission and exclusion of members during the first
three centuries of her history. We allude, of course to the Apostles'
creed, so called, not because the Apostles were at first supposed to
have written it, but because, it confessedly contained doctrines
promulged by the Apostles. This creed, which was for along time
circulated orally among the churches, embraces only fundamental
doctrines, forms less than half a page in the Definite Synodical
Platform, and is believed by all evangelical denominations at the
present time. Here then we have the christian church in her _golden
age_ of greatest purity, the first three centuries, relying on the
word of God alone, with only this brief human creed.

In the fourth century, (A. D. 325,) the Council of Nice adopted a
creed, which is but a paraphrase of the above, following the order of
its subjects, and adding various specifications to repel heresies which
had arisen. Yet even this does not amount to one page in the Definite
Platform. Near the close of the fifth, or perhaps in the sixth century,
the so-called Athanasian Creed was adopted, which would form less than
three pages of the Platform. During the subsequent, centuries of
Romish corruption, different councils made various enactmen