The Ordtr and [redit of Minifterial Teachir~,g. The rJ\![olutio11 of Faith. 719 lamentable work is made by an overmuch crcd:dity and implicit belief of ambitious, worldly, fad::i 4 Thr.Ori!r a~d ous proud and erroneous Guides. That you m<ty efcape both thefe extreams you mull obferve rhe C~td~t.of Mi· rru;h of thefe conclufions following, which ihew you wh!lt it · is that your Teachers have to Reveal ~!~:rh~~ the unto you, and in what Order, and how far tbe fevcral particulars are, or are not to ~c taken upon dothine of their words. f.l!vation. · ~· 13 • And firll, as a?.reparative, it is prefuppofed, I· That you find your fetf ignorant, and one that ncedtth a 1eacher: For H you think you know all rhu you need to know already, you arc like a full bottle tlut will hold no more. 2· It i.~ prefuppofed that you take the man tlut you learn of to be wifCr than your felf 3nd fit to teach you: either b,caufe fame or other mens rcporrs have told you fo ( as the: woman Job. 4· drew the Samaritans to Cluifi ), or becaufe his own Prrfef[to;r of skill doth make you think fo (as you will hearken whim that profdferh to be able to Teach you any Art or Science): Or elfe becauiC your prt{e~tt hearing his difcourfi d1Jth convince you of his Wifdorn : By one of th~fc m~:ans you ar~ brought to thi~k thac he is on.c thlt yo~ may learn of, and is fit for you to bear : ( fo that here IS n~ need that firil: you rake .hnn to be mfalhble, or that you know which is tht 'rue Church, as the P; p1fis fay) Theft are prefuppofcd. . 9· 14 • The Dod:rines which he is ro te&ch you arc thcfe, and in this method to be taught. 1, He t. To know will teach you the natu~al ~rtowledg~ 9[ your fe!(; that being a.m.;n, you are a R~tiont:~.l free agent, yourfelf. made by another fo.r ht~ ~111 and uk, and by htm to be Ruled m order ta your ulumltc: end, being wholly his, and ou h1s d1fpofe. 9. Is· 2· Re will neittteach you that there is a God that made you, and what he is, and what :t. To ki10W' relation he fi:Mldt:rh iu to you. and you to him, as your Cret:~.tour) your Owner, your Ruler and your ? "dfiand Ho,. 'BenefaClor and your E~d: A1~d whar duty you .owe him i~ thcii;: Relations, tO (i.tb'?ic to him ~nd re- •ne,s. fign your felvcs to lum as h1s own, to be obcdtent to all ins L.zwJ, and to LiJve hun and dchght in him: a.nd this with all your hear~ and foul and mighc ; even to ferve him with all the Powers of your foul and B,dy and with your cflates and all his blcftings. . 9· 1 6. 3· He w1ll mxt teach you t~at th1s Go~ hath m1de your fouls Immortal, ;;nd that there· is 3. To know a life aft~r this where cverllfting HappindS or Mfery will be your parr, and where the Great RewardS tb.e Life~o and Pun\(htn:.:nts are executed by the Judge of all the World as men have behaved themfd ves in eartH·. this prefent lifr. That you\ End and happinefs is not here, but in the life to come, aru:l that thU Lifi is the nvy and timt,of prtparation, in which everlallin~ f-hppim:fs is won or lolt. 9· 17 ••Thus far he necdethlflo fupern~tural pr~of ot w~at h: faith ; ~ut can .prove it all to you from (he light of nature: And thcfc thmgi you are no~ pnman!y ro receive of h1m as a Ttjiijitr by tn~:er Bclin.i11g bim; but as a Teacher by Le.srningof him rhe Evidences by which you may by degrees come to know thefe things your felves. 9· 18. Ye< it is fuppoftd that all along you give bim fo much credit as the dilference between his Knowledge and yours cloth require, fo fu as it appcareth to you: As you will hear a P.hyficion, a L 1 wyer, a Ph1lofophrr, or any man with reverence) while he difcourlerh of the matrers of his own profeffion; as cont(jfing his judgement to be better than yours, and therefore more fufpec.ting fOUl' own apprehenfions than his. Not but that the Truth may compe1l you to difccrn ir, though you lhou1d come with rto fuch reverence or refpect to him; but then you ea{\ your felf upon much difaPvantage irrationally: And this humane belief of him is but a medium to your Lrarni.ng, and fo to the: l<.,n(}w.. tedgt of the matfcr: fO"that you do not Hop and refi in his amhority or credibility, but only ufe it in order to your dif,overy of that evidence which you reO: in, which as a Teacher he acquaints you with. ~· '9· Thcfcthing< being thus far revealed by llatur,JiligiJt arc ( ufllllly ) at firfi apprehended by Uaturlll rea[on, not fo as pn:fently to put or prove the {Oul in a fl:1tc of {J.ving guce; but fo as to awaken it to make funher enquiry, and fo when the foul is come fo far as to fee the f.~me trutht by fupernatural Grace in the fup~.:rnatural revelation of the Holy Scriptures) then they be.come more eR'i:– ctua~ and faving, which bdore were known but preplratorily: •And (0 the fame Truths are then both the objc6ts of KnO>vled~e and of jai1h. ~. 20. 4· H._vingacq'..lalnted you w~rh mms ultimlte End and H1ppincfs in the life to come, the 4. to know next thing w be taught you by the Miniftersof Chrifi: is, that [ Chrijt M our Savirmr,. t:~.nd f~ith and th?.tChrifi, rtpentance t:~.nd fincere obedience to be performed by JU thrwz,h hif grt:~.ce, i1 tiJe W3J tiJ He.wen, or the f.urh, Repen-. meant by. rr:J~ich we muff attai~ thM e.nd ]· T~ough the Knowledge of _r~c Preac~ers wifdorn, piety ~~;Ie3~~! is and cred1b1l1ty remoY fame 1mped!mems whtch would make the rcceJvtng of th1s the more diftic~tlt lhe w~y to it. to you, yet you are not tl) take it hardy on his word, as a point of humane faith ; but you are to call for his proof of it, that you may fee better re•fons than his affirm:Jtions for the entertainment of it. ?· 2 ~ . 5· The f>rOdf tlittt, he will give.you is in thefe two Propoftrions, I• God! Revila:ionJ are 'all f. To know true : '2.~~tl)~ir o~Je of Golk'RwcltitironJ: T nis is an argument [TYb.ztfoever God faith if true: BUt thii th.:lrthis is God faitb, Therefore thi! if mu.] To~e hrH Propi.Jfition you 1ue nm to take upon the trull of his True btcaufe word, but tO learn of him as a Tr~chtr to know it in its proper Evidence: For it is the f l)rmal ob- Go~ ~J~h .re– jell of your faith : The ver.,city o( God is fi~/t k,.Mow;: to you, by the fame Evidence and means as ~cf;~is 1~V~rd~ you know that there it aGud: And then it is by the forCe of thiJ that you believe the particular truths which are the materi~l objdlof faith. :!·And the fccond Propofition [that God h..:th re1.1ealed tbi, J i" orderly tO be fir(\: proved, and fo receivtd upon its proper evidence ; and not taken meerly upon )'0\.lr Teachers wo'rd: Yet if you diJ believe Jli'm by a JJHma~te [<~itb as a man that is z z z z likely
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