Tbe Order and IR.!Joltltion o{ Faith. How far IJumane Faith conduceth to DilJine. 721 ccrtainer j)fcferving them to the Churches ufe. · 4•.That Churches were plant.cd, and fouls COnverted and confirmed by them in the firfl ages, many ol whom did fcal them with their blood. 5· That there have been a fuccdlion of fuch Churches as have adhered to this Chrifl and Gofpel. 6. That this which we call the Bible is thac very Book containing rhofe {acred \Vritings fme-rncntioned. 7• That it h:3.th been fiill copyed out, and prefervcd without any {uch depravation or corruption as might frufirate its ends. 8. That the Copies arc fuch out of which we have them Tranflared, and which we ilH:w. 9· That they are fo truly tra1rjl.;ted as to have no fuch corruptiotlS or- mifhkcs, as to frufiute fhtir ends, or make them unapt for the work they were ap– poinrcd 1to. 10. That thefe particular words are indeed here written which we read; and· thefe particul:n Ootfrincs containing the E!Tentials of Chrifiianity, together with the rell of the rr 1 aterial objel.ls of faith•. §. 26'. All the\c ten partiCulars are matters of fatl that are rneerly fiebfervient to the conftit'Hting– principleJ of our faith; but yet very needful to be known. Now the queHion is, How thefe mull be known, and received by U!t, fo as not to invalidare our faith? And how far our Teachers rnufi b:: here believed ? And tirl\ it is very ufeful to us to enquire, How fo many of lh<.J.: matters of faCt as were then exiftent were known to the tirtl ChriHians? As How knew they In thofe dayes that there were fuch perfons as Chrifl and his Apoflles 1 that they preached (uch Dodrincs, and {j>ake fuch Languages, and did fuch 'Narks, and that they wrote fuch Books, and fent fi1ch Epi.filcs to the Churches, and that ChurcheS were hereby converted and confirmed, and Mutyrs fealed this wirh their blood ; &c. Its eafic to tell how they were certain of all thefe: Even by their own t]ts, and ear!, and {tnjih!e vbfervation, as we know that there are Englifl1men live in Engl:Jnd : And th()fc chat were remoter from forne of the matters of fact, knew them by fuch rrport ()f chafe thlt did fee them, as thofe among us that never faw the King, or Court, or his Rcfloration, do know that fuch a thing there was, and fuch a perfon there is. Thus they knew it then. ~ · 27. From whence [ note, 1. That in thofe dayes it was nor n.:cclfaty to the being of true faith, that a11y fupernatural tdlimony of the Spirit, or any Ot.her fort of proof, than thdr very fenft:s and reafon, thOl\ld acqu1inr them with thofe matteTJ of f,ztl which they were eye·witndfes of. 2· That credible report or hiftory was then the means fOr !lOY qne that Jaw r:ot a matter ot faCt ro know as much as rhey tlut faw it. 3· That therefOre this is now the way alfo of producing faith : Some things we have yetfigbrand finfe {or: as that fuch Bibles, and fuch Churchesare exificnt; thar fuch holy elfeel:s this DJcrrine hath upon the foul (which we fee in others by the fmits; and after feel in our' felves : ) The refi we rnufi know ~y Hillory, Tudition, or Report. · §. 28. Arid in the reception of thefe bijloricalpaffagts note further, r. That huma11e belief is here a naturaL) neccffury means to acquaint us with the matterof omDivine bclitf: 2. That there arc va- By all this iris rious d,grecs of this belief, and fame need more of it bY fai than athers, according to the various eaGc to gather degre~s of ihe,ir ignorance: As he that cannot read hirnfclf, mufl know by humane belief ( in great wbc(her aP~pur) that the Preacher rcadeth truly, or that fuch words indeed arc in the Gofpe1 as he faith arc: ~?' maylr do there : But a literate perfon may kriow this by his eye·fight, and not take it upon trufi. So he that a;i:~:orS.1~~ undcrftandeth not H tbiCW and Greek, mu(l take it ·upon trufi that the Scripture is truly tranflated : Grotiu deIm'. Bm another that underf\aqdeth thufe Tongues, may fee it with his eyes. 3· HJ(lory bting the pro- P· 190,_:9t.· per means to know matters of fact that arc done in times pall, and out ot .our fight, the fame inram ~llud. dunry rhat is necdfuy to a thorough acqu3.itlfance with otlur Hijlory) is nccdfary to the fame ac~ pe?-~!iul~ufu~ quaintanEe with this~ 4· 1hat the common beginning of receiving all (uch hiftorical truths, is cir, per fe · tirft by Believi11g QUr Teachers fo far as becomech Learners, and in the mean time: gcJing on ro Learn f. u,re l•ide– lill we come to know ~s much as they, and upon the fame hillorical Evide~ce. as tht')'• 5· Thaf ~f ~~;~~J:~t e::r~ ~ny man be h~re necdluatcd to take rnorc.than othe1s upon t.he tru~ or b~l1tf of thetr T~:achers, H tinets.Cbo~es JS long of thctr Ignor(lncc : and therefore tf [uch cry out agamfi thc::1r rakmg things on trufi, it is guarum cJuf 1 like a mad mans raving againfl them that would order him: or as if one: fhould reproach a Nurfe c~::Je~s .Pro– for feeding Infants, and not letting them feed themfe.lvcs. Oporltt difcemem crrderr: Pit: that will ~Jmafi '\ JUre not believe his Teacher will never learn. If aChild will not believe his Mafler, that rells himwhich v:~t: m:r:~. 1 en. are the Letters, the Vowels and Confonants, and what is their power, and what they fpeil, and what llloul~·y;b:ur every word fignitieth in the LaBguage which he"is teaching him, will he be ever rhe better for his after fuch m.:~.teac~ing? 6. That he ~hat knowerh thefe hi~o~ical maue~s no .othcrwife than by rh~ belief of his ~td(: :~.r.d particular Teacher, may ncveithelefs have a Dtvme and favmg fatth: For though he believe by a b 11 • t,-:H ~nets' m.:mef.Jitb that tbrfetbingt n:rredone,that thMUthe[.tme Book..,, &c. ycthcbelieveth thc(jofpd it b: a~J? t~:t;' fclf ( thus brought to his knowledge) becaufc God » trwe that hath attdled ir. Even as it w3s a flaod if their faving fait-h in Msry and l\1artba that knew by their CJU and eau, and not only by Belief. that Laz.a- P:~fton be r~U was raifcd, and that Chrifl preached thus and thus to them : but believed his Doft:ine to be true 1~eJd 0~ l::tk~n bccaufc ofGodJ Veracity who atreHedit. 7· !hat it is the great wifC!om and mercy of God !O hi; [e~-f~,~~i~ ,' weak and ignora1~t people, .to prov~de the~ Teachers to a~quaint t~em w~th thefe , things, and to yea, or forfake vouchfafe them fuch a help to thetr falvat.ton; as to make It a fb.ndmg Office in his Church to the 1he truth tnd of the world, that the Infants and ignorant _might not be call off, but have l''athers, and Nurfes, ti~7;;el~~i;. and Teachqs to take caie of them. 8. But fpec,aUy.tmarlt, thar yet theft Infants have much difad- f 1 ith of the vantage in comparifon of others, that know all thc[c matters of fact by the fii,lllc convincing cvi- people in dcncc as their Teachers~ And that he that ft:>lloweth on to learn it as he ought, may come: w prove 1t~~\;;~~: c~, oand 01hen mi~ht n0t be. ord.:dned .in ~he-_ir firad~: lmer hxc um.en D~i populus in fide conGHens, ute-x:~mina :~pum cer;:;e:r~ifi~~: tta manfivnes, crtfccndo mellm fidct dav;.cuhs lirmabawr. Qu:mtv magt~ :~.ffhgrbantur, t:.nto mlgis mil!tiplicabJntur. VitfDr p. 3 sa. · Zzzz 2 thcfe
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