Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BX5151 .B3 1659

(379) forms and words of men. Ix they underhand not a word of God,yet knowing it to be true, they will not quarrel with it, but submit : But ifthey underhand not the words ofmen, they will be ready to fufpeet them,and fo to quarrel with them,and fo the Churches peace will bebroken. Betides, the judgements of men being fallible, many will fufpe& that its poflìble there may be force error in their forms, though we fee them not, and God should be worshiped in the furelt way. Reaf._3. There is no other words that may bepreferred before the words of God, or nand in Competition with them and therefore me thinks this should eafily be decided. Object: But the Scripture loath not forms enough for all the Churches uses. Anfw. It bath matter and Words for luch Forms. Without any additions, Cave only terms ofConne&ion, the fentencesofholy Scripture may fuffice the Churchforall its ufes, as to forms. Ob jeet. But men may fpeale,, untruths inScripture words if they will, andby misplacing and misapplying them, map male themfpeakwhat was never meant in them. Anfw. But 3. When theyufe no expofitory terms of their own, but meerly recite the wordsofScripture,the perverting them-tvill not be fo eafie or common And 2. When they have placed them how they pleafe, the people are left at liberty to interpret them ac- cording to the fence they have in the Scripture, and not accord- ing to what mens mifplacing may Item to put upon them when we professedly makeour formsout ofGods word,we doas it were tell the people that they muff give each fentenceits pro- per interpretation as its meant inScripture, becaufe we pretend not tochange it, but to ufe it. But when its our own words that we compofe our own impofed forms in, the people are left more uncertainof the foundnefs. For the maker is theInter- preter, Objeft. But the Church bathantient venerable forms already; andwhomaypreform toalter them ? flnfw. t ,Hach it any that are more Ancient or more venerable then the Scripture ? undoubtedly it loath not; nor anybut mutt ftoop toScripture. z. All that is in the. 'words of Scripture, we are contented be continued (at lealt.) 3. If it were lawful for the first devifers or compilers of thefe Forms, to C c c z make

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