The Life of Faith. 93 they proved that the Writers of them were guided by the infallible Spirit, in all the proper work of their office ; of which the writing of the Scriptures was a part. r. Therefore fettle your beliefof Chriflianity it fell; that is, o£fomuch as Baptifm containeth, or importeth : This is more eafily proved, than the truth of every word in the Scriptures ; becaufe there arc controverfies about the Canon, and the various readings, and fuch like : And this is thenatu- ral method, which Chrift and his Spirit have dircded us to, and the Apofiles and the ancient Churches uled. And when this is 6rft foundly proved to you, then you cannot juftly take any textual difficulties, to be fuf icient caufe of railing . difficulties to your faith in the effentials : But you may quiet- ly go on in the ltrength of faith, to clear up all thole diffi- culties by degrees. I knowyou will meet with fome who think very highly oftheir own miftakes, and whofc unskilfulnefs in thefe things is joyned with an equal meafure of felt conceitednefs, who will tell you that this method finells of an undervaluing of the Scripture : But I would advife you not to depart from the way of Chrift, and his Apo(iles and Churches, nor tocall your Pelves upon caufelefs hinderances, info high a matter as Saving' Faith is, upon the reverence of the words of any per- verted fa6ious wrangler,nor to elcape the fangs ofcenlorious ignorance. We cannot better juttifie the holy Scrip ures in the true Method, than they can in their falfe one: And can better build up, when we have laid the right foundation, than they can whobegin in the middle, and omit the foundation, and call the fuperftruc&urc by that name. 2. Sufped not all Church-hitiory or Tradition, in an ex- treme oppofition to the Papifts, who cxy up a private un- proved Traditionof their own. They tell us of Apoflolical Traditions, which their own faé}ion only are the keep:rs of and ofwhich no true hiflorical evidence is produced :_ And this they call the Tradition of the Church : But we have another fort of Tradition, which mull not be ncgle led or rejtded, milers we will deny humanity, and rejcta. Chriflia- nity Our;7raditio tradens, or alive Tradition, is primarily nothing but the certain hi:tiory or ufage of the univerfal N 3 Chriítian
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