Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .B39 1670

The Life ofFaith. 97 CHAP. III. The Evidences of Faith. THcfe things in the Order of your enquiry being prefup- pofed,proceed to the confidcration of the Evidencesthem- (elves, which fully prove the Chrii(lian Verity : And here (omitting the preparatory confiderations recited at large in my [Beaton., of the Cbriftian Religion] I (hall only let before you the grandEvidence it felf, with a brief recital of fome of thole means, which bring it down to our notice in thele times. The great infallible witnefs of CHR IS T, is the SPIRIT of G 0 D, or the HolyGboft : Or that divine operation of the Holy Spirit, which infallibly proveth the atteftation ofGod bimfellf, as intereffing him in it, as the prin- cipal caufe. As we know theCoin of a Prince by his image and ¡uper. fcripsion, and know his as by his publick proper Seal: And as we know that God is the Crcatour of the world, by theSeal ofhis likenefs which is upon it : Or as we know the Fatherof achild, when he is fo like him, as no other could be- get : So knowwe Cbrift and Cbriftianity tobe ofsod, by his unimitable image or in/pre/Pm The Power,Wefdom andGoodneß ofGod, are the effentiali- tics which we call theNature ofGod : Thele in their proper form, and t ranfcendent perfe Sion, are incommunicable : But when they produce an effed on the Creature, which for the refemblance may analogically be called by the fame names; the names are logically communicable, though the thing it felt- (which is the Divine Effenceor Pcrfedions)bc (fill incommuni- cable But when they onlyproduce effcds more hetcrogencal or equivocal, then we call thole cflèds only the foot/hp' or demon/frations oftheircaufe., So G0D, whole Power, Wif- does and Goodnefs in it MI is incommunicable, hath produced intelleiivalnatures, which are.fo like him, that their likenefs is called his Image; and analogically (yet equivocally) the created faculties of their Porter, dntelea and WiA1 are called .. 0 by

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