126 'Ihe Life of. Faith. they tbemfelves received it in a way fo natural, (though not without the help of Gods Spirit, in the remembring, record- ing and atte!ting it) we that can lets pretend to infpiratian, or immediate revelation, have (mall reafon to think that we mutt know the fame falls, by either of thofe fupernatural waies. Nor can our knowledge of a biffory, carryed down through fo many ages, be fo clearly fatisfadory to our feives, as fight and hearing was to them. And yet we havea certainty, not only infallible ; but fo far fatisfaiïary, as is futi lent to warrant all our faith, and duty, and fufferings for the reward which Chria hath fer before us. Let us next then enquire, How did the fire Churches know that the Apeffles and other Preachers of the Gold did net de- ceive them in the matter o f fain ? I anfwer, They had their de- greesof affurance_ or knowledge in this part of their belief. a. They had the moil credible humane reffimony ofmen that were not like todeceive them. But this wasnot infallible. z. They had in their tetlimony the evidence of a natural certainty: It being naturally impoffible, that fo many perform fhould agree together to deceive the world, in fuchmatters ofree, at fo dear a rate, in the very place and age when the things were pretended to be doneand faid, when any one might have prefently evinced the falthood, if they had been lyarskabout thetwice feeding ofmany thoufands miraculoufly, and the railing of the dead, and many other publick miracles, and the darknefs at his death, and the rending of the Rocks and Vail of the Temple, and the Earth- quake, and the coming downofthe Holy Ghofi upon themfelvcs ; with many the like they would have been dctet`ked and confuted to their confufion : And we fhould=have read what Apologies they made againfi fuch detections and confutations! And force of them (at' leaf} at their death) would have been forced by confcience, to confefs the plot. 3. But to leaveno room for doubting, God gave thofe fief} Churches, the additionof his own fupernatural atteffation, by the fame threefold imprefs ofhis Image before defcribed : t. In the holy Wifdom and Light which was in their doctrine. 2. In the holy Love, and Piety, andPurity, which was confpicuous in their doariue, and in their liver. 3. And in the evidences of
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