1:8 The Life of Faith. r Cot'. 14. & la' and many places : And he that fhould have told them fallly that they tbemfelves had the fpirit of extra- ordinary gifts and miracles, would hardly have beenbelieved by them. And all this all() the following Ages have them- (-elves afferted unto us. The Tuition then which remaineth is, Howwe receive all tin infaUibly from the fubfequentAges or Cburcbes to this day ? The anfwer to which is, frill by the fame way, with yet greater advantages in fame reißells, though hfs in others. As r. We have the humane tetlimonyof all our ancdfors, and of many of our enemies. 2. We have greater evidenceof naturalcer- tainty, that they could not pollìbly meet or plot together to deceive us. 3. We have Rill the fupernaaural divine atteJfation (though rarelyofmiracles, yet) of thole more neccífary and noble operations of the Spirit, in the fancification of all true Believers; which Spirit accompanieth and worketh by the doe rine which fromour anccttors we have received. More difinäly obferve all there conjuntek means of our full reception ofour Religion. a. The very Being of ;be Cbr ans and Churches, is a te- Rimony to us that they believedand received this Religion. For what usaketh thetas Chritlians and Churches but the re- ceiving of it ? 2. The ordinance Of Baptijm, is a notable tradition of it. For all that ever were made Cbrijfians, bave been baptized : And Baptifm is nothingbut the folemn initiation of perlons into this Religion, by a vowed confent to it, as fumtaarily there expreffed in the Chrittian Covenant. And this was ufed to be openly done. ;. The ufe of the Creed, which at Baptifm and other fa- creel feafons, was alwaias wont to be profeífed, (together with the Lords Prayer, and the Decalogue , the fummariesof ourfaith, defire and praaice) is another notable tradition; by which this Religion hath been fent down to following Ages : For though perhaps all the terms of the Creed were not fo early as force think, thusconlantly ufed ; yet all thefenfe and fubfance of it was. 4. The body Scriptures or Records of this Religion, con- taining integrally all the (Whine, andall the neccffary matter of
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