Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .B39 1670

The Life of Faith. '3' England: And Cure the next Age needed no fupernatural te- himony of it : and therefore neither do we : But yet it is oaaafiorres y oft intimated or exprefled in the Scripture, though on the by, as that which was no further neceffary. Sty that I may well conclude, that we have batter hiflorical evidence that the Lords day was a£tua1y obferved by the Churches, for their publick worfhip and profeffion of the Chriflian Faith, than we have that ever there was fuch aman as William the Conqucrour in England, yea or King lames ; much more than that there was a Cefar or Cicero. 8. Moreover, the very Office of the Pa(fors of the Church, and their continuance from the beginning to this day, is agreat part of the certain tradition of this Religion. For it is moti certain, that the Churches were conhitutcd, and the Afhem- blies held, and the worthip performed with them, and by their condut`, and not without : And it is certain by infallible hi- tiory, that their office hath been hill the fame, even to teach men this Chriffian Religion, and to guide them in the pra- diticeof it, and to read the fame Scriptures as the word of truth, and to explain it to the people. And therefore as the Judicatures and Offices of the Judges is a certain proof that there have been thofc Laws by which they judge (efpecially if they had been alto the weekly publick Readers and Ex- pounders of them) and fo much more is it in our cafe. 9. And the con(fant ufe of the Sacrament of the body and blood of Cbriff, hath according to his appointment, been an infallible tradition of his Covenant, and ameans to keephim in remembrance in the Churches. For when all the Churches in the world have made this SacramentalCommemoration, and renewed covenanting with Chriti as dead and rifen, to be their confiant publick practice here, is a tradition of that faith and Covenant which cannot be counterfeit or falfe. so. To this we may add, the confiant ufe of Difcipline in there Churches : it havingben their confiant law and pra- dice, to enquire into the faith and lives of the members, and to cenfure or cati out thofe that impenitently violated their Religion : which ihewcth, that de faîto that Faith and Reli- gion was then received ; and is ameans of delivering it down to us. Under which we may mention i. Their Synods S 2 mmta

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=