Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .B39 1670

132 The Lije of Faith. and Officers. 2. And their Canons by which this Difciplinc was exercifed. t 1. Another tradition hath been the publijhed confefons of their Faith and Religion in thofe Apologies, which perfecutions and calumnies have caufed them to write. az. And another is, all thole publyhed confutations of the many herejes, which in every age have rifen up ; and all the controverfies which the Churches have had with them, and among themfelves. 13. And another is, all the Treatifes, Sermons, and other inffru&ie.gwritings of the Paftors ofchofe times. 14. And another way of tradition hach been by the tefi- ntony and fufferings of Confeffors and Martyrs, who have en- dured either torments or dcath, in the defence and owning of thisReligion : In all which waies of tradition, the clothing and the matter were joyntly attefted by them. For the Refur- refiion of Chrifi (which is part of the matter of fad) was one of the Articles of their Creed, which they fuffercd for : And all of them received the holy Scriptures, which declare theApofles miracles; and they received their faith, as deli- vered by thofe Apoftles, with the confirmation of thofc mi- racles : So that when they profeied to believe the docrine, they efpecially profeffed to believe the biftory of the life and death ofChrift, and ofhis Apotiles : And the Religion which they fuffcred for, and daily profefíed, contained both: And the hi(torical Books called the Go#els, were the chief part of the Scripture which they called, The Word of God, and the Recordsof theChriflian Religion. 15. To this I may add, that all the ordinary prayers and praifes ofthe Churches,did continue the recital of much ofado biftary, and of the Apoffles names and atis, and were compofed much in Scripture pbrafe, which prcferved the memory, and profetfed the belief ofall chofe things. 16. And thefeffivals or other days, which were kept inho- nourable commemoration of chofe Apoftles and Martyrs, was another way of keeping `theft things in memory: Whe- ther it werewell done or not, is not my prefent enquiry (on- ly I may fay, I cannot accule it of any fin, till it come to over-doing, and afcribing too much tothem.) But certainly it

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