Baxter - BX1763 B28

( 5 ) Chriflianity, and by what Notices I receive it ; and then I will again confider yours. I take not Chriftianity to be a thing fo hardly to be known,as you would make it; either as to the Being of it, or the Publication. I take it to have its EfJentials, Inte- grals, and Accidentals ; and that thefe are not tobe con- founded : Ifit cannot be readilyknown what Chriftiani- ty is, how (hall we preach it to Heathens ? or how (hall Chriftians be known to others, or themfelves? and who can have thecomfort of an unknownReligion ? You tell us that nothing of it is written in the New Teftament, but the Life of Chrift by four Men, and a few occafïonal Epiítles, &c. But do you think that Chrift himfèlfdid not inftituteChriftianity, and tell Men plainly what it was ? Did not thofe four Men write Chri/l's Docirine as well as his Life ? And is he not the Author of our Faith? Didhe not preach theGofpel ? And do you not call thefe four Books the four Evangelifts ? AndBoth not theGofpel contain and defcribe Chriffiani- ty ? Did not Chrift oft tell us what itis to be his Difci- ples? And were not the Difciples called Chriftians fhart- ly after, as words of the fame fignification ? But what place is there for any doubt, when Chrift himfelf did inftitute Baptifm, and defcribe it ? and command that all Nations being Difcipled fhould be Baptized into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft ; as being the Faith which Difciples muffprofefs ? And do not you to this day profefs, that Baptizing is Chriffening,and that Baptifmwafheth away all fin, (flap- poling the Baptized to receive it as Baptifm, by true Co- venant-confent at leaf%?) Anddothnot Baptifm enter us into the true Church of Chrift ? Sure all this is paff di- fpute ; where then is the difficulty ? Is not a truly bapti- zed

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