FART II. Reverend Mr. RichardBaxter. 201 were favingly called, and the Churches gathered without thefe Writings, by the preachingof the Dobtrine which is now contained hi them : And though that be now neceffary to the Safety of the Church and Truth, which was not (o neceffary when the Apoftles were prefent, yet it is unproved that there is more neceffary to the Salvation of every Soul now than was in chafe Days : And his confiderable that it was not only the preaching of the Apollles,. but of ail. other Publifhers of the Gofpel in thofe Times that was in (Jiro genere ) fuf icient for Converfion with out Scripture : Yea, and to the Gentilesthat knew not the Scriptures of the Old Teftament. 2. 1f there be no Salvation but by a Scripture Revelation ; then,.ei- ther becaufe there is no other way of revealing the Marrow of the Gofpel, or be- caufe it will not be Paving in another way. But neither of thefe can be proved true : ( Ergo ) for the latter : T. The Word of God and Doftrine of his Gofpel may fave if revealed ( fuppofing other Neceffaries in their Kinds ): For it 1ùf- ficeth to the formal Objetof Faith, that it be veracitas revelantü ; and to the. ma. terial Obje&, that it be, Hoc verum & bonum revelatum, but it mutt be truly reue_ Tatum, though not by Scripture. Ergo a. God bath promifed Salvation to all that truly believe, and not to thofe that believe only. by Scripture-Revelation ; nor path he any told us that he will annex his Spirits help to no other Revelation. 2. For the former, [That there it now in the World no other way of revealing the Mgt- row of ifieGofpel but by Scripture or from it.] 1. It cannot be proved by Scripture; as will appear when your Proofs are eryed. a. The contrary is defended by molt learned Protellants. . r. A Præcepto, another collateral wayof Revelation-.is commanded. by God Ergo there's another : s. From certain Hillory and,)xperience;. which fpeak -of the Performance of thofe Commands ;, andthe Inflances they give ofboth: are theme ; r. Minifters are commanded, to preach the Gofpel to all Nations before, it was written, and, a Promife annexed that Chrift would be with them to theend of the World : In Obedience, whereunto, not only the Apofiless but Multitudes mAre did fo preach g which was by delivering the great Mailer- Verities which are now in the written Word : This Command is not reverft by the writing of theWord And therefore is hill a Duty, as to deliver the Gofpel Doctrine in and by the Scripture, fo collaterally to preach the Subftance of that Dodirine as delivered from the Mouth of Chrilt and his Apoftles. a. Chrift commanded before the Go, fpel was written to baptize Men into the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Gholi for the Pardon of Sin, upon repentingand believing; and for the hope of ever- lafting Glory upon a holy Life. Thiswas done accordinglyboth before , and mince the writing of theGofpel : And fo the verySum and Kernel of the Gofpel, and in- deed all the true Fundamentals and Elfentialsof the Chrillian Faith, have been molt certainly andconflantly delivered down by Baptifm; as a collateral way.dt Bind from the written Word; which is evident in the very Succellion of Chrifti, ans to this Day. ;. Another means bath been by Symbols, called Creeds and Ca. techifing which was moldy by opening the Creeds ; As Reverend Bithop Ufher path manifefted that the Weilern Creed, now called the Apoftles ( wanting two or threeClaufes that now are in it) was not only before the Nicene Creed; but offach farther Antiquity, that no beginning of it below the ApolilesDays can be. found : So it is pall doubt that in other Words the Churches had (till a Symbol or Sum of their Belief, which was theTeft of theOrthodox, and that which the Ga, .techumeni were to be initru&ed in. Origen, 7ertuhian, freinent, to fpeak of none óf thefe below them, do mention and recite them : The Doctrine of thisCreed they affirm themièlves to have received from the Apotlles by verbal Tradition, as well as by Writing. This then bath been a collateral way of delivering down the Living Truths of theGofpel ; though a far more imperfed way than by. the Scrip- tures. 4. Ariother means hath been by Parents teaching thefe Principles to their Children, which as they were commanded to do, and did before the writing of the Gofpel ; fo did they fucce(Iìvely continue it as a collateral way. p. Another collateral means was in the conitant ufe of the Lord's Supper, in Commemorati- on of Chrilt's Death till he come to receive us to Glory, where the very Suns and ail the Fundamentals of our Religion are contained ; which hath been continued by uninterrupted Succellion, even from the time that preceded the writing of the Scriptures, it is therefore conceived polfrble for force Souls to be converted in darker parts of the World by thefe or fame of thefe means, without the written Word. ;. The-ancient Doc'tors ofthe Chutchaffirmed that theyhad theirpoftrine from the Apoftles by verbal as well as by written Tradition ; Yea, and that if there were no Scripture,yet Tradition might refolve the Doubts atgainit the Here- D d tick.,
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