A Christian Directory, Part 3: Christian EcclesiasticsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 3: Christian Ecclesiastics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
Julius Cæsar, a William the Conqueror, an Aristotle, a Cicero, an
Augustine, a Chrysostom, and that the laws and statutes of the land
were really enacted by the kings and parliaments whose names they
bear; because the natural and civil interests of so many thousands
that are able to detect it, could never be reconciled here to a
deceit. When judges and counsellors, kings and nobles, and plaintiffs
and defendants, utter enemies, are all agreed in it, it is more
certain to a single person than if he had seen the passing of them
with his eyes. So in our case, when an office was established in the
church, to read and preach this gospel in the assemblies; and when all
the congregations took it as the charter of their salvation, and the
rule of their faith and life; and when these pastors and churches were
dispersed over all the christian world, who thus worshipped God from
day to day; and all sects and enemies were ready to have detected a
falsification or deceit; it is here as impossible for such a kind of
history, or tradition, or testimony to be false, in such material
points of fact, as for one man's senses to deceive him, and much more.
Thus I have at once showed you the true order of the preaching, and
proofs, and receiving of the several matters of religion, and how and
into what our faith must be resolved; and how far your teachers are to
be believed. And here you must especially observe two things: 1. That
there can be no danger in this resolution of faith, of derogating
either from the work of the Holy Ghost, or the Scriptures'
self-evidence, or any other cause whatever; because we ascribe nothing
to history or tradition which was ascribed to any of these causes by
the first christians; but only put our reception by tradition,
instead of their reception immediately by sense: our receiving by
infallible history, is but in the place of their receiving by sight;
and not in the place of self-evidence of Scripture, or any testimony
or teaching of the Spirit. The method is exactly laid down, Heb. ii.
3, 4, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation; which at
the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by
them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs
and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost,
according to his own will?" Here is the sum of what I have been
saying.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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