Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	church_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	15,184	5	9.5685	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26921	Richard Baxter's dying thoughts upon Phil. I, 23 written for his own life and the latter times of his corporal pains and weakness.; Dying thoughts upon Philippians I, 23	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1683 (1683)	Wing B1256; ESTC R2942	256,274	424

constantly used this same Scripture publickly and privately as the Word of God so that it could not be easily altered 2. They all knew that a Curse is pronounced against every one that addeth or diminisheth Which must needs possess them with fear of corrupting it 3. They took it to be the Charter of their own Salvation 4. The work of the Ministers was to expound it and preserve it against Corrupters 5. These Ministers and Churches were over much of the World and could not agree together to corrupt it And if some did it all the rest would soon detect it 6. Heresies and Quarrels were quickly too rife among them So that cross Interests and Animosities would soon have fallen upon the Corrupters 7. Some Hereticks made some adding and corrupting attempts which the Church presently condemned and turned it to their shame 8. In all the Disputations then managed the same Scriptures were appealed to 9. The Translations into various Languages shew that the Books were the same without any Momentous difference 10. To this Day when Sin and Tyranny have torn the Church into many Factions they all receive the same Canonical Scriptures except that some receive more Apocryphal Writings which yet make no alteration at all of our Gospel Faith Quest But doth not this laying so much on Tradition favour Popery Answ No The difference is here 1. Papists are for Tradition as a supplement to the Scripture as if this were but part of the VVord of God and 2. They plead for a peculiar power of being the Keepers and Judges of that supplemental Tradition which other Churches know nothing of But we 1. Plead for the Infallible Practical Tradition of the Essentials of Christianity by itself and in the Creed c. which is less than the Scripture 2. And next for the certain Tradition of the Scripture itself uncorrupted in all that Faith depends on which Scripture is the compleat Record of God's VVill and Law containing more than Essentials and Integrals So much of God 1. Manifested in the Flesh 2. Justified in the Spirit III. He was seen of Angels that is Angels were the Beholding Witnessing and admiring Servants of this great Mystery God manifested in the Flesh 1. Angels preached Christ at his Incarnation 2. Angels ministred to Christ in his Temptations Agonies c. 3. Angels were Preachers and VVitnesses of his Resurrection 4. Angels rowled away the Stone and terrified the Souldiers 5. Angels preached his return to them that gazed up at his Ascension 6. Angels opened the Prison Doors and set the imprisoned Apostles free once and Peter alone afterwards 7. Angels rejoice in Heaven at the Conversion of all that Christ brings home 8. Angels disdain not to be the Guardians of the least of Christs Disciples 9. Angels are protecting Officers over Churches and Kingdoms 10. Angels have preached to Apostles and been the Messengers of their Revelations 11. Angels have been the Instruments of Miracles and of destroying the Churches Enemies 12. Angels will ministerially convoy departed Souls to Christ 13. Angels will gloriously attend Christ at his return and sever the Wicked from the Just 14. Angels will be our Companions in the heavenly Chore for ever Therefore 1. We should love Angels 2. And be thankful to God for them 3. And think the more comfortably of Heaven for their Society 4. And Pray for the benefit of their Ministry on Earth especially in all our dangers IV. The Fourth Article is Preached to the Gentiles The Jews having the Covenant of Peculiarity were proud of their Priviledge even while they unworthily abused it And despised the rest of the World and would not so much as eat with them as if they had been God's only People And indeed the rest of the World was so corrupted that we find no one Nation that as such renounced Idolatry and was devoted in Covenant to the true God alone as the Jews were Now that God should be manifested in Flesh to reconcile the Heathen World to himself and extend greater Priviledges indefinitely to all Nations than ever the Jews had in their state of Peculiarity this was a Mystery of Godliness which the Jews did hardly yield belief to And that which aggravateth this wonder is 1. That the Gentile World was drowned in all Idolatry and Unnatural Wickedness such as Paul describeth Rom. 1. 2. Eph. 2. 3. 18 c. 2. And that God should suddenly and freely send them the Message of reconciliation and be found of them that sought him not is that wonder which obligeth us Gentiles who once lived as without God in the World to be thankful to him V. The Fifth Article is Believed on in the World The effect of the Gospel on the Souls of men in their Effectual Faith is one of the Evidences of the Christian Truth I told you before that the Fifth Witness of the Spirit on the Souls of all Believers I reserved to be here mentioned Here 1. It is a part of the wonder that Christ should be believed on in the World even with a common Faith For 1. To believe a mean Man to be the Mediator between God and Man and the Saviour of the World yea one that was Crucified as a Malefactor this must needs be a difficult thing 2. The very Jewish Nation was as contemptible to the Romans being one of their poorest subdued Provinces as the Gentiles were to the Jews And Christ was by Birth a Jew 3. The Greatness of the Roman Empire then ruling over much of the World was such that by Preaching and not by VVar to bring them to be Subjects to a Crucified Jew was a marvellous work and so to bring the Conquered Nations to become Christ's Voluntary Subjects 4. The Roman and Greek Learning was then at the height of its Perfection And the Christians were despised by them as unlearned Barbarians And that Learning Arts and Empire should all submit to such a King and Saviour was certainly a work of Supernatural Power Christ did not levy Armies to overcome the Nations nor did Victory move them but the Victors and Lords of the VVorld and these no Fools but the Masters of the greatest humane VVisdom were Conquered by the Gospel preached by a sort of inferior men 5. And this Gospel which Conquered them was still opposed by them and the Christians persecuted as a sort of hated men till it overcame the Persecutors It 's true that Heathenism hath the greatest part of the VVorld and Mahometans have as much as Christians But one sort got it by the Sword and the other by the Doctrine and Holy lives of a few unarmed inferiour men II. But I use this of the Extent of Faith but as a probable and not a cogent Argument But the main Argument is from the Sanctifying effect of Faith I know it will be said that many or most Christians are as bad as other men But it 's one thing to be of a profest Religion because it is the Religion of the

Physical evidence of Truth On this account mens agreement about Natural Notices is infallible It seems strange that all the World from Adam's time are agreed which is the first second and third c. day of the Week and not a day lost till now It could not be otherwise Because being a thing of Natural interest and notice if any Kingdom had lost a day by over sleeping or had agreed to falsifie it all the rest of the World would have shamed them Thus all Grecians Latines Englishmen c. agree about the sense of Words for if some would pervert them the rest would detect it Thus we are certain that the Statutes of the Land are not counterfeit For men of cross interests hold their Lands and lives by them and if some did counterfeit them the rest would by interest be bound to detect it Arg. 1. There can be no effect without an adequate cause But in Nature there is no cause that can make all men agree to assert a known falshood or deny a known Truth against all their known interest therefore there can be no such effect Arg. 2. A necessary cause will necessarily effect But where mens known Interest obligeth them to agree of a known Truth this is a necessary cause of certain credibility therefore it hath a necessary effect You know who were your Parents and when and where you were Born c. by such Tradition in a lower Degree This dependeth not on pretended Authority nor on meer honesty but on natural necessity Having premised this I come to prove that we have such Tradition of Physical infallible evidence that the Faith of the present Church in the Essentials is the same which the first Churches received infallibly from the Apostles 1. The World knoweth that ever since Christ's Ascension all that believed in him were Baptized as all Abraham's Covenanting seed were Circumcised And what is Baptism but a Profession of Belief in Jesus Christ as dead risen and glorified and a devoting our selves in Covenant to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost All that ever were Christians by solemn Vow profest this same Faith And this is such a Tradition of Christianity as humane Generation down from Adam is of the same humanity in the World 2. They that were Baptized were Catechized first in which the three Articles of Baptism were opened to them of which Christ's Death Resurrection and Ascension were part And this hath been an undeniable Tradition of the same Faith 3. The Summ of the Christian Faith was from the beginning drawn up in certain Articles called the Creed which expounded the three Baptismal Articles and all Churches on Earth had the same in sense and most in Words and all at Age that were Baptized professed this Creed Which is as full a Tradition of the same Belief in Christ's Birth Death and Resurrection Ascension and Glory as Speaking is a Tradition of the same humane Nature 4. Before Christ's Ascension he instituted the Office of the Sacred Ministry which Friends and Foes confess hath continued ever since And what is this Ministry but an Office of publishing the Gospel of Christ his Life Death Miracles Resurrection Grace c. What else have they done in all Ages in the World So that the Office is an undeniable Tradition 5. Christ and his Apostles instituted the Weekly Celebration of the Remembrance of his Resurrection on the Lord's days Friends and Foes confess the History that the first Day of the Week hath been kept for such Memorial ever since through all the Christian part of the World Which proveth the uninterrupted belief of Christ's Resurrection as a Notorious Practical Tradition 6. Christ and his Apostles ever since his Resurrection instituted Solemn Assemblies of Christians to be held on those Days and at other Times Once a Week was the least through the Christian World And what did they meet for but to Preach hear and profess the same Christian Faith 7. It was the constant custom of Christians in their Assemblies and their Houses to sing Hymns of Praise to Jesus Christ in remembrance of his Resurrection c. Pliny tells Trajan that this was the practice by which Christians were known by their Persecutors Which is a Practical Tradition 8. Jesus Christ instituted and all Christians to this Day have constantly used the Sacrament of Christ's Sacrifice called the Eucharist to keep in remembrance his Death till he come and profess their Belief that he is our Life And as the constant Celebration of the Passover with all its Ceremonies was a most certain Tradition of the Egyptians Plagues and Israelites deliverance more than a bare written History would be so hath the Lord's Supper been of the uninterrupted belief of the History of our Redemption by Christ 9. The Church hath from the beginning had a constant Discipline by which it hath kept it self separate from Hereticks who have denied any Essential Article of this Faith Which is a sure Tradition of the same belief 10. None question but Christians have from the beginning been persecuted for this same Faith and in Persecution made Confession of it Persecutors and Confessors then are both the Witnesses of the Continuance 11. When ever Hereticks or Enemies have written against Christians their Apologies and Defences shew that it was this same Faith that they owned 12. Most of the adverse Hereticks owned the same Matters of Fact 13. The Jews were long before in Possession of the Books of the Old Testament which bear their Testimony to Christ 14. The Books of the New Testament have by certain Tradition been delivered down to this present Day which contain the Matters of Fact and Doctrin the Essentials Integrals and Accidents of the Faith 15. No Enemies have written any thing against the Matter of Fact of any Moment 16. Yea the Jews and other bitterest Enemies confess much of the Miracles of Christ 17. Martyrs have cheerfully forsaken Life and all in confessing it 18. God by his wonderful Providence hath maintained it 19. The Devil and all the Wicked of the World are the greatest Enemies to it 20. The Holy Ghost hath still blest it to work the same holy and heavenly Nature and Life in all sincere and serious Believers Quest This proveth infallibly the Tradition of the same Faith in the Essentials But how prove you that the same Holy Scripture is delivered as uncorrupted Answ All the Bible is not brought down so unchanged as are the Essentials of our Religion When there were no Bibles but what Scriveners wrote no wonder if oversight left few Copies without some of their slips There are hundred of various Readings in the New Testament and of many no Man can be certain which is true But none of them are such as make any difference in the Articles of our Faith or Practice nor on which any point of Doctrine or Fact dependeth And the words are necessary but for the Matter which they do record And 1. All Ministers and all Churches