A26879:247
The catechizing of families a teacher of householders how to teach their householdsThe catechizing of families a teacher of housholders how to teach their housholds
The catechizing of families a teacher of householders how to teach their households : useful also to school-masters and tutors of youth : for those that are past the common small catechisms [sic], and would grow to a more rooted faith, and to the fuller understanding of all that is commonly needful to a safe, holy comfortable and profitable life / written by Richard Baxter ...The catechizing of families a teacher of housholders how to teach their housholds : useful also to school-masters and tutors of youth : for those that are past the common small chatechisms [sic], and would grow to a more rooted faith, and to the fuller understanding of all that is commonly needful to a safe, holy comfortable and profitable life / written by Richard Baxter ...
London: printed for T. Parkhurst, 1683
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And if any Blasphemer would Father it upon evil Spirits, what a Contradiction would he speak. As if Satan would promote the greatest good, for the Honour of God and Benefit of Man, while he is the greatest Hater of God and Man. And as if he would devise a Doctrine to reproach himself, and destroy his own Kingdom, and bless Mankind; and so were at once the best and the worst.
Indeed the Holy Scriptures do bear the very Image and Superscription of God in their Ends, Matter and Manner, and prove themselves to be his Word: For God hath not given us external proofs that such a Book or Doctrine is his, which is it self no better than humane Works, and hath no intrinsic proof of its Divine Original: qBut the intrinsic and extrinsic Evidences concur. What Book like the Sacred Scriptures hath taught the World the Knowledge of God, the Creation of the World, the End and Hope and Felicity of Man? What the heavenly Glory is, and how procured, and how to be obtained, and by whom? How man became sinful and miserable? And how he is recovered? And what wonders of Love God hath shown to Sinners, to win their Hearts in Love to him? What Book hath so taught Men to live by Faith and the hopes of Glory, above all the Lusts of Sense and Flesh, and to refer all things in this World to Spiritual, Holy and Heavenly Ends; to Love others as our selves, and to do good to all, ⟨p. 42⟩even to our Enemies; to live in such Union and Communion and Peace, as is caused by this Vital Grace of Love, and not like a Heap of Sand that every spurn or blast of cross Interest will separate? What Book so teacheth Man to Love God above all, and to pray to him, praise him, and absolutely obey him with constant pleasure, and to trust him absolutely with Soul, Body and Estate; and cast all our care upon him; and in a word, to converse in Heaven while we are on Earth; and to live as Saints, that we may live as Angels?q
Indeed the Holy Scriptures do bear the very Image and Superscription of God in their Ends, Matter and Manner, and prove themselves to be his Word: For God hath not given us external proofs that such a Book or Doctrine is his, which is it self no better than humane Works, and hath no intrinsick proof of its Divine Original: