The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

3. That de facto the Apostles appointed the use of the Lords day for the Church Assemblies: This being all that is left to be proved, and this being matter of fact, which ⟨p. 130⟩requireth no other kind of proof but history, part of the history of it is in the Scripture, and the rest in the history of all following Ages. In the Scripture it self it is evident, that the Churches and the Apostles used this day accordingly: And it hath most infallible history (impossible to be false) that the Churches have used it ever to this day, as that which they found practised in their times by their appointment: And this is not a bare narrative, but an uninterrupted matter of public fact and practice: So universal, that I remember not in all my reading, that ever one enemy questioned it, or ever one Christian, or Heretic denied, or once scrupled it. So that they who tell us that all this is yet but humane testimony, do show their egregious inconsiderations, that know not that such humane testimony or history in a matter of public constant fact, may be most certain, and all that the nature of the case will allow a sober person to require. And they might as well reject the Canon of the Scriptures, because humane testimony is it which in point of fact doth certify us, that these are the very unaltered Canonical Books, which were delivered at first to the Churches: Yea they may reject all the store of historical tradition of Christianity it self, which I am here reciting to the shame of their understandings.

3. That de facto the Apostles appointed the use of the Lords day for the Church Assemblies: This being all that is left to be proved, and this being matter of fact, which ⟨p. 130⟩requireth no other kind of proof but history, part of the history of it is in the Scripture, and the rest in the history of all following Ages. In the Scripture it self it is evident, that the Churches and the Apostles used this day accordingly: And it hath most infallible history (impossible to be false) that the Churches have used it ever to this day, as that which they found practised in their times by their appointment: And this is not a bare narrative, but an uninterrupted matter of publick fact and practice: So universal, that I remember not in all my reading, that ever one enemy questioned it, or ever one Christian, or Heretick denyed, or once scrupled it. So that they who tell us that all this is yet but humane testimony, do shew their egregious inconsiderations, that know not that such humane testimony or history in a matter of publick constant fact, may be most certain, and all that the nature of the case will allow a sober person to require. And they might as well reject the Canon of the Scriptures, because humane testimony is it which in point of fact doth certifie us, that these are the very unaltered Canonical Books, which were delivered at first to the Churches: Yea they may reject all the store of historical tradition of Christianity it self, which I am here reciting to the shame of their understandings.