A26998:44
The Protestant religion truly stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard BaxterThe Protestant religion truely stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter
The Protestant religion truly stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter ; prepared for the press some time before his death ; whereunto is added, by way of preface, some account of the learned author, by Mr. Daniel Williams and Mr. Matthew Sylvester.The Protestant religion truely stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter ; prepared for the press some time before his death ; whereunto is added, by way of preface, some account of the learned author, by Mr. Danel Williams and Mr. Matthew Sylvester.
London: printed for John Salusbury, 1692
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.
Point 2. Accused, [That in matters of Faith we must not rely on the Judgment of the Church, and of her Pastors, but only on the written word.
Ans. The Deceiver would Cheat the Ignorant by Confusion; and belying the Reformed Catholics: for,
Ans. The Deceiver would Cheat the Ignorant by Confusion; and belying the Reformed Catholicks: for,
1. It's false, that the Reformed hold any of this undistinguishing Assertion. They distinguish between humane Faith and Divine. (And I hope, God and Man may be distinguished.) They say that it must be a Divine Faith (that is, The Belief of Gods word for the Infallible Veracity of God) that must save us, and not the belief of Man alone: But that a humane Faith is needful in Subserviency to a Divine. God hath appointed humane Teachers to the Flocks, and Oportet discentem Credere; He will never learn, that will believe nothing on his Teachers Credit. But he must believe Man but as Man, an imperfect, fallible Creature, yet as like to know more than he that chooseth him for his Teacher; And that which Man is to teach us, is to see the Evidence of Gods own Word, that we may believe it for that Evidence, as our Teachers themselves must do. For if the Teachers do but believe one another, and not God, (or God only for Man's Authority,) this is not Religion, nor Divine Faith, but humane, such as they had that believed Pythagoras, Plato, Mahomet, &c. If Boys learn of ⟨p. 8⟩their School-Master to understand the Greek or Latin Testament, and believe them as to Sense, this is not Divine Faith, but a help towards it. The word of God is Infallible: And by the help of fallible Men, (such as disagreeing Commentators be,) we are furthered for understanding it. But false bloody Usurpers are not the likest to teach us the Truth, nor fittest to be trusted.