A Collection of Theological Tracts (Electronic book text)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3REFLEXIONS textit{J i textit{VtOM THE BOOKS Of The HOLY SCRIPTURE, For the Eftablifhing of the Truth OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. CHAP. I. textit{Canctrning the Fundamentals textit{ef tht Christian Religions WE are to confider three things in the Chriftian Religion; the Matters of Faft it propounds to us for true, the Proraifes it affords us, and the Worfhip it commands. -The Matters of Fact it propounds to us as true, arethat God created the world j that he formed the firft man, from whom the reft of mankind have been propagated; that a while after this man was created, he violated the law God had given him; and that whereas he defervedto have perifhed for this his difobedience, God was pleafed, inftead thereof, to comfort him with the hopes of a Saviour which was to be born of the feed of his wife; that God hath actually fent this Saviour into the worldi which comprehends the whole economy of Chrift, viz. his birth, lifc preaching, miracles, death, refurreftion, and afccnfion into heaven, and c. ThePromifes it vouchfafes, are the forgivenefs of ~our fins, the re- furreh'on of our bodies, and ? tte abfolutely happy for ever ia heaven. And laftly, the Worfliip of divine fervice it prefcribes conflits in obedience to the law of God, in prayer for the pardon of our fins, and his protection, and in a grateful acknowledgment of what we owe him for all his benefits towards us. The firft of thefe three parts of the Chriftian Religion, viz. the truth cf the Matters of Fal it relates, may be faid to be the foundation of the other two, viz. thePromifes and commands. It is impoffible to be perfuaded, that God hath created this world in which we live, and made mankind of one and the fame blood; that after the fall he promifed to fave men, and did actually redeem them in fen...