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CHAP. XV.
A Short Introduction to the Confession of
Faith.
Having thus largely and evidently performed the chief Part
of that which I promised in this Treatise, in giving a full account of
our Principles in plain Scripture-words; and also answering by the
Scriptures the chief and main Objections made against us; I come to
a Confession of Faith, in which I shall not be so large, for that
I judge it not convenient to make an Inter-repetition of all the
Scriptures before-mentioned, which, if needful, the Reader may easily
observe were not very difficult to do: But whereas a Confession of
Faith, calleth rather for an Affirmative Account of one's own Faith,
than for the Solution of Objections, or any thing of debate in a
discursive Way, which is both more properly and pertinently performed in
a Catechism, therfore I have here only done so. I am necessitate
sometimes to intermix some words for coherence of the Matter, as
sometimes (And) and sometimes (Therefore) and the like;
but not such as any ingenuous Person can affirm, do add to the Matter,
or that may any wise justly be reckoned a Comment or Meaning, and
therefore to avoid the Censure of the most Curious, Carping Criticks;
these are marked with a different Character. Likewise unless I should
have ridiculously offered to publish incongruous Grammar, there was a
true need sometimes to change the Mood and Person of a Verb; in all
which places, whosoever will look to the words, shall find it is done
upon no Design to alter any whit the naked import of them: as for
instance; where Christ sayes, I am the Light of the World; were
it proper for me to write thus, I am the Light, &c.? Or can
it be reckoned any whit contradicting of my Purpose or Promise to
write, Christ is the Light, where the first Person is changed to
the third? Also sometimes I express things which are necessarily
understood, as when any of the Apostles say, We, there instead
of We, I write Apostles; and where they say You,
speaking to the Saints, there I mention Saints instead of it;
for the Connection of the Sentence sometimes requires it; as in the
first Article in mentioning that of 1 John 1:5 concerning God's being
Light, and in such like Cases, which I know no impartial Reader would
have quarrelled, though wanting this Apology, which I judged meet to
premise, knowing there is a Generation, who when they cannot find any
real or substantial Ground against Truth and its Followers, will be
cavilling at such little Niceties, therefore such may see this Objection
is obviated.