Many there have been, and are, who, through the craft of Satan and the preju- dice of their own hearts, lying under the power of corrupt and carnal interest, have engaged themselves to decry and disparage that excellency of the Scripture which is proper and peculiar unto it. The several sorts of them are too many particularly to be considered; I shall only pass through them in general, and fix upon such instances by the way as may give evidence to the things insisted on.
Those who in this business are first to be called to an account — whose filth and abominations, given out in gross, others have but parcelled among themselves — are they of the synagogue of Rome. These pretend themselves to be the only keepers and preservers of the Word of God in the world, the only " pillar and ground of truth." Let us, then, a little consider, in the first place, how it hath discharged this trust ; for it is but equal that men should be called to an account upon their own principles ; and those who, supposing themselves to have a trust reposed in them, do manifest a treacherous mind, would not be one whit better if they had so indeed.
What, then, have these men done in the discharge of their pretended trust? nay, what hath that syagogue left unattempted ? yea, what hath it left unfinished that may be needful to convince it of perfidiousness ? that says the Scripture was committed to it alone ; and would, if it were able, deprive all others of the pos- session of it, or of their lives. What Scripture, then, was this, or when was this deed of trust made unto them? The oracles of God. they tell us. committed to the Jews under the Old ' Testament, and all the writings of the New; and that this was done from the first foundation of the church by Petei', and so on to the
28Ji THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. -
finishing of the whole canon. What now have they not done, in adding, detract- ing, corrupting, forging, aspersing those Scriptures, to falsify their pretended trust? They add more books to them, never indited hy the Holy Ghost, as re- mote from being S-'J^vsua-Ta, ms ovpaves la-T ocTo yalti; : SO denying the self-evidencing power of that Word, which is truly l^ ovfavoZ, by mixing it with things l^ av^pa^ay, of a human rise and spring; manifesting themselves to have lost the Spirit of dis- cerning, promised with the Word to abide with the true church of God for ever. (Isa. lix. 21.) They have taken from its fulness and perfection, its sufficiency and excellency, by their Masora, their oral law, or verbum aypa(pov, their unknown, endless, bottomless, boundless treasure of traditions, — that -raviroipav (papf^axov for all their abominations. The Scripture itself (as they say, committed to them) they plead, to their eternal shame, to be in the original languages corrupted, vitiated, interpolated ; so that it is no stable rule to guide us throughout in the knowledge of the will of God. The Jews, they say, did it whilst they were busy in burning of Christians. Therefore, in the room of the originals, they have enthroned a translation that was never committed to them, — that came into the world they know neither how, nor when, nor by whom ; so that one' says of its author, "Si quis peroontetur Gallus fuerit an Sarmata, Judseus an Christianus, vir an mulier, nihil habituri sint ejus patroni quod expedite respondeant." All this to place themselves in the throne of God, and to make the words of a translation authentic from their stamp upon them, and not from their relation unto and agreement with the words spoken by God himself. And yet further, as if all this were not enough to manifest what trustees they have been, they have cast off all subjection to the authority of God in his Word, unless it be resolved into their own, denying that any man in the world can know it to be the Word of God unless they tell him so: it is but ink and paper, skin of parchment, a dead letter, a nose of wax, a Lesbian rule, — of no authority unto us at all. O faithful trustees! holy mother church! infallilile chair ! can wickedness yet make any farther progress ? Was it ever heard of, from the foundation of the world, that men should take so much pains as these men have done to prove themselves faithless and treacherous in a trust committed to them ? Is not this the sum and substance of volumes that have even filled the world ; " The Word of God was committed to us alone, and no others: under our keeping it is corrupted, depraved, vitiated: the copies delivered unto us we have rejected, and taken up one of our own choice : nor let any com- plain of us ; — it was in our power to do worse. This sacred depositum had no x.fiTf,pta., whereby it might be known to be the Word of God ; but it is upon our credit alone that it passes in the world or is believed ! We have added to it many books upon our own judgment ; and yet think it not sufficient for the guidance of men in the worship of God, and the obedience they owe unto him?" Yet do they blush? are they ashamed as a thief when he is taken? nay, do they not boast themselves in their iniquity, and say they are sold to work all these abominations ? The time is coming, yea, it is at hand, wherein it shall repent them for ever that they have lifted up themselves against this sacred grant of the wisdom, care, love, and goodness of God !