And thus have I given you a brief account how, by the subtlety of Satan, there are principles crept in even amongst Protestants, undermining the authority of the " Hebrew verity," as it was called of old, wherein Jerusalem hath justified Samaria, and cleared the Papists in their reproaching of the Word of God. Of the New Testament I shall speak particularly in the second discourse ensuing. Murinus, indeed, tells us (De Heb. et Graec. Tex. Sincerit. Exercit., i. cap. 1, p. 5), " It is a jocular thing that the heretics, in their disputations, do grant that there are corruptions and various lections in the Greek and Latin copies of the Scrip- ture, but deny it as to the Hebrew." But why, I pray, is this so ridiculous? It is founded on no less stable bottom than this experience, that whereas we evidently find various lections in the Greek copies which we enjoy, and so grant that which ocular inspection evinces to be true, yet although men discover such virulent and bitter spirits against the Hebrew text as this Morinus doth, calling all men fools or knaves that contend for its purity, they are none of them able to show, out of any copies yet extant in the world, or that they can make appear ever to have been extant, that ever there were any such various lections in the originals of the Old Testament. And is there any reason that we should be esteemed ridiculous, because, believing our own eyes, we will not also believe the testimony of some few men of no credit with us, asserting that for truth which we have abundant cause to believe to be utterly false ? But of these men so far.
I thought, at the entrance of my discourse, to have also insisted on some other ways whereby Satan in these days assaults the sacred truth of the Word of God, in its authority, purity, integrity, or perfection, especially in the poor, deluded, fanatical souls amongst us, commonly called Quakers, for the instruction of the younger sort against whose abominations I have subjoined the theses in the close of the other treatises ; but I am sensible how far I have already exceeded the bounds of a preface unto so small treatises as these ensuing, and therefore,, giving a brief account of my undertaking in this cause of God and his Word, for the vindication of the authority and integrity of it, I shall put a close to this dis- course.
It may be some of you have heard me professing my unwillingness to appear
any more in the world this way. I have not, in some things, met with such
pleasing entertainment as to encourage me unto it. When I have been for peace,
others have made themselves ready for war; some of them, especially one' of late,
1 Giles Finuin, who replied to a work of Dr Owen's upon Schism Ed.
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 293
neither understanding lue nor tlie things that he writes ahout, — but his mind for opposition was to bo satisfied. This is the manner of not a few in their writings: they measure other men by their own ignorance, and what they know not them- selves tliey think is hid to others also. Hence, when any thing presents itself new to their minds, as though they were the first that knew what they then first know, and which they have only an obscure glimpse of, they rest not until they have published it to their praise. Such are the discourses of that person, partly trivial, partly obviated and rendered utterly useless to his purpose by that treatise which he ventured weakly to oppose. I wish I could prevail with those whose interest compels them to choose rather to be ignorant than to be taught by me to let my books alone. Another,^ after two or three years' consideration, in answer to a book of near a hundred and forty sheets of paper, returns a scoflSng reply to so much of it as was written in a quarter of an hour. I am, therefore, still minded to abstain from such engagements. And I think I may say, if there were less writing by some, there would be more reading by others, at least to more purpose. Many books full of profound learning lie neglected, whilst men spend then* time on trifles; and many things of great worth are suppressed by their authors, whilst things of no value are poiu-ed out one on the neck of another. One of yourselves ^ I have often solicited for the publishing of some divinity lectures read at solemn times in the university ; which (if I know aught) are, to say no more, worthy of pubHc view. I yet hope a short time will answer my desire and expectation. Of my present undertaking there are three parts. The first is a subject that, hav- ing preached on, I was by many urged to publish my thoughts upon it, judging it might be useful. I have answered their requests. What I have performed, through the grace of Christ, in the work undertaken, is left to the judgment of the godly, learned reader. The second concerns the Prolegomena and Appendix to the late Biblia Polyglotta. Of this I said often, " Ab alio quovis hoc fieri mal- lem, quam a me, sed a me tamen potius quam a nemine." The reasons of my en- gaging in that Avoi-k are declared at large in the entrance of it. The theses in the close were drawn in by their affinity in subject to the other discourses: and, to complete the doctrine of the Scripture concerning the Scripture, I endeavoured to comprise in them the whole truth about the Word of God, as to name and thing, opposed by the poor fanatical Quakers, as also to discover the principles they proceed upon in their confused opposition to that truth.