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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 liar 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 ground and pillar 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 synagogue 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 possession of it, or 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 Peter, and so on to the finishing of the whole canon. What now have they not done in adding, detracting, corrupting, forging, aspersing those Scriptures to falsify their pretended trust? They add more books to them, never indited

by the Holy Ghost, as remote from being 0εOTVEVOTE, ὡς οὐρανος ἐστ ̓ ἀπὸ γαίης : so denying the self-evidencing power of that word, which is truly oupavou, by mixing it with things av0pwπwv, of a human rise and spring; manifesting themselves to have lost the spirit of discerning, 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 Massora, their oral law, or verbum, aypapov, their unknown, endless, bottomless, boundless treasure of traditions ; that πάνσοφον φάρμαων 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 percontetur Gallus fuerit an Sarmata, Judæus an Christianus, vir an mulier, nihil habituri sint ejus patroni quod expeditè 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 farther, 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 Erasmus.

a Lesbian rule, of no authority unto us at all. O faithful trustees! holy mother church! infallible 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 complain of us, it was in our power to do worse. This sacred depositum had no кpirńρia, 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 their 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.

Sundry other branches there are of the abominations of these men, besides those enumerated; all which may be reduced to these three corrupt and bloody fountains:

1

1. That the Scripture at best, as given out from God, and as it is to us continued, was, and is, but a partial revelation of the will of God: the other part of it, which how vast and extensive it is no man knows (for the Jews have given us their devreparaç in their Mishna and Gemara; these kept them locked up in

the breast, or chair of their holy father), being reserved in their magazine of traditions.

2. That the Scripture is not able to evince or manifest itself to be the word of God, so as to enjoy and exercise any authority in his name, over the souls and consciences of men; without an accession of testimony, from that combination of politic, worldly-minded men, that call themselves the church of Rome.

3. That the original copies of the Old and New Testament are so corrupted ('ex ore tuo, serve nequam') that they are not a certain standard and measure of all doctrines, or the touch-stone of all translations.

Now concerning these things you will find somewhat offered unto your considerations in the ensuing discourses; wherein, I hope, without any great altercation or disputes, to lay down such principles of truth, as that their idol imaginations will be found cast to the ground before the sacred ark of the word of God, and to lie naked without wisdom or power.

It is concerning the last of these only, that at present I shall deliver my thoughts unto you; and that because we begin to have a new concernment therein, wherewith I shall afterward acquaint you. Of all the inventions of Satan to draw off the minds of men from the word of God, this of decrying the authority of the originals seems to me the most pernicious. At the beginning of the reformation, before the council of Trent, the Papists did but faintly, and not without some blushing, defend their vulgar Latin translation. Some openly preferred the original before it, as Cajetan," Erasmus, Vives, and others. Yea, and after the council also, the same was done by Andradius," Ferarius, Arias Montanus, Masius," and others. For those who understood nothing but Latin amongst them, and

с

b Præf. in 5. lib. Mos.

d Defens. Conc. Trid. lib. 4.

f

c In August. de Civit. Dei. lib. 15. cap. 13. eProleg. Biblica. f Præf. in Bib. in Lat. et passim. g Præf. in Comment. in Josh.

2 B

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scarcely that, whose ignorance was provided for in the council; I suppose it will not be thought meet that in this case we should make any account of them. But the state of things is now altered in the world, and the iniquity, which first wrought in a mystery, being now discovered, casts off its vizard and grows bold; nihil est audacius istis deprensis.' At first the design was managed in private writings, Melchior Canus, Gulielmus Lindanus, Bellarminus, Gregorius de Valentia, Leo Castrius, Huntlæus," Hanstelius," with innumerable others, some on one account, some on another, have pleaded that the originals were corrupted; some of them with more impudence than others. Leo Castrius, as Pineda observes, raves almost, wherever he falls on the mention of the Hebrew text. 'Sed is est author,' saith he, dum in hujusmodi Ebraizationes incidit, vix sui compos; et bono licet zelo, tamen vel ig noratione rerum quarundam, vel vehementiori aliqué affectione, extra fines veritatis et modestiæ rapitur: et si ex hujusmodi tantum unguibus Leonem illum estimaremus, non etiam ex aliis præclaris conatibus, aut murem aut vulpem censeremus, aut canem aut quiddam aliud ignobilius.' Yea Morinus, who seems to be ashamed of nothing, yet shrinks a little at this mans impudence and folly. Apologetici libros, saith he 'sex bene longos scripsit, quibus nihil quam Judæorum voluntarias et malignas depravationes demonstrare ntitur; zelo sanè pio scripsit Castrius, sed libris Hebraicis ad tantum opus quod moliebatur instructus.' In the steps of this Castrius, walks Hunt ley, a subtle Jesuit, who, in the treatise above cited. ascribes the corruption of the Hebrew Bible to the good

parum

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h Loc. Com. lib. 1. cap. 13. i De opt. Gen. Interpt. lib. 1. * Lib. 2. de verb. De 1 Tom. 1. D. 5. Q. 3. m De Translat. Sra. cum Comment. in Isa. Epito. Controv. Contr. 1. c. 8. • Dispunctio Calum. Casaub. P Pined. lib. 5. de Reb. Solom. c. 4. s. 1. 9 Morin. Exercit. de Sincerit. Exerc.1.c.3

r Cap. 10. lib. 1.