the Popish iniquity have thought it their best Policy to be silent concerning it since that time But my Author will go higher than so aâ—d shake the Authority of the Hebrew and Greek Copies that are extant in the world And well might he contend with the London Ministers as his friends boasted he should if he could prove the word that they preached to be uncertain and their Greek Testaments supposititious Books but though he cannot prove them to be so yet he will give men occasion to suspect them for such witness his Speech aforementioned possibly he might remember the Counsel of the Poet Horatius Si vis esse aliquis facinus aliquod Audeas egregium c. i.e. If thou wouldst be a man of Fame Thou must do something of great name Other Considerations to prove the Purity of the Original Copies of Scripture And now Reader That thy heart may be throughly antidoted against Mr. R's most pestilent suggestion I shall offer thee these following Considerations 1. That Books of another nature are seldom questioned after this manner when did you hear any man making any doubt whether the Books of Plato of Aristotle Hippocrates and of Pliny and Galen Plutarch of Theophrastus and Cicero of Homer and Hesiod of Suetonius and Florus Tacitus and Livy were the writings of those men whose names they bear or whether they are agreeable to those Copies which they wrote at first So that the Writings of Philosophers and Poets Physicians Historians Naturalists Moralists though very ancient shall pass currantly for theirs whose names they go under and are not imagined to be corrupted or altered from what they were at first Mr. R. doth not insinuate any doubt in that case But when it comes to that which concerns our precious Souls that word which contains our rules in Life our comforts at death and our foundations of hope as to a better world hereafter O then his patient heart is moved his Doubts and Fears and Suspicions are suggested he kicks and flings and lays about him extreamly he throws his blackest dust in our Faces that we may have no eyes to see nor no reason to apprehend that those Copies of the Bible which we have among us are the same in sense and substance with them that the Pen-men of Scripture wrote And all because we have not those Original Copies to shew as we have not of the other for he cannot shew us any of Plato's c. hand-writing Is it not manifestly the work of the Devil to cast doubts in mens minds about the one while he raiseth no doubts about the other It seems he can be content to have us believe that other Books are what they pretend to be but he is not so willing that we should believe the same of God's Book and no wonder for he knoweth the belief of that will be more likely to do us good than the belief of the other Argu. 2 2. If the Scripture were corrupted in the Originals it must be by such as believed it to be the word of God or such as did not If he say by them that believed it so to be then I would fain know how those that had so much Religion as to believe it should at the same time have so much profaneness as to go about to corrupt the Copies of it Would not the heart of the wickedest man fail him when he was about such a horrid design if he had but the least thought that it was the Word of his Maker that he set himself to corrupt If he say it was corrupted by those that did not believe it to be the Word of God but looked upon it as a piece of deceit and a politick innovation to keep fools in awe then why should they trouble themselves to corrupt it doubtless they would think it were corrupt enough already and would not much envy the holy Christians any of those delights and comforts which they had in it or from it And if they should ever have undertaken such a work it being that which would require much time and pains to do it to any purpose it must be supposed that they must have had some considerable motives from credit or profit of which no rational account I dare say can ever be given Nor can it be proved that ever any such thing was designed by the enemies of Christian Religion Julian the Apostate Emperor Acerrimus ille Christi hostis as an excellent Author styles him * Zanchius in Tom. 8. Orat. 1. He I say is well known to have been as fit a man to manage such a work as most ever was in the world for he had wit and learning in abundance he had also great power without him and an impenitent hardned heart within him and employed all his power and policy to the ruine not only of Christians but Christianity and accordingly he proceeded in mischiefs by Banishments and Imprisonments fire and Sword and by pulling down Churches and by putting down all Schools of Learning the two latter of which some that go for Christians among us could have wished him good success in yet I have not found that ever he did any such thing as this we are speaking of or that he employed any others about it to corrupt the Copies of Scripture that were in the hands of Christians or to counterfeit it by any other writing He was crafty enough to take other courses against Christianity that were easier to be followed And if any such thing were done how soon would it be discovered If a Protestant should Print some Mass-Books with some considerable alterations leaving out a prayer to the Virgin Mary and putting in a Prayer to Christ instead of it how quickly would the Romanists espy the change how soon would the Bulls roar from Babylon * Revel 17.5.9.18 How many Declarations Manifesto's and Testimonies would be published speedily in the world to prevent the intended mischief and to assure all that were concerned that those Books were not Authentick or Catholick or allowed under the Hands of the Pope's Holiness And do ye think that the Christians in the Primitive times were not as zealous for the Scriptures as the Papist's are for the Mass-Books or that they would not have been as careful to discover such forgeries in or about them if any such things had been A 3d. Argument for the Purity of Scripture c. 3. If the Scripture were counterfeited or the Original Copies corrupted by any it must be by blockish and ignorant Persons or by Men of considerable Wit and Learning The former would not undertake such a work or if they should they could not manage it and carry it on Nor may we well imagine the latter for certainly Men of wit in any tolerable sense could not but apprehend the difficulty of such a work the Copies being dispersed among Christians that valued them more than all the wealth of the World and would be as careful to preserve
evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse 2 Tim. 3.13 deceiving and being deceived Behold therefore that which follows and read it deliberately if thou canst read it without horror p. 76. line 13. p. 76. R. Many boast of God's preserving the Hebrew and Greek Bible c. Mr. R.'s Horrid Speech But as he was pleased to deliver up Christ and his People so hath he delivered the Scriptures also into the hands of Sinners to be used at their pleasure Oh Mr. R. which way are you tending whither do you mean your Pen shall run What can you think of these black words Examined or what spirit can you suppose did inspire you with them You seem to have a design to shake the foundations of all Piety and Religion as well as the Pillars of Hell-Torments for that end I confess your speech is very proper for if the Scripture be corrupted as to the main in its perfection and purity as your words seem to suggest then farewel to our Religion our Faith to use your own smooth phrase must needs reel and stagger and stumble as having no ground to stand upon You professed to write your Book for the glory of God in your Title page and I beseech you let it be considered whether it tends to God's glory to bring the Authority of his Word into question And as you desire to comfort sinners so methinks you should have more love towards Professors than to lead them to infidelity in hopes of winning them to your own Opinion God hath delivered the Scriptures into the hands of sinners to be dealt with as they pleased i. e. to be depraved and corrupted how themselves would O monstrum horrendum informe ingens A bold Man indeed He is Doctor Resolutus though not Durandus He is resolved to carry it He will turn all things Arsie versie and weaken the Scripture's authority if it will not stand on his side like him in the Poet. Flectere si nequeat superos Acheronta movebit i.e. More ways than one He will try all If God will not him help the Devil shall But Reader fear not too much his fearful Assertion though it be fierce yet 't is but weak yea notoriously false All those Arguments which Protestants use to prove that the Scripture is not imperfect of such the Learned may see Polanus Scharpius Bishop Ushers Body of Divinity p. 17. Gerrardus de S. Scriptura and others and the meer English Reader may consult those in the Margin * Mr. Leigh's Treatise of Divinity l. 1. cap. 6. p. 116. Proofs that the Scripture is not corrupted by men I say all those Arguments will serve against my Author in this particular as well as against the Papists in the other I shall now urge one or two Arguments in the case If men had corrupted the Scriptures and made them speak in any points of Divinity otherwise than at first it must be supposed to have been done before the coming of Christ in the flesh or after If before surely Christ who taxed many other errors in the Jews would not have suffered such a wickedness to pass without Reprehension And 't is not unknown how careful the Jews were in keeping the Oracles of God committed to them And that they were not corrupted since the Death of Christ is clear for Copies being dispersed in the world more and more one age after another how could such a thing be acted by some but others would soon discover it And it may not be doubted but God's Providence did watch somewhat extraordinarily as to this matter which so much concerned his own glory and the good of his people to the worlds end Surely he that so often discovers those that have corrupted the Coin of Princes and States would not conceal those long that should attempt to corrupt and pervert his Sacred Laws And here I shall borrow an excellent passage of the worthy Mr. R. Baxter Saints Rest part 2. cap 4. Sect. 6. in the last page of the cited Section which may shame all the wittiest men of Mr. R's Religion as to the point If any man saith he be so blind as to think it uncertain whether these be the same Books which the Apostles wrote I would ask him by what assurance he holds his Lands 1. How doth he know that his Deeds Conveyances and Leases be not counterfeit writings or that they are the same that their Fore-fathers made Surely they have nothing but mens words for it and yet they verily think their Lands are their own 2. And whereas they hold all by the Law of the Land how know they that these Laws are not Counterfeit and that they are the same Laws that were made by such and such Kings and Parliaments long ago They have nothing but mens words for all this And yet if this be uncertain then any man may be turned out of all he hath as if he had no certain Tenure And is it not certain that those Laws that are kept and practised throughout the Land cannot possibly be counterfeit but it would have been publickly known And yet a word in a Statute Book may be false Printed And much more certain is it that the Scriptures cannot be counterfeited because it is not in one Kingdom only but in all the world almost that they have been used and the Copies dispersed and Ministers still in Office to preach them and publish them So that they could not be generally and purposely corrupted except all the world should have met and consented together for that end which could not be done in secret but all must know of it And yet many Bibles may be here and there misprinted but then there would be Copies enough to Correct them by So that if it be uncertain whether these be for substance and in the main the same Books that the Apostles writ then nothing in the world can be certain to us but what we see and why we may not as wisely question our Eye-sight I do not well know So far that Learned person And after all this The Author's Proofs I shall add something more to this same end for it is hard to speak too much in such a case farther to confirm the Faith of the weak Christian against the attempts of this mighty Shaker who I think hath out gone most of the Shakers that have went before him Gregory Martyn that grave profound Popeling in Queen Elizabeths Reign did practise this Art with the greatest care and skill he had and discovered if he did not lye a great many gross corruptions in our English Translation to the advantage of our Heresies as he calls it But since the Learned Dr. Fulk * In his defence of the English Translation against Gr. Martin hath took him in hand and shook him soundly for his pains he was never able to recover himself so far as to write any thing more for that purpose and his Brethren in
History of the six days work of the Creation of Angels therefore there be no such creatures in the world If Mr. R. denies the proposition he must forget the first of Genesis or shew us some place of it that mentions the making of Angels Mr. R's first consideration proves as well that there is no Angel which he cannot do If he deny the consequence he must disparage the Learning of no less man than himself for his is just of the same complexion There is no mention of a Hell in the six days works therefore there is no Hell so that if this consideration will prove there is no Hell it will also prove there is no Angel and consequently no Devil neither for Devils are confessed to be no other than wicked Angels or Spirits and if so the Damner's imprecation the Devil take me will be only Nonsense and not profaneness or wickedness Nor Heaven of Glory 2. May he not at the same charges prove as well that there is no place of glory for the Righteous as that there is no place of torment for the Wicked for 't is a question whether the Heaven of Glory be mentioned in the first of Genesis or not It is said indeed there God created the Heaven but the Hebrew is rendred by Fagius Vid. Synops Crit. in Gen. 1. Coelum hoc i. e. This Heaven that is the visible Heaven and other good Divines are not afraid to say that Moses in that Chapter meant only to reckon up the visible works of God in the former part of it and yet I shall not doubt whether there be another Heaven above that because I am not certain that any such is intended in that place but do believe it because of the Testimony of other Scriptures and so will I believe there is a Hell because it is mentioned in other places though it be not in the first of Genesis His second Consideration is no less vain than the former as thus R. Solomon was the Wisest of men p. 114. and yet in his writings he mentions no Hell nor any everlasting Punishment c. which he would have done if he had known of them B. What doth he think of Proverbs 15.24 The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from Hell beneath Doth not Solomon speak of Hell in that place or can he perswade us that it means no more than the grave when experience shews that the best and wisest do not scape that no more than the worst yet that Hell there mentioned is manifestly supposed to be such as the wise walking in the way of wisdom may certainly escape 2. Christ was wiser than Solomon himself Matth. 25.46 and he hath told us of everlasting punishment whether the other hath or not 3. Solomon speaks not at least not plainly of the Deity of the Holy Ghost of the union of the Divine and Humane Nature in the person of Christ or of the imputation of his Righteousness to believers yet Christians have believed those points and I hope the Socinians shall never baffle us out of our Faith therein In a word though Solomon were the wisest man yet God never intended that all Truth should be comprised in the small Books that he hath written In his Third Consideration p. 115. he tells us out of the Hebrew Doctors writings of the seven thousand years in the world to come in which all Souls shall be blessed If such a piece of Jewish learning be pleasing to such a Rabbi as Mr. R. yet that 's little reason why I or other Christians should be in love with it and I think it more worthy to be slighted than to be answered And that which he concludes with The Jews were great searchers of Scripture and if everlasting punishment were to be found therein they would have seen it This I say is as little to be regarded for no wise Man ever thought that the Jews ever saw or acknowledged all Scripture-truths they had as many errors and weaknesses as other Men. p. 116. R. The Saints recorded in Scripture did not believe there was any punishment for any to endure that shall never end for in their penitential confessions they do not confess such punishment to have been deserved by them Dan. 9 To us belongs confusion of face This is his fourth Consideration p. 117 118. And in the following Lines we have the second part of it to the same Tune in these words We do not find that ever they gave thanks for such a deliverance or so much as prayed for it which yet could not but appear the greatest deliverance if they had known of it B. The substance of this Reasoning is thus The Saints did not confess any Everlasting Punishment to be deserved by them c. I answer Yes they did implicitly confess so much for in the Text he mentions in 9. Daniel To us belongs confusion of face it is not limited to temporal confusion and therefore may fitly be extended to Eternal confusion Psal 44.23 Psal 44.23 They pray thus O cast us not off for ever which was an acknowledgment that God justly might have cast them off for ever for their sin And in Psal 79.5 Lord wilt thou be angry for ever Is not that an acknowledgment that he might pour out his anger upon them i. e. punish them for ever for their sins And if it were as he would have it the Argument would prove but little for the Saints in Scripture did not expresly confess that they deserved to be given over to the Devil's Tyranny to be possessed and terrified and tormented by him and yet Christians will not doubt but their sins deserve so much To the 2d part And the other may be answered as easily for though I should grant that the Saints in Scripture did not expresly give thanks for their deliverance from endless punishment yet that is far from proving that there is no such thing for they did not give thanks in that manner for Heaven it self and their appointment to it yet we are very sure that there is a Heaven and that they are appointed to it 2. I do not remember that ever they said we give thee thanks O Lord for giving us thy Holy Spirit to instruct us and yet the Text tells that it was so in those very words Nehem. 9.20 Thou gavest also thine Holy Spirit to instruct them And yet they could not but know that it was a very great benefit to allude to my Author's expression Nor did they pray expresly and in Terminis to be delivered from evil spirits and their malice and violence Yet I verily believe they want not will nor power to do us violence every Hour in the Day if our God did not over-rule and restrain them Consid 5. R. Christ when on Earth did weep for the Jews p. 119. because of that desslation that was to come upon them would he not much more