Of the divine original, authority, self-evidencing light, and power of the Scriptures. With an…Of the divine originall, authority, self-evidencing light, and povver of the Scriptures. With an…

Sect. 17. It is indeed a great Relief, against the inconvenience of corrupt Translations, to consider that although some of them be bad enough, yet if all the Errors and mistakes that are to be found in all the rest, should be added to the worst of all, yet every necessary saving fundamental truth, would be found sufficiently testified unto therein. But to depress the sacred Truth of the originals, into such a condition, as wherein it should stand in need of this Apology, and that without any colour or pretence from discrepancies in the Copies themselves that are extant, or any tolerable evidence that there ever were any other, in the least differing from these extant in the world, will at length be found a work unbecoming a Christian Protestant Divine. Besides the injury ⟨p. 18⟩done hereby to the Providence of God towards his Church, and care of his Word, It will not be found so easy a matter, upon a supposition of such corruption in the Originals as is pleaded for, to evince unquestionably that the whole saving doctrine its self, at first given out from God, continues entire and incorrupt. The nature of this doctrine is such, that there is no other Principle or means of it's discovery, no other Rule or measure of judging and determining any thing about or concerning it, but only the writing from whence it is taken: it being wholly of divine Revelation, and that Revelation being expressed only in that writing. Upon any corruption then supposed therein, there is no means of rectifying it. It were an easy thing to correct a mistake or corruption in the transcription of any Problem or Demonstration of Euclid, or any other ancient Mathematician, from the consideration of the things themselves about which they treat, ⟨p. 19⟩being always the same, and in their own nature equally exposed to the knowledge and understanding of men, in all Ages. In things of pure Revelation, whose knowledge depends solely on their Revelation, it is not so. Nor is it enough to satisfy us, that the doctrines mentioned are preserved entire; every Tittle and [Greek or Hebrew] in the Word of God, must come under our care and consideration, as being as such from God; But of these things we shall Treat afterwards at large; return we now to the Apostle.

Sect. 17. It is indeed a great Reliefe, against the inconvenience of corrupt Translations, to consider that although some of them be bad enough, yet if all the Errours and mistakes that are to be found in all the rest, should be added to the worst of all, yet every necessary saving fundamentall truth, would be found sufficiently testified unto therein. But to depresse the sacred Truth of the originalls, into such a condition, as wherein it should stand in need of this Apologie, and that without any colour or pretence from discrepancies in the Copies themselves that are extant, or any tollerable evidence that there ever were any other, in the least differing from these extant in the world, will at length be found a work unbecoming a Christian Protestant Divine. Besides the injury