TroposchemmalogiaTroposchēmalogia

Answ. Those Books mentioned in the Old Testament, were either Books of a common Nature, and not divinely inspired; or else they are yet extant under another Name: For how do we know, but the Books called Samuel might be written partly by himself, whilst he lived, and partly by Gad and Nathan, after his Death. And for the other Writings of Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo, they may very probably be the same that we call the Books of the Kings. And for that Epistle to the Laodiceans, the Original is, [Greek or Hebrew], [from] (not [to] as some Translations would have it) Laodicea: And 'tis probable it was some Letter written from the Laodiceans to Paul, wherein there might be something that concerned the Colossians, and therefore the Apostle advised them to read it.

Answ. Those Books mentioned in the Old Testament, were either Books of a common Nature, and not divinely inspired; or else they are yet extant under another Name: For how do we know, but the Books called Samuel might be written partly by himself, whilst he lived, and partly by Gad and Nathan, after his Death. And for the other Writings of Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo, they may very probably be the same that we call the Books of the Kings. And for that Epistle to the Laodiceans, the Original is, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, [from] (not [to] as some Translations would have it) Laodicea: And 'tis probable it was some Letter written from the Laodiceans to Paul, wherein there might be something that concerned the Colossians, and therefore the Apostle advised them to read it.

Object. 3. But the Papists say, That the very Fountains, the Hebrew and Greek Originals themselves, are corrupted, depraved, and troubled; and if so, how shall we be at any certainty?

Answ. 'Tis true, they do say so, but most falsely and wickedly, only to the dishonour of the Word of God, to make way for their own Traditions, and the Authority of their Church; tho by this Suggestion they blaspheme the Providence of God, and also lay an insufferable Scandal on the Church: For if the Scriptures were committed to her Charge, and she hath suffered any part of them to be either lost or corrupted, has she not grossly abused her Trust? But they are not able to give one Instance where any such Corruption has happened. As for the Old Testament, 'tis well enough known how strictly careful the Jews were, and are to this day, to preserve it, insomuch that they took an account how oft every Letter in the Alphabet was used in every Book thereof. And Philo the Jew, an ancient, learned, and approved Author of that Nation, affirms, That from the giving of the Law to his Time, which was above two thousand Years, there was not so much as one Word changed or varied; yea, that there was not any Jew, but would rather die a thousand times over, than suffer their Law to be changed in the least. And Arias Montanus, (a Person extremely skilled in the Hebrew) in his Preface to the Interlineary Bible, assures us, That as in these Hebrew Bibles which are without Vowels, we find a certain constant Agreement of all the Manuscripts and Prints, and a like Writing in each; so in all those too that have the Points added, we have not observed the least variation or difference of pointing: Nor is there any Man can affirm, That he ever in any place saw different Exemplars of the Hebrew Text. And indeed had the Jews ever corrupted any part of it, no doubt they would have done it in those Texts that plainly refer to our Saviour; and had any Christians done it, the Jews would soon have discovered the Forgery. But neither of these things have happened, therefore to say the same is any way corrupted, is false. And for the New Testament, 'tis true, there have in ancient Manuscripts some various Readings been observed, but not such as to cause any Dispute touching the Sum or Substance of the Doctrine therein delivered, or considerably to alter the Sense of the Text.