T H E DIVINE AUTHORITY ,OF THE l:IOLY SCRIPTUR E S A S SE R T E D A N D V I N D I C A T E D, .AND GROUNDLESS CAVILS A ·GA!NoT THE SAME' 'DETECTED A N D C 0 N F U T E D. 'THE main Scqpe of this Work, being to offer fome A ffifl:ance towards the explain– ing and finding out the true Senfe and Meaning of the Holy Scriptures, it will be convenient_, according to our Promife in our Specimenof th1s Undenaki-ng, to premife fomething touching the Divine Authority of that bleffed Book. For though it be com– monly owned by Chriftians to be the Word of God, yet lince on the one Hand, rhere are, etpe.:ially in this atheifl:ical Age, too many amongfl: us, whofe Love of Sin, and Refolurions to wnrinue therein, tempt then1 to feek for ihelrer in bold Contempt of, or fubtle Cavils againfl: thofe heavenly Oracks ; and on the other Hand, not a few· poor Souls are !ometimes ihaken with Temptations, and know nor how to difcharge themfelves from the enfnaring ~1efl:ions that they are often attacked with, touching the divine Ori– ginal and Authority of thofe facred Records ; not fo much for "'ant ofAjfent thereunto, as of a right Underfl:anding or Conlideration of the Grounds of that Airent, and rhe true formal J(eafon thereof; therefore that with a perfeCt Security to our prefem and fu– ture Welfare, we may rely on that Book, as the infallible Storehoufe of heavenly Ve– rities, that great and only Revelation, whereby God does inform, rule, and will judge the World ; we !hall fet forth fame Con(iderations evincing this moft important Truth: But finding that divers able and worthy Men have of late wrote mofl: learnedly and excel– lenrly upon th is SubjeCt, we !hall upon that Account be the more concife; and though we have !aid but little, yet we hope enough to fati sfy any rational conudering Man, and confute rhc vain Cavils of the Adverfary; for all along in this EJ!ay we fl:rive to join Perjpicuity with Brevity, and ro fpeak fo plainly and familiarly, that the weakefl: Ca– pacity may with eafe gather it up; the NegleCt hereof having rendered the Labors of fome others on the fame SubjeCt lefs ferviceable to the vulgar unlearned Reader. It being our great Delign to endeavor the Help and Efl:abli!hment of the Unfkilful, and to aOift weak Chri!Tians; knowing, that if Satan can once bring them into a Diffidence of the Truth and Authority of God's 'vVord, he at the fame Iniiant !hakes the verv Foundation of all their Hope and Religion: And if tbc Foundations fail, what jhall th~ Rzghteow do? Pfa!. xi. 3·
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