xn o F T H E n I v r N E A u T H o R I T Y ward Appearance, weak, ignorant, and limple Perfom, illiterate Fifhermen, Tent-makers, &c. without any 1/orce of Arms, or temporal Support, but on the comrary againll: both Wind and Tide, the Cruelties of raging Po:vers, and Affronts of vaunting Wif– dom ; a DoCtrine againft which the whole World, Jews and Gentiles perfeCtly con– cur:ed, thofe luring: it as a Stumbling-block, and thefC counting it Foolifhnrfs; that fuch an Improbable and unpkafing, fuch a friendlefs, unwe'lcome, Gighted, oppofed Doc– trine, by fuch Inftrumems, and under fuch Circumftances, fhould make iro Way in rhe World, and fubjeft Jo maoy Nations to the Obedience of the Crofs, and. make thole who To-day perfecuted it, To-morrow ready to lay down their Lives in Defence and Juftification of it; evidently !hews it to be owned by Omnipotency, and not to be of human ExtraCt. · XL But befides thefe outward and more vifible Trophies of the facred Scriptures, how marvellous is their Empire, Effic;:cy and Power wi1hin, upon the Hearts and Con– fciences of Men! It is this that converts the Soul, enlightens the Eye, Pfal. xix. 7. dif covers Sin, Ram. vii. 7· convinces Gainfayers, 2 'fim. iii. 16. killeth and terrifieth, 2 Cor. ·iii. 6. rejoiceth the Heart, Pfal. xix. 8. and cxix. 103. !Ji...uickeneth, Pfal. cxix. 50. Comforteth, Rom. xv. 4· mamfefleth the 'fhoughts, overthrows falfe Rsligions, caj/eth down Strong-holds, and fubverls the whole Kingdom of Satan, 2 Cor. x. 4· What Con– Jolatians at fome Times! What Terrors at others, do proceed from the facred Book ! How are rho poor Souls of Men by it mightily refrefhed! Their weak Hearts wor.der– fully ftrengthe ntd I Their dead Spirits railed, ond made to live again! Thofe that fat in Darknefs, and rhe Shadow of Death, are enlightened ! Many that ·were in Chains -and Fetters, of Fears and Terrors of Soul, arc delivered and fet at Liberty ! Is it rea– fonable to conceive that a Tree that bears fuch wonderful Fruit, was planted by any other Hand than that of God? 'vVho can fpeJk Words that !hall reftrain and repel all the Powers of Darknefs, when falling in to make Havock and Ddolation in the Souls of Men? That !hall be able. to give Laws ro the Terrors of Death, nay eternal Death, when they have taken hold of the Conferences of Sinners? Are not all thefe Wonders performed by the holy Scriptures? And do they not often, on the other Side, breathe Thunder and Lightenings? throw down the Mighty from their Seats, and dei!roy rhe ' Thrones of the Proud and Confident? Do they not turn the SemritJ of many into Trembling and Horror, and make their Conlciences to burn as if the Fire of Hell had already raken hold of them? Thefe Things are evident from the Experience of Thou– fands that have felt and undergone fuch puwerfcil Effefts of the Word: Nay, I verily believe, there are few that have read the Scriptures with Attt:mion and Serioufnefs, but can more or lefs Witnefs the fame: And when il1ould fuch mighty Operations pro– ceed, but becaufe the almighty Author has endued them with fuch Virtue through the Spirit, whereby they bec~me the Power of God unto Salvation. XII. Add to all thefe Arguments, the Teftimony of the Church, and her holy Mar– tyrs, who have fealed this Truth with their lllood. By the Church we do not mean the Pope, whom the Papifts call the Cht:rch Virtue!, nor his Cardinals, Bifhops, &c. met in general Council, whom they call the Church Reprefentative: But the whole Company of Believers in all Ages who have profeffed the true Faith. The Penmen of the Scrip– cures, good, pious, honeft, holy Men, delivered it out as the Word of the Lord , and ever Jince there have been Thoufands, and hundreds of Thoufands that have believed and tdtified the fJ.me down from Age to Age in a cominualunintt'rrupred Succeff10n ; the Church of the Jews, to whomwere committed the Oracles of God, Rom. viii. 3· pro– fdfed the DoEl.rine, and received the Book; of the Old Teftament, and ttllified of them that they were divine, and in great Mifery they have confiantly confefT-.:d the fame; when as by the only denying thereof, they might have been Partakers both of Liberry and Rule. And remarkable it is, both, that notwithftanding the High Priefts and others of that Natton perfecuted the Prophets whrle they lrved, yet received their Writongs as prophetical and divine; as alfo, that once the Spirit of B!indnefs and Obfti– nacy is come upon Ifrael, and norwirhilamling their great h<trred to the Chriftian Re· ligion, the l~oly Scripmre of t~e Old T~ftam~.:m is kept pure and uucorrupt among(! them, even rn thofe l'laces wh .ch do evrdent!y confirm the Trmh of the Chriftian Re– ligion, as Jfa. liii. 3· And as for the Chriftian Cbmch, it hath with great ConJ\ancy, and fweet Confent, received anJ acknowledged the Books of the Old and New Tefta· ment;
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