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P R E F A C E. xi
The subjects of the following treatise being of the utmost importance, have been considered with the most ferious attention, and are laid before the reader on the highest authority, that is to say, on the authority of the holy scriptures.
Nothing less than this ought, or can, determine on the points herein treated, because they concern, not only the present, but future welfare of mankind: these, as taken in connection together, must depend, first, on knowing, and then on doing the will of GOD. What His will is, can only be known from the several revelations, or discoveries, which it hath graciously pleased Him to make of it, by men, who spake not of themselves, but as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Pet. i. 21.
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xii P R E F A C E.
To imagine that, without such _tion, mortals can understand, or kn_ mind the will of God, is an ab_ even greater than to suppose we can_ the thoughts of each other, with_ declaration of them either by w_ actions But to admit the necessi_ of divine revelation, to receiv_ the sc_ as that revelation, and not make the only infallible rule and guide, - matters which relate to the mind a_ of God therein revealed, is, so _ lay aside the revelation of God, t_ it void and of none effect, and to pla_ themselves in no better situation, than_ such discovery of the mind and GOD had ever been vouchsafed us.
Thus we rob GOD of His hon_ slighting His word, and thus are led to set up the determinations of wisdom against it, and expose the _ to be carried about with every wind of doctrine, which the folly and supersti- weak men, and the wickedness an_ designing men, may happen to i_ . By such means it has, been, _ any errors of virious kinds have _eir way, in all ages, into the _ _ have maintained their empire o_ _ nds of men. Long usage has ma_ _rable. --- The prescriptive po_ _m has given them establishment.__ both these have prevailed on human legislatures, to afford them the awful obligation of their most solemn sanctions.
P R E F A C E. xiii
It cannot want many arguments to prove, that sundry practices, as well as opinions, which are found among the heathen nations, are abhorrent from all our conceptions of propiety, decency, and even humanity itself *.
--- All these have but one source ---They do err, not knowing the scriptures. * I cannot forbear mentioning here that valuable, learned, and excellent work of John Leland, D. D. on the Advantage and Necessity of the Christian Revelation --- wherein the author hath, with a strength of judgment, and depth of learning and erudition peculiar to himself, so proved his point, as to deserve the thanks of all who know how to set a just value on the scriptures, as well as those who would wish to do it. This author says,
"It is the mighty advantage of a written revelation, that by
"an impartial consulting it, the deviations from it
"may be detected, and things may again be reduced
"to the original standard." Vol. i. p. 453.
xiv P R E F A C E. Where revelation is received, yet if it be not adhered to as the only rule of faith and manners, and this unreservedly, the opinions and practices of men will be as wide from the mind and will of GOD, as those of the Heathen are. I might here instance in the opinions and practices of the Pharisees of old, as well as of many nations called Christian, in more modern days, and who are members of that society of professing Christians which insolently and exclusively styles itself --- "THE HOLY APOSTOLICAL and CATHOLIC CHURCH" --- amongst whom the most devout are worshipping a wooden god, which they call a crucifix *, and a breaden god, which they call the host; and, besides these, they worship saints and angels, and many such like things they do. The foundation of all which is still one and the same --- They do err, not knowing the Scriptures; for though the Papists have the Scriptures; yet they do not adopt them as the only rule of faith and worship. Their fear towards GOD is taught them by the doctrines and commandments of men �? Is. xxix. 13. which take place of the mind and will of GOD, as revealed in His holy word.
* This invention of the crucifix, or image of Christ on the cross, is but old heathenism new vampered. Maximus Tyrious, a Platonic philosopher, who was master to M. Antoninus, says --- "The divine nature
"stands not in need of images or statues; but
"the nature and condition of man being very weak,
"and as far distant from the Divinity as heaven is
"from the earth, framed these signs for itself,
"and attributed to them the names and titles of the "gods" --- and he thinks that the legislators acted wisely in contriving images for the people. See Leland, vol. i. p. 338. The wife men and philosophers pleaded for images as necessary to help to human infirmity. Ib. 424.
�?/FONT> Two of the articles in the most famous creed of Pope Pius IV. are as follows:
XIII. I most firmly admit and embrace apostolical and ecclesiastical traditions, and all other observations and constitutions of the one catholic and apostolic church.
XIV. I do admit that the holy scriptures in the same sense that holy Mother Church doth, whose business it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of them, and I will interpret them according to the unanimous consent of the fathers.
P R E F A C E. xv
Happy would it be, could we, reformed Protestants, clear ourselves of this charge in all respects!
To prove that we cannot, in some points of the utmost consequence, is the purpose of the following pages; which, while the reader peruses, I could be with him to weigh in the balance of the sanctuary, to lay his Bible before him, and to call every argument, observation, and doctrine, to the strictest and most severe account, before that unerring tribunal.
The Popish canon law frequently affirms --- that the church is above the scriptures.
Omnis quæ nunc apud nos est Scripturæ authoritas ab ecclesiæ authoritate necesssario
dependet. --- "All the authority which we attribute to the scriptures, necessarily depends on the authority of the church." Pighius de Hierar. Eccl. Lib. i. c. 2. Eccius, in his Enchiridion de Authoritate Ecclesiæ, maintains --- Ecclesiam esse scripturis antiquiorem, �?scripturam non esse authenticam, nifi ecclesiæ authoritate. --- "The church is more antient than the scriptures, and the scriptures are not authentic, save by the authority of the church."
Hermannus goes farther, and affirms --- Scripturas tantum valere quantum valent Æsopi fabulæ, nifi accederet ecclesiæ testimonium. --- "The scriptures are no more to be valued than Æsop's Fables, unless it were for the testimony of the church." See Hist. of Popery, vol. i. p. 214.
xvi P R E F A C E.
If he shall find any thing that is wrong, or detect any thing that is false, let him freely set it down to thte Author's account. But whatever he shall find agreeable to, or clearly proved by the word of GOD, let him not listen to the lying testimony of prejudice or vulgar error against it, but treasure it up in his mind, for the direction of his own judgment and conscience, in all situations and conditions of life.
If the judgment be mis-led or mis-informed, the more conscientious a man is, the farther will he be led into error, and the more firmly will he be attached to it; therefore it is well for us to listen to the counsel of the wise man --- Prov. iv. 7. "WISDOM is the principal thing, therefore get WISDOM; and with all thy getting get UNDERSTANDING."
As to differences, or even errors, (if mistakes about indifferent matters can be so called) where mere outward forms are concerned, and those of human invention, the Author desires to think, and to let think, and wheresoever the scriptures are silent, to be so too. He does not esteem it worth his while to expend a single drop of ink in such controversies.
P R E F A C E. xvii
He does not suppose, that, had he lived in the second century, when the Roman and Asiatic Christians quarrelled about the keeping of Easter, and ran to such indecent lengths of animosity and discord, as might make the very heathen blush, that he would have ventured a single scratch of his finger, to have had it decided whether it was to be held "on the fourteenth day after the first moon in the new year, or "on the first Sunday after the first full moon." All this rout was made to very little purpose: and had the Author been weak enough to have entered into the dispute, had he sided with the Asiatics, and been excommunicated by the Pope Victor for his pains, it would not, according to his present notions, have given him a moment's uneasiness.
But where the peace and well-being (I had almost said the very being) of society are concerned, where disorders, of the most malignant kind have infected the general mass, to the destruction of millions down to this moment, and threaten the destruction of millions yet unborn, and those chiefly from among the most defenceless part of the human species; when the lust, treachery, cruelty, and villainy of men, are let loose to ravage, as they can, on the weakness and credulity of helpless women; and when all this is apparently the effect of abolishing those parts of the divine law, which were evidently made to prevent it, and the introduction of a system of human invention is the means of its daily increase; too much cannot be said to point out the cause of the disease, and to lead to the remedy.
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