To the R Honourable

Ld. Chief Juftice LEE.

My LORD,

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SI have had the Honour of your Lordship's kind Reception of my former Works, which I have had the Opportunity to offer to your Lordship's Acceptance, fo your Lordship's great Goodnefs and Condefcenfion in your moft generous Returns, make me humbly bold to intreat your Lordship's Patronage of the fucceeding Work.

For as the faithful Discharge of the great and weighty Trufts committed to your Lordship, has juftly given you that Veneration and Efteem, throughout his Majesty's Dominions, which

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which the circling Annals of Time will never be able to erafe, fo your Lordship's exceeding Candour amidst your important Concerns to look into this present Undertaking, I doubt not will add to the Succefs thereof, and caufe it to be the more readily received and examined into by Men of Judgment and Honour, with whom the Reasonings herein contained may bear the true Weight that they carry along with them.

And that the Wisdom and Goodness of God may hereby be made more manifeft, and that his Love may the more univerfally reign in the Hearts of Mankind, is the earneft Defire of, my LORD,

Your Lordship's

Moft Dutiful,

Moft Grateful,

Moft Devoted,

Humble Servant,

B. PARKER.

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PREFACE.

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HE Sacred Writings may have feverál Ways fuffered abufe. First, By human Tranfcriptions of the original Copies; Secondly, By different Tranflations from them; and Thirdly, By the Inadvertency of Commentators upon them.

From whence thofe divine Oracles have be come expofed to Contempt and Ridicule, even by fome Men, I would hope, of bonest Principles, which I cannot mention without Reluctancy, fince they would otherwife shine in the brightest Luftre, as I hope to make appear by the Sequel.

For I am perfuaded that Arianifm, Mahometanifm, Deifm, &c. first took their ife from the falfe Constructions that have been put upon the facred Scriptures by thofe who pretended to fet forth their divine Authority; becaufe from thence they have pretended that thefe facred Writings have fet forth God's abfolute Decrees of Predeftination, and a partial Redemption of Mankind: Or that there are Jome that hal, but more that shall not embrace his Offers of Mercy; and that only those, whom he has peremptorily decreed to fave,

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fhall be able to comply with his outward Calls thereto.

But thefe Affertors of the Truth of Revelation and Teachers of the divine Will, if they have no better Notions of it, than thereby to deftroy the true Notions of the Attributes of God, their Readers that have not more dif cerning Judgments to fee the Falfity of their Reasoning, may well be drove to Deifm, or the like; for if the Scriptures were no better to be vindicated, I fhould myself believe them not to be the Word of God. For if I cou'd not fee that the Scriptures maintained the quite contrary Doctrines, I cou'd never be perfwaded by them, that the fupreme Being of infinite Juftice, Truth, and Holiness, the concomitant Attributes of infinite Perfection, cou'd ever. create any Beings upon whom he only defign'd to exercife the most intolerable and tyrannical Infiictions of Vengeance, merely from his own abfolute fovereign Authority, to gratify his own Attribute of Justice (as they call it) fince this wou'd really be fuch a Way of Proceeding, which amongst Mankind is condemned as the most abominable Injustice: But Justice always includes Mercy; for a Being that is just must neceffarily be merciful, fince there cannot be any fuftice in arbitrary Cruelty.

And for any to give God the Titles of Holy, Just, Good, and Merciful, and yet to confine his Mercies to a few only, upon no other Terms than his abfolute Decrees, and likewife that thefs Decrees fhall be executed upon the greatest

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