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Show ,u t~il~ ._J, The PREFACE. T Hat the Propofirions dilcourfed in the following Sermons arc trut, wi!J, I CruH, to every Rrade.,., appC'ar not to depend upon the concluding of them from the fen(c · of the Text, in this MttJpboric•l and mJfterious dif. courfe; but upon other plain Scriptures, and the force ofReafon, by which in the following Cheers they arc juftilied: fo that whether . they be the tmtbs of the Trxt or no, will only beconfiderable, as to the r.or"-.mans judgment and skiU who compofed thtm, not as to the Faith and pratlice of the Reader. Now lor the wor"-.manr sk,iU, though he truils, that he hath both prayed and Hudied fo far in the compofure of them, that he might approve himfelf a w•r"-.malt who needetb not be afhamed; yet ~e cannot fay that in all things he bath obtained. There are two ,f._ofluiata, which he mull beg of his Reader, before he leavcth thef~.Oifcourfcs as to his judgment in that point. ,;.. . , r. That this Book of the Sqnt"of Solomon, is a portion of holy Writ compofcd by So/omo11. . 2. That Solom011's fcope in it, is todifcourfe the Spiritualinter. courfls of. Di~i11e Love between Chrift and hi< Church, or the particular btlieving Soul, under the "Metaphor of a LII'IJ+:Song, or Dia· Iogue betwixt two L'overs, declaril'g their mutual· ~omJIIacency, each in 'other. As ro the firn : That thit is a pPTtion of holy Wrtt, the zrniverfol Tradition of the Church, both 'Jenii{h and Chri(fia~t, is no light evidence. Though there was Come controverfy about the Book of Ecclefia{fer; yet the JertJs never quellioned the Divine Authority of this excellent Song;quo4 '"''"" 110/f.Coinquinet,nec P'~· fanur fit, becanfe of the pu'riry'ofit; nor ao-1 find that the .Qi,vine p, Mnur. Authority ofit was ever queflioned in the C~rillian<;:hurch,unlefs p.r"f. iu by one Tbeodorttt Mopfuefta condemned for h by a Council at Conftantinople; although fame of a later date,have bid fair tQ it in their ~ profane m~kfng it no more than a I,ovr-~ong, betwixt Splomm ll)d Pharaoh! 'Daughter. But befides this, I rpe vafjdity of which fing- A ly confidered, might by' fame be quellioned: ) , If we contiJer the Anther who was Solomon,aro holy J'ropbtt and pw-ma11 of Scriptttre, Q. of whom it is faid, tbe L<rd loved him, 2 Sam. 12. 24. (whence "' ' • he |