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A12919
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A discourse wherin is debated whether it be expedient that the scripture should be in English for al men to reade that wyll Fyrst reade this booke with an indifferent eye, and then approue or condempne, as God shall moue your heart.
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Standish, John, 1507?-1570.
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1554
(1554)
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STC 23207; ESTC S117827
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41,170
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164
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If Spiridion iustlye reprehended Triphillius but onelye for chaunginge of one worde in scripture cubile for lectuÌ„ what reprofe are our men worthye Lib. i. Tripere capit x. whiche chaunge many hundred wordes yea sentences and all If holy Basilius wold not suffer one syllable of scripture to be corrupted or altered lib. vii tripert cap. xxxvi but rather would haue suffered many deathes what shall we then say to the great and damnable corruption and alteration that hath been among our men If holy Basilius bad the Emperors coke medle with his cokerye let scripture alone tuuÌ„ est inquit de pulmeÌ„tarijs cogitare noÌ„ dog mata diuina de coquere lib. vij â—rip ca. xxxvi what woulde he haue sayde to oure men these yeres past The .l. probation Hauinge the scripture in Englishe causeth manye braynles bodies to dispute and reason they know not whervpon and euer to lay scripture for the wickedlye as al heretikes euer did where as in dede in reasoninge with suche scripture wyll not serue Tertull. de praescrip haerettcoruÌ„ et lib. iiij coÌ„tra Mâ—rtionem For as Tertullian saieth in disputing with an heretike we muste not flee to scriptures nor pitche our battel there for ther eyther neuer or els very hardly the victory shal be gotten Heretikes wylbe ouercome sayeth Sisinius vnto Nectarius in the storie of Socrates li. 9. trip ca. 19 neither with scriptures nor with disputations †Approbata ab â—cclesia noÌ„ oportet rursus rationibus fulcire etc. Nam queÌ„admoduÌ„ par est spiritui faÌ„cto et Cbristo diuinitas ita in suis institutis est aequa authoritas potestas Nec minus ratuÌ„ est quod eeclesia dictaÌ„te spiritu sancto tradidit quaÌ„ quod ipse tradidit Haec Cypri de Lot ped but only by the authoritie of the churche and by the traditions of the fathers elders So that beside the scripture written we muste receyue manye traditions not written many generall councels in whoÌ„ the holye ghost did speake and sundrie interpretations vpon scriptures made by the holy fathers beinge replenished wyth Gods spirite ¶ The conclusion of this simple discourse SEing now these probations which be euident against the scripture in Englishe seing also the great hardnes that is in scripture with the causes therof and how many waies the letter doth kyl And seing againe that the vniuersall churche of Christ hath vtterly forbid the scripture to be in the vulgare tongue consideryng the manyfolde inconueniences that ryse therof as great numbres of heresies disobedience and contempt of powers with fleshely libertie c. And finally seing that by no meanes so soone as by the scripture in english heresies do both spryng daily and be also mainteined wherin should good men be more diligent than in thexter patioÌ„ hereof wherfore it shal be euery faithful christians duetie being in authoritie to lay to his healping hande to the taking away quite that with al spede the Englishe translations with all hereticall Englishe bookes whiche no doubt haue been the greatest occasion of all the mischeifes we haue hadde in this realme of late dayes Through these our newe founde religion hath euer strongly been mainteined and vpholden Our new found religion I say which ye must nedes confesse to haue ben starke nought and damnable because the beginnyng was aduoutry the continuaunce extortion the ende plaine treason Yea euen from the beginning their procedinges for so they termed them beyng rather worthy the name of retrocedinges were styll from synne to synne Fyrst PeccatuÌ„ quod per paeniteÌ„tiaÌ„ noÌ„ deletur suo pondere ad aliud peccatuÌ„ grauius trabit Et hoc suppliciuÌ„ domini longe omniuÌ„ est grauissimuÌ„ quaÌ„dâ— vnuÌ„ peccatuÌ„ per aliud pâ—nitur quod peccatur quum in profundu â—enerit conteÌ„nit forsaking the head of the churche falling from the vnitie therof then despising all generall counselles all ordinaunces froÌ„ the beginning kept through out christendome After this spoyling pollyng pylling robbing and stealing all landes ornamentes goodes of the churche being more fearse then euer was Iulian thappostata without mercy or pitie And finally spytefully contemninge all the holy sacramentes with all censures and iudgementes of the churche and fathers vpon scripture only sticking to their own what pleased them to phansie O lorde was not this a tyme most miserable Iesu be mercyfull vnto vs and graunt vs neuer to fall againe into the lyke palpable darkenes ¶ Of Masse all other diuine seruice in the churche to be in Latine and not in the vulgare tongue ANd here note further I beseche you that like as it is nowe spoken of scripture not to be in English euen so is it ment that as vnlawful it is yea and more too if more may be that the high mysteries in the sacrifice of Masse or other diuine seruice should be in English where as the preist is a comon person and offereth vp for al the people beyng the meane betwene God and them so that his communication is to God and not to the people What cause is there then why diuine seruice should be in Englishe except ye thynke that God vnderstandeth no Latine Neither the Italians nor GreciaÌ„s haue diuine seruice in their vulgare tongue Moreouer at that tyme of diuine seruice all the comen people then present shuld onely put their whole affiauÌ„ce in fide maâ—ris ecclesiae in the fayth of oure mother the catholyke churche like as our beleif is in the baptisme of infantes Yea note further that it was not without great mystery the writyng of Christes tytle at his passion in Hebrewe Greke and Latine Also it was not without great mysterye that many wordes were neuer translated as Alleluya Osanna Amen Sabaoth Kirieleison c. And that Christ praied in secret silence alone the head for the whole bodie to signifie vnto vs thereby that the priestes office is likewise to doe the same the coÌ„mon minister for al the people being meane betwene God them As for that of Paule to the Corinthians i. Cor. xiiii which might appeare to the simple to make for theyr purpose to haue all in the vulgar tonge yf ye marke it well it is onely spoken for them whiche doe preache expounde or interprete scriptures in the church that is to saye that their sermons their expouÌ„dinges or interpretatioÌ„s of scriptures they beinge authorised therevnto must euer be made in that toÌ„ge whiche the hearers doe vnderstande and perceyue And this ye know well bothe is and euer hath ben vsed And therfore here now further A man might demaunde a questioÌ„ wherfore ye com to the Churche I suppose ye wyll saye as ye muste no doubte yf ye tell the treuthe that the chiefe intente of your comming is or ought to be to pray though sermoÌ„s and diuine seruice and the ministration of the holy sacramentes be causes also seing that Christe called the Church the house of prayer
Therfore God hathe ordeined that like as in temporal gouernauÌ„ce none is made ruler but beynge outwardly sent and appointed by men euen so in the spirituall functiones Wherfore nowe to conclude seing the only remedy to redresse this damnable errour of theym whiche teache secretly and doâ— much hurt in corners through the english translation is to take it awaye for by other meanes it wil not be stopped it can not be permitted that the Bible shoulde continue in english Here in this I might haue had iust occasion to speake against preachers which hadde authoritie wickedly geuen to preache and did comenly preach vnderstandinge not the latine tonge as it was saide but were called some from one occupation and some from another and some frome plaieng the vices parte in enterludes but I wil not medle with this matter The xl probation Hierom. in Ezech. 44. S. Hierom saith Alta profunda dei mysteria non sunt monstranda vulgo nec proferenda ad populum ne si maiora se audierint maiestatem scientiae ferre non possint quasisolido suffocentur cibo qui adhuc lacte infantiae nutriendisunt The depe and profounde mysteries of God are not to be shewed to the common people nor to be vttred to theÌ„ lest they hearinge greater thinges then they can beare be not hable to atteyne to the knowledge therof and be as it were choked with harde meate whiche yet oughte to haue been fed but with milke of infancie The .xli probation It helpeth well and is a good probation against the english Bibles that Christe euer vsed paraboles to the rude vnlearned sorte yea and that the wordes of the gospell do testifie that ofte when he spake they vnderstode hym not Nihil inquit horum intellexerunt but yet he saide to his disciples and theyr successours Vobis datum est nosse mysteria It belongeth to you to knowe the mysteries Yea and whan he would teache theym high secretes he ascended into the mount from the comen people wherof Esai hadde spoken Esay vi Ye shall heare with youre eares and not vnderstand c. In expounding which place S. Hierom doeth vtterly dryue awaye the comen people from medling or handlyng the mysteries of scripture Agayne doeth not Christe showe in the Gospell Luc. xii that he is a good stewarde which geueth in measure to the seruauntes they re meate in dewe season what a wicked stewarde were he then whiche withoute all measure or discretion obseruing no order regarding no mans person or bloode wold set on the table before all men indifferently were he Lord or lorell master or seruaunt all kyndes of disshes at ones bothe grosse and fyne The .xlij probation Chrisosostom vpon Chrisost lib. iiij de sacerdotio Intende lectioni i. Ti. iiij sheweth thoffice of Bisshops to be to studye the scripture thoffice of the laitie to know the scripture by they re teaching and preaching sufficient for theyr saluation The .xliij probation S. Augustin sheweth certen places of scripture to be for pregnaunt August episâ— Volusiam wittes and certen for the rude dolardes But how then can the scripture be in thenglish tongue for all indifferentlye to reade The xliiij probation O how many Englyshe readers doe take hurte of the Prophetes and canticles not knowwing the mysteries nor when it is a trope not knowyng when it is to be taken to the lettere and when the letter doth kylle The .xlv. probation Gregorius Nazianzen saieth I is conuenit de rebus diuinis disserere lib. i. suae theol â–ª qui contemplandi acumine coeteris antecellunt c. It is mete for theym too intrete of Gods mysteries whiche doe excede and passe other in excellencie of gyfte c But then it shall not be lawfull for euery one to haue it in the vulgare tonge The xlvi probation S. Hierom saith that the Iewes dydde not permitte any to reade the beginning of Genesis In proaemiâ— Eâ—echielis nor the canticles neyther the beginning nor the ende of Ezechiell before .xxx. yeares And the Romayns suffered none to rede the bokes of Sibylla but onlye the tenne commissioners named decemviri Fenestella lib i. capi xiii and before theym the .ij. commissioners named duumviri So muche reuereÌ„ce they gaue to theyr boke And shall we christians suffer the hyghe mysteries to be miserably tormoyled of all handes But ye wyl say S. Hierom and Chrisostom also in certein places seme to allow the laitie vnto reading of scriptures And. S. Hierom did translate scripture vnto the Dalmatians Truth is many thiÌ„ges for a time haue ben permitted of deuotion but after seing the successe nought they haue been taken awaye After the beginninge maydes wiues boyes and men kept vigils together aboute martyrs tumbes and Vigilantius for reprouing it was sharply taunted of S. Hierom yet afterward for inconuenieÌ„ces it was taken away Euseb lib vi cap. xxxiij And at the beginninge the bodie of Christ was geuen to the laytie in their handes to carye home c. But thorough witchecraftes and other abuses coÌ„mitted that custome was taken awaye Likewyse the laytie receyued once vnder bothe kindes whiche custome throughe offenses and perils that chaunced and that might chaunce still is iustly prohibited and taken awaye vtterlye And likewise answere is to be geuen to all them that make these forsayde obiectioÌ„s to haue the scriptures in englishe The .xlvii. probation If that which Eusebius doth testifie in his time to be trewe had been nowe verified in these our daies we neded not then to be so ferd of hauinge scripture in euery mans hand Libro eccl cap. xvi His wordes be these Imperiti obseruant ne disputare audeant de ijs quae ignorant et de illis testimoniuÌ„ perhibere quae nesciunt The vnlearned euer obserue this that they dare not once dispute or reason of those thinges that thei be ignoraunt of nor beare testimonie of those thinges whiche they know not But alas nowe the more ignoraunt the more obstinate in madde boldnesse so that by no meanes thenglish translation maye be suffered The .xlviij. probation â–ª Scripturarum intelligentiam non ex propria praesumptione sed ex maioruÌ„ scriptis autoritate sequebaÌ„tur quos et ipsos ex apostolica successioÌ„e intelligendi regulaÌ„ suscepisse constabat Haec Eusebi lib. xi Eccl. cap. ix The example of Grego Nazian and Basil be to faythfull christians a sufficient rule to folow which if we do we wyl say awaye with thenglishe Bibles away they can not be abiden For the readers therof passe of no expositions of the fathers but onlye stycke to theyr owne bare taking of scripture as thei phancye it and as they please where as these .ii. holy doctours studied scripture together not presumptuously folowing their owne imaginatioÌ„ but folowing the doctrine and authoritie of the elders whom they knew to haue receyued the vnderstaÌ„ding of scripture euyn by succession from the Apostels The xlix probation