more at large which the Prophets to a sufficiency of that they wrote theÌ„ for touched shortly or els they are conteyned in the bookes of the kings which are manifestly proued to haue bene written by diuers Prophets in their seuerall ages wherein they prophecied In the former kind whereof if we reape not that fruite which they did which liued in the dayes wherein the reader was set ouer vnto them yet we reape a more excellent fruit which is a certain knowledg of a more special prouidence care of the Lord for the preseruing of the Scriptures appering euidently in that all those falling away the books of the canonical Scripture doe stil remaine Hereof we haue a notable example in the books of Solomon whereof those falling away that he wrote of naturall philosophie and other by knowledge the profitablest bookes that euer were the Canon only excepted those alone which perteined to godlynes haue bene safely kept for the posteritie Which is so much more to be obserued as there being infinitely moe in the world that effect the knowledg of naturall thinges then doe godlynes haue not yet with all the care of keeping them bene able to deliuer them from this whole and perpetuall forgetfulnes wherevnto they are fallen as if they had neuer bene written Where of th' other side his holy writtings hated of the most parte carelesly regarded of a number haue notwithstanding as whole and full a remeÌ„brance as they had the first day the Lord gaue them vnto the church And seing there are now more then 1500. yeares wherein there is not onely no booke but no sentence of any booke of Canonicall Scripture fallen away what cause is there why wee should think that in the tyme which was vnder the law whole bookes fell away so thick and threefolde For as for bookes of the nevv Testament imagined of some to haue ben lost their reasons wherevpon their imagination leaneth are so faint that they are not worthie the naming Of all which matter it is euident that not onely the matter of the Scripture but also the wordes not onely the sense and meaning of them but the manner and frame of speach in them doe remaine 2. Tim. 3 For seing the Scripture remayneth vvhich wholy both for matter and words is inspired of god it must follow that the same words wherein th' old new testament were vvritten and indited by the hand of God do remaine For how great difference there is betvveen the thinges both vvordes and matter that haue passed through the Act. 9 Act. 17 1. Cor. 15 Tit. 1. 12 mouth or pen of God and those vvhich come from a mortal man may appeare by the sayings of the Poets taken vp of the holye Ghost For not vvithstanding the Poets vse the same vvordes and sense vvhich the Scripture vseth yet vvere they neither the vvordes nor the sense of God but of the Poets vntill they had passed by the golden pype of the Lords mouth Whereby it came to passe that those sayings which were before prophane are now most holy euen as the stones and timber which in the quarrey and forrest were common were after holy when they were laide in the building of the Temple If therefore words the same in letters sillables with those the holy Ghost vseth are not wordes inspired of God because they were neither written nor spoken of him his Embassadors and publike notaries how much lesse are the wordes of the olde translator diuers from them of the holy Ghost inspired of him seing they neuer passed either by pen or mouth of his And albeit th' olde translator which he is far from should alwayes giue sense for sense waight for waight yet shuld not his translation which so should be yâ— truth of god be therfore the worde of God considering that the title aggreeth only to that truth of God which hath also the frame of his words And therefore the Apostle maketh a manifest difference betweene the wholsome wordes of our Sauiour 1. Tim. 6. 3 Christ and the doctrine that is according to godlines And our Sauiour Christ in saying that thy worde is the trueth Ioh. 17. 17 doth manifestly establish a difference betweene gods worde and his trueth otherwise he should say thy trueth is the trueth or thy word is the word which were no declaratioÌ„ of his meaning but onely an vnnecessarie repetition Wherefore it is truly verefied of these men which the Prophet saieth that they haue forsaken the fountains Ierem. 2. and digged cisterns But let vs examine the pith of their reasones which haue moued them rather to draw from the riuen and leaking cask of th' old translator by the which manye thinges haue entred to th' emparing the sweet wine of the Scripture then from the staunch whole vessels of the Greek copies which preserue it from all corruption To the first reason These men are worthie to goe alwayes in their olde cloathes that make th' age of the traÌ„slation the first and principall commendation therof Wherby it shuld appear if they could haue come by the translation that Ierom amended they would haue tunned their drink out of that rather theÌ„ out of this as that whose head was hoarer And if this be a good reason why should not the translation of Symmachus Aquila and Theodotion bee preferred which are auncienter then he Yea why should not the 70. before them all be much more preferred as those that were vsed oftentymes of th' Apostles and commended highly of th' auncient fathers But as gray heares are then onely honorable when they are founde in the waye of righteousnesse so th' age of th' old translator is there only to be respected and reuerenced where both for propernesse of wordes and truth of sense he hath wisely and faithfully translated And so far we holde him worthie to be preferred before other interpreters But if antiquitie commended th' olde translation vnto you for that it was aboue 1300. yeares olde the Greek coppies being more ancient then it hauing bene vsed aboue 1500 yeares should ye wisse haue had the right hand of th' olde translator To the second reason It is false For it is not the receiued opinion Looke Ierome vpon these places and compare them with th' old translator Genes 1. 2 Esai 1 12 30. 5. 2 Gal. 1. 16 2. 5. 5 8. Eph. 1 14 4. 19. c neither is there any probabilitie of it considering that Ierome in the old and nevv Testament both translateth otherwise then th' olde interpreter and often controwleth him Hereof the testimony of Erasmus a man that had as quick a nose in Ieromes doings as whosoeuer is notable who flatly affirmeth that this translation is neither Cyprians nor Hilaries nor Ambrose nor Augustins nor Ieromes seing his reading is diuers from it and that it is Looke also afterward for other examples Eras epist N. amico ex aniâ—o dilecto Erasmâ—iâ— Scholijs â—â— epist Hieron
meaning the words And vvhat his iudgement is in August lib de vera relig cap. 5◠this cause he doth other where plainly and clearely set dovvne vvhen hee saith that the Scripture is to be declared according to the proprietie of euery tongue Indeede he saith that sometime the vulgar speach is more profitable but his reason is farre different from yours For it appeareth vvhen hee praeferreth August de doctr Chr. lib. 2. c. 11. those Barbarismes it is for the better cōmodity capacity of the people to whome he spake or wrote praferring rudenes of speach onely to that purenes which either bringeth new words to offend th' eares of the reader or else maketh the sense doubtfull or obscure In vvhich respect he affirmeth that to August in Psal 138. let his speach fall th' easilyer to th' vnderstanding of his people hee had rather say ossum which is no true speach then os which is the proper and true lāguage Beside that it is more euidēt by their barbarismes in other speaches then in the texts of Scripture that they so speak sometime because they met with no better nor more choise wordes Seing therefore a good pure Latine speach is now better vnderstood then th' ould rotten and rustie wordes there is no cause why they should not now be abolished if euer they had any vse heretofore And if it please the Iesuites to confer the stile of these dayes sithence the Gospell after a long winter of ignorance began to flowre againe with the stile of those which wrote 200. yeares hence we suppose that they will accord vs that there is as greate difference as was sometime betweene the Dorickes and th' Attickes in Greece or is now betweene the courte and countrey with vs yet we think that the Iesuites will not therefore rather chuse to stamber stut with their fore-goers then to speake clearly purely with the present age sure we are that they haue done their best to the contrary Wherefore it is euident that you can bring nothing to defend your sottish speach of hell of fire for hell fire for against the spirituals of wickednes in the celestials for docible of God c. nor yet for your doubtful and dangerous speach of the sinne of the spirit for the sinne against the spirit with a number moe of the same late And yet haue you not kept the law your selues haue made for you haue translated eighteene years Luke 13. 4 where both the Greeke and olde Interpreter which you propound to follow so superstitiously haue ten and eight years If here seing your folly you amended it why haue you not corrected it in places of greater importance and hauing corrected th' olde traslatour in another place of some moment Rom. 13. 9. where for restored you haue turned comprised why haue you not performed the same in other of greater weight Not to speake of Lindanus your brother in this impietie who speaking of the truth of the matter retained by th' ould interpreter more then the truth yet notwithstanding confesseth the often slips of improprietie in speache and other babishnes of him in translating Now as by your vnlearned translation you haue greatly embased the pure mettle of the holy word so by your corrupt annotations wresting and writhing haling pulling the translation either to a diuers or contrarie sense of that which the wordes giue you haue made it no better then filthie drosse So that it may be verified of your work which Ierom sayth you make of the Gospell of Christ the gospell of Hieron in Epist ad Gal. cap. 1. man or that which is worse the gospel of the Diuell If you had giuen your people your translation alone we dout not but they should notwithstanding all your declinings frō the natiue purenes of the word haue found releefe in it against extream famine which your vnfaithfulnesse hath thrust them into Which thing you wel perceiuing durst not vpon the peril of quenching your kitchin-fire put forth your single few of translatiō without y◠Cooloquintida of your annotatiōs therby to bring certain death to all those that shoulde taste of them Wherein let th' indifferent reader compare our confidence we haue in the goodnes of our cause in either nakedly deliuering the Scripturs without any annotations at al or els with few short directiōs Rather to open the file and course of the Scriptures then to praeiudice the reader either with recommending ours or condemning th' aduersaries iudgment Let him I say compare it with the fearfull dout that the Iesuits haue of theirs which durst not commend their single translation vnto the conscience of the reader vnlesse beside the load and charge of their margent notes they had added almoste at the end of euery chapter a iag of annotations wherein they recommend their owne and condemne our doctrine therby at vnawares testifiing against themselues that the wordes of the holy Ghost speak nothing for them vnles they be twitched aside with the wrinch wrest of their annotatiōs We hauing found Christ in the Scripturs cannot be to seek in the true Church you that hold not the head it is no maruel if you haue not layd hold of a filthy deade caryon in steade of the liuely body of Christ which is his Church We which follow the light of the scripture in all questions that can be moued of religion and not in those onely which you idely rouingly alledge out of August haue promise of resolution 2. Tim. 3 ◠Petr. 1 in all our doubts But you which blasphemously make the Scripturs to giue no more light to the decision of diuers poyntes in religion thē a hair-cloth do miserably run your selues others to the condemnation wherevnto you are ordained In which way although you vvould drag Augustine vvith all your might and maine yet vvill not he keepe you company not onely for that he hath nothing for you in the place vvhich you alledge but that he hath the cleane contrary vnto you vvho affirmeth that in the Scriptures we are to seeke the Church by them to August d◠vnit eccles cap. 3. discusse our controuersies after he saith that all should be remoued whatsoeuer is alledged of either side against other sauing that which commeth out of the canonicall Ibi. cap. 16. Scriptures And againe we desire not to be beleeued because wee are in the Church of Christ or that Optatus or Ambrose or innumerable Bishops of our profession haue cōmended it vnto vs. Howbeit as through the vvhole booke it shall appeare hovv small consent of the auncient Church you haue in the principal demandes hanging betvveene you and vs so it shal appeare a little after that there is a more certaine rule of th' understanding of the Scriptures then you assigne and that although the former iudgement of the Church of Christ sithence th' Apostles time is able to keepe vs from falling dangerouslie in the principal and
fundamentall poyntes of our religion yet that they cannot free vs from error in every question that may bee mooued of it not to speake of the faint proofes that sometime they vsed euen in great mysteries of our religion vvherein notvvithstanding touching the matter it selfe their iudgement is sounde and Catholicke To the next section page 11. After that by hiding burning the Scriptures by threatning and murdering of men for reading of them they cannot attaine to the causing of such a night of ignorance wherin they might doe all thinges without controulment there remayned one onely engine which Satan with all his Angels hauing framed and hammered vpon his lying forge hath furnished them of This engine is the defacing dis-authorizing of the Scriptures as it were the taking from them their girdle or garter of honour by a false surmise of corruption of them in the languages wherein they were firste written Which abominable practise being attempted in th' old testament by Lindanus whom some term Blindasinus is nowe assayed in the new by the Iesuites who of others for their deadly hatred of the trueth are not called vnfitly Iebusites First therfore or euer we come to their particular arguments whereby they would as it were couer the head and maiestie of th'authentical copies in the Greek to bring them to subiection vnto th' olde translation we think it not amisse to set downe the generall doctrine that no one oracle or sentence of God can fall away Whereby it will be euident that the holy Scriptures both in the old new testament written in their original tongues cannot either by additioÌ„ detraction or exchange be corrupted Wherevnto the coÌ„sideration of th'autor of them ministreth a substantiall proofe For seing they are of Psal 111. â— God all whose workes remaine for euer it followeth that al the holy scriptures being not only his handiework but as it were the chiefe and master worke of all other must haue a continuall endurance And if there be not the least and vilest creature in the world which eyther hath not heretofore or shall not hereafter by the mightie hand of God vpholding all thinges be continued how much lesse is it to be estemed that any sentence of God wherin a greater glory commeth to him and greater fruite to his people then of many of those creaturs which for these two ends he doth so carefully continue should perish and fall away Secondly they all are written generally for our instruction more particularlie for admonition and warning for comfort and consolation c vnles we will say that God may be deceiued in his purpose and end wherefore he ordeyned them it must needes be that it must continue whatsoeuer hath bene written in that respect For if it or any part thereof fal awaye the same cannot according to th'ordinance of god either informe vs against ignorance or warne vs against danger or comfort vs against afflictions or finallye doe any other dutie vnto vs which we haue need of they were prepared for Thirdly if th' authority of th'autheÌ„tical copies in Hebrew Chalde Greek fal there is no high court of appeale where coÌ„trouersie rising vpon the diuersitie of translations or otherwise may be ended so that the exhortation of hauing re course vnto the law to the prophets Esai â— and of our Sauiour Christ asking Luke 10 Hieron epist ad Maâ—cel epist ad Suniam Fretel ad Damasum praefâ—in 4. Euang praef in paenitent Ambros de Spirit sanct lib. â— cap. 6 August de doctr christiana 2. lib. cap 11 lib. 11. contra Faust Manich. opist 59 how it is written and how readest thou are now either of none effect or not sufficient whilest these disgracers and disgraders of the Scripture haue taught men to say that the coppies are corrupted and the sense changed Nay not onely our estate is worse then theirs vnder the law and in our sauiour Christs time but worse theÌ„ theirs which liued some hundred yeres after Christ when th' ancient fathers exhorted in such cases that men should make sute vnto th' originall Scriptures to haue an end of their controuersies Yea their owne Gratian out of Augustine falsly alledged for Ierome sendeth vs in deciding of differences not to th' olde translator but to th'originals of the Hebrew in th' olde and of the Greek in the new testament They vse quarrelously to surmise against vs that we abbridge the priuiledges of the Churches of our dayes because vve accord them not to be so ample in euery point as they vvere vvhen the Apostles liued But vvo vnto the Churches of our dayes if the Scriptures be as the Papistes would beare vs in hand corrupted if the Charters and recordes whereby we hold the inheritance of the kingdom of heauen are rased or otherwise falsifyed if we haue not wherewith to conuey our selues to be children vnto the heauenly father and Priests vnto God in Iesus Christ further then from the hand of such a Scribe and Notarie as both might erre and hath erred diuersly Hieron in 6. c. Es August de ciuit dei lib. 15. c. 13 These euidences were safely surely kept when one onely nation of the Iewes and the same sometymes a few excepted vnfaithfull bare the keyes of the Lords librarie now when there be many nations that haue keyes vnto th'ark or counter wherein they are kept it is altogether vncredible that there should be such packing or such defect as th' aduersarie doth wickedly suppose Againe if the Lord haue kept vnto vs the booke of Leuiticus in it the ceremonies which ar abolished wherof there is now no practise for that they haue a necessary and profitable vse in the Church of God how much more is it to be esteemed that his prouideÌ„ce hath watched ouer other bookes of the Scripture which more properly belong vnto our times Laste of all passing by other reasons which might further be alledged let vs heare the Scripture it selfe witnessing of it own authority durablenes to al ages Thus therfore Moses writeth of it the secret hidden things remaine Deu. 29. 29 to the Lord our God but the things that are reueiled are to vs and our children for euer Psa 119. 152 Dauid also professeth that he knew long before that the Lord had founded his testimonies for euermore But our Sauiour Mat 24. 35 Mar. 13. 32 Math. 5. 18 Christs testimony is of all other most euident that heauen and earth shall passe but that his word can not passe and yet more vehemently that not one iote or small letter prick or stop of his law can passe vntill all be fulfilled Now as for the common obiection of diuerse bookes meÌ„tioned in th' old Testament where of we find none so intituled in the canon thereof it is easily answered That either they were ciuill and commonwelth stories whether the reader is referred if it like him to read the stories
doth load vs with gifts So that the Hebrewe doeth not onely tell vs that Christ gaue gifts but that he gaue them as Mediatour hauing receiued them Beside that it is knowne that the Apostles in alledging testimonies doe not nomber the wordes but giue the waight of the sentence to which nombring of words when not so much as translators are alwaies as it is said bound to much lesse were th'Apostles tyed vnto it which were no translaters but expounders of the Scripturs And all reasonable men will iudge it good payment if for foure single pence he receaue a whole groate or if th' opportunity so serue eight single half-pence They proceed with the 40 Psalme where in stead of the Hebrew Thou hast pearced my eare th'Apostle hath Thou hast prepared me a bodie But they ought to haue vnderstoode that there is first a Trope of the part for the whole which th'Apostle doth elegantly expres when for the eare he setteth down the body Secondly they should knowe that there is a manifest Metaphore in the worde pearcing vsed of the Prophet which being drawn from the law prouyding that the seruant which would willingly giue himself ouer to a perpetuall and whole seruice of his maister should so be serued signifieth an inabling of the Prophet for a willing obedience to be giuen vnto the Lord. And therefore this Metaphore is elegantly expounded by th'Apostle when he saith Thou hast prepared and fitted me a body without the which our sauiour Christ could not haue beene the seruant of God to any such purpose as he was ordayned So that if as Dauid by Christ so Christ for Dauid muste bring not a legall sacrifice but his ears bored through that is a bodie obedient vnto the death men may easilie see that th'Apostle did expound and make plaine that vvhich vvas somewhat obscure in the Prophete whose sense and not whose words he alledged Further they alledge 2. Chron. 28. 19. Achas King of Israel for King of Iuda As if they ought to be ignorant that the place where Achas was buried was first the place where the kings of Israel that is of the twelue tribes were buried or euer it was the place of the kings of Iuda only And if they had marked it they shuld easily haue knowne both the Prophet Ieremie and Lamé 2. 2 Rom. 9. 4. 17. 10. 21. 11. 7. 16. 29. 10. 3. 1. 29. th'Apostle to containe Iuda vnder Israel and contrariwise Israel vnder Iuda And the vulgare according vnto the Hebrew in the last verse readeth in the sepulchres of the Kings of Israel And as ignorance of the story of the Scripture deceiued you here so in the next the ignorance of the tongue abuseth you For 1. Chron. 2. 18. that which you turne out of the Hebrewe hee begat Azubah his wife and Ierioth is falslie and ignorantlie translated For ETH the particle there is not a note of the accusatiue case but is a praeposition and signifieth that he begate of Azubah his wife c. as is confirmed by other places vvhere it is so taken As Gen. 44. 4 Ezech. 6. 9 for that out of 2. Reg. 24. 19. of putting brother for vncle it argueth you vtterlie vnacquainted with the Scriptures in any tongue seing the word brother is generall for all kinsmen both in the olde and new Testament Wherupon Genes 13 Matth. 12. 16. 47 Abraham is called Lots brother as your vulgar printed by Plantine 1576. himselfe readeth and so our Sauiour Christ is saide to haue brethren Whereupon it is euident howe free the Hebrew is from corruption when th'obiections against it are so friuolous as nothing can be more And as this is easy to conceiue of al that know the Church which vnto that tyme was alvvaies sealed amongst them to be the piller of truth so it shall much 1. Tim. 3 more be setled firmely in their breast if the Iewes carefull minde and indeuour of keeping the Hebrewe text fithence the time of their falling away be considered Which appeareth not onelie in that the greatest testimonies vvritten by th'Apost Euangelistes for the proof of Iesus to be the Christ doe remaine as they vvere alledged but also by the testimony of th' auncient Fathers 400. yeares after Christ Hieron in 6. cap. Es August de ciuita Dei lib. 15 c. 13 Hier. epist 74. ad Mar cel Look in his epistle of diuers readings vvhich beare vvitnesse to their innocencie heerein Your owne men are nowe as much ashamed of you in this charge of th'Ebrewe Text as Ierome vvas of some in his time charging the Hebrew as you doe Look Arias Montanus vvhich defendeth the Ievves innocencie in this behalfe Looke Lucas Francis lu eae Burg. an not at in sa era Biblia Looke also his epist ad Cardinal Sirlet Burgensis hovv he defendeth the Hebrew against the vulgar Latin where he cannot reconcile them Read Iohn Isaak a Popishe Ievve against Lindan Now let them ansvvere vvhether the Lordes care be not as great to keepe the newe Testament as to keepe the olde vvhether it be not as great to keep those vvords vvhich he spake by his sonne as it vvas to keepe those Hebr. 1. vvhich he spake by his seruants Finallie whether he keepeth not his wrytings as safelie by the Church which is his friend as hee keepeth it by the synagogue vvhich is his enemie Last of al let the good reader vnderstand that this Popish allegation is a verie haereticall practise and shamelesse shift of the deceauers of Gods people Hieron aduersus Hel. bidium Hieron For thus Ierome chargeth Helbidius that he quarrelled with the truth of the copies did most foolishly perswade himselfe that the Greeke bookes were falsified The like practise vsed the monstrous heresie of the August ad Hieron epist 19 Manichees of vvhome Augustine vvryteth thus The Manichees not able to wrest many places of the holie Scripture whereby they are moste euidentlie conuinced affirme the same to be false yet so that they attribute the same not to the Apostles which wrot them but I knowe not to what other which afterward corrupted them Which because they cannot proue neither by the most copies nor by the most auncient nor by th' authority of the former tongue from which the Latine bookes were translated they are confounded c. We may be bolde therefore to range you vnder the banner of heretickes vvhich beare their proper marke and recognisance But let vs come to the particular places supposed to be corrupted Wherein let the reader obserue first that to discredite nombers of the Greek Copies reading as we do they bring but th' authoritie of one only Doctor For although in the third place they alledge the corruption from the Tripartite storie and Socrates yet it being known that the tripartite story gathereth that which he writeth out of Socrates vnder two authors there is but one authoritie Which may also be said of the second
faith duetie to her spouse Where also it is to be noted that as th' authoritie of Gods worde is in no account with them So neither the Councill of Trent otherwhere matched with th' authoritie Vpon Act 15. of th' evangelistes nor the supreame authoritie of the Pope is so sacred amongst them but that for lucre they are boulde with both of them For in steed that they praeciselie command that none maye reade any translation whatsoeuer without the Curates testimonie of his abilitie thereunto they haue without repeale of Councill or Popes decree put their translation in mens hands with no note of discretion which we vnderstand but who will giue most You may not thinke much therefore if wee for Truths sake make light of your Trent councill when you for gaine infringe it To the three next sections pag. 3. and 4. If as hath bene shewed all ought to reade the Scriptures then all ages all sexes al degrees and callings all high and lowe rich poore wise and foolishe haue a necessarie duetie heerein of which particularities neither doe the Scriptures nor auncient writers keep silence For the Scripture declareth that wemen and children that from their infancie that Iosua â— 2. Tim. â— Psal 49 Prov. noble and ignoble riche and poore wise and foolish exercised themselues in the holy Scriptures And Theodoret Theodoret. de corrig Grae. affect lib. 5 lyketh well that the points of religion which the Church taught were not onelie knowne of Doctors and maisters but of Taylers Smythes Weauers and other artificers not of men onelie but of wemen and the same not onely learned but labouring wemen sewsters seruants and handmaides not of Citizens alone but of Countrie-folke Ditchers deluers neat-heards and gardiners disputing euen of the holie Trinitie c. And being commanded to be talked of both within the house without Deut. 6 both lying sitting and walking a man woulde thinke that therein is commanded th' exercise of it in al places both table and bench both boate barge And it is too great ignorance to make that difference of place in this matter which was not made vnder the Lawe when in all manner of places it is not onelie lawfull but commanded to talke of the Law And seing to the cleane al things are cleane the boat and boat-man the rudder Titâ—â— 1 and the rower it is too palpable a darknesse to thinke that the Worde 1. Tim. â— should bee profaned by those things which by faith prayer it sanctifieth Wherefore it is most false that the Bibles were then onelie in Monasteries Colledges Churches Bishops Priests and some deuout principal lay-mens hands For Chrysostome exhorteth al the people Epist ad Coloss hom 9 Hieron in Psal 133 In Matth. homil â— concione 3 dâ— Lâ—zarâ— secular men to get them Bibles at the least the new Testament Ierom also saieth 〈◊〉 married men Monkes sillie wemen were wont to conteÌ„d who should learn moe scriptures without booke But Chrysostome is bold and affirmeth it more fit and profitable for the lay people to read Gods worde then for Monkes Priests or any other And if priuate reading of the Bible were vrged so sore when through the trauaile of wryting it must needes cost much how much more then is it now to be pressed when through the benefite of printing it is so easilie and lightlie obtained It is false also that either they sung in an vnknowne language or without knowledge of the sense in some profitable measure which had bene liker vnto the prating pratling and parating of birdes tickling th' eares of fond men then to any Christian melodie pleasant in the eares of the wise God After like men fighting in the dark they stryke themselues instead of the enemie For they are forced to bring forth Ierome exhorting men and wemen to the reading and meditation of the Scripture tâ—â—reby to walke comelie in their seuerall callings Themselues therefore which dryue men from reading of the Scriptures are causes why neither â—irgines can meditate of chastitie nor wyues of faithfulnesse Prince how to rule nor subiect how to obey seeing these dueties are euidentlie to th' vnderstanding of the simplest laide forth in holy Scripture And if then th' inferiors taught not their superiors it was because that as they excelled their vnderlings in age dignitie so they went before them in knowledge and vnderstanding of the word But because Poperie is such a time wherein as Salomon saith the Eccl. 10. 4. seruants ryde and the maisters goe on foot that is to say wherein commonlie the Bishop can byte but not bark the Pastor can milke but not feede the Priest can mum but cannot speak it is needfull that in such a case the waters should go against the streame the scholler should teache his maister the sheepe controule his Pastor c. Yea in the learnedst and lightsomest times that euer were and in personages of notable marke it hath sometymes come to passe that not onelie wemen Luke 2. 38 Luk. 24. 10 act 18. 26. 2. Reg 5 13 Chrysost in Coloss hom 9 August dâ— tempor serm 56. haue instructed men but euen the sheepe the shepheards the schollers their maister the seruant their Lord. And Chrysostome and Augustine will haue euery one to learne as they may teach one another Against which as also against the peoples reading of Scriptures neither Ierome nor August haue a word For Ierome in the same epistle exhorteth to the reading of the scripture onelie he reproueth them which trusting vnto the strength of their wits and to their owne studie seeke not the necessarie helpe of a teacher the principall meanes which God hath ordained to bring men to sound knowledg of the trueth And how far Ierome was from the Iesuites iudgement it appeareth otherwhere when he saith that the Scripture is tearmed the Scripture of the people because it is red vnto Hieron in psal 86 all people that all may vnderstand Lykewise he sharply reproueth such as coÌ„temned those that red the Scripture and mused of them day and night as chatters vnprofitable which is the very popishe spirit that reigneth in these daies The same answere serueth for Augustine who reprooueth not men for reading of the Scripture but onelie for that in reading them and finding difficulties which they cannot auoide they forthwith condemne the worde in steade that they should repaire to such as are able to vndoe their knots Which thing is not onelie cleare vppon the place but confirmed by other sayings Where declaring it not to be enough to heare the word in the Church only he exhorteth al in their priuate houses either August de tempor serm 55 to read or to get some to reade for them And againe that nothing abideth but that which a man hath lay de vp in the treasure of his conscience for health of his soule by reading praying or doing good workes and that we must alwayes pray and
you allow of but a note of exception And therefore wee haue bettered your translator herein They say that in Iames 5. 12. we haue left the Greek and followed the Latine which is most false For there is shewed forth for warrant of that reading a most excellent Greek copie beside the Syrian paraphrast translating the Greek before the Latine did Hereby the reader may easily vnderstand that where our translations aggreed with th' olde translator it is â—ot in following him but through warrant of the Greek copies which are extant at this day And that the Thrasonicall Iesuites of th' infinite examples wherein they would make the world beleeue that we â—aue forsaken the Greeke to followe the vulgar are not able to shew so much as one poore example To the next section page 13. Least there should want anie thing wherein these enemies of God and of his word should not play their parts against th' originall Greek they haue thought good to set vpon it with a new accusation of superfluitie whereof notwithstanding they cannot bring a worde of reason beside the bare authoritie of Erasmus whose naked testimonie without proofe against the Greeke they are content to admitt which notwithstanding they vtterlye reiect when with good and substantiall reason it commeth against th' old traÌ„slator But let vs see into th' authoritie First it is confessed of the Iesuites that the Greeke copies read the supposed superfluities with full consent And doe they thinke that such a consent of Greek copies shall not be able to weigh downe th' authoritie of the vulgar translation and â—rasmus allowance of it in this place where neither vntruth of doctrine nor anie vnsutablenes to that which either goeth before or commeth after is able to bee shewed If you your selues should lay in ballance together Erasmus which here maketh for your vulgare and Valla that maketh against him we suppose that vnlesse your extreame pouertie in this case drawe you to doe otherwise you would giue the better weight to that skale wherein you lay Valla as one that dealt not so roughly with Monckery and other your pedlary as did Erasmus And as for the preheminence and authoritie that all the Greek copies haue before th' old translator those Papists excepted only which haue made themselues driuels drudges vnto him we refuse no mans weights nor no mans iudgment Beside that to disburden the Greeke of this false surmise of superfluitie we haue the Syrian paraphrast which in this poynt is not superfluous in that being long before the vulgar he beareth witnes in all these pretended superfluities vnto our Greeke copies as vnto those that are most auncient Now as for the place Math. 6. for thine is the kingdome c. If Erasmus had vnderstood that it is taken out of the booke of Chronicles written by the pen of the holy Ghost he would no doubt haue taken heed howe he had called this conclusion of the Lords praier trisles For it appeareth manifestly that this sentence was borrowed from the Prophete Dauid â— Chro. 29 11. with some abridgement of the Prophetes words which being then fit to set forth the zeale and present touche of the loue wherewith hee loued the Lorde was not so fit without an abstract for that prayer wherein our sauiour sought all shortnesse possible Secondlie that cannot be superfluous without the which we shuld not haue had a perfect form of Praier For wheÌ„ prayer standeth as well in praising of God and thanksgiuing as in petitions and requests to be made vnto him it is euident that if this conclusion had bene wanting there had wanted a forme of that prayer which standeth in praise and thanksgiuing Last of all if to giue a reason of that which goeth before be superfluous then this conclusion may be so But we suppose that it wil be a strange voice in th' eares of all the learned to affirme that a substantiall reason giuen of any thing should be iudged reasonlesse and the coupling vp of the cause with the effect in their surmised superfluitie of this place Rom. 11. 6. is charged likewise Where it is no maruel although they iudge the latter proposition superfluous seeing they are not able to beare th'enimity of the former as that which hangeth their blasphemous opinion of merit so that it can draw no breth vvhen it appeareth Which because the Apost would be sure to hang thorowlie he doubled his coard by a manifest opposition frequented oftentimes of the holy scriptures And therfore vvith the same knife they cut off this branche that they may lop as superfluous boughs a nomber of sentences in the Scriptur especially in S. Iohn And these men that account Logicall reasoning superfluous in th'Apostle how wil they bear the holy ghosts rhethorick in repeating one thing in one place by variety of words alone without any variety of sentence which is so custome-able a thing in the Proph. as the Rabbins for auoyding of tediousnes note the whole rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therof in fiue letters And if they wil not giue th'Apost leaue to vse his Logicke vvithout reproach of superfluity they may vvith better reason denie the Prophets that figure of Rethorick vvhich of all other they most delighted in Last of al Erasmus testimonie heere vpon vvhome they only leane is not so full For he doth not condemne the place of superfluity but suspecteth it There follovveth Mar. 10. 29. where with other things wiues being spoken of in one verse is not vvith them repeated in the next Whereupon is concluded that in the former verse it is a superfluitie And if it vvere not for reuerence of Erasmus learning vve might vvell say it vvere a fond conclusion For vvhy may ther not be asvvell a defect in the latter verse as a superfluitie in the former and rather a defect heere then superfluitie there considering that in Luke Luk. 18. 29 there is a full agreement of all Greek copies reading as Saint Mark doth in the former verse But that this reason is neither proofe of superfluitie nor defect it is manifestly shevved by a like place For th'Apostle hauing nombred and marked out diuerse giftes offices in the Church in the two next 1. Cor. 12. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verses making rehearsall of them againe leaueth out two of which notwithstanding he might as trulie affirm that which he ascribeth to th' other as of anie of them whatsoeuer If therefore in a rehearsall the leauing out of some thinges sent before be an argument of superfluitie let them thrust out these two ordinarie offices out of the Church and together with the whole honourable traine of the greeke copies which they will be easilie intreated vnto let them also condemn their vulgare translation Nay more then that let them condemne with the greeke their owne vulgar in this verie place of Saint Marke vvhich hauing made mention of fathers in the former verse maketh no more mention of them in the verse