Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	work_n	workman_n	write_v	13	3	5.3017	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97086	The considerator considered: or, A brief view of certain considerations upon the Biblia polyglotta, the prolegomena and appendix thereof. Wherein, amongst other things, the certainty, integrity, and divine authority of the original texts, is defended, against the consequences of athiests, papists, antiscripturists, &c. inferred from the various readings, and novelty of the Hebrew points, by the author of the said Considerations. The Biblia polyglotta, and translations therein exhibited, with various readings, prolegomena and appendix, vindicated from his aspersions and calumnies. And the questions about the punctation of the Hebrew text, the various readings, and the ancient Hebrew character briefly handled. / By Br. Walton. D.D.	Walton, Brian, 1600-1661.	1659 (1659)	Wing W657; Thomason E1860_1; ESTC R204072	144,833	308

wrought for confirmation of the Doctrine of the Bible attested by the Catholick Tradition of the Church of Christ His affirming that the Alcoran may vie miracles and traditions with the Scripture rejecting all arguments for the authority of Scripture save its own light VI VII No private or new opinions in the Prolegomena or Appendix VIII The just grounds which the publisher had to speak of the things excepted against IX The groundlesse fears and jealousies of the adversary X. His profession of no great skill in this learning XI That he knows not the Authors of this Edition XII His commending the Work and the authors of it XIII His consequences charged upon the Work and not upon the Workmen as he pretends XIV The true cause of the quarrel is against the Workmen XV. The approbation of the Work by forreign Divines Buxtorss testimony of it I. BEfore we descend to particulars it will be needfull to take notice First of the occasion and motives of publishing these Considerations and of their scope and end concerning which the author tells us Cap. 1. sect 1 2 3. c. That he had written a Treatise of the Divine originall of the Scriptures their authority and self evidencing light and of the providence of God in their preservation which being ready for the Presse the Prolegomena and Appendix of the Bible came to his hands wherein the great bulk of various readings and some opinions maintained in the Prolegomena did in his apprehension much weaken the arguments by him insisted upon in that Treatise and therefore a necessity was incumbent upon him either to desist from publishing it or else of giving an accompt of those things in the Prolegomena and Appendix which tended to the disadvantage of that great truth which he had pleaded for After he tells us of his fears and jealousies of dangerous consequences c. and gives some reasons to free himself from any suspition of malice or envy against the Biblia Polyglotta or any that had a hand in publishing of it and calls the searcher of all hearts to witnesse how clear he was from any sinister ends c. and professes how candidly he will proceed for the sake and in the pursuit of truth with a mind free from prejudice and disquieting affections c. II. Concerning all which I shall observe first that it is ominous to stumble at the threshold as our Author here doth what fair dealing may we expect in his ensuing Discourse when he begins with a palpable untruth he saith the Prolegomena and Appendix came to his hands after he had finished his Treatise of the Scripture and was ready to give it to the Stationer which was the occasion of these additional Considerations when as yet it appears that he had read the Prolegomena and Appendix before he had written the first Chapter of his Treatise for in that Chapter he writes p. 16. that Capellus his pernicious opinion about the uncertainty of Scripture is since approved and taken up by others quoting in the margent Prolegomena ad Biblia Polyglotta and p. 20. he saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is reckoned amongst the various Readings gathered out of Grotius in the Appendix of the Biblia Polyglotta by which it is evident that he had seen and read the Prolegomena and Appendix before he wrote that Treatise and therefore that the publishing of the Prolegomena and Appendix after his Treatise was finished could not be the cause of writing these Considerations in vindication of that Treatise here it seems his memory failed him to say no worse and hereby it plainly appears that some other motives set him on work and not the vindication of his Treatise and though he protests the contrary yet protestatio contraria facto is not to be admitted nor regarded for it is known that such Protestations with men who make no scruple of affirming untruths arises often from the consciousnesse of the guilt of that against which they protest Quid verba audiam cum facta videam What are his Considerations but a cleere confutation of his protestation III. If he had no sinister ends Why are they written in English the Opinions which he opposes being written in that Language wherein Learned men debate such things as are not fit for popular judgements There could be no other end in this then to expose the Bib. Polyglot and Publishers of it to popular hatred If his fears and jealousies were so great that these opinions should gain credit and be received why did he not write against them in the same Language which is generally known in Europe whereby an Antidote might have been ready wheresoever they came whereas to write in English cannot hinder the spreading of them abroad nor was there any great cause to fear that his English readers could be infected by them when they understood them not till he informed them This was not the true motive or else he took not the right course to prevent the mischief he seemed to fear But to confute a Latine Treatise in English and in the same Book to adde a Latine Discourse against the Quakers who abhor all Learning and account that Language the Language of the Beast will notwithstanding his weak Apologie be judged a Soloecisme IV. Besides if the truth and love of the truth set him on work why doth he fasten upon his adversary things manifestly untrue charging him with opinions in one place which in another he clears him from His perverting his adversaries tenets propounding his Arguments and Answers by halfs cutting them short as Procrustes in Plut did his prisoners that they might be fit for his bed are proofs of his candid and sincere dealing but chiefly his urging the Consequences of Papists Atheists Antiscripturists c. whose Advocate he makes himself rather then his Adversary shall escape If he had not been led by some sinister respects knowing that Pious and Learned men yea the learnedst Protestant Divines and the best skilled in the Eastern Languages that are this day and greatest assertors of the purity and authority of the originall Texts against the Romish tenets have maintained the same with the Author of the Prolegomena about the Hebrew punctation and the various readings and that himself acknowledges the main thing from which perverse and wicked men draw their conclusions viz. the variety of readings in the Hebrew and Greek Copies he would have laboured to free those Worthies from such imputations and have shewed that no such consectaries could be logically and rationally deduced from such Premisses as indeed they cannot whereas we see in him the clean contrary for he takes part with Papists Atheists Antiscripturists c. and pleads their cause and labours to prove even from such Premisses as himself cannot deny that those wretched consequences do necessarily follow which shews plainly how he was blinded with Prejudice and Passion and how far he was from that candor and freedom from disquieting affections and from the love of

thine own self for thou dost the same things VIII When I first read this Pamphlet I stood amazed at the strange boldnesse of the Author charging the Prolegomena with such tenets and assertions which they are so far from maintaining that they do assert and prove the plain contrary and that not obiter or by the by but ex professo in full tracts As for instance the main Charge p. 206. That there are corruptions yea grosse corruptions befallen the Original Texts which men by their critical conjectures may discover and correct is so far from truth That the whole Prolegom 7. is spent in proving that the Original Texts are not corrupted either by Jews Christians or others that they are of Supream authority in all matters and the rule to try all translations by That the copies we now have are the true transcripts of the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written by the sacred Pen-men That the speciall providence of God hath watched over these books to preserve them pure and uncorrupt against all attempts of Sectaries Hereticks and others and will still preserve them to the end of the world for that end for which they were at first written That the errors or mistakes which may befall by neglilence or inadvertency of Transcribers or Printers are in matters of no concernment from whence various readings have risen and may by collation of other copies and other means there mentioned be rectified and amended The arguments also brought by some Romanists against the purity certainty and authority of the Original Texts are clearly answered wherein I doubt not but the Reader may find more satisfaction than in all these confused Considerations And for gathering various readings by meer conjectures the author of the Prolegom is so far from approving that way that he expressely rejects it and gives reasons against it Prol. 6. sect ult which the author of the Considerations p. 209. 305 307. doth also acknowledge with thankfulnesse IX The like may be seen in most of his other charges wherein he fights with his own shadow and like a wanton whelp runs round after his own stern dissembling his adversaries opinion and instead thereof substituting any lame confectary which came suddenly into his distempered fancy For whatsoever might seem odious to vulgar apprehensions he ascribes to the Prolegomena that so he might have colour to say what he lists Other things are by him wilfully perverted and misconstrued the controversie never truly stated not one argument faithfully recited much less answered nor the tenth part of what is said in the Prolegomena on the matters in question taken notice of much less confuted so that I was a long time in doubt whether to take notice of these Considerations at all by way of answer there being nothing in them which is not in the Prolegomena and Appendix already fully answered as those that shall please to compare both together may easily see and this was the opinion of some men of great learning and judgement that I should not trouble my self with any answer Besides I have to deal with one so possessed with prejudice and passion and thereby so pertinacious in his opinions that I shall but Aethiopem lavare he may be convinced but not converted and will hold his Conclusion in despight of the Premises Neither is his authority of such weight with judicious and learned men as that they will esteem the Biblia Polyglotta either the better for his praises or the worse for his censure so that as his praises should not tickle so neither his dispraises trouble Declamationes ambitiosorum are onely otiosorum cibi as Scal. exerc 307 nor is it my lot alone to be thus handled by him he layes about him on all sides and like Ismael his hand is against every one so that we may say with the Epigrammatist Omnibus invideas Livide nemo tibi yea the volume it self begins already to serve for wast paper in Grocers shops and to vanish in thuris pipirisve cucullos X. Yet considering that it may have come into the hands of diverse who never saw and it may be cannot read or understand the Biblia Polyglotta or the Prolegomena and may simply give credit to what he averres for though he say the opinions may be candidly disputed among learned men without danger yet he hath thought fit to submit and expose them to the judgement of the unlearned who cannot judge but may wrest what they understand not to their own hurt wherein either his prudence or piety may justly be called in question in bringing a Latine tract upon an English stage and withall lest he might complain that he was neglected or brag amongst his ignorant Proselites that he could not be answered and further seeing that there is as S. Ambr. de ossic 1. c. 3. saith otiosum silentium as well as otiosum verbum and I would be loth to be guilty of the one as my adversary is of the other and withall because he threatens in many places p. 152 153. 193. 201 305. 320. 345. a further search and to make more discoveries of great matters I thought it not altogether unfit though I want not other imployments wherein to spend my hours both in right to my self and this work of the Bible and to all those Reverend and worthy persons whose approbations have commended it to the publick as also of all those great and learned Divines and others some of which I have now mentioned who are involved in the same cause to take a brief view of these Considerations to examine the grounds of those consequences which he would infer and to shew how unjustly and uncharitably he hath dealt that so the Prolegomena Appendix and several Translations may be vindicated from his false aspersions the true use of the Work maintained for the publick good of the Church the truth asserted against his Sophismes and Declamations the Reader disabused their judgements rectified who may be misled by a popular Pamphlet ●itted for vulgar capacities not for Scholasticall judgements and all further error and misconstruction prevented in what shall be hereafter offered by him or others upon this account so that he or whoever shall proceed in this virulent way of censuring may be without excuse For as Juo Ep. 219. quia falsitas praecessit oportet ut veritas subsequatur quae latrocinia noctis detegat Not that I intend to follow him in all his confused mazes extravagancies and cautologies but onely to insist upon the chief and most material points which being rightly stated and the truth proved or vindicated I shall submit all to the judicious and indifferent Reader CHAP. II. I The occasion and motives of publishing the Considerations II. The adversary begins with an untruth III. His sinister ends writing in English against a Latine Treatise and yet in the same book writing in Latine against the Quakers IV. His love of the truth candid and sincere dealing V. His dangerous assertions against the miracles

Liturgie proved from the Jews after Esdras his time and from the Samaritanes in imitation of them XIII The Chaldee Paraphrase defended of Buxtorf Babylonia XIV Of the Vulgar Latine XV. The Septuagint the other Translations not taken from it save part of the Arabick XVI Of the Originall Copy of the Septuagint XVII Of the Aethiopick and Persian XVIII The true reason why the Adversary is so offended with these ancient Translations they testifie for Liturgie observation of Festivalls c. I. BEfore we leave this Charge about various Readings I must say something of the Translations exhibited in the Bibia Polyglotta against which our Author spends his last Chapter upon pretence that we assign them another use then he allows viz. That they are the rules by which the Originall is to be corrected for upon this he takes occasion to inveigh against them all to shew how unfit they are for this end and further how unusefull for any other end Now though I might well passe over all that is said upon this supposition as not concerned therein having already declared for what use these Translations are here Printed and that though we allow various Readings to be gathered out of them in some cases and with some limitations as is above declared yet we neither make them equall with much lesse prefer them above the Originalls but make them subservient to them yet because under colour of this he defames and asperseth all the Translations as of no use nor deserving any esteem I shall take a brief view of the most materiall passages in this invective referring the Reader for full satisfaction to the Prolegomena where the use antiquity and authority of every Translation and all the questions about any of them are at large handled II. He prefaces his Invective with an acknowledgement of the usefulnesse of them in some cases and p. 206 calls the Work a Noble collection of Translations but this is as I said before onely as a Shooing-horn to draw on the better this aspersion which he casts upon them afterwards and therefore I account his commendation to be only as I observed before out of St. Hierom Honorifica contumelia an Honorable reproach First he begins with the Arabick for the Honour he bears to the Reverendly Learned Publisher of it as he affirms meaning Master Pocock or rather indeed because he thought he might have more colourable pretence to vilifie this Translation then some of the other otherwise he should rather have passed it over or said least of it if he had so honoured the Publisher But here he shews h●w apt he is to mistake or to derogate what he can from the Publisher when he makes that Learned man the Publisher of the Arabick I shall not detract from his deserved praise whom I do esteem as my much honoured friend but I am sure he will not thank him for making use of any thing by him said or written against this or any other of the translations nor assume to himself what our Author gives him to be the Publisher of the Arabick translation or any other in this Edition for upon the request of the Publisher he collated the Pentate●ch not the whole Translation with two Copies of Saadias his Translation which he takes to be the same with that in the Parisian and in this ●dition the one a MS. the other Printed in the Constantinopolitane Bibles and noted the differences of them which he sent to the Publisher who after they were reviewed and collated over again for a great part with the Printed Copy of Saadias which I had out of Mr. Seldens Library for many things were mistaken by some whom he imployed in part of the collation which himself being otherwise imployed had not leisure to review and therefore desired me that they might be re-examined I caused to be Printed and published with the rest And upon the like request of the Publisher that he would make some brief Preface to those Arabick various Readings or differences of these copies he sent him that which is now prefixed to them in which though the Publisher did not concur with him that this Pentateuch is the same with that of Saadias wherein divers others of great Learning and Judgement did concur with the Publisher nor did his reasons seem cogent considering them on the one side and what was brought by D. H●ttinger now Hebrew Professor at Heydelberg on the other side in his Analecta which are further urged in his Smegma Orientale with other reasons which offered themselves and although the Publisher had formerly inclined to Mr. Pocock● opinion swayed by his Authority which he always did and doth still very much esteem and did foresee and so declared what use might be made of his words by some persons disaffected to the Work to the defaming of the whole as I now finde by experience yet seeing it was only his particular judgement and every man had liberty to judge of his reasons as he saw cause some things also being mollified and altered upon the Publishers Letters from the first draught he chose rather to publish it as it is then to take upon him to determine any thing in it having also said something of this point Prolegom 14. which the Reader may consult if he please III. I shall not therefore go about to discusse or determine that Question whether it be the same which Saadias the Jew translated out of Hebrew into Arabick yet in Hebrew Characters though it seems scarcely credible that those Christian Churches in the East should use a Translation made by a Jew in their publike assemblies yet I cannot but observe how our Adversary doth misreport wrong the Learned Author of that Preface in reciting his words and opinions whom yet he seems to magnifie and therefore it is the lesse to be wondered that he deals so with others whom he labours what he can to vilifie for he makes him to write things neither true nor agreeing to common sence but untrue and contradictory to themselves For p. 322. he saith That he viz. Mr Pocock tells us This Translation is a Cento made up of many ill suited pieces there being no Translation in that Language extant of the Old Testament which is a plain contradiction for if there be no Translation in the Arabick extant how came this to be extant and why doth he call it an Arabick Translation if there be none in that Language and why doth he speak pag. 324. of other Arabick Translations if there be none at all Mr. Pocock indeed saith That it is not all made by one Author nor all immediately out of the Hebrew but some out of the Hebrew some out of the Syriack and part out of the LXX but he was not so devoid of common sence as to say there was none at all I looked among the Errata but could not finde any Error noted there nor can he say that there is no other Translation in the Arabick but this and that