the Sermons of the Scribes and Pharises malitiouslye blinde in that mysterie there remained onely that with inuocation of the name of God they should read the scripturs to th' end that by conference of them with the Sermons of our Sauiour Christ they might finde and feele the trueth of them And as this place proueth that the peoples reading of the scripture is a good help to those that beleeue not after they haue hard the preaching so th' example of the Act. 17. 11. men of Baerea declareth that it is also necessary for those that beleeue that they shoulde be able by conference of the scripture to confirme themselues in the faith whereinto they are entered whereof let the reader further looke what is both objected answered in that place And if it were a safe and a sure thing for the Iewes not yet beleeuing in our Sauiour Christ to search and reade the scriptures how can it bee dangerous for Christians that haue already beleeued him to read the scriptures which beare testimonie of him And if it be commendable that those that were novices in Christianitie plantes of a day olde should search read the scripture how much more ought the reading of the scriptures be committed vnto their trust which through the covenant of grace were froÌ„ their mothers wombe borne Christians Gal. 2. 15 Secondly it is absolutely necessary for all men to vse all those aides whereby they shoulde the more perfectly know what is the will of God Deut. 6. thereby to frame themselues to th' obedience of the same Heereof the law commandeth that euery one should not onely haue the law sounding like a trumpet in his eares but also that it shoulde be as a ring vpon his finger as a bracelet vppon his hande as a frontlet before his eies that is to say alwayes in sight For which cause he commanded further Deut. 6. 7. 8. 9 that the law should be written vpon the frontiers of the land vpon the gates of the Citie and Towne and vpon the postes of euery mans priuate house Nowe if it were then thought good to the wisdome of God that the people should in passing by reade the lawe grauen or painted vpon pillers gates dores wher they could not consider of it so grauely stayedly how much more was it his good pleasure they should read the same sitting in their houses where hauing the book before them they might more ripelie and deliberatelie conceaue the sense and receaue the fruit thereof Further th' Apostle Coloss 3. 16. commanding that the worde of Christ should dwell plentifullie or richly amongst those that are of the Church doth thereby giue commandement that they shoulde vse all lawfull meanes of familiar acquaintance with it Vnlesse therefore it be denyed which cannot bee of them that grant it sometymes expedient that the reading of the Scriptures is a lawful exercise in the word of god for the obtayning of greater wealth in the same it is manifest that it is commanded of th' Apostle If commanded then also absolutely necessary Moreouer it is commanded to trye 1. Ioh. 4. â— the Spirits whether they be of God or no But that can not bee without some further knowledge of the word then we receaue of the spirites them selues that is to saye the ministers speaking either in the spirite of error or trueth wherefore it followeth that the whole knowledge that a faithfull man ought to haue hangeth not of the mouth of the minister but ought to haue a supplie of priuate reading and meditation of the law at home Againe the King who of all other for the multitude Deut 17. 19. Iosu 1. and weight of his busines in the affayres of the common wealth might seeme to be freed from this exercise of priuate reading and to content himselfe with the sermons in the temple is commanded to reade the booke of the lawe diligently where other men that are neither so full of businesse nor haue so many whose welfare dependeth of them can not bee exempted from this exercise of pietie And if it be necessary for the King to reade in the worde that hee may rule well it is necessary that the subjects should doe the same that they may obey well And if it bee needfull for him to read that hee command not through the pride of his harte thinges that are vnlawfull there is the same necessity for them least in too greate basenes of minde they shall obeye man rather then God Last of all reading of the scriptures Iosu 8. 34 Nehe. 8. 2. Reg. 23 2. Act. 13. 15 15. 21. Col. 4. 16 publikely in the Church being not onely a laudable and approued custome of the Church vnder the lawe but commanded also in the gospell doth declare that that which was continually profitable vnto the whole Church together can not but aedifie euery one a part in his house As for their reason to proue it not necessarie for that through mans malice or infirmitie the scriptures are pernitious much hurtful to many It is very childish For by the same boult they may shut out preaching as well as reading considering that through eyther infirmitie or malice many the most part oftentimes of those that heare get a greater condemnation vnto themselues So also the Sacraments shall be banished which by many are receiued to iudgement Finally so it 1. Cor. 11 should be dangerous for the people to meddle with Christ himselfe as Luke 1. one that is set for the rysing and fall of manie And to this manifest sounding voice in the Scriptures doth th' echo of th' elder Churches answere which teache that the people should learne Orig in Levit hom 4. Chrysost iâ— Gen. homil 29. the Scriptures without booke that they should not onelie hearken vnto the reading of the Scriptures at the Church but also take the Bible when they come home and that reading of the Scriptures performeth that to the soule that meate doth to the strength of the bodie that all men ought by daylie reading the Scripture Hieron iâ— câ—p 10. Ecclesiast August in Psal 33. câ—nâ— 2. get wisdome that they should read the Scriptures for that they were written to th' end we should be comforted Wherefore it is not the Churches diuine wisdome but the Popishe Synagogues deuilishe craft to forbidde that at any time which both the Scriptures and purer Churches haue not onely permitted th' vse of to the people but streightly charged them therewith And it is not vnlike the subtile practise of the Philistimes the most deadly enemies vnto the Lords people who to keepe them alwayes in slauerie permitted no vse of weapon vnto them a fewe excepted whome they forsooth would shew grace vnto So 1. Sam. 13 the diuine wisdome of your Church is to hinder the seruantes that they should not know their maisters will to holde from the betrothed maide that she should not know her
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
weare swordes but such as in respect of franzie or quarrelling with their fellowes are speciallie restrained you make your proclamation that no souldier shal we are weapon but with special licence therunto Is this your skill and discretion in warfare But thus at least you prouyde that dogges hogges shoulde not come vnto them so doe you also that neither sheepe nor lambe shoulde touch them Thus th' vsurpers are kept from them but the true owners also enioy them not Heerein you bewray a contrarie spirit to that wherewith our Sauiour Christ was conducted For he oftentimes preached in the hearing of known dogs and hogs that is the Scribes and Pharisies obstinatlie set against him least for their sakes the children should be defrauded of their bread And you of the cōtrarie side defraude the children of their appointed portiō least the dogs should happely snatch at it Besides this do you think that the discretion of dogs and hogs from sheep lamb is so easie vnto you as it was vnto our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles Can you tell who deuide the hoofe and chaw the cud who are cleane who are vncleane who read in the simplicitie of heart and who with pretence Heere therefore you mutter that which Harding your companion speaketh plainelie that the common people are dogs and hogs and indeede your argument is none at all in this place vnlesse by hogs and dogs you meane all those frō whom you steale away the reading of the Scriptures As for your description of dogs hogs out of Chrysostome to be hereticks and carnall men it maketh not so much to take the Scriptures away from the common people as frō the learneder and richer sorte For heresie maketh her nest oftner in the breast of the learned and of those that reade the Scriptures in the learned tongues then in the common peoples heades And the riche are more often loaden with carnall lustes then the poorer sort so that if Chrysostome or Tertullian proue any restraint of reading of Scriptures they prooue it directly against your practise which lay the scriptures wide open to all the learned and as it was in Queene Maries dayes if we will remember to those that might dispend by yeare a certaine land that is to those from whome either you durste not holde it or of whome you hoped to haue gaine through speciall licence accorded vnto them You say trulie that no man can vnderstand the Scriptures but by the Spirite of Christ Whereof if you would haue concluded any thing for your purpose you ought to haue shewed that the Spirit of Christ is appropriated to the learned or at the least oftner accompanieth them then it doth th' vnlearned The contrarie whereof being true that God reuealeth his secrets for the most vnto the simple and vnlearned ones and that Matth. 11 1. Cor. 1. not manie wise men nor many noble men are taught by this Spirit it is euident that if any should be shut from the reading and other exercises of the Scriptures the same are especially the learned and not the ruder the nobler and not the baser the richer and not the poorer sorte To the three next sections pag. 6. and 7. Marke good reader the blasphemie of these wretched caitiues that esteeme so vilelie of the holy Scriptures as if there were no better nor more honorable vse of them amongst the people then to make choise of the reading of them rather then to be much occupyed about stage-playes cardes and dice. These men no doubt could be wel content that the people shoulde rather sit downe and pill strawes then they should take anie booke of holy Scripture into their hand Pharaos prophanesse from hence forth shall not be spoken of in respect of th' vncircūcised lips of these beastly Iesuites For he which held the people from exercises of godlinesse in respect of doing some profitable work tending to the fortificatiō of the land but these are content that sports and plaies and that of the basest sort and of worst reporte as cardes dice stage-playes shall keep the people from reading of the Scriptures so that they be not much giuen vnto them And yet notwithstanding if as you praetend they engender heresies amongst the people it should appeare that they shuld be aswel occupied in th' one as in th' other both of them being readie and beaten wayes to euerlasting damnation But a lyar they say hath need of memory For if as you haue alledged Chrysostome cals carnal men dogs and hogs these delicate ones giuen so much t◠cardes dice and stage-playes beeing carnall it followeth by your discourse that Chrysostome was of this iudgement that the most seasonable tyme for the people to reade the Scriptures in was when they were dogs hogs then which what can be more vnworthelie spoken of the good Bishop But marke also good reader the brasen impudencie of the Iesuites whereby it will not be hard for thee to see how all conscience in them is euen seared away as it were with a hot-iron For Chrysostome disputeth of a necessary continuall vse of reading the Scripture by the people therefore doth not so much speak against the lets of certaine times as when they were giuen to stage-playes c. but meeteth with the ordinarie and continual impediment as the care for house wife and children For which purpose he alledgeth th'Apostle that the Scripture was written for our correction Which if the Iesuites will restraine to the correctiō of excesse in dicing and carding c. their cogging and iugling cannot bee hid from anie In the third homilie of Lazarus he doth not obiect th' excuse of pastime but declareth that for to deliuer themselues from the duetie of reading the Scripture one woulde say that he hath matters to plead another that he hath publike affaires a third that he hath his handie-craft to awaite vpon another that he hath his wife his children and familie to maintaine and take care for and generallie euerie one could say I am a man of the worlde it belongeth not to me to reade the Scripture but to those which hauing taken their farewell of the worlde dwell in the mountaines and liue a continent life To whome when he had answered that they had therefore more neede to reade the Scriptures he concludeth that both they and he that liued amongst men as it were in the midst of the seas haue alwaies need of the perpetuall and continuall solace of the Scriptures And yet reckoning vp the manifolde vses of reading of the scriptures by the people hee concludeth thus Wherefore it is necessary that wee shoulde incessantly fetche our armour at the Scripture Againe he compareth in the same places which are heere quoted the books of Scriptures to th'artificers instrument wherewith he getteth his liuing which he wil not gage and as he maketh his works with his tooles so we by the Scriptures must correct our depraued minds And a little after The reading
of the Greeke copies being one and the same in all Ordinarilie they translate prepuce and prepuced yet Act. 7. 51. they say vncircumcised Mark 10. 42. they translate ouerrule Dominâ—ntur them contrarie to the meaning of our Sauiour contrarie to Saint Luke which vseth the verb simple as of the same value as the compound and contrarie to their own vulgar who vseth an indifferent word which hath not so great excesse of rule adioyned with it thereby to help the Lordship of their clergy To stand vpon the rest of their examples whereby they glory in their owne shame would be so small profite of the reader especially coÌ„sidering that the places of anie importance are other-where debated some of them being ridiculous as a word done hell of fire c. yet can we not passe ouer one open impudent willfull and sausie corruption which they haue vsed throughout their whole translation which alwaies in stead of the Lord haue set and that text-wise our Lord contrarie to the faith both of all the Greeke examples and the vulgar translation hauing therefore taken from and put to you haue all the curses standing at your doores which are threatned against falsifyers of the publick recordes of the church whether they be considered as they are in deed or as they are in your opinion For notwithstanding you haue laide vp the vulgar translation in the holy ark of the Lord hurling out from thence th' originall as it were the two tables written by the finger of God when such dealing may serue your turne yet bear you so little reuerence vnto it as that in a matter of small importance which can neither hinder vs nor help you you haue put out and put in at your pleasure And although the former fault may happily be imputed to your ouersight yet the latter of adding vvherein you fall so often and continually can argue nothing els but a challenge of maistership and Rabbinisme in the Church of Christ and of a chaire aduanced so high as that the chaire of our Sauiour may scarce seeme to be a foot-stoole vnto it And if you could shew but one such boldnes of ours through-out the translation of the vvhole body of the Bible vve vvould couer our faces and our ansvver should be in silence We see easily vvhat a small gale of vvind hath driuen you vpon these sands Only for that vve according to the most accustomable phrase of the Scripture do so speake you haue chosen to Heb. 7. 14. speake othervvise then the Scripture rather then you vvould speak as vve doe Ywisse you see it othervvise in vs vvhich bank not your phrase of speaking vvheresoeuer the texte of Scripture doth offer it vs. You haue made the vvall of your separation from vs high othervvise and you might haue made it higher with much lesse apparance of your contempt of the worde Sauing that the Lorde would thus discouer you to a hatefull abhomination of your malapertnes in handling his worde Beside that as you haue deuided your tongues from the tongue of the holy Ghost so you haue deuided it from your owne harts For neyther in deed nor by your own doctrine can you say our God or our Lord which stand in a continuall mammering whether he be louingly affected towards you or no. You haue presumed further herein then durst your good maisters and betters For the whole vniuersitie of Louaene translating the Bible into French as you doe the new Testament into English kept themselues Le Seigneur herein praecisely to the old translator turning the Lord and not our Lord. Where if the weight of authoritie be asked after the vniuersitie of Louane is of better mark then the vniuersitie of Rhemes the Doctors and Diuines of Louane then the Nouices and Questionists of Rhemes the whole vniuersitie of Louane of greater credite then one small Colledge of the vniuersitie of Rhemes And if to all these we had for answer only returned in such and such places we translate thus and thus not as the Iesuites doe as they say that they translate not as the Protestants doe we feare not but al indifferent iudgment wil be constrained to giue the praeheminence of a true and plaine translation vnto vs especially in respect of theirs As euen in the next example where the Greeke word is different eyther to the holy Ghost or to the wind forasmuch as it is most euident by vndoubted arguments that the wind is to be vnderstood we holde it for a grace of our translation which hath appropriated the speach to the meaning of the Scripture And therfore we may iustly condemne their translation which where one thing is intended and marked out of the Scripture vseth that worde which is common to both significations Albeit we know neither generall speach of the whole land nor particular language of any seuerall shire where the word spirit doth signifie wind So that if it were a vertue for your translation so to hault of both sides that the certaine meaning coulde not bee knowne yet haue you not here attayned vnto it To the next section page 21. That the Greeke neuer fauoreth you it shall euidently appeare that there is no corruption vsed of Maister Beza in either of these verses let the reader looke in their seuerall places To the rest we answer nothing as we doe not vnto the next section nor the next to it For first it is knowne to all the world that in both th' Epistles to the Hebrewes Saint Iames we acknowledg the holyest and highest authoritie that can be Secondly it shall appeare in the place that we keepe the boundes of modestie in abstaining to name the writter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes whose name the holie Ghost hath concealed Thirdly not sticking to name Saint Iames Epistle in our best translations Generall it is well knowen that both that title is not giuen of the holy Ghost but of the scholiast which tooke it of Eusebius and is not giuen for a mark of further degree of holynes aboue other Epistles but only to note the difference of th' other Epistles writteÌ„ with greater restraint of person or place Where these latter Epistles of Saint Iames Peter Iohn and Iude were directed to the Iewes scattered in diuers countries prouinces whither they had bene carried captiue and therefore are called generall Beside that it were good for you not to be bould with Eusebius in the title of Catholike Euseb lib. 4. histor eccles c. 22. 23. vnlesse you will matche Saint Iames most holy Epistle with the Epistles of Denys Bishop of Corinth which Eusebius calleth Catholike as he doth Sainte Iameses Eusebius therfore was not a fit Euseb 2. lib. hist eccles â— 23. author for this especially if you had remembred his rash iudgement of Saint Iameses Epistle To the three next sections vve ansvvere nothing In the last let hardly the reader iudge how they help his vnderstanding euerie way which make plaine places rough darken that which is lightsom by disorder of sentences by vnwonted phrase by wordes fetched from far countries which their owne countrie doeth affoard them off And finallie by doubtfull speache inclyning as well to that which is not the meaning of the Scripture as to that which is And the way which is so plaine and lightsome that they can neuer make rough nor dark by their translation they doe by their annotations vtterly peruert And therefore we comfort our selues with this saying of th' Apostle that you shal proceede no further 2. Tim. 5. 9. for asmuch as your madnes shall be knowne to all men FINIS