Cor. vii 10. The married is rendred by Ceux qui sont conjoints par le Sacrement de marriage i.e. They that are joined together by the Sacrament of marriage But this is forgery and a gross addition to the Text not only to the Greek but to the Vulgar Latin also and yet these men pretend to give us a Translation of it Again they pursue this unexcusable error Be ye not unequally yoked says the Apostle They render it ne vous joignez point par Sacrement de marriage i.e. join not your selves by the Sacrament of marriage 2 Cor. vi 14. See also this Translation of 1 Tim. iv 3. The Doctrine of Merits is not favoured by the Holy Scriptures But these Translators have pressed them in that cause That ye may be counted worthy says S. Paul 1 Thess i. 5. To the same sense their Vulgar hath it ut digni habeamini that you may be counted worthy So the Rhemes Testament here 's a great agreement But tho' this be the sense of the Greek their Vulgar their Rhemist yet this is too flat for these Translators They will have S. Paul bear witness to their doctrine of Merits And therefore they render it Asin que-vous meritiez c. i.e. To the end ye may merit the Kingdom of God Thus when we are told that God is well-pleased with good works Heb. xiii 16. they will have it on merite envers Dieu that by them a man merits with God The Roman Church boasts her self as the only Catholick Church and pillar of Truth The Holy Scriptures as well as all ancient Creeds are silent in this matter But these Translators have by manifest forgery wrested them to testifie in behalf of this matter In the latter times says S. Paul some shall depart from the faith 1 Tim. iv 1. de la foy Romain i. e. from the Roman faith say the Authors of this Translation And yet the Vulgar the Rhemes Testament that of Mons agree with our English And as this is the sense of the Greek and the Versions so 't is manifest that the addition of Roman is nothing less than forgery and falsification of the Text a crime so great that I want words to express it by They have so ordered the matter that the Apostles words which describe to us the gross defection of the Roman Church and give us warning of their dangerous errors are made to speak a quite contrary sense This appears from the words of S. Paul last mentioned and will farther appear from their translation of the following words of the Apostle What we render the doctrines of Devils agreeably to both their Vulgar Latin and Testament of Rhemes they have rendred by doctrines ensignées par des diables i.e. doctrines taught by the devils by which they have endeavoured to divert the thoughts of the Reader from that worship of Damons which so visibly obtains in the Roman Church And whereas the Apostle goes on to describe the nature of the Apostacy against which he warns his reader v. 3. they have quite perverted his sense and most dishonestly foisted in a sense that is favourable to the errors of their Church Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats they translate by condamnans le Sacrement de marriage l'abstinence des alimens c. i.e. condemning the Sacrament of marriage the abstinence of meats c. And thus they turn the Apostles words upon the reformed as if they were the Apostates which the Apostle points at because they deny marriage to be a Sacrament and do not think we are now obliged by that difference of meats introduced by the Roman Church In this they deal very insincerely And that they do so will appear to any indifferent person whatsoever What we render forbidding to marry is not only agreeable to the Greek text but also to the Versions received in the Church of Rome viz. that of the Vulgar the old Louvain and that of Rhemes and Mons and that of Amelote Whereas their Version is destitute of all Authority whatsoever For the following words in our Version And commanding to abstain from meats I grant indeed that and commanding is not in the Greek Text and our Interpreters have given warning of it by Printing those words in a different character from the words of the Text But yet I will maintain that they have given the true sense of S. Paul's words For tho' the words in the Greek are Elliptical yet our English hath supplied the Ellipsis no otherwise than the Authors of the Mons Version have done who have express'd it by qui obligeront de c. and the old Louvain gives us the same sense Besides the Syriac Version justifies our English and which is more than all the following words of the Apostle which God hath created to be received c. which words make it plain enough that they are marked out who command us to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received The Church of Rome hath advanced an opinion concerning sins Mortal and Venial I enter not into the dispute 'T is certain that these Translators have endeavoured to bring in the Scripture as giving express ground for this distinction And tho' they could not find it there they have found a place to foist it into There is a sin not unto death says S. John 1 ep v. 17. which words they translate thus Il y a quelque pechè que n'est point mortel mais veniel i.e. There is a sin that is not mortal but venial I shall proceed to consider some other places in which these Translators so order the matter that they may beget in the Readers minds such an Idea of Christianity as bears conformity to the present Doctrines or usages of the Roman Church Thus when the Evangelist mentions the Chief Priests Matt. ii 4. ch xxvii 1 6 62. ch xxviii 11. they render it by Princes des Prêtres i.e. Princes of the Priests This carries a shew of that eminence and dignity of that Order which is now to be seen in the Roman Church But these men are in this the less blameable because they do follow the letter of the Vulgar which they pretend to translate For which reason the Authors of the Mons Version have the same rendring But then these latter explain these Princes of the Priests by the heads of the twenty four Sacerdotal families They render the word Repent Matt. iii. 2. c. iv 17. Luk. x. 13 c. by faites penitence i.e. do penance Where they give the Reader an occasion of a very imperfect Idea of true Repentance it being possible that men may do penance according to the importance of that phrase in the Roman Church and not repent 'T is said of the Parents of Jesus that they went to Jerusalem Luk. ii 41. These Translators tell that they went en Pelerinage i.e. in Pilgrimage to Jerusalem Thus without just ground they would insinuate that they did what is now the
REFLECTIONS ON A French Testament PRINTED AT BORDEAUX An. Dom. MDCLXXXVI Pretended to be Translated out of the LATIN into FRENCH By the Divines of LOVVAIN By RICHARD KIDDER D. D. and Dean of PETERBOROVGH LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in S. Paul's Church-yard 1690. THE PREFACE THAT the People have a right to read the Holy Scriptures cannot be doubted of by him that considers that matter with due Application and without Prejudice And that Man who reads these Holy Books with great Humility and Care and an earnest desire to become better will receive unspeakable Advantages by it The Governours and Pastors of the Church are therefore obliged to promote this holy Disposition and to furnish and assist the People who cannot read these Books in their original Languages with such a true Translation and such needful Explications as may render it more profitable to them The Church of Rome does not absolutely deny the People this liberty but restrains it For they have their Versions of the Bible in the several Popish Countries in the Language of them But for all that certain it is that many of that Church do not only disparage these holy Books but discourage the reading of them And that Church instead of assisting the devout People in their profitable reading the Holy Scriptures and furnishing them with all due means to this purpose hath dealt very insincerely in the whole matter I. By obtruding the Vulgar Latin as that Authentick Copy of the Bible from which in publick disputes and questions there is no appeal to be allowed which the Trent-Council does The Version of the Vulgar Latin I grant is venerable for its Antiquity and is of great use in the Church And is not always to be dâ—spised or declaimed against where at first sight it does not seem perfectly agreeable to the Original Text both because it sometime gives the true sense where it seems in the lâ—tter to differ and also because in the N. T. especially where it differs from the present reading it doâ—s not differ from some ancient Copies But yet after all it cannot always be defended And it were not hard to give proofs of this beyond all exception whatsoever This would be too great a digression in this place And therefore I shall only add as a competent proof of it at present that the most samed and allowed Commentators and Interpreters of the Roman Church do think fit very frequently to forsake the Vulgar which I shall at any time make good against that Church whenever I shall be required to do it II. By commending that for the Version of the Vulgar Latin which in truth is not so After the above named Decree of the Trent-Council the minds of men were in suspence and doubtful because they knew not what Copy of the V. Latin to follow And the Pope did not for above twenty years after declare what certain Copy should be taken for the Authentick V. Latin Afterwards indeed Pope Sixtus V. gave notice to the Christian World what his mind was in this matter A. D. MDLXXXIX He puts out a Latin Bible in the Preface whereunto he acquaints the Reader as follows That agreeably to the aforesaid Decree of the Council of Trent He having called upon God and relying upon S. Peter's Authority for the publick good of the Church had not thought much to set forth that Bible He sets forth his labour in chusing the best readings his design that according to the Decree of the Trent Council the Vulgar Bible might be printed most Correct and his performance viz. That he had accurately purged this Edition from various Errors and with utmost diligence restored it in pristinam veritatem i.e. to its ancient verity After this declares his will viz. He decrees that that Edition should be taken for that Vulgar Latin which the Trent Council declared Authentick And this He tells us he does ex certâ nostrâ scientiâ deque Apostolicae potestatis plenitudine i.e. from his own certain knowledge and plenitude of Apostolick Authority And that it ought to be received as such sine ulla dubitatione aut controversiâ i.e. without any doubt or controversie After this Clement the VIII puts out his Edition of the Vulgar and requires expresly that that be received also And this he does A. D. MDXCII The differences between that of Sixtus V. and Clement VIII are too many to be here related Where'tis in Clement's Edition eduxistis 't is in that of Sixtus V. induxistis Exod. xvi 3. Where the one hath opposuit 't is apposuit in the other Deut. xxiv 6. Clement hath extrinsecùs where Sixtus reads it intrinsecùs 1 Kings vii 8. Where Clement hath it à portá Sixtus hath it ad portam 2 Ezr. c. iii. v. 28. One reads latitudinem when the other reads altitudinem Judith i. 1 2. What in Sixtus is insipientia is sapientia in Clement Ecclus. xxi 15. Non respicis in Sixtus is respicis in Clement Hab. 1.13 Where Sixtus hath Credentes Clement hath non Credentes Joh. vi 65. Where Sixtus hath interpretabilis Clement hath in interpretabilis Heb. v. 11. And where one hath doctas the other hath indoctas 2 Pet. i. 16. Yet are both these to be received by the authority of Pope and Council tho' they contradict each other And we shall still be at the pleasure of a Pope to give us another Authentick Copy III. The Church of Rome hath done very insincerely in allowing Versions which pretend to be true Versions of the Vulgar when they are not I shall more especially consider those which were done into French there was a French Bible printed at Antwerp by the permission of Charles the V. A. D. MDXXX and reprinted A. D. MDXXXIV which differs from the present Vulgar But this being done before the Bull of Sixtus V. I insist not upon it After this there was another Version of the V. Latin into French by the care of certain Louvain Divines deputed to this purpose An Edition of which Printed at Lyons I frequently refer to in the following Reflections This was a Version of great fame and authority in the Church of Rome and the Testament of Bordeaux pretends to be done by these Divines So it was that tho' this Louvain French Bible were designed to keep the people from reading the Protestant Editions yet it was complained of by several of the Church of Rome as Father Simon relates as coming too near the Sentiments of the Protestants It will appear by the following Reflections that this Version does not exactly agree with the present Vulgar Since that have been many Popish Versions in the French Tongue which pretend to be Versions of the Latin into French of the N. Testament in which I am particularly concerned at present I shall mention none but such as I have perused The first is that of Amelote who was chosen by the French Clergy to this employment A. D.MDCLV He hath Printed his Version
both with and without Notes The first A. D.MDCLXVI That without Notes I have seen Printed A. D.MDCLXXXVI This was Printed with the attestation and approbation of several Prelates of France with the permission of the Archbishop of Paris Crit. Hist de Vers N. T. and General of his Order Father Simon says that he was the first Catholick Writer that applyed himself with Care to turn the N. Testament into French I will not deny him to be a person of diligence and good fame but yet neither is this a strict Version of the Vulgar The Second is the Version Printed at Mons. This is common among us and hath been often Printed and is of great fame and upon many accounts a very valuable Book But neither is this a strict Version of the Vulgar as I could easily shew by very many instances were it convenient in this place to do it The Third is this Testament Printed at Bordeaux which the following Reflections relate unto It bears the Title of Le Novveau Testament de nôtre Seigneur Jesus Christ Traduit de Latin en François par les Theologiens de Louvain i. e. The New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ Translated out of Latin into French by the Divines of Louvain It was Printed at Bordeaux A. D.MDCLXXXVI It hath the approbation of two Doctors viz. Lopes and Germain as very profitable to those who shall be permitted and have capacity to read it It hath also the permission of the Archbishop of Bordeaux and 't is in that permission affirmed to be reviewed and exactly corrected I shall make it appear that this is no true Version of the Vulgar Latin that it is not the work of the Louvain Divines as it pretends to be That is agrees neither with the Vulgar nor the celebrated Versions of it which are allowed in the Roman Church That is hath a considerable number of downright forgeries and falsifications a great number of gross errors and mistakes That is adds to the Vulgar and takes from it That 't is inconsistent with it self and by no means corrected as to the Typographical Errata In a word it hath not the authority of ancient Copies or various Readings to support it I dare challenge all mankind to defend it Preface to the Rhem. Testam Those of the Church of Rome have inveighed against the Protestants Versions They have pretended that we have no Bible They have scoffed and derided us on this account They have boasted that they have been the faithful preservers of these Divine Oracles and that what we have of them we may thank them for But lo here a proof of their insincerity here 's that which may convince any honest man even of their own Communion that is willing to know the truth in this most important matter And if any such should read these Papers I must conjure him as he loves his Soul to take care how he trusts that Church with the Salvation of his Soul that dares falsifie at this high rate No man will in other cases trust a cheat or forger of Testaments and Deeds But how great must this wickedness be then when the Holy Oracles of God are corrupted to serve a turn They that can do this can make no boggle at the most horrid and execrable Crimes I did intend in the last Reign to have made and to have published these Reflections But I could by no means procure this Testament either here or beyond the Seas Insomuch that I began to suspect that either there was no such Book or that it had not those faults in it as had been given out But after I had by means of a very learned and excellent Person procured a Copy I found it to be as I have in the following Reflections truly represented it to the Reader IMPRIMATUR Z. Isham R. P. D. Henrico Episc Lond. à Sacris Octob. 18. 1690. REFLECTIONS ON THE French New Testament c. I Will not undertake to represent all the faults of this Translation It shall suffice to take notice of the most notorious and greater number of them I will begin with such as are notorious in an high degree and deserve no better a name than falsifications of the Text merely to serve a turn and support a Doctrine that needs confirmation The Mass and the Sacrifice of it sufficiently need better proofs than have hitherto been produced These Translators in the Contents before Matth. xxvi v. 26. tell the Reader that Jesus Christ did there Institute the Mass And this Institution of the Mass they mention again in the Contents before Mark xiv And they expresly mention the Sacrifice of the Mass in the Contents before Act. xiii And what we tender v. 2. As they ministred to the Lord they render by Or comme ils offroyent an Seigneur le Sacrifice de la Messe i. e. as they offered unto the Lord the Sacrifice of the Mass 'T is certain that our English Version of that place follows the Vulgar Latin and their Rhemist Testament agrees with it herein and Amelote renders it lors qu'ils estoyent occupez au Service de Dieu i. e. when they were empolyed in the Service of God And the old Louvain translation thus Eux donc servans en leur Ministere an Seigneur i. e. as they were serving in their Ministery to the Lord. But these men make no scruple to forsake the Vulgar it self when it will not serve their purpose I have elsewhere shewed that Act. xiii 2. contains no proof of the Romish doctrine of the Sacrifice of the Mass and do not intend to enter upon that dispute here 'T is enough to observe that these Translators forsake that Vulgar Latin which their Church commends and approves when in the mean time they pretend to give us a Version of it The Doctrine of Purgatory as 't is taught in the Roman Church must be defended And tho' the Scripture have nothing in it to that purpose yet they 'll rather add to the Text and falsifie that than want a colour for their Doctrine And indeed they have done it where the Apostle tells us of him that shall be saved as by fire 1 Cor. iii. 15. they have it par le feu du Purgatoire i.e. by the fire of Purgatory without any distinction of letters at all as if Purgatory had been in the Text as well as fire And yet the Vulgar Latin of which this is pretended to be a Translation hath only per ignem i.e. by fire as 't is in our English and so 't is in the Testament of Rhemes Nor is there any mention of Purgatory in the old Louvain Version in that of Amelote or Mons. But these men are hardy and to support their Doctrine will add to the Text. The Roman Church will have Marriage to be a Sacrament These Translators will help her out in the defence of this Doctrine and will rather corrupt the Text than renounce that Doctrine And therefore 1
any different character what is Text and what is not This is very unfair and does not become men of Probity and Sincerity but rather speaks great negligence or fraud for it is to be consider'd that these men add to the Text. They consider not the variety of Particles not only in the Greek Text but in the version of the V. Latin The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latin In secundùm ex are all rendred alike by these Louvain Divines viz. by Par. Amelote indeed was so careful that he renders them by three several French particles viz. dans selon and par The Authors of the Mons translation do so also so do the Rhemists also observe a difference and turn them by in according to by Our Louvain Divines are not so nice 't is no matter what the Vulgar does they 'll use their freedom Gal. v. 19. Lasciviousness V. I. Luxuria Mons la dissolution Amelote la lascivité Rhemist lecherie But tho' here be a considerable agreement in these Versions our Louvain Divines turn it by insolence 1 Cor. iv 5. Praise Fr. Tr. la loâ—ange qui luy est due i. e. the praise that is due to him Whereas there is nothing but praise in the Vulgar the rest is added by the Louvain Divines without any distinction of character 1 Cor. xi 10. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the Angels Fr. Tr. Partant la femone à cause des Anges qui la voyent doit avoir sur sa téte un en seigne qu'elle est sous puissance i. e. Therefore the woman because of the Angels who see her ought to have upon her head a mark that she is in subjection V. L. ideò debet mulier potestatem habere supra caput propter Angelos The fault which I find with these Louvain Divines is only this That they do not give us the strict Version of the Vulgar which they pretend to translate but add words of their own to the text without any different character which our English hath not done nor ought any Interpreters to do Eph. iv 12. For the perfecting of the Saints V. L. ad consummationem Sanctorum Fr. Tr. pour l'assemblage des Saints i.e. for the coagmentation or joining together of the Saints I do not deny but that the Greek word may insinuate such a sense and I will allow that it refers to Architecture and that it is well enough express'd by this French word which implies no less But these men pretend to turn the Vulgar and all the question betwixt us is whether or no they have done that truly Our English expresseth the sense of the Vulgar better And the Popish Versions agree in the same sense The old Louvain Version renders it by pour la consummation des Saints The Rhemists to the consummation of the Saints That of Mons by a fin qu'ils travaillent a la perfection des Saints i.e. that they may labour for the perfection of the Saints And Amelote thus pour rendre les Saints perfaits which amounts to our English for the perfecting of the Saints Phil. ii 17. Service V. I. Obsequium Fr. Tr. la Liturgie I appeal to any indifferent man whether this be a Translation of the Latin or not The Rhemists render it as we do by the word Service so does Amelote and so it is in the old Edition of Louvain printed at Lyons A.D. 1599. and in an older Edition of the Fr. Bible printed at Antwerp A.D. 1534. These men retain the Greek word and are so far from the regard which was due from them to the Latin that they render it not at all The Reader who considers how they have rendred Acts xiii 2. and knows the doctrine of that Church will easily understand the drift of these Louvain Divines in this place Phil. iii. 2. the concision V. L. concisionem Fr. Tr. la circoncision These men seem to have no regard to truth For here not only the Greek but their Vulgar that of Antwerp their old Louvain translation that of Rhemes and Amelote are against them They all agree with the English but these Divines stand alone by themselves Col. ii 18. Worshipping of Angels V. L. Religione Angelorum Fr. Tr. Religion donnée à Moise par des Anges i. e. Religion given to Moses by Angels According to this account of things the words contain only a warning against being seduced by the law of Moses I will by no means enter into disputes but keep my self to my design 'T is most certain that these Louvain Divines have not dealt sincerely with the Reader in pretending to translate the Vulgar when they do in truth add to it and put their own sense upon it The Religion of Angels can never be proved to import the Law of Moses These Divines add to the Text to avoid its force against the practices of the Roman Church Whereas the old Divines of Louvain keep strictly to the V. Latin without any such addition so do the Rhemists also and the Antwerp Bible The Syriac understands the place of the worship of Angels and the Mons Testament and Amelote also interpret the place of the superstitious worship of Angels The latter of these in his Preface to this Epistle tells us of certain Philosophers followers of Plato who held the Angels to be Gods and Architects of the world and paid them particular honours served them with certain Ceremonies and advanced them above Jesus Christ and feigning that they were by certain visions engag'd to this worship and that S. Paul does in this Chap. fortifie them to whom he writes this Epistle and in these very words of this xviii verse against these illusions he adds That these seem to be the Angelici mentioned by S. Augustin a Sect that had taken root in Phrygia and condemn'd by the Council of Laodicea Canon xxxv And that Theodoret affirms that this Sect had built several Oratories to S. Michael to which was opposed the Temple of S. Michael at Coloss where God alone was adored and the Archangel honoured as a creature 1 Tim. iii. 11. Grave Fr. Tr. Publiques i.e. publick The Vulgar renders it by padicas Nothing can defend this Version of our Louvain Divines We may indeed suppose it an error of the Press but there is no notice of it And we shall find a great number of those errors besides 2 Tim. iv 11. For the ministery V.L. in ministerium The Rhemists for the ministery Amelote dans le ministere Mons Tr. pour le ministere de P Evangile Old Louvain Tr. pour Servir Here 's agreement sufficient and all comes to the same sense But these Louvain Divines render it pour me servir de Diacre i. e to serve me as a Deacon Heb. i. 7. Ministers The Vulgar hath it Ministros The other Popish translations agree with the Vulgar as our English version doth That of Rhemes renders by ministers that of Amelote hath it ministres So 't is also in