Exposition on the Catholic Epistles, To the reader
THE EPISTLE TO the READER.
COurteous Reader, it is about foure yeeres ſince I promiſed, as my firſt worke done in this kinde ſhould be accepted, to put out ſomething of like nature vponupon other myſticall and darke places of the holy Scriptures. Now I cannot but acknowledge my ſelfe herein a debter vntounto thee for thy good acceptation, both of that, and of ſome other Bookes of mine alſo, and therefore as my weakneſſe would giuegive me leaue, and the manifold diſtractions of ſickneſſes, remouings, worldly incombrances, and miniſteriall Offices lying vponupon me permit, I hauehave prepared another part of the intended Treaſury which thou here ſeeſt. Not as haply is expected, vponupon the Epiſtles of Saint Paul which are next in order, but vponupon the ſeuen ſmaller and more neglected Epiſtles and the Reuelation. For I obſerued that faith without relying vponupon workes for iuſtification, is not ſo needfull to bee preſſed now adaies, which is a chiefe thing inſiſted vponupon in the Epiſtles of Saint Paul, but true louelove and works flowing here-from, together with an holy and vnblamable life, to ſtirre vp vntounto which, if we ſpeake of the firſt, the Epiſtles of Saint Iohn are excellent; of the ſecond, the Epiſtle of Saint Iames; and if of the third, thoſe of Saint Peter. Againe, there are few that hauehave written vponupon theſe Epiſtles in compariſon of the other, and therefore for a ſupply of this defect, I thought it would be more acceptable, ſeeing I cannot doe all together, to doe ſome thing firſt hereupon. Laſtly, becauſe of all the Bookes of Scripture, the Reuelation is leaſt vnderſtood, and therefore is leaſt read and meditated vponupon, and yet moſt neceſſary comforts in theſe tumultuous times are to bee fetchted here-from, as ſingularly pointing at them, and a finall deliuerance of the Church of God from all her troubles, my ſpeciall aime in anticipating the proper time of it hath beene, that thou mayeſt not be longer left without the knowledge of this common place of comfort, but be ſtayed and ſtabliſhed in an aſſured expectation of a ioyfull and bleſſed end, through the certaine and ſpeedy downfall of the Romiſh Antichriſt, and the vniuerſall preuailing of the truth that then ſhall be, and the great triumphs that ſhall be made amongſt the faithfull in all places therefore. In this Worke I hauehave not perſiſted barely to explicate the difficulties of the Texts vndertaken, laying onelyonly together what I finde in my Authors, and briefly concluding vponupon my Expoſition imbraced. But in the ſeuen Catholike Epiſtles which are handled according to the method of my former worke, I hauehave ſupplyed, which was there wanting: Firſt, a Preface to each Epiſtle. Secondly, an Analyſis of each Chapter. Thirdly, choice Latine ſentences oppoſed in the margine. Fourthly, a confutation of thoſe Expoſitions which I follow not. Fiftly, a paraphraſticall Expoſition of the verſes comming betweene Text and Text, wherein there is ſome, but leſſe obſcurity. Sixtly, ſome ſhort Annotations at the end of eueryevery Text. Touching the Reuelation, becauſe after the three former Chapters it is all moſt obſcure:Hicronim. Epiſt. ad Paulim. for according to Ierome, Quot verba ſunt tot ſunt myſteria, there are as many myſteries as words; I hauehave therefore altered my order before vſed, handling it thorowout by Queſtions, as Auguſtine ſometime did many parts of the Scriptures.Auguſtine. And becauſe, if I ſhould here hauehave brought in my Authors ſpeaking, the worke would hauehave growne too great, the myſteries to bee expounded being ſo many, and the Expoſitors ſo many, I hauehave ſpared this labour, and onelyonly ſhewed the diuerſity of their expoſitions, ſo proceeding to examine and determine about eueryevery queſtion. And whereas in my determinations I hauehave ſometimes gone from ſuch Authors, as many of good iudgement and zeale doe approue of, and ſometimes from all, venting mien owne foreign, as Mr. Fox dis his,Fox. I muſt intreat the friendly Reader to pardon me in ſo doing. For I hold it vaine for any man to write vponupon any place of Scripture, if he propoundeth to himſelfe to ſquare all his Expoſitions according to that which ſome other hauehave done before him,Anſel. as Anſelme is a ſtrict follower of Auguſtine in all things, and Gorran of Thomas Aquinas; Gorran.though Anſelme be for this vſefull, becauſe hee hath collected his expoſitions out of diuers workes of Saint Auguſtine, and fitted them ſo to the Epiſtles which he hath written vponupon, that hee hath thereout made a iuſt Comment vponupon them. The liberty taken by that Greeke Expoſitor,Oecumen. Oecumenius liketh mee better, who though hee followeth Chryſoſtome much, yet hee ſpareth not oftentimes to frame a different ſenſe of his owne, as the Latine Interpreter, Marlorat, hath alſo done. It is a true ſaying,Marlorai. Bernardus non vidit omnia. No man, how intelligent ſoeuer, but may bee weake ſighted in ſome things, and therefore the Lord hath appointed by his Apoſtle,1 Cor. 14.29. that when ſome Prophets hauehave ſpoken, others ſhould iudge, and after their propheſyings ended, if God hath reuealed any different matter to them, to ſpeake alſo. Now though wee hauehave no Reuelations in theſe times, yet being by our calling Lights of the world, Mat. 5.14.the Spirit leaueth not ſuch as ſtudy and pray with aſſiduity without illuminations, by the benefit whereof diuers in diuers ages hauehave giuen great light to many obſcurities, many yet remaining vnſufficiently cleared, that ſtill in theſe times there might not be wanting doubts, about the diſſoluing whereof we might bee exerciſed. And it is not to be condemned in vsus (though much inferiour to the Worthies that hauehave gone before vsus) if hauing, beſide the aſſiſtance of the ſame Spirit of Light, the helpe of their labours, and of more experience by reaſon of the time wherein we liue, wee in all modeſty refuſing ſome of their Expoſitions, deliuer ſomething new and of our owne, ſo that we hauehave alwaies reſpect to the analogy of Faith, and the conſent of the holy Scriptures, as Saint*Auguſt. Cum diuinos libros legi nus in tanta multitudine verorum intellectuum qui e paucis v…rois eruunter & ſanitate Cat…olicae fid… muniuntur, id p…tiſſimum deligamus quod certum apparuerit, eumſentiſſe quem legimus: ſi autē hoc latet, id certè, quod circumſtantia Scripturae non impedit & cum ſana fide concordat. Six ex circumſtantia Scripturae diſcuti nequit, ſaltem id ſolum, quod ſacra fides praeſcribit. Etſi enim voluntas ſcripteris incerta ſit, tamen ſana fidei congruam non inutile eſt eruiſſe ſententiam. Auguſtine excellently directeth ſaying, When wee reade the Bookes of God, amongſt ſo great a multitude of true Expoſitions, which goe vponupon few words, and are warrantable by the ſoundneſſe of the Catholike Faith, let vsus chooſe that Expoſition chiefly which ſhall certainly appeare to be his meaning that wrote it. But if there be no ſuch certainty, then that which the circumſtance of the place hindreth not, and which agreeth with ſound faith, but if from the circumſtance of the place it cannot be diſcuſſed, then that onelyonly which the ſacred Faith preſcribeth. For though the meaning of the Writer be vncertaine, yet it is not vnprofitable to frame an Expoſition agreeable to ſound faith. For mine owne part, I am ſo conſcious to my ſelfe of mine owne weakneſſe and want of iudgement, that howſoeuer, that which I hauehave written ſeemeth to mee moſt probable of all other Expoſitions in theſe darke and doubtfull paſſages, yet I force it not vponupon any man, but now that I hauehave aduentured it to the publike view, I doe in all humility ſubmit all to the iudgement of the learned, crauing (for the good ſucceſſe of that which is here done, and for the ſeaſonable and moſt ſufficient perfecting of that which is further to bee done in this kinde) the helpe of thy moſt feruent and faithfull prayers.