Sermons on Three Chapters of Song of Songs, Title page – Dedication
MASTER BEZAES SERMONS VPONUPON THE THREE FIRST CHAPTERS OF THE CANTICLE OF CANTICLES:
WHEREIN ARE HANDLED THE CHIEFEST POINTS OF RELIGION CONTROVERSED AND DEBATED BETWEENE ƲS AND THE ADVERSARIE AT THIS DAY, ESPECIALLY TOVCHING THE TRVE IESVS CHRIST AND THE TRVE CHVRCH, AND THE CERTAINE & INFALLIBLE MARKS BOTH OF THE ONE AND OF THE OTHER.
TRANSLATED OVT OF FRENCH INTO ENGLISH BY IOHN HARMAR, HER HIGHNES PROFESSOR IN THE GREEKE TOVNG IN THE VNIVERSITIE OF OXFORD, AND FELOWE OF THE NEWE COLLEGE THERE.
AT OXFORD, PRINTED BY IOSEPH BARNES, AND ARE TO BE SOVLD IN PAƲLS CHƲRCHYARD AT THE TYGERS HEAD, 1587.
TO THE RIGHT EXCELLENT AND HOnorable Lord, the Lord Robert Dudley, Earle of Leceſter, Baron of Denbigh, knight of the moſt noble order of the garter, Maſter of the Queenes Maieſties horſe, and one of her graces most Honorable priuy Counſell, Iohn Harmar wiſheth all godly felicitie, continuaunce of health, encreaſe of Honor, & graces eternall.
I WAS REQVESTED, RIGHT HOnorable, by manie of my friends, to emploie the time of this laſt vacation of mine from my publique readinges in the Vniuerſitie, in the tranſlating of Maſter Bezaes Sermons vponupon the Canticle of Canticles, which I had a little before receaued from the Francfurt Mart in French, into our vulgare and Mother tongue. The deſire I had of aduancing and promoting the glorie of God, which is then eſpecially encreaſed and farthered, when his word, the mirrour of his wil, is no longer a ſealed booke vntounto the ſimple and ignorant, but a volume laid open in clear and capital letters, that he that runneth may read it: enforced mee principally to vndertake vponupon my preſent leaſure, this more painful, then happilie thankful work of tranſlating.
Wherein, for the vtility and profite of manie, as wel the learned as the vnlettered who hauehave not the vnderſtanding of the French tongue, I did the more willingly emploie both my leaſure and my paine, becauſe I would hauehave ſomewhat to preſent your Lordſhippe withal for a token and monument of my thankful duety, and dutifull thankfulneſſe, vponupon ſo manie, ſo memorable, ſo vtterly vndeſerued benefits of your Honor, not ſo much collated, as congeſted, & heaped from time to time vponupon me. For extend I the cogitation of my mind to the fartheſt part of my infancy and childhoode, and drawe it foorth as in a continuall and euen threed vntounto this preſent time, what part of my age hath not beene honored with the patronage of your Lordſhips fauor and goodwil towardes me? The ground and foundation of my firſt ſtudies laid in Wincheſter by your honours onelyonly meanes, in obtaining her highneſſe letters for my preferment vntounto that ſchoole; the rearing of the farther frame of them in this Colledge, wherein placed by your Lordſhips fauor, I yet continu; my time ſpent to my great deſire & contentment in the parts beyond the Seas by your Honours interceſſion; my roome and degree I doe nowe enioie in the Vniuerſitie beeing one of her Maieſties publique profeſſors, purchaſed by your Lordſhips fauourable mediation, doe euerie of them in particular deſerue a volume of acknowledgements in al thankfulnes and humble deuotion towards your honour. And therefore, that I might not ſeeme vnmindful of your Lordſhips gratious reſpect and fauour towards me, or drowne ſo manie benefites receaued in the flud of forgetfulnes and vtter obliuion, I was bould to aduenture the deliuerie of theſe my ſimple labours in this ſo ſmal a woorke of tranſlation vntounto your Honors patronage.
What common profit & emolument the worke it ſelfe maie bring vntounto the Church of God among vsus, maie be eaſily eſteemed of them, who ſhall aright conſider both the argument it ſelfe deduced in this preſent treatiſe, as likewiſe the autor whoſe deduction and expoſition it is, and laſtlie both the manner hee hath vſed in the handling thereof, and the principall end whereunto he hath directed it.
The Argument therefore or ſubiect thereof, I meane the Canticle it ſelfe, entituled by an eminency of ſpeach, the Song of Songes, that is the onelyonly Song as it were in the holy Scripture, and of the moſt heauenlieſt & excellenteſt ditty, concluded in termes and phraſes of ſpeach altogether enigmaticall and allegoricall, and containing the great myſterie as the Apoſtle calleth it of our ſaluation, the myſtical coniunction of Chriſt with the faithfull his members, and the whole order of the ſpirituall fraunſailes and marriadge match it pleaſeth Chriſt to contract with his Church, beeing alwaies reputed ſo darke and obſcure, ſo hard and difficult, that many aſwell of the auncient as of the later Church hauehave thought this arme of the maine Ocean of holy ſcriptures, the waters of life, fitter for the Elephant to ſwimme, then for the Lambe to wade in: that is, according to the phraſe of the Apoſtle, rather ſtrong meate for ſuch as are growen vntounto a perfect man in Ieſus Chriſt, then milke for ſuch as are ſtill babes and infants in vnderſtanding: it can not be denied but that the ſound interpretation thereof according vntounto the ſenſe & meaning of the holy Ghoſt, the vniformitie and conſent of other ſcriptures, the proportion and analogie of chriſtian faith, muſt needes bee profitable and auaileable to the edification of the Church of God, the congregation of ſaintes. For what admirable comfort, & conſolation vtterly incomprehenſible, the reading of this part of Scripture may bring eueryevery Chriſtian, what peace and tranquillity it may breede in the afflicted minde and conſcience, what incomparable ioy it may worke in the harts of the beleeuing, it is eaſie to conſider by the ſpouſe her ſelfe in this place repreſenting not onelyonly the whole but eueryevery part & member of the Church of God. My beloued, ſaith ſhe, is mine, and I am his. Loe the ground of our holy aſſuraunce of the fauour and louelove of God towardes vsus. The which words making and plighting in moſt formal ſort a reciprocall donation of the Bride to her Bridegroome, of Chriſt to his Church, ſerueth as it were for the burden of this holy & ſacred nuptial ſong. Now this ground being of it ſelfe ſo comfortable and ſo plaine, deduced thoroughout by the way of mutuall ſpeach in many darke and allegoricall termes and ſimilitudes, implyeth a ſingular degree of conſolation in the reſt being ſoundly and perfectly vnderſtoode.
And albeit many hauehave trauailed in the expoſition of this moſt comfortable part of holy ſcripture, among whom ſome of our own countrymen hauehave well deſerued of the Church of God for their painfull labours in this behalfe, notwithſtanding if I be not deceaued with the louelove and affection I beare the authour, in whoſe tranſlation I hauehave laboured (a man to bee embraced and loued of all who louelove the Lord & embrace his truth, but in particular to bee honoured and reuerenced of my ſelfe, who found him no leſſe then a father vntounto me in curteſie & good will, when I liued as a ſtranger in Geneua, and enioyed the benefite of hearing of him in lectures and ſermons) there is none that hath ſo plainely, ſo perfitely, ſo diſtinctly ſette downe and expounded it, as hee hath done. Wherein let Mounſier Genebrard himſelfe be iudge, whether Maſter Beza vnderſtand this Canticle or no, and leaue to accuſe with ſuch ſhameleſſe impudencie his ignorance and impietie.
Nowe for the profite and benefite of the Church of God in common, how could it be more plainly and familiarly, more largely and plentifully, more diſtinctly and particularly handled, then by this way which he tooke for the behoofe of his particular flocke and charge, the people of Geneua, to expound the whole Canticle by particular ſermons, and ſo to drawe from thence for inſtruction and doctrine, rebuking and reproouing, warning and exhortation, comforting and conſolation, what ground and preceptes ſoeuer might be offered? VVhichWhich howe aptly and fitly it is done by Maſter Beza in theſe ſermons, there is no man ſo ignoraunt which in reading ſhall not perceiue: eſpecially obſeruing thoſe ſpeciall notes which containe the ſumme of all that which in the ſermons following he hath particularly deduced and handled, eueryevery ſection aunſwering by the like figure vntounto that which is premitted in thoſe ſummary contentes, which may ſerue both in ſteede of marginal notes, and an exact table vntounto the whole worke. And in theſe who ſo liſt may ſummarily and ſhortly ſee in what ſort the Authors whole diſcourſes are framed and directed, according vntounto the naturall importance of the text it ſelfe, againſt the aduerſarie.
And this is it whereat principally Maſter Beza hath in theſe ſermons of his aimed, namely, to the conuincing of the aduerſary in the chiefeſt & moſt fundamentall pointes controuerſed betweene the Papiſtes & vsus, and eſpecially touching the principall points concerning the true Ieſus Chriſt (for there are falſe Chriſtes gone out into the world, and many ſay, here is Chriſt, and there is Chriſt, but beleeue them not) and the true Church (for there is a falſe Catholique Church too, reſembling the true onelyonly in name) and the certaine and infallible markes both of the one and the other, which are the queſtions eſpecially debated betweene our aduerſaries and vsus at this day. As in deede this is the principall ende and ſcope which Salomon himſelfe reſpected in this ſong of his, namely, to paint forth vntounto vsus in moſt liuely coloures, aſwell the true and eſſentiall qualities of this Bridegrome, as alſo the natiue and liuely portraite of this ſpouſe, which is his Church. And therefore fiue of the ſermons of this volume, which goe no farther then the thirde Chapter of the Canticles (for the reſt Maſter Beza hath promiſed if God wil hereafter, and my ſelfe by the aſſiſtance of the ſame God will according to my leaſure performe the tranſlation of them when I ſhall receiue them) concerning the deſcription of Salomons Coche, and the crowning of him with a crowne by his mother in the day of his fiaunſailes, are wholy touching the vſurped tiranny of the Church of Rome ouer all Chriſtendome, and the falſification, which the heade thereof, who nameth himſelfe the Lieutenaunt generall in earth vntounto this king which is here crowned, vſeth, in all the ordinaunces and lawes of God. And firſt in the law morall, throughout eueryevery commandement, firſt, ſecond, third, fourth, fift, ſixt, ſeuenth, eight, ninth, and tenth: and then in the law ceremoniall, thirdly in confounding the law with the Goſpell, and cauſing men, to ſeeke after their ſaluation in that which inditeth and condemneth them, ſhewing and proouing after this howe Chriſt is degraded from all his eſtates & offices by this Apoſtaticall See. And firſt of his dignity royall, then his ſtate propheticall, thirdly his Prieſthood. The ſame both touching theſe and other points debated betweene the Papiſtes and vsus, is likewiſe performed throughout his whole ſermons, that the diligent reading of them may furniſh eueryevery one of the ſimpler and ignoraunt ſort, with ſtore of weapons defenſiue & offenſiue againſt the aduerſarie.
Some fewe thinges, beeing perſonal matters, I muſt confeſſe vntounto your Lordſhip, I hauehave omitted in the printed tranſlation, which are pointed vntounto by a little ſtar, that who ſo liſt to ſee them maie by that meanes conſult the autor himſelfe. I thought it for my owne part not conuenient, as many good men alſo with me, to hinder the Church of ſo great a commoditie, as I doubt not this woorke will bring it, by occaſioning anie offence through ſome few wordes which might happily breede ſome grieuance. And herein as I doubt not, but the autor himſelfe, for his louelove towards me, wil pardon me: ſo I hope al the godly wil hold me excuſed.
It remaineth I beſeech your Lordſhip in all dutie and humility fauourablie to accept of this ſimple preſent of mine, no requital or recompence of your Honors bountie and liberality alwaies exhibited vntounto me, but a teſtimonie and ſignification of my grateful and thankful mind moſt affectionatelie deuoted vntounto al ſeruiceable duty towardes your honour.
THE Lord of Lords and God almighty, guide you euer, and direct you in al your honourable actions with his holie ſpirite, and continue you long in al honour vntounto his honour: for the welfare of his Church, the benefite of our common Weale, the patronage of our Vniuerſitie, the ioy of all ſuch as pray for your Lordſhips health and proſperity. Amen.