An Advertisement of Corruption in our Handling of Religion, Part 1 – Part 3
AN ADVERTISEMENT OF CORRVPTION IN OVR HANDLING OF RELIGION. To the Kings Majestie.
By HVGH BROVGHTON.
1604.
To the Kings Maieſtie.
GREAT and deadly errours (most Gracious Soveraigne) runne currant in England: as good Divinitie: for which God, from whom ever treſpas receyveth iust recompence, doth and will plague the deceavers and deceaved. They which know the errours may not be ſilent: though the errers hauehave ſhewed teeth of Iron and hard faces against their warner for better counſell. And only your Maiestie can, and you must force the deceavers to confeſſe before all the world, how they hauehave bene led amiſſe.
Of accuſing the holy text, most pure, and expreſsing Gods wiſedome.
MOſes telleth that Abraham bought a buriall place in Hebron, for price of money, and that Iacob bought a field in Sychem for lambes: and Iacob was buried in Hebrō, and the Patriarkes in Sychem. Now if a man ſhould ſay that Iacob was buried in Sychem, he reiecteth Moſes, & all the authoritie of God. Or if he ſay that Abraham bought the field which Iacob bought, and ſay that Abrahā bought Sychems plot for money, The vntrueth is augmented: yet all this doe our right reverend Fathers. In theſe wordes from Act. 7.16. and 17. as they would make the ſimple to beleeve: And Iacob deſcended into Egypt, and dyed, both he, and our Fathers, and were caried over into Sychem, and layd in the ſepulchre that Abraham bought for money of the ſonnes of Emor, the ſonne of Sichem. By this Iacob ſhould be caried to Sychem, and be buried there: and Abraham ſhould be the purchaſer, and for money, and Iacob and the Patriarches ſhould be buried together. So the Iewes would ſay that Machmad makes no greater madnes in his Al-koran: ſeeing Abrahams purchaſe was in Hebron, & for 400. ſickles: and that of Sychem was Iacobs, & for an hundreth lambes. And Iacob was buried in Hebron, as was told, & the twelue ſonnes in Sychem. The Biſhops ſawe that this was moſt falſe: & runne from euill to worſe. And thus their margent note ſpeaketh, vponupon verſ. 16. For (B) money. Here appeareth an errour. For Abraham ſeemeth to be put in the text in the ſteed of Iacob. For Iacob bought the ſepulchre of Emor, and not Abraham, who bought before a field of Ephron. Thus we accuſe the holy Ghoſt for giuing vsus a corrupted New Teſtament. And our countries heard not that any Greke copy from the firſt to the laſt differed here. So the firſt ſhould be corrupt: & ſo Machmad ſhould ſay truely, that we had not a pure N. Teſtament. Alſo the Iewes rule ſhould condemne vsus: a comon rule & generall: in Thalm. Ieruſ. San. fo. 20. Diathece ſe batelah Mikzathah batelah cullah. A Teſtament which faileth in part, faileth in the whole. This our errour is not firſt ours, but old, and knowen to Iewes: whereby their millions deſpiſe the Goſpell, and hold S. Stephen no martyr: as miſſing in Moſes plain ſtory. Whereas in trueth S. Stephen meant thus: Iacob died in Egypt, the Patriarkes died in Egypt: Only the Patriarkes were caried to Sichem: Iacob and the Patriarkes were buried: Iacob in Hebron: in ground which Abraham bought, and bought for money, and not for Lambes: The Patriarkes were buried in Sichem, in ground which Iacob, not Abraham, bought, & not for money, but for an hundreth lambes. Saint Stephen meant all this: which all, we pervert to cauſe millions of millions to reiect the New Teſtament, and to runne to eternall flames. The rare elegancie of S. Stephens wordes would hauehave made a Iewe know that he ſpake in the Prophets ſtyle, & ſhortnes: but his ſpeech would be harſhe, to one not longe acquainted with the Prophetes maner. To vnderſtand this, three rules muſt be deliuered. One, that Vau the Ebrew, is ſometimes, which: as in Malach. 3. and Mark cha. 1.1. which ſhall prepare thy way: And often in two members ioyned, in other tongues by, AND, it is omitted in the Prophetes, as that in Pſ. 133. Like the dew of Hermon, which falleth vpō moūt Sion. For, like the dew of Hermon, AND that which falleth vponupon mount Sion. A third Hebrew matter commeth, hard even for Ebrewes, and often noted by the holy Ghoſt among the 848. margent notes, vponupon moſt exact text wordes, but worthy of notes: As Hande, for the handes: barre, for the barres: Sonne, for the ſonnes. So, grave, Act. 7. for, The graves: The ſingular being put gerally for the plurall. Theſe things being conſidered, Saint Stephen will cleare him ſelfe to all learned Iewes admiration. For, thus the Greek, Hebraizing, meant: Iacob deſcended into Egypt, he, and our Fathers which were caried to Sichem. And they were put in Graue: that which Abraham bought for price of money: AND that from Emor the Sichemite. Any acquainted with the Ebrew ſtyle would thus vnderſtand Saint Lukes Greeke. And ſo the New Teſtament ſhould be farre from blame, and in high admiration, and Iacob ſhould not be left vnburied in Saint Stephen, nor buried with the Patriarkes: nor Abraham a purchaſer in Sychem, nor Sychem purchaſe made by money, and not by lambes. This our ignorance muſt be noted, for the thouſands or rather millions of copies diſgracing our ſelues: though in the paynes expected it may be amended. For copies vnrevocable ſold now 46. yeres, our darknes muſt be hightened: and the ſcripture muſt be defended, as pure all, and moſt ſyncere. None that hauehave any ſparke of grace will envy that, but wiſh it withall might maintayned.
Of perverting the holy text of the old Test. in 848. places.
THe old Teſt. in Ebrew hath in the margent words of warning for others in the text 848. times, yet alwayes the text word is exact, and the margent warneth of ſome matter profitable for the depth of Ebrew ſkill, or helpeth in a doubtfull phraſe: or telleth of the like elſwhere vſed with ſome little difference: or in propre names which mē gaue vnfit, layth a fitter to be read: or for brood ſpeeches readeth ciuiller. And both the text is exact, and the margent profitable. But the margent readings are omitted in many copies: And none without great blame alter the text. Amongeſt Ebrewes David Kimchi was found raſh herein in his preface to the booke of Ioſuah. But hee was ſharply taken vp by others: yea and he calleth backe himſelfe in particulars. Kimchi ſaid: that the Bible was corrupted in Babylon, and the margent was a correction. That his opinion is ſhewed to be moſt fooliſh and deadly againſt Gods word, by Elias Levita praef ad Maſſorita. Biblia: and it might daſh all authoritie of ſcripture. Alſo Barbinel the moſt curious that euer, I trow, handled the tongue, though not the ſoundeſt: yet herein he ſoundly confuteth Kimchi in his praeface to Ezekiel. Yet a learned man of Cambridge, M. Edw. Liuely, maketh the margent the right reading, for Dan. 9. penned after Babell fell: and by Daniel full of wealth, and able to keepe his owne bookes. That his dealing is extreemely dangerous to the authoritie of Scripture. For if in fiftie two yeares in Babel after the Temples fall, Moſes and the Prophetes had ſo many corruptions in longer time more would grow. The learned man dealt here not learnedly. A proſeſſour of Ebrew 30. yeares might hauehave ſhewed that the text was ſtill moſt exact: and in many places far the more curious Ebrew: and he ſhould not weaken the glory of Gods providence, whoſe watchfulnes hath preſerved every letter of all the holy Hebrew that his Prophetes wrot for the vſe of all ages. Many booke-prophetes wrote for the vſe of Iſraell, while their tongue, families and townes ſtood: which afterwardes would not profit, when Iſraell periſhed: and heathen ſhould be vexed in ſearching ſtories not plain.
Thoſe bookes the laſt Prophetes extinguiſhed, and made vp an abſolute pithie ſtorie fit for all ages. And ſo much we muſt defend to every letter. Eccleſiaſticall authoritie in a certen libell commendeth M. Livelies booke. Biſhops that know Ebrew will not aſſent, nor any who vſe adviſement. Authoritie ſhould make Lively recant. This blamer knoweth that he hath read thriſe mo Ebrew auctours then he, and will defend each of the 848. words blamed by M. Lively. And a worke titled Tiphereth Iſrael, would hauehave told M. Lively more thē he knoweth for this matter, and much more, to ſpeak better of the holy text. And the right reverend fathers ſhould write of the Bibles pureneſſe firſt, how the text is ſound, before they diſpute of further matter. All thinges muſt be done in order in the Church of God. And if men regard money not learning, Gods face will be vponupon them.
Of Tzau, an Ebrew worde in Hoſee, raſhly blamed.
IEroboam the firſt, bade Iſraell worſhip calues at Dan and Bethel: vponupon his word they did ſo. That Hoſee touched in one ſyllable, Tzau, a charge. M. Liuely writeth that the text is corrupt: Shau by him it ſhould be. No Ebrew told him ſo. Only he told him ſelfe ſo. By equall authoritie he might make a new Bible of his owne head. Hee bringeth the Lxx. for his warrant. They tranſlate: Vaine thinges, as Shau: The anſwere is eaſie. They tranſlate cō monly for Heathen capacitie: where Iewes ſtories would be hard for them So they entitle the bookes of Samuel, The Kings. Becauſe Heathen would not ſoone perceaue how Core his ſonne ſhould hauehave ſuch a title. So Heathen would not ſoone ſee how Oſee ſpake of Ieroboams charge: and therefore the Lxx. take for Tzau, Shau; for Charge, Vain things, dealing moſt wittily. This work of M. Lively is ſolde in Paules. But the auctor ſhould amend that: We may not croſſe our owne ground: that the Scripture is all pure & cleare, in one copie or other: and here in all that hauehave bene ſpokē off. And M. Liuely alone fighteth againſt all the world: But that our Eccleſiaſticall authority fighteth in his allowance, for him againſt our good.