Aphorisms of Christian Religion, Title page – Errata
APHORISMES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION: OR, A VERIE COMPENDIOVS abridgement of M. I. CALVINS Inſtitutions, ſet forth in ſhort ſentences methodically by M. I. PISCATOR: And now Engliſhed according to the Authors third and laſt edition, By H. Holland.
Be not caried about with diuerſe and ſtrange doctrines: for it is a good thing that the heart be eſtabliſhed with grace, &c.
Heb. 13.9.
AN CHO RA SPEI
AT LONDON, Imprinted by Richard Field and Robert Dexter, and are to be ſold in Paules Churchyard, at the ſigne of the Braſen ſerpent. 1596.
…O THE REVE…END FATHER, THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Mr. D Goodman, Deane of Weſtminſter, grace and peace by Ieſus Chriſt.
WE ſee (right worſhipfull) that a great nūber (bleſſed bee God for our happy peace, and this ſweete me ſo long continued) hauehave at…ed ſome knowledge of God by … preaching of the Goſpell: yet … few I feare, hauehave truly learned …d knowen Chriſt:Ephe. 4.19.20. for the wordes Iohn are, He that ſinneth, 1. Iohn. 3.6.hath neither ſeene nor knowne him. And Gregorie ſaith truly;Gregor. Paſtoral. cur. 1. pars. cap. 2. Viuendo conculcant, quae non opere ſed meditatione didicerunt. Looke what knowledge is attained by bare ſpeculation, without experience of faith, and practiſe of life, it is but a dimme light ſoone quēched. Light is good, & the firſt ſtep to life, darkneſſe is euill and daungerous, and the way that leadeth vntounto death, & yet moſt men louelove darkeneſſe more then light, Iohn. 3.19.becauſe their deeds are euill. VVherfore to helpe forwards this kinde of men, which do but ſip and taſt but litle of holy religion, I hauehave ſpent ſome houres to tranſlate this little treatiſe, which will giuegive the willing mind in a very ſmall time a ſynopſis or ſhort view of the whole bodie of Gods holy truth,Three times publiſhed in …tin. the pure worſhip and ſeruice of God. It hath done …uch good, no doubt in Latin, and …ruſt it ſhall by Gods bleſſing and …oodneſſe, profite ſome in Engliſh.
The ſame reaſons which moued the author to commend this booke …hat good, old, & reuerēd father … Beza (his age, his place and cal…g, his ſpeciall louelove and affection …wards him) were motiues alſo vn…me (right worſhipfull) to recommend the ſame vntounto you: for your Chriſtian care, & fatherly louelove and …ction towardes me, I find to be …h, not in words but in deeds, that …ay and muſt nothing doubt of …r fauorable acceptation. Next … the gift (the booke I meane) it is … ſame: for the outward coate and …lours are onelyonly changed, but the …ſtaunce and matter is the ſame. …nd as for my louelove towardes you, I can no way teſtifie it as I would, but vntounto God onelyonly in prayer for you: The Lord God cōtinue your good health, and graunt you the good comfortes of his holie ſpirite, the peace which paſſeth all vnderſtanding in this life, and an euerlaſting reſt in the kingdome of glorie, by and through Ieſus Chriſt our alone Sauiour and redeemer. Amen. The yeare of Chriſt. 1596. Maij. 18.
Your worſhips euer to vſe in the Lord Chriſt. Henr. Holland.
To the Reader.
THou haſt here (Chriſtian Reader) an abridgement or short vew of Mr. Caluins Inſtitutions, a worke ſo much commended for many yeares, and ſo embraced and published in all reformed Churches & in all languages Latin, French, Dutch, English &c. as no one worke of any …te writer hath had the like acceptation and …nerall approbation.Maſter Caluins Inſtitutions read in opē ſcholes, as Pet. Lumbard, by the Schoolemē. The learned profeſſors and readers in open ſcholes hauehave yearely read …er, and commended this worke vntounto their …ditories, as the Schoole men in the blind …e hauehave done the Mr. of Sentences, and others of late yeares Phil. Melancth Common …laces.Philip. Mel. by Pezellius. It was not the authors meaning, nor …y deſire to make any man negligent, in per…ſing the great worke it ſelfe, but rather to excite and helpe ſlow wits to ſearch into the fountaine, whence theſe ſmall braunches are deriued. Let this little booke be therfore vntounto thee, but as a methodicall index, to helpe and confirme memorie.
The world is full of bookes, but few good: The light is great, I wish it may be greater, for light is good and darknes euill. It is granted of all men that the eſſentiall difference betweene man and beaſt is reaſon, the light of nature; but betweene man and man the ſpeciall difference is Religion: betweene true Religion and the falſe, the light of God, Gods holy written truth. The Turkish Paganiſme hath an Alcoron: the Papacie is grounded vpō the traditiōs of mē, the naturall man the ſeruant of ſin will hearken, beleeue and follow the poore light of blind reaſon, blind ſenſe, and what is more daungerous,Iam. 1.13.14. his moſt blind and corrupt concupiſcence the mother of all ſin: So let the ſeruant of Chriſt, harkē, beleeue & obey the holy Goſpell of Ieſus Chriſt. If mē will not heare, they cānot learne: if they will not learne,Rom. 10.14. they cā not know, if they will not know, they can not beleeue: if they do not beleeue, they cā not louelove: if they do not louelove, they can not truſt: if they do not truſt, they hauehave no ſounde feare: if there be no ſounde feare, they be not humbled: if they be not humbled, they can not worship God: if they be not true worshippers, they can not be ſaued.
Concerning my tranſlation, I hauehave not followed the authours vvordes, but I truſt I hauehave his meaning in plaine and beſt knowen termes. I remenber the vvitty Poet which taught in me youth:
Non verbum verbo curabis reddere fidusHorat. arte Poetic.
Interpres—
Againe, for my boldneſſe & libertie ſomtimes in omiſsion, ſometimes in addition of vvordes and ſome few ſentences: I hauehave the authour himſelfe for example, as may appeare to the Epiſtle following. There is nothing …teriall pretermitted. I amplified no where ſomuch as in the doctrine of the Lordes Sup… (and there not much) for the better vnderſtanding of ignoraunt people, vvhichwhich ſo much in most places prophane the ſame.
I know that Gregory ſaith right vvell & …oly, ars artium eſt regimen animarū, Gregor. Paſtor. cur. 1. p.the …uernement & care of ſoules is the beſt arte … facultie on earth: & again, Praeconis officium ſuſcipit quiſquis ad ſacerdotiū accedit, vt ante aduentum iudicis, qui terribiliter ſequitur, ipſe ſcilicet clamando gradiatur: that euerie Miniſter of Christ as a crier muſt go on before, and that the dreadfull iudge of all the vvorld followes after:2. Cor. 2.16. who then is ſufficient for theſe things? True it is, that the preaching of the Goſpell muſt be our greateſt care. I ſpēd therfore but ſome houres for my refreshing, as it vvere on this manner. I truſt to offend none iuſtly, my hope is to do good to ſome, and my deſire is to many. The Lord Christ ſchoole vsus, and prepare vsus for his kingdome.
Thine in Chriſt Ieſu, Henry Holland.
THis copie past from my ragged hand after the firſt writing to the preſſe immediatly: for the whole worke had not aboue ſix whole dayes. The worke-men were wearied with the hand, and the hast might hauehave cauſed many errours. Wherfore I must deſire thee, good Reader, friendly to correct theſe few ſaults which hauehave eſcaped.
Errata.
Pag. 1. marginall note or, for, as. pag. 1. Aphoriſ. 3. of yeares and iudgement. pag. 22. Aphoriſ. 3. commendeth for commandeth. pag. 39. Aphoriſ. 2. ſupply as if they had read. pag. 42. Aphoriſ. 11. put out ſtirring. pag. 48. Aphoriſ. 17. which came of, for which came not of Abrah. pag. 56. firſt line, the laſt, for and at the laſt. pag. 69. Aphoriſ. 9. reade by faith imputed vntounto vsus. pag. 115. Aphoriſ. 5.7.8. in for into. pag. 125. Aphoriſ. 6. of for and. pag. 144. Aphoriſ. 16. were for we. pag. 172. ſe & 8. panem Domini and panem Dominum tranſpoſed. pag. 181. Aphor. 14. put out that.