The Answer to the Preface of the Rhemish Testament, Part 8 – Part 9
To the next ſection page 11.
After that by hiding & burning the Scriptures, by threatning and murdering of men for reading of them, they cannot attaine to the cauſing of ſuch a night of ignorance, wherin they might doe all thinges without controulment: there remayned one onelyonly engine, which Satan (with all his Angels) hauing framed and hammered vponupon his lying forge, hath furniſhed them of. This engine is the defacing, & diſ-authorizing of the Scriptures, as it were the taking from them, their girdle or garter of honour, by a falſe ſurmiſe of corruption of them, in the languages wherein they were firſte written. Which abominable practiſe being attempted in th'old teſtament by Lindanus, (whom ſome term Blindaſinus) is nowe aſſayed in the new by the Ieſuites, who of others (for their deadly hatred of the trueth) are not called vnfitly Iebuſites. Firſt therfore, or euer we come to their particular arguments, whereby they would (as it were) couer the head and maieſtie of th'authentical copies in the Greek to bring them to ſubiection vntounto th'olde tranſlation: we think it not amiſſe, to ſet downe the generall doctrine, that no one oracle or ſentence of God can fall away. Whereby it will be euident that the holy Scriptures, both in the old & new teſtament written in their original tongues, cannot either by additiō, detraction or exchange be corrupted. Wherevnto the cōſideration of th'autor of them, miniſtreth a ſubſtantiall proofe. For ſeing they are ofPſal. 111. … God, all whoſe workes remaine for euer: it followeth that al the holy ſcriptures, being not only his handiework, but as it were the chiefe and maſter worke of all other, muſt hauehave a continuall endurance. And if there be not the leaſt and vileſt creature in the world, which eyther hath not heretofore, or ſhall not hereafter (by the mightie hand of God vpholding all thinges) be continued: how much leſſe is it to be eſtemed, that any ſentence of God, wherin a greater glory commeth to him, and greater fruite to his people then of many of thoſe creaturs, which (for theſe two ends) he doth ſo carefully continue, ſhould periſh and fall away. Secondly they all are written generally for our inſtruction, & more particularlie for admonition and warning, for comfort and conſolation, &c: vnles we will ſay that God may be deceiued, in his purpoſe and end wherefore he ordeyned them: it muſt needes be, that it muſt continue whatſoeuer hath bene written in that reſpect. For if it or any part thereof fal awaye, the ſame cannot according to th'ordinance of god either informe vsus againſt ignorance, or warne vsus againſt danger, or comfort vsus againſt afflictions, or finallye doe any other dutie vntounto vsus, which we hauehave need of, & they were prepared for. Thirdly, if th'authority of th'authētical copies in Hebrew, Chalde, & Greek fal: there is no high court of appeale, where cō trouerſie (riſing vponupon the diuerſitie of tranſlations or otherwiſe) may be ended: ſo that the exhortation of hauing re courſe vntounto the law & to the prophets, Eſai. …and of our Sauiour Chriſt askingLuke 10 Hieron. epiſt ad Ma… cel. & epiſt ad Suniam & Fretel. & ad Damaſum, & praef…in 4. Euang & praef. in paenitent. Ambroſ. de Spirit. ſanct, lib. … cap. 6 Auguſt. de doctr. chriſtiana 2. lib. cap, 11 & lib. 11. contra Faust, Manich. & opiſt. 59 how it is written, and how readeſt thou: are now either of none effect, or not ſufficient: whileſt theſe diſgracers and diſgraders of the Scripture hauehave taught men to ſay, that the coppies are corrupted, and the ſenſe changed. Nay, not onelyonly our eſtate is worſe then theirs vnderunder the law, and in our ſauiour Chriſts time: but worſe thē theirs which liued ſome hundred yeres after Chriſt, when th'ancient fathers exhorted in ſuch caſes, that men ſhould make ſute vntounto th'originall Scriptures, to hauehave an end of their controuerſies. Yea their owne Gratian out of Augustine (falſly alledged for Ierome) ſendeth vsus in deciding of differences, not to th'olde tranſlator, but to th'originals of the Hebrew in th'olde and of the Greek in the new teſtament. They vſe quarrelouſly to ſurmiſe againſt vsus, that we abbridge the priuiledges of the Churches of our dayes; becauſe vve accord them not to be ſo ample in eueryevery point, as they vvere vvhen the Apoſtles liued. But vvo vntounto the Churches of our dayes, if the Scriptures be (as the Papiſtes would beare vsus in hand) corrupted, if the Charters and recordes, whereby we hold the inheritance of the kingdom of heauen, are raſed or otherwiſe falſifyed, if we hauehave not wherewith to conuey our ſelues to be children vntounto the heauenly father, and Prieſts vntounto God in Ieſus Chriſt; further then from the hand of ſuch a Scribe and Notarie as both might erre and hath erred diuerſly.Hieron. in 6. c. Eſ. Auguſt. de ciuit dei. lib. 15. c. 13 Theſe euidences were ſafely & ſurely kept, when one onelyonly nation of the Iewes, and the ſame ſometymes (a few excepted) vnfaithfull, bare the keyes of the Lords librarie: now when there be many nations, that hauehave keyes vntounto th'ark or counter wherein they are kept; it is altogether vncredible, that there ſhould be ſuch packing, or ſuch defect, as th'aduerſarie doth wickedly ſuppoſe. Againe, if the Lord hauehave kept vntounto vsus the booke of Leuiticus, & (in it) the ceremonies (which ar aboliſhed, & wherof there is now no practiſe) for that they hauehave a neceſſary and profitable vſe in the Church of God: how much more is it to be eſteemed, that his prouidēce hath watched ouer other bookes of the Scripture, which more properly belong vntounto our times. Laſte of all, (paſſing by other reaſons which might further be alledged) let vsus heare the Scripture it ſelfe, witneſſing of it own authority & durablenes to al ages. Thus therfore Moſes writeth of it; the ſecret & hidden things remaine Deu. 29. 29to the Lord our God: but the things that are reueiled are to vsus and our children for euer: Pſa. 119. 152Dauid alſo profeſſeth, that he knew long before, that the Lord had founded his teſtimonies for euermore. But our SauiourMat 24. 35 Mar. 13. 32 Math. 5. 18 Chriſts teſtimony is of all other moſt euident; that heauen and earth ſhall paſſe, but that his word can not paſſe; and yet more vehemently, that not one iote or ſmall letter prick or ſtop of his law can paſſe vntill all be fulfilled. Now as for the common obiection of diuerſe bookes mētioned in th'old Teſtament, where of we find none ſo intituled in the canon thereof: it is eaſily anſwered. That either they were ciuill and commonwelth ſtories, whether the reader is referred, if it like him to read the ſtories more at large, which the Prophets (to a ſufficiency of that they wrote thē for) touched ſhortly: or els they are conteyned in the bookes of the kings; which are manifeſtly proued, to hauehave bene written by diuers Prophets in their ſeuerall ages wherein they prophecied. In the former kind whereof, if we reape not that fruite, which they did which liued in the dayes, wherein the reader was ſet ouer vntounto them: yet we reape a more excellent fruit, which is a certain knowledg of a more ſpecial prouidence & care of the Lord, for the preſeruing of the Scriptures appering euidently, in that all thoſe falling away, the books of the canonical Scripture doe ſtil remaine. Hereof we hauehave a notable example in the books of Solomon; whereof thoſe falling away, that he wrote of naturall philoſophie, and other by knowledge, the profitableſt bookes that euer were (the Canon only excepted) thoſe alone which perteined to godlynes, hauehave bene ſafely kept for the poſteritie. Which is ſo much more to be obſerued, as there being infinitely moe in the world, that effect the knowledg of naturall thinges, then doe godlynes: hauehave not yet with all the care of keeping them, bene able to deliuer them from this whole and perpetuall forgetfulnes, wherevnto they are fallen, as if they had neuer bene written. Where of th'other ſide his holy writtings hated, of the moſt parte, & careleſly regarded of a number: hauehave notwithſtanding as whole and full a remēbrance as they had the firſt day the Lord gaue them vntounto the church. And ſeing there are now more then 1500. yeares, wherein there is not onelyonly no booke, but no ſentence of any booke of Canonicall Scripture fallen away: what cauſe is there why wee ſhould think that in the tyme which was vnderunder the law, whole bookes fell away ſo thick and threefolde. For as for bookes of the nevv Teſtament imagined of ſome to hauehave ben loſt, their reaſons wherevpon their imagination leaneth, are ſo faint that they are not worthie the naming▪ Of all which matter, it is euident, that not onelyonly the matter of the Scripture, but alſo the wordes, not onelyonly the ſenſe and meaning of them, but the manner and frame of ſpeach in them, doe remaine.2. Tim. 3 For ſeing the Scripture remayneth, vvhichwhich wholy both for matter and words is inſpired of god: it muſt follow that the ſame words wherein th' old & new teſtament were vvritten and indited by the hand of God, do remaine. For how great difference, there is betvveen the thinges both vvordes and matter, that hauehave paſſed through theAct. 9 Act. 17 1. Cor. 15 Tit. 1. 12 mouth or pen of God, and thoſe vvhichwhich come from a mortal man: may appeare by the ſayings of the Poets, taken vp of the holye Ghoſt. For not vvithſtanding the Poets vſe the ſame vvordes and ſenſe, vvhichwhich the Scripture vſeth: yet vvere they neither the vvordes nor the ſenſe of God, but of the Poets, vntill they had paſſed by the golden pype of the Lords mouth. Whereby it came to paſſe, that thoſe ſayings which were before prophane, are now moſt holy: euen as the ſtones and timber which in the quarrey and forreſt were common, were after holy when they were laide in the building of the Temple. If therefore words, the ſame in letters & ſillables with thoſe the holy Ghoſt vſeth, are not wordes inſpired of God, becauſe they were neither written nor ſpoken of him; his Embaſſadors and publike notaries: how much leſſe are the wordes of the olde tranſlator, diuers from them of the holy Ghoſt, inſpired of him, ſeing they neuer paſſed either by pen or mouth of his. And albeit th' olde tranſlator (which he is far from) ſhould alwayes giuegive ſenſe for ſenſe, & waight for waight: yet ſhuld not his tranſlation (which ſo ſhould be y• truth of god) be therfore the worde of God: conſidering that the title aggreeth only to that truth of God, which hath alſo the frame of his words. And therefore the Apoſtle maketh a manifeſt difference betweene the wholſome wordes of our Sauiour 1. Tim. 6. 3Chriſt, and the doctrine that is according to godlines. And our Sauiour Chriſt in ſaying that thy worde is the trueth, Ioh. 17. 17doth manifeſtly eſtabliſh a difference betweene gods worde and his trueth; otherwiſe he ſhould ſay, thy trueth is the trueth, or thy word is the word: which were no declaratiō of his meaning, but onelyonly an vnneceſſarie repetition. Wherefore it is truly verefied of theſe men, which the Prophet ſaieth: that they hauehave forſaken the fountains, Ierem. 2.and digged ciſterns. But let vsus examine the pith of their reaſones, which hauehave moued them rather to draw from the riuen and leaking cask of th' old tranſlator, by the which manye thinges hauehave entred, to th' emparing the ſweet wine of the Scripture: then from the ſtaunch & whole veſſels of the Greek copies, which preſerue it from all corruption.
To the firſt reaſon.
Theſe men are worthie to goe alwayes in their olde cloathes, that make th' age of the trāſlation, the firſt and principall commendation therof. Wherby it ſhuld appear, if they could hauehave come by the tranſlation that Ierom amended, they would hauehave tunned their drink out of that, rather thē out of this: as that whoſe head was hoarer. And if this be a good reaſon, why ſhould not the tranſlation of Symmachus, Aquila and Theodotion bee preferred, which are auncienter then he. Yea why ſhould not the 70. before them all, be much more preferred; as thoſe that were vſed oftentymes of th' Apoſtles, and commended highly of th' auncient fathers. But as gray heares are then onelyonly honorable, when they are founde in the waye of righteouſneſſe: ſo th' age of th' old tranſlator, is there only to be reſpected and reuerenced, where both for properneſſe of wordes, and truth of ſenſe, he hath wiſely and faithfully tranſlated. And ſo far we holde him worthie to be preferred, before other interpreters. But if antiquitie commended th' olde tranſlation vntounto you for that it was aboue 1300. yeares olde: the Greek coppies being more ancient then it: & hauing bene vſed aboue 1500 yeares, ſhould (ye wiſſe) hauehave had the right hand of th' olde tranſlator.