The Knowledge of God, Title page – Errata
A TREATISE OF THE KNOVVLEDGE OF GOD, As excellently as compendiouſly handled by the famous and learned Divine, PETER DV MOVLIN, late Miniſter of the Reformed Church in Paris, and Profeſſor of Theologie in the Vniverſitie of Sedan. Faithfully tranſlated out of the Originall By ROBERT CODRINGTON, Maſter of Arts.
This is life eternall to know thee to be the onelyonly very God, and whom thou haſt ſent Ieſus Chriſt,
Iohn, 17.
LONDON. Printed by A. M. and are to be ſold by William Sheares, at the ſigne of the Harrow in Britaines-Burſſe, and at his ſhop neere Yorke-houſe. 1634.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, AND vertuous Lady, Alice, Counteſſe of Darby, Strange, Le Knocking, Vice-Counteſſe of Kinton, &c.
RIGHT HONOVRABLE,
THe report and ſplendour of your Vertues hauehave encouraged mee to preſent theſe Papers into your honourable hand, in which, what my preſumption hath offended, my duety may excuſe; it being Religion to pay moſt homage unto thoſe ſhrines which moſt Vertues have erected; & Fame ſo loudly celebrating your praiſes, it were ſome rebellion in mee not to attend, or infidelity not to believe her Story, which pronounceth you the Mirrour and Bleſsing of this Age, to bee as great a wonder as an example to Poſterity, & eminent in all your actions, which as they are advanced by your Greatneſſe, ſo they are crowned by your Goodneſſe; Goodneſſe it ſelfe being ſo habituall unto you, that it ſeemes ſhe is become even your nature, and may be called as much your complexion as your practice.
This is that which hath invited me to the Dedication of this Treatiſe to your Honour; for to whom more worthily could I preſent it then to you, whoſe life is a commentarie on it, making Religion not your affectation, but your moſt ſevere imployment, and the excellence of your ſpirit, although it workes you to a nobler height then our duller faculties can attaine unto, yet the height of your Honour is ſtill the humility of your Vertue, and it is the laſt of your praiſes not to affect them. This I have received from the mouth of Fame, which I deliuer not to your eares, but to the truth of your Story, which parallels your love to Learning with the nobleneſſe of your other Vertues, and preferres your love unto Religion aboue them. Vouchſafe then, Right Honourable, to accept this Treatiſe, not unworthy of ſo Noble a Patronage; and if my devotion to your Honour can winne on your Goodneſſe to pardon my Preſumption, the excellence of the Subject ſhall winne on your Iudgement to entertaine the Treatiſe, in which there is no other errour to be found, but that it is preſented to the World, and You, by this rude hand of
Your Honours moſt humbly deuoted R. C.
The Tranſlatour to the Readers.
THis Treatiſe needs not a Preface to entertaine you, or encourage you; the title it ſelf is eloquent enough, yet Cuſtome expecteth that ſomething ſhould be ſpoken of the ſubject, & the Author: and it were unmannerly beſides, at my firſt comming abroad, to preſſe into your acquaintance without ſaluting you. As there is nothing then more excellent than this Subject; ſo there is no man that could diſcourſe on it more excellently then the Author, the Author abounding with the Subject, and directing the underſtanding to that knowledge by which he wrote it. The Atheiſt may here learne as well how to worſhip as to believe a Deity, and reading the methode of his wiſedome in the Characters of Nature, may as well be convinced by Reaſon as Religion. The Epicure may acknowledge the looſe impiety of his Idoll pleaſures, and engaged in more holy and high devotions may performe no more homage to his purſive God. The Recuſant may perceive that Heaven is not to be bribed by his merites or his money, but may here finde his ſalvation more cheape, and certaine. The Treatiſe is but ſmall, but what wants in the volume is ſupplyed in the Subject: it was borne in the Engliſh aire, though not in the Engliſh tongue, this is the Fate of Bookes to be eloquent at firſt, and to ſpeake in variety of tongues, the diverſity of languages being by them promoted into a bleſſing, and they ſeeme like ſo many inſpirations, and to be Prophets of that knowledge which our underſtandings all ſhall enjoy hereafter. This then being ſo expert in other languages, it was pitty me thought it ſhould want his own, and had only the power to perſwade me to this work attended with a deſire which I had by the imparting of our Authors knowledge to improve your owne, a deſire which (where they are legible in earneſt) can excuſe abſurdities, and even ſanctify the Errours; but I write an Epiſtle, not an Apology, and am neither doubtfull of mine owne integrity, or indulgent to the faults of others, whom I am ſo farre from flattering, that I muſt pronounce to excuſe them is a ſacriledge, and to conceale them the lowdeſt ſlander, theſe are they who with impure hands doe tranſlate themſelves into their Authors papers, and deprived of their native glories, doe preſent them to the world in their owne deformities; they diſguiſe their beauties in thoſe accents they would advance them, as if our language was either too dull or too ſtubborn to expreſſe them, and Eloquence was onelyonly confined unto France; nay, ſo delicate is their impudence, that it attempteth only the choyceſt Excellencies, and the rareſt of Authors have the leaſure to repent their miſerable Eloquence: but ſuch is the vertue and the happineſſe of learning, that from hence ſhee hath receiv'd incouragements, it being an addition to her glory to be admir'd by all; and being prais'd by Ignorance, from the mouth of her enemy ſhe becomes more fruitfull. The Sunne forbeares not to impart his beames becauſe they draw up clouds, which doe as much obſcure his beauty, as expreſſe his power, and theſe lights of Learning continue ſtill their illuminating influences, though thoſe guilty ſhaddowes doe invade them, and conſcious of the vertue that did attract them, they doe rather forgive then ſuppreſſe their ſplendour. But the workes of this our Author being as rich in ſubſtance as in beauty, are able to carry their owne ſtrength and light through all the defects of a rude Interpreter; this piece onelyonly of all his Labours lay almoſt forgotten, and hid from obſervation, which being ſet forth by ſo divine a hand, and in ſuch perfect colours, I thought it ſome religion in me to draw the curtaine, and to preſent it to the publike view, wherein if I have ſatisfyed you, it ſhall be new honour unto me, that I have fulfill'd with all the deſire of goodneſſe, which is to communicate her ſelfe, and obeyd her inclinations as
Ambitious of your beſt proſperity. Codrington.
ERrours are all but privations: the Tranſlators abſence, and the Printers haſt, gave theſe leave to appeare, which their review hath thus called in:
Pag. 3, lin. 1. for foreign, r. foreign. pag. 5, lin. 12. for incenſed, r. inſenſed. pag. 6, lin. 9. for the great, r. the ſo great. pag. 8, lin. 2. for Devill, r. Devills. pag. 14, lin. 25. r. when addicted. pag. 15, lin. 25. r. doe differ. pag. 16, lin. 25. r. and tumults. pag. 19. lin. 15. for foreign r. foreign. pag. 32, lin. 2. for another, r. the other. ibid. l. 6. for thoſe, r. theſe. pag. 35, lin. 2. for preſſe, r. knowledge. ibid. lin. 1. for lazy, r. dusky. pag. 55, lin. 6. for ſquares, r. ſquare. pag. 68, lin 9. for collect, r. draw. pag. 71, lin. 18. for le ſpace, r. l'eſpace. lin. 21, for voire, r. voir.
Lighter faults there are too, which as your eye encounters, are left unto your goodneſſe, either to correct them, or excuſe them.