Faith Grounded Upon the Holy Scriptures Against the New Methodists, Title page – Note on the translation
LA FOY fondée ſur les Saintes Eſcritures.
FAITH Grounded upon the Holy Scriptures; Againſt the NEW METHODISTS. by JOHN DAILLE. Printed in French at Paris anno 1634.
And now Engliſhed by M. M.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing, by the Word of God, Rom. 10.18.
LONDON, Printed for Benj. Tooke at the ſign of the Ship in S. Pauls Churchyard, 1675.
AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER.
ALthough the French tranſlation, of the Holy Bible, made by the Doctors of Louvain, can, by no means, be comparable to the neatneſs, clearneſs and faithfulneſs of that which is read among us, yet, (to fit, my ſelf to the guſt of our Adverſaries,) I have drawn from their Tranſlations (and not from ours) the moſt part of the places of Scripture, which I make uſe of in this little book, namely in the ſecond and third parts; to the end, they might not wrangle with us about words, as many of them doe, and perticularly theſe new Methodiſts againſt whom I have compoſed this Treatiſe.
OnelyOnly let me inform you, that in three or four paſſages which are nothing to our controverſie, I have taken the liberty to correct that in the Greek and Latine texts which theſe Gentlemen had too evidently turned falſe, by in advertency (as I am willing to believe) and ignorance, and not by malice. As for example in the ſecond part Chap. 4.3. pag. 124. I produce the firſt verſe of the Goſpel of S. John, in theſe words, the word was God, and not as theſe Doctors have expounded it, God was the word, whereof the two conſtruction which theſe words are capable of, Deus erat verbum, they chuſe to follow that which is leſs to purpoſe, and which, beſides the conſuſion which it brings to the contexture of the Apoſtles thoughts, does manifeſtly overturn the words of the Greek text, foreign, where the particle foreign ſhews that the word foreign cannot of neceſſity, be the predicate, but the ſubject of the prop…ſition, as thoſe, who have any knowledge in the Laws and uſe of the Greek tongue, know well enough. So in the Epiſtle to Titus, ſee how they tranſlate the words of S. Tit. 2.13.Paul, expectantes beatam ſpem, & adventum gloriae magni Dei & Servatoris noſtri Jeſu Chriſti, expecting (ſay they) the bleſſed hope, and the coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, ſeparating this God, whoſe advent we expect, from our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, as if the Apoſtle ſhould ſay, we expect the coming of God, and we expect alſo the coming of our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, an interpretation, neither pertinent nor advantagious to the Church; for firſt, the Greek text cannot bear it which binds and ties up all theſe words, great, and our Saviour, in the ſame bundle by means of the particle foreign, which the Apoſtle put into their heads foreign, obliging us neceſſarily to take them, not as names of two perſons, one of which is called God, and the other Jeſus Chriſt, but as two different qualities, attributed to one onelyonly and the ſame Jeſus Chriſt, which is altogether the ſame with the great God, and the Saviour, whoſe advent we expect; but this ſame interpretation is alſo prejudicial, for it takes away from the Catholicks a clear and invincible proof of the divinity of Jeſus Chriſt, for if you follow it, ſuppoſe that Jeſus Chriſt be our Saviour (which the Samotoſateniens and Arrians confeſs,) yet ſtill he is not our God, and this is that which they ſtruggle for principally. No body then can blame me for leaving the Louvain verſion in this place to follow the Greek Text in tranſlating this paſſage Part 2. Chap. 4.3. pag. 124. where I produce againſt the hereticks, expecting the bleſſed hope and the coming of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. That which I have changed (part 2. Chap. 8. 1. pag. 106.) in the ſecond chapter of the firſt of S. Peter, is leſs important, Love the brotherhood, inſtead of which our adverſaries Bible ſaith, Love brotherhood, leaving out the particle foreign which is in the Greek.
So in the firſt of S. Luke I read, and therefore that which is born of thee holy, ſhall be called the Son of God (Part 2. Chap 4. Sect. 7. pag. 92.) therefore the holy one that ſhall be born of thee, as they of Louvain have tranſlated it, contrary to the Faith of the Greeks who ſay, foreign, and not foreign, & of the Latine, which ſaith likewiſe, quod naſcetur ex te Sanctum, & not, qui naſcetur ex te Sanctus. As for the ſmall change of words in the 2 Cor. chap. 5. verſe 8. where we ſay, we have a good will rather to be out of the body, and to be with the Lord, inſtead of that which is in the Louvain bible, I have a good will better to be out of the body, we have done this only to ſweeten the manner of ſpeaking, avoir bonne volonte meiux eſtre is rough and unknown in our language, and the Greek and Latine texts do no way oblige us to interpret it ſo.
Theſe are (if my memory doth not cheat me) all the paſſages in which I have varied from the Louvain verſion in divers other places I bear with its faults, becauſe they do no great prejudice to the juſtice and truth of my cauſe, although there are ſome of them which teſtifie (in theſe Doctors) a paſſion unworthy of the quality which they take of interpreting the Word of God, as among others, when in, Pet. 1.5, 3. (alledged part 2. ch. 8. 5. pag. 109. they read having dominion of the Clergy of the People of God, inſtead of the plainneſs of the Greek and Latine, having dominion foreign in Cleris over the heritage, being licenſed to add the words, and people of God, and to hide, by this means, the ſence which the Apoſtle gives in the word Clergy, imployed to ſignifie the Chriſtian people, which is contrary to the uſe and pretence of thoſe of Rome.