An Account of Cawdrys Triplex Diatribe, Chapter 5 · Section 2
Sect. 2. The method of of explicating difficulties in the new Teſt: foreign in a good ſenſe: and when in a bad, no prejudice to foreign.
IN his ſecond §. where he profeſſeth not to care how oft or how ſeldom the Greek word is uſed in other Authors, or the tranſlators of the old Teſtament, when the thing ſignified, deviſed or impoſed worſhip by the will of man, … ſo decryed in Scripture; I ſhall to his faſtidious deſpiſing my method propoſed, returne my reaſon of reteining it, and to his reaſon, a brief demonſtration of the vanity of it.
For the firſt, the reaſon of my method in that, as in other diſcourſes, was the great affinity and conſent betwixt the Greek of the Old and New Teſtament, the writers being of the ſame nation, Jewes by birth, which had acquired ſome skill in the Greek Language, and yet not ſo much exactneſs therein, as wholly to aſſume the dialect or character of ſpeech obſerved by native or Learned Greeks, or to deveſt themſelves of the idiomes of their own language.
Upon this ground I ſuppoſe it moſt conſequent, that for the explaining all verbal difficulties in the New Teſtament, reſort ſhould firſt be had to the Greek Tranſlators of the Canonical Books, or the writers of the Apocryphal of the old, and then in the ſecond place to other good Authors, from whom any light can be fetcht, and when theſe fail in their expected aids, then to make uſe of other ſupplies, analogie of phraſes or matter, with what we find in the Old Teſtament, circumſtances of the context, and the like.
And if the Diatribiſt deſpiſe this method of ſearch, it were but neceſſary charity in him, to diſcover the faults of it and direct us to a better, which having not here done, he leaves us to ſurmiſe, that it was not his judgement, but his care to ſerve his own hypotheſis, which infuſed theſe diſlikes into him, for otherwiſe, the reſult of my way of ſearch being onelyonly this, that the word foreign being but once uſed in the whole Bible, Col. 2. 23. the notion of it in that one place, muſt in all reaſon be reſolved to be that which properly belongs to that place, eſpecially if it proves to be ſuch as agrees exactly with the foreign or freewill offerings in the Old Teſtament, I ſee not what infirmity it was which could render it up to his deſpiſing.
However, this wholly removes and evacuates all force of his reaſon of diſlike, it being evident by that one example of freewill offerings, but much more ſo by other evidences, both there and here added, that there may be many acts of worſhip, many circumſtances of worſhip, yea and many heights of Chriſtian heroical virtue, which may bear proportion with worſhip, that are not under obligation, from any particular command of Gods, and ſo remain to be acts of the will or choiſe of man, which are perfectly lawfull, acceptable, yea ſome highly rewardable by God, and ſo far from the guilt which Mr. C. affixes, of high indignity or affront to the divine Majeſtie.
What he addes of the ſimple word foreign and foreign, that they are but twice apiece uſed in the Book of Wiſdome, and alway in an ill notion, which ſaith he, is but little to the credit of the compound foreign] might ſure have been ſpared, it being as certain and viſible to him, that the ſame word is uſed by St James, c. 1. 27. in as good a ſenſe as could be wiſht, with the epithets of foreign pure and undefiled before God, added to it, and v. 26. for the profeſſion of Chriſtianity, though for want of actions, bridling the tongue, and the like, that becomes foreign vain; And as plain, that the word is in it ſelf equally applicable to the true as to the falſe, indifferently to any religion, to St Pauls religion among the Jews, Act. 26. 5. the ſtricteſt ſect of our religion, to the worſhip of Angels, Col. 2. 18. and ſo to the worſhip of Idols in the Book of Wiſdome, which yet can no more tend to the diſadvantage of the compound foreign, when that is not terminated on any prohibited object, then the uſe of the Latine cultus ſometimes for the worſhip of falſe Gods, can prejudge voluntarius cultus, voluntary worſhip, when either the object is not ſpecified, or the mention of the one true God is added to it. It being confeſt and ſuppoſed by both parties in this conteſt, that the ſimple foreign or worſhip it ſelf is not culpable, ſave onelyonly when the other part of the compoſition, the foreign, i. e. the interpoſition of the will (or as he will ſtyle it, the deviſe or appointment) of man, hath an influence upon it.