Remarks on a Sermon About Corrupting the Word of God, Preface
The PREFACE.
THESE Papers were occaſion'd by a Sermon Preach'd at Chriſt's Church in Mancheſter, by Mr. Tho. Gips, Rector of Bury, againſt Corrupting the World of God. I'll give the Reader an Idea of the Sermon, before I enter on the main Point.
His Text is in Prov. 30.6. Add…on not unto his Words, leſt he reprove Thee, and thou be found a Liar.
After ſome Explication, he ſaith, The Text is levell'd againſt all manner of Corrupting the Word, p. 2.
One eminent Inſtance of which I ſhall produce by and by, the Chief Reaſon of my undertaking this Subject.
The whole Sermon conſiſts of but 28 Pages, and yet he overlooks the Chief Reaſon of his Ʋndertaking, till he comes to the 20th Page, in theſe Words, and now I am come at length to the Point I chiefly aim'd to inſiſt on. 'Tis a ſign he wanted materials for his Chief Point, when he allows it but ſo little Room in his Sermon, tho' he had promiſed to husband his Time as Thriftily as might be, becauſe his Argument cou'd not eaſily be compriz'd in one ſingle Diſcourſe, p. 1.
In handling of it, he promiſeth, 1. To lay before us Negatively, what it is not to add or diminiſh. 2. Poſitively, what it is.
1. Negatively, It is not adding, 1. When we explain Scripture, p. 2.
2. It is not diminiſhing, when we omit the Hebrew Titles of the Pſalms, and here he takes occaſion to quarrel with one Mr. De Laune, who it ſeems had cenſured this Omiſſion in the Pſalms uſed in the Liturgy, p. 3.
He calls upon the Diſſenters to prove thoſe Hebrew Titles to be Original and Eſſential Parts of Scriptures.
I will not enter into this Controverſie, but ſhall only take Notice, that the Titles are as ancient as the Pſalms themſelves, for ought appears to the contrary, they being in all the Hebrew and Greek Copies that ever I have ſeen: That the Jewiſh Church receiv'd 'em as Parts of Scripture, and they are moſt of 'em tranſlated by the LXX, and by Theodotion, Symmachus and Aquila, as alſo by the Targumiſt, ſuppoſed to be R. Joſeph: That they are receiv'd in the Chriſtian Church as Canonical Scripture, Jerom tranſlates them in his Verſion, and they are in the Modern Verſions, French, Dutch, Britiſh, and in the Engliſh Church-Bibles: That ſome of them are undeniably Canonical, as that of Pſalm 18. mention'd in 2 Sam. 22. Others of them muſt be prefixed by the Renman, or by a Perſon Divinely Inſpired, for they refer to Paſſages of Hiſtory not mention'd in the Body of the Pſalm. Such are the Titles of Pſalm 3. and 30. and 34. and 54. and 56, &c. The Title of the 90. Pſalm, Is a Prayer of Moſes, the Man of God. He is not mention'd at all in this Pſalm, nor is this Pſalm mention'd in all his other Writings.
If the Titles, or any one of them, be Eſſential Parts of Scripture; the Rector hath help'd Mr. De Laune to a ſtrong Argument, againſt the omitting of them, viz. that it is a diminiſhing from the Word of God.
It had been his Diſcretion to have omitted this Head of his Sermon; but ſome People can't but expoſe their unthought-of-Faults by an unſeaſonable and weak attempt to cover them.
He asks, Why the Titles are not always Tranſlated? The Biſhops cou'd beſt reſolve that Queſtion, whoſe Tranſlation the Diſſenters uſe. His other Queſtions there, are not worth the Anſwering, p. 3, 4.
3. It is not a diminiſhing from the Word (ſaith he) when we read ſome Verſes of a Chapter, omitting the reſt for that Time, p. 5.
But what if they be omitted at all Times? As ſome Chapters and Books are in the Kalender; it ſeems, according to the Rector's Reſtriction, a diminiſhing from the Word of God.
I leave him and Mr. De Laune to argue, Whether the Epiſtles and Goſpels do not in divers Places ruine the Scope and Connexion, which is the Subject of this and the two next Pages, p. 6, 7.
4. It is not adding to the Word (continues he) when ſeveral Paſſages of Scripture, are caſt into one Complex Senſe.
Here he falls ſoul upon Mr. De Laune again, for affirming that in the Liturgy-Tranſlation of the Pſalms, three whole Verſes are foiſted into the 14th. Pſalm.
To this he Anſwers, that thoſe Verſes are in the Epiſtle to the Romans, Cap. 3. and in the LXX Tranſlation, which for ought he knows is of as good Authority, as the Hebrew at this Day is, and to be preferr'd before the Hebrew in this 14th. Pſalm, p. 8, 9.
That thoſe additional Verſes are in Rom. 3. no Body Queſtions; and that they were tranſcribed out of that …piſtle into the LXX Verſion, Jerom poſitively affirms, Prefat. Lib. 16. in Iſa. And he adds in the ſame Place, that theſe Verſes are not in the LXX Tranſlation, and that none of the Greek Interpreters have Commented on them.
It is certain, they are not to be found in moſt of the Greek Copies, Manuſcript and Printed, vid. Fr. Luc. Burgſ. in Lib. Notat. ad varias Lect. Vulg. Edit.
I will not Diſpute at this time the Authority of the LXX, but if it be as good as the preſent Hebrew Copy, it is very uncertain what becomes of the Rector's Text, for it is not in my Edition of the Septuagint, Printed at Cambr. 1665 Juxta exemplar Vaticanum, which is one of the beſt Copies. Thus the Rector by maintaining one abſurdity runs himſelf into more, and by advancing the Septuagint, hath loſt his Text.
We have Reaſon to believe that the Hebrew Copies were incorrupt in our Saviours Time, who never charged the Jews with corrupting the Scriptures. And Philo not long after, writes, that even unto his Times, for the ſpace of above 2000 Years, not one Word had ever been chang'd in the Law of the Hebrews, and that every Jew would ſooner dye a hundred Deaths, than ſuffer the Law to be chang'd in any one Point. Phil de Egreſs. fil. Iſr. ab Aegypto. This Teſtimony is cited by Euſeb. Praepar. Evang. VIII. 2.
The Invention of the Maſora, in which all the Verſes, Words, and Letters of all the Books of the Old Teſtament are number'd, has been an effectual means to preſerve the Purity of the Hebrew Copies. If it be as old as Ezra the Scribe, as the Learned Buxtorf conceives, it renders it impoſſible that any Corruption ſhould have crept into the Hebrew Copies, vid. Buxt. Tiberias.
But if it were written after the Talmud, by the Jews of Tiberias about the Year 500. as Elias Levita, Capellus, and others think, it has undeniably ſecured the Hebrew Copies from all Corruption ſince that Time. And it is highly improbable, they ſhould be corr…pted between Philo's Time, and the Invention of the Maſora, according to this latter Hypotheſis. For the Hebrew Copies which Jerom had towards the latter end of the Fourth Century were incorrupt, and had not the additional Verſes in Pſalm 14. Nor can we imagine that the Jews of that Age had degenerat…d from the Zeal of their Anceſtors for the Purity of the Law.
The Rector himſelf allows the Maſora to be before the Birth of Chriſt, for ſaith he, The Jews were Religious to Superſtition, as may be thought, counting the very Letters of the Bible to preſerve it intire: Hereunto our Lord alludes in Mat. 5.18. p. 13.
On the other Hand, it's certain we have not a pure Verſion of the LXX at this Day, as all the Learned agree. And Dr. Lightfoot affirms more than once, that the Tranſlation that goes under the name of the LXX was dreſt with more Craft than Sincerity by the firſt Interpreters, and gives many Inſtances of it, Vol. 1. p. 401, 402 667. 806. and Vol 1. p. 1004, 1005.
It is unfair therefore in the Rector to depreſs the Authority of the Hebrew Copies in favour of the LXX (which differs greatly from 'em) and thereby tempt People to queſtion the Purity of our authorized Engliſh Bibles, which are all Tranſlations of the Hebrew.
We agree with him in the next Head, that
5. It is not corrupting the Word, when we tranſlate it into Vulgar Tongues, p. 9. to p. 12.
6. It is not adding to the Word, when a new Prophet ariſing delivers ſome further Meſſages to the Churches, which are affixt to the Canon of the Scripture; ſo all the following Books of Scripture, notwithſtanding my Text, were added to the Canon unto the end of Revelations, where (for ought we yet know) the Book is ſhut up, p. 12.
Here he ſeems uncertain, whether we may not yet expect new Revelation, and a new Canon of Scripture. For our parts we are Content with that we …, and ſhall leave this Point to be concerted between the Rector and the Quakers.
2. He ſhews Poſitively, when we add or diminiſh from the Word.
1. We diminiſh, when we caſt away any, never ſo little Part of it, p. 13.
I leave it to Conſideration, Whether the Titles of the Pſalms be not a little Part of the Word of God, and own'd for ſuch in our authorized Bibles.
But yet Intereſt has a Byaſs, adds he, inſtance M. (he would ſay Juſtin Martyr) has charged the Jews with this Practice.
Juſtin M. charges them with corrupting the LXX, but not the Original Hebrew, which he ought to have taken Notice of.
2. Then we diminiſh when we reject whole Books, as the Sadducees and Samaritans of old did, all but the five Books of Moſes, p. 14.
It is a Vulgar Error, that the Sadducees and Samaritans rejected all the Old Teſtament, but the five Books of Moſes, occaſion'd by a Paſſage in Joſephus That the Sadducees received the Law only, Antiq. Jude XVIII. 2. Where a he ſpeaks of the written Law in Oppoſition to the Oral Law, which the Phariſees rec…ived. Thus he explains himſelf, Antiq. Jude XIII. 18.
Dr. Lightfoot gives Inſtances of their owning other parts of Scripture, Vol 2. p. 541, 542.
3. We diminiſh from the Word, when we lay it aſide as not neceſſary or not the Supream Rule of Faith, p. 14.
This implies, as if if there were ſome other, at leaſt ſubordinate Rules of Faith▪ What theſe are, he does not think fit to tell us? We know no Rule of Divine Faith but the Holy Scriptures.
From the 15th to the 20th Page, he well aſſerts the Sufficiency, Perſpicuity and Supream Authority of the Scriptures, p. 15. to p. 20.
Were this Principle practically acknowledg'd, it would ſoon heal our Breaches, by diſpoſing Men to lay aſide the unſcriptural Terms of Chriſtian Communion, which have been the fatal Engines of Diſunion and Schiſm.
4. We diminiſh from the Word, when we add any thing to it, p. 20.
He gives two Inſtances of this, 1. When any thing is tack'd unto the Word not belonging to it, as is the Apocrypha by the Papiſts, but I haſten, ſaith the Rector.
But why in ſo much haſt? You muſt know he is upon a tender Point, which would not be long dwelt upon. But if he be not in too much haſte, I with tell him a Story in his Ear, of a ſort of People that leave out a conſiderable Part of Canonica. Scripture, as the 1ſt. and 2d. Books of Chronicles, much of Ezekiel, the Song of Solomon, and moſt of the Revelation, and ſubſtitute in the room of it, a great Part of the Apocrypha, and among other Paſſages the fabulous Story of Bell and Dragon, to be Read in the Publick Congregation, for two Months of the Year: Which tempts Ignorant People to fancy the Bible is not compleat without the Apocrypha.
But we muſt not detain him too long from his Chief Point, to which he is come at length under the next Head.
2. We both add to the Word and diminiſh from it, when we alter it, eſpecially ſo as that it carries quite another Senſe, than what was intended by the Spirit of God. And now I am come at length (ſaith he) to the Point I chiefly aim'd to inſiſt on, p. 20.
The proſecuting of this Point takes up the eight laſt Pages.
Having given this Scheme of the Sermon, we will now follow him to his Eminent Inſtance of corrupting the Word, the chief Reaſon of his Undertaking this Subject.