Of the Divine Original Authority, Treatise 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Of various lections in the Greeke Copies of the new Teſtament.
Sect. 1. FOR Various Lections in the Greeke Copies of the new Teſtament, we know with what diligence and induſtry, they have been collected by ſome, and what improvement hath been made of thoſe Collections by others. Proteſtants for the moſt part have been the chiefeſt collectors of them; Stephanus, Camerarius, Beza, Camero, Grotius, Druſius, Henſius, D'Dieu, Capellus, all folrowing Eraſmus, have had the prime hand in that worke. Papiſts have plowed with their Heifer to diſparage the originall, and to cry up the vulgar Latine; A ſpecimen of their endeavours we have in the late virulent Exercitations of Morinus. At firſt very few were obſerved. What an heape or Bulke they are now ſwelled unto, we ſee in this Appendix. The collection of them makes up a Booke bigger than the new Teſtament it ſelfe. Of thoſe that went before, moſt gave us only what they found in ſome particular Copies that themſelves were poſſeſſors of; ſome thoſe only which they judged of importance, or that might make ſome pretence to be conſidered whether they were proper or no; Here we have all, that by any meanes could be brought to hand, and that whether they are tollerably atteſted for various lections or no; for as to any contribution unto the better underſtanding of the Scripture from them; it cannot be pretended. And whether this worke may yet grow, I know not.
Sect. 2. That there are in ſome Copies of the new Teſtament, and thoſe ſome of them of ſome Good Antiquity, diverſe Readings, in things or words of leſſe importance is acknowledged; the proofe of it lyes within the reach of moſt, in the Copies that we have; and I ſhall not ſolicit the reputation of thoſe who have afforded us others, out of their own private furniture. That they have been all needleſly heaped up together, if not to an eminent ſcandall is no leſſe evident. Let us then take a little view of their riſe and importance.
Sect. 3. That the Grecian, was once as it were the vulgar language of the whole world of Chriſtians is knowne. The writing of the new Teſtament in that language in part found it ſo, and in part made it ſo. What Thouſands? yea what millions of copies of the new Teſtament were then in the world, all men promiſcuouſly reading and ſtuddying of the ſcripture, cannot be reckoned. That ſo many Tranſcriptions, moſt of them by private Perſons, for private uſe, having a ſtandard of correction in their publicke Aſſemblies ready to releive their miſtakes, ſhould be made without ſome variation, is, foreign. From the copies of of the firſt Ages, others in the ſucceeding have been tranſcribed, according as men had opportunity. From thoſe which are come downe to the hands of learned men in this latterage, whereof very few or none at all, are of any conſiderable Antiquity, have men made it their buſineſſe to collect the various Readings we ſpeake of; with what uſefullneſſe & ſerviceableneſſe to the Churches of God, others that look on muſt be allowed their liberty to Judge. We know the Vanity, Curioſity, Pride, and naughtineſſe of the heart of man: How ready we are to pleaſe our ſelves, with things that ſeeme ſingular and remote from the obſervation of the many; and how ready to publiſh them as evidences of our Learning and diligence, let the fruit and iſſue be what it will. Hence it is come to paſſe, not to queſtion the credit of any man ſpeaking of his M S S, (which is wholly ſwallowed in this Appendix) that whatever varying word, ſyllable, or Tittle, could be by any obſerved, wherein any Book, though of yeſterday, varyeth from the common received copy, though manifeſtly a miſtake, ſuperfluous, or deficient, inconſiſtent with the ſenſe of the place, yea barbarous, is preſently impoſed on us as a various lection.
Sect. 4. As then I ſhall not ſpeak any thing to derogate from the worth of their Labour who have gathered all theſe various Readings into one body or volume, ſo I preſume I may take liberty without offence to ſay, I ſhould more eſteeme of theirs, who would indeavour to ſearch and trace out theſe pretenders, to their ſeverall originalls, and rejecting the ſpurious brood that hath now ſpawned its ſelfe over the face of ſo much paper, that ought by no means to be brought into competitiō with the cōmon Reading, would reduce them to ſuch a neceſſary number, whoſe conſideration might be of ſome other uſe, then merely to create a Temptation to the Reader, that nothing is left ſound and entire in the word of God.
However now Sathan ſeems to have exerted the utmoſt of his malice, men of former Ages the utmoſt of their negligence, of theſe latter Ages of their diligence, the Reſult of all which, we have in the preſent collection in this Appendix, with them that rightly ponder things there ariſeth nothing at all to the prejudice of our Aſſertion, as may poſſibly, God aſſiſting, be further manifeſted hereafter in the particular conſideration of ſome, or all of theſe divers Readings therein exhibited unto us. Thoſe which are of importance, have been already conſidered by others; eſpecially Glaſſius; Tract. 1. lib. 1.
Sect. 5. It is evident that the deſigne of this Appendix was to gather together every thing of this ſort, that might by any meanes be afforded; At the Preſent, that the Reader may not be too much ſtartled at the fruit of their diligence, whoſe work and labour it was, I ſhall only remarke concerning it ſome few things that on a generall view of it occurre unto me.
Sect. 6. 1. Then here is profeſſedly no choice made, nor judgment uſed in diſcerning, which may indeed be called various Lections; but all differences whatever that could be found in any copies, printed or written, are equally given out. Hence many differences that had been formerly rejected by learned men for open corruptions, are here tendred us againe. The very firſt obſervation in the Treatiſe next printed unto this collection in the Appendix it ſelfe, rejects one of the varieties, as a corruption. So have ſome others of them been by Arias Montanus, Camero, and many more. It is not every variety or difference in a copy that ſhould preſently be cried up for a various Reading. A man might with as good colour and pretence take all the printed copies he could get, of various editions, and gathering out the errata Typographica, print them for various Lections, as give us many, I ſhall ſay the moſt of theſe in this Appendix, under that name. It may be ſaid indeed, that the Compoſers of this Appendix found it not incumbent on them, to make any judgment of the Readings, which de facto they found in the copies they peruſed, but merely to repreſent what they ſo found, leaving the judgment of them unto others; I ſay alſo it may be ſo; and therefore as I do not reflect on them, nor their diligence, ſo I hope they nor others, will not be offended, that I give this notice of what Judgment remaines yet to be made concerning them.
Sect. 7. 2 Whereas Beza, who is commonly blamed by men of all ſides and parties, for making too bold upon various lections, hath profeſſedly ſtigmatized his own M S, that he ſent unto Cambridge, as ſo corrupt in the Goſpell of Luke, that he durſt not publiſh the various lections of it, for feare of offence and ſcandall, however he thought it had not fallen into the hands of Hereticks, that had deſignedly depraved it; we have here, if I miſtake not, all the corruptions of that copy given us as various Readings; for though I have not ſeen the copy its ſelfe, yet the ſwelling of the various lections in that Goſpell, into a bulke as bigge or bigger, than the collection of all the new Teſtament beſides the Goſpels and Acts, wherein that copy is cited 1440 times, puts it out of all queſtion that ſo we are dealt withall: Now if this courſe be taken, and every ſtigmatized copy may be ſearched for differences, and theſe preſently printed to be various readings, there is no doubt but we may have enough of them to frighten poor unſtable ſoules into the armes of the pretended infallible guide; I meane as to the uſe that will be made of this worke, by ſuch perſons as Morinus.
Sect. 8. 3 I am not without Apprehenſions that opere in longo obrepſit ſomnus, and that whilſt the learned Collectors had their hands and minds buſied about other things, ſome miſtakes did fall into this worke of gathering theſe various lections. Some things I meet withall in it, that I profeſſe, I cannot bring to any good conſiſtency among themſelves; to let paſſe particular inſtances, and inſiſt on one only of a more generall and eminent importance. In the entrance unto this collection an account is given us of the antiert copies, out of which theſe obſervations are made; Among the reſt one of them is ſaid to be an antient copy in the Library of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge: this is noted by the letters Em: throughout the whole collection. Now whereas it is told us in thoſe preliminary cautions and obſervations, that it contains only Pauls Epiſtles, I wonder how it is come to paſſe, that ſo many various lections in the Goſpels and Acts, as in the farrago its ſelfe are fixed on the credit of that book, could come to be gathered out of a copy of Pauls Epiſtles; certainly here muſt be ſome miſtake, either in the learned Authors of the previous directions, or by thoſe employed to gather the varieties following; And it may be ſuppoſed that that miſtake goes not alone; ſo that upon a farther conſideration of particulars, it may be, we ſhall not find them ſo clearly atteſted, as at firſt view they ſeeme to be. It would indeed be a miracle, if in a worke of that variety many things ſhould not eſcape the eye of the moſt diligent obſerver.
Sect. 9. I am not then upon the whole matter out of hopes, but that upon a diligent review of all theſe various Lections, they may be reduced to a leſſe offenſive, and leſſe formidable number; Let it be remembred that the vulgar copie we uſe, was the publick poſſeſsion of many generations; that upon the invention of Printing, it was in actuall authority throughout the World, with them that uſed and underſtood that Language, as far as any thing appeares to the contrary. Let that then paſſe for the ſtandard which is confeſſedly its right and due, and we ſhall God aſſiſting quickly ſee, how little reaſon there is to pretend ſuch varieties of Readings, as we are now ſurpriſed withall. For 1. Let thoſe places be ſeparated, which are not ſufficiently atteſted unto, ſo as to pretend to be various lections: it being againſt all pretence of Reaſon, that every miſtake of every obſcure private copy, perhaps not above 2 or 300 yeares old, (or if elder) ſhould be admitted as a various lection, againſt the concurrent conſent of it may be all others that are extant in the world, and that without any congruity of Reaſon, as to the ſenſe of the Text where it is fallen out. Men may if they pleaſe take paines to informe the world, wherein ſuch and ſuch copies are corrupted, or miſtaken, but to impoſe their known failings on us as various lections, is a courſe not to be approved.
2. Let the ſame judgment, and that deſervedly, paſſe on all thoſe different places, which are altogether inconſiderable, conſiſting in accents or the change of a letter, not in the leaſt intrenching on the ſenſe of the place, or giving the leaſt intimation of any other ſenſe to be poſſibly gathered out of them, but what is in the approved reading; to what end ſhould the minds of men be troubled with them or about them, being evident miſtakes of the ſcribes, and of no importance at all.
3. Let them alſo be removed from the pretences which carry their own convictions along with them, that they are ſpurious, either 1 By their ſuperfluity or redundancy of unneceſſary Words, or 2ly their deficiency in words, evidently neceſſary to the ſenſe of their places, or 3. their incoherence with the Text in their ſeverall ſtations, or 4. evidence of being intended as expoſitory of difficulties, having been moved and aſſoyled by ſome of the antients upon the places, and their reſolutions being intimated; or 5. are foyſted out of the 70, as many places out of the new have been aſſerted into that copy of the old; or 6. are taken out of one place in the ſame penman, and are uſed in another, or 7. are apparently taken out of one Goſpell, and ſupplied in another, to make out the ſenſe of the place; or 8. have been corrected by the Vulgar Latine, which hath often fallē out in ſome copies, as Lucas Brugenſis ſhews us on Math. 17. 2. Mark. 1. 38. & 7. 4. and ſundry other places; or 9. ariſe out of Copies apparently corrupted, like that of Beza in Luke, and that in the Vatican, boaſted of by Huntly the Jeſuite, which Lucas Brugenſis affirmes to have been changed by the Vulgar Latine, and was written & corrected, as Eraſmus ſaies, about the Councell of Florence, when an agreement was patched up between the Greeks and Latines; or 10. are notoriouſly corrupted by the old Hereticks, as … Joh. 5. 7. Unto which heads, many, yea the moſt of the various l…ctions collected in this Appendix may be referred; I ſay if this worke might be done with care and diligence (whereunto I earneſtly exhort ſome in this Univerſity, who have both ability and leiſure for it) it would quickly appeare, how ſmall the number is of thoſe varieties in the Greek copies of the new Teſtament, which may pretend unto any conſideration under the ſtate and Title of various Lections; and of how very little importance they are, to weaken in any meaſure my former Aſſertion concerning the care and providence of God in the preſervation of his Word. But this is a work of more time and leiſure, than at preſent I am poſſeſſor of; what is to come, foreign. In the meane time I doubt not, but to heare tidings from Rome concerning this variety; no ſuch Collection having as yet been made in the world.