Page:The New Testament of Iesvs Christ faithfvlly translated into English, ovt of the authentical Latin, diligently conferred with the Greek, & other Editions in diuers languages.pdf/9

Rh holy Eunuch. They feele no such depth of God’s science in the Scriptures, as S. Augustin did when he cried out, ''Mira profunditas eloquiorum tuorum, mira profunditas (Deus meus) mira profunditas! horror est intendere in eam, horror honoris, & tremor amoris; that is, O wonderful profoundnes of thy wordes; wonderful profoundnes, my God, wonderful profoundnes! it maketh a man quake to looke on it: to quake for reverence, and to tremble for the love thereof''. They regard not that which the same Doctour affirmeth, that the depth and profunditie of wisedom, not only in the words of holy Scripture, but also in the matter & sense, is so wonderful, that, live a man never so long, be he of never so high a witte, never so studious, never so fervent to attaine the knowledge thereof, yet when he endeth, he shall confesse he doth but begin. They feele not with S. Hierom, that the text hath a hard shel to be broken before we come to the kernel. They will not stay themselves in only reading the sacred Scriptures thirteen yeares together, with S. Basil & S. Gregorie Nazianzene, before they expound them, nor take the care (as they did) never otherwise to interpret them, then by the uniforme consent of their Forefathers and tradition Apostolike.

If our new Ministers had had this cogitation and care that these and al other wise men have, and ever had, our countrie had never fallen to this miserable state in religion, and that under pretence, colour, and countenance of God’s word: neither should vertue and good life have been so pittifully corrupted in time of such reading, toiling, tumbling and translating the Booke of our life and salvation: wherof the more precious the right and reverent use is, the more pernicious is the abuse and prophanation of the same: which every man of experience by these few yeares proofe, and by comparing the former daies and manners to these of ours, may easily trie.

Looke whether your men be more vertuous, your women more chast, your children more obedient, your servants more trustie, your maids more modest, your freinds more faithful, your laytie more just in dealing, your Clergie more devout in praying: whether there be more religion, feare of God, faith and conscience in all states now, then of old, when there was not so much reading, chatting, and jangling of God’s word, but much more sincere dealing, doing, and keeping the same. Look whether through this disorder, women teach not their husbands, children their parents, yong fooles their old and wise fathers, the scholers their Maisters, the sheep their Pastour, and the People the Priest. Looke whether the most chast and sacred sentences of God’s holy word, be not turned of many, into mirth, mockerie, amorous ballets & detestable letters of love and leudnes: their delicate rimes, tunes, and translations much encreasing the same.

This fal of good life & prophaning the divine mysteries, every body seeth: but the great corruption & decay of faith hereby, none see but wise men, who only know, that, were the Scriptures never so truely translated, yet Heretikes and il men that follow their owne spirit and know nothing but their private fantasie, and not the sense of the holy Church and Doctours, must needs abuse them to their damnation: and that the curious, simple, and * sensual men which have no tast of the things that be of the Spirit of God, may of infinit places take occasion of pernicious errours. For though the letter or text have no errour, yet (saith S. Ambrose) the Arrian, or (as we may now speake) the Calvinian interpretation hath errors. ''lib. 2. ad Gratianum ca. 1. and Tertullian saith: The sense adulterated is as perilous as the style corrupted. De Præscrip''. S. Hilarie also speaketh thus: ''Heresie riseth about the understanding, not about the writing. The fault is in the sense, not in the word. lib. 2. de Trinit. in principio''. And S. Augustin saith, that many hold the scriptures as they doe the Sacraments, ''ad speciem, & non ad salutem, to the outward shew, and not to salvation. de Baptis. cont. Donat. li. 3. ca. 19''. Finally all Sect-maisters and ravening wolues, yea * the Divels themselves pretend Scriptures, alleage Scriptures, and wholy shroud themselves in Scriptures, as in the wool & fleese of the simple sheep. Whereby the vulgar, in these daies of general disputes, can not but be in extreme danger of errour, though their books were truely translated, & were truely in themselves Gods owne word indeed.

But the case now is more lamentable: for the Protestants and such as S. Paul calleth ambulantes in astutia, walking in deceitfulnes, have so abused the people, and many other in the world, not unwise, that by their false translations they have insteed of God’s Law and Testament, and for Christes written wil and word, given them their owne wicked writing and phantasies, most shamefully in al their versions, Latin, English, and other tongues, corrupting both the letter and sense by false translation, adding, detracting, altering, transposing, pointing, and al other guileful meanes: specially where it Rh