WIP -
Thomas Smith - Latin and English
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/a...1.001?page=root;size=125;vid=101752;view=text
The Stile is exactly St. Hierom's and questionless his, and ac∣knowledg'd as such, both by Erasmus and Socinus, however o∣mitted by Erasmus in his edition of St. Hierom's works at Ba∣sil. St. Hierome in his preface to the Ca∣nonical Epistles, vindicates the antient reading, and laies open the baseness and perfidiousness of these men. I shall here put down the whole Preface;
Non ita ordo est apud Graecos, qui integrè sapiunt, & fidem rectam sectantur Epistolarum septem, quae Canonicae nun∣cupantur, sicut in Latinis codicibus invenitur: Quod quia Petrus primus est in numero Apostolorum, primae sunt e∣tiam ejus Epistolae, in or dine caeterarum; sed sicut Evan∣gelistas dudum ad veritatis lineam correximus, ita has proprio ordini Deo juvante reddidimus. Estenim prima earum una Jacobi, duae Petri, & tres Johannis, & Judae una. Quae si sicut ab eis digestae sunt, ita quo{que} ab Inter∣pretibus fidelitèr in Latinum verterentur eloquium, nec ambiguitatem legentibus facerent, nec sermonum sese va∣rietas impugnaret, illo precipuè loco, ubi de unitate Tri∣nitatis in primâ Johannis Epistolâ positum legimus, in quâ etiam ab infidelibus translatoribus, multum err atum esse à fidei veritate comperimus; tria tantummodo voca∣bula, hoc est, aquae, sanguinis, & spiritus in ipsâ suâ editi∣one ponentibus, & Patris verbi{que} ac spiritûs testimonium omittentibus, in quo maximè & fides Catholica roboratur, & patris ac filii ac spiritûs sancti una divinitatis sub∣stantia comprobatur. In caeteris vero Epistolis, quantum à nostra aliorum differt editio; Lectoris prudentiae dere∣linquo. Sed tu Virgo Christi, Eustochium, dum à me im∣pensius Scripturae veritatem inquiris, meam quodammo∣do senectutem invidorum dentibus corradendam exponis, qui me falsarium corruptorem{que} sacrarum Scripturarum pronunciant. Sed ego in tali opere nec aemulorum meo∣rum invidentiam pertimesco, nec sanctae Scripturae veri∣tatem poscentibus denegabo.
Erasmus and Socinus are so urged with this testimony of St. Hierome, that they are forced to make use of very pitiful and disin∣genuous arguments to invalidate it. Socinus had said before—
fortasse ante Hieronymum vix ullus inveni∣etur, qui testimonium istud hoc in loco planè agnoverit,
the falsity of which conjecture, however so warily laid down, has been disproved; hereby craftily concealing the citation out of St. Cyprian, he very bold∣ly accuses St. Hierome of Forgery, who having got a Copy or Copies, in which this verse was added,
adversus fidem aliorum omnium exemplarium, tam La∣tinorum, quam Graecorum, lectionem particulae istius tan∣quam germanam defendere & promovere coepit, conque∣rens publicè eam culpâ & fraude hereticorum abrasam à
vulgatis codicibus suisse.
But St Hierome has sufficiently confuted the falseness and boldness of this Cavil. He was used to this kind of language, as if he had corrupted the Scriptures, but he was no way moved by it; though this accusation of those of his own time perchance may not so much be referr'd to this place, as to his translation in general, and may proceed not so much from
heretical malice and pravity, as envy of several of his contemporaries, who were orthodox in the faith, but were no friends to his new translation. He charges the omission up∣on these unfaithful Translators (questionless Sabelli∣ans and Arians) and upbraids them with it as a thing manifest and notorious, and easily demonstrable; and certainly he would not have made him∣self so obnoxious, unless he had grounded his confidence upon the authority of several Greek Copies: with what little pretence of reason therefore
Erasmus and Socinus fancy St. Hierome to have changed the publick and common reading, let any indifferent person judge. But supposing that the Copies of those times varied, which Erasmus grants (and therefore
St. Hierome is most falsely and unjustly accused by Socinus to have been the author of this in∣terpolation) He enquires,
quonam argumento docet u∣trum sit rectius, utrumve scriptum sit ab Apostolo, prae∣sertim cum quod reprehendit, turn haberet publicus usus Ecclesiae?
To this it may be answered,
1. that some vitiated and defective Copies, ought not to prejudice the authority of entire and better Copies, whether Latin or Greek. 2. that St. Hierome had reason to prefer and vindicate that reading, which gives such an evident proof of this great Article of the Christian Religion, agreeable to the doctrine of the Ca∣tholick Church, derived down to them by an universal Tradition, and acknowledged as such, by all, except∣ing a few, whom either discontent, or pride and con∣ceitedness of their own parts, and a love of innova∣tion and of being the author of a Sect, had drawn into the contrary heretical opinion. Besides, his words are so clear, that one might justly wonder, that Erasmus should pretend any difficulty or perplex sense in them, as he does in his, non satis video, quid sibi velit hoc loco Hieronymus; but that we have too just cause to suspect, how
that great Scholar was biast and perverted in his judgment, concerning those great mysteries of Faith; though he is so wary and cunning, as not to discover himself too openly. He indeed is forced to confess the nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to be simple and undi∣vided, and the essence the same, though he is pe∣remptory, that it cannot be proved from this Text,
constat hic agi de fide testimonii, non de substantia per∣sonarum, herein followed byde illâ () ut mihi quidem videtur non agitur hoc in loco; quod & glossa ista in∣terlinearis, quam vocant, agnosci Beza,
and with a great deal of ceremony confesses it to be pious to submit our understanding to the judgment of the Church, as soon as she shall declare herself (as cer∣tainly she has done in this in her publick Creeds, to the great shame and conviction of Hereticks, who reject her authority) yet still for all this demure∣ness, he pleads for a liberty of interpreting Scripture, as if the truth were not yet wholly reveal'd, and the Church might err in her declarations, nec interim ne∣fas est citra contentionem scrutari verum, ut Deus aliis alia patefecit (which is also the pretence of Socinus and his followers
and accordingly he interprets several places of Scripture in favour of Arius and the other Hereticks, and particularly this,
cum totus locus sit obscurus, non potest admodum valere ad revincendos Haereticos
(the same pretence being made use of for all places, though never so plain) and endeavours to elude the force of that famous place in 1 Tim. 3. 16. by expunging the word , as much as in him lies, that is, by pretending it was added by the Arian Hereticks. So that we need the less value the censure he passes upon S. Hierome in this matter, where nothing but pure zeal for the truths of God could make him so concern'd and fervent—Ille saepe nu∣mero
