THE PREFACE
they may seeme more hard to barbarous, as the whole style of Scripture doth lightly to such at the begining: acknowledging with S. Hierom, that in other writings it is enough to giue in translation, sense for sense, but that in Scriptures, lest vwe misse the sense, we must keepe the very wordes. Ad Pammach. epistola 101. ca. 2 in princip. We must, saith S. Augustine, speake according to a set rule, lest licence of wordes breed some wicked opinion concerning the thinges conteined vnder the words. De ciuitate lib. 10. cap, 12. Whereof our holy forefathers and auncient Doctors had such a religious care, that they would not change the very barbarismes or incongruities of speach wich by long vse had preuailed in the old readings or recitings of scriptures, as, Neque uubent neque nubentur, in Tertullian li. 4. in Marcion. in S. Hilarie in c. 22 Mat. and in al the fathers. Qui me confusus fuerit, confundar & ego eum, in S. Cyprian ep. 63 nu. 7. Talis enim nobis decebat sacerdos (which was an elder translation then the vulgar Latin that now is) in S. Ambrose c. 3 de fugaseculi. and S. Hierom him self, who otherwise corrected the Latin translation that was vsed before his time, yet keepeth religiously (as him self professeth Praefat. in 4 Euang. ad Damasum) these and the like speaches, Nonne vos magis pluris estis illis? and, filius hominis non venit ministrari, sed ministrare: and, Neque nubent, neque nubentur: in his commentaries vpon these places. and, Non capit Prophetam perire extra Hierusalem, in his commentaries in c. 2. Ioel. sub finem. And S. Augustin, who is most religious in al these phrases, counteth it a special pride and infirmitie in those that haue a litle learning in tonges, & none in thinges, that they easily take offense of the simple speaches or solecismes in the scriptures. de doctrina Christ. li. 2. cap, 13. See also the same holy Father li. 3 de doct. Christ. c. 3. and tract. 2 in Euang. Ioan. But of the maner of our translation more anon.
Now, though the text thus truely translated, might sufficiently, in the sight of the learned and al indifferent men,* both controule the aduersaries corruptions, and proue that the holy Scripture whereof they haue made so great vauntes, make nothing for their new opinions, but wholy for the Catholike Churches beleefe and doctrine, in all the pointes of difference betwixt vs: yet knowing that the good and simple may easily be seduced by some few obstinate persons of perdition (whom we see giuen ouer into a reprobat sense, to whom the Gospel, which in it self is the odour of life to saluation, is made the odour of death to damnation, ouer whose eies for sinne & disobedience God suffereth a veile or couer to lie, whiles they read the new Testamēt, euen as the Apostle saite the Iewes haue til this day, in reading of the old, that as the one sort can not finde Christ in the Scriptures, reade they neuer so much, so the other can not finde the Catholike Church nor her doctrine there neither) and finding by experience this saying of S. Augustine to be most true: If the preiudice of any erreneous persuasion preoccupate the mind, whatsoeuer the Scripture hath to the contrarie, men take it for a figuratiue speach: for these causes, and somewhat to help the faithful Reader in the difficulties of diuers places, we haue also set forth reasonable large ANNOTATIONS, thereby to shew the studious reader in most places perteining to the controuersies of this time, both the heretical corruptions and false deductions, & also the Apostolike tradition, the expositions of the holy Fathers, the decrees of the Catholike Church and most auncient Coūcels: which meanes whosoeuer trusteth not, for the sense of holy Scriptures, but had rather folow his priuate iudgemēt or the arrogant spirit of these Sectaries, he shal worthily through his owne wilfulnes be deceiued: beseeching all men to looke with diligence, sinceritie, and indifferencie, into the case that concerneth no lesse then euery ones eternal saluation or damnation.
Which if he doe, we doubt not but he shal to his great contentment, find the holy Scriptures most clerely and inuincibly to proue the articles of Catholike doctrine against our aduersaries, which perhaps he had thought before this diligent search, either not to be consonant to Gods words, or at least not conteined in the same, and finally he shal proue this saying of S. Augustine to be most true: Multi sensus &c. Many senses of holy Scriptures lie hidden, and are knowen to some few of greater vnderstanding: neither are they at any time auouched more commodiously and acceptably then at such times, when the care to answer heretikes doth force men there vnto. For then, euen they that be negligent in matters of studie and learning, shaking of sluggishnes, are stirred vp to diligent hearing, that the Aduersaries may be re-
felled.
