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had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept," &c., || when in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, it is read thus: "Many who had seen the first house in the foundation thereof, (i. e., yet standing upon the foundation, undestroyed,) and this temple before their eyes, wept?" I suppose they imagined, that it should be meant they saw Solomon's temple when it was first founded;

which, because it was impossible, they translated otherwise than it is in the Hebrew and Greek: they should indeed have considered better of it.

Though we do not look upon several of these as done, I say, with any ill design, yet we cannot excuse them for being done with much more licentious boldness than ought to appear in sincere and honest translators.

ABSURDITIES IN TURNING PSALMS INTO METRE.

THEIR unrestrained licentiousness is yet further manifest, in their turning of David's Psalms into rhyme, without reason, and then singing them in their congregations; telling the people, from Saint James, v.: "If any be merry, let him sing psalms ;" being resolved to do nothing but what they produce a text of scripture for, though of their own making: for, though the apostle exhorts "such as are heavy, to pray," and "such as are merry, to sing;" yet he does not in particular appoint David's Psalms to be sung by the merry, no more than he appoints our Lord's Prayer to be said by such as he exhorts to pray, though perhaps, he meant it of both: so that from any thing our bold interpreters can gather from the text, quo animo est? Psallat. yxller, St. James might mean other spiritual songs and hymns, as well as David's Psalms: but be it that he exhorted them to sing David's Psalms, which we have no cause to deny, because the church of Christ has ever used the same; yet that he meant it of such nonsensical rhymes as T. Sternhold, Joseph Hopkins, Robert Wisdom, and other Protestant poets have made to be sung in their churches, under the name of David's

Psalms, none can ever grant, who has read them. It has hitherto been the practice of God's church to sing David's Psalms, as truly translated from the Hebrew into Latin; but never to sing such songs as Hopkins and Sternhold have turned from the English prose into metre : neither do I think that sober and judicious Protestants themselves can look upon them as good forms of praises to be sung in their churches to the glory, honour, and service of so great, so good, and so wise a God, when they shall consider how fully they are fraught with nonsense and ridiculous absurdities, besides many gross corruptions, viz., above two hundred ;(a) confessed by Protestants themselves to be found in the Psalms in prose, from which these were turned into metre, which we may guess are scarcely corrected by the rhyme. To collect all the faults committed by the said blessed poets in their psalm-metre, would be a task too tedious for my designed brevity; I will, therefore, only set down some few of their absurd and ridiculous expressions; and for the rest, leave the reader to compare these psalms in metre with the others in prose, even as by themselves translated.

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PSALMS IN METRE, BIBLE 1683.

PSALM Xviii. verse 37.

So I suppress and wound my foes,
That they can rise no more:
For at my feet they fall down flat,
I strike them all so sore.(a)

PSALM Xxii. verse 7.

All men despise, as they behold Me walking on the way: "They grin, they mow, they nod their heads," &c

e

PSALM Xxii. verse 12.

So many bulls do compass me,

That be full strong of head: "Yea, bulls so fat, as though they had In Basan-field been fed."

PSALM XXVI. verse 10.

Whose hands are heap'd with "craft (b) and guile,"
Their lives thereof are full,

And their right hand with "wrench and wile,
For bribes doth pluck and pull."

PSALM xlix. verse 20.

Thus man to honour God hath brought,
Yet doth he not consider ;

But like brute beast, so doth he live,
"And turn to dust and powder."

PSALM Ixxiv. verses 11, 12.
Why dost thou draw thy hand “a back,
And hide it in thy lap ?"
O pluck it out, and be not slack,
To give thy foes a rap."(c)

PSALM lxxvii. verse 16.
Of such abundance that "
no floods
To them might be compared."

PSALM 1xxviii. verse 57.
-They went astray,

Much like a bow that would not bend,
But slip and start away.

PSALM 1xxxix. verse 46.
Thou hast cut off, and made full short
His youth and lusty days;
"And rais'd of him an ill report.

With shame and great dispraise."(d)

PSALM XCVii. verse 12.

And light doth spring up to the just,

With pleasure for his part,

Great joy with gladness, mirth and lust, &c.(e)

PSALM XCIX. verse 1.

The Lord doth reign, "altho at it
The people rage full sore;"
Yea, he on cherubims doth sit,
"Tho' all the world do roar."

PSALM CXix. verse 70. Their hearts are swoln with worldly wealth, As " grease so are they fat."

PSALM CXIX. verse 83.

As a "skin-bottle" in the smoke,
So am I parch'd and dried.

advise him to sing, they might have done as well to have said rather, "If any would be merry, let him sing psalms." (d) To say that God raises an ill report of men, has affinity to Beza's doctrine, which makes God the author of sin. Vid. Supr.

(e) I thought, till now, that lust had been a sin. tmm

PROTESTANT ABSURDITIES IN TURNING PSALMS INTO METRE.

110

PSALMS IN Prose, Bible 1683.

PSALM CXIX. verse 110.

The wicked have laid a snare for me.

PSALM CXix. verse 130.

The entrance of thy word giveth light: it giveth understanding unto the simple.

PSALM CXIX. verse 150.

They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.

PSALM CXX. verse 5.

Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar.

PSALM CXXVii. verse 2.

It is in vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrow.

PSALM CXXIX. verse 6.

Let them be as grass upon the house-tops, which withereth before it groweth up.

I could weary the reader with such like examples; they seldom or never speak of God's covenant with Israel, but they call it God's trade. (a) As in Psalm lxxviii. 10, where they sing,

For why? they did not keep with God,
The covenant that was made;
Nor yet would walk or lead their lives,
According to his "trade."

PSALM 1XXXvii. verse 10.
For why? their hearts were nothing bent

To him, nor to his "trade."

PSALM CX. verse 37.

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The children of Israel each one both "more" and "less."
PSALM xlviii. verse 14.

PSALMS IN Metre, Bible 1683.

PSALM CXIX. verse 110.

Altho' the wicked laid their nets

"To catch me at a bay."

PSALM CXIX. verse 130.

When men first "enter into" thy word,
They find a light most clear;
And very idiots understand,
"When they it read or hear."(b)

PSALM CXix. verse 150.
My foes draw near, "and do procure
My death maliciously:"

Which from thy law are far gone back,
"And strayed from it lewdly."

PSALM CXX verse 5.

Alas! too long I slack,
Within these tents "so black,"
Which Kedars are by
"By whom the flock elect,
And all of Isaac's sect,

name;"

Are put to open shame."(c)

PSALM CXXVii. verse 2.
Though ye rise early in the morn,
And so at night go late to bed,
"Feeding full hardy with brown bread,"
Yet were your labour "lost and worn.”(d)
PSALM CXXIX. verse 6.

And made as grass upon the house,
Which withereth "ere it grow."(e)

they also made rhyme of the Lord's Prayer, the
Creed, and the Ten Commandments. In which
one thing is remarkable, viz., that in the Creed,
upon the article of Christ's descent into hell
they make a very plain distinction between the
hell of the damned, and that of the fathers of
the Old Testament, Limbus Patrum, thus :
And so he died in the flesh, but quickened in the sprite,
His body then was buried, as is our use and right.
His soul did after this descend into the lower parts,
A dread unto the wicked spirits, but joy to faithful hearts.

Whom do they mean by those "faithful hearts," to whom our blessed Saviour's descent into hell Limbus, was a joy, but those of whom the prophet Zachary spoke, when prophecying of our Saviour's releasing them, he said: "Thou also in the blood of thy Testament hast let forth thy prisoners out of the lake, wherein there is no water?" And, whom St. Peter meant, when he said, that Christ in spirit "coming, preached to the spirits also that were in prison; which had been incredulous sometimes, when they expected the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was in building." (ƒ)

The turning of this article into metre is, I suppose, the very cause why we have not the Creed printed in metre in their latter impres

See also Psalm cix. verse 10; Psalm xi. sions; and consequently, none of the other prayverse 6; Psalm xxvii. verse 8, &c., &c. Nor are they a little beholden to an 66 ever and for aye;" ;" "for ever and a day;" "for evermore always," and the like.

Besides their turning the psalms into metre,

(a) Perhaps, this word "trade" should have been "tradition" with them; but for fear of a Popish term, which they so much detest they would rather write nonsense than use it.

(b) By singing thus, they would possess the people that even the most ignorant of them are capable to understand the scripture when they read it, or have it read to them.

(c) Why is all this added? only for the sake of rhyming to the word "name," unless they would make Isaac å sect maker, and his religion a sect like their own.

(d) If brown bread is the bread of affliction, a great many feeds on it who are able to buy white.

(e) How grass can wither before it grows, is a paradox. (f) Zach. ix. 11.

ers and rhymes, which their first Bibles had after the Psalms; because to put out this and no more, would have given too shrewd a cause of suspicion.

Besides the turning of these into metre, they made also certain other prayers of their own in rhyme; in one of which they rank the Pope, whom their modern divines count a great bishop, and chief patriarch of the western church, and from whom they pretend to receive their episcopal and priestly character, in the same list with the Turk, as if both were infidels alike, and both alike enemies to Christ. Robert Wisdom thus sets out his psalm, which the ignorant people may be apt to take for one of Davids; assuring themselves that David himself prayed to be delivered from the Turk and the Pope, and consequently, that the Pope is a dangerous creature:

Preserve us, Lord, by thy dear word,
From Turk and Pope defend us, Lord,
Which both would thrust out of his throne,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, thy dear Son.

But this, with such other like stuff, is also left out by Protestants in their last impressions, as being indeed ashamed of the impiety, malice, and folly of these gross imposters, especially of this Robert Wisdom, who, notwithstanding his name, was doubtless the most ignorant of all those who ever undertook to turn psalm into metre. And so it is likely he was looked upon by Dr. Corbet, sometimes bishop of Norwich, when he made the following address to his ghost:

TO THE GHOST OF R. WISDOM.
That once a body, now but air,
Arch-botcher of a psalm or prayer,

From Carfax (a) come,
And patch us up a zealous lay,
With an old ever and for aye,
Or all and some.

Or such a spirit lend me,

As may an hymn down send me,
To purge my brain.
Then Robin look behind thee,
Lest Turk or Pope do find thee,
And go to bed again.

This may seem too light for a treatise of this nature; but the ridiculous absurdity of these rhymes, the singing of which in the churches, has, by several learned Protestants, been complained of and lamented, cannot be fully enough exposed; that so, if possible, the common people's eyes may be opened, and they may be taken off from the fondness they seem to have for

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"procession" they very maliciously translate, saying: "When the feast of Bacchus was kept, they were constrained to go in procession to Bacchus." Let the reader see in the Greek Lexicon if there be any thing in this word, пoμлaðúεiv τ diovúow, like the Catholic Church's processions, or whether it signify so much as to go about," as other of their Bibles translate it, with perhaps no less ill meaning than that of 1570, though they name not procession. (b)

66

St. John, ix. 22, 25, where, for "He should be put out of the synagogue," there first translations read: "He should be excommunicated," to make the Jews' doings against them, that confessed Christ, sound like the Catholic Church's acting against heretics, in excommunicating them; as if the church's excommunication of such, from the society and participation of the faithful, were like to that exterior putting out of the synagogue. And by this they designed to disgrace the priest's power of excommunication, whereas the Jews had no such spiritual excommunication; but, as the word only signifies, did put them out of the synagogue; and so they should have translated the Greek word, including the very name synagogue. But this translation was made when the excommunications of the Catholic church were daily denounced against them, which they have corrected in their last Bible, because themselves have begun to assume such a power of excommunicating their non-conforming brethren.

In Acts xvii. 23, for "seeing your idols," or "seeing the things which you Athenians did worship," they translate, "seeing your devotions," as though devotion and superstition were all one.

And verse 24, for "temples of Diana," they translate "shrines of Diana," to make the shrines of saints' bodies, and other holy relics, seem odious; whereas the Greek word signifies temples. And Beza says: "He cannot see how it can signify shrines."

Thus they make use of Catholic words and terms, where they can thereby possibly render them odious; but in other places, lest the ancient words and names should still be retained, they change them into their own unaccustomed and original sound. So in the Old Testament, out of an itch to show their skill in the Hebrew, the first translators thought fit to change most of the proper names from the usual reading, never considering how far differently proper names of all sorts are both written and sounded in different languages; but this is in a great part rectified by the last translators, according to the directions of king James the First, that in translating the proper names, they should retain the usual and accustomed manner of speaking.

Old Tastament, through the pride of being esTheir altering of these proper names in the teemed such knowing masters in the Hebrew, was yet much more tolerable, than the changing of many other words in the New, through an

(b) Bib. 1562, 1577.

heretical intention of introducing an utter oblivion of them among the people.

46

The words " church, bishop, priest, altar, eucharist, sacrifice, grace, sacrament, baptism, penance, angel, apostle, Christ, &c., at their first revolt, they suppressed, and changed into congregation, superintendent, elder and minister, table, thanksgiving, gift, mystery, washing, repentance, messenger, ambassador, anointed;" several other words and phrases they likewise altered, as is evident from what goes before. And for what cause was all this change and alteration of Catholic terms and phrases, but that the sound of the words should vanish with the substance of the things which they have taken away? With bishops they banished the pastoral care and charge of the Pope and Catholic bishops, and set up a child and a woman for the heads of their congregation. With priests went away the office of priest, in offering the holy sacrifice of Christ's body and blood; with grace went away the sacrament of holy orders, and four or five of the other sacraments; with altar, eucharist and sacrifice, they excluded the proper service of Almighty God, with Christ's sacred presence in the blessed sacrament; with the word penance they banished confession, absolution, and satisfaction for sins; they altered the word church, because they had cut themselves off from the Catholic church. And what other design could we suppose them to have had in leaving out apostles, and putting in ambassadors or legates; in leaving out angels, and introducing messengers; in putting down the word anointed, where Christ used to be read; and in translating grave for hell; but in time to extinguish all faith and memory of apostle, angel, heaven, hell, Christ, and Christianity;" and to bring them to atheism and infidelity, the very centre to which their reformation tends? (a)

This fantastical and impious vanity, in changing Catholic and Christian terms and speeches into their profane and heathenish use and signification, was a thing so detested, even by Beza himself, notwithstanding his often being guilty of the same, that he inveighs against it, and those who use it, in this manner : "The world is now come to that pass," says he, "that not only they who write their own discourses, refuse the familiar and accustomed words of scripture, as obscure, unsavoury, and out of use, but also those that translate the scripture out of Greek into Latin, challenge to themselves the like liberty; so as while every man will rather freely follow his own judgment than religiously behave himself as the Holy Ghost's interpreter, many things they do not convert, but pervert, for which licentiousness and boldness, except remedy be provided in time, either I am notably deceived, or within a few years, instead of Christians we shall become Ciceronians, i. e. Pagans, and by little and little shall lose the possession of the things themselves." (b) By this you see, that though Beza was one of the greatest masters in this wanton, novel, and licentious art of changing Christian for Heathen terms and phrases, yet he foresaw that in the end, with the words, would be taken away the things signified, "sacraments, baptism, eucharists, priesthood, sacrifice, angels, apostles, and all apostolical doctrine;" and that so we should be brought again from Christianity to heathenism.

From WHICH, and from the STILLINGFLEETIAN ERROR, (c) that, by asserting, "The pagan god, Jupiter, to be the true God, blessed for ever, more," throws open the door of Jupiter's temple, and points out the very pathway to paganism,

GOOD LORD, deliver us

A VINDICATION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS:

AS ALSO THEIR DECLARATION, AFFIRMATION, COMMINATION; SHOWING THEIR ABHORRENCE OF THE FOLLOWING TENETS, COMMONLY LAID AT THEIR DOOR. AND THEY HERE OBLIGE THEMSELVES, THAT IF THE ENSUING CURSES BE ADDED TO THOSE APPOINTED TO BE READ ON THE FIRST DAY OF LENT, THEY WILL SERIOUSLY AND HEARTILY ANSWER AMEN TO THEM ALL.

1. CURSED is he that commits idolatry; that prays to images or relics, or worships them for God. R. Amen.

2. Cursed is every goddess worshipper, that believes the Virgin Mary to be any more than a creature; that honours her, worships her, or puts his trust in her more than in God; that believes her above her Son, or that she can in any thing command him. R. Amen.

3. Cursed is he that believes the saints in heaven to be his redeemers, and prays to them as such, or that gives God's honour to them, or to any creature whatsoever. R. Amen.

4. Cursed is he that worships any breaden

(a) Change of words induces change of faith.

god, or makes gods of the empty elements of bread and wine. R. Amen.

5. Cursed is he that believes priests can forgive sins whether the sinner repent or not: or that there is any power in earth or heaven that can forgive sins, without a hearty repentance and serious purpose of amendment. R. Amen.

6. Cursed is he that believes there is authority in the Pope or any others, that can give leave to commit sins; or that can forgive him his sins for a sum of money. R. Amen.

7. Cursed is he that believes that, independently

(b) Beza in Act. x. 46, edit anno 1556, but in the latter ed. of 1565, some of these words are altered either by himself or the printer.

(c) Dr. Stillingfleet's Charge of Idolatry against the Church of Rome, p. 7, and p. 40.

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