These flourishes, then, of our orator, being not likely to have the least effect upon any who mind the apostolical advice of taking heed lest they be beguiled with enticing words, we shall not need much to insist upon them. This custom of performing the worship of God in the congregation in a tongue unknown to the assembly, " renders," he tells us, "that great act more majestic and venerable;" but why, he declares not. A blind veneration of what men understand not, because they understand it not, is neither any duty of the gospel, nor any part of its worship. St Paul tells us he would " pray with the spirit, and pray with the understanding also." Of this majestic show and blind veneration of our author, Scripture, reason, experience of
' Dr Owcu alludes to the Septuagint — a version of the Old Testament Scriptures in Greek, executed about 285 b.c. The testimony of Aristobulus, a Jew who lived at the beginning of the second century before Christ, and Avho gives the earliest notice of its origin, is as follows : — " The entire translation of all things in the Law was made in the time of the king surnamed Philadelphus, Demetrius Thalereus taking the principal chai'ge of the work." I'he New Testament Scriptures contain seventy -foui" quotations taken exactly from the Septuagint, forty-six in which the difference is extremely slight, and thirty-two in which the agreement holds in regard to meaning, while in legard to the words there is some discrepancy. These facts practically supply us with the war- rant of inspiration for translatmg the Scri23tures into the living and vernacular lan- guages of the world. The inspired writers used and ajipealed to the Septuagint version; and the force of this consideration is not abated by the fact that there aie eleven in- stances in which they seem intentionally to have renounced it. The exception sustains the general rule on which they proceeded. — Ed.
- The principal Targums are those of Onkelos and .Tonathan; the former lived about GO B.C., the latter shortly before the birth of Christ. — Ed.
136 ANIMADVEESIONS ON A TREATISE
the saints of God, custom of the ancient churches, know nothing. Neither is it possible to preserve in men a perpetual veneration of they know not what ; nor, if it could be preserved, is it a thing that any way belongs to Christian religion. Nor can any rational ,man conceive wherein consists the majesty of a man's pronouncing words, in matters wherein his concernment lies^ in a tongue that he under- stands not. And I know not wherein this device for procuring vene- ration in men exceeds that of the Gnostics, who fraught their sacred administrations with strange, uncouth names and terms; intended, as far as appears, for no other end but to astonish their disciples. But then the church, he saith, as " opposite to Babel, had one language all the world over, the Latin tongue being stretched as large and as wide as the catholic church : and so any priest may serve in several countries, administering presently in a place by himself or by others converted ; which are conveniences attending this custom and prac- tice." Pretty things to persuade men to worship God they know not how, or to leave that unto others to do for them which is their own duty to perform ; and yet neither are they true. The church by this means is made rather like to Babel than opposite unto it. The fatal, ruining event of the division of the tongues at Babel was, that by that means they could not understand one another in what they said, and so were forced to give over that design which before they rmanimously carried on. And this is the true event of some men's performing the worship of God in the Latin tongue, which others understand not, — their languages are divided, as to any use of lan- guage whatever. I believe on this, as well as on other accounts, our author, now he is warned, will take heed how he mentions Babel any more. Besides, this is not one to give one lip, one language, to the whole church, but in some things to confine some of the church unto one language, which incomparably the greatest part of it do not understand. This is confusion, not union. Still Babel returns in it. The use of a language that the greatest part of men do not under- stand, who are engaged in the same work whereabout it is employed, is right old Babel. Nor can any thing be more vain than the pre- tence that this one is " stretched as large and as wide as the catholic church;" far the greatest part of it know nothing of this tongue, nor did ever use a word of it in their church service. So that the making of the use of one tongue necessary in the service of the church is perfectly schismatical, and renders the avowers of that principle schis- matics from the greatest part of the churches of Christ in the world, which are or ever were in it, since the day of his resurrection from the dead. And as for the conveniency of priests, — there where God is pleased to plant churches, he will provide those who shall adminis- ter in his name unto them, according to his mind. And those who