From this variety of significations, the variety of translations before touched, ariseth. First they who read it, He put light into those his messengers, take the word in a proper strict sense, making out the meaning thus; that God having put the light of excellent knowledge into the Angels, could not yet trust them: all their speculative knowledge, and high raised illuminations, were not enough to make them steadily and steadfastly holy: that is the intent of Mr. Beza's interpretation, He trusted not to his servants, though he had put light into those his messengers. For those who retaining the word light translate negatively, neither hath he put light in his Angels, or neither hath he put perfect light into his Angels; or as Mr. Broughton, In his Angels he judgeth no clear light to be, putting a negative particle in both branches of the Verse, whereas in the Hebrew there is no express negation in the latter. These, I say, are led by this reason or rule. It is frequent in Scripture, when there is a negative in the former clause of a Verse, then to understand a negative also in the latter clause, though none be expressed. For instance (Psal. 9. 18.) The needy shall ⟨p. 134⟩not alway be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever; so we read, but in the Hebrew the latter clause is, the expectation of the poor shall perish for ever: there is no Negative in the Original; but our Translators, and not only they, but all that I have seen upon the place, render it so, supplying the Negative particle of the former, in the latter clause of that sentence. And without that negative, the sentence is not only imperfect, but untrue. Thus, The needy shall not always be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall perish for ever, this were a contradiction: but reading it, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever, makes the whole a truth, and congruous in it self. Again (Pro. 17. 26.) To punish the just is not good, to strike Princes for equity, so the letter of the Hebrew; but we read it thus, To punish the just is not good, nor to strike Princes for equity.
From this variety of significations, the variety of translations before toucht, ariseth. First they who read it, He put light into those his messengers, take the word in a proper strict sense, making out the meaning thus; that God having put the light of excellent knowledge into the Angels, could not yet trust them: all their speculative knowledge, and high raised illuminations, were not enough to make them steadily and steadfastly holy: that is the intent of Mr. Beza's interpretation, He trusted not to his servants, though he had put light into those his messengers. For those who retaining the word light translate negatively, neither hath he put light in his Angels, or neither hath he put perfect light into his Angels; or as Mr. Broughton, In his Angels he judgeth no cleare light to be, putting a negative particle in both branches of the Verse, whereas in the Hebrew there is no expresse negation in the latter. These, I say, are led by this reason or rule. It is frequent in Scripture, when there is a negative in the former clause of a Verse, then to understand a negative also in the latter clause, though none be exprest. For instance (Psal. 9. 18.) The needy shall ⟨p. 134⟩not alway be forgotten, the expectation of the poore shall not perish for ever; so we read, but in the Hebrew the latter clause is, the expectation of the poore shall perish for ever: there is no Negative in the Originall; but our Transtators, and not only they, but all that I have seen upon the place, render it so, supplying the Negative particle of the former, in the latter clause of that sentence. And without that negative, the sentence is not only imperfect, but untrue. Thus, The needy shall not alwayes be forgotten the expectation of the poore shall perish for ever, this were a contradiction: but reading it, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever, makes the whole a truth, and congruous in it self. Againe (Pro. 17. 26.) To punish the just is not good, to strike Princes for equity, so the letter of the Hebrew; but we reade it thus, To punish the just is not good, nor to stricke Princes for equity.
