Animadversions on a treatise entitled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…Animadversions on a treatise intituled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…

From the Scripture, concerning which he affirmeth, That it lawfully may, and in reason ought, and in practise ever hath been segregated in a language not common to vulgar ears, all which things are most unduly affirmed, and, because we must speak plainly, falsely; he proceeds to the worship of the Church, and pleads that that also ought to be performed in such a language. It were a long and tedious business, to follow him in his gilding over this practise of his Church; we may make short work with him. As he will not pretend, that this practise hath the least countenance from Scripture; so, if he can instance in any Church in the world, that for 500 years, at least, after it, set out in the use of a Worship, the Language whereof the people did not understand, I will cease this contest. What he affirms of the Hebrew Church keeping her Rites in a language differing from the Vulgar, whether he intend before or after the Captivity, is so untrue, as that I suppose, no ingenious man would affirm it, were he not utterly ignorant ⟨p. 344⟩of all Judaical Antiquity, which I had cause to suspect before, that our Author is. From the days of Moses to the captivity of Babylon, there was no Language in vulgar use among the people, but only that wherein the Scripture was written, and their whole Worship celebrated. After the captivity, though insensibly they admitted corruptions in their language, yet they all generally understood the Hebrew, unless it were the Hellenists, for whose sakes they translated the Scripture into Greek; and, for the use of the residue of their people, who began to take in a mixture of the Syro-Chaldean Language with their own, the Targum were found out. Besides, to the very utmost period of that Church, the solemn Worship performed in the Temple, as to all the interest of words in it, was understood by the whole people, attending on God therein. And in that language did the Bible lye open in their Synagogues, as is evident from the offer made by them to our Saviour of their Books to read in, at his first entrance into one at Capernaum.

From the Scripture, concerning which he affirmeth, That it lawfully may, and in reason ought, and in practise ever hath been segregated in a language not common to vulgar ears, all which things are most unduly affirmed, and, because we must speak plainly, falsly; he proceeds to the worship of the Church, and pleads that that also ought to be performed in such a language. It were a long and tedious business, to follow him in his guilding over this practise of his Church; we may make short work with him. As he will not pretend, that this practise hath the least countenance from Scripture; so, if he can instance in any Church in the world, that for 500 years, at least, after it, set out in the use of a Worship, the Language whereof the people did not understand, I will cease this contest. What he affirms of the Hebrew Church keeping her Rites in a language differing from the Vulgar, whether he intend before or after the Captivity, is so untrue, as that I suppose, no ingenious man would affirm it, were he not utterly ignorant