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to make a Collection, not only of thofe places against which our Diffenters have actually and openly declar'd, but of all those feeming difficulties which may ftop a Reader, when he is comparing this old Tranflation with that in our prefent English Bible; and if I make it appear, by the Authority of thofe Men, who have beft understood the Hebrew, or by any other means, that our Tranflators only conftrued the Original Words in a manner fomewhat differing from the others, and that they did it for the moft part altogether as properly, and fometimes more fo, than our laft Tranflators, then I hope it will be allow'd that I have made a juft Defence of this Pfalter.

It must be own'd that our last Translators have kept more close to the Hebrew Words; whether this be a real excellency, I will fubmit to better Judgments: But thefe Tranflators, whom I am now Vindicating, did not affect to turn Word for Word, but to give us English fence and phrafe, for Hebrew fence and phrafe. The Latin Tranflations of Leo Juda, & Caftellio, are much Cêlebrated by Learned Men, for having ufed this Liberty; and tho' verbal Tranflations are very useful, yet I cannot but think, that the other more free way of Tranflating Ancient Authors, fets middling Readers more eafily into the fence and meaning of the Original; and for this reafon I believe, that any mere English Man may better understand this Pfalter, than any other that has yet appear'd, tho' it be now 170 years fince it was firft Compos'd, and be confiderably the most ancient of any other. And I cannot but have a very great opinion of thofe Men who first penn'd it, when I confider that there is fearce any thing in our Tongue" Written in the fame Age, which, fo far as I am able to, judge, comes near it for Style and Expreffion. The Antiquity of fome words and phrafes will rather provoke the reverence than cons tempt of all fober Perfons; and as for Drolls and Buffoons, neither new Tranflations of Scripture nor old, neither the words nor Actions of the beft Men, or even of God himself, can escape their ungovern'd boldnefs, which they falfly call wit.

But I do by no means delight in comparing two good Performances; becaufe 'tis hard to fpeak freely in Commendation of one, but that one muft feem to leffen the other, but I fhall take the liberty of defiring my Reader, whether Churchman or Dilienter, to compare our Translation with that of Mr. Ainfworth, which was published after all three Translations, not only this of the Great Bible,but that of the Bishops in Queen Elizabeth's Reign, and the laft made in King James's time, as he himfelf acknowledges in his Preface. He tells us, that he published it [for the help of the Saints] who it feems were not fufficiently provided for by any of thefe Translations which the Church had put into the r hands. Left my Reader fhould not have Mr. Ainf worth's Tranilation at hand, I will here give him a Specimen of it, one can't chufe amifs, but the Pfalm that offers it felf is a follows.

PSAL

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And from the men of bloods vouchfafe to me falvation..

4 For loe they lay-wait for my Soul,

the strong together-draw Against me: not for my trefpaís, nor for my Sin, O Jah.

Without iniquity in me.

they run and ready make, Rife up to meet me, and behold, And thou Jehovah wake...

6 [Wake] God of Hofts, God of Ifr'el to vifit heathens all.

Be gracious to none [Selah]

that works fin difloyal..

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PSAL. LIX. Profe.

O the Mafter of the

T Mufick. Corrupt not

Michtam of David when Saul fent, and they kept the houfe for to kill him.

2 Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: from them that rife up against me, fet thou me on high.

3 Deliver me from the workers of painful iniquity: and fave me from the Mer of bloods.

4 For loe they lay-wait for my foul, the frong do draw-together against me: not for my treipafs, not for my fin, Jehovali.

s Without iniquity in me they run, and make ready: raife thee up to meet me, and fee.

6 And thou JehovahGod of hofts, God of Ifrael, awake to vifit all the heathens, be not gracious to any that unfaithfully work iniquity. Selah.

7 They turn at ev'n,make-noife like dogs, 7 They return at Evening,

and Citie round belay..

8 Lo with their mouth they utter much: fwords in their lips have they.

they make-noife as a dog,
and compass the Citie.
8 Lo they utter with their
mouth: fwords are in their
lips, for who heareth?

For who fay they is he that hears?
But thou, eternal one herbi 9. But thou, Jehovah,
Wilt laugh at them, wilt heathens all wilt laugh at them, thou
wilt mock at all the Hea-

haye in derifion,

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12 Slay them not left my folk forget

12 Slay them not, left

make them abroad to ftray, (them; my people forget; make In thy pow'r, and down bring thou them wander abroad in chy bur Shield, O Lord my ftay.

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power, and bring them down, our fhield Lord.

13 The fin of their mouth, the word of their lips: when they fhall be taken in their haughtiness, and of their curfing, and of falfe denial let them tell.

14 Confume in wrath, confume and let them be no more; and let them know that God ruleth in Jaakob to the ends of the earth, Selah.

They turn at ev'n,make-noife like dogs 15 And they fhall return

and city round belay,

at evening,make-noife asa dog, and compass the citie.

16 They wander fhall to eat, and howle, 16 They fhall wander a

if filled be not they.

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broad for to eat, and fhall howle, if they be not fa-' tisfied.

17 But I will fing thy ftrength, and fhout at morning thy mercy, for thou haft been an high defence to me, and a refuge in day of my diftrefs. yd blo 18 My ftrength, unto thee will I fing-Pfalm, for God is mine high defence, the God of my mercy.;

Mr. Baxter would have it thought, that Mr. Tindall and Bishop Coverdale did not understand Hebrew; but by this fample it may appear, that there may be a greater fault in fome Tranflators, and that is not to understand English, or however to make the Readers believe they do not; for Mr. Ainsworth turns the Hebrew in fuch a manner, that no one would believe him to be our Counttry-Man. Our Tranflators ufe the Language of our Forefathers, as it was 170 years ago, and as it is ti s ftill ours in the main ; but Mr. Ainsworth ufes fuch words and ftyle, as never were, and I dare prefage, never will be English. The ends I had in Tranfcribing fo much of his Tranflation, were,

1. To convince iny Reader, that a Tranflation is not therefore the better becaufe it keeps clofer to the Hebrew than others do;

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for

for this indeed was Mr. Ainsworth's fault, and by this means it comes to pass, that his Pfalter is rather a Conftruing Book, than a Tranflation; but let no Man think that Mr. Ainfw. play'd this part, whatever it was, for want of Wit: No, it is certain Mr.Ainsw. was as Learned a Man, as, any that ever diffented from the Church of England; his design feems only to have been this, namely, to make Non-fence of the Pfalms, rather than to feem to agree with our Tranflation, unless it were now and then una

wares.

2: My other defign was to fhew, the Reader what a Reformation we were like to have had, if the defigns of our Old Paristans at the latter end of Queen Elizabeth's, or the beginning of King James's Reign had taken effect. We may be fure that all Cour Tranflations muft have given place to this of Mr. Ainsworth, or fomething like it, and all their Alterations would have been much of the fame piece, namely, under a pretence of bringing all things nearer to the Written Word, to draw us from the true fence and meaning of it. Our prefent Diffenters boaft, [that they are the Off fpring of thefe Men; ] and I cannot but earnest-ly pray to God, that he would always deliver our Church from fuch Reformers, and fuch Tranflators.

But Mr. Calamy has an objection against all the Conforming Clergy, as having given their affent to a contradiction; for whereas Pfal. cv. 28. runs in this old Tranflation [they were not obedient,] in the other [they rebelled not] he asks this fhrewd Queftion, how could they give their affent, that they rebelled, and they rebelled not?] whereas in Reafon and Charity, he ought first to liave ask'd this Queftion, viz. have the Conforming Clergy by any publick Act, given their affent to the Tranflation of the Pfalms contained in the prefent English Bible? that they affent to this old Tranflation is evident, both from their Subfcriptions, and their publick ufe of it, but it does not appear to me, that they have any ways confented to the other Pfalter. They do indeed by their Practice approve the laft Translation of the Bible, fo far as they are obliged to read it, that is of all the Leffons appointed in the Liturgy, and the Epiftles and Gofpels throughout the year; but how will he prove that they have affented to that Tranflation of the Pfalms, or to the publick use of them? tho, after all, there is no manner of contradiction in the fence of thefe Tranflations; for thofe Divines, who follow the fence of the laft Tranflation, fuppofe that they relates to Mofes and Aaron mentioned in the 26th verfe, and 'tis certain [they rebelled not, but they who follow the Old Tranflation, rake [they] to referr to the Egyptians, or [they who dwelt in the Land of Hum mention'd in the 27th verfe, which feems the probable

the other a Pinion, because this is the immediate Antecedent,

remote one; and 'tis fure that the Ægyptians did rebel, or were not obedient.] There cannot be a feverer

reproach

reproach to a whole body of Men, than that of contradicting themselves, and that in so publick a manner; and when an accufation of this nature appears to be falfe in fact, it only proves that they who made it are a contradiction to themselves, and to their own Profeffion, and that whatever they pretend, they do not really believe [Moderation to be a Vertue.

Let me defire Mr. Calamy, and his admirers, to hear an Admonition from one of their own Brotherhood, who was concern'd in the publishing of the Supplement to Mr. Pooles Annotations, and wrote the Preface, where having obferved that this Pfalter is according to Tindal and Coverdale's Bible, he adds these obfervable · Words, [This fhould make us more wary in our Cenfures of that Tranflation. And after having a while wonder'd how it should come to pass, that 'tis ftill used by us, he thus at last ceases his wonderment, [poffibly God for the honour of his Martyr (i. e. Tindal) thus order'd it. We are doubly obliged to this Gentleman, firft for his bare fuppofition that 'tis poffible, God might have the ordering the Liturgy; Secondly, that 'tis an honor to the Martyr that his Tranflation of the Pfalms makes a part of our Liturgy: The confequence from this is evident, namely, that for ought they yet know, if we may believe this Gentleman, the ufe of the Liturgy, and this Pfalter, may be by God's appoint

ment.

A particular account of the Supplements, which our Translators take from the Vulgar Latin, and the Vulgar Latin chiefly from the Greek Tranflation of the Seventy; whereby it appears, that these Supplements do not add to the fence of the Hebrew Bible.

'TH

Hefe Supplements are fuch Words as must be understood in thofe Tranflations in which they are not exprefs'd. See Gen. Note 6th.

Pfal. II. 11. unto him

12. right. III. 2. his

Mr. Ainsworth himself allows, that by way here is meant, the true way.

XIX. 12. my
XX. 9. upon thee.

XXIII. 6. thy

XXXIII, 3. unto him

XXXVIII. 16. even mine enemies

XLVII. 6. our

XLVIII. 3. of the earth!

E. 21. Wickedly

LV. 25. O Lord

CXIX. Mem. 1. Lord

CXX. 6. unto them

CXLV. 15. O Lord.

[to fhew that heathen Kings are there meant. See the Marginal Notes on this Verfe.

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