Charles Johnson
Puritan Board Junior
In case anyone is interested in comparing different translations of the Institutes, here is the same quote (from 1.9.1), from the four published translations of the Institutes, plus my own translation, which will be published in my upcoming translation of Johannes Hoornbeeck's Institutiones Theologicae.
Norton, 1561: "Nowe they that forsaking the Scripture doo imagine I wote not what waie to attayne vnto God, are to bee thought not so muche to be holden with errour, as to be caried with rage. For there haue arisen of late certain giddy brained men, whiche moste presumptuously pre∣tendyng a schoole of the spirite, bothe them selues doo forsake all readyng, and also doo scorne their simplici∣tie whiche still folowe the dead and slaying letter, as they call it. But I would fayne knowe of these men, what spirite that is, by whose inspira∣tion they are caried vp so hye, that they dare despise the doctrine of the scripture as chyldishe and base. For yf they answere that it is the spirite of Christ, then suche carelesnesse is woorthye to bee laughed at. For I thynke they will graunte, that the Apostles of Christe and other faith∣full in the primitiue churche were lightned with none other spirite. But none of them dyd learne of that spirite to despise the worde of God: but rather euery one was moued more to reuerence it, as their writynges doo most playnly witnesse."
Allen, 1816: "Persons who, abandoning the Scripture, imagine to themselves some other way of approaching to God, must be considered as not so much misled by error as actuated by frenzy. For there have lately arisen some unsteady men, who, haughtily pretending to be taught by the Spirit, reject all reading themselves, and deride the simplicity of those, who still attend to (what they style) the dead and killing letter. But I would ask them, what spirit that is, by whose inspiration they are elevated to such a sublimity, as to dare to despise the doctrine of the Scripture, as puerile and mean. For, if they answer that it is the Spirit of Christ, how ridiculous is such an assurance: for, that the apostles of Christ, and other believers in the primitive Church, were illuminated by no other Spirit, I think, they will concede. But not one of them learned, from his teaching, to contemn the Divine word; they were rather filled with higher reverence for it: as their writings abundantly testify."
Beveridge, 1863: " Those who, rejecting Scripture, imagine that they have some peculiar way of penetrating to God, are to be deemed not so much under the influence of error as madness. For certain giddy men have lately appeared, who, while they make a great display of the superiority of the Spirit, reject all reading of the Scriptures themselves, and deride the simplicity of those who only delight in what they call the dead and deadly letter. But I wish they would tell me what spirit it is whose inspiration raises them to such a sublime height that they dare despise the doctrine of Scripture as mean and childish. If they answer that it is the Spirit of Christ, their confidence is exceedingly ridiculous; since they will, I presume, admit that the apostles and other believers in the primitive Church were not illuminated by any other Spirit. None of these thereby learned to despise the word of God, but every one was imbued with greater reverence for it, as their writings most clearly testify."
Battles, 1960: "Furthermore, those who, having forsaken Scripture, imagine some way or other of reaching God, ought to be thought of as not so much gripped by error as carried away with frenzy. For of late, certain giddy men have arisen who, with great haughtiness exalting the teaching office of the Spirit, despise all reading and laught at the simplicity of those who, as they express it, still follow the dead and killing letter. But I should like to know from them what this spirit is by whose inspiriation they are borne up so high that they dare despise the Scriptural doctrine as childish and mean. For if they answer that it is the Spirit of Christ, such assurance is utterly ridiculous. Indeed, they will, I think, agree that the apostles of Christ and other belivers of the primitive church were illumined by no other Spirit. Yet no one of them thence learned contempt for God's Word; rather, each was imbued with greater reverence as their writings most splendidly attest."
Me, 2023: "Moreover, for those who have repudiated Scripture, I know not what way they dream up of reaching God. They are not so much to be considered errant, as roused by madness. For, some giddy men have emerged of late, who, most arrogantly alleging the teaching of the Spirit, reject all reading, and laugh at the simplemindedness of those who still follow after the “dead and deathly” letter, as they call it. But I would like to know from them who, exactly, is the spirit whose sublime inspiration they are so caught up in, so that they dare to despise the doctrine of Scripture as childish and lowly. For, if they respond that it is the Spirit of Christ, their certainty of this is exceedingly ridiculous, since they concede, I think, that the Apostles of Christ, and other believers in the first Church, were illuminated by no other spirit. But none of them learned from him to treat the word of God with contempt; but rather, they were every one of them endowed with a greater reverence for it, as their writings most clearly testify."
Norton, 1561: "Nowe they that forsaking the Scripture doo imagine I wote not what waie to attayne vnto God, are to bee thought not so muche to be holden with errour, as to be caried with rage. For there haue arisen of late certain giddy brained men, whiche moste presumptuously pre∣tendyng a schoole of the spirite, bothe them selues doo forsake all readyng, and also doo scorne their simplici∣tie whiche still folowe the dead and slaying letter, as they call it. But I would fayne knowe of these men, what spirite that is, by whose inspira∣tion they are caried vp so hye, that they dare despise the doctrine of the scripture as chyldishe and base. For yf they answere that it is the spirite of Christ, then suche carelesnesse is woorthye to bee laughed at. For I thynke they will graunte, that the Apostles of Christe and other faith∣full in the primitiue churche were lightned with none other spirite. But none of them dyd learne of that spirite to despise the worde of God: but rather euery one was moued more to reuerence it, as their writynges doo most playnly witnesse."
Allen, 1816: "Persons who, abandoning the Scripture, imagine to themselves some other way of approaching to God, must be considered as not so much misled by error as actuated by frenzy. For there have lately arisen some unsteady men, who, haughtily pretending to be taught by the Spirit, reject all reading themselves, and deride the simplicity of those, who still attend to (what they style) the dead and killing letter. But I would ask them, what spirit that is, by whose inspiration they are elevated to such a sublimity, as to dare to despise the doctrine of the Scripture, as puerile and mean. For, if they answer that it is the Spirit of Christ, how ridiculous is such an assurance: for, that the apostles of Christ, and other believers in the primitive Church, were illuminated by no other Spirit, I think, they will concede. But not one of them learned, from his teaching, to contemn the Divine word; they were rather filled with higher reverence for it: as their writings abundantly testify."
Beveridge, 1863: " Those who, rejecting Scripture, imagine that they have some peculiar way of penetrating to God, are to be deemed not so much under the influence of error as madness. For certain giddy men have lately appeared, who, while they make a great display of the superiority of the Spirit, reject all reading of the Scriptures themselves, and deride the simplicity of those who only delight in what they call the dead and deadly letter. But I wish they would tell me what spirit it is whose inspiration raises them to such a sublime height that they dare despise the doctrine of Scripture as mean and childish. If they answer that it is the Spirit of Christ, their confidence is exceedingly ridiculous; since they will, I presume, admit that the apostles and other believers in the primitive Church were not illuminated by any other Spirit. None of these thereby learned to despise the word of God, but every one was imbued with greater reverence for it, as their writings most clearly testify."
Battles, 1960: "Furthermore, those who, having forsaken Scripture, imagine some way or other of reaching God, ought to be thought of as not so much gripped by error as carried away with frenzy. For of late, certain giddy men have arisen who, with great haughtiness exalting the teaching office of the Spirit, despise all reading and laught at the simplicity of those who, as they express it, still follow the dead and killing letter. But I should like to know from them what this spirit is by whose inspiriation they are borne up so high that they dare despise the Scriptural doctrine as childish and mean. For if they answer that it is the Spirit of Christ, such assurance is utterly ridiculous. Indeed, they will, I think, agree that the apostles of Christ and other belivers of the primitive church were illumined by no other Spirit. Yet no one of them thence learned contempt for God's Word; rather, each was imbued with greater reverence as their writings most splendidly attest."
Me, 2023: "Moreover, for those who have repudiated Scripture, I know not what way they dream up of reaching God. They are not so much to be considered errant, as roused by madness. For, some giddy men have emerged of late, who, most arrogantly alleging the teaching of the Spirit, reject all reading, and laugh at the simplemindedness of those who still follow after the “dead and deathly” letter, as they call it. But I would like to know from them who, exactly, is the spirit whose sublime inspiration they are so caught up in, so that they dare to despise the doctrine of Scripture as childish and lowly. For, if they respond that it is the Spirit of Christ, their certainty of this is exceedingly ridiculous, since they concede, I think, that the Apostles of Christ, and other believers in the first Church, were illuminated by no other spirit. But none of them learned from him to treat the word of God with contempt; but rather, they were every one of them endowed with a greater reverence for it, as their writings most clearly testify."
