I’m helping to provide English translations for Mather’s Latin quotes for a modern edition of his Manducatio. Most of them are fairly easy, some are quotations from classical literature, but this one is a problem:
If I constantly affirm this, that all the Commentators in the world are poor things to interpret the Bible in comparison of an illiterate Christian thus coming with a sanctified soul to make his practical commentary; I could quote a very great person, who will not leave me alone, but will affirm, > Commentarius sine hoc Adminiculo (pio Sacrorum Motuum scrutinio) Conscriptus, est Vere Commentarius, et Nomine, et Omine talis, id est, Commentis cerebri refertus. > Among all the hermeneutic instruments for the opening of the Scriptures, we may say of this: There is none like it.
The quote to me appears to be saying something contrary to the context, that a commentary “without this aid, the pious scrutiny of divine motives” is “filled with comments of understanding.” What am I missing here? Cerebrum, according to L&S, can also be used in the sense of “the brain” and “anger, choler,” so is something like the latter intended here?