is wholy contained in them And surelie they be so tempered that anie man may as it were draw out of them that which may be sufficient for him if so be he come to read them deuoutlie and godlie as true religion requireth The Author of the booke vnder the name of S. Augustine de salutaribus documentis Cap. 38. GReat confusion belongeth to the soules of laie mē which say what dooth it pertaine to me to heare or learne by reading the bookes of Scriptures or to run vnto Priests and Churches of saints When I am a clergie man I will doo those things which clergie men should doo Bernardus ad sororem de modo bene viuendi Cap. 50. MOst déere sister if thou wilt alwaies be with God alwaies praie and alwaies read The reading of the holie Scriptures is verie necessarie for vs. For by reading we learne what we should doo what we should beware of and whither we should go Herevpon it is said Thy word is a light vnto my feete By reading our iudgement and vnderstanding is increased Reading instructeth prepareth vs to praier and to good works Reading frameth vs both to actiue and contemplatiue life Therefore it is said in the Psalme Blessed is the man that shall meditate in the law of the Lord day and night Reading and praier be weapons wherewith the diuell is vanquished and instruments whereby eternall blessednesse is obtained By praier reading vices be forsaken and vertues be norished in our soules Therfore beloued sister in Christ vse much to read and daylie to meditate in the law Reading with-holdeth our life from error draweth a man from the vanitie of the world by reading our vnderstanding iudgement doo increase For Reading teacheth thée what thou shouldest doo admonisheth thée what to auoid and sheweth thée whither thou shouldest go thou doost greatly profit when thou readest if thou doo the things which thou readest Iosephus in his second booke against Appion of the Iewes EVerie wéeke we assemble to heare the Law Euerie one of vs being asked of the Law can answere as easilie and readilie as his owne name For we learning them wholie from our tender yéeres and yoong age haue them as it were imprinted and grauen in our minds Erasmus Roterod. in paraclesi I Could wish that all women did read the Gospell and Paules Epistles and I would that they were translated into all languages of all nations that they might be read and knowne not onelie of Scottish and Irish men but also of Turkes and Saracens That the good Christian Reader may the better prooue and discerne the spirits which be of God and which not I haue thought good to set down a few sayings of Popish writers which let him compare with the former sayings of the holie Scriptures and faithfull fathers and consider how they agrée therewith Doctor Standish in a booke intituled A discourse wherein is debated whether it be expedient that the Scripture should be in English for all men to read that will Printed at London by Robert Ealie 1554. writeth thus WHereby we may easilie learne that all people should not haue the Scriptures in their owne handlings at their pleasure as they haue had these dosen yéeres past to their vtter spirituall destruction Againe THat which yée haue heard saith he in secret places shall be preached on the tops of the houses he said not it shall be written in your Churches as it hath béene Iewishlie vsed on late here in England nor written in Bibles to be read of euerie one in his mother toong and set vp for that purpose in euerie Church Againe I Cannot then but maruell that men to their owne confusion are so desirous to haue the Scripture in their mother toong Againe THrough the damnable libertie of hauing it in the vulgar toong haue not all holy mysteries béene dispised Haue they not thereby vtterly condemned all that hath not béene expressed in the letter of their English Bibles Againe WHerefore away with the English damnable translation and let them learne the mysteries of God reuerently by hart and learne to giue as much credit to that which is not expressed as to that which is expressed in Scripture knowing that in thrée points the authoritie of the Church is aboue the authoritie of the Scripture one is in fortifieng verities not written to be necessarie to saluation c. Againe THe vniuersall Church of Christ did neuer allow nor approoue the Scripture to be in the vulgar toong weighing the manifold inconueniences that haue issued therof but euer from time to time among other errors did tread that downe and suppresse it Againe IT is the occasion of many heresies to haue the Scripture in the vulgar toong A little after ANd yet then séeing the rude ignorant sort be euer prone peruersly to wrest the Scriptures we must thinke that to haue the Scripture in English is to minister occasion to the common sort to fall into errors Againe LIke as God appointed the old Law to be written in stone tables or books so did he appoint as Ieremie witnesseth the new to be written onely in the hart of man Why should the writing in books then be so highly regarded But this carnall this fleshly regarding by no meanes can be so well extenuate or rather quite taken away as by taking the Scripture foorth of the vulgar toong and foorth of the handling of the lewd ignorant Againe ANd finally séeing that by no meanes so soone as by the Scriptures in English heresies do both spring daily and be also maintained wherin should good men be more diligent than in the extirpation thereof These saiengs out of that beastly book of that doltish doctor I haue the more largely laid down that the Christian Reader may sée what doctrine in Quéene Maries daies was published and allowed for Catholike Wherevnto I will ad a saying of an other papist Alphonsus de Castro the Spanish frier writeth thus Tertia demum haeresium parens origo c. The third parent and beginning of heresies is the translating of the holie Scriptures into the vulgar toong by meanes whereof it commeth to passe that they be read of all men with respect or difference of persons Hitherto the papists Euerie man that doth euill hateth the light neither commeth to the light least his déeds should be reprooued But he that doth truth commeth to the light that his déeds may be made manifest that they are wrought according to God Tertullianus lib. de Trinitate SEd enim Scriptura diuina haereticorum fraudes furta facilè conuincit detegit that is But the holie Scripture doth easely conuince and discouer the deceits and robberies of heretikes Theophylactus in Luc. cap. 16. NVnc nihil tam vtile est vt Scripturarum diligens scrutatio c. that is Now there is nothing so profitable as the diligent searching of the Scriptures for the
haue shut vp the gates of the truth by suppressing Gods holie word and keeping it from the knowledge of Gods people as Erasmus trulie affirmeth in these words Quis non intelligat istos sacras literas ideo velle paucis esse notas ne quid decedat ipsorum autoritati quaestuÃque That is Who knoweth not that these men meaning popish Priests Moonks would therefore haue the holie Scriptures known but to few least their authoritie and gaine should decaie And euen so it is certaine that if the holie scriptures had beene publikelie in the mother toong and in the hands and harts of the people they could neuer heretofore haue beene with the vsurped power of that pelting and powling Priest of Rome so astonied and amazed with images deceiued with pardons beguiled with fained forged reliques mocked with masses trentals and purgatorie spoiled with the hypocrisie of Moonks and such other locusts bewitched and manie mo waies miserablie abused as they were But they being vtterlie bereft and altogether depriued of this light of Gods word did sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Walked in darknesse and wist not whither they went bicause the darknes had blinded their eies And whereas God of his great mercie beholding our miserie hath deliuered vs from this Aegyptiacall darknesse and caused the day star of his holie word to rise vnto vs to lead vs as did that other the wise men vnto Iesus Christ in him onely to seeke our saluation so that we which haue heeretofore walked in darknesse haue seene a great light to our vnspeakeable comfort these Lucifugae Scripturarum as Tertullian called some and I may truly terme these Popish owles haue howled and exclaimed against this light which by the holy Scriptures translated into our mother toong hath shined vnto vs. They haue written against it affirming that it ought not to be in the vulgar language calling it damnable libertie of so hauing it and saying that it is an occasion of Heresie and haue with all their might and maine gone about to extinguish it These their assertions how false and absurd they be contrarie to the word of God and the writings of the ancient godly fathers I will not lest I be too tedious vnto your Honor at this present further declare Notwithstanding all this their barking against hauing the holie Scriptures in the mother toong yet now our Rhemish and Romish Papists heerin differing from their fellowes playing the Apes in imitating vs as they haue doone also in setting foorth Catechismes which before they could neuer abide haue at the last published the new Testament in our English toong and haue promised the rest which notwithstanding they saie was long ago doone hath beene and I doubt will be long in performing This they haue doone not of a holie zeale and godlie desire to haue the holie Scripture knowne and read of all people but rather to keepe them especiallie their adherents fauorers from reading it translated set foorth by vs. In this their worke so long deferred and now published they haue committed two foule faults The one in falselie and foolishlie translating it by following the corrupt streame of the Latin translation and forsaking the fountaine of the Greeke wherein the holy spirit of God did indite the new Testament and the blessed Apostles of Christ our Sauior did write it The other in corrupting peruerting the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost by guilefull gloses and absurd Annotations Against the former of these faults I did either almost or altogether fiue yeers past write the first part of this little discourse vpon this occasion The right honorable and my verie good Lord the L. Saint Iohns of Blet so shortlie after the comming foorth of the said Testament did let me haue for the space of a month the vse of it The which I did verie egarly read and diligentlie confer And for that the booke was hard to come by I did write much out of it concerning the diuersitie superfluitie and want of the said translation in respect of the Greeke and also their 10. friuolous reasons in their preface which moued them to leaue the Greeke and translate the Latine with diuers other things Vnto the which 10. reasons I did then vpon a particular occasion for a priuat vse write this answere neuer intending as both some men do know and the long suppressing of it may shew to publish the same in print And the rather for that a full answere vnto the whole hath beene long looked for of manie and wished for of me The which I would right gladlie haue seene to the perpetuall suppressing of this as I first intended But when no such answere came foorth neither could I learne when anie would hauing of late a little recognised my answere that had lien long neglected by me and added thereunto a discouerie of sundrie corruptions committed in the said translation I haue beene mooued by some that haue seene it to let it passe in print The which although I was a long time vnwilling to doo yet for that it is thought the said translation and Annotations haue seduced some and confirmed others in error and manie doo not a little glory of them I haue yeelded to the putting foorth of this little treatise that as some haue alreadie in part discouered the absurditie of the Annotations so this I trust may sufficiently shew the weaknesse of those reasons and corruption of that translation This small and simple discourse although I confesse it to be vnworthie your worthinesse yet vpon your great curtesie I haue beene bold to offer it vnto your Honor to testifie thereby my dutifull mind and thankefull hart vnto your H. for your fauor shewed me which I haue found and felt Humblie beseeching your H. to accept this small mite in goodpart not weighing the quantitie or value of the gift but the sincere and hartie affection toward your H. of the giuer God in great mercie blesse your H. increase his graces and good gifts in you and long preserue you to the seruice safetie of hir Maiestie and the benefit of this Church and Commonwealth Amen At Woodhull the 9. of Aprill 1588. Your Honors most humble to command and vse EDWARD BVEKELEY AN ANSWER TO THE FRIVOLOVS and reasonlesse reasons of the Rhemish Iesuits for following and preferring the old Latin translation of the New Testament before the Greeke wherein Gods Spirit indited it and the holy Apostles did write it Which reasons be set downe in their Preface before the New Testament by them lately translated into English by E. B. The first reason of the Iesuits NOw to giue thee also intelligence in particular most gentle Reader of such things as it behoueth thee specially to know concerning our translation we translate the old vulgar Latin text nor the common Greeke text for these causes It is so ancient that it was vsed in the Church of
command vs. But now let vs examine our Iesuits proofes for the confirming of this strange Paradoxe Rhemish Iesuits THe proofe heerof is euident bicause most of the ancient heretikes were Grecians and therefore the Scriptures in Greeke were more corrupted by them as the ancient fathers often complaine Answer LEt the good Christian Reader héere consider the desperate dealing of the Papists against the holy Worde of God First they haue with all carefulnes and diligence kept it vnder the bushell of a strange toong that the light thereof might not shine in the eies of the common people to the discouering of their errors Idolatries and mockeries But when through the great mercie of God this light hath béene taken from vnder this bushell and set vpon a candlestick to giue light to al that are in Gods house to the directing of their féete to walke in Gods waies then they haue fallen to raile on it and reprochfully to speake of it Iohn Ecchius calleth the Scripture Euangelium nigrum Theologiam atramentariam That is the blacke Gospell and Inken Diuinitie Albertus Pighius another patron of the Popes cause writeth thus Sunt Scripturae vt non minus verè quà m festiuè dixit quidam velut nasus cereus qui se horsum illorsum in quamcunque volueris partem trahi retrahi fingÃque facilè permittit That is The Scriptures be as one no lesse truly than pleasantly said like a nose of waxe which maybe drawen this way and that way be applied to whatsoeuer part a man will One Ludouicus a canon of the Laterane church in Rome thus spake in an oration in the late goodly Councell of Trident Ecclesia est viuum pectus Christi Scriptura autem est quasi mortuum atramentum That is the Church is the liuely brest of Christ but the Scripture is as it were dead inke How contemptuously writeth Cardinall Hosius of those comfortable and swéet Psalmes of Dauid which be a pretious part of the holy canonicall Scripture For whereas it was obiected for the proofe of kings and princes power in Ecclesiasticall causes that king Dauid did not onely deale in such causes for the restoring and planting of Gods true worship and seruice greatly decaied in the daies of king Saul a wicked hypocrite but also did write Psalmes which pertaine to the canon of the Scripture for the instruction and direction of Gods Church for euer Hosius answereth in these words Scripsit Dauid Psalmos aliquot si quid Athanasio credimus quinque tantùm Quid ni scriberet Ne nunc quidem regi prohibetur aut principi quominus aut rythmos aut Psalmos aut carmina scribat quibus Dei laudes celebret Scribimus indocti doctÃque poemata passim That is Dauid did write certaine Psalmes if we beléeue Athanasius but fiue onely Why might he not write Euen now a king or prince is not prohibited to write either rimes or Psalmes or verses wherewith he may praise God We write learned and vnlearned poems apace Thus contemptuously writeth that popish prelate and president in that Tridentine Conuenticle of the Psalmes comparing them with rimes and verses that kings may or do now write and thereunto disdainfully and blasphemously applying that verse of Horace the profane poet Besides this contemptuous speaking of the holy Scriptures our Papists be now procéeded a step further in accusing the originall texts of the Scriptures to be corrupted the old Testament by the Iewes and the New by Gréeke heretikes Is not this desperate dealing against the word of God First to suppresse it and kéepe it in a strange toong then reprochfully to speake of it and now lastly to accuse the original and autenticall copies thereof to be corrupted What can they do more vtterly to deface and discredit the word of God contained in the Scriptures the which may séeme to be the marke they shoote at that by pulling downe the credit of the holy Scriptures they may set vp their owne vaine inuentions and wicked traditions wherewith their religion doth much better agrée than with the Scriptures But now let vs more particularly come to the examination of this assertion The proofe heerof is euident say our Rhemish Iesuits bicause most of the ancient heretikes were Grecians c. I answer that the disproofe héerof is easie For this is not the complaint as you most falsely affirme of ancient fathers but a false slander of ancient wicked heretikes as by the ancient godly fathers doth most plainly appéere So did Heluidius as Saint Hierom sheweth whose words I may aptly apply vnto you which be these Ac nè fortè de exemplariorum veritate causeris quia tibi stultissimè persuasisti Graecos codices esse falsatos ad Ioannis Euangelium venio That is But least peraduenture you complaine of the truth of the copies bicause thou hast most foolishly persuaded thy selfe that the Gréeke bookes be falsified I come to the Gospel of Iohn In which words you may sée how that you who will be worshippers of the virgin Marie ioine héerin hand in hand with Heluidius whom otherwise you would séeme much to mislike for denying the perpetuall virginitie of hir And as Hierom said that Heluidius was most foolishly persuaded then that the Gréeke bookes of the Testament were corrupted Euen so may I say vnto you that this is an extreame folly thus to iudge now as did Heluidius then for what reason is it to thinke that the Gréeke heretikes could corrupt all the Gréeke copies in the world Or why shall not we thinke that the godly learned fathers were as carefull to kéepe them pure from corruption as the heretikes were to corrupt them And whereas there were as the Papists also do now that thought the Iewes had corrupted the Hebrew in the old Testament S. Augustine answereth thus Sed absit vt prudens quispiam vel Iudaeos cuiuslibet peruersitatis atque malitiae tantum potuisse credat in codicibus tam multis tam longè latéque dispersis vel septuaginta illos memorabiles viros hoc de inuidenda gentibus veritate vnum communicasse consilium That is But God forbid that any wise man should beléeue that the Iewes how peruerse or malitious soeuer they were could do so much as to corrupt so many copies and so far and wide dispersed abroad or that those woorthy men the seuentie interpretors did take this counsell togither to depriue the Gentils of the truth Vpon which words of S. Augustine Ludouicus Viues writeth thus Hoc idem responderi potest hijs qui falsatos corruptósque ab Hebraeis codices veteris instrumenti à Graecis noui obijciunt nè veritas sacrorum librorum ex illis fontibus petatur That is This same may be answered to them who do obiect vnto vs as our Rhemish Iesuits do now that the bookes of the old Testament were corrupted and falsified by the Iewes and the bookes of the new Testament by
than the Gréeke And this knot he goeth about to lose by manie meanes most triflingly trifling in a matter that he did not vnderstand with his vel dic say so and say so c. Haue these men so great autoritie that when they do not at all vnderstand a matter yet it shall be lawfall for them to vtter and write what they list For Hierom doth bring in this as a thing impossible and absurd to be spoken that he might the more confute that which they would infer c. Hitherto Erasmus Thirdly whereas this barbarous blind Gloser maketh Augustine preferring the Gréeke and Hebrew copies and Hierom the Latin he doth very foolishly and preposterously For Hierom in all his writings and also as appéered by his translations did most earnestly maintaine the contrarie whereas Augustine by reason of his ignorance in the Hebrew did ouermuch attribute to the Septuaginta interpretors in Gréeke and wished that Hierom had translated the old Testament rather out of them than out of the Hebrew as appéereth by his owne words in his Epistle to Hierom himselfe which be these Ego sanè te mallem Graecas potius canonicas nobis interpretari Scripturas quae Septuaginta interpretum autoritate perhibentur That is I had rather that you did translate vnto vs the Gréeke canonicall Scriptures which be confirmed by the autoritie of the Seuentie interpretors This is that woorthy writer vpon the Popes holie Decrées who hath taught our Rhemish Iesuits this lesson and lent them this reason or rather accusation of the holy Scriptures A méete author for them to follow But how false this accusation of the corruption of the Gréeke text is may euidently appéere partly by the writings of Chrysostom Basill Theophylactus and other ancient Gréeke and godly fathers who generally agrée with the Gréeke text and dissent from the Latin when they differ as héerafter shall be shewed and partly by those places of the Latin fathers before alledged For whereas most of the Gréeke heretikes were before the time of Ambrose Hierom and Augustine as by Epiphanius it doth appéere yet in their daies the Gréeke bookes were sound pure and vndefiled Let them therefore shew vs in what age and by what heretikes all the Gréeke bookes in the world were corrupted And if our Rhemish Iesuits may thinke that the Gréeke text hath béene corrupted by old Gréeke heretikes why may it not also be thought that the Latin text hath in like maner béene corrupted by Latin heretikes But they will say There were not so many of them as of the other Besides that it is not greatly materiall for the multitude yet what if it may be prooued that all Papists be heretikes may not they in number be compared with the Gréeke heretikes I will not enter into this discourse at this present and the rather for that it hath béene effectually shewed and pithily prooued by my good and learned brother Master Whitakers of late and also was so largely and learnedly handled in Quéene Maries daies by that reuerend and learned father D. Poynet Bishop of Winchester that it hath hitherto neuer béene answered as far as I know and therefore it shall be lesse néedful for me to prooue it against M. Gregorie Martin the supposed and reported author of these reasons and this translation I will onely refer him and his fellowes vnto it beséeching God that it may likewise effectually worke in them that they may sée their owne errors and ignorance and in time repent their railing against Gods truth and seruants Moreouer I say that all the Iesuits in Rhemes and Rome are not able to shew one such a fowle corruption in al the Gréeke Testament to the ouerthrowing of any article of faith as I can shew a most notable place concerning euen the very Deitie of Iesus Christ corrupted fowly in the Latin which our Corrupt Rhemists in their English haue followed The place is 1. Timoth. 3.16 And in Gréeke thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That is And without controuersie great is the mysterie of godlines God was made manifest in the flesh iustified in the spirit c. The vulgar Latin is thus Et manifestè magnum est pietatis sacramentum Quod manifestatum est in carne c. And is by you englished thus And manifestly it is a great sacrament of pietie Which was manifested in the flesh c. Héer in stead of these words God was reuealed in the flesh which plainly prooue both the Deitie and Humanitie of Iesus Christ agréeably to that other place of S. Paul to the Colossians In him dwelleth all the fulnes of the Godhead bodily they haue put these words Which was manifested in the flesh and so séeke to depriue vs of this most excellent testimonie which maketh strongly against the Arrians and other heretikes and corrupted the place which briefly yet very pithily comprehendeth the doctrine of our redemption The which corruption is not onely contrarie to all Gréeke copies and the ancient Syrian translation but also to Chrysostom to Theophylactus to Theodoretus dialog 1. and to the Gréeke scholies which so alledge it and expound it Such a place so like to be corrupted by heretikes I dare say that all our Rhemish rout is not able to shew in al the Gréeke text Lastly I omit to shew what a wide window these popish Rhemists do open to all heretikes by this their absurd assertion and accusation of the Gréeke originall text of the Testament who if they be pressed with any plaine place to the confounding of their heresie why may they not as Heluidius and the Manichées of old time did and our Iebusites do now say the same were corrupted by ancient heretikes But wo be to them that cannot maintaine their doctrine but by such shamelesse shifts But for the further manifestation of this matter and that the Christian reader may sée what consent there is betwéene these Catholike fathers I will set downe a place or two out of Iohn Driedon a Louanian who writeth thus Eisdem argumentis vtentes possumus demonstrare Graecos noui Testamenti codices non esse de industria vniuersaliter falsatos c. That is Vsing the same arguments we may prooue that the Gréeke bookes of the new Testament haue not béen of purpose vniuersally falsified as though any truth had béene rased togither out of all the holy Gréeke bookes being dispersed so far abroad and kept in the Libraries not onely of the Grecians but also of the Latins Again the same Driedon of Louaine writeth thus Quantum verò ad Nouum attinet Testamentum verisimile est si Graeci suos codices noui Testamenti voluissent deprauare c. That is But as touching the new Testament it is likely that if the Grecians would haue corrupted their bookes of the new Testament they would chéefly haue done it in those places in which matters be handled wherein they haue long agone begun to dissent from the Latin Church
but we sée and perceiue such places to agrée with the most ancient Latin copies Therefore neither any other place ought to be suspected as corrupted by the common schoole of the Grecians Lastly the same Driedon writeth héerof thus Nam Scriptura sacra si sit iam olim in suo fonte suáque origine corrupta deprauata iam non erit vlla in illis canonica autoritas c. That is Now if the holy Scripture haue béene long ago corrupted and depraued in hir fountaine and originall language then there will be no canonicall authoritie in it neither shall it be néedfull for Latin men to returne to the fountaine of the Gréeke toong wherein the new Testament was written or of the Hebrew wherein the old Testament was set foorth Hitherto Driedon Whereby we may sée to what impudencie our Rhemists be growen who by this impudent assertion take all canonicall autoritie from the holy Scriptures I might shew what vnfaithfull kéepers of Gods holy records they haue béene who haue héertofore bragged that they haue kept the holie Scriptures and whence haue we had them but from them And yet now of their owne accord they confesse that they haue suffered the originall and autenticall copies of Christs Testament to be corrupted But omitting these things which might be more amplified I come to their particular proofe of this their strange paradoxe concerning the corruption of the Gréeke text Rhemish Iesuits TErtullian noteth the Greeke text which is at this day 1. Cor. 15.47 to be an old corruption of Marcion the heretike and the truth to be as in our vulgar Latin Secundus homo de coelo coelestis The second man is from heauen heauenlie So read other ancient fathers and Erasmus thinketh it must be so And Caluin himselfe followeth it Instit. lib. 2. cap. 13. par 2. Answer HEre as touching Tertullian vpon whom doth depend the speciall proofe of this pretended corruption to speake in plaine words you make one notorious lie For Tertullian doth not say that the truth of that text is as in the vulgar Latin translation neither he in his booke De resurrectione doth so alledge it as héereafter I will shew Indéed I grant that Marcion did mangle that place and corruptly cite it as Tertullian in these words sheweth Primus inquit homo de humo terrenus secundus Dominus de coelo That is The first man is of earth earthly the second is the Lord from heauen Héere Marcion denying the true manhood of Christ did leaue out this word Homo that is Man and so did mangle that place the which is not omitted but expressed in all Gréeke copies And therefore the Gréeke doth not agrée with Marcions corruption as Gregorie Martin and his fellowes corruptly iudge I grant also that it séemeth Tertullian thought that Marcion in the latter part did alledge this word Dominus that is Lord which ought not for his words after the text before alledged be these Quare secundus si non homo quod primus aut nunquid primus Dominus si secundus That is Why is he called the second if he be not man as the first Or is not the first Lord if the second be Héerby I say it séemeth that Marcions corruption of this place was partly in leauing out this word Homo which is expressed in the Gréeke and partly as it séemeth Tertullian supposed by putting in this word Dominus which our Gréek copies also haue Now whether he did corruptly alledge this word Dominus Lord that is the question First I sée no cause why this is to be accounted a corruption of Marcions for that it doth no more maintaine his blasphemous heresie in denying the true Humanitie of Christ than doth the Latin For how doth this The second man is the Lord from heauen séeme more to fauor Marcions false doctrine than the other The second man is from heauen heauenly Why might not Marcion haue abused this to prooue Christ to haue brought his bodie from heauen and not to haue taken flesh of the virgin Marie as well as the other And therefore if this had béene a corruption of Marcions he would no doubt haue otherwise corrupted it to the further furthering of his heresie Secondly I say that the Gréeke text doth not onelie as well agrée with all true doctrine as the Latin but also is more pregnant in sense and more agréeable to the meaning of the Apostle in that place containing a more excellent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and opposition betwéene Adam and Christ than doth the Latin as Master Beza learnedly sheweth Thirdly whereas Marcion did corrupt the 45. verse going before as most plainly appéereth by Tertullian in the same place and yet the same corruption is not in the Gréeke but it is pure and sincere as it ought to be it is not likely that this corruption should any more remaine than that Fourthly not onely all Gréeke copies both old and new so haue it expressing the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Lord but also the Syrian and Arabian translations which are very ancient do agrée with the Gréeke And how likely it is for such a corruption of Marcions to be in all Gréeke copies and in those very ancient Syrian and Arabian translations I leaue it to the iudgement of all men to consider And where you say that other ancient fathers haue read according to the vulgar Latin I grant that some Latin fathers following the old translation so do but Chrysostom Theophylactus the Gréeke Scholies Damascenus De orthodoxa fide lib. 3. cap. 12. who I trow were none of Marcions disciples agrée with the Gréeke And Tertullian your author alledgeth it thus Primus homo de terra choicus id est limaceus id est Adam secundus homo de coelo id est sermo Dei id est Christus differing from the Latin in leauing out this word Coelestis So readeth both Cyprian and Hilarius Primus homo de terrae limo secundus homo de coelo That is The first man of the slime of the earth the second man from heauen So that these thrée Latin fathers as they differ from the Gréeke in leauing out the word Dominus Lord so do they also dissent from the Latin in leauing out the word Coelestis Heauenly And yet whether either of these words or both of them be expressed or omitted it is not repugnant to any article of faith nor to the sense of the Apostle And therefore might Erasmus be of that opinion to thinke it should be as in the Latin especially hauing respect to the sound of the opposition of words betwéene of earth earthly and from heauen heauenly And M. Caluin might so alledge it And yet the Gréeke may be the true reading wherein the Apostle wrote as no doubt it is But if I should grant that this word Lord crept in either by Marcions means or any others which is vtterly vnlike as hath béene