haue done if the name of the Church had bene odious vnto them or that they thought the Catholike church stood against theÌ„ Looke Thomas Mathewes Bible in the Canticles of Salomon vpon the 16. of S. Mathewes Gospell the 18. verse the wordes of Christ to Peter Therfore your senseles imaginations shewe no hatred of the Catholike Church in our translators but cancred malice and impudent follie in your selues MART. 53. To conclude as I began concerning their shiftes and iumpes and windings and turnings euery way from one thing to an other till they are driuen to the extreme refuge of palpable corruptions and false translations consider with me in this one case onely of traditions as may be likewise considered in all other controuersies that the auncient fathers councels antiquitie vniuersalitie and custom of the whole Church allowe traditions the Canonicall Scriptures haue them the Latine text hath them the Greeke text hath them onely their translations haue them not Likewise in the olde Testament the approued Latine text hath such and such speeches that make for vs the renowmed Greeke text hath it the Hebrewe text hath it onely their translations haue it not These are the translations which we call heretical and wilful and which shal be examined and discussed in this Booke FVLK 53. By what windings and turnings I pray you are we driuen to that miserable refuge of palpable corruptions and false translations for hitherto you haue shewed none but such as shewe your owne ignoraunce or malice Neither I hope you shal be able to shewe any though you sweat neuer so sore at your work Yes I weene this one case only of traditions for so you seeme to say if it be considered wil discouer no lesse It is meruaile if for your sake al the Greeke Dictionaries in the world must not be corrected taught to say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caÌ„ signifie nothing but a tradition that is not written But yet you rolle in your accustomed rhetorike saying that the antieÌ„t fathers couÌ„cels antiquitie vniuersalitie custome of the whole Church allow traditioÌ„s so do we so many as be good agreeable to the holie scripturs but that there be traditioÌ„s of matter necessarie to saluatioÌ„ not contained in the holie scripturs wheÌ„ you bring your fathers Councels c. you shal receiue an answere to them That the canonical scripture alloweth any traditions contrary to the doctrine therof or to supply any want or imperfection therof as though al things required to make the man of God perfecte prepared to all good workes were not conteyned in the Scriptures you shall neuer be able to proue although for spite against the perfection of the Canonicall Scripture you should braste a sunder as Iudas did which betrayed the auctor of the Scripture Finally what so euer you say out of the old Testament without proofe or shew of proofe it is as easily denied by vs as it is affirmed by you When you bring but only a shadow of reason it shall sone be chased away with the light of truth The Argumentes of euerie chapter with the page where euery chapter beginneth CHAP. 1. THat the ProtestaÌ„ts translate the holie Scripture falsly of purpose in fauor of their heresies throughout al controuersies page 1. 2 Against Apostolical Traditions pag. 73. 3 Against sacred Images pag. 88. 4 The Ecclesiastical vse of words turned into their original and profane significations pag. 131. 5 Against the CHVRCH pag. 139. 6 Against Priest and Priesthoode Wheremuch also is saide of their profaning of Ecclesiastical wordes pag. 157. 7. Against Purgatorie Limbus Patrum and Christes descending into Hell pag. 196. 8. Concerning Iustification and Gods iustice in rewarding good workes pag. 252. 9 Against Merites meritorious workes and the reward for the same pag. 263. 10 Against Free will pag. 300. 11 For Imputatiue iustice against true inherent iustice pag 328. 12 For Speciall faith vaine securitie and onely faith pag. 342. 13 Against Penance and Satisfaction pag. 355. 14 Against the holy Sacraments namely Baptisme and Confession pag. 379. 15 Against the Sacrament of Holy Orders and for the Mariage of Priestes and Votaries pag. 390. 16 Against the Sacrament of Matrimonie pag. 423. 17 Against the B. Sacrament and Sacrifice and altars pa. 429. 18 Against the honour of Saincts namely of our B. LADY pa. 460. 19 Against the distinction of Dulîa and Latrîa pag. 474. 20 Adding to the text pag. 483. 21 Other hereticall treacheries and corruptions worthy of obseruation pag. 493. 22 Other faults Iudaical profane meere vanities follâ—es and nouelties pag. 507. ¶ A Discouerie of the manifolde corruptions of the holie Scriptures by the Heretikes of our dayes specially the English Sectaries of their foule dea ling herein by partiall and false Translations to the advantage of their heresies in their English Bibles vsed and authorized since the time of Schisme CHAP. 1. That the Protestantes translate the holie Scriptures falsly of purpose in fauour of their heresies MARTIN THOVGH this shall euidently appeare thorough out this whole Booke in euery place that shall be obiected vnto them yet because it is an obseruation of greatest importaunce in this case which stigeth theÌ„ sore toucheth their credit exceedingly in so much that one of them setting a good face vpon the matter sayth confidently that al the Papists in the worlde are not able to shew one place of Scripture mistranslated wilfully of purpose therfore I wil giue the reader certein brief obseruations and euident markes to know wilfull corruptions as it were an abridgement and summe of this Treatise FVLKE ALTHOVGH this trifling treatise was in hand two or three yeares ago as by the threatning of Bristow and Howlette it may appeare yet that it might seeme new and a sudden peece of worke compyled with small studie you thought good by carping at my confutation of Howlet last made and of M. Whitakers work set forth later than it as it were by setting on newe eares vpon your olde potte to make it seeme to be a newe vessell And first of all you would seeme to haue taken occasion of my confident speech in my confutation of Howlets nyne Reasons in reâ—earsing wherof you vse such fidelitie as commonly Papistes vse to beare towardes God the Churche your Prince and your Countrie For what face soeuer I set vpon the matter with a whorish forehead and a brasen face you make reporte of my saying which beeing testified by a thousande copies printed as it were by so many witnesses doth crie out vpon your falshode and iniurious dealing For my wordes out of the place by you quoted against Howlet are these That some error may bee in translation although by you it can not be shewed I will not denye but that any shameles translations or wilfull corruptions can be found of purpose to draw the Scriptures to any hereticall opinion all the Papistes in the world shall neuer be able to make demonsiration This
you so malitious an enimie vnto him hauing spent all your inuention to seeke holes in his translation can finde nothing but such childish cauils as when they be discouered men will maruaile that you were not ashamed to moue them MART. 56. But after this generall vewe of their wilfull purpose and heretical intention let vs examine their false translations more particularly and argue the case with them more at large and presse them to answere whether in their conscience it be so or no as hitherto is saide and that by seuerall chapters of such CONTROVERSIES as their corruptions concerne and first of all without further curiositie whence to begin in cases so indifferent of TRADITIONS FVLK 56. The more particularly you examine our translations the freer I hope they shall be found from falsehoode wilfull corruption And the more at large you argue the case and presse vs to answere the more you shall make the case to appeare worse on your side and the truth clearer on our parte And as God is witnesse of our conscience and sinceritie in setting forth his word without adulteration or corruptiō so I appeale to the consciences of al indifferent readers whether hitherto you haue gotten any aduantage against vs in this whole chapter which yet you professe to be the abridgement and summe of your whole treatise CHAP. II. Hereticall translation of holy Scripture against Apostolicall TRADITIONS Martin THis is a matter of such importance that if they shoulde graunt any traditions of the Apostles and not pretende the written worde onely they know that by such traditions mentioned in all antiquitie their religion were wholy defaced and ouerthrowen For remedie whereof and for the defacing of all such traditions they bend their translations against them in this wonderfull maner Wheresoeuer the holy Scripture speaketh against certaine traditions of the Iewes partly friuolous partly repugnant to the law of God there all the English translations follow the Greeke exactly neuer omitting this word tradition Contrariwise wheresoeuer the holy Scripture speaketh in the commendation of Traditions to wit such traditions a◠the Apostles deliuered to the Church there all their sayd translations agree not to followe the Greeke which is still the selfe same word but for traditions they translate ordinaunces or instructions Why so and to what purpose we appeale to the worme of their conscience which continually accuseth them of an hereticall meaning whether by vrging the word traditions wheresoeuer they are discommended and by suppressing the word wheresoeuer they are commended their purpose and intent be not to signifie to the Reader that all traditions are naught and none good all reproueable none allowable Fulke TRaditions in deede is a matter of such importance as if you may be allowed whatsoeuer you will thrust vpon vs vnder the name of vnwritten traditions the written worde of God shall serue to no purpose at all For first as you plainly professe the holy Scripture shall not be accounted sufficient to teach all truth necessary to saluation that the man of God may be perfect prepared to all good works Secondly with the Valentinian heretikes you accuse the Scriptures of vncertaine vnderstāding without your traditions vnder pretense of which you wil bring in what you list though it be neuer so contrary to the holy Scriptures plaine wordes by colour of interpretatiō as you do the worshipping of images many other like heresies As for the mention that is made of Apostolicall traditions in diuerse of the auncient fathers some of thē are such as you your selues obserue not not for the tenth part of those that you obserue can you bring any testimony out of the ancient fathers as is proued sufficiently by so many propositiōs as were set downe by the Bishoppe of Sarisburie M. Iewel whereof you can bring no proofe for any one to haue bene taught within 600. yeres after Christ. Now concerning the traditions of the Apostles what they were who can be a better witnesse vnto vs than Ignatius the disciple of the Apostles of whom Eusebius writeth that when he was led towardes Rome where he suffred martyrdom he earnestly exhorted the Churches by which he passed to continue in the faith and against all heresies which euen then began to bud vp he charged thē to retaine fast the traditiō of the Apostles which by that time he protested to be committed to writing for by that time were al the books of the new Testament written The words of Eusebius concerning this matter are li. 3. c. 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And he exhorted thē straitly to kepe the tradition of the Apostles which testifying that it was now for assurance cōmitted to writing he thought necessary to be plainly taught Against this tradition of the Apostles which for certaintie assurance is contained in their holy vndoubted writings we say nothing but striue altogither for it But because the word traditions is by you Papistes taken to signifie a doctrine secretely deliuered by worde of mouth without authority of the holy Scriptures we do willingly auoide the word in our translations where the simple might be deceiued to think that the holy ghost did euer cōmēd any such to the church which he would not haue to be committed to writing in the holy Scriptures in steede of that word so commōly taken although it doth not necessarily signifie any such matters we doe vse such wordes as do truly expresse the Apostles meaning the Greke word doth also signifie Therfore we vse the words of ordināces or instructiōs or institutiōs or the doctrine deliuered all which being of one sense the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doeth signifie and the same doth tradition signifie if it be rightly vnderstoode but seing it hath bene commonly taken and is vrged of the Papistes to signifie only a doctrine deliuered beside the word of God written in such places where the holy Ghost vseth the Greeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that sense we translate by that worde tradition where he vseth it for such doctrine as is groūded vpon the holy Scriptures our translatours haue auoyded it not of any hereticall meaning that all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traditions are naught but that all such as haue not the holy Scripture to testifie of them and to warrant them are euill and to be auoyded of all true Christians which can not without blasphemie acknowledge any imperfection in the holy Scriptures of God which are able to make a man wise vnto saluation if they shoulde thinke any doctrine necessarie to saluation not to be cōtained therein MART. 2. For example Matt. 15. Thus they translate Why do thy disciples transgresse the TRADITION of the Elders And againe Why do you also transgresse the commaundement of God by your TRADITION And againe Thus haue you made the commaundement of God of no effect by your TRADITION Here I warrant you all the bels sound tradition and the word is neuer omitted
Apostles which it is sufficient that it is receiued of the doctrine of the Apostles Ruffinus in deede expositione in symbolum sayeth it was an opinion receiued from the elders that the Apostles before their dispersion made this briefe forme of beliefe which is called their Creede And I acknowledge the opinion hath some probabilitie but that it is to be beleeued of necessitie of saluation neither Ruffinus sayeth nor if he did were he able to prooue it Ambrose Ep. 81. Syricio to prooue that Marie in the birth of Christ was a virgine sayeth Credatur symbolo Apostòlorum quod Ecclesia Romana iteratum semper custodit seruat Let credit bee giuen to the Apostles Creede which being repeted often the Church of Rome doth alwayes keepe and obserue That this Creede is called the Apostles symbole or Creede it may well be because it containeth the summe of the Apostles doctrine although it had not beene compiled by them The testimonie of Augustine which you quote Serm. 118. De tempore must needes be some yonger mans because he repeteth the verie wordes of Ruffinus which Augustine liuing almost in his time woulde not repete as his owne You might as well and more for your purpose haue quoted Serm. 115. De tempore where euery Apostle maketh an Article which is the absurde opinion of the late Papistes but neuer was credited by Augustine himselfe howsoeuer these sermons haue gotten vnder the shadow of his name To conclude as some of the auncient fathers thinke the Creede was of the Apostles making so none of them affirmeth that it is damnable to doubt thereof so a man doubt not of the doctrine contained therein whereof the holy ghost is author as it is proued by the holie scriptures whether the Apostles or their successours did gather this short summe or forme of beliefe which we call the Apostles Creede For the obseruation of the Easter day which is the seconde point wherein you dare Master Charke I dare affirme that seeing it is not commaunded in the scripture the obseruation thereof is not necessarie to saluation That Eusebius calleth it an Apostolike tradition it is not materiall seeing that verie contention which he reporteth was about the obseruation of Easter according to the Apostolike tradition by the immediate successors of the Apostles Anicetus and Polycarpus doe plainly testifie what credit is to bee giuen to the traditions of the Apostles without the warrant of the Apostles writings Euseb. lib. 5. Cap. 26. For while Anicetus pretendeth the tradition of S. Peter and Polycarpus S. Iohn and neither would yeelde to other they teache vs what to esteeme of traditions apostolical not contained in the holy scriptures Namely that in these dayes there can bee no certeintie of them when they which might see and heare the Apostles themselues could not agree about them Last of all which you make the greatest matter the perpetuall virginitie of the mother of Christ after his birth although for my part I do beleeue it and wish all men so to doe yet dare I affirme that it is not damnable not to beleeue it except it can be prooued that the scripture hath taught it But you obiect against mee first the condemnation of Heluidius testified by Sozomenus Whereto I aunswere that he was iustly condemned not because he beleeued not but because he did obstinately denie it troubled the peace of the church about an vnnecessary question But you aske vs if wee remember not the solemne curse for this matter of so many holy bishops recorded and confirmed by S. Ambrose Ep. 81. 79. It seemeth you remember it not your selfe for that curse contained in the ende of the Ep. 81. was against them that like Manichees denyed that our Sauiour Christ tooke flesh of a virgine And Ep. 79. he reprooueth them which did contende that the virgine Marie had more sonnes than our Sauiour Christ which to affirme is a great errour and conuinced by the authoritie of the scripture seeing as Ambrose well noteth our Sauiour Christ committed his mother to Iohn the Euangelist which had not beene needefull if shee had naturall sonnes of her owne which might take care of her But you will stoppe our mouthes if you can as you say with these wordes of Saint Augustine Integra fide credendum est c. Wee must beleeue with a sounde faith blessed Marie the mother of Christ to haue conceiued in virginitie to haue brought foorth her sonne in virginitie and to haue remained a virgine after her childbirth neither must wee yeeld to the blasphemie of Heluidius Your author goeth on and telleth what that was Qui dixis fuit virgo ante partum non virgo post partum Who sayd shee was a virgine before her child-birth shee was no virgine after her childbirth But where shall wee finde this saying in Saint Augustine Your quotation directeth vs to Augustine in Encherid Cap. 34. where in deede some mention is of Maries virginitie namely that she conceiued in virginitie but nothing of Heluidius or his heresie Wherefore it secmeth that out of Canisius or some other mans collection your common places of the doctors sayings are borowed and not taken out of your owne reading Therefore howsoeuer you haue mistaken the matter the saying you alledge is in the bastarde booke De dogmatibus Ecclesiasticis Cap. 69. which may as easily be knowen from Augustines writing as a goose from a swanne And yet if it were of as good authoritie as Augustines owne writing it were not sufficient to stop our mouth when wee heare that wee are slaundered For wee dare not say with Heluidius which is the blasphemie noted by that writer that the virgine Marie was no virgine after her childbirth although wee say that it is no article of faith necessarie to saluation except it haue demonstration out of the holy scriptures neither doth your author say it is blasphemie to doubt of it but to denye it although for my part I do neither denie it nor doubt of it but beleeue it as I do manie other truethes not expressed in the scripture but yet not as articles of Christian faith necessarie to saluation I will conclude with a saying of Saint Ierome and stoppe your mouth if I can which concerning this verie question in controuersie against Heluidius to shewe what a man is bound to beleeue vpon necessitie of saluation euen that which is contained in the scriptures and that which is not coÌ„teined that he is not bound vpon losse thereof to beleeue thus writeth Sed vt haec quae scripta sunt non negaâ—ius ita â—a quae non sunt scripta renuimus Natum Dâ—â—â— esâ—e de virgine credimus quia legimus Mariam â—â—psisse post partum non credimus quia non legimus But as wee do not deny those things that are written so we do refuse those things that are not written That God was borne of a virgin wee beleeue because we haue read it that Marie vsed marriage after her
childbed wee beleeue not because wee haue not read it That you say Lo M. Chark S. Augustine maketh it both a matter of faith and the doubting thereof to be blasphemie how will you auoid this It is easily auoyded for it is false in many respects first S. Augustine fayeth it not but some obscure man of much latter time lesse learning and authoritie as the barbarous stile in many places declareth secondly hee fayth not that it is a matter of faith to beleeue the perpetuall virginitie of Marie but that shee conceiued brought foorth and remained a virgine after her child-birth Thirdly he maketh not the doubting thereof to be blasphemie but the obstinate denying of Heluidius which saide shee was no virgine after her childbirth But how will you auoide that which S. Ierome writeth We refuse those things that are not written we beleeue not because wee haue not read in y e scripture anything hereof as necessarie to saluation Pag. 158. you do not see why you should beleeue a Charke or a Fulke comming but yester day from the grammar schole before a Cyprian a Tertullian a Basil a Ierom an Ambrose or an Augustine especially in a matter of fact as your case is seeing they liued more than twelue or thirteene hundred yeares nearer to the deede dooing than these ministers do Why sir I pray you who requireth you to beleeue any minister of these dayes before any of those auncient fathers in respect of the credite of the persons and not of the truth which they bring You knowe that Panormitane thinketh more credite is to be giuen to one lay man speaking the trueth according to scripture than to all men of all ages speaking contrarie to the trueth or beside the truth of the scriptures But it is a matter of fact you say whether such and such traditions came from Christ his Apostles or no and therefore they that liued neerer the time of the deede dooing by twelue or thirteene hundreth yeares are more like to knowe the trueth than wee I answere that all things that you pretende for traditions are not of one sort some are contrary to the word of God and are reproued by euidence of the holy scriptures other are beside the worde of God and therefore not necessarie to bee receiued because they are not found in the holie scriptures As for the prerogatiue of antiquitie cannot argue a certaine knowledge of the fact in these ancient fathers seeing in two or three hundreth yeares that was before their time and the time of the deede supposed to be done any fable might be obtruded vnder pretence of such tradition as we prooue that many were Yea when they that were neerest of all to the Apostles time as Polycarpus and Anicetus do not agree what was the Apostles traditioÌ„ which was not expressed in their writing it is manifest that they of much latter time coulde haue no certeintie thereof And that whatsoeuer ceremonie or practise the Apostles deliuered which was not expressed in the scripture was but temporall or arbitrarie in the power of the Church to vse or not vse as it might best serue for edifying Finally where you affirme that Fulk came but yesterday from the Grammar schole to make it seeme that he is but a yong grammatian either your dayes be neere as long as thirtie yeres or else your pen runneth beyond your knowledge of him or at leastwise your malice ouer reacheth your knowledge But yet to this extremitie of crediting one Charke or Fulke before so many auncient fathers you say you are driuen and bid men hearken a little howe D. Fulke handleth these men about traditions And first S. Cyprian alledging the tradition of Christ himselfe concerning the mingling of wine and water in the chalice but if Cyprian had beene well vrged faith Fulke he would haue better considered of the matter Thus you woulde make men beleeue that I oppose nothing but mine owne authoritie or credit against S. Cyprian But then you shamefully beelie me for this is the matter and these are my wordes which you haue gelded at your pleasure Whereas Cyprian ad Pompeiâ—â— calleth all traditions to the writinges and commandements of the Apostles Martiall cryeth out that Cyprian is slandered because he himselfe alleageth the tradition of Christ for mingling of water with wine If Cyprian breake his owne rule who can excuse him But if he had beene vrged as much for the necessitie of water as he was for the necessitie of wine in the sacrament he would haue better considered of the matter Who seeth not I suppose no lesse authoritie against Cyprian than of Cyprian himselfe and therefore I boast not of mine owne credite aboue his To proceede Tertullian is alleaged saying that the blessing with the signe of the crosse is an apostolike tradition Fulke Tertullians iudgement of tradition without scripture in that place is corrupt If I should search no further heere is a reason of Fulkes mislike of Tertullians iudgement added because he affirmeth tradition of the Apostles without the writing of the Apostles But in deede there is in the place by you noted other argumentes in these wordes Tertullians iudgement of tradition without scripture in that place is corrupt for Martiall himselfe confesseth that a tradition vnwritten should be reasonable and agreeable to the scriptures and so he sayth the tradition of blessing with the crosse is because the Apostles by the holy ghost deliuered it But who shall assure vs thereof Tertullian and Basill are not sufficient warrant for so worthy a matter seeing S. Paule leaueth it out of the vniuersall armour of God This last and inuincible argument in rehearsing my wordes you leaue out which because perhaps you could not see in sewe wordes I will set it more abroade The vniuersall spirituall armour of God is deliuered by S. Paule Eph. 6. blessing with the signe of the crosse is not there deliuered by S. Paul therefore blessing with the signe of the crosse is no part of the spirituall armour of God Nowe let vs see whether you will beleeue a Paule before a Tertullian or a Basill or a Fulke with S. Paule before a Basil with Tertullian without S Paule or against S. Paule But you goe forwarde S. Ierome is alleaged saying that lent fast is the tradition of the Apostles Fulke Ierome vntruely ascribeth that tradition to the Apostles My wordes are against Bristowes Mot. pag. 35. these Againe S. Ierome fayth it was a tradition of the Apostles to fast 40. dayes in the yeare If this be true then is the popish storie false that maketh Telesphorus bishoppe of Rome author of that lenten fast Eusebius sheweth y e great diuersitie of fasting before Easter li. 5. cap. 26. saying that some fasted but one day some two dayes some more some 40. houres of day and night This diuersitie prooueth that Ierome vntruely ascribeth that tradition to the Apostles which should haue beene kept vniformely if it had any institution
is charged by Tertullian For Marcions heresie was not so generally receiued by the Greeke Churche that all men would yeeld vnto him neither was Tertullian so souÌ„d of iudgement in the Latine Church that whatsoeuer he iudged to be a corruption in Marcion must of necessity be so taken But if adding and detracting from the Scripture be proper notes of heretikes who can purge Stephen Gardiner Gregorie Martine The one for adding vnto a the verse of the Psalme this pronowne se him selfe to proue the carnall presens citing it thus Escam se dedit timentibus eum He gaue himselfe to be meate to them that feare him whereas the words of the Prophet according to the Hebrue Greeke and Latine are no more but Escam dedit He hath giuen meat c. The other in his fond booke of schisme citing this text out of 1. Cor. 10. as many Papistes doe against the certaintie of Faith Qui stat videat ne cadat He that standeth let him take heede he fall not Whereas not only the truth of the Greeke but euen the vulgar Latin translation hath Qui se existimat stare He that thinketh or supposeth that he standeth let him take heede that he fall not But of such additions and detractions vsed by the Romishe rattes farre worse than the myse of Pontus we shall haue more occasion to speake hereafter MART. 5. Another way is to make false translations of the Scriptures for the maintenaunce of errour and heresie so did the Arians as S. Hierome noteth in 26. Esa. reade and translate Prouerb 8. Dominus creauit me in intio viarum suarum that is The Lord created mein the beginning of his waies so to make Christ the wisedom of God a mere creature S. Augustin also lib 5. cont Iulian. c. 2. noteth it as the interpretation of some Pelagian Gen. 3. Fecerunt sibi vestimenta for perizómata or campestria that is They made them selues garments Whereas the word of the Scripture is bâ—eeches or aprons proper and peculiar to couer the secretparts Againe the selfe same heretikes did read falsely Rom. 5. Regnauit mors ab Adam vsque ad Moysen etiam in eos qui peccauerunt in similitudinem praeuaricationis Adae that is Death reigned from Adam to Moyses euen on them that sinned after the similitude of the preuaricatioÌ„ of Adam to maintaine their heresie against originall sinne that none were infected therewith or subiect to death damnation but by sinning actually as Adam did Thus did the old heretiks FVLK 5. As touching false and hereticall translations which is the chiefe argument of this booke I doubt not but by the grace of god to cleare our english translators from any wilfull corruptions for the maintenance of any errour or heresie such as were those of the Arrians Pelagians which Gregorie Martin as though he vttered some great peece of skill doth so diligently expresse I shall haue occasion also to shew that the Papistes them selues of our times maintaining their corrupt vulgar translation against the truth of the originall textes of Greeke and Hebrew are most guiltie of such corruption and falsification whereof although they be not the first authors yet by obstinate defending of such errors they may proue worse than they which did first commit them For the authors of that vulgar translation might be deceiued either for lacke of exact knowledge of the tongues or by some corrupt and vntrue copies which they followed or else perhaps that which they had rightly translated by fault of the writers negligence of the times might be peruerted but these men frowardly iustifying all errours of that translation howsoeuer they haue bene brought in do giue plaine testimony that they are not led with any coÌ„scieÌ„ce of Gods truth but wilfully carried with purpose of maintaining their owne errours least if they did acknowledge the errour of the Romish church in that one point they should not bee able to defende any one iote of their heresie whose chiefe colour is the credit and authoritie of that particular and false church rather than any reason or argument out of the holy Scriptures or testimonie of the most auncient Christian and Catholike church MART. 6. What these of our daies is it credible that being so wel warned by the condeÌ„nation detestation of theÌ„ they also would be as mad and as impious as those Heretikes gentle Reader be alwayes like Heretikes and howsoeuer they differ in opinions or names yet in this point they agree to abuse the Scriptures for their purpose by all meanes possibly I will but touch foure points of the fiue before mentioned because my purpose is to stay vpon the last onely and to discipher their corrupt translations But if I would stand vpon the other also were it not easie to shew the maner of their proceeding against the Scriptures to haue bene thus to deny some whole bookes and partes of bookes to call other some into question to expound the rest at their pleasure to picke quarrels to the very originall and Canonicall text â—o fester and infect the whole bodie of the Bible with cancred translations FVLK 6. It is very true that so many Heretikes as pretend the authoritie of the holy Scriptures abuse the same to their owne destruction and no Heretikes worse than the Antichristians or Papistes As partly hath bene seene already in euery one of your fiue markes more may appeare in those foure pointes which you will handle in the Preface because the argument of your whole booke is the fift so that in the ende you shal be proued no wiser with your fiue pointes than he that came forth with his fiue egges neuer a good of them all But you aske if it were not easie for you to shew if you would stand vpon them that the Protestants vse all the said siue meanes of defacing the Scripture I answer no and that shal you see when demonstratioÌ„ is made how vainly you haue laboured in the last point which howsoeuer you would haue it appeare to be a sudden writing of small trauail by interlacing a few lines here there against M. Whitaker against me some other yet it is euident both by Bristowes threatning and Campions promise that it hath bene a work of some yeares vnto you wherin beside that you are beholding much to Lindanus for diuers quarrels against Caluin and to sir Thomas More for many cauillations against W. Tyndals translation there is litle worthy of so long study and large promises as haue gone before this diligent discouerie so that if you will make the like triall in the rest you shall finde them as hard to proue as this last MART. 7. Did not Luther deny S. Iames epistle so contemne it that he called it an epistle of strawe and not worthy of an Apostolicall spirit must I proue this to M. Whitakers who would neuer haue denied it so vehemently in the superlatiue degree for
and great study the remnants monuments tokens steppes and examples of the auncient reading are all conteined and the way how to compare the olde and new reading is shewed of which truely being compared togither a very certaine way is extant to the prescript rule whereof the holy mysteries may be shewed forth examples whereof sometime in this worke in due place and else where also with Gods helpe we will set forth Thus farre Arias Montanus whose iudgement if you say you are not bound to follow yet I suppose you can yeelde no sufficient reason why you should not credit his testimonie concerning the certaintie of the Hebrew veritie remaining to this daye and which shall remaine to the worldes ende although all the smatterers among you would brast for spite against it Concerning the opinion of them which thinke that Moses might leaue out Cainan in the genealogy of Sem by the same spirit that Mathew left out three kings in the genealogie of our Sauiour I answer if it be lawfull so to imagine we may without studie answer all controuersies although the same reason is not of Moses compiling a certaine account of the time from the floud to the calling of Abraham and of Mathew shewing by the legall discent which euery man might take out of the bookes of Kinges and Chronicles that Christ was the sonne of Dauid and therefore he was not bound to the number of successors seeing for memorie it was his purpose to recite but thrise foureteene generations That Beda maruaileth at the doubt which he could not dissolue his modestie is to be commended rather than his knowledge Neuerthelesse the same Beda in his preface vnto his retractation vpon the Acts of the Apostles speaking of such difference as he founde in the Greeke text of the Actes from the Latine he saith Quae vtrum negligentia interpretis omissa c. Which things whether they were omitted through negligence of the Interpreter or otherwise vttered or for lack of regard of the writers depraued or otherwise left as yet we coulde not know For I dare not so much as suspect that the Greeke copie was falsified wherefore I admonish the Reader that wheresoeuer we haue done these things he reade thē for his learning yet that he interlace them not in his booke as places corrected except perhaps he shal find the same in some Latine booke of a peculiar edition to haue bene of olde so interpreted This place sheweth that in Bedes time there were more Latine translatiōs than one that the vulgar Latine was not of such authoritie but that it might be corrected by the Greeke with the consent of other auncient Latine translations Likewise vpon the text in question Lib. 1. in Luc. cap. 3. he confesseth that the name generation of Cainan according to the Hebrew verity is found neither in Genesis nor in the Chronicles saying that S. Luke tooke this generation from the edition of the Septuaginta But whether is the truer or whether both can be true he leaueth it to the knowledge of God Noting that whereas according to the Hebrew verity from the floud to the birth of Abrahā there were but 292. yeares the 70. make 1077. so that the difference is no lesse than of 785. yeares But to fauour this fact of Beza in putting out the name of Cainan there is an auncient copie of the Gospels Actes in Greeke and Latine of as great antiquitie by all likelihood as any copie this day extant in Christendome sent vnto the Vniuersitie of Cambridge this laste yeare by Beza him selfe there to be kept in the cōmon librarie in which copie this generation of Cainan both in the Greeke in the Latine is cleane left out euen as Beza hath done in his translation So that he hath not onely the authoritie of Moses which of it selfe is sufficient but also the testimonie of this most aūcient booke both for the Greeke for the Latine to approue his facte in putting out Qui fuit Cainan What your vulgar latine translation hath left out in the later ende of the Lordes prayer in S. Mathew and in the beginning and middest in S. Luke whereby that heauenly prayer is made vnperfect not comprehending all things that a Christian man ought to pray for beside many other like omissions whether of purpose or of negligence and iniurie of time yet still by you defended I spare to speake of in this place MART. 23. Which also may be proued by all their false translations being the principall point I meane to speake of most euidently For as now they translate falsly to their purpose because they can not alter the text so would they if it were possible haue the text agreeable to their translation For example he that translateth ordinances when it is in the originall Greeke text iustifications and traditions he would rather that it were ordinances also in the Greeke but because he can not bring that about he doth at the least what he can to make the ignorant beleeue it is so by so translating it FVLK 23. You shall neuer be able to proue by any trāslatiō of ours though perhaps in some we may erre that we haue any purpose either to falsifie the truth or to change the text though it were possible for vs. In translating we haue dealt with a good conscience albeit not alwaies peraduenture we haue attained to the full truth which in translating out of one tongue into another is a very hard point throughly to obserue Your example of ordinances translated for that which in the Greeke is iustifications and tradition when you shewe where and by whome it is so translated you shall receiue an answer In the meane time I say a translator that hath regard to interprete for the ignorant peoples instruction may sometimes depart from the etymology or common signification or precise turning of worde for word and that for diuerse causes You your selues translate not Ecclesia alwayes the Church but sometimes the assemblie nor Seniores Elders but Seniors or auncients Neither would you translate Presbyter alwaies a priest if you translated the olde Testament In the storie of Susanna you would not call them Priestes that layd waite for her honestie and life yet in your vulgar Latine they are called Priestes So are they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke in the new Testament which you turne sometimes Priests sometimes auncients and sometimes Seniors MART. 24. And this of all other is the most fine and subtill treacherie against the Scriptures to deceiue the ignorant readers withall which S. Paule calleth the secret thinges of dishonestie and adulterating of the word of God as it were mingling water with wine like false vinteners when they giue them for Gods word vnder the name of Gods word their owne words and not Gods forged and framed altered and changed according to differences of times and varietie of new opinions and diuersitie of humors and spirits diuersly and differently
wilful needlesse or hereticall aâ—oyding For although the mariage of ecclesiasticall ministers generally is proued by that Scripture yet the mariage of votaries specially is nothing confirmed And for the mariage of Bishops Priestes and Deacons your owne translation of 1. Tim. 3. and Tit. 1. both Latine and English will warrant them to be the husbandes of one wife so that euery childe may see that he needed not for that purpose to corrupt the texte 1. Cor. 9. And as for the other texts 2. Pet. 1. although this worde by good workes is not expressed in the moste Greeke copies yet the whole circumstance of the place giueth it necessarily to be vnderstoode and yet it maketh nothing agaynst iustification by fayth only For our election which is most certaine immutable in Gods determinatioÌ„ is made certainly knowen vnto vs by good workes the fruites of iustifying faith euen as the effectes doe necessarily proue the cause gone before And so dothe Thomas Mathewes Bible note likewise the Bishops Bible and the Geneua Bible for so I had rather call them than by the yeares in whiche they were once printed whiche haue bene often printed and perhaps all in some one yeare Couerdales Bible also addeth these wordes by good workes whiche is redde in some Greeke copies So true it is that you say wee leaue it out because wee holde the selfe same heresie As likewise that you slaunder vs to hold that good workes are not necessarie to saluation whereas we beleeue that good workes are as necessarie to saluation as fayth in all them that are iustified by faith onely But because you are not able to withstand the truth which we beleeue you faine odious Monsters as Dragons Centaures Hydraes to fight withall before the people that you might gette the prayse of glorious conquerours like S. George on horsebacke that in a pageant vanquisheth an hideous dragon made of paper or painted clothes MART. 37. So do they in infinite places alter the olde text which pleased them well before they were Heretikes and they do it with brasen faces and playne protestation hauing no shame nor remorse at all in fleeing from that which all antiquitie with one consent allowed and embraced vntill their vnhappie daies Which though it be an euident condemnation of their nouelties in the sight of any reasonable man that hath any grace yet as I began to admonish thee gentle Reader we will not charge them for altering the auncient approued Latin translation because they pretend to folowe the Hebrue and Greeke and our purpose is not here to proue that they should not folowe the Hebrue and Greeke that now is before the auncient approued Latine text which is done briefly already in the preface to the new Testament FVLK 37. You were afrayde belike to be ouermatched in rayling and therefore you thought to beare vs downe at once with a whole floud of reprochfull slaunders and that you vtter euen with the same face with which you affirme that al antiquitie with one consente allowed and embraced your vulgar Latine texte for what else you shoulde meane I cannot coniecture seing you say afterwarde you will not charge vs for altering the auncient approued Latine translation What say you Martin doth all antiquitie with one consent allowe and imbrace your vulgar Latine translation What is the cause then that the most of all antiquitie of the Latine Church vsed not your vulgar Latine text or dare you ioyne issue with me that all the Latine doctors for 400 yeares after Christe vsed none other Latine translation but that or that they all knewe your vulgar Latine translation you are neuer able to proue it The 70. translation in deede was greatly esteemed and almost generally receyued in the Greeke and Latine Churches and out of it were innumerable Latine versions as S. Augustine affirmeth But your vulgar Latine followeth it not in many places as it were easie to shewe if time and occasion serued and I suppose you will not denie As for the reasons you bring in the Preface to the newe Testament to proue that we should not followe the Hebrue and Greeke that now is before that auncient approued text when they come to be considered it shall appeare how vayne and friuolous they are But as for the Hebrue and Greeke that now is may easilie be proued to be the same that alwaies hath bene neither is their any diuersitie in sentence how soeuer some copies eyther through negligence of the writer or by any other occasion do varie from that which is commonly and most generally receyued in some letters syllables or wordes MART. 38. Neither will we burden them for not folowing the vulgar Latine texte when the same agreeth with most auncient Greeke copies which notwithstanding is great partialitie in them must needes be of an heretical wilful humor that among the Greeke copies themselues they reiect that which moste agreeth with the vulgar Latine text in places of controuersies Yet will wee not I say neither in this case lay falsehood and corruption to their charge because they pretend to translate the common Greeke text of the newe Testament that is one certaine copie But here at the least lette them shewe their fidelitie and that they be true and exact translatours For here onely shall they be examined and called to account FVLK 38. In translation we follow the common vsuall and printed coppies as you doe in your translation and yet you know there be as many yea ten times as many diuerse readings in the Latine as are in the Greeke witnesse hereof the Bible printed at Antwerpe by Christopher Plantine 1567. of Hentenius castigation where the margents almost of euerie leafe be full of diuerse readings obeliskes asterisks stigmates signifying the variety that is in many copies by adding detracting chaunging The same is confessed by Arias Montanus Lindanus likewise acknowledgeth as much Of that which you say we reiect that which best agreeth with the vulgar Latine in places of controuersie you bring none example But that among your diuerse readings you reiect that which agreeth best with the Hebrue and with the Greeke in places of controuersie I will giue you an example Gen. 3 v. â—5 where the Hebrue truth teacheth that the seede of the woman shall breake the serpentes heade and the Greeke translateth the pronoune in the masculine gender he meaning Christ and some auncient copies of your vulgar Latine haue ipse you neuerthelesse followe that blasphemous corruption that in these later times hath bene receiued in your vulgar Latine Bibles and reade still in your texte ipsa she which though you would wrest blasphemously to the virgin Marie which is proper to Christ can not by the circumstance of the place be aptly referred to any but to Eue. MART. 39. And if they followe sincerely their Greeke and Hebrue text which they professe to followe and which they esteeme the onely authenticall texte so farre we accuse them not of hereticall
say we you can not so answer the matter for in other places you translate it duely and truely tradition and why more in one place than in another They are ashamed to tell why but they must tell and shame both thom selues and the deuill if euer they thinke it good to answer this treatise as also why they changed congregation which was alwaies in their first translation into Church in their later translations and did not change likewise ordinances into traditions Elder◠into Priestes FVLK 51. That the Thessalonians had some parte of Christian doctrine deliuered by word of mouth that is by the Apostles preaching at such time as he did write vnto them and some part by his Epistles the text enforceth vs to graunt and we neuer purposed to denye But that the Church at this daye or euer since the newe Testament was written had any tradition by worde of mouth of any matter necessary to saluation which was not contayned in the olde or newe Testament we will neuer graunt neither shall you euer be able out of this text or any text in the Bible to proue Make your Syllogismes when you dare and you shall be aunswered But we knowe you saye that the Greeke word signifieth tradition as plaine as possibly but here and in like places we rather translate it ordinances instructions and what else soeuer We knowe that it signifieth tradition constitution instruction precept also mancipation treatise treason For al these the Greeke Dictionaries do teach that it signifieth Therefore if in any place we haue translated it ordinaunces or instructions or institutions we haue not gone from the true signification of the worde neither can you euer proue that the worde signifieth such a doctrine onely as is taught by worde of mouth and is not or may not be put in writing But in other places you can tell vs that we translate it duely and truly tradition and you will know why more in one place than in another affirming that we are shamed to tell why For my part I was neuer of counsaile with any that translated the Scriptures into English and therefore it is possible I can not sufficiently expresse what reason moued the translators so to varie in the exposition of one and the same worde Yet can I yeelde sufficient reason that might leade them so to doe which I thinke they followed The Papistes doe commonly so abuse the name of tradition which signifieth properly a deliuerie or a thinge deliuered for such a matter as is deliuered onely by worde of mouth and so receaued from hande to hande that it is neuer put in writing but hath his credite without the holye Scriptures of God as the Iewe had their Cabala and the Scribes Pharisees had their traditions beside the lawe of God and the Valentinian Heretikes accused the Scriptures as insufficient of authoritie and ambiguously written and that the truth could not be found in them by those that knewe not the tradition which was not deliuered by writing but by worde of mouth iumpe as the Papists doe This abusing of the word tradition might be a sufficient cause for the translators to render the Greeke worde where it is taken for such doctrine as is beside the commaundement of God by the name of tradition as the worde is commonly taken But where the Greeke worde is taken in the good parte for that doctrine which is agreeable with the holy Scriptures they might with good reason auoide it as you your selfe doe not alwayes translate tradere to betray but sometimes to deliuer So did the translators giue these words ordinances instructions institutions or doctrine deliuered which doe generally signifie the same that tradition but haue not the preiudice of that partiall signification in which the Papistes vse it who wheresoeuer they find tradition straight way imagine they haue found a sufficient argument against the perfection and sufficiencie of the holy Scripture and to bring in all riffe raffe and trishe trashe of mans doctrine not onely beside but also contrarye to the manifest worde of God conteined in his most holy and perfect Scriptures To the shame of the deuill therefore and of all popish maintainers of traditions vncommaunded by God this reason may be yelded Nowe to aunswer you why Ecclesia was first translated congregation and afterward Church the reason that moued the firste translators I thinke was this the worde Churche of the common people at that tyme was vsed ambiguously both for the assemblie of the faythfull and for the place in which they assembled for auoyding of which ambiguitie they translated Ecclesia the congregation and yet in their Creede and in the notes of their Bibles in preaching writing they vsed the word Church for the same the later translators seing the people better instructed able to discerne when they read in the Scriptures the people from the place of their meeting vsed the worde Church in their translations as they did in their preaching These are weightie matters that wee muste giue accompt of them Why we chaunge not ordinances into traditions and Elders into Priests wee will answere when we come to the proper places of them In the meane season wee thinke there is as good cause for vs in translating sometime to auoide the termes of traditions and prieste as for you to auoid the names of Elders calling them auncients and the wise men sages as though you had rather speake French than English as we do Like as you translate Conside haue a good hart after the french phrase rather than you would say as we do be of good comforte MART. 52. The cause is that the name of Church was at the first odious vnto thē because of the Catholike Church which stoode against them but afterward this name grewe into more favour with them because of their English Church so at length called and termed But their hatred of Priests and traditions continueth still as it first began and therefore their translation also remaineth as before suppressing the names both of the one and of the other But of all these their dealings they shal be told in their seuerall chapiters and places FVLK 52. I pray you who translated first the creed into the English tongue and taught it to the people for that cause were accounted heretikes of the Antichristian Romish rable If the name of Churche were odious vnto them why didde they not suppresse that name in the creede whyche they taught to yong and olde and in steede of Catholike Church call it the vniuersal congregation or assembly Wel Dauus these things be not aptely diuided according to their times The firste translation of the Bible that was printed in the english tong in very many places of the notes vseth the name Church most notoriously in the song of Salomon where before euery other verse almost it telleth which is the voice of the Church to Christ her spous◠which no reasonable man would thinke the translators would
coynes on which was stamped the figure of Dianaes temple more like to your Popish shrines than to the temple of God Where idols are translated deuotions I knowe not except you meane Act. 17. v. 23. where the worde is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which your vulgar Latine translatour 2. Thess. 2. calleth quod colitur that which is deuoutly worshipped so the worde signifieth whatsoeuer is religiously worshipped or adored and not idols as you say nor simulachra images as your translatour calleth them Act. 17. For it is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to adore to worship to honour deuoutly or religiously Euerie humane creature signifieth in that place 1. Pet. 2. euerie magistrate of what creation or ordination soeuer he bee and so is meant by that translation all ordinaunces of men not all lawes of men which yet were not impious if you adde the restraint for the Lorde for whome nothing can be that is against his lawe The rest of your quarrels bee all aunswered before MART. 46. What caused these straunge speeches in their Englishe Bibles Thou shalt not leaue my soule in the graue Thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest graue A couetous maÌ„ is a worshipper of images By laying on of the hands of the Eldership Haile freely beloued SINNE lieth at the dore and thou shalt rule ouer HIM Breake of thy sinnes with righteousnesse for Redeeme with almes Ielousie is cruell as the graue for as hell Cant. Cant. 8. Bib. an 1579. The griefes of the graue caught me Psalm 116. And God will redeeme my soule from the power of the graue O graue I will be thy destruction Os. 13. and such like what made Caluine so translate into Latine that if you turne it into English the sense is that God powred water vpon vs aboundantly meaning the holy Ghost what else but because he would take away the necessitie of materiall water in Baptisme as in his commentarie and Bezaes it is euident FVLK 46. These speaches are not straunge in Gods Church howe soeuer they sound in your eares So many of them as translate for Sheol the graue haue their answeres sect 32. and chap. 7. which is appointed for that question The couetous man a worshipper of images sect 5. of this chapter and chap. 3. numb 12. The laying â—â— of hands of the Eldership is warranted by the signification of the Greeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a companie of Elders as it is translated by your owne vulgar Latine interpreter Luk 22. vers 66. Senioreâ— plebis The Elders of the people and Act. 22. v. 5. he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Omnes maiores natu And for a consistorie of Elders is the worde Presbyterium vsed in Latine by Cyprian lib. 3. epist. 11. and lib. 2. epist. 8. 10. Of haile freely beloued we spake lately sect 43. Of the text Gen. 4. v. 7. sinne lieth at the dore c. sect 28. and chap. 10. sect 9. of Dan. 4. breake for redeeme thy sinnes sect 41. If Caluine Tit. 3. did wrongly interprete that which is spoken of water to be ment of the holie Ghost what is that to our translation But certaine it is that Caluine neuer meant to take away the necessitie of materiall water from the sacrament of baptisme although he taught that the want of the externall sacrament where it cannot be had doth not depriue gods electe from eternal saluation neither hath Beza anye other meaning in his annotation MART. 47. I hadde meant to haue but briefly skimmed ouer these things but multitude of matter maketh me too long as it chaunceth to a manne that wadeth thoroughe myrie and foule places and yet the greatest demonstration that they are wilfull corrupters is behinde whiche onelye I will adde and for the reste referre the reader to the whole booke FVLK 47. It is a smal signe that multitude of matter is cause of your length when you repeate one matter in so manye sections your similitude of a manne wading in foule and myrie places doth well agree vnto you for you haue beene all this while wading in the puddle of youre slaunders misprisions and false and false accusations in which you haue so berayed your selfe as you shall not easily purge your selfe from the myre of them But because you say the greatest demonstration that we are wilfull corrupters is behind though it be tedious for vs to rake in such a gogmyre of your forgeries and false accusations yet we will take courage and consider what mayne demonstration you can make to proue vs in our English translations to be wilful corrupters MART. 48. Doubt you whether they translate of purpose and partialitie in fauour of their opinions you shall heare them selues say so and protest it If I dealt with Lutherans this one testimonie of Luther were sufficient who being asked why he added onely into the text Rom. 3. answered that he did it to explicate the Apostles sense more plainly that is to make the Apostle say more plainly that faith onely iustified And his Disciple Illyricus disputeth the matter that the Apostle saying by faith without workes saith in deede onely faith But because I deale rather with our English Caluinists and Beza is their chiefe translator and a Captaine among them whome they professe to follow in the title of the new Testament anno 1580. and by the very name of their Geneua Bibles let vs see what he sayth FVLKE 48. I thinke there is no man doubteth but they translated the Scripture with purpose to maintaine their opinions but whether they haue wittingly and wilfully translated falsely to maintaine any errours or hereticall opinions that is the matter in question and which hath neede of your greatest demonstration to make it apparant That Luther might rightly interprete the place Rom. 3. of onely faith iustifying by the excluding of works I haue before acknowledged Illyricus doth rightly defend it But that he did put in the worde only in his translation which is not in the originall I will not take vpon me to excuse seeing the truth of that doctrine is manifest without that addition and Luther him selfe in his later editions hath reformed it Againe what fault soeuer other men haue committed in their translation we are vniustly charged therewith except we follow the same in ours That we professe to follow Beza by the very name of our Geneua Bibles it is a very ridiculous argument For our Bibles are so commonly called because they were translated and first printed at Geneua not by Beza who at that time had scarse finished his translation of the newe Testament and neuer dealt with translating of the olde so farre as we knowe but by certaine godlye and learned Englishe men which liued there in Queene Maries time to enioy the libertie of a good conscience which they could not haue in their owne Country MART. 49. First concerning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
vs through faith Rom. 4. The Papistes say it is a qualitie inherent within vs for which wordes and matter they haue no warrant in the holy Scripture MART. 54. These few examples proue vnto vs that the Scriptures translated verbatim exactly and according to the proper vse and signification of the wordes do by the Heretikes confession make for the Catholikes and therefore Beza saith he altereth the wordes into other and I thinke it may suffice any indifferent reader to iudge of his purpose and meaning in other places of his translation and consequently of theirs that either allow him or follow him which are our English Caluinists and Bezites Many other waies there are to make mosta certaine proofe of their Wilfulnesse as when the translation is framed according to their false and hereticall commentarie and When they will auouch their translations out of prophane writers Homer Plutarch Plinie Tullie Virgil and Terence and reiect the Ecclesiastical vse of wordes in the Scriptures and Fathers which Beza doth for the most part alwaies But it were infinite to note all the markes and by these the wise reader may conceiue the rest FVLK 54 These examples proue nothing lesse For to runne ouer them all briefly the first two we translate verbatim A man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law and repent and repētance we say for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What make these for Poperie If Luc 1. v. 6. we should call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iustifications what should Poperie gaine but a vaine cauill when you your selues cōfesse that those iustifications are often vsed for commandements Act. 2. v. 27. all our English translations are as you would haue them Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption by which verse no descent into Limbus but the resurrection from death can be proued If wee translate as you do Act. 3. v. 21. whome heauen must receaue wee will easily conuince that Christe muste be receaued of heauen In the laste example the question is not howe the worde is to be translated but by what worde the want of the texte is to be supplied whiche wee supplie not with wordes of our owne but with the Apostles owne wordes Haue you not gayned greatly by translating verbatim exactly and according to the proper vse and signification of the wordes I lyke well that euery indifferent Reader may iudge by these examples of Bezaes purpose in other places of his translation But you haue two other wayes to make certaine proofe of their wilfulnesse The firste is when the translation is framed according to their hereticall commentarie A reasonable man would thinke rather that the commentarie were framed according to the texte than the texte to the commentarie But to iustifie the truth of those translations for the firste texte you quote it is handled sect 26. of this chapter and so consequently Cap. 7. The seconde is answered sect 46. the other two concerning tradition sect 23. of the preface and in the chapiter following The second waye of proofe is when they will auouch their translations out of prophane writers I thinke there is no better waye to know the proper or diuerse signification of wordes than out of auncient writers though they be neuer so prophane who vsed the wordes most indifferently in respect of our controuersies of which they were altogither ignorant As for the ecclesiasticall vse of wordes in the Scripture and the Fathers which Beza you say doth for the most part reiect it is vntrue except there be good and sufficient cause why he should so do warranted by the Scripture it selfe or necessarie circumstances of the places which he doth translate For if the Scripture haue vsed a worde in one signification sometimes it is not necessarie that it should alwaies vse it in the same signification when it is proued by auncient writers that the worde hath other significations more proper to the place and agreeable to the rule of fayth which perhaps the vsuall signification is not As for example the Scripture vseth very often this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a boy or seruaunt but when the same worde is applied to our Sauiour Christ in the prayer of the Apostles Act. 4. 27. Who woulde not rather translate it childe or sonne as the worde doth sometime but more seldome signifie Howe the Fathers of the Churche haue vsed wordes it is no rule for translators of the Scripture to followe who oftentimes vsed wordes as the people did then take them and not as they signified in the Apostles tyme. As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a publicke testification of repentaunce which wee call penaunce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for imposition of handes and suche like in whiche sense these wordes were neuer vsed before the Apostles times and therefore it is not lyke that they woulde beginne a newe vse of them without some manifest explication of their meaning without the whiche no man could haue vnderstoode them as they haue done in the vse of these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and such like It is not a faulte therefore prudently to seeke euen out of prophane writers what is the proper signification of wordes and howe many significations a woorde may haue and reuerently to iudge which is moste apte for the place to be translated and moste agreeable with the holy ghostes meaning in that texte and not alwaies to bee tyed to the vsuall signification of wordes as they are sometimes taken in Scripture and much lesse as they are vsed of the auncient Fathers MART. 55. But would you thinke that these men could notwithstanding speake very grauely and honestly against voluntarie and wilfull translations of Scripture that so notoriously offend therein them selues Harken what Beza saith against Castaleo and the like The matter saith he is now come to this point that the translatours of Scripture out of the Greeke into Latin or into any other tōgue think that they may lawfully doe any thing in translating Whom if a man reprehend he shall be answered by and by that they do the office of a translatour not that translateth worde for worde but that expresseth the sense So it commeth to passe that whiles euery man will rather freely folow his own iudgement than be a religious interpreter of the Holy Ghost he doth rather peruert many things than translate them Is not this well said if he had done accordingly but doing the cleane contrarie as hath ben◠proued he is a dissembling hypocrite in so saying and a wilfull Heretike in so doing and condemned by his owne iudgement FVLK 55. No wise man doubteth but they could both speake very grauely and auoyde most religiously al voluntarie wilful translations of scripture that might tende to maintaine any errour And the rather they will be perswaded that Beza hath auoyded that lewde kinde of translatiō for which he reproueth Castaleo when they shall see that
heauen c. IstuÌ„ locuÌ„ episcopi presbyteri noÌ„intelligentes c. This place Bishops Priests not vnderstanding take vpon them somewhat of the pride of the Pharizees so that they thinke they may eyther condemne the innocentes or lose the guiltie persons whereas with God not the sentence of the Priests but the life of the persons accused is inquired of Wee read in Leuiticus of the Lepers where they are coÌ„maunded to shewe them selues to the Priestes and if they haue the Leprosie then by the Priest they are made vncleane Not that Priestes make Lepers and vncleane persons but that they may haue knowledge of him that is a Leper and him that is no Leper and may discerne who is cleane or who is vncleane Therefore euen as the Prieste doth there make the Leper cleane or vncleane So here also the Bishop and Prieste doth binde or lose not them that be innocent or guiltie but according to his office when he shall heare the varietie of sinners he knoweth who is to be bound and who is to be loosed But where you saye the people went to diuerse ghostly fathers as before when that extraordinarie penitentiarie Priest was taken away for the adulterie of a Deacoâ— at ConstaÌ„tinople you speake beside the booke to make the ignorant beleeue that the people went to auricular shrift For in Constantinople where this priuie confession was taken away the people were left to their owne consciences At Rome the same time great offenders did open penance neither were there any such diuerse ghostly fathers as you speake of That Chrysostom sayth lib. 3. de sacerdotio we receiue it being so vnderstood as iâ— be not contrary to that I cited euen nowe our of Hie 〈…〉 But what maketh all this against translating Presbyter an Elder MART. 27 Nowe then to conclude this point seeing we haue such a cloud of witnesses as the Apostle speaketh euen from Christes time that testifie not onely for the name but for the very principall functions of externall Priesthood in offering the sucrifice of Christs bodie bloud in remitting sinnes and so forth what a peâ—â—ish malicious and impudent corruption is this for the defacing of the testimonies of the holy scriptures tending therevnto to seeke to scratch aduantage of the â—ord Presbyter and to make it signifie an Elder not a Priest Presbytenum Eldership rather than Priesthoode as if other new fangled companions that would forge an Heresie that there were no Apostles shoulde for that purpose translate it alwaies legates or that there were no Angels should translate it alwaies Messengers that Baptisme were but a Iudaical ceremony should translate it washing which Castalio did much more tolerably in his traÌ„siatioÌ„ than any of these should if he did it only of curiosity folly And if to take away al distinction of clergie laiâ—y the Protestantes should alwayes translate clerum lotte or lotterie as they do translate is for the same purpose parish and heritage might not Beza him selfe controule them saying that the auncient fathers transferred the name clerus to the Colledge of Ecclesiastical Ministers FVLK 27. A cloude of testimonies in deede you haue heaped togither not as the Apostle did to vpholde the certainty of faith but to obscure the light of truth For our traÌ„slation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Elder is true cleare plaine without ambiguity Insomuch as the vulgar Latin interpreter who as it semeth was a GreciaÌ„ therfore vseth gladly many Greeke termes doeth yet translate this woâ—d almost twise as ofteÌ„ senior or maior natu as he doth Presbyter wheÌ„ he speaketh of the ministers of the gospel How the ancieÌ„t writers applied vnto theÌ„ improperly the name of sacrificer as vnto the sacrameÌ„t the name of oblation or sacrifice I haue spoken already sufficiently Our translation therefore is nothing lyke your vai 〈…〉 supposall of of new fangled companions which to 〈…〉 Apostles Angels and Baptisme would turne the wordes into Legates Messengers washing Whereas we haue no purpose to denie any office or function of the Churche appointed by Christ but to distinguish in name as his spirite in the Scriptures doth alwaies the sacrificers of the old Testament from the Ministers of the new TestameÌ„t The worde Clerus 1. Pet. 5 which we translate parishe or heritage your selues in your notes of that place confesse to comprehende in signification all Christians whiche you are not able to proue that in S Peters time it was transferred vnto the college of ecclesiasticall ministers as Beza saith it was afterwarde wherefore it is one of your accustomed slauÌ„ders to say we traÌ„slate it so of purpose to take away all distinction of Cleargie and Laitie when al men know that wheresoeuer our Churches are established we retaine the distinction and so thinke it necessarie alwayes MART. 28. But alâ—s the effect of this corruption and heresie concerning Priestes hathe it not wrought within these fewe yeares such contempt of al Priestes that nothing is more odious in our countrey than that name which before was so honourable venerable now is among all men If ministery or Eldership were growen to estimation in steede thereof somwhat they had to say but that is yet more contemptible and especially Elders and Eldership for the Queenes Maiestie and her Counsailours wil permit none in gouernement of anie Churche in Englande and so they haue brought all to nothing else but profane laiâ—ie And no maruel of these horrible inconueniences for as the Sacrifice and Priesthoode goe togither and therfore were both honourable togither so when they had according to Daniels prophecie abolished the daily sacrifice out of the churche what remained but the contempt of Priestes and Cleargie and their offices so farre foorth that for the holy Sacrifice sake Priestes are called in great despite Massing Priestes of them that litle consider or lesse care what notable holy learned fathers of all ages since Christes time this their reproch toucheth and concerneth as by the testimonies before alleaged is manifest and whereof the Reader may see a peculiar Chapter in the late Apologie of the English Seminaries FVLK 28. A meruaylous corruption for vs to cal them Elders whom you in your translation call Auncients and the vulgar Latine before vs both called Seniores But what is come to passe I pray you by this wonderfull corruption The name of Popish Priestes is so contemptible that nothing is more odious in England And good cause why both for their blasphemie against God and traiterous practises against the honourable state of the realme and our most gratious Queene But Elders and Eldership you weene is more contemptible because the Queenes Maiestie her Counsailors will permit none in gouernment of any Churches in England and so they haue brought all to nothing else but prophane Laitie This trayterous slaunder of yours is as true as all the rest For although the Queenes Maiestie and the Counsaile do not
meane not falsely counted worthye but worthye in deede as when it is sayde that Abraham was reputed iust we acknowledge that he was truely so reputed and that he was iuste in deede But where you appeale to our consciences whether to be counted worthy and to be worthy and to deserue and to merite be not all one I answer you plainly and according to my conscience they be not But euen as Abraham was reputed iuste and was iuste in deede not by deserte but by faith so in those three texts the faithful are coūted worthy and are worthy in deede not by their merit and desert but for Iesus Christes sake For herein your heresie is greatly deceaued to imagine that he which is iust by Christ by faith or by imputation is not truely iust or not iust in deed For Christ faith and imputation are not contrary or opposed to truth but to merit or desert of the party that is iust by Christ by faith or by imputation and so we say of them that are accounted worthy for Christes sake and not for their owne merits MART. 15. They whome God doth make worthy they are truely and in deede worthy are they not but by your owne translation of the same word in the actiue voice God doth make them worthy Therefore in the passiue voice it must also signifie to be made or to be in deede worthy For example 2. Thess. 1 11. You translate thus we also praye for you THAT OVR GOD MAY MAKE YOV VVORTHY of this calling According to which translation why did you not also in the selfe same chapter a litle before translate thus That you MAY BE MADE VVORTHY and so be worthy of the kingdome of God for which also you suffer You knowe the case is like in both places and in the Greeke Doctors you specially should knowe by your ostentation of reading them in Greeke that they according to this vse of holy Scripture very often vse also this word both actiuely and passiuely to make worthy and to be made or to be worthy See the Greeke Liturgies FVLK 15. They must needes be worthye whome God maketh worthy but then are they not worthye by their merits or deserts but by his grace in Iesus Christ so our translators meane when they say 2. Thess. 1. 11. that our God may make you worthy of this calling although the clearer translation had bene that God may account you worthy as the vulgar Latine hath vt dignetur For dignor is not to make worthy but to vouchsafe or to account worthy Wherefore you doe vainely here snatch at a word contrary to the meaning both of the translator and of the text For those whom God maketh worthie are not worthie by their desert but by his grace accepting them How the Greeke Doctors vse the word it is not now the question but how it signifieth in the Scripture although I see not how you proue that the doctors vse it to make worthye or to be made worthie by desert MART. 16. Which Sainct Chrysostome to put all out of doubt explicateth thus in other wordes That he make vs worthie of the kingdome of heauen Ser. 1. de orando Deo And vpon the Epistle to Titus cap. 3. in the same sense passiuely God graunt we may all BE MADE VVORTHY or be worthie of the good things promised to thē that loue him And in an other place of the sayed Doctor it must needes signifie to be worthie as when he sayeth In Colos 1. No man liueth such a trade of life that he is worthie of the kingdome but all is his gift For to say thus No man so liueth that he can be counted worthie of the kingdom of heauen is false is against the Protestants owne opinion which say they are coūted worthy that are not Againe to say No man so liueth that he can be made worthie is false because God can make the worst man worthy It remaineth then to say No man so liueth that he is worthie Which a litle before he declareth thus No man by his owne proper merites obtaineth the kingdom of heauen that is as his owne and of him selfe without the grace of God And yet we must shewe further out of the Scriptures that God maketh vs worthie and so we are in deede worthie and here also we must conuince you of false and partiall interpretation FVLK 16. Sainct Chrysostome putteth not the matter any whit out of doubt for your side For he doth not expound this text of 2. Thess. 1. But only in the later end of his Sermon prayeth that God hauing mercie vpon vs all will make vs worthie of his kingdome Where you might haue seene if you had not bene blind with frowardnesse that God maketh vs worthie by his mercie not by our merites That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his prayer vpon the 3. to Titus is taken to be made worthie rather than to be accounted worthie you haue no proofe but your owne authoritie although for God to make worthy by his mercy to account worthie is all one in effect The third place in Epist. ad Col. cap. 1. is altogither against you Where he sayth no man liueth such a trade of life that he may be iudged or accounted worthie of that kingdome but all is the gift of God Is not his meaning plaine that no man can be accounted worthie by workes or merites but altogither by the grace and gift of God With this distinction therefore which is plaine euen by those wordes which you cite that Chrysostome maketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without any inconuenience may signifie in this place to be accounted worthie No man by his owne proper merites obtaineth the kingdom of heauen saith he but euen as a lot is rather by happe chaunce so it is here meaning that God giueth his kingdome no more according to mans desertes than lottes doe fall to men by chaunce which yet God disposeth as it pleaseth him Finally the whole discourse of the Doctor being against mans merites vsing the worde in the same place so often of Gods dignation vouchsafing or accounting worthie you had great scarsitie of examples out of the Doctors that bring this place to proue that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to be made worthie by merit and not by meere mercie MART. 17. The Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I pray you what doth it signifie ◠you must aunswere that it signifieth not onely meete but also worthie For so Beza reacheth you and so you translate Mat. 3. 11. cap. 8. 1. Cor. 15. 9. I am not worthie in all three places And why I pray you did you not likewise followe the olde Latine interpreter one steppe further saying Giuing thankes to God the father THAT HATH MADE VS VVORTHIE but translating rather thus Which hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saincts in light Here was the place where you should haue
Paule Ro. 5. v. 19. who maketh it all one to be iustified and to be made iust And againe by this reason that it shoulde bee manifestly repugnant to Gods iustice to account him for iuste that is not iuste and therfore that man in deede is made iust Thus Beza Woulde you not thinke hee were come to bee of our opinion but hee reuolteth againe and interpreateth all these goodly wordes in his olde sense saying Not that any qualitie is inwardly giuen vnto vs of which wee are named iust but because the iustice of Christe is imputed to vs by faith freely By faith then at the least we are truly iustified Not so neither but faith sayth he is an instrument wherewith we apprehende Christ our iustice So that we haue no more iustice in vs than we haue glorie for glorie also we apprehend by faith FVLK 2. Al learned meÌ„ I hope do see that you haue no regarde how vainely you cauil so you may seeme to the ignorant to say somthing against theÌ„ that be godly and learned Act. 13. v. 39. Beza translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absolui that is saith hee to bee declared iust or absolued and giueth this reason why he vseth not the worde iustificaâ—i in that place which he vseth elsewhere Ne quis illud ab omnibus perinde acciperet ac si casus esset modi aut instrumenti per quod iustiâ—icemur id est iustifiamus ac pronunciemur aut pro iustis habeamur hoc quidem loco malui absolueÌ„di verbum vsurpare vt magis perspicua esset oratio Least anie man should take this worde of the texte ab omnibus as though it were the case of the meane or instrument by which we are iustified that is made and pronounced iust or accounted for iuste In this place I chose rather to vse the worde of absoluing that the sentence mighte bee more cleare The Latine ab omnibus may signifie by all things or from all things Therefore leaste anye manne shoulde mistake the Apostle as thoughe hee saide wee are iustified by all those thinges where hee meaneth wee are iustified from all thinges Beza in this place vseth the worde of absoluing or acquitting in the same sense that he doth iustifying in other places where hee speaketh of the same matter and sayeth as plainely as a man can speake that to be iustified and to be made iuste or pronounced or accompted iust beefore God is all one Yet our Momus findeth faulte with him for expounding to be iustified Rom. 2. v. 13. to bee pronounced iuste as thoughe God will pronounce anye man iuste whiche is not iuste indeede But Beza hee saith elsewhere protesteth that to be iustified is not to be pronounced or accompted iuste but rather to be iust indeede If Martin hadde not beelyed Beza we shoulde haue hadde Bezaes wordes sette downe bothe in Latine and Englishe But in truth Beza hath no suche words yet in sense he hath thus muche that to be iustified before God is to be iuste indeede and not to bee onely pronounced or accompted iuste when hee is not so in deede But that wee are made truely iust indeede by the iustice of Christe whiche is imputed vnto vs freely by faith And as for that newe life or iustice whiche is called inhereÌ„t in vs it is not the cause but the witnes of that iustice by imputation of whiche wee are saued folowing him that is iustified and not going before iustification and faith indede is the instrument by which we apprehend Christ our iustice Neither doth Beza say that we are not truely iustified by faith but that faith is not the principall efficient cause which is the mercie of God but the instrumentall cause by whiche wee take holde of the mercie of God in Christe In al this Beza hath said nothing contrarie to himself nor to the truth And it is no absurditie to say that the iustice of Christe by which we are iustified is no more inherent in vs than his glorie And yet both assured vnto vs by faith As for that iustice whiche is an effect of Gods sanctifying spirite and a fruite of our iustification beefore God by whiche also we are iustified or declared iuste beefore men as S. Iames teacheth is inhereÌ„t in vs as also the first fruits of glorification by that peace of coÌ„science ioy that we haue in God being reconciled to vs by Christ. MART. 3. For this purpose bothe hee and the Englishe Bibles translate thus Abraham beleeued God and it was reputed to him FOR IVSTICE Rom. 4. v. 3. 9. Where he interpreateth for iustice to be nothing else but. in the steede place of iustice so also taking away true inherent iustice euen from Abraham himselfe But to admit their translation whiche notwithstanding in their sense is moste false must it nedes signifie not true inherent iustice because the Scripture saith it was reputed for iustice Do such speaches import that it is not so in deede but is onely reputed so Then if wee say This shall be reputed to thee for sinne for a greate benefite and so foorth it shoulde signifie it is no sinne indeede nor great benefite But let them call to mind that the Scripture vseth to speake of sinne and of iustice alike It shal be sinne in thee or vnto thee as they translate Bibl. 1577 or as S. Hierome translateth It shall bee reputed to thee for sinne Deut. c. 23. 24. as themselues translate it shall be righteousnesse vnto thee before the Lord thy God And againe Deut. c. 6. This shall bee our righteousnes before the Lord our God if we kepe al the commaundements as he hath commaunded vs. If then iustice onely be reputed sinne also is onely reputed if sin bee in vâ— indeede iustice is in vs indeede FVLK 3. Our translation taketh not from Abraham true iustice nor yet iustice inherent but declareth that he was not iustified before God by workes that is by iustice inherent but by faith whyche apprehendeth the iustice of Christ whych is altogyther without vs. And therefore you cauil in your olde rotten quarrell when you goe aboute to make reputed to bee contrarie to truthe or indeede Faith was reputed by God to Abraham for iustice indeede but not as iustice inherent And AbrahaÌ„ was truly iustified by faith as by an instrumentall cause not that faith was the iustice by which he was iust in the sight of God excluding all other causes but there was nothing in AbrahaÌ„ but faith which God accompted for iustice But Abrahams faith embraced the mercie of God in the promised seede in whiche as well hee as all the tribes of the earth should be blessed The places of scripture that you cite speaking of sinne iustice alike be not contrary to the imputation of iustice vnto them in which it is not inherent For in neither of both places the holy ghost vseth the word of imputation howsoeuer S. Hierome translateth
it should be Iustice is found in me For Greeke and Latine we will not contende because we translate not Daniel out of Greeke and Latine but out of the Chaldee But in good sadnes are you so deepely seene in Chaldee that you will auouch the proper signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be in me A huÌ„dreth boyes in Cambridge knowe that it signifieth as well in Chaldee as in Hebrew to me rather than in me But moste properly haue our translators expressed the phrase in English saying my iustice or vnguiltines was found out for of a vertue inherent Daniel speaketh otherwise Dan. 2. v. 30. to the king 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not by wisedome which is in mee So that heere your quarrell bewrayeth more spite than wit more malice than learning MART. 10. Againe it must needes be a spot of the same infection that they translate thus As Dauid DESCRIBETH the blessednes of the man vnto whome God imputeth righteousnes Rom. 4. 6. as though imputed righteousnes were the description of blessednes They knowe the Greeke doth not signifie to describe I woulde once see them precise in following the Greeke and the Hebrew if not we must looke to their fingers FVLK 10. It must needes come of an high wit to haue such deepe insight into other mens intents purposes But why I praye you is not righteousnes imputed by God c. and so forth as Paule sayth a description of mans blessednes If they had sayd defineth where they saye describeth you would haue made much a doe But can you not allowe this that the Prophet sayth to be a description of mans blessednesse howsoeuer it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth not to describe but to speake to saye to pronounce and in effect there is nothing els meant by the worde describeth here vsed but that Dauid pronounceth or setteth forth the blessednesse of man in such wordes You in your translation saye termeth as Dauid termeth which if you meane it not scornefully commeth as neare a definition as describeth the worde which we vse and our describeth is as neare the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as your termeth is to the Latine dicit But looke to our fingers and spare not to tell vs where you see vs goe wide from the Greeke or Hebrew but if you doe nothing but trifle and quarrell as you haue done hetherto be sure we will be bold to beshrew your fingers and hit you on the thumbes now and then also to your discredite CHAP. XII Hereticall translation for SPECIAL FAITH vaine securitie and ONELY FAITH MARTIN AL other meanes of saluation being thus taken away their onely and extreme refuge is Only faith the same not the Christian faith of the articles of the creede such like but a speciall faith confidence wherby euery man must assuredly beleeue that himselfe is the Sonne of God and one of the elect and praedestinate to saluation If he bee not by fayth as sure of this as of Christes incarnation he shall neuer be saued FVLK AL other meanes of saluation being taken away and only faith apprehending the mercie of God in the redeÌ„ption of Iesus Christ being left we haue great sufficient cause to account our selues happy and assured of eternall life because he that hath promised is faithfull also to performe But where you saye that our only faith is not the Christian faith of the articles of the creede you lye without measure impudently for that faith and none other doe we beleue teach and professe And that faith is a speciall faith and confidence in the mercie of God whereof euery man that beleueth doth make a singular confession for himselfe saying I beleeue in God c. And of all thinges contained in that profession of faith that is of forgiuenesse of sinnes resurrection of our bodies and life euerlasting by beliefe and trust in God the Father Almightie maker of heauen and earth and in Iesus Christ his only Sonne our Lorde conceiued borne suffered crucified deade buried descended into hell risen againe and ascended into heauen and in God the holy Ghost by whose gracious and mightie working we are incorporate into the bodie of Christ and made members of his holy Catholike Church which is the communion of Saincts euery Christian man ought to be as certainely persuaded as the things are most true being inwardly taught by the spirite of truth that he is the childe of God and consequently elect predestinate vnto eternall saluation But that a man sâ—â—â—l neuer be saued except he haue such certentie of this faith as the truth of Gods promises doth deserue none of vs doth teach none of vs doth thinke For we know our owne infirmitie we knowe the temptation of Satan neuerthelesse wee acknowledge in our selues and so seeke to persuade all men that these things standing vpon the immoueable pillers of Gods promises who can neyther deceiue nor be deceyued ought to be most certaine vnto vs and for dayly confirmation and increase of this faith all those meanes are of vs diligently to be vsed that God for this purpose in his holy Scripture hath appointed MART. 2. For this heresie they force the Greeke to expresse the very word of assurance and certaintie thus Let vs drawe nighe with a true hart IN ASSVRANCE OF FAITH Heb. 10. v. 22. and Beza Certa persuasione fidei that is with a certaine assured persuasion of faith interpreting him selfe more at large in another place that he meaneth thereby such a persuasion and so effectuall as by which we know assuredly without all doubt that nothing can separate vs from God Which their hereticall meaning maketh their traÌ„slation the lesse tolerable because they neither expresse the Greeke precisely nor intend the true sense of the Apostle they expresse not the Greeke which signifieth properly the fulness and coÌ„plement of any thing and therfore the Apostle ioyneth it sometime with faith els where Hebr. 6. v. 11. with hope with knowledge or Col. 2. v. 2. vnderstaÌ„ding to signifie the fulnes of all three as the vulgar Latin interpreter most sincerely Ro. 4. v. 21. alwaies translateth it to Timothee 2. Tim. 4. he vseth it to signifie the full accomplishment executioÌ„ of his ministerie in euery point Where a man may woÌ„der that Beza to maintaine his conceiued signification of this word translateth here also accordingly thus Ministerij tui plenaÌ„ fidem facito but their more currant Church English Bibles are coÌ„tent to say with the vulgar Latine interpreter fulfil thy ministerie or fulfil thine office to the vtmost And the Greeke fathers do finde no other interpretation Thus when the Greeke signifieth fulnesse of faith rather than assurance or certaine persuasion they translate not the Greeke precisely Againe in the sense they erre much more applying the foresaid wordes to the certaine assured faith that euery man ought to haue as they say of his
of Christe But where you tell vs of S. Hieromes translation it were somewhat worth if you could shewe it The vulgare Latine text wee may not graunte you to bee S. Hieromes as for his commentarie teacheth not the worde of redeeming which is the principall worde in controuersie And indeede it is a very absurde kinde of speach to say redeeme thy sinnes or deliuer thy sinnes for pherak signifieth none otherwise to redeme than to deliuer whereas if he had meant as you think hee shoulde haue saide rather redeeme thy soule from sinnes Christ himselfe the author of our redemption is not saide to haue redeemed our sinnes with his bloud but to haue redeemed vs from oure synnes by hys bloude MART. 19. And what a miserable humour is it in these cases to slie as far as they can from the auntient receiued speach of holie Scripture that hath so many yeres sounded in all faithful eares and to inuent newe termes and phrases when the original text both Greke and Hebrue fauoreth the one as much or more than the other as that they choose to say in the Epistle to Titus where the Apostle excedingly exhorteth to good works maintaine good workes and shewe foorth good works rather than according to the auncient Latine translation bonis operibus praeesse to be chiefe and principall in doing good workes which is the very true and vsual signification of the greeke worde and implieth a vertuous emulation among good men who shal doe moste good workes or excel in that kinde But they that looke to be saued by faith onely no maruell if neither their doings nor trāslatiōs tēd to any such excellēcie FVLK 19. What a miserable humour is it when the truth is plainly reuealed by knowledge of the tongs which was hidden from many of the auntient fathers to delight rather in error which is old than in truth which is newly discouered The worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the epistle to Titus we translate also to excell and it may signifie either to shew forth to maintaine or to excell And therfore your wrangling is vaine and without reason For that Christian men ought with all diligent labour to excell in good workes it is alwaies acknowledged of vs although they muste not looke to bee saued by their workes no nor by their faith onely if their faith be not fruitefull of good workes Such collections as these and much better it were no hard matter to make a great number against you to proue that you are enimies to faith to repentance to good workes to God him self CHAP. XIIII Hereticall translation against the holy SACRAMENTS namely BAPTISME and CONFESSION Martin AN other sequele of their onely faith is that the Sacraments also helpe nothing towarde our saluation and therefore they partely take them cleane away partly depriue them of all grace vertue and efficacie making thē poore and beggarly elements either worse or no better than those of the old law Fulke THat the Sacraments helpe nothing toward our saluation is an other of Martins slaunders no assertion of ours For seeing wee holde that the Sacramentes are seales of Gods promises to confirme our faith by which we are iustified before him how can we affirme that they help nothing to saluation But this is the propertie of hers and slaunderers when they haue nothing of truth to charge their aduersaries then they eyther inuent that which was neuer saide or done by them or else they violently drawe out of their sayings or doings by deprauing them some colour of matter to serue for a shewe of their slaunders So dothe our wrangler in this place after a flatte lie solemnely aduouched against vs of that wee say the Sacramentes giue no grace Ex opere operato of the worke wrought he frameth his spiders webbe first that wee depriue them of all grace vertue and efficacie Because wee doe not include grace vertue and efficacie within the externall Elementes or the ministerie of man aboute them but ascribe the same to the mighty working of Gods spirite in his chosen children which worketh all his giftes in all men according to the good pleasure of his owne will Secondly that we make the Sacraments poore and beggerly Elements And thirdly eyther worse or no better than those of the olde lawe The spirituall matter in deede of the Sacramentes of both the Testaments wee confesse to bee Iesus Christe of equall power vnto saluation of his people liuing vnder both the states but the more abundant grace and truth according to the reuelation of Christ in the flesh we acknowledge to be testified and exhibited in our Sacraments than was in theirs that liued vnder the law MART. 2. For this purpose Beza is not content to speake as the Apostle doth Ro. 4. v. 11. that circumcision was a seale of the iustice of faith but because he thinketh that to small a terme for the dignitie of circumcision as him self confesseth he gladly auoideth it I vse his owne wordes and for the Nowne putteth the Verbe so dissolutely presumptuously that the English Bezites themselues here also dare not folow him in translation though in opinion they agree The cause of his wilful translation he declareth in his Annotations vpon the same place to wit the dignitie of circumcision equall with any Sacrament of the new Testament His wordes be these What saith he could be spoken more magnifical of any Sacrament therfore they that put a real difference betweene the Sacraments of the old Testament and ours neuer seeme to haue knowen how far Christs office extendeth Which he saith not to magnifie the old but to disgrace the newe FVLK 2. There was neuer man that had suche an artificiall coniecture of mens purposes as you pretende your selfe to haue which not only where there is likelihood to fasten a coniecture vpon but also when all likelyhoods are against you yet can so confidently pronounce of euery mans purpose Well let the purpose goe whiche is knowen best to God and nexte to them that will iudge of the man according to charitie and good reason You say Beza is not content to speake as the Apostle doth that circumcision was a seale of the iustice of faith Yes verily his desire is to expresse that which the Apostle saith to the full The name of seale therefore he auoydeth not as you falsely slaunder him but for want of a conuenient Latine worde to expresse the Apostles Greeke worde hee is content to vse circumloquution by the verbe and sayth Abraham receyued the signe of circumcision whiche should seale vp or by seale confirme the iustice of faith c. yet are not you ashamed moste impudently to say hee refused the terme of Seale sigillum and for sigillum hath vsed quod obsignaret Whereas the worde that he saith hee refused is Signaculum Signaculi nomen quod vetus interpres Erasmus vsurpauit libens refugi partim quod non sit admodum vsitatum partim quod
chast which haue made them selues chast for the kingdome of heauens sake for a man might saye all doe so that liue chastly in matrimonie but our Sauiour speaketh of them that are impotent and vnable to generation called* Eunuches or gelded men and that in three diuers kindes some that haue that infirmitie or maime from their birth othersome that are gelded afterward by men and other that geld themselues for the kingdom of heauen not by cutting of those partes which were an horrible mortall sinne but hauing those partes as other men haue yet geld themselues for so is the Greeke and make them selues vnable to generation Which how it can be but by voluntarie profession promise and vâ—w of perpetuall continencie which they may neuer breake let the Protestants tell vs. Christ then as it is most euident speaketh of gelded men either câ—rporally or spiritually which are al such as professe perpetuall continencie and they tell vs of some that were borne chast and some that were made chast by men and some that make them selues chast â— most foolish and false translation of the Greeke wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FVLK 16. Concerning the former part of this matter Math. 19. v. 11. we haue aunswered sufficiently in the chapter of free will but here is a new cauill Because chastitie is also in mariage as in single life our translators doe not well to expresse the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by chast and haue made chaste I confesse they should more properly haue sayd gelded men or gelded them selues or els continent and made continent Although they meane none other by the worde chaste which they vse And touching your question howe men may lawfully geld them selues but by voluntary purpose of continencie which they may not breake I aunswer that we deny not but that such as be assured they haue the gift of continencie may professe to keepe it and after such profession or promise made to God they sinne if they breake it But if any haue rashly vowed that which they are not able to keepe they haue sinned in vowing and can not keepe their vowe by abstinence from mariage except they abstaine also from all filthines out of mariage for such we holde with Epiphanius and Saint Hierome that immoderate aduauncer of virginitie that it is better to marye than out of mariage to liue incontinently MART. 17. The Bezites here are blamelesse who translate it word for word Eunuches but they are more to blame in an other place where in derogation of the priuiledge and dignitie of Priestes they translate thus The Priestes lippes should preserue knowledge and they should seeke the Law at his mouth where in the Hebrew and Greeke it is as plaine as possibly can be spoken The Priestes lippes shall keepe knowledge and they shall seeke the Lawe at his mouth Which is a maruelous priuiledge giuen to the Priestes of the olde Law for true determination of matters in controuersie right expounding of the Law as we reade more fully Deutero 17. Where they are commaunded vnder paine of death to stand to the Priestes iudgement which in this place God by the Prophet Malachie calleth his couenant with Leui and that he will haue it to stand to wit in the newe Testament where Peter hath such priuiledge for him and his successors that his faith shall not faile where the holy Ghost is President in the Church of Bishops and Priestes All which these Heretikes would deface and defeate by translating the wordes otherwise than the holye Ghost hath spoken them FVLK 17. The verbe in deede which the Prophet Malachie vseth is of the future temps But who knoweth not that the Hebrewes lacke the potentiall mode and therefore they doe very often expresse it by the future temps of the indicatiue mode Which if you shoulde alwaies traÌ„slate by the future indicatiue you should make many faire promises to them that are sharpely rebuked But the circuÌ„stance of the place doth plainly declare that the Priestes of that time had broken the couenant made with Leui concerning keeping of the lawe Yea the very wordes following expresse the same But you haue departed out of the way and haue caused many to fall against the lawe You haue made voyde the couenant of Leui sayth the Lord of Hostes. By which words it is manifest that the Prophet before spake of that knowledge of the law which the Priest ought to haue not which the Priestes alwaies had for certaine it is that many of them were ignorant yea sometimes all the high Priest was ofteÌ„ an Idolater And who condemned Christ his Gospell but the high Priestes The authoritie that was giuen to the Priestes in case of controuersie was limited within the bounds of Gods law from which if they declined no man was bound to obey them For who was bound to obey Vrias the high Priest preferring the idolatrous altar of Damasco before the true altar of the Lorde or those deuilish tyrants Menclaus Alcimus and such other as occupied the Priests roomes in the time of the Maccabees or Annas and Caiphas in the â—yme of Christ. Peter then hauing none other priuiledge for him and his successors than Aaron had he and his successors might fall and be deceiued although Christ praied that his faith should not faile as he prayed for all the Apostles and for all their successors yea for all beleuers that they might be sanctified in the truth yet it were madnes to say that none of them could erre But whensoeuer you wil go about to proue this priuiledge out of those wordes of our Sauiour Christ make your Syllogisme and let vs haue no more brabling Our translation in that place of Malachie is more true than you are able to impugne for those wordes are rather a commaundement what the Priestes lippes should doe not a promise or assurance that they alway did so MART. 18. And when the Prophet addeth immediatly the cause of this singular prerogatiue of the Priest quia angelus Domini exercituum est because he is the Angell of the Lord of hostes which is also a wonderfull dignitie so to be called they after their cold maner of profane translation say because he is the messenger of the Lord of hostes So doe they in the next chapter call S. Iohn the Baptist messenger where the Scripture no doubt speaketh more honourably of him as being Christes precursor than of a messenger which is a terme for postes also and lackies The Scripture I saye speaketh thus of S. Iohn Behold I send mine Angel before thee and our Sauiour in the Gospell Mat. 11. Luc. 7. telling the people the wonderful dignisies of S. Iohn that he was more than a Prophet citeth this place giueth this reason For this is he of whom it is written Behold I send mine Angel before thee Which Saint Hierom
translate another thing without any necessary pretence of Hebrewe or Greeke and here you would haue it of the necessitie of the Hebrew that we should translate a teacher yet Pagnine in the roote 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherevnto you referre vs saith that Esay the 30. verse 20. this word is taken either for raine or for a teacher Ioel the 2. hee maketh no question but it signifieth raine sauing that some thinke it to be the name of a place In the thirde place Psalme 84. after he hath tolde you how Hierome translateth it hee telleth you how R. Dauid and other doe translate it for raine as wee doe and in al these places the sense is more proper for raine than for a teacher sauing that in Esay perhappes it may signifie more aptly a teacher and so the Geneua translation noteth it In Ioel where the Prophet before hadde threatened famine through drought nothing is so conuenient to bee vnderstoode as seasonable raine In the Psalm 84. where the Prophet commendeth the courage of the people that trauailed to Ierusalem through the drie desarts and places that wanted water it is moste apte to vnderstand that God filleth their pits with raine for their comfort This how cold soeuer it is counted of you that care not whereon faith shoulde be grounded yet is it an hundred times more comfortable to a godly conscience that desireth to bee established in trueth than anye violent wresting of the Scripture from the true and naturall sense to anye other interpretation how good in shew soeuer it be MART. 6. And againe where S. Hierom translateth and the Church readeth and all the fatheâ—s interprete and expound accordingly There shal be faith in thy times to expresse the maruelous faith that shall be then in the first Christians specially euen vnto death and in all the rest concerning the hidden mysteries of the newe Testament there you translate There shal be stabilitie of thy times The Prophete ioyneth togither there iudgement iustice faith wisedome knowledge the feare of our Lord you for a litle ambiguitie of the Hebrue worde turne faith into stabilitie FVLK 6. The word stabilitie Esai 33. v. 6. excludeth not faith but sheweth wherein faith is grounded And therefore this is as all the reste a fonde quarrel without any good grounde at all Seing our translation may stande with the truth of the wordes and of the matter and comprehendeth as much as you would haue and more also Yea it sheweth that faith is setled vpon stabilitie and stedfastnesse of truth which shall flourish in the time of Christ. MART. 7. If I should burden you with translating thus also concerning Christ Cease from the man whose breath in his nostrels for wherein is he to be esteemed You would say I did you wrong because it is so pointed now in the Hebrue Wheras you know very wel by S. Hieroms commentarie vpon that place that this is the Iewes pointing or reading of the worde against the honour of Christe the true reading and translation being as he interpreteth it for he is reputed high and therefore beware of him Otherwise as S. Hierom saith what a consequence were this or who would commend any man thus Take heede ye offende not him who is nothing esteemed yet that is your translation Neyther doth the Greeke helpe you which if the accent be truely put iâ— thus because he is reputed for some body or some thing as S. Paule speaketh of the chiefe Apostles and it is our phrase in the commendation of a man FVLK 7. So long as you acknowledge wee haue translated truely according to the Hebrue texte that we reade there is no reason that you should burden vs with false interpretation The Septuaginta as Hierome confesseth did reade as we doe and plaine it is not oneliâ— by the vowels but also by the contexte that so it muste be read For the Prophet disswadeth the people from putting affiance in any mortall man for God wil bring downe the pride of all suche as they truste moste in as it followeth in the next chapiter whereof this verse should be the beginning The dismembring whereof by the ill diuision of the Chapiter deceiued Hierome to think the Prophet spake of Christe when he spake of a prowd man whose breath was in his nostrels and therefore he was of no strength euen as Dauid vseth the same argument Psalme 146. for the purpose The Chaldee Paraphrase also did reade euen as the Septuaginta MART. 8. The like excuse you woulde haue by alleadging the Hebrue vowels if you were told that you much obsâ—ure a notable saying of the prophet concerning Christ or rather the speach of Christe himselfe by his prophete saying I haue spoken by the Prophets and I haue multiplied vision and in the hand of the Prophets that is by the Prophets haue I beene resembled Which later words do exceedingly expresse that al the Prophets spake of Christ as oâ—r Sauiour himself declareth beginning from Moyses and al the Prophetes to interprete vnto the two disciples the things that concerned him as S. Petâ—r saith in these words Al the prophets from Samuel and that spake after him didde tell of these daies This prophecie then being so consonant to these speaches of the â—ewe Testament the Greeke also being word for word so the Hebrewe by changing one little pricke whyche the latter Iewes haue added at their owne pleasure being fully so as wee â—eade with the Catholike Church why pretend you the Iewes authoritie to maintaine an other lesse Christian translation whiche is thus I vse similitudes by the ministerie of the Prophetes as though there were nothing there concerning Christ or the second person peculiarly FVLK 8. Seeing our Sauiour Christ hath promised that neuer a pricke of the lawe shall perishe wee may vnderstande the same also of the Prophets who haue not receiued the vowels of the latter Iewes but euen of the Prophets themselues howsoeuer that heathenish opinion pleaseth you and other Papistes MART. 9. You wil also perhaps alleadge not onelye the later Iewes but also some later Catholike men that so translate the Hebrewe But the difference betweene them and you is that they with reuerence and preâ—erment alwaies of S. Hiâ—roms and the Churches aâ—â—â—ient translation tel vs how it is nowe in the Hebrewe you with derogation and disanulling the same altogâ—ther set downe your owne as the onlie true interpretation according to the Hebrewe aâ—ouching the Hebrewe that nowe iâ— and as now it is printed to be the only authenti cal truth of the olde Testament Where you can neuer answere vs howe that in the Ps. 22. As a lion my hand and my feete as now it is in the Hebrewe can be the true and old authentical Hebrewe whiche none of the fathers knewe the auncient Rabbines condemne as a corruption your selues translate it not but after the olde accustomed reading They haue pierced my handes my feete
of the Apostles Among so many argumentes and authorities cited for proofe you can finde nothing but Fulke faith bluntly Ierome vntruely ascribeth that tradition to the Apostles Sed perge mentiri S. Chrysostome is alleâ—ged saying that the Apostles decreed that in the sacrifice of the â—â—â—tar there should be made prayer for the departed Fulke where he sayth it was decreed by the Apostles c. he must pardon vs for crediting him because he cannot shewe it out of the actes and writinges of the Apostles If I had added none other argument this had beene sufficient for vs to for beare crediting any thing of the Apostles whereof we haue not the holy ghost in their writinges to be witnesse But you shall heare what I oppose against Chrysostome beside this Against pag. 303. it followeth immediatlie vpon these wordes noted by M. Censurer And wee will be bolde to charge him with his owne saying Hom. de Adam Heus Sâ—â—is sufficere c. Wee thinke it suffiseth ynough what soeuer the writinges of the Apostles haue taught vs according to the foresay de rules insomuch that we count it not at all catholike whatsoeuer shall appeare contrarie to the rules appointed And againe in Gen. H. 58. Vides in quantam c. Thou seest into howe great absurditie they fall which will not followe the canon of holy scripture but permitte all thinges to their owne cogitations But if we be further vrged we will alleadge that which hee sayeth in Euang. Ioan. H. 58. Quisacra c. he that vseth not the holy scripture but clymeth another way that is by a way not allowed is a theefe We may be as bolde with Chrysostome as hee sayd he would be with Paule himselfe in 2. ad Tim. Hom. 2. Plus aliquid dicam c. I will say somewhat more we must not be ruled by Paule himselfe if he speake anie thing that is his owne and any thing that is humane but we must obey the Apostle when he carrieth Christ speaking in him Wherefore seeing it is certaine that by testimonie of Iustinus Martyr that there was no mention of the dead in the celebration of the Lordes supper for more than an hundred yeares after Christ we must not beleeue Chrysostome without scripture affirming that it was ordeyned so by the Apostles As though this place had not beene sufficient to conuince your impudent lying you goe forwarde and say that page 362. and 363. of the same booke I aunswere to diwerse fathers alleaged together beside Chrysostome for the same purpose Who is witnesse that this is the tradition of the Apostles you will say Tertullian Cyprian Austen Ierome and a great many more But I would learne why the Lorde would not haue this set forth by Matthew Marke Luke and Paule Why they were not chosen scribes hereof rather then Tertullian Cyprian Ierome Austen and other such as you nâ—me But this is a counterfaite institution and fained tradition Heere you note in the margent a proude question which is not so right as if I should note against it a proude censure For it is a question that may be demaunded in humilitie why the Lord if it were his pleasure that the dead should be prayed for at the communion as a thing necessarie for them and dutifull for vs would not reueale so much by those witnesses that are aboue all exception rather than by such as are all manifestly conuicted of errors as you Papistes cannot denie But because neuera Papist of you all is able to answere this question to the satisfaction of any mans doubtfull conscience you thinke best to reiect it and say it is a proude question As though it were pride for any man to seeke confirmation of his faith against so iust a cause of doubt But in truth my wordes are more full than you alleage them against the pretended institution If it be lawfull for me once to pose the Papists as you doe often the protestantes I woulde learne why the Lorde would not haue this doubtlesse institution and as you take it the most necessarie vse of the sacrament plainely or at the leastwise obscurely set foorth by Matthewe Marke Luke or Paule which all haue set foorth the storie of the action of Christ the institution of the sacrament and the ende or vse of the same If it were not meete at all to be put in writing why was it disclosed by Tertullian Cyprian Augustine c If it were meete to be put in writing why were not those chosen scribes Matthew Marke Luke and Paul worthy of all credite rather appointed for it than Tertullian Cyprian Augustine and such as you name But against this counter faite institution and fayned tradition S. Paule cryeth with open mouth vnto the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11. That which I deliuered to you I receiued of the Lorde c. which wrote to that effect Last of all you say that being vrged by the like I discredite all antiquitie saying It is a common thing with the ancient writers to defende euerie ceremonie which was vsed in their time by tradition of the Apostles In deede the wordes are mine the occasion as of all â—he rest frandulently and falsely omitted For vpon occasion of Chrysostome alleaged to proue that mention of the dead was made at the coÌ„munion by tradition of the Apostles for which I remit him to mine answere of Allen lib. 2. ca. 5. I ad moreouer these wordes If we should admit all thinges to be ordeyned of the Apostles which some of the olde writers doe ascribe to their traditions we should receiue many thinges which euen the Papistes themselues do not obserue As that it is a wicked thing to fast on sunday or to pray kneeling that oblations are to be made for mens birth dayes c. Which with diuerse other superstitions Tertullian fathereth vppon the tradition of the Apostles as well as oblations for the dead De cor Mil. Hearing therefore such manifest vnthruthes are fathered vpon the Apostles tradition by most ancient writers what certainety can we haue of their tradition without their writing By this the reader may see howe honestly and truely you say there are set before you a payre of balances with Charke and Fulke in one ende and Cyprian Origen Tertullian Basill c. in an other ende And Fulke opposeth himselfe against them all Wheâ—â—as in euerie place by you noted hee opposeth either the holy scriptures or other auncient writers or the same writers themselues or euident and manifest reason to proue that such thinges are vntruly fathered vpon the Apostles tradition Last of all for your farewell you charge D. Fulke to affirme that the booke of the Maccabees was written with a prophane and Ambitious spirite Against purg pag. 209. In deede in that place among many other reasons which I bring to prooue that storie not to bee the Canon of the scriptures I say that hee maketh a verie prophane preface ambitiously commending his trauels and shewing