A defense of the sincere and true translations of the holie Scriptures into the English tong against the manifolde cauils, friuolous quarels, and impudent slaunders of Gregorie Martin, one of the readers of popish diuinitie in the trayterous Seminarie of Rhemes. By William Fvlke D. in Diuinitie, and M. of Pembroke haule in Cambridge. Wherevnto is added a briefe confutation of all such quarrels & cauils, as haue bene of late vttered by diuerse papistes in their English pamphlets, against the writings of the saide William Fvlke.

MART. 48. In the newe Testament, wee aske them will you be tried by the auncient Latine translation, which is the texte of the fathers and the whole Churche? No, but wee appeale to the Greeke. What Greeke, say wee, for there bee sundrie copies, and the beste of them (as Beza confesseth) agree with the saide auncient Latine. For example in Saint Peters wordes, Labour that by good workes you may make sure your vocation and election. Duth this Greeke copie please you? No, say they: wee appeale to tha•• Greeke copie, which hath not those wordes, by good workes, for o∣therwise wee shoulde graunt the merite and efficacie of good workes towarde saluation. And generally to tell you at once, by what Greeke we will be ••ried, we like best the vulgar Greeke texte of the new Testament, which is most common and in eue∣ry mans handes.

FVLK. 48. Wee neede not appeale to the Greeke; for any thing you bring out of the vulgar Latine against vs. As for that text, 2. Pet. 1. Labour that by good works, &c. I haue answeared before in the 36. Section. Wee like well the Latine, or that Greeke copie which hath those wordes by good workes, for we must needes vnderstand them, where they are not expressed: and therefore you do impudētly beelie vs to say they do not please vs.

Cal∣uin vpon that text saith, Nonnulli codices habent bonis ope∣ribus, sed hoc de sensu nihil mutat, quia subaudiendum est e∣tiā si non exprimatur. Some bookes haue By good works, but this chaungeth nothing of the sense, for that must be vnderstoode although it be not expressed.

The same thing in effect saith Beza: that our election, and voca∣tion must be confirmed by the effects of faith, that is by the fruites of iustice, &c. therefore in some copies wee finde it added by good workes. So farre of is it, that Beza misliketh those wordes, that hee citeth them to proue the perpetuall connection of Election, Vocation, Iustification, and Sanctification. This is therefore as wicked a slaunder of vs, as it is an vntrue affirmation of the vulgar Latine, that it is the texte of the fathers, and

the whole Churche: whereby you shewe your selfe to be a Donatiste, to acknowledge no Churche, but where the Latine texte is occupied. So that in Greece, Syria, Armenia, Aethiopia, and other partes of the worlde, where the Latine texte is not knowen, or vnderstood, there Christ hath no Churche by your vnaduised asser∣tion. That we like best the most common Greeke text, I am sure that we doe it, by as good reason, if not by bet∣ter, than you in so great diuersities of the Latine texte, who like best of that which is most common, and in e∣uery mans handes.

Notes

• 2. Pet. ca. 1.