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. 14. When they haue bereaued and spoyled a man of his free will, and left him without all strength, they goe so farre in this point, that* they saye, the regenerate them selues haue not free will and abilitie, no not by and with the grace of God, to keepe the commaundements. To this purpose they tran∣slate, (1. Io. 5. 3.) thus: His commaūdements are not grie∣uous, rather than thus, His commaūdements are not hea∣uye, for in saying, they are not heauye, it would followe, they might be kept and obserued: but in saying, they are not grie∣uous, that may be true, were they neuer so heavy or impossible, through pacience. As when a man can not doe as he would, yet it grieueth him not, being pacient & wise, because he is content to doe as he can, & is able. Therefore doe they choose to translate, that the commaundements are not grieuous, where the Apostle sayth rather, they are not heauy. much more agreeably to our Sauiours wordes, My burden is light! & to the wordes of God by Moyses, Deut. 30. This commaundement which I com∣maund thee this day, is not aboue thee (that is, beyond thy reache) but the word is very neare thee, in thy mouth, & in thy hart, that thou mayst doe it: and to the common sig∣nification of the Greekeword, which is, heauy. Beza would saye somewhat in his commentarie, howe the commaundements are heauy or light, but his conclusion is against free will, and that there can be no perfection in this life, in••cying against them that woulde proue it out of this place: which is as much to

say (but he is ashamed to speake plainely) that we can not keepe the commaundements: which the holy Doctors haue long since condemned and abhorred, as most absurd, that God should com∣maund that, vnder paine of damnation, which is impossible to be done.

FVLK. 14. Seeing our English word grieuous, cō∣meth of the Latine word graue, which is not only weigh∣tie, but also troublesom, It better aunswereth both the Greeke and the Latine, than heauye, which is properly that which is of great weight, and the same worde being both in Greeke and Latine, 2. Cor. 10. you your selues translate sore: his epistles are sore and vehement: but in effect there is no great difference. We acknowledge that his commaundemēts are not heauy to him that is borne of God, which ouercometh the world by faith, otherwise the yoke of the lawe, as the Apostle confesseth, is such a burthē, as neither we, nor our fathers were able to beare, but beleeue to be saued by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, who hauing taken away the curse of the lawe, and satisfied for our transgressions of the law, hath also giuen vs grace to loue the law, and commaundements of God, and in some weake measure to obserue them. So that the curse being taken away, our transgressions aunswe∣red in Christ, and our harts framed by his grace, to loue his commaundements, and some strength giuen vs to keepe them, they are not heauy, they are not burdenous, or grieuous. That which God speaketh, Deut. 30. is of the knowledge of the law, which was plainely reuealed, and not of the strength that men haue to keepe it, and there∣fore is by the Apostle referred vnto faith, for the obser∣uation thereof, Rom. 10. for by faith in Christ, which hath fulfilled the lawe for vs, we are accounted to haue fulfilled it in him. Beza speaketh plainely enough, if you had grace to vnderstand him, and therefore is nothing ashamed to saye, that we can not keepe the commaun∣dements of God, not onely without the grace of God, but neyther hauing the grace of God in such measure,

as God giueth it to no man but that he sinneth. Other∣wise, what grace God is able to giue, we doubt not, but what he doth, and will giue to any man in this life wee speake. That God should commaunde vnder paine of damnation, that which is impossible to be done, is no absurditie: seing for them whom God will haue to be saued, he prouided an other way of their saluation, than by keeping the lawe, namely the redemption of Christ. As for the reprobate voyde of Gods grace, say you (if you dare) that they are able to keepe the lawe without grace, or without grace haue so much as any will to de∣sire to haue grace.

Notes

• Beza in annot: Rom. 2. 27.
• Mandata eius grauia non sunt. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
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