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. 2. For this purpose Beza is not content to speake as the Apostle doth, (Ro. 4. v. 11.) that circumcision* 1.1 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 confes∣seth, he gladly auoideth it (I vse his owne wordes) and for the* 1.2 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 wil∣ful translation he declareth in his Annotations vpon the same place, to wit, the dignitie of circumcision, equall with any Sacra∣ment

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 Sa∣craments 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 like∣lihood to fasten a coniecture vpon, but also when all likelyhoods are against you, yet can so confidently pro∣nounce 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 iu∣stice 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 cir∣cumloquution by the verbe, and sayth, Abraham recey∣ued 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 ob∣signaret. Whereas the worde that he saith hee refused, is Signaculum.

Signaculi nomen quod vetus interpres & Eras∣mus vsurpauit libens refugi, partim quod non sit admodum vsitatum, partim quod non satis videatur illam vim obsigna∣tionis declarare. The terme signaculum which the old in∣terpretor and Erasmus hath vsed, I haue willingly refu∣sed: partely because it is no very vsuall worde, partely because it seemeth not sufficiently to declare that ver∣tue or efficacie of sealing

. You see therefore what word he auoydeth, & for what cause, & that vour eies were not matches, or else they were daseled with a mist of malice,

whē you redde that he auoided Sigillum, and placed quod obsignaret for sigillum. The worde sigillum as he vseth not, so doth he make no mention of it, I thinke because it being a diminutiue of signum, and taken sometimes for a litle image, vnde sigillares, &c. it is not proper nor ful to expresse the Greeke worde 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. That he maketh circumcision equall vnto the Sacramentes of the newe Testament, I haue shewed before, that it is in matter, substaunce, and ende, whiche hee that confesseth not (as Beza saith) seemeth neuer to haue knowen howe farre the office of Christe extendeth: but that hee hath any purpose to disgrace the Sacraments of the new Te∣stament instituted by Christ him selfe, in a more cleare dispensation of grace and truth, you affirme with the same credite by whiche you saide he put quod obsignaret for sigillum.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.2

  Libens refugi. Quod obsignaret, for, sigillum.