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. 16. Moreouer it is against the profession of con∣tinencie in Priestes, and others, that they translate our Saui∣ours words of single life, and the vnmaried state, thus: All men* 1.1 can not receiue this saying: as though it were impossible to liue continent. Where Christ sayd not so, that all men can not, but, All men doe not receiue this saying. But of this I haue spoken more in the chapter of free will. Here I adde onely con∣cerning the words following, that they translate them not exact∣ly, nor perhaps with a sincere meaning▪ for if there be chastitie in mariage, as well as in the single life, as Paphnutius the con∣fessor most truely sayd, and they are wont much to alledge it, then their translation doth nothing expresse our Sauiours meaning, whē they say, There are some chast, which haue made them* 1.2 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 ge∣neration, called* Eunuches, or gelded men, and that in three* 1.3 diuers kindes: some that haue that infirmitie or maime from their birth, othersome that are gelded afterward by men, and o∣ther that geld themselues for the kingdom of heauen, not by cut∣ting of those partes, which were an horrible mortall sinne, but hauing those partes, as other men haue▪ yet geld themselues (for* 1.4 so is the Greeke) and make them selues vnable to generation. Which how it can be but by voluntarie profession, promise, and v••w of perpetuall continencie, which they may neuer breake, let the Protestants tell vs. Christ then as it is most euident, spea∣keth of gelded men, either c••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: •• most foolish and false translation of the Greeke wordes. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉▪ and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

FVLK. 16. Concerning the former part of this mat∣ter, Math. 19. v. 11. we haue aunswered sufficiently, in the chapter of free will, but here is a new cauill. Because cha∣stitie is also in mariage, as in single life, our translators doe not well to expresse the worde 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, 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. Al∣though 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 af∣ter 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 mari∣age, except they abstaine also from all filthines out of mariage: for such, we holde with Epiphanius, and Saint* 1.5 Hierome, that immoderate aduauncer of virginitie, that it is better to marye, than out of mariage to liue incon∣tinently.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mat. 19. v. 11.
• * 1.2

  Bib. 1561. 1577▪
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
• * 1.5

  T••i••••. cont. A∣post. 61. Hierom. ep. ad Demetriadem.