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 example Matt. 15. Thus they translate, Why do thy disciples transgresse the TRADITION of* 1.1 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, and it is very well and honesty translated, for so the Greeke worde doth properly signifie. But nowe on the other side, concerning good traditions, let vs see their dealing. The A∣postle* 1.2 by the selfe same worde both in Greeke and Latine, sayth thus: Therefore, brethren, stand and hold fast the TRA∣DITIONS which you haue learned either by worde, or* 1.3 by our Epistle. And againe, Withdraw your selues from euerie brother walking inordinately, and not according to the TRADITION which they haue receiued of vs. And againe (according to the Greeke which they professe to fo∣low:) I praise you brethren, that in all things you are* 1.4 * 1.5 mindefull of me, and as I haue deliuered vnto you, you keepe my TRADITIONS.

FVLK. 2. No maruell, though you can not abide the bels sounding against mans traditions, which sound must nedes pearce your cōscience more than it offendeth your eares, seeing you know that many of those things

which you defend vnder the name of traditions, against the holy scriptures, haue not God for their auctor, which forbiddeth to be worshipped in such sorte, but man, or rather Sathan, which hath inspired such things vnto mē, thereby to dishonor God, and to discredite his holy and most certaine written worde. Yet you say it is well and honestly translated. God knoweth how faine you would there were no such text extāt in the Gospel against your superstition and will worshipping. But now let vs see our craftie dealing (as you compte it) against good traditi∣ons. In the first text 2. Thessal. 2. v. 15. You may see your vnderstanding of traditions, quite ouerthrowen. For the Apostle speaketh of such traditions as were deliuered to them partly by preaching & partly by his Epistle. Ther∣fore tradition doth not signifie a doctrine deliuered by worde of mouth onely. But yet you will say it signifieth here a doctrine deliuered by word of mouth also, which is not written. How proue you that? because all that the Apostle preached was not conteyned in his Epistles to the Thessalonians, therefore was it no where written in the Scriptures? what the tradition was in the second text▪ 2. Thess. 3. v. 6. is expressed by and by after: that he which will not labour must not eate. Was this doctrine neuer written before? when God commaundeth euery man to labour in his vocation. As for the third place. 1. Cor. 11. 2. your owne vulgar Latine translater both teacheth vs how to translate it, and also dischargeth our translation of heresie and corruption, for he calleth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in that place, praecepta precepts or instructions, or commaū∣dements, or ordinances, I see no great difference in these wordes. By which his translation he sheweth, that in the other places, 2. Thes. 2. & 3. He meaneth the same thing by traditiones, traditions, that we doe by ordinances or instructions, and might as well haue vsed the word prae∣cepta▪ in those two places, as he did in this one, if it had pleased him.

Notes

• * 1.1

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

  2. Thess. 2. v. 15. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, tr••∣ditiones.
• * 1.3

  2. Thess. 3. 6.
• * 1.4

  ••. Cor. 15. 2.
• * 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.