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. 6. But tell vs yet I pray you, do the holy Scrip∣tures of either Testament speake of all maner of images, or ra∣ther of the idols of the Gentiles? your conscience knoweth that they speake directly against the idols and the idolatrie that was among the Pagans and Infidels: from the which as the Iewes in the old Testament, so the first Christians in the new Testament were to be prohibited. But will you haue a demonstration that your owne conscience condemneth you herein, and that you ap∣ply all translation to your heresie? What caused you being o∣therwise in all places so ready to translate, images: yet Esai. 31. and Zachar. 13. to translate, idols, in all your Bibles with full consent? Why in these places specially and so aduisedly? No doubt because God saith there, speaking of this time of the new Testament: In that day euery man shall cast out his idols of siluer and idols of God. And, I will destroy the names of the idols out of the earth, so that they shall no more be had in remembrance. In which places if you had transla∣ted, images, you had made the prophecie false, because images haue not bene destroyed out of the world, but are, and haue bene in Christian countries with honour and reuerence, euen since Christes time. Mary in the idols of the Gentiles we see it veri∣fied, which are destroyed in all the world so farre as Gentilitie is conuerted to Christ.

FVLK. 6. Verily the commaundement of God, be∣ing a cōmaundement of the first table, vnto which what soeuer is said in the Scriptures of images, or the worship of them forbidden, must be referred, speaketh general∣ly of all maner of images made by the deuise of man, for any vse of religion, whether they be of Iewes, Pagans, or false Christians. But we are offred a demonstration, that our owne conscience condemneth vs herein, and that we applie all translation to our heresie. And that is this. In Esai 31. and Zacha. 13. with one consente all translate I∣dols, because God speaketh of the time of the newe Te∣stament, where if they had translated Images, they had made the prophecie false, because Images in Christian countries are with honour, but Idols of the Gentiles are

destroyed out of the worlde so farre as gentilitie is con∣uerted to Christe. A goodly demonstration I promise you. That the translators had no such respect, it is plaine, for that they do not vnderstād the 31. of Esay of the time of Christe: but of the reformation made by Ezechias. But in Esay 44. whiche is a manifest prophesie of the Church of Christ, they all vse the worde Image, also Mi∣cheas the 5. and in diuerse other places, where the destru∣ction of Idolatrie is prophesied, by the religion of Christ, which is verified onely in true Christians: for o∣therwise both the Idolatrie of Pagans, and of false Chri∣stians, hath remained in many places, and yet remaineth to this day.

Notes

• The holy Scri∣pture speaketh against the idols of the Gentiles, not against all maner of ima∣ges.