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. 9. Is it forced Beza, that Christe is filled all in all by the Church? doth not S. Paul in the very next wordes before, call the Churche the fulnesse of Christ, saying, Which* 1.1 is the fulnesse of him that is filled all in al? If the Church be the, fulnesse of him, then is he filled or hath his fulnesse of the Church, so that he is not a maymed head without a bodie. This would S. Paule say, if you would giue him leaue, and this he doth say, whether you will or no. But what is the cause that they will not suffer the Apostle to say so? because (saith Beza) Christe needeth no such complement. And if he needeth it not, then may he be without a Church, and con∣sequently it is no absurditie, if the Church hath bene for many yeares not only inuisible, but also not at all. Would a man easi∣ly at the first imagine or conceiue that there were such secrete poison in their translation?

FVLK. 9. You should vrge Beza with a Latine Epi∣stle, seeing you are so earnest in the matter. I haue tolde you that the sense of Chrysostome is true, but not flow∣ing easily from the wordes of S. Paule. That Christ hath his fulnesse of the Churche, it is graunted by Beza vpon the worde Plenitudo or Complemenium, as you can not be ignorant, if you haue redde Bezaes Annotations, as you pretende. But you charge Beza to say, that Christ nee∣deth no such complement. Bezaes wordes are as I haue sett hem downe before, Vt sciamus Christum per se, non in∣digere hoc supplemento, that wee may knowe that Christe of him selfe, needeth not this supplie. Is this al one, with that you report him to say? No his saying was too long for your theeuish bedde, and therefore you cut of Perse of him selfe, or by him selfe. What say you? Dare you affirme that Christe of him selfe in respect of his diuine nature, hath neede of any complement? That Christe hath had alwaies a Churche since the beginning of the worlde, and shall haue to the ende, Beza dothe plaine∣ly in an hundreth places confesse: neither can it be o∣therwise proued by this translation, nor vet (by Bezaes wordes that Christe of him selfe is perfect and needeth no supply) but that it pleaseth him to become the head of the Churche, as of his bodie, whiche his diuine and mercifull pleasure, seeing it is immutable, Christe can not be without his Churche, nor the Churche without him. Yea as Beza in plaine wordes affirmeth, this is our whole hope and consolation, that Christ esteemeth him selfe an vnperfect head, and maymed of his mem∣bers, excepte he haue his Churche adioyned to him as his bodie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eph. 1.