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. 12. And here we must aske them, how this name* 1.1 Minister came to be a degree distinct from a Deacon, whereas* 1.2 by their owne rule of translation, Deacon is nothing else but a Minister: & why keepe they the old and vsuall Ecclesiasticall* 1.3 name of Deacon in translating Diaconus, and not the name of Priest, in translating Presbyter? Doeth not Priest come of Presbyter as certainly and as agreeably as Deacon of Diaco∣nus?* 1.4 Doth not also the French and Italian word for Priest come directly from the same? Will you alwaies followe fansie and not reason, doe what you list, translate as you list, and not as the truth is, and that in the holy Scriptures, which you boast and vaunt so much of? Because your selues haue thē whom you call Bishops, the name Bishops is in your Englishe Bibles, which o∣therwise by your owne rule of translation, should be called an O∣uerseer or Superintendent: likewise Deacon you are content to vse as an Ecclesiasticall word so vsed in antiquitie, because you also haue those whom you call Deacons: Only Priests must be turned contemptuously out of the text of the holy Scriptures, & Elders put in their place, because you haue no Priestes, nor will none of them, and because that is in controuersie betwene vs. And as for Elders, you haue none permitted in Englād, for feare of ouerthrowing your Bishops office and the Queenes supreame gouernment in all spiritual things and causes. Is not this to fol∣lowe the humour of your heresie, by Machiauels politike rules without any feare of God?

FVLK. 12. Here I must aunswere you, that we haue no degree of Ministers distinct from Deacons, but by vulgar and popular vse of speaking, which we are not cu∣rious to controule. Otherwise, in truth, we account Bi∣shops, Elders, and Deacons, all Ministers of the Church. It is no more therefore, but the common speache of men, which vseth that worde, which is common to all Ecclesiasticall persons, as peculiar to the Elders, or Priestes. Why we keepe the name of Deacons in trans∣lating Diaconus, rather than of Priestes, in translating Presbyter, I haue tolde you often before. The name Priest being by long abuse of speache applied to signifie Sacrificers of the olde Testament, called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, we could not giue the same name to the Ministers of the new Te∣stament, except we had some other name whereby to call the Ministers of the olde Testament, wherein we followe reason, and not fansie, for it is great reason, we should retaine that difference in names of the Ministers of both the Testamentes, which the holy Ghost doth al∣waies obserue. But you follow fansie altogither, imagi∣ning that Priestes onely are put out of the text, because we haue no Priestes. Whereas we haue Priestes as well as we haue Bishops, and Deacons, and so are they called in our booke of common prayer indifferently Priestes, or Ministers. And where you say, we haue no Elders permitted in Englande, it is false, for those that are commonly called Bishoppes, Ministers, or Priestes a∣mong vs, be suche Elders as the Scripture commendeth vnto vs. And although we haue not suche a consisto∣rie of Elders, of gouernemente, as in the Primitiue Churche they had, and many Churches at this daye haue: yet haue wee also Elders of gouernement to exercise discipline, as Archbishoppes, and Bishoppes, with their Chauncellours, Archedeacons, Commis∣saries, Officialles, in whome if any defecte bee, we wishe it may be reformed according to the worde of God.

Notes

• * 1.1

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

  Diaconus.
• * 1.3

  S. Tim. 3. Bib. 1577. 1579.
• * 1.4

  Prebstre. Prete.