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. 10. His wordes be these in effect: If a man wil say vnto me, that Lazarus was seene in Abrahams bosome, and a place of refreshing euen before Christs comming: true it is, but what is that in comparison? Quid simile infernus & re∣gna caelorum? What hath hell and heauen like? As if he should say, Abraham in deede and Lazarus (and consequently many other) were in place of rest, but yet in hel, till Christ came, and in such rest, as hath no comparison with the ioies of heauen. And S. Augustine disputing this matter sometime, & doubting* 1.1 whether Abrahams bosome be called hel in the Scripture, and whether the name of hell be taken at any time in the good parte (for of Christes descending into hel, and of a third place where the Patriarches remained vntil Christs cōming, not heauen, but called Abrahams bosome: he doubted not, but was most assured) the same holy doctour in an other place, as being better resolued, doubted not vpon these wordes of the Psalme. Thou hast deli∣uered* 1.2 my soule from the lower hell, to make this one good sense of this place, that the lower hel is it, wherin the damned are tormented▪ the higher hell is that, wherein the soules of the iust rested, calling both places by the name of hell.

FVLK. 10. I haue set downe his very words in deed, which being well weighed, make nothing so clearly for

your phātasied Limbus, as you wold haue mē weene. You say Augustine doubteth whether Abrahams bosome, in the Scripture be called hell, Ep. 99. & de gen. ad lit. lib. 12. ca. 33. But there he doth vtterly denie it, & in Ps. 85. as by his wordes cited before appeareth, he doubteth. So that where he flatly denieth, with you he doubteth, & where he doubteth, with you he is better resolued. Wherefore this matter of Abrahā, & the faithful being in hell, is no article of faith, except you will say that S. Augustine was not resolued in the articles of our faith, who touching the thirde place, whatsoeuer at diuerse times he speaketh doubtingly in his Hypognosticon, he affirmeth reso∣lutely, that he findeth in the scriptures, that there is none.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Epist. 99. ad E∣uod. & de Gen. ad lit. li. 12. c. 33.
• * 1.2

  In Psal. 85 v. 13.