A discouerie of the manifold corruptions of the Holy Scriptures by the heretikes of our daies specially the English sectaries, and of their foule dealing herein, by partial & false translations to the aduantage of their heresies, in their English Bibles vsed and authorised since the time of schisme. By Gregory Martin one of the readers of diuinitie in the English College of Rhemes.

CHAP. VIII. Heretical translation concerning IVSTIFICATION.

ABOVT the article of iustifi∣cation, as it hath many bran∣ches, & their etrours therein be manifold, so are their En∣glish translations according∣ly many vvaies false and heretical. First against iustification by good vvorkes and by keeping the commaundements, they suppresse the very name of iustification in al such places vvhere the vvord signifieth the commaundements or the Lavv of God, vvhich is both in the old and nevv Testa∣ment most common and vsual, namely in the bookes of Moyses, in the Psalme 118. that beginneth thus, Beati immaculati: in the Psalme 147. v. 19. 1 Mac. 1. v. 51. and c. 2. v. 21. Luc. 1. v. 6. Ro. 2. v. 26. In al vvhich places and the like, vvhere the Greeke signifieth iustices & iustifications most exactly, according as our vulgar Latin translateth, iustitias and iustificationes: there the English translations say ioyntly and vvith one consent, ordināces, or, statutes For example, Ro. 2. If the vncircumci∣sion keepe the ORDINANCES of the Lavv, shal it not be counted for circumcision? And Luc. 1, 6. They vvere both, righteous before God, vvalking

in al the commaundements and ORDINANCES of the Lord, blamelesse. Vvhy translate you it ordināces, and auoid the terme, iustifications? is it because you vvould folovv the Greeke? I beseeche you is not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, iust, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to be iusti∣fied, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, iustifications or iustices? In the old Testament you might perhaps pre∣tend, that you folovv the Hebrue vvvord, and therfore there you translate, statutes, or, ordinances. But euen there also, are not the Seuentie Greeke interpreters sufficient to teach you the signification of the Hebrue vvord: vvho alvvaies interprete it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in English, iustifications?

2 But be it, that you may cōtroule them in the Hebrue, vvhich none but fooles vvil graunt vnto you: in the nevv Testament vvhat pretense haue you? do you there also translate the Hebrue vvord, or rather the Greeke? the Greeke vndoubtedly you should translate. what reason then can you haue vvhy you doe not? none other surely then that vvhich Beza giueth for him self, saying, that he reiected the vvord, iustificatiōs (notvvithstanding it expressed the Greeke, vvord for vvord, notvvithstanding the Seuen∣tie Greeke interpreters vsed it to signifie the vvhole Lavv, and in Latin it be commonly translated, iustificationes) notvvithstanding al this, for this only cause (saith he) did I re∣iecte

it, to auoid the cauillatiōs that might be made by this vvord, against iustification by faith. As if he should say, This vvord truely translated according to the Greeke, might minister great occasion to proue by so many places of Scripture, that mans iu∣stification is not by faith only, but also by keeping the lavv, and obseruing the com∣maundements, vvhich therfore are called according to the Greeke and Latin, iustifica∣tions, because they concurre to iustification, and make a man iust, as by S. Lukes vvordes also is vvel signified, vvhich haue this allu∣sion, that they vvere both iust, because they walked in al the iustifications of our Lord. Vvhich they of purpose suppresse by other vvordes.

3 And hereof also it riseth, that vvhen he cānot possibly auoid the vvord in his trās∣lation (as Apoc. 19, 8. Bissinum enim iustificatio∣nes sunt sanctorum, The silke is the iustifications of Sainctes:) there he helpeth the matter with this commentarie, That iustifications, are those good vvorkes vvhich be the testimonies of a liuely faith. But our English translatours haue an other vvay to auoid the vvord euen in their trās∣latiō. For they say here, the righteousnes of Saincts: because they could not say, ordinances of Saincts: and they vvould not say, iustificatiōs of saincts: knovving very vvel (by Bezaes ovvne cō∣mentarie)

that this vvord includeth the good vvorkes of saincts: vvhich vvorkes if they should in translating call their iu∣stifications, it vvould goe sore against iu∣stification by only faith. Therfore doe they trāslate in steede thereof, ordinances, &, statutes, vvhere they can, vvhich are termes furthest of from iustification: and vvhere they can not, there they say, righteousnes, making it also the plural number, vvhereas the more pro∣per Greeke vvord for righteousnes is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (Dan. 6, 22.) vvhich there some of thē trans∣late vngiltinesse: because they vvil not trans∣late exactly, if you vvould hire them.

4 And therfore as for, iustice, and, iustifica∣tions, they say righteousnes: so for, iust, they translate, righteous. and by this meanes, Ioseph vvas a righteous man, rather then a iust man: and Zacharie & Elisabeth vvere both righteous before God, rather then iust: because vvhen a man is called iust, it soundeth that he is so in deede, and not by imputation only: as a vvise man, is vnderstood to be vvise in deede, and not only so imputed. Therfore do they more gladly and more often say, righteous men, rather then, iust men, and vvhen they do say, iust men, as sometime they doe lest they might seeme vvilful inexcusably: there they vnderstand, iust by imputation, and not in deede, as is to be seen in Bezaes

Annotatiōs vpon the Epistle to the Roma∣nes. Note also that they put the vvord, iust, vvhen faith is ioyned vvithal. as Ro. 1. The iust shal liue by faith. to signifie that iustifica∣tion is by faith. But if vvorkes be ioyned vvithal, and keeping the commaundemēts, as in the place alleaged Luc. 1. ther they say, righteous, to suppresse iustification by vvorkes.

5 And certaine it is, if there vvere no si∣nister meaning, they vvould in no place a∣uoid to say, iust, iustice, iustification, where both the Greeke and Latin are so, vvord for vvord. as for example 2 Tim. 4, 8. In al their bibles, Henceforth there is laid vp for me a crovvne of RIGHTEOVSNES, vvhich the Lord the RIGHTEOVS iudge shal GIVE me at that day. And againe 2 Thess. 1. Reioyce in tribulations vvhich is a token of the RIGHTEOVS IVDGEMENT of God, that you may be counted vvorthie of the kingdom of God for vvhich ye saffer. For it is a RIGHTEOVS THING vvith God, to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you: and to you that are troubled, rest vvith vs, in the reuelation of the Lord IESVS from heauen. And againe Hebr. 6, 10. God is not VNRIGHTEOVS to forget your good vvorke and labour, &c. These are very pregnant places to discouer their false purpose in concealing the vvord, iustice, in al their bibles. For if they vvil say, that iu∣stice is not an vsual English vvord in this sense, and therfore they say, righteousnes: yet I trovv, iust, and vniust, are vsual and vvel

knovven. Vvhy then vvould they not say at the least, in the places alleaged, God the IVST iudge, A token of the IVST IVDGEMENT of God, It is a IVST thing vvith God, God is not VNIVST to forget, &c? Vvhy is it not at the least in one of their English Bibles, being so both in Greeke and Latin?

6 Vnderstand gentle Reader, and marke vvel, that if S. Paules vvordes vvere truely translated thus, A crovvne of IVSTICE is laid vp for me, vvhich our Lord the IVST iudge vvil RENDER vnto me at that day, and so in the other places: it vvould inferre, that men are iustly crow∣ned in heauen for their good workes vpon earth, and that it is Gods iustice so to doe, & that he vvil do so because he is a iustiudge, & because he vvil shevv his IVST IVDGE∣MENT, and he vvil not forget so to doe, because he is not vniust: as the auncient fa∣thers (namely the Greeke doctors S. Chry∣sostom, Theodorete, & Oecumenius vpon these places) do interpret and expound. in so much that Oecumenius saith thus vpon the foresaid place to the Thessalonians, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c. See here, that to suffer for Christ pro∣cureth the kingdom of heauen according to IVST IVDGEMENT, and not according to grace. Vvhich lest the Aduersarie might take in the vvorse part, as though it vvere only Gods iustice or iust iudgement, and not his fauour or grace also, S. Augustine excel∣lently

declareth hovvv it is both the one and the other: to vvit, his grace and fauour and mercie, in making vs by his grace to liue and beleeue vvel, and so to be vvorthy of heauen: his iustice and iust iudgement, to render and repay for those vvorkes vvhich him self vvrought in vs, life euerla∣sting. Vvhich he expresseth thus: Hovv should he render or repay as a iust iudge, vnles he had giuen it as a merciful father? Vvhere S. Augustine vrgeth the vvordes of repaying as due, and of being A IVST IVDGE therfore. both vvhich the said translatours corrupt, not only saying, righteous iudge, for, iust iudge: but, that he vvil giue a crovvne, vvhich is of a thing not due, for that vvhich is in the Greeke, He vvil render or repay: vvhich is of a thing due and deserued, & hath relation to vvorkes going before, for the vvhich the crovvne is re∣paied. He said not (saith Theophylacte vpon this place) he vvil giue, but, he vvil render or repay, as a certaine dette. for he being iust, vvil define & limite the revvard according to the labours. the crovvne therfore is due dette, because of the iudges iustice. So saith he.

7 Vvhich speaches being most true as being the expresse vvordes of holy Scrip∣ture, yet vve knovv hovv odiously the Ad∣uersaries may & doe misconster them to the

ignorant, as though vve chalenged heauen by our ovvne vvorkes, and as though vve made God bound to vs. Vvhich vve do not, God forbid. but because he hath pre∣pared good vvorkes for vs (as the Apostle saith) to vvalke in them, and doth by his grace cause vs to doe them, and hath pro∣mised life euerlasting for them, and telleth vs in al his holy Scriptures, that to doe them is the vvay to heauen: therfore not presuming vpon our ovvne vvorkes as our ovvne or as of our selues, but vpon the good vvorkes vvrought through Gods grace by vs his seely instruments, vve haue great confidence (as the Apostle speaketh) and are assured that these vvorkes proce∣ding of his grace, be so acceptable to him, that they are esteemed and be vvorthie and meritorious of the kingdom of heauen. Against which truth, let vs see further, their heretical corruptions.

Notes

• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• Annot. in 1 Luc.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• Beza Annot. in Apoc. 19.
• Bib. of the yere 1577. most appro∣ued. Mat. 1, 19. Luc. 1, 6.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 iustum est. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• non enim iniustus est Deus.
• The scriptu∣res most e∣uident for iustification▪ by vvorkes, against only faith.
• Psal. 57. Si vtique est fructus iu∣sto, vtique est Deus iu∣dicans eos in terra.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• Aug. de gra. & lib. arb. ca. 6.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• Eph. 2, v. 10.
• Hebr. 10.