Defense of the Translations of the Scriptures into the English Tongue, Treatise · Chapter 1 · Martins comments 26 – Martins comments 35
MART. 26. I will not speake of the German Heretikes,…rentius Melancth. See …inda. Dubi. Dial. 1. c. 1… ▪ Psal. 51. who to mainteine this heresie, that all our workes, be they neuer so good, are sinne, translated, for Tibi soli peccaui, to thee only hauehave I sinned▪ thus, Tibi solùm peccaui▪ that is, I▪ hauehave nothing else but sinned: whatsoeuer I do, I sinne: foreignwhereas neither the Greeke nor the Hebrewe will possibly admitforeign that sense. Let these passe as Lutherans, yet wilfull corrupters, and acknowledged of our English Protestants for their good brethren. But if Beza translate, foreign, when*Whitak. pag. 1…. Ro. 5. v. 6. we were yet of no strength, as the Geneua English Bible also doth interprete it, whereas eueryevery young Grecian knoweth that foreign is weake, feeble, infirme, and not altogither without strength: is not this of purpose to take away mans free will altogither? See chap. 10. nu. 13.
FVLK. 26. I knowe not what German heretikes those be which maintaine that heresie, that al our works be they neuer so good are sinne, except they be the Libertines with whom we hauehave nothing to do. For we neuer say, that good workes are sinne, for that were al one to say that good were euill. But that al our good workes are short of that perfection, which the law of God requireth, we do humbly confesse against our selues. Or else, what soeuer seemeth to be a good worke, and is done of mē voyde of true faith, is sinne. For these assertions we hauehave the scripture to warrāt vsus. And if to proue the later any man hath translated those words of Dauid in the 51. Psalme, Lecha, Lebadecha, Tibi solum, or tantūmodo tibi peccaui, foreign&c. To the only or altogither to thee I hauehave sinned, in respect of his naturall corruption which he doth expresse in the next verse, he hath not departed one whitte from the Hebrewe wordes, nor from the sense which the wordes may very wel beare, which he that denieth, rather sheweth him selfe ignorant in the Hebrew tongue, than he that so translateth. For what doth Lebad signifie,foreign but Solum or Tantum and therefore it may as well be translated Solum tibi, as Soli …ibi. And the Apostle Rom. 3. prouing by the later end of that verse, all men to be vniust, that God only may be true, and eueryevery man a lier, as it is written that thou mayest be iustified in thy wordes &c. fauoreth that interpretation of Bucer, or who soeuer it is beside. But if Beza translate foreign, when wee were yet of no strength, as the Geneua Englishe Bible doth also interprete it, whereas euerye young Grecian knoweth that foreign, is weake, feeble, infirme, and not altogither withoute strengthe: is not this of purpose to take awaye mannes free wyll altogither? Chapter tenth, Number. 13. Naye it is to shewe as the Apostles purpose is, that wee hauehave no strength to fulfill the lawe of God without the grace of Christ, euen as Christ him selfe sayth, without me you can do nothing, Ioan. 15. v. 5. But eueryevery young Grecian (saye you) knoweth that foreign is weake, feeble, infirme, and not altogither with out strength. And is there then any old Grecian that will proue, that foreign alway signifieth him that is weake, but not voide of strength? Doth foreign alwayes signifie him that hath some strēgth? Certaine it is that the Apostle speaketh here, of those that were voide of strength, for the same he calleth in the same verse foreign vngodly, or voide of religion, for whom Christ died. Howe say you then, had vngodly persons any strength to be saued, except Christ had died for them? Therefore he that in this place translateth foreign, weake, feeble, infirme▪ must needes vnderstand men so weake, feeble, and infirme, as they hauehave no strength. For how might it else be truely sayed, what hast thou, which thou hast not receiued? 1. Cor. 4. v. 7. Yes, say you, we hauehave some peece of freewil at least, some strength to clime to heauen, euen without the grace of God, without the death & redemption of Christ. If you say no, why cauill you at Bezaes translation and ours? The Greeke worde foreign as great a Grecian as you would make your selfe, signifieth weake or infirme, sometime that which yet hath some strength, sometime that which hath no strength at all, as I will giuegive you a plaine example out of S. Paule. 1. Cor. 15. v. 43. The dead bodie is sowen foreign in weakenesse: it riseth againe in power. Doth not weakenesse here signifie priuation of all strength? It is maruaile, but you will say a dead bodie is not altogither voide of strength. Beza telleth you out of S. Paule, Rom. 8. v. 6. That the wisedome of the flesh without Christ is death, it is enmitie against God, it is neither subiect vntounto the law of God▪ neither can it be, where is the strength of free will that you complaine to bee taken away by our translation? Beza doth also tell you, that S. Paule calleth all the ceremonies of the lawe foreign; as they are separated from the spirit of Christ, the weake and beggerly elementes, Gala…. 4. Are they not voide of strength, & riches which are voide of Christs grace and spirit? But your purpose was only to quarrell, and seeke a knot in a rush, & therefore you regarded not what Beza hath written, to iustifie his translation.
MART. 27. If Caluine translate, Non ego, sed gratia…. Cor. 15. 10▪ Dei quae mihi aderat: may not meane Graecians controleforeign. him, that he also translateth falsely against free will, because the preposition foreign doth require some other participle to be vnderstoode, that shoulde signifie a cooperation with free will, to wit, foreign, which laboured with me? See chap. 10. numb. 2.
FVLK. 27. The Greeke is foreign the grace of God which is with me. A meane Graecian will rather vnderstande the verbe substantiue, than the participle, as you doe, and then must needes againe vnderstand the verbe foreign, hath laboured. For thus the sense must be, if your participle be vnderstood, I hauehave laboured more than they all, yet not I but the grace of God which labored with me hath labored. Who would commit such a vaine tautologie. The sense is therefore plaine, which the Apostles words do yeeld in the iudgement of better Graecians than euer G. Martine was, or will be. I hauehave not labored more than the rest of the Apostles, of mine owne strength or will, but the grace of God which is in me, or with me, hath giuen me greater strength & ability to trauel in the Gospell than to them. But you are afraid least it should be thought, that the Apostle had done nothing, like vntounto a block, forced only: a blockish feare, & a forced collection. For when the Apostle first saith, he hath labored & after denieth & saith, I hauehave not laboured: what sensible man will not gather, that in the former, he labored as a man indued with life, sense, and reason, and in the later, that he laboured not by his owne strength or vertue, but by the grace of God▪ to which he attributeth all that he is in such respect? By the grace of God I am that I am (saith he) which manifestly excludeth naturall free will, to that which is good & appertaining to the glorie of God. For which cause he denieth that he laboured more than the rest, not I but the grace of God▪ which was present with me.
MART. 28. If, when the Hebrue beareth indifferently, to say, Sinne lieth at the dore: and vntounto thee the desire thereof Gen. 4. v. 7. an. 1579.shall be subiect, & thou shalt rule ouer it: the Geneua English Bible translate the first without scruple, & the later not▪ because of the Hebrue Grammar: is not this also most wilfull against free will? See chap. 10. numb. 9.
FVLK. 28. I graunt this to bee done willingly, against free will, but yet no false nor corrupt translation. For in the participle Robets, which signifieth lying, is aforeign manifest Enallage or chaunge of the gender to declare that in Chataoth, which word being of the feminine gender, signifieth sinne, is to bee vnderstoode Auon, or some such worde as signifieth the punishment of sinne, which may agree with the participle in the masculine gender, that the antithesis may be perfect. If thou doest well, shall there not be reward or remission, if thou doest euill, the punishment of thy sinne is at hand. But that the later end of the verse can not be referred to sinne, but vntounto Cain, not only the Grammar, but also the plaine wordes, and sense of the place doth conuince. For that which is sayd of the appetite, must hauehave the same sense, which the same wordes hauehave before, of the appetite of Eue towardes her husband Adam, that in respect of the law of nature, and her infirmitie, she should desire to be vnderunder his gouernment, & that he should hauehave dominion ouer her. So Abel the yonger brother should be affected toward his elder brother Cain, to whom by the law of nature he was louing and subiect, and therefore no cause, why Cain should enuy him as he did. Otherwise it were a straunge meaning, that sinne which is an insensible thing, shoulde hauehave an appetite or desire towarde Cain, who rather had an appetite to sinne, than sinne to him. But you are so greedie of the later parte, that you consider not the former. I knowe what the Iewisne Rabbines fauourers of Hethenish free will, absurdly doe imagine to salue the matter, but that which I hauehave said may satisfie godly Christian▪.
MART. 29. If Caluine affirme that foreign canCalu. in 5. Hebr. not signifie, propter reuerentiam, because foreign is not so vsed, & Beza auoucheth the same more earnestly, and the English BibleBib. an. 1579. translateth accordingly, which may be confuted by infinite examples in the Scripture it selfe, & is cōfuted by Illyricus the Lutheran: is it not a signe either of passing ignorance, or of most wilfull corruption, to maintaine the blasphemie that hereupon they conclude? See chap. 7. numb. 42▪ 43.
FVLKE. 29. If Beza, Caluine, & the English translations be deceiued about the vse of the Preposition foreign, it proueth not that they are deceiued in the translation of the worde foreign, which is the matter in question. They hauehave other reasons to defend it, than the vse of the preposition, although you sclaunder Caluine, in saying he affirmeth, that foreign is not vsed for propter. For he sayth no more, but that the preposition is foreign not foreign or some such like, that may designe a cause quae causam designet, that is, that certainly may point out a cause, & can not otherwise be taken. Likewise Beza saith, Atqui non facile mihi persuaserim, proferri posse vllum exemplum in quo foreign ita vsurpe…ur. But I can not easily persuade my selfe, that any example may be brought forth, in which foreign is so vsed, that is, for propter, or secundum, for which foreign, or foreign were more proper and vsuall. Now if Illyricus hauehave helped you with a few examples where foreign is so taken, what say Beza or Caluine against it, but that it doth not vsually and certainly signifie so. Their iudgement vponupon the place remaineth still grounded vponupon other argumentes, although that reason of the acception of foreign be not so strong, as if foreign had neuer bene so taken. But as for the blasphemie, you say, they conclude vponupon that place, will redound vponupon your owne necke, for their exposition is honourable and glorious to God the father, and Christ his sonne, and to the Holy Ghost, by whom that Epistle was indited, to the confusion of your Popishe blasphemies, of the sacrifice propitiatorie offred in the Masse.
MART. 30. If Beza in the selfe same place contende, that foreign doth not signifie reuerence or pietie, but suche a feare as hath horrour & astonishment of mind: & in an other place sayth of the selfe same worde, cleane contrarie: what is it but of purpose to vpholde the said blasphemie? See chap. 7. nu. 39. 40.
FVLK. 30. Beza in the same place, doth bring many examples to proue, that the Greeke worde foreign doth signifie a great feare, and so is to be taken Heb. 5. But it is an impudent lye to say, he doth contend, that it neuer signifieth reuerence, or piety: and therfore that he saith it signifieth piety in an other place, is nothing contrarie to that he spake in this place, for the word signifieth both, as no man that will professe any knowledge in the Greeke tongue can deny.
MART. 31. If he translate for, Gods foreknowledge foreignAct. 2. v. 23.Gods prouidence, for soule, carcas, for hell, graue: to whatforeign. end is this but for certaine hereticall conclusions? And if vponupon*Ibid. v. 27. Annota. in no▪ test, post. edit. admonition he alter his translation for shame, and yet protesteth that he vnderstandeth it as he did before, did he not translate before wilfully according to his obstinate opinion? See chap. 7.
FVLK. 31. Beza doth in deede translate foreign prouidentia, but he expoūdeth himselfe in his annotation. id est, aeterna cognitione, for what hereticall conclusion he should so do, you do not expresse, neither can I imagine. To your other quarrels, of soule, and carcasse, hell and graue, I hauehave sayd enough in aunswer to your preface, Sect. 46. & 47.Annotat. in Act. 2. v. 24.
MART. 32. If to this purpose he auouch that, Sheol, signifieth nothing else in Hebrue but a graue, whereas all Hebriciansforeign know that it is the most proper and vsuall word in the Scripture for Hell, as the other word Keber, is for a graue: who would thinke he would so endaunger his estimation in the Hebrue tongue, but that an hereticall purpose against Christs descending into hell, blinded him? See chap. 7.
FVLK. 32. Nay rather all learned Hebriciās know that Sheol is more proper for the graue, than for hell, and that the Hebrewes hauehave no worde proper for hell, as we take hell, for the place of punishment of the vngodly, but either they vse figuratiuely Sheol, or more certainly Topheth, or Gehinnom. For Sheol is in no place so necessarily to be taken for hell, but that it may also be taken for the graue. That Keber signifieth the graue, it is no proofe that Sheol doth not signifie the same, & therefore you shew your selfe to be too young an Hebrician, to carpe at Bezaes estimation in the knowledge of the tongue.
MART. 33. And if all the English Bibles translate accordingly, to wit, for Hell, Graue, wheresoeuer the Scripture may meane any lower place that is not the Hell of the damned: and where it must needes signifie that Hell, there they neuer auoide so to translate it: is it not an euident argument, that they know very well the proper signification, but of purpose they will neuer vse it to their disaduantage in the questions of Limbus, Purgatorie, Christs descending into Hell? chap. 7.
FVLKE. 33. I hauehave sayd before, there is no place in the old Testament, where Sheol must nedes signifie, that hell, in which are the damned, but the place may be reasonably and truly translated the graue: although, as in diuerse places, by death is meant eternall death, so by graue is meant hell, or damnation. Concerning the questions of Limbus, Purgatorie, and the descending of Christ into hell, they are nothing like: for the last is an article of our faith, which we doe constantly beleue in the true vnderstanding thereof, but the other are fables and inuentions of men, whiche hauehave no grounde, in the Scripture, but onelyonly a vayne surmise, builded vponupon a wrong interpretation of the wordes of the Scripture, as in the peculiar places shall bee plainely declared.
MART. 34. If further yet in this kinde of controuersie,Annot. in Act. 2. v. 24. Beza would be bold to affirme (for so he saith) if the Grammarians would giuegive him leaue, that Chebel with …iue points signifieth,*foreign funem, no lesse than Chebel with sixe pointes: is he not wonderfully set to maintaine his opinion, that will chaungeThat is, he vvould translate, Solutis funibus mortis, not▪ Solutis dolorib…s inferni. the nature of wordes, if he might, for his purpose?
FVLK. 34. Wonderfullye I promise you, for he translateth the worde for all this doloribus, and sayeth. Nihil tamen ausus sum mutare ex coniectura. Yet I durst change nothing vponupon coniecture. Annotat. in Act. 2. v. 24. You say he woulde chaunge the natures of wordes. Nothing so, but if the word might beare that signification, he thinketh it more agreeable to the Hebrue phrase, which the Euangelist doth often followe. Is not this a great matter to make an euident marke of corruption?
MART. 35. If passiues must bee turned into actiues▪ and actiues into passiues, participles disagree in case from their substantiues, or rather be plucked & separated from their true substantiues, soloecismes imagined, where the construction is most agreeable, errours deuised to creepe out of the margent, & such like: who would so presume in the text of holy Scriptures, to hauehave all Grammar, and words, and phrases, and constructions at his commaundement, but Beza and his like, for the aduantage of their cause? See chap. 5. numb. 6. and the numbers next following in this chapter.
FVLK. 35. But if all these bee proued to be vaine cauils, and friuolous quarrells, as in the chap. 5. numb. 6. and in the numbers following in this chapter it shall bee playnelye declared, then I hope all men of meane capacitie and indifferent iudgement will confesse, that ignoraunce hath deceiued you, malice hath blinded you, hatred of the truth hath ouerthrowen you, the father of lies and sclaunders hath possessed you.Act. …. 21.