The Marginal Notes of the Popish Testament Translated Into English, Book 10
EPHESIANS.
Ephes. 1. 4.
The text.
As he chose vsus in him, before the constitution of the world, that we should be holie & immaculate ⸫ in his sight in charity.
The note.
We learne here that by Gods grace men be holie and immaculate not onelyonly in the sight of men, nor by imputation, but truely and before God, contrarie to the doctrine of the Caluinists.
The answer.
What father hath affirmed this before you? This is not onelyonly contrarie to Caluins doctrine, but also to the doctrine of our Lorde Iesus Christ, and his Euangelist Saint Iohn. For our Lord and Sauiour Christ teacheth the children of God, to praie alwaies for forgiuenes of their trespasses. And saint Iohn saith, if we say we hauehave no sinne, we deceiue our selues, and there is no truth in vsus. Then I pray you tel vsus, if trespasses & sins be spots, how are we truely and in Gods sight immaculate, otherwise then by the not imputing of our sinnes vntounto vsus, and the imputing vntounto vsus of Christs righteousnes? But herein you deceiue your selues and others, that you estéeme not this imputed righteousnes for true righteousnes, when and whereas it is the onelyonly righteousnes, in confidence wherof we may boldly appéere without spot in the presence of our God.
Ephes. 1. 13.
The text.
In whom also, when you had heard the word of truth (the Gospell of your saluation) in which also beleeuing you were ⸫ signed with the holie spirit of promise, &c.
The note.
Some referre this to the grace of baptisme, but to manie learned it seemeth that the Apostle alludeth to the giuing of the holie Ghost in the sacrament of confirmation, by signing the baptized with the signe of the crosse and holie chrisme. For that was the vse in the apostles time, as else where we hauehave prooued, annot. Acts. 8.
The answer.
The many learned that you speake of, are but such as hauehave sold themselues, and bent al their wits to defend the fornications of the whoore of Babylon. And so you endeuor your selues, & do your best to prooue that, which you speake of. But lies and vntruths are not so easie to be prooued, as you imagine, but onlie to such as do beléeue euerie word you speake, to be an oracle. Your chrisme, and your sacrament of confirmation, were vnknown to to the apostles: and not vsed by them to any such ende, or purpose as you hauehave vsurped them vntounto.
Ephes. 1. 23.
The text.
And he hath subdued all things vnderunder his feete: and hath made him head ouer all the church, which is his bodie, the ⸫ fulnes of him which is filled all in all.
The note.
Christ is not full, whole, and perfect without the church, no more then the head without the bodie.
The answer.
This note is good, true, and comfortable, if it be vnderstoode of his perfection in his mysticall bodie, and not otherwise.
Ephes. 2. 8.
The text.
For by grace you are saued through faith (and that not of your selues, for it is the gift of God) ⸫ not of works, that no man glorie.
The note.
It is said not of works as thine, of thy selfe being vntounto thee, but as those, in which God hath made, formed, and created thee. August. de gratia, & lib. arbit. cap. 8. & seq.
The answer.
Bicause your owne credit will not stretch to qualifie the plain spéeches of the Apostle, you craue aide at Augustines hand. But he is your sworne enimie: and therefore meaneth to giuegive you verie slender helpe. For in the same place he telleth vsus, that our good life is the grace of God fréely giuen vsus: & that life eternal is also the grace of God fréely giuen to vsus. And that God in Paule, and others his déere children, and saints, crowned his own gifts, and not their merits: be you not then ashamed to enforce his spéeches against his minde?
…phes. 3. …7.
The text.
Christ ⸫ to dwell by faith in your harts.
The note.
Christ dwelleth in vsus by his gifts, and we be iust by those his gifts remaining and resident in vsus, and not by Christs proper iustice onlie as heretikes affirme.
The answer.
You wrangle for inherent iustice without all reason, Christ (you saie) dwelleth in vsus by his gifts, and we are iust by those his gifts. The gift that Christ dwelleth in vsus by, is faith, as S. Paul here telleth, and you assume that thereby we are iust, therfore we conclude that we are iust by faith. Therefore you must either confesse your manifold wrangling heretofore, in reiecting iustification by faith alone, bicause it is against your imagined inherent iustice, or else you must confesse that you do but cauill héere, when you go about to prooue inherent iustice, bicause Christ dwelleth in vsus by faith.
Ephes. 3. 17.
The text.
Rooted and founded in ⸫ charitie.
The note.
Not faith onelyonly must be in vsus, but charitie which accomplisheth all vertues.
The answer.
Who euer taught that no more vertues must be in Christians, then faith onelyonly? you can not shew one. And yet you are not ashamed to make your ignorant followers beléeue, that wée spoile Christians of all other vertues.
Ephes. 4. 10.
The text.
And that he ascended, what is it, but bica…se he descended first into the ⸫ inferior parts of the earth?
The note.
He meaneth specially of his descending to hell.
The answer.
He meaneth by his descending into the inferi… parts of the earth his incarnation, or abasing of himselfe, to take vponupon him our nature in the wombe of the virgin, which by an Hebraisme is called the lower parts of the earth. And Dauid so termeth his mothers wombe in the 139. Psalm. vers. 15.
Ephes. 4. 2….
The text.
And be ⸫ renued in the spirit of your minde: and put on the new man, which according to God is created in iustice, and holines of the truth.
The note.
The Apostle teacheth vsus not to apprehend Christs iustice by faith onlie, but to be renued in our selues truly, and to put on vsus the new man formed and created in iustice and holines of truth. By which freewil also is prooued to be in vsus to worke with God, and to consent vntounto him in our sanctification.
The answer.
Who doth so teach iustification by faith onelyonly, that he doth not also teach sanctification, as the ioined companion thereof? But lieng, and slaundering is your delight, which I do not saie, bicause you hauehave expresly vttered your minde, but bicause you do couertly insinuate so much to your blinde followers. Your proofe for fréewill is woorth thrée skips of a louse. You may conclude it out of euerie exhortation as well as out of this, it will follow all alike.
Ephes. 5. ….
The text.
For vnderstanding know you this, that no fornicator or vncleane or couetous person (which is ⸫ the seruice of idols) hath inheritance in the kingdome of Christ and of God.
The note.
See the hereticall corruption of this in the annot. Col. 3. 5.
The answer.
We hauehave séene your annotation, and finde your quarrel stale, as being mooued afore by master Martinius, and answered by master Doctor Fulke. And farther we sée that idolaters are beholding to you, for you take as great paines, as men may do, to vpholde them in their idolatrie, which in plaine English signifieth worshipping of images.
Ephes. 5. 23.
The text.
Let women be subiect to their husbands as to our Lord: bicause the man is the head of the woman, as Christ is the head of the ⸫ church.
The note.
It is much to be noted that in the first English Bibles there is not once the name of Church in all the Bible, but in steede thereof Congregation, which is so notorious a corruption, that themselues in their later Bibles correct it for shame, and yet suffer the other to be read and vsed still, See the Bible printed 1562.
The answer.
Surelie Martinius was to blame that left you no quarel vnmooued to our translation: it hath béene answered that our first translators translated aptlie and trulie, when they translated congregation, and that they therein committed no fault, whereof they or others ought to be ashamed. That the word Church was not shunned in anie sinister respect or meaning, the translating of the same word church in the créede, the vsing of the worde church in the notes of those first Bibles, in our Catechismes alwaies, in our latter translations as you confesse, do manifestlie shew. The cause whi… the translators did vse the word congregation rather then the word church, was bicause in those times ignorance raigning, the word congregation was more plaine, and lesse ambiguous and doubtfull, and therefore lesse danger in it of misconstruing or mistaking then in the other: thus is your notorious corruption come to nothing.
Ephes. 6. 8.
The text.
Knowing that euerie one, what good soeuer he shall do, that shall he ⸫ receiue of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
The note.
God leaueth no good worke vnrewarded.
The answer.
It is verie true, and yet you neuer the nigher your merit.
Ephes. 6. 14.
The text.
Stand therefore hauing your loines girded in truth, and ⸫ clothed with the brestplate of iustice, &c.
The note.
If man could not be trulie iust, or h…e iustice in him selfe, how could he be clothed with iustice?
The answer.
Men after this life are clothed with their habitation in heauen:2. Cor. 5. 2. their habitation in heauen is not in them selues. In like maner may they be clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ, which though it make them trulie iust, yet is in Christ and not in them selues. The whole armour is Gods, and by him giuen vsus to defend our selues withall. I maruell that you finde neither holiwater, nor crosse, nor anie such deuise of poperie among all this armour. I thinke therefore that it followeth manifestlie, that those péeces of armour neuer came out of Gods storehouse.
Ephes. 6. 23.
The text.
Peace to the brethren, and ⸫ charitie with faith from God the Father, and our Lord Iesus Christ.
The note.
Saint Augustine noteth in sundrie places vponupon this same text, that faith without charitie serueth not to saluation. Lib. 50. hom. 7.
The answer.
As for that faith which is without charitie, we (as we hauehave often told you) estéeme it not woorth two strawes: otherwise that a true faith onlie and alone iustifieth,… 6. Saint Augustine will tell you, if you will vouchsafe to sée it. It is necessarie for a man that not onlie when he is wicked he should be iustified, that is, of a wicked man made iust, when good things are rendered to him for euill: but also when he is now iustified by faith, that grace should walke with him, and he rest thereupon, least he fall. And againe, that Paul should be called from heauen,… and be conuerted by so great and effectuall a calling, the grace of God alone was the cause thereof, for his merits were great, but euill.