Heretical translation for SPECIAL FAITH, vain security, and ONLY FAITH

ALL other means of salvation being thus taken away, their only & extreme refuge is, Only faith, and the same, not the Christian faith of the articles of the Creed and such like, but a special faith and confidence, whereby every man must assuredly believe, that himself is the son of God, and one of the elect and predestinate to salvation. If he be not by faith as sure of this as of Christ’s Incarnation, he shall never be saved.

2 For this heresy, they force the Greek to express the very word of assurance and certainty, thus: Let us draw nigh with a true heart, ¹ IN ASSURANCE OF FAITH. Heb. 10. v. 22. and Beza, certa persuasione fidei, that is, with a certain and assured persuasion of faith: interpreting himself more at large in another place,² that he means thereby such a persuasion and so effectual, as by which we know assuredly without all doubt, that nothing can separate us from God. Which their heretical meaning makes their translation the less tolerable, because they neither express the Greek precisely, nor intend the true sense of the Apostle. They express not the Greek, which signifies properly the fulness and complement of anything, and therefore the Apostle joins it sometime with faith, elsewhere (Hebr. 6. v. 11.³) with hope, with knowledge, or (⁴ Col. 2. v. 2.) understanding, to signify the fulness of all three, as the vulgar Latin interpreter most sincerely (⁵ Ro. 4. v. 21.) always translates it: and to Timothee, (⁶ 2 Tim. 4.) he uses it to signify the full accomplishment and execution of his ministry in every point. Where a man may wonder that Beza to maintain his conceived signification of this word, translates here also accordingly, thus: Ministery tui plenam fidem facito: but their more current church English Bibles are content to say with the vulgar Latin interpreter, fulfil thy ministry: or, fulfil thine office to the utmost. and the Greek fathers do find no other interpretation. Thus,⁷ when the Greek signifies fulness of faith,⁸ rather than assurance or certain persuasion, they translate not the Greek precisely. Again in the sense they err much more, applying the foresaid words to the certain and assured faith that every man ought to have (as they say) of his own salvation. Whereas the Greek fathers expound it of the full and assured faith that every faithful man must have of all such things in heaven as he sees not, namely that Christ is ascended thither, &c. Adding further and proving out of the Apostles words next following, that the Protestants ⁹ only faith is not sufficient, be it never so special or assured.

3 Yet do these terms please them exceedingly,¹⁰ in so much that for the chosen gift of faith, Sap. 3, 14. they translate, THE SPECIAL gift of faith: and Ro. 8, 38. I am sure, that nothing can separate us from the love of God. As though the Apostle were certain and assured not only of his own salvation, but of other men’s. For to this sense they do so translate here, whereas in ¹¹ other places out of controversy, they translate the same word as they should do, I am persuaded. They are persuaded &c. For who knows not that πέπεισμαι imports only a probable persuasion? They will say that, I am sure, and I am persuaded, is all one. Being well meant, they may indeed signify alike, as the vulgar Latin interpreter does commonly translate it, but in this place of controversy, whether the Apostle were sure of his salvation or no, which you say he was, yea without revelation, we say he was not: here why would you translate, I am sure, & not as in other places, I am persuaded, but in favour of your error, by insinuating the terms of sure, & assurance, and such like: as elsewhere you neglect the terms of just and justification.¹² In which your secret things of dishonesties and craftiness (as the Apostle calls it) we can not always use demonstrations to convince you: but yet even in these things we talk with your conscience, and leave the consideration thereof to the wise reader.

4 You hold also in this kind of controversy, that a man must assure himself that his sins be forgiven. But in the book of Ecclesiasticus c. 5. v. 5. we read thus, Of thy sin forgiven, be not without fear. ¹³ or (as it is in the Greek) Of forgiveness and propitiation be not without fear, to heap sin upon sins. Which you translate falsely thus: Because thy sin is forgiven thee, be not therefore without fear. Is that περὶ ἐξιλασμοῦ, because thy sin is forgiven thee? You know it is not. But that we should be afraid of the very forgiveness thereof, whether our sin be forgiven or no, or rather, whether our sin shall be forgiven or no, if we heap one sin upon another. Which seems to be the truest sense of the place, by the words following. As though he should say, Be not bold upon forgiveness to heap sin upon sin, as though God will easily forgive &c.

5 I touched before upon another occasion, how you add to the text, making the Apostle say thus, Eph. 3.¹⁴ By whom we have boldness and entrance with THE CONFIDENCE WHICH IS by the faith of him or (as in another Bible,¹⁵ which is all one) in the confidence by faith of him. The learned and skilful among you in the Greek tongue, know that this translation is false for two causes. The one is, because the Greek in that case should be thus, ἐν τῇ πεποιθήσει τῇ διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ another cause is, the point after πεποιθήσει. So that the very simple and sincere translation is this, we have affiance [trust] and access with confidence, by the faith of him even as elsewhere it is said, we have confidence,¹⁶ if our heart reprehend us not: we have confidence by keeping the commandments, by tribulations and afflictions and all good works.¹⁷ hope also gives us great confidence. Against all which, your translation is prejudicial, limiting & defining our confidence toward God, to be faith, as though we had no confidence by works, or otherwise.

6 For this confidence by faith only, Beza translates so wilfully and perversely, that either you were ashamed to follow him, or you lacked a commodious English word correspondent to his Latin, If I have all faith (says the Apostle) and have not charity, I am nothing. Totam fidem, ¹⁸ (says Beza) I had rather translate, than, omnem fidem, because the Apostle means not all kind of faith, to wit, the faith that justifies: but he means that if a man have the faith of Christ’s omnipotency, or of any other article of the Creed, or of all wholly and entirely and perfectly, that is nothing without charity. This is Beza’s tota fides, whole faith, thinking by this translation to exempt from the Apostles words their special justifying faith, & wrestling to that purpose in his annotations against Pighius & other Catholic Doctors. Whereas every man of small skill may see,¹⁹ that the Apostle names all faith, as he does all knowledge & all mysteries: comprehending all sorts of the one & of the other: all kind of knowledge, all kind of mysteries, all faith whatsoever, Christian, Catholic, historical, or special, which two later, are Heretical terms newly devised.

7 And I would have any of the Bezites give me a sufficient reason, why he translated, totam fidem, and not also, totam scientiam. undoubtedly there is no cause, but the heresy of special and only faith. And again, why he translates Iaco. 2, 22. Thou seest, that faith was (administra) a helper of his works: and expounds it thus, faith was an efficient cause and fruitful of good works. Whereas the Apostles words be plain, that faith wrought together with his works, yea and that his faith was by works made perfect.²⁰ This is impudent handling of Scripture, to make works the fruit only and effect of faith, which is your heresy.

8 Which heresy also must needs be the cause, that, to suppress the excellency of charity (which the Apostle gives it above faith or any other gift whatsoever, in these words, And yet I show you a more excellent way 1 Cor. 12. v. 31.) he in one edition of the New Testament (in the year 1556.) translates thus, Behold moreover also I show you a way most diligently. ²¹ What cold stuff is this, and how impertinent? In another edition (an. 1565.) he mended it thus: And besides I show you a way to excellency. In neither of both expressing the comparison of preeminence & excellency that charity has in the Apostles words, and in all the chapter following. Wherein you did well (for your credit) not to follow him (no not your Bezites themselves) but to translate after our vulgar Latin interpreter, as it has always been read and understood in the Church.

9 Luther was so impudent in this case, that, because the Apostle spake not plainly enough for only faith, he thrust (only) into the text of his translation, ²² as himself witnesses. You durst not hitherto presume so far in this question of only faith though ²³ in other controversies you have done the like, as is showed in their places. But I will ask you a smaller matter, which in words and show you may perhaps easily answer, but in your conscience there will remain a gnawing worm. In so many places of the Gospel, where our Saviour requires the peoples faith, when he healed them of corporal diseases only, why do you so gladly translate thus,²⁴ Thy faith has saved thee: rather than thus, thy faith has healed thee, or, made thee whole? is it not, by joining these words together, to make it sound in English ears, that faith saves or justifies a man? in so much that Beza notes in the margin thus, fides saluat: that is, faith saves. & your Geneva Bibles, in that place where it can not be taken for faith that justifies, because it is not the parties faith, but her fathers that Christ required, there also translate thus, Believe only, and she shall be saved. ²⁵ Which translation, though very false and impertinent for justifying faith, as you seem to acknowledge by translating it otherwise in your other Bibles:²⁶ yet indeed you must needs maintain & hold it for good, whiles you allege this place for only faith, as is evident in your writings.

10 This then you see is a fallacy, when faith only is required to the health of the body, as in many such places (though not in all) there by translation to make it sound a justifying faith, as though faith only were required to the health of the soul. Whereas that faith was of Christ’s omnipotency only & power,²⁷ which Beza confesses may be in the devils themselves, and is far from the faith that justifies. If you say, the Greek signifies as you translate: it does so indeed, but it signifies also very commonly to be healed corporally, as (by your own translation) in these places.²⁸ Marc. 5. v. 28; Marc. 6. v. 36; Luc. 8. v. 36. & v. 51. Where you translate, I shall be whole. They were healed. He was healed. She shall be made whole. And why do you here translate so? Because you know, to be saved, imports rather another thing, to wit, salvation of the soul: and therefore when faith is joined withal, you translate rather, saved, than healed (though the place be meant of bodily health only) to insinuate by all means your justification by only faith.