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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13884	Vindiciæ Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ: or A iustification of the religion now professed in England VVherein it is prooued to be the same which was taught by our Sauiour Iesus Christ, and by his holy Apostles; written for their vse that haue desired such proofe. By W.T.	Travers, Walter, 1547 or 8-1635.; A. B.; Travers, Walter, d. 1646, attributed name.	1630 (1630)	STC 24188; ESTC S118507	48,208	86

in any degree like the former for the causes aboue men●ioned or by the heathen Wi●hin the Church there arose indeede great troubles generally by the authority of the Emperours that fauoured the heresy of Arius and by the Arian Bishops and other of that heresy soliciting authority with all importunacy against Athanasius and other that maintained the sound Orthodoxe and holy faith of the Godhead of Christ of one and the same substance with the Father In which worthy cause whatsoeuer was suffered by any and namely by Athanasius worthy to bee immortall and to haue his name preserued for euer in the Church with high regard and honour they and Athanasius suffered for that saith that is also professed by all reformed Churches and namely by our Church in England as may appeare by Athanasius Creede or confession of faith set downe in our booke of common prayer appoynted by publique authority to be openly read in all our Churches Other vniuersall persecutions for any matter of Christian faith wee reade of none And as for such particular troubles as were raised in the Church about any heresy condemned by any of the foure first generall Councels whatsoeuer those Councels decreed against such heresies is receiued and professed by our Church in England Thus it is proued that all the Martyrs of the Primitiue Church suffered for our Religion that is now professed in England And in all ages whatsoeuer true and right Martyrs there haue beene that is which suffered death for bearing witnesse to the word of God and to any part of Christian Religion deliuered by Iesus Christ and by his holy Apostles for it is the cause and not the punishment onely that maketh a Martyr they dyed all for some Article or other of the Religion which is professed in England And of this sort for some laterages especially in this wherein wee liue the barbarous Cruelty of the Romane Catholiques hath beene such as in this age both England in some former times and especially in the reigne of Queene Mary and many other kingdomes and countries of Christendome haue flowed with the Christian blood that hath bene shed by them They boast indeed of Martyrs that haue dyed for the defence of their Religion for which if our Christian Kings and States that haue restored the sincerity of Christian Religion had made lawes for that purpose and put them in execution vpon some turbulent Persons obstinately seeking to depriue vs of the true worship of God and to bring vs back againe to the blindnesse and ignorance superstitions and will worships errours and heresies Idolatries and blasphemies of the Sea of Rome who could iustly reproue such proceedings But it will bee hard to shew that our Christian Princes and States haue yet hitherto so proceeded Possibly in the warres and In the rage of battell and in the fury of victory some outrages may haue bene committed which we do not iustifie But that in time of peace when lawes might be obeyed the Iudges sit quietly vpon their benches it will not be easy to shew that there hath bin any such course Their shamelesse Legendaries report indeed that we haue put men into Beares s●innes and set dogges to worry them But they t●at wrote ●●ch things had neither truth nor modesty in so writ ng They complaine much also of some Iesuits Seminaries and other Romane Catholiques adiudged vnto death in this Land And it is true that some such haue beene executed but not any simply for any matter of Religion and diuine Seruice but either for Fellonies and Treasons and that some such as the like were neuer heard of in any age or for such erronious and hereticall poynts of Doctrine as directly impugneth the Soueraignty of the State and inforced a necessity of such Lawes and execution of them vpon some notorious Offendors and seditious practisers to seduce the subiects from their allegeance But this is cleared in many other places and heere it may suffice to shew that which hath beene proued That the Martyrs of the Primitiue Church dyed for that truth which is now professed in England Which hauing beene thus proued by this Treatise there hath beene performed whatsoeuer is desired Which God grant may be of as good vse to such as haue desired it as the writer from his soule doth pray God may vouchsafe them FINIS

all spirituall graces needfull for that seruice so spake of the great workes of God to the Iewes that from all parts of the world were come to Ierusalem that the same day there were added to the Church about 3000. persons Acts 2.41 Acts 8.1 After by reason of the persecution that was raised against those that receiued their doctrine and other occasions that God disposed their doctrine was published in diuerse Countries and at Antioch in Syria so preuailed Acts 11.26 that there first the Disciples were named Christians of Christ whose Religion they receiued of which beginning and proceeding of the Gospell to the time of the Apostle Pauls imprisonment at Rome the Euangelist Luke hath written the vndoubted certainty in his history of the Acts of the Apostles which story is inlarged by that was written also hereof by some of the Apostles themselues in their Epistles and also in the Reuelation By which sacred bookes of the new Testament it most certainly and manifestly appeareth what the religion and doctrine was which our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles taught and Christian Churches after professed that continued in their doctrine And this is summarily that most holy faith and true Christian religion which is now professed in England and established by publique Authority Thus summarily answer is made to that is here desired CHAP. II. The particulars of our Religion professed in England NOw for further satisfaction in the particular points of our Religion now professed in England it is to be vnderstood that there are two bookes established by publique and highest authority amongst vs wherein are declared the particular points of Christian Religion as they now are receiued and professed in England the one of these is intituled the booke of Articles of Christian Religion agreed in the Conuocation in the yeere of our Lord 1562. In which booke is declared shortly in seuerall Articles the whole doctrine of Faith and of the Sacraments which we professe The other is the booke of diuine Seruice and common Prayer wherein is set downe the whole order whereby we serue God publiquely in our Churches In these two or in either of them for substance is contained the declaration of our Religion wherefore if the Religion deliuered in either of these bee prooued to bee the same which Christ and his Apostles taught and that which for any part whereof true Martyrs of ancient time haue suffered then is that prooued which is here desired which proofe at this time it seemeth most conuenient to be made especially of the booke of diuine Seruice For the Law with vs requireth especially to serue God according to such forme as is established by Authority and set downe in the booke of diuine Seruice and common Prayer Therefore to yeeld satisfaction to such Romane Catholique Recusants as are offended at such parts thereof as differ from the Liturgy of the Church of Rome such principall parts of the said diuine Seruice are here to bee iustified to bee established amongst vs according to that Doctrine which our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles haue deliuered For performance whereof it is to be vnderstood that there are sundry points of Religion set downe in the said booke whereof no pretended Catholique is supposed to make any doubt Of this sort it is that the said Booke appointeth the reading of the holy Scriptures of both the Testaments and particularly out of the old Testament of the Law of the two Tables contayning the ten Commandements of Almighty God and out of the new Testament of the Lords Prayer Of like kinde also it is that in the same our faith in many of the highest and most sacred mysteries of Christian Religion is declared and professed in three of the most ancient and notable Confessions of Christian faith that haue beene gathered out of the Scriptures in any former ages Of which Confessions or Creedes as they are commonly called the first and most ancient is that which vsually is called the Apostles Creede because it containeth many principall points of the Doctrine of the Apostles and in a great part followeth from one degree to another the Story of the Gospell concerning the sundry degrees of the humiliation and glory of our Sauiour Christ The other two are somewhat larger declarations of the same points of doctrine that are in the former of which Confessions or Creedes the one is of Athanasius that resolute constant Professor of Christ worthy in honour to be immortall in the Church according to his name The other the Creede set forth by the first and most famous oecumenicall Councell of Nice Besides these though not expressed in this booke the Lawes of England so receiue the holy determinations of all the first foure generall Councels in that they agreeably to the Scriptures determined of the doctrine concerning Christs two natures of God and Man and of the Vnity of his Person and of the Godhead of the holy Ghost against the damnable Heresies of Arius Nestorius Eutyches and Macedonius as they ordaine punishment by death vpon any that shall obstinately maintaine the foresaid Heresies Moreouer the said booke appointeth the order for the administration of both the Sacraments instituted by our Sauiour Christ as signes and seales of the Gospell of Christ and of the righteousnes that is by Faith viz. Baptisme the Sacrament of our new birth and the Lords Supper the Sacrament of our continuall nourishment by him to life euerlasting Finally the same booke containeth besides the Lords prayer the true rule and direction whereby all other are framed many other godly prayers for all estates and degrees and applied to the confession of our sins to the administration of the Sacramen●s and other like occasions of the Church Thus farre of such particulars as it is to be thought no Christian doubteth but that th●y are from God Wherefore the proofe to bee made seemeth ne d●●ull only in such points as our Church hath reformed in the Religion and Liturgie professed and vsed in the Church of Rome Now therefore the principall things of difference betweene our diuine Seruice and the Liturgie of the Church of Rome follow to be considered in the principall parts thereof after that two points haue beene debated which are to be regarded in them all whereof the former is the subiect or person that is to say who it is that with Seruice of Religion ought to be serued and worshiped by vs * In the Church of England God only is worshipped with diuine s ruice not any creature or dead things as Images reliques such like in England by publique Authority with Diuine seruice the law intendeth that onely the true eternall God the Almighty creatour of heauen and earth and the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ is to be religiously serued and honored by vs. For which cause it is ordained that the word of God be read and expounded that his Sacraments bee administred and that all our prayers be made to God and to

Christian Martyrs which haue suffered hitherto haue suffered death for professing that they worshipped onely the true God that had made heauen earth his onely begotten Sonne Iesus Christ and refused to worship the Pagan Emperours Idols and the Idols of the heathen that liued in any part of the Romane Empire The certaine and vndoubted truth hereof is to bee iustified by the Apologeticall and other writings of the ancient Fathers by the history of Eusebius other writers of Ecclesiasticall story namely of Martyrs likewise by Aurelius Prudentius in his booke of the Crownes of Martyrs and other of like argument By the testimony of these writers it appeareth for the tyme of the ten great and cruell persecutions of the Romane Emperours while they were yet heathen euen to the reigne of Constantine the Great which was the space of aboue 300 yeares and namely in the last tenne yeeres persecutions vnder the fiue last heathen Emperours which time is thought to bee forshewed by the mention of tenne dayes spoken in the 2 Chap. of the Reuelation the 10 verse For by all these it is plentifully testified that the Christians were put to death for no other cause but for professing themselues to bee Christians and refusing to worship the Idols of the heathen The same is confirmed also by forraigne and heathen writers and namely by the edicts and proclamations of Emperors by the commandements of their officers in their seuerall Prouinces by their proceeding in Iudgment the voyce of the cryer proclaming that they which suffered death professed themselues to bee Christians by a writing which was written in a table of such their profession which was borne before the Martyrs and finally by the sentences of their Iudges for such cause onely adiuding them to suffer diuers sundry kindes of exquisite torments and cruell deaths To proue this by the particular report of all the Martyrs that suffered in that time to the reigne of the Great Constantine would bee two long But wee may take a few for example amongst those that are reported to suffer Martyrdome in that time Heere may bee remembred Polycarpus Pastor of the Church of Smyrna mentioned in the Reuelation a tree that bare much fruite according to his name and like the Date or A●mond tree which the more it is pressed is the more fruitefull For of him it is written that after horrible threatnings of wild beasts and of fire growing in constancy and perseuering stedfastly in professing himselfe to bee a Christian and refusing to worship the Idols of the heathen the Cryer by commandement proclaimed and cryed thrice Polycarpus hath confessed himselfe to bee a Christian Likewise the people cryed out vpon him This is that Teacher of Asia the Father of the Christians the ouerthrower of our gods which hath taught many that our gods are not to bee worshipped For these causes Polycarpus dyed as a faithfull seruant of Christ whom hee sayd hee had serued 86 yeares and hauing found him alwayes his good master and gracious Lord hee would not now deny him Attalus another Martyr was lead about the Amphitheater and a table borne before him wherein it was written This is Attalus the Christian It is written of one Saphyra a virgin of Antioch that as a faire Saphyre a Iemme a Iewell of great price carying hir holy profession without any staine being commanded to sacrifice to the gods of the heathen shee graciously answered that shee was a Christian and worshipped almighty God who had created all things and that the gods of the Gentils were no gods but diuels for which worthy profession shee was beheadded Happy Faelicitas according to hir name a matrone and widdow of Rome the mother of seauen children was accused to the Emperour Antoninus by the priests of the Idols that she worshipped not their gods but also perswaded others from doing them honor Shee was exhorted to spare hir selfe and to returne to the old Romane Religion and to forsake the new doctrine of the Christians and to testifie the same by the offering of Sacrifice But shee constantly professed that shee was willing to dye for the faith of Christ After being exhorted to spare hir children and to perswade them to redeeme and saue their liues by sacrificing shee answered the Magistrate Thy mercy is impietie and thy exhortation cruelty For if my sonnes should sacrifice to Idols they should not saue their liues but cast themselues into hell fire Then turning to hir Children shee said My dearest sonnes perseuere in the faith and confession of our Lord Iesus Christ hee expecteth you with all his Saints fight for your soules and shew your selues faithfull in the loue of Christ Thus for worshipping of Christ and refusing to worship Idols this happy mother hauing seene hir seuen sonnes first slayne with sundry deaths and dying seauen times in them at the last was also crowned with Martyrdome and receiued to euerlasting felicity These few examples of almost an infinite number may suffice to shew that the Martyrs which suffered vnder the heathen Romaine Enperours to the time of Constantine the Great which was 300 yeares and more suffered all for professing themselues to bee Christians and refusing to worship the Idols of the heathen Romaine Emperours Which being thus declared hereby is that proued for the first 300 yeares after Christ which was desired that is that the Martyrs of the Primitiue Church dyed for that faith which the Church of England together with all the reformed Churches of Christiandome doe professe For both these are in our Church so professed as wee hold it most honorable to dye in maintenance of the faith of Christ and refusing to worship any Idols either of old Rome that worshipped the Images of heathen men or of new Rome that adoreth the Images of Christian men For though the difference of a heathen and of a Christian man bee exceeding great yet in worshipping of them both religiously and much more in so worshipping their Images there is no difference but such Images are Idols alike and the worshippers of them are in like sort Idolaters But this disputation belongeth to another place That which is heere to bee debated is that seing our Church in England professeth the faith of Christ and abhorreth the Idols of the heathen as all reformed Churches doe that all the Martyrs of the Primitiue Church for the first three hundreth yeres after Christ dyed for the same faith and Religion which is now professed in England After the time that Constantine the Great had preuailed against his enimies the heathen Princes which were partakers with him in the Empire the persecution of Christians in the former manner ceassed in all the Romaine Empire excepting the short time of Iulian the Apostata for notwithstanding that there were grieuous troubles which the true Christians s●ffered also after especially by the Arrians and also by some other heretickes and schismatickes in their sundry Countries yet was there not any vniuersall persecution vnto death