y e Persians All these notwithstandinge were Popes all Peters successours all most holy fathers whose seueral wordes wee must take to be as good as seuerall Gospels Yf we be compted traytours whiche do honour oure Princes whiche giue them all obedience as muche as is due to them by Godds word and which doo praye for them what kinde of men then bee these whiche haue not onely done all the thinges before saide but also alowe the same for speciallye well don Do they then either this way instruct y e people as we do to reuereÌ„ce their magistrate or can they with honesty appeache vs as seditious personnes breakers of the common quiete and despisers of princes maiestie Truely we neither putte of the yoke of 〈…〉 from vs neyther doe wee 〈◊〉 realmes neither doe we sette vp or pull downe Kinges nor translate goâ—ernementes nor giue oure Kinges poysonne to drinke nor yet holde to them 〈◊〉 feete to be kissed nor opprobriously triumphinge ouer them leape into their neckes with oure feete This rather is oure profession this is our doctrine that merye soule of what callinge soeuer he be be he Monke bee he preacher bee he prophet be he Apostle ought to be subâ—ect to kings magistrates yea and that the Byshop of Rome himselfe onlesse he will seeme greater then the Euangelists then the Prophetes or the Apostles ought bothe to acknowledge and to call the Emperour his Lorde and maister which y e old bishops of Rome who liued in times of more grace euer did Our coÌ„moÌ„ teaching also is y t we ought so to obey princes as meÌ„ sent of God y t whoso w tstaÌ„deth theÌ„ w tstandeth Gods ordinance This is oure scholinge and this is well to be seene bothe in oure bookes and in our preachinges and also in the maners and modest behauiour of oure people But where they saye we haue gon awaye from the vnitie of the catholique Churche this is not onelye a matter of malice but besides though it bee moste vntrue yet hath it some shew and apparance of trouth For the common people and ignoraunt multitude giue not credit alone to thinges true and of certaintie butte euen to suche thinges also yf anye chaunce which may seeme to haue but a resemblaunce of trouth Therfore we see that subtle and craftie persones when they had no truth on their side haue euer conteÌ„ded and horely argued w t things likely to be true to the intent they which were not able to espie the very grounde of the matter might be caried a waye at least with some pretense and probabilitie thereof In times past where the firste Christians oure forefathers in makinge their prayers to God didd tourne themselues towardes the Easte there were 〈◊〉 sayde they worshipped the sunn 〈◊〉 it as God Againe where oure forefathers saide that as touchinge 〈◊〉 fall and euerlasting life thei liued by no other meanes but by the flesh and bloud of that lambe who was without sâ—oâ—t that is to say of oure sauiour Iesus Christ y e enuious creatures and â—oes of Christes Crosse whose only care was to bringe Christian religion into slaunder by al maÌ„ner of wayes made people beleeue that they were wicked persons that they sacrificed mens fleshe and drâ—nke mennes bloud Also where oure forefathers saide that before God there â—â— neither man nor woman nor for atteininge to the true righteousnes there is no distinction at all of personnes and that they didde call one an other indifferentlye by the name of Sisters and Brothers there wanted not menne whiche forged false tales vpon the same sayinge that the Christians made noe difference amonge them selues eyther of age or of kinde but like brute beastes without regarde had to do one with an other And where for to pray heare the Gospell they mette often together in secret and byeplaces because Rebelles somtime were wonte to do the like Rumors were euery where spredd abroade howe they made priuie confederacies and counseled together either to kill the magistrates or to subuert the common wealth And where in celebratinge the holye mysteries after Christes institution they tooke breade and wyne they were thought of many not to worshippe Christe but Bacchus and Ceres forsomuche as those vaine Goddes were woorshipped of the Heathen in like sort after a prophane superstition with bread and wyne These thinges were beleued of manye not bicause they were true in deed for what coulde be more vntrue but bicause they were lyke to bee true and through a certain shadow of truth mighte the more easilye deceiue the 〈◊〉 On this fashion likewise dooe these menne slaunder vs as Heretiques and saye that wee haue lefte the Church and felowshippe of Christe not bicause they thinke it is true for they dooe not muche force of that but bicause to ignoraunte folke it myght perhappes somwaye appeere true Wee haue in deede putt oure selues aparte not as heretikes are woonâ—e from the Churche of Christ but as all good menne oughte to doo from the infection of naughtye persons and hypocrites Neuerthelesse in this poynte they triumphe maruelouslye that they bee the Churche that theyre Churche ys Christes spowse the piller of truthe the arke of Noe and that without it there is no hope of saluation Contrarywise they saye that wee bee ronnegates that we haue torne Christes seat that wee are plucked quyte of from the body of Christe and haue forsaken the catholique faithe And when they leaue nothinge vnspoken that may neuer so falselie and malitioslie be saide against vs yet this one thynge are they neuer hable truely to saye that we haue swarued eyther from the worde of God or from the Apostles of Christ or from the primatiue Churche Surelye wee haue euer iudged the primatiue Churche of Christes tyme of the Appostles and of the holie Fathers to be the catholique Churche neyther make we doubt to name it Noes arke Christes spouse the piller and vpholder of al trueth nor yet to fire therin the whole meane of oure saluation It is doubtles an odiouse mater for one to leaue the fellowshipp whereunto he hath ben accustomed and specially of those men who though they be not yet at leaste seme and be called Christians And to say truely we do not dispise the Churche of these men howe soeuer it be ordered by theÌ„ now a dayes partely for the name sake yt selfe partely for that the Gospell of Iesu Christ hath once ben therin truely and purelye set furth Neyther had we departed therfrom but of very necessitie and much against our wils But I put case an Idol be set vp in the Churche of God and the same desolation which Christe prophecied to comme stoude openly in the holy place what yf som theefe or pirat inuade and possesse Noes arke These folkes as often as they tell vs of the Churche meane therby themselues alone and attribute all these titles to their owne selues boasting as they did in tymes past whiche
loke for none other and forasmuche as it was to be offered but once wee commaund it not to be renewed againe And bicause it was full perfite in all points and partes wee doe not ordaine in place thereof anye continuall succession of offeringes Besides though wee saye we haue no meede at all by oure owne woorkes and deedes but apoint all the meane of oure saluation to be in Christe alone yet say we not that for this cause men ought to liue looslie and dissolutely nor that it is ynough for a Christian to be Baptized onely and to belieue as though there were nothing els required at his hande for true faith is liuely and can in no wise be idell Thus therefore â—eaâ—he wee the people that God hath called vs not to folowe ryâ—t and wantonnes but as Paul saithe vnto good woorkes to walke in them That God hath plucked vs oute from the power of darkenes to serue the liuinge God to cutte away all the remnauntes of sinne and to worke oure saluation in feare and tremblinge that it may apere how that y e Spirit of saÌ„ctification is in oure bodies and that Christ himselfe doth dwell in our heartes To conclude we beleue that this our selfe same flesh wherin we liue although it dye and come to dust yet at the last day it shall retourne againe to lyfe by the meanes of Christes spirite which dweleth in vs and that then verely whatsoeuer we suffer heere in the meane whyle for his sake Christ wil wipe from of our eies all teares lamentation that we through him shall enioy euerlasting life and shall for euer be with him in glory So be it Beholde these are the horrible heresies for the which a good parte of the world is at this day condemned by the Byshop of Rome and yet were neuer hearde to pleade their cause He should haue commenced his sute rather against Christe against the Apostles and against the holy fathers For these thinges did not only procede from them but were also apointed by them except perhaps these menne will say as I thinke they will in deede that Christe hath not instituted the holy Communion to be diuided amongest the faithfull Or that Christes apostles and the auncient fathers haue saide Priuate masses in euery corner of the Temples nowe tenne now twenty togithers in one day Or that Christ and hys Apostls bannished all the common people from the Sacrament of his bloud or that the thing whiche them selues do at this day euery wheare and do it so as they condemne him for an heritike whiche dothe otherwise ys not called of Gelasius their owne doctour plaine sacriledge or 〈◊〉 these be not y e very words of Ambrose Augustine Gelasius Theodorete Chrysostome Origene The bread and wine in the Sacramentes remaine still the same they were before The thing which is seene vpon the holye table is breade there ceaseth not to be still the substaunce of breade and nature of wyne the substance and nature of bread are not changed the selfe same breade as touchinge the materiall substaunce goâ—th into the bellie and is cast out into the pryuei Or that Christe the Apostles and holy fathers prayed not in that tongue whiche the people might vnderstande Or that Christe hath not performed all thinges by that one offering which he once offered or that the same Sacrifice was imperfect and so now we haue neede of an other All these thinges must they of neâ—cessitie say onlesse perchance thei had rather lay thus that all lawe and right is locked vp in the treasurie of the Popes breaste and that as once one of his southinge pages and clawbackes did not sticke to say the Pope is able to dispence against the Apostles against a councell against y e CanoÌ„s rules of y e Apostls and y t he is not bound to stand neither to y e examples nor to the ordinuÌ„aces nor to y e lawes of Christ. We for our parts haue learned these thinges of Christe of the Apostles of the deuout fathers and dooe sincerely and with good faith teache the people of God the same Whiche thinge is the onely cause whye wee at this daye ar called heretikes of the chiefe prelates no doubt of ReligioÌ„ O immortal God hath Christ him selfe then y e Apostles so many Fathers al at once gon a stray were then Origene Ambrose Augustin Chrysostome Gelasius Theodoret forsakers of the catholique faith was so notable a consent of so manye auncient Byshoppes and learned menne nothing els but a conspiracye of heretiques Or is that nowe condemned in vs whiche was then commended in them Or is the thyng nowe by alteration onely of mens affection sodenly becoÌ„me shismatique whiche in them was compted catholique Or shall that whiche in times past was true nowe by and by bycause it liketh not these men be iudged false Let them then bring furth another Gospell and let them shew the causes why these thinges which so long haue openly ben obserued and well alowed in the Churche of God ought nowe in thend be called in againe Wee knowe well ynoughe that the same worde whiche was opened by Christ spred abrode by the Apostles is sufficient both our saluacion and al trueth to vp holde mayntein and also to confounde all maner of heresie By that Woâ—d only do we condemne all sortes of the olde heretiques whom these men say we haue called out of hell againe â–ª As for the Arrians the Eutychians the Marcionites y e Ebionites the Valentinians the Carpocratians the Tatians the Nouatians and shortelie all them which haue had a wicked opinion eyther of God the Father or of Christ or of the holy Ghoste or of any other poinct of Christian Religion â–ª for somuche as they be confuted by the Gospell of Christ we plainly pronunâ—â— them for detestable and cast awaye personnes and defye them euen vnto the dyuell Neyther do wee leaue them so but we also seuerely and straitely hold them in by lawful and politick punishemeÌ„tes yf they fortune to breake out any wherâ— and bewraye themselues In deede we graunt that certain new and very straunge sectes as the Anabaptistes Libertines MeneniaÌ„s Zuenkfeldians haue ben stirring in the worlde euersence the Gospel did first spring But the worlde seeth now right wel thankes be giuen to our God that wee neyther haue bredd nor taught nor kept vp these Monstres In good fellowship I pray the whosoeuer thou be read our bokes they are to be sould in euery placeâ— What hath there euer ben written by any of our coÌ„pany which might plainely beare with the madnes of any of those heretiques Nay I saye vnto you there is no countrie at this daye so free from their pestilent infections as they be wherein the gospel is freely and coÌ„monly taught So that yf they wey the very matter w t earnest and vpright aduisement this thing is a great argumeÌ„t y t this same is the very truth
An Apologie or answere in defence of the Churche of Englande with a briefe and plaine declaration of the true Religion professed and vsed in the same Londini Anno Domini M. D. LXIIII. To the right honorable learned and vertuous Ladie A. B M. C. wisheth from God grace honoure and felicitie MADAME ACCORDING to your request I haue pâ—rused your studious labour of traÌ„slatioÌ„ profitably imploied in a right coÌ„mendable work Whereof for that it liked you to make me a Iudge and for that the thinge it selfe hath singularly pleased my iudgement and delighted my mind in reading it I haue right heartely to thanke your Ladiâ—ship both for youre owne well thinking of me and for the comforte that it hathe wrought me But far aboue these priuate respectes I am by greater causes enforced not onely to shewe my reioyse of this your doinge but also to testify the same by this my writing prefixed before the work to the commoditie of others and good incouragement of your selfe You haue vsed your accustomed modestie in submittinge it to iudgement but therin is your prayse doubled sith it hath passed iudgemeÌ„t without reproche And whereas bothe the chiefe author of the Latine worke and I seuerallye perusinge and conferringe youre whole translation haue without alteration allowed of it I must bothe desire youre Ladiship and aduertise the readers to thinke that wee haue not therein giuen any thinge to any dissemblinge affection towards you as beinge contented to winke at faultes to please you or to make you without cause to please your selfe for there be sundry respectes to drawe vs from so doinge althoughe we were so euil minded as there is no cause why we should be so thought of Your own iudgement in discerning flatterie your modestie in mislikinge it the layenge open of oure opinion to the world the truth of our friendship towardes you the vnwillingnesse of vs bothe in respecte of our vocations to haue this publike worke not truely and wel translated are good causes to perswade that our allowance is of sincere truth and vnderstanding By which your trauail Madame you haue expressed an acceptable dutye to the glorye of GOD deserued well of this Churche of Christe honourablie defended the good fame and estimation of your owne natiue tongue shewing it so able to contend with a worke originally written in the most praised speache and besides the honour ye haue done to the kinde of women and to the degree of Ladies ye haue done pleasure to the Author of the Latine boke in deliueringe him by your cleare translation from the perrils of ambiguous and doubtful constructions and in makinge his good woorke more publikely beneficiall wherby ye haue raysed vp great comforte to your friendes and haue furnished your owne conscience ioyfully with the fruit of your labour in so occupienge your time whiche must needes redounde to the encoragemente of noble youth in their good educatioÌ„ and to spend their time and knowledge in godly exercise hauinge deliuered them by you so singular a president Whiche youre doinge good Madame as God I am sure doth accept and will blesse with increase so youre and ours moste vertuous and learned soueraigne Ladie and Mastres shal see good cause to commende and all noble gentlewomen shall I trust hereby be alured from vain delights to doinges of more perfect glory And I for my part as occasion may serue shal exhort other to take profit by your worke and followe your example whose successe I beseche our heauenly father to blesse and prospere And now to thende bothe to acknowledge my good approbatioÌ„ and to spread the benefit more largely where you Ladishippe hathe sent me your boke writen I haue with most hearty thankes returned it to you as you see printed knowing that I haue therin done the beste and in this poynte vsed a reasonable pollicye that is to preuent suche excuses as your modestic woulde haue made in staye of publishinge it And thus at this time I leaue furder to trouble youre good Ladishippe An Apologie or aunswere in defence of the Church of England with a briefe and plaine declaration of the true Religion professed and used in the same IT HATH BEEN AN olde complaint euen from y e first time of y e Patriarks Prophetes and confirmed by the writinges and testimonies of euery age that y e Truth wandereth here and there as a straunger in the world doth redily fynde enemies and slaunderers amongst those that knowe her not Albeit perchaunce this may seeme vnto some a thinge harde to bee beleeued I meane to suche as haue scante well and narowly taken heed thereunto specially seing all mankind of natures very motion without a teacher doth coueite the truth of their owne accorde and seinge oure Sauioure Christe hym selfe when he was on earthe woulde bee called the Truthe as by a name moste fytte to expresse all hys diuine power yet wee whiche haue been exercised in the holie scriptures and which haue bothe redde seene what hath happened to all godly menne commonly at all tymes what to the Prophets to the Apostles to the holie Martyres and what to Christe hym selfe with what rebukes reuilings and dispightes they were continually vexed whyles they heere lyued and that onely for the truthes sake wee I saye do see y t this is not onely no newe thinge or harde to be beleued but that it is a thing already receaued and commonlye vsed from age to age Nay truly this might seeme muche rather a meruayle and beyonde all beleife yf the Diuell who is the Father of lyes and ennemye to all truthe woulde nowe vppon a sodaine chaunge his nature and hope that truthe might otherwyse be suppressed then by belyenge yt Or that he would beginne to establishe his owne kingdom by vsing now any other practises then the same whiche he hathe euer vsed from the beginning For since any mans remembraunce wee cenâ—e skante finde one time either when Religion did first growe or when it was setled or when it did a freshe springe vp againe wherin truth and innocencye were not by all vnworthy meanes and most despitâ—ully intreated Doubtlesse the Dyuell well seeth that so longe as truth is in good sauery hym selfe cannot be safe nor yet maintaine his owne estate For lettinge passe the auncient patriarkes and Prophetes who as we sayd had no parte of their lyfe free from contumelies and slaunders Wee knowe there were certaine in tymes past whiche said commonly preached that the old auÌ„cient Iewes of whom we make no doubt but thei wer the worshippers of the onely and true God did worshipp eyther a sowe or an asse in Gods steede and that all the same Religion was nothinge els but a sacriledge and a plaine contempt of all godlynes We know also that the sonne of God our Sauioure Iesu Christe when hee taughte the truthe was coumpted a Iugler and an enchanter a Samaritan Belzebub a deceiuer of the people a dronkard and
many Prynces only vppon his owne blynd preiudices and foredeterminations and y t without hearing of them speak or without shewing cause whye But bycause he hath alredy so noted vs openlye least by holdynge oure peace we should seme to graunt a fault and specially bycause we can by no meane haue audience in y e publik assembly of the general Councel wherein he would no creature should haue power to geue his voice or declare his opinion excepte he were sworne and straightly bounde to maintaine his aucthoritie For wee haue had good experience hereof in his last conference at the councel at Trident where the embassadours diuines of the Princes of Germany and of the free Cities were quite shutte out from their company nother can we yet forget how Iulius the third aboue ten yeares past prouided warely by his writt that none of our sorte shoulde bee suffered to speake in the Councell except there were som paraduenture y t wolde recante and chaunge his opinion For this cause chieflye we thoughte it good to yelde vp an accoumpte of oure faith in writing truely and openly to make aunswere to those things wherwith wee haue ben openly charged to thende the worlde may see the partes and foundacions of that doctrine in the behalfe whereof so many good men haue litle regarded their oune lyues And y t al men may vnderstand what manner of people they be and what opinion they haue of God and of Religion whome the Bysshop of Rome before they were called to tell theire tale hath condemned for heretikes without any good consideratioÌ„ without any exaumple vtterly without lawe or righte onelye bycause he hearde tell that they did dissente from hym and his in som pointe of Religion And although S. Hierome would haue no bodie to be patient when he is suspected of heresy yet we wil deal herein nether bitterly nor brablingly nor yet be caried away w t angre heate though he ought to be reckned neither bitter nor brabler y t speaketh y e truth We willingly leaue thys kynde of eloquence to oure aduersaries who whatsoeuer they say against vs be it neuer so shrewdly or dipitefully sayde yet thinke it is sayd modestely and comely ynough and care nothing whether it be trew or false Wee neede none of these shyftes which do maintaine the truthe Further yf wee do shewe it plaine that Gods holie Gospell the aunciente Byshops and the primatiue Churche do make on our syde and that wee haue not without iust cause left these men and rather haue retourned to the Apostles and oulde catholique Fathers And yf wee shall be founde to doe the same not coulorably or craftely but in good faith before God truly honestly cleerely and plainly and yf they theÌ„selues which â—ye our doctrine and woulde be called Catholiks shall manifestly see how al those titles of antiquitie whereof they boste so much ar quite shaken out of their haÌ„ds and that there is more pith in this oure cause then they thoughte for wee then hope and trust that none of them wil be so negligent and careles of his own saluation but he will at length studye and bethinke him selfe to whether parte hee were best to ioyne him Vndoubtedlye excepte one will altogether harden his hearte and refuse to heare he shal not repent him to geue good heede to this out defence and to mark well what wee say how truly and iustly it agreeth with Christian Religion For where they call vs Heretikes it is a crime so haynous y t onles it may be seene vnles it may be felt in maÌ„ner may be holdeÌ„ with hands and fingers it ought not lightly to be iudged or beleued when it is â—aide to the charge of any Christian man For heresy is a â—orsaking of saluatioÌ„ a renouncing of Gods grace a departing from the body and spirite of Christe But this was euer an olde and solempne propretye with them and theire forefathers yf any did complaine of their errours and faultes and desired to haue true Religion restored streighte waye to coÌ„demne such one for heretikes as men new fangled factious Christe for no nother cause was called a Samaritan but onely for y t he was thoughte to haue fallen to a certaine newe Religion and to be the Aucthor of a newe sect And Paul thapostle of CHRISTE was called before the Iudges to make aunswere to a matter of heresy and therfore hee saied Acordinge to this way whiche they call Heresye I doo worshippe the God of my Fathers beleeuinge all thinges which be written in the law and in the Prophets Shortely to speake This vniuersal Religion whiche Christen men professe at this day was called firste of the heathen people a Sect Heresy With these termes did they alwaies fil priÌ„ces eares to thintent when they had once hated vs with a foredetermined opinion and had coumpted all that wee sayed to bee faction and heresy they might be so ledd away from y e truth right vnderstaÌ„ding of the cause But the more sore and outragious a crime heresye is the more it ought to be proued by plaine and strong argumentes especially in this time wheÌ„ men begin to geue lesse credite to theyre words to make more diligent searche of theyr doctrine then they were wont to do For y e people of God ar otherwyse instructed now then they were in times past when all the Bysshopps of Romes sayenges were allowed for Gospell when all Religion did depende only vpon their aucthoritie Nowe a daies the holie scripture is abroad the writinges of the Apostles Prophets ar in printe whereby all truth and Catholyke doctrine may be proued and all heresie may be disproued and confuted Sithens then they bring furth none of these for them selues and call vs neuertheles Heretiques which haue nether fallen from Christ nor from y e Apostles nor yet from the Prophets this ys an iniurious and a very spitefull dealinge With this sword did Christe put of the Dyuel when he was tempted of him w c these weapons oughte all presumption which doth auauÌ„ce it selfe against God to be ouerthrowen and coÌ„quered For al Scripture sayeth S. Paule that commeth by the inspiration of God is profitable to teach to confute to instruct and to reproue that the man of God may be perfect and throughly framed to euery good work Thus did the holy Fathers alway fight agaynst the heretikes with none other force then with y e holy scriptures S. Augustin when he disputed against Petilian an heretike of â— Donatistes Let not these woordes quod he be heard betwene vs I say or you say let vs rather speake in this wise Thus sayeth the Lorde there let vs seeke the Church ther let vs boult out our cause Lykewise S. Hâ—erome All those things sayth he which without the testimonie of the scriptures are holden as deliuered from y e Apostles be throughly smitten down by the sword of Gods worde S. Ambrose also