A confutation of a popishe, and sclaunderous libelle in forme of an apologie: geuen out into the courte, and spread abrode in diuerse other places of the realme. VVritten by VVilliam Fulke, Bacheler in Diuinitie, and felowe of S. Ihons Colledge in Cambridge.

The aunswere.

In your fowerth consideration, you should haue likewise considered, that suche thynges, as are graunted of bothe partes, nede small proofe, and that those matters, whiche are in controuersie, should be sub∣stancially cōfirmed. As for example. How necessarie vnitie is for the Churche of Christe, no manne doubteth, so it bee in truthe, and not in falshed: for there is vni∣tie emong the mooste wicked, but not in truthe, and honestie.

On the other side, that there be fiue sa∣cramentes, more then the boke alloweth, that there is a carnall presence in the Sa∣crament of the Lordes bodie, and bloude, that there is, or ought to be, a Sacrifice in the masse, ye bring not one worde of proof.

Concernyng Ceremonies, whiche you call traditions of the Apostles, you saie in deede a little, although to little purpose, and yet so confusely, and out of all good or∣der, that you seme rather to confounde, then to instructe your simple reader, for

what an hochpotte is this? in the middes of your Sacramentes, and Sacramental∣les, to choppe in praiers for the deade, and inuocation of sainctes, whiche bée articles of doctrine, and not Ceremoniall obser∣uations. Againe, when you haue rehersed by name, diuers Ceremonies, as oile, and chrisme in Baptisme, your maner of con∣firmation, the signe of the Crosse, and all other your Sacramentalls, and Ceremo∣nies, you bryng in certain broken, and vn∣perfecte sentences of Doctours, whiche speake generally of Ceremonies, vsed in the churche in their age: and doe not shew that your Ceremonies were vsed then in suche maner, as you vse them now: which is a meere mockerie of your readers. For wheras you doe comprehende thē all, vn∣der the name of Traditions of the Apo∣stles, if you be a man of suche learning, as you would seme to be, I dare saie in your behalfe, you will bee ashamed to come to triall of this poincte, that you vse all those Ceremonies, that were vsed in the tyme of those doctors, whose names you alledge or that al your Ceremonies, were vsed in the tymes of those Doctours, vpon whose

aucthorities you would seme to grounde. But to cōsider your groundes particular∣ly, that Augustine, whom you call saincte Augustine, was an vnlearned Monke, as appereth by his questions, propounded to Pope Gregorie, that came into this land, to corrupte the sinceritie of faithe, whiche the Britons had receiued, euen from the Apostles, aboute sixe hundred yeres after Christe, and liued twoo hundred yeres at the least, after the aunciente father sainct Augustine bushoppe of Hippo in Affrica, of whose pride and folie, you maie reade in Galfridus Monumeth. Matheus Westmin. and others. And truthe it is, that muche superstition, and false doctrine, he brought in, and by tyrannie mainteined, as our sto∣ries witnesse, but not all that you holde at this tyme, for your religion, in all poin∣tes, is nothyng so old. And as for Beda, he liued longe after Augustine. But where you affirme, that all youre Ceremonies haue been alwaies approued, vsed, and al∣lowed, throughout the vniuersall churche of Christe, I can no longer forbeare you, you saie more then all the Papistes in the worlde, will be able to proue.

Touchyng sainct Augustine, although the place by you alledged, is not to be foūd in his vndoubted writyngs, yet I confesse that he speaketh fauourably of Ceremo∣nies cōmonly vsed, to be quietly suffered, and borne withall, rather then vnitie to bee broken. But what maketh this, for your Ceremonies, whiche you teache to bee necessarie for saluation, and meritori∣ous: whiche if thei had been in saincte Au∣gustines tyme, or that men had so taught of theim, there is no doubte, but he would haue vtterly misliked theim, as hereafter in place more conueniente, I shall plainly declare. In your next sentēce out of sainct Augustine also, I must néedes tel you, you plaie the suttle Marchaunt, to sett for the counterfeict ware, in steede of true mar∣chandice, for Augustine neuer was of that opinion, that the Church hath the full au∣cthoritie of her husbande Christ, and such gouernemente of the holy Ghost, that she cannot consente, but vnto true thynges, neither hath he any suche wordes in al his workes. For it is well knowen, that the boke de dogmaticis ecclesiasticis, out of which this sentence séemeth to bee borrowed, is

not accompted among the Authenticall workes of Augustine, but forged of muche later time, and falsly fathered vpon S. Au∣gustine, to steale credite from his name, whiche it could not obtain of it self.

And yet if this saiyng were graunted to bée true, it perteineth nothyng to your church, which is the Sinagoge of Sathan, and not the Churche of Christe. Concer∣nyng your thirde testimonie of sainct Au∣gustine, I can hardely thinke that saincte Augustine, would haue an vniformitie of Ceremonies, in praier, and administratiō of the Sacramentes throughout all the worlde, because I am able to shewe his aucthoritie to the contrary, as in his. 118. e∣pistle to Ianuarius, he discourseth at large. And whereas you saie, that the chaunge of the maner of praiyng, hath broughte in chaunge of faithe in this lande, it is cleane contrary, for the diuersitie of faithe, tea∣cheth vs to praie, otherwise then you vse, for inuocation commeth of faithe, as wit∣nesseth sainct Paule. Roma. 10.

The testimonie of saincte Ambrose, al∣though you declare not, where a manne should finde it, maketh little for your pur∣pose.

For we agrée with hym, that Schis∣matikes are to be abhorred, but wée will not graunt to you, that wée are Schisma∣tikes, as long as wée knowe, that wée are members of Christe. The testimonie of Tertuliane concernyng custome, if it bee faithfully rehearsed of you, I se not what it maketh for you. For although laudable customes, maie be obserued, without sear∣chyng their beginnyng, what is that, to your Ceremonies, whiche containe ma∣nifeste impietie? For you your self will not bee so madde, to allowe all customes, seyng many are contrary to the worde of GOD. And although Tertuliane was to muche addicted to the maintainyng of Ce∣remonies, and customes in some places, yet otherwhiles he either expoundeth his meanyng, or correcteth his errour, as in his booke De virginibus velandis, where he writeth in these woordes. Hoc exigere ve∣ritatem, cui nemo praescribere potest, non spacium temporum, non patrocinia personarum, non pri∣uilegium regionum. Ex his enim fere consuetudo initium ab aliqua ignorantia vel simplicitate sortita, in vsum per successionem corroboratur, & ita aduersus veritatē vindicatur. Sed domi∣nus

noster Christus, veritatē se, nō consuetudinē cognominauit. Si semper christus & prior omni∣bus: aeque veritas sempiterna & antiqua res, vi∣derint ergo quibus nouū est, quod sibi vetus est.

Haereses non tam nouitas quam veritas re∣uincit. Quodcū{que} aduersus veritatem sapit hoc erit haeresis, etiam vetus consuetudo. That is to saie. This the truthe requireth, againste whiche no man can prescribe, not the con∣tinuance of tyme, not the defence of per∣sones, not the priuiledge of any regions. For of these, custome takyng her begin∣nyng, for the moste parte, through igno∣raunce, and simplicitie, is confirmed into an vsage, by succession, and so is bosted of against the truthe. But Christ our Lorde called hymself the truthe, and not the cu∣stome, if Christ were alwaies, and before all, truthe is, as eternall, and aunciente a thyng as he. Lette them bee well aduised therefore, to whom that is compted new, whiche of hym is coumpted old. Heresies (saieth he) not so muche their noueltie, as truthe doeth conuict, for what soeuer soū∣deth against the truthe, that shalbe an he∣resie, yea though it be an old custome. By this testimonie of Tertuliane, euery man

maie see, what he thought of old custome, when it was alledged to deface the truthe, and of what customes he speaketh, when he commendeth customes, namely suche as agree with the truthe, and not euery blinde, & superstitious Ceremonie, wher∣of a greate nomber were inuented, many hundreth yeres after his death.