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 laste consideration, you doe in∣considerately alledge, that you are not of our Churche, but shewe no sufficient rea∣son, why you ought not to bee one of our Churche. You saie, we are departed from the churche, in whiche we were baptised, as though, if a manne were Baptised in a Churche of heretikes, he is bounde to re∣maine in the same Churche, and heretical faithe of that Churche, in whiche he was baptised, so that if a manne were baptised in the Churche of Arrianes, Nouatianes, Donatistes, Pelagians, he might not for∣sake

the faithe, and Churche, in whiche he was baptised, to become a true Christian catholike. A childe of seuen yere old, maie see how slender a reason it is for a manne, to continue in any Churche, or Religion, because he receiued baptisme therin. For if a Papist maie not become a Protestāt, because he was Baptised in the Popishe churche, by the same reason, a Protestant must not become a Papist, if he were bap∣tised in the Protestantes Churche, which you your self by no meanes will graunte.

The seconde reason you bryng, is of the diuersitye of churches, the Lutherane, the Zwingliane, & the Geneuian. As though the diuersitie of some opinions, not of the greatest importāce, maketh diuers chur∣ches. The churche of Salisburie, the chur∣che of Yorke, and the churche of Bangor, had some diuersitie in their maner of ser∣uing God, and yet you will saie, thei were all one Popishe Churche. But to the pur∣pose, you recite more names, then there be diuersities of opinions. For Zwingli∣us, and Caluine, in the matter of the Sa∣crament, whiche you shoote at, are all one, and Luther differeth from them. And yet

the difference is not so great, but that thei bee all of one Catholike Churche, because thei agree in the onely foundation, Iesus Christe, and in all opinions, that are ne∣cessary to Saluation, although Luther in his opinion of the Sacramente (as a man) was deceiued. And that diuersities of opi∣nions (so longe as the principall groundes of faithe bee obserued vncorrupted) doeth not make diuersitie of churches, you maie easily see, by this example S. Cypriā and all the Churches of Affrica, were in this error, that such as were baptised by here∣tikes, should be baptised again, which was a very perilous errour. Cornelius, & Stepha∣nus the Bishops of Rome, with the Chur∣ches of Europe were, in the contrary opi∣nion. And yet no man euer refused S. Cy∣priane, to bee a member of the Catholike churche, nor iudged the churches of Affri∣ca, that followed his errour, to bee of any other thē of y^e vniuersall church of Christ, emong whom were many martyres, and godly men which liued & died in the same error. Now cōpare Cypriane, & Luther, the one erring in the Sacrament of Bap∣tisme, the other in the Sacramente of the

Supper, if the errour of th'one, did not se∣parate hym from the communiō of the ca∣tholike church, no more cā the error of the other. Whiche thing, if it were well wei∣ghed, would remoue that stōblyng blocke, that troubleth many weake persones, but can hinder no learned man, cōcernyng the controuersie of Luther, and Zwinglius.

The third reason is, that we are depar∣ted, from the Churche of Geneua, because we ascribe supreme gouernement, in Ec∣clesiasticall matters, to the Quéenes high¦nes. Firste, we must bee bolde to tell you, that as we reuerence, and honour all par∣ticulare Churches, where true religion is established, so we doe not grounde our self vpon either the opinion, or custome, of a∣ny one, but onely vpon the worde of God, and so farre foorthe to followe euery one, as thei come neare to the same rule. But whereas you would sette that excellente, godly Churche of Geneua, at variaunce with vs, aboute the supremacie, your chil∣dishe quarrellyng, shall easily appeare to all menne. You alledge Caluine againste vs, in twoo places, one in his Institutions, an other in his Comentarie of the Pro∣phet

Amos. A man in deede, from whom we would bee lothe to dissente, excepte it were for a greate cause. A manne of suche godlie learnyng, and profounde knowe∣ledge in diuinitie, as all the Papistes, that euer were, are not worthie to carrie his bookes after hym. But before I aunswer you, I muste admonishe you, that either your copies, whiche came to my handes, were verie muche corrupted, or els you haue recited those places by hearesaie, ra∣ther then by your owne obseruatiō. Your copies sendeth me to the, viij. Chapiter of his Institutions, namyng no booke, and to the fowerth. Chapiter of Amos, whereas that you speake of the one place, is in the fowerth boke, and twelue Chapiter of his Institutions: the other in the seuen Cha∣piter of Amos. So that in deede, it was more labour to seeke your places, then to make aunswere to them. Concerning the firste, I meruaile you were not ashamed, to alledge Caluine againste vs, where he saieth, that Kynges, and Princes, are sub∣iecte to the discipline of the Churche, as Theodosius was content to be excommu∣nicated by saincte Ambrose, for the mur∣ther

he had committed in Thessalonica, (which none of vs denieth) and doe not re∣member, how substauncially he proueth, that godlie Princes haue aucthoritie, and ought to maintain true religion, by lawes decrees, and iudgementes, whiche is all the supreme gouernemente, that wee as∣cribe to the Quéenes highnes.

And as for the place of Caluine vpon Amos, the truthe is this: Caluine findeth fault, not with kyng Hēry, but with those that did ascribe that title vnto hym, and sheweth for what reason, he misliked the same. Not that he denied his lawfull auc∣thoritie, whiche was meant by that title, of all his godly, and true subiectes: but be∣cause, Steuen Gardener bishop of Win∣chester, by false vnderstandyng thereof, declared that he vnderstode nothing ther∣by, but the tyrannie, whiche the Pope v∣surpeth ouer the churche, to be translated vnto the kyng. And therfore at a solemne cōference, at Ratisbone in Germanie, af∣ter the Popes aucthoritie by acte of Par∣liament, was abolished out of the realme, he defended all Popishe religion, whiche remained vnreformed, to bee good, and

godlie, because it was established by the kings aucthoritie, who was supreme head of the churche. He disputed not by reasons, neither cared he for the testimonies of scriptures, but saied, it was in the kynges power, to abrogate all Lawes, and esta∣blishe what he thought good in the chur∣che, as to forbidde Priestes marriage, to forbidde laie menne the vse of the Cuppe in the Churche, and all other suche mat∣ters, he saied, were in the kynges auctho∣ritie. This he saied of the Kynges power abroade, and howe he abused that noble Prince at home, to make the Acte of sixe Articles, and other thynges of like effect, there be many yet aliue, that can remem∣ber. But seeyng this title of supremacie, dooeth so muche offende you, I praie you lette me demaunde one question of you. Who did first inuent it here in England? Or who did first ascribe it to kyng Henry? Was it not the whole Popishe Cleargie of Englande? when thei were caste in the Premunire, for mainteinyng the power Legantine of Cardinall Wolsey, and sub∣mittyng theim selues vnto the Kynge, they flattered hym with that title, and

offered hym a greate somme of money, for their pardon: as witnesseth Halle, and Grafton in their histories, and ther be yet aliue many, that can remēber it. So that if there were any faulte in it, you should blame them, and not vs for it. For so far∣forthe, as beyng rightly vnderstoode, it de∣clareth the lawfull power of the Prince, wee did, and doe yelde vnto it, but not in Steuen Gardiners sence, whiche Caluin in the place by you alledged, doeth cōfute.

After this, you require vs to shewe you a Churche, where vnto you maie resorte, whiche hath continued euen since Christ, whiche if it can not bee shewed, you con∣clude in th'ende, that Christ had no chur∣che, or els our Churche is not Christes Churche. Againe where our Church was fiftie, or sixtie yeres agon. If a manne had asked of Elias, where the churche of God was in his tyme, he could not haue made aunswere, and yet God had his Churche in Elias tyme. The Churche is not alwa∣yes apparaunte, to the iyes of the blynde worlde, in whiche she is a straunger, but is compelled sometymes to flie into the wildernesse, out of the sight of men, by the

persecutiō of the deuill, and his members, as it is Prophesied in the xij. Chapiter of sainct Ihons Reuelation. And yet for fiftie or sixtie yere agone, it had been no harde matter, to haue shewed you diuers mem∣bers of our Churche, bothe in Englande, & in Bohemia, as th' historie of the church declareth at large. Also in Fraunce at Merindoll, and about Lyōs, but these you will saie, agreed not with vs in all poinc∣tes, but I will aunswere you, thei agréed in the cheifest poinctes, necessary to eter∣nall saluation. For whatsoeuer we are a∣ble to shewe, for our Churche, I am sure you are neuer able, to shewe your self, for your churche, that whiche you require vs to shewe: namely a churche that hath con∣tinued from this tyme vpwarde, vnto the Apostles, that taught vniformely, and in all poinctes, the doctrine that the Popishe Churche nowe teacheth. Whiche thyng when you haue performed, I will doe the like for oure Churche. In the meane time, that whiche is a sufficiente rule, to finde out the true Churche, by the iud∣gement of Saincte Augustine, I will de∣clare vnto you. In his booke the vnitate ec∣clesiae.

Capi. 2. Inter nos autem & Donatistat, quaestio est, vbi sit ecclesia. Quid ergo facturi su∣mus? In verbis nostris eam quaesituri sumus, an in verbis capitis sui domini nostri Iesu Christi? Puto quod in illius potius verbis eam quaerere debemus, qui veritas est & optimè nouit corpus suum. Betwene vs, and the Donatistes (saieth saincte Augustine) the question is, where the churche should bée. What shall we doe then? shall we seke her in our wor∣des, or in the woordes of her heade, our Lorde Iesus Christ? I thinke that rather in his wordes, we ought to seke her, which is the truthe, and beste knoweth his own bodie. And in the. xvj. chapiter of the same booke, he writeth thus of the Donatistes Vtrum ipsi ecclesiam teneant, non nisi diuinarū scripturarum canonicis libris ostendant. That is, whether thei haue the churche on their side, let theim shewe none otherwise, but by the Canonicall bookes of holy scriptu∣res. Many other suche testimonies are in S. Augustine, by whiche it is plaine, that he geueth this infallible rule, to knowe the true churche, to examine the doctrine therof, onely by the scriptures. But wher¦as you saie, that Anabaptistes, Libertines

and Arians, pretende the word of god, and the primitiue Churche, what meane you therby? that we should forsake the worde of god & the Primitiue churche, by whiche all heretikes haue béen cōfuted, what soe∣uer thei pretended. For though heretikes pretende the scriptures, yet onely by the scriptures thei are to be cōfuted, & though thei appeale to the iudgemente of the pri∣mitiue church, yet by the primitiue church thei are condemned for heretikes. I maie as well say, that Arianes, Libertines, and Anabaptistes, boste them selues to be the true Catholike Churche, therefore wee must not allowe the true catholike chur∣che. It is pitie to see menne, that would be coumpted wise, and learned, to reason so fondly, and vnlearnedly. For of all other reasons, it is the vainest, and feeblest shift that the Papistes vse, to flie frō the scrip∣tures, to the aucthoritie of the Churche, in confutation of heresies. For there was ne¦uer yet heresie did arise, but there was as greate controuersie, of the Churche, as of the opinion: for euery heretike, boasteth as well of the Churche, as of the scriptu∣res, but when all is dooen, his bragges of

bothe, muste bee beaten doune, onely by the scriptures. But because you make so proude vauntes, that you will so plainlie proue, that our Churche hath none agre∣ans with the primitiue churche of Christ, in discourse of that controuersie with you, I will sette for the bothe what is the Pri∣mitiue churche, and how we agree there∣with, and I doubte not, but that I shalbee able by the grace of God, bothe to iustifie our cause, againste your false accusations, and also to ouerthrowe youre falshodde, whiche you haue heaped vppe, to ouer∣whelme the truthe.

And as I haue confuted your sixe consi∣derations, which vnto you seme of greate importaunce, so by Gods helpe I shall a∣uoide all other youre calumniations, in whiche with some subtiltie, but more im∣pudencie, and moste of all impietie, you goe aboute to intangle the consciences, of suche as bee ignorante, and vnlearned, to withdrawe their obedience▪ from the god∣ly lawes of this realme, whiche are esta∣blished, for the mainteinyng of Gods true Religion, and the abolishyng of all Idola∣trie, and superstition.