An apologie for Iohn Wickliffe shewing his conformitie with the now Church of England; with answere to such slaunderous obiections, as haue beene lately vrged against him by Father Parsons, the apologists, and others. Collected chiefly out of diuerse works of his in written hand, by Gods especiall providence remaining in the publike library at Oxford, of the honorable foundation of Sr. Thomas Bodley Knight: by Thomas James keeper of the same.

The Answere.

* 1.1THese obiections are taken from Bellarmine & some other Jesuits, & it was wonder they did escape both our Apologists and Father Parsons; but belike they did not thinke them to bee true, els doubtles they woulde haue vrged them: For answere wherevnto, it seemeth vnto mee, that the former obiection doth assoile the latter, for holding that euerie Creature was God, be∣like he distinguished the tearme God, into God abso∣lutely

spoken, and God cum signo, or adiectione g 1.2 with a signe or addition, & so in truth he doth; & in this sence it might bee true, that such a made God, might of its owne nature, being (as all reasonable Creatures are) sin••ul, should obay the Diuel: but I wil not play the So∣phister. He had a more deepe, profound, Theologicall or h 1.3 Me••aphysicalspeculatiō about this matter, which was plainly de••iuered in his booke de Ideis, which book is not yet come vnto my hands, and therfore I cannot answere the obiection, otherwise then he doth himself, by i 1.4 referring you vnto that k 1.5 learned book of his. The doctrine I am perswaded in his vnderstanding is found & true, though not fit to be vttered before the people, and though I do rather admire then conceiue it, & do therefore choose rather wholy•• to omit it•• for a season, then vnperfectly to deliuer it: yet I cannot omit to giue him this ••estimony, that about the nature, persons, & properties of God, about the matter of Predestinatiō, Prescience, or Prouidence, he is most religiously & pi∣ouslie affected, quo magis miror & therfore I cānot but wonder, that he should run into so l 1.6 monstrous & soule absurdities. But to leaue this, and to answere that alike monstrous, but more blasphemous obiectiō, that God must needes obey the Divell, which scarce any Diuel of Hel would dare to vtter, I know not whence they haue taken this obiection, which hath no colour nor ground in the world in it, vnlesse it be out of these words of his, which I professe are his, and wel they maie be, that be∣cause hee saith, that m 1.7 God is a great king aboue all his Creatures, that n 1.8 all Creatures are made by God to serue him, that the o 1.9 Devil is clepid Gods Angel, for hee maie

doe nothing but at Gods suffering, that he serueth God in tormenting of sinfullmen; that * 1.10 Christ is Victor of the Divell, & q 1.11 helpeth vs against the ••iend: thence belike our Jesuits r 1.12 infer, that God must needs obay the Di∣vel. A good wit I confesse, may go far, and such haue our Jesuits, or els they greatly belie one another, but I doubt whether euer they shalbe able to infer so foule and irreligious a Conclusion: out of so faire and religi∣ous premises.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bellar. in Prae∣fat. Gretser. in defens. pag. 8.
• g 1.2

  Dei acceptio duplex—abso∣lute. Dominus Dominorum; quando con∣trahiturvel specifi••atur, per signum detrah••ns, sig nificat quod∣cun{que} bonum quod quis plus diligit. In. Ex. p of Dec. p. 46.
• h 1.3

  Omnes veri∣tates leges in essentia diui∣na, sicutomnīa sunt Deus. lb. pag. 21. Deus est mandatum quod praecipit lb 4 Omnis res secūdum esse intelligi∣bile est Deus.
• i 1.4

  vt d••ctum est in materia de Ideis lb 21.
• k 1.5

  Materiae de vniuersalibus sūt tā necessa riae quod sine earum notitia nemo fit sapi∣ens lb pag. 29.
• l 1.6

  Asthey charg him with.
• m 1.7

  Com in Psal pag 155.
• n 1.8

  lb. pag. 48.
• o 1.9

  lb pag. 112.
• * 1.10

  Ib. pag. 468.
• q 1.11

  lb. pag. 93.
• r 1.12

  Of this infe∣rence a man maie saie as Walden did somtimes of an illation of Wickliffes si deductio ista scintillam ha∣bet ingenij, quid sit inge∣niū hominis nō noui To. 3. p. 56.