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.

Sect. 1.

THe 1. question is thus determined by him, g he ac∣knowledged the Romane Church to bee his mother Church, and he professeth that he will to his power defend all the Priviledges thereof. Here VVickliffe may seeme to depart from vs for a time, (and so in words he doth:) but in the ende or vpshot of all you shal see him come backe againe vnto vs, and fight vnder our Stan∣dard. He cals the Romane Church his mother Church he might do so, for those worthy beginnings which she made in open profession of the Gospel, in S. Pauls daies and this is apparent, by those true priuiledges, which hee se••teth downe, as belonging vnto the Romane Church, which to omit al other stand chiefly h in con∣forming her selfe vnto Christ and his lawes: so that the neerer shee came vnto him, the greater priviledges shee had. But it is not hereby to be so much as imagined, that the Church of Rome was endowed with any such priuiledges, as they dreame of; as if Peter had therfore chosen this place aboue all other to rule in, and Christ had giuen him that priuiledge and his Successours not to erre in it: hee that hath this opinion of VVickliffe de∣ceiueth himselfe: for he giueth an Absit, to that opiniō. i God forbid that the Church, or that any man shoulde thinke, that the faith of other members of the Church, doth depend vpon this Peter, that Iohn, or that Gregory. k Yea it may so happen, that our Lord the Pope may be ig∣norant

of the Laws, of the Scripture, & that the Church of England, may be far better and quicker sighted in fin∣ding out the Catholike truth then al this Romane Church of Pope and Cardinals, being all thrust together. So that the issue, or vltima resolutio, the Conclusiō, is like that of the Apostles, to follow this Church, I say, aboue all others, in as much as it follows Christ, & no otherwise, which Conclusion, if it should be granted by vs, it will neither greatly steed them, nor hurt vs.

Notes

• The 1. questiō whether the Church of Rome be the Catholike Church?
• g

  Protestor publicè, quod amando, & ve∣nerando Ro∣manam Ec∣clesiam, ma∣trem meam, desidero & procuro defē∣sionem o••••isi Privilegiorū suorum. De ve rit scr••pt. Pag 196.
• h

  Scio quidem ex fide Scrip∣turae tanquam infrāgibiliter verum, quod omne ••uum privilegist est ex Deo, & de quanto secuta fuerit Ch••istū cōfor••nius, de tanto amplio∣ribus privile∣gijs insignitur, De verit. Scr. Pag. 196.
• i

  Absi•• Eccle∣siam credere, quod fides cuiuscun{que} alieni membri Ecclesiae depēdeat ab isto Petro Iohanne vel Gregorio. De verit scr. Pag. 92.
• k

  Fie••i potestquod Dominus Papa fo••et igna••us Legis Scripturae, & quod Ecclesia Anglicana foret lōgè praestā••ior in iudicio veritatis Catho∣l••••ae, quam tota ista Romana Ecclesia collecta de istis Papa & Cardina••ibus. lb, P. 182.
• 1. Cor. Chap. 11. vers. 1.