A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to a certaine booke lately set foorthe by M. Hardinge, and entituled, A confutation of &c. By Iohn Iewel Bishop of Sarisburie.

M. Hardinge.

Pardon me, I praie thee, Reader, if I vse woordes some what vehemente, the cause so requiringe. This Defender crieth out, O ye pillours of Religion. But how mutche more iustly crie we againe to him O thou captaine lier, O moste woorthy, not the rewarde of a whetstone, but the iudgemente of abackebiter, of a slaunderer, a cursed speaker, of a mocker, of the accuser of the brethren, of a Bla∣sphemer: Is this the regarde thou haste,* 1.1 I saie not to God, or to Christen men, but to thine owne estima∣tion, and common honestie of a man? Canste thou persuade thy selfe to greate credite by lieinge? To seme sober by railinge? Honeste by villanie? Charitable by slaunderinge? Vpright by deceit? Iuste by impietie? Why saiest thou of vs in general, that is to saie, of the Catholike Churche, that we despise, hate, caste awaie, and burne the Holy Scriptures? Had we not loued and kepte the Scriptures, howe couldest thou and thy fellowes haue comme by them? Had ye not them of vs? From the Apostles time to this daie we haue kepte them‡ 1.2 vnspotted and vndefiled: and ye within these fifty yeres haue by your vulgare trans∣lations * 1.3 corrupted them, that lamentable it is to consider. And when we burned the same corrupte translations or any parte thereof, or any of your Heretical treatises, we burned not the Scriptures,‡ 1.4 no more then one dothe the apple tree, that burneth the caterpillers.

The Scriptures we honourè, and kepe moste reuerently and diligently. Therefore your comparinge of vs with the wicked Kinges Aza, Antiochus, Maximinus, and Herode, is false and slaunderous. For how saie you, Sir Captaine of liers,‡ 1.5 had we not the Scripture in euery Monasterie, Cathedral Church, college, in euery priuate library of any that was lerned?

The like thinge was obiected to S. Augustine and the Catholikes in his time by the Donatistes, beinge then Heretikes, as ye are nowe. To whom he answeareth, as we wil answeare you: Certè ille ignibus tradidisse credatur, qui eis lectis non consentire conuincitur. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Let him be thought to haue caste they Holy Scriptures into the fire, who, when they are reade, is conuict not to con∣sente vnto them. VVe reade in the Holy Scriptures, that Christe said, This is my Body. VVho bele∣ueth

it,* 1.6 ye,* 1.7 that denie it, or we, who are contente to die for the defence of that his real body in the blessed Sacramente? S. Iames saithe, a man is iustified by woorkes, and not by faithe onely. VVho bele∣ueth thus, they, whiche saie that onely faith iustifieth, or they whiche saie, that woorkes be required also to iustifie at ion?* 1.8 Christ saith,‡ 1.9 Qui māducat hunc panem, viuet in Aeternum: he that eateth this breade, shal liue for euer.‡ VVho beleueth this, they that saie both kindes be necessarie to laie men by commaundement of Christe, or they, who saie, that one kinde is sufficiente to saluation concerninge the eatinge of the Sacramente.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Al this is M. Hardinges so∣brietie: It is no railinge.
• ‡ 1.2

  Vntruthe. For the Olde Latine texte hath infi∣nite corruptiōs.
• * 1.3

  Vntruthe. O∣thervvise let M. Hirdinge shevve one pointe of Corruption.
• ‡ 1.4

  But he is a foo¦lishe man, that burneth dovvne bothe the Trees and Caterpillers al togeather.
• ‡ 1.5

  You had it in your Libraries. But the poore people had it not.
• * 1.6

  Burninge of the Scriptures
• * 1.7

  Vntruthe. For vve denie it not.
• * 1.8

  Ioan. 6.
• ‡ 1.9

  A vvoorthy Ar∣gumente, and ful vvisely ap∣plied. Reade the Ansvveare,