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.

The B. of Sarisburie.

It is no greate Crake, M. Hardinge, to géeue God thankes. But what vncour∣teous dealinge is this of your parte? Sir Defender, and his Felovves muste comme to you, & learne to speake. Notwithstandinge for ought, that maie ap∣peare, yee are not yet very wel aduised, howe to speake your selfe. Nowe, bicause wée saie, vvee thanke our God, our Secretarie hath made him selfe a Seueral God. How be it, you maie saie, Our Lorde, and thinke him not Catholique, that wil saie otherwise: and yet make you not your selues thereby any Seueral Lorde. God geue you Grace, ye be not seuered from the Lorde. But wherefore it shoulde be more lawful for you, to saie, Our Lorde, then for vs, to saie, Our God, I thinke it a highe pointe of cunninge for you to open.

Thus ye woulde haue vs sommetimes to saie, Our Lorde: sometimes, The Lorde: sommetimes neither. It were a skilful Cooke, that knewe your diete. Howe be it,* 1.1 The Prophete Dauid saithe,* 1.2 Deus noster refugium,* 1.3 & Vrtius:* 1.4 Our God, our Refuge,* 1.5 and our Strengthe?* 1.6 Singe Psalmes vnto Our God:* 1.7 Our God is the God of Saluation:* 1.8 Our God is in Heauen:* 1.9 My God, ô My God, I wake earely vnto thee: Thou arte My God: I truste in thee: My lotes are in thy handes. S. Paule saithe, I thanke My God alwaies: I geeue thankes vnto My God. Thus was it lawful then for the Apostles, and Propehtes to speake without rebuke: neither was there any M. Hardinge then so vncourteous, to saie, They made them selues a peculiar God.

S. Paule saithe, Wee are iustified in the name of Iesus Christe our Lorde, and in the Sprite of Our God. S. Augustine saithe, Contra istos Mirabiliarios cautum me fecit Deus Meus,* 1.10 dicens, In Nouissimis diebus surgent Falsi Prophetae: My God hath willed me to beware of these Mungers of Miracles, tellinge me, that in the laste daies there shal rise vp False Prophetes. Againe he saithe, Deus Meus vbique praesens est: Vbique totus: nusquam inclusus: My God is euerywhere presente: euerywhere whole: nowhere inclosed, or shut vp. Chrysostome saithe, Christo meo testificabantur & Venti, & Mare: Bothe the Windes, and the Sea bare witnesse to my Christe.

S. Hierome saithe,* 1.11 Ego non Patrem, non Matrem, non Germanum aduersus Chri∣stum meum audiam: I wil not heare neither Father, nor Mother, nor Brother against my Christe. S. Cyprian saithe, Hic est Deus noster, id est, non omnium, sed Credentium, & Fidelium Deus: This is Our God, that is to saie, not the God of al, but the God of the Beleeuers, and of the Faitheful. Sedulius saithe, Deus Naturâ om∣nium est: Voluntate verò paucorum: God by Nature, is the God of al: but by wil, he is the God of Fewe. But what shal wée neede many Doctours, the case be∣inge so cleare? You your selfe, M. Hardinge, in this selfe same Booke, either of pourpose vpon somme better aduise, or vnwares, haue written the same. Consi∣der wel your owne woordes:* 1.12 Thus ye saie, There is no iniquitie in Our Lorde God. Yet, I trowe, by these woordes, ye make not to your selfe a peculiare God.

S. Paule saithe, I liue in the Faithe of the Sonne of God, whiche hath loued me, and hath geeuen him selfe for my sake. Whiche woordes S. Chrysostome, writinge vpon the Genesis,* 1.13 expoundeth thus: Qui dilexit me, &c. Vt proprium vsurpas com∣mune beneficium. Profectò, inquit: Nam licet pro omni hominum genere Sacrificium oblatum sit, tamen propter amorem in eum, id, quod factum est omnibus, proprium mihi facio. Ita & Prophetis mos est, & facere, & dicere, Deus, Deus Meus:

quamuis totius Orbis sit Deus. Sed peculiare hoc est amori, vt ex communibus pro∣pria faciat. Qui dilexit me. Quid dicis? An te dilexit solum? Omnem, inquit, ho∣minum Naturam dilexit. Sed ego illi Gratias debeo, quasi me Solum dilexisset, & tradidisset semetipsum pro me Solo. S. Paule saithe, Christe hath loued me. O Paule, The benefite, that is common to al, thou vsest as peculiare to thee selfe. Yea ve∣rily, saithe S. Paule: For al be it that Sacrifice were offered for al Mankinde, yet for the loue, that I beare towardes him, the thinge that was donne to al, I accoumpte as proper, and seueral to mee selfe Alone. Thus the manner of the Prophetes is to doo, and to saie, O God, my God: notwithstandinge be is the God of al the Worlde. But this is the spe∣cial, and alonely office of Loue, of thinges common to make thinges peculiare. Thou saiste, Christe hath Loued mee. What saistet thou? Hath Christe loued thee Onely, and ••oman els? No, saithe Paule, He hath loued al Mankinde. But I ovve him thankes, as if he had loued mee Alone, and had geuen him selfe Onely for me.

Hencefoorthe, M. Hardinge, it maie please you to géeue vs leaue to speake, as the Prophetes, the Apostles, the Holy Fathers, and Doctours haue spoken be∣fore vs.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psalm. 46.
• * 1.2

  Psalm. 64.
• * 1.3

  Psalm. 113.
• * 1.4

  Psalm. 63.
• * 1.5

  Psalm.
• * 1.6

  Psalm. 67.
• * 1.7

  1. Corinth. 1. & 14.
• * 1.8

  Philip. 1.
• * 1.9

  1. Corinth. 6.
• * 1.10

  Augustin. in Io∣han. Tracta. 13. August. De Ci∣••i. Li. Cap. 29. Chrysostom. in Psalm. 96.
• * 1.11

  Hierony. Aduer∣sus error. Iohan. Hierosoly mitan. Cyprian. De Bo∣no Poenitentiae. Sedulius, In. 2. Corinth. 6.
• * 1.12

  M. Hard. Fol. 124. b. Galat. 2.
• * 1.13

  Chrysostom. in Genesim. Homi. 34.