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.

To dissemble the reste of your Vntruthes, and your immoderate and vnciuile bitternesse, M. Hardinge, procedinge from the vnquiet, and vnsauery humoures of your harte: where ye saie, Doctor Luther admitteth no Ciuile Magistrate, & note the same so specially in your margine, I marueile mutche, that your paper blusshed not in your behalfe. Reade his Bookes throughout, and consider the quiet gouernement, bothe of the Common Wealthes, and also of the Churches of Ger∣manie: and ye shal finde, that noman euer, neither by woorde, nor by example more auaunced the Authoritie of the Ciuile Magistrate. To leaue al other his nota∣ble Sentences to this pourpose, againste the Rebelles, of whom ye speake, beinge then in the fielde againste theire Lordes, he wrote thus: God commaundeth al menne vniuersally to obeie the Magistrate with feare,* 1.1 and reuerence, &c. Againe, Ye take the Swerde, and withstande the Magistrate, vvhom God hath appointed. Is not this rashly to abuse the Name of God?

But he saithe, Emonge Christians neither maie be, nor ought to be any Magistrate. O M. Hardinge, nothinge coulde haue founde faulte herewith, but onely intempe∣rate, and mere malice. For Luther speaketh not these woordes of the outwarde Ciuile Gouernement, but onely of our Inwarde Bande, and Obedience towardes God. And in this respecte, there is no Kinge, or Prince in déede, nor maie be a∣ny. In this sense S. Paule saithe, There is no levve, there is no Gentile: There is no Lorde,* 1.2 there is no Seruaunte: There is no Man, there is no VVooman:* 1.3 For al you are one in Christe Jesu. S. Paule denieth not, but Ievve, Gentile, Lorde, Seruaunte, Man, and VVooman, remaine stil in theire seueral states, and kindes, as they were before. But in Christe Iesu, he saithe, there is no regarde of any sutche difference. In Ciuile Gouernmente a Kinge is a Kinge, and so hath God com∣maunded him to be knowen. But after that wée be once comme to the reuerence, and obedience of Goddes wil, there God onely is the Kinge: & the Kinge, be he ne∣uer so mighty, is but a Subiecte. So saith S. Ambrose to the Emperoure Valen∣ti••••ian, Noli te extollere,* 1.4 Imperator: Sed, si vis diutiùs Imperare, esto Deo subditus.

Scriptum est,* 1.5 Quae Dei, Deo: quae Caesaris. Caesari: O my Lorde, auance not your selfe: But if ye wil remaine long in Empiere, be subiecte vnto God. It is written, Geeue to God, that belongeth to God: Geeue to Caesar, that belongeth to Caesar.

So saithe the Emperoure Valentinian the Elder of him selfe,* 1.6 Ego sum in sorte plebis: I am (in this respecte) as one of the people. To like pourpose Iulius Caesar, beinge an Heathen Prince, saide sommetime of him selfe at Rome in the Councel house,* 1.7 Equidem ad alia omnia, quae pro vobis gerenda sunt, & Consul sum, & Dictator: quod autem ad iniuriam cuiquam faciendum attinet, sum priuatus: Touchinge al other affaires, that ought to be taken in hande for your sake, I am bothe your Consul, and your Dictator: But as touchinge any wronge to be donne to any man, I am as a priuate man, without office. So said the Heathen Renegate Iulianus the Emperour, Principes, vbi ad limen Delubri venerint, perinde sunt, atque Priuati: When the Princes, and Magistrates once comme within the entrie of the Temple, they are none other, but as Priuate Menne. And this is al that traiterous, and horrible Iudgement, that, as it pleaseth you to saie, Luther had of the Ciuile Magistrate.

Where ye saie, he sturred vp his Disciple Thomas Munzer in Thuringia, to be the preacher to the Rebelles, it is no strang mater, to sée your tonge to renne riot. Luther him selfe writinge thereof vnto the Rebelles, saithe thus, Satanas sub Euangelij praetextu,* 1.8 multos hoc tempore seditiosos, & planè sanguinarios Docto∣res excitauit: Satan vnder the pretense of the Gospel, hath sturred vp in these daies ma∣ny seditious, and Bloudy Doctours: Meaninge thereby Munzer, and other like his companions.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohan. Sleidanus Lib. 5.
• * 1.2

  Galat. 3.
• * 1.3

  Coloss. 3.
• * 1.4

  An bros. Lib. 5. Epist. 33.
• * 1.5

  Ciuile Magi∣strate.
• * 1.6

  Sozom. li. 6. ca. 7.
• * 1.7

  Dion Lib. 43. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Sozom. li. 5. ca. 16
• * 1.8

  Iohan. Sleidanus Lib. 5.