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.

Wée teache not the people, to presume of Knowledge, as you teache them, to presume of Ignorance: But onely wée exhorte them, for the better satisfaction of theire consciences, to reade the Scriptures, & therein to learne the good wil of God. And, not withstandinge ye maie not allowe them to be Iudges, y^t is to saie, to dis∣cerne bitwéene the Light of God, and your Darkenesse, yet yée might suffer them to pike vp somme smal crommes, that fal from the Lordes Table. How be it, so∣crates saith,* 1.1 The simple vnlearned people, in cases of Truthe, iudgeth oftentimes more vprightly, then the déepest Philosophers. Likewise Christe saithe, I thanke thee, O Father, for that thou hast hidde these thinges from the wise, and politique, and hast o∣pened the same to littel babes.

But ye wil saie, The Scriptures are harde, and aboue the reache of the people. Euen so saide y^e Pelagian Heretique Iulianus. And therefore S. Augustine thus reproueth him for the same:* 1.2 Exaggeras, quàm sit difficilis, paucis{que} conueniens erudiris Sanctarum co∣gnitio Literarum: Yee enlarge, and laie out with many wordes, how harde a mater the know∣ledge of the Scriptures is, and meete onely for a fewe learned men. S. Chrysostome saith, Scripturae & Seruo,* 1.3 & Rustico, & Viduae, & Puero, & illi, qui valdè imprudens esse videatur, faciles sunt ad intelligendum: The Scriptures are easy to the Sclaue, to the Husbandeman, to the Widovve, to the Childe, and to him, that maie seeme to be very simple of vnderstandinge.* 1.4 S. Augustine saithe, Modus ipse dicendi, quo Sacra Scriptura cōtexitur, &c. quasi amicus familiaris, sine fuco ad cor loquitur indoctorum, at{que} doctorū: The phrase, or māner of speache, wherein y^e Scriptures are writtē, &c. speaketh w^tout coloure as a familiare frend vnto the hart, as wel of y^e Vnlearned, as of the Learned. S.

Cyril saithe,* 1.5 Scripturae, vt omnibus essent notae, paruis, & magnis, Vtiliter fa∣miliari sermone commendatae sunt, ita vt nullius captum trāscendant: The Scri∣ptures, that they might be easy to al menne, as wel smal, as greate, are profitably set abroade in familiare speache: so, that they ouerreache no mannes capacitie. S. Augustine saith, Sunt quidam homines,* 1.6 qui, cùm audierint, quo'd debent esse humiles, nihil volunt disce∣re: putantes, quo'd, si aliquid didicerint, Superbi erunt, &c. Hos reprehendit Scri∣ptura: Somme menne, when they heare saie, they muste be lowly, wil learne nothing: thinking, that, if they learne any thinge, they shalbe prowde. But these are reproued by the Scriptures. Likewise againe S. Augustine saithe,* 1.7 Ipsa ignorantia in illis, qui intelligere no∣luerunt, sine dubitarione peccatum est: In eis autem, qui non potuerunt, est poena peccati. Ergo, in vtris{que} non est excusatio, sed iusta damnatio: Ignorance in them, that woulde not vnderstande, without doubte is sinne: But in them, that coulde not vnder∣stande, it is the punishement of sinne. Therefore neither of them bothe hath good excuse: but either of them hath iuste damnation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Apolog. Sacratis Matth. 11.
• * 1.2

  Augusti. Contra Iulian. Li. 5. Ca. 1
• * 1.3

  Chrysostom. in Matth. Homil. 1.
• * 1.4

  Augusti. Episc 3.
• * 1.5

  Cyrillus contra Iulian. Lib. 7.
• * 1.6

  Augu. in Psal. 131
• * 1.7

  Augu. In Sēten. exceptis ex Au∣gustino, Pa. 1067.