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 Apologie, Cap. 3. Diuision. 4.

The olde Fathers Origene,* 1.1 & Chrysostome exhorte the Peo∣ple to reade the Scriptures,* 1.2 to buye them Bookes, to reason at home bitwixte them selues of Diuine maters: VViues with their Hus∣bandes, & Parentes with their Children: These menne condemne the Scriptures, as deade Elementes, and, asmutche as euer they maie, barre the People from them.

M. Hardinge.

‡ 1.3 Partely it is true, partely false, that you saie. Origen exhorteth all, to resorte to the Churches in the Holy daies,* 1.4 and there to heare the woordes of God: and thereof afterwarde to thinke earnestly, and to meditate on the Lawe of God, and to exercise their mindes in it daie and night, in the waie, in their house, in their bedde, and when they rise. This holde we withall, and be desirous, the

* 1.5 people beare awaie that the true and Godly Preachers teache them in the Churche,* 1.6 and that they thinke of it, and put it in dayly practise of life. For els to what serueth all our Preachinge?

Chrysostome Hom. 2. in Math. speaketh against them, whiche contemned the Scriptures, and saide, they were no Monkes, but had wiues and Children, and care of householde. As though it pertei∣ned not to maried men to reade any parte thereof, but to Monkes onely.

If in our time the people mighte be induced to reade the Holy Scriptures, with suche mindes, for suche causes, to suche intents and purposes onely, as Chrysostome requireth: God forbid, we shoulde by any meanes staie them therefrom.‡ 1.7 But consideringe the maner of our time, and callinge to due exa∣mination the curiositie, the temeritie, the vnreuerence, the contempte of all holy thinges, that now all men may espie in the people: if we thinke it not good they be admitted to the readinge of the Scri∣ptures freely and without any limitation, how so euer you and your fellowes iudge of vs, we doubt not of the accompt, we haue to make of that our meaninge before our Lordes dredfull seate of iudge∣mente. Now to conclude, we tell you, that you haue misreported bothe Chrysostome, and specially O∣rigen. For how so euer they speake of the readinge, and meditation of the Scriptures, for amende∣ment of life, verely in the places by you quoted,* 1.8 they exhorte not the people to reason, and dispute of diuine matters amonge them selues, specially the husbandes with their wiues, the parentes with their children, as you saie they doo.

The B. of Sarisburie.

For as mutche as ye saie, parte hereof is true, and parte false, I truste, ye wil géeue us leaue fréely to vse the Truthe, vntil ye shal finde your selfe better hable to proue the Falshedde. It séemeth not greatly to mislike you, that the people haue somme little libertie, to reade somme sutche parte of the Scriptures, as you maie beste spare them, for the orderinge of their liues. Whereby it appeareth, that for quietinge of their Consciences in maters of Religion, and causes of Truthe, yée thinke it beste, they reade nothinge. And this, ye saie, ye are hable to answeare before the dreadful seate of Goddes Iudgemente. Touchinge the Truthe hereof, to saie so mutche, as might be saide, it woulde require greate waste of time. S. Augustine saithe, Si desit,* 1.9 aut ignoretur, quà eundum fit, quid prodest nosse, quò eundum fit? If ye haue not, or know not, what waie to goe,* 1.10 what shal it profite you to knowe, whither to goe? S. Hierome saithe, Vt maius est, voluntatem Domini facere, quàm nosse, ita prius est nosse, quàm facere. Illud Merito praecedit: Hoc ordine: As it is more, to doo the wil of our Lorde, then to knowe it: so the Knowlege of the same goeth before the Doo∣inge. In goodnesse, Dooinge goeth before: in order, Knowinge. Againe S. Augustine saithe, Si Scripturas Diuinas aut non legimus ipsi, aut legentes alios non libenter au∣dimus, ipsa nobis medicamenta conuertuntur in vulnera: & inde habebimus Iudicium, vnde potuimus habere remedium: If we either reade not the Scriptures our selues, or be not desirous to heare others reade them, then are our Medicines turned into vvoundes: and then, vvhere vvee mighte haue had remedie, vvee shal haue Iudgemente. Sutche saieinges are common, and ordinarie in S. Chry∣sostome. Thus he saithe,* 1.11 Librum Diuinum accipiat aliquis in manum: conuoca∣tis{que} proxìmìs, per Diuina eloquia riget & suam mentem, & conuenientium: vt sic Diabolicas insidias effugere valeamus: Let one of you take in hande the Holy Booke: and let him cal his Neighbours aboute him: and by the Heauenly vvoordes let him water, and refreashe bothe theire mindes,* 1.12 and also his owne. Againe he saithe, Poterimus & domi versantes, ante, & post Conuiuium, acceptis in manus Diuinis Libris, vtili∣tatem inde capere, & Spiritualem Cibum animae praebere. Beinge at home, we maie bothe before, and after Meate, take the Holy Bookes in hande, and thereof receiue greate profite,* 1.13 and Minister spiritual foode vnto our soule. And againe, Etiam domi va∣cemus Diuinarum Scripturarum Lectioni: Euen when wee be at home, let vs be∣stowe our time in readinge the Scriptures.

Origen saithe, Vtinam omnes faceremus illud, quod Scriptum est, Scrutami∣ni Scripturas: VVoulde God wee woulde al doo, accordingely as it is written, Searche the Scriptures.* 1.14

But ye saie, wee haue misreported bothe Chrysostome, and Origen. For they exhorte not the people (as you saie) to reason of Diuine maters emonge them selues, specially the Hus∣bandes with their VViues, &c. Whether of vs bothe maketh truer reporte, let vs be tri∣ed by Chrysostome.* 1.15 Thus he saithe, Neque in hoc tantùm consessu, sed domi quo∣que, Vir cum Vxore, Pater cum Filio, inuicem de his frequenter loquantur: & vltrò, citro{que} suam & ferant, & inquirant sententiam: Velint{que} hanc proba∣rissimam inducere consuetudinem: Hearken not hereto onely here in the Churche, but also at home, let the Husbande with the Wife, let the Father with the Childe, talke togeather of these Maters: and, bothe to, and fro, let them bothe enquire, and geeue theire Iudgementes: And, woulde God they woulde beginne this good Custome.

Here haue you, M. Hardinge, the Husbande communinge of Diuine maters with his VVife: and the Father with his Childe. Therefore so vnaduisedly to saie, wée haue misreported this Holy Father, it was of your parte a misreporte.

Likewise S. Hierome saithe,* 1.16 Hic ostenditur, verbum Christi, non suf∣fiele••ter, sed abundanter, etiam Laicos habere debere: & docere se inuicem, vel monere: Here wee are ought, that euen the Laie menue oughte to haue the VVoorde of God, not onely sufficiently, but also obundantly: and one to instructe, and to warne an other, Againe he saithe, Solent & Viri, solent & Monachi, solent & Mulier∣culae hoc inter se habere certamen, vt plures ediscant Scripturas: Bothe Maried menne, and Monkes, and Wiues, commonly haue this contention emonge themselues, vvho maie learne moste Scriptures.

To conclude,* 1.17 Theodoretus saithe thus, Passim videas nostra dogmata non ab ijs solùm tenèri &c. Ye maie commonly see, that our Doctrine is knowen, not onely of them, that are the Doctours of the Churche, and the Maisters of the people, but al∣so euen of the Tailers, and Smithes, and VVeauers, and of al Artificers: Yea, and further also of VVeemen: and that, not onely of them, that be Learned, but also of La∣bouringe VVeemen, and Sevvsters, and Seruantes, and Handemaìdes. Neither onely the Citizens,* 1.18 but also the Countriefolkes doo very wel vnderstande the same. Yee maie finde, yea, euen the very Dichers, and Deluers, and Covvheardes, and Gar∣diners Disputinge of the Holy Trinitie, and of the Creation of al thinges.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Origen. in Leui. Ca. 16.
• * 1.2

  Chrysost. in Mat∣thae. Homil. 2. Idem in Iohā. 31.
• ‡ 1.3

  Vntruthe. For the vvhole here∣of is true: and no parte false.
• * 1.4

  Homil 9. in Leuit. Cap. 16.
• * 1.5

  Ovaine excuse. Many of your people neuer heare Sermon in al there liues.
• * 1.6

  Readinge of the Scriptures
• ‡ 1.7

  M. Hardinges fauourable opi∣nion of the peo∣ple.
• * 1.8

  Manifeste vn∣truthe. Reade the Ansvveare.
• * 1.9

  August. De Ci∣uita. Li. 11. Ca. 2. Hieronym. ad Demetriad. De Virginita tuen∣da.
• * 1.10

  August. De Tem¦pore, Sermo. 55.
• * 1.11

  Chrysostom. in Genesim, Hom. 6.
• * 1.12

  Chrysostom. in Genes. Homil. 10.
• * 1.13

  Chrysost. in Ge∣nes. Homil. 29.
• * 1.14

  Origen. in E∣satam, Homil. 2.
• * 1.15

  Chrysost. in Io∣han. Homil. 2. Chrysostom. in Matth. Homi. 78.
• * 1.16

  Hieronym. in E∣pisit. ad Coloss. Ca. 3. In illud: Verbum Dei ha∣bitet in vobis. Hieronym. in psalm. 133.
• * 1.17

  Theodoretus De Corrigen. Grae∣cor. affectib. li. 5.
• * 1.18

  De Diuina Tri∣nitate, rerum{que} omnium Crea∣tione dissertan∣tes.