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.

Ye wreste the saieinge of S. Hierome to your purpose, that is to saie, so as it may seeme to be spo∣ken against the Churche, that now is, wherein ye make him a Prophete. And that this place mighte sounde the more against the Clergy, to the commendation of the people, and to stirre them to reade the Scriptures: after your accustomed maner ye sticke not to adde some what of your owne in one place: to take awaie a litle of the Doctour in an other place: to alter the woordes in an other place. VVho looketh so narrowly for trial of this, as your secretarie thought maliciously, when he wrote it: by di∣ligent conference of this Apologie with S. Herome he shall finde it.

Now, concerninge the right sense of the place, S. Hieromes intent was not, to foretell and paint before our face (as you saie) the vniuersall state of our time, but to tell, and declare the meaninge of the Prophete Nalium.‡ 1.1 signifiynge the state of the time now paste, to witte, the time of Christes firste comminge into the world: for the woordes do expressely speake thereof. After S. Hieromes exposition, by Niniue, that Prophete meaneth the worlde: by the Assyrian Kinge, the Deuill. And there he prophe∣cieth the ruine of the worlde. and of the Deuill at the comminge of Christe. S. Hierome* 1.2 speaketh neuer a woorde of your harlotte Babylon, whereof ye and your vnlearned ministers haue neuer donne bablinge, meaning thereby the Holy Romaine Churche.

First you Sir defender, that penned this geare, haue plaide a false parte by diuidinge the one mem∣ber of the sentence into twoo: Or rather by puttinge in one woorde, and leauing out an other. For, where S.* 1.3 Hierome hath thus, Et consummationis Niniue speciosissimae quondam Meretricis (whereby he meante the vndoinge of the Deuils power in the worlde once, that is to saie‡ 1.4 before the comminge of Christe, a most beautiful harlotte) that you might geue occasion of reproch to the Ro∣maine Church, which falsefiynge the doctours sense you vnderstand by Niniue, you haue set it forthe thus, Et consummationis Niniue, & speciosissimae meretricis. Then you descant vpon it, as though S. Hierome had so written, and saie that he setteth before our face the falle of the most gorge∣ous harlot Babylon, whiche you interpret to be Rome. And then further corrupting S. Hieromes sense, you make him to speake of the repairinge againe of Goddes Churche, as though at this daie it were by defaulte of the catholike Clergie fallen downe, and should be set vp againe by you and your Mini∣sters: also of the blindenesse of the Bishops of our time, that they be the maisters by whome the people hath benne lead into errour, and lulled asleepe. And hereto ye adde, as saithe Hierome, where S. Hierome saithe not so neither of the maisters at Christes first comminge, but of the Deuil, who brought

the people asleepe, by whome he vnderstandeth‡ 1.5 not the people that liueth now, but them that were deceiued by the Deuill vnder euill maisters, before the comminge of Christe.

But because this defender thinketh be hath acquited him selfe like a Clercke by alleaginge this place out of S. Hierome against the Catholike Churche, I require al the learned to reade ouer what S. Hierome writeth vpon the ende of the Prophet Nahum, from these woordes of the texte,* 1.6 Brucus ir∣ruit & euolauit &c. foorth to the ende of the Chapter, and most diligently to marke that goeth im∣mediatly before the place by this defender alleaged. As for thee, good reader, that vnderstandest not the Latine tonge, I assure thee, S. Hierome speaketh those woordes* 1.7 of Heretikes, * of teachers of euil doctrine, of suche as will not beare the voice of the Churche, of whiche sorte this new english Cler∣gie is. And in that discourse he commendeth to true beleuers, not onely the Hilles, that is, the written Scriptures, but also the doctrine of the Churche (as thou seest in the allegation put in the Apologie) and before that be commendeth likewise Latibula Doctorum, the Caues of the Doctours, in which the faithfull people also as by flyinge to the Hilles, couche them selues safe from danger of the Deuill stir∣rer of Heresies. So that if the place be well scanned, by that allegation they shall seeme to haue made a rodde to whippe them selues. The whole place beinge ouer longe to recire here, a sentence or two. that are specially meante of suche as they be, maie suffise.

Vae ita{que} his &c. wo then to those, whiche are teachers of peruerse doctrines in Niniue, by which is signified the worlde.* 1.8 And aptly to them it is saide, thy Shepeherdes haue stepte, for they haue geuen sleepe to their eies, and slomberinge to their eieleddes. And therefore haue they not founde a place for our Lorde, nor atabernacle for the God of Iacob. Neither haue they hearde out of Ephrata, that is to saie, Frugifera Ecclesia, the fruitefull Churche. Nor haue they founde the Churche in the thickettes of the woddes. Neither onely the Shepeherdes of this rifferaffe (mixticij huius, be mea∣neth by 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, whiche is the woorde of the seuenty translatours, all sortes of people deceiued by false teachers) and of the locuste (they are the capitaine Heretikes) whiche in time of froste sitteth in the hedges, haue slepte: but by the Kinge of Assyrians (who is the Deuill) they haue ben lulled aslepe. For alwaies it is the studie of the Deuil, how he may bringe asleepe waking soules. Thus S. Hierome.

Now I reporte me to those that haue eies to see, whether out newe Cleregy may not serme those, whome the Deuill hath lulled asleepe (gladly I vse their owne terme) in their newe deuises, in their owne liked conceites, in their Schismes, and Heresies, in their vniuste possession of Benefices, and Bi∣shoprikes, those yet liuinge, to whome the right belongeth, in their presumption of that office they are not duely called vnto, in their malice towarde the Churche, in the continuall satisfiynge of their fleashly lustes, and in their vnlawfull and lecherous embracinges.

Let them feare the dreadfull sayinge of S. Hierome folowinge straight after their allegation: Non est sanitas contritioni tuae, &c. There is no health for thy bruze, thy woonde swelleth. Therefore the rifferaffe of Niniue can not be healed, because he laieth not downe his pride, and the woonde is alwaies freshe, and daily he is woonded whiles the Deuill striketh at him. And when all commeth to all, there is no health for his bruze. For although he seeme to him selfe hole, yet is his soule broken, and crusshed with the bytle of the whole earth, that fownceth downe vpon it. And it is not healed, because continually it is lifted vp (with pride). But if it become humble, and submit it selfe to Christe,* 1.9 a contrite and an humble harte God despiseth not. Thus describeth S. Hierome these menne. Neither let them saie, they submitte them selues to Christe, whome and whose Gospell they haue so muche in their mouthes, vntill they folowe his doctrine, sayinge of the gouernours of his Churche, He that heareth you,* 1.10 heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me. And this muche for an∣sweare to the place of S. Hierome.

Notes

• ‡ 1.1

  Vntruthe. For S. Hierome in the same place saithe, Haec in Consummatione Mundi magis complentur &c. Hucus{que} de Mun∣di ruina.
• * 1.2

  Vntruthe. For he speaketh of∣tentimes of her: and saithe plain∣ly, that Rome is Babylon.
• * 1.3

  In Com∣ment. in Nahum. Cap. 3.
• ‡ 1.4

  As though si∣thence the Birthe of Christe, there neuer had bēne, neither Niniue, nor Babylon, nor Ignorance, nor Negligence in the Cleregie.
• ‡ 1.5

  No doubte: if there be credite sufficiente in this Commen∣tarie.
• * 1.6

  In Nahum. Cap. 3.
• * 1.7

  As though the Popes Clerkes vvere not Here∣tiques, and Teachers of False Doctrine.
• * 1.8

  Psalm. 151.
• * 1.9

  Psalm. 50.
• * 1.10

  Luc. 10.