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.

To the Christian Reader.

IT pitieth mee in thy behalfe, good Christian Reader, to sée they conscience thus assaulted this daie with so contrarie Doctrines of Religion: and special∣ly if thou haue a zele to folowe, and séeste not, what: and wouldeste faine please Eod, and knoweste not, howe: nor findeste thée selfe sufficiently armed with Goddes Holy Sprite: nor hable either to discerue thy meate from poison, or to vnwinde thée selfe out of the snares.* 1.1 For Satan transfourmeth him selfe into an Angel of Light: The wicked is more watcheful, and vehemente, then the Godly: and Falsehed is oftentimes painted, and vewtified, and shineth more glorious then the Truthe.

These be the thinges,* 1.2 that, as S. Paule saithe, woorke the subuersion of the Hearers: and by meane whereof, as Christe saithe, if it were possible, the very Bsecte of God shoulde be deceiued. Howe be it, God knoweth his owne: and no Power can pusse them out of his hande. God is hable to woorke comforte out of confu∣sion, and to force his light to shine out of darkenesse. Al thinges woorke vnto good vnto them, that be in Christe Iesu. Be Falsehed neuer so freashely coloured, yet in the ende the Truthe wil conquere.

Notwithstandinge, God in these daies hath so amazed the Aduersaries of his Gospel, and hath caused them so openly, and so grossely to laie abroade their folies, to the sight, and face of al the world, that noman nowe, be he neuer so ignorante, can thinke, he maie iustely be excused. They deale not nowe so suttelly, as other Heretiques in old times were woont to doo: thei hide not the lothsomenesse of their errours: they cloke not them selues in Shéepeskinnes: they dissemble nothinge: they excuse nothing: but, without either shame of man, or feare of God, they rake vp those thinges, that before were buried, that themselues had forsaken, the wise had abhorred, the worlde had lothed. It had benne more policie for them, to haue yeelded in sommewhat, and to haue staied in the reste. So there might haue appea∣red somme plainenesie in theire dealinges.

But this is Goddes iuste iudgemente, that they, that wilfully withstande the Truthe,* 1.3 shoulde be geeuen ouer to mainteine Lies, as beeinge the Children of Vn∣truthe, Children, that wil not heare the Lawe of God.

For trial whereof, I beseeche thée, good Reader, aduisedly to peruse these fewe notes, truely taken out of M. Hardinges late Confutation. Iudge thereof, as thou shalt sée cause. Let no affection, or fantasie cause thinges to séeme otherwise, then they be.

The twoo principal Groūdes of this whole Booke are these:* 1.4 First, That the Pope, although he maie erre by personal errour, in his owne Priuate Iudgement, as a man, and as a par∣ticulare Doctour in his owne opinion: yet as he is Pope, as he is the Successour of Peter, as he is y^e Vicare of Christe in Earthe, and as he is the Shepheard of the Vniuersal Churche, in Publique Judgement, in deliberation, and Definitiue Sentence, he neuer erreth, nor neuer erred, nor neuer can erre: As if he woulde saie, The Pope walkinge in his Galerie is one man: and fittinge in Consistorie, or in Iudgemente, is an other: Whiche thinge to holde, Alphonsus de Castro saithe,* 1.5 it is mere folie. Yet is this M. Hardinges chiefest, or rather, as I might in manner saie, his onely grounde.

The Seconde is this,* 1.6 The Churche of Rome is the whole, and onely Catholique Churche of God: and, who so euer is not obediente vnto the same, muste be iudged an ••••lere∣tique. These twoo groundes beinge once wel, and surely laied, he maie builde at pleasure, what him listeth.

As for the Pope, the better to countenance his estate, he saithe, that Peter re∣ceiued

thee, I beséeche thee to consider, with what indifferente Iudgement M. Harding woulde haue thée to passe bitwéene vs.

Firste he saithe, What should wee seeke for Truthe?* 1.7 Let vs onely beholde the custome of the Churche. Againe, What Argumentes, what Assegations, what shewe of disproufe so euer he bringe againste these thinges, wee ought to make smal accoumpte thereof. Againe, I would blesse mee selfe from him, as from the Minister of Satan, and as from the Disciple of Antichriste, and as from Goddes open, and professed enimie. Againe, M. Iewelles Re∣plie, and other like Hereticol Bookes, are vnlawful to be readde, by order of the Churche, without special licence: and are vtterly forebidden to be readde, or keapte, vnder paine of Ex∣communication. And againe,* 1.8 As for the Replie, none other waie wil serue, but to throwe al into the fire.

Of the other side, touching the VVoorde of God, with most terrible woordes he fraieth thée from it, and biddeth thee to consider of other thinges, and to behold, I knowe not,* 1.9 what. Yee prostitute the Scriptures, he saith, as Baudes doo their Harlottes, to the Vngodly, Vnlearned, Rascal people: Againe, Prentises, Light Personnes, and the rifferaffe of the people: And againe, The Vnlearned people were keapte from the Reading of the Scriptures by the special prouidence of God, that pretious stoanes should not be throwen before Swine.* 1.10 In sutche regarde these menne haue, as wel the Holy Scri∣ptures, as also the People of God. The scriptures they resemble to common Harlottes, and the vileste creatures of the stewes: The people of God they calle, Vngodly, Rascalles, Rifferaffe, and Filthy Svvine.

Thus he suffereth thée not to reade, either my poore Booke, whereof thou shouldest Iudge: or the Holy VVoorde of God, whereby thou mightest he hable to Iudge: but onely biddeth thée to folowe him, and to saie, as he saithe: and al is safe. Thus, firste he blindeth thine eies, and then willeth thee to looke aboute, and to condemne the thinge,* 1.11 thou neuer kneweste. So saithe S. Hierome, Isti tan∣tam sibi assumunt Authoritatem, vt siue dextra doceant, siue sinistra, id est, siue bona, siue mala, nolint Discipulos ratione discutere, sed se praecessores sequi: These menne take so mutche vpon them selues, that, whether they teache with the Right hande, or with the Lefte, that is to saie, whether they teache good thinges, or badde, they wil not haue theire Hearers, or Learners, to enquire causes, wherefore they shoulde doo this, or that: but onely to folowe them, beeing theire Leaders.

But beware, I beséeche, thée, good Christian Reader. A simple eie is soone begui∣led. It is very course Woolle, y^t wil take no coloure. It is a desperate cause, y^t with woordes, and eloquence maie not be smoothed. Be not deceiued. Remember, of what maters, and with what Aduersaries thou haste to deale. With feace, and reuerence be careful of thine owne Saluation. Laie downe al affection, and fa∣uoure of parties. Iudge iustely of that shalbe alleged. Onlesse thou knowe, thou canste not Iudge: Onlesse thou heare bothe sides, thou canste not knowe. If thou like ought, knowe, why thou likeste it. A wise man in eche thinge wil searche the cause. He, that cannot iudge golde by sounde, or insight, yet maie trie it by the poise. If thou canste not weigh these maters, for want of Learninge, yet, so sensible, and so grosse they are, thou maiste féele them with thy fingers. Thou maiste soone finde a difference bitwéene Golde, and Brasse: bitweene Iacob, and Esau: bitwéene a Face, and a Visarde: bitweene a fuile Body, and an emptie Sha∣dowe.

Saie not, Thou arte settled in thy Beliefe, before thou know it. Vaine Faith, is no Faithe.* 1.12 S. Augustines counsel is good: Beleeu: nomore of Christe, then Christ hath willed thee to beleeue: Nemo de Christo credat, nisi, quod de se credi vo∣luit Christus. Likewise he saithe, Fides stulta non prodest, sed obest: Fonde Faith is hurtful, and dooth no good. S. Hilarie saithe, Non minus est, Deum fin∣gere,

quàm negare:* 1.13 To diuise fansies of God, it is as horrible, as to saie, There is no God.

The Anciente Father Tertullian, speakinge of the Enimies of the Crosse of Christe, that disdeigned to submitte theire willes to the wil of God, saithe thus: Amant ignorare,* 1.14 cùm alij gaudeant cognouisse. Malunt nescire, quod iam ode∣runt. Adeo' quod nesciunt, praeiudicant id esse, quod, si scirent, odisse non pos∣sent: They desire to be ignorante, whereas other folkes desire to knowe. They woulde not knowe the Truthe, bicause they hate it. (What so euer it be) they imagine it to be the same thinge, that they hate. But if they knewe it in deede, thei coulde not hate it. Let Reason leade thee: let Authoritie moue thée: let Truthe enforce thée. The VViseman saithe,* 1.15 Who so feareth the Lorde, wil not be wilful againste his Woorde. God of his mercie confounde al Errours: géeue the Victorie to his Truthe: and Glorie to his Holy name, Amen.

From London. 27. Octobris, 1567.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Corin. 11.
• * 1.2

  2. Tim. 2. Matthae. 24. 2. Tim. 2. Iohan. 10. Roman. 8.
• * 1.3

  Esai. 30.
• * 1.4

  M. Harding. fol. 334. b.
• * 1.5

  Alphons. lib. 1. Cap. 4.
• * 1.6

  Confu. Fol. 16. b. Fol. 261. b.
• * 1.7

  Reioind. In 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Preface to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Reader. * iij * iiij a. * iiij b. ** ij. a.
• * 1.8

  Reioind. In〈◊〉〈◊〉 Preface to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Iewel. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.9

  Confu••. 212 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Reioind. in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Preface to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Reader.
• * 1.10

  M Har. in his An∣sweare, Artic. 15. Diui. 7.
• * 1.11

  Hierony. in Esa∣iam, lib. 9. ca. 30.
• * 1.12

  August De Tem∣pore. Sermon 145. August. in quae∣••ion. Veter. Te∣stamen quaest. 43.
• * 1.13

  Hilar. in Psal. 1.
• * 1.14

  Tertull. in Apo∣logetico.
• * 1.15

  Eccles. 2.