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 Answeare by the Bishop of Sarisburie.

TO answeare M. Hardinge to euery parcel of his Booke, beinge so longe, it would be too tedious. Wherefore leauinge many his impertinent speaches, & other vnnecessarie and waste woordes, whiche sundrie his frendes thinke, he might better haue spared, I wil touche onely so mutche thereof, as shal beare somme shewe of substance, & may any way seeme woorthy to be answeared.

Firste touchynge the Churche of God, we beleue, and confesse al that M. Har∣dinge hath here saide,* 1.1 or otherwise can be saide. It is the Piller of the Truthe, the Body, the Fulnesse, and Spouse of Christe. Al these woordes are vndoubtedly true and certaine. And therefore, M. Hardinge, you are the more blamewoorthy, that of the House of God, beyng so glorious, haue made a caue of Théeues: & haue tur∣ned the beutie of Sion into the confusion of Babylon.

True it is, that Heretiques haue euermore apparelled them selues with the name of the Churche: as Antichriste also shal procure him selfe credite vnder the name of Christe. Thus did your Fathers, M. Harding, lōge agoe. They saide then, euen as you say now,* 1.2 We are the Children of Abraham: we are the Euheretours of Goddes promises: we haue the Temple of God, the Temple of God. The Lawe shal neuer passe frō the Prieste, nor counsel from the wise, nor the woorde from the prophete. Thus coutinuinge wilfully in the open breache of Goddes commaundement, neuerthelesse they chea∣rished them selues then, as you doo nowe, onely with the bare title of the Churche: in whose name what so euer credit ye can any wise winne, your meaninge is, skil∣fully to conueigh the same ouer wholy to the Churche of Rome: as if that Churche onely were the Churche of God,* 1.3 & without that there were no hope of Saluation: And therefore you defende, and holde for trueth, that your Churche hath authoritie aboue Goddes Woorde. And Pope Nicolas saithe, Who so denieth the Priuilege, and Supremacie of the See of Rome, hath renounced the Faithe, and is an Heretique. And thus, as Leo saithe,* 1.4 Ecclesiae nomine armamini, & contra Ecclesiam dimicatis: Ye arme your selues with the name of the Churche, and yet ye fight against the Churche. Likewise saithe S. Cyprian,* 1.5 Diabolus excogitauit nouam fraudem, vt sub ipso nominis Christiani titulo fallat incautos: The Diuel hath diuised a new kinde of policie, vnder the very title of the name of Christe to deceiue the simple.

Nowe concerninge that hote raginge Sprite, wherewith M. Hardinge saithe, the Gospellers deste the Churche and set it at naught, verily I thinke it a harde matter for any Gospeller, be he neuer so hote, in suche kinde of eloquence to matche

M. Hardinge. Neither yet maye he wel condemne al suche, as in the like cases haue bene hote,* 1.6 & earnest. Esay the Prophete saithe, O ye Princes of Sodome, and ye people of Gomorrha: Iohn the Baptist saithe to the Scribes, and Phariseis, O ye Serpentes, ye generation of Vipers, and Adders: Christe saithe vnto them, Woe be vnto you, ye Scribes, and Phariseis, ye hypocrites: Ye are of your Father the Diuel. In these eram∣ples wée sée, the Sprite of God can sometimes be hote and earnest against the de∣ceiuers of the people, and the professed enimies of the Crosse of Christe. Neither did either Esay the Prophete, or Iohn the Baptiste, or Christe desie the Churche of God, and set it at naught, as M. Hardinge imagineth of vs: but rather by these seruent speaches vttered the vehement zele, and iuste griefe, they had conceiued against them, that vnder the name of the Churche abused Goddes people, and defaced the Churche.

For they are not al Heretiques, M. Hardinge, that this daie espie your grosse, and palpable errours, and mourne to God for reformation. S. Augustine saithe, Non debet Ouis pellem suam deponere,* 1.7 qu••d Lupi aliquando se ea contegant: It is no reason, the Sheepe should therefore leaue of his fliese, for that he seeth the Woulfe sometime in the same apparel. Likewise, it is no reason, that wée should therfore geue ouer the right, and enheritance, wée haue in the Churche of God, for that you by intrusion, and vniuste meanes haue intituled your selues vnto the same.* 1.8 It behooueth vs ra∣ther, to searche the Scriptures, as Christe hath aduised vs, & thereby to assure our selues of the Churche of God. For by this trial onely, and by none other, it maye be knowen.* 1.9 Therfore S. Paule calleth the Churche the Spouse of Christe, for that she ought in al thinges to geue eare to the voice of the Bridegrooms. Likewise he calleth the Churche the Piller of the Truthe,* 1.10 for that shée staieth her selfe onely by the Woorde of God: Without whiche Woorde y^• Churche. were it neuer so bewtiful. should be no Churche.* 1.11 The Ancient Father Irenaeus saithe, Columna, & firmamen∣tum Ecclesiae est Euangelium, & Spritus vitae: The Piller and buttresse of the Churche is the Gospel,* 1.12 and the Sprite of life. S. Augustine saithe, Sunt certi Libri Dominici, quo∣rum authoritari vtrique consentimus: Ibi quaeramus Ecclesiam: ibi discutiamus causam nostram: There be certaine Bookes of our Lorde, vnto the authoritie whereof eche parte agreethe. There let vs seeke for the Churche: thereby sette vs examine and trie our maters. And againe,* 1.13 Nolo humanis documentis, sed Diuinis oraculis sanctam Ecclesiam demō∣strari: I wil, ye shewe me the holy Churche, not by decrees of menne, but by the woorde of God.* 1.14 Likewise saithe Chrysostome, Nullo modo cognoscitur, quae sit vera Ecclesia Christi, nisi tantummodo' per Scripturas: It can no waye be knowen, what is the Churche, but onely by the Scriptures. And againe, Christus mandat, vt volentes firmitatem acci∣pere Verae Fidei, ad nullam rem fugiant, nisi ad Scripturas. Alioqui, si ad alia respexerint, Scandalizabuntur, & peribunt, non intelligentes, quae sit vera Ecclesia. Et per hoc inci∣dent in Abominationē Desolationis, quae stat in Locis Sanctis Ecclesiae: Christe commaun∣deth, that who so wil haue the assurance of True Faithe, seeke to nothinge els, but vnto the Scriptures. Otherwise, if they looke to any thinge els, they shalbe offended, and shal perishe, not vnderstanding,* 1.15 whiche is the True Churche. And by meane here of they shal fal into the Abomination of Desolation, whiche standeth in the Holy Places of the Churche.

By these Ancient learned Fathers it is plaine, that the Churche of God is knowen by Godde•• Woorde onely, & none otherwise. And therfore M. Hardinge, you so carefully flée the same, and condemne it for Heresie, and often burne it, leste thereby the deformities of youre Churche should be knowen.* 1.16 For the il dooer fleeth the light.

Nowe, where as it so wel liketh M. Hardinge to cal vs al Heretiques, and for his pleasures sake to liken vs to Apes, to Asses, and to the Diuel, notwithstanding we might safely returne the same whole, from whence it came, yet I thinke it not

séemely, nor greatly to purpose to answeare al suche intemperate humours. Salo∣mons aduise is good,* 1.17 Answeare not folie with like folie. Notwithstandinge, the poore simple Asse, vnto whome wée are compared, was hable sometime to sée the Angel of God,* 1.18 and to open his mouthe, and to speake, and to reproue the lewde at∣tempte of Balaam the false Prophete. What so euer accoumpt it pleaseth M. Har∣dinge to make of vs, by the grace of God wée are that wée are. Yf wée be hable to beare Christe with his Crosse, it is sufficient.

But who they be, that haue of longe time ietted so terribly vnder the Lions skinne, and onely with a painted Visarde, or emptie name of the Churche, haue fea∣red al the cattel of the fielde, it is néedelesse to speake it: the worlde now seeth it: it can no longer be dissembled. Euen he, that lately bare him selfe as the Lion of the tribe of Iuda, & called him selfea 1.19 Kinge of Kinges, andb 1.20 said, he had power ouer the Angels of God, and amased the hartes of the simple with the terrour of his Lions pelte, onely for that he sate in Peters Chaire is now reuefled and better knowen, and estéemed as he is woorthy: he may nowe iette vp and downe with more ease, and lesse terrour. And why so? These poore Asses, whome M. Hardinge so muche disdeigneth, haue stripte of his counterfeite skinne, that made him so hardy, and haue caused him to appeare euen as he is.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Timot. 3. Ephes. 1.
• * 1.2

  Iohan. 8. Hierem. 7. Hierem. 18.
• * 1.3

  De Maior. & Obedi. vnam Sanctam. Dist. 22. Omnes.
• * 1.4

  Leo Epist. 83. Ad Palaestinos.
• * 1.5

  Cypri. De Sim∣plicitate praela.
• * 1.6

  Esa••. 1. Matth. 3. Matthae. 23. Iohan. 8.
• * 1.7

  August. Lib. 2. De Sermon. Do∣m••. in monte.
• * 1.8

  Iohan. 5.
• * 1.9

  Ephe. 1.
• * 1.10

  1. Timo. 3.
• * 1.11

  Irenae. Lib. 3. Cap. 11.
• * 1.12

  August. De vni∣ta. Eccle. Cap. 3.
• * 1.13

  August. in eodē Cap.
• * 1.14

  Chrysostom. In Opere Imper∣fecto, Homi. 49. Chrysostom. in eadem Homilia.
• * 1.15

  Daniel. 9. Matth. 24.
• * 1.16

  Iohan. 3.
• * 1.17

  Prouerb. 26.
• * 1.18

  Numer. 22.
• a 1.19

  Augustinus Steuchus, de Primatu.
• b 1.20

  See the fifthe parte hereof, the 6. Cap. and. 15. Diuision.