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.

What so euer wée saye, here appeareth smal weight in M. Hardinges saieinges. Wée make no boaste of the numbers, and multitudes of our Martyrs. And yet, as S. Paule saithe, if wée should needes boaste, wée would chiefly boaste of sutche our infirmities.* 1.1 But wée reioise with them, and geue God thankes in theire behalfe, for that it hath pleased him, to prepare theire hartes vnto temptation, to trie and purifie them as Gold in Fornace, and to kéepe them faitheful vnto the ende.

As for Dauid George, and Seruete the Arian, and sutche other the like, they werè yours, M. Hardinge, they were not of vs: You brought them vp, the one in Spaine, the other in Flaunders. Wée detected theire Heresies, and not you: Wée arreigned them: Wée condemned them: Wée putte them to the Exequution of the Lawes. It séemethe very mutche to calle them our Brothers, because wée burnte them. It is knowen to Children, it is not the deathe, but the cause of the deathe that maketh a Martyr.* 1.2 S. Augustine saithe, Tres erant in Cruce: Vnus Salua∣tor: Alter Saluandus: Tertius Damnandus. Omnium par Poena, sed dispar causa: There were three hanginge on the Crosse: The first was the Saueour: The seconde to be Sa∣ued: The third to be Damned. The Paine of al three was one, but the cause was diuerse.

Your Anabaptistes, and Zuenkfeldians, wée knowe not. They finde Harbour emongste you in Austria, Slesia, Morauia, and in sutche other Coun∣tries, and Citties, where the Gospel of Christe is suppressed: but they haue no Ac∣quaintance withe vs, neither in Englande, nor in Germanie, nor in France, nor in Scotlande, nor in Denmarke, nor in Sueden, nor in any place els, where the Gospel of Christe is clearely preached. But it hathe benne your greate Policie theise many late yeres, when ye murdered the Sainctes of God, firste to roote out theire Tongues, for feare of speakinge: and then afterward to telle the people, they were Anabaptistes, or Arians, or what ye lifted. Withe sutche policie Nero sometime that Bloudy Tiranne burnte the Christians in heapes togeather,* 1.3 and made open Proclamations, that they were Traitours, and Rebelles, and had ••ired the Cittie of Rome.

It pleaseth you for lacke of other Euasion, to cal the Storie of Martyrs a Dung∣bi•• of Lies. But theise Lies shal remaine in Recorde for euer, to testifie and to condemne your Bloudy dooinges. Ye haue imprisoned your Brethren, ye haue

stripte them naked, ye haue scourged them with Roddes, ye haue burnte theire handes and armes withe flaminge Torches, ye haue famished them, ye haue drowned them, ye haue burnte them: ye haue sommoned them beinge deade, to appeare before you out of theire graues, ye haue ripte vp theire buried Carkesses, ye haue burnte them, ye haue throwen them out into the Dunghil: ye tooke a poore Babe falling from his Mothers Wombe, and in most cruel, and Barbarous man∣ner threw him into the fiere.

Al theise thinges, M. Hardinge, are true: they are no Lies: The eyes, and consciences of many thousandes can witnesse your dooinges. The Bloud of in∣nocent Abel criethe to God from the earthe: and vndoubtedly, he wil require it at your handes.* 1.4 Chrysostome saithe, as it is alleged before, Quem videris in San∣guine persecutionis gaudentem, is Lupus est: Who so euer hathe pleasure in the Bloude of persecution, the same is a Wolfe. Ye slewe your Brethren so cruelly, not for Murder, or Robberie, or any other gréeuous crime, they had committed, but onely for that they trusted in the Liuinge God. Howe be it, wée maye saye withe the Old Father Tertullian,* 1.5 Crudelitas vestra nostra gloria est: Your crueltie is our glorie.

Whereas wée auouche the Power and Authoritie of Goddes Holy Woorde, for that the more it is trodden downe, the more it growethe, and for that the Kinges, and Princes of this world with al theire puissance, and policie were neuer hable to roote it out, youre answeare is, that this reason may serue théeues as wel as vs. To dissemble youre odious comparisons, howe lightly so euer it shal please you to weigh this reason, yet youre Forefathers the Phariseis in olde time séemed to make some accoumpte of it.* 1.6 For thus they murmured, and misliked emong them selues: Videtis, nos nihil proficere. Ecce Mundus totus post eum abijt. Ye see, wee can doo no good. Loe the whole world (for al that wée can dòo) is gone after him. Tertullian likewise saithe, Exquisitior quae{que} crudelitas vestra illecebra magis est Sectae. Plures efficimur,* 1.7 quoties metimur a vobis. Semen est Sanguis Christianorum: The greattest crueltie, that ye can diuise, is an entisement to our Secte. Howe many of vs so euer ye mur∣der, when ye come to the viewe, ye finde vs moe and moe. The seede of this encrease is Christian Bloud.* 1.8 So S. Augustine, Ligabantur, includebantur, caedebantur, torque∣bantur, vrebantur: & multiplicabantur: They were fettred, they were imprisoned, they were beaten, they were rackte, they were burnte: and yet they multiplied. S. Cyprian saithe,* 1.9 Sacerdos Dei Euangelium tenens, & Christi praecepta custodiens, occidi potest, vinci non potest: The Priest of God holdinge the Testamente in his hande, killed he maye be, but ouercome he can not be. So likewise Nazianzene, Morte viuit: vulnere nascitur: depastum augetur: By deathe it liuethe: by woundinge it springethe: by diminishinge it en∣creasethe.

Thus theise Holy Fathers, when they sawe, the Gospel of Christe increased and grewe by persecution, contrary to al iudgement of reason, and worldly policie, they were enforced, contrary to M. Hardinges iudgemente, therein to acknow∣ledge the mighty power, and hande of God, and an vndoubted Testimonie of the Truthe. Iustinus a Godly Learned Father, and Martyr saithe thus of him selfe, Cùm auditem Christianos publicè traduci, & exagicati ab omnibus, viderē autem eos ad mortem, & ad omnia, quae ad terrorem excogitari possent, esse intrepidos, cogitabam, nul∣lo modo posse fieri, vt illi in aliquo scelere viuerent: VVhen I (béeinge an Heathen, and one of Platoes Scholars) heard that the Christians were accused, and reuised of al menne, and yet sawe them to goe to theire deathe, and to al manner terrible, and cruel tor∣mentes, quietly, and without feare, I thought with mee selfe, it was non possible, that sutche menne should liue in any wickednes.* 1.10 The like writethe Sozomenus of the Christians in the Primitiue Churche: Nec adulatione victi, nec minis perterriti, magnum omni∣bus argumentum dabant, sese de maximis praemiis in certamen descendere: The Chri∣stians

neither relentinge by faire meanes,* 1.11 nor shrinkinge for threates, made it wel appeare to euery man, that it was for some greate rewarde, they suffred sutche trouble.

Theise learned Fathers therefore sawe, that M. Hardinge could not sée, the encreasinge of the Gospel throughe deathe, and persecution, maugre the might of worldly Princes,* 1.12 is an euident token of the Truthe. The Prophete Dauid saithe, The Princes came, and consulted togeather againste God, and againste his Christe. But he that dwelle the in heauen,* 1.13 wil laughe them to scorne. There is no wisedome, there is no po∣licie, there is no counsel against the Lorde.

Further, you saye, Our Gospel is grosse, and the people dulle, and sensual, and geuen to theire belly, and beastly pleasure, and therefore the apter, and readier to receiue the same. O M. Hardinge, what a desperate cause is this, that cannot stande without sutche ma∣nifeste blasphemie of the Gospel of Christe, and dispiteful reproche of Goddes peo∣ple? Certainely S.* 1.14 Paule saithe, The Gospel is the power of God vnto Saluation: And the Prophete Dauid saithe, The people is Christes enheritance. What hathe the people so mutche offended you, that you should either in this place so scornefully, and so reprochefully reporte of them, or in your former Booke so disdeingfully cal them Swiene,* 1.15 and Dogges? Yet is it not so longe sithence your selfe were an earnest professour of the same Gospel, were it neuer so grosse. Where was then your finenesse, and sharpnesse of witte? Where was your belly? Where was the reste? You should not so soone haue forgotten your owne selfe.

Surely M. Hardinge, neither wil the sensual man drowned in filthy, and beastly pleasures take vp his Crosse, and folowe Christe, and yelde his necke to your swearde, or his body to your fie••e: neither is it a grosse, or sensual Gospel, that wil leade him to the same.

You saye, it standethe not withe Goddes promisse, to forsake his Churche a thousande yeeres. It is mutche for you, M. Hardinge, openly to breake Goddes commaundementes, to defile his Holy Sanctuarie, to turne light into darkenesse, and darkenesse into light: and yet neuerthelesse to binde him to his promisse. Al menne be liers,* 1.16 but God onely is true, and preuailethe, when he is iudged. God knoweth his owne. Christe wil be euermore with his Churche, yea although the whole Churche of Rome conspire against him.

But why doo you so mutche abate your rekeninge? Why make you not vp your ful accoumpte of fiftéene hundred thréescoare and sixe yéeres, as ye were woonte to doo? Ye haue here liberally, and of your selfe quite striken of fiue hundred thrée∣scoare and sixe yeeres, that is to saye, the whole time, wherein the Apostles of Christe, and Holy Martyrs, and other Learned Fathers, and Doctours liued: in whiche whole time it appeareth by your owne secrete Confession, the Churche of God might wel stande bothe without youre Priuate Masse (for then was there none) and also without many other your like fantasies. Neither ought you, M. Hardinge, so déepely to be greeued, and to calle vs Apostates, and Heretiques, for that wee haue reformed either our Churches to the Paterne of that Churche, or our selues to the example of those Fathers. Verily in the iudgement of the godly, fiue hundred of those firste yeeres are more woorthe, then the whole thousande yeeres that folowed afterward.

Therefore I wil aunsweare you with the woordes of S.* 1.17 Hierome: Quisquis es assertor ••ouorum Dogmatum, quaeso te, vt parcas Romanis ••uribus: parcas Fidei, quae Apostolico ore laudatur. Cur post quadringentos annos docere nos niteris, quod an∣teà nesciuimus? Cur profers in medium, quod Petrus, & Paulus edere noluerunt? Vs{que} ad hunc diem sine ista Doctrina Mundus Christianus fuit. Thou, that art a Mainteiner of newe Doctine, what so euer thou be, I praie thee spare the Romaine eares: spare the Faithe, that is commended by the Apostles mouthe. Why goest thou aboute nowe after foure hundred

yeeres to teach vs that Faithe, which before wee neuer knewe? Why bringest thou vs foorthe that thinge, that Peter, and Paule neuer vttered? Euermore vntil this daye the Christian world hathe benne without this Doctrine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2. Cor. 1••.
• * 1.2

  August in Psal. 34. Par. 2.
• * 1.3

  Suetonius Tran∣quillus in Nero∣ne.
• * 1.4

  Chrysost in Matth. 1 Iomi. 19.
• * 1.5

  Tertull. ad Sca∣pulam.
• * 1.6

  Iohan. 12.
• * 1.7

  Tertull. in Apo∣logetico.
• * 1.8

  August. de Ciui. lib. 22. cap. 6.
• * 1.9

  Cyprian. lib. 1. Epist. 3. Gregorius Nazianzen. in reditium suum ex agro. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Euseb. li. 4. ca. 8.
• * 1.10

  Sozomen. lib 1. cap. 1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.11

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.12

  Psal. 2.
• * 1.13

  Prou••r. 22.
• * 1.14

  Rom. 2. Psalm. 2.
• * 1.15

  M. Hardinge, Fol. 155. b.
• * 1.16

  Psal. 50. 2. Tim. ••.
• * 1.17

  Hieron ad Pam∣machium & Oceanum.