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.

Whether parte rightly and reuerently vseth the Scriptures of God, and whe∣ther peruerteth them by shiftes, and Gloses, I truste, it shal in parte appeare by this conference. In déede, M. Hardinge, it is no great maisterie, by your interpre∣tations, and handelinges to haue stoare yenough and plenette of Scriptures. For this is one special grounde of your Diuinitie,a 1.1 Papa potest ex nihilo facere aliquid: & Sententiam, quae nulla est, facere aliquam: The Pope is hable of nothinge to make some thinge: and of no Sentence to make some Sentence. By your Doctrine it is lawful, and good Logique, to reason thus:b 1.2 An gloriabitur serra aduersus eum, qui trahit illam•• Shal the sawe boaste against him, that draweth it?c 1.3 Non est Seruus supra Dominum: There is no Seruant aboue his Lorde: Ergo, Noman maye dare to Iudge the Pope. Or thus,d 1.4 Omnia munda mundis: Coinquinatis autem, & infidelibus mihil est mundum: Al thinges are cleane to the cleane: but vnto the filthy, and Infidelles nothinge is cleane: Ergo, It is not lawful for Priestes to marry.

Or, as you, M. Hardinge, sometimes haue delited to reason:e 1.5 Nolite dare San∣ctum Canibus: Geeue not Holy thinges to Dogges, Ergo, It is not laweful for the Christian vulgare People to Reade the Scriptures.

Thus maye you easily be wel stoared, and ful freight of Scriptures yenough, and, asf 1.6 S. Hierome saithe, maye carrie them captiue to serue your turne. But S. Hierome coulde also haue tolde you,g 1.7 Non in verbis Scripturarum est Euāgelium,* 1.8 sed in sensu: The Gospel standeth not in the bare woordes of the Scriptures, but in the meaninge. Therefore wée maye saye vnto you, as S. Cyprian once saide to the Nouatian

Heretiques: Audite, Nouatiani, apud quos Scripturae Coelestes leguntur potiùs, quàm intelliguntur: Hearken hereto, ye Nouatian Heretiques, emongst whome the Heauenly Scri∣ptures are readde rather, then wel perceiued.

You saye, the Churche of Rome by our owne Confession is the Catholique Churche: whiche Churche, for as mutche as wée haue forsaken, wée haue forsalten Christe, and his Apostles.* 1.9 For saithe not Christe in the Gospel, saye you, He that heareth not the Churche, let him be vnto thee as an Heathen, and a Publicane? And, He that despiseth you, despisethe mee?

Wée graunte, M. Hardinge, the name of the Churche of Rome is Catholique: but the Errours and abuses thereof are not Catholique. Neither is it the Churche, that wée finde faulte withal: but the greate corruptions, and foule deformities, that you haue brought into the Churche.

Howe be it your policie herein is apparent. Your Reader, be he neuer so sim∣ple, maye soone sée your whole drifte. Ye magnifie the Churche with al manner titles of Authoritie, not for any special regarde, ye beare the Churche in déede, but onely to settle your selues in an infinite Tyrannie, and to make vs beleue, that you onely are the Churche, & to geue credite to al your fantasies: yea although ye be the defacers, & enimies of the Churche. Verily the bare name of the Churche is not sufficient. S. Paule saithe, that Antichriste the Man of sinne,* 1.10 shal sitte in the Temple of God: whereby no doubte he meante the Churche.

But, M. Hardinge, Heare you the voice of God: leaue your Fables: speake Goddes Holy Woord, and speake it truely: be ye faitheful Ministers of the Truthe. Then who so euer shalbe founde to despise your Doctrine, be he kinge, or Empe∣rour, wée will not doubte to calle him an Heathen, and Publicane. But if he be an Heathen, that wil not beare your Churche, what is he then that wil not heare Christe?* 1.11 Aeneas Syluius, beinge afterwarde Pope him selfe, saithe thus: Si Romanus Pontifex non audiet Ecclesiam, Christum quoque non audiet, & tanquam Ethnicus, & Publicanus haberi debet: If the Bishop of Rome wil not heare the Churche, he wil not heare Christe: and therefore muste be taken as an Heathen,* 1.12 and Publicane. S. Augu∣stine saith, Oues meae vocem meam audiūt, & sequuntur me. Auferātur chartae Humanae: sonent voces Diuinae: My Sheepe heare my voice,* 1.13 and folowe me. Awaie with Mannes VVrittinges: Let the Voice of God sounde vnto vs.

Surely Doctour Luther him selfe, againste whom M. Hardinge so vehemently, and so often inflamethe his choler, in humble and reuerent manner writethe thus: Nos colimus Romanam Ecclefiam in omnibus.* 1.14 Tantùm illis resistimus, qui pro Ecclesia obtrudunt Babyloniam: VVee honour the Churche of Rome in al thinges. Onely wee withstand them, that in steede of the Churche, haue thruste in the Cōsusion of Babylon. In like sense S. Cyprian. saithe, Non est pax, sed bellum: nec Ecclesiae iungitur,* 1.15 qui ab Euange∣lio separatur: It is not peace: It is VVarre. Neither is he ioined to the Churche, that is dini∣ded from the Gospel. Nowe, howe carefully the Churche of Rome is leadde by the Gospel of Christe,* 1.16 wee maie easily learne by Nicolaus Cusanus a Cardinal of the same Churche of Rome. Thus he saithe: Sequuntur Scripturae Ecclesiam: & non è conuerso: The Scriptures of God folowe the Churche: but contrary wise the Churche folo∣wethe not the Scriptures. To conclude, wée maye saye vnto you, as S. Augustine saide sometime to Pētilian the Donatian Heretique: Vtrùm nos Schismatici simus, an vos, nec ego, nec tu, sed Christus interrogetur, vt iudicet Ecclesiam suam: Whether of vs be Sch••matiques, wee, or you, aske you not me: I wil not aske you: Let Christe be asked: that he maie shewe vs his owne Churche.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Extra. De translatione E∣piscopi, Quāto, in Glossa.
• b 1.2

  Dist. 21. Infe∣rior Sedes. Esai. 10.
• c 1.3

  Matthae. 10. Concil. Roman. sub Syluestro. 1.
• d 1.4

  Ad Titum. 1. Dist. 82. Propo∣suisti.
• e 1.5

  Matthae. 7. M. Hardinge in his former Booke, Fol. 155. b.
• f 1.6

  Hieronym. ad Pammachium: Exēpla captiua seruiunt ad Vi∣ctoriam.
• g 1.7

  Hierony. in 1. Cap. Ad Galat.
• * 1.8

  Cyprian ad No∣tianum. to. 2.
• * 1.9

  Matth. 18. Lucae. 10.
• * 1.10

  2. Thess. ••.
• * 1.11

  Aeneas Sylui. in Gestis Concil. Consiant.
• * 1.12

  Paral. Vrsperg. Pag. 411.
• * 1.13

  Aug. De Ouibus Cap. 14.
• * 1.14

  Paral. Visperg. Pag. 472.
• * 1.15

  Cyprian Sermo∣ne 5. De Lapsis.
• * 1.16

  Nicola. Cusanus, De Authoritate Eccle. contra. & supra Scripturā. Aug contra Li∣teras Petilianl Lib. 2. Cap. 85.