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 Apologie, Cap. 3. Diuision. 1.

Where they saie, that wee haue fallen into sundrie Sectes, and would be called, somme of vs Lutherans, & somme of vs Zuinglians, & cānot yet wel agree emōg our selues, touching the whole Substāce of our Doctrine, what would these mēne haue saide, if thei had benne in the firste times of the Apostles, and Holy Fathers: when one saide, I holde of Paule: and other, I holde of Cephas: an other, I holde of Apollo? When Paule did so sharpely rebuke Peter? When vpon a fal∣linge out, Barnabas departed frō Paule? When, as Origen mentio∣neth, the Christians were diuided into so many factions, as that thei keapte nomore, but the name of Christians in common emong them, being in no manner of thing els like to Christians? When, as Socrates saith, for theire dissensions, & sundrie Sectes, they were laughed, & iested at openly of the people in theire stages, & common gameplaies? When, as Constantine the Emperour affirmeth, there were sutch a number of Variances, & braulinges in the Churche, y^t it might iustly seeme a miserie farre passing al y^• former miseries? Whē also Theophi∣lus, Epiphanius, Chrysostome, Augustine, Ruffine, Hierome, being al Christiās, being al Fathers, being al Catholiques, quarrelled one against an other, with moste bitter, and most remedilesse contentions without ende? When, as saithe Nazianzene, the partes of one Body were consumed and wasted one of an other? When the whole Easte parte of the Churche was diuided frō the Weast, onely about leaue∣ned Breade, and onely for the keepinge of Easter daie: whiche were in deede no greate maters to be striued for? And when in al Councelles Newe Creedes, and Newe Decrees continually were diuised?

The B. of Sarisburie.

The summe of M. Hardinges answeare hereto is this, that the bitter dissen∣sions, that in Olde times fel out emongest the Learned, and Godly Fathers, stoode rather in maters of manners, and other smal quarrels, then in cases, and que∣stions of the Faithe. For trial of the truethe herein, it maie please you to consider wel these fewe.

Papias, Apollinarius, Victorinus, Tertullianus, Irenaeus, Lactantius, & o∣thers, desended the Heresie of the Chiliastae, that saide, Christe after the General Iudgemente shoulde dwel here a thousande yeeres togeather vpon the Earthe. Irenae us helde, that Man at the beginninge, when he was firste created, was vn∣perfite. Clemens Alexandrinus, and Iustinus helde, That the Angels fel, and effended God, in that they desired the companie of Woemen. But it shalbe

in vaine to stande longe herein. For of sutche examples there is greate stoare.

To comme neare the purpose, Theophilus calleth Epiphanius Haeresiarcham, that is, The Grande Captaine, and Father of Heretiques: Gennadius saith, S. Augu∣stine was not far of from being an Heretique. S. Hierome, writinge vnto S. Augu∣stine, saith thus. In Epistola tua quaedam Haeretica esse iudicaui: I iudged, that there were certaine Heretical errours in your Epistle. Pope Bonifacius 2. saide, that Aurelius the Bishop of Carthage, and S. Augustine, and other Godly, and Lear∣ned Fathers in the Councel of Aphrica, were prickte on, and inspired by the Diuel. S. Augustine willeth S. Hierome to acknowledge his erroure, and to re∣cante. Thus be saithe, Accipe Seueritatem Christianam ad illud opus corrigendum, at∣que emendandum: & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 vt, dicitur, Cane: Take vnto you Christian Seueri∣tie, to correcte and amende that Booke (of yours): and recante your Erroure.

Thus mutche I thought good briefely to touche: not meaninge thereby to deface the Authoritie of the Aunciente Fathers: but sommewhat to open the truthe of M. Hardinges tale, and to shewe, that these, and other like Bishoppes, and Fathers, notwithstandinge they were Learned, and Godly, and woorthy Members of the Churche of God, yet were they not voide of theire infirmi∣ties.

Erasmus, a man of greate Iudgemente, saith thus, Illis temporibus ingeniosa res fuit, esse Christianum: In those daies it was a greate pointe of Wisedome, to knowe, how to be a Christian Man.

And againe, Illa aetate in Chartis erat Fides potiùs, quàm in animo: ac penè tot e∣rant Symbola, quot Professores: At that time (of the Auncient Fathers) the Faith was in Bookes rather, then in the Harte. And in a manner there were as many sundrie Creedes, as there vvere Professours of the Faith.

Therefore Clemens Alexandrinus saithe, the Heathens thus vpbraided the Christians, for the striues, and dissensions, that were emong them: Vos Christiani dissidetis inter vos, & tot Sectas habetis: quae licet omnes Christianismi titulum sibi ven∣dicent, tamen alia aliam execratur, & condemnat. Quare vestra Religio vera non est: nec à Deo originem ducit: Yee Christians dissente emonge your selues: and mainteine so ma∣ny Sectes. Whiche Sectes, notwithstandinge they al Claime the title of Christian Religion, Yet one of them curseth, and condemneth an other. Therefore your Religion is not true, nor hath her beginninge, or grounde from God.

Notes

• A manifeste Vntruthe of M. Hardinges.
• Hieronym. in Hierem. Lib. 4. Irenae. li. 4. ca. 73. Clemens Stro∣mat. Lib. 3. & 5. Iustinus in Apo∣logia.
• Dissensi∣ons emōg the Fa∣thers.
• Erasm in Vita Chrysostomi.
• Gennadius De Ecclesiast. Scri∣ptoribus.
• Hieronym in E∣pistola ad Augu. Bonifac. 2. in E∣pist. ad Eulaltū. August. ad Hie∣ronym Epist. 9.
• Erasm. in Praef. in Tom. 2. Hie∣ronymi. Ibidem.
• Clemens, Stro∣mat. Lib. 7.