The Apology of the Church of England | Page 7

from Christ, nor
from the Apostles, nor yet from the Prophets, this is an injurious and a
very spiteful dealing. With this sword did Christ put off the devil when
He was tempted of him: with these weapons ought all presumption,
which doth advance itself against God, to be overthrown and conquered.
"For all Scripture," saith St. Paul, "that cometh by the inspiration of
God, is profitable to teach, to confute, to instruct, and to reprove, that
the man of God may be perfect, and thoroughly framed to every good
work." Thus did the holy fathers always fight against the heretics with
none other force than with the Holy Scriptures. St. Augustine, when he
disputed against Petilian, a heretic of the Donatists: "Let not these
words," quoth he, "be heard between us, 'I say, or you say:' let us rather
speak in this wise: 'Thus saith the Lord.' There let us seek the Church:
there let us boult out our cause." Likewise St. Hierom: "All those
things," saith he, "which without the testimony of the Scriptures are
holden as delivered from the Apostles, be thoroughly smitten down by

the sword of God's word." St. Ambrose also, to Gratian the emperor:
"Let the Scripture," saith he, "be asked the question, let the prophets be
asked, and let Christ be asked." For at that time made the Catholic
fathers and bishops no doubt but that our religion might be proved out
of the Holy Scriptures. Neither were they ever so hardy as to take any
for a heretic whose error they could not evidently and apparently
reprove by the self-same Scriptures. And we verily do make answer on
this wise, as St. Paul did: "According to this way which they call heresy
we do worship God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and do
allow all things which have been written either in the law or in the
Prophets," or in the Apostles' works.
Wherefore, if we be heretics, and they (as they would fain be called) be
Catholics, why do they not, as they see the fathers, which were
Catholic men, have always done? Why do they not convince and
master us by the Divine Scriptures? Why do they not call us again to be
tried by them? Why do they not lay before us how we have gone away
from Christ, from the Prophets, from the Apostles, and from the holy
fathers? Why stick they to do it? Why are they afraid of it? It is God's
cause. Why are they doubtful to commit it to the trial of God's word? If
we be heretics, which refer all our controversies unto the Holy
Scriptures, and report us to the self-same words which we know were
sealed by God Himself, and in comparison of them set little by all other
things, whatsoever may be devised by men, how shall we say to these
folk, I pray you what manner of men be they, and how is it meet to call
them, which fear the judgment of the Holy Scriptures--that is to say, the
judgment of God Himself--and do prefer before them their own dreams
and full cold inventions; and, to maintain their own traditions, have
defaced and corrupted, now these many hundred years, the ordinances
of Christ and of the Apostles?
Men say that Sophocles, the tragical poet, when in his old days he was
by his own sons accused before the judges for a doting and sottish man,
as one that fondly wasted his own substance, and seemed to need a
governor to see unto him; to the intent he might clear himself of the
fault, he came into the place of judgment; and when he had rehearsed
before them his tragedy called OEdipus Coloneus, which he had

written at the very time of his accusation, marvellous exactly and
cunningly, did of himself ask the judges whether they thought any
sottish or doting man could do the like piece of work.
In like manner, because these men take us to be mad, and appeach us
for heretics, as men which have nothing to do, neither with Christ, nor
with the Church of God, we have judged it should be to good purpose,
and not unprofitable, if we do openly and frankly set forth our faith
wherein we stand, and show all that confidence which we have in
Christ Jesu; to the intent all men may see what is our judgment of every
part of Christian religion, and may resolve with themselves, whether
the faith which they shall see confirmed by the words of Christ, by the
writings of the Apostles, by the testimonies of the Catholic fathers, and
by the examples of many ages, be but a certain rage of furious and mad
men, and a conspiracy of heretics. This