An Apology of the Church of England

An Apologie or aunswere in defence of the Church of England, with a briefe and plaine declaration of the true Religion professed and used in the same.

IT HATH BEEN AN olde complaint, euen from ye first time of ye Patriarks & Prophetes, and confirmed by the writinges and testimonies of euery age, [Tertull. in Apologetico.] that ye Truth wandereth here and there as a straunger in the world, & doth redily fynde enemies and slaunderers amongst those that knowe her not. Albeit perchaunce this may seeme vnto some a thinge harde to bee beleeued, I meane to suche as haue scante well and narowly taken heed thereunto, specially seing all mankind of natures very motion without a teacher doth coueite the truth of their owne accorde: and seinge oure Sauioure Christe hym selfe, when he was on earthe woulde bee called the Truthe, as by a name moste fytte to expresse all hys diuine power: yet wee, whiche haue been exercised in the holie scriptures, and which haue bothe redde & seene what hath happened to all godly menne commonly at all tymes, what to the Prophets, to the Apostles, to the holie Martyres, and what to Christe hym selfe, with what rebukes, reuilings and dispightes they were continually vexed whyles they heere lyued, and that onely for the truthes sake: wee (I saye) do see, yt this is not onely no newe thinge or harde to be beleued, but that it is a thing already receaued and commonlye vsed from age to age. Nay truly, this might seeme muche rather a meruayle and beyonde all beleife, yf the Diuell, who is the Father of lyes and ennemye to all truthe, [Iohn. 8.] woulde nowe vppon a sodaine chaunge his nature, and hope that truthe might otherwyse be suppressed, then by belyenge yt: Or that he would beginne to establishe his owne kingdom by vsing now any other practises, then the same whiche he hathe euer vsed from the beginning. For since any mans remembraunce, wee cen◊e skante finde one time, either when Religion did first growe, or when it was setled, or when it did a freshe springe vp againe, wherin truth and innocencye were not by all vnworthy meanes and most despit◊ully intreated. Doubtlesse the Dyuell well seeth, that so longe as truth is in good sauery, hym selfe cannot be safe, nor yet maintaine his owne estate.

For lettinge passe the auncient patriarkes and Prophetes, who, as we sayd, had no parte of their lyfe free from contumelies and slaunders. Wee knowe there were certaine in tymes past, whiche said & commonly preached, that the old aūcient Iewes (of whom we make no doubt but thei wer the worshippers of the onely and true God) did worshipp eyther a sowe or an asse in Gods steede, [Cornel. Tacitus.] and that all the same Religion was nothinge els, but a sacriledge and a plaine contempt of all godlynes. We know also that the sonne of God, our Sauioure Iesu Christe, [Mar. 11.] when hee taughte the truthe, was coumpted a Iugler and an enchanter, a Samaritan, Belzebub, a deceiuer of the people, a dronkard, and a Glutton. Againe, who wotteth no◊ what woordes were spoken agaynste Sainct Paule the most earnest and vehement preacher and maintainour of ye truth? Somtime that he was a sedi◊◊ ous and busy man, a raiser of tumultes, a causer of rebellion: somtime againe that he was an heretique, sometime yt he was mad: Somtime that onely vppon strife and stomacke he was bothe a blasphemer of Gods lawe, and a despiser of the Fathers ordinances. Further who knoweth not howe Sainct Stephan after he had throughly & sincerely embraced the truth, and beganne franklye and stoutly to preache and set forthe the same as he ought to do, was immediatlye called to aunswere for his life, as one that had wickedly vtered disdain◊ul and haynous wordes against the lawe, against Moyses, against the Temple, and against God? Or who is ignorant that in tymes past there werre some which reproued the holye Scriptures of falsehood, saying they conteined thinges both contrary and quite one against an other: [Marcion ex Tertul. Aelius è Lactantio.] and howe that the Apostles of Christe did seuerallye disagree betwixt them selues, and that S. Paule did vary from them all? And not to make rehearsal of al, for that were an endles labour: who knoweth not after what sorte our Fathers were railed vpon in times past, which first began to acknowledge and professe the name of Christe, [Eusib. li. 5. cap 11. Tertull. in Apologe. 3. Idem. 1.2.3. & 7.8.9.] howe they made priuat conspiracies, deuised secrete councels against the common welth, & to that end made earelie and priuie meetinges in the darke, kylled yonge babes, fedd themselues wt mens fleshe, and lyke sauage and brute beastes, didde drinke their bloude? In conclusion, howe that after they had put out the candels, they committed adulterye betweene themselues, and without regarde wrought incest one with an other, that Brethren laie with their sisters, sonnes with their Mothers, without any reuerence of nature or kynne, without shame, without difference: and that thei wer wicked men without all care of Religion, and without anye opinion of God, being the very ennemies of mankinde, vnworthy to be suffered in the worlde, and vnworthie of lyfe?

All these thinges wer spoken in those daies against the people of God, against Christ Iesu, against Paul, against Stephan, and against all them whosoeuer they were, which at the first beginninge imbraced the truthe of the Gospell, and were contented to be called by the name of Christians; which was then an hatefull name amonge the common people. And although the thinges whiche they said, wer not true, [Tertull. in Apolo. cap. 3.] yet the Diuel thought it shoulde be sufficient for him, yf at the least he coulde bringe i◊ so to passe, as they might bee beleeued for true: and that the Christians might bee brought into a commō hatred of euery body, and haue their death and destruction sought of all sortes. Herevpon Kings and Princes beinge ledde then by suche perswasions, killed all the Prophetes of God, lettinge none escape: Esai with a sawe, Ieremy with stones, Daniell with Lyons, Amos with an yron barre, Paule with the sword, & Christ vpon ye crosse, and condemned all Christians to imprisonmentes, to tormentes to the pikes, to be thrwone doune headlong from rocks & stepe places, to be caste to wild beastes and to be burnt, [Suctoni in Tranquill. in Nerone.] & made great syres of their quicke bodies, for ye only purpose to giue light by night, & for a very scorne & mockinge stocke: and didde compt them no better then the vilest fylth, thofscouringes and laughing games of ye whole worlde. Thus (as ye see) haue the Authors and professours of the trueth euer ben entreated.