An apology, or answer in defence of the Church of England concerning the state…An apologie, or aunswer in defence of the Church of England concerninge the state…

But whereas of all these authorities these men bring not a word against us, & nevertheless to be called Heretics that have not declined neither from Christ, nor from the Apostles, nor from the Prophets, it is very injurious and to to grievous. With this sword Christ repulsed the Devil when he was tempted of him: with these weapons all loftiness that advanceth it self against god must be overthrown & vanquished. For all scripture, saith Paul,¹ inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to confute,² to instruct, to reprove: that the man of God may be perfect & furnished unto all good works.³ Thus always the godly fathers fought against Heretics with none ⟨image 9⟩other weapons, but out of the holy scriptures. Augustine when he disputed against Petylyan the Donatist heretic: Suffer not, saith he, to be heard these words amongst us, I say, or thou sayest: rather let us speak thus, This saith the Lord.⁴ there let us leke the Church, there let us try out our cause. And Jerome saith: All those things which without the testimony of the Scriptures are affirmed, as though they were delivered from the Apostles, are beaten down with the sword of God. Ambrose also unto Gratian: Let the Scriptures, saith he, be asked the question, let the Apostles be asked, let the Prophets be asked, let Christ be asked, for the Catholic fathers & Bishops in those days doubted nothing that our religion might be sufficiently proved out of the Scriptures of God. Nor at any time durst they account any man for an Heretic, whose error they could not plainly and evidently reprove out of the self same scriptures. We therefore do say, for to answer with S. Paul,⁵ that according unto this way which they call Heresy, we do worship God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, & we receive all things that are written other in the law or in the Prophets, or in the books of the Apostles.