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…

These be those heresies for the which a good part of the world is condemned at this day, unheard. Wherefore they ought rather to have brought their action against Christ, against the Apostles, against the holy Fathers: for these things have not only proceeded from them, but also by them they were established: onles ⟨image 19⟩peradventure these men will say, the which also perhaps they will not stick to say, that Christ did not ordain the holy communion, to the intent it should be distributed among the faithful: or that the Apostles of Christ and the old fathers said private Masses in every corner of their churches, sometimes ten, sometimes twenty at ones in one day: or that Christ & the Apostles did restrain all the people from the Sacrament of his blood: or that even that thing, which at this day is done every where amongst them, and is so done, that who that doeth otherwise, they condemn him for an Heretic, is not called of Gelasius their own man, sacrilege, or that these be not the words of Ambrose, Augustine, Gelasius, Theodorete, Chrysostom, & Origene: that bread and wine in the Sacraments remain the same things that they were before: That which is seen upon the holy table is bread: that it ceaseth not to be the substance of bread and nature of wine: that the substance and nature of bread is not changed: that the self same bread, for so much as appertaineth to the matter, goeth down into the belly, & is caste out into the privy place of withdrawing. Or that Christ, the Apostles and holy fathers did not pray in that tongue which the people did understand: or that Christ by the one only sacrifice which he offered ones, did not perfectly finish all things, or that that sacrifice was unperfect, so that now we have need of an other. All these things they must needs say: onles peradventure they had rather say, that all law and right is contained in the treasury of the Popes bosom:¹ or as one of his hirelings & parasites doubted not in time paste to say, that he might dispense against the Apostles, against the Councils, against the Canons ⟨p. 19⟩of the Apostles,² and that he is not bound by these examples, ordinances and laws of Christ.