An apology or answer in defence of the Church of England with a brief…An apologie or answere in defence of the Churche of Englande with a briefe…

For letting pass the ancient patriarchs and Prophets, who, as we said, had no part of their life free from contumelies and slanders. We know there were certain in times past, which said & commonly preached, that the old ancient Jews (of whom we make no doubt but they were the worshippers of the only and true God) did worship ⟨image 7⟩either a sow or an ass in Gods stead,¹ and that all the same Religion was nothing else, but a sacrilege and a plain contempt of all godliness. We know also that the son of God, our Saviour Jesus Christ,² when he taught the truth, was counted a Juggler and an enchanter, a Samaritan, Beelzebub, a deceiver of the people, a drunkard, and a Glutton. Again, who wotteth no• what words were spoken against Saint Paul the most earnest and vehement preacher and maintainer of the truth? Sometime that he was a sedi•• ous and busy man, a raiser of tumults, a causer of rebellion: sometime again that he was an heretic, sometime that he was mad: Sometime that only upon strife and stomach he was both a blasphemer of Gods law, and a despiser of the Fathers ordinances. Further who knoweth not how Saint Stephan after he had throughly & sincerely embraced the truth, and began frankly ⟨image 7⟩and stoutly to preach and set forth the same as he ought to do, was immediately called to answer for his life, as one that had wickedly uttered disdainful and heinous words against the law, against Moses, against the Temple, and against God? Or who is ignorant that in times past there were some which reproved the holy Scriptures of falsehood, saying they contained things both contrary and quite one against an other:³ and how that the Apostles of Christ did severally disagree betwixt them selves, and that S. Paul did vary from them all? And not to make rehearsal of all, for that were an endless labour: who knoweth not after what sort our Fathers were railed upon in times past, which first began to acknowledge and profess the name of Christ,⁴