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…

And forasmuch as our desire was to have the Temple of the Lord restored a new, we would seek no other foundation, then the same which we knew was long ⟨image 116⟩agone laid by the Apostles, that is to wite, our saviour Jesus Christ. And forsomuch as we heard God him self speaking unto us in his word, and saw also the notable Examples of the old and primitive Church: again how uncertain a matter it was to wait for a general Council, and that the success thereof would be much more uncertain, but specially for so much as we were most ascertained of God's will, and counted it a wickedness to be to careful and overcumbred about the judgements of mortal men, we could no longer stand taking advise with flesh and blood, but rather thought good to do the same thing that doth might rightly be don, & hath also many a time ben don aswell of good men as of many catholic Bishops: that is, to remedy our own Churches by a Provincial Synod. For thus know we the old Fathers used to putt in experience before they came to the public universal Council. There remain ⟨image 117⟩yet all this day Canons written in Coū cells of free Cities, as of Carthage under Cyprian, as of Ancyra, of Neocesaria and of Gangra, also which is in Daphlagonia as some think, before that the name of the general Council at Nice was ever heard of. After this fashion in old time did they speedily meet with, and cut short those Heretics the Pelagians & the Donatists at home with private disputation, without any general Council. Thus also when the Emperor Constantius evidently and earnestly toke part with Auxentius the Bishop of the Aerians faction, Ambrose the Bishop of the Christians appealed not unto a general Council, where he save no good could be don•by reason of the Emperors might and great labour, but appealed to his own Clergy and people, that is to say, to a Provincial Synod. And thus it was decreed in the Council at Nice, that the Byshop• should assemble twice every year. And in the Council at Carthage ⟨image 117⟩it was decreed, that the Bishops should meet together in each of their provinces, at least once in the year, which was done as saith the Council at Chaldean, of purpose, that if any errors and abuses had happened to spring up any where, they might immediately at the first entry be destroyed where they first begun.