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…

We make our prayers in that tongue which all our people, as meet is, may understand, to the end they may (as Paul counseleth us) take common commodity by common prayer: even as all the holy Fathers and catholic Bishops both in the old and new Testament did use to pray them selves, & taught the people to pray to; lest as Augustin saith like parrots and ouzels we should seem to speak that we understand not.

We make our prayers in that tonge whiche all our people, as meete is, may vnderstand, to thend they may (as Paul counseleth vs) take commō commoditie by common prayer: euen as all the holy Fathers and catholique Byshops bothe in the ould and new Testament did vse to pray them selues, & taught the people to praye to; leaste as Augustin saith like parrottes and ousells wee shoulde seme to speake that we vnderstand not.

Neither have we any other Mediator and Intercessor, by whom we may have access to God the Father, than Jesus Christ, in whose only name all things are obtained at his Fathers hand. But it is a shameful part and full of ⟨image 35⟩infidelity that we see every where used in the Churches of our adversaries, not only in that they will have innumerable sorts of mediators, and that utterly without the authority of God's word. So that,¹ as Jeremiah saith, the Saints be now as many in number, or rather above the number of the Cities: & poor men cannot tell to which Saint it were best to turn them first. And though there be so many as they cannot be told, yet every one of them •hath his peculiar duty and office assigned unto him of these folks, what thing they ought to ask, what to give▪ and what to bring to pass: but besides this also, in that they do not only wickedly, but also shamelessly call upon the blessed virgin Christs mother,² to have her remember that she is a mother, and to command her son, and to use a mothers authority over him.