Now you carry us from the Anabaptists in Europe / unto the Donatists in Africa / & you will paint us with their colours / but you want the oil of truth / or likelihood of truth / to cause your colours to cleave / & to endure. The Lord be praised / that your breath / although it be very rank / yet it is not so strong / that it is able / either to turn us / or change us / into what forms it pleaseth you. I shall desire the reader / to look Theod. lib. 4. De fabulis haereticorum, and Augustine / ad quod vult Deum, and in his first and second books / against Petilian's letters / where he shall find of these heretics / that by comparing them with these / to whom M. Doctor likeneth them / the smoke of this accusation might the better appear: for these slanders are not worth the answering. To this division from the churches / and to your supposed conventicles / I have answered. They taught that there were no true churches but in Africa / we teach nothing less / than that there is no true church but in England. If the churches be considered in the parts / whether minister / or people / there is none pure & unspotted / and this is the faith of the true Church / and not of the Donatists: If it be considered in the whole and general government / and outward policy of it / it may be pure and unspotted / for any thing I know / if men would labour to purge it. The Donatists van ted them selves to be exempted from sin / and what likelihood is there between any assertion of the authors of the Admonition / and this fancy of the Donatists. To the last point of no compulsion to be used in matters of religion denying it to be true / I reserve the further answer to another place.
Now you cary vs from the Anabaptists in Europe / vnto the Donatists in Affrike / & you wil paint vs with their coloures / but you want the oyle of truth / or likelyhode of truth / to cause your colours to cleaue / & to endure. The Lord be praised / that your breath / although it be very ranke / yet it is not so strong / that it is able / either to turn vs / or chaunge vs / into what formes it pleaseth you. I shal desire the reader / to loke Theod. lib. 4. De fabulis haereticorum, and Augustine / ad quod vult Deum, and in his first and second bokes / against Petilians letters / where he shall finde of these heretikes / yt by comparing thē wyth these / to whom M. Doctor likeneth thē / the smoke of this accusation might the better appeare: for these slanders are not worth the answering. To this diuision from the churches / and to your supposed conuenticles / I haue answeared. They taught that there were no true churches but in Affrica / we teach nothing les / thē that there is no true church but in Englande. If the churches be considered in the partes / whether minister / or people / there is none pure & vnspotted / and this is the faith of the true Church / and not of the Donatistes: If it be considered in the whole and generall gouernment / and outward pollicie of it / it may be pure and vnspotted / for any thing I know / if men would labor to purge it. The Donatists vaū ted them selues to be exempted from sinne / and what likelyhode is there betwene any assertion of the authors of the Admonition / and this fansy of the Donatists. To the last poynt of no compulsion to be vsed in matters of religion denying it to be true / I reserue the further answer to another place.
