The apology of the Church of England, and an epistle to one Seignior Scipio…

Even so our Adversaries when they had once by their Traditions quashed the Laws of God, lest the People should afterwards open their Eyes and fall off from them, and seek a better way of assuring their Salvation. O how often have they exclaimed that this is the true Worship of God, which he is pleased with, and hath required of us, and by which he will be appeased when he is angry! and that it is grievous and troublesome to the People to have recourse to Christ, and the Apostles and Fathers, and to attend perpetually what they require of them. Is this their way of bringing the People of God off from the weak Elements of the World, from the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees, and from humane Traditions? Are the Commandments of Christ and his Apostles to be taken away, that these goodly things may succeed them? O most righteous Cause, why should an old Doctrine which hath been approved for many Ages, be antiquated, and a new Form of Religion be brought into the Church of God! Ay (but say they) be it what it will, nothing ought to be changed, the minds of Men are wondrous well satisfied with these things; the Church of Rome has so decreed, and she cannot err; for Sylvester Prierias saith, That the Church of Rome is the Rule and Model of Truth; ⟨p. 97⟩and that the Holy Scriptures have received from her all their Faith and Authority. The Doctrine (saith he again) of the Church of Rome, is the infallible Rule of Faith, from whence the Holy Scriptures have all their strength. For Indulgences were not made known to us by the Authority of Scriptures; but they were made known by the Authority of the Church, and Popes of Rome, which is greater than the Scriptures. Pighius doth not fear to say, that without the command of the Church of Rome, we are not to believe the most clear place of Scripture: Which is just as if one of those who cannot speak good and pure Latin, and yet by use and custom has got the faculty readily and fluently to blunder on in the Lawyer's Latin, should therefore stand stoutly to it, that all others are bound to speak it after the same manner, that was many years since in use with Mammetrectus and the Catholicon, which they still use in their Pleadings; because by that means men might very easily be understood, and their Humours might be gratified:

Even so our Adversaries when they had once by their Traditions quash'd the Laws of God, lest the People should afterwards open their Eyes and fall off from them, and seek a better way of assuring their Salvation. O how often have they exclaimed that this is the true Worship of God, which he is pleased with, and hath required of us, and by which he will be appeased when he is angry! and that it is grievous and troublesome to the People to have recourse to Christ, and the Apostles and Fathers, and to attend perpetually what they require of them. Is this their way of bringing the People of God off from the weak Elements of the World, from the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees, and from humane Traditions? Are the Commandments of Christ and his Apostles to be taken away, that these goodly things may succeed them? O most righteous Cause, why should an old Doctrine which hath been approved for many Ages, be antiquated, and a new Form of Religion be brought into the Church of God! Ay (but say they) be it what it will, nothing ought to be changed, the minds of Men are wonderous well satisfied with these things; the Church of Rome has so decreed, and she cannot err; for Sylvester Prierias saith, That the Church of Rome is the Rule and Model of Truth;