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

4. BUT what now, if those Abbots and Bishops know nothing? What if they know not what Religion is, nor what they ought to believe of God? What if the Law hath perished from the Priests, and Counsel from the Elders? What if, as Micah saith,¹ the Night be unto them instead of a Vision, and Darkness instead of a Divination? What if,² as Isaiah saith, the Watchmen of the City are all blind, they are all ignorant? ³and what if the Salt (as Christ saith) hath lost its ⟨p. 108⟩Force and Savour, ⁴and is become good for nothing, not fit even to be cast upon the Dunghill? for they defer all to the Pope, who cannot err, but then this in the first place is ridiculous,⁵ that the Holy Ghost should be sent by a Carrier from the Holy Council to Rome; that if any Doubt or Stop happens which he cannot expedite, he may take better Instruction and Counsel from I know not what more learned Spirit; for if it must come to this at last, what need is there that so many Bishops should with such great Expense be called from very distant places at this time to Trent? It had certainly been more prudent, and much better, a shorter and an easier way, to have at first turned over all this Business to the Pope, and have gone directly to the Oracle of his sacred Br•ast; besides, it is unjust to devolve our Cause from so many Bishops and Abbots, to the Judgment of any one man, and above all others, to the Judgment of the Pope, who is accused by us of many very great Crimes; and though he hath not answered for his own Misdemeanours, yet hath presumed to condemn us before we were called, and that without any Trial. Now do we invent all this? or is it not now the manner of our late Councils? Are not all things referred to the Pope by the Council; so that as if nothing were done by so many Sentences and Subscriptions, he alone may add, ⟨p. 109⟩