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

15. WE (as I said before) have done nothing in the changing of Religion, either insolently or rashly; nothing but with great deliberation and slowly; Nor had we ever thought of doing it, except the Will of God undoubtedly and manifestly opened to us in the most Sacred Scriptures, and the necessity of our Salvation had compelled us so to do; for although we have departed from that Church which they call the Catholic Church, and thereupon they have kindled a great envy against us in them, who cannot well judge of us yet it is enough for us, and ought to be so to any prudent and pious man, who considers seriously of his Salvation, that we have only departed from that Church which may err, which Christ who cannot err, so long since foretold should err, and which we see clearly with our Eyes has departed from the Holy Fathers, the Apostles, Christ himself, and the Primitive and Catholic Church. And we have approached as much as possibly we could, to the Church of the Apostles, and ancient Catholic Bishops and Fathers, which we know was yet a Perfect, and as Tertullian saith, an unspotted Virgin, and not contaminated with any ⟨p. 125⟩Idolatry or great and public Error. Neither have we only reformed the Doctrine of our Church, and made it like theirs in all things, but we have also brought the Celebration of☞ the Sacraments, and the Forms of our Public Rites and Prayers to an exact resemblance with their Institutions or Customs. And so we have only done that which we know Christ himself and all pious and good Men have in all Ages ever done; for we have brought back Religion, which was foully neglected and depraved by them, to her Original and first State; for we considered that the Reformation of Religion was to be made by that which was the first Pattern of it: For this Rule will ever hold good against all Heretics, saith the most ancient Father Tertullian, That that is true which is first, and that is adulterated and corrupted which is later. Irenaeus doth often appeal to the most ancient Churches who were the nearest to Christ, and which therefore were not at all likely to have erred. And why is not that course now taken also? Why do we not return to a Conformity with the most Ancient Churches?

15. WE (as I said before) have done nothing in the changing of Religion, either insolently or rashly; nothing but with great deliberation and slowly; Nor had we ever thought of doing it, except the Will of God undoubtedly and manifestly opened to us in the most Sacred Scriptures, and the necessity of our Salvation had compelled us so to do; for altho we have departed from that Church which they call the Catholick Church, and thereupon they have kindled a great envy against us in them, who cannot well judge of us yet it is enough for us, and ought to be so to any prudent and pious man, who considers seriously of his Salvation, that we have only departed from that Church which may enr, which Christ who cannot err, so long since foretold should err, and which we see clearly with our Eyes has departed from the Holy Fathers, the Apostles, Christ himself, and the Primitive and Catholick Church. And we have approached as much as possibly we could, to the Church of the Apostles, and ancient Catholick Bishops and Fathers, which we know was yet a Perfect, and as Tertullian saith, an unspotted Virgin, and not contaminated with any