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

29. THIS is that Power which some men defend so stoutly in this Age; so that whatever they think of the Popes Life or Religion, yet they would have this Authority Sacred and untouched, as if the Church of God could not be safe without it: or as if, without the Popes Will and Consent, a Council could be no Council; and that if the whole World should think contrary to ⟨p. 185⟩what he doth, it would be nothing. And therefore when you see (Sir) that these things are thus ill managed, you ought not to wonder; that when nothing is now sincerely and truly acted in Councils, our Men had rather stay at home, than travail so far to no purpose, to a Place where they are sure to lose their Labour and their Cause too.

30. BUT Sir, you say in the next place, it is a Sin to change any thing in Religion, without the Consent of the Pope and a Council. Why Sir? the very Popes themselves have changed almost the whole State of the Primitive Church without any Council; and tho this is indeed a very specious and winning Proposition, yet it is made a Cover and Defence for most foul Errors; for they only seek to delay the Minds of Men with a tedious Expectation, that by lingering and weariness, they may take off their Edge and Keenness, and so by degrees, make them cast off all Hopes of a Reformation. For, what would they have the People of God be deceived, err, be deluded and involved in Error, and in the Ignorance of God, and be led into eternal Ruin and Destruction, whilst the Pope calls a Council, and the Abbots and Bishops (meet, debate, settle things) and then return home? Is it not lawful for any of us to believe in Christ, to profess the Gospel, to worship God rightly and truly, to fly from Superstitions and Worship of Idols, except these men please to give us ⟨p. 186⟩leave? In truth, the state of the Church of God were very deplorable, if in the midst of so many far spread, gross, blind, foul, apparent and manifest, Errors, so that our very Enemies themselves cannot deny them; nothing could be done for her Relief, without the Concourse of the whole World and a General Council, or at least, of such a Council as we cannot hope for with any certainty, and the event of which, if we now had it, is much more uncertain. When of old, the Persians invaded Greece, and began to destroy all before them, and the Lacedaemonians whose valour was then much famed amongst the Grecians, and therefore it was but reasonable they should have been the first in the defence of their Country; yet because they had an ancient Custom and a Superstitious conceit that had possessed them from the time of Lycurgus, that it was ominous and unfortunate to begin a Martial Expedition at any other time than that of the full Moon, therefore they sat still and suffered their Enemies to plunder and burn their Country, whilst they were foolishly expecting that period of the Moon, which was most opportune and fitting to begin their defence in. But at last they bethought themselves and cried, There is equal danger in the delay.