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

Thus the true Religion was at first published, and so it must be now restored. The Apostles at first taught the Gospel without any public Council, and without any such Council it may now be called back, and reinstated. But if Christ himself or his Apostles in the beginning would have delayed and put off the whole business till a future Council. When should the […] of them have gone out into all Lands? How should the Kingdom of God have suffered force, and the violent have taken it by a kind of Invasion? Where had the Gospel now been? Where would the Church of God have ⟨p. 189⟩been? In truth we neither fear nor fly from a Council, but rather wish for and desire it, so it may be free, genuine, and Christian, and may be convened after the pattern of that of the Apostles: provided that the Abbots and Bishops may be discharged of their Oath, by which they are now bound to the Popes of Rome; and that whole Combination now on foot may be dissolved; provided those of our Party may be freely and modestly heard, provided they be not condemned before they are heard: And lastly upon condition that if any thing be done, no one man may weaken or rescind all again. But now whilst we saw that the present manners and times would not allow us thus much; and that the most absurd, silly, ridiculous, superstitious, and wicked things were most stiffly defended, only because they had been heretofore received, and purely for custom sake. We judged it to be our duty to provide for, and take care of our own Churches in a National Council.

Thus the true Religion was at first published, and so it must be now restored. The Apostles at first taught the Gospel without any publick Council, and without any such Council it may now be called back, and reinstated. But if Christ himself or his Apostles in the beginning would have delayed and put off the whole business till a future Council. When should the 〈…〉 of them have gone out into all Lands? How should the Kingdom of God have suffered force, and the violent have taken it by a kind of Invasion? Where had the Gospel now been? Where would the Church of God have ⟨p. 189⟩been? In truth we neither fear nor fly from a Council, but rather wish for and desire it, so it may be free, genuine, and Christian, and may be conven'd after the pattern of that of the Apostles: provided that the Abbots and Bishops may be discharged of their Oath, by which they are now bound to the Popes of Rome; and that whole Combination now on foot may be dissolved; provided those of our Party may be freely and modestly heard, provided they be not condemned before they are heard: And lastly upon condition that if any thing be done, no one man may weaken or rescind all again. But now whilst we saw that the present manners and times would not allow us thus much; and that the most absurd, silly, ridiculous, superstitious, and wicked things were most stifly defended, only because they had been heretofore received, and purely for custom sake. We judged it to be our duty to provide for, and take care of our own Churches in a National Council.