27 September 2015 A.D. Jewel’s “Apology”—Luther and Zwingli “sent of God to give light to the whole world,” pp.77-78
27 September
2015 A.D. Jewel’s “Apology”—Luther and Zwingli “sent of God to
give light to the whole world,” pp.77-78
Jewel, John. “The Apology of the Church of England.”
Project Gutenberg. 5 Aug 2006. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17678/17678-h/17678-h.htm. Accessed 1 Aug 2015.
Forty years ago and upward, was it an easy thing for
them to devise against us these accursed speeches, and other, too, sorer than
these; when, in the midst of the darkness of that age, first began to spring
and to give shine some one glimmering beam of truth, unknown at that time and
unheard of: when also Martin Luther and Hulderic Zuinglius, being most
excellent men, even sent of God to give light to the whole world, first came
unto the knowledge and preaching of the Gospel; whereas yet the thing was but
new, and the success thereof uncertain; and when men’s minds stood doubtful and
amazed, and their ears open to all slanderous tales; and when there could be
imagined against us no fact so detestable, but the people then would soon
believe it for the novelty and strangeness of the matter. For so did
Symmachus, so did Celsus, so did Julianus, so did Porphyrius, the old foes to
the Gospel, attempt in times past to accuse all Christians
of sedition and treason, before that either prince or people were able to know
who those Christians were, what they professed, what they believed, or what was
their meaning. But now, sithence our very enemies do see, and cannot
deny, but we ever in all our words and writings have diligently put the people
in mind of their duty, to obey their princes and magistrates, yea, though they
be wicked (for this doth very trial and experience sufficiently teach, and all
men’s eyes, whosoever and wheresoever they be, do well enough see and witness
for us), it was a foul part of them to charge us with these things; yea, seeing
they could find no new and late faults, therefore to seek to procure us envy
only with stale and out worn lies.
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