3 October 2015 A.D. Jewel’s “Apology”—p.86-87
3 October 2015
A.D. Jewel’s “Apology”—p.86-87
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.
But where they say we have gone away from the unity
of the Catholic Church, this is not only a matter of malice,
but, besides, though, it be most untrue, yet hath it some show and appearance
of truth. For the common people and ignorant multitude give not credit
alone to things true and of certainty, but even to such things also, if any
chance, which may seem to have but a resemblance of truth. Therefore, we
see that subtle and crafty persons, when they had no truth on their side, have
ever contended and hotly argued with things likely to be true, to the intent
they which were not able to espy the very ground of the matter, might be
carried away at least with some pretence and probability thereof. In
times past, where the first Christians, our forefathers, in making their
prayers to God, did turn themselves towards the east, there were that said,
“they worshipped the sun, and reckoned it as God.” Again, where our
forefathers said, that as touching immortal and everlasting life, they lived by
no other means, but by the “flesh and blood of that Lamb who was without spot,”
that is to say, of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the envious creatures and foes of
Christ’s Cross, whose only care was to bring Christian religion into slander by
all manner of ways, made people believe that they were wicked persons, that
they “sacrificed men’s flesh, and drunk men’s blood.” Also, where our
forefathers said that before God “there is neither man nor
woman,” nor, for attaining to the true righteousness, there is no distinction
at all of persons, and that they did call one another indifferently by the name
of sisters and brothers: there wanted not men which forged false tales upon the
same, saying that the Christians made no difference among themselves either of
age or of kind, but like brute beasts without regard had to do one with
another. And where, for to pray and hear the Gospel, they met often
together in secret and bye places, because rebels sometime were wont to do the
like, rumours were everywhere spread abroad, how they made privy confederacies,
and counselled together either to kill the magistrates or to subvert the
commonwealth. And where, in celebrating the holy mysteries after Christ’s
institution, they took bread and wine, they were thought of many not to worship
Christ, but Bacchus and Ceres; forsomuch as those vain gods were worshipped of
the heathens in like sort, after a profane superstition, with bread and wine.
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