Anglican Communion -- Apologetic works; Church of England -- Apologetic works
unkind dealing, yet can it not seem unto us a new or an unwonted matter.
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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