Anglican Communion -- Apologetic works; Church of England -- Apologetic works
What will ye say if the Pope's advocates, abbots and bishops, dissemble
not the matter, but show themselves open enemies to the Gospel, and
though they see, yet they will not see; but wry the Scriptures, and
wittingly and knowingly corrupt and counterfeit the Word of God, and
foully and wickedly apply to the Pope all the same things, which
evidently and properly be spoken of the Person of Christ only, nor by no
means can be applied to any other? And what though they say, "The Pope
is all and above all?" or, "that he can do as much as Christ can?" and
"that one judgment-place and one council-house serve for the Pope and for
Christ both together;" or, "that the Pope is the same light which should
come into the world;" which words Christ spake of Himself alone: and
"that whoso is an evil-doer hateth and flieth from that light;" or that
all the other bishops have received of the Pope's fulness? Shortly, what
though they make decrees expressly against God's Word, and that not in
hucker-mucker or covertly, but openly, and in the face of the world, must
it needs yet be Gospel straight whatsoever these men say? Shall these be
God's holy army? or will Christ be at hand among them there? Shall the
Holy Ghost flow in their tongues; or can they with truth say, "We and the
Holy Ghost have thought good so?" Indeed, Peter Asotus and his companion
Hosius stick not to affirm, that the same council wherein our Saviour
Jesus Christ was condemned to die had both the Spirit of Prophesying, and
the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit of Truth in it; and that it was neither a
false nor a trifling saying when those bishops said, "We have a law, and
by our law He ought to die:" and that they, so saying, did light upon the
very truth of judgment (for so be Hosius' words); and that the same
plainly was a just decree whereby they pronounced that Christ was worthy
to die. This, methinketh, is strange, that these men are not able to
speak for themselves, and to defend their own cause, but they must also
take part with Annas and Caiaphas. For if they will call that a lawful
and a good council wherein the Son of God was most shamefully condemned
to die, what council will they then allow for false and naught? And yet
(as all their councils, to say truth, commonly be) necessity compelled
them to pronounce these things of the council holden by Annas and
Caiaphas.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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