Matth. xiii. persecuted the prophets. Upon whom came all the righteous blood that was shed upon the earth, from the blood of just Abel unto the blood of Zacharye, the son of Barachie, whom they slew between the temple and the altar.

And how many persons remained constantly in the true lively faith, at the time of Christ's passion? I think Master Matt. xxvi. Smith will say but a very few, seeing that Peter denied Christ his Master three times, and all his Apostles fled away, and one for haste without his clothes.

Matt. xiv.

What wonder is it then, that the open Church is now of late years fallen into many errors and corruption, and the holy Church of Christ is secret and unknown? seeing that Satan these five hundred years hath been let loose, and Antichrist reigneth, spoiling and devouring the simple flock 1 Reg. xix. of Christ. But as Almighty God said unto Helias: I have reserved and kept for mine own self seven thousand which never bowed their knee to Baal, so it is at this present. For although Almighty God hath suffered these four or five hundred years, the open face of his Church to be ugly deformed, and shamefully defiled by the sects of the papists, (which is so manifest, that now all the world knoweth it,) yet hath God of his manifold mercy, ever preserved a good number, secret to himself, in his true religion, although Antichrist hath bathed himself in the blood of no small number of them.

And although the papists have led innumerable people out of the right way, yet the Church is to be followed, but the Church of Christ, not of Antichrist: the Church, that concerning the faith containeth itself within God's word, not that deviseth daily new articles contrary to God's word: the Church, that by the true interpretation of Scripture and good example gathereth people unto Christ, not that by wresting of the Scripture, and evil example of corrupt living, draweth them away from Christ.

And now forasmuch as the wicked Church of Rome, counterfeiting the Church of Christ, hath in this matter of the sacrament of the blessed body and blood of our Saviour Christ, varied from the pure and holy Church in the Apo

stles' time, and many hundred years after, (as in my book I have plainly declared, and manifestly proved,) it is an easy matter to discern which Church is to be followed. And I cannot but marvel, that Smith allegeth for him Vincentius Lirenensis, who, contrary to Doctor Smyth, teacheth plainly, that the canon of the Bible is perfect and sufficient of itself for the truth of the catholic faith: and that the whole Church cannot make one article of the faith, although it may be taken as a necessary witness, for the receiving and establishing of the same, with these three conditions, that the thing which we would establish thereby, hath been believed in all places, ever, and of all men. Which the papistical doctrine in this matter hath not been, but came from Rome since Berengarius' time, by Nicolas the Second, Innocentius the Third, and other of their sort: whereas the doctrine which I have set forth, came from Christ and his Apostles, and was of all men every where with one consent taught and believed, as my book showeth plainly, until the papists did transform and transubstantiate the chief articles of our Christian faith.

Thus is an answer made unto the false calumniations of Smith in the Preface of his book, or rather unto his whole book, which is so full of bragging, boasting, slandering, misreporting, wrangling, wresting, false construing, and lying, that, those taken out of the book, there is nothing worthy in the whole book to be answered. Nevertheless in answering to the late Bishop of Wynchester's book, I shall fully answer also Doctor Smith in all points that require answer. And so with one answer shall I dispatch them both. And in some places where one of them varieth from another, (as they do in many great matters, and in the chief and principal points,) I shall set them together, Bithum cum Bachio, et Esernium cum Pacidiano, to try which of them is more stout and valiant to overthrow the other.

HERE ENDETH THE ANSWER UNTO THE PREFACE OF MR. SMYTHE'S BOOK WHICH HE WROTE AGAINST THE DEFENCE OF THE TRUE AND CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF OUR SAVIOUR CHRIST.

AN

ANSWER

OF

THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD

THOMAS,

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, PRIMATE OF ALL ENGLAND, AND METROPOLITAN,

UNTO

A CRAFTY AND SOPHISTICAL CAVILLATION

DEVISED BY

STEPHEN GARDINER,

DOCTOR OF LAW, LATE BISHOP OF WINCHESTER,

Against the true and godly Doctrine of the most holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Jesu Christ.

Wherein is also, as occasion serveth, answered such places of the book of DR. RICHARD SMITH,

As may seem any thing worthy the answering.

ITEM

Ye shall find here also the true copy of the book written, and in open court delivered, by Dr. Stephen Gardiner, not one word added or

and

diminished, but faithfully in all points agreeing

with the original.

Read with judgment, and confer with diligence, laying aside all affection on either party, shall easily perceive, good reader, how slender and weak the allegations and persuasions of the papists are, wherewith they go about to

you

defend their erroneous and false doctrine, and

to impugn the truth.

ANNO MDLI.

IMPRINTED AT LONDON BY REYNOLDE WOLFE, WITH THE KING'S MOST

GRACIOUS PRIVILEGE.

And licensed according to the meaning of the late Proclamation.

[The Answer to Gardyner, when first published, was accompanied by the whole, both of the Defence, &c. and of Gardyner's attempted Confutation of it. The former, having been already printed separately in the second volume, is omitted here, and references substituted in the places where its different parts were inserted. The latter is given entire. It is distinguished from Cranmer's Answer by a smaller type. To secure its accuracy, the press has been corrected from the original edition in octavo, which appeared, while Gardyner was in the Tower, without any name of printer or place. The authorities used for the Answer are, the first edition, "imprinted at London by Reynolde Wolfe," 1551, folio, and the second, also in folio, which issued from the press of John Daye in 1580, under the superintendence, as it has been supposed, of Bishop Parkhurst. The last of these has supplied many marginal notes, together with the useful numerals which point to the corresponding passages in the attack and defence. It is represented in its title-page to have been "revised and corrected by the Arch"byshop at Oxford, before his Martyrdome; Wherein hee hath "beautified Gardiner's doynges, with asmuch diligence as might "be, by applying Notes in the Margent, and markes to the Doc"tours saying: which before wanted in the first Impression."]