everlasting life, that we have gone from that Church which had power to
err: which Christ, who cannot err, told so long before it should err; and
which we ourselves did evidently see with our eyes to have gone both from
the holy fathers, and from the Apostles, and from Christ His own self,
and from the primitive and Catholic Church; and we are come as near as we
possibly could to the Church of the Apostles and of the old Catholic
bishops and fathers; which Church we know hath hereunto been sound and
perfect, and, as Tertullian termeth it, a pure virgin, spotted as yet
with no idolatry, nor with any foul or shameful fault: and have directed,
according to their customs and ordinances, not only our doctrine, but
also the Sacraments and the form of common prayer.

And, as we know both Christ Himself and all good men heretofore have
done, we have called home again to the original and first foundation that
religion which hath been foully foreslowed, and utterly corrupted by
these men. For we thought it meet thence to take the pattern of
reforming religion from whence the ground of religion was first taken:
because this one reason, as saith the most ancient father Tertullian,
hath great force against all heresies, "Look, whatsoever was first, that
is true; and whatsoever is latter, that is corrupt." Irenaeus oftentimes
appealed to the oldest churches, which had been nearest to Christ's time,
and which it was hard to believe had erred. But why at this day is not
the same respect and consideration had? Why return we not to the pattern
of the old churches? Why may not we hear at this time amongst us the
same saying, which was openly pronounced in times past in the council at
Nice by so many bishops and Catholic fathers, and nobody once speaking
against it [Greek text]: that is to say, "hold still the old customs!"
When Esdras went about to repair the ruins of the Temple of God, he sent
not to Ephesus, although the most beautiful and gorgeous temple of Diana
was there; and when he purposed to restore the sacrifices and ceremonies
of God, he sent not to Rome, although peradventure he had heard in that
place were the solemn sacrifices called Hecatombae, and other called
Solitaurilia, Lectisternia, and Supplicationes, and Numa Pompilius'
ceremonial books. He thought it enough for him to set before his eyes,
and follow the pattern of the old Temple, which Solomon at the beginning
builded according as God had appointed him, and als