her fallen from Christ, nor from
the Apostles, nor yet from the Prophets, this is an injurious and a very
spiteful dealing. With this sword did Christ put off the devil when He
was tempted of him: with these weapons ought all presumption, which doth
advance itself against God, to be overthrown and conquered. "For all
Scripture," saith St. Paul, "that cometh by the inspiration of God, is
profitable to teach, to confute, to instruct, and to reprove, that the
man of God may be perfect, and thoroughly framed to every good work."
Thus did the holy fathers always fight against the heretics with none
other force than with the Holy Scriptures. St. Augustine, when he
disputed against Petilian, a heretic of the Donatists: "Let not these
words," quoth he, "be heard between us, 'I say, or you say:' let us
rather speak in this wise: 'Thus saith the Lord.' There let us seek the
Church: there let us boult out our cause." Likewise St. Hierom: "All
those things," saith he, "which without the testimony of the Scriptures
are holden as delivered from the Apostles, be thoroughly smitten down by
the sword of God's word." St. Ambrose also, to Gratian the emperor: "Let
the Scripture," saith he, "be asked the question, let the prophets be
asked, and let Christ be asked." For at that time made the Catholic
fathers and bishops no doubt but that our religion might be proved out of
the Holy Scriptures. Neither were they ever so hardy as to take any for
a heretic whose error they could not evidently and apparently reprove by
the self-same Scriptures. And we verily do make answer on this wise, as
St. Paul did: "According to this way which they call heresy we do worship
God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and do allow all things
which have been written either in the law or in the Prophets," or in the
Apostles' works.

Wherefore, if we be heretics, and they (as they would fain be called) be
Catholics, why do they not, as they see the fathers, which were Catholic
men, have always done? Why do they not convince and master us by the
Divine Scriptures? Why do they not call us again to be tried by them?
Why do they not lay before us how we have gone away from Christ, from the
Prophets, from the Apostles, and from the holy fathers? Why stick they
to do it? Why are they afraid of it? It is God's cause. Why are they
doubtful to commit it to the trial of God's word? If we be heretics,
which refer all our controversies unto the Holy Scri