doctrine, than they were wont to do. For the people of God are otherwise
instructed now than they were in times past, when all the bishops of
Rome's sayings were allowed for Gospel, and when all religion did depend
only upon their authority. Nowadays the Holy Scripture is abroad, the
writings of the Apostles and Prophets are in print, whereby all truth and
Catholic doctrine may be proved, and all heresy may be disproved and
confuted.

Sithence, then, they bring forth none of these for themselves, and call
us nevertheless heretics, which have neither 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