where spread abroad, how they made privy confederacies,
and counselled together either to kill the magistrates or to subvert the
commonwealth. And where, in celebrating the holy mysteries after
Christ's institution, they took bread and wine, they were thought of many
not to worship Christ, but Bacchus and Ceres; forsomuch as those vain
gods were worshipped of the heathens in like sort, after a profane
superstition, with bread and wine.

These things were believed of many, not because they were true, indeed
(for what could be more untrue?), but because they were like to be true,
and through a certain shadow of truth might the more easily deceive the
simple. On this fashion likewise do these men slander us as heretics,
and say that we have left the Church and fellowship of Christ: not
because they think it is true--for they do not much force of that, but
because to ignorant folk it might, perhaps, some way appear true. We
have, indeed, put ourselves apart not as heretics are wont, from the
Church of Christ, but as all good men ought to do, from the infection of
naughty persons and hypocrites.

Nevertheless, in this point they triumph marvellously--"that they be the
Church, that their Church is Christ's spouse, the pillar of truth, the
ark of Noah;" and that without it there is no hope of salvation.
Contrariwise they say, "that we be renegades; that we have torn Christ's
seat;" that we are plucked quite off from the body of Christ, and have
forsaken the Catholic faith. And when they leave nothing unspoken that
may never so falsely and maliciously be said against us, yet this one
thing are they never able truly to say, that we have swerved either from
the Word of God, or from the Apostles of Christ, or from the primitive
Church. Surely we have ever judged the primitive Church of Christ's
time, of the Apostles and of the holy fathers, to be the Catholic Church;
neither make we doubt to name it, "Noah's ark, Christ's spouse, the
pillar and upholder of all truth;" nor yet to fix therein the whole mean
of our salvation. It is doubtless an odious matter for one to leave the
fellowship whereunto he hath been accustomed, and specially of those men,
who, though they be not, yet at least seem and be called Christians. And,
to say truly, we do not despise the Church of these men (howsoever it be
ordered by them now-a-days), partly for the name's sake itself, and
partly for that the Gospel of Jesus Christ hath once been therein