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Protestantism in Poland and Bohemia - James Aitken Wylie

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Church; <strong>and</strong> now (1555) he dedicated to Sigismund<br />

Augustus of <strong>Pol<strong>and</strong></strong> a new edition of an account he<br />

had formerly published of the foreign Churches <strong>in</strong><br />

London of which he had acted as super<strong>in</strong>tendent.<br />

He took occasion at the same time to expla<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> full<br />

his own sentiments on the subject of Church<br />

Reformation. With great calmness <strong>and</strong> dignity, but<br />

with great strengh of argument, he ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed that<br />

the Scriptures were the one sole basis of<br />

Reformation; that neither from tradition, however<br />

venerable, nor from custom, however long<br />

established, were the doctr<strong>in</strong>es of the Church's<br />

creed or the order of her government to be<br />

deduced; that neither Councils nor Fathers could<br />

<strong>in</strong>fallibly determ<strong>in</strong>e anyth<strong>in</strong>g; that apostolic<br />

practice, as recorded <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>spired canon that is to<br />

say, the Word of God -- alone possessed authority<br />

<strong>in</strong> this matter, <strong>and</strong> was a sure guide. He also took<br />

the liberty of urg<strong>in</strong>g on the, k<strong>in</strong>g the necessity of a<br />

Reformation of the Church of <strong>Pol<strong>and</strong></strong>, "of which a<br />

prosperous beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g had already been made by<br />

the greatest <strong>and</strong> best part of the nation;" but the<br />

matter, he added, was one to be prosecuted "with<br />

judgment <strong>and</strong> care, see<strong>in</strong>g every one who reasoned<br />

45

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