An ansvvere to a certen libel intituled, An admonition to the Parliament, by Iohn VVhitgifte, D. of Diuinitie

Fol. 7.

Wheras before it was thus in the margent, and. 19. reason, to proue that the regiment of the church shoulde be spirituall reade Eph. 1.23. 1. Thess. 5.13.1. Ti. 5.2. Heb. 10.30. now it is thus altered: to proue that y^e regiment of the church should be spirituall, read Caluine in his cōmentaries vpon these places. Eph. 1.23. 1. Thes. 5. 13.1. Ti. 5.2. Heb. 10.30. Belike bicause the scriptures thē∣selues do not sufficiētly proue your assertiō, therfore you would haue vs to leaue them, & to reast vpon Caluines interpretation, which is nothing else but to prefer mans iudgemēt before the word of god, or to giue master Cal∣uine authoritie to conclude that which is not determined by the scripture: If this be not your meaning, why flye

you frō those places themselues to master Caluines in∣terpretatiō vpon them? But what if you now abuse ma∣ster Caluines cōmentaries vpon these places, as you did before the places themselues? In his commentaries vp∣on Ephe. 1. vse. 23. This is all that he sayth touching this matter. Nam vtcun{que} Christus omnia perficiat, nutu, virtu∣te{que} sua: tamē specialiter loquitur hic Paulus, de spirituali ec∣clesiae gubernatione. Quanquam nihil interea impedit quo mi∣nus de vniuersali mundi gubernatione accipias. For howsoe∣uer Christ maketh perfecte all things with his becke, and by his power, yet Paule speaketh here especially of the spiritual gouernemēt of the church. Although that in the meane time it is no hinderance, why thou mayest not also vnderstād it of the vniuersall gouernement of the world. These words serue litle for your purpose. There is no man that doubteth but that Christe doth spiritually go∣uerne his Churche, and raigne in the hartes of the faith∣full by hys sprite: But your meaning is, that the go∣uernement of the Churche is only spirituall, which you can no more gather of these wordes of Caluine, than you may that the gouernemente of the whole world ought only to be spirituall.

The same Caluine writing vppon .1. Thessa. 5 vers. 12. for the which you haue noted the .13. saith on this sorte: Hoc additum videtur, ad notandum spirituale regimen, ta∣metsi enim Reges quo{que} & magistratus Dei ordinatione pro∣sunt, quia tamen ecclesiae gubernationem dominus peculiariter vult suam agnosci, ideo nominatim praeesse in Domino dicun∣tur, qui Christi nomine & mandato ecclesiam gubernant. This seemes to be added to note the spirituall regiment. For although kings also and Magistrates do gouerne by the ordinance of God, yet bycause the Lorde would haue the gouernemente of the Churche knowne peculierly to be his, therefore namely they are saide to rule in the Lorde, whiche gouerne the Churche in the name of Christe and by hys commaundemente. Hitherto Caluine also affirmeth that whiche no man denieth,

that God doth by the ministerie of his worde, spiritually gouerne his Church: But this taketh not away the ciuill Magistrate, neyther yet ciuill lawes made by the Ma∣gistrate externally also to gouerne the Churche. In his Commentaries. 1. Ti. 5. verse. 2. he speaketh not one word of this matter for any thing that I can perceiue. Vp∣pon the place to the Hebrewes, he onely sheweth that God dothe gouerne hys Churche: the whiche I thinke no man is so wicked as to denye. You muste more plainly sette it downe what your meaning in this mat∣ter is, before you can be fully aunswered. For to proue that God dothe spiritually gouerne his Churche, is néedlesse, being denied of none, either Papiste, or Pro∣testant: but thereuppon to conclude that the ciuill magi∣strate is secluded from the gouernement of the Churche, or that there néedeth no externall regiment, is dangerous, and sauoreth Anabaptisme.

In the same leafe and .19. reason these wordes be lefte out, bāners and belles: whiche argueth that they were before vntruly sayde to be vsed in gang wéeke: But to lye, is a small matter with these men.