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

¶To his louing Nurie the Christian Church of Eng∣land. I. VV. a member and minister of the same, vvisheth peace in Christ, and continuance of his glorious gospell, euen to the vvorlds ende.

THere bee diuers thinges, & especially fiue, that whē I first tooke this labour in hande, had almost vtterly dissuaded me from the same.

First, bycause I doe with all my hart hate contention and strife, and especially in matters of reli∣gion, among such as professe y^e selfe same Gospell.

Secondly, for that I feared gretly least some slander might redounde to the Gospell by this open contention, séeing that God is not the authour of contention or con∣fusion, but of peace.

Thirdly, I doubted whether this kinde of dealing by writing, might minister matter to the common aduer∣saries of the Gospell, to reioyce and glorie, and to flatter them selues the more in their damnable errors.

Fourthly I, greatly suspected the slanderous reportes of the backbiter and of the vnlearned ton••ue▪ the 〈◊〉〈◊〉

bycause he loueth to speake euill, and heare euill of all those that be not in all pointes inclinable to his phansie, whereof I haue great experience, being my selfe most vniustlye slandered by that viperous kinds of men: the other, bycause they be not able to iudge of controuer∣sies according to learning and knowledge, and therefore are ruled by affection, & carried hedlong with blind zeale, into diuers sinister iudgementes & erronious opinions.

Lastlye, bycause I knowe sundrie (in all respectes) worthie men, much more able to deale in suche matters, than I am.

But when I considered my dutie towardes God, to his Churche, and to our most gracious Lady and soue∣raigne Elizabeth hir Maiestie (by whose ministerie God hath giuen his Gospell frée passage vnto us) y^e first stoppe and hinderaunce was answered. For I thought that, that dutie ought not to be omitted for any such cause, séeing God and not man, shall be my Iudge: and also that not he which defendeth the truthe, and confuseth errours, but he that impugneth the truthe, and spreddeth sectes, is the authour of contention.

Likewise when I remembred y^e it was no new thing to haue contentions, sectes, & schismes in the Churche of Christ, (especially when it enioyeth externall peace) and that we had manifest examples therof from time to time, (first in Peter, & Paule. ad Gala. 2. Paule & Barnabas, Acto. 15: then in the Churche of the Corinthians. 1. Cor. 1. and .3. Afterwardes betwixt the orientall Church & occi∣dentall Church, touching Easter & such like matters: Be∣twixt the Bishops of Aphrica and the Bishops of Italie, for rebaptising of heretikes: & sundrie times, yea vsuallie in y^e external peace of the church, as may be more at large séene in Eusebius, Lib. 4. eccle. histo. ca. 6. & lib. 5. ca. 24.25.26. & li. 8. &c. Likewise in Ruffinus li. 1. ca. 1. In Zo∣zom. Li. 6. ca. 4. In Basilius magnus epist. 61. ad fratres &

Episcopas in accidente: & epist. 69. and in sundrie other auncient and learned histories and writers.

For the second point I was satisfied, for I thought, that, that could be no slander to this Church which by the ma∣lice of Sathan hath bene practised in all Churches euen synce the ascention of Christ.

Thirdly when I perceiued y^e these men against whome I nowe write, did agree with the aduersaries in defacing y^e state of religion, the order of cōmon prayers, the mini∣sterie, the sacramentes, the kind of gouermēt. &c. vsed and allowed in this realme of England, and that in as oppro∣brious & spitefull manner as the aduersaries do: likewise that they séeke to ouerthrow the selfe same pillers of this Church with the aduersaries (although not by the selfe same meanes) I thought that the confutation and ouer∣throwe of the one should be the confutation & ouerthrow of the other, and therefore the aduersaries to haue small cause in déed of reioycing.

Against backbiters, slanderers, and vnlearned tongs, I shall by Gods grace arme my selfe with pacience, for their taulke is no sufficient cause for a man to absteyne from dooing his dutie.

To conclude, I, (although the vnworthiest and vnmée∣test of a great nūber) was bold to take vpon me this en∣terprise, partly to shew, that the booke called the Admoni∣tion, is not such, but that it may easily be answered, and especially to satisfie mine owne cōscience: for I cōsidered that if no man had taken vpon him y^e enuie of the cōmon sort, in withstanding the enterprises & procéedings of the Anabaptists whē they began in Germanie, Anabaptisme had ouerrunne those Churches & vtterly destroyed them.

These were the reasons that satisfied the former ob∣iections, and especiallye moued me to take vppon me this labour: wherewith, if I can also satisfie others, I haue my desire: if not, yet haue I done my dutie, and sa∣tisfied

mine owne conscience. And for asmuche as the matter toucheth the state of the whole Church of Eng∣land, I thought it most méete to dedicate this my booke, rather vnto the same generally, than to any one parti∣culer member thereof: protesting that if I haue affir∣med any thing therein, that by learning and good reasons may be proued erronious, I will reforme the same, for I wholly submit it to the rule of Gods worde, and the iudgement of those that he learned, discrete, & wise. The Lord blesse the (o deare spouse of Christ) with the continuance of his Gospell, of the Quenes Maiestie, and of godlye peace and quiet∣nesse. Amen.