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

An answere to the Pre∣face of the Admonition.

THESE TVVO treatises conteyned in this admonition, as they be voyde of sounde learnyng, so are they full of blynde affection, and stuffed with vn∣charitable and vnchristian terms and phrases: wherfore it is to bée feared, that they procéede not of loue, but of hatred, not of zeale, but of malice, not of humilitie, but of arrogancie, not of myndes desirous to reforme, but of stomackes séekyng to deforme and confounde, that whiche is in due forme and order by lawfull authoritie established. For what charitable, zealous, and humble spirite, woulde so spitefully and slaunderously speake of their brethren, whose doctrine is pure, whose zeale is feruent, whose suffering for the Gospel hath ben in time of triall, comparable with any mans that nowe liueth: who haue also paynfully taughte the worde of God in this realme, and do at this day, and by whose ministerie the Gospel hath taken roote, and is come to that encrease that now (God be thanked) appeareth. Surely these op∣probrious termes, proude generation, tyrannous lordships, vngracious, cruel, Popelike, wicked raigne, proude enimies. &c. applied to brethren, procéede not from the humble and mylde spirite of GOD, but from the proude and arrogante spirite of Sathan. Therfore by this vnséemely preface it may ap∣peare, from what spirite the reste of thys admonition spryngeth. Touchyng the crueltie and rigeure these men complayne of, I shall néede to speake little, bée∣ing manyfeste to all that bée not with synister affecti∣ons blynded, that lacke of seueritie is the principall

cause of their licentious libertie. But who séeth not their hypocrisie, whiche would make the worlde beléeue that they are persecuted when they be with too much lenitie punished for their vntollerable contempt of good lawes, and other disordered dealings? Naye suche is their per∣uersenesse, or rather arrogancie, that if they be debar∣red but of the least part of their will and desyre, by and by they crie out of crueltie and persecution. It is to be doubted what these men will do when persecution com∣meth in déede, whiche now make so muche of a little or rather of nothing. As for this great brag, For how so euer learned and many they seeme to be, they should and may in this realme fynde inowe to matche them, and shame them too, if they hold on as they haue begonne, Satis arroganter dictum est: And verifieth that to be true, that is commonly spo∣ken of these kinde of men, that is, that they contemne all other in comparison of themselues: that they thinke thēselues only zealous, only learned &c. But it is possible they may be matched, and I know no man of learning afrayde to encounter with them, eyther by word or wri∣ting. Touching the ministerie and gouernement of the Church, what faults there is to be therin found, we shall vnderstand when we come to their reasons. God graunt vs humble and méeke spirites, that godly vnitie may be maynteyned in the Churche.

One thing I must desire thée to note (gentle reader) (wherin the follie of these men maruellously appeareth) how they haue paynted the margent of their booke, with quoting of scriptures, as though al were Scripture they write, when as in déede they abuse both the Scripture and thée: For what one place of scripture is in all thys preface alledged to any purpose, and yet howe many is there quoted?

To proue that wée muste reade these two Treatises without parcialitie or blinde affection, here is noted in y^e margēt. 1. Thess. 5. vers. 21. James. 1. James. 2. The place to y^e Thessalonians is this, Trie all things, and keepe that vvhiche is good. The place of the first of James is this, VVherfore my deare brethren, let euery man be svvifte to heare, slovve to speake, and slovve to vvrath: And the se∣conde place of James is this, My brethren, haue not the faithe of our Lorde Iesus Christe in respecte of persons. And to what purpose are these places alledged? What proue they? Or what néede is there to alledge them? These Apostles in these places speake not of rayling li∣bels, but of hearing the word of God, and iudging of mat∣ters of faithe according to y^e truth, and not to the persons.

To proue that tyrannous lordship can not stand with Christs kingdom, they alledge the .15. of Mat. and Luc. 16. The place in the 15. of Mat. vers. 23. is this, But he answe∣red hir not a vvorde. Then came to him his disciples, and besought him, saying: Sende hir avvay for she cryeth after vs. In the sixtéenth of Luke it is thus: Then he sayd vnto them, ye are they vvhiche iustifie youre selues before men, but God knovveth your hartes: for that vvhiche is highly estemed among men, is abhomination in the sight of god. I would gladly know how their assertion, and these two textes hang together. I allowe not tyrannous Lordshyp to stande with Christes kingdome: But it may well inough for any thyng in these two places to the contra∣rie. Tyrannous Lordship is not estéemed among men, but hated.

To proue that they whose authoritie is forbidden by Christe, will haue their stroke without their fellowe seruauntes, &c. is quoted, Math. 20. Math. 23. Mark. 10. Luke. 22. In the .20. of Math. it is thus written, Yee knowe that the lordes of the Gentiles haue domination ouer them &c. In the .23. of Mathew. But be ye not cal∣led

Rabbi, for one is your doctor or teacher, to wit, Christ. The places in Marke and Luke be all one with that in the 20. of Mathew. The conclusion that is gathered of these places is very darke and generall: they should•• haue declared who they be that haue this authoritie for∣bidden, and what the authoritie is. Touching these places alleaged in the 20. of Mat. 10. of Mar. 22. of Luke, Musculus and diuers other learned men think, that they extende not onely to the Apostles and men of the Cler∣gie, as we call them, but to all Christians, of what state soeuer they be. And it is the common opinion of all wri∣ters, that these words of Chryst do not condemne supe∣rioritie, Lordeshippe, or any suche lyke authoritie, but the ambitious desire of the same, and the tyrānical vsage thereof.

Musculus expounding these places sayth in this sorte: VVhosoeuer vvill be great among you. &c. He sayth not, no man ought to be chiefe among you, vvhich he shoulde haue said, if it had not ben lawful in the kingdome of God for some to be great and chiefe, or if it had ben necessarie, that all shoulde haue bene in all things equall: the Cele∣stiall spirits are not equal, the stars be not equal, the Apo∣stles them selues vvere not equall: Peter is found in many places to haue ben chiefe amōg the rest, vvhich vve do not denie. Therfore this is not Christes meaning to haue none great or chiefe among Christians, seeing the very necessi∣tie of our state requireth that some be superiours and bet∣ters, so far is it from beeing repugnaunt to charitie. In a common vveale it is necessarie that some should excell o∣ther; so is it in a vvell ordered familie: In like maner there must be in the Churche gouernours, presidents, rulers, of vvhome Paule maketh mention. Ro. 12. 1. Cor. 12. Heb. 13. As there is also in the body some principall mēbers, some inferiour. &c. Therfore Christ doth not require that in his kingdome all should be equall, but this he doth require,

that none should desire to be great, or to be thought and counted chiefe. Hitherto Musculus.

Which interpretation muste néedes be true, else we may say, that Christe in this place reiecteth and disallo∣weth the Princes and Magistrates of the Gentiles, and also forbiddeth the same among Christians, which is false and Anabaptisticall.

Likewise the same Musculus sayth, that Chryste tea∣cheth in this place, what he ought to be in déede that de∣sireth to beare rule ouer other, to wit, that he ought to be a seruaunt to other, that is (as he dothe interprete it) to profite other, and to serue for the cōmoditie of other, for though the name of a prince and of a lorde be a name of honor and dignitie, yet is it the office of a prince & lorde to serue those which be vnder thē in gouerning of them carefully, and in prouiding for their wealth and peace.

Moreouer the Greke wordes that Chryste vseth in all these places, as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, doe signifie to rule with oppression, and to rule as a man list.

Furthermore Christe doth not say, that no man shall be great among them or beare rule, but he sayth: Qui∣cunque voluerit inter vos magnus fieri. &c. He that desi∣reth to be great among you. &c.

To conclude, it is manyfest that in Matthewe and Marke, he reproueth the ambition of the sonnes of Ze∣bedie, who ambitiously desired the one to sitte on hys right hande, the other on his lefte. And in Luke the am∣bition of the rest of the Apostles, who contended among themselues which of them should be greatest.

So that it is playne, that these places suppresse am∣bition and desire of rule, in all kinde of men: and not superioritie, not magistracie, not iurisdiction in any kinde of persons.

Touching the place in the .23 of Mat. where Chryste

said vnto his disciples, Be not you called Rabbi, call no man father, be not called maisters. Who is so ignorant, to thinke that Christ forbiddeth by these wordes one Chri∣sten man to call another, lorde, maister, father? shal not children call their parents father? shall not scholers call their teacher, maister? And shall not seruauntes call him master, vnder whose gouernement they are? Is it not lawfull for one to call an other maister, doctour, fa∣ther, lorde. &c? Paule (notwithstanding these wordes of Christ) 1. Cor. 4. calleth himself their father: and. 1. Ti. 2. he calleth himself the doctour of the Gētiles. Wherfore it is manifest that these names be not here prohibited, muche lesse the offices: but only the pharisaicall, ambi∣tious, and arrogant affection of superioritie: As it is also manifest by this that foloweth: VVho so euer exalteth himselfe. &c. And surely as Christe condemneth here the ambitious affectiō of such as ambitiously desire these names of superioritie, so doth he in like maner cōdemne those who be so puffed vp with pride and arrogācie, that they contemne and disdayne to call men in authoritie by the titles of their offices: For pride, contempt and arro∣gancie, is, as well in refusing to giue honoure and reue∣rence, as it is in ambitious desiring the same.

But the chiefe purpose of Christe in this place is, to teache vs not so to depende vpon men, as though it were not lawfull to breake their decrées, or to decline from their authoritie: For there is one only Father, Lorde, and maister, to whome wée are so bounde, that by no meanes wée maye declyne at any tyme from hys pre∣ceptes.

These places therfore may be aptly alledged against the pride, tyrannie, and ambitiō of the Bishop of Rome, whiche séeketh tyrannically to rule, and not to profite: But it maketh nothing at all against the lawfull autho∣ritie of any other in any state or condition of men.

Howe aptly that place of the .24. of Mathew, But if the euill seruaunt shall say in his heart. &c. is alleaged, let all men iudge. I thinke it forbiddeth not to punishe suche as breake good lawes. But Lorde how these men are beaten, which do as they liste, say what they liste, and that with reioycing thereto: that is, if they be no o∣therwise beaten than hitherto they haue bene, they will not only with schismes and factions teare in sunder this Churche of Englande, but in time ouerthrow the whole state of the common wealth.

To proue that either we muste haue a righte mini∣sterie of God, and a righte gouernement of his Church, according to the Scriptures set vp. &c. or else there can be no right religion. &c. is alleaged the ninth of Matth. the fourth to the Ephe. and the eightenth of Math. In the ninth of Mat. the place they alleage is this, Surely the haruest is great, but the labourers be fevve: vvhere∣fore. &c. In the fourth to the Ephe. He therefore gaue some to be Apostle. &c. In the eightenth of Mathew, If thy brother trespasse agaynst thee. &c. The first place declareth that Ministers of the words are necessarie in Christes Churche. The seconde, that there is diuers kindes and degrées of them. And the thirde sheweth an order of correcting secrete sinnes, and priuate offences, and medleth not with those that be open and knowne to other. Nowe therefore consider to what purpose those places be noted in the margente, and howe little they proue that which is concluded.

As for all the rest of the places of Scripture that fol∣loweth noted in the margent of this preface, I knowe not to what purpose they be alleaged, but onely for vayneglorie to bleare the eyes of y^e ignorant people, and to make them beléeue that all that which is written in this booke, is nothing else, but Scripture it selfe. They haue delt very subtilly, to cote the places onely, and not

to set them downe in playne words, for by this meanes they thinke that of the moste parte it shall neuer be vn∣derstanded, howe vnaptly, and to what small purpose they be alleaged.

This name Puritane is very aptely giuen to these men, not bicause they be pure no more than were the Heretikes called Cathari, but bicause they think them selues to be mundiores cateris, more pure than others, as Cathari dyd, and seperate them selues from all o∣ther Churches and congregations as spotted and defyled. Bicause also they suppose the Church which they haue deui∣sed to be without all impuritie.