The defense of the aunsvvere to the Admonition against the replie of T.C. By Iohn VVhitgift Doctor of Diuinitie. In the beginning are added these. 4. tables. 1 Of dangerous doctrines in the replie. 2 Of falsifications and vntruthes. 3 Of matters handled at large. 4 A table generall.

I. VV. The seconde Article. pag. 2. Sect. 2.

Secondly, they bitterly inueyed agaynst ministers and prea∣chers of the Gospell, saying, that they were not ordinarily and law∣fully called to the ministerie, bicause they were called by the Magi∣strate, and not by the people: that they preached not the Gospel tru∣ly, that they were Scribes and Pharisies: that they had not those thinges which Paule required in a minister. 1. Tim. 3. That they did not themselues those things, which they taughte vnto other: that they had stipends, and laboured not, and therefore were ministers of the belly, that they could not teache truly, bicause they had great liuings, and liued wealthily and pleasantly, that they vsed not their authoritie in excommunication, that they attributed to muche vnto the Magistrate.

T. C. pag. 3. &. 4.

There was neuer Heretike so abhominable, but that he had some truthe to cloke his falshode, should his vntruthes and blasphemies, driue vs from the possession of that, whiche he holdeth truely? no not the Diuell him selfe, saying, that God had giuen his Angels charge ouer his, can thereby wring this sentence from vs, why we should not bothe beleeue it, and speake it, beeing a necessarie truthe to beleeue and speake. You may as well say, we are Anabaptistes, bycause we say, there is but one God, as they dyd, one Christ as they dyd. &c. And heere I will giue the Reader a taste of your Logike, that you make so muche of in your booke. The Anabaptistes say that the Churches should choose their ministers, and not the Magistrate, and you say so, ther∣fore you are Anabaptistes, or in the way to Anabaptisme. The Anabaptistes complayned, that the Christians vsed not their authoritie in excommunication, and so do you complayne, therefore you are Anabaptistes, or in the way to them. I will not lay to your charge, that you haue not learned Aristotles Priorums, which sayth, it is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as often as the meane in any syllo∣gisme, is consequent to bothe the extremes. But haue you not learned that which Seton, or any other halfepeny Logyke telleth you, that you can not conclude affirmatiuely in the seconde figure? And of thys sorte are euery one of your surmises contayned in thys treatise, whiche you entitle, an exhortation. &c. And if I lyked, to make a long booke of little matter (as you doe) I woulde thus gather your argumentes out of euery braunche whyche you ascribe, as common vnto vs with the Anabaptistes, as you make adoe, vpon euery place, whiche is quoted by the Admoni∣tion to the Parliament. But answere, I pray you, in good faythe are you of that iudgemente, that the ciuill Magistrate should ordayne ministers? (1) Or that there should be no excommuni∣cation, as it was, and is vsed in certayne the Heluetian Churches? If you be, your controuer∣sie is not so muche wyth vs, as wyth the Bishops, whiche bothe call ministers, and excom∣municate. If you be not, why is that Anabaptisticall in vs, whiche is Christian and Ca∣tholike in you? And why do you go about, to bring vs in hatred for those things, which you do no more allowe, than those whō you thus endeuour to discredite? we do not say that there is no law∣full, or no ordinarie calling in Englande, for we do not denie, but that he maye be lawfully called, which is not ordinarily, as M. Luther, Melancthon, Zuinglius, Decolampadius. And there be

(2) places in England, where the ministers be called by their parishes in such sort, (3) as the exam∣ples of the scripture doe shewe to haue been done, before the eldership & gouernment of the Church be established. I knowe not any, that sayth, that the Gospell is not truely preached in Englande, and by those also that are not of the same iudgement, that the Admonition to the Parliament is of. But if it be sayde, that it is not generally of cuery one of them, and in all poynts, or not so often, or not there where their duetie byndeth them, and they are called vnto, or not so sincerely, or without mixture, as it ought to be, then there is nothing sayde, but that, which we feare, may be too easely proued. It it be sayde of some, that in certayne there are founde some of those things, that were reprehended in the Phariseis, what is that to proue, that they be Anabaptistes that speake of it. Your selfe in one place of your booke, call the authors of the Admonition, and their fauourers, Phariseis, who doe all things to be seene of menne, and therefore they sighe, and holde downe their heades. &c. And this you speake, agaynst them that preache the Gospell. Therefore by your reason you giue sentence of Anabaptisine agaynst your selfe. You promised you woulde not write one worde, whereof you had not your author for it. First you haue (4) peruerted the meanyng of the Anabaptistes, in that wherein they acculed the godly Ministers, that they were not according to that which is written in the thirde of the. 1. Epist. to Timothe, and all bycause you woulde multiply the number of your likelyhoodes. For they charged the Ministers, by that place, of dis∣solutdnesse and losenesse of lyfe, and corruption of manners, and we allcadge it to proue that they should be able to teache and instructe, agaynst the dumbe Ministerie that is abroade. But that which followeth, vttereth not onely great (5) vntruth and falsification of the author, but sheweth a minde desirous to slaunder, and sorie (as it seemeth) that those which you so greuously discre∣dite, are no lyker the Anabaptistes, than they be. I wyll set downe the wordes, as they are writ∣ten in the. 102. leafe, that it may appeare howe faythfully you haue dealte. Libere enim dicunt con∣cionatores qui sripendium accipiunt, non esse veros Deiministros, neque posse docere ueritatem, sed esse uentris ministros, qui o〈1 line〉〈1 line〉iose accipiant ingentia stipendia, ex illis rebus, quae simulachris immolatae fuerunt, & ex diuitijs splendide & luxuriose uiuant, cum tamen Christus dixit, gratis accepistis, gratis date, & prohibuit duas tunicas, peram & pecuniam habere, preterea Paulum aiunt manibus suis labo∣rasse, & mandasse reliquis, ut idem faciant, itaque concludunt nulla debere stipendia habere sui officii, sed laborare & gratis ministrare, & quia hoc non faciunt, non posse ipsos ueritatem docere. They say freely (speaking of the Anabaptistes) that the preachers which take stipendes, can not be the true ministers of God, nor teach the truthe, but are ministers of the bellie, which to liue idlely take gret stipendes, of those things which were offered to images, and do of their riches liue gorgeously, and riotousely, when notwithstanding Christ sayde, ye haue receyued freely, giue freely, and forbad thē to haue two coates, or a scrippe, or money. Besydes that, they say that Paule laboured with his owne handes, and gaue commaundement, to the rest of the Ministers, that they shoulde doe so, and therefore they conclude, that they should haue no stipende for their office, but labour and minister for nought, and bicause they do not so, they cannot teach the truthe. Nowe let all men iudge, whether it be one thing, to say, that they ought not to haue stipendes, that labour not, or to saye as the Ana∣baptistes sayde, that it was not lawfull to haue any stipende, or to say, they could not teach truely, bicause they had great liuings, or bicause they had any liuings at all. Although I neuer read nor heard any of those that you meane, say, that those which had great stipendes and liuings could not preach truely. It may be that diuers haue sayd that it were meete, the ministers should be con∣tent, with competent stipendes, and that the ouerplus of that might go to the supplie of the wants of other ministers liuings, and to the maintenaunce of the poóre, or of the vniuersitie, and that that excesse, is the cause of diuers disorders in those persons, that haue it, but that they could not preach truely (when they preached) which had great liuings, I for my parte neuer hearde it. I thinke you would not be exempted from reprehension of that, wherein you faulte, and therefore I knowe not what you meane by these words (that they dyd not those things themselues which thei taught others) we professe no such perfectiō in our liues, but that we are oftentimes behind a great deale∣in doing of that which is taught to be our dueties to doe, and therefore thinke it necessarie that we should be reprehended, and shewed our faultes. Whereas you say that the Anabaptistes accused the ministers, for giuing to much to the Magistrates, I haue shewed what we giue, and if it be to little, shewe vs and we will amende our fault. I assure you it greeueth me, and I am euen in the beginning wearie, of turning vp this (6) dung, and refuting so baine and friuolous sclanders, with out all shewe and face of truthe, and therfore I will be briefe in the rest.

Notes

• Bul. fol. 1. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 18. 87. 102. 244.
• This is your owne Logike, & these be argu∣ments of your owne framing.
• (1)

  No: but that may be the true church of Christ wherein there is no excommuni∣cation: the con∣trarie whereof the Anabaptist〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 affyrme.
• (2)

  By what a〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 tho〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e presume those parishes so 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• (3)

  What scrip∣tures, or where▪ will you not quote one▪
• (4)

  This is vntrue
• (5)

  Is it be not 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉o, what maye be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of you▪
• What other thing is assirmed in the seconde articles
• (6)

  Note his mo∣〈1 line〉〈1 line〉est 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 manerly speaches.