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.

T. C. Page 27. Sect. 5. 6.

Wheras you say, there is a great difference betweene the seueritie of the lawe and lenitie of the Gospell, me thinkes I smel a spice of the errour of the Maniches, which were also scholers in that behalfe of the olde heretike Cerdon, that there is a good and an euill, a gentle, and a seuere God, one vnder the lawe, and an other vnder the Gospell. For to saye that God was then a seuere punisher of sinne, and that nowe he is not at so great hatred with it, but that he will haue it gentlyer & softlyer dealte with: is euen al one in effecte with that, whiche supposeth two Gods. I will ioyne with you in it, that the transgressions of the law, in the time of the Gospell, ought rather to be seue∣relier punished, than they were vnder the lawe, for as muche as the knowledge is greater, and the aboundance of the spirit of God, wherby the lawes are kept is more plentifull, than vnder the lawe.

At this time I wil content me with the place of Zacharie(*) 1.1 which prophecying of the kingdome* 1.2 of Christ, and of the time of the Gospell saith, that then the father and mother of the false Prophete shall cause their owne sonne to be put to death.

Io. Whitgifte.

My opinion touching the seueritie of the lawe & lenitie of the Gospell,* 1.3 is farther from the error of the Maniches, than yours is from the Turkes or Iewes. I know God is as seuere a punisher of sinne now, as he was then, but the maner and kinde of corporally punishing it, is not the same now, that it was then: Neither wil I refuse to ioyne with you in this, that Christiā Magistrates are not bound to the iudiciall lawes of Moses, touching the kinde and maner of punishing sinne: and yet is not this to ex∣tenuate sinne one whit, but the contrary rather, as Cyrill doth note in his. 11. booke vpō Leuiticus, where he sheweth a reason why adultrie, & other crimes were commaun∣ded in the law to be punished with corporal death, and not in the Gospell, which rea∣son fully answereth your obiection, Quid igituridicemus quòd lex Mosi crudelis est. &c. what then? shall we say that the law of Moses is cruell, which commaundeth that the adulterer, and adultresse should be punished: and that the Gospell of Christ through indulgence and pardon, maketh the hearers the worsse? it is not so: for to this purpose dyd we bring in that saying of Paule before: howe muche more is he worthie of more greeuous punishment, whyche treadeth vnder feete the Sonne of GOD. &c. Heare therefore howe neyther the lawe was then cruell, neyther yet the Gospell is nowe dissolute, for the greatnesse of forgyuenesse: but in bothe, thoughe diuersely, the louyng kindnesse of GOD remay∣neth. This, that is according to the lawe (as for example, that the Adulterer and Ad∣ultresse weare punnyshed wyth presente deathe) for so muche as bothe of them

haue suffered punishment for their sinne, and haue receiued due rewarde for the wicked∣nesse which they committed: what reuengement shall afterward hang ouer their soules, if they haue committed no other fault, if there is no other sinne, which may condemne them, but onely haue committed this fact, and for the same haue receiued the punishment due by the lawe? The Lord will not punishe one thing twise, for they haue receiued the rewarde for their sinne, and the paine for their offence is finished. And for this cause is not this kind of commaundement cruell (as the heretikes affirme, accusing the lawe of God, and denying that there is any kinde of humanitie in it) but it is full of mercie: bycause hereby the peo∣ple should rather be purged from their sinnes, than condemned. But nowe there is no pu∣nishment layd vpon the body, nor any purging of sinne, through corporall punishment, but through repentance, which if a man doe worthily worke, so that he may seme worthie to haue the punishment withdrawne, he maye finde forgiuenesse. But howsoeuer this an∣swere of Cyrill, may in some points minister occasion of quarrelling to suche as be dis∣posed, yet this is euident, that the quantitie of sinne & the heynousnesse of it, is not to be estéemed according to the corporall and externall punishmente, but according to the commaundement of God, to the which it is repugnant, and according to the threate∣nings of God in the scriptures pronoūced against the same, for we sée that lesser faults are by man punished with greater torments, euen according to the state of euery coū∣try. And this smelleth not one whitte of the Manichees heresie, but the cleane contrarie. Neither doe I make this difference betwixt the seueritie of the law, and le∣nitie of the Gospell, in any other respect, than of temporall punishment appoyn∣ted in the lawe.

The place of Zacharie doth not make for your purpose, except you will giue to the* 1.4 parents power of life and deathe ouer their sonnes and daughters, and giue libertie for one priuate man to kill another. The prophet in that place declareth what zeale shal be in the people against false prophets, & how much they shall preferre the true Religion of God before their owne naturall affection, and rather forsake their childrē yea hate them, and kill them, than by their meanes, they should be withdrawne from God: this is the true meaning of that place. If you will referre it to the time of the Gospell. But if you will apply it to the Israelites to whom this prophet now prea∣cheth & prophecieth, then doth he declare vnto them what zeale and feruencie. God re∣quireth in them, if they truely repent them of their former Idolatrie: euen that they shall not spare their owne children, but deale with them according to the law Deu. 13. ver. 6. &c. M. Luther expounding this place and referring it to the time of the Gospell* 1.5 saith thus: Et est haec sententiae summa. &c. The sūme hereof is, that Christians shal reteine, & defend true and pure doctrine, without respect of any person, whether it be his kinsman, or friend, for it is necessarie that there shoulde be false doctrine, and heresies, that the truth might be tryed, but yet they shall not haue the vpper hande, or preuaile. And interpreting these wordes) his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth) he saith, id est, non ferreis aut aereis armis & gladijs ipsum conficient, sed verbo Dei, erit enim spirituale & suaue certamen, quale est parentum cum suis liberis, sicut & diuus Paulus Corinthios confodit, & ipsorum errores verbo Dei reprehendit. That is to say, they shall destroy hym not wyth Iron or brasen armour and weapons, but wyth the worde of God: for the strife shall be spirituall and pleasant, suche as is betweene parentes and their Children, lyke as Saynt Paule dothe pearce throughe the Corinthians, and reprehendeth their errors by the word of God.

But would you in déede conclude of thys place, that those whyche haue taughte* 1.6 false doctryne muste of necessitie be putto deathe, thoughe they repente? yea that their owne parentes and friendes muste kill them, or cause them to be kylled, and not ra∣ther receiue them willingly, if they will conuerte, and embrace them moste ioyful∣ly? vndoubtedly, the Prophete hathe no suche meaning: neyther haue you anye ex∣ample of suche extremitie committed by a true Christian towardes a repentant I∣dolater, from the natiuitie of Christe vnto thys houre: neyther is there anye thyng in the whole newe Testamente, whereby anye suche facte can be war∣ranted. And howesoeuer thys place maye make, for the seuere punishyng of stub∣borne

and peruerse Idolaters, it maketh nothing at all for suche as repente and be conuerted: and therefore it may be, that this place of Scripture dothe content you, but surely it can not persuade any that duely considereth it, that Idolaters thoughe they repent, may not be receyued bothe to mercy, and also into the ministerie.

And if any man shall thinke that I wring his wordes agaynst his meaning, let him consider agaynst whom he bendeth his force, and vrgeth this place of Zacharie (that is, agaynst them whiche haue fallen, and haue bin Massemongers, and nowe are none, but preachers of the Gospell) and he shall easily perceyue bothe the blo〈1 line〉〈1 line〉∣dinesse of his opinion, and also that I haue not héerein dealt vnfaythfully. Surely (al circumstances considered) it is not vnlike that this hathe béene some occasion of the mischéeuons attempt which of late hath béene put in practise.

Notes

• (*) 1.1

  The place of Zach. missev〈1 line〉〈1 line〉∣derstoode.
• * 1.2

  Cap. 13.
• * 1.3

  Difference betwixt the se∣ueretie of the law and the le∣nitie of the Gospell.
• * 1.4

  The true mea ning of zacha∣rie. 13.
• * 1.5

  Luther.
• * 1.6

  The bloudy assertion of T. C.