But I will neuer weary my penne to confute those, whome their owne * 1.1 consciences are too strong for, and confuteth euery night when they go to bed: for that were nothing else but to reason with the bellie, that hath no eares to heare, or with the backe that hath no eyes to see. Those that thinke that they hauing charges of their owne, yet may go from place to place where they thinke it necessary, and that it skilleth not where they preach, so they preache: must consider, that if they thinke that God is the authoure of their placing in their flockes, then that eyther their abode there is needefull and expedient, or else that God did not see well and cleerely, what was meete to be done in placing them ouer that congregation, and appoynting that that congregation shoulde hang and depend vpon them, for their nurrishment and good gouernment.
A sore iudgement and presumptuous: still I say tu quis es. &c. who art thou whyche* 1.2 condemnest. &c. The rest of that section is builded vpon the petition of the principle, for there is no man (I think) that so regardeth preaching in other places that he neg∣lecteth it in his owne. But I am fully perswaded, ye God hath so called no man to one place, that he hath restreyned him from doing good in other places also: and I cōstant∣ly beléeue, that in the mo places he laboureth and doth good, the more his seruice to be accepted vnto God. And it is a token that he is truly called when he hathe an hartie desire to profite many.
All congregations of Christians are deare vnto God: wherefore he doth not so much incline to any one, that he woulde haue the other altogither neglected. And therfore if there be but one good man placed in a whole shire, I thinke that he is there placed to do good in the countrie round about him, and that he ought so to do, bycause they be all shéepe perteining to one folde: but yet so must he labour generally, that he haue an especiall care of his owne particular flocke.