You do not referre me to any place, where I might reade that the priests in the lawe were ready in the temple to answere all the doubts and questions, that any of the people shoulde come to aske. &c. And I do not remember any suche place in the scripture, excepte you meane that, which is written in the. 17. of Deute. verse. 9. &c. where there is no suche attendance mentioned: but only the people are willed to bring their controuersies to the priests and the iudge. If you meane the. 12. verse of that Chap. where it is said of the priest that he standeth before the Lord to minister there, you haue also missed the quisshi∣on. For the meaning of that place is that whosoeuer presumptuously refuseth to har∣ken vnto the Priest (so long as the prieste is the true minister of God, and pronoun∣ceth according to his word) shall die. &c. The priest here had to do in ciuill and iudiciall matters togither with the iudge: the priest was but in the chéefe place, where iudge∣ment was heard, and not in euery particular congregation. Wherfore if you would conclude any thing of this place, it must be, that the Priest must be ioyned with the Iudge, and haue to do in ciuill and iudiciall matters, and remaine in some chiefe place of the countrie where iudgements are to be heard. You can by no meanes hereof con∣clude, that euery particular congregation should haue a Pastor continually remay∣ning with them.
There is not now any such general ignorance, but that there may diuers be found able to answer all such doubts, as you speake of sufficiently, though the Pastor be ab∣sent. The scriptures also are publikely red in euery mans house, whiche are as Saint Paule saith. 2. Ti. 3. profitable to teach, to improue, to correct, to instruct in righteousenes, that the man of God may be absolute, being made perfect in all good works: and as Chry∣sostome calleth them, they be an apothecarie his shoppe, where euery man may finde remedy for his diseases.
Moreouer the sufficiencie of his curate may be suche, that he shall be aswell able to answere all suche questions, as if he himselfe were present. Neyther are those cases you put vsuall (God be thanked) and they oftentimes happen, where there is leaste cause to complaine of any absence of the Pastor.