What dealing is this to bring mē in suspition of yt, which they neuer thought of, as though there were any word yt founded to this, ye a man should put himself into the office of preaching, without the approbation of those (*) 1.1 men, to whom it doth perteyne.
Their complaint is, that those which are ordeyned Pastors, and therfore to preach, can not do it without further licence: as if a man shoulde be charged to doe a thing forthwith, and then he that chargeth him, bindeth him hand & foote, that he can not do it vnlesse he will lose him.
The bishops inhable him to teach, & point him a place to teach in, & yet they wil not let him teath▪ vnlesse he haue a further licence. It h〈1 line〉〈1 line〉be an heretik or schismatike, or suspected of any such thing▪ why is he admitted, or being admitted, why is he suffred to be so much as a reader 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉n y• churche〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉nd bicause you could not answer this, therfore you set vp a fansie of yours to confute. And thus you fight without an 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and you make triumphes, where there is no victorie.
They wil say vnto you, yt not only vnder a godly magistrate, but not in ye time of persecution any man ought to 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ake vpon him any function in ye church▪ vnlesse he be ther vnto called by mē, except he haue a wonderful calling, which is rare, & must be 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉iligently examined by them, which haue it, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉nder pretence of the spirite of God, whom they make author of their calling, it fall out ye 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be but their own he〈1 line〉〈1 line〉long affection that hath thrust thē in: so far they are from the frensy of Anaba〈1 line〉〈1 line〉tists, which you by a confutation of ye, which they neuer affirmed, would seeme to staine them with.
This Repl〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e cōsisteth partly of equiuocations, & partly of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 suppositiōs. For where you say, ye no mā shuld put himself into the office of preaching, wtout the approbation of those men, to whō it doth apertein: you speak ambiguously, & therfore you must explicate what you mean by those to whō it doth apertein: whether ye people & seniors, as you cal them, or ye bishops or ye ciuil Magistrate, or such, to whō ye ciuil Magistrat doth cōmit ye iudging of such matters. For ye Auabaptistes confesse ye they must be called of their churches, but they deny ye authoritie of the ciuil magistrat herein, & the authoritie of such also as he doth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for yt end & purpose. Again, you here suppose, yt no man may preach out of his owne cure, & therfore being once admitted 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉o preach there, he nedeth no fur∣ther licence▪ Likewise you 〈◊〉〈◊〉 suppose that none may be admitted to preache, except he haue 〈◊〉〈◊〉: to be 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉hort, that 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ heretikes, schismatikes, may be known foorth∣with, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 being suspected, by and by remoued out of the ministerie▪ all which suppositi∣o〈1 line〉〈1 line〉s bēe vntiue, and therfore this Replis full of greate absuraities. Their meaning is playne, that though there be iuste cause, why the Bishoppe should inhibite them from preachyng, bothe for theyr contentions, and also for their errours, yet woulde they preache whether the Byshoppe wyll or no, for the case is theyr owne. They were admytted to preache in theyr cures, and elsewhere, so long