Chap. 7. the ninth Diuision.
They haue the shewe of euill, (seing the Popishe priesthood is euill.)
When they were a signe and token of the Popishe priesthood, then* 1.1 were they euil, euen as the thing was, which they signified: but now they be the tokens & the signes of the ministers of the worde of God which are good, & therfore also they be good: no man in this Church of England is so ignorant, but that he knoweth this apparell not to be nowe the signes of a Massing Priest, but of a lawfull Minister: wherfore it is a shew of good: euen as it is in the like manner in the vniuersities a shewe and signe of degrees in learning, and therefore a shewe of good, excepte you will also condemne degrees of learning. Neither is it any straunge matter, for the selfe same thing in diuerse respects, and at diuerse times, to be the signe both of good and euill. The bels were a signe of euill, whē they were rung to cal to Masse, and to stay stormes and tempests, the selfe same bels are now a signe of good, when they be rung to Sermons and other godly actions. The Churches themselues were a signe of euil, whē Idolatrie was committed in them, & false doctrine preached: now they be a signe of good, when God is rightly worshipped in them: & his worde truely preached. Many such examples I could bring, but a reasonable mā can gather of these sufficiently to confute your error. Futhermore when we be willed to absteyne from all shewe of euill, it is ment of euill life, and euil doctrine, least we doe any thing with a scrupulous conscience.
M. Doctor proceedeth to proue that they are signes & shewes of good & not of euil, as ye authors of the Admonition alleage. To the proofe whereof, although (according to his manner) he repea∣teth diuerse things before alleaged, yet the summe of all he hathe comprehended in an argument, which is, that for so muche as the ministers are good which weare them, therefore they are also good: and bicause the ministers, whereof the apparell are notes, and markes, be good: therefore those be good notes and good markes: so the reason is, they are notes, and notes of good ministers, therefore they be good notes of the ministers. So I will proue the names of Idols to be fit and conuenient names for good men to be called by. Beltshaser, Saddrake, Misacke, and Abed-nego were names of Daniell and his three companions, and they were the names of good men, there∣fore they are good names of men. And so the names of the Babilonian Idols, are by this reason of M. Doctor iustified to be good names. Againe the golden calfe, was a signe. Also it was (*) 1.2 a signe of the true God: therefore it was a true signe of God. Concerning the notes of ciuill pro∣fessions, and what difference is betwene those and this cause, I haue spoken before.