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.

Chap. 1. the. 7. Diuision.

T. C. Pag. 62. Sect. 3.

First of all the ministerie is by the word of God, and heauenly, and not left to the wil of men to* 1.1 deuise at their pleasure, as appereth by that whych is noted of S. Iohn, where the * 1.2 Phariseys cō ming to S. Iohn Baptist, after he had denyed to be eyther Chryst or Elias, or an other prophet * 1.3 conclude if thou be neither Christ, nor Elias, nor of y^e Prophets, why baptizest thou? whych had ben no good argument if S. Iohn might haue ben of some other function thā of those which were ordinarie in the churche, and instituted of God. And therfore S. Iohn to establish his singular and extraordinarie function, alledgeth the worde of God, whereby appeareth, that as it was not lawfull to bring in any strange doctrine, so it was not lawfull to teach the true doctrine vnder the name of any other function, than was instituted by God.

Io. Whitgifte.

This is your fyrst argument, the Phariseys comming to S. Iohn Baptist, after he had denyed to be eyther Christ or Elias, or an other Prophet, conclude, if thou be neyther Chryste

nor Elias, nor of the Prophets, why baptizest thou? Ergo, there may be no Archbishops, which is your meaning. But least you shoulde thinke that I cauill, I will vse your owne conclusion, which is this, Ergo there was no other ordinarie function in the Churche. This argument hath neyther head nor foote, forme nor matter: is this your exqui∣sitenesse* 1.4 in Logike? First your antecedent is vntrue, and builded vpon the false al∣legation of the Scripture. For the Phariseys doe not say vnto him: If thou bee ney∣ther Christ, nor Elias, nor of the Prophets, but these be the wordes of the text, If thou bee not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet, now there is a great difference betwixt these two kynde of speaches, if thou be not of the Prophets, and if thou be not the Prophet. For the first signifieth that they should aske him, whether he were any of the Prophets, the other whether he were that prophet whom they looked for to be suche a one as Moyses was, according to that which is written Deut. 18. vers. 15. for else Iohn wold* 1.5 not haue denied himself to haue bin a Prophet, seeing that Christ sayth he was one, Math. 11. Moreouer they aske him not of those ordinarie functions that were then in* 1.6 the Church, but of such extraordinarie persons as they looked for to come, as Christ, Elias, or that prophete. Thirdly, they did not recite all the ordinarie functions, as Leuite and Priest, whiche were then most ordinarie and almost only at that tyme: so that your reason hath neyther forme, nor truth in it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Scriptures wil∣lingly falsified▪ to make them serue his turne.
• * 1.2

  The Phariseys made false argu∣ments, and so do you in fo〈1 line〉〈1 line〉owing them.
• * 1.3

  The Phariseys made false argu∣ments, and so do you in fo〈1 line〉〈1 line〉owing them.
• * 1.4

  The disorde∣red argument of y^e Replier.
• * 1.5

  Deut. 18.
• * 1.6

  Math. 11▪