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.

T. C. Pag. 81. Sect. 2. 3.

Let vs therfore come first to examine Ieromes reasons, why one must be ouer the rest, for in the testimonie of men that is onely to be regarded which is spoken either with some authoritie of the scripture, or with some reason grounded of the scripture: otherwise, if he speak without either scrip∣ture or reason, he is as 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉asily reiected as alleaged. One (sayth he) being chosen to be ouer the rest, bringeth remedie vnto schismes: how so? least euery man (sayth he) drawing to himselfe do breake the Church in pieces.

But I would aske if the Church be not in as great daunger(*) 1.1 when all is done at the pleasure and iust of one man, and when one carieth all into error, as when one pulleth one piece with him, an other another piece, & the third his part also with him. And it is(a) 1.2 harder to draw many into an er∣ror, than one, or that many should be caried away by their affections, than one, which is euident(b) 1.3 in water, which if it be but a little, it is quickly troubled and corrupted, but beeing much, it is not so easily. But by this ecclesiasticall Monarchie, all things are kept in peace: Nay, rather it hath bene the(c) 1.4 cause of discorde, and well spring of most horrible schisme, as it is to be seene in the very de∣cretals* 1.5 themselues.(d) 1.6 And admit it were so, yet the peace which is without truth, is more exe∣crable than a thousande contentions. For as by stryking of two flintes togither, there commeth out fyre, so it may be, that sometymes by contention, the truth which is hidden in a darke peace maye come to light, which by a peace in naughtinesse and wickednesse being as it were buryed vnder the ground, doth not appeare.

Io. Whitgifte.

Ierome being a man of such singular learning, and great credite among those that be learned, in a matter of Hystorie as this (for hée reporteth when one Byshop was* 1.7 placed ouer the rest, and for what cause) is more to be beléeued withoute reasons, than you with all your popular and friuolous arguments. Let the reader againe consider whether this be your maner or no, by vaine reasons to shake the credite of the au∣thour, when you cannot otherwise answere.

The reasons that you vse for the popular or Aristocraticall gouernment of the Church, when they come among the people, will be easily transferred to the state of the common weale, and peraduenture bréede that misliking of ciuill gouernment, that you would now haue of Ecclesiasticall, to a further inconuenience and mischiefe, than you and all yours will be able to remedie. In the meane time you vtterly ouerthrow* 1.8 the Quéenes authoritie in Ecclesiasticall matters, giuen vnto hir by the lawes of God, as hereafter shall be proued. For if the state must eyther be popular or Aristo∣craticall, then must there be no one supreme gouerner in Church matters, but I wil come to your reasons.

First you aske whether the Churche be not in as great daunger when all is done at the pleasure and lust of one man, and when one carieth all into errour. &c. Here you do eyther ig∣norantly* 1.9 or wilfully confounde Monarchiam with tyrannie. For betwixt a king and a tyrant, this is one difference, that a king ruleth according to the lawes that are pre∣scribed for him to rule by, and according to equitie and reason: a tyrant doth what him list, followeth his owne affections, contemneth lawes, and sayth, Sic volo, sic iubeo, stat pro ratione voluntas. So I will, so I commaund, my pleasure standeth for reason. Now there∣fore to vse those reasons to ouerthrow a lawful Monarchie, which are onely proper to wicked tyrannie, is eyther closely to accuse the gouernment of this Church of England of tyrannie, or maliciously by subtile dealing, and confounding of states, to procure the* 1.10 misliking of the same in the hearts of the subiects. There is neyther Prince nor Pre∣late in this land that ruleth after their pleasure and lust, but according to those lawes and orders that are appointed by the common consent of the whole realme in Parlia∣ment, and by such lawes of this Monarchie as neuer hitherto any good subiect hath mislyked: and therefore your grounde being false: how can the rest of your building stand? It hath bene sayd before that the Archbishop hath not this absolute authoritie, giuen vnto him, to doe all things alone, or as him lust. He is by lawe prescribed both what to doe, and howe to procéede in his dooings. Moreouer this Churche of Englande (Gods name bée praysed therefore) hath all poyntes of necessarie

doctrine certainly determined, Ceremonies and orders e〈1 line〉〈1 line〉presly prescribed, from the whiche neyther Archbyshoppe nor Byshoppe maye swarue, and according to the whiche, they must bée directed, to the obseruing of the whiche also, their dutie is to constreyne all those that 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ée vnder them. So that whosoeuer shall wilfully and s〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ubburnely seuer himselfe from obedience, eyther to Archbyshoppe or Bishoppe in suche matters, may iustly be called a Schismatike, or a disturber of the Church. And in this respect is that saying of Cyprian nowe most true: For neyther doo Heresyes* 1.11 aryse, nor Schismes spring of any other thing, but hereof, that the Priest of God is not obeyed. And so is this of Ieromes in like maner. Ecclesiae salus in summi Sacerdotis pen∣det* 1.12 dignitate, cui si non exors & ab omnibus eminens detur potestas, tot in Ecclesia efficiuntur schismata, quot sacerdotes. The safetie of the Churche dependeth vppon the dignitie of the highe Priest, to whom vnlesse a singuler and peerelesse power be giuen, there will be, as manie schismes in the Church, as there be Priests.

You say that it is harder to draw many into an error than one, &c. whiche is not true,* 1.13 when that one ruleth and gouerneth by lawe. For the minde of man euen of the best may be ouerruled by affection, but so cannot the lawe. Wherefore a wicked man directed by lawe gouerneth more indifferently, than multitudes withoute lawe, bée they neuer so godly. Moreouer one Godly, wise, and learned man is muche more hardly moued to any errour, than is the multitude, whiche naturally is prone and bent to the same: in whome not onely Philosophers, but singular Di∣uines also haue noted great inconstancie and a disposition moste vnméet〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 to go∣uerne.* 1.14

Your similitude of water holdeth not: for a little water in a grauelly or stonie Well or Ryuer is not so soone troubled and corrupted, as are multitudes of waters in Fennishe and Marrishe groundes. Againe, a little water in a running Ryuer or Fourde is at all tymes more pure and cleare, than is a great quantitie in standing Puddelles: to bée short, is not the water of those little springs, and Cundite heades, (which béeing safely locked vp, and inclosed in stone and Leade, do minister greate reléefe to whole Cities) muche more pleasaunt, hardlyer corrupted, lesse troubled, than the great waters in the Thames. Therefore is a little water procéeding from a good Fountaine, by stones and Leade kept from things that may hurt it, hardlier putrifyed and corrupted, than all the Fennishe waters in a whole Countrey, than mightie Pooles, yea than the Thames it selfe. So is one wise and prudent man go∣uerned and directed by order and by lawe, further from corruption and errour in gouernement, than whole multitudes of people, of what sorte soeuer they bée.

You further say, that this Ecclesiasticall monarchie hath beene the cause of discorde, &c. I aunswere, that it hath béene the cause of the contrarie, vntill suche tyme as it was turned into tyrannie, as by all Ecclesiasticall storyes and wryters it may appeare, and namely by these two, Cyprian and Ierome.

In all that decretall part. 2. c. 9. quaest. 3. noted in your Margent: there is no∣thing* 1.15 agaynste any forme of gouernment vsed by the Archbyshoppe in this Churche of Englande, but in plaine and manifest wordes bothe the name and office of the Archebishoppe is there mainteyned and approoued. And I wishe that the learned Reader woulde peruse ouer all that parte of Gratian, then shoulde he easily perceyue your faythfulnesse in alledging Authorities. And thoughe it be somewhat tedious, yet that the vnlearned also may haue some taste of your dealing, I will sette downe some Canons conteyned in that parte of Gratian. Out of the Councell of Pope Mar∣tine hée cyteth this Canon. Per singulas prouincias oportet Episcopos cognoscere. &c. In euerie Prouince the Bishoppes must knowe theyr Metropolitane to haue the cheefe au∣thoritie, and that they ought to doe nothing withoute him, according to the olde and auncient Canons of oure forefathers, for the whiche cause also the Metropolitane muste take vppon him nothing presumptuously without the councell of other Bishoppes. And out of the councell of Antioch, he hath this. Per singulas prouincias Episcopos singulos scire oportet, &c. In euery prouince the Bishops must know their Metropolitane which go∣uerneth,

to haue the chiefe care of the whole prouince: and therefore those that haue any causes must resort to the Metropolitane citie. &c. In all the rest of the Canons he ma∣nifestly attributeth superioritie and gouernment to the Archbishop and Metropoli∣tane, euen the same that we do in this Church, only he denieth that the Metropolitane or Archbyshop hath such absolute authoritie, that he can deale any thing in criminall causes agaynst a Byshop, or in other common matters without the consent of other Bishops, which is not agaynst any thing by me affirmed, or contrary to any authori∣tie claymed by the Archbishop, for it hath bene from the beginning denied that the Archbishop of his own absolute authoritie can determine any thing in matters doubt∣full, and not determined by the lawes and orders of this Churche, to the which the whole realme hath consented.* 1.16

The. 33. Canon of the Apostles quoted in the margent is this: Episcopos singularum gentium scire conuenit quis inter eos primus babeatur, quem velut existiment. &c. It behoueth the Bishops of euery prouince to know who is chiefe among thē, whom they must esteeme as their head, and do nothing without his knowledge, saue such things only as pertayne to their owne parish and villages, which are vnder it, neyther shall he do any thing without the knowledge of all. For so shall vnitie be kept and God shall be glorified through Christe in the holy Ghost. What haue you gotten by this Canon? you see here manifestly that in euery prouince or nation there must be one chiefe Bishop, that is Archbishop, to whom the rest muste submitte themselues, and do nothing without his knowledge. This is asmuch as I require: And if this Canon was made by the Apostles (wherof you seeme not to doubte) then is the name and authoritie of an Archbishop, of greater antiquitie than you would gladly haue it, and the reason and saying of S. Ierome most true.

Both of this Canon, and of the Canon of the councell of Antioch confirming it, I haue spoken before. Your Passim in the margent, if it be meant of such like plac〈1 line〉〈1 line〉s as this, I graunt it: but if of any other popular or Aristocraticall state and kinde of gouernment, or to the improuing of the office and authoritie of an Archbishop, it will fall out to be nusquam. You say, that it appeareth in the decretalls themselues that this kinde of gouernment hath bene the wellspryng of most horrible schisme. Shew one place: why are you not ashamed to vtter manifest vntruthes? Shew one sentence there tending to that ende. I haue recited some Canons out of that place, and I haue shewed the en∣tent of Gratian both in them, and in the rest. They all signifie that an Archbyshop may not do any thing of his owne authoritie without the consent of the other By∣shops, which no man denieth, and this is the whole scope of that question.

Our peace is in truth and due obedience, we haue the true doctrine of the worde of God: and the right administration of the Sacramentes: and therefore to make contention in this Church, and to disturbe the quietnes and peate, cannot be but mere schismaticall, I will say no worse. Zuinglius in his Ecclesiastes sayth, that the Ana∣baptistes went aboute to defende their contentions then, after the same manner that you do yours nowe. But I answere you as he answered them: your contention is not agaynst Infidels, Papists, and such like: but agaynst the faythfull, agaynst the true professors of the Gospell, and in the Church of Christe, and therefore as it is of it selfe wicked, so is it the cause of contempt, disobedience, and much other vngodlinesse. And the two flintstones may be in such time and place striken togither, that the sparkes of fire which commeth from them, may consume and burne the whole citie and coun∣trie too. And surely he is but a mad man that will smite fire to light a candle to sée by at noone day, when the sunne shineth most clearely.

Notes

• (*) 1.1

  Here you cō∣found a monar∣chie, and a ty∣rannie.
• (a) 1.2

  Not so, if tha〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 one do gouerne by lawe.
• (b) 1.3

  Your simili∣tudes hold not.
• (c) 1.4

  Vntruth.
• * 1.5

  Decret. par. 2. c. 9. q. 3. & can. Apost. 33. &. alibi passim.
• (d) 1.6

  A good 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉∣tor for conten∣tio〈1 line〉〈1 line〉.
• * 1.7

  T. C. descre∣dueth the au∣thor whom he cannot an∣swe〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e.
• * 1.8

  T. C. ouer∣〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ec∣clesiasti〈1 line〉〈1 line〉all.
• * 1.9

  Difference betwixt a king and a tyrant.
• * 1.10

  The ecclesi∣asticall go∣uernment in this Church not tyrannicall but lawfull.
• * 1.11

  Li〈1 line〉〈1 line〉. Epist. 3.
• * 1.12

  Contra Luci∣scrianos.
• * 1.13

  The gouern∣ment of one by lawe, more safe than of many with∣out lawe.
• * 1.14

  The s〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ili∣tude of water returned a∣gaynst the Replier.
• * 1.15

  The places c〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ed by T. C maketh for the Archbishop.
• * 1.16

  Can. apost. 33.