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. 3. the. 73. Diuision.

Ansvvere to the Admonition. Pag. 75. Lin. 11. & Sect. 1.

Wherefore thus I conclude with the very wordes of that wor∣thy man, (who hathe so well deserued of this Churche of Eng∣lande) Master Foxe: In the ecclesiasticall estate vve take not avvay the distinction of ordinarie degrees, suche as by the Scripture be appoynted, or by the Primitiue Churche allovved, as Patriarkes or Archebishops, Bishops, ministers, and deacons, for of these foure vve especially reade as chief: in vvhich foure degrees as vvegraunt diuersitie of office, so vve admit in the same also diuersitie of dignitie: neyther denying that vvhich is due to eache degree, neyther yet maynteyning the ambition of any singular person. For as vve giue to the minister place aboue the Deacon, to the Bi∣shop aboue the minister, to the Archbishop aboue the Bishop, so vve see no cause of inequalitie, vvhy one minister should be aboue another mi∣nister, one Bishop in his degree aboue another Bishop to deale in his dioces: or an Archbishop aboue an other Archbishop: and this is to keepe an order duely and truely in the Church, according to the true nature and definitiō of order by the authoritie of Augustine, lib. de Ciui. Ordo est parium disparium{que} re∣rum sua cui{que} loca tribuens dispositio. Hitherto M. Foxe.

Nowe let the indifferent Reader iudge whether these offices be straunge and vnheard of in the Church of Christ, or no.

T. C. Pag. 90. Sect. vlt.

M. Doctor closeth vp this matter with M. Foxe, but eyther for feare that the place shoulde be founde, that there might be answere, or for feare that M. Foxe shoulde giue me the solution which hath giuen you the obiecion, he would neyther quote the place of the booke, nor the booke it selfe, he hauing written diuers. You can not speake so muche good of M. Foxe, whiche I wyll not wyllingly subscribe vnto: and if it be any declaration of good wyll, and of honor, that one bea∣reth to another, to reade that which he writeth, I thinke (*) I haue read more of him, than you. For I haue read ouer his booke of Martyrs, and so I think dyd neuer you: for if you had read so diligently in M. Foxe, as you haue beene hasty to snatche at this place, he woulde haue taughte you the forgery of these Epistles, whereout you fetche your authorities, and woulde haue shewed you that the distinguishing of the orders of Metropolitanes, Bishops, and other degrees, whiche you say sometimes had their beginnings in the Apostles tymes, sometimes you can not tell when, were not in Higinus tyme, whyche was. 180. yeares after Christe. I (a) perceyue you feare M. Foxe is an enimie vnto your Archbishop and primate, and therfore it seemeth you went about to corrupte him with his prayse, and to seeke to drawe him, if it were possible, vnt〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 the Archbishop, and if not, yet at the least that he would be no enimie, if he woulde not, nor coulde not be his friend. You make me suspect that your prayse is not harty, but pretended, bicause you doe so often and so bitterly speake agaynst all those that wyll not receyue the cappe, and surplesse, and other ceremo∣nies, whereof M. Foxe declareth his great misliking. For answere vnto the place, bicause I re∣member it not, nor meane not to reade ouer the whole booke to seeke it, I say first as I sayde be∣fore, that there may be somethyng before or after, whych may giue the solution to this plac〈1 line〉〈1 line〉, espe∣cially seeing M. Foxe in another place page. 96. prouing the Epistles of Stephanus to be coun∣terfeyt, he vseth this reason, because the fyft canon of the sayd Epistles, solemnly entreateth of the difference betweene, Primates, Metropolitanes, and Archbishops, which distinction (sayth he) of titles and degrees, sauour more of ambition than persecution. Moreouer I saye, that M. Foxe wryting a storie, dothe take greater payne, and looketh more diligently to declare what is done, and in what tyme, and by whome, than howe iustly or bniustly, howe conueniently or inconueni∣ently it is done. Last of all, if any thing be spoken there to the hinderance of the sinceritie of the Gospell, I am well assured that M. Foxe, whyche hathe traueled so muche and so profitably to that ende, will not haue hys authoritie or name therein to bryng any preiudice. Nowe wyll I also ioyne wyth you, and leaue it to the iudgemente of the indifferent Reader, howe well out of the

Scriptures, Councels, wryters olde and newe, you haue proued eyther the lawfulnesse at all of the names of Archbishops, Patriarkes, Archdeacons, Primates, or of the lawfulnesse of the office of them, and of Bishops which be in our times.

Io. Whitgifte.

If you had so diligently read M. Foxe his booke of Martyrs, as you boast and brag that you haue done, then could not this place haue béene so straunge vnto you, for it is in the, 20. page of his first tome, where he hath an whole treatise touching the su∣premacie of the Bishop of Rome, and speaketh of this matter at large. The words be his own, and expresse his owne iudgement of these degrées & offices in this Church of Englande. It had béene some token of modestie, so to haue commended your selfe, and your owne reading, that you had not depraued any other mans: But to cōmend your selfe, and to detract from an other, is eyther arrogant foolishnesse, or foolishs arro∣gancie. I can bring foorth good testimonies of my reading of these bookes, thoughe I make no vragge thereof, or vayne comparisons.

I haue alleaged none of these Epistles other wyse than M. Foxe him selfe hathe al∣leaged them.

M. Foxe hathe shewed him selfe (in the place by me cited out of his booke) to be no 〈◊〉〈◊〉 eyther to Archbishop, Priuate, or Bishop, for I am sure he speaketh as he thin∣keth. He is not a man like to be corrupted with prayse, and therefore in so saying, you doe vs bothe great iniurie.

You may not iudge my heart: I thinke of M. Foxe as of one that I loue and re∣uerence, I will not vtter all that I could, least I should séeme to flatter.

There is nothing that goeth eyther before that place, or followeth after it, that can procure any other sense to his wordes, than that in the which I haue set them down. I doe not alleage M. Foxe for the originall of these names and offices, but for the al∣lowance of them. These words that I haue recited are not spoken in the waye of any hystorie, but of the order of gouernment of this Church, which he alloweth, and I dare saye for him, that he hathe héereinspoken nothing, whiche he thinketh maye hurte the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Gospell. And I am right well content to let the godly Reader iudge of bothe our proofes.

Notes

• M. Foxe▪
• (*)

  I maruel 〈◊〉〈◊〉 place 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cape so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a r〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ader.
• Pag. 78. of the booke of Actes.
• (a)

  A suspicious head.