And although to some one action there concurre diuers things, which partly are not to be fo∣lowed at all, partly are indifferent to be followed or not followed, yet neyther the vnlawfulnesse of the one to be followed, nor the indifferencie of the other can hinder, but there are some other things in the same action necessarie to be followed, whyche maye be consydered bothe of the place of the Actes, touchyng the election, where I haue (a) 1.1 proued some thyngs there mentioned to be ne∣cessarie to be doone in elections, although other some be not conuenient nor fit for vs to followe. And I haue shewed it also by M. Caluine, whiche M. Doctor allcadgeth for himselfe, and by Cyprian (b) 1.2 whose authoritie he woulde be loth to reiecte I am sure, least he shoulde lose the o∣pinion of his studiousnesse of the olde writers, which he hunteth so diligently after in this booke, & wherof he maketh the authors of the Admonitiō so great contemners. And it is not hard to shew the same in twentie places more, as in the tenth of S. Math. and S. Luke, where as there are di∣uers things not to be followed of the ministers now, other things indifferent to be followed, so are there also other things that be as well commaunded to all the ministers that nowe are, as they were then eyther to the. 12. or. 70. disciples.
And of those circumstances wherof there is no comm̄aundement, howe proue you whiche be indifferent, whych be vnlawful or not conueniēt to be followed, which necessary? why is it not as necessarie by this example of Iohn, that they shoulde be baptized in Ioroane, or that they shoulde confesse their synnes, before they be baptized, as it is that they shoulde bée publikely baptised? If you take vppon you to inter∣prete without authoritie and grounde ofscripture, it is méete that you should shew verie good and substanciall reason. I demaunde the lyke touching the places allead∣ged out of the Acts, where you reteyn what you list, refuse what you list, alter as you list, as though you were lorde ouer the Scripture, and had omnia iura tam diuina quàm humana in scrinio pectoris, all lawes as wel diuine as humane in the coffer of your breast, lyke to the Pope. But to these places of the Actes I haue answered in their due place. Your s〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ffes make not your cause one whit the better.
Of twentie places you recite not one: And of diuers things some indifferent, some not to be followed, other some comaunded to all ministers spoken to the twelue or scuentie disciples in the. 10. of Matthew and Luke you name none: speaking without ground or reason is but pratling. I knowe that in one action there be diuers circumstances, of diuers con∣ditions and natures, but if any of them be necessarie at all tymes to be obseiued, the* 1.3 same is conteyned in some commaundement in the Scriptures, and therfore well sayth Zuinglius that an argument à facto ad ius, is then strong, when as we are able to shewe, that that whiche is doone, is done according to some rule or commaunde∣ment. Now if you can shew me either rule or commaundement in scripture, that vppon no occasion we may preache or baptise in priuate families, I yelde vnto you.* 1.4 But if you can not this doe, your examples proue what was then done, and what in the lyke cause may be doone nowe, but they make not any generall and perpe∣tuall rule.
Nowe touchyng these and suche lyke circumstances in my opinion, M, Zuinglius in his booke de baptismo, maketh a full resolution, which may satisfye any reasonable* 1.5 man. His wordes be these: There is here three errours about circumstances, that is, the elementes of the worlde. The first is of the tyme, for they thoughte that baptisme was not rightly administred, except it were in the fyrst day: for the tyme is of no greate weight, so