Chap. 5. the. 3. Diuision.
Now I returne to the example of Sephora, and say that the vnlawfulnesse of that facte doth appeare sufficiently, in that she did it, (*) 1.1 before hir husbande Moses, which was a Prophete of the Lorde, and (a) 1.2 to whome that office of circumcision did appertayne: so that vnlesse M. Do∣ctor would haue midwiues baptise in the presence of the Bishop, or the minister, there is no cause why he shoulde alleage this place, besides that she did cut of the fore skinne of the Infante not of minde to obey the commaundement of God, or for the saluation of the chylde, but in a choler one∣ly, to the ende that hir husbande might be eased, and haue release: which minde appeareth in hir, both by hir woordes, and by casting away in anger, the foreskinne which she had cut of. And if it be sayde, that the euent declared that the acte pleased God, bycause that Moses forthwith waxed better and was recouered of his sickenesse, I haue shewed before, how if we measure things by the euent, we shall oftentymes iustifie the wicked, and take the rightuousnesse of the rightuous from them.
In the. 170. Page of your booke, you say that God toke the Priesthode from Moses,* 1.3 and gaue it to Aaron, and nowe you séeme to affirme the contrarie in saying, that Mo∣ses was a Prophete of the Lorde, to whome that office of circumcision did apperteyne, for here∣by you do insinuate that Moses was a Prieste. Moreouer, Moses at this tyme was extréemely sicke, and therefore could not execute that office himselfe? And in the Ge∣neua Bible, there is this note: that it was extraordinarie, for Moses was sore sicke, and God euen then required it. Sephora therefore did circumcise in a poynt of extremitie* 1.4 and not wilfully or of purpose: & that circumcision was a true circumcision, though it were not done ordinarily: euen so Baptisme is true Baptisme, though it be some∣times ministred by such, as be not ordinarie ministers.
The euent doth oftentimes declare the thing, Exitus acta probat, though not ne∣cessarily: but this is certayne that these euentes are better reasons to iustifie the fact, than you can she we any out of that place to the contrarie.