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. 2. the. 10. Diuision.

Admonition.

They should first proue that holy dayes ascribed to Sayncts, prescript seruices for them, &c. are agreeable to the written worde of the Almightie.

Ansvvere to the Admonition. Pag. 153. Sect. 4. & Pag. 154. Sect. 1.

Holy dayes ascribed to Sainctes, wherein not the Sainctes, but God is honoured, and the people edified, by reading and hearing suche sto∣ries and places of Scripture, as perteyne to the martyrdome, cal∣ling▪ and function of such Sainctes, or any other thing mentioned of them in Scripture, must needes be according to Gods worde. For to honor God, to worship him, to be edified by the stories and exam∣ples of Sainctes out of the Scripture, cannot be but consonant to the Scripture. The prescript secuice for them is all taken out of Gods worde, and not one peece thereof, but it is moste consonant

vnto the same. If ther be any that is repugnant, set it down, that we may vnderstande it.

I tolde you before, that touching the dayes and times and other Ceremonies, the churche hath authoritie to determine what is most cōuenient, as it hath done from time to time. S. August. in his epistle* 1.1 ad Ian. in y^e place before of me recited saithe, that the passion of Christe, his resurrectiō, his ascētion, & the day of the cōming of the holy ghost (which we cōmonly call Whitsontide) is celebrated, not by any cōmaundement written, but by the determination of the church. And it is the iudgement of al learned writers, that the church hath authoritie in these things so that nothing be done against the word of God. But of this I haue spoken partly before, and intende to speake more largely thereof in the place folowing, where you agayn make mention of it.

Admonition.

In this booke days are ascribed vnto saincts, & kept holie with fastes on their euens, & prescript seruice appointed for them, which beside that, they are of many superstitiously kepte and obserued, and also contrarie to the commaundement(z) 1.2 of God, Six days thou shalt labour: and therfore we for the superstition that is put in them, dare not subscribe to allow them.

Answer to the Admo. pag 173. sect. 2. &. pa. 174. 175. &. pa. 176. sect. 1. 2.

Your collection hāgeth not together, for how foloweth this: these holidays be superstitiously obserued of some, therfore you may not al∣low thē? why should other mēs superstition hinder you from lawfully vsing a lawful thing? The saboth day is superstitiously vsed of some:* 1.3 so is y^e church, so is y^e crede, & the Lords praier, & many things else, and yet I hope you wil subscribe to thē. You heap vp a nūber of places in the margent to proue y^t which no mā doubteth of, y^t is, this portion of the comandemēt, Six days shalt thou labour. &c. the meaning of which words is this, that seing God hath permitted vnto vs six days to do our own works in, we ought the seuenth day wholly to serue him.

Euery mā hath not bodily labour to do, but may serue God aswell in these six dayes, as in the seuenth. And certainly he doth not by any meanes breake this cōmaundement, which absteineth in any of these six days from bodily labour to serue god▪ For this is the cōmandemēt, Remember that thou kepe holy the Sabboth day: as for this (Six days thou shalt work) is no cōmandement, but tendeth rather to the constitution of the Saboth, thā to the prohibiting of rest in any other day appoin∣ted to the seruice of God: And it is asmuch as if he should say: Sixe days thou mayst worke: & so do some translate the Hebrewe worde.

The place alleaged out of the first of Esay is far from the purpose, ther is not one word there spokē of any holy days dedicate to saints, but only the Lord signifieth, that their sacrifices & feast days wer not acceptable vnto him, bicause they were done in hypocrisie, & without* 1.4 fayth: so that he reproueth modum, not factum, their maner of sacrifi∣cing (that is) their hypocriticall kynde of worshipping him.

In the seconde of Esdras. 1. in the place by you quoted. I see not one worde that may serue for your purpose, the wordes you quote be these: I haue led you through the sea, and haue giuen you a sure way* 1.5 since the beginning, I gaue you Moses for a guide, and Aaron for a Priest.

In the. 14. to the Ro. the apostle speaketh nothing of our holydays, but of suche as were obserued among the Iewes, and abrogated by the commyng of Chryste. And yet in that place the Apostle ex∣horteth, that wee whyche bee strong, should not despyse them that are weake, nor condemne them, though they vse not the christian li∣bertie in dayes and meates.

That in the fourth to the Galat. Ye obserue dayes, moneths, and tymes, and yeares. &c. Sainct Augustine ad Ianuar. Episto. 119. expoundeth* 1.6 on this sorte. Eos inculpat qui dicunt non proficiscar, quia posterus dies est, aut quia luna sic fertur, vel proficiscar vt prospera cedant, quia ita se habet positio syderum, non agam hoc mense commertium, quia illa stella mihi agit mensem, vel agam quia suscepit mensem. I know there be other that do otherwise expounde that place (and that tru∣ly) euen as they doe also that in the. 14. to the Rom. of certain Iewish feastes, as Sabboths, newe Moones, the feastes of Tabernacles, the yeare of Iubilie, and such like abrogated by the gospell, and yet superstitiously obserued of some. But these places cā by no means be vnderstode of the days obserued by vs, & called▪ by the names of sain∣tes dayes, for they were ordeined since the writing of this epistle.

And that you may vnderstād the differēce betwixt the festiual days* 1.7 obserued of the Papists, & the days allowed now in this Churche: it is to be considered,

• First, that their Saints days were appointed for the honoring and worshipping of the Saints, by whose names they were called: oures be ordeined for the honoring of God, for publike prayer, and edifying the people by readyng the Scriptures, and preachyng.
• 2 The Papistes in their Saincts dayes prayed vnto the Sainc∣tes: we only pray vnto God in Christes name.
• 3 They had all things done in a strange tong without any edify∣ing at all: we haue the prayers and the Scriptures red in a tongue known, which can not be without great commoditie to the hearers.
• 4 To be shorte, they in obseruing their dayes, thinke they merite therby something at Gods handes: We in obseruing our days, are taught farre otherwyse.

The Church euen from the beginning hath obserued such feastes, as it may appeare in good writers.

Pag. 179 Sect. 1.

Touching fastyng on the euens of suche feastes, or rather abstey∣ning from fleshe, you know it is not for religion, but for policie, and as I thinke, the same is protested in that Act, where suche kynde of absteyning is established: And therfore these be but slender quarels picked to disalowe suche a booke.

Io. Whitgifte.

All this haue you ouerskipped: for what cause, you know best your selfe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Augustine.
• (z) 1.2

  Exo. 20. 9. Exo. 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉3. 12. Deu. 5. 13. Esa. 1. 10. 13 14. Leuit. 23. 3. 2. Esd. 1. 13. Rom. 14. 6 Ga. 4. 10. 11
• * 1.3

  Abuse of thin ges doth not condemne the things.
• * 1.4

  Esay cōdem∣neth the ma∣ner of sacrifi∣cing.
• * 1.5

  Uaine quo∣tation.
• * 1.6

  Augustine.
• * 1.7

  Difference betwixte the Papists holi∣days & ours.