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. 146. Sect. 3.

As touching the election, & consequently y^e throwing out, it hath bene shewed before, that together with the church, the Eldership hath the principal swaye. For y^e decision of controuersies when they rise, it may apeare in the. 15. of the Actes, y^t the Presbyterie or Eldership of the church hath to deter∣mine of that also. Now it remaineth here, that wheras M. Doctor saith, that the excommunication and consequently the absolution or restoring to the church again, doth perteme only to the minister. y^e I shew that the presbyterie or eldership, & the whole church also, hath interest in the excommunica∣tion, & consequently in the absolution or restoring vnto the church. But here by the waye it is to be (*) 1.1 noted, that in saying that it belongeth to y^e minister, he confesseth y^e disorder in our church, wherin this power is taken away from the minister and giuen to the Byshop and his officers.

Io. Whitgifte.

Of Election of ministers, & so of their reiection, & throwing out, sufficient hath bin spo∣ken* 1.2 before, & your manner of electing by better reasons confuted, than it was by you proued: for the decisions of controuersies when they arise, it may appeare in the. 15. of y^e Acts, that the best way is to call Synodes & Councels of learned mē, as it was there practi∣sed, & not to cōmit such matters to the pastor of euery seuerall parish, & certaine of his neighbours whom you call the Seigniorie: for if it had bin so, what néeded Paule and Barnabas haue takē so long a iourney frō Antioche to Ierusalē for y^e deciding of their cōtrouersies, séeing y^t they & the Seigniorie (if there had bin any such) might haue en∣ded the same at home in Antioche? This place vndoubtedly ouerthroweth your Seig∣niorie, except now you wil take it (as it is in ecclesiastical writers oftētimes takē) for a Synode or cōuocatiō of bishops & priests: so y^e not your Seigniorie which is in euery parishe, but general or prouincial Coūcels & Synodes must haue y^e deciding of cōtro∣uersies: else as I sayd before, why should Paule and Barnabas come from Antioche to Ierusalem to haue their controuersies determined?

Your note by the way, is not worth a rushe, for when I say y^t the execution of disci∣pline

is onely committed to the ministers of the word, you cannot therevpon cōclude, that euery minister hath authoritie to exercise it in the church. It is one thing to saye, only ministers haue authoritie to excōmunicate, & to saye that all ministers haue au∣thoritie so to do: only ministers may be Bishops, & yet all ministers be not Bishops: only Lawyers may be Iudges, & yet all Lawyers be not Iudges: only citezens may be Aldermen, Sherifes, & Maiors, & yet all be not so: wherfore by the waye here you ouersot your selfe. And yet I thinke that all ministers haue power to excommuni∣cate, if the Church thinke it good, to committe that authoritie vnto them.

Notes

• (*) 1.1

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 not worthy the no∣ting.
• * 1.2

  Tract. 3.