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. 174. Sect. 2.

Master Doctor vpon the. 5. leafe, cyteth M. Caluins authoritie to proue that the laying on of the handes vpon yong children, & the confirmation which is here vsed is good. In the which place, although he allow of a kinde of confirmation, yet he doth not commend〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 that which we haue. For he doth plainly reproue Ierome, for saying that it came from the Apostles, which notwithstanding the confirmation with vs doth affirme. Besides that there are other abuses which I haue noted there, which M. Caluin doth not by any worde allow. He alloweth indeede of a putting on of handes of the children, when they come out of their childehoode, or begin to be yong men, but as well as he doth allow of it, he was one of those which did thrust it out of the Chuch where he was Pastor. And (*) 1.1 so he alloweth of it, that he bringeth (in the sixt Section of the same Chapter) a strong reason to abolish it. Where he asketh what the imposition of handes shoulde do now, seeing that the giftes of the holy Ghost by that ceremonie is ceased. Therefore seeing that we haue M. Caluins reason agaynst this imposition of handes, his name ought not to be preiudiciall vnto vs: especially seeing that we haue experience of great inconuemences which come by it, which maister Caluin could not haue, that thing being not in vse in that Church where he liued. Which inconue∣nience in things which are not necessarie, ought to be a iust cause of abolishing of them: And this is not my indgement onely, but the iudgement of the Churches of Heluetia, Berne, Tigurine, Ge∣neua, Scotlande, and diuers others as appeareth in the. 19. Chap. of their confession.

Io. Whitgifte.* 1.2

Here you would shift of M. Caluins authoritie if you knew how: but béeing ouer∣pressed with his manifest wordes, you flie to your common & vsual refuge, that is,

to discredite the Authour, by charging him with contrarieties in this matter: for you confesse that he alloweth a kind of confimation: you say also that he alloweth in deed of a put∣ting on of handes of the children, when they come out of their childhoode or begin to be yong men: and againe you affirme: that he was one of those, that did thrust it oute of the Churche where he was Pastor: and that he bringeth in the 6. Section of the same Chapter a strong reason to abolish it. Thus you set Master Caluine against himselfe, and that in the same* 1.3 Chapter, which cannot but turne to his great discredite, if it were true: but you greatly abuse both the Reader and him: for in the. 4. section which I haue alledged, he speaketh of that maner of confirmation & imposition of handes which was vsed in the olde Church, and the same that is nowe vsed in the Church of Englande, which he alloweth and wisheth restored: In the fifth and sixth sections he speaketh of the maner and forme of confirmation, and laying on of handes vsed by the Papists, and disproueth that: as his owne wordes, (which I haue for that purpose more at large set downe) do plainly declare: for in the fourth Section of the. 19. Chapter thus hee wryteth. This was the maner in tymes past, that the children of Christians shoulde bee* 1.4 set before the Bishop, after they were come to yeares of discretion, that they might per∣forme that, which was required of them, that being of age did offer themselues to baptisme. For these sat among the Catechumeni, vntill (being rightly instructed in the mysteries of fayth) they were able to vtter a confession of their fayth, before the Bishop and the peo∣ple. The insants therefore that were baptised, bicause then they made no confession of* 1.5 fayth in the Church: at the ende of their childehoode, or in the beginning of their youth, they were againe presented of their parents, and were examined of the Bishop, according to a certaine and common forme of a Catechisme. And to the intent that this action (which otherwise ought of right to be graue and holy) might haue the greater reuerence and esti∣mation, there was added also the ceremonie of laying on of handes, so the childe was dis∣missed, his fayth being approued with a solemne blessing. The auncient fathers make often mention of this order. Pope Leo, If any man returne from heretikes, let him not againe be baptised, but let the vertue of the spirite (which was wanting) be giuen vnto him by the laying on of the Bishops handes. Here our aduersaries will crie, that it is rightly called a Sacrament, wherein the holy Ghost is giuen. But Leo himselfe doth in another place ex∣pounde what he meaneth by those wordes: He that is baptised (sayth he) of heretikes, let him not be rebaptised, but let him be cōfirmed, with the inuocation of the holy Ghost, by the im∣position of handes: bicause he receyued only the forme of baptisme without sanctification. Hierome also maketh mention hereof, contra Luciferianos. Although I doe not denie, that Herome is somwhat herein deceyued, that he sayth that it is an Apostolicall obseruation: yet is he most farre from these mens follies. And he mittigateth it when he sayth that this bles∣sing was graunted only to the Bishop, rather for the honour of priesthood, than by the ne∣cessitie of the law. VVherefore such an imposition of handes which is simply in stead of a blessing, I commend, and would wish it were at these dayes restored to the pure vse.

These words be euident, & declare a maner of confirmation correspondent to ours.

In the fifth Section he wryteth thus. But the latter age haue brought in a counter∣fey〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e* 1.6 confirmation in stead of a Sacrament of God, the thing it selfe beeing almost quite blotted out. They feyne this to be the vertue of confirmation, to giue the holy Ghost vnto the encrease of grace, whiche was giuen in baptisme to innocencie of lyfe, to con∣firme them vnto battail, which in baptisme were regenerated vnto life. This confirmation is wrought with annointing, and this forme of wordes: I signe the with the signe of the holy Ghost, and I confirme thee with the oyntment of saluation, in the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the holy ghost. &c. And in confuting this maner of confirmation, and imposition of handes, he procéedeth on in this fifth Section, & in the sixth Section. Wherefore Master Caluine is not contrarie to himselfe, neyther disalloweth that kinde of confirmation and imposition of handes in the sixth Section, which he allow∣eth in the fourth. But in the one he approueth the maner of the auncient and purer Church touching confirmation: in the other he disproueth the vse & doctrine of the pa∣pistical church, cōcerning the same. This might you haue sene, if you had bin disposed: but you care not whom you discredit so that you may winne credit to your selfe.

The confession of the Churches of Heluetia, Berne, &c. speake only of the Popishe* 1.7 confirmation, which the Papists make one of their seuen Sacraments, as it is mani∣fest by the wordes of the confession which be these. Confirmation and extreame vnction or anealing, are the inuentiōs of man, which the church may wante without any dammage: Neither vse we them in our churches, for they haue some things which we can not allowe. Nowe to vse that against Confirmation, reformed & purged from these things which they mislike, which is spoken of the Popishe confirmation with all the abuses, can it be (thinke you) the parte of an honest, and playne dealing man?

Notes

• (*) 1.1

  He re you make M. Caluine contrarie to him selfe, but vn∣truly.
• * 1.2

  The common refuge of the Replier is to discredite the Authour.
• * 1.3

  Caluin vn∣truely char∣ged with con∣trariety by the Replyer.
• * 1.4

  Caluin inst. cap. 9 sect. 4.
• * 1.5

  A kind of con∣〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 de∣scribed by Caluin, not disagreeing from ours.
• * 1.6

  The abuse of confirmation in the popish Church.
• * 1.7

  The Repl〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 viech that a∣gainst our confirmation which is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Pa∣pistes. Confess. Hel∣uet. cap. 19.