The Epistle of T. C. Sect. 5. 6. 7.
Amongst the offences taken by occasiō of those, which preferre the doctrine, this is the cheefest, that comparison being made betwixt those excellent mē, both in vertue and learning, which suffered for the testimonie of the truth, and betwene vs, of the one side: Also betwene the Archbyshops, By∣shops, Deanes, and Archdeacons, which now are, and vs on the other side: it seemeth vnto many that it is not like to be good, which was not found out by those excellent personages, and which be∣ing now propounded, by men of no great shew, is eyther misliked, or at the least, by no open approba∣tion allowed, of those which carrie greater countenaunces, and be in greater dignities.
Unto the first, although answer is made more at large, in this booke, yet I will adde thus much, that as for my part, I coufesse my selfe, to be a great deale inferioure vnto the least of them: so the omitting of these necessarie things, ought to be no more preiudice against them, or against those that pret̄erre them, than the omitting of the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles, so many hundreth yeares, by so many good high priests, in the raignes of so many good kings, was preiudiciall vnto the ministers, which caused it to bee celebrated, when the people returned out of their captiuitie: for it appeareth in the booke of Nehemias, that the feast of Tabernacles, which was commaunded of* 1.1 the Lorde to be celebrated euery yeare, was* 1.2 not celebrated from the days of Iosua, the sonne of Nun, vntill the returne of the people from their captiuitie. And yet were there in this space, dy∣siers both iudges and kings, both priests and Prophets singularly zealous and learned.
If therefore the omitting of so necessary a thing, so many hundreth yeares, by such godly, zelous, learned persons, could not bring any prescription, against the truth: the lacke of this necessary disci∣pline, by the space of. 30. yeares, through the ouersight of a fewe (if they be compared with that multitude) ought not to be alleadged, to keepe it out of the Church.
Io. Whitgifte.
Surely the inequalitie of the persons, and great difference betwixt them, both in godlynesse, zeale, learning, experience, and age, (though it séeme a small matter too some) yet it ought to be well considered: for it is well knowne, that the firste sorte of men here mentioned, did excell in all those forenamed qualities, and haue continued in the same euen to the death: and the latter sort many of them singular in learning, zeale, wisedome, & experience, hauing also knowledge of other Churches refourmed