T. C.
WHat causes either pulled you forwarde, or thruste you backwarde, to write, or not to write, and how in this dispute with your selfe, in the end you were resolued to write in this sorte, I leaue it vnto the iudgement of the Lorde, who only knoweth the secrets of the hart, and wil in his good time vnseale them. But if there be any place of coniecture, the hatred of cōtention, which you set downe, as the first and principal cause, that beate you backe from writing, might wel haue bin put, as the last and least, or rather none at all. For if peace had bin so precious vnto you (as you pretend) you woulde not haue brought so many hard wordes, bitter reproches, e〈1 line〉〈1 line〉mylike speaches (as it were sticks and coales) to double and treble the heate of contention: If the sharp∣nesse of the Admonition misliked you, and you thinke that they outreached in some vehemencie of words, how could you more effectually haue confuted that, than to haue in a quiet and 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ide spirit set them in the way, which (in your opinion) had left it? Now in words condemning it, and appro∣uing it in your deedes, I will not say that you do not so muche mislike this sharpnesse, as you are sory, that you are preuented, and are not the first in it. But this I may well say vnto you, whiche he said: Quid verba audiam, cum facta videam? what should I heare words, whē I see the dedes? In the fourthe reason whereby you were discouraged to write, if by backbiters, and vnlearned tonges, viperous kind of men, not able to iudge of controuersies, caried away with affections and blind zeale, into diuers sinister iudgements, and erroneous▪ opinions, you meane al those that thinke not as you do in these matters, I answer for my selfe, and for as many as I knowe of them, that they are they, which first desire (so it be truly) to heare and speake all good of you. But if that bee not, through your perseuerance, in the maintenance of the corruptions of this Church (which you should help to purge) then the same are they, that desire, that both the euill whiche you haue done, and that which you haue yet in your hart to do, may be knowne, to the lesse discredite of the truthe and sinceritie, which you, with such might and maine, do striue against.
Touching our vnlearned tonges we had rather a great deale, they were vnlearned, than they should be as theirs, * which haue taught their tonges to speake falsly. And how vnlearned soeuer you would make the world beleeue that we, and our tongs be, I hope (through the goodnesse of God) they shall be learned ynough, to defend the truth, against all the learning that you shall be able to assault it with. If those be the generation of Christe, whiche you cal viperouse kinde of men, knowe you that you haue not opened your mouth against earth, but you haue set it agaynst hea∣uen, and for all indifferent iudgement, it will easily perceiue, that you are as farre from the spi∣rit of * John Baptist, as you are neere to his manner of speach, which you vse. whither it be affec∣tion, or blind zeale, that we follow, and are driuen by, it will then appeare, when the reasons of both sides, being laid out, shal be wayed indifferently. Wheras you say, that your dutie towards God, & the Queene hir Maiesty, moued you to take this labour in hād, it will fall out, vpon the discourse, that as you haue not serued the Lord God in this enterprise and work of yours, so haue you done nothing lesse than any godly dutie which you owe vnto hir Maiestie, so that the best that can be thought of you herein, is, that where in an euill matter, you could yeld no dutie, yet now you haue done that, which you thoughte a duetie, which iudgement, we will so long keepe of you, vntil you shall by oppugmng of a knowne truth, declare the contrary, which we hope will not be. What truth it is, that we impugne, and you defēd, let it in the name of God appeare, by our seueral proofs and answers of both sides. And as for the slanderous surmises, wherby in your third and last con∣sideration, you set the Papists of the one side of vs, and the Anabaptists of the other, and vs in the middest, reaching out our hands (as it were) to them both: first, it ought not to be straunge vnto vs, myserable sinners, seeing that the Lord hunselfe, without all sinne, was placed in the middest of two greeuous malefactours, as though he had bin worse than they both. Then for answer of these slanderous speaches, I will referre the Reader to those places, where these generall charges are giuen out in more particular manner.
Io. Whitgifte.
It is well that you are content to rest in his iudgement, vntill the time come: for so indéed ought we to do: as the Apostle admonisheth. 1. Cor. 4. Nolite ante tempus quic∣quam iudicare: Iudge not before the time, vntill the Lord come. &c.
Your coniecture is a méere coniecture in déede, for vndoubtedly these so many harde words of mine, bitter reproches. &c. would not haue bin kept so secret of you, if you coulde haue had them foorthcomming. But be it so, as you will néedes haue it, yet haue I not in like bitternesse of speach spoken against them, as Zuinglius, Bucer, Caluine, Bul∣linger, Gualter. &c. haue done against the like troublers of the Church: who had not∣withstanding all these pretences and clokes, to shadow their contentions with, which either you, or the Authours of the Admonition do alleadge: for they pretende the Glory of God, the Puritie of Religion, the safetie of the Church, as Master Bucer witnesseth in his Coment▪ vpon the Ephe. Cap. 4. Master Caluine in his booke aduersus Anabap.