A replye to an ansvvere made of M. Doctor VVhitgifte Against the admonition to the Parliament. By T.C.

An answere to the exhortation to the eyuill Magistrates.

IT is more thē I thought could haue hapned vnto you / once to admit into your mynde / thys opinion of Anabaptisme of your brethren / which haue alwayes had it in as great detestatiō as your selfe / preached against it / as much as your selfe / hated of the folowers & fauourers of it / as much as your selfe. And it is yet more strange / that you haue not doubted / to geue out such slaunderous reports of them / but dare to present such accusations / to the holy and sacred seat of iustice / & thereby (so much as in you lyeth) to corrupt it / & to call for the sword vpon the in∣nocent / (which is geuen for their mayntenance and safetie) that / as it is a bold∣nes vntollerable / so could I hardly haue thought / that it could haue fallen into any / that had caryed but the countenaunce and name of a professor of the gospell / much les of a doctor of dyuinitie. Before you will ioyne with vs in this cause / you wil place vs / whether we wil or no / in the campe of the Anabaptistes / to the ende you myght thereby / bothe withdraw all from ayding vs / which are godly minded / as for y^e you fearing (as it semeth) the insufficiencie of your pen / myght haue the sword / to supply your want other wayes. And if we be found in theyr campe / or be such disturbers of the quiet estate of the church / defacers of such as be in authoritie / maintayners of licenciousnes and lewde lybertie (as you do seme to charge vs with) we refuse not to go vnder those punishmentes / that some of that wicked sect receiued / for iust recompence of their demerites. You say you will not accuse any / I know it is for want of no good wil / that you do not accuse them / of whose condemnation and extreame punishment / we myght be sure / if your hand were as strong as your hart. But you suspect the authors of the ad∣monition / and their fautors. * Charitie is not suspitious. Let vs therefore see / * 1.1 whether there be iust matter to beare out / and to vphold this suspition. You wil beare men in hand / that if we be not already full Anabaptistes / yet we are in the way thither / the footesteps whereby you trace vs / must be considered.

To the first article.

It is all true you here alleage of the Anabaptistes: God be praysed / there is nothing of it / true in vs. If through these questions moued / the church be disqui∣eted / the disquietnes riseth in that the truth and sinceritie which is offered / is not receyued. VVe seeke it in no tumultuous manner / but by humble sute vnto them / to whome the redresse of thinges pertayne / and by teaching as our callinges wil suffer. If all those are to be counted in the way to Anabaptisme / which moue controuersies when the gospell is preached: Then those that taught that y^e Gen∣tilles were to be preached vnto / when as the most of the beleuing Iewes (which * 1.2 likewise preached the gospell) thought otherwise / are to be counted in the way to Anabaptisme. Likewise / those that preached that circumcision was not necessa∣ry vnto saluation / when as a great number of Christians at the first / thought it necessary. Then maister Zuinglius & Oecolampadius smelled of Anabaptisme / which went about to ouerthrow dyuerse things / which maister Luther helde. I could goe further with thys / but I content my selfe wyth these examples. If a∣ny be brought in doubt / or hatred of the truth hereby / or any man take occasion to be contentious / it is not in the nature of the doctrine which is taught / but in the corruption of their myndes / nor it is not offence geuen / but taken: nor thys doc∣tryne can be no more charged / then the rest of the gospell / which is a * sworde / * 1.3 that cutteth a citie / or kingdome in sunder / and setteth a * fire where there was none / and putteth contention betwene the father and the sonne. But what is to geue an incurable offence vnto the simple / and matter to the enemie to re∣ioyce in / to all good Christyans of teares and weeping / if thys be not: to make the world thinke / that numbers of those which professe the gospell / are infected

wyth the poison of Anabaptisme / whych can not be touched wyth the smallest poynt of it? As for the magistrate / and authority / we acknowledge y^e lawfulnes / necessity / and singular commodity of it / we commēd it in our sermons to others / we pray for them / as for those / of whose good or euill estate / hangeth the flouri∣shing or decay of the common wealth / and church both. We loue them as our fa∣thers and mothers / we feare them / as our Lords and maisters / and we obay thē in the Lord / and for the Lord. If there be any thyng / wherin we do not accor∣ding to that which is commaunded / it is / because we can not be persuaded in our consciences / that we may so doe (wherof we are ready to render a reason out of the word of God) and if that wil not serue / forthwith to submit our selues / to that punishment / that shall be awarded against vs. And herein / we first cal the Lord God to witnes of our meaning / and then we referre our selues to the conscien∣ces of all men in the sight of God.

To the second Article.

There was neuer hereticke so abhominable / but that he had some truth to cloke hys falshode / should hys vntruths and blasphemies / driue vs from the pos∣session of that / which he holdeth truely? no not the Deuill hym selfe (saying / that * God had geuen his angels charge ouer his) can thereby wring this sentence * 1.4 from vs / why we should not both beleue it / and speake it / being a necessary truth to beleue / and speake. You may as wel say / we are Anabaptists / because we say / there is but one God / as they did / one Christ / as they did. &c. And heere I will geue the reader a tast of your Logike / that you make so much of in your boke.

The Anabaptists say that the churches ought to chuse their minister / and not the magistrate.

And you say so.

Therfore you are Anabaptists / or in the way to Anabaptisme.

The Anabaptists complained that the Christians vsed not their authoritie in excommunication.

And so do you complaine.

Therfore you are Anabaptists / or in the way to them.

I will not lay to your charge / that you haue not learned Aristotles Prio∣rums / which sayth / it is asystaton, as often / as the meane in any syllogisme / is cō∣sequent to both the extremes. But haue you not learned that / whych Seton / or any other halfepenny Logik telleth you / that you can not conclude affirmatiuely in the second figure? and of thys sort / are euery one of your surmises contained in thys Treatise / whych you entitle an exhortation. &c. And if I liked / to make a long boke of little matter (as you do) I would thus gather your argumēts out of euery brasich whych you ascribe / as common vnto vs wyth the Anabaptists / as you make adoe / vpon euery place / whych is quoted by the admonition to the Parliament. But answer I pray you / in good faith / are you of that iudgement / that the ciuill magistrate should ordaine ministers? Or / that there should be no excommunication / whych we know was in the primitiue / and is vsed in certaine the Heluetian churches? If you be / your controuersy is not so much wyth vs / as wyth the byshops / whych both call ministers / and excommunicate. If you be not / why is that Anabaptisticall in vs / whych is christian and catholike in you? and why do you go about / to bring vs in hatred for those things / whych you do no more alow / then these / whom you thus endeuor to discredite? We do not say that there is no lawfull / or no ordinary calling in England / for we do not deny / but that he maye be lawfully called / whych is not ordinarily / as M. Luther / Melancthon / Zuinglius / Oecolampadius. &c. and there be places in England / where the ministers are called by their parishes in such sorte / as the examples of the scripture do shew to haue bene done / before the eldershyp and gouernment of the church be established. I know not any / that saith / that the gospel is not true∣ly

preached in Englande / and by those also that are not of the same iudgement / that the Admonition to the Parliament is of. But if it be sayd / that it is not ge∣nerally of euery one of them / and in all poynts / or not so oftē / or not there / where their duety bindeth them / and they are called vnto / or not so sincerely / or wyth∣out mixture / as it oughte to be / then there is nothing sayde / but that / which we feare / may be too easely proued. If it be sayde of some / that in certaine there are found some of those things / that were reprehēded in the Phariseis / what is that to proue / that they be Anabaptistes y^• speake it. Your selfe in one place of your booke / call the authors of the Admonition and their fauourers / Phariseis / who do all thyngs to be seene of men / and therefore they sighe / and holde downe their heades. &c. and thys you speake / against them that preache the gospell. There∣fore by your reason you geue sentence of Anabaptisme against your selfe. You promised you would not wryte one worde / wherof you had not your author for it. First you haue peruerted the meaning of the Anabaptists / in that wherein they accused the godly ministers / that they were not according to that whych is wrytten in the third of the first Epistle to Timothe / and all because you would multiply the nōbre of your likelyhodes. For they charged the ministers / by that place / of dissolutenes and losenes of lyfe / and corruption of manners / and we al∣ledge it to proue that they should be able to teache and instruct / against y^e dumbe ministery that is abrode. But that which followeth / vttereth not only great vn∣truth and falsification of the author / but sheweth a minde desirous to slaunder / and sory (as it seemeth) that those whych you so greeuously discredite / are no li∣ker the Anabaptists / then they be. I will sette downe the wordes / as they are wrytten in the. 102. leafe / that it may appeare howe faithfully you haue dealt. Libere enim dicunt concionatores qui stipendium accipiunt, non esse veros Dei ministros, neque posse docere veritatem, sed esse ventris ministros, qui otiose acci∣piant ingentia stipendia, ex illis rebus, que simulachris immolate fuerunt, & ex di∣uitiis splendide & luxuriose viuant, cum tamen Christus dixit, gratis accepistis, gratis date, & prohibuit duas tunicas, peram & pecuniam habere. Preterea Paulum aiunt manibus suis laborasse, & mandasse reliquis, vt idem faciant, itaque conclu∣dunt nulla debere stipendia habere sui officii, sed laborare & gratis ministrare, & quiahoc non faciunt, non posse ipsos veritatem docere. They say freely (speaking of the Anabaptists) that the preachers whych take stipends / can not be the true ministers of God / nor teache the truthe / but are ministers of the belly / whych to liue idlely take great stipendes / of those things whych were offered to images / and doe of their riches liue gorgeously and riotously / when notwithstanding Christe sayde / ye haue receiued freely / geue freely / and for bad them to haue two coates / or a scrip / or money. Besides that / they say that Paule laboured with hys owne handes / and gaue commaundement / to the rest of the ministers / that they should do so / and therefore they conclude / that they should haue no stipende for their office / but laboure and minister for nought / and because they doe not so / they can not teache the truthe. Nowe / let all men iudge / whether it be one thing / to say / that they ought not to haue stipends / that labor not / or to say / as the Ana∣baptists sayd / that it was not lawfull to haue any stipende / or to say / they coulde not teach truely / because they had great liuings / or because they had any liuings at all. Although I neuer red / nor heard any of those / that you meane / saye / that those whych had great stipends and liuings / could not preach truely. It may be / that diuers haue sayd / that it were meete / the ministers should be content / wyth competent stipends / and that the ouerplus of that / myght go to the supply of the wants of other ministers liuings / and to the maintenance of the poore / or of the vniuersitie / and that that exces / is the cause of diuers disorders in those persons / that haue it / but that they could not preache truely (when they preached) whych had great liuings / I for my part / neuer heard it. I thinke you would not be ex∣empted

from reprehension of that / wherin you fault / and therfore I knowe not what you meane by these words (y^e they did not those things them selues / which they taught others) we profes no such perfection in our liues / but that we are of∣tentimes behinde a great deale / in doing of that whych is taught to be our due∣ties to doe / and therefore thinke it necessary / that we should be reprehended / and shewed our faultes. Whereas you say / that the Anabaptists accused the mini∣sters / for geuing too much to the Magistrates / I haue shewed what we geue / and if it be too little / shew vs / and we will amend our fault. I assure you / it gre∣ueth me / and I am euen in the beginning weary / of turning vp thys dunge / and refuting so vaine and friuolous slaunders / wythout all shewe and face of truthe / and therfore I will be breefe in the rest.

To the thirde.

We praise God for this reformation / so farre forthe / as it is agreeable vnto the word of God / we are glad the word of God is preached / that the sacraments are ministred / that whych is wanting / we desire it may be added / that whych is ouermuche / cutte of / and we are not ashamed to profes / that we desire / it may be done / according to the institution of the churches in the Apostles time. You your selfe confes / that excommunication is abused: that no amendment of life appea∣reth since the preaching of the gospel / is an old and generall complaint of all god∣ly ministers in all churches / and in all tunes. * Esay preached this / in y^e church / * 1.5 and of the whole churche / and further that they brought for the rotten frute. Da∣uid / that the faithfull people were deminished out of the lād / that there was none that did good / no not one. And diuers other of the Prophets / haue made greuou∣ser complaints / and great charges against the people of God / and yet were no A∣nabaptists / nor in the way to Anabaptisme. If there be none / that eyther haue wrytten or spoken that the church of England / is no more the true Churche of Christ / then the papisticall churche / then besides that there is no truthe in youre tongue / there seemeth to be no shame in your forheade / if there be any / it standeth your good name in hand / that you bring them out.

To the fourth.

If some of those whych fauor this cause / haue ben ouercaryed in part / to do things which might haue ben more cōueniently ordered / it is against reason that you should therfore charge those / which fauor thys cause that you oppugne. You would thinke you had wrong / if because some of those that fauor that which you fauor in this matter / be either free wil men / or hold consubstantiation in the Sa∣crament / you shuld be chalenged as free will men / or maintainers of consubstan∣tiation. If those metings / whych they had / were permitted vnto them / by them / that haue authoritie / I see nothing / why they may not seeke to serue God in pu∣ritie / and les mixture of hurtfull ceremonies: If they were not permitted / yet your name of conuenticles / whych agreed to the Anabaptists / is too lighte and contemptuous / to set forth those assemblies / wherin I thinke you wil not deny / but that the word of God and his sacraments were ministred / & take you heede / that these so reprochfull speaches / which you throw out against men / reache not vnto God: A softer word would haue better becommed you.

To the fifth.

I answere as vnto the last clause of the thirde article.

To the sixth.

We pretend it not / but we propound it / and herein we call God to witnes agaynst our owne soules.

To the seuenth.

If you do not these things (which we say not) we wil rather do thē with the Anabaptists / then leaue them vndone with you. Of our simple heart & mea∣ning in thē / we haue before proteste••. In y^e meane season / we wil paciently abide

vntill the Lord bring our * rightuousnes in thys behalfe vnto light / and our lust * 1.6 dealing as the none day. Touching our sighing / and seldome or neuer laughing / you giue occasion after to speake of it / vnto the which place I reserue y^e answer.

To the eight.

We are no Stoikes / that we should not be touched with the feeling of our grefes / if our complaintes be excessiue / shewe them / and we will abridge them. What errors we defend / and how you maintaine your part by the word of God / it will appeare in the discourse of your boke.

To the ninthe.

Their finding fault wythout cause in the ceremonies of baptisme / can not barre vs / from finding fault / where there is cause. We allowe of the baptisme of children / and hope throughe the goodnes of God / that it shall be farre from vs / euer to condemne it. But to let your slaunderous tong go (all the strings wher∣of ye seme to haue losed / that it may the more frely be throwne out / and walke a∣gainst the innocent.) Where / where is the modesty you require in other / of not entring to iudge of things vnknowne / which dare insinuate to the magistrate / that it is lyke they will condemne childrens baptisme / which doe baptise them / preach they should he baptized / and whych did neuer by sillable / letter / or counte∣naunce / mislike of their baptisme?

To the. 10. 11. and. 12.

I answer as vnto the fifth / and for further answer / I will refer the reader to those places / where occasion shall be geuen to speake of these thyngs againe.

To the. 13.

This is a braunch of the. 8. and added for nothing else but to make vp the tale.

To the. 14.

We feare no shedding of bloud in her maiesties dayes / for maintaining that whych we hope we shal be able to proue out of the word of God / and wherin we agree with the best reformed churches / but certaine of the things which we stād vpon are such / as that if euery heare of our head were a life / we ought to aforde them for the defence of them. VVe bragge not of any the least abilitie of suffering / but in the feare of God / we hope of the assistance of God his holy spirite to abide / whatsoeuer he shall thinke good to try vs with / either for profession of thys / or any other hys truth whatsoeuer.

To the. 15.

VVe make no seperation from the church / we go about to seperate all those thyngs / that offend in the church / to the end that we being all knit to the sincere truth of the gospell / might afterwards in the same bond of truth / be more neare∣ly and closely ioyned together. VVe endeuor that euery church hauing a lawfull pastor / whych is able to instruct / all myght be ranged to their proper churches / wheras diuers / onles they go to other then their owne parishes / are like to heare few sermons in the yeare / so farre are we from withdrawing men from their or∣dinary churches and pastors. Let him that inueigheth against any pastor with∣out good cause / beare the punishment: as for inueighing against heaping of liuing vpon liuing / and ioyning steeple to steeple / and non residence / and suche ambition and tiranny / as beareth the sway in diuers Ecclesiasticall persons / if the price of the pacification / be the offending of the Lorde / it is better you be displeased / then God be offended.

To the. 16.

VVe stay our selues wythin the bonds of the word of God: we profes our selues to be of the nombre of those / whych should * grow in knowledge / as we do * 1.7 in age / and whych labor that the image of God may be daily renewed in vs / not only in holynes of life / but also in * knowledge of the truthe of God / and yet I * 1.8 know no question moued / which hath not ben many yeares before in other chur∣ches

reformed / holden as truthe / and therefore practised / and in our churche also haue bene some yeares debated.

To the. 17.

If we defende no falshoode or inconuenient thing / we can not be counted stubborne or wilfull / whereof we offer to be tried by the indifferent reader. For waiwardnes and inhumanitie / we thincke it a fault / as we esteme godly societie and affabilitie to be commendable: and what is our behauior herein / we likewise referre to their iudgementes / wyth whome we are conuersant / and haue to doe wyth / being misseiudged and vntruly condemned of you / we iudge nor condemne no man / their vices we condemne / so farre forth as the listes of our vocation doe permit vs.

To the. 18.

We allowe of common weales / as without which / the church can not long continue / we speake not against ciuill gouernment / nor yet against ecclesiastical / further then the same is an enemy to the gouernment / that God hath instituted.

To the. 19.

If we geue honor and reuerence to none / let vs not only haue none again / but let vs be had as those that are vnworthy to liue amongst men. I feare there be of those / whych are your fauourers / Ecclesiasticall persons / that if they shuld meete wyth my Lord Mayor of London / would straine curtesye / whether he or they should put of the cap first. We geue the titles of Maiestie / to the Queene our soueraigne / of grace / to Duke and Duches / of honor / to those whych are in honoure / and so to euery one / according to their estate. If we misse / it is not be∣cause we are not willing / but because we knowe not alwayes what pertaineth vnto them / and then our faulte is pardonable. For answearing churlishly / it is answeared before in the seuenth Article.

To the. 20.

VVith acknowledging of our manifold wants and ignorances / we dout not also to take vpon vs / with thanks geuing / that knowledge / which God hath ge∣uen to euery of vs according to the measure of fayth: we seke not to please oure selues / but the Lord and our brethren / yea all men / in that whych is good. VVe reuerence other mens gifts / so as we thinke the contempt of them redoundeth to the giuer. Therfore although the common infection be in vs / yet we hope pride doth not * raigne in our mortall bodyes. * 1.9

To the. 21.

VVe hold that it is no ministers part / to chuse his owne place where he will preach / but to tary vntill he be chosen of others. Likewyse / that he insinuate not hym selfe / but abide a lawfull calling / and therfore thys can not agree to vs / but to those rather / whych content themselues wyth a rouing and wandering myni∣stery / and defend the ministers owne presenting and offering him selfe or euer he be called.

To the. 22. and. 23.

I answer as to the fifthe / and touching the. 23. refer the reader to a further answer in that place / where occasion is offered to speake of it againe.

To the. 24.

So farre forth as we may (for the infirmities wherwyth we are enclosed) we endeuor to adorne the doctrine of the gospell / whych we profes / we seeke not the admiration of men / if God do geue / that we haue honest report / we thyncke we ought to maintaine that / to the glory of God and aduancement of the gospel. what is our straightnes of life any other / then is required in all christians? we bryng in (I am sure) no Monachisme or Anchorisme / we eate and drynke as other men / we liue as other men / we are apparelled as other men / we lye as other men / we vse those honest recreations that other men doe / and we thincke

there is no good thing / or commodity of life in the world / but that in sobriety we may be partakers of / so farre as our degree and calling will suffer vs / & as God maketh vs able to haue it. For the hipocrisy that you so often charge vs wyth / the day shall try it. If any man ioyne wych vs / with minde to contende / it is a∣gainst our will / notwithstanding we knowe none / and what great stirrers and contenders they be whych fauor thys cause / let all men iudge.

To the two next sections.

Do you thincke to mocke the worlde so / that when you haue so vniustly / & so hainously accused / you may wipe your mouth / and say (as you did before) that you will not accuse any? and as now / that you will leaue the application? Is not this to accuse / to say / that the authors of the Admonition doe almost plainly professe Anabaptisme? is not thys to apply / to say that they agree wyth the A∣nabaptists in all the fornamed practises and qualities? You would faine strike vs / but you would do it in the night / when no man should see you / and yet if you haue to do against Anabaptists / you neede not feare to proclaime your warre a∣gainst them. You haue a glorious cause / you shall haue a certaine victorye. I dare promisse you / that you shall haue all the estates and orders of this realme / to clappe their handes / and sing your epinicia, and triumphant songs. But that you would conuey your sting so priuely and hissingly / as the Adder doth / it cari∣eth with it a suspition of an euill conscience / and of a worse cause / then you make the world beleeue you haue.

From moreouer. &c. vnto To conclude.

Now you cary vs from the Anabaptists in Europe / vnto the Donatists in Affrike / & you wil paint vs with their coloures / but you want the oyle of truth / or likelyhode of truth / to cause your colours to cleaue / & to endure. The Lord be praised / that your breath / although it be very ranke / yet it is not so strong / that it is able / either to turn vs / or chaunge vs / into what formes it pleaseth you. I shal desire the reader / to loke Theod. lib. 4. De fabulis haereticorum, and Augustine / ad quod vult Deum, and in his first and second bokes / against Petilians letters / where he shall finde of these heretikes / y^t by comparing thē wyth these / to whom M. Doctor likeneth thē / the smoke of this accusation might the better appeare: for these slanders are not worth the answering. To this diuision from the chur∣ches / and to your supposed conuenticles / I haue answeared. They taught that there were no true churches but in Affrica / we teach nothing les / thē that there is no true church but in Englande. If the churches be considered in the partes / whether minister / or people / there is none pure & vnspotted / and this is the faith of the true Church / and not of the Donatistes: If it be considered in the whole and generall gouernment / and outward pollicie of it / it may be pure and vnspot∣ted / for any thing I know / if men would labor to purge it. The Donatists vaū∣ted them selues to be exempted from sinne / and what likelyhode is there betwene any assertion of the authors of the Admonition / and this fansy of the Donatists. To the last poynt of no compulsion to be vsed in matters of religion denying it to be true / I reserue the further answer to another place.

To the next section.

Salomon sayth y^e the beginning of the words of an vnwise mā is folishnes / * 1.10 but the later end of thē is mere madnes: euen so it falleth out by you: for whilest you suffer your self to be caryed hedlong of your affections / you hurle / you know not what / nor at whome / what so euer commeth first to hande / & speake things that the eyes and eares of all men / heare / & see / to be otherwise. Whilest you com∣pare them to Anabaptists & Donatists / some frend of yours myght thinke / you said truely / because such alwayes seking darke and solitary places / might happely haue some fauorers / whych are not knowen: But when you ioyne them with y^• papists / which are commonly knowne to all men / whose doctrine they impugne /

as wel as you / whose marks & badges they can les away with / then you / whose company they flie more then you / whose punishment they haue called for more then you for your part haue done / and therfore are condemned of them as cruell / when you / oftentimes cary away the name of mildnes and moderation / whych forsothe knowe (as you haue professed) no commaundement in the scrypture / to put heretikes to death: when I say / you ioyne them thus with papistes / you do not only leese your credite in these vntrue surmises / (wherein I trust / with the indifferent reader you neuer had any) but you make all other thyngs suspected / whych you affirme / so that you geue men occasion to take vp the common pro∣uer be against you / I will trust you no further then I see you.

After you haue thus yoked them wyth the papistes / you go about to shew wherin they draw wyth them. Wherin first I aske of you / if all they that affirm or do any thing / that the enemies of the church do / are forthwith ioyned and con∣spired wyth them against the church? what say you to s. Paule that ioyned with the * Pharisies in the resurrection / with the false apostles in taking no * wages * 1.11 of the Corinthians / to oure sauioure Christe / which spake against the Iewes / whych were then the only people of God / as the Gentils did whych were their ennemies: wil you say therfore / that either S. Paule ioyned with the Pharisies or false Apostles / against the church / or that our sauioure Christ / ioyned against the Iewes wyth the Gentiles? but let vs see your slaunders particularly.

To the first.

They do not deny / but there is a visible church of God in England / & ther∣fore your saying of them / y^• they do almost in plaine and flat termes say / that we haue not so much as any outward face & shew of the true church / argueth y^t you haue almost no loue in you / which vpon one word once vttered / contrary to y^e te∣nure of their boke / & course of their whole life / surmise this of thē: and how truly you conclude of that word (skarce) it shall appeare when we come to that place.

To the second.

I haue answered this in y^e. 2. article of Anabaptisme y^e you charge vs with.

To the third.

Thys also is answered in the thirde.

To the fourth.

I answer / that they do not condemne it wholely / but finde fault with it / as in some poynts disagreeing wyth the word of God.

To the fifth.

All men shall perceiue / when I come to that place / howe you haue racked their words to an other sense then they spake them. In the meane season / it is e∣nough that they confes that reading in the church is godly.

To the sixth.

I haue answeared in the tenth Article of Anabaptisme.

To the seuenth.

I answer that * Doeg / when he sayd that Dauid came to Abimelech / said * 1.12 nothing but truth / and when they that witnessed against Christe / that he sayde / * destroy the temple / and in three dayes I will build it vp againe / sayde nothing * 1.13 but that our sauior Christ sayd: But yet Doeg was a slaunderer / and the other false witnesses: because the one spake it of minde to hurt / & the other vnderstode it of an other temple then oure sauioure Christ ment it. So although you doe in parte rehearse their wordes / yet taking them contrary to their meaning (whych myght easely appeare by the circumstances) I see not howe you can be free from these faultes / vnles it be done ignorantly / whych I wishe were true for your owne sake. And here I wil desire thee (gentle reader) to marke with what con∣science this man sayth / that they are ioyned and confederate with papists against the church. The papistes mislyke of the boke of common prayer / for nothing els /

but because it swarueth from their masse boke / and is not in all poynts like vnto it. And these men mislike it / for nothyng els / but because it hath too much likely∣hode vnto it. And iudge whether they be more ioyned wyth the papists / whych would haue no communion nor felowship wyth them / neither in ceremonies / nor doctrine / nor gouernment / or they / whych forsaking their doctrine / retaine parte of their ceremonies / and almost their whole gouernment: that is / they that sepe∣rate them selues by three walles / or by one: they that would be parted by y^e brode sea from them / or which would be deuided by narowe water / where they may make a bridge / to come in againe / and displace the truthe of the gospell / as they haue done in times past: They that would not only vnhorse the Pope / but also take away the stirrops / whereby he should neuer get into the saddle agayne / or they which being content wyth that that he is vnhorsed / leaue his ceremonies & hys gouernment especially / as stirrops / whereby he may leape vp againe / when as occasion serueth: They that are content / only to haue cut the armes and body of the tree of antichristianitie / or they which wold haue stumpe and roote all vp.

The last section.

After you haue all to be blacked and grimed wyth y^e inke of Anabaptisme / Donatisme / and Papisme those whome you found cleare from the least spot / or specke of any of them: you whet the sword / and blow the fire / and you will haue the godly magistrate minister of your choler / and therfore in stead of feare of lee∣sing the multitude of your liuings / forgoing your pompe and pride of men / and delicacy of fare / vnlawfull iurisdiction / which you haue and heereafter loke for / conscience / religion / and establishment of the common wealth / must be pretēded. What / haue you forgotten that whych you sayd in the beginning / that you accu∣sed none / but suspected certaine? woulde you haue the sword to be drawne vpon your suspitions? But now you see that they whō you haue accused / are nothing like eyther Anabaptists / Donatists / or Papists / and your selfe most vnlike vn∣to hym / that you profes to be / and now you see / that all your slaunders are quē∣ched by y^e innocencye (as it were by water) of those men / whom you so hainous∣ly accuse: you are to be put in minde / of the law of God / whych decreeth / that he * 1.14 whych accuseth an other / if he proue it not / shall suffer the punishment which he should haue done / agaynst whom the accusation had ben iustly proued. The Ro∣maines did nourish in Capitolio, certain dogs and geese / whych by their barking and gagling / should geue warning in the night / of theeues that entred in: but if they cried in the day time / when there was no suspition / and when men came in to worship / then their legs were broken / because they cried / when there was no cause. If therfore / he haue accused iustly / then he is worthy to haue hys diet al∣lowed hym of the commō charges. But if otherwise / we desire not that his legs may be broken (as theirs were.) But thys we humbly craue / that if thys oure answer doe not sufficiently purge vs / that we may be sifted and searched nearer / that if we nourishe any suche monstrnous opinions / (as are surmised) we may haue the reward of them: if we do not / then at the least / we may haue the good abearing / against such slaunderous tongues / seeing that God hath not only com∣mitted vnto the magistrate / the safetye of our goods and life / but also the preser∣uation of our honest reporte.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Cor. 13. 5.
• * 1.2

  Act. 11. 19.
• * 1.3

  Math. 10. 34. Luk. 12. 49.
• * 1.4

  Psal. 91. 11. Math. 4. 6.
• * 1.5

  Esay. 5. 1. &c. Psal. 12. 1. Psal. 14. 3.
• * 1.6

  Psal. 37. 6.
• * 1.7

  Ephe. 4. 13.
• * 1.8

  Coll. 3. 10.
• * 1.9

  Psal. 19. 13. Rom. 6. 12.
• * 1.10

  Eccl. 10. 13.
• * 1.11

  Act. 23. 6. 2. Cor. 11. 12. 1. Cor. 9. 6.
• * 1.12

  Psal. 52. 1.
• * 1.13

  Math. 26. 61.
• * 1.14

  ••eu. 19. 18. 19