A Reply to an Answer Made by Doctor Whitgift, Reply · Part 30 – Part 31
The replie vntounto the next ſection in the. 82. and. 83. and. 84. page.
HEre maſter doctor would faine (as it ſeemeth) if he durſt / interpreat diligent preaching / and preaching in ſeaſon / and out of ſcafon / to be preaching once a monthe. But becauſe he dare not ſay ſo directly / he compaſſeth it about / and firſt putteth ye caſe of one preaching twiſe a day verbally / and wt ſmal ſubſtance of duplicate page duplicate page matter / and of another preaching but once in a monthe / and dothe it pithily and orderly and diſcretely / and concludeth that ſuch a ſermon once in a month / is nearer the minde of the Apoſtle / then all thoſe other ſermons made twiſe eueryevery day: & yet the caſe is not ſo cleare / as he maketh it. For graunting that thoſe (whych he calleth verbal ſermons) hauehave ſome goodnes and edifying / it muſt be very ſimple and ſlender meate / whych is not better being geuen eueryevery day / then the beſt and daintieſt meate once only in a monethmonth. For wyth the one / a man may liue although he be not lyking / wyth the other he being once fed / is afterwarde famyſhed. But howe if the caſe be put / that the monethly and long laboured ſermons (as they are called) hauehave as little and les good wholeſome doctrine in them / then the ſermons whych are preached eueryevery day. Aſſuredly for the moſt of thoſe that goe ſo long wyth a Sermon / and whych I knowe / and hauehave heard: when they come to bryng it forthe / bryngforthe oftentimes more winde and vnprofitable matter / then any good and timely frute / or wholeſome ſubſtanciall doctrine. And no maruell / for therein the word of God is fulfilled / whych declareth that the talents of Gods gifts and grace are encreaſed by continuall vſe and laying oute of Math. 25. 22. 23. &c.them / and of the other ſide diminiſhed / and in the end taken quite away / when as they are ſuffered to lye ſo long ruſting / and as it were digged in the ground.
And heere mayſter Doctor taketh occaſion to vtter hys ſtomacke againſte London / flinging of one ſyde agaynſt the women / of the other ſyde agaynſt the miniſters / whoſe dilygence becauſe it maketh maiſter Doctors neglygence more to appeare / as a darcke and duſkiſhe coloure matched wyth that whych is cleare and lightſome / he dothe goe aboute to deface / wyth the vntrue and flaunderous ſurmiſe / of loſe neglygent and vnprofytable preaching. If there be ſome one ſuch or two in London / it is too great iniurye therfore to charge indefinitely the company of the miniſters of London. Beſides that M. Doctor dothe not ſee / howe firſte he accuſeth the byſhop or euer he be aware / bothe in ordaining ſuche miniſters / and not in reforming them / being ſo farre out of order / and then the archbyſhop / whych doth not require thys diſorder at the byſhops hande / ſince as (he ſayeth) thys is ſo goodly and heauenly an order / to hauehave one byſhop ouer many miniſters / and one archbyſhop ouer diuers byſhops. And if we ſhall eſteeme the pithynes and faſtnes of preaching / by the fruites / as by the knowledge and feare of God in the people of London / and by faithfull and true heartes towardes the prince and the realme: I thinke that that whych he termeth friuolous / loſe / and vnprofitable preaching will fall out to be waightier / and to leaue a deeper printe behinde them / then thoſe monthly ſermons whych he ſpeaketh of: and the miniſters of London better miniſters whych preache twiſe a day / then thoſe whych make the word of God nouell and dainties / and as M. Latimer pleaſantly ſayd / ſtrawberies comming only at certen times in the yeare.
Of this thing M. Doctor ſpeaketh againe in the. 167. page / but to this effect altogither / and almoſt in the ſame wordes. To the next ſection being the reſt of the. 84. page / I minde to ſay nothing / hauing before ſpoken of the faultes of the ceremonies and rites whych are vſed wyth vsus.
The replie vntounto the next ſection contained in. 86. 87. and. 88. pages.
AFter a number of woordes wythout matter / ſayings wythout proufes / accuſations wythout any groundes or likelyhode of groundes / as that they be inſtrumentes of greedy guts and luſtye royſters / to maintaine them in their iolitye / whych notwythſtanding ſpeake agaynſte patronages / and woulde hauehave the lyuings of the churche / whych are idlely and vnprofitably ſpent (for the moſt part) applyed to the right vſes of the pore / and of miniſters and ſchollers / & that they would be diſcharged from eyuill and eccleſiaſticall ſubiection / which humbly ſubmitting them ſelues to the Queenes maieſty and all thoſe that are ſent of her / would deliuer the churches and them ſelues for the churches ſake / from the vnlawfull domynion of one / to the ende that they myght yelde them ſelues with their churches ſubiect to the lawfull eccleſiaſticall gouernment of thoſe which God hath appoynted in hys worde: After I ſay a number of ſuch and like accuſations mixed wyth moſt bitter and reprochfull wordes vntounto all which / it is ſuffitient anſwer / that quod Verbo dictum eſt, Verbo ſit negatum. As eaſely denied as ſayde. He turneth hym ſelfe to thoſe that be in authoritie / whome he woulde make beleeue that it ſtandeth vponupon the ouerthrow of the church / of relygion / of order / of the realme / and of the eſtate of Princes and magiſtrates / which are by this meanes eſtabliſhed / & whoſe eſtates are made thys way moſt ſure / when as y• true cauſes of theſe clamoures and outcryes that M. Doctor maketh / is nothing elſe but the feare of the ouerthrow of that honor / which is to the diſhonor of God and ignominy of hys church / and the eſtabliſhing of that which maketh to the good diſpenſing of thoſe goodes for the ayde and helpe of the church / which now ſerue to oppreſſe it. As for the court of faculties / the corruptions therof being ſo cleare / that all men ſee them / and ſo groſe / that they which can not ſee may grope them: M. Doctor anſweareth / that he knoweth not what it meaneth / and therfore is moued of modeſty to thinke the beſt of it / which is but a ſimple ſhift. For beſides that the Admonition ſpeaketh nothing of it / but that the ſtreates and high wayes talke of: if there had bene any defence for it / it is not to be thought that M. Doctor would hauehave bene ſo neglygent an aduocate / as to hauehave omitted it / ſeing if he were ignorant / he might hauehave hadde ſo eaſely and with ſo little coſte the knowledge of it. As for hys modeſty / hys bolde aſſeueration of things which are doubtfull / which are falſe / which are altogether vnlikely / which are impoſſible for hym to know / doth ſuffyciently bewray and make ſo well knowne / that no ſuch viſard or painting can ſerue to make men beleue / that mere modeſty ſhut vp his mouth from ſpeaking for the court of faculties / which hath opened his mouth ſo wyde for the defence of thoſe things / wherin (as it falleth out) he hath declared hymſelfe to hauehave leſſe ſkill and vnderſtanding / then he hath of that court.