A Reply to an Answer Made by Doctor Whitgift, Reply · Part 47
VntoUnto the ſection contayned in the. 245. and. 246. pages.
HEre maiſter Doctor / contrary to the proteſtation of the authors of the Admonition / whych declare that for the abuſes / and corruptions / they dare not ſimply ſubſcribe / ſayth / that therfore they will not ſubſcribe / becauſe they are required by lawfull authoritye. Whych howe bothe preſumptuous and vncharitable a iudgement it is / let all men iudge / eſpecially vponupon this matter whych hath bene declared. And where maiſter Doctor wold vponupon the marginall note / proue that we hauehave good diſcipline / becauſe we hauehave good doctrine / and thervpon doth wonderfully tryumphe / he playeth as he of whome it is ſayde / meden labon cratei carteros, that is / hauyng gotten nothyng / holdeth it faſt. For can M. doctor be ſo ignorant / that thys manner of ſpeach (doctrine and diſcipline can not be ſeuered) is vſed for that / that they ought not to be ſeuered? when we ſay (folowing S. Paule) that we can do nothing againſt the truth / doe we not meane that we ought to do nothyng / nor can do nothyng lawfully agaynſt it? And do not al men knowe when we ſay that a man can not be ſeparated from hys wyfe / but for the cauſe of adultery / that we meane he ought not / or he cannot lawfully? Therfore thys is / as (all men may ſee) a mere cauill / and triumph ouer hys owne ſhadow. There is no brag of ſuffering made by the authors of the admonition. The modeſty wherwith he hath defended this cauſe / cā not be hiddē. That he wold hauehave other men puniſhed for wel doing / when he is not content that the open wrongs whych he doth / ſhuld be once ſpoken of / I hauehave ſhewed how vnreaſonable it is.
Finally / as you exhorte vsus to ſubmit our ſelues to good order / whych hauehave ben alwayes / and yet are ready to do: to leaue to be contentious / which neuer yet began: to ioyne wyth you in preaching the word of God / which hauehave ſtopped our mouthes / and wil not ſuffer vsus to preache: ſo we exhorte you in Gods behalfe / & as you will once anſwere it before the iuſt iudge / that you wil not willingly ſhut your eyes againſt the truthe / that if the Lord vouchſafe to open it vntounto you / you kicke not agaynſt it. Where we pray you to take heede / that neyther the deſire of keping your wealth and honor whych you are in / nor the hope whych you maye hauehave of any further promotion / nor yet the care of keeping your eſtimation / by maintaining that whych you hauehave once ſet downe / nor the ſleighty ſuggeſtion of crafty & wily papiſts / do driue you to ſtomble againſt thys truthe of God / which toucheth the gouernement of hys churche / and the purging of thoſe corruptions whych are amongſte vsus / knowing that you can not ſtumble vponupon the woorde of God / * but forthwith you run your ſelfe agaynſt Chriſt whych is the rocke. And 1. Pet. 2. 8. Luke. 20. 18.you knowe that he will not geue backe / but breaketh all to fytters / whatſoeuer he be that ruſheth agaynſt him. And if the matter heerein alledged / do not ſatiſfy you: then I deſire euen before the ſame God / that you confute it / not by paſſyng ouer thyngs whych you can not anſweare / or by leauing both the words and the meaning of the booke / and taking your owne fanſye to confute / or by wrangling wyth the fault of the Printe / or by carping at the tranſlation / when the wordes being changed / the ſence remaineth / or by alledging that ſuch a one / or ſuch an other / was of thys or that iudgement / as you for the moſt parte (hauing nothyng but hys bare name) hauehave done. (All whych things you hauehave committed in thys boke) but that you confute it by the authoritye of the worde of God / by good and ſound reaſons / wholy and not by pecemeale. And if you bring the practiſe of the churches / we deſire that it may be out of authorities whych are extāt / which are not counterfait / and whych were in the beſt and pureſt times. And if you thinke that the credite of your doctorſhip or deanrye / will beare out that which you can not anſwer your ſelf / beſides that *The reuenging eye.ecdicon omma, is neuer ſhut / remember M. doctor / that light is come into the world / & men wil not be deluded with nothing / nor abuſed wyth viſards. Neither let it embolden you (whych peraduēture hath made you to preſume the more in this boke) to wryte any thing vponupon hope / that no man dare anſwer it. For neither the Quenes maieſty / nor her honorable coū cel / as we are perſuaded / wil deale ſo ſharply wyth thoſe whom they know to be faithfull & lawfull ſubiects / whych pray that all the treaſures of Gods wiſedom may be powred vponupon them: neither hauehave we cauſe to thinke / but that as the euill opinion whych is in part conceyued of vsus / hathe growne vponupon falſe & vntrue informations / which you and ſuch other hauehave geuen (in crying in their eares / yt we be anabaptiſts / conſpired with papiſts / puretanes / Donatiſts / bringers in of cō fuſion & anarchie / enemies to ciuil gouernment / and I knowe not what) euen ſo whē her maieſty & their honors ſhal vnderſtand / how far we are from thoſe wicked opinions / they will leaue that opinion of vsus / and rather eſteme of vsus by that we hauehave preached / taught / and now wryte / then that whych other men report of vsus / being things which we neuer taught / ſpake / or ſo muche dreamed of.