A reply to an answer made of M. Doctor Whitgifte Against the admonition to…A replye to an ansvvere made of M. Doctor VVhitgifte Against the admonition to…

IN deed if you put such dark colours upon the Apostles church as this is / it is no marvel if it ought not to be a patron to us of framing and fashioning our church after it. But O Lord who can patiently hear this horrible disorder / ascribed to the Apostles church / which here you attribute unto it: that every one hand over head preached / baptised / and expounded the Scriptures. What a window / nay / what a gate is opened here to Anabaptists / to confirm their fantastical opinion / wherein they hold / that every man whom the spirit moveth / may come even from the plough tail to the pulpit to preach the word of God. If you say it is Ambrose saying and not yours / I answer / unless you allow it / why bring you it / and that to prove the difference between the Apostles times and these. For if it be false (as it is most false) then there is no difference here between the Apostles times and ours. Doth not the whole course of the scriptures declare / and hath it not been proved / that there was none that took upon him the ministry in the church / but by lawful calling? what is this but to cast dust and dirt of the fairest and beautifullest image that ever was / to make a smoky / disfigured / evil proportioned image to seem beautiful / to overthrow the Apostles buildings of gold and silver and precious stones / to make a cottage of wood / straw / and stubble / to have some estimation / which could have none / the other standing. For in effect so you do / when (to uphold a corrupt use that came in by the tyranny of the pope) you go about to discredit the orders and institutions which were used in the Apostles times? and that with such manifest untruths.