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…

OF these offices some thing hath been spoken before / where it hath been proved out of the words of Christ / that neither the names / nor offices of Archbishop / or Archdeacons do agree to the ministry of the gospel. Now as M. Doctor bestoweth great cost here / and travail in digging about them / and laying (as it were) new earth to their roots / that they being half dead / if it were possible / might be recovered and quickened again / so I (because these trees mount up so high / and spread their boughs and arms so broad / that for the cold shade of them nothing can grow / and thrive by them) will before I come to answer these things that are here alleged / set down certain reasons (as it were instruments) to take away the superfluous lop and spread of these immoderate offices.

OF these offices some thing hath bene spoken before / where it hath bene proued out of the words of Christ / that neither the names / nor offices of Archbishop / or Archdeacons doe agree to the ministerie of the gospell. Nowe as M. Doctor bestoweth great cost heere / and trauaile in digging about them / and laying (as it were) newe earthe to their rootes / that they being halfe deade / if it were possible / myghte be recouered and quickened againe / so I (because these trees mount vp so highe / and spreade their boughes and armes so brode / that for the colde shade of them nothing can growe / and thriue by them) will before I come to answere these things that are heere alledged / set downe certaine reasons (as it were instruments) to take away the superfluous loppe and spread of these immoderate offices.

And for the names first / I desire the reader that we be not thought studious of contention / because we strive about the name of Archbishop. &c. for this is not to strive about words / unless it be counted a strife of words / which is taken for the maintenance of the word of God / as it hath before appeared out of the Evangelists. Then it must be remembered which Aristotle sayeth very well in his Elenches / that ta onomata ton pragmaton mimemata esti: which is / that names are imitations / or as it were express images of the things whereof they are names / and do for the most part bring to him that heareth them / knowledge of the things that are signified by them. Howsoever the thing be it self / yet oftentimes it is supposed to be as the name pretendeth / and thereupon followeth / that a man may be easily deceived / when the names do not answer to the things whereof they are names. There may be / I grant / a freer and more licentious use of names / but that licence is more tolerable in any thing / rather then in matters of the church and salvation. And if there be some cases / wherein names that are not so proper / may be borne with / yet are there also which are intolerable. As who can abide that a minister of the gospel / should be called by the name of a Levite / or sacrificer / onles it be he which would not care much / if the remembrance of the death / and resurrection of our saviour Christ were plucked out of his mind? Again / it is unlawful for any man to take upon him those titles which are proper to our saviour Christ: but the title of Archbishop is only proper to our saviour Christ / therefore no man may take that unto him. That it