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…

Master Doctor hath put out the mark / and concealed the name of the papists / and so with a little change of words / as it were with certain new colours / he would deceive us. For the papists say / that every sir John or hedge priest / hath as great authority to sacrifice and offer for the quick and the dead / and to minister the sacraments as the Pope of Rome hath / but for government / and for order / the bishop is above a priest / the archbishop above a bishop / and the Pope above them all. But I have declared before out of the scriptures / how vain a distinction it is / and it appeareth out of Cyprian / that as all the bishops were equal one to an other / so he saith / that to every one was given a portion of the Lords flock / not only to feed with the word and sacraments / but to rule and govern / not as they which shall make any account unto an archbishop / or be judged of him / but as they which can not be judged of any / but of God. And Jerome upon Titus sayeth / that the elder or minister did govern and rule in common with the bishops / the church whereof he was elder or minister.

Maister Doctor hath put out the marke / and conceled the name of the papistes / and so with a little chaunge of wordes / as it were with certayne new coloures / he woulde deceiue vs. For the papistes saye / that euery syr Iohn or hedge priest / hath as great authoritie to sacrifice and offer for the quicke and the dead / and to mynister the sacramentes as the Pope of Rome hath / but for gouernment / and for order / the byshoppe is aboue a priest / the archbyshoppe aboue a byshoppe / and the Pope aboue them all. But I haue declared before out of the scriptures / how vayne a distinction it is / and it appeareth out of Cyprian / that as all the byshops were equall one to an other / so he sayth / that to euery one was geuen a portion of the Lordes flocke / not only to feede with the worde and sacramentes / but to rule and gouerne / not as they which shall make any accoumpte vnto an archbyshop / or be iudged of hym / but as they which can not bee iudged of any / but of God. And Ierome vpon Titus sayeth / that the elder or mynister dyd gouerne and rule in common with the byshops / the churche whereof he was elder or mynister.

After followeth M. Calvin / a great patron forsooth / of the archbishop / or of this kind of bishop which is used amongst us here in England. And here to pass over your strange citations and quotations which you make / to put your answerer to pain / sending him sometimes to Musculus common places for one sentence / to Augustine's works / to Chrysostoms works / to Cyril / to Master Fox / and here sending him to the viij. chapter of the institutions / as though you had never red Calvins institutions / but took the sentence of some body else / without any examination / whereby it seemeth that you were loth that ever any man should answer your book / letting I say all this pass / what maketh this either to prove that there should be one archbishop over all the ministers in the province / or one bishop over all in the diocese / that amongst twelve / that were gathered together into one place / there was one which ruled the action / for which they met? And that it may appear what superiority it is / which is lawful amongst the ministers / and what it is that M. Calvin speaketh of / what also the fathers and councils do mean / when they give more to the bishop of any one church / then to the elder of the same church / and that no man be deceived by the name of governor or ruler over the rest / to fancy any such authority and domination or Lordship / as we see used in our church / it is to be understanded / that amongst the pastors / elders and deacons of every particular church / and in the meetings and companies of the ministers or elders of divers churches / there was one chosen by the voices and suffrages of them all / or the most part / which did propound the matters that were to be handled / whether