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…

And the end of the order in the book is to be observed / which is to keep the prayers in the accustomed place of the church / chapel / or chancel / which how maketh it to edification? And thus for the general faults committed either in the whole Liturgy / or in the most part of it / both that I may have no need to repeat the same in the particulars / and that I be not compelled always to enter a new disputation / so oft as M. Doctor sayeth very unskilfully / and unlike a divine / whence so ever this or that come / so it be not evil / it may be well established in the church of Christ.

And the end of the order in the boke is to be obserued / which is to kepe the praiers in the accustomed place of the church / chappell / or chauncell / whych how maketh it to edification? And thus for the generall faultes committed either in the whole Liturgy / or in the most part of it / both that I may haue no nede to repete the same in the particulares / and that I be not compelled alwayes to enter a new disputation / so ofte as M. Doctor sayeth very vnskilfully / and vnlike a deuine / whence so euer thys or that come / so it be not euill / it may be well established in the church of Christ.

Now I come to the form of prayer which is prescribed / wherein the authors of the admonition declare / that their meaning is not to disallow of prescript service of prayer / but of this form that we have. For they expound themselves in the additions unto the first part of the admonition. It is not to any purpose / that M. Doctor setteth himself to prove / that there may be a prescript order of prayer by Justine Martyrs testimony / which notwithstanding hath not one word of prescript form of prayers / only he saith there were prayers. He saith in deed the ancient fathers say that there hath been always such kind of prayers in the churches / & although they do say so / yet all men may understand easily / that M. doctor speaketh this rather by conjecture / or that he hath heard other men say so: for so much as that Doctor which he hath chosen out to speak for all the rest / hath no such thing / as he fathereth on him. He sayeth that after they have baptised / they pray for them selves / & for him that is baptised / and for all men that they may be mete to learn the truth / and to express it in their honest conversation / and that they be found to keep the commandments / that they may attain to eternal life / but is this to say ye there was a prescript form of prayer / when he showeth nothing else but the chief points upon the which they conceived their prayers? If you had alleged this to prove what were the matters or principal points that the primitive church used to pray for / you had alleged this to purpose / but to allege it for a proof of a prescript form of prayer / when there is not there men tioned so much as the essential form of prayer (which is the asking of our petitions in the name / and through the intercession of our saviour Christ) without the which there is not / nor cannot be any prayer / argueth that either you little know what the form of prayer is / or that you thought (as you charge the authors of the admonition so often) that this gear of yours should never have come to the examination. But for as much as we agree of a prescript form of prayer to be used in the church let that go: this that I have said / is to show that when M. Doctor happeneth of a good cause / which is very seldom in this book / yet then he marreth it in the handling.