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…

To the next section contained in the. 102. and a piece of the. 103. page.

To the next section contained in the. 102. and a peece of the. 103. page.

IF the place of the. 5. to the Corinths do forbid that we should have any familiarity with notorious offenders / it doth much more forbid that they should be received to the communion. And therefore papists being such / as which are notoriously known to hold heretical opinions / ought not to be admitted / much less compelled to the supper. For seeing that our saviour Christ did institute his supper amongst his disciples / and those only which were as S. Paul speaketh within / it is evident / that the papists being without / and foreigners and strangers from the church of God / ought not to be received / if they would offer them selves: and that minister that shall give the supper of the Lord to him which is known to be a papist / and which hath never made any clear renouncing of popery with which he hath ben defiled / doth profane the table of the Lord / & doth give the meat that is prepared for the children / to dogs / and he bringeth into the pasture which is provided for the sheep / swine and unclean beasts / contrary to the faith and trust that ought to be in a steward of the Lords house / as he is. For albeit that I doubt not / but many of those which are now papists / pertain to the election of God / which God also in his good time will call to the knowledge of his truth: yet notwithstanding they ought to be unto the minister and unto the church touching the ministering of the sacraments / as strangers and as unclean beasts. And as for the papists / howsoever they receive it / whether as their popish breaden God (as some do) or as common and ordinary bread (as other some do) or as a thing they know not what (as some other) they do nothing else but eat and drink their own condemnation / the weight whereof they shall one day assuredly feel / unless they do repeat them of such horrible profaning of the Lords most holy mysteries. And if this be to gratify the papists / to show that they ought not to be compelled to receive the supper of the Lord / as long as they continue in their popery: I am well content to show them this. pleasure / so that both they and you forget not / what I have before said / that the magistrate ought to compel them to hear the word of God / and if they profit not / nor with sufficient teaching correct not them selves / that then they should be punished.