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…

Thirdly / when he maketh mention of the living God / and of Christ / which witnessed a good profession under Pontius Pilate / he showeth that the things contained in this Epistle are such / as for the maintenance thereof we ought not to doubt to give our lives / and that they be not such as we ought to keep / so that we have them without strife and without sweat / or easily / but such as for the keeping of them if we have them / and for the obtaining of them if we have them not (I will not say our honours / or our commodities and wealth / but as I have said) our lives ought not to be dear unto us. For therefore doth he make mention of the confession of Christ unto the death / that he might show us an example / and forthwith speaketh of God / which raiseth from the dead / that by this means he might comfort Timothy if he should be brought into any trouble for the defence of any of these things.

Thirdly / when he maketh mention of the lyuing God / and of Christ / which witnessed a good profession vnder Pontius Pilate / he sheweth that the thinges contayned in thys Epistle are such / as for the mayntenaunce thereof wee ought not to doubt to geue our lyues / and that they be not such as we ought to kepe / so that we haue them without strife and without sweate / or easely / but such as for the keeping of them if we haue them / and for the obtayning of them if we haue them not (I will not say our honoures / or our commodities and wealth / but as I haue sayd) our lyues ought not to be deare vnto vs. For therefore doth hee make mention of the confession of Christ vnto the death / that he might shew vs an example / and forthwith speaketh of God / which rayseth from the dead / that by thys meanes he might comfort Timothe if he should be brought into any trouble for the defence of any of these things.

Fourthly / if we refer those words without spot or blemish unto the commandment (as I for my part think they ought to be) then there is a weight in these words not to be passed over / which is / that the apostle will not only have the rules here contained / not trodden under the feet / or broken in pieces / but he will not have them so much as in any one small point or speck neglected. But I see how M. Doctor will wipe away all this / and say that these things / or some of them were to be observed thus necessarily and precisely / until there were christian princes and peace in the church: but the print is deeper then that it will be so washed away. Therefore it is to be observed / what he sayeth in the latter end of the sentence / where he chargeth Timothy / and in him all / that he should keep all these things / not until the time of peace / or to the times of Christian Princes / but even until the coming or appearing of our saviour Christ / which is as long as the world lasteth. And therefore I conclude that the seigniors or elders of the church (being a part of that order and government of the church / which S. Paul appointeth in this Epistle) are necessary / perpetual / and by no means to be changed. So that we have / not only now the examples of all the primitive churches (which ought to move us / if there were no commandment) but