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. 198. 199. 200. 201. pages.

Least M. Doctor (as his common fashion is when the corruption of any thing is spoken against) say that we condemn burial / I would have him understand / that we hold that the body must be honestly and comely buried / and that it is mete / that for that cause some reasonable number of those which be the friends and neighbours about / should accompany the corps to the place of burial. We hold it also lawful to lament the dead / and if the dignity of the person so require / we think it not unlawful to use some way about the burial / whereby that may appear / but yet so / that there be a measure kept both in the weeping and in the charges / considering that whereas immoderate either weeping or pomp was never / no not in the time of the law allowed / now in the time of the gospel / all that is not lawful / which was permitted in the time of the law. For unto the people of God under the law / weeping was by so much more permitted unto them / then unto us / by how much they had not so clear a revelation and plain sight of the resurrection as we have / which was y• cause also why it was lawful for them to use more cost in the embalming of the dead / thereby to nourish and to help their hope touching the resurrection / whereof we have a greater pledge by the resurrection of our saviour Christ / then they had. Now for the things which the admonition findeth fault with / and thereof bringeth reason / M. Doctor of his bare credit without any reason or scripture / or any thing else / commendeth them unto us / & sayeth they be good. And this you shall mark to be M. doctors simple shift throughout his book / that when he hath no colour of scripture / nor of reason / no name nor title of doctor / then to make up some thing / he varieth his affirmation by all the figures he can / as in saying simply that it is so / and then in asking whether it be not so / and after in asking whether there is any other man will think that it is not so / as if the would make us believe / that he setteth us divers kinds of meats / because he bringeth the same in divers dishes. For besides these reasons / he hath no reason / either to prove that it is meet to have prescript form of service for the dead / or that the minister should be drawn to this charge.