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…

For as he being a Minister of the Gospel / did all those things which were pertaining to his ministry: So by refusing this office of judgement in civil causes / he gave to understand that it did not appertain unto the compass of that office / which he exercised / which was the ministry. And therefore it is altogether out of season that M. D. here allegeth / that the Anabaptists use this reason to prove that christians may not have magistrates. For how doth this follow / that because this place of S. Luke proveth not / that we ought to have no christian magistrates: that therefore it proveth not / that the minister should be no magistrate / as if there could be no civill magistrates / onlesse ministers of the word were.

For as he being a Minister of the Gospell / dyd all those things which were pertayning to hys mynistery: So by refusing thys office of iudgement in cyuill causes / he gaue to vnderstand that it did not appertayne vnto the compasse of that office / which he exercised / which was the ministery. And therfore it is altogether out of season that M. D. here alledgeth / that the Anabaptistes vse thys reason to proue that christians may not haue magistrates. For how doth thys follow / that because thys place of S. Luke proueth not / that we ought to haue no christian magistrates: that therfore it proueth not / that the minister should be no magistrate / as if there coulde bee no ciuill magistrates / onlesse ministers of the worde were.

And the place which he allegeth out of the learned man / doth not only not make any thing for him / but doth quite overthrow his cause. For he sayeth that our saviour Christ did not refuse this as a thing in it self unlawful / but because it did not agree with his vocation. Now the vocation of our saviour Christ / was to be a minister of the gospel / therefore it doth not agree with the vocation of a minister of the gospel to judge or to intermeddle in civil government. And if M. Doctor had been so studious of M. Calvins works / as by his often allegation of him / he would make the world believe / he might have * red in him ¹this sentence cited for this purpose / to prove that the ministers have not to do with civill things. Furthermore M. D. asketh what S. Pauls place to the Romans (where he willeth that he which hath an office / must wait of that office