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 first he sayeth ministers of the word may not occupy them selves in worldly business / as to be merchants / husbandmen / crafts men / and such like / but they may exercise civil offices. Where first of all I perceive M. Doctor is of this mind / that the order of God is not to be broken for small gain / or when a man must take great toil of the body to break it: but it may be broken with getting of honour / and doing of those things which may be done with out soil / & with great commendation / there it is lawful to break it. In deed so the Poet (but in the person of an unjust and ambition man / ) said: ei chre adicein, tyrannidos heneca chre, that is. If a man must do unjustly / he must do it to bear rule.

And first he sayeth mynisters of the word may not occupy them selues in wordly busines / as to be marchants / husbandmen / craftes men / and such like / but they may exercise cyuill offices. Where first of all I perceiue M. Doctor is of thys mynde / that the order of God is not to be broken for small gayne / or when a man must take great toyle of the body to breake it: but it may be broken with getting of honor / and doing of those things which may be done with out soyle / & with great commendation / there it is lawfull to breake it. In deede so the Poete (but in the person of an vniust and ambition man / ) sayd: ei chre adicein, tyrannidos heneca chre, that is. If a man must do vniustly / he must doe it to beare rule.

Secondarily I do see that M. Doctor will not be shackled and hindered from his ministry by a pair of iron fetters / but if he can get a pair of golden fetters / he is contented to be hampered and entangled / from doing the office of ministry committed unto him. For onles these should be the causes which should move him to take the one / and refuse the other / verily I see none. For where as he saith it is a help / & maintaineth religion / in deed that is the reason of the papists which M. Calvin confuteth in his institution. And although it be good ¹and necessary to punish vice and iniquity / by corporal punishments and by civil corrections: yet it doth no more follow that that should be done by the ministers / then it followeth that for that preaching and ministering the sacraments and excommunication are good and necessary / therefore the same is fit to be executed by the civil magistrate. I grant the ministers have also to punish vice / for as the civil magistrates punish lighter faults with some penalty of money or loss of member: so the church and the minister especially with the church / hath to punish faults by repressions and rebukes. And as the civil magistrate punisheth greater faults by death: so the minister with other which have interest / hath with the sword of excommunication power to kill those which be rebellious / & to cut them from the church / as the other doth from the common wealth. And if it be a help to the ministers office / that he should meddle with civill punishments / why should it not be a help unto the magistrates office / that he should excommunicate and other things pertaining to the ecclesiastical discipline? And where as M. Doctor saith they may not be husbandmen / crafts men. &c. & yet may have civil offices / I think far otherwise / that although neither be lawful / yet the one were more tolerable then the other. For seeing after the ministry of the word / there is no calling under the sun weightier / and which requireth greater exercise of the mind / then the office of the magistrate / it is against all reason to lay this heavy burden upon a man that is already laden / and hath as much as he is able to bear.