The second reply of Thomas CartwrightThe second replie of Thomas Cartwright

And if this be off no authority with you / yet I would gladly understand / what you vvill answer to the sentence off M. Calvin / which you have alleged your self pag. •1. where he saith: This honour is meet to be given to the word off god and to the Sacraments, that wheresoever we see the word off God truly preached, and the Sacraments without superstition Ministered: there we may conclude without all controversy the church to be. If this meeting with some disorder be the church off god / how is it a conventicle? Besides that it ought to have been considered off you / whether they continued in that division / and whether being taught and showed their error / they did obstinately persevere: according to which circumstance that off Augustine ought to be expounded / for not every one which departeth for any cause whatsoever from that which is the church off God / by and by is to be accounted no member of the church. For ¹seeing that heresy is more heinous then a schism / and yet heresy doth not cut a man from the church / onlesse he remain obstinate: much less can a schism cause forthwith him that faulteth that ways / to be no member off the church. S. Paul found greater schisms in the church off Corinth then those were: and yet he rebuked them with an other spirit then you use: neither doth he cut them of from the church / but in the spirit off mildness restoreth them. And if you had learned that you ought not to break a bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax: you would have dealt otherwise then you do.

And iff this be off no authoritie whith yow / yet I would gladlie vnderstande / what yow vvill answere to the sentence off M. Caluin / which yow haue alleadged your selffe pag. •1. where he saithe: This honor is meete to be giuē to the vvorde off god and to the Sacramentes, that vvhersoeuer vve see the vvorde off God truelie preached, and the Sacraments vvithovvt superstition Ministred: there vve maye conclude vvithovvt all controuersie the church to be. Iff this meeting withe some disorder be the church off god / how is it a conuenticle? Besides that it ought to haue bene considered off yow / whether they continued in that diuision / and whether being taught and shewed their error / they did obstinatelie perseuer: according to whiche circunstance that off Augustine owght to be expounded / for not euerie one which departethe for any cause whatsoeuer from that vvhiche is the churche off God / by and by is to be accoumpted no membre of the churche. For