The second reply of Thomas CartwrightThe second replie of Thomas Cartwright

The first off your reasons / to prove that a known adulterer may be received into the ministry: is that S. Paul by forbidding to receive unto the ministry, one which had been a whoremonger, or which had two wives at once should deal otherwise with them, then he was dealt with all him self. I gave the reason off this in the section following / that our Sau. Christ (having the law in his own hand / and making no law to him self / but for us) might do that which is not lawful for the church to do: which reason being neither answered here / nor else where / ought to have stayed you from this answer. I gave this weapon / but I turned the edge of it / and made it flat: it was not therefore to war with all / unless you had set a new edge.

The first off your reasons / to proue that a knowen adulterer may be receiued into the ministerie: is that S. Paule by forbidding to receiue vnto the ministerie, one which had bene a whoremonger, or which had two wiues at once should deale otherwise withe them, then he was dealt withe all him selfe. I gaue the reason off this in the section folowinge / that our Sau. Christ (hauing the law in his owne hande / and making no law to him selffe / but for vs) might doo that which is not lawfull for the churche to doo: whiche reason being neither answered here / nor els where / owght to haue staied yow frō this answer. I gaue this weapō / but I turned the edge of it / ād made it flat: yt was not therfore to warre vvithe all / vnlesse yow had set a new edge.

This solution / that it is not lawful for the church, nor for all the churches in there elections, to do that which was lawful for our Saviour Christ: if it do not plainly enough appear / in the examples off these two Apostles / it may be seen in the election off them all. For it is not lawful for any Apostle / or for all the Apostles / or for all the churches joined together / to appoint any to the ministry / which is not fit for the ministry / at the time when he is chosen unto it: But our Saviour Christ chose / and appointed eleven Apostles / to preach through out the whole ¹world / when as they had but one only tongue / off the country where they were borne / the charge whereunto they were appointed / requiring the knowledge off many tongues. And in this example off S. Pauls calling unto the ministry / it is clear / that our Sau. Christ dealt otherwise / then S. Paul dealeth with other. For he was called to the Apostleship / as soon as ever he was called to the church? which he forbiddeth by express words /