The second reply of Thomas CartwrightThe second replie of Thomas Cartwright

Where I allege that they be unchangeable laws […] God, that he should not be minister off the church which can not teach, nor Minister Sacraments which can not preach: the D. leaving the first which was the very cause / shppeth to the second / which is handled in an other Tract. as that wherein his provision was better. Howbeit because I would not the D. cause should leese her advantage by his oversight: I confess that Chrysostoms testimony / may seem to pertain to the cause in hand / forasmuch as he maketh a kind off priesthood not able to teach. To whom (with this exception that I will not be pressed with his authority / further then he bringeth reason off the word off God) I answer that as the word priesthood / is often times in ecclesiastical writers taken for the pastor / and chief minister off the church / off which our present question is: so sometime it is taken for the elders / joined as helpers in government unto the pastor / and which had not (as shall appear) to do doythe the preaching off the word / and administration off the Sacraments. As when it is said / that the Bishop chosen by Gods ordinance, and the Elders joined with him in the priestly honour. ¹According unto which sense / Chrysostoms saying maketh nothing to this question. For we deny not / but that he may be an ⟨p. CCCLXXI⟩elder / and consequently (as they term him) a priest assistant to the pastor / which is not able to preach: but that he may be the pastor / we utterly deny. So remaineth only against us in Chrysost. testimony / that he may baptize that can not preach: which with the rest pertaining to that head / shall (god willing) be in their proper place answered. As for the 5. 1. Tim. touching the Elders which rule well / in the treatise off the Presbytery it shall appear, that it is not understanded off these caterpillars. where he requireth warrant off the word of God, for that I confess the church may appoint for a reader only some grave man, he confessing it lawful as well as I: for answer to his request / I refer him to that disputation where ²I have proved / that it is not lawful to place any thing in the church / not justified by the word.

Where I alledge that they be vnchangeable lavves 〈…〉 God, that he should not be minister off the church vvhich can not teach, nor Minister Sacramentes vvhich can not preach: the D. leauing the first which was the very cause / shppeth to the second / which is handled in an other Tract. as that wherin his prouision was better. Howbeit because I would not the D. cause should leese her aduantage by his ouersight: I confesse that Chrysostomes testimonie / may seeme to perteine to the cause in hand / forasmuch as he maketh a kinde off preisthood not able to teach. To whom (with this exception that I will not be pressed with his autoritie / further then he bringeth reason off the word off God) I answer that as the word preisthood / is often times in ecclesiasticall writers taken for the pastor / and cheif minister off the church / off which our present question is: so sometime yt is taken for the elders / ioined as helpers in gouernement vnto the pastor / and whiche had not (as shall appeare) to doo doythe the preaching off the word / and administration off the Sacramentes. As when yt is saied / that the Bishop chosen by Gods ordinance, and the Elders ioyned vvith hym in the priestly honour.