Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	apostle_n	canonical_a	church_n	1,749	5	4.4812	3	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07781	A notable treatise of the church in vvhich are handled all the principall questions, that haue bene moued in our time concerning that matter. By Philip of Mornay, Lord of Plessis Marlyn, gentleman of Fraunce. And translated out of French into English by Io. Feilde.; Traicté de l'église. English	Mornay, Philippe de, seigneur du Plessis-Marly, 1549-1623.; Fielde, John, d. 1588.	1579 (1579)	STC 18159; ESTC S107520	167,479	400

shoulde say to the ende it should be deliuered vnto the posteritie so as we haue it there registred by foure sworne Notaries of the holie Ghost and expounded in many Epistles of the Apostles Finally these Registers of the kingdome of heauen haue gathered them together by the common care of the Churches wherein they haue bene kept the which haue witnessed that this worde proceeded from them and thereto haue put to their seale and to the ende that no Scripture myght be made equall vnto them and to take away also the foundation of all heretikes which euery where alledge it and bring in to serue euery turne the traditions of the Apostles the Churches haue brought them into one booke which they call the Canon that is the rule and the Canonical Scriptures See then that in the Christian Church we haue now as was vnder the lawe one rule to iudge the right from the crooked a squire to direct our buylding a compasse to guyde our barke a lawe to iudge controuersies and a God in his woorde to determine all matters which shall arise in the Churches All that is agreeable to this word of God is of God for that it is his owne word All that is not agreeable to this worde is of man and no man hath any voyce in the Churche to make any lawes concerning the seruice of god The sonne of maÌ„ alone God and man hath onely this power of whom it is onely sayd Heare him Al then that is ouer and besides this ought to haue no place in the Church By this worde thus limited within the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture the primatiue Church hath taken away an infinite nomber of traditions which heretiks haue made to passe vnder the name of the Apostles allowing nothing but that which they haue found contained in the foresayde bookes By the same also they haue stopped the mouth of heresies which sprong vp of the noughtie and vnsound interpretations thereof to be short they neuer complained when they had any thing to doe with heretikes who agreed of this Iudge accompting their matter wonne but rather when they vanquished them which refused the same worde forasmuch as it is impossible to finde a Iudge to them that refuse to be iudged of God. Our aduersaries alwaies cry with open mouth The Fathers Fathers Fathers but beholde whereby the Fathers woulde bee iudged and before whome they would pleade This controuersie sayeth S. August requireth a Iudge let Christ then be Iudge himselfe and tel vs himself wherefore he dyed Let the Apostle also be iudge together with him for in the Apostle also Christ himselfe speaketh It is sayde that he hath not spared his owne sonne c. but hath giuen him to the death for vs See then the Iudge before whome he calleth the Pelagians from whome our aduersaries haue borowed their doctrine Against the Donatistes his ordinarie wordes are We haue founde Christ in the scriptures there also must wee finde the Church Also let it not be heard any more betwene vs I say this thou sayest that but rather see what the Lord sayth for we haue saith he the bookes of the Lord to which we both giue consent we both beleeue and keepe Againe the canonicall Scripture is the rule of all The epistles of Bishops gyue place one to an other and Councels are amended and corrected one by an other but that must correct all Also where shall wee feede the sheepe of the Lorde Vpon the mountaynes of Israel these mountaines of Israel are the altars of the Scriptures of god When any man shall preach according to that from thence take taste thereof and all that is not from thence cast it awaye for feare of straying in the mystes And when the Donatistes alleadged Saint Cyprian vnto him of whome notwithstanding hee maketh a great accompt in all his workes and specially through whome he myght haue ouercome them in many matters I sayeth he allowe not the wrytings of Saint Cyprian for canonicall And yet herein I doe him no wrong for not in vayne was this so healthfull a Canon made in which are compreheÌ„ded the bookes which we dare not iudge and through which notwithstanding wee iudge of all bookes as well of infidelles as of Christians That which I finde there agreeable with Scripture I accept it with prayse that which I finde not agreeable to the Scripture by his good leaue I reiect it And there is no doubt sayeth hee in another place but that nowe he seeth all more cleare and bryght then when he was conuersant in darkenes that he will rather be glad to know how comfortable it is for vs that in the writinges of Christian orators and learned preachers a man may finde things to be reproued and that in the writings of those poore fishers that is to say of the Apostles a man shall finde no such thing in them Alledge not therefore to me sayeth he in this case their writings but the Lawe the Prophets the Psalmes the Gospell and the Apostle For from hence it is that I holde the Church is spread ouer all and is not tyed vnto any certayne place And the rule which hee gyueth vs out of the bookes of Cyprian he hath also gyuen out of his owne and out of all the rest and the places also repeated by Gratian in his Decretalles I knowe very wel that Gratian to get credite to himselfe gyueth no lesse aucthoritie to the decretall Epistles of the Pope then to the Canonicall bookes of the scripture impudently corrupting a place taken out of the bookes of Christian doctrine where he speaketh the quite contrarie But this is not worth the confutation And Alfonsus de Castro himselfe who is one of the chiefe pillars of the Papacie doth acknowledge this fault very liuely reproueth him for it The ArriaÌ„s in a more high matter of the Christian faith woulde escape by the Councilles but he alwayes draweth them to this Let vs not alledge saith he disputing against Maximine their Bish neither thou the Council of Ariminium nor I the Councill of Nicee for neyther I am bound to the aucthoritie of that there nor thou to the aucthoritie of this here but let vs dispute by the aucthoritie of the Scriptures which are common witnesses to vs both cause against cause and reason against reason c. All his bookes are ful of such places especially against the Manichees who denyed one part of the Scriptures following the example of Christ who vanquished the Sadduces in the matter of the resurrection specially by the bookes of Moses because they reiected all the others And yet this is he that so astonished all the heretikes of his time that he put them to vtter silence But to the end that they condemne him not for an heretike whome they haue already so sore suspected it is necessarie to see what others doe holde concerning this matter Basil the great woulde that wee examine all doctrines

by this argument as much or more aucthoritie ouer the Scriptures then it I aske of the indifferentest amongest them who shal iudge but the Scriptures And if they iudge the Scriptures who shall pronounce sentence ouer them If the Easte Churches shall then the Romishe Churche hath loste her Cause If the Church of Rome then thys shall hee in another respecte then of keeping the Scriptures If they saye it bee by their pretended prerogatiue of Saynt Peters Seate it is meete that they prooue it by the Scriptures And therefore marke Peters Sea which doeth take vpon it to iudge the Scriptures beyng yet subiecte to the Scripture it selfe Furthermore I praye euerye man to examine this conclusion The Church of GOD hath kept the Scripture The Church beareth witnesse of the Scripture Ergo shee is aboue the Scripture The edictes of a Prince are registred in all his Countries The lawes are gathered together and written by Clarkes All Contractes and bargaines are subsigned by witnesses And yet for all that he that woulde saye that they were aboue the Kinges aboue the lawes contracts hee shoulde make him selfe a laughing stocke If they say that the Lawes of God haue no place neyther more nor lesse then edictes of some Princes except they be agreeable to the worde of God I answere them that it is not the Church of God that hath this priuiledge for shee is the Spouse of Christ and hath learned to obey her husbande without anye examination of his commaundement and must by and by holde her peace assoone as shee heareth his woord For she knoweth also that the wisedome of her husband whose will is the rule of doctrine is not like that of Princes which it is necessarye to examine whether it bee honest and profitable Ciuile or vnciuile but if they be so stiffe for the obteyning of this priuiledge yet let them agree with mee herein that this is that assemblie which hath lyfted vp it selfe aboue all that is called GOD which fearing to bee discomfited by the Spirite of his mouth woulde therefore moussell and stoppe vp hys mouth all that it might The place of Saynt Augustine which they alledge maketh nothing agaynst that which hath bene sayde before I woulde not sayeth hee beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the aucthoritye of the Church constrained or moued me Ni me Ecclesiae Catholicae commoueret authoritas where it is specially to be noted that according to the style of Affricke Commoueret is taken for commouisset that is to say I had not beleeued the Gospell vnlesse the consent of the vniuersall Church had moued mee thereto hee meaneth not that the holy Ghost had not such a style as myght make it selfe sufficientlye knowen from other wrytings of men For he him selfe instructeth vs in this matter in many places Much lesse meaneth hee that the Church shoulde be aboue the Gospell For it is by the Gospell that hee examineth all the Churches of his tyme but rather that the vniuersall consent of the Churches the which receiued such such bookes for the Gospels of Christ made that he could not doubt but that they were so and that the apostles whose names thei did beare were true authours of them No otherwise then as the consent of manye ages acknowledging such and such bookes to be Ciceroes Hippocrates and Platoes doe assure vs that they were theirs These were his very words against the Manichees themselues who denyed part of the holy scriptures in another place Oh vnhappie enemies saith he of your owne soules What Scriptures shal be had in price if the Euangelicall and Apostolicall bee not Of what booke shall men hold the certaine authour if a man doubt that those holy books which the Church holdeth were of the Apostles shoulde not be theirs Who shall knowe whether the bookes of Plato Hippocrates Aristotle Cicero were theirs vnles it be for that froÌ„ their time euen vnto ours alwayes meÌ„ haue bene perswaded that they came froÌ„ hand to hand c. Like as then I beleeue that the books of Manichee are his because men haue beleeued that they came thence froÌ„ hand to hand so also I beleeue the booke of S. Matth. because eueÌ„ vntil vs the church hath so held The questioÌ„ is not theÌ„ in this place whether the writings of the Apostles haue any voice to determine matters in the church for as we haue already shewed S. Aug. teacheth vs that in a M. places but only whether such and such scriptures were the Apostles yea or no. For the heretikes denied not but that the books of the Apostles had such authority as they must be obeyed but they denyed that they were theirs because that if they had once allowed theÌ„ they knew that they must of necessity rest in them And yet they preteÌ„ded that they were neuer a whitte lesse the church then the Romane church doth For they helde that Manichee the chiefe of their secte was the holy Ghoste him selfe But this was a blasphemie not yet knowen to the most damnablest heretikes that euer were that the holye Scripture was subiect to the Church and that without her as one of the Popes ChaÌ„pions of our time saith it hath no more aucthority theÌ„ Esops fables The Iewes haue taught the Gentiles that the Olde Testament was the worde of God and manye of the Gentiles beleeued it better theÌ„ the Iewes The Gentiles haue kept for the Christians many good and auncient bookes and haue taught them that such and such were the authours of them and yet for all that they haue not giuen anye credyte vnto them The bookeseller will teach vs that such a booke is Hippocrates woorke and yet for all that hee shall not be a physitian as Hippocrates was For it is one thing to beleeue the word of any some man an other thing to be the authour of a booke This is that which was saide long agoe by a great learned man That the Church is true or vndouted but as we say by occasioÌ„ because she beleeueth the trueth of the Scripture but the holye Scripture is simplie true of it selfe For it is the trueth it self There foloweth another argument that the Church is before the Scripture Ergo it is aboue the Scripture When we speake of the Scripture we vnderstand the word of God the which at the first was not written and afterward was written aswell by Gods owne finger as by the pennes of his seruants inspired by his holy spirite as we haue before declared But now I would demaund of them from whence they fetch the beginning of the Church If from the creation of man and before sinne entred immediatly after they were created God gaue them a commaundement that they should not touche the tree of knowledge of good and euill and we must not dispute whether they had authoritie aboue this word for why they hauing disobeyed it all the world from man to beastes sighes and grones for it But will they not

both the name the person the which our text plainely sheweth vs the which he would neuer haue done if it ought to haue bene vnderstoode of Peter not of the confession of Peter Againe I leaue it to the iudgement of euery ChristiaÌ„ whether it be more agreeable to the faith more healthful for the Church either that the Church be founded vpon Christ or vpon Peter vpon the Sonne of the liuing God whom Peter coÌ„fessed or vpon Peter who a litle while after denyed the sonne of the liuing God vpon him that vanquished Satan or vpon him whom Christ himselfe in the very same Chapter calleth Satan himselfe vpon him who is called the chiefe corner stone of the building or vpon him who was an offeÌ„ce vnto him that is to say a stone of great stumbling None sayth S. Paul can laye any other foundation but that which is layde which is Christ Also S. Peter saith You are as liuing stones built vpon the chiefe corner stone in whom whosoeuer beleeueth he shal not be confounded that is to saye in that confession of Christ which he called the rocke and foundation of his Church It appeareth then by this place that Christ hath builded it vpon himselfe not vpon Simon Peter and vpon the confession of fayth which Peter made and not vpon the fayth of Peter which was too much wauering and vnstedfast And in very deede where Saint Iohn recyteth this story he resteth wholly vpon Peters confession But to the ende they abuse not the people vnder the visard of antiquitie we must see what the auncient Doctors haue taught vpon this place Chrysostome vpon Saynt Matthewe Vpon this stone that is to saye vpon the fayth of this confession Also he hath sette our feete vpon the rocke that is to saye vpon fayth For fayth in Christe by good right is called a rocke that cannot be broken and therefore when Saint Peter had confessed Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Christ added Thou art Peter vpon this rocke that is to say vpon this fayth which thou hast coÌ„fessed c. Saint Ambrose Iesus Christ hath sayd vnto Peter and vpon this rocke c. that is to say vpon the confessioÌ„ of the Catholike faith I will establish the faythfull vnto euerlasting life Saynt Augustine Peter was founded vpon the rocke to the ende he should suffer death for the loue of him whom through feare he had thrise denyed Also the Church likewise is founded vpon the rocke whereof also Peter had his name For a rocke or stone commeth not of Peter but rather Peter of the rocke as Christian commeth of Christ and not Christ of Christian And because Peter had sayde Thou art Christ c. Our Sauiour added vpon this rocke which thou hast confessed will I build my Church Christ then is the rocke vpon which S. Peter himselfe was founded builded For none can lay any other foundatioÌ„ then that which is already layd to wit Christ Againe he wil not say vpoÌ„ this Peter I wil build my Church but vpon this faith vpon that which he had saide Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God c. Here vpon this rocke saith he I wil found my Church Also Vpon this rocke which thou hast coÌ„fessed vpoÌ„ this stone which thou hast acknowledged wil I build my church I wil build my Church vpoÌ„ me not vpoÌ„ thee but thee vpoÌ„ me The meÌ„ that will build vpoÌ„ men they wil say I hold of Cephas that is to say of Peter of Paul and of Apollo but they who wil not be builded vpon Peter but vpon the rocke they wil say I holde of Christ This is the interpretatioÌ„ of S. Augustine repeated in many places of his bookes of the citie of God euery where where he handleth this matter Saint Hierome vpon this place By the rocke we vnderstande Christe whom Peter confessed For if we take Peter for a stone of the foundation all the Apostles shall be alike according to that which we see in the Apocalypse And this is the verie opinion of Cardinall Cusan in his booke of the Catholike Concorde presented to the counsell of Constance who proueth it euen by the Canon lawe it selfe and maintaineth it against the Pope Saint Bernard The rocke is in heauen In the same is stedfastnesse and assurance And in deede where else can it be but in our Sauiour The world roareth the flesh oppresseth me the world doggeth and hangeth vpon me and yet for all this I fall not for I am founded vpon a sure rocke To be short let them reade their owne common glose Super hanc Petram vpon this rocke that is to say vpon Christ in whom thou beleeuest and the interlineall glose Thou art Peter but froÌ„ me which am the rocke and alwaies in such sort as I reserue to my selfe the dignitie of the foundation of the Church Beholde then that by the interpretation of the auncient fathers none neede to dashe against this stone Nowe if our aduersaries reply that some of the auncient fathers interpret it as they doe and namely Saint Augustine in some place I aunswere that if a man reade those places he shall finde that it was but by the way and as it were in handlying another thing And in deede Saint Augustine in his booke of retractations hath retracted it in these wordes It fell out that I sayd in a certaine place that in the Apostle Saint Peter the Church was buyled as vpon a rocke but for the most part I haue expounded it of him whome Peter confessed I was abused by an Hymne of Saint Ambrose common ynough where he saith that at the crowing of the Cocke the rocke wept This is a Poeticall maner of speaking and therefore Christ saide not vnto hym Tu es Petra but Tu es Petrus For the rocke is Christe whome Simon had confessed Besides he is so farre of from taking Peter for the foundation of the Church that in another place he sayeth that Iames Peter and Iohn seemed to be the pillars of the Church but that in trueth they were not And Saint Hierome sayth that the Apostles are pillars of the Church principally Peter Iames and Iohn but that all they which ouercome the Deuill by fayth may be so aswell as they But here they run to their ordinary distinction That it is certayne that Christ is the essentiall head of the Church but yet that Peter is the Ministeriall head that is to say that he is likewise called so by reason of his ministerie But we demaunde in what place either of the Scriptures or of the fathers them selues they finde this And we haue alreadie proued that there can be had no ministeriall head which is the selfe same thing But againe let them answere vs whether Peter had any other Ministerie besides his Apostleshippe If he had any other let them take it and shewe

the canker of these heresies fret no farther but may in time be stayed that God may be glorified his poore Church preserued and his gracious blessings fealed amongst vs not onely in our dayes but in the dayes of our childrens children after vs Amen Your good Lordships most bounden and faithfull Io. Feilde To the most excellent Prince Henry King of Nauarre Prince and Souereigne Lord of Bearne c. Peere and chiefe Prince of the bloud royall of Fraunce THIS litle booke which I presume to offer to your maiestie my very good Lord belongeth vnto you by a double right First in respect of the matter for it intreateth of the Church whereof it hath pleased God to raise you vp to be a defender in our coutrey of Fraunce Then in respect of the Authour himselfe for seeing that he hath vowed and giuen himselfe to your maiestie with all that by Gods grace he is able to bring foorth the proprietie and right is in you Wherfore if it shall please you to reade you shall finde herein a little after what ought to be the right condition of the Church of God and what now at this present it is vnder the tyrannie of the Pope in the Church of Rome and consequently what honour God hath shewed vnto you in our time choosing you out from amongst so many great Princes to deliuer it from such a bondage The world will make no accompt of these honours neither is it of the worlde But to a Christian Prince who will consider that God doth hold his Church so deare that he hath giuen his dearely beloued sonne to the death and to the contempt of the world for her sake this honour shal be more precious in his sight then the whole world This vndoubtedly is a great work wherin verely there is much toile for the word of God is certaine that the nations and kinges of the earth for the most part will bande themselues together to maintaine and vnderproppe the kingdome of Antichrist But beyonde this as in all great thinges so in this there remaineth at the end of this toyle a most assured victorie For this thing the word of God telleth vs that it must needes be that that kingdome must fall and that Christ must be acknowledged through all to be the King of kings and Lord of lords yea that they themselues which shall haue mainteyned Antichrist shall hewe him in pieces Of this trauel the worst and greatest brunt is already past God hauing for the comfort of his children deuided it amongest so many great and notable personages which in our time haue trauailed therein and nowe haue rested themselues from their trauailes in that same blessed happines And if so be any thing yet remaine it behoueth that you take good courage For God who hath crowned you will also crowne this good worke by you and as for the forces which now they doe seeme to make what are they else but the gryâ—ng wringings of Antichrist And these griping â—â—â—gings are euident and vndoubted tokens that hiâ—â—â—â—â—h draweth neere God hath made you my very good lord to know his trueth euen from your childhoode and he hath employed you in his woorke in your first youth Hee hath beautified you with great gifts to this ende as strength of body quickenes of spirite valiancie of courage And employing these in his seruice he will crowne them in you with happines honour riches and high aduauancements For these are no other then accessories and he who hath giuen you the principall can giue you these and by him alone also it is that kings reigne and that princes Judge the earth And Sir this is that which he requireth of you This is it that Christendome looketh for at your hands This is that which all good men doe promise themselues This then is the alone and onely marke that your maiestie must ame at And therefore Sir as one of your most lowely seruants I make this humble petition that day and night you may liuely represent and keepe before your presence the dignitie and greatnes of this charge to which God hath called you that you may employ those rare gifts which he hath giuen vnto you for the establishing of his kingdome that you may thinke then to reigne most safely when he shall reigne by his worde in the middest of you This is the most sure and short way that your trustie seruantes can direct you in for the establishing of your highnes I beseech God therefore Sir that it will please him to assist you through his spirite in this worke to gouerne your heart and all your actions and to heape vpon you his blessings both spirituall and temporall to his owne glorie and the benefite of his Church Your most humble obedient and faithfull seruant Du Plessis To the Reader I Pray thee gentle Reader to reade this treatise not as hauing alreadie founde the trueth but seeking for it likewise and I pray thee to read it out before thou iudge of it And if it accord as the doctrine of the trueth I adiure thee in the name of God by thine owne saluation that thou openly declare it For it behoueth that we waite no longer to speake seeing once that wincking at the kingdome of Antichrist our kingdome falleth to ruine in the ruine whereof is the danger of vs all If yet there be founde any doubt they shewing it by writing we shall by the grace of God endeuoure to make it cleare But if there be any which will improue the whole I praye them that they wil answere point by point and reason by reason in the spirite of sinceritie and gentlenes seeking in steade of the prise of victorie the saluation of the people and not the glorie of this world For I protest before God that in this treatise I haue aimed at no thing else but their saluation What the visible Church is and what are the sundry states thereof CHAP. I. GOD through his might the Creatour of mankind vouchsauing of his owne good wil to be the Father thereof would that the Church should be honoured acknowledged as mother of all those of whom he vouchsaueth to be Father in his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord And forasmuch as we are not saued but in this that God hath allowed vs for his children and that he hath allowed none to be such but those that are regenerated and nourished vp in his Church if we desire our saluation it is necessarie that we acknowledge her in whose lappe we haue it And if we will be heires of the Father we must be vnited in the familie of the mother in which it hath pleased him to beget those againe whom he hath ordeined to be hetres of his kingdome and coheires of his dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. All they that are knit and incorporated into this Churche in true faith charitie are partakers of this inheritance because they are members of the body of Christ and without her

his word cherished nourished vp in the faith and she at the first giuing vs sucke and afterwards more fast and strong meate through the Communion of Christ his bodye in the Supper we are more and more vnited to him and by this meane inuested into that heauenly inheritance It followeth then that she is the pure Church and true mother who bringeth foorth vs her children through Baptisme regenerateth norisheth vs through the worde knitteth vs to Christ and so a-amongst our selues one to another through the Sacrament of his Supper that is to saye shee is the true mother in which the worde of God is purely preached and the Sacraments according to the same worde duely administred In the Church of Iuda and Israel Circumcision occupied the place of Baptisme the Passeouer of the Supper the worde of God alwayes keeping his place as the ordinarie nourishment of the children of God and therefore we see that after their entrie into the land of Canaan Iosue being admonished by the Lord to repaire those faults committed in the desert made the people to be circumcised and bound them by an othe if they would be his people to keepe the word of God that is to saye if they would bee his Church Likewise Iosias after so great confusions and mingle mangles when he would reforme the Church in which there was not so much as that visible marke which circumcision had left in the flesh we see that he began there first digging vp as it were the law which had bene buried published the same and made the people to sweare solemnly vnto it And coÌ„sequently he caused a Passeouer to be proclaymed in these woordes Celebrate the passeouer of the Lord your God as it is written in the booke of this couenant that is to say according to the ordinaÌ„ce of the Lord your god Esdras also after he was returned froÌ„ Babylon for to reedifie the temple and to restore the Church he began at these foundations he expoundeth the lawe vnto the people and maketh theÌ„ to sweare in the forme of that couenant and after to nourish and fortifie them in the hope of their saluation to come he restoreth againe the true vse of the Paschall according to those things sayeth he which were written in the booke of Moses To be short al the true seruants of God after that there came any great scattering of the Church being willing to redresse it they haue alwaies before al other things restored these markes no otherwise then a good Captaine who after a great slaughter confusion raungeth his men into an aray and planteth his standerds in some high place to the end they may shew them selues to all sides Iesus Christ who is the true husband hath giuen vs no other markes to knowe his espouse by For this cause that he calleth the Church his wife he teacheth her her duety which is to obey his worde and not to hearken to the voyce of a straunger not to lose the tokens nor to defile the Iewels and pledges of her mariage but marke how he speaketh in expresse wordes He that is of the trueth heareth my voice And againe My sheepe heare my voice and I knowe them and they followe me and in another place Ye heare not because you are not of god The pure wife and Church then of the trueth is onely she which heareth the voyce of Christ Not a voyce in the ayre or an imaginatiue voyce but that voyce which hath it Echo out of the scriptures and which will resound vntill the end to witte the same that is pronounced by the mouth of his Prophets Apostles vpon which Saint Paul teacheth vs that the Church is founded Christ Iesus being the chiefe corner stone This is the cause why sending foorth his Apostles to erecte the Christian Churches he saith vnto theÌ„ Goe and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father c. and teaching them to keepe all that I haue commanded you And in the Actes we reade that the faithfull continued in the doctrine of the Apostles in the Communion breaking of bread in prayers which is no other thing but a briefe description of the true Church of Christ instructed by the worde in true faith and knit together in true charitie through the Communion that is in him The which thing S. Ambrose teacheth vs saying that the Catholique Church is that where God speaketh with his seruaÌ„ts and S. Augustine also wheÌ„ he placeth the ministerie of ministers pastors of the Church in the word of God SacrameÌ„ts Let vs yet adde hereunto the third mark of this church albeit it be not of the substance but outward to wit the lawful vocation of pastors ministers of the Church which haue the administration of the things aforesaid For seeing that there is question of preaching be it by the word or by the Sacraments which are vnto vs as a word that may be felt and that to preach it behoueth that the ministers be sent it is very necessary that the Church of God haue an order to send forth their pastors But more shal be seene of this point in another place We wil call then the true pure Churches all those wherein we finde the worde of God and Sacraments purely and lawfully administred that is to say as Cyprian saith according to the institution of the Lorde And we nothing doubt to communicate with them that God is there president howsoeuer in some certaine pointes of doctrine there haue bene some errour and in the outward policie some abuse and corruption and impuritie in maners for it behooueth that alwayes we resort thither when the chiefe pointes of the foundation of our saluation be there truly taught seeing we are men the Churches are compounded of men as speache and language consist of syllables and letters of the qualities of which men as long as the Church is in this world she is alwayes a partaker As concerning the false and impure Churches they are not so easely to be defined Trueth soundnes and right are but of one sort but errors diseases crookednesses are without nomber Againe there are many kindes degrees of impure Churches notwithstanding we can say in one worde that al those Churches are impure in which the word of the Lord and his Sacraments are impurely ministred that is are administred both against the honor of God and the saluation of our neighbour and because that the whole Gospel is nothing else but faith and charitie and whole Christ nothing but head and body we may make two principall kindes thereof calling those Heretikes which erre in the faith doctrine of Christ those schismatikes which sunder themselues from charitie and from the communion of his body which is the Church yea although they agree otherwise to the trueth of doctrine in all pointes Nowe as there are many pointes in the

by the Scriptures which were giuen vnto vs by the holie Ghost reiecting whatsoeuer is not agreeable to them as enemie to our saluation And against all heretikes he demaundeth that onely the Scripture be vmpire Chrysostom calleth it the most exact balaunce the squire the rule and iudge of all doctrine And in a certayne other place the same sayeth that the Scripture is the accomplishment of the holie Ghost as Christ is of the lawe and that without it we may not alledge the spirite Irence calleth it the foundation and pillar of our faith Tertullian sayeth Take from heretikes the bookes of Ethnikes and winne so much of them that they will rest vpon the Scriptures and they can not stande Also let the shoppe of Hermogenes shewe that it is written if they cannot let them feare the curse which is appoynted for them that adde to or diminishe To bee short they all dryue to this poynt that to examine all doctrine to maintayne the true to vanquishe the false we must haue no other touchstone no other Buckler or sworde but this And this was the cause in the thirde Councill of Carthage it was forbidden to read any thing in the Church but the Canonicall Scriptures And the Imperiall lawe distinguisheth Catholikes from heretikes by the Apostolicall and Euangelicall doctrine and Constantine the great the first Christian Emperour hauing assembled that famous Councill of Nicee wherein there were three hundreth and eyghtene Fathers to dispute agaynst the heresie of Arrius he prescribed them this rule We haue sayeth he the bookes of the Euangelistes Apostles and Prophetes which instruct vs in the holie lawe By these bookes then it behooueth vs to resolue all doubtes and questions And this rule also was there so exactly kept that one Minister alone Paphnutius by name alleadging the Scripture made all the rest to chaunge their opinion who without any grounde of the Scripture for certayne politike and humane considerations were readie to haue abolished the marriage of Ministers To be shorte Gerson and Panormitane euen when the Popes thunderbolts and lyghtning excommunications were most hotte durst yet say and write that one poore lay man alleadging a text of the olde or newe Testament ought to be preferred before the Pope yea and before a generall Councill erring through ignorance or of malice against the text of Gods worde which ought to bee thought no more straunge then if they had sayde that the worde of God alone hath more wayght then all the Doctors of the worlde together who are nothing else with all their knowledge but ignorance and vanitie I haue bene long in this poynt because nowe a dayes they alwayes speake vnto vs of the fathers and I pray the readers to take a little payne to reade the places themselues because they shall finde them yet more playne and full then the desire that I haue to be short suffereth me to write at large With Isaie the Prophete therefore we call our aduersaries to the Lawe with Abraham to Moses and the Prophetes with Christ to the Scriptures with all the fathers and Christian Doctors to the olde and newe Testament If this Iudge then which heretofore hath decyded all coÌ„trouersies which hath bene so reuerently accepted euen of the greatest parte of heretikes themselues can not please theÌ„ either they must alledge great causes of refusall against it or else all the worlde will holde their doctrine more suspect then the doctrine of al the heretiks that euer were Their first cause of refusing the holie Scriptures is for that they are imperfect But I demaunde of them if they will require any other perfection then a doctrine sufficient to saluation If they content themselues to be saued Saint Iohn hath tolde vs that that which he hath written is sufficient to beleeue in Christ and to haue lyfe in his name and as concerning the things which are omitted S. Augustine pronounceth that he is rash which presumeth to ghesse what they are Saint Paul also sayth that the holy Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God perfect and wise to saluation That they comprehende sufficiently the rule of faith and whatsoeuer belongeth to the seruice of god Beholde then sufficiently wherewithall to saue them If they wil not coÌ„tent theÌ„selues with saluation but call the Scriptures imperfect because they finde not there the determination of certaine curious questions which they handle in their schooles and yet they doe the Scriptures wrong for there they shall finde their condemnation Moreouer I demaunde of them from whence this imperfection can come Is this of Christ nay rather he is perfection it selfe And seeyng he came to accomplishe our saluation it must needes bee he of whome the Church must wayte for the reuelation of all things He then coulde beyng perfectly wise and woulde beyng perfectly good teache his Church whatsoeuer myght belong vnto her saluation Or is this imperfection of the Apostles but they receyued this woorde of lyfe from his mouth and after hee sent vnto them his holie Spirite to recorde it and to put them in minde thereof in such sorte that they preached saluation to all nations and as Ireneus sayeth that which they preached by mouth they haue left vnto vs by wryting to be the pillar and foundation of our fayth The whole faulte then commeth not that wayes it remayneth then that the whole imperfection bee in men who not fynding in the Scriptures their imperfections they esteeme it imperfect as they that haue swilled in the snowe waters from the mountaynes call those imperfect which haue not wyde and hanging throtes like themselues for that they haue not their superfluous imperfection We finde in the Scriptures the inuocation of one God alone by meanes of Iesus Christ alone but they would find there the inuocation of Saints We there finde that purgatorie cleansing is in the onely blood of Iesus Christ they woulde finde there that purgatorie which they haue taken out of Virgill and Plato We there finde one onely Mediator but they would finde as manie there as there are saints in their kalender They call these things imperfections in the Scripture which are rather so manie infections in their Church Furthermore I demaunde be it that a man thinke that there wanteth something who shall be so hardie after such a workeman to put to his hande to make it perfect If a man saye the Doctors why then quite contrarie finde it onely perfect in it as in a glasse they acknowledge the imperfections both of others and of themselues If they will bryng in the Church through her traditions why it is shee that hath taught vs to cut of by the bookes of this Canon all that we finde not therein and further shee is forbidden to serue God according to her traditions and commaunded to be a scholer of this word and we knowe that this is not the parte of a scholer to vsurpe aboue

of all our thoughtes and that wee conclude that if wee see nothing the faulte thereof is in our eyes and not in the light They alledge that the Scripture is doubtefull because that Satan alledged it vnto Iesus Christ I aunswere that there is no lawe that a man may not reiect by this argument for all lawes are subiect to be alledged both by good bad But let them also marke that by the same Iesus Christ stopped his mouth Also your Sauiour Christ hath spoken in parables and similitudes we know that similitudes are to make cleare and not to darken and I make their owne consciences iudges whether those parables of Christ so expouÌ„ded as we haue them in the scriptures tend to any other end When he would teach vs who is our neighbour he maketh it playne by the similitude of the man descending from Iericho what the kingdome of heauen is by the similitude of the sower what the vocation of the Gentiles is by the prodigall childe and so likewise of other I aske if by these parables we may iudge more clearely or more darkely whether all the gloses or long coÌ„mentaries of the Pharises were able so clearly to expound this matter But they will say you cannot deny but the there are manye darke places for S. Peter himself saith that there are such in the epistles of S. Paul nay but rather we may say that forasmuch as there are only certaine places darke it followeth contrariwise that the Scripture is not darke For this is an euill argument to reason from some to all and hee that sayeth that vpon a garment there are blacke spottes he sayeth by consequence that that garment is not all blacke And as concerning those we say that the light of the Scripture is sufficient for to giue them such light as they neede not dwell anye more in darkenesse vnlesse it be those whome the God of this worlde hath blinded in their vnderstanding as Saynt Paul sayth to the end they should perish that the lyght of the Gospell shoulde not shine vnto them or as Saynt Peter sayeth in the selfe same place which they alledge to the vnstable and vnlearned which peruert the Scriptures to their owne destruction This is the sentence of all the auncient fathers with whome wee conclude thys poynte There are sayeth Saynt Augustine handling this matter certaine harde places in the Scripture and yet notwithstanding there is no other thing but that which is expounded in most expresse wordes in other places whereby the holy Ghoste hath wonderfully measured and tempered the holy Scriptures to the ende that those cleare places shoulde serue healthfully to satisfie the hunger of the readers and those darker places shoulde encrease their appetite to take away all contempt but in that that is spoken clearly in the Scriptures they shall finde all things which conteyne fayth and the waye to liue well to witte hope and charitye And hee that will haue more examples hereof in the foresayde places he alledgeth more Saynt Ambrose There is sayth he much obscurity in the Propheticall writings he speaketh namely of the Prophets but if thou knocke at the doore of the Scriptures with the hand of thyne owne vnderstanding thou shalt gather the sense of the darke places and the woorde of God it selfe shall be that that shall open it vnto thee The most obscure and darke then that is therin may be made plain by it selfe S. Basill If wee be commanded to doe any thing and we knowe not howe let vs take the LORD for our guyde who sayeth vnto vs Searche the Scriptures and let vs followe the Apostles who asked him selfe of the interpretatioÌ„ of those thinges which hee had spoken vnto them and of those thinges which hee hath spoken to vs in one place let vs learne to vnderstand those things which he hath spoken in another This is that which Marsilius of Padua disputed against the Pope 300. yeeres agoe that the Lawe of the Gospell is sufficient perfect and plaine of it selfe immediatly to direct vs to euerlasting saluation and to turne vs away from the path of miserie But to theÌ„ which finde nothing in the light but darknes I feare that it is to no purpose to alledge plaine places out of the auncient doctors The mischief is that we finde not in the Scriptures in any place neither the Masse nor Purgatory neither the papacie nor the power of one man alone ouer the whole Church and such other inuentions of the prince of darkenesse and therefore we accuse Gods worde to be darke to the ende we may fetch these goodly doctrines from thence by meane of some colde Allegorie that wheresoeuer this light shineth not vnto vs in the Churche wee shoulde knowe that there is nothing but darkenesse But yet see a farther matter then the former for it is so farre of that they will accept the Scriptures for their iudge that they them selues will bee Iudges ouer the Scripture If the Churche saye they had not kept the Scriptures and witnessed of them they had bene of no more authoritye then any other writing Therefore the Churche is Iudge ouer the Scripture and not the Scripture ouer the Churche First I demaunde what that Churche is which hath kept the Scriptures whether this bee onelye the Christian Churche or the Iewish Churche also Nowe wee knowe that the Olde Testament was deliuered from hand to hande vnto vs by the Iewes and therefore the auncient doctours called them the booke keepers of the Churche For they were so curious that they would enter euerye tittle and poynte both the accentes and letters and made a Register of them Therefore the Iewishe Churche was iudge of the Olde Testament when Iesus Christ came and therefore to verye euill purpose our Sauiour Christe sendeth the people to the Scriptures who might more safely haue bene sent to the high Priestes and Pharisees But these Iudges of the Scriptures they iudged Christe to death the Schollers and Students of the Scriptures acknowledged him for their lyfe And at this daye euen by this argument the Iewes shoulde winne the victorye It followeth then whether they renounce this Sophistrye or whether they will mainetayne it that they renounce their Saluation Consequentlye I demaunde of them Whether the Church of Rome aloue haue kept the Scriptures or other Churches also They can not saye that it was the Churche of Rome or the Latine Churche alone For the Ecclesiasticall storye wytnesseth that the Primitiue Churche gathered the Canon of the Registers of those Churches which were founded by the Apostles and to which the same Apostles had written Nowe there is but one Epistle written to the Romaines and all the rest are written to the Easte Churches In like maner the Gospell of Iohn was kept at Ephesits and that of Saynt Marke at Alexandria c. If then the Easte Churches had a greater parte in keeping the Scriptures then the Romaine and therefore

Princes and people haue bene such noddies so ignorant that they haue suffered them selues to be troden vnder their feete And this were to doe the auncient doctors great wrong to apply theÌ„ to the refuting of this place whereupon some by the two swords vnderstand the olde and newe Testament others sounde doctrine and good example of life as also their owne glose doth But I report me to euery man if this be not opeÌ„ly to deride Christ his word to say vnto him Haile king of the Iewes as the Pharises did whether these goodly swords deserue any otherwise to be refuted then by the lawfull sword of all Princes which beare the title of Christians And eueÌ„ as wel grosided is that God hath made two lights the Pope is the Sunne the Emperour the Moone Ergo the Pope I know not howe many thousande times is greater then the Emperor Against which I will oppose none but their owne I sidore alledged by a Sorbonist who by the Sunne vnderstandeth a kingdome by the Moone the priesthood Also Iesus Christ comaunded the deuils to enter into the swine ergo the Pope is lord of the Temporaltie This passeth al kinde of blasphemy Our Lord saith Al power is giueÌ„ to me from the father aswel in heauen as in earth The Pope hath therefore an absolute coÌ„maundement ouer heaueÌ„ earth And yet are these the ordinarie allegations of their decretals But they are now better aduised in their last disputations touching certeine other places but as ill to the purpose as blasphemous as the other It is writteÌ„ say the Iesuits of our time I will iudge saith the Lord betvvixt the sheepe and the sheepe betvvixt the RaÌ„mes the Goates Therefore S. Peter his successors are iudges of al the earth S. August hath made an whole booke vpon this Chap. of Eze. yet neuer thought of this article of faith which was hidden in this verse But let vs reason of their words quite contrary Ezechiel saith that God vvil iudge betvvene the sheepe the sheepe c. the Pope saith that he will be he therefore he setteth himselfe in Gods seate It followeth therefore that the Pope is he of whoÌ„ S. Paul hath foretold vs that would lift vp himselfe aboue all that is called god Also S Peter saith that baptizme was represeÌ„ted by the Arke whereof this conclusioÌ„ foloweth that as by the Arke mankind was saued as it were begotteÌ„ againe euen so ChristiaÌ„s are regenerated by baptizme c. They reason thereupoÌ„ quite coÌ„trary Baptizme was figured by the Arke Noah was head of his sonnes in the Arke ergo Saint Peter his sonnes in the Arke ergo Saint Peter his successors are heads of the church I aske theÌ„ in what Lorgicke schoole this maner of reasoning may be allowed But with their leaue we will conclude otherwise Iustine Martyr one of that auncieÌ„tst doctors of the Church expounding this place He saith that Noah vvas a figure of Christ because he vvas the beginning of another generation regenerated by vvater And the Pope sayth that he was a figure of him It followeth then either that the Pope is Christ or else that he cannot be any other but he who woulde aduaunce himselfe to that place in the Church to wit Antichrist I woulde haue bene ashamed to haue alledged these places for them were it not that they which haue no shame to defende the Pope in this time are so impudent to alledge them and to make great bookes thereof And by this a man may see howe destitute they are of playne places when they are driuen to haue recourse to such But forasmuch as it appeareth not by the holy Scripture that our Lord hath ordeyned Peter head of the Church but altogether the contrary It followeth then that we see if S. Peter before his death hath euer exercised this charge and also if the other Apostles haue yeelded so much vnto him He was sent with Iohn into Samaria by the Apostles Now amongst men he that sendeth is aboue him that is sent he was accused amongst the brethren for hauing coÌ„uersation amongst the Gentiles This vvent fore and yet notwithstanding he excuseth himselfe towardes them He did not then what seemed good to himselfe without beyng answereable for it to the brethren In the Councill at Ierusalem he propounded his opinion concerning the matter of the Gentiles whose vocation was reueyled vnto him and Iames there concludeth as President and letters are dispatched awaye in the name of the whole assemblie And yet this shoulde haue bene the place where this preeminence ought to haue appeared To be short he calleth himselfe a companion or fellowe of the Elders of the Church and louingly exhorteth them as his equalles and not by decrees and commaundementes c. If we should goe any further Saint Paul in two first chapters of the Epistle to the Galatians declareth that he was not subiect vnto him that Saint Peter required it not of him but onely that he gaue him the hande of fellowshippe to trauayle in the Lordes vineyarde and that he reprooued him to his face and that he resisted him as his fellowe and companion And their ordinarie glose sayeth vpon this place The other Apostles seemed to be more worthie then Paul because they were sent by Iesus Christ but he was a great deale more woorthie then they because he was sent by Christ altogether immortall whereas they were but sent by Christ then a mortall man Also he learned nothing of Peter nor of the rest but contrariwise he taught Peter and they conferred not any thing to him but he rather conferred and profited Peter Also the Lord Iesus sayeth Saint Paul which is in vs all hath ordeyned some Apostles some Prophets some Doctors c. for the Ministerie of his Gospell Also we are one body and one spirite hauing the same hope of calling one God one faith one Baptisme It shoulde haue followed that he shoulde haue adioyned in recommendation of this vnitie a ministeriall head of the Church Peter and his successours in the See of Rome Hitherto then we haue not so much as any appearance of primacie Yea but Peter is sometyme first named A poore foundation of so monstruous a buylding And the Uirgine Marie is named in some places the last and Saint Peter himselfe by Paul after S. Iames. But he was wont oftentymes to speake first and he was endowed with great giftes and oftentimes he is called by the fathers the chiefe amoÌ„gst the Apostles And who of vs is there that doth denie S. Peters excellencie that doeth not wonder at his incomparable zeale that doeth not place him in the vppermost seate of the Church And contrariwise who is he that doth more dishonour him then the Pope who hideth his filthinesses and vilanies vnder S. Peters Cloke vnder the colour of his name filleth all the worlde ful

time to time howe they are grouÌ„ded vpon mans lawe and that which wee call positiue They holde that S. Peter was crucified vnder Nero in the yeere of our Lorde 69 and that Clement succeeded him Others say that Linus succeeded him then Saint Iohn yea and Iames himselfe If we beleeue those bookes supposed to bee Clements they shoulde haue obeyed Clement as head of the Church for he succeeded as they saye in Peters Authoritie he ought to haue no lesse authoritie then the popes at this daye who can dispense with Paules epistles A wonderfull case that the primitiue Church when they made the Canon of those bookes that should haue authoritie in the Church that they should rather put in those bookes of Iames and Iohn then of Clement the principall heire and successour of the holy ghost by the vertue of Saint Peters chaire A wonderfull matter further that this ClemeÌ„t made so smal accompt of succession so necessary in the Church seeing that in his epistle which he writeth to Iames Bishop of Ierusalem he calleth him our Lordes brother the Bishoppe of Bishops and gouernour of the Church of Ierusalem and of all others throughout all the worlde But yet a more wonderfull matter that they shoulde bee found so impudent in the light of good learning that at this day shineth as to fouÌ„d the papacie vpon those gaye bookes of Clement in which there are so many falsehoodes Clement writeth to Saynt Iames after Peters death and teacheth him the institution of our Lorde when as the Scripture witnesseth that S. Iames was martyred long before in Ierusalem and that as long as hee liued he was to teach Clement such matters and not to learne them of him And yet this is one of the notablest authors that they can alledge But let vs proceede We holde the Apostles Creede from the beginning of the Christian Church And we there finde the Catholike church But this article of the faith that pope Boniface the eight made is not therein That if we will be saued we must acknovvledge the pope to be the soueraigne Lord. Saint Cyprian saith That there is but one Bishoppricke of vvhich euery Bishop holdeth his parte vvholy vvithout any diuision Also that none of his time either called or made him selfe Bishoppe of Bishops eyther made through tyrannie his companions subiect to his obedience Also he complaineth that certaine prophane men and Schismatikes vvith drevve them selues to the bish of Rome who saith he hath none but certaine desperate wicked fellovves that stay vpon him making theÌ„ selues beleeue that the Bishops of Affricke haue lesse povver then the Bishops of Rome And in very deede he calleth not Stephen Cornelius bishops of Rome other theÌ„ brethren coÌ„panions handleth Stephen rudely enough in manye places To be short a litle after his death the church of Affricke decreed in the councill of Carthage that none should be called the prince or chiefe of ministers or the first Bishoppe but onely according to the dignitie of Cities the Bishoppe of the first See. Irenee very liuely reproueth Victor the Bishop of Rome who through a certaine shamelesse ambition had excommunicated the Churches of Asia for disagreeing about the Passeouer The Ministers saith he vvhich haue helde the eldershippe of the Church ouer vvhich thou novv doest gouerne Anicetus Pius Higinus c. haue not done as thou hast done neither they also vvhich vvere vvith them Tertullian who otherwise is wont to attribute verye much to Saint Peter scorneth the Bishop of Rome his great ambition which then began to shew it selfe albeit in a certaine place he maketh a long narration of the praises of the Church of Rome yet he teacheth not neither neere nor farre of that which is the principall to wit that it was the infallible seat of the holy Ghost by Peters successioÌ„ And yet these are for all that the very firste of all antiquitie and in whose time the Church of Christ more florished then at any time In the time of ConstaÌ„tine as the church had more liberty so it had also more ambition then Bishops begaÌ„ first to think on miters that before time thought nothing els but to be martyrs That same famous Council of Nice was then called together by Constantine the Emperour to the ende to decide the matter of Arrius The B. of Romes deputies were there but they sate onely in the fourth place Yea one decree was there made by which certaine limits were attributed to euerie patriarke ouer which the Canon gaue them equall authority which the Bishop of Rome was wont to haue ouer the neighbour Churches of his citie They went about by infinite meanes to corrupt the canons of this councill as the histories do witnesse vnto vs But Cusan the Cardinal alledging this Councill acknowledgeth the trueth in these words By this we see saith he how much authoritie the Pope hath gotten in our time against the sacred auncient constitutions and altogether through the leÌ„gth of time and custome of a slauish subiectionall obedience And yet in meane time Iulius with standeth it not neither doe his Legates alledge to the fathers of the Councill their Tibi dabo I will giue vnto thee nor their Pasce oues meas Feed my sheep for as yet they were not studyed so deeply therin but they rested onely in the ordinance of the Councill which afterwardes was confirmed by the Councils of Antioche and of Constantinople And this was about the time that they woulde deuise the donation of Constantine to pope Syluester confuted by so many learned men so long time agoe that none but such as are ignorant will beleeue it But if they will beleeue the original which is kept in VaticaÌ„ in the popes library in goldeÌ„ letters let theÌ„ also beleeue these words which are written added in the end Quam fabulaÌ„ longi teÌ„poris meÌ„dacia finxit that is to say in the proper words of ill latine This is a fable which an old lye hath forged Or if they wil therin beleeue the legend of Pope Syluester then let them also beleeue that which it sayeth that then was hearde a voyce from heauen saying Hodie effusum est venenum in Ecclesiam that is to say At this day poyson is shedde into the middest of the Church In the first and seconde Councill of Ephesus Cyrillus and Dioscorus Patriarches of Alexandria did gouerne there though the Bishoppe of Rome there had his deputies And it forceth not to saye that the seconde was not lawfull For this can not be knowen but by the yssue but it sufficeth that in the beginning and then when men thought that it was verye lawfull and that in such a time as the ceremonies were kept there Leo the Bishoppe of Rome neyther his deputies did not there striue for the chiefe place because they thought it to haue no good grounde In the Councill of Chalcedon

they deeme spoyled him selfe of his Empire to enriche them Chrysost sayeth Whosoeuer of the Bishoppes shall desire primacye in earth he shall find confusioÌ„ in heauen he that shall desire to be the chiefe he shall not be reputed in the nomber of the seruaunts of Christ Gregory the great Bishop of Rome when the Bishop of ConstaÌ„tinople would attribute vnto him selfe that Supremacy he sayth not that he doeth wrong to Saint Peter or that hee withholdeth vsurpeth the right of the Bishoppes of Rome but rather he protesteth that this vvas a prophane title full of sacriledge and the fore-running of Antichrist and that this was to say with Lucifer I will ascend aboue the cloudes and will make my selfe equall to the high God. That none of his predecessours tooke vpon them to be aboue their brethren coÌ„panions And if there vvere any such amongst theÌ„ he falling downe al the Church should stuÌ„ble fal vvith him That this vvere to destroy all christianitie And after many such other woordes he pronounceth this generall sentence That vvhosoeuer shal call himselfe vniuersal Bishop or shall desire to be so called that he is the forerunner of Antichrist forasmuch as through pride he axalteth him selfe aboue all As touching him self he flatly refused it and prayed Eulogius the Bishop of Alexandria not to giue him this proude name Hee acknowledgeth that the Bishoppes of Alexandria and Antioche are as well in Peters chaire as they of Rome to be short that Peter Paul Andrevv Iohn c. they are al particular heads of the people vvhom they gouerne but all members vnder one head vvhich is Christ hovvsoeuer they holde Peter for chiefe amongest them I beseech the readers that they will take paines to reade vpon this matter the epistles of Saint Gregory and there they shall finde the condemnation of this Supremacie more expressely then yet I haue said To conclude the Emperours haue called generall Councils the patriarks and. Metropolitanes those that were Nationall and prouincial They that were Patriarkes euery one was president ouer the See of his patriarchshippe and not the Bishoppe of Rome nor his deputies in general councils The patriarks or chiefe Bishoppes went not to seeke their Palls at Rome but were Canonically elected ouer those places The Bishoppe of Rome as appeareth by those Epistles them selues of Gregorye the great when hee was chosen exhibited vnto them the confession of hys fayth by a Synodall Epistle as they did to him Eche one of them had an Ecclesiasticall iudgement ouer his owne and none appealed from them no not the Bishoppes them selues beyond the Sea who had no Patriarke in the Sea of Rome I demaunde then by what marke they can shewe vs that Supremacy in the auncieÌ„t Primitiue church be it but by the positiue lawe of man And yet notwithstanding wee see the course from time to time and from Councill to Councill vntill the yeere of our LORD sixe hundred and more when Phocas the Emperour killed his master Maurice and inuaded the Empire and to get fauour of the Romanes after so cursed and detestable murther gayned Boniface the third their Bishop declaring him to be head of the Church and Bishoppe of Bishoppes against that that Gregory his predecessour had a litle before so hotelye fought against If the Church had bene so long time without a head what did the members then And if Iesus Christ were the head then why lesse nowe Also wheÌ„ce commeth it that when the Bishoppe of Rome was not acknowledged for such a one it had such strength and alwayes afterwards grewe weaker and decayed Againe is it not notable that all the auncient Churche was ignorant of so healthfull a doctrine hidden in the holy Scripture and that Boniface the third shoulde be the firste that shoulde fynde it out That such so necessary priuiledges should be concealed for the space of sixe hundred yeeres in the most happy ages and to the most quick sighted persons which euer were That so many Christian Emperors should make no account of it and one Phocas an execrable murtherer should be the first to giue authority vnto it But as the papacie must needes spring of the ruines of Rome the second beast of the Carrion of the first so also must it needes he that the supremacie of the Bishop of Rome as that of the first kings was must bee founded and buylded vpon murther Against these decrees of the generall councills they blush not to alledge vnto vs those goodly bookes of Clement whereof we haue spoken a litle before that same ridiculous epistle of Anaclet That Cephas is asmuch to say as head of the church that same authentical reuelation of Pope Marcellus of Peters seate to be remoued from Antioch to Rome and such other beggerly trumperie of that decree which some euen of their owne side do deride Also certaine other epistles of Pope Leo who laboureth therby asmuch as he can to make vs credit the latine Church But we know that none must be iudge in his owne cause and if as Gerson Panormitan say One lay man may set himselfe hauing the holy Scripture on his side against a vvhole generall councill vvhich erreth from it By a more strong reason maye the whole primitiue Church oppose it selfe all the whole Scripture hauing al the general councils on her side that were for the space of 600. yeres against the tyraÌ„nie of one man alone which cannot alledge any thing but his owne ambition yea against the decretall epistles of some Popes yet for the most part but shuffled in vnder the name of some of the auncient fathers I will not denie notwithstanding that a good time the bishops of Rome had not attempted to establishe a spirituall monarchie at Rome according to the example of the temporall which made them to be enuied For the Church of God began by Abel as Saint Augustine saith and Babylon by Cain and likewise it is not to be doubted but that very quicklye after the foundations of the Christian Church were layde Sathan layd also the foundations of Antichrist In Paul his time the mysterie of iniquitie began to worke when one said that hee was of Apollo another that he was of Paul and another of Cephas Victor the bishop of Rome enterprised to excommunicate all Asia for the feast of Easter but he was most liuely reprooued by Irenee Steuen also receiued the schismatiques of Affricke against the Sentence of the Churche that they should not appeale beyond the Sea but Cyprian calleth him proud and ignorant and the councill of Affricke holden about the selfe same time setteth it selfe against him Iulius in the time of Constantine beganne to establishe his Empire but the councill of Nice limitted him his power bringing him to the bound and skantling of others Yea in the sixth council of Carthage where Saint Augustine was present three bishops of Rome one after another

the dignitie of the citie but that all that was more was from the deuill and by vsurpation Whereupon it followeth that in regard of the ministerial head of the Church he could not pretend to be lesse subiect to error then other bishops and patriarkes neither the latine Church lesse then those of Greece others of the East And so we returne notwithstanding their exception to our former coÌ„clusion That the articles grounded vpon the authoritie of the Pope and the church of Rome are ouerthrowne and al their traditions inuentions subiect to the examination of the holy Scripture as are the doctrines of all other Churches That the Pope in affirming himselfe to be head of the Churche and not being so in deede is the Antichrist in the Church and that he cannot be receiued vvith any other then the papistical doctrine CHAP. IX THE Pope not being head of the Church as he saith he is and hauing no other titles to prooue this generall Lieutenant shippe which he so proudly exerciseth we saye that he is the plague of the whole body a tyraunt in the common weale Antichrist in the church And for to prooue this I will not enter into the particular explication of those predictions which are in Daniel in the epistle to the Thessalonians in the Apocalypse which in times past were darckened but now are made cleere For also many learned men not onely of our time but 300. yeres agoe haue made those bookes plaine amiddest the ignorance of the world crueltie of the Pope But I saye that although he were not so liuely painted out vnto vs as he is in those foresaid places yet his doctrine ought to make vs knowe that he is the very Antichrist with whom the Church was threatned and that there could not be in ChristeÌ„dome any thing more pernicious then that doctrine which he hath brought in First to take away al doubt the Scripture speaketh vnto vs of many Antichrists For euery hereticke which setteth himselfe against the truth he is in very deed an Antichrist but it speaketh vnto vs of one amongst others who shall haue his seate in the Church of God and shall vsurpe Gods place who as Origen saith must be the great Antichrist among other Antichrists This is he of whom we haue now to speake Secondly when the Scripture speaketh of Antichrist it saith that it shal be an Apostacie or a falling backe from the faith Also that that mysterie of iniquitie began to worke in Paul his time and that it should no otherwise be destroyed but by the comming of Iesus Christ Againe that he must builde his greatnes vpon the ruine of the Romane Empire and giue life to that lost beast that is to say as all the auncient fathers haue expounded to this Empire and namely S. Augustine in the xx booke of the citie of God Chrysostome vpon that place where S. Paul handleth this matter And we knowe that the Romane Empire fell by litle litle and peece by peece It foloweth then that Antichrist is not one man alone which must come at one instant of time but is an estate seat and succession of men an Empire lifted vp against Iesus Christ as we see the Scripture vnder the name of certaine beastes to describe Empires And this also is the interpretation of S. Augustine vpon that place Thirdly Antichrist is called that false prophet vomiting out blasphemies against the most highest His Empire therefore consisteth in false doctrine not in armes he is called a woman an whore he shall therefore wind in himselfe and come in by pleasaunt wayes sleightes and flatteries deceyuing men through his crafte drawing them to his spiritual whordome which is idolatrie He is also called the sonne of perdition as Iudas Againe he shall not assayle the Church by open force but he shall betray her with a kisse and shall not enter by the breach or by a strong scaling ladder but by counterfaiting the keyes by painted Emblemes and secretly like a thiefe And in very deede the Empires which consisted in forces and armes they are figured in the scriptures vnder the name of Wolues Lyons Beares and such other rauening beastes whereas for this ye haue but women whoredomes cuppes drinckings enchantments that is to say deceipts crafts and subtilties whereupon the schoolemen themselues haue concluded that this chiefe Antichrist which is here described can neither be Mahomet nor the Empire of the Turkes Fourthly he is properly called Antichrist and not Antithee that is to say contrary to Christ the Mediator and not simply against God therefore particularly he shal be against Christ Iesus our Lorde And all the doctrine of Christ consisteth in the office of the Mediatorship in the benefit of his death and passion This then shall be the speciall doctrine that he will chiefely labour to abolish It is oftentimes saide that he shall sitte in the Church of God being there acknowledged as god Nowe it is certaine that if he shoulde say that he were Christ or shoulde preach directly against Christ the Church would not suffer this in the middest of her nor suffer him to raigne It is likewise said That he shall haue tvvo hornes like to the lambe speaking notvvithstanding as the Dragon that is to say he shall counterfaite the doctrine and holinesse of Christ although he speake nothing but impieties as Satan doeth It foloweth therefore to make these markes to agree together that it must be that Antichrist of whom nowe the controuersie is that he must speake in shewe as Christ but in deede and in effect against Christ and honoring him in wordes and yet as much as lieth in him robbing him of his glorie And that he is the true Antichrist of whom the question is who vnder the shadowe of Christ shall ouerthrowe his doctrine and put him selfe in Christ his place Saint Augustine handling this matter doeth no otherwyse vnderstande it Let vs not regarde saith he the tongue but the deede Antichrist is a lyer which maketh profession of Christ and yet denieth him in effect And a litle after Howe sayest thou that I denye him in effect Because Christ sayth he is come in the flesh to the ende that he should die for vs. Chrysostome sayth That he must be knowen by his doctrine and neyther by titles miracles nor wordes of holinesse Saint Hilary sayth That Antichrist shal be contrary to Christ vnder opinion of an hypocriticall and faigned godlinesse And in another place O ye fooles who are mooued and rauished and caught in loue with woordes and gorgeous seelinges of Churches Doe ye doubt that this shall one day be the seate of Antichriste It behooueth vs nowe therefore to consider who it is that sitteth in the Church who speaketh more of Christ and leaste esteemeth him who more honoureth him with trayterous kysses and blasphemeth more against his coÌ„ming who in the chaire of Christ is

thereupon alwayes after Agaynst this open Apostasie then all the Churches of Greece Dace Illyricum c. did oppose themselues euen to the accusing of Pope Symmachus before Theodoricus the king of the Gothes for that he vaunted himselfe not to be subiect to the reprehension of any Spayne and Englande also were a long time without receyuing the legates of Rome One Claudius Byshop of Thurine in the time of Charles the great wrote very learnedly agaynst the Popes Supremacie and agaynst his doctrine yea about the reygne of Hugh Capet there was a Councill helde at Rheims which denyed vnto him al obedience and pronounced him to bee Antichrist But finally as it was bredde of the superfluous and euill humoures of the Church so it was skilfull to nourishe it selfe of the factions enmities and diuisions of Christendome that one in despite of other haue suffered all to goe to wracke Nowe if wee shall reade that which Saynt Bernard wrote of the state of the Church in his time about the yere of our Lorde 1140. aswell in his Epistles as in his bookes of considerations to Pope Eugenius they are nothing but lamentations of the ruine of the Church like to those of Ieremie of the Church vnder the captiuitie of Babylon or thundringes against the tyranny of Antichrist who shewed him selfe in his time He sayeth That the Popes Court is a parke of deuils That they vsurpe an vnlawfull and an intolerable authoritie That there was not any more shewe of Peters succession That the Bishops of his time were marchantes enriched with the riches of the vvhore That in steade of keeping the spouse of Christ they made port sale of her and prostituted and layde her open to all the lechers of the world to commit fornication vvith her And a litle after hauing sayde vpon the 91. Psalme That Antichrist shall haue his seat in the South part he addeth What differeth then the estate of our Church from that same pestileÌ„t estate which walketh in darkenes What differeth it more from the seate of Antichrist Therefore yours sayth he is in very deede the state of Antichrist He made three expresse Satyres agaynst the Pope court of Rome and he that would alledge al that is writteÌ„ to that end he must here put in his whole bookes Nowe after the manifest Apostasie and falling awaye of the popedome the Church of Rome hath not brought forth so excellent a man as he was Frauncis Petrarch the Archdeacon of Parma and a Chanon of Padua lyued about the yeere 1350. whom we may call in al kinde of good learning The light of his age But I wil not say howe he decifreth out the court of Rome in his Sonets vnder the name of BabyloÌ„ calling it whore the schoole of error and the Temple of heresie for some will saye that much is permitted to poetrie but I beseeche the readers to reade his latine Epistles which are full of grauitie zeale and doctrine He sayth there in plaine termes That in the Pope and his shauelings there is neyther fayth godlinesse nor trueth That the Popes chaire is the chaire of lying That this is a falling awaye of a people which vnder the banner of Christ rebell against Christe and fight for Satan That they esteeme the Gospel but for fables and the promises of the life to come for dreames He compareth the Pope to Iudas who betrayed Iesus Christe with a kisse and his clergie to the Iewes which sayd vnto him Aue Rex IudaeoruÌ„ Al haile king of the Iewes his prelates to the Pharisies who in mockerye clothed him with purple and afterwardes crucified him in the mouÌ„t of Caluery And after he sayth Denie it nowe if thou canst that thou art she which the holy Euangelist Iohn sawe in the spirit set downe vpoÌ„ the great waters Thou art none other that Babylon the mother of the whoredomes of the earth Thou art drunken vvith the bloud of the Martyrs of Iesus Thou art she vvhich hast made all the kings of the earth druÌ„ken vvith the Cuppe of thy poyson If thou deny it shew vs some other to vvhom these thinges maye better agree If thou canst not then vvayte for that to fall vpoÌ„ thine ovvne head vvhich Iohn the EuaÌ„gelist addeth a litle after She is fallen Babylon the great and is made an habitation of deuils c. But what do I say Wayt for it Yea thou hast it already For hovv much better is the sonne of perdition then the deuill Thou art in very deed a kingdome of deuils vvhich reigne in the midst of thee in mans shape And in another place Let it not my friend euer grieue thee to returne from these princes of darkenesse And in deede vvhat vvouldest thou see in the Court of Rome Christ in exile Antichrist reigning in his stead Beelzebub the iudge Woolues let loose The Lambes in the stockes Ah good God vvho shall deliuer the vvorlde from this oppression Who shall gather together the sheepe Who shall vanquishe these vvicked Pastors Shall there neuer be a limitation and end of this intolerable mischiefe Now when there was such that durst crye so lowde wee may be sure that there were many more that lamented in their heartes To be short the most notable spirits that the worlde brought forth in the most ignorant ages and in the greatest thicknes of darkenes they perceyued this some more clerely and others as it were through a clowde vnlesse it were some such as ambition and glorie of the worlde had blynded Insomuch that when abomination was come to his full toppe God raysed vp Iohn Hus Hierome of Prage Wickliefe Luther and others which haue so lowdly published and proclaymed it that all the worlde doth vnderstaÌ„d it And what will we more With leaue of those good Fathers of the Councill not long agoe holden at Trent we may make this Syllogisme Whosoeuer wil be called the vniuersal Bishop he is the forerunner of Antichrist the father of the sonne of pryde and a very Lucifer saith Saint Gregory the Pope and principall Doctor of the Church of Rome But Boniface the thirde his successour tooke this title they which followed him haue continued it and haue encreased it more more And the Councill of Trent excommunicateth all those that will not acknowledge him for vniuersall Byshop Ergo the Pope is Antichrist and al they are holden for excommunicate by the Councill of Trent that doe not acknowledge him for Antichrist Yea but the clergie of Rome wil say If the Pope were the Antichrist whereof the Church was before threatned we which are the Church shoulde haue knowen him Contrarywise I say vnto you that if you had knowen him for Antichrist he had not bene Antichrist This is that which the Pharises saide when Christ came If this were Christ who shoulde knowe him better then we We haue the Church we haue the Scriptures we are the interpreters therof We are the eyes of the people It cannot escape vs

they who haue nothyng but theyr boasting and vaunting although they haue the greatest titles honors in the world to be on theyr side If therefore our aduersaries aske vs what was the calling of our first Ministers which refourmed the Church in these last times we answere that it was the same vocation and succession whereof they themselues doe bragge but the same vocation which they abused our men haue endeuoured to vse will and to that vaine succession wherewith they decked themselues they haue added the succession of true doctrine which they had corrupted without which all succession is nothing els but a continuing of abuse and error Wickleife Iohn Hus Luther Zwinglius Decolompadius Bucer and others of that schoole from whence the Ministers which haue gathered Churches from vnder Antichrist are descended were Priests as they cal them and doctors in diuinitie As Priests Pastors they had charge to preach the trueth vnto the people to minister the Sacraments vnto them according to the institutioÌ„ of our lord As doctors they were called to expound diuinitie in their readings in theyr bookes and they were bounde by the ordinary othe of al vniuersities to declare the trueth vnto the Church to confute al doctrines repugnant against the word of God and what then might to expell it Now in their time they found that the word of God was hid vnto the people that the honor which was due to God alone was turned to men to Images that the blood of Christ was troden vnder foote that the sacrament of the supper was partly turned into Idolatry partly denyed to the poore people To be short that all the holy scripture was prophaned poysoned with the Popes gloses popish interpretations And when they shewed these thinges to the Bishops and Metropolitans according to the order of their Church they made no rekoning of theÌ„ they were the first that persecuted theÌ„ because they themselues were the infected parte of the Church I aske therefore if theyr vocation commaunded them not to goe farther to witte to preach the trueth vnto the people and purely to administer the holy Sacraments And if they had done otherwyse whether they had not bin forsakers of theyr calling contenmers of theyr othe made vnto God and abusers of the people Both two therefore say I both our aduersaries and our first ministers had one and the same ordinarie outward calling But herein is the difference that that which ours haue followed the other haue forsaken that which ours haue done of duetie by reason of their charge the other haue coÌ„cealed Ours haue ledde their sheepe vpon the mountaines of Israel into good pastures the others haue deuoured them or els left them for a pray to the beastes of the field or els driuen them to the fennes and marishes where they haue starued A magistrate shall be called to the gouernment of a common wealth where he shall finde the good lawes corrupted by the negligence or malice of those that went before his Courts full of iniustice the offices subiect to factions briberies and corruptions and he would reforme all this and bring it to the censure of the lawes He that will further nowe aske him by what right he doth this should he not make him self a laughing stocke because he followeth steppe by steppe his calling He hath not sworne to mainteyne abuses but rather to mainteyne the lawes and to prouide euery way that he can for the good and preseruation of the Common wealth Nowe contrarywise if he wincke at that which is euil he should doe directly contrary to his calling Euen so likewise haue our first Ministers done first requiring reformation and afterwards putting to their handes according to their duetie And if we could aske of the Apostles who are their true successors they would not tel vs Such as haue a triple crowne or such a cope or such a miter but those that preach the word of God after our example For so had they learned of the true master That he which doth the wil of God his father is his mother his sister and his brother At the preaching of these first men the pastors of the Churches were awakened in England in Bohemia in Germanie in Scotland in Denmarke in Swedenland and afterwardes many in Fraunce in Spaine and in Italie it selfe and these were sent to bethinke them of their duetie Consequently some whole Realmes were reformed the bishops themselues that there had preached lyes preached the trueth in the selfe same Church pulpit Of these for the most part if our aduersaries will demaund succession it is on their side for they haue succeeded from bishop to bishop froÌ„ the first which preached there the Gospell If they aske a vocation why it is euen their owne for they were called to be bishopps and pastors and they haue performed the office which they had forsaken The difference therefore as we haue said is in this onely point that they feede the people with pescod shales and the others in the pasture of life they defile their flockes with the filthinesses of Antichrist and these wash them in the blood of Iesus Christ Beholde then concerning the calling of our first Ministers which hath whatsoeuer may be good in the pretended calling of our aduersaries and this point further That our men lawfully exercise it and the other do but withhold it in vnrighteousnesse And although some of our men as in so corrupt a state of the Church as we haue seene it in our time without wayting for their calling or allowance of them that vnder the title of pastors oppressed the Lords flocke were called by those Churches to which they vowed their ministery yet this ought no more to be thought straunge then in a free common wealth where the people without wayting either for the consent or voyces of those that playe the tyrants shal haue chosen according to the lawes good and lawful magistrates Concerning the vocation of Ministers which were sent by the former and since by vs we haue herein obserued the example of the Apostles and the canons of the primitiue Church If the question be of their persons we haue lawfully examined both their doctrine and maners And this is the rule of Saint Paul That a bishop must be apt to teach and blamelesse If of the persons which make this examination why it was not one man alone but many ministers bishops and elders duely called before to this Church that is to say the Presbyterie or eldershippe as Saint Paul calleth it or as Saint Cyprian calleth it the ecclesiasticall Senate During this examination whereupon dependeth the election the Church continueth in prayer and fasting as we reade in the ordeining of elders in the Acts. Being found meet they are published to the people to the end that if any man hath ought to say against their election he might repaire before the assemblie as we reade was practised

in the olde Church euen by the testimony of Paynims Finally by the coÌ„sent of al the people they lay their hands vpon theÌ„ they giue theÌ„ aucthoritie to preach which is the only ceremonie that the Apostles vsed by imitation of the Church of the Iewes after which they began to administer the word sacraments in the Church This is that the auncient Canons saye That the minister of the Church must be ordeined by the election of the Clergie by the consent of the people That a Bishop should not be chosen vvithout a nomber of bishops c. At the request of the Clergie that is to say of the elders vvith the consent of the people Againe that they which are come to a bishopricke by mony or fauour they should not be holden for Bishops neyther haue any right to ordeyne others Nowe wee report our selues to the church of Rome it selfe who are more canonically elected they or we whether these canons haue not bene altogether contemned amongst them for the space of more then these 800. yeres If the questioÌ„ be of bishops either ordeyning or ordeyned they come to their Byshoprickes eyther through fauor of the princes court or else by the subtilties of the court of Rome or by paying of mony And there be who are made bishops for the seruice of theyr predecessors before they were borne at that time when it was doubtful whether they should be male or female man or womaÌ„ The thing it self speaketh euery man seeth it knoweth it before I can speake of it If of the examination which is made by this a maÌ„ may iudge what it is like to be wheÌ„ he seeth a great part of the bishops of the church of Rome that know not whether their Masse be in Greke or Latine their liues are so knoweÌ„ I touch not those few that behaue theÌ„selues better that theyr Cardinals chosen in the time of Pope Paul the thyrd for a reformation confesse in theyr articles that for theyr wicked liues and horrible outrages the name of God was blasphemed throughout all nations If of the consent of the people which S. Cyprian so much requireth which we see so wel put in practise in the person of Eradius that was S. Augustines successor they present their bishops to the people not to haue their consent to approue theÌ„ but to cause theÌ„ to worship them for fashion sake only and not altogether in good earnest Now if we come to the simple priestes the ignorant bishops do yet make them of the most ignorant and of the most vitious worse then themselues so that the time whereof the Prophet complayneth hath endured a long time in the Church that whosoeuer would might consecrate his hand We ministers therefore at this day haue the same succession that their bishops had For from the first that reformed the Churches no man could take it away vnto this they haue further added the continuall successioÌ„ of the true doctrine But their vocation is farre better and more canonical for besides that they were ordeined by those that the church of Rome had ordeined they are ordeined according to the example of the Apostles and auncient canons which Antichrist and his mainteyners haue vtterly disanulled wheras examining the election of the Romish bishops you shal haue much a do to find one that may rightly be called a bishop Against this which hath bene said nothing can be alledged vnlesse it be that these first reformers of the Church Iohn Hus Luther Zwinglius Decolompadius others from whom ours are desceÌ„ded they were not bishops but onely priestes doctors To this we answere That a Minister a Bishop in the primitiue Church were al one and that if there be any difference at this day in their titles and myters yet that in their essentiall dignitie they differ not a whitte S. Paule sayeth to Titus I left thee in Candie to the end thou shouldest ordeyne elders in euery citie And afterwards willing to shew him howe he shoulde gouerne there he addeth For it behoueth that a Bishop be faultlesse c. Also it is sayd in the Actes That he sent to seeke the Elders or Seniors of Ephesus But marke the waighty exhortation he maketh to them Take heede sayth he to your selues to the vvhole flock ouer vvhich the holy Ghost hath made you Bishoppes or ouerseers In the Epistle to the Philippians he saluteth the Deacons and Bishoppes of that citie that is to saye the auncients S. Peter also exhorting the Bishops or elders Feede saith he the flock vvhich is committed vnto you hauing an eye ouer them as Bishoppes or ouerseers c. And in deede where Saint Paul rekoneth vp the names of all the degrees in the Church he maketh no mention of bishops but onely of pastors and doctors to the elders it is said Feede teach doe the duetie of Bishops It is then most apparent that elders whome you call priests Bishops were all one And Ireneus also calleth Anicetus Pius Hyginus Bishops of Rome no otherwise then by the name elders This is that S. Hierom saith in a certayne Epistle handling this matter Among our ancients Bishop elder vvere both one but the one is the name of age the other of office or dignitie as the Apostle hath plainly shevved vs. And in another place Before one sayd I hold of Cephas I of Apollo c. all things vvere gouerned in the Church by the coÌ„mon aduise of the Seniors or elders Aftervvardes to auoyde Schismes aduise vvas giuen that one should be chosen aboue others But as on the one side the elders are subiect vnto him so on the other side they must knovv in that that he is aboue the elders it is by custome and not by the Lords ordinaÌ„ce S. Ambrose expouÌ„ding the 4. of the Ephe. where the degrees of the Church are largely handled The Bishops sayeth he vvere called at the first Elders vvherupon one succeeded another c. And vpon Timoth. A Bishop is none other but a chief elder S. Gregory in his epistles calleth the Bishops Elders Cardinalles that is to saye the chiefe and Iustinian the Emperour in his Deconomical lawes calleth them Reuerende because they differ nothing from Elders in their essential dignitie but only in this that they kept the first place in the administratioÌ„ of Gods seruice that is to saye in order and Ceremonie Gratian in his decretals saith plainly That the superioritie of the Bishop and the distribution of his dioces is from mans lavve not from the institution of the Apostles Peter Lombarde repeateth it in the same wordes And M. Iohn of Paris a doctor of the Sorbonists of the order of Iacobins in his booke of the kingly papal power which the whole facultie of diuinitie approued at that time goeth further For concerning the essentiall

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