haue the voices in suche councilles and none but they Also that they haue power to make bysshops and none but they to gyue all benefices and spirituall dignities through all christendome to be the vnyuersall byshoppe throughe al dyocises and to bisite in all places seculer and reguler whan they wyll to haue first fruites of all bysshoprickes and of all other spirytuall dygnities Also that they and the clergye make the churche and that such a churche as may not erre and that they haue auctoritie to expounde and declare the doubtes of scrypture and that all men are bounde to stand to that declaration And that they haue auctoritie by the lawe of god to make excommunications and they except therin neyther treasons murders ne felonyes ne yet kynge ne prince They pretende also that they maye make lawes and that all temporal lawes muste gyue place to them also they haue pretended that they maye graunte full pardone a pena culpa and archeby shoppes and cardinals haue pretended y t they might graunte an C. dayes of pardone and euery byshop xl dayes And al bysshops haue pretended that they may make absolutions in many cases where other prystes maye not And al priestes haue made pretence that they maye put away synne and that they maye determyne by power of the keys who is worthy to be admytted into the kyngdome of heuen and who not And all these pretences and many mo here omitted whiche the people haue bene instructed in tyme paste to be trewe be not only vntrewe but also many of theym be heresye and be directly agaynste scripture and none of them can be affermed ne made perfite by custom prescription vse ne by acceptance of the people for they be vntrewe doctrines and an vntrue doctrine can not be reformed tyl it be clerely broken and put away wherfore the len ger they contynue the greatter is the offence in them that maynteyne them And amongest other thynges the greatest hynderaunce of the true doctryne of the gospell and of the perfection of all christen religion the increasynge of heresies and vntrue doctrines haue growen by reson of these pretences folowynge That is to saye that the bysshop of Rome shuld be heed of the vnyuersall churche and that he shuld haue power to sommon general councilles and that byshoppes and pristes shuld only haue the voices in them haue power to expounde the doutes of scripture And I entend now bryfely as I canne to touche some thynge of generall councylles and fyrste I wyll speke of suche catholyke generall counsayles as be appoynted to be kepte by the lawe of god and then of suche councylles as haue ben kepte in tyme paste by the power of the byshops of Rome By what auctorite the catholyke generall councilles fyrste began and what power they haue The fyfthe chapiter VVHEN a man maketh a testament he hath a desyre to haue it performed and he wyl therfore in the beste maner that he can deuyse suche wayes as may moste helpe to the perfourmance therof whervppon it foloweth that sythe our maister Chrysle whiche was and is of moste hyghe wysedome power and goodnesse made a testament which he wolde shulde contynue to thende of the worlde that he wold prouide howe that testamente shulde be perfourmed and bycause it was expediente that there shulde be alwaye certaine powers in his churche that shulde se the execution therof he assygned certayne powers therto in such maner as I shal touche herafter and those powers he appoynted according to the times then to come in his churche to the ende of the worlde wherof the fyrste was the tyme that folowed immediately after his passyon whan the churche was in the begynnynge and in maner as in her infancye to the tyme that kynges and prynces were conuerted whiche by thauctoritie that they had receyued of god ouer his people myght take rule and gouernaunce therof The other tyme was from the sayd time that kynges and prynces were conuerted to the ende of the worlde And for the good order and direction of his testamente in the firste of the sayde tymes he gaue power to his apostles and disciples by this texte When he sayd to Peter in the name of all the appostles and of all the hole churche tyll kynges and pryncis shulde be conuerted to the say the. What soo euerye bynde vpon the erthe shall be boundē in heuens for there were none other thenne that coulde and wolde take the gouernaunce vppon them but onely they and therfore the appostles and dyscyples onely without assystaunce of kynges and prynces or any other of the people by auctoritie of the sayd texte in the name of the hole church for the time appoynted Mathie in the place of Iudas And they also for thencreasynge of the more loue and honour in the hartes of y e peple to the name of Iesu altered the forme of baptime instituted by Christ and commanded that all men shulde be baptised in the name of Iesu. And they also chase the. vii deacons to mynistre to the tables that they them selfe myght attende to prayour and preching And they appointed also that the goodes of them that were conuerted in the begynnynge of the churche if the owners had deuocyon so to do shulde be broughte and leyed at the appostles fete to the comon vse of the multytude of the Christen people then newly conuerted And those directions they made in their owne names bycause there were then no other men conuerted that myght conueniently be ioyned with them in councilles but after whanne other were conuerted that myght be conueniently ioyned with them in Councilles then they toke the seniours of the peple with them in councylles in the name of the hole churche as appereth Acto xv and. xxi and that they dyd also by auctoritie of the said text Mat. xvi for there were no kynges then conuerted that myghte take that power vpon them as is sayde before And al this tyme the Apostels were the hyghe rulers in all the sayd concylles tils but when kynges and pryncis were conuerted to the faythe then the power to see the saide testament of Christe to be duely executed was deuolute to kynges and princis as heedes and rulers ouer the people and that was by the texte What so euer ye bynde vppon erthe shall be bounden in heuen for tho wordes Christ speke to the disciples and to all the people there beinge presente in the name of the vniuersal church and that texte is the verye grounde and warrante of the kepynge of all catholyke generall councilles that haue ben or shall be to thende of the world And here it is to be notid that when Kynges and prynces were infidels they had theyr power of god ouer the people and when they became chrystened they loste none of that power but had it and to this daye haue it in moche more gratyous and excellent maner than they had before And
A TREATISE CONCERNYNGE generall councilles the Byshoppes of Rome and the Clergy 1534 The preface THE AVCTORItie and power of general counsayles ne the tyme whan they beganne in the time of the new testamēt ne yet the maner howe they shulde be gathered or by whome can not playnely be sette forthe to the reder onlesse the powers of kynges and pryncis be fyrste knowen and vnderstande I shall therfore in the begynnynge of this lyttell treatyse recyte certayne textes of scrypture concernynge the power of kynges and prynces howe they haue theyr power immedyately of god and then I shal somwhat touche what mynystrations thē clergy haue by the lawe of god and ▪ what by the lawe of man and that yet many of the lay people haue beleuid that the clergy hath had power to vse them by the lawe of god And then I wol touche some powers and auctoryties that the clergy hath taken vppon them whiche they had neyther power to haue done by the lawe of god ne by the lawe of man ne yet that any custom or prescription can cōfirme them or make them lauful but that the lenger they contynue the greater is the offence And then after those thynges I intende somwhat to touche by what auctorytie catholike generall counsailes fyrst began and what power they haue then I shall speake of such counsayles as haue benne gathered in tyme passe by the power of the byshoppes of Rome whiche haue ben called general counsayles and specially of the general counsayle that the byshoppe of Rome hath nowe of late sommoned And then I shal some what touche ferther vnder what maner suche generall catholyke councilles as be appoynted by scripture ought to be gathered and then I woll recyte some lawes and decrees made by byshoppes of Rome and the clergie in tyme past whiche be agaynst scripture and so I wyl make an ende of this tretise Of the power of kynges and prynces The fyrste Chapiter GOD tourneth not his yen from a ryghtewyse man kinges he settith in theyr seates for euer And nowe O ye kynges vnderstande ye be ye lerned that iudge the worlde By me kynges reygne and makers of lawes dyscerne ryghtewyse thynges Here ye therfore ye kinges and vnderstande lerne ye that be iudges of all parties of the worlde leye to your eares ye that rule the multytude and order the people for power is gyuen to you of god vertue fro the holy ghoste A wyse kynge is the stablenes of his people The kynge commandeth the hole countrey as his subiecte Kynges of the people haue power ouer them Warne them that they be subiects to princis and powers to obey their commaundementes to euery good worke to be redy Be ye subiecte to euerye creature for god eyther to the kynge as precellynge or to Dukes as men sent by hym to the correction of euill doers and laude of good doers Samuel sayde to kynge Saul whan thou were lytel in thyn own syght were thou not made heed in the trybes of Israell and our lorde annointed the king vpon Israel c All the people of Israell sayde to Dauid thy lorde god sayde to the Thou shalte fede my people of Israell Be euery soule subiect to the high powers forsothe there is no power but of god veryly all thynges that be be ordeyned of god and he that resysteth power resysteth the ordynaunce of god forsoth they that resyste get dampnation to them selfe for prynces be not to the dredde of a good werke but of an euell wylte thou not drede power do good and thou shalte haue laude therof he is forsothe the mynyster of god to the into goodnesse If thou doo euyll drede forsothely he beareth not a swerde without cause he is the minyster of god reuenger in to wrathe to hym that dothe euyll and therfore be ye subiecte to necessytie not only for wrath but for conscience Kynge Dauid sayd to all the people Our lorde god of Israell chase me before al the house of my father that I shulde be kynge vpon Israell for euer Salomon accordynge to the constitution of Dauid his father instituted thoffyces of pryestes in theyr ministrations and leuytes in theyr order that they shuld laude and minystre before the pryestes after the customes of euery day and porters in their deuysiōs by gate and gate So commaunded Dauid the man of god and they breke nothynge of the commandementes of the kyngneyther the priestes nor the leuites in all thynges that the kynge commaunded And the said constitution of Dauid appereth 1. Par. 15. 16. Kynge Iosaphat ordeyned iuges in al the cities of Iuda and in Hierusalem he ordeined leuites and pristes and prynces of familyes that they shuld iudge the iugement and cause of our lord to al the dwellers therof And ferther he added therto sayinge Amary your prieste and byshop shal be chiefe in suche thinges as perteyne to god In the. xviii yere of Iosias king of Iuda the kynge sente Saphan the scrybe of the temple to Elchias the hygheprieste that al the money that was gatherid of the people for the temple shoulde be molten and deliuered to smithes to be bestowed vpon the temple and Elchias dyd as the kynge commaunded and also sente hym by Saphan a boke of the lawe that he had founde in the house of god And when Saphan had redde it to the kynge he cut his clothes and commaunded Elchias the hyghe prieste that he shuld coūcell our lorde vppon the wordes of that boke for he sayd the wrathe of god was kendellyd agaynste them and Elchias dyd as the kyng commanded hym And soo it appereth that the kinge commanded the high pryste concernynge the reparation of the temple and also concerninge the sayde boke and he obeyed Also the kynge Iosias commaunded Elchias the bysshoppe and the pristes of the seconde order and the porters that they shuld caste out of the house of god all vesselles that were made to Baal and they obeied And these textes proue that kynges haue theyr power immediately of god And that they iudge the worlde that al that be within their dominions are theyr subiectes and owe to obeye them and neyther byshop or priste is not excepted in any of these textes ¶ Of dyuers powers that the clergye hath by the law of god The. ii chapit THE power of preachynge is by the lawe of god where it is sayd Preche ye the gospell to euerye creature And that might euery priste haue doone in the begynnynge of the churche as soone as he was pryste and noone myghte haue prohibite him therof but after by lawes of the bysshops of Rome ordinaries myght make prohibitions in suche cases and that hindred trewe preachynge very moche Also matrimony was ordeyned by god And ouer that the power that the clergy hath to cōsecrate the body of our lord to assoile to make deacons prystes and bysshoppes is by the law
vnder this maner beganne the auctoritie of the catholike general councilles in the churche of god and then to speke somewhat of the power of the catholyke generall councils that I haue spoken of before I thynke veryly that the power of them standeth mooste principally to declare the trewe catholyke fayth accordynge to the rules and groundes of scripture and to declare also what is to be iuged to be agaynste scripture and what not and to expounde the doubtes therof and also to determine what bokes are to be obeide and taken as bookes of scripture and what not For all chrysten people muste agree in one faythe and in one god Howe be it the correctiō of them that wold breke or dysobey the sayd declaration of the generall councille belongeth by the lawe of god to kynges and pryncis For it is sayd Eccle. v. the kynge commaundeth the hoole countrey as his subiette and therfore if any man shulde punysshe in the realme of an other prynce any of his subiectes withoute his commaundement it shulde be againste the foresayde texte Wherfore the sayde texte Math. xviii which was spoken to the vniuersall churche as is sayde before is to be vnderstand thus what so euer ye bynde vppon erthe not offendynge scripture ne the power that is gyuen to kynges by the lawe of god shal be bounden in heuen For certayne it is that the intent of Christ was neuer to speke any thynge againste scripture neither of the olde testamente ne of the new For he said I com not to breke the lawe but to fulfyll it And also it is to be noted that to declare the faithe or to do any of the thynges that I haue sayd before do pertayn to the generall councille is not agaynste scripture ne agaynste the power of kinges and princes For they neuer had those powers but to correcte offenders and to appoynte thorder of correction in what degre of offence so euer it be without their assent is against the power of kinges and princis Ro. xiii where it is sayde that princis be punyshers of euery thynge that is euyllc And ouer that if a christen kynge lyued agaynste scripture to the hurte of his owne soule and to the yuell example also of all his subiectes the general councill might declare that he lyued againste scripture and against the lawe of god but correction they myght none do ne his subiectes might nothing do therin but only pray to almightye god for his amendement Also yf the generall councille decreed that the youngest sonne shuld enherite in this realm or that all entayles made of landes shulde be voide Or that the clergie shuld haue a iurisdiction and make proces of excōmunication againste euery man that breke any of their decrees all were in vayne for it were agaynste the prerogatyue of kingis and princis in euery realme and also against scripture whereby kynges haue their power as is said before Wherfore the general councill hath therin no auctoritie Lyke wyse if any lawe be vsed agaynste scripture the generall councill may declare that it is so but the correction and refourmation in that behalfe they muste commytte to kynges in euery countreye and to theyr lawes And thoughe the apostels seniours Act. xv by auctoritie of the said texte Matth. xvi Quodcunque ligaueris c. decreed that the peple shuld abstayne a suffocatis sanguine whiche pertayned not meerelye to the faythe for the meate was laufulle and neuerthelesse the chrysten people were than bounden to obey the decree Yet yf the kynges vnder whom the christen people were thā subiectes vpon a reasonable cause had commaunded them to haue eaten suche meate they ought in conscience to haue obeyed his commādement For the eatinge shulde not haue ben against the faith and that decree was not made but onely for a frendly communyon and companienge togither of the gentyles and iewes in the beginning of the churche For the Iewes greately abhorred suche meates But for as moch as the cause of that lawe is nowe determined the lawe also is determyned so that no man at this day is bounden to it Farthermore by that I haue saide before appereth that the generalle councille laufully gathered according to scripture may declare what is heresie and whatte not And I thinke also that by these wordes Dic ecclesię si ecclesiam non audierit sit tibi sicut ethnicus publicanus They may put a man to aunswere before them vpon the heresie and so may not euery byshop ne yet all the clergie togyther Howe be it the generall councill maye not thervpon do correction For al the correction per taineth to kynges and princis as I haue sayd before ne they maye not alter the wordes of scripture in any article as the apostels dydde in the fourme of baptysme for the cause why the appostels dyd it is determyned that is to saye to cause the name of Iesu to be had in the more loue and honour amonge the people as is said before whiche nowe thanked be our lorde is vniuersally fulfylled amonge al christen people and so the sayd example is determined Farthermore by that that I haue sayde before appereth that the orderynge of all ceremonies of fastynge dayes and holy dayes excepte the. vii day onely of sensynges ▪ and of all the ceremonies apparell at masse matyns and euen songes and of al other lyke be vnder the power of kynges and prynces according to their lawes and not of the generall councilles For they be not commaunded by scripture ne pertayne not merely to the faithe but haue ben brought vppe for the beautifieng of the ministrations vsed amonge the people and to stire them the rather to deuotion wherfore dyuers countreyes maye vse dyuers ceremonies to the sayde intentes in suche maner as shall be thought most expedient for the people in euery countrey without any offence to the law of god but in one fay the and in one hoole and full assente vpon scripture and vpon the expositions therof all christen people muste of necessitie agree as I haue sayd before and to that intent onely it shulde seme that Christ ordeyned generall councilles Of such councils as haue ben kept in tyme past by the power of the bishops of Rome and of the clergie and haue ben called general councils The. vi chap. IF A MAN wylle saye and abydingly stand in it that the byshop of Rome is heed of the vniuersalle Churche of Christe it is not onely vntrewe but it is also heresye and is directely agaynste scripture Ecclesiastes v. Where it is sayde Vniuersę terrę rex imperat seruienti that is The kynge commaundeth the hole countrey as his subiect Whervpon it foloweth that the emperour whiche is kynge in Italye maye commaunde the byshoppe of Rome as his subiecte And if the byshoppe of Rome shulde be heed of the vniuersall churche then he shulde be heed ouer the Emperour For he vndoutedly is one of the church and