parable saith The good sede be the chyldern and inheritours of the kyngedome so the kyngedome that Christe seeketh here in erthe is a spirituall and heauenly kyngedome And Christe sayde to Pylate in the .xviii. chapiter of Iohn̄ My kyngdome is not of this worlde And therfore those that go about to make of Christis spyrytuall kyngdome a worldly kyngdome do falle into errour of some heretykes that loke that Christe after the daye of iudgement shall reygne with all his sayntes here in erthe carnally in Hierusalem as the Iewes doo beleue that Messias is yet to come and whan he shall come he shall reigne worldly in Ierusalem ¶ So we doo see that Chryste lefte the worldely kyngedomes to prynces of the world as is before expressed But he commytted the preachynge of this heauenlye kyngedome to his apostels gyuynge to them lyke commission and equall auctoritie to preache teche the same through all the worlde sayeng in the last chapyter of Mathewe after the wordes before declared that all power was gyuen to hym in heuen and in erthe Go ye forthe and teache all nations baptysynge theym in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy goste teachynge them to kepe all those thynges whyche I haue commaunded you Christe also in the .xx. chapter of Iohn sayde the euenynge after his resurrection whan he appered to his disciples the dores beinge shutte As my father hath sente me I do sende you and after he had so sayde he brethed vppon them sayinge Whose synnes so euer ye shall forgyue be forgyuen and whose synnes ye shall reteyne be reteyned And lykewyse had saide to them all before his death in the .xviii. chapter of Mathewe what thynges so euer ye shall bynde vppon erthe shal be bounde in heauen and what thynges so euer ye shall lose vppon erthe shal be leused in heauen whiche power he gaue to them all equally and like as well to all the resydewe as to Peter whiche auctoritie Christe declareth in the x. chapter of Luke to be hyghe and to be regarded of all men and not to be contemned in any wyse sayinge He that herith you herith me and he that herith me hereth my father of heuen that hath sent me And he that despiseth you despyseth me and he that despyseth me despyseth my father of heuen that hath sent me At the day of iugemente Sodoma and Gomorra whiche harde not of Christ shal be in better case than such despysers shalbe ¶ But here the byshoppe of Rome steppeth in and saith Peter hadde auctorite gyuen to him aboue all the resydue of the apostels for Christe sayde to hym in the xvi chapiter of Matthewe Thou arte Peter and vpon this rocke I shall bylde my churche and I shall giue the the keis of the kyngedome of heuen and what so euer thou shalt bynde vpon erthe shalbe bound in the heuens This sayde Christ. And sayncte Peter is buryed at Rome whose successor I am ▪ and oughte to rule the churche as Peter dyd and to be porter at heauen gates as Peter was And Christe sayde also to Peter after his resurrection Fede my shepe whiche wordes he spake to hym onely so that therby he had auctoritie ouer all that be of Christis flocke and I as his successour haue the same and therfore who soo wyl not obey me kynge or prince I wyl curse him and depriue hym his kyngedome or seignorie for all power is gyuen to me that Christe had and I am his vicar general as Peter was here in erthe ouer all and none but I as Christe is in heuen This ambitious and pompouse obiection is made by him and his adherentes and hath of late yeres moch troubled the worlde and made discention debate and open warre in all partes of Chrystendome and nourysshed the same But yf the bysshoppe of Rome wolde take those places after the right sense of thē ▪ as both the apostels them selfes taughte vs and all the auncient beste lerned and mooste holy interpretours do expound them the worlde shulde be more at quietnesse than it is where nowe by wronge interpretation the scripture is peruerted and an other gospell in that poynt preached vnto vs than euer the apostels preached soo that thoughe an aungell came fro heuen and wolde tell vs suche newe expositions of those places as is now made to turne the wordes which were spoken for spirituall auctoritie of preachynge the worde of god and ministringe of the sacramentes to a worldly auctoritie we oughte to reiecte hym as saynt Paule saythe in the fyrst chapiter to the Galathiens ¶ But to open the true sense of the scripture in the places aforesayd it is to be obserued that Christe in the sayd .xvi. chapiter of Mathewe asked his dyscyples whom men dyd say y t he was whervnto after answere giuen by thē diuersly some sayinge that he was Iohn̄ Baptist some saying y t he was Ely some saying that he was Ieremie or oone of the prophetes Christe asked them whom do ye say that I am whervnto Peter answered for thē al for of al them the question was asked as he was always redy to make answer Thou arte Chryste the sonne of god that lyueth Iesus answered Blessed be thou Symon the sonne of Iona. for flesh and bloud hath not reueled this vnto the but my father whiche is in heuen And I say to the Thou arte Peter and vpon this rocke I shall bylde my churche and the gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynste it that is to saye vpon this rocke of thy confessyon of me to be the sonne of god I shall bylde my churche For this confession conteyneth the hole summarye of our faythe and saluation Which confessyon fyrste was spoken by the mouthe of Peter Who of all the .xii. apostelles that Christe chose to sende into the worlde to preache his word was the fyrst that with his mouthe vttered that confessyon and knowlegynge by which all Christen men must be saued and without whyche noo man can be saued as it is written in the x. chapter to the Romains by Paul The worde of faythe that we do preache is at hande in thy mouthe and in thyne harte for if thou confesse with thy mouthe oure lorde Iesus and with thy hart do beleue that god raysed hym frome death to lyfe thou shalt be saued Upon this fyrst confession of Peter and not vpon the person of Peter the church is bylded As Chrysostom expoūdeth that place in the .xxvi. sermon of the feast of Pentecost saying Not vpon the person of Peter but vpon the fayth Chryst hath bylded his churche And what is the faithe This. Thou art Christ the sonne of god that liueth what is to say Upon this rocke that is vpon this confession of Peter And with this sayenge of Chrisostome all auncient exposytours treatynge that place do agree For if we shulde expound that place that the Churche is bylded vppon the persone of Peter we shuld put an other foundation
subiection to adore them by godly honour vpon the erthe to kysse their fete as yf they were god where they be but wretched menne And yet they looke that their pryncis shulde do it vnto them and also all other chrysten men owynge theym no subiection shulde of duetie do the same do not these as ye thynke folowe the pryde of Lucyfer their father Who make theym selfes felowes to God contrarye to his word But who I pray you be these that men may knowe them Surely the bysshoppes of Rome be those whome I doo meane Who doo exalte their seate aboue the sterres of god and do ascende aboue the clowdes and wyll be lyke to almyghty god The sterres of god be mente the aungels of heuen for as sterres do shewe vnto vs in parte the lyght of heauen soo do aungelles sente vnto men shewe the heauenly lyghte of the grace of god to those to whome they be sente And the clowdes sygnifyed in the olde testament the prophetes and in the newe do sygnyfie the apostels and prechers of the word of god For as the cloudes doo conceyue and gather in the skye moysture whyche they after powre down vpon the ground to make it therby more fruitefull soo the prophetes in the olde testament and the Apostelles and preachers in the newe do powre into our eares the moysture of theyr heauenly doctrine of the worde of god to make therwith by grace our sowles beinge seere and drye brynge forthe fruite of the spirite Thus do al auncient exposytours and amonge theym sayncte Augustine interprete to be ment in scripture sterres and clowdes in thexposytion of the .xlv. psalme ¶ But saynt Iohn euangelist writeth in the .xix. chapiter of the apocalips and in the .xxii. also that whan he wolde haue fallen downe at the aungelles foote that dyd shewe hym those vysions there written to haue adored hym with godly worshyp the aungelle sayde vnto hym See thou doo not soo for I am the seruaunte of God as thou arte Gyue adoration and godly worshyppe to god and not to me Here it appereth that the bysshops of Rome sufferynge all men prostate before them to kysse their feete ye the same princis to whom they owe subiection do clâ—mme vp aboue the aungelles whyche refused suche godly worshyp and adoration We do rede in the gospelle of Luce. in the .vii. chapiter that as Chryste satte at dyner in the house of the pharysee a synfull woman of that citie came into the howse hauynge a boxe of precious oyntment Who kneled downe and vnder the bourde with wepinge teares wasshed his fete and dried them with the heare of her heed and kyssed his fete and annoynted them with her precious oyntmente whiche adoration Chryste beinge bothe god and man there dyd accepte forgyuynge the synful womaÌ„ her synnes for her fayth and her repentaunce Wherby he dydde shewe his godheed to the pharisee whyche toke hym but as a holy man for only god dothe remytte synne We rede also in the .xii. of the gospell of IohnÌ„ that Mary the syster of Martha lykewise dyd annoynt his feete and drie theym with her heare of her heed Whiche godly honour Christe as god receyued But neyther we can fynde in scripture that suche godlye honour of that sort hath ben done to man only nor we rede not in any historis that christen princis haue admytted suche adoration due only vnto god â–ª Christen princis be content to see their subiectes knele vnto them And if they suffer theyr subiectes to kysse theyr handes whan they put forth their handes to theym it is the mooste worldely honour that they suffer to be done vnto them But yet Christe offered his fete beinge bare to be wasshed with teares and kyssed as appereth by the gospel of Luke for he said to the pharisee that bad hym to dyner and wondered why he suffred the synfull woman to approche so nere vnto hym that all be it he had made hym a good dyner yet the synful woman hadde done more than he For he hadde not gyuen hym water to weshe his fete but she sens he entred into his house had not cessed to wesshe his fete with her teares And fete be wasshed to no man but whan they be naked soo that it appereth that Chrystis feete than washed with teres and kyssed were bare But the byshop of Rome offereth his fete to be kissed shod with his shoes on for I se my selfe being than present .xxxiiii. yere ago whan Iulius than bishop of Rome stode on his fete and one of his chamberlaynes helde vp his skyrt bycause it stode not as he thought with his dignitie that he shulde doo it hym selfe that his showe myght appere whyles a noble manne of great age dyd prostrate hym selfe vppon the grounde and kyssed his shoo Whyche he stately suffered to be doone as of duetie Where me thynke I sawe Cornelius the Centuryon capytayne of the Italyons bende spoken of in the tenth chapiter of the actes submyttynge hym selfe to Peter and moche honourynge hym but I sawe not Peter there to take hym vp and to byd hym ryse sayenge I am a man as thou arte as saynte Peter dyd saye to Cornelius so that the byshoppes of Rome admyttynge suche adoration dewe vnto god do clymme aboue the heuenly clowdes that is to saye aboue the apostels sent into the worlde by Chryste to water the earthlye and carnall hartes of men by their heauenly doctrine of the worde of god ¶ And that by the worde of god all men ought to obey the potestates and gouernours of the worlde as emperours kynges and princis of all sortes what name so euer the saide supreme powers doo vse for the countreys in which they be saynte Peter playnly dothe teache vs in the second chapiter of his fyrst epistle sayeng Be ye subiecte to euery humayn creature for goddis sake whether it be kynge as chiefe heed or dukes or gouernours as sente frome god to the vengeaunce and punyshemente of euyll doers and to the laude of good doers for so is the wyll of god so that saynt Peter hym selfe in his Epistle commaundeth all worldly prynces in theyr offyce to be obeyd as the minysters of god by all christen men ¶ And accordynge vnto the same saynte Paule in the .xiii. chapiter to the Romaines saythe Euery lyuynge man be subiecte to the high powers for the high powers be of god And who so euer resisteth the highe powes resysteth the ordynance of god and purchaseth therby to him self damnation for the hyghe powers be the mynysters of god to succour and lawde well doers the mynysters of god to punysshe euyll doers and the mynysters of god to doo iustice to all men for whiche cause they receyued tribute and lest men shulde forgette theyr duetie of obedyence to theyr princis it is there thryse repeted that they be the mynisters of god whose place in theyr gouernance they do represent so that vnto them al men must obey apostels patriarches
primates archebyshoppes byshoppes priestes and all of the clergie And all noble men of what degree so euer they be being within their gouernaunce with all the people also And therfore the byshop of Rome oweth lykewyse to his souerain and superiour like subiection by the word of god taught vnto vs by Peter and Paule as other bishoppes do owe to theyr princes vnder whom they be And therfore Agatho the byshop of Rome in whose tyme was the vi synode counsell general after his election sent to themperour then beinge at Constantinople to haue his election alowed before he wolde be consecrate after the olde custome at that tyme vsed And an other byshoppe of Rome called Uitalianus dyd the same as it is wrytten in the decrees in the .lxiii. distinction in the chapitre begynnynge Agatho and as saynte Gregory and saydte Ambrose had done before theym as it is written in the chapiter Cum longe in the same distinction the byshops of Rome at that tyme folowed the doctrine of sayncte Peter and saynte Paule lefte vnto them to be subiectes and to obey theyr princes ¶ The gospelle also teacheth vs in the xxii chapiter of Luce howe the apostels fell at contention amonge them selfes the nyghte before the passyon who amonge them shulde be superiour and aboue the other Whyche theyr contention Chryste discussed sayeng on this wyse The kynges of people and nations haue dominion ouer them and those that haue power ouer them be called benefactors of them But so it shall not be amongest you but who so euer amongest you is the greater shall be as the yonger and who soo euer amongest you shall be chiefe shall be as a seruant and a minister For who is superiour he that sytteth at the table or he that serueth at the table is not he superiour that sytteth But I am amongeste you as he that mynystreth and serueth And ye be those that haue bydden with me in my temptations and I ordeyn for you as my father hath ordeyned for me a kyngdome that ye shall eate and drynk at my bourde in my kyngdome and shal sytte vpon seates iudgyng the .xii. tribes of Israel Here we doo see that Chryste wolde haue the mekeste and moste humble to be chiefe in his flocke by humilitie and by seruyce done to other As Chryste by example had washed the fete of his apostelles the same nyghte a lyttell before And it appereth also that he wolde not leaue amongest his apostelles a worldly kyngdome wherby they shulde worldely reygne ouer other but that he ordeyned for them a heuenly kyngedome to reigne with hym in heauen and to sytte with hym in iudgement to iudge the .xii. tribes of Israell that is to say by thexample of their fayth who beleued in Christe to condemne the infidelite of the Iewes that wolde not beleue in hym but shamefully put him to deth So that herby it is proued playnly that Chryste lefte to his disciples no worldely kyngedome here in erthe to haue princis vnder them A lyke dyscussynge of this contention of superioritie whiche an other tyme rose also emonge the apostelles is conteyned in the tenth chapter of Mark and the .xx. chaptre of Mathewe and by lyke wordes absolued that mekenes and not superiorite shulde be regarded amonge them for the apostels before the commynge of the holy gost after the tyme of the resurrection euen at the tyme of Christis ascention asked hym whether he wolde restore again the worldely kyngedome of Israell for whiche kyngedome at that tyme they dyd loke as Cleophas sayd in the last chapitre of Luce vnto Christ apperyng to hym and his felowe goinge in to Emaus we trusted that he was the man that shulde haue redemed Israell And yet vnto this daye the iewes do loke for theyr Messias to come and to reigne amonge them by a worldely kyngedome in Hierusalem as Dauid dyd but Christe lefte to his disciples no suche worldelye kyngedome but sayde it shulde not be so emong them as it was emongest the princis of the world ¶ And where Christe in the laste chapyter of Mathewe sayde after his resurrection All power is gyuen to me in heuen and in erthe so that both in his godheed and in his manhode also inseparably vnite in one persone that is to saye in one Christe and two natures god and man he had all power gyuen to hym as man whiche from the begynnynge he euer had as the sonne of god with god his father Yet neuer the lesse he neuer chaunged the auctoritie of worldly kinges and princis but by his owne word commanded them stylle to be obeyed by theyr subiectes as they had ben before his incarnation sayinge in the .xxii. chapyter of Matthewe whan the Iewes axed hym whether they shulde paye tribute to Ceasar or noo he bad theym gyue to Cesar those thynges that be his and to god those thinges that be his sygnifyenge vnto theym that tribute was dewe to Cesar and that theyr sowles were due to god And in the .xvii. chapiter of Mathewe it appeareth that Christe bad Peter paye tribute for hym and his disciples whan it was demaunded of hym And Christe as man wolde not chaunge the order of obeysaunce to worldly princis by their subiectes Whiche he as god with his father had ordeyned before his Incarnation as sayncte Paule testifieth sayenge Worldely powers be ordeyned of god therfore who so euer resysteth them dothe resyste god ¶ And that Christe hym selfe wolde not reigne here in erth by a worldly and temporall kyngedome it appereth in the .vi. chapiter of Iohn Where after he hadde fedde fyue thousande Iewes besydes women and chylder with fyue barley loues and two fyshes and the Iewes wold haue taken hym and made hym theyr kynge he fledde from theym and wolde not consent vnto them For the kyngdom that he came to serche here in erthe was not a worldly and temporal kyngedome but a heuenly and spyrituall kyngedom that is to saye to reygne spirituallye by grace and faythe in the hartes of all christen and faithfull people of what degree or of what nation so euer they be and to tourne al people nations whiche at his cōming were carnall lyued after the lustes of the fleshe to be spiritual to lyue after the lustes of the spirite that Christe myght spiritually with his father of heuen reigne in the hartes of all men whiche heauenly kyngedome sayncte Iohn Baptist in the deserte preached ofte to the Iewes sayenge Repent you and amend your lyues for the kyngedome of heauen is at hande After whose death Christ intendynge to manyfeste hym selfe to the worlde beganne his prechyng lykewyse sayenge Do penaunce for the kyngdom of heuen is at hand And it is plainly expressed in the .xiii. chapter of Matth. in the parable lykening the kingdom of heuen to a man which dyd sowe good sede in his field and after whyles he slepped his enmy dyd sowe euyl sede in the same for Christ expoūdyng that
nor any of his goodes No man that loueth his neyghboure as him selfe wyl offend hym in any of these for sens he loueth hym selfe so welle that he canne not be content that his neyghbour shall offende hym in any of these he in louyng his neyghbour as hym selfe wyll not offende his neyghboure in any of these ¶ In these two commandementes sayth Chryste all the lawe and the prophetes be conteyned ¶ But for al this we thus plainly beinge taught by Christe do fall heedlynge into all kyndes of vices ▪ for where we oughte to loue god aboue all thynge we loue the worlde and worldly thynges aboue god ayenste the counsell of sayncte Iohn in the .ii. chapiter of his fyrst epistle For we be so giuen to concupiscence of the fleshe that what soo euer it lusteth to haue we minyster it vnto it to the concupiscence of our eyes that what so euer we doo see that liketh vs we wyl haue it by one meanes or other We be so highe also of mynd and prowde in hart that we wyll mounte aboue our degree sufferynge none to be aboue vs. whiche thre fautes do comprehende all vyces of the worlde so that we maye saye with the prophete Osee in his iiii chapter There is no truthe there is no mercy or pitie there is no knoweledge of god lefte vpon the erth Backbytynge lyinge murder thefte aduoutrie hathe ouerflowen the worlde Periury reigneth euery where and great pytie it is to see howe the preciouse name of almyghtye god is taken in vaine in all places Noo othe shulde be gyuen but three thynges concurrent as Hieremy the prophete in his .iiii. chapiter teacheth vs. that is to say In iudgement Whan a man is called thither to shewe the trouthe And for iustice there to be mynistred to put away wronge doynge And for trouthe that falsehode may take no place there Elles no othe shulde be gyuen by goddis lawe but we shuld affirme our saying by ye ye and deny by nay nay as Christe taughte vs in the .v. of Mathewe But now euery thynge that we affirme or deny muste haue an othe coupled with it whan men do bye or selle any thynge moo othes be oftetymes enterchanged betwyxte them than pens that the thyng is solde for In communication and all pastimes as manye othes as wordes be vsed In playenge at any games there the tearynge of goddis name and particular mention of all the woundes and peynes that Christe suffered for vs be contumeliouselye in vayne brought forthe If a muster shuld be taken of swearers I thynke that some croked peces shoulde be founde not able to take the kynges wages that wolde sweare as greatte othes and as manye of them as the beste and moste able man on the fielde They thynke that greatte othes do make theym to be of more estymation and therfore they sweare at euerye worde but surely they be fowelye deceyued for othes be ordeyned where nede is that trewthe shall not perysshe and that they may fynysshe debates amonge menne as Paule saythe in the syxth chapiter to the Hebrewes But he that at euerye worde sweareth declareth playnely that noo credence is to be gyuen to any his wordes and therfore he ioynethe to euery worde an othe as a suertie of the trewthe therof knowledgyng the lacke of trewthe to be in his wordes As yf a manne wolde offre a greatte substantiall suretie whan he wolde borowe a penye of his neyghbour he playnly shulde make his neyghbour thereby to thynke that he were of noo credence that wolde for so small a matter offer so great a suertie where no nede is so to do ¶ I feare me the great role of .xx. cubites in lengthe and .x. cubytes in bredthe whiche the prophete Zacharie sawe fleinge in the aire in the .v. chaptre whiche as the aungell shewed to hym dyd contein the great malediction of god ageinst theues and ageynst swearers that shulde be iuged by it do flye nowe ouer our heedes I pray god we maye auoyd the danger of it and absteyn hereafter so to take the name of god in vayne as is nowe commonly vsed ¶ We doo professe the fayth of Chryste and doo speake of the gospell with oure mouthe and haue the booke ofte in oure handes but we lerne it not as we shulde do for the gospel is giuen to vs to know god thereby and to be a rule to lyue by but we moche do talke of it whiche is very well done and yet we nothyng regard to amende our lyues therby and to lyue as it byddeth vs. but we doo vse the gospel as if it were a boke of problemes to dyspute vppon ▪ and care not to amende oure lyuynge as it teacheth vs whyche shall be to our great punyshement For a seruant that knoweth his lordes plesure and not fulfyllynge it is more greuousely to be punished than he that knoweth it not as Christe saythe in the .xii. chapiter of Luce. We myche extolle fayth as it is myche worthy But workes and deedes many men care not for sayenge god regardeth them nothynge for faithe alone iustifieth vs and not our workes ¶ Here fyrste of all it is to be obserued that no dede nor worke that is doone by man without faithe can euer helpe hym to heuen for lyke as a man that renneth out of the race where the course is sette though he runne neuer so faste wynneth no game so a man that doth good dedes morall without faythe deserueth of god no rewarde for withoute faythe it is impossible to please god as sayncte Paule sayth the .xi. chapiter to the Hebrues But if he do good dedes with faith than they be acceptable to god and he wyll reward hym for them And saynt Paule teacheth vs always to be occupyed in doynge of good workes for albe it no man may be iustified by his workes alone Yet after he hath faith he must ioyne good workes with it yf he haue any tyme therto orels his faith is vnprofytable vnto hym for the faythe that by grace dothe iustyfie is the faithe that worketh by Charytie as saynt Paule sayth to the Galathians in the fyfte chapiter and not an ydell faith whych saynt Iames in his epistle calleth a deed faythe ¶ Saynt Paule sayth also in the second chapiter to the Romains that the herers of the lawe be not iustified before God but the doers of the lawe And saynt Iames in his epystle in the fyrste Chapyter doth lyken hym that heareth the worde of god and dothe not thereafter vnto a manne that loketh in a glasse and after he hath soo doone layeth it downe and forgetteth that he looked in it and thynketh of other matters ¶ And where they say that fayth alone iustifieth that is vntrewe and agaynste sayncte Iames in the .ii. chapiter of his epistell sayenge that a man is not iustified by his faithe alone Also to iustification of a synner repentance of his euylle lyfe paste is necessarilye fyrste requyred and muste nedes be ioyned with