from the vnitie of the Bishop of Rome Also the elders ministers of the Gospell haue the same right office which the priestes of the lawe had in the case of those that were Lepers They remitte then or holde sinnes according as they iudge shewe that they are remitted or holdē before god Saint Augustine The Lord calleth the keyes of the kingdome of heauen the knowledge and vertue to discerne those who are worthy to be receyued or else to be shut out of the kingdom Now howsoeuer it semeth at the first sight that he gaue this povver to Peter alone yet vve must acknovvledge vvithout all doubt that he hath giuen it to all the Apostles as it appeareth after his resurrection vvhen he sayth vnto them That vvhich ye remit in earth c. Also It is sayd vnto him I vvill giue thee the keyes as though that povver had bene giuen to him alone but as he ansvvered for al so he likevvise receyued the keyes together vvith all as bearing the person of the vnitie He is named therefore alone for all forasmuch as there vvas vnitie amongst all And therefore Augustines ordinarie maner of speache is that in Peters person the keyes are promised to all and in the person of all them to all the Ministers of the Church Leo the Bishoppe of Rome at the time that this question was handled disputing with the Byshops of Constantinople although in his workes he hath left sufficient shewe of the traces of ambition yet he speaketh not otherwise thereof This povver sayth he of the keyes is likevvise passed ouer to all the Apostles and transferred to all the gouernours of the Church And in that it is particularly recommended vnto Peter it is because the example of Peter is set forth to all the gouernors of the Church In euery place therfore where men iudge according to the equitie of Peter there Peters priuiledge is founde but contrariwise it hath no place where Peters equitie is not found Hitherto then we find not the keyes of power but of knowledge only to wit the ministerie of the Gospell the which is common to al ministers and so likewise are the keyes which are thereto annexed This is that which is repeated by Gratian in the Decretals That Saynt Peter receiued no more povver then the other Apostles and by the chiefest Canonists in the Decretalles themselues That the povver of bynding and loosing in vvhich is founded al the iurisdiction of the Church proceedeth immediatly from Christ not immediatly frō S. Peter or his successors the which also Cardinal Cusan maintained in the time of the Council of Constance against those which alledged the key of power pretended by the Pope But let vs go yet somwhat farther They holde that the power of bynding and loosing is practised principally in their sacrament of Penance when their priest inioyneth satisfaction and afterwards giueth absolution to those that haue satisfied Nowe I demaund of them whether it be God that forgiueth or the priest that giueth absolution They will saye it is God that forgiueth and that the priest by his worde doth declare it the which the master of the sentences prooueth very wel by many places drawen out of the auncient Fathers in his fourth booke following that which Chrysostom saith that in these things Neither man Angel nor Archangel cā do any thing And in very deede this is an assured Maxim of Christian religion as he there sayth That none can take avvay sinnes but Iesus Christ alone vvho is the lambe that hath borne the sinnes of the vvorld Now if God be he which bindeth looseth I demaund what more power can remaine in the Pope who doeth neyther the one nor the other And whether we may not come to the conclusion of Marsilius of Padua That the Pope cārelease no more neither from the punishment nor frō the fault then any other poore priest Also If God then exercise his authoritie as Saint Ambrose saith and the priest his knovveledge in doing his office by the key of discretion What shall remaine for the Pope to do vnlesse he will breake in vpon the authoritie of God what key remaines for him not hauing any office to exercise vnlesse it be the key of indiscretion To conclude then the interpretation of this place of S. Marthew according to the force of the wordes the conference of the scriptures the analogie or proportiō of faith the opinion of the aunciēt Doctors the Canōs thēselues of the Romish church Iesus Christ is the stone or rather the liuely rocke vpō which the Church is founded by the ministery of the Apostles who were no other but master Masons To this church which is one vnder the name of Peter who answered for all the power of the keyes was promised to open the gate of the kingdome of heauen to all those which obey the preaching of the gospel Al they which exercise the ministery of the Gospel haue these keys so farre forth as their ministery extends it cannot be attributed to thē that do not exercise any whereof it ensueth that it is so farre of that the Pope should haue thē alone or al the rest frō him that the poorest priest doing his dutie in his parish hath thē better thē he And if because this word was spoken to Peter they wil restraine this place to Peters person I say then that it is rashly done of thē to extend to all the Bishops of Rome that which was spoken to Peter Or if they wil be yet of this tough opiniō thē they must permit that these words Come behinde me Sathan thou art an offence vnto me which follow in the verses next after spokē to Pet. alone must be vnderstood of him al his pretended successors wherof must folow this special priuiledge that the successors of Peter none others may become deuils that the Church of Rome is becōe in Christēdome the stone of offence because for taking care for nothing but the great things of the world it hath forsaken those which are of God. They make an argument afterwardes by another place Ioh. 21 it is sayde three times to S. Peter Louest thou me then feede my sheepe Therefore he was vniuersal pastor of the Church If they concluded he is cōmaunded to feed therefore he was a pastor of the flocke of Christ the cōclusion were good But that therfore he was an vniuersal pastor or the pastor of pastors there is nothing in the text from whēce they may fetch it To feede sayth their owne glose vpon that word is to teach by word by example not to gouerne ouer al the world How it was said to all the Apostles Teach go ye into the whole world Also Euen as my father sent me so send I you Therefore it was said vnto all Feede my sheep S. Paul saith in many places That he is the Apostle of the Gētiles
vs wherein it consisted If they can not then it followeth that all the Apostles were ministeriall foundations as well as he and not founded vpon him and so likewise must it be of all the Churches which were founded by them as Saint Ierome saith vpon the seconde Chapter to the Galatians And according to this S. Paul saith that the faythfull are buylded vpon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles Christ being the chiefe corner stone And he gloryeth that he had preached the Gospel in many places without buylding vpon the foundation of any other Saint Iohn likewise That the Citie of God is set vpon twelue foundations wherein are the names of the twelue Apostles of the Lambe Whereof it followeth that all the Apostles are the foundation of the Church aswell one as another and moreouer that Saint Paul hath buylded without any foundation not building vpon Peters ministerie or else the Peter was not that foundation Againe we demaunde of them if this ministerie consist not in the edifying of the Church by the preaching of the Gospel Forasmuch as the Apostles which were all preachers of saluation in Christ were therein master buylders and all they are buylders which buylde vpon the foundations which were layd by them vpon that liuing rocke Nowe if they were all master buylders why then Saint Peter was not the foundation for he coulde not be both the foundation and a master buylder both together It followeth in the selfe same place Tibi dabo c. I will giue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen That which thou shalt binde in earth c. Of this text we further drawe two contrary propositions Theirs is Christ hath giuen here to Peter alone the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and so consequently to the Bishop of Rome and to his successours Ours contrariewise is that Christ here hath promised the keyes to all in the name of Peter and hath giuen them to all his Apostles and after them to all those which lawefully exercise the Ministerie of his Gospel If we knowe what is meant by the keyes and what it is to binde and to loose it wil be easie for vs to iudge whether of these two propositions be true Christe Iesus pronounceth Wo be to you Doctors of the lawe because you haue taken away the keye of knowledge ye haue not entred in your selues and those which woulde wyllyngly haue entred in ye haue forbidden Nowe these Doctours were those who had charge to teach the worde of god These keyes then are no other thing but the charge to preache the kyngdome of heauen and to open the gate thereof by the preaching of the Gospel And concernyng byndyng and loosing Saint Iohn expoundeth what they meāt by these wordes to retayne and to remit sinnes the which is not done but in preaching the forgiuenesse of sinnes displayed in Iesus Christe to all those that beleeue the preaching of the Gospel The keyes then is the charge to preach the woorde to bynde and to loose is the effect of this word which to one sorte turneth to their saluatiō to the other to their greater damnation Whereupon Saint Paul calleth his Ministerie The Ministerie and word of reconciliation and else where The Ministerie of vengeaunce vpon the disobedient which Esai before had called the acceptable yeere of the LORD and the daye of vengeaunce Nowe forasmuch as no one alone can exercise this Ministerie in euerie place nor towards all It followeth therefore that one alone can not haue these keyes nor this charge of byndyng and loosyng which by the comming of Christie extendeth it selfe to all places They demaunde then wherefore it was saye to Peter I will giue thee IESUS Christe had sayde vnto all Whome thinke ye that I am And he in the name of all had answered Thou art Christ c. And therefore in his name he promiseth to all his Church the power of the keyes which he promiseth also afterwardes to all in the eyghtenth Chapter and after his resurrection deliuered them to all the Apostles equally and without any difference in these wordes Receiue the holy Ghost To all those to whom you shall remit their sinnes they shal be remitted c. That then that was promised here in these wordes I will giue vnto thee c. and not I doe giue thee which sheweth the time to come was then fully accomplished universally to all as in the person of Peter it was there promised to all To be short If as Saint Gregorie saith Saint Peter was not head of the Apostles til it was after his repentance in vaine then do they vpon this place trouble their braine pretending that by that place this power was giuen vnto him And if they will say that the same was meāt there by the keyes promised vnto him by the deliuerance of the keyes which was after his repentance giuen vnto all we conclude that they were here promised vnto all The which we saye not to the ende to derogate any thing from S. Peter whose readines to confesse the sonne of God and zeale toward our Sauiour was incomparable but to discouer the subtiltie of the Pope and of his poleshorne generation that of the keye of knowledge giuen to Saint Peter hath made a key of power and of the preaching of the worde a tyranny ouer all the princes and people of the earth and of the kingdome of heauen a temporall monarchie notwithstanding that there is nothing more cōtrarie to the whole doctrine that Christ hath taught his Apostles As for the auncient doctors they haue vnderstoode it no otherwise then we doe Saynt Cyprian Our Lord in the person of one man gaue the keyes to all to shewe the vnitie of all The others neuerthelesse were euen the same that Peter vvas companions in like equal honour in equall povver but he vvould begin by one man to shevv that the Church is one Saynt Hierome expounding this selfe same place The ignorant Bishops and elders sayth he tooke hereby occasion to vsurpe I know not what maner of Pharisaicall authoritie thinking that they had power to bynd and loose at their pleasure But to bind loose ought to be no other thing but to declare by the word of God Gods sentence Beholde then the Pope in the stead of Cephas a Caiphas euen by the difinitiue sentēce of S. Hierom a minister of the Romane Church And else where All the Apostles had one the selfe same iudicial povver For Christ after his resurrection sayth vnto them Receiue the holy Ghost vvhose sinnes ye shal remitte they shal be remitted in heauen c. All the Church likevvise in his elders Bishops but specially Peter receiued it to the ende that euery one should vnderstand that he that separateth himselfe from the vnitie of faith cannot be absolued from his sinnes nor enter into heauen He sayth from the vnitie of fayth not from the vnitie of Peter nor
before eyther had or presently did feele their euil and sought remedy in his merite Vnder the first the Church was visible amongst men but if you compare those which serued God in puritie with the others we shal finde that they were entangled in a wonderfull confusion Vnder the second the Church was visible in one people issued from the loynes of Abraham to witte the people of Israel but not so eminent if we consider not so much what the countrie as the people themselues were in comparison of the rest of the whole world and the great Empires that florished at that time Vnder the third is comprehended all peoples nations without any exception or acception whatsoeuer being nowe visible in one Countrey or other fewe or many and therefore we call her Catholique or vniuersal to witte which is to â—â—ore tyed to the familie of Iacob nor to Ierusalem as vnder the second estate or age for from all partes it ought to be gathered there but who adopteth for childreÌ„ of Israel of Abraham in all places those that haue the fayth of Abraham and for citizens of Ierusalem all the citizens of the world which serue God in spirite and trueth This is that which Christ hath taught vs when he sent forth his Apostles into all the world and S. Paul when hee sayth that the wall is broken downe that there is no more Iew nor Greek but that al are one in Iesus Christ that which is noted vnto vs in the Apocalypse by the Citie hauing xii gates three into euery quarter of the world In which also after the Prophets and Apostles the auncient doctors of the Church agree that after the vocation of the Gentiles there is not any nation or citie more priuiledged then another but that all the world is the threshing floore the field and inheritance of the lord All peoples is Iuda and Israel all cities Ierusalem all houses the house of God so that he be there worshipped serued so far is it of that at this day any place what soeuer it be may attribute any spirituall prerogatiue more to it selfe theÌ„ to another This vniuersal Church comprehendeth vnder her all the particular Churches gathered together in diuers parts of the world the which likewise we cal the ChristiaÌ„ Churches that is to say assemblies which cal vpon one only God by Iesus Christ as the East Church West Church the Greek Church and the Latine Church the Church of Corinth the Church of Galatia of Ephesus of Rome of Carthage notwithstaÌ„ding to speake properly not Catholike or vniuersal but parts of the Catholique or vniuersall No more then when we speake of some parts of the Ocean sea we call all those the sea as the South sea the North sea the Athlantique sea the Cantabrique sea and the Britannique sea c. and we say of al these it is the Ocean sea And yet notwithstanding we knowe that there is but one Ocean and not many whereof by these names we make many distinctions seeing it is but one body vniforme from which the vnion cannot be seuered but only distinguished as wee ought also to acknowledge in the Church And therefore he that saith that the Church of Rome the Catholique Church is al one he speaketh no lesse improperly theÌ„ he that should say that the Britannique sea were the whole Ocean sea or the Tyrrhene sea it self which yet is but a part of the MediterraneuÌ„ sea Nowe the visible Church is in the worlde and the worlde as we may feele in our selues is an vncleane worlde therefore liuing vnder such an infected ayre it is impossible but that shee shoulde be defiled and drawe vnto her much corruption It is also compounded of men and outwardly gouerned by men and all men are flesh and blood and by a consequent corrupt and imperfect subiect to ignorance and malice It is then possible that sometimes shee be corrupted and impossible that in this world she appeare in any sound perfection Notwithstanding because the Scripture sometymes in speaking hauing regard to that which is reputed vnto her in consideration of Iesus Christ her husband before God and sometimes also not according to that she is but according to that shee ought to be not so much to praise her as to prouoke her to make her selfe worthy of that praise shee is graunted these titles of the Churche to which she is not alwayes conformed be it that we consider her in the men whereof she is composed or the doctrine it selfe that is taught in her She is called the kingdome of heauen or the kingdome of Christ but Christ Iesus which is the king himself that raigneth in her compareth her vnto a net cast into the sea which draweth vp to him both good and bad fishe This then is as much to say as in this kingdome of heauen the deuill hath his subiects which perteyne to his tyrannie Saint Paul also there calleth vs the house of God and exhorteth vs to take heede howe we there behaue our selues but the selfe same Paul would not hide this from vs that in the same house there are not onely vessels of golde and of siluer but also of woode and of earth the one I say to honour and the other to dishonour whereof Saint Augustine hath taken his distinction of those that are in the house and yet are not of the house And this that we confesse in our Creede it selfe that the Church is the Communion of Saints it is not meant that all they which are there assembled are sanctified by the spirite of God in Christ but rather that there is no true Communion no true holinesse but in the Church calling it as we are alwayes accustomed by the best part And thus much of the corruption of the persons Concerning the doctrine she is called his spouse altogether faire and without spotte the faithfull Citie the Citie of righteousnes the temple of God and the piller of trueth By these goodly titles she should be stirred vp to please him who vouchsafeth to call her by these names and to be obedient vnto him In meane time it oftentimes falleth out that the Church gouerned by naughtie Pastors presumeth to be such as her titles set her foorth to be and that she can neuer be any other so that shee dareth to say I am a Queene and can be no widowe and so maketh voide the goodnesse of God through which alone shee is decked with all these titles Shee neglecteth the voice of her husband and maketh lawes at her own pleasure her gouernors will gouerne her after their guise thinking that they are wise ynough of them â—â—ies And hereupon the Prophets haue haue constrayned to change their speach according as shee changeth her gouernement This is the cause why they haue called her strumpet and adulteresse that they haue reproched her that she hath played the harlot vnder euery busshie greene tree that
chased the Emperour to Constantinople and setteth himselfe in full libertie of all that quarter And in deede then ceassed the Exarchates that is Dukedomes so called that had endured sixe hundred yeeres that were as the lieutenants of the Emperor in a part of Italy The Emperors of Constantinople driuen away the Lombards thereupō did inuade the kingdome of Italie The Pope more feared them then those whom he had driuen away because that they were his more nie neighbours At that time there gouerned in Fraunce the race of Martel very desirous to aspire The Pope therefore putteth himselfe into the protection of the Frenchmen against the Lombards and Pepin the sonne of Martel he passeth into Italie with the powers of France who vanquisheth them The issue was that Pope Zacharie in recōpence dispenseth with the Frenchmen for theyr othe made to theyr natural prince Chilperick who left the gouernement to the Martels more subtil then himselfe and crowned Pepin chiefe of the palaces of the king of France forbidding the princes and people of France vpon paine of excommunication to choose any other then of Pepins race Contrariwise Pepin giueth vnto him the dukedome or lieutenantship of Rauenna Pentapolis which contained 29. Cities onely reseruing vnto himself the soueraigntie and the power to choose the Popes the which lawes were afterwardes released by Lewys the sonne of Charles the great although that some Emperours put them in practise afterwards as the histories are ful thereof And so likewise behold him the head of the spiritualtie because he mainteyned the murtherer of his master and temporall Lord because he crowned a subiect in the place of his natural prince this beginning of the temporaltie grewe vp by the controuersies of the houses of Aniou and Arragon in Italie and afterwardes of the Emperours of Germanie and of the kings of Fraunce till it came to that state wherein we nowe see it in these last times This was after the time that the key of knowledge which Christ promised to S. Peter was changed into the key of power the ecclesiastical censure was employed to excōmunicate all princes peoples kingdomes which would not obey them vntill they had left them for a pray and cut them of from saluatiō without acception of any persons This was in that time that these gaye interpretations were bred That all povver vvas giuen to Christ by the father asvvel in heauen as in earth Therefore the Pope absolutely commandeth both one other Also God translateth kingdomes from one nation to another Ergo the Pope hath power to establish and to put downe as it seemeth good vnto him whereupon Kings and Emperours of blinde zeale began to kisse his feete both present and by their letters and to hold his stirrop This was in that time also that Pope Boniface the eighth caused this to passe as an article of faith That the Pope is soueraigne both of the spiritualtie and temporaltie shewing himselfe in a Iubilie with a key in one hand and a sword in another that Pope Clement the fift his successour not content to commaunde Kinges and Emperours tooke vpon him by an expresse Bull to cōmaunde Angels that they should execute his will. To be short one hath concluded and decided at Rota that is to say in the Parliament of Popes at Rome that God holdeth for wel done all that is done of the Pope that his will is the rule of all right and righteousnes that he can absolutely do in this world all that God can do seeing he is all and aboue all thinges That if he change his purpose it is to be presumed that God changeth his that when he sendeth thousands of his brethren to hell none may therein reproue him that his power extendeth it selfe to heauen and earth yea and to hell that none maye appeale from him to God that he may ordeine against the epistles of Saint Paul as greater then Saint Paul and against the old Testament as greater then any authors thereof And yet one man hath gone further for one hath disputed whether he may ordeine any thing contrary to the Gospell Whether he haue not yet more power then S. Peter Whether he were simplie a man or as god To be short the deuil hath passed so far in this mysterie of iniquitie that one disputed in the schooles a litle before Luther came and somewhat after whether the Pope participated not with both natures the diuine humane with Iesus Christ And what could the deuil say more if he had come in the flesh to haue destroyed the Church And yet notwithstanding the people do worship this monster the princes of the earth do clap their hands at him destroy their kingdomes to serue his lust sacrifice yet euery day their poore subiects for a sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauor at his feete Who would haue beleeued this except the Spirite of God had foretold it and who will beleeue it after vs when the selfe same spirite shall haue destroyed him But which is more marueilous when the power of the bishop of Rome was intolerable he neuer durst alledge in the councills and in the face of the old Church one only text of Scripture to groūd his supremacy on And now that it is so much beyond the bounds that it spurneth the earth vnder feete thereof that it threatneth heauen that it aduaunceth it selfe so farre that it may be aboue God himselfe they are so impudent and so shamelesse but so she must be that is an harlot that they alledge S. Peters See and the word of God and the keyes which were promised to him as though there were no more eyes in the world to reade nor sense in men to iudge Let them not therefore ground their tyrannie vpon this Dabo tibi I wil giue thee which Iesus Christ spake to S. Peter For betwene the kingdome of Christ and the tyrannie of the Pope there is no likenes or agreement But rather if they wil ground themselues vpon some text of Scripture let them alledge that Tibi dabo I will giue thee which sathan vsed to Iesus Christ I wil giue thee saith hee all the kingdomes which thou seest if thou vvilt worship mee That is for worshipping the deuil they haue that they haue and not for any other title they can alledge But I suppose that nowe with the licence of all the Readers I maye conclude by these proofes conteyned in these two chapiters that which followeth That the essentiall head of the Catholique Church is Iesus Christ our Lord That vnder him all the Apostles were equal in dignitie and power That after them the bishops are equall amongst themselues euery one in his Ministerie occupieth the place of Christ That none may be the Ministeriall head of the Church That the Pope of Rome can pretend this title neither by Gods law nor mans That the first roume that he had was by reason of
that we shoulde not knowe it And yet in meane time the counsel of Hierusalem condemned crucified the Messiah for a deceiuer the great Rabbies and Masters with an infinit nomber of the people a little while after followed that same miserable Barcosba to ruine destruction and acknowledged him for the true Messiah To the end saith our sauiour that the worde of Isai the Prophet might be fulfilled Who hath beleeued our word and to whom hath thine arme bene manifested They haue eyes but they see not They haue eares but they vnderstand not The Lorde hath blynded their eyes and hardened their heart c. And nowe I say vnto you that the selfe same is come vpon you vpon you I say who boast of the name of the Church in the knowledge of Antichrist For he is come with all the signes wonders that the spirite of God hath foreshewed vnto vs in the same place at the same time by the same way in the same apparell There is nothing that doth not agree vnto him neyther that can agree to any other but to him In meane time the Church that is to say the Romane clergie haue receiued him for their Spouse The Council of Trent haue declared him to be God in earth excommunicating al those that wil not cleaue vnto him and the princes of the earth haue lent him their armes to persecute and to murther those who woulde make him knowen to the worlde And wherfore Because this word of God must be fulfilled which he hath spoken by the mouth of his Apostles He shall sit in the Temple of God boasting himselfe as if he were god He shal make drūk al the kings of the earth He shall abuse deceiue all the world because they haue not loued the truth God shal giue thē vp into a strong illusion to the end they may beleeue lies And euen lyke as the Coūcil of Hierusalē cōdemned Christ so the Coūcil of Trent haue approued Antichrist The clergie crucified saluation it selfe the clergie hath adored their perdition The great doctors of the lawe were therein blynd because Christ shewed them a spiritual kingdome in steade of the temporall that they waited for And the prelates of the Romish Church haue taken pleasure to shutte their eyes because Antichrist hath brought them a temporall kingdome wherein they intend to dwel But notwithstanding death the crosse and the conspiracies of all the worlde the spirituall kingdome of Christ was victorious ouer all the kingdomes of the earth And notwithstanding the temporall kingdome of Antichrist all his adorations and conspiracies of al the kings princes of this world which labour to vphold him it must needs be that he be destroyed by the breath of Christ his mouth and that he fall and vtterly perish They demaunde hereupon What then became of our fathers after so long time that this tyrannie of Antichrist came into the Church Of the great Rabbies and masters who aske this question I aske them what they haue done therein of them I say who had their soules in keeping and who had taken charge and who knew wel howe to heape vp great riches to builde them gaye houses I aske also againe of them what became of the poore people of all the East Churches who were farre greater then the Latines whom the Pope by his excommunications sent to hell by whole millions for the space of sixe or 700 yeeres after that To be short I may send thē to that which our Sauiour sayth that when the Sonne of man shall come to destroye Antichrist by the Spirite of his mouth it shall be as the dayes of Noah or of Lot in Sodom that there shal be no more neither fayth nor loue in the worlde But to the poore people who haue bene deceiued by Antichrist and his mayntayners I aunswere after another sorte First that this false doctrine of Antichrist came not in all at once but encreased by little and little till it grewe to his full measure and heape so as it was not so deadly in the beginning as towardes the ende thereof when it came to his strength But when it was most strong and in the greatest ruffe God alwayes reserued many in al coūtries which mourned vnder his tyrannie yea and some also that cryed out as loude as they coulde by theyr wrytynges as we haue already shewed And in deede xxv yeeres agoe one woulde haue sayde that there was not so much as one to be had in France which knewe Antichriste and his doctrine And yet notwithstanding at the first libertie which was graunted to the townes they were founde verye full of such people Secondly as our aduersaries make a difference betweene the Church and the people snatching the name of the Church onely to the prelates which should be common to all Christians so we likewise do well put a difference betweene the people cleauyng to the Churche of Rome and the faction of Antichriste betweene them who liue vnder the popedome and the vpholders and maintayners of the Pope betweene the enchanters those that are enchanted betweene the Pharises whome Christe calleth generation of vipers and that poore sicke woman whom he yet called the daughter of Abraham We saye that among that poore people which was so long tyme deceiued vnder the darknesse of Antichriste there was a parte of the bodye of the visible Church But that the Pope and his mainteyners are the bane of it which styfleth and choketh these poore people as much as lieth in it We saye that this was the Church of Christe but that Antichriste helde it by the throte to the ende that that saluation and life which floweth from Christe might not be powred vppon it That it was a flocke of Christ but gouerned partly by hyrelings and partly by woolues In the people we consider the members of the vniuersall church but in the scabbes infections which doe hide them we marke the poyson of the papacie and in their buddes the whoredomes that the church of Rome hath committed with Antichriste To be short we saye that the people were of the Christian common weale but the Pope with his faction a proud seditious Catiline to destroy and to set it on fire whom Cicero very wel calleth a plague and not a member of the common weale And in deede as of euill dyet and superfluitie there is engendred in mās body an impostume which yet notwithstanding is not the body nor any part of the body but a disease and very oftentimes the death of the body euen so sayth Salust that of the superfluitie of the common weale Catiline was bred euen so we saye that of the delightes superfluities and idlenesse of the Church of Rome Antichriste is bredde in it who yet is neyther the Church nor any part of the Church but is the disease and pestilence it selfe of the Church which had so infected and festered the whole bodie that there appeared no