and wickednes of the same and of the way how to hinder that course Now the fourth parte of the diuision remaineth yet to be looked into which is as much to saie whether by the ministrie of the excommunications the Bishops of Rome may depriue Monarches of the benefites and rightes of this present life or not for proofe to the contrarie Luk. 20. Rom. 13 it hath bene already sayd and proued that God hauing giuen the Empires and kingdomes of the world to those whom he hath chosen from amongst men doth forbid all Bishoppes Cardinalles Monkes and Priests to disturbe or depriue them of the same If the Princes be wise they haue tallans good inough to defend themselues from such iniuries if they doo not make them their owne hurt This iniquitie of the Bishopps of Rome which vnder the pretence of ecclesiastical iurisdiction do transpose kingdomes to whō they wil shal better appeare by the conferring of the ecclesiasticall gouernment with the politike which we will also handle First of all the power of the Church is spirituall and that of the Magistrates is corporall Secondly the Church iudgeth according to the diuine lawes of the word of God and the Magistrate politikely according to the course of the worlde Thirdly the Church doth punish the rebellious spiritually in the soules with ecclesiasticall paines and the Magistrates corporally in the flesh with politike pains ouer the which the Church hath nothing to do Frō whence it foloweth that if it should be such a maner of excommunication then the ecclesiasticall persons haue nothing to do with the worldly goods of priuate men much lesse with realmes kingdomes and Empires By this conference the most blockish amongst the Antipodes may easily indge of such abuses much more then the French men If for wilfulnesse of heart they doe not picke out their eyes so that they maye not see at noone time when as the Sunne is in the highest assure your selues then my maisters that all excommunications Iohn 16. beeing abused cannot shut the gates of paradise agaynst you seeing that God doeth keepe them open for all louers of godlynesse and truth in despight of him which sayth that hee hath power to shutte them against you for which cause it is sayde in the Prouerbes that the cursing without cause will neuer come to passe Prou. 26. To conclude the Apostles did not care for the excommunications of the Scribes and Pharesies much lesse then ought the French men to care for the Italian or Romish estate because they haue lesse to doe with them than the aforesayde Scribes and Pharesies had to doo with the Disciples of our sauiour Christ Heere must not bee forgotten the titles and qualities which the Bishop of Rome doth attribute to himselfe 2. Thess 2. when as he nameth him selfe chiefe and soueraigne pastor of the Church established sayth hee in the full power of the king of kings and of Saint Peter and Saint Paule and of his owne together with his Cardinalles And I praie you what to doe Onely to root out and excommunicate if he could Henrie of Bourbon at this daie our king of France in despight of his sentence In the which wee finde a description of a pride more than deuillish for the holy scriptures doe witnesse that these diuine titles Chiefe soueraigne and soueraigne pastor of the Church doe appertayne vnto Christ God bee blessed for euer who onely is called chiefe of the Church by Saint Paule Ephe. 1.4 Col. 1.2 writing to the Ephesians in the first and fourth Chapters and vnto the Colossians in the first and second Chapters This is also hee alone which is called by Saint Peter 1. Pet 5 in his first Epistle and fifth Chapter the chiefe shepheard of our soules and in the Epistle to the Hebrewes and eighth Chapter Heb. 8 is called the soueraigne sacrificer These two Apostles whose successours the Bishoppes of Rome doe call themselues they haue great regard not to attribute to themselues such titles of diuinitie knowing that they doe belong to none but onely to Christ being onely iust thereby to distinguish him from the vniust therefore they speake simply of themselues in this sort I desire the Elders saith S. 1. Pet. 5. 1. Cor. 4. Peter which am also an Elder with them And S. Paule sayth let men esteeme of vs as of the Ministers of Christ 2. Thes 2 Hee saith in the second epistle written to the Thessalonians that it belongeth to the sonne of perdition to attribute vnto himselfe such diuine titles The primitiue church doth also giue the lie to the ambitious priest of Rome In witnes whereof amongst other the Canon of the third Councell of Carthage sayth Cap. 1 sed dist 99. that the Bishoppe of the first sea was not called prince of priests nor soueraign priest Tom. 7. homil 43. in Mat. ad Eulog li 7. c. 30 or such like and that hee cannot call himselfe vniuersall Chrisostome speaking of all Bishoppes sayth thus Whosoeuer shall desire the primacie on earth shall not be numbred amongst the disciples of Christ Finally all men knowe that Gregory hath beene a capitall enemie to this title of vniuersall Bishop so farre foorth that by the same hee sayth that hee did perceyue the nigh comming of Antichrist Wherefore hee concludeth that suche a title is prophane and that suche tytles doe declare vnto vs the insupportable pride of such a Bishop so doeth the vantage of hauing full power as Sathan saith of himselfe ouer the kingdomes of the earth giuing the lie to the prophet Daniel which attributeth it to one onely God Mat. 4. Dan. 5 Neuerthelesse I doo agree most willingly to this truth that the Pope is also established in the full power as wel of him selfe as of his Cardinals Let vs nowe ende the rest of this Article This leagall Proctor willing to let nothing passe that might serue him towards the excōmunication of his king hath shewed foorth yet another certaine Canon of Lutheran ordeining that kings shal neuer come to be sacred vntill they haue first sworne to defend the Romane Catholike religion It hath bin answered vpon the generalitie of their Canons that the ecclesiasticall persons bee it in their councels or bee it in their consistories or else where haue no cōmandement right nor calling to driue kings from their kingdomes and Lordships which it hath pleased God to giue them seeing that he will rather serue himselfe with the ministerie of them in such administration than of others Moreouer we saie that the intention of the king is to maintaine the puritie and truth of the Catholike Apostolicall and Christian religion with as good an affection as anie other king that euer raigned in France He hath vowed it and the experience will followe God helping to the contentment of al true religious Christians And as for the Romane his intention is nothing else but to let euery one loose to his owne libertie Holding it
Signifiyng thereby that euerie one ought to contente himselfe and to follow his vocation vnto the which the Lorde hath called him without busying himselfe in anye other mens for feare least some greeuons punishment shoulde fall vpon him according to the example of Ozias king of Iuda 2. Chro. 20. who was striken with leprosie when as hee woulde haue vsurped the office of the high Priest which did altogeather belonge and appertayne vnto the children of Aaron Euen so then the Bishoppe ought to contente hymselfe with his Ecclesiasticall administration and the Nobleman onely with the handling of his sworde So then when euerie tree shall contente it selfe with the qualitie of his owne fruite shall all thinges goe well This beeing heere graunted as necessary rightfull and reasonable what will this Leaguerer saye when as hee tormenteth hymselfe so diuerslye agaynst the Noblemen which doe not take vppon them at his will and pleasure the affayres of the Romish Religion for to defende it without anye further knowledge the passions of his prelates to the vtter ruine and ouerthrowe of theyr king of themselues and of theyr countrey The which they haue taken vppon them to defende leauing the disputations of Religion vnto Diuines And thus much for the first aunswere And nowe to the seconde where I hope to contente the Reader with reasons of some force taken from the holie Scriptures and not from lyes and false suppositions according to thy fashion And that wee maye the better doe this lette vs knowe what this worde Catholicke Church dooth meane and what are the markes and who are the true members of the same This knowledge is heere most necessarie forasmuch as in the steade of the Christian Church instituted by Iesus Christ this Leaguerer dooth alwayes propose vnto vs a Romish Church containing the idolatries and superstitions of the Bishop of the same In thy opinion if Rome should be lost what would become of all Christendome Leauing then this abhominable errour to thinke anye further that the vniuersall Church hangeth on the Romane we wil speake of the thing that followeth the description which the holy Scripture maketh Ephe. 4. Rom. 8. Iohn 6. 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 5 calling the Christian Church an assembly of Saints being called according to the ordinance of God in Iesus Christ and gathered from all the nations of the worlde by the preaching of the Gospell to the ende that they maye obtaine life euerlasting Also the Apostles haue spoken in the same sorte of the Christian Church They haue called it the house of God the body of Christ the edification of the same body For the building and entertainement of the which Saynt Paule sayth that God hath giuen fiue sortes of men Eph 4. which are the Prophets Apostles Euangelistes Doctors and Pastors The same Apostles doe alwayes witnesse that Iesus Christ hath receyued this honour of his Father to bee the onely head and soueraigne Pastor of his Church Furthermore Ephe. 1. hearken what Saint Paule sayth God saith he hath set Iesus Christ at his right hande in the heauenly places and hath subiected all things vnder him that he might be the heade of the Church where wee ought to note this that the Apostle wrote this after that Iesus Christ was ascended into heauen To the ende that the Pope which hath inuested himselfe into the Empyre of this diuine tytle Col. 2. might not saye that after his ascension the Church shoulde neede an other heade The which if it had beene a thing that were necessary the Apostle woulde neuer haue omitted and let passe such an Article of so great importance This is then a monstrous thing 1. Pet. 5. to giue to the Church two heads and soueraigne pastors It is to bee seene also then that concerning the gouernment and conduction of the same the holy Scripture maketh no mention of the primacie of Rome when as otherwise it nameth it a reuolt and an Apostate 2. Thes 2 thereby to describe and make it seeme odious to all good and well disposed people To be briefe the holy Scripture doth represent the holy Catholike christian church as one entire bodie hauing the mēbers therof dispersed throughout the whole world of the which bodie Christ is the onely head and the Churches dispearsed heere and there are members of the same Ephe. 1 Seeing then that there is but one Catholike Church it followeth that the Church of Rome cannot be it but onely a parte as a member of the bodie These reasons and authorities doe maintaine that the abouesayd Catholikes are nothing at all traiterous to the Christian Church when as they defend themselues their king and their Countrie as well agaynst the Spaniard Italian Lorraine as also finally against the Leaguers of the Countrie be they ecclesiastical or others Besides that the Catholikes which are enimies to the leaguers will answere that it is sufficient for them to auouch and acknowledge for their spirituall mother Hierusalem Gal. 4 which is on high which is free and called in the holy scriptures the mother of vs all they haue nothing then to doe with the terrestriall which is below 1. Cor. 12. Ephe. 4. and which ingendereth her children vnto bondage declared by Saint Paul to be enimies to the Church and not the others It is sufficient for Christians to be of the Christian church described by the Apostles in the which we consider three principall markes Rom. ◠The first consisteth in the doctrine as well of the lawe as of the Gospel being well applied and vnderstood The second in the right vsage of the Sacramentes The third in the obedience to the doctrine and ministrie therof when thou canst not denie but that by the wicked office and tyrannie of the Popes the essentiall markes of all things most necessarie to Christian religion are wanting for the most parte as hath beene amplie shewed vnto you in the discourse dedicated to the Nobilitie where hath beene prooued that yee haue lefte none of the Articles of the faith pure nor intire and that if there bee anie heretikes in the worlde thou and thy companions are they namely 1. Cor. 1. who by your traditions haue buried the benefites of the passion death resurrection and ascention of Iesus Christ which God onely hath made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Thus leauing this fountaine yee send your schollers to the Italian parchments bulles and traditions of Rome and yet notwithstanding thou giuest the allarum and causest fyre to come forth from the brambles Iudg. 9. to burne those that will not augment and defend thy cookerie together with thy tyrannie and Spanish inquisition and doest call the refusers of such treasons and cruelties heretikes and vnbeleeuers agaynst the Church sayth the pilgrime But thou oughtest to knowe that these good people are appointed to defend the veritie and puritie of christianitie and not the abuse of the Romish Church This beeing
anihilate the obedience or dutie which Christians doo owe them as it appeareth by the same text where Saint Paul doeth not permit the Corinthians to digresse from their obedience for that cause so farre off is he then from that that he commandeth in other places 1. Tim. 2. Kom 13. that praiers shoulde bee ordinarily made for them and to honor them and paie them tribute And furthermore that because the Apostle in this place doeth indeuour to take awaie the scandale which the Corinthians had giuen it should followe by the counsell of this venerable leaguer that in stead of one shoulde spring mo then one hundred But this is a knowen thing that the deciding of a particular wrong hath no communitie with the generall administration of a whole realme for wee may well for our owne right or wrong in giuing place to our selues proceede without scandale or sedition but the putting a king frō his kingdom can neuer be so done and to be short the one is permitted the other is forbidden the one is in our power the other not Consider then this sottish fashion of arguing It is lawfull for mee in respecte of my businesse to choose him that I would then is it lawfull for subiectes in renouncing theyr king to choose such a one as they thinke good because the other is not of theyr religion This is well à simili I praie you what incongruities are there What diuine or polititian woulde reason thus Doest thou not see that besides this thy wickednes intaking a waie the seepter from him to whome the Lord hath giuen it that it is not so easie a thing as thou doest make it to rauine vp the pray from the lyon Oh how thou wouldest bite and rend in peeces if they counsell coulde attayne so much Thou sellest mans bloud good cheape Also what Paradoxe is it when as thou saiest that it were better to chuse one of the moste contemptiblest amongst the Catholickes and make him king Doest thou not perceyue that heere wee ought to reason of the naturall Frenchman beeing valiant which will neuer practise the prouerbe Ab equis ad asinos Out of the hall into the kitchin Furthermore that such a little king shoulde bee a poore vnaduised Icarus Virg. the which the heate of the sunne in a moment woulde cause to fall into the sea And not beeing therewith contente to haue called the king an Ethnicke and Hereticke but moreouer thou namest him one that is fallen a relapse and an Apostata To the which thou hast beene already sufficientlye aunswered else where besides that which by and by shall be added It behooueth thee to proue sound and examine the trueth of matters and not falsly to deface the Magistrates giuen of God by odious wordes beeing inuented at pleasure against thy conscience Behold the answere to thy first Article the which declareth thee to be a seditious slaunderer and dooth cause thee to checke thy selfe of the faulte the which thou doest falsly impute vnto thy king for that that it is heresie to wrest the holy scriptures so as thou doest in causing subiects to turne from the obedience which they owe vnto their soueraignes And as for those which do obiect that the last kinges were not admitted to the crowne of France but by the administration of the Romish ceremonies the which doe require as some say that the king that now raigneth might enter in by the same gate wee aunswere that such ceremonyes ought not anyething at all to preiudice the diuine right because the necessitie doth present it selfe to reforme the Church This beeing heere admitted of all true diuines it shall also bee admitted that it is not reasonable so bring kings in subiection to superstitions beeing forbidden of God and much lesse to take away their politike administration which God hath giuen them ouer kingdoms for not obseruing the same The second Article NOw I come to the second Article of this leagued Doctor containing the Statutes Canons of the Councels to the which to be of the same nature and dependencie I will adde the seauenth comprehending the decrees of the Pope For these two Articles by a common consent do take in hand to excommunicate the king as an heretike with the nobles others that follow him in quality of fautors adherents of the heresie Therfore it is necessary to see whether such lightnings doe fall from heauen as sent from God or whether they came out of the depth as proceeded from Satan to knowe whether the children of light ought to feare them or not Let vs also be holde from the entraunce whether this tempester throwing his tempestes against the king doth shield himselfe as in former time with the pretence of heresie which if he doth we may annswere him in like sort as before how he ought to addresse himselfe to a sicke body moreouer that the remedie which he pretēdeth to giue to thē which might be holden of such a malady is pestiferous mortall and by consequence not to be receiued wherfore he shal answere to the names of such spirituall maladies not maintaine the heresie far off is it but to shewe that the Bishop of Rome nor any other in the manner of spirituall Phisitions haue neither calling right mandate or warrant to depose infidell Princes frō their kingdoms scepters Luk. 22. crownes which God hath giuen them seeing the ecclesiastical censures ought to do nothing but in spiritual punishments concerning religion not in politike causes of the world To the which ends we wil thus argue against such abuses tyrannies All that which is done in the church for the cause right vsage of christian religiō ought to haue the worde of God for obiect foundation 1. Cor. 3. for the authority of the same is altogether argued of in diuinity But the Canons of such Bishops the decrees of such Popes haue nothing for obiecte nor foundation but only the corruptible wil inuentions of corruptible men therfore it followeth that such Canons decrees do no carrye themselues to the right vsage of christian religion The Maior is proued by this generall maxime A Bishop can neither adde nor diminish to or from the holye scripture Deut. 4 1. Cor. 3. for that it pronounceth a curse against all men that shal take in hand to doe it forbiddeth to laye any other foundation but him which is already laide that is to saye Iesus Christ And like wise it shal be said to them that do otherwise who hath required these thinges at our handes Esa 1 they are an abhomination vnto me The Minor is thus proued God commandeth to approue Rom 13. 1. Tim. ◠acknowledge and respect all kings which he giueth to people of what religion soeuer they bee From whence it followeth that such decrees Canons doe oppose themselues against his commandements to the truth wherof these texts are witnesse And it shall come to passe
Ier. 27. that the nation and kingdome which wil not serue Nabuchadnezer king of Babilon shal be visited saith the Lorde And in confirmation whereof Iesus Christ saith giue to Caesar that which is Caesars then Luk. 20. although he was a Pagan and thus is the Minor prooued Againe Iargue thus against the same Canons and decrees which do enterprise to displace Monarkes and kings beeing their Lordes God onely is the authour and giuer of kingdoms wherfore it followeth that Popes and Bishops haue no right to put them out the antecedent is thus proued produced by Ieremy I haue made the earth the meÌ„ Iere. 27 the beasts which are vpon the face of the earth saith the Lord c. I haue giuen to him to whoÌ„ it hath pleased me now haue I giueÌ„ al the earth into the hands of Nabuchadnezer king of Babylon my seruant all people shall serue him and his sonnes and the sonnes of his sonnes To the same ende the wise man did bring in God speaking thus By mee kinges doe raigne Prou. 8. the consequent is prooued in this sort No man hath right or commaundement to take away from any man that which he cannot giue and wherwith he hath nothing to do The Popes Cardinals Bishops haue no right nor any thing to do ouer kingdomes of the worlde from them it followeth that they haue no right to dispossesse them whereof these textes are witnesses Rom 13. Luk. 12. that the powers are ordained of God Giue to all them to whome it is due tribute to whome tribute belongeth and honor to whom honor is due Luk. 12. The kings of the nations do beare rule but it shall not be so with you Oh man who hath appointed me iudge a decider amongst you Marke Christ whose wisedome power was more great than that power of a million of millions of Popes Cardinals would not then although required intermeddle with deciding betweene two brothers Contrarily the Pope without beeing required in any thing will by constraint not onely iudge but parte diuide and take awaye the kingdomes of the worlde to transpose them where he list Mat. 4. imitating Satan when hee tempted Iesus Christ and would haue made him beleeue that the kingdoms of the earth were at his disposition to giue them wher he should thinke good And I holde a third argument against suche Canons and decrees vpon the calling right and nature of kinges to whom as to Soueraignes of kingdomes common-wealthes God hath subiected all other persons Rom. 13. that do owe subiection homage obedience tribute and other like duties vnto them 1. Tim. 2. So farre off is it then that the kings as these Canons would haue them in such sort should be tractable and punishable by the Ministerie of Bishoppes whereas on the contrary such Ministers as their subiectes do owe to them all the foresaid homages euen to be them selues not onely to bee disgraded for default of this theyr dutie but also furthermore to bee punished according to the qualitie and quantitie of the faulte that they commit Now then that the kinges being soueraigne Magistrates haue preheminence dominion and lordship generally ouer all men of their kingdomes of what condition soeuer they be Rom. 13. as appeareth by this generall commaundement of the Apostles proposed by word distributiuely All persons ought to be subiect to their superior powers seeing then that the Bishops are comprehended in the same subiection from thence it ensueth not onely that they haue no right or power to depriue temporall Lordes of their estates and dignities but that contrariwise they ought to maintaine and defend them euen to death if need be Let such Bishops of Rome consider therfore these things and remember themselues what Salomon saith Prou. 19. that it is not conuenient for the seruaunt to rule ouer Princes and for the more celebrate commendations of them the holye Scriptures doe adorne them with the titles of diuinitie Iohn 10. When then the Bishop in stead of reuerencing and respecting his king doth lift himselfe vp against his Maiestie he committeth two other abhominable faultes The first is where he detaineth vniustly that which he oweth to another The second is that hee is a rebell traitour and felon in lifting vp himselfe against his Lorde to whom hee is in subiection by the lawes of God and nature The conclusion is then that a Bishop yea were it the Bishop of Rome vndertaking to destroy and ouerthrow the state of a king is worthie to be hanged S. Iude speaking of such people S. Iude in hâ—â— epist sayth that the obscuritie of darknesse is prepared for them And heere it will not serue sufficiently for him to arme himselfe with a pretence of a Romish preheminence seeing that it hath no proppe nor foundation in the Scripture Let the greatest amongst you be as the least saith our sauiour Christ it was not so from the beginning Luk. 12. Mat. 19. The contrarieties and absurdities which are founde in the Canons and decrees of the Popes doe witnesse sufficiently with what spirite they doe proceede and doe shewe what credite and authoritie ought to bee giuen to them Petrarke who as one that had more knowledge than anye of his time did call Rome the hell of the liuing and the prison of wrath Notwithstanding these leaguers woulde make vs beleeue that when such Bishops shal commit the greatest and most enormious faultes of the worlde such as are their conspiracies against the soueraigne magistrates giuen and appoynted of God that they are mooued by the heauenly inspiration The wise king may heere consider to whome it doth appertaine to destroye the councell of the wicked Prou. 20. as Salomon sayth to turne the wheele vpon them God punisheth such when it seemeth him good It is verie true that the not punishing of these kinde of people proceeding from the ignoraunce and negligence of the soueraigne Magistrates is the occasion that these doe giue themselues leaue continually to do like faults hoping that it will be alwayes with them as with harlottes 2. Pet. 3. which perswade themselues of no punishment for that they alwayes keepe themselues in Townes or publike Stewes of the common-wealth thinking that they are not only tollerable but also to bee maintained as those of Rome But if this iniurious time causeth that there is not founde a Magistrate at this daye in the earth which dooth repaye suche by Iustice when as they manifest themselues to bee seditious trayterous schismatickes heretikes murderers Sodomites Magitians and Atheistes the vengeance of God in the time appoynted can verie well pay the interest of such attentions and dilations This is heere spoken vpon the more than diuelish sawcines of the Bishops of Rome 2. Thess 2. the which by decrees and Canons as Giantes doe take in hande contrary to the ordinance of God not only to disgrade but also to kill and exterminate the