Church is it which is euery where knowen and of all meÌ„ To the authority of yâ— church he sayd al interpretation of Scriptures and making of traditions ought to bee referred Saying that the succession as well of that Church as of the pastours therof was perpetual but of the Lordes Supper he so entreated the touching nothing at al of the chauÌ„ge of the natures of the elements he came very nye to their opinion which ioyne the body bloud of Christ with the elementes And say that they be both vnder them and in them Which afterwardes we vnderstode was done for a polecy partly to procure their fauoure whom he had so kindly clawed and partly to make vs the more hatefull to them Neither yet did he plainly agree with them but shewed that in thys respect he did willingly ioyne with them that they myghte ioyntly warre against vs. The ende of his oration was to this effect That the kyng and his counsell leauing our opinion should folow the steppes of theyr for fathers and not leaue their accustomed vsage When he had ended we desired that presently whiles the memory therof was yet fresh we might satisfye his obiections and refute his argumeÌ„tes For we feared least after thys the Cardinals answere we should scarcely haue leasure or liberty afterwardes to speake Bicause the day afore many bragged that we shuld loke for nothing els thaÌ„ condemnation the thuÌ„derbolt of excomunication Neyther wer we ignorant therof The Queene taking the aduise of her couÌ„cel coÌ„maunded vs to depart saying that we should answere it an other tyme that she would appoint vs a day wheÌ„ we shuld be preseÌ„t again And surely meruaile had it ben if the byshops which wer of that couÌ„cel would haue geueÌ„ any other councel The next day againe we desired that we might be preseÌ„tly heard and the tyme no longer proloÌ„ged But we could obtayne nothing neither wer we heard before the eight day In the meane time false rumors were spred abrode that we wer ouercome put to sileÌ„ce had nothyng to say Whereas we were ready to haue answered their oration presently And how false such tales be here by men may sufficiently gesse that the Bishops did what they could to breake of the coÌ„ference so that at the last by their importunity they obteined of the Queene that the matter shuld not be opeÌ„ly heard afore the king but in a more secret place afore few Therfore it was deferred til the .xxiiii. day of that moneth at the whiche coÌ„maunded to returne to Poyssye we came before the Quene the king Queen of Nauarre the rest of the Lordes and counsallours there were present also â—… Cardinalles and many Byshops and diuynes of al sortes we the mynisters were admitted only to the number of xij Those being seuered which wer seÌ„t froÌ„ other Churches which afore were ioyned with vs. For now the matter was heard both in narower place in lesse companye than before the Cardynals of lorayne shewed in few wordes that this assemblye was to this end that if we would obiecte any thing agaynst that which he had sayde eyght dayes before we might freely speake shuld be herd Then Beza in the name of vs al said That he would haue wished that immediatlye he might haue aunswered the Cardynalls oration whyles the same was fresh in memorye or at the least that he might haue had som copye therof that he might auÌ„swere certaynly perfectly to euery poynt but forasmuch as he coulde not obtayne that he woulde aunswere so much as he coulde call to mynde Fyrste there fore as concerning the article of the Churche which the Cardinall fyrste handled he deuided it into thre partes First what it is Then what are the marks therof Thirdly what and how great is the authoritie therof It is wel knoweÌ„ quoth he that this name Ecclesia which signifieth the church is deriued from the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyeth to call froÌ„ on place to another Of calling we find .ii. sorts in the scriptures the one coÌ„ioyned with the working of the holy ghost wherof Paul to the Romains writeth whom he called them he iustified Rom. viii c. xxviii The other althoughe in outward shew It be al one with the first yet is altogether vnprofitable to saluation And that only through the fault of man beyng deaffe at the calling of God Of this calling spake the Lorde when he sayde That many wer called but fewe choseÌ„ Mat. xxii b. xiiii Hereof it happens that the name of the church which signifyeth the congregacion of those that are assembled by the word of god is taken .ii. wayes For generally it contayneth al those which outwardly professe to folowe the calling of god Neyther is it to be doubted but manye hypocrites and reprobate persons are within this nuÌ„ber Neither we thanks be to god therefore haue at any tyme Either written or taught otherwise for asmuch as both the scripture and also common experience doth plainly proue the same but takyng this name of the churche proprely and streyghtlye as manye tymes we doe we then say that it comprehendeth onlye the electe and chosen of god And that al men may know that we be not the authours of this maner of speache or of this doctrine when it is written that the church is the body of Christ bones of his bones fleshe of his fleshe yea when the name of Christ it selfe is geuen vnto it Eph. ii g. xxx as Paule wrytyng to the Corinthians ioyning the members with the heade calleth her Christ i. Cor. xii b. xii xvii how could in the number be contayned the reprobate in as muche as they are the members of the deuill For it cannot bee that we shoulde be members bothe of Christ and of the deuil which Austine writyng agaynste Cresconius well noteth in his seconde booke and xxiiii Chapter He also writyng on the .lxiiii. psalme vsed this distinction of the churche saying yâ— that church whiche is signifyed by IerusaleÌ„ toke her begynnyng of Abel and Babilon of Eain And afterwardes in his fyrst booke of baptysme agaynst the Donatistes the seconde Chapter wheras he taketh the name of the church more largely he saieth that he that begot Abell Enoch Noe Abraham the reste of the Prophetes begot also Cayn Ismaell Dathan and suche lyke Therefore to conclude we muste take that whiche Austine hymselfe wrote in the seuenth boke of the same booke the. 51. chapter whiche is also rehearsed .xxiiii. ix i. a. ca. All thyngs consydred it is said that there are two kynde of men in the churche Some of them sayeth he bee the members of Christe and of the house of God yea the house of GOD it self Other some bee in the house but not of the house For they bee as chaffe with the corne tyll suche tyme as they bee seuered Hereof ryseth a questyon whether the Churche bee inuisible Whiche I thynke good to affyrme and
vice and wēt no farther but abstained frō sacrifice I aūswer that that is not true in all For Samuel which was not of the stock of Aarō sacrificed in Mispa And Elias of Galaad in y◠mount Carmelus i. Samu. vii c. ix i. Regum xviii f. xxvi Then is it not to be maruelled that the prophets of that time woulde extend theyr office so far as to circumcise sacrifice whereas that by enheritaunce appertayned onely to the tribe of Leuy But suche enheritaunce at this daye hath no place thus you see what we call the church what we think of her markes and of the callyng of pastours in her Which yf you please to applye to oure Churches or to oure selues we hope that by the helpe of god we shall shewe such profe and witnesse therof out of the holy scriptures as no man shall haue any occasion to doute thereof And that both according to the worde of god also to the writings of that godly man Austyne at the least in that treatyse which is reckned among his workes and intitled of 65. question the last question Now let vs speake of the authoritye of the churche By that which we haue alreadye spoken it appeareth that we derogate frō her none of those hye precious titles that the holy ghost doth geue her but say that she is the bodye of our lorde obtayning the same here only in part til such time as ioyned to her head she shall fullye and perfectly enioye the same Heb. xi c. xv i. Co. i. a. vii i Cor. xiiii vi v. Ep. iiii c. xv She is the house of god but suche as is daylye put of and increased She is ruled by the spirite of god but as yet she stri◅eth agaynst the flesh Gala. v. c. xvii She is clensed washed but so that by litle and litle she shal be brought to that perfect beautye in the which ther shal be no spott no wrinkle Ep. v. f. 25 i Co. 3. c. 4 She knowes god but only in part And in these our maners of speache we wish the Apostles wordes to be weyghed to conclude we graunt that there is no saluation without the church For ther is no saluation but in Christ Iesus i. Ihon. v. c. xi Iohn iii. c. xviii And Christ dothe no where extende his saluation but in those members whose congregation and communion is called the churche but it is doubted whether she maye erre in this worlde whether we bee subiecte to the scripture or els her authoritie excede thesame We aunswere that her seuerall members maye erre and dayly fall and fayle as well in doctrine as in lyfe accordyng to the saying of Paule In parte we knowe i. Cor. xiii c. ix Also Iohn saieth If we saye that we haue no sinne we deceue our selues and there is no truthe in vs. i. Iohn i. d. viii Wherfore if any man will goe aboute to excepte the doctours from this number lette him pardon vs that we beleue him not For we coulde easily shewe many authorityes wherein do appeare the manifest errours of the best learned moste auncient doctours Be it spoken wyth their leaue and fauour whom as well for their singuler learnyng as also for their passing pitie we doe muche reuerence Neither truely my L. Cardinal if I wel vnderstoode him doth admy◅ thē without iudgement This therfore is our opinion of y◠mēbers of y◠church seuerally whose inperfection is not so material but that the church may cōsist of thē For by litle litle they daily profit encrease aswel in amending of their liues as encreasīg their learning But now cōsidering y◠parts of the Churche more generally as deuiding it into seueral diocesses prouinces shal we say that they may erre That they bothe may erre also haue erred my L. Cardinal if Iwel remēber hath alredy graūted And the same is also cōfirmed with so great long experience that no wise man maie wel doubt therof It remaineth therefore to consider the whole vnyuersall churche But first we must see in what sort For if we consider it as it is represented by som general counsel assuredly we must not thinke that the whole power that the holy gost extēdeth to that church is restrained to any certain nūber of bishops which oftētimes are neither the best learned nor best liuers For howe oft hapneth it y◠some one priuate man passeth the best lerned yea somtimes the whole coūsel in wit knowledge For this cause lōg since it hath bine writen that better credyte is to be geuen to any pryuate mā groūding a better reason thā either to any coūcelor or pope glo in ca. significasti de elect i ibi pauo And hereof their is a notable example in the councell of nyce For what stayed that the prohibition of mariage Which hath bred so much filthynes in that church had not then bine stablished decreed only paphumtius as the history recordes with stode it Or what conuocation of any generall councel hitherto hath bene so larg but that a greate number of holye and learned men yea of the worthyest bishops hath bene ouerpassed therin And who will affirme that nothing more is reueled to those that are absente than to those that are present at the coūcell Furthermore you are not ignorante what horrible confusiō ther hath bene and is at this present in the church and chiefly amonges those that sitt in hyest comes So that the Church of god euen there wher it should be most pure and perfect doth appeare most confuse and desolate And long time hath this wretched case continued there yet remaine so many greuous leude complaintes of good bishops on the same that the soūde of thē semeth euē now presētli to pea◅re ◅yne eares What in his time Be◅a had wrote in his bokes de consideratione et sermone 33 ch ▪ vppon the Lan◅a Lan◅corum ▪ also in hys sermō of the cōuersiō of Paul it is no lesse cōmon than true Alas alas o lord god they are chefe in perse◅īg that ▪ which seme to be chefest in thy church to beare the greatest rule therein They haue take the castell of Sion they haue wonne y◠m◅nicions now frely by cōmaundemente they ◅ōsume with fyer the whole citye ▪ These things we speake not in reproch of any ◅ā but to shew that for as much as that chef callīg in the church are cōfounded gone astray it can not be proued that ◅ vn◅uersal coūsels which haue bin assēbled many times of a multitude of mē most vnfit therfore are so guided with y◠grace of y◠holi gost that they may not erre The old priest of whom I would make no mētion but y◠his example is cōmonly aledged for that profe hereof although he were vitious wicked did prophēcye ◅◅r◅tel that it was necessari that on mā shuld die for y◠people least the whole nation
neither if any manne should ryse from death would they beleue him Or howe did they which had the writings of the Apostles onely when neyther bookes nor commentaries were written of thesame But whereas my Lord Cardinall woulde haue that taken for an Apostolike tradition whiche hathe bene receiued of the church at al times in all places and of al men I see not howe these iii. pointes maie be proued For how great diuersitie shal we find in the bookes of auncient fathers yea and euen in the verye articles of oure faith If these wordes should be weyed at all tymes and of all men wher shall we beginn but at the Apostolike church Who shall be firste in order but onely the Apostles Whose liues and doings are partly faithfully written by Luke and partly gathered out of their owne writinges To be shorte we returne at the last to the first foundatiō of the scriptures sith all truthe came from god who cōmaunded the prophets and Apostles to bee interpreters messengers of oure saluation In the meane time we dooe not reiecte the councels of the fathers as farre as they be confirmed with the testimonies of the holye scripture For them as Austine sayeth the holy◅ ghost hath so tempered that it which◅ in some place is obscurely spoken in some other is expressed more plainlye and more at large And that rule chiefly amonges others he geueth whereb◅ we may vnderstande the scriptures i◅ that booke whiche he wrote of christia◅ doctrine yet there remaineth som◅ doubt in this question Some mē hau◅ thought that the will of God in these thinges whiche pertaine to oure saluation is not fullye declared in those writinges whiche the Prophetes and Apostles haue lefte vnto vs. Whiche doubte if it should take any place what a gap wer ther opened to all mischefe And certes this was the breache by the which Sathan first pearced into the vine yard of the lord to destroy it God truely before the tune of Moyses with visiōs reuelatiōs directed his church in like maner yeapostles before thei put theyr doctrine in writīg taught yesame by worde of mouth But because the nūber of men encreasing their noughtynesse encreased also the lorde would y◠this doctrine shoulde bee contayned in writinges and monumentes Whiche might be vnderstoode and perceiued of al men why so that he might confoūd the impudence and rashnesse of suche as wil set foorth cloke their dreames with the name of tradition reuelation and custome But if the doctrine of god be written onely in some part to what purpose is this remedy Truely it can not be so Iohn spake of the scriptures when he sayeth that those things which are written are written to that ende that we beleuing them may haue life euerlasting Iohn xx ◅ ◅xi whiche he had falslye sayde yf thei themselues had concealed any doctrine necessary to life and saluation But Paule when he declareth the vse of scripture vnder the person of Tymothe teacheth all ministers yf anye thing should haue ben added to the scriptures wuld not haue affirmed that by them the man of god is made perfecte i. Timo. ii d. xvi Neither do we denye but y◠at all times there haue ben somtraditions of the apostles which be not written But those were suche as pertained to the ciuil order of the churche But forasmuche as many men haue abused this name this great while I thinke good to shewe what traditions ought to bee counted Apostolike Whiche shall not be hard yf in iudgyng and discernyng them we vse the markes For fyrst we must consyder whether they doe agree with the doctryne of the woorde and then whether they bee apte and meete to edify◅ For it is certayne that the Apostles dyd neuer institute any rites and ordinaunces whiche eyther directly or els in anye parte were contrarye to theyr owne doctryne or myghte withdrawe menne from spirituall worshippyng whereof theyr owne wrytynges beare sufficiente recorde If thys rule be obserued bothe doctrine shall easilye be discerned frō traditions also false traditions frō the true Neyther are you ignorant how foolishe Tertullian iudgeth their opinions which think that the apostles haue ouerpassed an◅thīg necessary to saluatiō which ether by word of mouth or writīgs thei haue not taught but we will adde more hereto Namely that those things which herein the Apostles decreed were not continuall Truelye their instytutions passe all exception yet neuerthelesse by the rule of charitye they yelded somewhat to the weaknes of men As when the eating of suffocatorū and bloud was forbid the Iewes Also those thynges which Paule himselfe taught and obserued in Timothe and his own persō Ac. 15. f. 25. Act. 16. a. ◠i Co. 16. d. xxix i Co. 11. a 7 Which now truly shuld haue no place but by the generall rule of charitye whereby we are willed in things indifferēt to apply our selues to our neighbours Other such like may be gathered of their rytes as of kissing vncouering the head which was the signe of authority and other such lyke whiche at this daye are contrarye to y◠customes of many nations amōg whō it would seme most folish the men should kisse the one the other to talke with the heade vncouered is commonly a signe of y◠lowest state and condicion These thinges therefore ought to be considered before anye custome be thought Apostolyke Also no man must grounde vppon the authority of the Apostles to trouble the church As it hapned in the cōtrouersye of the daye in the which Easter should be kept whiche bred miserable deuision and euē in the Apostles tyme by those that did abuse the authoritie of the churche at Ierusalē to myngle Iewishnesse wyth Christian religion Of whom it is writen in the Actes of the Apostles where it was decreed by a councell that no man should lay that yoke on mennes cōsciēces Wherby it may easely be perceiued that the Apostles could not be the authoures of so many ceremonies to the which afterwardes Satisfaction merites and remission of sinnes wer attributed For they taught far otherwise And so much they dissented from makyng newe ceremonies that they gaue no place to those of Moses lawe of the whiche God was the author Of thys yoke of traditions obseruances Austine long since writing to Ianuarius much cōplained if he had liued in our tyme how would he haue lamented thē Wherfore to be shorte we desyre that the Scripture whiche herein is playne maye iudge good traditions frō euil holy from prophane profitable frō hurtful necessarye frō superfluous When of these articles we are once agreed this question shall easily be dissolued whether the authoritie of the church be greater thā of the woorde of god which certes is no lesse fonde than if a man should doubte whether the sōn ought to be aboue his father the wife aboue her husbande or man aboue god And sure neuer the true church or any godly mā woulde moue such
heard afore that we taught other wyse As to the thirde quoth Beza we graunt that there is great difference betwixt common water it wherwith we are washed in Baptisme betwixt breade and wyne whyche we vse commonly and those which we receiue in the Lordes Supper For the water in Baptisme and bread and wyne in the Lordes Supper be Sacramentes that is to wyt visible signes and testimonies of the body and bloud of our Lord. But this chaūge we do not admit in the nature of the elementes But in thys that they are seuered to an other vse farre distant from it whereto naturally they be appoynted For whereas naturally they serue to the nourishment of the bodye when they become Sacramēts they represent that whiche spiritually fedeth and refresheth our soules Furthermore this sacramentall chaunge we attrybute neither to the Vertue of the worde whiche any mā pronounceth neither to his purpose intention as they terme it but to the power and vertue of god Whose wil ordināce is declared to vs by his worde In that respect therefore that the thinge signifyed is offered and geuen vnto vs of the lord and that as trulye as the signes therof are geuen vnto vs in that respect and no other we acknowledge the coniunction of the signes which y◠thinge signified And so also we saye that the body and bloud of Iesus Christ in that they are truly geuen vs and cōmunicated vnto vs to be trulye present also in the vse of his supper neither yet is it therfore to be sayde that that body is ether vnder the bread or in the bread or with the bread or in any other place than in heauen to the whiche Christ ascended Wher accordīg to his humane nature he remaineth till he shal come to iudge the quick and the dead Then the Cardinall once agayne affirmynge that he forced not Transubstanciatiō sayde that Christ in deede was to be sought in heauen Neuertheles he mixed therwith somewhat of the locall presence of Christe the opinyon of certayn Germans therof And so confounded these matters together that it well appeared he had not bin muche occupied in that article Which he him selfe witnessed also saiyng that he had spente the most part of his tyme in other businesse I graunt ye quoth Beza that we agre not with certayne of the Germans in this third article But in this one thing the grace of god is fauorable to vs al a like that with on consēt we condemne Transubstanciation and whatsoeuer dependeth thereupon And all alyke graunt and confesse the liuely communicating of the body and bloude of Christ Graūt ye then quoth the Cardinall that we in the supper do truely and substanciallye Cōmunicate with the body bloude of Iesus Christ that remainth quoth Beza For the fourth poynte We do saye in effect That the visible sygnes which naturally are eaten and dronken are touched with our sences but the thing signified namely the body and bloud of Christ truely and wtout any coloure or deceit is offered to al men but can not otherwyse be receiued but spiritually by fayth For thei be not receiued with one hande or mouth Yet neuerthelesse thys communicating is so certayn that it which we see wyth our eyes touche with our hāds cā be no surer Although the misery of this cōmuniō of the vertue of the holy ghost nether cā by sence be perceiued nor by the cōpasse of oure wit comprehended The Cardinall affirmed that he was satysfied wyth these reasons And that openly testifyed to the Queene Geuing good hope that there shoulde ensue some happye ende of thys conference He entreated also and desyred Beza that he would oftener talke and conferre with him of these matters that so at last they myghte make some waye to peace and concorde So those that heard thereof were in greate hope of better successe But therewithall some came to the Cardinall willing hym to cōtinue in hys first purpose easely suspecting that which afterwards happened For the next day there was a rumour spred not only in the court but also in Poyssye yea and afterwardes caryed into farre countreyes that at the fyrste meting Beza was ouercome cōuerted by the Cardinals labour And to cōclude that we had now taken the foyle These and diuers suche other tales as custome is were forged spred abrode which although they might be cōfuted with the witnesse of many credible persons yet now at last in tyme prouing themselues lyes to their great shame y◠first fayned them are vanished awaye Whē as the tyme was thus prolonged and no answer made vnto vs we came to the nobles of the realm and earnestly desyred thē that we myght be heard Least in ouerpasting so mete an occasion those by whō we were sent mighte seme to sustayne any shame or reproch But chiefely we required that those cōditions which we first proposed might be obserued and that we myght not otherwise couple with our aduersaries But chefely that they might not be their owne iudges in the matter And that whatsoeuer shuld happen might hereafter appeare more certain we required an answere in writing Which whē it was denied vnto vs we came to the Queene desiring and beseching her to graunt to our requestes There wer present the king of Nauarre the prince of Conde the admiral the Chancelour The Queene answered that the Bishops shuld in no wise be our iudges And that such thigs as wer done one of the kinges secretaries shuld register which was one of thē whō we call secrytaryes of cōmaundements And if we would our selues pen our disputatiōs we might lawfully doe it And whereas in decreeing of doctrines we would groūde only vpō the authority of the Scriptures that we might opēly proteste And that the kyng which had takē vs into hys tuycyō would be present at it with the rest of the nobility But she cōmaunded vs to do al thyngs moderatly and wisely respecting onely the glory of God of the aduauncement wherof she thought vs desyrous But that these thinges should be geuē vnto vs in writinge she thougth it was not expediente for many causes Neuerthelesse she promised we shoulde haue it if we had nede thereof Willing vs to credite no lesse her worde thā her writing Forasmuche as if she meante to deceiue vs her writing could not let her Immediatly after our departure came the doctours of the Sorbonistes desiring the Quene that she woulde not vouchsafe to heare vs. But if she were determined to heare vs at the least that she should not suffer the kyng to be present therat For that it was great perill as they sayd least the king in this his tender age shoulde be seasoned wyth vnsounde doctrine from the which afterwardes he should hardly be withdrawen And that we forasmuchas we were already condemned of heresye were not to be heard at all Then the Queene aunswered that she woulde doe nothing withoute her councell Whereby they well perceiued that
succession therof is of no small force to wynne it authoritye amonges menne As to the succession of persones we admitte it but so that it be conioyned wyth the succession of the Propheticall and Apostolyke doctryne in substance and the chiefe poyntes and groundes atleaste But we speake of the doctryne it selfe not of theyr maners For albeit it be required of true and faithfull pastours that in doctryne and lyfe they be sounde and pure yet for the ignoraunce of some thynges or for the diuersitie of opinions in doctrine so that it stretch not to the substaunce of our saluation or though ther life be not of the perfectest yet for these thynges we doe not reiect them but beare them So they kepe the grounde and foundation And that we ought so to doe Christ teacheth vs saying that whē the Scribes and Pharises sitting in Moyses chayre teache vs we oughte to folowe their doctryne and not their deedes Mat. xxiii a. ii iii. Whiche place Austine writing vppon Iohn sayeth ought to be vnderstande of suche hyerlyng pastours as keepe the sounde doctrine but not of false Prophetes of whom Christ contrarywyse sayde August tracta xlvi Beware of the leauen of the Pharisees Mat. xvi a. vi vi xi Whyle they sitte sayeth Austine in the chayre of Moyses they teache the lawe of God and so god teacheth by them But yf they teache theyr owne doctryne neyther heare theyr woordes neyther folowe their deedes That also the same author expresseth more at large in hys xlix Sermon of the woordes of the Lorde Forasmuche as therefore false Prophetes and wolues maye succede to true and faythfull pastours we dooe not onelye not admitte personall succession but euen condemne it vnlesse the successiō of doctrine be ioyned with all because it is a meete cloke for anye lye or errour Furthermore if personal succession of it self shoulde be taken for a certayn mark of the church ther ought to haue ben som promis of god shewed wherby he hath limited his grace to any certayn sea or countrey Whiche in the new Testament we shal not find In deede he promised that the churche shoulde be Catholike that is to were vniuersall whiche is so called for that the particuler members thereof are here and there dispersed throughoute the whole worlde Whersoeuer it pleaseth god to shewe his iudgementes eyther vpon those whō he vtterly cutteth of or whom he chasteneth for a tyme or in shewyng mercy to them whō he furthereth better and better or whom he calleth to his knowledge and saluation For in some places the Lord iustly reuenging himself so destroyeth the churche that he seemeth euen to roote it oute and not to leaue so muche as any signe therof as it hapned amonges the barbarous nations and in the most part of all the Easte Otherwhere as in Greece and other realmes more nie to vs he hath lefte some tokens of the churche Agayne sometyme the Lorde dothe cut and breake of onely the personall succession of pastours as it hapned at Antioche in the time of Samosatenus and at Alexandria after the banishment of Athanasius and in many other churches And that we neede to seeke no further the personall succession then at the least fayled in the Romaine churche when Honorius being bishop was condemned for the detestable heresie of the Eutichians And so likewise in the time of Iohn the. xxii of that name who was also cōdemned for heresie Vnlesse perhaps some man wyll mayntayne that those that are manifestly condemned of heresye be pastours Furthermore in what case this succession stoode vnder Iohn the shee Pope through the scismes and cōtentions of diuerse striuyng for the Popes sea the histories sufficientlye witnesse Wherfore we conclude that not respectyng the personall succession of pastours we must alwayes haue regarde to the purenesse of doctrine and the sincere administratiō of sacramēts so that they onely be to be counted successours of the Apostles whiche beyng lawfully called doe buylde vpon theyr foundation Whether they deriue their succession from them or whether thesame haue fayled And contrarywyse they that neyther buylde nor teache or preache theyr owne doctrine in stede of the Apostles although they were able to shewe neuer so many and continuall presidentes of their predecessors are not to be taken for pastours but to be shūned as wolues as Christ and his Apostles teach Some manne parhappes will obiecte Is it therfore lawfull for any man to teache and mynyster the Sacramentes no. For it behoueth as the Apostle sayeth that al thinges bee done in the house of God ryghtly and orderly i. Corint xiiii g. xi Who then shall bee taken for true pastours they whiche are lawfully called It remayneth then that we vnderstande what is a lawfull callyng And here I must craue attention For we saye that some callyng is ordynarye and some extraordinarye Ordinarye is it in the whiche is obserued the order appoynted by GOD in hys churche In that order these three thinges are chiefly requyred Firste the examination of his doctrine and lyfe that shal be ordayned thē a lawfull choyse and election And lastlye the laying of handes And these we all gathered out of diuers places of the scripture As oute of the Actes of the Apostles and the writinges of Paule to Timothe and Titus Ac. i. d. xii Ioh. vi a. vi i. Tim. ii a. ii et iii. d. xxii Titus i. a. vi This therefore is the ordinarye callyng Whereby we may well discerne whiche is it that we call extraordinarye Namely it that wāteth som one or other or al these cōditions and yet the same grounded vppon the authoritie of God and lawfull That god vsed suche extraordinary callyngs it plainly appeareth throughout the whole scripture For who laid handes vpon Moyses that he myght consecrate Aaron Who gaue the gyfte of Prophecye to Esay Danyeil Amos and the rest Exodus xxviii Esa vi b. xciii Dani. i. c. ◅vii Amos. vii xiiii Yea was not this geuen them when they that ordinarilye had the charge thereof abused it For then it was necessarye that god shoulde put to his hande extraordinarilye not to trouble or confounde the order of hys churche but to correcte them whiche vnder the pretence of ordinary succession dissordred all This well proue the writyngs of the Prophets which most of al pertain to y◠orders of the priestes Ps xxviii vi vii Iere. vii a. iiii et xxiii a. xi Ezec. xxii e. xxvi Soph. iii. a. iiii But if it be obiected that suche men gaue some certayntye of their vocation as either some miracle or some heauenly signe I graunt the same to be true in some but not in all Neither can any mā say otherwise vnlesse he wil plainly denye the truth Neither do Iwel know whether we shall find many prophetes of the stocke of Aaron or vpon whom after the ordinary maner hands were layde But yf any man will take this exceptiō that those prophets vsed only to rebuke