saynte Augustine was present where as all the kyndes of orders whiche were than in the churche be rehersed and also with what rites and ceremonies they were cōferred and giuen at that time And thus by succession from the apostles time hath Order continued in the churche and hath euer bene called and counted for a sacrament as it may appere by dyuers other aunciente writers and speciallye by sainte Augustine where he writeth thus speakinge bothe of the sacrament of baptisme and of order Eyther of them saythe he is a sacrament and eyther of them is gyuen to men by a certain consecration the one whan a mā is baptised and the other whan he is ordered and therfore neyther of them both may be iterate or repeted in the catholyke churche of Christe And where as we haue thus summaryly declared what is the office and ministration whiche in holy scriptures hath ben committed to bysshoppes and priestes and in what thinges it consisteth as is afore rehersed leste peraduenture it myghte be thoughte to some persones that suche auctorities powers and iurisdictions as patriarches prymates archebysshoppes and metropolitanes now haue or heretofore at any time haue had iustly and laufully ouer other byshoppes were gyuen theym by god in holy scripture We thynke it expediente and necessarye that all men shulde be aduertised and taught that all suche laufull powers and authorities of any one bysshoppe ouer an other were and be gyuen to them by the consent ordynaunce and posytiue lawes of men onely and not by any ordynaunce of god in holy scripture And all other power and authoritie whiche any bysshoppe hath vsed or exercysed ouer an other whyche hathe not benne gyuen to hym by suche consente and ordynaunce of menne as is aforesayde is in verye deede noo laufull power but plaine vsurpation and tyrannye And therfore where as the byshoppe of Rome hath heretofore claymed vsurped to be head and gouernour of all priestes and byshops of the hole catholyke churche of Christe by the lawes of god It is euydent that the same power is vtterly fayned and vntrue and was neyther gyuen to hym by god in his holy scripture nor allowed by the holy fathers in the auncient generall counsels nor yet by the consent of the hole catholyke churche For it is playne that Christe neuer gaue vnto saint Peter or to any of the apostels or theyr successours any suche vniuersall authoritie ouer all the other But he set them all indifferently and in lyke power dignitie and authoritie as it dothe euidently appere in all suche places where any authoritie is gyuen to them by Christe And also by sainte Paule in his epistle to the Galathians where he compareth him selfe to Iames Gala. ii Peter and Iohn̄ whiche were the most notable emonge the apostles affirminge hym selfe to be equall in authoritie with them And as concerning the most auncient and most famouse holy generall counsayles it is euydent that they gaue the byshops of Rome no suche authoritie for in them be dyuerse actes and decres playnely testifieng the contrary As fyrst in the former counsaile of Nece emonge other there is one decree that the patriarches of Alexandria Antiochia shuld haue like power ouer the countreys about those citees as the byshoppes of Rome haue had ouer the coūtreis about Rome Also in the counsayle Mileuitane in which coūsayle saint Augustine was presente and subscribed to the same it was decreed that if any clerke of the countreys of Aphrike wolde appeale out of Aphrica vnto any bysshoppes beyonde the sea that suche a one shulde be taken through out al the countreys of Aphrica as a person excommunicate Moreouer in the general counsayle Constantinopolitan the fyrste it was likewyse decreed that euery cause and controuersy betwene any persons shulde be determined within the prouinces where the matters dyd lye and that by the byshops of the same prouinces And also that no byshops shuld exercise any power out of his own dioces or prouince And this was also the mynde of the holy doctour and martyr saint Cypriane and of the other holye fathers of Aphrica before the tyme of any generall counsayle And for the better and more playne and assured confirmation that the bishop of Rome hath no suche vniuersall authoritie neyther by goddis lawene yet by any ordinances of any ancient catholyke coūsayle It is to be considered that in the .vi. great counsayle Carthaginense the bishop of Rome sente his legates to that counsaile to alledge and vendicate his vsurped primacy and by title of the same to defend and mainteine the receyuing of appeles made vnto hym of causes and controuersies commenced in Aphrike bycause the hole counsaile had by theyr decree prohibited forbidden before al suche appeles to any toreyn byshop In the entreting and debatyng of which matter the bishop of Rome for his title alleged onely a canon made as he pretended in the firste Nicene counsaile The bishops of Aphrica denieng any such canon to be made For triall wherof messangers were sent to the patriarches sees of the orient to make searche for the hole canons of that counsayle And finally after longe diligēt searche whā the hole canons were brought forthe from thense there was no such canon emonges them as the byshop of Rome for his sayde title had alledged Whervpon two thynges are to be noted as euident by the premisses Firste that the bishoppe of Rome hath no such primacy nor any such can challenge by any wordes in scripture For than the byshop of Rome wolde at that tyme by his legates haue alleged it and the great multitude of so many fathers as were assembled in that Aphrican counsayle of whō saynt Augustine was one were so wel profoundly lerned in holy scripture that no such thynge if it were there coulde haue ben hidde vnto them And also they were soo good and vertuouse that if they had knowen it there they than wolde haue made no acte before to the contrary nor yet at that tyme so ernestly and extremely refused it The seconde thyng to be noted as euident by the premisses is that the byshops of Rome haue no suche power giuen them by any auncient generall counsayle For they at that tyme of this Aphicane counsayle wold than haue alleged it where in dede they alleged none but a pretensed canon of the fyrst Nicene counsayle which after great trial searche as is aforesayde coulde neuer be founde in the autentikes And that chapiter autentique which of al the canons of that counsayle moste concerneth the bishop of Rome maketh directly playnly against the sayde pretensed vniuersal primacy giuyng as is saide before to other patriarches lyke and equal authoritie in theyr countreys as bishops of Rome had and vsed than in the countreis about Rome Thirdly that the bishops of Rome had no such vniuersall primacy gyuen vnto them by the cōmon cōsent of the hole catholyke church it wel appereth in that the dyuers patriarches
people whiche be called of god to one fayth be they of the clergye or of the laymen but also by the same worde we signifie the place wherin the worde of god is commonly preached and the sacramētes ministred and vsed and call that the churche to entreate wherof at this time in this article is no part of our entent but onely of the assemble and cōpany called to professe Christe in one faythe whiche in this article is named the Holy churche For all be it in this assemble of men called by the worde of god and receyued by faythe and baptisme be many euyll men many synners many that tourne by true penance to grace and sometyme yet fal agayn some after theyr tourne by true penance styll perseuere and increace in goodnes many that fall and neuer ryse agayn so that spottes blottes and imperfections appere euidently in this churche and many tymes in the more parte therof Yet neuerthelesse bycause the callyng is of it selfe holy the caller also holy and the ende of the callinge holynes with this also that the people so called professe holynes and make a bodye wherof the onely heade our sauiour CHRIST is moste holy and holines it selfe by the merites of whose passion they be relieued and norisshed with dyuerse holy sacramentes and be in theyr callyng indued with moste speciall holy giftes and graces of almightye god autour therof and by his holy spirite directed and gouerned in the same so long as they by folowyng theyr concupiscence the deuyll or the worlde fall not frō that estate For these causes although some membres therof be euyll the churche is called Holy churche takyng the name Holy of that that Christ the onely head is holy the caller holy the profession and callyng holy and the ende holynes whyche of very duety ought to be in al them that be called and is in deede in suche membres as contynue and perseuere in that holy callynge And for so moch as god of his goodnes calleth people as afore without acception of persons or priuilege of place Therfore this holy church is also Catholike that is to say not limitted to any one place or regiō of the world but is in euery place vniuersally through the world where it pleaseth god to cal peple to him in the professiō of Christis name and faith be it in Europe Affrike or Asia And all these churches in diuers coūtreis seuerally called althoughe for knowlege of the one from the other among them they haue diuers additions of names and for their moste necessary gouernement as they be distinct in places so they haue distinct ministers and diuers heades in earthe gouernours and rulers yet be al these holy churches but one holy churche catholyke inuited and called by one god the father to enioy the benefite of redemption wrought by our onely lord and sauiour Iesu Christ and gouerned by one holy spirite whiche reacheth to this foresayde holy churche one truthe of goddis holy worde in one faith and baptisme And this churche is relieued norished and fortified by his holy and inuincible worde and his sacramentes which in al places haue eche of them their owne propre force strength with giftes of graces also distributed by the goodnes of almighty god in al places as to his wisedome is sene conuenient Wherby it appereth that the vnitie of these holy churches in sundry places assembled stādeth not by knowledging of one gouernour in earth ouer al churches For neyther the hole churche catholyke togither nor any particular church apart is boūd to aknowlege any one vniuersall gouernour ouer the hole churche other than Christe althoughe by sufferaunce of some princes and potentates not beinge truely instructed in the worde of god by suche as of duety both to god them oughte to haue declared the truthe of scripture to them and by hypocrisy and vsurpation of the see and court of Rome the bishoppe of the same giuinge him selfe more to worldly polycy than to the execution of his duety hath longe tyme gone aboute to obteine and establishe vnto hym selfe suche an vniuersall auctoritie and hath by abuses alwaies compassed to cause other to vpholde and mainteine the same contrary to goddes lawe as more largely shall be declared in the sacrament of orders The vnitie therfore of the churche is not conserued by the bishoppe of Romes auctoritie or doctrine but the vnitie of the catholyke churche whiche all christen men in this article do professe is cōserued and kepte by the helpe and assistence of the holy spirite of god in reteining and mainteynynge of suche doctrine and profession of christen faithe true obseruance of the same as is taughte by the scripture and the doctrine apostolike And particular churches ought not in the said doctrine so accepted and allowed to vary one from an other for any lucre arrogance or any other worldly affectiō but inuiolably to obserue the same so that by reason of that doctrine eche churche that teacheth the same maye be worthely called as it is in dede an apostolike churche that is to say folowing such teachyng as the apostels preached with ministration of suche sacramentes as be approued by the same And this vnitie of the holy church of Christe is not diuided by distance of place nor by diuersitie of traditions and ceremonies dyuersely obserued in diuerse churches for good ordre of the same For the churche of Corinthe and of Ephese were one churche in god thoughe the one were farre distant in place from the other And though also in traditions opinions and policies there was some diuersitie amonge them lykewise as the churche of Englande Spaine Italy and Poole be not separate from the vnitie but be one churche in god not withstandynge that amonge them there is great distance of place diuersitie of traditions not in all thinges vnitie of opinions alteration in rites ceremonies and ordinances or estimatiō of the same as one churche peraduenture doth esteme their rytes traditions lawes ordinances and ceremonies to be of more vertue and efficacie than an other churche dothe esteme the same As the churche of Rome doth affirme certaine of theyr lawes and ordinaunces to be of suche estimation that they be of equall force with the worde of god and that who so euer disobeyeth or transgresseth the same commytteth deadly synne Yet we perceyuing the same to be discrepant from the truthe of scripture must nedes therin dissent from them But such diuersitie in opinions and other outward maners and customes of policie doth not dissolue and breake the vnitie whiche is in one god one faith one doctrine of Christe and his sacramentes preserued and kept in these seueral churches without any superioritie or preeminence that one churche by goddis lawes maye or ought to chalenge ouer an other And therfore the churche of Rome beinge but a seuerall churche chalenginge that name of Catholike aboue all other dothe great wrong to all other churches and dothe onely by force
archebysshops haue of ancient tyme refused to owe vnto them any such subiection as they by colour of an vniuersal primary chalenged required ouer them As the patriarches of Constantinople other of the east the archebisshops of Rauenna Millan such other And also Agatho him selfe being bishop of Rome longe after the .iiii. fyrst vniuersall counsayles in his letters sent vnto the emperour concerning a generall counsaile to be holden at Constantinople playnely declareth and confesseth his primacy to extend onely to the byshops of the weste north parties And that in suche wise as it is euident that at that tyme the bishops of Rome neither by the wordes of scripture nor by any decree of ancient generall coūsels nor by the cōsent of the hole catholyke churche had any such vniuersall primacy as he nowe requireth And yf the bysshops of Rome wyll allege any later counsayles for their pretensed vniuersall primacy as the counsayles of Constance Basill and Florence It is manyfest and open that the counsailes of Basill and Constance were in the tyme of scismes and they which were there deuided in to factions after the fauour of their princis which princis were also deuided some fauouring the one part of the scisme some the other And the great part of the lerned men that were there were of this later institute religious and therfore obsequente to the pleasure and wyll of the bishoppes of Rome and brought vp only in this later scolasticall doctrine and lytell exercised or lerned in the holy scriptures or in the olde auncient doctours and writers And bothe of those counsayles were dyssolued and broken vp without any perfit ende or conclusion And sith that tyme the canons pragmatical of these two counsayles be no where vsed nor yet alleged as to be of effecte by the authoritie of those counsayles And as to the counsayle Florentine ouer and besides that the greattest parte of lerned men there were suche as we spake of before the consent also in this matter of the Orientalles and Grecians that were there seemed to the hole countreyes that sent them so farre bothe agaynst scripture and general counsayles and their auncient holy writers that they forthwith shewed them selues soo moche discōtent with that consent of theyr ambassadours that they then neyther wold receiue the determination concerning the vniuersall primacy of the bishop of Rome neyther sithe that tyme coulde be induced to agree to the same And thus by all those thinges before rehersed it plainly appereth that the bishops of Rome claiming this pretensed vniuersall primacie do yet not onely without any grounde of holy scripture and without any consent of the hole catholike churche but also contrary to the determination and decrees of suche generall counsayles as the bisshoppes of Rome these many hundred yeres vnto this day in theyr creation do solemnely and expressely professe to kepe obserue For as it appereth by theyr owne lawes and actes from tyme to tyme euery bysshop of Rome whā he is created doth openly solemnely professe that he shall inuiolably obserue kepe all the canons of the fyrst .viii. generall counsailes amonge the whyche be the canons before rehersed playnely repugnant and contrary to his sayde pretensed vniuersall primacy Fynally this beynge manifestly declared and proued that the byshoppes of Rome hath not iustly and laufully any suche vniuersal power ouer the bysshoppes and clergy al wyse men may easily perceyue and see that they maye moche lesse clayme to haue the hole monarchye of the worlde and such authoritie ouer all princes and kynges that they may therby depose them from theyr realmes dominions and seignories and transferre and gyue the same vnto such persons as them liketh Where as the scripture dothe teache and commaunde the contrary that is to saye That all christen people as well priestis and bishops as all other shulde be obedient vnto princes and potestates of the world For the truth is that god constituted and ordeined the authoritie of christen kynges and princes to be the most high and supreme aboue all other powers and officers in this worlde in the regiment and gouernemēt of theyr people and cōmitted vnto them as vnto the chiefe heades of theyr cōmon wealthes the cure and ouersight of all the people which be in theyr realmes and dominions without any exception And to them of right and by goddis cōmaundement belongeth not only to prohibite vnlawfull violence to correcte offendours by corporall death or other punishment to conserue morall honesty amonge theyr subiectes accordinge to the lawes of theyr realmes to defend iustice to procure the publike wele cōmon peace trāquillitie in outward earthly thinges But specially and principally to defende the faith of Christ and his religion to conserue and maintein the true doctrine of Christe and all suche as be true preachers and setters forth therof to abolishe all abuses heresies and idolatries and to punishe with corporal peines such as of malice be the occasion of the same And finally to ouer see and cause that the sayd bishops priestes do execute their pastoral office truely faithfully specially in those pointes which by Christ and his apostles were giuen and committed vnto them and in case they shall be negligent in any parte therof or wolde not diligently execute the same to cause them to redoube and supply theyr lacke And if they obstinately withstand theyr princes kynd monition and wyll not amend theyr faultes than and in such case to put other in theyr roumes and places And god hath also cōmanded the sayd bishops priestes to obey with all humblenes reuerence both kynges and princis and gouernours and all theyr lawes not beynge contrary to the lawes of god what so euer they be and that not onely propter iram but also propter cōscientiā that is to say not only for feare of punyshment but also for discharge of conscience Wherby it appereth well that this pretended monarchy of the bishop of Rome is not founded vpon the gospell but it is repugnant thervnto And therfore it apperteyneth to christen kinges and princis for the discharge of theyr office dutie towarde god to endeuour them selues to refourme and reduce the same againe vnto the olde limittes and pristine estate of that power which was giuen to them by Christe vsed in the primitiue churche For it is out of doubt that Christis faith was than most firme and pure the scriptures of god were than beste vnderstande and vertue dyd than moste abounde excel And therfore it must nedes folow that the customes and ordynaunces than vsed and made be more conforme and agreable vnto the true doctrine of Christ and more conducynge vnto the edifieng and benefite of the churche of Christ than any custome or lawes vsed or made by the bysshop of Rome or any other addicted to that see and vsurped power sith that tyme. And therfore where as the kynges moste royall maiestie
in the man doing his duetie lykewyse as is required of the woman Fynally it is to be considered how in matrimony be coÌ„meÌ„ded specially thre good thinges al which they that contracte matrimony ought to remembre and regarde Fyrst of al the thing it selfe whiche is signified therby whiche as is sayde before is the hygh the myghty and incomprensible worke of god in the coniunction of Christe and the churche together wrought by hym to our singular benefite and euerlastynge saluation And that therfore the man wyfe ought to liue together in perfite vnitie and concorde to loue eche other as their owne bodies and to vse the same in all cleannesse puritie and honour Ephe. v. euen as Christe him selfe loued his espouse the churche and suffered all afflictions and peynes to make her glorious and voyde from all maner of spotte or wrinkle of vncleannesse Whiche matter saint Paule moste godly declareth in his epistle to the ThessaloniaÌ„s where he wryteth in this maner â—… Tâ—e iiii I pray you brethern and instantely desyre you for our lorde Iesu Christis sake that like as ye haue herde heretofore of vs howe and in what maner you shuld go forward please god so ye do procede in the same and that after suche sorte and maner that you may contynually profitte and encreace therin You remembre I doubte not what preceptes and commandementes I haue giuen vnto you in tymes past in the name of our lord IESV CHRIST And now in lyke maner in his name also I say agayne vnto you that the wylle and coÌ„maundement of god is that you shoulde sanctify your selues that is to saye that you shulde absteyn from all maner of fornication and that euery one of you shulde vse and keepe the vesselle of his bodye in holynesse and honour and not in desyre of carnall concupiscence lyke as the Gentyles doo whiche know not god and that no man shuld craftyly compas and circumuent his brother to obtein his flesshely lustes For almighty god taketh vengeance vpon all suche people as do committe any of those thinges Knowe you also that god hath not called vs to vncleannes and fylthynes of lyfe but vnto holines and santimonie And therfore I do exhorte you all and in the name of god commaunde you to eschue all fornication and adultery all vncleannesse and carnall concupiscence all fylthynes and vnpure lyuynge in flesshely lustes of the body And I saye further that who so euer despyseth and breaketh these my commandementes doth not despise me but despiseth god For they be his commaundementes whose spirite ye haue receyued The second good thyng which ought to be remembred in the said sacrament is the faith and mutuall promyse made betwene the husbande and the wyfe conioyned in lawful matrimony wherby and by the vertue of the sayde sacrament the persons so laufully conioyned be bound esche one to kepe promyse with the other according to such trust and coÌ„fydence as eche had in the other and expressed by wordes in the same contracte whiche promise god did assiste and ratifie and is now partie thervnto so that the breach of that promyse and faith is now a high and displeasant offence vnto almighty god lyke as the obseruation and keping therof is in the syght of god pleasant acceptable and meritorious and the knotte also and bonde of matrimony contracted betwene the sayde persons is made therby to be indissoluble Trouthe it is that if in any mariage it may appere and be duly proued that there is suche insufficient impediment by the lawes of god or by the lawes of the realme that the same matrymony was at the beginning vnlauful of none effect in that case the church may and ought to diuorce the same persons so vnlaufully contracted declare that suche matrimony is vnlauful and the bonde therof to be of no strengthe or efficacie bycause is was neuer good from the beginninge Notwithstandyng in mariages laufully made and accordyng to the ordinance of matrimonye prescribed by god and the lawes of euery realm the bond therof can not be dissolued durynge the liues of the parties betwene whom such matrimony is made The thirde good thyng to be consydered and obserued in matrimony is the child that cometh of maryage and the good and vertuous education and bringynge vp of the same Whervnto all married men women ought to haue a speciall regard and to folowe therin the example of Thoby Tobi. iiii which taught his sonne from his infancie to loue dread god to flee absteine from all maner of sinne for goddis sake For surely if the fathers and mothers be negligent in good bringing vp of their children in their youth and suffer them to fal in to folies and synne in defaut of due correction and chastisement of them for the same no doubte they shal aunswere vnto god for it as it appereth by the greate stroke and punyshement of god i. Reg. ii iiii whan he dyd sodaynly strike Ely vnto death bicause that he knowinge his children to do amisse dyd not punishe them therfore And therfore let all parentes emply theyr diligence and busy cure to educate and instructe their children by al meanes in vertue goodnes to restrain them from vices by coÌ„uenient discipline and castigation according to the saying of the wise maÌ„ Withdraw not thy iust discipline froÌ„ thy child for if thou do so he wyll fall into sundry inconueniences Pro. xxâ— and so finally shal be lost vndone Wherfore spare not to chastise thy childe with the rodde and so doing thou shalt delyuer his soule from hell And coÌ„cerninge the childes duetie towardes the father it shal be declared hereafter in the commandementes The sacrament of Orders AS concerning the sacrament of Orders tt is to be vnderstaÌ„d that order is a gift or grace of mynistration in Christis church giuen of god to christen men by the consecration imposition of the bishops handes vpon them and this sacrament was conferred and gyuen at the begynnyng by the apostles as it appereth in the epistle of saint Paule to Timothe whom he had ordered and consecrate prieste where he saythe thus ii Tim. i. I do exhorte the that thou do styrre vp the grace of god the whiche is gyuen the by the imposition of my handes And in an other place he doth monish the same Timothe and put hym in remeÌ„brance of the rome ministery that he was called vnto in these wordes Do not neglect the grace i. Tim. iiii whiche thou hast in the and the whiche is gyuen the through prophecy and with imposition of handes by the authoritie of priesthode Wherby it appereth that saint Paul did consecrate and order priestes and bishops by the imposition of his handes And as the apostles them selues in the beginninge of the churche dyd order priestes and byshops So they appointed and wylled the other byshops after them to do the lyke as saynt Paule