neede not name be too too liuely and pregnant examples of this your true but needelesse and impertinent admonition How needelesse or impertinent the Bishops admonition was is séene already euen by your owne graunt thereto But how needelesse in déede impertinent altogither are these your vaine admonitions which ye cal a returne euery body may sée And how fitly they returne with a recumbeÌ„tibus vpon your owne side and how you controll your self for running to farre and yet ye runne at randon furder about the Countries to Boheme FrauÌ„ce Scotland Germanie and other namelesse countries to make them examples of your marginall note Heresies the destruction of common weales But thanks be to God none of their coÌ„mon weales are destroyed it is but your maliciouse slaunder on them And if they haue bene troubled or weakened the Papistes practises haue euer bene the chiefe originals thereof what soeuer ye pretende to deface the Gospell by calling all doctrine Heresie be it neuer so pure and holy if it be not by your popish Church allowed calling all countries and coÌ„mon weales destroyed how soeuer they florish in prosperitie peace and godlinesse if they refuse the Egiptian bondage of your spirituall Pharao the Pope But why mention you not all that parte of Hungarie that acknowledging obedience to your Pope neuerthelesse were ouercome and conquered of the Turkes why forget ye your mightie bulwarke and holy knights of the Rhodes I wisse they were the Popes champions and yet his blessing could not saue them froÌ„ the Turkish bondage You say there is some other place that ye néede not name what meane ye thereby Rome it selfe that so many times hath bene sacked destroyed and lefte waste and at this day the olde Citie for the most parte not inhabited except of owles and vermine in the ruines thereof and the new Citie deftled besides Idolatrie and superstition with most notorious filthy fornication and stewes of courtizans your Pope him selfe beyng the vicar of bawdes in maintayning his estate by such filthy lucre And this is counted among you the most holy common weale yea such a mirrour to all other that those Cities whiche conforme them selues to this common weale of Rome can neyther erre nor be in daunger of destruction But euen so sayde Sodom and Gomor till their destruction came sodaynly vpon them M. Stapl. hauing thus puffed vp his counterblast with these discourses in both his foresaide parts descendeth now to the thirde And now might I here breake of sayeth he from this and go further forth sauing that I cannot suffer you to bleare the readers eyes as though the Emperours Theodosius or Valentinianus sayings or doings should serue any thing for your pretensed primacie In déede M. Stapleton it is more than highe time that you had broken off long or this except you would or could haue answered â–ª better to the purpose and not to haue driuen your counterblast furder forth with such heapes of digressions needelesse to the matter but not needelesse to your purpose to bleare the readers eyes when otherwise â–ª you néeded a materiall answers But here such is your zeale ye can not suffer the Bishop to bleare the readers eyes This zeale M. Stapleton were coÌ„mendable in you if you ment good soothe or the Bishop had bleared the readers eyes and not simply and plainly set downe the truth that euen the bleared eyes if they were not cleane blinded with ouermuch affection might well beholde it But it is rather to be feared that as ye played before pretending to dissipate and discusse mistes where in déede none was ye raysed mistes and caste cloudes least the reader should haue espied the matter as it was so here though the readers eyes were cleere ye would bleare and dimme them and if he were bleare eyed any whit before ye would soone mende the matter and make him starke blinde For euen as ye there did so eftsones do you here The Bishops alleaging of these Emperours stayeth you froÌ„ breaking off and from going further foorth â–ª ye can not suffer the Bishop to bleare the readers eyes And yet to any thing that the Bishop out of these Emperours alleageth what soeuer the matter meane ye answere not one worde Except this be an answere as they say to sette the Hares head against the Goose iublettes to set one allegation against another If the Bishop hath bleared the readers eyes he cited as long an allegation as yours shewe then where he bleared them If he cited any thing false name the place But false or true say something to it or to some piece of it and not thus slinke away without any answere at all to the whole or any parte thereof What shall the reader iudge if he can see any thing but that the Bishop goeth plainely to worke and it is you that would bleare his eyes and put them out if ye could to kéepe the reader still in ignorance and wilfull blindenesse If the Bishops allegation be such as deserueth no answere at the least ye might haue sayde so Howbeit that you should not so bleare the readers eyes and that the reader should sée both the Bishops plaine dealing and the playne truth of the matter and how fully it proueth the Bishops purpose and the Princes dutie care charge and supreme gouernment ouer matters Ecclesiasticall I will set downe not onely so much as the Bishop alleaged but the whole Epistle Firste hauing shewed that the suretie of the common weale dependeth vppon Gods religion and what a great kindred and societie is betwixt these twayne true Religion and Iustice â—…ith therfore we sayeth the Emperour are constituted of God to be the Kinges and are the knitting togither or ioynture of godlinesse and prosperitie in the subiects we keepe the societie of these twayne neuer to be sundred and so farre forth as by our foresight we procure peace vnto our subiectes we minister vnto the augmenting of the common weale but as we might say being seruaunts to our subiects in all things that they may liue godly and be of a religiouse conuersation as it becommeth godly ones VVe garnish the common weale with honor hauing care as it is conuenient of them both that is peace and true religion for it cannot be that diligently prouiding for the one we should not care in like sorte also for the other But we trauaile earnestly in this thing aboue the rest that the Ecclesiasticall state may remayne sure both in such sort as is seemely for Gods honor and fitte for our times that it may continue in tranquillitie by common consent without variance that it may be quiet through agreement in Ecclesiasticall matters that the godly religion may be preserued vnreproueable and that the life of such as are chosen into the Clergie and the great Priesthode may be cleere from all faulte Thus doth the Emperour protest of the guidance care charge that he thought belonged to his hie office not onely in prouiding
most herein ye would haue him either beleue first ground him self on your false principles or else would ye sâ—…e beshrew him for traueling one whit therin and fal as fast to besech him to let the matter alone except he wil before hand on your word beleue that this supreme gouernmeÌ„t belongeth to your pope And hauing so gotteÌ„ his grauÌ„t on this which is the coÌ„trouersie it selfe theÌ„ ye besech the gentle reader most diligently to labor trauell in this controuersie But the reader may sée with no great trauell for y matter that as ye â—…etract your duty froÌ„ your prince so ye ascribe a great deale to much to your pope For where to win the reader to your partie ye say that all controuersies in effect depend vpon this Ergo admit this admit al deny this deny al the antecedent in déed in your popish church is true Where they make al articles of religioÌ„ to depend vpoÌ„ him But in christs church it is true of none other but of christ alone Upon whoÌ„ being the corner sâ—…one rock al the building is fouÌ„ded ariseth in whoÌ„ being the only chiefe vniuersal hâ—…d all the members haue lyfe all controuersies in effect depeÌ„d Admit his supreme authoritie admit all his religion Denie his supreme authoritie denie all his religion But it is not so of any limited and secondarie head or supreme gouernour in any particuler Churche of Christians That all articles or any article of fayth dependes on the Princes gouernement but the Princes gouernemeÌ„t depends on them to ouersee them duetifully set foorth And when the Reader séeth this that the Prince claymeth not an absolute Supreme gouernement and that it is your Pope onely that taketh this absolute Supromacie on him and you that giue it him then I trust the reader will not be so wonne with your fayre words which make fooles fayne as he wil abhorre your slaunders on your Soueraigne and detest the open iniurie ye offer to Chryst the onely head to make all Articles depende on your Popes supreme authoritie Nowe whereas for this ambitiouse clayme of your Pope ye alleage here nothing to fortifie the same ye thinke ye shall winne it yet at the least this way if with dispitefull raylings ye may beforehande discredite vs to the Reader and so winne credite to your selfe thereby Ye argue thus The Protestantes whom odieusly and falsly ye deuide into many sects are at mutuall and mortall enemitie among them selues but al conspire agaynst the primacie of the Pope Ergo a good resolution once had in this poynt stayeth and setleth the conscience as vvith a sure and strong anker from the insurgies and tempests of all sects and schismes This argument might as well make for Mahomets religion or any other neuer so false as for the Popes to reason from the aduersaries diuision among them selues or agréement of them selues agaynst his religion to a truthe and perfection in his false religion And thoughe the argument faile alike bothe in the Pope and the Turke yet it holdeth in Christes primacie and onely in him agaynst Pope Turke Sectarie or any other deuided from him Chiefly agaynst the Popish church wherin are diuers infinite sects errours and al at mutuall and mortall enmitie amongst them selues and yet all conspire with the Pope agaynst Christ and his truth Ergo a good resolution once had in Christ his truth stayeth and setleth the conscience as with a sure and strong anker from the insurgies and tempests of all sects and schismes This argument thus framed had bene better and truer and not to make the Popes supremacie or the exalting of any creature in heauen or earth to be the anker holde and stay of our consciences besides Christ and his truthe Which sithence all Papistes do by this your confession they can haue no good resolution resoluing them selues amisse leaning to a broken Réede Where they say Pax pax peace peace non est pax impijs dicit dominus there is no peace of conscience at all nor any sure ankerholde to stay vnto Maledictus qui confidit in boinine poâ—…it carnem brachium suum And therefore if Protestants yea al Sectaries or Schismatikes though they can not agrée amongst them selues yet if they all hate thys moste Antichristian doctrine to grounde their faythe on man no meruayle though they hate it it is so wicked and detestable that euen good and badde and all abhorre it After he hath taken this pro confesso that the anker holde of conscience consisteth in setling him selfe on the Popes primacie he reasoneth on the contrarie effecte Contrary vvise they that be once circumuented and decea ued in this Article are carryed and tossed vvith the raging vvaues and flouds of euery errour and heresie vvithoute stay or setling euen in their ovvne errours True in déede Master Stapleton if ye had rightly shewed withall what it had bene to be circumuented and deceyued in this Article otherwyse ye doe but lyke an vnskilfull and harebrayned Pilote herein that to auoyde the rocke thinketh him selfe sure and safe when he hath caste hys anker on the quickesandes or rather euen in the goulfes mouthe and so I warrant him also as you saye he shall not néede long to feare to bée caryed and tosted wyth the insurgies and tempestes of the ragyng waues and flouddes but soone be swalowed vp and drowned in them But Master Stapleton not considering or not mynding to warne the reader of this to much trusting to a false Pilote but to terrify him further wyth feare of forsakyng this Popishe ankerholde and to confirme thys argument of the contrarie effecte reasoneth from the instancies of dyuers ensamples And first of the Gréeke Churche arguing thus The Grecians forsooke the vnitie of the romaine Church Ergo they fell after to be Arrians Macedonians Nestorians Eutichians c. and in conclusion fell into the Turkishe captiuitie This argument besides other faultes hath chiefly two hoamely and foule fallations that make it vâ—…cious The one à secundum quid ad simpliciter from the Churche of Rome limitted to that tyme that it was not stayned with those errours to the Churche of Rome simplie that since that time hath falne it selfe partlye into some of those errours partly into other as great and many worse The seconde fallacion is à non causa vt causa for theyr fall was into those heresies not bicause they acknowledged not the Bishop of Rome to be their supreme heade for therein they had played like the Flownder that lept out of the frying panne into the fire but bicause they forsooke and peruerted the worde of God as the Papists since haue done and their â—…ares itched and aâ—…iended to the inuentions doctrines errors of men to lying masters as the papists haue done also This was the proper cause of their fall into these errors and of the Papists fal into the like or greater And where M. St. ioyneth to his
But sith none hath aduentured on it I thought it my dutie to yeelde to the godlie and vrgent requestes of those personages that vnderstanding I had priuately delte therin required the publishing of my labours to the vvhich I condescended a great deale the vvillinger partly bicause it touched vvithall the defence of that Reuerende fathers innocencie and learning the Bishop of VVinchester vvho had although briefly yet most orderly and exactly handled this questioÌ„ before and vvas oppugned by this aduersarie neither vvas it for diuers causes thought so coÌ„uenient for the Bishop himselfe to ansvvere and I for my part was bounde in so iust a cause to defend him But chiefly for that it spared not most opprobriously to slaunder your most excelleÌ„t Maiestie your title your state your gouernment your most honorable and godlie CouÌ„saile your nobilitie your Bishops your clergie your magistrats your iustices your people and all estates of your dominions your doctrine your faith your religion yea the truth and glorie of God vvhich your Highnesse defendes to all vvhich I and all other are bounde in principall I thought not good therefore to stay it any longer and suffer these vncircumcised Philistines blaspheming the truth of God reproching the Lords anoynted and rayling on the hoste of Israel to stand thus and vaunt vnansvvered but lette this ansvvere that I had thus farforth made in priuate â–ª come abrode to others Promising god vvilling by your Maiesties fauourable protection to deale further vvith them and to shevvethe continuall practise hereof hovve in all ages since Christendome began to flourishe vnder the Great Constantine that christian Emperors Kings and Princes haue dealte as doth your Maiestie in the ouersight of Ecclesiastical matters till the Pope by little and little encroching on them not onely spoyled them of this their chief authoritie but of their temporal estates and vvorldly kingdoms yea of their goodes liues also In the meane season for this that is here alreadie ansvvered vnto I most humbly craue your Highnesse acceptation vvhose right is here defended by truth from sclanders that by iustice defendeth our right from iniuries Most hartily beseeching almightie God as he hitherto hath vouchsafed so to blesse preserue continue and prosper your Royal Maiestie to the loÌ„g establishing of your Highnes Throne to the vtter vanquishing of all your spirituall and bodily priuie and open enimies to the godlie comforte and quiet gouernment of all your faithful subiects and to the prosperous aduancement of Gods euerlasting glorie thorough Iesus Christe AMEN Youre Maiesties humble and obedient subiect IOHN BRIDGES The Preface to the Reader IT is nowe a good while since deare Christian Reader that this maister Stapletons Counterblast was blowne ouer the seas from Louaine against the Reuerende father in Christe the Bishop of Winchester or rather against the Quenes Maiestie and hir Supremacie was thus farre answered vnto as here is nowe set foorth Which may easily be perceiued by the reading for there is little or nothing altered except a sentence or two here there added as things haue falne out since I speake this that thou shouldest not here loke for any great or exquisite penning thinking that after so loÌ„g a leysure some more notable and exacter answere should come forth Our aduersaries vaunt much of their wittes herein and chieâ—…y this my matefellow master Stapleton to be verie fresh pregnant in readinesse of answering for he is his mothers sonne and hath it on his fingers ends Howbeit I may say to these as Apelles sayd to one who when he had drawne a picture Lo quoth he I did this apace Some thinkes quoth Apelles it is so ruÌ„ningly done And thus it falleth often out with our Loâ—…anists writings but Sat cito si sat bene It is soone ynough if it be well inough say I when all is done The reasâ—… why this answere came forth no soner are these First I kept it priuate to my self abyding if either the Bishop against whome it was made or any other woulde aunswere to it Secondly I heard at the length that Maister Nowell the Deane of Poules trauayled in it whose learning and wisedome being suche as all the aduersaries could neuer withstand I surceased to proceede any further Thirdly when I perceiued he set not out his answere neither I thought it best to lay myne asyde also Thinking that either he was stayed vpoÌ„ som weightier consideration than I did know or else that he did thinke the boke not worth the answering at al as in very deed to the lerned marker it is not M. Nowel had answered Dorman in muche like matter before which were the occasioÌ„s why it slept so loÌ„g But since that time as many haue mused and talked much on the matter so they haue not a little marueiled why nothing was said vnto it The argument was great and waightie not so muche whether nowe the Supremacie belonged to the Pope as whether it pertained to the ciuil Magistrate and whether the Queenes Maiestie did claime and hold it by right or no The parties in controuersie were of note as wel master Feckenham among the Papistes as the Bishop of Winchester whose estimation among vs is not more for his authoritie than his name amoÌ„g other nations for his learning Nowe when Master Stapleton stept in lyke a lustie yoncker and blewe vp this Counterblast betwene these twain so hotly hallowing for answer out of hande to be made by the Bishop therto al this while had none some did interprete it that he was a very vnfit matche for so graue a Bishop as to say the truth the match was nothing euen And therefore I wite not the Bishop if he vouchsafed not to answer him especially seing home his booke was so pestred with scoldes and scorners Rhetorike Neither will the horse of noble corage strike at euery brauling curre that barks at his heeles But when others missecoÌ„strued this to the worst said the Counterblast was so notably blown that the Bishop durst not nor was able he nor any other to answer it wheÌ„ vpon the head of all this M. Saunders Latine volume coÌ„mes forth although chiefly on the Popes visible Monarchie yet once again entring into this questioÌ„ of the Princes Supremacie with fresh matter as he bosteth with such inuincible arguments against it that all are but vnlearned starke fooles and cleane madde that do defend it and not thus content so depresseth the Princes estate that he will now proue the Pope hath interest to depose al Christian Princes and release their sâ—…biects of their sworn obedience which valiant champion vauÌ„teth also of his felow Stapletons noble peece of woorke againste the Princes Supreme Gouernment saying in his prayse Quod argumentum â–ª Thomas Stapletonus omnium copiosissimè tractaâ—…it in â—…o Libro quenâ—… 〈◊〉 eloquentia doctrina refertum contra Hornum Psâ—…udoepiscopum Wintoniensâ—… edidiâ—… vvhiche argument Thomas Stapleton hathe moste copiously handeled in that booke vvhiche beeing replenished
much more than not to meddle in Church matters at all But as ye falsly expounded Eusebius before so here ye controlle and falsefie your owne saying affirming that the most which may be enferred hereof is that he had the procuration and execution of Church matters If this be either the most or ought at all then your former exposition of ciuill ouersight was at the least a false corruption of you But and ye marke it well ye shall finde and neuer goe to the moste for the matter that this title and other the doings of this noble Christian Emperour comprehended much more thâ—…n either to be a Priestes proctour or executioner in Churche matters yea to betoken in very déede a chiefe and supreme gouernour Your thirde parte of this diuision is altogither an impertinent quarell of Images chalenging the Bishop of an vntruth and therefore besides that is saide alreadie sufficiently on the same argument is answered in his proper place The. 21. Diuision THe Bishop hauing thus fully proued that the ensamples and prophecies of the old Testament were figures to be perfourmed in the new entreth into the confirmatioÌ„ therof by the newe Testament And first in this diuision proueth by two allegations of our Sauiour Christ that this authoritie of Princes in the olde Testament is confirmed by Christ to christian Princes in the newe But the Princes authoritie in the olde Testament stretcheth not onely to ciuill matters but also to the ouersight mayntenance setting foorth and furtherance of religion and matters ecclesiasticall Ergo Christ hath confirmed in the newe Testament that christian Princes power stretcheth not onely to ciuill matters but also to the ouersighte mayntenance setting foorth and furtheraÌ„ce of religion and matters ecclesiastical The minor is proued already by these foresayde examples of the olde Testament The maior the Bishop proueth by two testimonies of Iesus Christ. The first generally in Matt. 5. that he came to accomplishe the lawe and the Prophetes The seconde out of Math. 22. where he commaunded all men to giue that vnto Cesar that belonged to Cesar and bounded the Princes authoritie by the worde of God. To the minor master Stap. sayth not one worde neither in his marginall notes nor Counterblast Belike that he relenteth to it according to his owne rule Qui tacet consâ—…re videtuâ—… he that holdes his peace seemeth to consent The maior likewise he graunteth in saying Master Horne goeth yet needlesly forward to proue that Christ did not destroy the rule of Princes in Church causes figured in the olde lawe Whervpon till M. St. shall denie one of these two propositions the conclusion foloweth of necessarie consequence against him Onely M. St. thinketh it inough for him to euerturne all the argument if he denie the proues of the maior graunting to the other proofe and ther vpon bendeth all his answere against this sentence Giue vnto Cesar that belongeth vnto Cesar. But this no whit hindreth the argument so long as he graunteth the other proofe yea thoughe he denied that also so long as he graunteth the maior it selfe to the confirmation whereof bothe these allegations were broughte foorth But let vs sée howe properly he handleth them And nowe at the length sayth M. St. catcheth he one testimonie out of the newe Testament to proue his saying which is giue vnto Cesar that belongeth vnto him VVhich place nothing at all serueth his turne but rather destroyeth I will not say any figure of the olde Testament but master Hornes foolishe figuratiue diuinitie I feare me master Stapleton that you which vpbrayde others for foolishe figuratiue diuinitie will euen in this diuision shewe not the wysest diuinitie in Louayne I had almoste sayde also your owne more than foolishe diuinitie without any figure at all But firste let vs sée your false diuinitie The Byshop héere togither citeth two testimonies out of the newe Testament and you come in saying Now at the length catcheth he one testimonie out of the newe Testament to proue his saying But to winke at this false diuinitie with what wise diuinitie do ye improue this one testimonie For it is so farre off say you that of this place master Horne maye make any grounde for the ecclesiasticall authoritie of Princes that it dothe not as much as inferre that we ought to pay so muche as tribute to our Princes but only that we may pay it Surely M. Stap. this is a trim diuinitie and as trim logike as diuinitie Christ commaundeth vs saying giue that vnto Cesar that belongeth vnto Cesar Ergo we may but we ought not to giue it him Where haue ye founde this new logike and diuinitie M. Stap Is it Louayne stuffe a 〈◊〉 would haue thought this reason better of the twayne that if we ought not then of righte we neither mighte nor shoulde giue vnto euery body that belongeth to them and so denie to the Prince that belongeth to him But this we may not nor should do but to giue him and all men their duetie therfore we ought to do it But stil sée how ye wrap your words in contradiction Ye graunt that this sentence Giue vnto Cesar that belongeth vnto Cesar doth not destroy any figure of the olde Testament if it do not destroy it then it confirmeth it and ratifieth to the Prince that belonged to the Prince and that the Prince had in the olde Testament but the Prince had then authoritie in ecclesiasticall matters as ye confessed in the two laste diuisions Ergo by this sentence the same authoritie is nowe confirmed How then say ye héere it maketh no grounde for the authoritie of Princes in ecclesiasticall matters since their authoritie was a figure and this sentence ye say doth not destroy it but nowe you haue made this sentence destroy the figure quite For that duetie that belonged to Princes before stoode not on a may bawe it lay not in the subiectes choyse to choose whether they woulde yéelde the Prince that belonged to him or no as thoughe they mighte if they woulde they néede not if they list but they must and ought of necessarie duety and obedieÌ„ce haue yéelded to the Prince whatsoeuer to him belonged in the time of that figure of the olde Testament And this sentence say you hath not destroyed the figure Ergo This sentence now bindeth and confirmeth it with as great duetie and necessitie and not lesse But say you this sentence dothe not so much as inferre that we oughte to paye so muche as tribute to our Princes Ergo This sentence hath destroyed the figure set vs at libertie in that the figure bounde vs And thus not onely ye speake quite contrarie to your selfe and to all reason but besides with your good diuinitie haue taken away al humanitie For what pollicie can consist in any sure estate if their subiectes be not bounde of duetis but at their pleasures may or may not yéelde their dueties to their soueraigne
which later clause I am assured doth muche more take away a supreme regiment in all causes ecclesiasticall than necessarily by force of any wordes binde vs to pay yea any tribute to our Prince This quarell M. St. is an euident vntruthe for the Byshop hath not left out the other part of the senteÌ„ce but mentioned it in the next words immediatly following Admonishing notwithstanding al princes and people that Cesars authoritie is not infinite or without limits for such authoritie belongeth only to the king of al kings but bounded and circumscribed within the boundes assigned in Gods worde Which words of the bishop not only make playn relation vnto but also comprehende the sentence folowing quae dei deo and giuing vnto God that perteineth to God. And this limitation youre selfe anon afterwarde confesse that the Byshop specifieth though héere ye denie it according to the maner of your quarelling disposition But whereto M. Stap. moue ye this quarell This latter clause I am assured say you dothe muche more take away a supreme regiment in causes ecclesiasticall than necessarily by force of any words binde vs to pay yea any tribute to our Prince Are ye so well assured héereof M. Stap but by your leaue for all ye be so well assured if this sentence muste be vnderstoode of may and not of ought then perchance it may neither take away that supremacie that belongeth to the Prince nor that supremacie may hinder our duetie to god Yea what if this same may or might and ought not may become an argument for all popish traytors agaynst their Princes teaching subiectes that they may giue them their dueties but they ought not For I am assured on the other side that the Priestes and Byshops to their Princes yea the Byshop of Rome him selfe to the Emperoures as you vnderstande Cesar haue yéeded their seruice obedieÌ„ce yea and their tributes also ere this howe soeuer since they haue wrong them selues from that olde obedience that they ought to Cesar. And if to subtracte this ye may thus dally on the former clause why may not all Papistes for the later clause of the sentence to vpholde their honour of Images their inuocation of Saincts their owne traditions and vnwritten verities against Gods expresse worde and commandement alleage for them that they may giue to God that that belongeth to God but not that they ought as bounde thereto necessarily by force of any wordes For this I am sure of also that these wordes of Christ do make no more mencion of dutie toward the one parte of the sentence than to the other the one comprehendeth not may and the other ought but though the dutie to God be greater and more excellent than the dutie towarde the Prince yea and boundeth it as the Bishop saide yet dutie belongeth vnto hothe and both ought to haue it And we be not here licenced but flatly coÌ„maunded to giue that that is dutie to eyther partie The wordes are manifest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reddite Render you that vnto Caesar that is Caesars and that that is Gods to God. So that if reddite Caesari quae sunt Caesaris be no more but this ye may giue vnto Cesar those things that are Cesar then may reddite Deo quâ—… sunt Dei be also by as good Latine ye may giue to God those things that are Gods. What figuratiue diuinitie yea what figuratiue Grammer call ye this wherof ye crake so much and finde such fault in others and can not sée in your selfe how your Diuinitie either marres your Grammer or your GraÌ„mer your Diuinitie And yet both must go for excellent good for why you are assured of the matter that the imperatine mode is in the one clause no more than the potentiall commanding to do is no more but to say ye may do though in the other clause it retaineth still his force Besides this good Diuinitie that we be not necessarily by force of any wordes bounde to pay yea any tribute to our Princes and so may denie them both that and all duties else as do the Papists when they be disposed to refuse their lawfull obedience to their soueraignes as you your Louanistes do This is a holy diuinitie Did euer any of the ancient Diuines giue this libertie to subiects against their Princes or thus expounde these wordes and not rather al with one coÌ„sent yea your popish writers hereoÌ„ also so many as I haue read gather here vpoÌ„ a necessary dutie of al subiects obedieÌ„ce tributes honor al other prehemineÌ„ces beloÌ„ging to Princes chieâ—…y on this senteÌ„ce write of purpose vpon this coÌ„mon place of subiects dutiful obedience to their magistrates you make so light a matter of it that ye say it bindeth vs not so much as to pay any tribute at al vnto theÌ„ But that all the world may sée how falsely ye wrest the wordes of Christ ye shal sée some of the fathers iudgments on these words giue vnto Cesar that that is Cesars that they inferre not that they may giue but that they ought to giue them Tertullian an ancient Father saith Alius est denarius queÌ„ Câ—…sari debeo c. It is an other penie that I owe to Cesar that pertaineth to him wherof it was theÌ„ moued that is to say a tributarie penie due to be paide of tributarie not of free meÌ„ I pray ye M. St. what is that English of Debeo of debitus Origen likewise an auÌ„cieÌ„t Father saith In teÌ„pore ergo Christi c. In the time therefore of Christ when they were commanded to giue tribute to the Romaines there was a thought couÌ„sel amoÌ„g the Iewes UtruÌ„ deberent whether they ought that were Gods people his portion to giue Princes tribute or rather take armes for their libertie except they were suffred to liue as they lusted And the story telleth that one Iudas a Galilean of whom Luke mencioneth in the Actes of the Apostles drawing away the multitude of the Iewes taught NoÌ„ oportere they ought not to giue tribute to Cesar call Cesar lord But he that was at that time the tetrarch hastned to perswade the people that they should regard the present state not wilfully take armes against the stronger But be coÌ„tent to giue tribute And truly the worde of this present gospel not in deede manifestly yet it shewes these things But he that diligently coÌ„sidereth the sense of the present wordes shal finde this yea eueÌ„ in this place For the Phariseis had not had occasion being willing to take Christ in his speach sending their disciples with the HerodiaÌ„s to aske him whether it were lawfull to giue Cesar tribute or no if it had bene manifest amoÌ„gst them that they ought not to giue it that there had bene an agreement of all their willes that they should not giue it c. Thus we sée that the question they moued to Christ was whether
agaynst Gods holy worde Is this an argument M. St. that we abuse the worde of God bicause you playnly say this supremacie is directly agaynst Gods worde In déede I heare ye say it and saye it playnely and as playne as ye can saye it and that very often too and make it a sufficient cause saying For we playnly say But ye shoulde once at the least proue it as playnly withall and not so often tell vs that ye playnely say so and then we shoulde playnely sée and say also with you that ye vsed playne dealing as well as playne sayings The. 21. Diuision IN this diuision the Byshop procéedeth further with other testimonies out of the Apostles with the fathers expositions therevpon First where Sainct Peter â—… Ep. cap. 2. and Sainct Paule Rom. 13. do not licence but commaunde obedience vnto Princes Chrisostome stretcheth this obedience to euery kinde of Ecclesiasticall person so well as lay person And maketh the obiecte or matter wherein the Princes gouernement is exercised to be for the furthering and aduauncing of all vertuous actions the correcting and repressing of all vices and that not onely in all matters of the seconde Table betwéene man and man but of all matters in the first table betwéene God man so well as of the other To the confirmation wherof he citeth agayne S. Paule 2. Timoth. 2. stretching the duetie of Princes not onely to honestie of life but also to godlinesse Wherby Sainct Augustine meaneth the chiefe or proper worship seruice and religion of god Shewing at large by Sainct Augustine who reasoning on the thirtéenth to the Rom. confuteth the Donatistes héerein that Princes haue authoritie for the furtherance and setting foorth of true religion and suppressing of all heresies schismes and other ecclesiasticall abuses so well as the furtheraunce and setting foorth of ciuill iustice and the punishement of morall vices To this M. Stapletons answere is parted into foure First gathering a contraction of the Byshops allegations he graunteth vnto them and proueth that he and the Protestantes agrée héerevpon Secondly he pincheth and restrayneth his graunt and endeuoreth to proue contradiction in the Protestantes Thirdly he entreth into the answere of certayne wordes and testimonies by the Byshop alleaged Fourthly he replieth on the bishop with other allegations out of Chrysostome and theron frameth an argument on them for his Priestes superioritie The residue of his answere to S. Augustine he passeth ouer in wordes of course In the first sayth M. Stapleton Heere is nothing M. Horne that importeth your surmised supremacie The effect of your processe is Princes haue authoritie to mainteine praise and further the vertues of the first table and to suppresse the coÌ„trarie wherein onely consisteth the true religion and spiritual seruice that is due from man to God And that he hath authoritie herein not only in the vertues or vices bidden or forbidden in the second table of Gods coÌ„maundementes wherein are conteyned the duties that one maÌ„ oweth to another This is grauÌ„ted M. Horn both of the Catholikes and of the soberer sort of the Protestantes for Carolostadius Pelargus Struthius with the whole rable of th' Anabaptistes denie it that Princes haue authoritie both to further the obseruation and to punishe the breache of Gods coÌ„maundements as well in the first table as in the seconde that is as well in suche actions as concerne our duetie to God himselfe as in the duetie of one man to another This were meetely well sayde M. St. that héere agayne thus liberally ye grauÌ„t if it made any gret matter what ye graunted or denied The bishop you should soone agrée sauing for your instabilitie that after you haue made your large graunts ye still reuoke theÌ„ againe with some pelting distinction or qualification of them Your graunt is this Princes haue authoritie both to maynteine praise further the obseruation and to suppresse and punish the breach of Gods coÌ„mandements aswel in the first table as in the seconde that is aswell in suche actions as concerne our duty to God himselfe wherin onely consisteth the true religion and spirituall seruice as in the duetie of one man to another But thus wel haue Princes authoritie to mainteine further or to suppresse and punish in actions of the duety of one man to another conteyned in the second table that no suche actions be exempted from their authoritie but they ought to prayse maynteine and further al such actioÌ„s as are bidden and suppresse and punish al such actions as are forbidden and that to do with moste great care diligence and ouersight yea supreme authoritie also vnder God therin Ergo They may do so by like righte in all the actions of the first table concerning the true religion and spirituall seruice of god Or else this aswell that ye put in twyce togither for more confirmation commeth an ace behinde and is belike as muche to say as not as well the quite contrarie to aswell Thus if ye stande to your owne words that the Princes authoritie is aswell in the one as in the other they sufficiently importe all that we demaunde and are as muche as this The Prince is supreme gouernour not onely in all temporall â–ª but also in all ecclesiasticall causes And therefore where ye say that they be Anabaptistes that denie it ye conclude all the Papistes to be Anabaptistes for they denie it And your selfe are in the table also that haue puâ—…te oute this your Counterblast chiefly to ouerturne it Although when ye be pressed ye oftentimes graunte that whiche ouerturnes your selfe Neither dothe your distinction helpe â–ª ye to the which ye runne for succour euen to your enimies But all this is say you as not onely the Catholike wryters but Melancthon him selfe and Caluine doe expound Quod ad externam disciplinam attinet As muche as appertayneth to externall discipline And the Magistrate is the keeper and defender of bothe Tables saythe Melancthon but agayne he addeth Quod ad externos mores attinet As muche as belongeth to externall maners behauiour and demeanour Ye promise héere agayne to agrée with Caluine and Melancthon in all this whiche ye haue graunted that the Prince hathe authoritie as well in the firste Table as in the seconde this onely excepted as they excepte Quod ad externam disciplinam externos mores attinet So long as appertayneth to outwarde discipline and outwarde maners But al Ecclesiastical causes and orders for setting foorth religion are either outwarde disciplines or outwarde rites maners behauiours or demeanoures for as for inwarde actions or thoughtes the Prince meddleth not withall but God alone the minister onely pronounceth Gods threats or promises for them â–ª Ergo Euen by this your own distinction ye confesse once agayne the Princes supremacie in all eccl. causes Neither dothe your reason folowing helpe ye any thing at all For say you in the first Table are coÌ„teined many offences and breaches of the which
spiritual sacrifices we haue and therefore the other outvvarde of the Iewes are gone as those that were vnperfect and with the outwarde sacrifices is the outward priesthood gone also But still blundring on with your false principles you goe forward to proue that you haue taken the best left the worâ—… in the priesthoode and sacrifices of the Iewes saying For the high B. in the state of the Gospell is not borne after the propagation of the fleshe but is elected according to the giftes of spirituall grace And our sacrifices consist not in shedding of the bloud of beastes but in remeÌ„bring the bloud of the immaculate Lambe and in dayly setting forth after an vnbloudie manner the substance of the Lambe And so that which was spiritual perfecte in the lavv vve haue not lost â–ª but that vvhich was vnperfect and carnal we haue not kept You coine Maximies M. Sanders speake as one thâ—… might kéepe and leaue what he liste standing still on youâ—… former presupposall that to haue one visible Byshop ouerall Gods people is a pointe of perfection and to haue outwarde sacrifices is also a point of perfection But neither of these iâ—… yet proued which shâ—…uld haue firste bene done and then yâ—… might haue entred your comparison whether those or theâ—… were better You preferre your Pope bycause he hath 〈◊〉 high Byshoprike as you cal it not by byrth but by election according to the giftes of spirituall grace but as the election of the Pope verie often hath falne out with so small giftes of spiritual grace that al y grace was either in the gifts of brybiâ—… money of canuased factions or of geuing cufâ—…es and dealing of harde blowes for it so the obtayning the highe Byshoprike of the Iewes that descended by byrth was manyâ—… times farre the better As for sacrifices where you saye yours consist not in shedding the bloude of beastes whaâ—… auayleth it hauing imbrued your mouthes with the bloudâ—… of Christ for if as you pretende you drinke his very bloude â—…owe are you not bloudsuckers and your sacrifice worsse than was the Iewes Besides the cruell sacrifices that you dayly make in shedding the bloude of men and Saintes of God a farre worsse sacrifice than shedding the bloude of beastes For of that for the time God was the appointer but of this the Deuill is the authour that was an homicide from the beginning But you say your sacrifice of Chryste is not bloudie If it be of bloude howe is it not bloudie if it be not bloudie â—…owe is it of bloude It is say you in a remembrance of the â—…mmaculate Lambe Woulde you stande to this Maister Saunders then indéede it were not bloudie for the rememâ—…rance of bloud is not bloud it selfe But straight ways you â—…onfute your selfe and come in with setting forthe the substance of the Lambe Whereas Chryste sayde not his Disâ—…iples shoulde sette forthe his substance but they shoulde â—…et forth his death But the death of Chryste is one thing â—…nd the substance of Christe another thing Neither dothe Christe make the Sacrament of his bodie a sacrifice of his â—…odie muche lesse maketh he two sacrifices of himselfe the â—…ne done once for all the other dayly done the one for himselfe to exhibite the other for them to exhibite the â—…ne bloudie the other vnbloudie These are the sacrifices of â—…our Popes making prophaning derogaâ—…ing from the saâ—…ifice of Iesus Christe and therfore worsse than the Iewes â—…crifices that were the figure of it and for the time were â—…ood Now such as is your sacrifice suche muste needes your â—…crificing priesthoode be You haue not therefore as you â—…ake for your sacrifice and Priesthoode retained the betâ—…r but haue deuised the worsse and suche as are starke â—…aught As for the other part of the minor for the estate of Princes 〈◊〉 â—…aue bene imperfecte and therfore abolished you labour 〈◊〉 proue two wayes The one admitting the Prince 〈◊〉 haue bene greater than the Prieste in procuring ecclesiasticall matters what a great imperfection for diuerâ—… causes it had bene the other by flat denyall that the Princes were the greater in administring those thinges that pertained to ecâ—…l matters These are subtill spéeches M. Saunders and maye be doubtfully vnderstoode As thoughe we ment the Prince were a more principall executer or doer of those thinges Whereas we plainely affirme that in the Ministeriall procuration the Priest was the highest But in respect of ouerseeing that euen the highest Priest shoulde doe his duetie therein we say the Prince was greater than he And that is proued by the first obiection that your self M. Saunders propounde of the Protesâ—…ntes neyther doe you denie the truth of the obiection but shake it of in saying the gouernement now is changed that it was then vnperfect Else why do you accuse it of imperfection if it were then as you wold haue it nowe the Prieste to be greater than the Prince and so in chalenging it of imperfection you grauÌ„t the thing Neyther do we deny that the state of those Princes was not in all things perfect Althoughe your selfe haue graunted the state of a Monarchie to be a perfect state but yet the state thereof was in his kinde more perfecte than was the Priesthoode both bycause it was ouer the Priesthoode as is obiected and you haue graunted and bycause that the Princes estate althoughe it be taken from Iewes yet it remayneth still entier with vs whiche the Priesthoode doth not nor can do But let vs sée your Reasons First esay you bycause Priesthoode was more auncient than the kingly right For the receiuing of Priests was partly receiued from the beginning vnder the lawe naturall yea before the floude when as yet there were no kings partely it had the superioritie certaine ages after Moses according to the lawe giuen by him when as yet among Gods people no king was extant but howe much more auncient a thing is in religion it is worthily counted so much more the worthier This argumente standeth on Antiquitie whiche beyng drawne from the word of God and truely applied maketh a good argumeÌ„t And would to God you would alwayes make gods word the ground of your Antiquitie which would sone decipher manie Popishe errors pretending great Antiquitie to be but late vpstarts But to reason from Antiquitie in things that are antiquate and outgrowne to retaine them still being lawfully displaced and that more is to reason from Antiquitie to worthinesse maye be an anciente but not ouerworthie reason For by this râ—…le an olde caste coate may be better than a new And although you restraine your selfe vnto antiquitie in ReligioÌ„ what helpeth this sith the bloodie sacrifice of a shéepe as pleading Antiquitie from Abel might by this reason become a more worthie worship of God than Baptisme or the Lords Supper Yea circumcision and the Passouer should haue bene better Sacramentes than ours bicause they wore
earthly in this respect as M. Saunders him selfe confesseth neither bathe he the gouernement of the Churche which is dispersed in many kingdomes but is a gouernour of a parte therof or of some particular Churche Nowe when M. Saunders hath thus proued as he thinketh the imperfection of the olde lawe saying And thuâ—… should these thinges be if in the olde time the kinges of the Iewes had exercised any chiefe power in ecclesiasticall matters and ouer the Bishops He turneth him selfe on the other side to the flat deniall of this which in the answere to our first obiection he flatly graunted and fled then to thyâ—… shifte that the case was altered But nowe sayth he neither is it true that the Kinges of the Iewes were counted greater than the Priestes of the Leuiticall kinde in administring those thinges that pertayned to ecclesiasticall matters whiche by peece meale I will not be greeâ—…ed to shewe It will not greeue you to tell a lye M. Saunders but to tell the truthe it woulde be a greefe vnto you Where dyd we say that the Kings of the Iewes were counted greater than the Priests in administring those thinges that pertayned to ecclesiasticall matters But go too let vs sée what peecemeale proues you bring And firste saye you Moyses commaunded that after the King was sette in the seate of hys kingdome hee shoulde wryte oute for him selfe in a volume another copâ—…e of this lawe â–ª taking the copie of the Priestes of the â—…euiticall Tribe But if not onely other but the king also him selfe muste go to the Priests for writing out of the lawe how was the king the prince in interpreting the lawe the copie whereof he was compelled to craue of other was he not herein admonished that he should remember that the priests were his superiours in those things that pertayned to the law for as euery Magistrate crauing the sworde of the king receiuing it doth in so doing declare the king in the right of the sword to be greater than him selfe after the same sorte is it when the king receyueth of the Pristes the copie of the diuine law Is this the copie of your piece meale proues M. Sand he that should take a copie of your argumentes might per haps haue néede but God wot shoulde finde full slender stuffe in them This argument is copied out of Stapleton and your other collectors and is already answered Which if it were good bycause the Prince taketh the copie of the lawe from the Priest therefore in the gouernment of matters pertayning to the lawe the Priest is aboue the Prince then is the Register aboue the Chauncelor the Bishop then is the Clarke aboue the Stewarde and the Prince bicause he hath the kéeping of the recordes And this is a more like example than that you bring in of a Magistrate crauing and receyuing the sworde of the king for in this example the King hath not onely the kéeping of the sworde but al the authoritie of and lawfull exercise of the sworde vnder God dependeth on him and suche as he will giue it vnto Wherfore he acknowleageth rightly the King to be his greater But in the lawe of God where the kinges gouernement is appoynted to him and by that appoyntment of God he hath interest in matters of the lawe of God by his kingly office and therefore must haue the lawe of God about him to directe his giuerment and hath not this interest authorie giuen him of the Priest as the subiect hathe the authoritie and exercise of the sworde giuen him of the king doth this argue a like that the Priest is superiour bicause he muste haue the kéeping of the lawe and the king that he may be sure he hath a true copie of Gods lawe muste haue it of the Priest Dothe the keeping argue the greater authoritie â–ª The king must haue the crowne of the kéeper of the crowne and the seale of the keeper of the seale is the keeper therefore the greater Nay it rather argueth althoughe in looking too that those thinges be well kepte and truely declared they haue a more especiall charge in their offices yet are they rather inferiours in that they haue for the kings behoofe the kéeping and deliuery of them And so the priest hathe an especiall charge of keeping and deliuering to the Prince the lawe of God bicause of his especiall vocation in the studie profession and administration of it Whiche argueth more cunning and learning of duetie to be looked for at his handes than at the Princes And therefore we ascribe not as you saye greater principalitie to Princes in the interpreting of the lawe of God. Princes commit that to the interpreters But to the Prince is committed a superiour charge of gouerning all persons to ouersee that the lawe of God be rightly interpreted and administred And for this cause the Prince oughte to haue the copie of the lawe not him selfe to interprete it and whereto then to lye idly by him no to gouerne him selfe and all his subiectes by the prescription of it After this he alleageth the examples of Moyses Samuell Iosue Dauid Salomon Constantius and Theodosius In Moyses and Samuell he hathe nothing that is not common To Iosue Dauid and Salomon he vseth Stapletons answeres and there is answered The examples of Constantius and Theodosius are somewhat already answered and shall be further God willing when we come to the practise And likewise to the Councels that he citeth The argument of the fourth Chapter That Christian Princes may be deposed from their estates by the Bishops and their kingdomes giuen to other when their gouernment hurteth the truth of the faith and the soules health whereto they are ordayned IN this 4 Chapter M. SauÌ„ders kepeth no perfect method and therfore we must follow him as he procéedeth First he maketh two kinds of men the earthly man and the heauenly man and so likewise two kingdoms the one earthly the other heauenly The earthly kingdome choseth their king by humaine consent as Nimrod c. Of the heauenly kingdom that Christ hath in the earth Christ is the king Who although by the worthinesse of his nature he be king of all men yet is he called onely the king of the faithfull Who comming into the world as he hath not taken away the former nature of maÌ„ but renued it so hath he not destroyed the earthly kingdome but amended it Here vpon he concludeth that earthly kings may be made Citizens of gods Church and vse all their olde right and most free gouernement in all those causes that diâ—…ishe not the faith and Religion of christ They may make whome they will fit Ciuil magistrates They maye appoint at their pleasure lawfull punishments for malefactors and freely do al other thing that by the law Naturall Nationall Ciuil or Mâ—…nicipall shall be allowed To all this as we agree with M. Saunders and therfore I gather bâ—…t a briefe coÌ„tâ—…ct
vnderstande this present exhortation to haue the libertie or power to forsake the heathen Magistrates obedience and iudgements and to erecte a nevv Magistrate and Iudge to rule among them For this had bene the readie pathe to all Rebellion And to proue that this is the readiest way to Rebellion sée howe Master Saūders gathereth hereon that nevve Kings are to be made of the Churche rather than vve shoulde be compelled to pleade our causes before hereticall and scismaticall Kings So that if the Prieste shall say the King is an heretike or a scismatike not only the people must so account him but they muste account him no longer to be their King they muste not be compelled to appeare in his Courtes and Consistories they must pleade no cause at all before him or his Iustices but must forthwith choose a nevv King to be their gouernour Howe far this is differing from Saint Paules doctrine from this sentence from subiectes obedience and howe neare to set all the world in an vprore I dout not but if this Nota that M. sand sets it out withal be wel noted it wil not only bréede in the Readers mindes a note of suspicion of priuie conspiracies trayterous packing but openly shew a manifest proclamatiō of plain rebelliō Now to proue that the subiects should thus rebel he sheweth the dangers that should ensue if they should remaine in their obedience For certaine it is that there is more danger of heretical Kings thā is of vnfaithful Iudges For vnfaithful Iudges do not iudge but of matters of this world and that according to the law either of nature which is alwayes right or ciuil vvhiche is seldome vvrong Moreouer vvhat if I suffered vvrong at the tribunall of a Pagane Iudge the losse is small to suffer the spoyle of tēporal goods vvhich good men beare vvith ioye But heretical Kings compel their subiects casting away the catholike faith to embrace their heresie the whiche can not be done vvithout the detriment of eternall saluation It is altogither lavvfull to the Churche of Christe to remoue from his gouernement an heretical a scismatical a symoniacal King and to conclude to remoue him that vvill not amende himselfe and to place another among the Christians in his rome This argument is drawne from the danger of suffering the king is alreadie answered diuers times The lawiers woulde briefly say to this better suffer a mischiefe than an inconuenience but were this an inconuenience too we may not take away one inconuenience with an other greater inconuenience for ther are conuenient remedies of pacience constancie against these inconueniences and not rebellion althoughe the inconuenience were muche greater than M. Sād makes it And yet to aggrauate the same he makes cōparison of a King and a Iudge as though the Iudge represented not the king He compareth the daunger of the losse by the one and by the other as thoughe the heathen Iudges and Princes dealt not also in cases of Religion Who although they were deceiued herein yet they conuented people before them for Religion to driue them from the worship of God to the worship of their Idols and laboured by all persuasions and meanes they coulde to bring them to their Religiō And verie many they brought to their Idolatrie which was more thā the losse of temporal goods euē the detriment of eternal saluatiō Neither did they vse their iudgemēts always according to the lavv of nature or the ciuil neyther doth the one iudge alvvayes right considering the great corruption of nature chiefly in the heathen neyther did the other sildome wrong but often wrong among them neither medled the ciuill Lawe of the Pagans onely with matters of temporall goodes and of this vvorlde but also with matters of the worlde to come and therefore there was further daunger of the iudgementes of those heathen Princes and vnfaythefull Iudges than here Maister Saunders woulde séeme to acknowledge there was mitigating all that he can the daunger ensuing from them to aggrauate the greater daūgers from naughtie Christian Princes But he nede not run to these vntruthes to aggrauate his comparison For we denie not but that if the Prince were such a wicked Prince as he speaketh of it were in dede very daungerous to the faithfull subiects vnder him and so muche the more daungerous that he pretendeth to the faithfull to be a faithfull Prince and is not But what a daungerous doctrine is this that the people should therfore rebell and reuolt vnto another Might the Christiā people in the primitue Church for all the daūger of eternall life that they and all the faithfull were in when the heathen Princes would haue them worship Idols which is as ill as heresie when the heretical scismaticall Emperors being Arians Monothelites c. in the ancient time compelled their subiectes casting away the Catholike faith to embrace their heresies might they remoue thē from their gouernment and place another in his roome ouer the Christians and that that shoulde streight be heresie which the B ▪ of Rome should say were heresie he should be a scismatike that should not consent to him Yea he must be deposed for symonie too ▪ by symonie forsooth we must vnderstand that if the Prince do appoint and inuest a Bishop then streight he is a simoniake and must out of hande be depesed What a greater daūger is here not onely to Christiā Princes but to all the Church of Christ whose sauegarde is here pretended But if we reason of daūgers the greatest daūger of all is of the Pope himselfe his prelates the more daunger that Princes people be thus beguiled by them and yet the king may not meddle with them although his duetie neuer so much require he hath good warrant in the scripture 〈◊〉 remoue them so haue not they of him were they neuer 〈◊〉 good and were he a great deale worse than M. Saunders makes him But Maister Saunders will nowe proue that the Bishops haue warrant out of the scripture for them and once againe he alleageth the example of King Saul and Samuel For if the kingdome of Saul stoode not euen for this that he obserued not the precept of Samuel in wayting for him seuen dayes before he sacrificed Yea if the Lord cast off Saul that he shuld not be the king bicause he fulfilled not also another precept of the Lorde declared by the Ministerie of Samuel in killing Agag if for this disobedience of Saul while he yet raigned Samuel was bidden to anoynt Dauid to be the King of the Iewes and Samuel did it priuily in Bethleem Neither after the holy Ghost sent downe from heauen the spirituall power of the Church can now be lesse than in times past was in the Synagog we must now also confesse that that King which shall dispise to heare the Lord speaking by the mouth of the highest Bishop maye
â–ª for the which he was cast out of the house of the lord Moreouer Ioatham his sonne gouerned the house of the king and iudged the people of the Lorde VVho seeth not the bodily casting foorthe of the king oute of the house of the Lorde clerely to expresse that ecclesiasticall power whereby kings taking vpon them the offices of Priests maye be caste out of the kingdome of heauen by the excommunication of the highest Bishop Moreouer if bicause the king was made a Leper the administration of the kings house and the gouernment of all the people was deuolued vnto the kinges sonne howe muche more the infection of heresie which as S. Augustine saythe is signified by the leprie ought to bring to passe that a Prince beeing driuen to the state of a priuate life maye be compelled to leaue his house voyde vnto hys successor This storie of king Ozias as it is already cited by M. Stapleton and was not before forgotten of M. Sanders so héere and in diuers other places it is recited Neither is there any one Popishe writer on this question of Supremacie but he alleageth this exaÌ„ple And as they thus often alleage it so is it often by vs answered and in déede it is casie to be answered for it is not to the purpose and but their malicious slaunder to burden the Protestant Princes with it who take not vpon them to do the offices belonging to the Bishops and Ministers of Gods word and Sacramentes as héere Ozias attempted to do If you can name any suche Prince and such things name them hardly M. Sand but proue it withal else you are but a slaunderer of those that be in authoritie But here M. sand applies this exaÌ„ple to this that the highest Bishop may excommunicate such a Prince and cast him out of heauen Whether your Pope be the highest Bishop or no is still another question But this is out of questioÌ„ M. sand that he is alwayes more ready to cast a Prince oâ—…t of heauen thaÌ„ to bring him into heauen and to caste him out of his kingdome too than to let him enioy it especially if he deale with him although he do not as Ozias did but do the dutie of a godly Christian king But who denieth this M. sand that a godly Bishop may vpon great vrgent occasion if it shall be necessarie to edifie Gods Church and there be no other remedie to flée to this last censure of excoÌ„municatioÌ„ against a wicked king although you can not inferre any suche necessarie conclusion vpon the allegorie of this example But what is this for the expelling him out of his kingdome â–ª and for deposing him from his estate Can you proue that Azarias and his Priests did handle Ozias thus For this is the present question but this you can not finde they dyd and therfore this example serueth not your purpose Well say you they vsed a bodily casting out of the king out of the house of the Lorde Trow you M. sand they tooke him by the héeles cast him out or by the head and the shoulders â–ª thrust him out I trow not that they layde any violent hands vpon him They withstoode him but it followeth how they saide vnto him It pertayneth not to thee to burne inceÌ„se vnto the Lord but to the priests the sons of Aaron that are coÌ„secrated to offer incense Go foorth of the SaÌ„ctuary for thou hast traÌ„sgressed thou shalt haue no honor of the Lord God. This was no resistaÌ„ce M. San. to blam him for his wickednesse wheÌ„ he regarded not their sayings but was wroth with theÌ„ was eueÌ„ ready to offer the incense God stroke him with the leprie So that it appeareth they laid no violeÌ„t hands on him but rebuked him yet in his fury he had done it had not God him self with his sodayn vengeance stopped him If they had béene so disposed béeing forty valiant men besides the highe Priest they might haue wroong the Censor out of his hande and might haue pulled off the Priestly garments from his backe for so Iosephus telleth how he came into the Temple howbeit they resisted him not in suche violent â—…rte But say you when they espied God had once striken him with the leprie then quickly they thrust him out But not with violence M. Sanders Non explicatur expulsio c. saythe your Cardinall of Caieta thrusting him out is not expressed but the Priests when they sawe the Leprie warned the leprous king to go foorth Neither néeded he then any great warning Sed ipse c. For the king himselfe beeing terrified made haste to get out bicause he felte foorth with the stroke of the Lorde so that he was not only moued of the priests but also moued of him selfe féeling the 〈◊〉 of God to go out of the Temple What great violence was here done of the Priests to the King except their rebuking or warning of him either before his presumptuous attempt or after Did they strike him No God stroke him M. Sanders and not the Priests for all they were so many tall fellowes and had mighte inough to haue striken him If your Pope therefore and his Prelates will take this Bishop and his Priests for their example they muste be as S. Paule sayth no strikers nor fighters chiefly not not agaynst their Princes they must be mightie but not in blowes but potentes sermone mightie in the word to reproue the wickednesse of Princes and so resist them as S. Paule sayth he resisted Peter to his face not that he buffeted or pâ—…meld him with his fiste aboute the face as Bishop Boner did his prisoners But he resisted him in spéeche reprehending him and with such resistance these Priests resisted the king â–ª and all Bishops may and ought to resist all wycked princes but this is farre from deposing them or sollicitâ—…ng other Princes to make warre vpon them or mouing their subiects to rebell agaynst them But master Sanders brgeth further what followed The king beeing a â—…eper dwelt in a house apart til the day of his death and his sonne gouerned the kings house and iudged the people of the lande What is this M. Sand to the Priests deposing of him that he dwelt aparte For beeing a Leper God in his lawe had so appoynted Leuit. 13. Neyther dyd the contagion of his disease suffer the administration of his office Howbeit neither for his offence nor for his punishmeÌ„t therof was he deposed froÌ„ his kingdom his sonne made king but the sonne as his fathers deputie â–ª administred the affaires of his fathers kingdome so for al this Ozias continued king euen til the day of his naturall deathe whiche was a longer time if your Glosse be true after this fact than he had beene king before this fact coÌ„mitted â–ª For saith your owne glosse Volunt Hebraei c. The Hebrues will haue it that this hapâ—…ed in the 25. yere
sayings Stapl. 62. b 63. a M. Sta. vnlyke similitude to disburthen M. Fecknham Howe falsely M. Sta. chalengeth vs for heretikes for leauing oute an article of the common crede in the Apologie How cunning M. Stap. himselfe â—…s in the coÌ„mon creede M. Stap. notes the Bishop and other for graÌ„mar and â—…o what a Grammarian he shewes himselfe to be Contr. Valent. lib. 1. cap. 2. lib. 3. cap. 4. De praescript haereticorum Fol. 423. li. â—… Diuis 159. cap. 4. M. Stap. taketh on him to teache the bishop his Catechisme Stap. fol. 423. M Sta. in saying the Common crede leaueth out these words And in Iesus Christe our Lorde Stapl. 423. a M. Sta. leaueth out againe in saying the coÌ„mon Creede these wordes crucified dead and buryed Stapl. 423. a Aâ—… other article left oute by M. Sta. in saying the common creede That he sitteth at the right haÌ„d of God the father almighty Whether Cardinall Hosi ' be iustly chalenged to maintain the SweÌ„k feldians heresiâ—… or no. Stap. 63. 2. Stap. 63. â—… The Dâ—…natists did not simply refuse the oldâ—… â–ª testamente as the Manichees did but subâ—…ly as the Papistes do Aug. de haereâ—… Ad quod vult Stapl. 63. a. b The seconde motiue that moued the Bishop to chalenge M Feck to followe the Donatisteâ—… Supra pag. Diuis 18. pag. 11. How the Donatists and Papistes denie the Princes gouernement in Ecclesiasticall cau ses and refâ—…rie it onely to the clergie What the Papistes meane by the Church M. Sta. reâ—…oketh his grauÌ„t The Donatists exclaming on the Princes for Ecclesiasticall causes argueth that the supreme gouernemente of them was in the Princes Stap. 63. b Stapl. 63. b M. Stapl. example of the Princis punishing an honest man for a theefe A theefe in christen religion Iohn 10. M. Sta. simili tude returned vpon himself M. Stapl. letteth go the testimonies of S Aug. alleaged by the Bishop Stapl. 63. b Winton pag. 12. b. The speciall 〈◊〉 oâ—… christian princis Further examples of the old Testament alledged by S. Aug. for princes dealing in ecclesiasticall matters Stapletons order to this di uision Stap. 65. a Number of testimonies Whereto the former testimonies of S. Aug. were alleaged Wherto serue the authorities present Here M. Stapl. confesseth that Princes ought to make lâ—…wes for the â—…rance of Christes religion The Papistes denying the Queene to make lawes and say no catholike denyeth it denye them selues to be catholikes The Papistes subtill meaning in theyr plaine speaches The holde of a Papists worde and the holde of a weat Eele by the tayle Howe trimly the Papists and we do here agree in words See a subtill â–ª Papist At a dead life well fare a papists shift M. Stapl. renueth an olde knacke of Arrius Howe finely M. Stapl. can turne his tale Stapl. 65. a. 65. b Belyke M. Sta. wantes good neighbours Stapl. 65. b Here M. Stapl. bewrayeth all the â—…etche of his former graunte Howe craâ—…tyly M. Stap. limited the Princes making of lawes All M. Stapletons ioly grauÌ„t to Princes is nowe come to nothing but to make them the clergies slaughtermen and droyles M. Stapletons fayâ—…e texte and foule glose Stapl. 65. b. How S Augustine acknowledged the Prince M. Stap. telleth of all this that August wrote but what this all this is he duist not vtter August contr Gaudent epist. 2 li. 2. câ—… 26. Epist. 50. The testimonies of S. Aug. to proue the princes dealing in ecclesiastical causes to reach further than making lawes for punishing heretâ—…kes Epist. 48. M. Stapl. wold returne S. Augustines words vppon vs. Stapl 65 b. How sure the Papistes make all pointes againste the Protestantes Stap. 65. b Howe Princes punished deprauers of religion in saint August tyme. Stapl. 65 b. The Princes lawes for blasphemers The Princes carefull prouiding Stap. 65. b M. Stapletons strong proues Stapl. 65. b. Contempte of Sacraments Popish Sophistâ—…e can make 7. of 2. Stapl 65 b. Councels Matth. 26. Ioho 11. The Papistes maynteyn coÌ„demned doctrines 1. Tim. 4. Stap. 65. b Howe the Bishop called the Papists Donatistes Howe darke and subtilly M. Stapl. speaketh How farre the examples of the olde Testament stretche to directe christian princes M. Stapl. will proue that we denie that whi che we affirm What it is that we affirme of the Princes authoritie Stapl. 66. â—… Stap. 65. a Who bee the true Donatistâ—… for saying Princes maye not punishe in causes of Godâ—… religion M. Stapl. himself cleereth vs of that he falsly burdeneth vs. Stapl. 66. a Howe Luther sayd Faith can not be forced Croyses and Turkishe warres The question whether Princes maye punishe heretikes by death How the Papistes proue vs to be heretikes The Princes dutie where any are chalenged to be heretikes An inuectiue gainst M. Fox M. Foxes boke and B. Iewels great eyesores to the Papists Stap. 66. a. Sir Thomas Hitton priest False slaunders and malicious misseconstructions of the faithfull Luc. 23. Matth. 26. Iohn 19. Act. 6. Hewe the Papistes deale with the Protestantes and their articles Math. 5. The vneuen dealing of the Papistes Sir Thomas Hitton priest no Donatist Sir Iohn Oldcastell Stap. 66. b. â—… Stap. 66. b. M. Stapletons weake argument Maister Foxes synceritie in the Papistes falshoodes Sir Iohn Oldcastle proued no Donatist Sir Thomas More himselfe mislyked the punishment of manslaughter in many offen ceâ—… The aunciente punishment of of heretikes Declar. Erasmi tit de puniendis her 76. 77. The myld spirit of popishe Bishoppes and Abbots S. August opinion of the pu nishement of heretikes The Circumcelions Punishement by the purse Banishment The popishe crueltie The difference herein betwen Erasmus and the Popishe Bishops S. Hieroms opinioÌ„ herein and the resons mouing him thereto The Papistes in crueltie come neerest the Donatistes Eras. decla tit de pun hâ—… The mercie of the Gospell Though the Gospell taketh not awaye politike lawes or punishmentes yet is there a 〈◊〉 betweene them and the Gospell The Sorbonistes coÌ„fession In declar bras tit de pun haer Howe the Papistes yet neerer resemble the Donatistes Stap. 66. b. 67. a Stap. 67. a How M. Feck yeldes not to the examples of the olde testament and yet yelding to the new Testa ment is comprehended by it though he comprehended it not Pag. 14. a. M. Stapleton cap. 7. fol. 68. a M. Stapl. order in this diuision Stapl. 68. a. M. Sta. now at the length is driuen to graâ—…t Princes some regiment in Ecclesiasticall causes M. Stapleton graunteth also to Princes supreme gouernement in all ecclesiasticall causes In natural and ordinarie propositions the indefinite betokens the vniuersall Stap. 68. â—… â–ª M. Stap â–ª confesseth that the Bishop hath proued the full issue in question betweene M. Fecknham and him Stap. 68. a M. Sâ—…apl grant of all that the Bishop hathe hitherto alleaged Esai 49. Whether the Bishops examples and allegations beeing granted of M. Stapl. reache home or no. The prince supreme gouernour of all and