Peter what wicked féend willeth you Bishops to draw the sworde againe out of the scaberd contrary to the Lordes commaundement to shake it and to misuse it at your owne pleasure Doth it not irke you and shame you to say that by these wordes of of the Lordes is sufficiently geuen vnto you the power of both swordes whē as he hath geuē you so little or nothing at all therof hitherto that he hath euen openly striken the temporall sword out of your handes Now let the whole world iudge whether those Romish gripes haue proued by the foresayd textes of Scripture that Christ hath geuen vnto them the very full power of both the swordes Certesse the testimonies which they haue hitherto alledged out of the Scriptures haue not onely not geuen any thing too them but also taken from them all the thinges which they clayme to themselues against all right and reason Here are expounded these wordes of our Sauiour Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke c. and it is shewed that in thē there is nothyng spoken of the Popes fulnesse of power that the church of Christ is not builded vpon Peter or the Pope THat sword of theirs wherof they made their vaunte being striken out of their hand by and by they make hast to the rocke wherupon the Church is founded and consequently vnto Peter and his keyes For in these and by him they auouch themselues to haue receiued power and most full soueraigntie both of heauen earth And there they blaze out wonders of the building of the Church vpon Peter and of the keyes and wonderfull working power of them alledging for themselues the wordes of our sauiour which are written in the xvi chap. of the gospell of S. Mathew But these men with their sacriledge they are neuer able to cleare themselues or make amends therfore do corrupt this most holy place replenished with healthfull doctrine and consolation Which thing by gods helpe I wil euidently shew to the godly readers by the things that ensew The Lord in that place demaundeth of his disciples whom men take him to bée His disciples aunswer how there be diuers iudgementes and opinions of hym among the people some saying him to be Helias some Ieremy c. And by that question it was the Lordes wil to do them to wit how there haue alway bene alwayes shal be diuersitie of opinions in the world concerning religiō how be it that no man ought to be offended at that diuersitie for we read also the Lordes Apostle hath sayd there must néedes be heresies to the ende that such as be tryed among you may be made manifest And vnto the former questiō the Lord addeth forthwith an other namely what the disciples who had heard Christ now a long while and therefore doutlesse were better séene in matters of Religion thē the common sort were I say what opiniō they themselues had of christ And by this other question of his he shewed that the sure and true confession in matters of Religion is to be asked at the hand of the children of God for they must not wauer as the children of this world do and be sure of nothing nor apply themselues to euery kinde of opinion after the liking and course of this world Truly in many other places of the scripture also is required a singular and true confession of fayth at the handes of euery one of gods children To this question Saint Peter not so much in his owne name as in the name of all the other disciples vttereth a singular confession saying Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God very God I say and very mā euen that same anoynted namely the Messias or Christ that was to come into the world The king I say and priest the mediator pacifier redéemer and saluation of the whole worlde And that this confession is the true and sincere confession Paule also the apostle of Christ sheweth in the third fourth and tenth chapters to the Romaines and in many other places The Lord liking well of this confession sayth vnto Peter Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas geuing to vnderstand in these short wordes what and how great the force of true fayth in Christ is namely euen to iustify and make blessed that is to say to make pertakers of eternall life which thing the apostle sheweth in large wordes in his Epistles to the Romaines Galathians Ephesians in other places Furthermore the Lord immediatly addeth frō whence commeth that same so excellent fayth saying flesh bloud hath not opened it vnto thée but my father which is in heauen Fayth then hath not his originall in vs or of vs but is geuen vs from heauen by the father of lyght according as the Apostle witnesseth in many places and the Lord himselfe saith in Iohn No man commeth vnto me except my father draw him Moreouer this fayth grafteth vs in Christ and maketh vs Christians for there followeth in the Lordes wordes And thou art Peter namely for confessing of the rocke Petra now what a rocke is there is no man but he knoweth And in the scriptures it is euery where Metaphorically applyed vnto God because he is the strength the stedinesse the refuge and the foundation of the faythfull wheruppon they rest and in whom only they be preserued Of this Petra rocke was Simon the sonne of Ionas called Peter which name implyeth as much as if a man shoulde say grounded vpon the rocke God and grafted into Christ the sonne of God stedfast and so consequently a Christian for the doctors interpreters of holy scripture do terme Christians Peters also because that beyng setled by fayth vpon the rocke Christ they draw stedinesse strength and lyfe out of him so as through the operacion of Christ they be all their lyfe lōg stedfast in fayth honor Christ with all kind of vertues And Peter himselfe also expounding this mysterie vnto vs sayeth Christ the rocke is the lyuing stone forsaken in deede of men but chosen and precious vnto God vpon whom we also as liuely stones are builded that we may be a spirituall house offeryng spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God through Iesus Christ. Whosoeuer are not such Peters or stones there is no cause that they should glory at all of the name of Peter or Christians for they continue that which they bée euen the children of this world There followeth yet further in the Lordes wordes And vpon this Rocke will I build my Church By which woordes Christ ascending from the particular to the generall and deliuering an vniuersall lesson to his Church declareth most manifestly that these thinges belong not to Peter alone or to his disciples onely but to the Catholike that is to the vniuersal church wherof the foundacion Rocke and head is Christ vpon whom being builded by faith she shal obtayne saluation As if the Lord had sayd not onely Peter is so called of me the Rocke but also as
of the Scriptures Now if I listed to play the Rhetoricien héere I could with many wordes declare that hell gates do not onely preuaile against the Romishe Bishops and their Court the filthiest that euer was but also that the very prince of féendes him selfe obteineth full and onely souereintie in them Which thing I could without trouble shew and proue both by the witnesse and by the complaints of the Bishops them selues But let vs ouerpasse that abhominable filthinesse and make hast to the opening of the residue of this place For there is no man so blockishe that hath not now of late euen felt with his handes that in these wordes of the Lord there is nothing spoken of the vnmeasurable power of the Pope but that there be set out vnto vs farre more heauenly and healthfuller thinges Prayse and thankes be geuen vnto God. ¶ That not euen by the gift of the keyes vnto Peter there is any fulnesse of power deliuered by the Lord either vnto Peter or vnto the Pope for that the keyes are a farre other thing yea and a thing of much greater holinesse then is the sayd fulnesse of the popish power THe Lorde addeth vnto the premisses And I will geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou byndest vpon earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest vppon earth shall be loosed in heauen By which wordes the Lord sheweth againe that this charge concerning blessednesse and eternall life which he hath hetherto layd forth perteineth not onely to Peter or the rest of the Apostles but also vnto all men through the whole world Moreouer he sheweth the meane and maner how men are brought into the Church that is to say how they be builded vpon the Rocke and made members of Christ and the Church and so enter into the kingdome of heauen You Apostles sayth the Lord shall open the way and as it were by reaching out your handes bring men into the company of me and of my Saintes and consequently into the kingdome of heauē and that shall be done by the preaching of the Gospell For by fayth we be graffed into Christ and his Church But fayth commeth by hearing and hearing by the preaching of the Gospell And therfore sayth the Lord I will geue you the keyes of the kingdome of heauen that is I will commit vnto you the charge of preaching the Gospell to this end that you shall go out into the whole world and by declaring vnto all men the remission of sinnes through me set thē loose that be fettered in the chaines of their sinnes and open the kingdome of heauen to them that beleue and on the other side bynde those that shake of the preaching of the Gospell that is to say declare and witnesse vnto them that they be subiect to eternall damnation And this your declaration and witnessing shall be so ratified and assured that whomsoeuer ye loose or binde by my worde vpon earth them will I also account as loosened or bound in heauē And this is the simple meaning of Christes wordes flowing out of the wordes them selues without any racking of the wordes at all Which meaning I will more cléerly enlighten and more assuredly confirme by that which ensueth The worde Keyes are not vttered alwayes in one signification in the Scripture For otherwise there is no man but he knoweth what they be in their proper signification that is to wit tooles wherwithall the lockes of doores chestes and such other thinges are opened or shut And they be conueyed ouer from bodily thinges to spirituall thinges from earthly thinges to heauenly thinges and sometime they be taken for souerein and full power like as when we read in the Apocalips that Christ hath the keyes of Dauid of death and of hell For by that phrase of spéech is betokened that Christ hath the souerein and most absolute power or authoritie to gouerne the kingdome of Dauid and also full power ouer death it self and ouer hell and that he is able to deliuer from death or to thrust down into hell whomsoeuer he listeth These Keyes that is to say this power belongeth onely vnto Christ and no creature is partaker of it Wherupon also in the Apocalips the Lord sayth with a vehemencie I haue the Keyes and he sayth not I haue had but I haue I say I haue them yet still and will haue them euer I resigne them to no man. There is also the Key of knowledge and the Key of the kingdome of heauen whereof we intreate at this present The Key of knowledge is instruction wherby a mans vnderstanding is opened and his want of skill amended And the Key of the kingdome of heauē is a plaine or lightsome declaration or laying forth of thinges whereby men are taught what way they may goe into heauen or how they may be saued I faine nothing of mine owne head in this behalfe in these thinges I followe the Scripture and for mine exposition I alledge the very worde of Christ saying in the Gospell after S. Luke Woe be to you Lawyers whych haue taken away the key of knowledge ye entred not in your selues and them that came in ye forbad Which wordes of the Lord Mathew vttereth in this wise Woe be to you Scrybes and Pharyseys for ye shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men ye your selues goe not in neyther suffer ye them that come to enter in Behold looke what Luke called the taking away of the key of knowledge that doth Matthew call the shuttyng vp of the kingdome of heauen And therefore what els I pray you is it to bring forth the keyes of the kingdome of heauen then to bring forth the keyes of knowledge that is to say the doctrine which cōcerneth the kingdome of heauen through the instruction whereof we may know how to become partakers of the euerlasting saluation Againe to take away the keyes of knowledge or of the kingdome of heauen is nothing els but to withstand the doctrine of the Gospell concerning the kingdome of God or to assault it or to geue commaundement that it be not preached You therfore enter not in sayth the Lorde I meane by harkening to my doctrine ye beleue not that ye might be saued neither suffer ye them to enter which come and are desirous of my doctrine concerning the kingdome of God that is to say which would faine heare and beleue my doctrine that by faith they might be made heires of Gods kingdome while you slaunder my doctrine and my workes as though they procéeded from Sathan and therefore were to be abhorred and eschewed of good men And by these wordes of the Lord it appeareth most manifestly that the keyes wherof he speaketh here in S. Matthew saying and to thee will I geue the keyee of the kingdome of heauen are not any other thing then the charge of preaching the Gospell committed by the Lord to the ministers of his Church that by the sayd
counselling to depose Childericke and to aduaunce Pippin to the kingdome And so was an other horne ouerthrowen by the little horne The third horne which was the kinges of Lombardie was brought lowe at the incensing of the Popes and finally also vtterly wiped away by Pippin and Charles kinges of Fraunce But by the vndoing oppressing of these kinges the wealth of the Bishops of Rome increased and their power waxed strong whom Gods will was to shew by this triple crowne as it were with the fingar to be very Antichristes Thus much concerning the Keyes Armes and Cognisances of the Romane Bishops Now come to my way againe ¶ Of the wordes power and ministery and so is the disputation of the keyes knit vp I Know well inough it offendeth many euen in this discourse that I vse the terme power so seldome and the worde ministerie or ministration so often when notwithstanding the Scripture doth openly geue power to the ministers and it is commonly called the power of the keyes But how small a thing is that I beséech you if it be compared with the fulnesse of power which these men chalenge to them selues openly I graunt in déede that the administration of the Church or if ye like it better of the keyes is called power For the Lord sayth in the Gospell Like as a man that at his going into a straunge countrey left his house and gaue his seruauntes power c. But who knoweth not that the power which is spoken of héere is none other but to do seruice or to minister specially seing that in an other Euangelist it is more effectually opened what maner of power the same is in these wordes to geue his honsholde meate in due season sayth the lord Which thing no man will wrest to the fulnesse of power but he that is past all shame For the Lorde speaketh manifestly of the preaching of the Gospell whereby meate is set before the housholde I meane before the Church of god And when Paule to the Corinthians had termed the preaching of the Gospell the word of attonement by and by expoūding him selfe he addeth that the office or ministration of preaching the attonement was geuen vnto him behold héere he calleth that thing a ministration which he had euen now called the worde And he addeth againe that Christ by the ministers exhorteth men to be at one with god What power I pray you shall the faythfull minister claime by this géere Rightly therefore do some men geue warning that the power by lawe is one thing and the power by ministration is an other The power by lawe is that wherby ech man as an owner hath power ouer the thinges that are his owne subiecte to his owne commaundement and not to an other mans After this sort the Lord hath power ouer the Church who sayth in the Gospell All power is geuen to me in heauen and in earth So is it sayd before that Christ hath the key of Dauid of death and of hell This power is communicated to no creature but remaineth to God alone Therefore except they will be false ministers they will neuer take this power vpon thē But the power of ministration or office is that which the Lord hath committed to the ministers with a certaine limitation and not absolutely For these do not what they list them selues nor as owners of thinges but as their Lord and master hath commaunded them and onely in the same maner that he by his certaine determination hath appointed them to be done and if they do it not or do it otherwise then their master hath commaunded them they shall be but vntrusty seruauntes And so vndoutedly the minister of Christ hath the ministering power of the keyes in the Church to preach the Gospell to the Church and to preach it in such wise as the Lord hath commaunded him to preach and certeinly he shall be a false and vnfaythfull seruaunt to his master if he take vpon him any other power and specially fulnesse of power and preach not the Gospell at all or preach it otherwise then is appointed him Besides this I am not ignorant that Christ gaue the Apostles great power howbeit with limitation and but for the beginning and for a certeine time according as Mathew witnesseth saying And he gaue his twelue Disciples power against vncleane spirites to cast them out and to heale all maner of diseases and infirmities For I thinke not that any man will affirme the same power to be geuen to all ministers of the Church together with the keyes considering that we know how that the Gospell being sufficiently confirmed already by such signes they be now no longer common and vsuall in the rest of the Church no more then the ablenesse and vse of sundry tounges But howsoeuer the case stād with that wonderfull power it is most certeine that the Apostle Paule sayd of all maner of power geuen vnto him by the Lord that the same was geuen him to edifie withall and not to destroy Which thing vnlesse euery minister wey very aduisedly with him selfe not onely in vaine but also to his owne great harme shall he dispute of the power that is geuen him and much more daungerously shall he take it vpon him Hetherto I haue made discourse of the keyes with as much bréefnesse and plainnesse as I could Wherby I trust that such as shut not their eyes of malice may perceaue that the keyes are for an other thing then the Papistes face vs withall doutlesse not an absolute ouer thinges in earth and in heauen but an healthfull ministery of Gods worde or of the Gospell of Iesu Christ and the charge and good ordering of the very Church of God And therefore that whē the Lord sayd I will geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen he gaue not Peter and the Romane Idoll an infinite power which they call the fulnesse of power For when the Lord promised and gaue the keyes he gaue not the keyes of an earthly kingdome but of the kingdome of heauen Which thing is chéefly to be marked in this discourse And in this kingdome in this his Church Christ is the souerein Lorde and abideth King Bishop and supreme head yea and that alone without any copartener or deputie But his messengers or Ambassadors sent to his Church are the Elders rulers and ministers of the congregations As for all power it is onely Christes the King Préest and Head and is not surrendred to any other For he him selfe caryeth yet still and vnto the very end will cary vpon his shoulders the key of Dauid and he will open and no man shall shut and shut and no man shall open and he alone both looseth and bindeth But his Ambassadors or preachers that are sent and ordeined to gather his Church doe preach this Christ the Lord assuring men by the preaching of the Gospell that Christ forgeueth the sinnes of such as beléeue certeinly and bestoweth eternall life vpon them
vsurpyng monstruously the place of supreme head And finally which hath presumed to dispose parsons of churches other Catholicke Priestes and to make constitutions in cases Ecclesiasticall deposing and oppressing the Catholike Byshops and aduauncing or restoryng wicked preachers and ministers of vngodlinesse to the roomes of those that be deposed c. This ye may sée is the fayre Helene for the winnyng of whom the Romish Byshops haue made warre in Christendome now these certeine hundred yeares agaynst all Christen Kinges and Princes This is the ground of all their grief verely this is the onely cause for which they haue turmoyled the whole world and cease not to turmoyle it euen at this day that is to wit in so great light of the Gospell which now shyneth bright and triumpheth through the whole world a most assured proofe of inuincible shamelesnesse and wilfulnesse For the Lord without any parable and most manifestly in the Gospell sayth to the pastors of Churches The kings of the Gentiles reigne ouer them but so shall not you Neuerthelesse the Byshop who will séeme to be the Prince of pastors despising or rather trampling that so manifest commaundement of the Lord vnder his féete is not ashamed to take vppon him all power as well in spirituall as temporall matters And what els is that but to wype away all shamefastnesse and openly and wickedly to rebell agaynst God and to outface him with saying to him but we will do so and not simply but also farre further yea and more to But I haue shewed euidently inough afore that all pastors of Churches are called and ordeined by Christ not to beare rule but to serue in all thinges Monstruously therfore doth the seruaunt of seruauntes which is excluded from all Lordship and appointed onely to do seruice vsurpe to him selfe the thyng that is peculiar onely to souereines whom God hath set in authoritie For if the thyng be sayd to be done monstruously which is done either agaynst nature or Gods expresse ordinaunce I pray you what can be deuised more monstruous than that he whom the Lord of all thinges of whom commeth all power and dominion hath cast downe as the basest seruaunt of all and put farre vnderneath the footestooles of all Lordes should not onely take vpon him the chayre of estate which God hath graunted onely to kynges but also moreouer deuise himselfe a throne which he will haue séeme to be exalted aboue the thrones of all kinges and mountyng vp into the same without remembraunce of his own base estate deuilishly vaunt himselfe to the whole world not now as a King or Emperour onely but also as chief Byshop that obteineth both the swordes and all power both in heauen and in earth Here is that dubbleshapped monster here here is séen that deadly and detestable that horrible also and wonderfull monster which is blased in the holy Scriptures by the title of the great whore which fitteth vppon many waters and vppon the scarlet colored beast full of names of blasphemie But for a kyng or a Quéene to be called a head as well in spirituall as temporall matters within their owne Realme it is no monstruousnesse at all bycause the Lord hath so ordeined it in Gods word Princes be called the heades of the people so the thing can not be sayd to be done mōstruously agaynst nature which is done according to Gods will word With Kyngs I ioyne Quéenes also and not without cause least the Pope perchaunce might surmyse that women are excluded from reignyng or that it is a monstruous thyng if a woman should reigne For we know that the thinges which the Apostle speaketh concernyng the obedience of wiues and the silence of women in the congregation of God are not to be wrested vnto reigning For it is certein that the Lords Apostles impeached not the successions in kyngdomes ne disordered not the accustomed maner of inherityng in kyngdomes Also we know that mention is made in the Bible of the noble Quéene of Saba to her great prayse for her much conference with Salomon Neither will I now say any thyng of Delbora that Iudged Israell of other Princely Ladyes Truly Esay not onely sayd And Kynges shal be thy foster-fathers but also added And Quéenes shal be their nurces they shall bow downe themselues before thée c. Esay 49. ¶ How it is no monstruousnesse for the Queene of England and consequently for all ciuill Magistrates to determine in cases Ecclesiasticall or to vndertake and beare the charge of Church matters as to depose euill Byshops and to set vp better in their roomes NOw then it is out of dout that the sayd most vertuous Quéene is supreme head or souerein Lady in that her Realme ordeined of God himselfe and set ouer the puissant Realme of Englād except it be false which the Lords Apostle and chosen vessel Paule hath sayd Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers For there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordeined of god Therfore who soeuer resisteth power resisteth Gods ordinaūce And they that resist shall purchase dānation to themselues Seyng now that all men know these thinges to be most true it foloweth there withal not onely that the Quéene of Englād is Quéene by Gods ordinaūce but also that the byshop that resisteth her setteth himselfe naughtely agaynst her prouoketh Gods greuous iudgemēt agaynst himselfe But forasmuch as the Pope thinkes it a monstruousnesse that a king or a Quéene or any ciuil Magistrate in a cōmō weale should determine of Ecclesiasticall cases put down naughtie Priestes or Bishops aduaunce set vp better in their steddes and take vpon him to beare the charge not onely of temporall affaires but also of spirituall or Ecclesiasticall matters Lo I will proue and shew by euident and inuincible argumentes and examples of holy kynges howbeit briefly that the same thinges are parcell of their dewtie and therfore that the Magistrate doth then by Gods law and accordyng to the commaundement of the euerlastyng God and that the Bishop of Rome snatcheth them to him selfe and to his rable tyrannically and wickedly agaynst God playeth the Antichrist in pluckyng them from those to whom God hath giuen them That God in any wise would and that he hath ordeined from the beginnyng that Kynges in their kyngdomes and Magistrates in their common weales ought to take vpon them the care euen of Religion and to looke faithfully vnto it and to order it diligently accordyng to the rule of Gods woord this is the greatest proofe that God in hys law doth straitly commaund a copie of the law to be deliuered to the Prince of his people therby to dispose all his affaires And in the same law he commaundeth the Magistrate to make examination of doctrines and to restrayne yea and to smyte such as withdraw mē from God and such as teach stubbornly agaynst the law These thinges are to
vpon Iohn sayth thus Whereas they were all asked the question Peter alone answered Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God and it is sayd vnto him Vnto thee will I geue the keyes as though he alone had receaued the power to binde and loose when notwithstanding he both spake it alone for them all and receaued them with them all as bearing the person of vnitie and one did therfore both speake and receaue because there is vnitie in all The same wordes repeateth he againe in his 124. treatise vpon Iohn And in his ▪ 50. treatise he sayth when Peter receaued the keyes he represented the holy Church The same thinges auoucheth the blessed Martyr Cyprian in his little worke concerning the simplicitie of Clerkes Furthermore if we shoulde graunt any thing to be geuen héere singularly vnto Peter what is that to the Pope of Rome He hath not yet proued him selfe to be Peters heire and successor In his owne Decrées in the sentences of Hierom and Chrysostom in the xl distinction he shall finde that which will put him to his trumpe wring him by the eare and cut his combe Neither doth he which sayth that in Peter the keyes were geuen to the whole Church approue the Romish toyes ¶ Here is expounded the mysterie of the Armes cognisances of the Romane Bishops bearing brauely in their scutchions a triple crowne with a payre of Keyes BEfore I depart from hence I will glauncingly and bréefly set forth the thinges which séeme to perteine peculiarly to the keyes not of the kingdome of heauen but the keyes which the Bishops of Rome take to them selues and which they blaze abroad in their Armes that is to wit by painting and stamping them commonly in a scutchion and vnder an helmet yea and by fastening them vnto all their Bulls For vnder those armes and cognisances of theirs after the maner and fashion of scutchions and helmets doe they shadowe the fulnesse of their power and blaze it abroad to the knowledge of all men For the scutchion it selfe beareth the armes of the house of the Bishop that sitteth in the Sea. And ouer the scutchion stand two keyes a crosse so set that in stead of an helmet or crest they beare vp or haue set vpon the shéeld and keyes a triple crowne or cap of mainteinance which according to the interpretation of Austin Steuchus they them selues call their Royaltie The cap of mainteinance it selfe sheddeth out little Labells such as are hanging at Bishops Miters And all these thinges which were vtterly vnknowen to the Apostles and the first Bishops of the Romane Sea are according to the arte of Haraldrie made significatiue to shew forth the puissance or power of this king kingdome of all other the greatest The shéeld it selfe which beareth the armes of the Bishops linage sheweth that the kingdome and the power of the kingdome belongeth to him whose armes those be and which presently sitteth in that Sea. And the two keyes set crosse aloft vpon the shéeld like as also their two swordes doe according to their holy and misticall diuinitie betoken that vnmeasurable power of theirs which extendeth it selfe foreward and backward through the whole earth and aduaunceth it selfe also aboue the very cloudes euen into heauen In the meane while it was Gods good will to teach wise men by such fatall badges who and what maner a one this prince is verely euen the same of whom S. Iohn hath written in his Apocalips saying And I saw an other beast comming out of the earth and hauing two hornes like vnto the Lambes But those two hornes are Préesthood and Princehood and both of them belong to Christ the Lord who is continueth alone both King and Préest for euer For he is that Lābe of god Therfore it is piththely sayd that those hornes which the beast taketh vnto him are not the Lambes hornes for the Lambe kéepeth his still and lendeth them to no man but like the Lambes hornes For the Bishop will haue all men beleue that by Peter Christ hath geuen them equall power with him selfe that is to wit Préesthood and Princehood and so prate they in those tyrannicall Decretalls of theirs which thing for all that is but of their owne making neither haue they receaued any such thing of Christ or yet of Peter Furthermore their Royaltie or Crowne hath Labells hanging at it yea euen bishoply labells flaring about and wrythed with the keyes to the sides of the crowne meaning therby that this prince is no cōmon prince but both a prince and a préest Yea the crowne which this préestly king prince and Emperor beareth is not single and one but triple such as neuer any Monarkes wore that men can read of were they neuer so puissant neither are there any princes liuing at this day that weare the like And who I pray you would dout that there were a great mysterie in these thinges if it were not such a one as knoweth not that the matters of these men are stuffed with mysteries like the holy letters of the Egyptians This triple crowne therfore signifieth that he which beareth it is Lord of Lordes and King of Kinges or rather that he is the only prince vpon earth which hath power in earth in heauē and in purgatory vnder the earth or more verely which is king of heauen of the earth of the vnfortunate Ilandes or of the new found land Purgatory And this crowne is not of lesse value then the crownes of other kinges but much statelyer wrought with wonderfull cunning and garnished and beset with iewels and things of great price that at least wise euen therby they might do men to vnderstand that that power of theirs hath not his match in all the world but in all pointes surmoūteth all others Again it is come to passe by the goodnesse of God that none of all the princes in the world weareth such a crowne but onely the Bishop of Rome For so was it Gods will to shew openly by this peculiar marke that this prince thus capped with a triple crowne is the very same whom Daniell in his vij chapter termeth the little horne For the little horne in déede is the bishop and shepeheard which is bedecked with humilitie and whom God hath forbidden to reigne as a lord This little pretie horne springeth vp among the tenne hornes For whē the Romane Monarchie which is the olde beast was diuided and decayed there appeared vp a little slender horne and a despised one among the rest and swept away thrée of the other hornes By doing wherof he purchased him self power For the Bishops of Rome at the beginning of their créeping vp dispatched thrée princes First Gregory the second of that name pluckt vp Leo the third Emperor of Constantinople one of these thrée hornes by procuring his Exarke to be slaine in a hurlyburly at Rauenna and dispatching the Emperor quite out of Italy Afterward Pope Zachary draue Childericke king of Fraunce to decay by
departed in peace Let the noblemen and cleargy of the whole realme dispose the succession of the kingdome by common aduice that while we retayne the vnitie of concord no man may practise the disquietnesse of his contry realme by violence and ambition But if this warning correct not our mindes ne bringeth our hart to the regard of the common welfare Heare our determination Whosoeuer of vs or of all the people of Spaine shall by any conspiracie or practise breake his oth which he hath made for the welfare of his countrye and the nation of the Gothes or for the preseruation of the kinges estate or shall lay handes vpon the kinges person to murther him or depose him from his royall authoritie or by tyrannicall presumption vsurpe the crowne Cursed be he in the presence of God the Father of his Aungels and let him becomme a forreiner from the Catholike churche which he hath defiled with hys periurie and a stranger to all companies of Christians with all the partakers of hys wickednes For it is méete that they which be wrapped in one offence should also be subiect to one punishment And this their definitiue sentence they double twise or thrice still beating and harping vpon it Which thinges I haue hetherto rehearced and many other of the same sort coulde I alleage but that I know that these are enough to such as vse reason Let the pope then goe as he is woorthy with that absolution of hys not Apostolicall but apostaticall and diabolicall whereby he dischargeth the Nobilitie and Commons of England of all fealtie and obedience shamlesly and openly teaching them to practise wicked rebellion treason and cursed periurie against theyr Quéene sette ouer them by God which vices God according to hys righteousnes hath alwayes hated and vtterly abhorred Yea and he him selfe also is stricken with the curse euen now rehearced iustly pronounced against forswearers by the fathers in the fourth Counsell of Tolet because he is not onely forsworne himselfe but also teacheth forswearing Nay rather he sheweth by this as a most certaine marcke how he is the man of sinne of whome the Apostle speaketh For like as he himselfe swarmeth and ouerfloweth with sinnes and wickednes euen so doth he entice and enforce all men into sinne and wickednes by his publications or decrées Therefore looke to thy selfe O Englande and beware of this man of sinne whome God comming downe from heauen to iudge the quicke and the dead shall shortly wype away and according as Iohn hath truely foretold throw him headlong into a lake of fyre burning with brimstone together wyth all those that haue more willingly obayed him that is to say to Antichrist than to Christ. ¶ That the Nobilitie and Commons of England must not obey the popes commaundement nor feare his curse And here is shewed what thing subiectes owe to theyr Princes by Gods appoyntment and how greuously God hath alwayes punished rebelles and sedicious persons LAstly the Bishop of Rome in his definitiue sentence commaundeth all the Nobilitie and People of England that be subiectes to the Quéene that vpō paine of his curse they obey not hir Maiesties lawes and commaundementes hereafter What shall they do then Marie forsake theyr allegiance cast of the yoke of obedience and with hurliburly ryse vp against the Quéene whome God hath geuen them to be theyr soueraigne Ladie and thrust hir from hir crowne and through vnspeakable treason murther hir and then set all the Realme on a broyle beat downe all the faythfull and rid them out of the way fill all places with slaughter and confound heauen earth together These are the counsels and commaundementes of this blissed syre borowed of that father of his of whome the Lord speaketh in hys Gospell saying You are of your father the deuill and you will folow the desires of your father He was a murtherer from the beginning and continued not in the truth because there is no truth in him They therefore that loue godlinesse and their owne saluation and the honor peace and welfare of their owne countrie as euery good and godly man must of duetie do let them flye as far as may be from thys diuelish cruell and bloudy decrées of the pope Neyther is there any cause why they should feare to incur the displeasure of almightie God for disobeying the Popes Decrées For the Pope hath published those Decrées agaynst God against the true word of God. For God hath taught thinges plaine contrarie and fighting full but against the Popes Decrées namely that euery man ought to yeld both honour feare to his Prince or Magistrate and also to pay him tribute and custome and performe due subiection and obedience to him And these things are to be read word for word written by the Apostle Paule in the xiij to the Romanes For subiectes ye and all good men must both thinke and speake reuerently and honorablie of their Princes or Magistrates as whom God in his word vouchsaueth to call by the name of Gods as by whom God himselfe gouerneth iudgeth defendeth bridleth and preserueth his people In consideration wherof in the booke of Iudges iudges be termed Sauyours Which thing al subiectes ought to acknowledge with a certeine reuerence admiration and giuing of thankes For we be commaunded to make earnest intercession for our Princes in our prayers vnto God we be commaunded to loue our Magistrate vnfeynedly and in a comly decent and diligent wise to honor them with the honours accustomed to eche countrey So haue all the holie Priestes Prophetes and faithfull seruauntes of God done to their king as it is to be séene in many places of the holy Scripture Besides this it is an expresse commaundement in Gods law Thou shalt not speake euill of the Gods nor curse the Prince of thy people Moreouer the Prince is also to be feared of his subiectes that they practise not any thing against him and much lesse make not insurrection against him as enemies or moue sedition or otherwise commit vngracious actes and worthie to be punished For if thou do the thing that is euill sayth Paule then feare for he beareth not the sword in vayne For he is Gods Minister to punish him that doth euill And truly good men feare their Princes not as executioners but as fathers For agayne the Apostle sayth Princes are not a terror to them that do well but to them that do ill And wilt thou not stād in feare of authority then do the thing that is good and so shalt thou receiue prayse of him Moreouer subiectes must pay their Princes all maner of tributes customes and all other dewties For againe the Apostle saith who goeth a warfare at his owne charges But Princes serue the common weale therfore it is good right that they should be mainteined of the common charges Surely Paule saith expresly euen therfore do ye pay tribute for they be Gods