lord conceyued great indignatioÌ„ against Hely the chiefe prieste i Reg ii bycause he dyd not duely correcte his two sonnes Ophni and Phinees i Reg. â—iii whan he knewe that they dyd greuously offende god and how in reuenging of theyr fathers negligence and remissenes in correcting of his children almighty god toke from Hely and all his issue and householde for euer the office of the high priesthode how his two sonnes Ophni and Phinees were slayne bothe vppon a day and Hely theyr father brake his necke This example of Hely is necessary for fathers to imprynt in theyr hartes that they may se theyr children well taught and corrected lest they runne into the great indignation of almighty god as Hely dyd and not onely in this world haue confusion but also in the worlde to come haue damnation for the mysorder of theyr children throughe their defaute and they muste not thynke that it is inough to speake somewhat to them whan they do amisse for so dyd Hely to his sonnes and yet our lord was not pleased bicause he dyd not moche more sharply correcte them and se them refourmed but whan wordes wyll not serue the fathers and mothers must put to sharper correction and by such discipline saue theyr soules orels they shall aunswere to god for them And truly they greatly deserue the indignatioÌ„ of god that whan they haue receyued of hym chyldren do not bringe them vp to his seruice but without regarde what coÌ„meth of them suffer them to runne into the seruice of the deuyl Wherfore al fathers ought diligently to consider and remembre how moche and how greuously they offende god and of how many euils they be the cause which either bring vp their children in wantonnes and idelnes and do not put them forthe be tyme to some facultie exercise or labour wherby they may after gette theyr lyuyng or occupie theyr lyfe to the profite and commoditie of the common weale or elles do suffer their chyldren in youth to be corruptid for lacke of good teaching and good bringing vp in the true knowlege of god and of his wyl and commandementes or committe in word or dede such thinges in the presence of their children wherof the yonge tendre hartes of the said children whiche like a smal twygge be inclinable euery way and by fraylenes of youth be inclyned to euyl do take so euyl example and corruption of vices and worldely affections that harde it wyll be for them after to eschue the same This coÌ„mandement also conteineth the honour and obedience which subiectes owe vnto their princes And also the offyce of prynces towardes theyr subiectes For scripture taketh prynces to be as it were fathers 〈◊〉 xlix nurses to their subiectes And by scripture it appereth that it apperteyneth vnto the office of princes to se that the righte religion true doctrine of Christ be mainteined and taught that their subiectes be wel ruled gouerned by good iust lawes to prouide and care that the people common weale maye encreace and to defende them frome oppression and inuasion as well within the realme as without their subiectes aiding them thervnto to se that iustice be ministred vnto them indifferently to here by themselues or by their mynisters beningly al their complaintes and to shew toward them although they offende fatherly pitie And finally so to correct them that be euil that they had yet rather saue them than lose them yf it were not for respect of iustice maintenance of peace and good ordre in the coÌ„mon weale And therfore al theyr subiectes must again on their partes and be bouÌ„de by this coÌ„mandement not onely to honour obey their said princes accordyng as subiectes be bound to do to owe theyr truth fidelitie vnto them as vnto their naturall lordes but they must also loue them as childreÌ„ do loue their fathers yea they must more tendre the suretie of their princes person and his estate than their owne or any others Euen like as the health of the head is more to be tendred thaÌ„ the health of any other membre And by this commandement also subiectes be bound not to withdrawe their said fealtie trouth loue and obedience towardes their prince for any cause what so euer it be ne for any cause they maye conspire against his person ne do any thing towardes the hinderance or hurt therof nor of his estate And furthermore by this commandement they be bounde to obey also all the lawes proclamations preceptes and coÌ„mandementes made by their princes and gouernours except they be against the commandementes of god And lykewyse they be bounde to obey all suche as be in authoritie vnder their prince as farre as he wyll haue them obeyed They must also gyue vnto their prince aide helpe and assistaunce whan so euer he shall requyre the same either for suretie preseruation or maintenaÌ„ce of his person and estate or of the realme or of the defence of any of the same against all persons And whaÌ„ so euer subiectes be called by their prince vnto pryuy counsayle or vnto the parliament where is the generall counsayle of this realme than they be bounde to giue vnto theyr prynce as theyr learnynge wysedome or experyence can serue them the moste faythefull counsayle they can and suche as may be to the honour of god to the honour and suertie of his regall person and state and to the generall wealthe of this hole realme And further if any subiecte shall knowe of any thynge whiche is or may be to the noyaunce or damage of his princis person or estate he is bounde by this commandement to disclose the same with al spede to the prynce him selfe or to some of his couÌ„sayle For it is the very lawe of nature that euery membre shal imploy him selfe to preserue defende the heade And surely wisedome and polycie wyll the same for of conspiracy and treason commeth no goodnesse but infinite hurte damage and perill to the common weale And that all subiectes do owe vnto theyr princes and gouernours suche honour and obedience as is aforesayde it appereth euidently in sundry places of scripture but specially in the epistles of saint Paul Rom. xiii and saint Peter For saint Paul saythe in this maner Euery man must be obedient vnto the hyghe powers for the powers be of god And therfore who so euer resisteth the powers resysteth the ordynaunce of god And they that resyst the ordynaunce of god shall get to them selues damnation For rulers are not feareful to them that be good but to them that do euil Wilt not thou feare the power Do well and thou shalte haue prayse of the same for he is the minister of god for thy welth But yf thou do euyll then feare for he beareth not the sworde without cause For he is the minister of god to punishe the euyll doer therfore you muste obey not onely for the feare of punysshement but also
archebysshops haue of ancient tyme refused to owe vnto them any such subiection as they by colour of an vniuersal primary chalenged required ouer them As the patriarches of Constantinople other of the east the archebisshops of Rauenna Millan such other And also Agatho him selfe being bishop of Rome longe after the .iiii. fyrst vniuersall counsayles in his letters sent vnto the emperour concerning a generall counsaile to be holden at Constantinople playnely declareth and confesseth his primacy to extend onely to the byshops of the weste north parties And that in suche wise as it is euident that at that tyme the bishops of Rome neither by the wordes of scripture nor by any decree of ancient generall coūsels nor by the cōsent of the hole catholyke churche had any such vniuersall primacy as he nowe requireth And yf the bysshops of Rome wyll allege any later counsayles for their pretensed vniuersall primacy as the counsayles of Constance Basill and Florence It is manyfest and open that the counsailes of Basill and Constance were in the tyme of scismes and they which were there deuided in to factions after the fauour of their princis which princis were also deuided some fauouring the one part of the scisme some the other And the great part of the lerned men that were there were of this later institute religious and therfore obsequente to the pleasure and wyll of the bishoppes of Rome and brought vp only in this later scolasticall doctrine and lytell exercised or lerned in the holy scriptures or in the olde auncient doctours and writers And bothe of those counsayles were dyssolued and broken vp without any perfit ende or conclusion And sith that tyme the canons pragmatical of these two counsayles be no where vsed nor yet alleged as to be of effecte by the authoritie of those counsayles And as to the counsayle Florentine ouer and besides that the greattest parte of lerned men there were suche as we spake of before the consent also in this matter of the Orientalles and Grecians that were there seemed to the hole countreyes that sent them so farre bothe agaynst scripture and general counsayles and their auncient holy writers that they forthwith shewed them selues soo moche discōtent with that consent of theyr ambassadours that they then neyther wold receiue the determination concerning the vniuersall primacy of the bishop of Rome neyther sithe that tyme coulde be induced to agree to the same And thus by all those thinges before rehersed it plainly appereth that the bishops of Rome claiming this pretensed vniuersall primacie do yet not onely without any grounde of holy scripture and without any consent of the hole catholike churche but also contrary to the determination and decrees of suche generall counsayles as the bisshoppes of Rome these many hundred yeres vnto this day in theyr creation do solemnely and expressely professe to kepe obserue For as it appereth by theyr owne lawes and actes from tyme to tyme euery bysshop of Rome whā he is created doth openly solemnely professe that he shall inuiolably obserue kepe all the canons of the fyrst .viii. generall counsailes amonge the whyche be the canons before rehersed playnely repugnant and contrary to his sayde pretensed vniuersall primacy Fynally this beynge manifestly declared and proued that the byshoppes of Rome hath not iustly and laufully any suche vniuersal power ouer the bysshoppes and clergy al wyse men may easily perceyue and see that they maye moche lesse clayme to haue the hole monarchye of the worlde and such authoritie ouer all princes and kynges that they may therby depose them from theyr realmes dominions and seignories and transferre and gyue the same vnto such persons as them liketh Where as the scripture dothe teache and commaunde the contrary that is to saye That all christen people as well priestis and bishops as all other shulde be obedient vnto princes and potestates of the world For the truth is that god constituted and ordeined the authoritie of christen kynges and princes to be the most high and supreme aboue all other powers and officers in this worlde in the regiment and gouernemēt of theyr people and cōmitted vnto them as vnto the chiefe heades of theyr cōmon wealthes the cure and ouersight of all the people which be in theyr realmes and dominions without any exception And to them of right and by goddis cōmaundement belongeth not only to prohibite vnlawfull violence to correcte offendours by corporall death or other punishment to conserue morall honesty amonge theyr subiectes accordinge to the lawes of theyr realmes to defend iustice to procure the publike wele cōmon peace trāquillitie in outward earthly thinges But specially and principally to defende the faith of Christ and his religion to conserue and maintein the true doctrine of Christe and all suche as be true preachers and setters forth therof to abolishe all abuses heresies and idolatries and to punishe with corporal peines such as of malice be the occasion of the same And finally to ouer see and cause that the sayd bishops priestes do execute their pastoral office truely faithfully specially in those pointes which by Christ and his apostles were giuen and committed vnto them and in case they shall be negligent in any parte therof or wolde not diligently execute the same to cause them to redoube and supply theyr lacke And if they obstinately withstand theyr princes kynd monition and wyll not amend theyr faultes than and in such case to put other in theyr roumes and places And god hath also cōmanded the sayd bishops priestes to obey with all humblenes reuerence both kynges and princis and gouernours and all theyr lawes not beynge contrary to the lawes of god what so euer they be and that not onely propter iram but also propter cōscientiā that is to say not only for feare of punyshment but also for discharge of conscience Wherby it appereth well that this pretended monarchy of the bishop of Rome is not founded vpon the gospell but it is repugnant thervnto And therfore it apperteyneth to christen kinges and princis for the discharge of theyr office dutie towarde god to endeuour them selues to refourme and reduce the same againe vnto the olde limittes and pristine estate of that power which was giuen to them by Christe vsed in the primitiue churche For it is out of doubt that Christis faith was than most firme and pure the scriptures of god were than beste vnderstande and vertue dyd than moste abounde excel And therfore it must nedes folow that the customes and ordynaunces than vsed and made be more conforme and agreable vnto the true doctrine of Christ and more conducynge vnto the edifieng and benefite of the churche of Christ than any custome or lawes vsed or made by the bysshop of Rome or any other addicted to that see and vsurped power sith that tyme. And therfore where as the kynges moste royall maiestie
cōsidering of his most excellent wisedome not only the notable decay of Christis true and perfite religion emonges vs but also the intollerable thraldome captiuitie and bondage with the infynite dangers and preiudices whyche we his subiectes continually susteyned by reason of that longe vsurped and abused power whiche the bysshops of Rome were wōt to exercise here in this realme hath nowe of his most godly disposition and by the consente of his nobles spirituall and temporall by auctoritie of the hole parliament determined no longer to suffer the byshoppe of Rome to exercyse any parte of his vsurped iurisdiction here within this realme but clerely to delyuer vs from the same and restore vs agayne vnto our libertie Surely we haue great cause most ioyfully and thankefully to enbrace and accepte the same consideryng that therby no preiudice is done to goddis worde or his ordinaunces For as we haue shewed and declared before it was by princes sufferaunce onely that the bysshoppe of Rome exercised any suche iurisdiction within this realme and not by the authoritie giuen vnto hym by Christe And as for the bysshop of Rome he can not pretende hym selfe no more to be greued or iniuried therwith than any of the kynges officers myght worthily thynke that the kynges byghnes shulde do him wronge in case he shulde vppon good cause remoue hym from his roume and office and committe it to an other And as for vs the kynges faythfull subiectes we shall vndoubtedly receyue and haue thereby syngular welth and commoditie as well spiritually to the edifieng of our soules as corporally to the increase of our substance and richesse The which how moch it was impaired decayed continually from tyme to time by the great exactions of the byshoppes of Rome and suche treasures as wente yerely out of this realme to his coffers for annates annuities and exemptions pardons and suche other vnlawfull exactions we doubte not but all men indued with any witte and zeale to the welthe of this our countrey do right well perceiue and vnderstande and accordingly with hart and minde wil not onely pray for the kynges highnes and his preseruation by whose occasion this lighte came fyrste vnto vs but also firmely and constantly stycke to those lawes wherby we haue so moche ease of wrongfull exactions and abuses and also our prince kyng now enioieth most rightfully his iust title with restitution of his royall and imperiall dignitie and princely gouernance The sacrament of Confirmation WE reade in holy scrypture / how the apostels in the beginnyng of the churche althoughe they dyd certainly knowe and beleue that al suche as had duely receyued the sacrament of baptisme were by vertu and efficacie therof perfitely regenerated in Christ perfitely incorporated and made the very members of his body and had receyued full remission of their synnes and were indued with graces and giftes of the holy goste yet they went vnto the people after they were baptised and so by their prayer and imposition of theyr handes vppon them the holy goste was giuen and conferred vnto them And the sayde people did speake diuerse languages and prophecyed wherby not onely they whiche had receyued baptisme and professed Christ were the better confirmed and established in Christis religion made more constant to confesse the same But also other whiche were out of the churche infideles mighte the soner be reduced by suche gifte and miracle frō theyr errours and be brought in to the right beliefe of Christe and his gospele Whervpon the holy fathers of the primitiue church taking occasion and founding them selues vpon the saide actes and dedes of the apostles and considering also that suche as had ones receyued the giftes and benefites of the holy goste by the sacrament of baptisme might and oftentimes dyd in dede by temptation frailtie or otherwise by theyr owne sinne and malice lose and fall from the same againe dyd vse and obserue as it hath ben hitherto by succession of ages continued that al christen people shuld after theyr baptisme be presented to theyr bishops to the intent that by theyr prayers and imposition of theyr handes vpon them consigning of them with the holy Chris◅ they shulde be confirmed that is to say they shuld receyue suche gyftes of the holy goste as wherby they shulde be so corroborated and establisshed in the giftes graces before receyued in baptisme that they shuld not lyghtly fall againe from the same but shulde constantly reteyne them and perseuere therin and shulde also be made stronger and hardier as wel to confesse boldly and manfully theyr faith before all the persecutours of the same and to resist and fight against theyr gostly ennemies the world the deuil and the fleshe as also to beare the crosse of Christe that is to suffer and susteine paciently all the afflictions and aduersities of this worlde and fynally that they shuld atteyne encreace and abundance of vertues and graces of the holy gost And although men ought not to contemne this sacrament but shuld present theyr children vnto the bishoppe to receyue at his handes the sacrament of confirmation yet it is not to be thought that there is any suche necessitie of confirmation of infantes but that they being baptised and dieng innocentes before they be confirmed shall be assured to atteine euerlastinge lyfe and saluation by the effecte of the sacrament of baptisme receyued The sacrament of extreme vnction AS towching extreme vnction we must vnderstand how according to scripture and the rule and ordre prescribed by the holy apostle saint Iames the catholike churche of Christ hath obserued and minystred this sacrament to such as haue required it in their sickenes and disease of body to the entent that by the workinge of god in ministration therof the sicke man through prayer of the priest the minister and suche as assist him might be releued of his bodely disease and also atteyne pardon and remission of his synnes For saint Iames saith If any be sick among you let him cal for the priestes of the churche and let them pray ouer him annointing him with oile in the name of our lorde and the prayer of fayth shall saue the sycke man and if be be in sinnes they shall be forgiuen him By whiche wordes like as the vse of the sacrament is confirmed and proued so that the churche may well vse the same with assurance that god assisteth the ministration therof So we must also remembre that although helth of body which here is prayed for doth not always folowe yet we shuld not doubte but god ordereth mannes praier therin alwaies to the best as he doth of his infinite goodnes all other prayers that men make who in dede knowe not what they shuld aske ne what is best or moste profitable for them Wherfore albeit we be taught to make all our prayers in a most certayne fayth to atteine our desires according to the generall promise made by god throughe Christe Aske and