supreme charge ouersight and gouernment to sée that the Priest do not abuse this so excellent and spiritual ministerie but exercise rightly the same according to Gods worde Who so doing the Prince so well as any other Christian obeyeth his preaching ministerie submitteth his head as Chrysosâ—…ome saith vnder the ministers handes as to Gods messenger steward and dispenser of his heauenly mysteries But if the Priest be not such an one as Chrysostome describeth if he do not denounce Gods promises threaâ—…es nor his worde at all but as Christ saith of the naughtie seruant striketh his fellow seruants and subtracâ—…eth their spirituall foode of Gods worde from them would poyson theÌ„ with such erroniouse foode as he would giue them besides and contrarie to the worde of God if he will not be centent with his owne boundes but will vsurpe also the dignitie that is not due vnto him but belongeth to the Prince shall the Prince suffer this at his handes him selfe to be spoyled of his authoritie and royall estate and his subiectes pilled of their goods yea both he and al his subiects by such a false vsurper tirant Priest to be robbed and spoiled of their soules foode saluation Here hath the Prince authoritie to suppresse such wicked Balamites such counterfaites such Antichrists what soeuer they be and to place in their places true and godly ministers such as Chrysostome here speakes of FroÌ„ which kinde of ministerie your Pope M. St who is your great high Priest all the inferiour rable of Priests that depende on him are so farre different that Chrysostoms senteÌ„ce not only maketh nothing for you but is cleane against you For first take your owne words that you cite out of Chrysostome lay them to your Pope Prelates and sée how they agrée togither This king saith Chrysâ—…stome of the minister or Priest is not knowne by visible things neither hath his estimatioÌ„ for preciouse stones he glistereth with all or for his gay golden ghstering apparell Contrarywise your Pope and his prelates to get the more estimation thereby of the people are not onely knowen by visible things but set out them selues and all their ceremonies to the vttermost in gay golden glistering apparell with most gorgeous ouches of siluer of golde of pearles and precious stones Againe this Prieste saith to the King I haue not vsurped thy purple contrarywise the Pope hath vsurped Emperours purple the Emperours Diademe the Emperours throne the Emperours Empire and all Againe ye tell vs out of Chrysostome that the bodies are committed to the King the soules to the Priest the King pardoneth the faultes of the bodie the Priest pardoneth the faultes of the soule the King forceth the Priest exhorteth the one by necessitie the other by giuing counsell the one hath visible armour the other spirituall he warreth against the barbarous I warre against the Diuell Contrarywise the Pope warreth against Christ and with the Diuell as his generall vicar and Licuetenant and taketh not onely vppon him the Emperours parte by warring against the barbarous Turkes and Saracens but also the Diuels parte by warring against the Saincts truth of God and that with more horrible treasons murders and villanies than euer was practised among the barbarous And entermedleth with faultes of the bodie as whoredome and fornication not onely bodily to punish them but also beastly for filthie lucre to maintaine them and condemneth in Gods ministers godly and honorable wedlocke which besides the other is a manifest argument that he is a Priest of no such kinde as Chrysostome here coÌ„mendeth For had you M. St. looked better euen in the same Homelie but the leafe before ye should haue seene what a notable commendation he maketh of the mariage of Priestes vppon the prophetes wordes Vidi dominum c. I saw the Lorde sitting in an high I hrone c. Quis hac loquitur c. VVho saith he spake these thinges Esay that beholdet of the celestiall Scraphins which had to deale with mariage and yet extinguished not grace You haue harkened to the Prophet and you haue heard the Prophet this day Go thou out and lasuph thy sonne neyther must we ouerpasse these thinges Go thou out and thy sonne Yea had the Prophet a sonne if he had a sonne he had a wife also that thou mayst vnderstande that mariages are not euill but whooredome is euill But so often as we talke with any of the vulgare people saying why liuest thou not well wherefore expressest thou not perfect manners how can I say they except I should go from my wife except I should bid my children farewell except I should bidde my businesse adieu VVherfore canst thou not doth matrimonie hinder thee a wife is giuen thee for an helper not to lay a snare for thee Had not the Prophet a wife neither did wedlocke hinder the grace of the spirite and yet he kepte companie togither with his wife and was a Prophet neuerthelesse Had not Moses a wife and yet he brake the rocke he changed the ayre he talked with God he stayde the diuine wrathe Had not Abraham a wife and yet he was made a father of Nations and of the Churche for he got his sonne Isaac and he was to him a matter of notable affayres Did he not offer his Sonne the fruit of his mariage was he not a father and withall a louer of God might not he see him selfe a sacrificer to be made of his owne bowels a sacrificer I say and a father withall nature to be ouercome godlinesse to ouercome his bowels to be troden downe his godly deedes to surmount the father to be cast downe and the louer of God to be crowned hast thou not seene the whole maÌ„ both a louer of his son and of God was matrimonie here an hindraÌ„ce but what saist thou to the mother of the Machabees Was she not a wife added she not seuen sonnes to the felowship of the saincts did she not see them crowned with martyrdom â–ª did she not stand by as a looker vppon and not â—…aint in hir minde stoode she not by exhorting euery one of them and being the mother of the martyrs suffred hâ—… selfe seuen martirdoms for while they were tormented she receyued the stroke Neither yet without affections beheld she â—…he things that were done She was the mother and the violence done to nature declared hir proper vertue But she was not ouercome c. But what say we to Peter the maine piller of the Church that vehemeÌ„t louer of Christ he that in speach was vnlearned conquerour of RhethoritiaÌ„s he that was vnskilfull stopped the philosophers mouthes he that dissolued the Greeke wisdome no otherwise thaÌ„ the webbe of spiders he that trauailed through the world cast the net into the sea and fished the world but what saith the Gospell Iesus entred vnto Peters wiues mother being sicke of a feuer VVhere a wiues mother is there is a wife and
vpon him with his foote and as his page to holde his stirrop to his foote and claimes to giue or take awaye his estate And you say here for all estates of the clergie VVe ought to be subiect not onely to Christians but euen to Infidels also being our Princes without any exception of Apostle Euangelist Prophete Priest or Monke What and is your Pope none of these Maister Stapleton an Apostle he is not without a pseudo nor he calles himselfe an Apostle but Apostolicall Much lesse he is an Euangelist and least a Prophete except a lying Prophete Sometimes in déede he hath bene a Monke but is there any Pope not a priest If he be a Priest then ought he by your owne confession to be subiect to the Emperour and in refusing this subiection what can ye make of him but as your selfe to your Prince so he to his Prince a very rebell and vsurper against his prince If ye say the Emperour is not his prince why is he then named the Emperor of Rome is not the name of an Emperor the name of the chiefest Principalitie And then if he be Emperor or king of the Romaines howe ought not the Pope being a Romaine or dwelling at Rome within this Princes kingdome or Empyre be subiect to this king or Emperour at the least as ye say in temporall and ciuill matters Doe ye thinke to escape in saying VVe ought to be subiect to our Princes without exception but he ought not I had thought ye had spoken of all Christiana and had simply mâ—…nt as Chrysostome did to whome ye referre your selfe who speaketh in generall of euery man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fuerâ—… or whosoeuer thou art which wordes ye dissemble and omit So that if your Pope be of 〈◊〉 calling and he be no more a Priest than Pope Ioane 〈◊〉 he a soule be he a bodye he ought by your owne graunt to 〈◊〉 subiect to the Emperour of Rome in these matters 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 the Emperour to be subiect vnto him Whiche 〈◊〉 the Pope shall vnderstande â—…owe for his 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 and for all his ciuill and temporall matters you woulde bring him to hys olde obedience 〈◊〉 the Emperour as he hath bene I thinke he will 〈◊〉 sâ—…all thanke Maister Stapleton for your labour But all this subiection saye you is but graunted in temporall and ciuill matters Doth Saint Paule Maister Stapleton alleage this distinction or Chrysostome to whoÌ„ ye reforro your selfe no M. St. they make no such restraint but stretch this obedience as to al ecclesiastical persons so principally to all ecâ—…l â–ª matters to the setting forth Gods religon â–ª And so Pauledoth call the Prince Gods minister â–ª And Chrysostome sayth Neque enim ista subiectio piâ—…tatem subuertit for neyther this subiectioÌ„ ouerturneth godynesse And vpon these words He is the minister of God a reuenger to him that doth euil He saith Againe least thou shouldst start back hearing of punishment correction and the sword he mentioneth againe that the Prince fulfilleth the lawe of God for what though the Prince himselfe know it not yet God hath so formed and ordeined it If therfore either he punish or aduance he is the minister of God maintaining vertue abolishing wickednesse euen bicause God would haue it so By what reason repugnest thou in striuing against him that bringeth such good things and goeth before thee and prepareth a way for thy affaires for many there are which at the first exercised vertue for respect of the magistrate but at the length they cleaued thervnto euen for the feare of god For things to come do not so moue the grosser sort as present things He therfore that prepareth the minds of many both with feare and honor that they may be made fitter for the worde of doctrine is worthily called the minister of God. In which words he plainly sheweth that the Princes ministery wherby he is called Gods minister consisteth in making vs fit apt receiuers of the wordâ—… of doctrine which the minister teacheth the Prince by punishing or rewarding goeth before prepareth a waye and bringeth to vs making vs apt to receyue either for feare 〈◊〉 loue this benefit by his ministâ—…rie In which work as the Apostles Preachers for the vtteraÌ„ce of the word of doctrine are called the workers togither with God so the Prince in preparing this way to the worde making vs apt to it is likewise said of Chrysostom that he worketh togither with the will of God. Wherin as we must not repâ—…gne against the prince so this obedience that we owe vnto him is not only in temporall and ciuill matters but in making vs apt for the worde of doctrine in which all eccl. matters are comprehended Now after M. St. hath thus stoode quarrelling in vain with the B. allegations he fourthly entreth into a reply vpon the B. with other allegations collected out of the same father Chrysost theroÌ„ frameth an argument against the Princes superiority In the forhed wherof he prefixeth this marginal note the Priesthode is aboue a kingdom which note as it is true in the sense that Chrysost. vnderstandeth it so maketh it nothing that he is abouâ—… him in the supreme gouernment directioÌ„ of all eccl. causes which is the present questioÌ„ the thing that M. 〈◊〉 â–ª calleth so osteÌ„ at other times vpoÌ„ But now saith M. St. As contrariwise the Prince himselfe is for ecclesiasticall spirituall causes subiect to his spiritual ruler VVhich Chrysostome himselfe of all men doth best declare Alij sunt termini c. The boundes of a Kingdome and of Priesthoode sayth Chrysostome are not all one this Kingdome passeth the other this King is not knowne by visible things neither hath his estimation for precious stones he glistreth withall or for his gay golden glistring apparel The other King hath the ordring of those worldly things the authoritie of Priesthood commeth from heauen VVhatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shall be bounde in heaueâ—… To the King those things that are here in the worlde are committed but to me celestiall things are committed VVhen I say to mee I vnderstande to a priest Andanon after he sayth Regi corpora c. The bodies are coÌ„mitted to the King the soules to the priest The King pardoneth the faultes of the bodie the Priest pardoneth the faultes of the soule The King forceth the Priest exhorteth the one by necessitie the other by giuing councel the one hath visible armour the other spirituall He warreth agaynst the barbarous I warre agaynst the deuill This principalitie is the greater and therefore the King doth put his heade vnder the Priestes handes And euery where in the olde scripture Priestes did annoynt the Kings Among all other bookes of the said Chrysostome his booke de sacerdotio is freighted with a number of like and more notable sentences for the Priestes superioritie aboue the Prince For the other sentences in Chrysostome I can not directly aunswere
Apologie All whiche though it be a plaine digression from the Bishoppes aunswere and the issue in question beeing aboute Images and Idolatrie yet such is his importunitie we muste followe master Stapleton not whether the cause requireth but whether hys ydle brayne pleaseth to runne at randon Otherwise the principall parte of this Counterblast beeing reiected to hys common place of other impertineÌ„t bibblebables he would crie oute that hée were not aunswered in suche a weightie matter And yet when all is done as it is nothing to the present purpose so is it to no effect in any other matter at all For all his quarrell consisteth in these two poyntes The one that the Homelie wrongfully named Theodorus Lascaris for Michaell Paleologus The other for a decree of Ualence and 〈◊〉 agaynst Images For the former what Authours the Authour of that Homilie followed I knowe not howe be it he nameth not Theodorus Lascaris as you say master Stapleton but onely Theodorus neyther this missing of the Emperours name to him that woulde haue regarded the matter conteyned in the Homelie mighte bee thought worthie so great an outcrye excepte it were to you master Stapleton that still vse to stumble at a sirawe and leape ouer a blocke lyke to the Phareseys that Excolantes culicem Camelum glutiebant VVere stiffled with a gâ—…atte and yet swallowed a Camell Neyther was this so great an ouersight sythe Theodorus and Michaell were both of one tyme The one expelled the other and both still reteyned the name of Emperour For as Uolaterane sayeth Michaeligitur Paleologus c. Michaell Paleologus therefore at the same tyme inuaded the Empyre whiche two moste noble houses of Constantinople that is to saye the house of the Lascarie and the house of the Paleologie the one decayed the other lyfte vppe hir heade Theodorus Lascaris being thus expelled from the Citie of Constantinople yet raigned he still at Adrianople as the Emperour of Gréece And it is not vnlikely the occasion of his exile to haue bene about Images so well as other matters Syth the Gréeke and Latine Church haue stryued aboute the controuersie of Images nothing more and none so hotte For which matter chiefely the Pope rebelled from his alleageance and raysed all the diuision of the Empire in the Church of Christ that hath bene the chiefe decay and ruine thereof which onely sprang of the question of Images And yet sayth master Stapleton giuing vs no other warrantiss thereof than this his bare worde for Images VVhich had customably continued in the Greeke Church many hundreth yeares before and so reuerently afterwardes continued euen till Constantinople was taken by the great Turke and yet this good Antiquarie and Chronographer will needes haue the Grâ—…cians aboue seuen hundreth yeares togyther to haue beene Iconomachees that is Image breakers Are ye not ashamed master Stapleton to speake suche vntruthes euen where your selfe chalenge other of lyes For the authour of the Homelies noteth not here nor herevpon the dealing against Images all that space nor nameth any Iconomachees nor medleth any thing there with those 700. yeares that customably continued till Constantinople was taken by the Turke But onely of those yeares that customably continued from the primitiue Church till the time of the Empresse Irene The wordes of the Homelie are these These things were done in the Church about the yeare of our Lorde 760. Note here I pray you in this processe of the storie that in the Churches of Asia and Grece there were no Images publikely by the space of 700. yeares and there is no doubt but the primitiue Churche next the Apostles tymes was most pure Now where the words and meaning of the Homilie are most plaine and so true withal that ye could not gainsay it nor your Maister D. Harding coulde improue any point of B. Iewels chalenge about the same article ye wittingly wrest the wordes of the Homilie to the. 700. yeares preceding the taking of Constantinople by the great Turke chalenging the Homilie to alleage the Gretians to haue bene Iconomaches all that while thinking to fasten as ye call it a notorious lie on the Homilie But the Homilies truth is manifest and the lye lighteth on your selfe besides your rashnes to affirme without the booke on your owne fingers that for many hundreth yeres before Images customably continued in the Greke Church and so reuerently afterwardes continued euen till Constantinople was taken by the great Turke For the which though it would go harde with you to put you to your profe and to let it hang in suspence of a lye till ye haus confirmed it yet letting it passe I onely demaunde that if your Images haue such great force as your Legendes pretende howe chaunce they kept the Citie and their worshippers no better from the Turkes can they do no morethan the dumbe Idols that the Prophet speaketh of Habent gladium securim in manu se autem de bello latroâ—…ibus non liberant they haue a sword and an axe in their hand but they deliuer not themselues from warre and from theues Or rather if it be as ye say were the Grecians not deliuered ouer to those enimies as for their other vices so chiefly for that their Idolatrie as the children of Israell for the like were ledde captiue into Babylon The other thing that Maister Stapleton noteth in the Homelie is this Many other shamefull lies are there saith he to disgrace deface and destroy the Images of Christ his Saintes especially one wheras he sayth that the Emperor Valence and Theodosius made a proclamation that no man shoulde paint or carue the crosse of christ And thervpon gaily and iolily triuÌ„pheth vpon the catholiks VVheras the Proclamation neither is nor was to restrayne all vse of the crosse but that it should not be painted or carued vpon the grouÌ„d VVhich these good Emperours not Valens for he was the valiant captaine and defendâ—…r of the Arians but Valentinianus and Theodosius did of great godly reucreÌ„ce that they had to the crosse enact And yet as grosse as soul as loud a lying fetch as this is M. Iewell walketh euen in the verye same steppes putting Valens for Valentinian and alleaging this edict as general against al Images of the crosse You take vpon you lustily M. Stapl. to chalenge in your brode language both the Homilie the B. of Sarum â–ª But it is your maner there is no shift ye must be borne withall chiefly in this your extrauagant by quarrel Otherwise if ye had coÌ„sidered more indifferently the homilies the B. allegatioÌ„ no doubt you would haue tempered your pen with more sobrietie ye chalenge either of them for two lies in this allegation the one for putting the name of Valens for Valentinian the other for citing that simply that was conditionall which though it were as ye pretend yet neither of these the B. or the Homilies author are to be