The Antipathy of the English Lordly Prelacy

for it is contrary to Saint Paul, which saith, I have left thee behind, to set in every City a Bishop. And if you find in one place of Scripture, that they be called Episcopy, you shall find in divers other places, that they be called Presbyteri. I was brought before my Lord Cardinal into his Gallery, and there he read all my Articles till he came to this, and there he stopped, and said, that this touched him, and therefore he asked me if I thought it wrong, that one Bishop should have so many Cities underneath him? unto whom I answered, that I could no farther go, than to Saint Paul's text, which set in every City a Bishop. Then asked he me, if I thought it now unright (seeing the Ordinance of the Church) that one Bishop should have so many Cities? I answered, that I knew none Ordinance of the Church (as concerning this thing) but Saint Paul's saying only: nevertheless I did see a contrary custom and practice in the world, but I know not the Original thereof. Then said he, that in the Apostles • ime there were divers City • , some seven miles, some six mile • long, and over them was there set but one Bishop, and of their Suburbes also. So likewise now, • bishop hath but one City to his Cathedral Church, and the country about, is as Suburbs unto it. Mee thought this was far fetched, but I durst not deny it, because it was great Authority, and of so holy a Father, and of so great a Divine. But this date I say, tha • his Hollinesse could never prove it by Scripture, nor yet by any authority of Doctors, not yet by any practice of the Apostles, and yet it must be tr • e, because a pillar of the Church hath spoken it • But let us see what the Doctors say to my Article: Athanasius doth declare this text of the Apostle. I have left thee behind; &c. He would not commit unto one Bishop a whole Isle, but he did enjoin, th • t every City • should have his proper Pastor, supposing that by this means they should more diligently oversee the people, and also that the labor should be more easy to bear, &c. Also Chrysostom on that same text. He would not that a whole Country should be permitted unto one man, but he enjoined unto every man his Cure; by that means he knew, that the labor should be more easy, and the subjects should be with more diligence governed, if the teachers were not distracted with the governing of many Churches, but had cure and charge of one Church only, &c. Mee thinketh these be plain words, and able to move a man • o speak as much as I did. But grant that you may have all these C •• ies, yet can you make it no heresy. For my Lord Cardinal granted, that it was but against him, and against you, who be no gods. But I poor man must be an heretic, there is no remedy, you will have it so, and who is able to say nay? Not all Scripture, no • yet God himself. Sure I am, that they cannot by the Law of God have any jurisdiction secular, and yet they challenge both powers, which if they have why do • hey not put them both in use? for they must say, as the Jews said, We may kill no man. This is the Article that did bite you: for you cannot be content with the office of a Bishop, but you will be also Kings. How that standeth with God's Law, and with your Oat • , I have declared it to our Noble Prince. I doubt not, but he will put you to the trial of it. Have you not this many years condemned many a poor man, and then delivered him to the Temporal power to be put to death, which knew nothing of his cause? And if he would, that ye should put him to dea • h yourselves, • hen answered ye, how you might kill no man. So that they were always your hangmen. They say they b • • he Successors of Christ and of his Apostles, but I can see them follow none but Judas. For they bear the purse, and have all the money. And if they had not so great possessions, I am sure an hundred would speak against them, where now dare not one, for loss of promotion. And for this Article, I will overcome you with the witness of all the world, you may well condemn it for here • ie, but it is as true as your Pa • er Noster, Judas sold our Master but once, and you • ell him as often as he • cometh in your hands. But I would it were that ye could prove me a lie • , and that you followed • ny of the Apostles • aving Judas only, yet I would that ye were in certain points as good • s Judas was. These ordinary Bishops and Prelates do follow that •• lse Prophet Ba • a • m, For they would curse the people, but by the provision of Go • they were compelled to bless them, that is to say, to • each them to live well, though they themselves live most mischievously. And so the Asses which they ride upon, that is, the common people, have their lives in abominat • on. This is the heinous here • ie. For it speaketh against the holy Fathers, which be almost as holy as Balaam's Ass, that did once speak the Word of God to a good purpose. And so do they never. But I grant that I did offend in calling you Ordinary Bishops, for I should have called you inordinate butchers. And as • or that that I compared you to Balaam, it is your own Law. 2. quest : 7. Secuti sunt. And cap. Nos si. And as for your living, all the world knoweth it. I could tell here many holy points of Bishops living, as keeping of men's wives, and daughters, but I will not, for I should be reckoned uncharitable. But you may do them breaking not your holy charity. So he.

The nameless Author of a Supplication to King Henry the eight, printed 1544. writes thus of Bishops, their calling, practices, and great revenues; How cruelly do the Bishops punish all them which pretend to have learning, and especially in God's Word? such • hey call heretics, and persecute with putting them to open shame, with imprisonment, and in conclusion with death most fea • efull and painful. All this they do to discourage all men from the study of God's word, fearing lest that by such studious brains which learn God's Word and publish the same, their iniquity should be made manifest. What study and pains do they take to keep the light from the people • But no man which knoweth the Scriptures will marvel of • his their policy and cruelty. For Saint John declareth their practice plainly, saying. He that doth evil hateth the light, and why? bec • use his works which be evil should not be reproved by the light. And for as much as our Bishops coun • enance of living their great possessions, and Lordly Dominions in them agreeth with God's Word, • s death with life, God with the Devil, light with darkness, therefore they hate the light which declareth the same, and study 〈◊〉 • uppresse the same by all • ra • t and poli • y. Also they be enemies 〈◊〉 all men which can and do preach God's Word sincerely and truly, because they live • ontrary to the same. And • his i • the original ground, and ca • se of the ab • ndance of • nd i • cr •• se of darkness, and of sin, 〈◊〉 • lso of the long contin •• nce o • Popish blindness, which hath • aigned in this Realm so l •• g. After which he proceeds thus, Most dread Sovereign Lord, I see two foul deformities • and great lamentable mischiefs annexed to the vocation and office of Bishops, which not reformed will poison and utterly corrupt the godly vocation and election of the said Bishops. The only infection, and pestilent poison is their great Lordships and dominions with the yearly provents of the same, which hath so fashioned them in proud countenances, and worldly behavior, that now they be most like the Heathen Princes, and most unlike unto Christ, although they would be esteemed of all men to be his true successors: yet poor Christ saith, The f • xes have holes, the birds have nests, but the Son of man hath not wherein to lay his head. But our Bishops have gorgeous and sumptuous built houses, mannors, and castles pleasantly set about with Parkes well replenished with Deare, warrens swarming full of conyes, and pools well stored with divers kinds of fishes. And not only these commodities and pleasures, but also divers other pleasures. How doth this Lordly and worldly Bishoplike estate agree with Christ's words? I think a man cannot reasonably conjecture or imagine by their countenance and living that they be Christ's true Disciples. The other mischief, and evil is, that they have too many worldly cares and businesses. For to these Manors and Lordships belong many Tenants, for whose leases to be made fines and haryots to be appointed and taken, amerciaments to be assessed, taxed and also forgiven and dispensed, there be no few suits made to my Lord Bishop: also the hearing of Testamentary causes, divorces, causes of Matrimony, causes of slanders, of lechery, adultery and punishment o • bawdery, and such other bumme Court matters (whereof not one belong to his office and vocation appointed by God's Word) My Lord Bishop is so occupied and unquieted, that he hath no leisure to study, nor to preach God's word. But such affairs and worldly businesses, nothing pertaining to his vocation, be very great hindrance and let to my Lord Bishop that he cannot apply him to exercise his own office. For no man can serve two masters, saith Christ. The Apostles thought it not just and equal to provide for the necessary living of the poor, leaving God's word untaught. But my Lord Bishop doing these things nothing pertaining to his office thinketh that he hath exactly done his office. From these great Manors cometh yearly great rents, pleasures, and profits, which although they be the good creatures • f God, yet the abundance of them (being where they be more impediment than help) be a great occasion of corruption in the user of them. And peradventure they would allure and entice a Bishops heart to trust in them, and so corrupt him, as the Scripture saith: Blessed is the rich which is found without blemish, hath not gone after gold nor hoped in money and treasures ; Where is • here such a one, and we shall commend him and call him blessed, for great things doth he among his people. And if my Lord Bishop should give the superfluity of his goods to the poor (whose goods justly they be) as the Proph • t Isaiah saith; then my Lord should lack them to furnish his Lordly countenance, and so my Lord should lose his Lordly honor and praise of the world. Wherefore as these superfluous possessions be annexed to estates of Bishops by man's vain fantasie, and not by God's word, so my Lord Bishop will either keep them to make him more friends (remembering that riches maketh many friends; but the poor is forsaken of his neighbor,) or devise the expense of them contrary to God's Word, either to make sure friends in the Court about the King to obtain more promotions and benefices, or in curious building, sumptuous and delicate fare, well appareled servants, trim decked horses to ride pompeously like a Lord. Although there were no authority to prove this, yet the Lordly countenance, and fashion of Bishops, yea their common exercise, and practice can well prove and testify this plainly before the face of all men, which knoweth the Lordlinesse of Bishops, as the Prophet Isaiah saith. The changing of their countenance bewrayeth them; yea they declare their own sins themselves at Sodomites, and hide them not. Do no • these things faintly agree with the saying of their predecessor Paul the Apostle, which saith, When we have food and raiment, we must be contented. Is not this Lordly honor directly against Christ's words, which saith, The Kings of Nations reign over them, and they that have authority over them are called gracious Lord's: but you shall n • t be so. Also Peter speaketh to his true successors, saying, Feed you Christ's flock as much as lieth in you, taking the oversight of them, not as compelled thereunto, but willingly after a good sort, nor for the desire of filthy lucre, but of a good mind, not as though you were Lord's over the parishes, but that you be an example to the flock and that with good will. But our Lordly Bishops estate and proud countenance of living (as it is now used) is contrary to God's Word, as it appeareth by these words, But you shall not be so. And also by these sayings. Not at though you were Lord's over the Parishes. And Christ saith, He that is not with me is against me. Wherefore so long as they reign so Lordly in the Clergy contrary to God's Word, so long be they against God and so long as they be against God, they be not sent from God, and then can they not preach truly and si • cerely his Word: For, how can they Preach except they be sent? saith Paul. Christ was s • nt to preach, as it appeareth, Mar. 1. Luk. 4. and Isaiah 61. And Christ saith to all his true Disciples. As my Father sent me, so do I send you. And commandeth also all his Apostles and true Successors of the Apostles, to preach the Gospel to the whole world, and not Lordly to reign in the Clergy. Whom Paul teacheth to be as Ministers, saying • Let a man this wise esteem us even as the Ministers of Christ, and the stewards of the secrets of God. To preach the Gospel therefore (most gracious and prudent Lord) is the true vocation and office of all godly Bishops, Parsons, Vicars and of other Shepherds, and not to be Ambassadors to Princes, not to be judges to hear matters of contention, Testamentary causes, divorces, slanders, baudery, and such other. Your Grace hath of your Lay see sufficient both in Learning and wisdom, and of good conscience to hear, and judge such causes and variances, remitting Bishops to attend their office and vocation by God (and not by man) appointed. And therefore they should not exercise any other office than God hath appointed to them: for no man can serve two masters. And if Bishops and other Pastors would diligently execute their vocation & office, much • ewer of those matters of contention shall be in ure, & experience either to be heard or judged. Seeing the Scriptures commandeth so earnestly every man to walk as he is called. Many Christian men marvel greatly why the Bishops desire and procure so greedily to exercise the office pertaining to another vocation, and to leave their vocation and office (appointed by God to them, to be exercised) not executed, nor performed and done: Verily because they love the glory of men, more than the glory of God. And surely, even as Caiaphas and Annas being Bishops and exercising the office of secular and temporal Judges did judge Christ to be crucified, so our Bishops so long as they contrary to their calling, do exercise the office of temporal judges, so long shall they persecute Christ and his members, and study to suppress his Word, and not to preach the same. Have not they business sufficient wherewith to occupy them in their own office? If they would look well thereunto, do not they see on every side detestable sin to reign throughout all this your Realm? Detestable vices reign in this your Realm, against the which our Bishops and other Pastors should continually cry out, as the Prophet saith; Cry now as loud as thou canst, leave not off, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their offenses, & the • ouse of Jacob their sins. But alas they be become both blind and dumb, as the Prophet saith. His watchmen are all blind, they have altogether no understanding, they are all dumb dogs, not able to bark, they • re s •• epy, foolish are they, and lie snor • ing, they are shameless dogs that • e never satisfied. The shepherds also in like manner h • ve no u • derstanding • ut every man turneth to his own way, every out after his own covetousness withal his power. What is the cause that they do not execute this their office? Other beca • se they cannot, or because they have so much worldly business, that they will not apply • hemselves to perform both. Or else they be afraid to spe • ke the truth lest they should displease men, whom Paul reproveth saying: If I should please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Also the Prophet saith, God breaketh the bones of them which study to please men • they be confounded because the Lord 〈◊〉 th • m. Our Bishops love so well their great dominions • whereby they maintain their Lordly honor, th • t they will • ot disple • se men with pre • ching the • ruth lest they should • h • n loose their great po •• essions, and consequently their Lordly glory. But surely, as long as they possess their great Dominions, so long they will continue and maintain their pride: And so long as they continue in pride, so long they shall not receive the holy Ghost, which shall reach them to speak the truth. For upon whom shall my spirit rest (saith the Prophet Isaiah ) but upon the m •• ke and lowly, and upon him which feareth my sayings? Also the Prophet saith, God res • steth the proud, and unto the m •• ke and lowly h • e give • th • is grace. Wherefore so long as the Bishops conti •• e in this worldly wealth and honor, so long will they 〈◊〉 their du • y and office, but ra • her pers • cute the word of Go • , which declareth and showeth what is their office • nd their duty. And so long as they do not e • ercise their off •• e • nd voc •• ion, but • o pe • secu • e • he Word, and such as sinc •• ely p • each the same so long shall sin incr • ase. For if the eye be wicked, all the body shall be • ull of darkness. For even as at such time, when the Bishop of Rome was first endowed with great possessions, a voice was heard, saying, Now venom and poison is cast and shed forth into the Church of God. In like wise no doubt, most godly Governor, semblable voice and saying may be verified in, and upon all the Church of England, since your Bishops were endowed with so great possessions and Lordly Dominions. No doubt, gracious Lord, so long as great Lordly Dominions, worldly honors, and wealth be annexed and knit to the vocation and offices of Bishops and other pastors, these mischiefs and inconveniences shall ever ensue and follow. First the most proud and ambitious, the most covetous and wicked which other by money, friendships, or flattery can obtain the benefice, will labor with all study and policy to get the benefice, only for the worldly honor, and not for the zeal and love which he should have to instruct and teach the people committed to his cure and charge. And for the Profit which belongeth and appertaineth to the same benefice, they will dissemble humility, and despection, of all worldly profits and pleasures so colourably and subtly, that it shall be very hard for your Majesty, or any other having authority to give benefices to perceive them. And when they have obtained the benefice, then every Christian man shall well perceive, that he hath not entered in by the door; that is, for the zeal and love to do and execute the office, but hath climbed up and ascended by another way, that is, for the lucre and honor annexed to the office. And then certainly, whosoever ascendeth and entereth in by another way, cannot be but a thief by day, and by night, whose study and labor must be to steal, kill and destroy, as Christ (whose words must ever be true) saith. The thief cometh not but to steal, to kill, and to destroy. So that so long as so much worldly profit and honor belongeth to the benefice, so long will he that for want and lack of learning cannot do the office, and also the most covetous and proud will labor to have th • •• fice, whereby the people committed to his cure shall not on •• be untaught, and not learned in God's Word, but also all they which can preach and teach God's Word, and love the same, by such a worldly wolf shall be extremely persecnted and tormented. For he cannot but steal, kill, and destroy, and utterly abhor and hate the godly, as Christ saith, If you were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you be not of the world, but I have chosen you from the world, therefore the world doth hate you. No doubt a man shall much rather upon thorns gather grapes, and upon brambles, and briars gather figs than of such greedy thieves to have any Christian religion, either set forth, preached, or stablished. Wherefore (most redoubted Prince) seeing that their great possessions, riches, worldly offices, cures and business be the impediment, and let that they do not execute their vocation and office, which is so godly, profitable & necessary for this your Commonwealth; You, being our Sovereign Lord and King (whom God hath called to govern this your Realm, and to redress the enormities, and abuses of the same) by all justice, and equity are bounden to take away from Bishops, and other spiritual shepherds such superfluity of possessions and riches, and other secular cures, business, and worldly offices which be the cause of much sin in them, and no less occasion whereby they be letted to execute their office to the great loss and hindrance of much faith, virtue, and goodness, which might be administered to your subjects through the true preaching of God's Word. And that done, then circumspectly to take heed that none be admitted to be Pastors, but such as can preach and have preached sincerely God's Word: And all such as will not, to remove them from their cures. This godly order observed in the election of spiritual Pastors, & the pestilent poison removed, and taken away from their vocation; faith shall increase, and sin shall decrease, true obedience shall be observed, with all humility to your Majesty, and to the higher powers by your grace appointed in office: civil quietness, rest, and peace shall be established. God shall be feared, honored, and loved, which is the effect of all Christian living.

O Lord, save our most Sovereign Lord King Henry the eight, and grant that he may once thoroughly feel and perceive what miserable calamity sorrow and wretchedness we suffer now in these days abroad in the Country by these unlearned, Popish, and most cruel tyrants, even the very enemies of Christ's Cross, whose pain shall be without end, when we shall live in joy forever: Grant yet once again, I say, good Lord, and most merciful Father, through thy Son Jesus Christ, that when his Grace shall know and perceive (by thy gift and goodness) their most detestable ways in misusing thy heritage, that he will earnestly go about to see a redress among them, and to the penitent and contrite in heart, to show his accustomed goodness, and to the other his justice according to Saint Paul's Doctrine, and his Graces Laws. And most dread Sovereign (with all humility, and humbleness of heart) I beseech your grace (according to your accustomed goodness) to take this my rude Supplication to the best as a fruit of my obedience, wherein I have not dissembled, but have opened fully unto your Grace the ground and very bottom of my heart, not of any grudge, evil will or malice that I bear to any spiritual Shepherd (God I take to record) but only for the glory of God, the honor of your Grace, and the wealth and profit of your most natural and loving subjects. Thus this nameless Supplicant.

Our learned Martyr John Lambert, alias, Nicholson, Anno 1538. in his answer to his 9. and 22. Articles, thus determines of the parity and identity of Bishops and Ministers. As touching Priesthood in the Primitive Church, when virtue bare (as ancient Doctors do deem, and Scripture in mine opinion recordeth the same) most room, there were no more officers in the Church of God than Bishops and Deacons: that is to say, Ministers, as witnesseth, besides Scripture, full apertly Jerome in his Commentaries upon the Epistles of Paul, whereas he saith, That those whom we call Priests, were all one and none other but Bishops, and the Bishops none other but Priests; men ancient both in age and learning so near as could be chosen. Neither were they instituted and chosen as they be nowadays, with small regard of a Bishop, or his officer only, opposing them if they can construe a Collect; but they were chosen not only by the Bishop, but also with the consent of the people among whom they should have their living, as showeth Saint Cyprian. And the people (as he saith) ought to have power to choose Priests, that be men of good learning, of good and honest report. But, alacke for pity, such elections are now banished, and new fashions brought in; which if we should confer with the form of the election shown of Christ by his Apostle Paul, we should find no small diversity, but all turned upside down.

In the 2 • . where you demand, Whether I believe that it is lawful for all Priests freely to preach the Word of God or no: and that in all places, at all seasons, and to all persons to whom they shall please, although they be not sent? I say, that Priests are called in Scripture by two distinct words, that is to wit, Presbyteri and Sacerdotes. The first is to say, ancient men, Seniors and Elders : and by that word or vocable are the secular Judges, or such like head officers sometimes also signified; as we read in Daniel, of these that defamed and wrongfully accused Susanna ; but this is seldom, and nothing so customeablely, as those be called Presbyteri, which are set to be Prelates in the Church, to guide the same by the word of God and his blessed Doctrine, that is the rod of direction, and the foundation of Christ's faith. And Priests thus called Presbyteri in the Primitive Church (what time we • e but few traditions and ordinances to let us from the straight trade or institution made by Christ, and his Apostles) WERE THE SAME AND NONE OTHER BUT BISHOPS, as I have shown you in the first part of mine answer, by authority of Saint Jerome, and Paul recordeth the same right evidently, and Tit. 1. in this form. I left thee Titus (said blessed Paul ) behind me in Crete, that thou shouldest correct, or set in a due order such things as lack, or be not else perfectly framed, and that thou shouldest set Priests in every Town, like as I did appoint thee, such as are without reproach or blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not subject to the vice of riot, or that he be not unruly: for so ought a Bishop to be, &c. These are not my words, but of Saint Paul in the Epistle to Titus ; where you may see, that a Priest called Presbyter, should be that same that a Bishop, whom he requireth a little after, to be able by wholesome Doctrine of God's Scripture to exhort the good to follow the same doctrine; and those that shall speak against it, to reprove them thereby. And mark you how he would have a Bishop, otherwise called an ancient man, and a Priest, to make exhortation by holy Scripture, and thereby to reprove them that shall speak against the truth, & not to condemn them by might or authority only, or else by traditions of men made in general Councils. And as many as are these wise Priests which are called commonly Presbyteri, otherwise Bishops, such as in the Church are set to take cure of souls, and to be spiritual Pastors, ought to Preach freely the Word of God, in all places and times convenient, and to whomsoever it shall please them, if they suppose, and see that their preaching should edify and profit. And whereas you add this particle, though they were not sent. I say, that all such are chosen to be Preachers, and therefore sent, for of this speaketh S. Gregory in his Pastorals, in this wise • Praedicationis, quippe officium suscepit, quisquis ad sacerdotium accedit, &c. So he, who much condemned Ex Officio Oaths and proceedings; the Canon Law; and inequality of Bishops and Ministers, as contrary to Christ's institution, who made all his Apostles of equal authority, in his answers to the 29.30.41. and 43. Articles, too large and too common to transcribe.

The book entitled: The Image of a very Christian Bishop, and of a counterfeit Bishop, (written & printed cum privilegio regali, in Henry the eight his reign, though by the Bishops practice called in by this Kings injunctions, An. 1539. with sundry other orthodox books,) determines thus both of the Bishops callings, and practices in those times. The book being very rare, I shall transcribe more of it than otherwise I would do.

Over and besides this, the Ministers of the Word of God are principally bound hereunto, that they shall more sharply rebuke the Bishops and the Primates of the Church, than the worldly Princes and Rulers, and that for many causes; first, because that Ecclesiastical highness and dignity, as it is now, is not of God; for God doth not acknowledge, not elect this disguised, and painted deceitful people, and these childish, and in a manner counterfeit, and Nicholaicall Bishops, forasmuch as they do neither teach, no • yet do execute any point belonging to the office of a Bishop. Secondly, these shadows of Bishops have not been constituted by men, but they have exalted their own selves, and they have catched unto themselves Empire, Dominion, and Lordships, against both God and men, against reason, common sense or judgment; after the nature and property of Tyrants, which do rule only by the wrath, and great indignation of God. The Temporal, or Worldly Governors, and Officers are constituted by the gracious favor, and merciful ordinance of God, to the chastisement, and punishment of evil men, and to the protection, defense, and maintenance of good men. Besides this, the worldly Governors, although they do injury and wrong never so much, and do unjustly and wickedly, yet for all that, they do but only hurt the temporal goods, and the body. But these great estates, and Prelates of the Church, if they be not good and virtuous, and do not promote, and • e • forwards the course of the word of God unfeignedly, and with their hearts, they are mere wolves, and most cruel murderers of souls. And it is much like in evil and wicked Bishops as if Satan having a Miter on his head, and rings on his fingers, did • i • in a chair and did rule the people. Wherefore even the Bishops also which do not teach the pure Word of God, are no less to be eschewed than the Devil himself. For wheresoever the Word of God is not, there without doubt is nothing else but human error, mere doctrine of Devils, and butchery and slaughter of souls; for the consciences or souls without the Word of God can neither live no • be delivered from the Devil.

But here I know well enough they will object and say; that it is jeopardy, lest sedition might be raised up against those Bishops and Prelates of the Church.

Loe I make answer, Shall the Word of God (I beseech you) for this your feigned objection be neglected, and shall therefore the whole people perish? And is it (I pray you) right and convenient, that all souls should perpetually perish and be slain, that the temporal and most vain pomp of such men might be preserved and maintained, and might endure and continue in her peace and quietness? Nay, it were better (for spiritual harms are most to be weighed) that six hundred times all the Bishops should perish forever in their pride and dignity, and that all the Churches collegiate, and all Monasteries were plucked up by the roots, were overthrown and utterly destroyed, (so it were done by the authority of the higher powers) th • n that one soul should perish: Because I will not in the mean season say, that infinite souls; yea, that all souls shall perish for anything that such as they do. I pray you tell me, what profit cometh of many of the Bishops that now are, or wherefore serve they, but only to live in voluptuousness and pleasures, and to play the rioters and wantons of other men's labor and sweat, and in the mean season with much grievo • s threatenings, and with dreadful fears to condemn, to hiss out, to cast out and to war against the Word of God? Good men, they take exceeding great thought and care for themselves, and with marvelous great unquietness of mind, fear and dread seditions in the temporal common-wealth; but as for the death of souls, being thereof all careless and without any manner of fea • e, or unquietness of mind, they do neglect and pass nothing upon it, I beseech thee good Reader, are not these goodly, wise and exceeding bold and manly heardsmen of the Church? If they did receive the Word of God and of truth, and did principally search for the life and safeguard of souls, then the God • (as the Apostle saith) of patience and of Comfort and hope would be with them, that they should not need to fear any seditions or risings of the people, which is but their crafty cloaked excuse to blind the eyes of the Princes ; But in as much as they like deaf Serpents stopping their ears will not hear the Word of God, but (such is their fury and madness) do rage against it with excommunications, cursings, imprisonments, with the sword, and finally with fire; I beseech you what other thing do they, as concerning their part, with this their extreme woodnesse, then (which God defend) even willingly provoke that there should rise up a very great sedition, and that some certain tempest and storm should violently and suddenly come upon them which should rid them at once out of the world: And surely if any such thing did chance unto them, yet were they naught else but to be laughed and scorned, as Wisdom saith in Proverbs 1. Because I have called and you have refused to come, I have stretched forth my hand and there was none of you that would look to me, and you have despised all my counsel, and have set at naught my rebukings, I also will laugh in your destruction, and I will mock and scorn when that thing which you did fear shall be chanced and come unto you.

The Word of God doth not stir or raise up seditions and strifes, but the stubborn and obstinate disobedience of them which do rage against it, is the cause that trouble and sedition is stirred up among the people, and that then by such seditions that thing should happen unto them which they had deserved through their own unbelief and frowardness and wicked blindness; for whosoever receiveth the Word of God, that man raiseth up no manner of seditions at all, albeit that he doth no longer fear those vain • ugges, neither doth worship those Episcopal Puppets, now since that he doth know the Word of God, and because that men do not fear and reverence their vain imaginations, as heretofore they have done, that same is the thing (if I be not beguiled) which they do call seditions; and this is the thing that those persons do so greatly fear, which have hitherto suffered themselves to be worshipped and feared like God's, as though they had been true Bishops or true Hear • smen of the Church. After which he adds; S. Pe • er saith of these, The Lord knoweth how to keep the unrighteous persons unto to the day of judgment for to be punished; Namely, such as following the flesh, do walk in the concupiscence and lust of uncleanness, and do despise the Governors, and Rulers; being presump • uous, stubborn, and which do no • fear to raise and speak evil words on them which are in high authority. Our delicate Bishops do • ot believe that this was spoken of them. But I beseech thee good Read • r mark here, how well the words of Peter do agree with Paul, when he describeth their filthy and unclean life: For where he saith presumptious, stubborn ; there are scantly any men to whom those words do sooner agree. For it is they which of all men do most set by themselves, insomuch that they do despise all worldly Rulers and Officers, and whatsoever other person is of high dignity and authority in the world in comparison of themselves, and do also rail upon them and speak opprobrious words against them : For the Pope hath many years ago taken this monstrous tyranny unto himself, that he hath not been afraid to tread Kings and Princes under his feet, to depose them, to excommunicate them, to curse them unto the 4.5. and 6. Generation, and after their own pleasure to exercise all things which any manner of way whatsoever it may belong and help unto extreme and wonderful tyranny, none otherwise than if the Princes and Governors were Swine or else Dogs, notwithstanding that the Scripture willeth all men, to • e subject and obedient unto the Princes and Governors of the public peace and tranquility of this life • Namely, forasmuch a • they 〈…〉 and ordained to serve the divine Ordinance as Ministers of the sword : And yet nevertheless there are found some Kings and Princes so faint-hearted, and of so little manfulnesse, and courage, that they do fear these harmless thunders, and vain • curs •• g, and do humbly beseech and obtain the ex • reame and •• termost foolishness and insen • ibility, that they may be blessed again (for so they call it) of the Pope I woe • n • t with what charms or conjurations and words appointed for the same purpose only, that is to wit, to the end that that cruel p •• sumption, and that wonderful tyranny of his (a • though he were not m • d enough of his own Swing) might by the reason hereof the sooner gather power and strength, and with those most vain decei • es of cursings might deceive all the whole world.

Besides this, the Bishops d • e stoutly and man •• lly help the Pope, and so all the great L • rds belonging to the Pope, and they be in very deed the dispisers of all Rulers and Potestates which will in no wise be subject to any manner of high power, neither in body nor in goods, but only they being presumptuous and stubborn and more than Wood do on every side make business, and rage to excommunicate and curse all Kings and Princes and others which are in authority. Tell me I beseech you, hath not our Peter here largely and plainly touched our most delicate and tender Bishops? I pray you of what other persons may these words be understood, that they are not subject nor obedient unto the Rulers, that they speak evil of Kings and Princes; briefly, that being presumptuous and stubborn they do fear no man? Is it not known openly to the world who they be that commit these lewd deeds? Why then should I be afraid to touch and rebuke these coloured and painted Bishops, which by the tyranny of the Pope, by the favors of men, and by holy gold have invaded Bishoprics, without the Commandment either of God or men? But for as much as these delicate and tender Bishops have foreheads of Iron, and necks of brass, as it is said in the Prophets, and will not fear, they cannot be persuaded, and they run forth on according to their own madness, their own course, and their own swing; and whereas they ought to spend their blood and their life (I mean not in any worldly fight) for the maintenance of the Word of God against the doctrines of men; They sleep all careless, and give their minds altogether to pleasures and to fare well, and the souls of which they boast themselves to be the Pastors and feeders, they do most sloathfully neglect, and nothing care for. But such is their negligence: they do only think and study how they may bring in the dreadful wrath of God upon men, and draw souls unto the deep pit of hell, and that they may at the last carry the Consciences of men clean overthwart from the Word of God into lies and devilish Errors, and the doctrines of men; wherefore we ought here so much the more diligently to take good heed and to look well about, that we may show and utter unto the world these so cruel and so bloody wolves, which do lie hid under forked Miters, set with pearls and precious • tones: I do therefore exhort all Christian men in our Lord, that they will here con • ider and ponder the wrath of God. And therefore likewise as you would do with a visible Idol, even so do now with the Bulls of these Romish Balaam, the tormentor and slayer o • souls. Consider, how pleasant a thing you shall do unto God, if you do break and dash in pieces (with the Word of God, and not with the sword) these Idols, and do sanctify his glorious name, and do deliver it from the filthy abomination of Idolatry. After which he adds, That a Bishop ought to abhor and to be far a way from filthy Lucre, but the Bishop of Rome and his Clients, and other Bishops of their complexion, have infinite crafts, and most shameful means of getting money. And here it is not unknown to me what they do object.

I • i • not enough, not sufficient for a Prince (say they) to have meat, drink, and clothing, except he have also sufficiently whereof he may keep and maintain a guard, or band of men, according to the condition and estate of a Prince?

What Princes do in this place object and allege for themselves of the Princely state, and of Princes Courts advise them, the Apostle speaketh not of Princes, but of Bishops, As for these Princely Bishops and Bishoply Princes he utterly knoweth nothing of, which do beguile the world with the name of Bishop, and with the most vain colors of Ceremonies and gloves and Miters. But therefore Paul and the Spirit of God which spake in him, shall not change their words, neither attemper themselves un • o these Princes, but these Princelike Bishops shall be fain to attemper and apply themselves in their living according to the mind of S. Paul, and his word •• or else they shall not be Bishops, nor Pastors, but mere puppets and v • surs. I cannot here refrain (although I list not now greatly to bourd in the rehearsal of these things) but I must rehearse a pleasant and merry History. It happened upon a time that a certain Princely Bishop, (of Colen in Germany, ) did ride with a Royal Pomp and goodly company of horsemen (as commonly such Bishops are wont to show themselves set forth gayly and gorgeously, even above any worldly or temporal Princes) through the fields that lay near unto a certain Village, whom when a certain shepherd had haply espied, as he rode over the fields, he left his flock, and did run unto him, and staring and gazing upon him, as it had been one amazed, he marvelled greatly at the riches, pomp, and gorgeousnesse which he saw about him. The Bishop seeing him so gazing, said unto him; What dost thou see here, that thou dost marvel so greatly? Then he, as he was an homely rusticall fellow, made to him this plain answer. I marvel (said he) whether S. Martin did use this same Pomp or like gorgeousnesse and superfluity. To whom the Bishop said, Forsooth, thou art a stark fool, and takest thy mark amiss, for S. Martin was scarcely one of the vile and rascal people: but I am also a Prince of high and Noble birth. Then said the shepherd again, I beseech you my Lord, will you give me leave to speak a word? yea marry said the Bishop • I give thee good leave, demand what thou wilt. Then said the Shepherd, what if the Devil should take and bear away the Prince shall there remain anything of the Bishop? At these words that good Princely Bishop being confounded and ashamed, depar • ed from the man, and rode his way. So the Apostle Paul in comparison of those Dukes and Nimrods, was a plain simple craftsman, living by the work of his own hands. And therefore he went sometime on his feet and preached the Gospel all abroad, he could play the Apostle; but such a poor and lewd person as he was, could never have played the royal and Princely Bishop after this fashion. Let no man think it is to be said or done against the heads and governors of Christ's Church: whatsoever is said or done against these slothful, idle and sluggish beasts, given all to the belly. For they are not Bishops, but plain Idols and dumb Images, idle Puppets, visurs, blocks, shadows, disguised game players, which do not so much as know what this word Episcopus, that is to say, Bishop doth signify: so far off they be from knowing what is the Office or duty of a Bishop. Wilt thou • that I tell thee at one word what they are? Wolves they are, tyrants, traitors, manquellers, monsters of the world, burdens of the earth, the Apostles of Antichrist, graven and made to corrupt and destroy the Gospel. And to utter at once what I think. Loe I will here play the Bedell or common Cryer. Be it known to all men, that the Bishops of Rome with their clients Bishops, which do now exercise tyranny upon so many Cities in most ample and large dominion, are not Bishops by the Ordination of God, but by Error and by • he seduction of the Devil, and by the traditions of men, wherefore without doubt they are the messengers and Vicars of Satan. If I do not show and prove this, by so evident testimonies, that mine enemies shall be constrained to confess this verity, and that even themselves (so that they do meanly repent and wax wise) cannot deny it, then let them be Bishops, then let me be thought to do injury unto them. First, Paul writeth unto Titus, That he should constitute and ordain Presbyters in every Town. Here I suppose that no man can deny, that all one thing is signified by this word Preshyter, and by this word Episcopus, in Saint Paul's writings; for as much as he doth bid Titus, that he should in every City constitute Presbyters. And because a Bishop ought to be unreprovable, therefore he calleth him Presbyterum. It is evident therefore what Paul doth signify and mean by this word Episcopus, Bishop ; that is to say, A man excellently good and virtuous, of ripe age, which also hath a chaste wife and children, obedient in the fear of the Lord. And the Apostle will that he should have the oversight and government of the Congregation, in the Ministry of the Word and the Administration of the Sacraments. All men whosoever they be, which by all honest and lawful means, do spend and bestow their goods, honor, blood and life, to the end that these Bishoprics so pompous and Courtly, so far unlike and contrary to all the office and duty of an Apostle, namely to the ministration of the Word, and that all this devilish Kingdom of the Bishop of Rome may be overthrown and destroyed, or if they cannot in very deed destroy it • do cry against it, do dispraise and condemn it, and do avoid it as abomination • all those persons that so do, are the sons of God, and true Christian men fighting and helping the Faith of the Gospel in spiritual barraile against the gates of Hell; Contrariwise whosoever do favor the Kingdom of the Popes Bishops so wicked, and that so tyrannous and devilish cruelty, and do willingly and gladly submit themselves and obey unto it, those persons are the ministers of the Devil, fighting as enemies against the Words, the Laws, and Ordinances of God. This sentence of mine, nay rather of God's Judgment, I prove with strong effectual arguments in this wise. The Apostle Paul commandeth Titus, That he should Ordaine and constitute a Bishop in every City, such one as was the husband of one wife, a man virtuous and unreprovable, &c. This is the Word, this is the will and sentence of God. Against this said Will of God these men do now strive, which have taken quite away all true Bishops ou • of all Cities, and instead of true Bishops have constituted shops or work-houses of most cold Ceremonies, Monasteries and Churches Collegiate, and have brought in themselves in their steed, that by this means they might be made Bishops or Over-seers of many Cities, and also of many Provinces. Now the sentence of Paul, or rather the Words of the Holy Ghost doth continue firm, stable, and not able to be moved or stirred of the gates of hell, and doth stand as stiff as a brazen wall, which saith plainly and evidently, That in every City there ought to be constituted and Ordained one Bishop, and these then shall be everyone of them of equal power with the other. For Paul speaketh plainly of every City, & he giveth to every Bishop full power & authority in his own City. Go to therforenow ye worldly Bishops. Why do ye not here rise? Why do ye not boldly & manfully resist? Why do ye not break forth all of you together? Here you have to do not with me, but with the Apostle Paul. Here you resist (that I may say with the holy Martyr Stephen ) not me, but the Holy Ghost, which likewise again of his part doth mightily resist you. • oe to then, what will you say here, I beseech you? Will you all hold your peace, and say nothing at all? Loe your sentence is given and pronounced against you, you have the matter judged, that is to wit, that unto all Christian men it belongeth of their part (with the Word of God) again to destroy, to pluck up by the roots, and utterly to extinct both you and your Kingdom, which you do tyrannously exercise, to extinct and destroy the Gospel; you have heard now that they be in the indignation of God, whosoever favoreth you, and on the other side that they are in the favor of God, whosoever overthroweth and destroyeth you. But I will not in any wise these words which I do speak of the destruction and utter subversion of the Kingdom of false Bishops, so to be understood or taken, as though it ought to be done with the hand, or with sword, or with violence, or bodily invasion of them, for with this destruction of the men, we shall be nothing further in this so great a matter, that is to wit, God's cause or business: But as Daniel prophesied in the 8. chapter, The Kingdom of Antichrist is to be broken all to pieces without any hand of man. Saint Peters words, you are a regal Priesthood and a Priestly Kingdom, are meant of Spiritual Bishops, who are all the Preachers of the Word of God in Cities, Towns, and Villages, although they do neither buy Pall nor Gowne, nor yet any other Garment of those bauds the Romanists: the Corporal Bishops are you which bearing • orked Miters on your heads under the apparel of Aaron, do in very deed play the very Tyrants, and are fellows unto Nero and Caligula, riding upon fat and well fed Pal • ries and sleeke Mules, and afterwards with your rings only, and your Gloves, and your silver Sheephooke (if God be pleased) you do play the Bishops. And here again I guess what they will object. For all that (say they) oftentimes many Saints have been Bishops, not only of one City, but of many Cities. I make answer, As many as have been • oly Bishops in very deed, and called Pastors by the calling of God, all those for the most part were the Bishops of one City alone, as Cyprian, Hilary, Ambrose, Augustine, Irenaeus, and these observed the tradition of the Apostles; it is found in deed in His • oriographers, that there have been certain (such was holy Boniface, and such also Tite unto Paul ) which did after their own judgment constitute other Bishops in the Cities, as Titus did, but yet w • re they not therefore the Bishops of many Cities ; and albeit that such manner of example could be shown of the Saints, shall the examples of holy men be prejudicial to the Word of God ? Is not God greater than all Saints? how oftentimes do we find that holy men have sinned & erred? God saved Daniel in a Dungeon of Lions, and he saved Ananias, Azarias and Misael in the flaming Furnance of Babylon. Is the hand or power of God now shortened and minished? Is it any doubt but that be might preserve and keep his elect and chosen persons, if it should happen them by any means to be seduced, and led out of the right way (as Christ prophesied) even in the midst of men's Ordinations and traditions, and of the errors of the Devil? we ought not to put confidence in any ensample, deed, or word of Saints, but our Consciences ought to lean, and to be grounded only upon the Word of God, which only is he (as Paul saith) that cannot lie. But let us furthermore hear Paul, what he saith of this Ordinance of God, for in this wise Luke writeth of him in the 20. Chap. of the Acts, And sending messengers from Miletum to Ephesus, he sent for Priests of the Church, which when they were come to him, he said unto them, Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock in which the holy Ghost hath set or ordained you Bishops to govern the Church of God, which he hath purchased and gotten with his own blood. Go to now, is here any new thing? Is Paul a fool, and doth he not know what he doth? Ephesus was but one City alone, and Paul calleth openly all the Priests or Elders by one common name Episcopos, Bishops. But peradventure Paul had not read those books, and those Apologies wretchedly patched together of Papists, nor the holy Decretals. For how would he have been bold else to make many Bishops overseers to one City, & to call all the Priests of one City Bishops, in as much as they were not all Princes, neither kept a gard of men, and goodly Palfries, but were certain rascal persons, and of the most abject and vile sort of men, after the worldly estimation. For Paul peradventure was ignorant of that, which is grown in use now in our time, that no man can be a great Bishop in very deed, unless he do (as the Poet saith) keep an hundred Horses in goodly stables, unless he have a gorgeous house full of royal Pomp, unless he have many royal titles of Lordships. For this alone is sufficient now in our time, to that that Knights and Princes (be they never so much unlearned and foolish, yea and though their minds other whiles do stand nothing towards it) may by the commendations of their parents and kinsfolks, and otherwhiles by gifts and rewards be suddenly made Bishops. But in good sadness thou seest plainly that the Apostle Paul doth call these only Bishops, which do Preach the Gospel unto the people, and do minister unto them the Sacraments, as now in our time be the Parish Priests and the Preachers. Wherefore I do not doubt but these, although they do Preach the Gospel, but to very little Villages and Granges, and if they be the faithful and true ministers of the Word: I do not doubt (I say) that they have by good right the Title and name of a Bishop. Contrariwise, those valiant horsemen a • d tyrannous Bishops have no point of the Office of a Bishop, saving only those bare goodly titles, and certain disguised apparel, in like manner as those Bishops which are painted on a Wall, have indeed the shape and likeness of Bishops, but they are without life and speech: For even such dead and idle stocks and blocks are the Popes Bishops in every point: albeit that then they are evermore strong and quick when they do exercise tyrannous cruelty against the very Pastors, which do busily govern Cities in the ministration of the Word of God, and by more than devilish tyranny do forbid them holy Wedlocke, and to the open slander of the Church do wink at the keeping of Whores, do blaspheme the Gospel, do extinct the Word of God, and under the pretence and color of virtue and godliness, do with incredible woodnesse exercise continually extreme tyranny upon the silly poor people. By the reason whereof we do see in the Courts and Palaces of some Bishops, likewise as in the fountain of all vice and mischief in the Court of Rome, not so much as one crumb, not so much as the least shadow to be found of Christian manners: we see also all the Cities of Priests, and namely those Noble • eats of Priests to be nothing else but schools of uncleanelinesse and bodily pleasures, Ware-houses of vices, so much that in comparison of their houses the Courts of their secular Princes may be accounted Monasteries and holy schools of virtue and godliness, yea and Sodom and Gomorrah in comparison of them, may seem temperate, measurable and thrifty. For out of their Courts or houses cometh forth neither the Gospel, nor any other holy Doctrine, but only Citations, Excommunications, Exactions, Interdictions, Citations (I say) in very deed peremptory, that is to say, slayers both of goods and of souls. For such as the Bishops are themselves, such also is their Doctrine. And though thou do never so much clothe an Ass with a Lions skin, yet he continueth still an Ass; and an Ape is still an Ape although he be clad in purple. Besides this, S. Paul writeth to the Philippians in this wise: Paul and Timothy the Servants of Jesus Christ, to all the Saints in Christ Jesus which are in the City of Philippi, and to the Bishops also and the Deacons, &c. Lo • Philippi was but only one City, and yet S. Paul saluteth all them that believeth, together with the Bishops • undoubtedly the Bishops whom he meaneth there, were the Priests, likewise as he was wont to constitute and ordain in all the other Cities. This is now the third place of Paul, in which we do see, what God and the holy Ghost hath constituted and ordained, that is to wit, that they only are called Bishops in very deed, and by right, which do take and bear the charge of the people in the Administration of God's Word, in caring for the poor • lock in the Administration of the Sacraments; as are now in our days the Christian Cu • ates or Parish Priests, if they might be suffered for those Mi • red Horsemen. And that this belongeth to the Office of a Bishop, the very Word it self doth very well declare; for this Word Episcopu •• , is derived of two Gre • ke words, Epi, and Scopin, which signify, to give attendance, to Oversee, to give diligence, to play the Keeper or watchmen over the people, in like manner as watchmen do keep watch upon the walls of a City, or as Shepherds do keep watch upon their sheep. And Episcopos in Greek doth properly signify in English an Overseer, and in the Hebrew it signifieth a Visi • our, that is to say, one which visiteth men at their own house, and doth diligently inquire and search the condition of them, and the state of their life, being readily and indifferently to help and comfort all men. So Christ saith in the nineteenth Chapter of Matthew, Because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation. That which is there called time of Visitation, we call the time of thy Bishopric. But ou • Papistical Bishops have found and devised a certain new proof and declaration of that Episcopal Office, seemly for such as they are, that is, to set themselves a high in a chair guilded, clad in purple, with Cushions of clothe of • issue under their buttockes and their el • owes, having abundance and plenty of all manner of delights and pleasures, as much as any King can have, and in the mean season to offer and set forth the men belonging to their governance, to be pilled, tormented and slain of their officials, to whom they make their flocks subjects ; men for the most part wicked, ungodly, and which do think that there is no God, which then may also with their Commandments at their own pleasure by compulsion cause to appear at those • heir holy Consistories, persons that dwell very far off, not without damage and hurt both in goods, and in their souls, and may exercise and use all manner of extreme tyranny upon them. For as much then as now it is evident & open of these three places of the Apostle, that those Bishops, which are so far away from ministration of God's Word, and be negligent about their duty, are not only no true Bishops, but rather the people of malediction before God, as the men which have settled their minds against the Statutes and Ordinances of God to extinct the gospel, and do exalt themselves to destroy souls. It is every Christian man's duty by all lawful a • d honest means that he may, to procure that their tyrannous and sinful traditions may once be utterly contemned and come to confusion: It belongeth (I say) to every Christian man's duty manfully, and with great confidence, and boldness, where charity will suffer, without offending the weak, to endeavor himself to do all things which are contrary to their traditions, none otherwise than he would do against the Devil himself. And also to tread under the feet and utterly despise the obedience of them by which they desire to have their own traditions greatly regarded and observed, the Word of God neglected and nothing set by, even as they would tread under their feet the very Devil himself. All we therefore (if it be so that we have pity of so many souls which do perish forever; if we be earnestly moved and stirred with the Word of God) owe (pray ma • ke this passage well) with our uttermost diligence to go about and with very great contentation and straining of ourselves to labor about this, that there may again according to the institution of the Apostle, very Bishops and Shepherds be constituted everywhere in Cities, which be men pure and virtuous, and well learned in holy Scripture, and in spiritual things, which have chaste wives, and children obedient (as the Apostle saith) in the fear of the Lord. Wherefore seeing that the Bishops and Pastors everywhere in the Cities, which are nowadays, have hitherto rather obeyed the Devil than God, banded themselves against the Scripture, to this wicked vow of living single, or sole, (if there be any point of Christian breast or mind in us) we ought to give diligence and bestow labors, for a reformation of the same to be had by the King our only supreme head of the Church, in whom only the reformation lieth, so that once such a reformation had, the poor captive souls may boldly, to contempt of the Devil and his Papistical •• aditions, revoke those vows, as being through error made with the Devil, and with the very gates of hell, and that they may according to the Word of God wed wives, or rather to be willing (according to the institution of S. Paul ) to be good married men in the sight of God, then for the pleasure of those bauds the Romanists to be Adulterers and whore-keepers. Fo • the very time it self doth now in so great revelation of the Gospel require that once at the last the holy ordination of the Spirit of God, which can • not be but very good, should be restored and set up against those profane and abominable traditions of men. Loe this is my decree against those proud puffed Bulls of the Devil, and of the Devillish Romanists and their factors. Neither do they hear and obey me, but they hear and obey God, and the Spirit of God, whosoever do hear and obey this. And therefore I can also in very deed promise both everlasting life, and also the favor of God to all those, whatsoever they be, that do in faith observe and keep it. And because this shall not be judged the ordination of Paul alone (for it is reported that the Dean and Canons of a certain Cathedral Church, did say after a blasphemous manner and fashion, openly to a Preacher, whom they did expulse for the Gospel sake, What of Paul, what of Paul? The Pope hath received more power of Christ than ever Paul did: and for the pleasure of those so swee • e and gentle men, and excellently devilish Priests, let us see what Peter and what Christ himself did say concerning this matter. In the fifth Chapter of • he first Epistle of Peter it is thus written, The Priests that are among you I beseech (which am also myself a Priest, and a record of the afflictions of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory, which shall be shown) feed, as much as lieth in you to do, the flock of Christ, taking the charge and oversight of them not by compulsion, but willingly, not for the desire of filthy lucre, but of a good favorable and loving mind, neither as men exercising dominion in their inheritances, but that you may be yourselves ensamples to the flock, and when the head shepherd shall appear, you shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory. Here thou seest that Peter even likewise as Paul did, doth use these two words Presbyter and Episcopus, both for one thing, that is to wit, that they are Episcopy, which do teach the people, and do preach the Word of God • and he maketh them all of equal power one with another, and he fo • biddeth them to behave themselves so, as if they were Lo • ds or had dominions over those whom they have charge of. He calleth himself a fellow Priest, (that I may so say) by these words evidently declaring and proving, that all Parish Priests and Bishops of Cities are of equal power among themselves; and as touching the Authority of a Bishop, that one is nothing superior to another, and that he himself also is fellow Priest with them, and hath no more power & authority in his own City, then have the other or everyone of them in their own Congregation • Loe Peter maketh himself equal and not superior to the Bishops, what I beseech you will those beasts allege here against these things, which do not cease nor only to be Lord's and have dominion, but also to exercise most cruel tyranny upon our souls and our goods; which also do never cease with exceeding mad brawlings and suites to contend and strive among themselves about the difference, and degrees of power and authority. And that I may once make an end, Christ himself in the 22. chapter Luke saith, The Princes of the Paynims are Lord's over them, and they which have power and authority over them, are called beneficial and gracious; but it shall not be so among you, but he that is eldest among you, let him be made as youngest. Hereunto hearken and give good attendance you pompous and Lordly Bishops; Loe all the holy Christian people require of you a reason and cause of your domination and Lordship, which you have hitherto with so many titles, and also with so many tyrannous deeds taken, violently usurped, and challenged unto yourselves: Loe, I say, the Christian world requireth a cause of this your doing, for this you cannot deny which is so open and evident afore the eyes of all men, that your Kingdom is an outward and a worldly Kingdom, yea and that more worldly, than the Kingdom of any worldly Prince. For you play the Lord's openly both upon the bodies, and also the minds, and that not by the Word of God, but by exterior pomp, by exterior and worldly tyranny, as other Princes and Rulers of the heathen people do: I say, go to therefore now and tell me, how those Words of Christ, vos autem non sic, that is, but so shall not you do, how do t • ey agree with that your Kingdom ? Go to now, because you shall not (as you are very slippery) slip from me, let us ensearch and ponder well the signification of the words. What is the meaning of these words: But you not so? for here undoubtedly is rebuked your Kingdom • & your condition & state, for this ought not to be such a one as it is, if it were a Christian state. Now let it be whatsoever manner one you will, yet for all that Christ speaking of the domination of those worldly Princes saith plainly unto you (for you will seem to be Bishops) But ye shall not do so. Which words he largely prosecutes, and afterwards proceeds thus. You do • eede and nourish yourselves most delicately and • enderly in riot and pleasures with the blood and sweat of poor men • besides impoverishing and beggering the world with your gu •• es and deceits; you do with your Excommunications and Interdictions vex and toss all things up and down, afflicting and tormenting poor men both in soul, in body, and in their goods; you do extinct and destroy the Gospel, and not only yourselves do no manner of work belonging to the Office of a Bishop, but also you will not suffer any other men to preach the Word of God; you do pursue the Preachers from City to City, as it was prophesied in Matth. 24. and you do expulse them as knaves, and vild wretches out of all your dominions, and yet in the mean season yourselves are nothing else in comparison, but vipers, whom as unprofitable burdens of the earth the world can no longer bear nor suffer, unless you do wax wise and amend. Wherefore here labor and apply yourselves lustily and stoutly, that you do not please the people overmuch, increase your benefits and good deeds, give diligence lustily, that there may not need any great business to destroy your tyranny, whiles you do shake out your own selves, and do your own selves willfully run forth to your own confusion • nd dest •• ction • I verily (to give you good and faithful counsel) would advertise you, that you should purchase and get unto yourselves the favor and love of the people with mildness, with mercifulness, with softness, with patience and Apostolical sincerity, that is to wit, with those virtues, with those holy means, which S Paul did use; go forth and hold on as you have begun, this is even the right and next way to undoubted destruction, whereunto you do so greatly make haste; for even so did your Fathers the Jews, into whose hypocrisy you are succeeded, who when they had slain the Lord and author of life Jesu • Christ, and had by degrees promulgated, and published the Gospel to be for bidden, yet could they not rest until they had provoked the Romans, and so had sought their own undoubted mischief, which said Romans at the last setting violently upon them, slew them, and utterly destroyed them; for how could you better observe and fulfill that which becometh your personages to do, than if you do go about and endeavor to prove, and show yourselves the very right and true sons and heirs of such manner of Parents; But here (I see) they will put upon them all the whole Episcopal armor, that is to say, a purple pall, and a forked Miter upon their heads, their gloves and their rings with precious stones to fence both their hands withal, they s • all also have their feet shod, not with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, but of the sandall of vanity, and a silver Cross, hanging down to the midst of their breast, and if I be not deceived, a Roman Pall also covering their shoulders, and a shepherds staff to measure their pace, and so then having this armor upon them, with a stately and solemn gate, they shall come forth, &c. Who hath commanded that Bishops should so play the gallants, and use such pomp and gorgeousnesse of the Court? Christ did openly forbid them to be as the Kings and Princes of the Gentiles, where • ee dot • by express and open words separate and divide t • em from Princes of the World, a • d saith, The Kings and R • lers of the Gentiles are Lord's over them, but you shall not do soe: These words, that Prince of Princes, and King of Kings, and that Lord of Majesty will not revoke; he will not abolish them, nor suffer them to be thrust out of place and made void for thy peevish excuses wherewith thou dost in thy conscience coldly and faintly come • ort thyself, Why dost thou not rather forsake thy Lordly Port be it never so pleasant? if thou ca • st not e • ecute and fulfill the offi • e of a Bishop, why dost thou for transitory and most vild honor forget thine own health and salvation? yea moreover wittingly, and willingly dost cast away thine own soul for the most deceitful pleasure of this life? Why dost thou (I say) wittingly a • d willfully perish? Even those men are scantly saved at the last, which with courageous faith continually wrestling and fighting with their flesh and the Devil do live in a good and a virtuous kind of life: why dost thou then hope in vain, • hat thou shalt be saved among so many je • pardies, among so many voluptuous plaasures ? What doth it profit ( saith Christ himself ) if he do possess all the World, and all the Kingdoms, and do cast away his own soul?

But whereof, or which way (will some say) should Kings, Princes, Earls, Barons, Knights, briefly all the Nobles of the world provide for their younger children, if these Bishoprics, if those Cathedral and Collegiate Churches were not?

And therein first we may openly see the exceedinge foolishness and blindness of all Christendom, which hitherto have bought commonly of the Romanists, the Benefices and Prebends founded by themselves with the blood of their Children. Loe here I do speak unto thee whosoever thou art, who dost wittingly so cast away thy children, If any Ploughman or Smith did wound or kill thy Son or did defile thy daughter, or thy Sister, thou wouldst for anger go about to do the uttermost mischief that thou couldst to overthrow and destroy even whole Cities, whole Provinces, for the revenging thereof would seem but a small matter unto thee, thou wouldst think in thy mind it to be so high and so heinous an offense that was done unto thee: but I beseech thee here open the eyes of thy mind, and look whether there can be a more sure Homicide and murderer of thy children, anymore grievous and more cruel enemy unto them than thou art thine own self, advancing and promoting them to a Bishopric, or thrusting them down into such a Church (as they do call it) for thou makest thy son a Bishop, which state, as it is now far away from the ministration of the word and from all godliness, thou knowest undoubtedly to be a devilish state, in which thy son can in no wise be saved. Since it is so, that thou dost know this, tell me I beseech thee whether thou dost not more sore rage and use more cruelty against him than if thou cut him into gobbets and didst throw his flesh unto dogs to be devoured ; if thy son through his own mis-understanding, ignorance or error had stumbled, and fallen into such a certain kind and manner of living, thou oughtst with all diligence, and with all thy power to labor and go about (if there were any wisdom, or any point of a Christian mind in thee) to rid him out of it, although thou hadst but only one loaf of bread to live on thyself, whereof thou shouldst be fain to give him the one half: but here I beseech thee look upon thyself somewhat more near, and more narrowly, whosoever thou art which dost cast down thy children headlong into these kinds and manners of living, and consider what manner of father thou art, only to keep thy Dominion, and thy riches upright, and from decay, only lest thy gold and silver should be diminished if it were divided among many heirs: thou dost thrust down, & willingly cast headlong thy Sons, and kinsmen into the deep dungeon of hell; neither doth it move or stir thee any whit to see thine own blood supped and swallowed up in the throat of the Devil, and perpetually to perish, so that thou be not compelled to diminish or debate anything of thy superfluity, or any parcel of thy pomp and royalty. Lo this most ungracious opinion, this custom is crept in and used in many places, that as oftentimes as any great man's Son, being meet rather for any other thing than for a Bishopric, is chosen and • lected Bishop, or is brought into the Temple; then with solemn pomp, and a solemn company set in their array, are mad cries and loud shouts, as it were in a triumph; then all the Halls and Courts do sound and ring with the noise of trumps, with trumpets, with •• bre • s • then are in every place lighted tapers and torches; then that solemn Song, Te Dewn laudamus is thundered out, so that these triumphs do plainly represent unto us the image of those foolish Kings of Israel which did burn up their sons and daugh • ers for a Sacrifice in the honor of the Idol Molo •• , and with the divers loud sounds of trumps did bring to pass, that the lamentable crying ou • and wailing of them, that were in the midst of the fire, could not be heard. The author of this book hath many such like passages against Bishops. And as for Cathedral Churches, he stiles them: Stews, and the Gates of hell, a certain insatiable bottomless whirl pool which swallows up the riches of Kings, of Princes, of Dukes, of Earls, of the Common people, and of all the world. But I pass from this old Treatise.

About the same time there was a Treatise expressing the causes of the Divisions between the Spiritualty, and the Temporalty. Printed, Londini in aedibus Thom • Bartheleti, prope aquagium sitis sub intersignio Lucretiae Romanae, excus. Cum Privilegio. I shall transcribe no passages out of this Treatise, but only the Table of the Chapters at the end thereof, wherein the causes of the division between the Spiritualty and the Temporalty are summarily expressed.

• Chap. 1. That the Division among spiritual men themselves, hath been one cause of the Division that is now between the spiritualty and temporalty in this Realm.
• Chap. 2. That the omitting of divers good laws, with certain defalts & disorders in men of the Church, which among others be recited, and declared by John Gerson, have been another occasion of this division. Among these he numbers the neglect of these two Canons. That Bishops should have poor apparel, lodging, and table, and should not strive for transitory things: And the Clerks shall not take upon them the acts or procurations of spiritual men.
• Chap. 3. That certain Laws made by the Church, wherein it is recited, Quod Laici sunt Clericis infesti: That is to say, That Lay men be cruel to Clerks, hath been another cause of this division.
• Chap. 4. That the extreme Laws made by the Church for laying violent hands upon Clerks have been another cause of this Division.
• Chap. 5. That the disordering of the general sentence of excommunication, hath been another occasion of the said division; which (saith he) will never be appe • sed, till the heads spiritual will reform themselves, and show a fatherly affection to the people, and not extend the sentence o • the Church upon so light causes, and upon such partiality, as they have done in times past.
• Chap. 6. That another occasion of this division hath partly risen by temporal men through disordering of their Chaplains and Chauntry Priests.
• Chap. 7. That suits taken in the Spiritual Courts (Ex officio) have been another occasion of this Division : which suits together with Oaths Ex officio, whereby a man shall be condemned, and not know the names of them that be causes thereof; he terms a sore law, and much declaimes against them.
• Chap. 8. Though after the determination of Doctors, a man is not an heretic, for that only that he erreth, but for that he opinatively defendeth his error: and that nevertheless the spiritualty as a common voice goeth among the people, have in time past punished many for heresy upon light causes and offenses, whereupon many people have grudged, and that grudge hath been another occasion of this Division.
• Chap. 9. That the partiality that hath been shown upon suits taken in the Spiritual Court by spiritual men, hath been another cause of this Division.
• Chap. 10. That the extreme and covetous demeanour of some Curates with their Parishioners, hath been another cause of this Division.
• Chap. 11. That the granting of pardons for money, as it were to some Charitable use, that hath not after followed, hath raised another grudge among the people, which hath been another occasion of this Division.
• Chap. 12. That making of Laws by the Church which they had no authority to make, hath been another occasion of this Division. In which Chapter he cites divers Laws made by the Clergy, and executed contrary to the Laws of the Realm, touching Tythes of wood, exemption of Clerks from secular jurisdiction, and the like: which laws while spiritual men, stick fast to, and stiffly maintain, temporal men by reason of common use and custom that they have seen to the contrary, have resisted them, whereupon have risen great strife, and variances, and expenses in the spiritual Law.
• Chap. 13. The lack of good visitations hath been another occasion of this Division : wherein he shows that Bishops keep their visitations only to gain money, and procurations, not to refrain vices.
• Chap. 14. That the great multitude of Licenses, and dispensations made by the spiritualty for money, upon light suggestions, hath been another cause of this division.
• Chap. 15. That the great laxenesse and worldly pleasures of religious persons, whereby the people hath been greatly offended, hath been another occasion of this Division.
• Chap. 16. Then for a conclusion of this Treatise, it is somewhat touched, how good it is to have a zeal of Souls, and how perilous it is to do anything whereby they might be hurt: And that if zeal of Souls, pity, good doctrine, and devout prayer were abundantly in this world, mist specially in Prelates and spiritual Rulers, that then a new light of grace, and tractability would shortly show and shine among the people.

The sum of the whole Treatise is to prove; that the Bishops and Prelates, are the authors of much division, trouble and dissention both in Church and State, and that by their Episcopal practices and unjust usurpations, laws and proceedings.

William Wraughton, who wrote about the same time, In his Rescuing of the Romish Fox, Dedicated to King Henry the 8. writes thus: We have put down some of your orders of the world, there remain yet two orders of the world in England: That is, the order of pompous and Popish bishops: and Gray Friars. Which if they were put down as well as the other put down before, I reckon that there should be no Kingdom wherein Christ should more reign than in England. And there he proves at large, the Canon Law to be the Popes law, and that as long as the Bishops maintain it in England, they maintain the Pope in his sovereignty and Legislative power in England, and that the reading of this Law makes men papists.

Roderick • • ors, sometimes a Gray Friar, in his Complaint to the Parliament house of England, about the 37. year of King Henry the eight Chap. 23, 24. writes thus of our Prelates. No doubt one Bishop, one Dean, one College, or House of Canons, hath ever done more mischief against God's Word, and sought more the hindrance of the same, than ten houses of Monks, Friars, Canons, or Nuns. The Kings Grace began well to weed the Garden of England: but yet hath he lest standing (the more pity) the most foulest, and stinking weeds, which had most need to be first plucked up by the roots, that is to say, the pricking thistles, and stinging nettles; which still standing, what helpeth the deposing of the petty members of the Pope, and to leave his whole body behind, which are the pompous Bishops, Canons o • Colleges, Deans, and such other? Surely it helpeth as much as to say, I will go kill all the Foxes in Saint John's wood, because I would have no more Foxes breed in England Which well pondered, we may say and lie not, that the Pope remaineth wholly still in England, save only that his name is banished. For why his body (which be Bishops and o • her shavellings) do • h not only remain, but also his tail, which be his fil • hy Traditions, wicked Laws, and beggarly ceremonies (as Saint Paul calleth them) yea and the whole body of his pestiferous Canon Law, according to which judgment is given throughout the Realm • So that we be still in Eg • pt, and remain in cap • ivity, most grievously laden by observing and walking in his most • ilhy dross aforesaid, which is a misty and endless maze. And so long as ye walk in those wicked laws of Antichrist the Pope, and maintain his Knights the Bishops in such inordinate riches, and unlawful authority: so long say I, ye shall never bani •• that monstrous beast the Pope out of England • yea and it shall be a means, in process of time to bring us into temporal bondage also again, to have him reign as he hat • done, like a God, and that know our forked caps right well, which thing maketh • hem so boldly, and shamelessly to right in their gods quarrel against Christ and his Word, &c. The Bishops by their subtle • es, and most crafty wiles make the people to abhor • e the name of the Pope of Rome for a face, and compel them to walk in all his wicked laws; and the Word of God which we say we have received, is not, nor cannot be suffered to be preached a •• • aught purely and sincerely, without mixing it with their inv • nted traditions and service. Wherefore to open the conclusion o • this little lamentation: • f • ee will banish forever the Antichrist, the Pope out of this Realm; ye must fell down to the ground those rotten poasts the Bishops, which be clouds withou • moisture • and utterly abandon all and every of his ungodly Laws, traditions and ceremonies. Now will I speak no further against the particular Pope, for as much as every Bishop is now a Pope, and ye may plainly see by all the premises, that the proud Prelates (the Bishops I mean) be very Antichrists, as is their Father of Rome. So he, and much more.

Henry Stalbridge, in his Exho • tatory Epistle to his dearly beloved Country of England, against the pompous Popish Bishops thereof, as yet the true members of their filthy Father the great Antichrist of Rome. Printed at Basel in King Henry the eighth his days, thus seconds him. I say yet once again, and that in the seal of the Lord, as he is my Judge, I wish (if his gracious pleasure so were) that first the Kings Majesty, and so forth all those to whom God hath given power and authority upon earth under him, may thoroughly see and perceive • how that no • only the bloody Bear-Wolf of Rome, but also the most part of the other Bishops, and stout sturdy Canons of Cathedral Churches • with other petty pronlers and prestigious Priests of Baal • his malignant members, in all Realms of Christendom (especialle here in England ) doth yet roar abroad like hungry Lions • free • like angry Bears, and bite as they dare like cruel wolves, clustering together in corners, like a swarm of Adders in a dunghill, or most wily subtle serpents; to uphold and preserve their filthy Father of Rome, the head of their bawdy brood • if it may be. No less do I judge it, than a bounden duty of all faithful ministers to manifest their mischiefs to the universal world • eve • y man according to his Talent given of God, some with pen, and some with tongue; so bringing them out of their old estimation, lest they should still reign in the people's consciences to their souls destruction: An evident example have they of Christ thus to do, which openly rebuked their filthy forefathers, the Scribes, Lawyers, Phari • ees, Doctors, Priests, Bishops, and Hypocrites, for making God's commandments of no effec •• to support their own traditions. Mark • 8. Luk. 12. Paul also admonisheth us, that after his departure should enter in among us such ravenuing wolves as should no • spare the flock. These spiritual manhunters are the very offspring of Cain, children of Caiaphas • and successors of Simon Magus, as their doctrine • nd living declareth, needing no f • rther probation: most cruel enemies have they been in a lages to the verity of God, ever since the Law was first given, and most fierce persecutors of Christ and his Church (which he there proves at large by several examples • ) • No where could the verity be taught, but these glorious gluttons were ever at hand to resist it. Marvel not ye Bishop • and Prelates, th • ugh I thus in the zeal of Helias and P • ineas stomach against your •• urdie storms of stubbornness, for never was any tyranny ministered upon Christ • and his mystical members, but by your procurements, and now in our days, where are any of the Lord's true Servants burned, or otherwise murdered for true preaching, writing, glossing, or interpretting the Gospel, but it is by your cruel calling upon &c. If you be not most wicked workers against God and his verity, and most spiteful Traitors to the King, and his Realm, I cannot think there be any living upon the earth. Be this only spoken to you that maintain such mysteries of madness; never sent Christ such bloody Apostles, nor two horned warriors, but the Devils Vicar Antichrist, which is the deadly destroyer of faithful Believers. What Christian blood hath been shed between Empire and Empire, Kingdom and Kingdom, as between Constantinople and Almaine, England and France, Italy and Spain • or the Bishops of Rome? and how many cruel watres of their Priests calling on, were too much either to write, or to speak: Always have they been working mischief in their idle Generation to obscure the verity of God. I say yet once again, that it were very necessary for the Kings worthy Majesty with earnest eyes to mark how God hath graciously vouchsa • ed to deliver both him and his people from your troublesome Termagaunt of Rome, which afore made all Christian Kings his common slaves, and to beware of you hollow hearted Traitors, his spiritual promoters, considering that your proud predecessors have always so wickedly used his Graces noble Progenitors, the worthy Kings of this Realm, since the Conquest, and a • ore. Who overthrew King Herald, subduing all his land to the Normans? Who procured the death of King William Rufus, and caused King Stephen to be thrown in prison? Who troubled King Henry the First, and most cruelly vexed King Henry the second? Who subdued and poisoned Kings John ? Who murdered King Edward the second, and famished King Richard the second most unseemingly? Besides that hath been wrought against the other Kings also To him that shall read, and thoroughly mark the religious acts of Robert the Archbishop of Canterbury of old, Egelwinus, Anselmus, Randolfe of Durham, Ralfe of Chichester, Alexander of Lincoln, Nigelus of Eli, Roger of Salisbury, Thomas Becket, Stephen Langhton, Walter Stapleton, Robert Baldocke, Richard Scrope, Henry Spencer, Thomas Arundell, and a great sort more of your anointed Antecessors, Pontificiall Prelates, mit • ed mummers, mad mastry workers, ringed ru •• lers, rocheted rutters, shorn saucy swilbols, it will evidently appear, that your wicked generation hath done all that, and many other mischiefs more. By these your filthy • orefathers, and such o • her, hath this Realm been always in most miserable captivity, either of the Romans or Danes, Saxons or Normans, and now last of all, under the most blasphemous Behemoth, your Romish Pop • , the great Antichrist of Europe, and most mighty maintainer of Sodom and Gomorrah: How unchristianly your said Predecessors have used the Rulers of all other Christian Realms, it were too long to write. I reckon it therefore high time for all those Christian Princes, which pretend to receive the Gospel of salvation, and accordingly after that to live in mutual peace and tranquility, forever to cast you out of their privy councils, and utterly to seclude you from all administrations, till such time as they find you no longer wolves, but faithful feeders; no destroyers, but gentle teachers. For as Saint Peter doth say, 1 Pet. 5. Ye ought to be no Lord's over the people of your Diocese, but examples of Christian meekness. Who seeth not that in these days your bloody Bishops of England, Italy, Cycell, France, Spain, Portugal, Scotland, and Ireland, be the ground and original foundation of all controversies, schisms, variances & wars betwixt Realm and Realm at this present &c. Consider your beginning • never came ye in with your Miters, Robes, and Rings by the door, as did the poor Apostles, but by the window unrequired, like Robbers, Thieves, and manquellers, with Simon Magus, Marcion, and Menander, never was your proud Pontifical power of the heavenly Fathers planting, and therefore it must at the last up by the roots, ye must in the end be destroyed without hands Dan. 8. &c. I think • he devils in hell are not of a more perverse mind, nor seek no more ways to the souls destruction than you. Ye play Pharaoh, Caiaphas, Nero, Trajanus, with all tyrants parts besides: Oh abominable scorners and thieves, which practice nothing else but the utter destruction of souls. If anything under the Heavens hath need of Reformation, let them think this to be one which minded any godliness for never did cruel Pharaoh hold the people of Israel in so wicked captivity, as doth • his superstitious sort idle Sodomites, the most dearly redeemed heritage of the Lord. If they be no spiritual thieves, soul murderers, heretics of and schismatics • Church-robbers, rebels, and traitors to God, and to man, where are any to be looked for in all the world? Another thing yet there is, which causeth me sore to lament, the inconveniences thereupon considered: And that is this, although the Scriptures, Chronicles, Canons, Constitutions, Councils, and private histories, with your manifest acts in our time, doth declare your Fore • athers, and you such Heretics, Thee • es, and Traitors to the Christian Commonwealth, as hath not been upon the earth, but you, yet you are still taken into the privy councils both of Emperor and King.

But what a plague it is, or miserable yoke to that Christian Realm, whereas ye bear the swinge, I think it truly unspeakable, though it be not seen.

O eternal Fa • her, for thy infinite mercy sake grant thy most faithful servant the Kings Majesty, our most worthy Sovereign Lord and Governor under thee, clearly to cast out of his privy Coun • ell House these • echerous Locusts of Egypt, and daily upholders of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Popes cruel cattle, tokened with his own proper mark, to the universal health of his people, as thou hast now constituted him an whole complete King, and the first since the Conquest. For never shall he have of them, but deceitful workmen, and hollow hearted Gentlemen, and not only that (good Lord) but also deprive them of their usurped authority and power, restoring again hereunto his temporal Majestra • es, whom their proud Pope hath hitherto most tyrannously thereof deprived. Finally, to take from them their inordinate pomp and riches, and more godly to bestow them, that is to say, to the aide of his pove • ty, as for an example the noble the noble Germans have graciously done before him. After a far other sort defended the Apostles, the spiritual Kingdom of Christ then they: their armor was righteousness, poverty, patience, m • eknesse, tribulation, contempt of the world and continual suffering of wrongs; their strong shield was faith; and their sword the Word o • God, Eph. 6. Wi • h the Gospel preaching drove they down all superstitions, as you by your Lordlinesse have raised up again in the glorious Church of Antichrist. The Kingdom that he • orlooke John. 6. and the Lord • hip, that he so straitly forbad you, Luke 22. have • ou received of the devil, with that ambitious reign of covetousness which he left behind him on the high Mountain, Matth. 4. What ruinous deca • es hath chanced to all Christian Region • , and their Babylonish b • ood, it we • e much to write • It shall be therefore necessary for our most wor • h • King to look upon in time, and both to diminish you authority and riches, lest ye hereafter put all his godly enterp • ises in hazard. For nothing else can ye do of your spiritual na • ure, but work da • lie mischief. As well may ye be spared in the Commonwealth, as may Kites, Crowes, and Buzzards, P • l • ats, Wesels, and Rats, O • ters, Wolves, and Foxes, Bodilice, Fleas, and Fleshflies, with other devouring and noisome verm • ne; for a • unprofitable are ye unto it as they, and as li •• le have ye in the word of God to uphold you in these vain offices of Papistry as they. This uncommodious commodity hath En • land had of you always, when ye have been of the Kings privy Council, and I think hath now at this present hour, that whatsoever godly enterprize is there in doing, be • hey never so privily handled, yet shall the Popish Prelates of I • aly, Spain, France, Flanders, and Scotland have sure knowledgde thereof by your secret Messengers, and you again their crafty compassings to deface it if may be. Neither shall th • se • ealmes con • inue long after without wa •• e, special • y if an earnest reformation of your s •• ainefull abuses be sought there, and never shall the original grounds of that war be known but other causes shall be laid to • olour it with; as that the King seeks his rig •• , his Princely honor, the maintenance of his titles, or the Realms Commonwealth, • e •• g nothing less in the end, but an upholding of you in your mischiefs. So long as you bear rule in Parliament Ho • se, •• e Gospel shall be kept under, and Christ persecuted in his • aith • ull members. So that no godly Acts shall come out from • hen • e to the glory o • God, and Christian Commonwealth, but you will so sauce them with your Romish Sorceries; that they be ready to serve your turn. Although the Kings Majesty ha • h pe • mitted us the Scriptures, yet must the true Ministers thereof at your most cruel appointment either suffer most tyrannous death, or else with open mouth deny Christ's veri • y, which is worse than death Thus give ye strength to his law • , & nourish up his Kingdom, whom ye say with your lips ye have refused, your pestilent Pope of Rome. Ye play altogether Hick-s • o • ne • under the figure of Ironia. That ye say, ye hate, ye lov • , and that ye say, ye love, ye hate. Late all faithful men beware of such double day dreamers, and hollow hearted Traitors, and think, whereas they bear the rule, nothing shall come rightly forward either in faith or Commonwealth. What other works can come from the Devils working tools than cometh from the hands of his own malignant mischief? who can deny the Bishops to be the instruments of Satan, understanding the Scriptures, and beholding their daily doings? Think ye • here can be a greater plague to a Christian Realm than to have such Ghostly Fathers of the Kings Privy council? If wise men do judge it any other than a just plague for our sins, and a yoke laid upon us for our irreverent receiving of that heavenly treasure, the eternal Testament of Christ, to have such hypocrites, thieves, and traitors to reign over us, truly they judge not aright. If we would earnestly therefore repent of our former being, and un • ainedly turn to our everliving God, as we find in the Testament, I would not doubt it, to jeopard both my body and soul, that we should in short space be delivered of this Popish vermin rising out of this bottomless pit; Apoc. 9. which eateth up all that is green upon earth, or hath taken any strength of the living word of the Lord: for the heart of a King is always in the hands of God, and at 〈◊〉 his pleasure he may evermore turn it, Prov. 21. Take me not here that I condemn any Bishop or Priest that is godly, doing those holy offices that the Scripture hath commanded them, as preaching the Gospel, providing for the poor, and ministering the Sacraments right; but against the bloody butchers, that murder up God's People, a • d daily make havoc of Christ's congregation to maintain the Jews Ceremonies, and the Pagans Superstititions in the Christian Church. Those are not Bishops, but Bite-sheep's, Tyrants, Tormenters, Termagaunts, and the Devils slaughter men. Christ left no such Disciples behind him to sit with cruel Caiaphas at the Sessions upon life and death, of his innocent members, but such as in poverty preached the Gospel, rebuking the wicked world for Idolatry, hypocri • ie, and false doctrine. Episcopus is as much to say, as an overseer, or Superintendent, whose office was in the Primitive Church, purely to instruct the multitude in the ways of God, and to see that they were not beastly ignorant in the holy Scripture, as the most part of them are nowadays. Presbyter is as much to say, as a Senior or Elder, whose office was also in godly Doctrine and examples of living to guide the Christian Congregation, and to suffer no manner of superstition of Jew nor Gentile to reign among them. And these two offices were alone in those days, and commonly executed of one several person. They which were thus appointed to these spiritual offices did nothing else but preach and teach the Gospel, having assistants unto them, inferior officers called Deacons, Act. 6. 1 Cor. 1. Rom. 3. No godly man can despise these offices, neither yet condemn those that truly execute them: not only are they worthy to have a competent living, 1 Cor. 9. but also double honor after the doctrine of Saint Paul, 1 Tim. 5. But from inordinate excess of riches, ought they of all men to be sequestered, considering that the most wicked nature of Mammon is always to corrupt, yea the very Elect, if God were not the more merciful, Matth. 6. which might be an admonition to our Lordly Bishops when they be in their worldly pomp, that they are not God's servants believed they his sayings, as they do nothing less.

Master Fish •• in his Supplication of Beggers, thus complains to King Henry the Eight of the inconveniency of the Prelates greatness and sway both to himself, and his subjects, worthy his Majesty's most serious consideration; Oh the grievous shipw • acke of the Common-wealth, which in ancient time before the coming of these ravenous wolves, were so prosperous, &c. What remedy? Make Laws against them? I am in doubt whether ye be able. Are they not stronger in your own Parliament house than yourself, what a number of Bishops, Abbots, and Priors, are Lord's of your Parliament? Are not all the learned men of your Realm in see with them, to speak in the Parliament house for them, against your Crown, dignity and Common-wealth of your Realm, a few of your own learned Counsel only excepted? What Law can be made against them that they may be available? Who is he (though he be grieved never so sore) that for the murder of his ancester, ravishment of his wife, of his daughter, robbery, trespass, maihme, debt, or any other offense, dare lay it to their charge by way of Action? and if he do, then is he by and by, by their wiliness accused of heresy, yea they will so handle him ere he pass, that except he will bear a faggot at their pleasure, he shall be excommunicated, and then be all his Actions dashed. So captive are your Laws unto them, that no man whom they list to excommunicate may be admitted to sue any action in any of your Courts. If any man in your Sessions dare be so hardy to indite a Priest of any such crime, he hath ere the year go about such a yoke of heresy laid in his neck, that it mak • th him wish he had not done it. Your Grace may see what a work there is in London, how the B • shop rageth for indi • ing certain Curates of extortion, and incontinency the last year in the Ward-mote Quest. Had not Richard Hunne Commenced action of Premunire against a Priest, he had yet been alive • and no heretic a • all, but an honest man. And • his is by reason that the chief instrument of your Law, yea the chief of your Counsel, and he which hath your sword in his hand, to whom also all the other instruments are obedient, is always a spiritual man, which hath ever such an inordinate love unto his own kingdom, that he will maintain that, though all the temporal Kingdoms and Common-wealths of the world should therefore utterly be undone: After which he s •• wes the intolerable exacti • ns of the Prelates on the people, and how much wealth and money they extort from their post • rity.

You have heard now the opinion of our Martyrs, Prelates, and godly Writers touching Episcopacy, Lordly Prelates, their trayterly practices, T • mporalties, and perniciousness to our Church and State both before and in K. Henry the eighth his reign, in the very in • ancie of reformation, many then desiring and earnestly writing for their utter exterpation, as most pernicious instruments of mischief both to King, Church and Kingdom: I shall now proceed to give you some brief account, what hath been • hough of these particulars by our Writers, and Martyrs in King Edward the sixth, Queen Mary's, and Queen Elizabeth's subsequent reigns.

Learned Martyn Bucer, Professor of Divinity in the University o • Cambridge, in King Edward the sixth his reign • in his book De Regno Christi (dedicated to this King ) and Devi & usu sancti Ministerii, determines thus of Lordly Prelates, and their temporal offices: First, I doubt not, Most noble King, that your Majesty discerns, that this reformation of Christ's Kingdom which we require, yea which the salvation o • us all requires, Ab Episcopis nullo modo expectandum, is by no means to be expected from the Bishops, since there are so few among them (even in this Kings reign when they were best, which is worthy noting) which do clearly know the power of this Kingdom, and the proper offices thereof; yea, most of them by all means they may and dare, do either oppugn it, defer or hinder it: and thereupon he adviseth the King not to make use of Doctors Bishops, who had the greatest Titles, and largest revenues in this reformation, but of other godly Ministers, and Lay-men, wherein the knowledge and zeal of God did most abound; & to choose them for his Counselors in this great work who b • knew the power of Christ Kingdom, and desired with all their hearts that it might prevail and reign first in themselves, & then in all others. And because (writes he) it is the duty of Bishop to govern the Churches, not by their own sole pleasure, but with • he counsel of Presbyters, and Ministry of Deacons, there will be a nececessity, as all the offices of Churches are now dissipated, and perverted, to adjoin to everyone of the Bishops, though never so approved, a council of Presbyters, and ministry of Deacons, who also ought to be most holily examined and tried, whether they have received of the Lord, both ability and will to be assistant to their Bishop in the administration and procuration of the Churches: the Presbyters in council, and assistance, the Deacons in observance, and ministration, &c. But now there are some of the Bishops, whose service your sacred Majesty useth in the administration of the Kingdom. But since nothing in this world is commended to the care of men by the most high; which ought more solicitously & religiously to be looked to and managed, then the procuration of religion, that is, of the eternal salvation o • the elect of God; summum est nefas, it is the highest impiety to prefer any other Business before this care, or for any cause whatsoever to hinder them, so as their ministries be less • ully adhibited to their Churches. Moses was most amply endued with the spirit of God, and excelled with incredible wisdom, and he altogether burned with a most ardent study of planting and preserving the true religion; yet seeing he ought to govern the whole Common-wealth of I • rael, he by God's command set Aaron his brother with his sons over matters of religion, that they might WHOLY bestow themselves in them. The Maccabees truly joined the Civil administration to the Ecclesiastical, but with what success their histories testify, wherefore it is to be wished that Bishops according to God's Law, religionibu • solis vacent procurandis, should only addict themselves to matters of Religion, and lay aside all other businesses from them, though beneficial to mankind, and leave them to those who should wholly bestow themselves on them, being chosen thereto by God. There is no office that requires more study and care • han the procuration of souls. Satan knowing this very well, hath brought to pass, that Bishops and chief Ecclesiastical Prelates should be sent for by Kings & Emperors unto their Courts to manage public affairs, both of war and pe • ce. Hence these mischiefs have ensued; first, a neglect of the whole sacred ministry, the corruption of doctrine, the destruction of discipline. After as soon as Prelates began to usurp the place of Lord's, they challenged their luxury & pomp to themselves to which end since the wealth of Princ • s was requisite, that which they ought to bestow out of their Ecclesiastical revenues, upon the faithful Ministers of Churches, upon Schools, upon the poor of Christ, all these things being taken from them by horrible sacrilege, they spent them upon riot, and princely pomp. And when as the goods of the Church were not sufficient to maintain this luxury and pomp, they flattered away, and begged, and by various frauds took from Kings goodly rich po • sessions, and great Lordships: by which accessions their luxury and pride was thenceforth not only fostered and sustained, but likewise infinitely increased: which afterwards so far prevailed, that the spoils of single Churches would not suffice each of them, but they brought the matter to this pass, that one at this day may fleece or spoil three or four Bishoprics, Abbeys, and other Prelacies, and such a multitude of parish Churches as is horrible to name; for they say there is one lately dead in this Kingdom who flayed above 20. Parishes. So Bucer, who held Bishops & Ministers to be all one, and that the power of ordination (resting originally in Christ, derivatively in the whole Church, and ministerially only in Bishops, and Presbyters as servants to the Church) belonged as well to Presbyters as to Bishops; with whom Peter Martyr his fellow Regius professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford fully concur • es, in his Commonplaces, printed at London cum privilegio: Ann. 1576. Class. 4. Loc. 1. Sect. 23. p. 849. to which I shall refer you for brevity sake.

To these I might add; The image of both Pastors, written by Huldricke Zwinglius, translated into English by John Veron, dedicated to the Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector, and Printed at London, Cum privilegio, An. 1550. Wherein he proves the parity and identity of Bishops and Presbyters: condemns the Lordly and sec • lar dominion, Wealth, Pomp, Pride, Tyranny, Nonpreach, and rare preaching of Prelates; and manifests Lord Bishops, as then they stood (and now) to be false Pastors, and mere papal and antichristian officers, not warranted by God's word; but because Zwinglius was a forraigner, I shall pass it by without transcribing any passage thereof.

Mr. John Hooper, both a Bishop, and martyr of our Church, a great opposer of Ceremonies, Episcopal Rochets, and Vestments in which he would not b • consecrated, writes thus of the secular employments, wealth, and calling of Bishops. For the space of 400. years after Christ, the Bishops applied all their wit only to their own vocation, to the glory of God, and the honor of the Realms they dwelt in: though they had not so much upon their heads as our Bishops have, yet had they more within their heads, as the Scripture and Histories testify. For they applied all the wit they had unto the vocation, and ministry of the Church, whereunto they were called. But our Bishops have so much wit that they can rule and serve (as they say) in both States, in the Church, and also in the Civil policy, when one of them is more then any man is able to satisfy, let him do always his best diligence. If he be so necessary for the Court, that in Civil causes he cannot be spared, let him use that vocation, and spare the other: It is not possible he should do both well. It is a great oversight in Princes thus to charge them with two burdens: the Primitive Church had no such Bishops as we, they had such Bishops, as did preach many godly Sermons in less time, than our Bishops horses be a bridling. Their house was a School, or treasure house of God's Ministers, if it be so now let every man judge. The Magistrates that suffer the abuse of these goods be culpable of the • ault; if the fourth part of the Bishopric remained to the Bishop, it were sufficient; the third part to Schoolmasters: the second to poor, and soldiers were better bestowed; If any be offended with me for this my saying, he loveth not his own souls health nor God's Laws, nor man's; out of which I am always ready to prove the thing I have said to be true. Further, I speak of love, not of hatred. And in his Apology he saith, It is both against God's Laws & man's, that Bishops and clergy men should be judges over any subjects within this Realm, for it is no part of their office, they can do no more but preach God's Word, and minister God's Sacraments, and excommunicate such as God • Laws do pronounce to be excommunicated; who would put a sword into a madmans hand? And in his exposition on Psal. 23.1580. f. 40. Although Bishops ( saith he ) in the reign of Constantine the Great obtained, that among Bishops some should be called Archbishops, and Metropolitans, &c. Yet this preheminencie was at the pleasure & discretion of Princes, & not always tied to one sor • of Prelates, as the impiety of our time believeth, as we may see in the Council of Calcedon & Afric. So that it is manifest, that this Superior preeminency is not of Divine, but of human right, instituted out of civil policy. So Hooper.

The Book of ordination of Ministers, and Consecraation of Bishops, compiled by the Bishops in King Edwards days, ratified by two Acts of Parliament, and subscribed to by all our Ministers, hath this notable passage, and charge against the Lordlinesse, and secular employments of Prelates and Ministers, prescribing all Bishops, when they ordain Ministers, Archbishops, or Bishops, to use this exhortation to them. Have always printed in your remembrance, how great a treasure is committed to your charge, for they be the sheep of Christ which he bought with his death, and for whom he shed his blood • the Church and Congregation, whom you must serve, is his spouse and body; And if it shall chance the same Church, or any member thereof to take any hurt or hindrance by reason of your negligence, ye know the greatness of the fault, and also of the horrible punishment which will ensue. Where • ore consider with yourselves the end of your Ministry towards the children of God, towards the spouse and body of Christ; and see that you never cease your labor, your care, and diligence, until you have done all that lieth in you, according to your bounden duty to bring all such as are or shall be committed to your charge, unto • hat ripeness or perfectness of age in Christ, that there be no place left among them either for error in religion, or for viciousness of life. ( And what Prelate or Minister hath done this? ) And for this self same cause, ye see how ye ought to forsake, and se • aside (as much as you may) all worldly cares and studies. We have good hope, that you have well weighed, and pondered these things with yourselves long before this time, and that you have clearly determined by God's grace to give yourselves wholly to this vocation, whereunto it hath pleased God to call you; see • hat (as much as lieth in you) you apply yourselves who • lie to this one thing, and draw all your care and study this way, & to this end; And that you will continually pray for the heavenly assistance of the Holy Ghost, that by daily reading and weighing of the Scriptures, you may so wax riper, and stronger in your Ministry. And • hat this your promise shall more move you to do your d • ties, ye shall answer plainly to these things which we in the name of the Congregation shall demand of you touching the same.

Will you give your faithful diligence always to • inister the Doctrine and Sacraments, and the Discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, and as this Realm hath received the same, according to the Commandments of God; so that yo • may teach the people committed to your cure and charge, with all diligence to keep, and observe the same?

I will so do by the help of God.

Will you be diligent in Prayers, and in reading of the holy Scriptures, and in such studies as help to the knowledge of the same, laying aside the study of the World, and the Flesh?

I will endeavor myself so to do, the Lord being my helper. And at the consecration of every Archbishop and Bishop, this charge by the direction of the said book is given to him.

Be thou to thy flock a shepherd, not a wolf; feed them, but devour them not. And it is worthy observation, that the same Chapters and Epistles are read at the ordination of Ministers, and consecration of Bishops; which proves their office and function both one and the same by divine institution.

The third part of the Homily, of the peril of Idolatry, ratified by the 35. Article of our Church; subscribed unto by all our Prelates and Ministers, published in King Edward • he 6. his days, and reprinted by King James his special command. determines thus against the Courtship, and secular employment of Prelates. That Bishops in the Primitive Church did most diligently, and sincerely teach and preach, for they were then preaching Bishops, and more often seen in Pulpits than in Princes Palaces; more often occupied in his Legacy, who said, Go ye unto the whole world and preach the Gospel unto all men; than in Ambassages and affairs of Princes of this world. And in the 5. and 6. part of the Homily against willful rebellion, and the second part of the Homily for Whitsunday, notably paints forth at large the treasons, conspiracies, practices, and rebellions of Popes, and our Prelates against the Emperors and our Kings in former ages, which he that will may there read at his leisure, being too common and large to recite.

M. Hugh Latimer (who gave over his Bishopric out of conscience, in K. Hen • y the 8. his reign, and never resumed it again; skipping for joy, h • e was rid of that heavy burden,) In his Sermon of the Plough preached thus, God saith by the Prophet Jeremiah, Maledictus qui facit opus Dei fraudulenter, guilefully, and deceitfully: some books have, negligenter, negligently, or slackly. How many such Prelates, how many such Bishops (Lord for thy mercy) are there now in England? And what shall we in this case do? shall we company with them? O Lord, for thy mercy shall we not company with them? O Lord, whither shall we flee from them? But cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently or guilefully: A sore word for them that are negligent in discharging their office ill; Ye that be Prelates look well to your office: for right Prelating is busy laboring, and not Lording, therefore preach and teach, and let your plough be doing. Ye Lord's (I say) that live like loiterers, look well to your office, the Plough is your office and charge; if ye live idle, and loiter, you do not your duty, &c. They have to say for themselves long customs, ceremonies, and authority, placing in Parliament, & many things more And I fear me this Land is not ripe to be ploughed, for as the saying is, it lacketh withering. This Land lacketh withering, at least it is not for me to plough. For what shall I look for among thorns, but pricking and scratching? What among stones, but stumbling? what (I had almost said) among Scorpions, but stinging? But thus much I dare say, that since Lording, and loitering hath come up, preaching hath gone down, contrary to the Apostles times; for they preached and Lorded not, and now they Lord and preach not; for they that be Lord's will ill go to the Plough, it is no meet o • fice to them, it is not seeming for their estate: Thus came up Lording loiterers: thus crept up unpreaching P • elates: for how many unlearned Prelates have we now at this day? And no marvel, for if the ploughmen that now be, were made Lord's, they would clean give over ploughing, they would leave their labor and fall to Lording outright, and let the plough stand; & then both ploughs not walking, nothing should be in the Common-wealth but hunger: For ever since the Prelates were made Lord's and Nobles, their plough standeth, there is no work done, the people starve: they hawk, they hunt, they card, they dice, they pastime in their Prelacies with gallant Gentlemen, with their dancing Minions, and with their fresh companions, so that ploughing is set aside, and by their Lording, and loitering, preaching and ploughing is clean gone. And thus if the ploughmen in the Country were as negligent in their office, as Prelates be, we should not long live for lack of sustenance. And as it is neces • ary to have this ploughing for the sustenta • ion of the body, so must we have also the other for the • atisfaction of the soul, or else we cannot live long ghostly: for as the body wasteth and consumeth away for lack of bodily meat, so doth the soul pine away for want of ghostly meat; And as diligently as the Husband man plougheth for the sustentation of the Body, so diligently must the Prelates and Ministers labor for the feeding of the soul: Both the Ploughs must still be going, as most necessary for man: they have great labors and therefore they ought to have good livings, that they may commodiously feed their flock; for the preaching of the Word of God is called meat: Scripture calleth it meat, not strawburies that come but once a year: and tarry not long, but are soon gone: but it is meat, it is no dainties: the people must have meat that must be familiar, and continual and daily given unto them to feed on, &c. And wherefore are Magistrates ordained, but that the tranquility of the Common-wealth may be confirmed, limiting both Ploughes? But now for the fault of unpreaching Prelates, me thinks I could guess what might be said for excusing of them: they are so troubled with Lordly living; they be so placed in Palaces, couched in Courts, ruffling in their rents, dancing in their Dominions, burdened with Embassages, pampering of their paunches like a Monk that maketh his Jubiliee, mounching in their maungers, and moyling in their gay Manors and Mansions, and so troubled with loitering in their Lordships, that they cannot attend it: they are oath • wise occupied, some in Kings matters, some are Ambassadors, some of the Privy Counsel, some furnish the Court, some are Lord's of Parliament, some aree Presidents, and controllers of Mints. Well, well, Is this their duty? is this their calling? is this a mere office for a Priest, to be controllers of Mints? is this a meet office for a Priest that hath cure of souls? is this his charge? I would here ask a question, Who controlleth the Devil at home at his Parish whiles he controlleth the Mint? If the Apostles might not leave the office of preaching to be Deacons, shall one leave it for minting? I cannot tell you; the saying is, that since Priests have been Minters, money hath been worse than it was before. And they say, that the evilness of money hath made all things deer. And in this behalf I must speak to England: Hear my Country England, as Saint Paul said in 1 Cor. 6. (for Paul was no sitting Bishop, but a walking and a preaching Bishop) Is there (saith he) utterly among you, no wise man to be an arbitrator in matters of judgment? What? not one of all that can judge between brother and brother, but one brother goeth to Law with another, and that under Heathen Judges • Appoint those judges that are most abject and vile in the Congregation • Which he speaketh in rebuking them, • or saith he, ad e • ubescentiam vestram dico ; I speak it to your shame. So England I speak it to thy shame, is there never a Nobleman to be a Lord President, but it must be a Prelate? Is there never a wise man in the Realm to be a Controller of the Mint? I speak it to your shame, I speak it to your shame: If there be never a wise man, make a water-bearer, a tinker, a cobler, a slave, a page controller of the Mint: Make a mean Gentleman, a Groome, a Yeoman, make a poor Beggar Lord President. Thus I speak, not that I would have it so; but to your shame. Is there never a Gentleman meet nor able to be Lord President? For why are no • the Noble men, and young Gentlemen of England so brought up in the knowledge of God, and in learning, that they be able to execute offices in the Common-wealth? the King hath a great many Wards, and I hear there is a Court of Wards; Why is there not a School of Wards, as well as there is a Court for their Lands? Why are they not set to the Schools where they may learn? or why are they not sent to Universities, that they may be able to serve the King when they come to age? The only cause why Noble men be not made Lord Presidents is, because they have not been brought up in learning, yet there be already Noblemen enough, though not so many as I could wish, able to be Lord Presidents; and wise men enough for the Mint: and as unmeet a thing it is for Bishops to be Lord Presidents, or Priests to be minters, as it was for the Corinthians to plead matters of variance before he • hen Judges: It is also a slander to the Noblemen, as though they lacked wisdom, and learning to be able for such offices: A prelate hath a charge and cure otherwise, and therefore he cannot discharge his duty • and be a Lord President too, for a Presidentship requireth a whole man, and a Bishop cannot be two men; A Bishoop hath his office; a flock to teach, to look unto, and therefore he can • ot meddle with another office which requireth an whole man • he should therefore give it over to whom it is meet, and labor in his own business, as Paul writeth to the Thessalonians, Let every man do his own business, and follow his calling: Let the Priest preach, and the Noblemen handle Temporal matters. Well, I would all men would look to their duty as God hath called them, and then we should have a flourishing Christian Commonwealth, &c. You may read all the Sermon to this purpose. In the close whereof he proves the devil to be the best Bishop in England, because he always follows his plough night and day, is never a Non-resident: and manifests our Bishops, even in King Edward • days when they were best, to be as bad or worse than the Devil, and chargeth the King in many of his Sermons to out with them, and make them all Quondam • .

In his fifth Sermon before King Edward, f. 61, 62. he thus prosecutes the same argument. Though, I say, that I would wish more Lord Presidents, I mean not, that I would have Prelates Lord Presidents, no • that Lord Bishops should be Lord Presidents. As touching that, I said my mind and cons • ience the last year. And although it is said, Praesint, it is not meant that they should be Lord Presidents, the office of a President • hip is a Civil office, and it cannot be that one man shall discharge both well, &c. In his Sermon at Stanford. p. 96. Christ was not the Emperors Treasurer, therefore he meddled not with that point, but left it to the Treasurer to define and determine. He went about another vocation to preach unto the people their duty, and to obey their Princes, Kings, Emperors, and Magistrates, and to bid them give that the King requireth of them, not to appoint a King, what he shall require of them. It is meet for every man to keep his own vocation, and diligently walk in it, and with faithfulness to study to be occupied in that God hath called him unto, and not to be busy in that God hath not called him unto, &c. In his Sermon on S. John Evangelists day. f. 284. But it is a thing to be lamented that the Prelates and other spiritual persons will not attend upon their Offices, they will not be amongst their flocks, but rather will run hither, and thither, here, and there, where they are not called, and in the mean season leave them at adventure of whom they take their living; yea and furthermore, some will rather be Clerks of Kitchins, or take other offices upon them, besides that which they have already: but with what conscience these same do so I cannot tell, I fear they shall not be able to make answe • e at the last day for their follies, as concerning that matter: for this office is such a heavy and mighty office that it requireth a whole man, yea and let every Curate or Parson keep his Cure to w • ich God hath appointed him, and let him do the • est that he can, yet I tell you he cannot choose but the Devil will have some, for he sleepeth not, he goeth about day & night to seek whom he may devour. Therfor • it is need for every Godly Minister, to abide by his sheep, seeing that the Wolf is so near, and to keep them, and wit • stand the Wolf. Indeed there be some ministers here in England which do no good at all, and therefore it were better for them to leave their benefices, and give room unto others. Finally, in his Sermon Preached before the Convocation June 9. in the 28. of Henry 8. he thus speaketh to the Clergy of England, and Lordly Prelates touching the utility of their Councils and assemblies for the Churches good: The end of your Convocation shall show what ye have done, the fruit that shall come of your consultation, shall show what generation ye be of. For what have ye done hitherto I pray you these 7. years & more? What have ye engendered? What have ye brought • orth? What fruit is come of your long and great assembly? what one thing that the people of England hath been the better of an hair? Or you yourselves, either accepted before God, or better discharged toward the people, committed unto your cure? Or that the people is better learned and taught now, then they were in time past, to whether of these ought we to attribute it, to your industry, or to the providence of God, and the foreseeing of the Kings Grace? Ought we to thank you, or the Kings highness? whether stirred other first, you the King that ye might preach, or he you by his Letters, that ye should preach oftener? Is it unknown think you, how both ye and your Curates were in manner by violence enforced to let books to be made not by you, but by profane and lay persons, to let them I say, be sold abroad and read for the instruction of the people? I am bold with you, but I speak Latin and not English to the Clergy, no • to the Laity: I speak to you being pre • ent and not behind your backs. God is my witness, I speak whatsoever is spoken of the good will that I bear you, God is my witness which knoweth my heart, and compelle • h me to say, that I say. Now I pray you in God his name what did you, so great Fathers, so many, so long a season, so oft assembled together? what went you about? what would ye have brought to pass? two things taken away, the one, that ye (which I heard) burned a dead man: the other, that ye (which I le • t) went about to burn one being alive. Him because he did, I cannot tell how, in his Testament withstand your profit, in other points, as I have heard, a very good man reported to • e of an honest life, while he lived, full of good works, both good to the Clergy, and also to the Laity; this other, which truly never hurt any of you, ye would have • aked in the Coals, because he would not subs • ribe to cer • aine Articles, that took away the Supremacy of the King. Take away these two Noble Acts, and there is nothing else left, that ye went about, that I know, saving that I now remember, that somewhat ye attempted against Erasmus, albeit as yet nothing is come to light. Ye have oft sit in consultation, but what have ye done? ye have had many things in deliberation, but what one put forth, whereby either Christ is more glorified, or else Christ's people made more holy? I appeal to your own conscience. How chanceth this? How came this thus? Because there were no Children of light, no Children of God among you, which setting the world at naught, would study to illustrate the glory of God, and thereby show themselves Children of light. So this godly Martyr, who hath sundry such like passage in his Sermons.

In the Conference, Anno. 1555. between our Religious Martyr John Bradford and Doctor Harpesfield Arch Deacon of London. Master Bradford complains, that the Pillars of the Church were persecutors of the Church, and tells him you shall no • •• nde in all the Scripture this your essential part of succession of Bishops: whereupon Harpesfield said, Tell me, were not the Apostles Bishops ? To which Bradford replied: No, except you will make a new definition of a Bishop, that is, give him no certain place. Harpesfield, Indeed the Apostles Office, was not the Bishops office: for it was universal, but yet Christ instituted Bishops in his Church as Paul saith: he hath given Pastors, Prophets, &c. So that I trow it be proved by the Scriptures the succession of Bishops to be an essential point. Brad. The Ministry of God's Word and Ministers be an essential point. But to translate this to the Bishops and their succession is a plain subtlety. And therefore, that it may be plain I will ask you a question; Tell me, WHETHER THAT THE SCRIPTVRE KNEW ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEENE BISHOPS AND MINISTERS, which ye called Priests? Harps. No. (So that by the joint confession of Papists and Protestants in Queen Mary's time Bishops and Ministers by the Scripture are both one.) Brad. Well, then go on forwards, and let us see what ye shall get now by the succession of Bishops, that is of Ministers, which can be understood of such Bishops as minister not, but Lord it. Lord Bishops than are none of Christ's institution, nor of the Apostles succession. Master Fox his Acts and Monuments of our Martyrs Lond. 1610. p. 1796. I find this Dialogue between Dr. John Baker, Collins his Chaplain, and Edmund Allin a Martyr. Baker, I heard say, that you spake against Priests and Bishops. Allin, I speak for them, for now they have so much living and especially Bishops, Arch-deacons, and Deans, that they neither can nor will teach God's Word. If they had a hundred pounds a piece, then would they apply their study, now they cannot for other affairs. Collins, who will then set his children to school? Allin, Where there is now one set to school for that end, there would be 40. because that one Bishops living divided into 30. or 40, parts, would find so many as well learned men as the Bishops be now, who have all this living; neithe • had Peter nor Paul any such revenue. Baker, Let us dispatch him, he will mar all. Collins, If every man had a hundred pounds, as he saith, it would make more learned men. Baker, But our Bishops would be angry if that they knew it. Allin. It were for a Commonwealth to have such Bishoprics divided, for the further increase of learning.

Infinite are the declamations and complaints of our godly Martyrs in Queen Mary's and King Henry • he 8. his reign against the Antichristian calling, Wealth, Temporalties, Tyranny, Pride, Pomp, Lordlinesse, and secular employments of our Prelates • which because they are ordinary, and every man may read them in Master F • x his Acts and Monuments, I shall therefore pass them by in silence, and proce • de to some other Authorities.

Our learned Io • n Bale determines thus of our Lordly Bishops. The Bishops compass everywhere about with tyranny and malice possible, the holds, the dwelling houses and places of resort pe • taining to the • aith • ull brethren: they vex their bodies on every side with rebukes, sco • nes, blasphemies, lies, scourgings, imprisonments, open shames of the world, and all manner of kinds of death: seldom escape any from the terrible hands of the Prelates and Priests, that sincerely • avour the truth: everywhere have they their spies, their Judasses, their false accusers, their Sommoners, their Bailiffs, and their pick-thanks, with o • her Officers to bring th • m in. In all places are they diligently watched, fiercely examined when they are taken, and cruelly enforced to accuse so many as they know of that belief. Every where have they spiritual prisons and Bishops Dungeons, with plenty of ropes, stocks, and irons, and as little charity else as the Devil hath in hell. This hath been their order from the time of Satan's Liberty, and this have they taken for an high point of Christian Religion. For this is the hour that Christ prophesied of, wherein men should think to do God great service when they put one of his unto death. None other caused Herod and Pilate to put Christ to death, but Ann • s & Caiaphas. None other moved Felix the President of Jury to imprison Paul, but the puffed up Prelate Ananias. Trajanus the Emperor would never so extremely have persecuted the Christian Church, nor yet o • her cruel tyrants ever since, had they not been propped forward by such pampred Palfryes of the Devil, the beastly Bishops. Whose calling and trayterly Practises he much declaimes against both there, and in his Centuries, to which I shall refer you.

Matthew • ar • er Archbishop of Canterbury in the life of Hubert his predecessor, writes thus of Bishops intermeddling with secular offices and affairs: that about the year of our Lord • 197. there was nothing • ound and sincere in the Christian republike, that the whole Clergy under a feigned and counterfeit show of Religion, did wallow without punishment in wickedness, in bribes, in honors and rapinesse, neglecting utterly the preaching of God's Word. The Original (saith he) of this evil sprung from this, that the Clergy did too much intermeddle with worldly affairs, contrary to the Decrees of the Orthodox Fathers. For at that time the Dean of Paul's was made Lord Treasurer; who carrying that Office, quickly hourded up a great treasure; at last falling into a deadly disease past recovery, he was exhorted by the Bishops and great men to receive the Sacrament of Christ's body and blood, which he trembling at refused to do: whereupon the King admonished and commanded him to do it, he promised him thereupon to do it the next day: being admonished to make his Will, he commanded all to void the room but one Scribe. Who beginning to write his Will in the accustomed form; In the Name of the Father, of the Son, &c. The Dean perceiving it, commanded him in a rage to blot it out, and these words only to be written; I bequeath all my goods to my Lord the King, my body to the grave, and my soul to the Devil ; which being uttered, he gave up the Ghost. The king hereupon commanded his carcass to be carried in a cart, and drowned in the River. This kind of examples (writes he) are therefore to be produced, that Clergy men may be de • erred from being Lord Treasurers, Collectors of the kings customs, and from civil and public employments. In Huberts time all secular offices almost were in Clergy men's hands, for some of them were Chauncellours, some Justices, some Treasurers of the kingdom, others had other O • fices in all the kings Courts and Pluralities of many great livings besides: which wealth, honors, offices, and dignities, as it made them like to kings in State and magnificence, so it puffed them up with such pride and arrogance, that in the 36. year of king Henry the third, they were removed from all Civil Offices and honors, at the instant request and desire of the greatest Noblemen to whom the same Offices were committed. Hence some of all orders in our present times have most sharply reprehended the Clergy for this very thing, that being advanced to the degree of Divinity, than which nothing in human life ought to be deemed more holy, they should be hindered there-from with secular businesses, as with servile works, and being with • drawn from divine things, should give themselves to pecuniary and Exchequer affairs which are most estranged from the dignity of their life, by which some (as appears by the example of that Dean of Paul's ) have made shipwreck both of Conscience and soul to. Wilhelmus Nubrigensis speaking of Hugh Bishop of Duresine, for intermeddling with the procuration of temporal affairs, hath these words. That Office (to wit of Lord Chancellor or chief Justice) was committed by the King to the Bishop of Duresine, who did not so much as refuse, but cheerfully embrace it, who verily contenting himself with his proper office, had much more decently been a minister of God's Law, than of man's; since no man can serve both, as he ought. And that saying of our Lord to the Apostles, Ye cannot serve God and Mammon, did principally respect the Apostles Successors. For if a Bishop that he may please both the heavenly and earthly king, at once will devide himself to both Offices; Verily the heavenly King, who wills that men should serve him with all the heart, with all the soul, and with all the strength, doth neither approve, nor love, nor accept his divine ministry. What then will he do, if a Bishop doth not give peradventure not so much as half of himself, to execute the things which are of God, and become a Bishop, but commits his cures to unworthy and remiss Executioners, that he may wholly serve an earthly Court or Palace? For no half man can sufficiently administer the Offices of an earthly Prince. By which sentences and examples we verily are admonished, that assiduous care and study of Clergy men, in worldly and Civil affairs, which makes them prove slow and unfit to divine things, is by all means to be reproved, and that the complaint of those is very unjust, who tax them for not intermeddling with temporal affairs, and study to call them back from divine things, to which they ought with all their might to apply themselves. He further adds out of Roger Howden and others, that the Pope enjoined Hubert Archbishop of Canterbury, without delay to lay down all his Temporal Offices, as being contrary to the Canons • o enjoy them, and against his honor and dignity; and further diligently admonished King Richard the 1. with a • atherly admonition, that as he tendered the Salvation of his soul, he should not permit the said Arch-bishop any longer to enjoy his secular office under him, and that he would neither admit him nor any other Bishop or Clerke to any other secular administration: and he likewise commanded all Prelates of Churches, by virtue of their Canonical Obedience; Ne ipsi ausu temerario seculares administrationes susciperent ; that they should not rashly attempt the managing of any worldly employments; because being entangled in secular affairs, they could nor sufficiently attend their Ecclesiastical cures, seeing the wise man saith,

And hence Roger de Howden, thus exclaims against Huber • for resuming his temporal offices again, after he had seemingl • informed the King that he would give them over; seeing • h • charge of his Church (as he said) was work enough • or one man, whereunto only he would gladly dedicate himself. O in •• licem Praesulem! licet saepius legisset, Neminem posse doubus Deminis se ruire, aut enim umun odio habebit, & alterum diliget, au • unumsustinebit, & alterum contemnet; praeelegit tamen officium sacerdotale postp • nere, quam regi terreno non adhaerere: & si • accepta regn • regiminis potestate officii administrationem ecclesias • ici, cui professionis voto ast rictus fuerat, parvi pendens, pro castris Regis Angliae stare non recusavit. So this Historian. Thus this Bishop.

Thomas Beacon a Prebend of Canterbury and a fugitive • or Religion in Queen Mary's days in his Catechism in the first volume of his works Printed at London, Cum privilegio, Anno, 1560. Dedicated to both Archbishops and all the Bishops of England, F •• . 499.500 And in his Supplication (written in Queen Mary's time) Vol. 3. fol. 14. •• 23. resolves thus of the parity of Bishops and Ministers, and the Antichristianity, cruelty, wealth, and secular employments of our Lordly Prelates.

Father. What difference is there between a Bishop and Spiritual Minister, or Presbyter?

Son. None at all, their Office is the same, their authority and power is One ; therefore S. Paul calls Spiritual Ministers sometimes Bishops, sometimes Presbyters, sometimes Pastors, sometimes Doctors, &c.

Father. What is a Bishop in English ?

Son. A Watchman, or superintendent, as Paul saith to the Presbyters or Bishops of Ephesus, Acts 20.28. &c. Then he adds that the first and principal point of a Bishops Spiritual Ministers Office is to teach and preach the Word of God. And concludes, that such a Bishop as either doth not, or cannot preach, is a Nicholas Bishop & an Idol, and indeed no better than a painted Bishop on a Wall: yea, he is as the Prophet saith, a dumb dog, and as our Savior Christ saith, unsavory salt, worth nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men. Woe be to such Rulers that set such Idols and white daubed walls over the •• ocke of Christ, whom he hath purchased with his precious blood. Horrible and great is their great damnation. Our Savior Christ saith to his Disciples, As my Father sent me, so send I you. Now who knoweth not, that Christ was sent of his Father to preach the Gospel? If they preach not (the case of many of our Lord Prelates) it is an evident token that Christ sent them no • , but Antichrist and the Devil. After which he thus proceeds in his supplication; Thou callest thyself a jealous God, why then dost thou suffer thy people, thy Congregation, thy flock, thine heritage, to be thus seduced and led away from thee unto all kind of spiritual fornication and abominable whoredom by that Antichrist of Rome, that great Baal, that stout Nemroth, that false Prophet, that beast, that whore of Babylon, that son of perdition, and by his abhominable adherents, Cardinals, Arch-bishops, Bishops, Suffragans, Arch-deacons, Deans, Provosts, Prebendaries, Commissaries, Parsons, Vicars, Purgatory-rakers, Priests, Monks, Friars, Channons, Nuns, Anckers, Anc • eresses, Pardoners Proctors, Scribes, Officials, Somners, &c. with all the • able of beastly hypocrites that have received the beasts Mark, which do nothing else than seek how they may establish their An • ichristian Kingdom by suppressing thy holy Word, and leading the people into all kind of blindness, errors and lies, &c. But now the Shepherds, yea rather the Wolves, which are burst into thy sheepfold; and with violence have unjustly thrust out the faithful and fatherly Pastors out of their cures, are Lordly, cruel, bloodthirsty, malicious and spiteful against thy sheep. They are such Wolves as spare not the flock, but scatter and destroy the flock. They are thieves, robbers, murderers and soul slayers. They feed themselves with the fattest, and clothe themselves with the finest wool, but thy flock they nourish not. The food wherewith they Pasture thy sheep, is the drowsy dreams and idle imaginations of Antichrist. In steed of the preaching of thy lively Word, they feed thy flock with Latin mumblings, with dumb Images, with Heathenish Ceremonies, with vain sightes, and such other apish • oyes. In steed of the ministration of the holy and blessed Communion, they feed thy sheep with vile stinking, abominable, devilish, blasphemous and Idolatrous Masses. And unto these unwholesome, pestilent, and poisonful Pasturs, they drive the sheep will they, nill they; and if any of thy flock refuse to come and to taste of those their pestilent poisons, and poisons full of Pestilences, him they accite to appear before the great Wolf, whose face is like unto the face of a she Bear that is robbed of her young ones, whose eyes continually burn with the unquenchable flames of the deadly Cockatrice, whose teeth are like to the venomous tushes of the ramping Lyon, whose mouth is full of cursed speaking and bitterness, whose tongue speaketh extreme blasphemies against thee and thy holy Anoynted, whose lips are full of deadly poison, whose throat is an open Sepulcher, whose breath foameth and bloweth out threatening and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord, whose heart without ceasing imagineth wickedness, whose hands have a delight to be embrued with the blood of the Saints, whose feet are swift to shed blood, whose whole man both body and soul go always up and down musing of mischief. This Wolf O Lord is so arrogant, haughty, and proud, seeing the government of the whole Realm is committed unto him, that he hath cast away all fear of thee. He maketh boast of his own wit, learning, and policy; his ways are always filthy, thy judgments are far out of his sight, he defieth all his enemies. For he saith in his heart, Tush, I shall ne • er be cast down, there shall no harm happen unto me. He sitteth lurking like a Lyon in his den; that he may privily murder the innocent and suck his blood. When such, O Lord God, as will not obey their Popish and devilish proceedings, are brought before that grievous Wolf, they are miserably taunted, mocked, scorned, blasphemed, as thy dearly beloved son was in Bishop Caiaphas house, and afterward cruelly committed to prison, to the Tower, to the Fleet, to the Marshalseys, to the Kings Bench, to the Counters, to Lollards Tower, to Newgate, &c. where they are kept as sheep in a pinfold appointed to be slain. And as this cruel and bloody Wolf dealeth with the poor Lambes, even so do the residue of that lecherous litter. He with all other of that Wolvish kind, hunger and thirst nothing so greatly as the devouring of the bodies, and the sucking of the blood of thy poor and innocent Lambes. Ah Lord God, under that most wicked Queen Jezebel, were not the Prophets, more cruelly handled, than thy faithful Ministers be now? for as in the days of the wicked Queen Jezebel the Priests of Baal were had in great honor, & were chiefest and of highest authority about the Queen, none bearing so much rule in the Court as they, none having so much reverence done unto them, as they had; even so now is it with the idolatrous Priests of England ; they alone be chiefest and of much estimation with the Queen. They alone • uffle and reign; they alone bear the swing in the Court; they alone have all things going forward as they desire; they alone be capped, kneeled, and crowched to; they alone have the keys of the English Kingdom hanging at their girdles: whatsoever they bind or loose, whispering and traitorously conspiring among themselves, that same is both bound and loosed in the star Chamber, in Westminster -Hall, in the Parliament house, yea in the Queens privy Chamber, and throughout the Realm of England. The very Nobility of England are in a manner brought to such slavery, that they dare not displease the least of these spiteful spiritual limbs of Antichrist. It is writ, that certain men gave their judgments, what thing was most mighty and strongest upon earth. The first said wine is a strong thing. The second said the King is strongest. The third said, women yet have more strength, but above all things the truth beareth away the victory. But we may now say (unto such an height is the tyranny of the Spiritual Sorcerers grown) that Priests in England are mightier, than either Wine, King, Queen, Lord's, Women, and all that is there besides. But how agreeth this with the example of Christ, which fled away, when the people would have made him a King or a temporal governor? Christ refused to meddle with any worldly matters, as the History of dividing the inheritance between the two brethren doth declare. Christ willed his Disciples to refuse all worldly dominion and temporal rule. When they strove among them, who of them should be taken for the greatest: Christ said unto them, The Kings of the Gentiles reign over them, and they that bear rule over them are called gracious Lord's, but ye shall not be so, for he that is greatest among you, shall be as the least, and he that is chief, shall be as the minister. Christ sent not his Disciples to be Lord's of the Council, Lord's of the Parliament, Lord President, Lord Chancellor, Lord Bishop, Lord Suffragan, Lord Dean, Master Queens Amner, Mr. Comptroller, Mr. Steward, Mr. Receiver, Sr. John Massemonger, &c. but to be Ministers and disposers of the Mysteries of God, to be Preachers of the Gospel, to be laborers in the Lord's harvest, to be Pastors and feeders of the Lord's flock, to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, to be an example to the faithful in word and conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith and in pureness, to feed Christ's flock so much as lieth in their power, taking the oversight of them, not as though they were compelled, but willingly, not for the desire of filthy lucre, but of a good mind, not as though they were Lord • over the Parishes, but that they be an ensample to the flock, that when the chief shepherd shall appear they may receive an uncorruptible crown of glory. But these things O Lord, have they all forgotten. These ambitious Antichrists are so drowned in vain glory, and in the desire of filthy lucre and worldly promotions, that they neither regard God, nor the higher powers, that they neither esteem their office, nor any one point of godliness & honesty, that they neither think upon the dreadful day of judgment, nor yet remember themselves to be mortal. Their whole study in the time of this their Lucifer • like pride is nothing else but to suppress thy holy truth, and to advance and set up their Antichristan Kingdom, that they as God's may sit alone in the Consciences of men. But O Lord God, though thou sufferest these Priests of Baal for our unthankfulness a while to prosper, to reign, to rule • to ruffle, to flourish, to triumph, and to tread down thy holy Word under their • eete, yet are we certain, that thou wilt at the last arise, defend thine own cause against these Antichrists, bring thine enemies unto confusion, and set thy people (after they have unfeignedly repented) in a quiet and blessed State. So he, and blessed be God that he after, and we now, live to see this verified in part.

Miles Coverdale once Bishop of Exeter in King Edward the sixth his reign, being deprived of it in Queen Mary's, would not return thereto again in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, but led a private life in London, where he writ a book entitled an Apology in defense of the Church of England Printed at London 1564. wherein he writes thus of Bishops intermeddling with secular affairs, and of their Treasons against our Kings, by the Popes instigation. The Old Canons of the Apostles command that Bishop to be removed from his Office, which will both supply the place of a civil Magistrate, and also of an Ecclesiastical person. These men for all that both do and will needs serve both places; Nay rather the one office which they ought chiefly to execute, they once touch not, and yet nobody commandeth them to be displaced, &c. And as • o • u • , we of all others most justly have left him. For our Kings, yea even they which with greatest reverence did follow and obey the authority and faith of the Bishops of Rome, have long since found and felt well enough the yoke and tyranny of the Popes Kingdom. For the Bishops of Rome took the Crown off from the head of our King Henry the second, and compelled him to put aside all Majesty, and like a mere private man to come unto their Legate with great submission and humility, so as all his Subjects might laugh him to scorn: more than this, they caused Bishops and Monks and some part of the Nobility to be in the field against our King John, and set all the People at liberty from their Oath whereby they owed allegiance to their King, and at last wickedly and most abominably they bereaved the King not only of his Kingdom, but also of his life. Besides this, they excommunicated and cursed King Henry the eight the most famous Prince, and stirred up against him sometime the Emperor, sometime the French King, and as much as in them was, put in adventure our Realm to have been a very prey and spoil, yet were they but • ooles and mad, to think that either so mighty a Prince could be scared with bugs and rattles, or else that so Noble and great a Kingdom, might so easily even at one morsel be devoured and swallowed up. And yet as though all this were too little, they would needs make all the Realm tributary to them, and exacted thence yearly most unjust and wrongful taxes. So deer cost us the friendship of the City of Rome.

John Ponet sometimes Bishop of Winchester, which he afterwards deserted, in his Apology against Doctor Martin, in defense of Priests marriage, c. 4.5. p. 44.52.53.54. expressly reckons up Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Monks, Cannons, Friars, &c. to be the Orders of Antichrist, taxing them likewise severely, and comparing them with the Eustathian he • etickes for refusing to wear usual garments, and putting upon them garments of strange fashions, to vary from the Common sort of people in apparel: likewise of the name Bishop and Superintendent. And • urther whereas it pleaseth Martin not only in this place, but also hereafter to jest at the name of Superintendent, he showeth himself bent to condemn all things that be good, though in so doing he cannot avoid his open shame. Who knoweth no • that the name Bishop hath so been abused, that when it was spoken, the people understood nothing else but a great Lord, that went in a white Rotche • , with a wide shaven crown, and that carrieth an Oil box with him, wh ••• he used once in 7. years riding about to confirm children, &c. Now to bring the people from this abuse, what better means can be devised than to teach the people their error by another word out of the Scriptures of the same signification? which thing by the term Superintendent would in time have been well brought to pass. For the ordinary pains of such as were called Superintendents, • hold have taught the people to understand the duty of their Bishop, which your Papist • would fain have hidden from them. And the word Superintendent being a very Latin word made English by use; should in time have taught the people by the very Etymology and proper signification, what things were meant, when they heard that name which by this term Bishop, could not so well be done, by reason that Bishops in the time of Popery were Over-seers in name, but not indeed. So that their doings could not • each the people their names, neither what they should look for at their Bishops hands. For the name Bishop, spoken amongst the unlearned, signified to them nothing less than a preacher of God's Word, because there was not, nor is anything more rare in any order of Ecclesiastical persons, than to see a Bishop preach, whereof the doings of the Popish Bishops of England can this day witness; but the name Superintendent should make him ashamed of his negligence, and afraid of his idleness, knowing that S. Paul doth call upon him, to attend to himself and to his whole flock : of the which sentence our Bishops mark the first piece right well, that is, to take heed to themselves, but they be so deaf, they cannot hearken to the second, that is, to look to their flock. I deny not but that the name Bishop may be well taken; but because the evilness of the abuse hath marred the goodness of the word, it cannot be denied, but that it was not amiss to join for a time another word with it in his place, whereby to restore that abused word to his right signification. And the name Superintendent is such a name, that the Papists themselves (saving such as lack both learning and wit) cannot find fault withal. For Peresius the Spaniard and an Arch-papist (out of whom Martin hath stolen a great part of his book) speaking of a Bishop saith; Primum Episcopy munus nomen ipsum prae se fert, quod est superintendere, Episcopus enim Superintendens interpretant, visitans aut supervidens, &c. that is to say: the chief Office of a Bishop by interpretation signifieth a Superintendent, a visitor, or an Over-seer. Why did not Martin as well steal this piece out of Peresius, as he did steal all the Common places that he hath for the proof of the Canons of the Apostles, and of traditions in his second and third Chapters? Martin in the 88. leaf is not ashamed in his book to divide the significations of the terms (Bishop and Super-intendent) as though the one were not signified by the other. But it may be that Martin, as the rest of the Popish Sect, would not have the name of (Superintendent) or minister used, least that name which did put the people in remembrance of Sacrificing and blood sapping, should be forgotten. Thus, and much more he.

Walter Haddon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge for sundry years in King Edward the 6. and Dean of the Arches in Queen Elizabeth reign, in his Book against Jerome Osorius, l. 3. fol. 251, writes short but sharp, of the Treasons of our English Prelates against our Kings. There have been few Princes in this our Britain for the space of 5 hundred years to whom most sordid Monks, but especially those who have possessed the See of Canterbury, have not procured some troubles. Anselm, how insolently opposed he himself to William Rufus and Henry the first? Theobald how proud was he against King Stephen? how great Tragedies did Thomas of Canterbury, whom you have canonized for a Saint for Sedition, raise up against Henry the second? William of Eli, and also Thomas Arundell of Canterbury, a nefarious Traitor, what wonderful troubles procured he, not only to King Richard the second, but to all estates of the Kingdom? What King John suffered from Langton and other Bishops, (who procured him to be judicially deprived of his Crown and Kingdom by the Pope) is unknown to none: neither was Edmund of Canterbury less opposite to King Henry the third: Edward the first succeeded Henry his Father in the government, whom John Peckham of Canterbury resisted with incredible boldness, leaving Winchelsie his Successor, who nothing degenerating from his footsteps, had wonderful contentions with the King: Both of them an Archbishop, each of them an arch-contemner of Majesty. What shall I say of Arch-bishop Walter, to whom it was not sufficient by force to rescue Adrian (or Alton ) Bishop of Hereford in despite of King and Parliament from his legal trial in open Court, and to send him away uncondemned, unless he likewise conspired with Queen Izabel against King Richard the second. That I may in the interim omit the furies and bitter concertations of others with their Princes. So he.

Will. Alley Bishop of Exeter in his poor man's library: par. 1. Miscellanea. Praelect. 3. p. 95.96. Printed Cum Privilegio. James Pilkington Bishop of Durham, in his Treatise of burning of the Paul's Church: and in his exposition on Agge. ch. 1. v. 1.2.3.4.9 • 12.13. c. 2. v. 1.2.3.4.9.10. and on Abdyas. v. 7.8. and Mr. Alexander Nowel Dean of Paul's in his Reproof of Dormans proof London. 1565. f 43.44.45. Conclude, that Bishops and Presbyters by God's Word, are one and the same, citing S. Jerome's words on Titus, 1. and to Euagrius, and declaim much against the Pomp, wealth, and secular employments of Bishops: their words for brevity I shall pretermit.

Mr. Elmer, afterwards Bishop of London, in his Harborow for faithful subjects, Printed at Strasbourg, writes thus against Bishops Civil Authority, Lordlinesse, and wealth. Christ saith Luke 12. Who made me a Judge between you? as though he would say, it belongeth not to my Office to determine matters of Policy and inheritance, that belongeth to the Civil Magistrate. If he had thought it had been within the Compass of his function, why and with what Conscience refused he to set them at one, who were at strife, and to put that out of doubt which was in suite? If he might do it, and would not, he lacked Charity, and did not his duty. If it belonged not to him, how belongeth it to any of his Disciples or Successors? had he not as large a Commission as he gave? or could he give that he had not? But he knowing his Office, as the Prophet Isaiah had foretold; to preach the Gospel, would do nothing without warrant. And therefore being asked if he were a King, answered simply and by a plain negative, My Kingdom is not of this world. If his Kingdom was not here, neither the ordering of Policies; yea when they would have taken him up to have made him a King, as one that refused that belonged not to him, he conveyed himself from among them. If imperial jurisdiction belonged to him, why refused he his calling? If it did not, where had Paul, Peter, or any other, any authority to meddle with that which he refused: seeing he saith, As my Father sent me, so send I you. In another place, Christ knowing the bounds of his calling, would not meddle with externe policy. Hence Bishops me thinks by his example, should not give themselves too much the bridle, and too large a scope to meddle too far with matters of policy. If these two Offices, I mean Ecclesiastical and Civil be so jumbled in both functions, there can be no quiet or well ordered Common-wealth. Christ saith to his Disciples: Princes of the Nations do bear rule like Lord's, it shall not be so with you. It falleth not into an Apostles or Church-man's Office, to meddle with such matters. For none going to war, entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, it is enough for them to attend upon one Office; to attend as sole Priests nor as errant Bailiffs. (And elsewhere in that Book he proceeds thus.) Come off ye Bishops, away with your superfluities, yield up your thousands, be content with hundreds, as they be in other reformed Churches, where there be as great learned men as you are. LET YOUR PORTION BE PRIEST-LIKE, NOT PRINCE-LIKE. Let the Queen have the rest of your temporalties, to maintain wars, and to build Schools throughout the Realm, that every Parish Church may have its Preacher, every City her superintendent to live not pompously, which will never be unless your Lands be disposed and bestowed upon many, which now feed and fat but one. Remember that Abimelech, when David in his banishment would have dined with him, kept such Hospitality, that he had no bread to give him but the Shewbread. Where was all his Superfluity to keep your pretended hospitality? for that is the cause that you allege, you must have thousand thousands; as though you were commanded to keep Hospitality, rather with a thousand than with an hundred: Remember the Apostles were so poor, that when the lame man who lay at the Temple gate called beautiful • asked an Alms of Peter and John as they went about to go, into the Temple; Peter answered him in this manner, Silver and gold have I none ; and Paul was so far from having Lordships, that his own hands ministered oft times to his necessities. If the Apostles of our Savior had so small possessions and revenues, why should our Prelates, who boast themselves to be their proper Successors enjoy or covet so great: when as Paul, enjoins them, if they have but food and raiment, therewith to be content, godliness alone with contentment being great gain, and a sufficient portion.

Nicholas Bullingham after Bishop of Lincoln, in his Printed Letter to Master Bull Decemb. 5. 1564. writes thus from Embden, where he arrived after many storms: Would God Master Bull, that all the Prelates of England had been with me, when we fell to cutting of Cables, & riding at Anchor in the raging Seas. There would have been tearing of square Caps, renting of Rotchets, defying of Bishoprics, despising of pomp, promising of new life; crying for mercy; O what a Tragedy would there have been! Well, well, though now they walk dry shod in their Palaces, there is a God that will try them and all his people by fire or by water, unless we heartily repent. Grace to repent, grant us, O Lord, without delay, Amen, Amen.

John Bridges Dean of Salisbury afterwards Bishop of Oxford and a great stickler for Episcopacy, in his Book entitled, The Supremacy of Christian Princes, • ver all persons throughout their Dominions, in all cases so well Ecclesiastical at Temporal. Printed at London, 1573. p. 359. to 364 • writes thus of the parity and identity of Bishops and Presbyters, and of clearing Aeriaus from Heresy in this point • First, that Arius said, there was no difference between a Priest & Bishop, and ye ask (Mr. Stapleton ) how say we to him. Whatsoever we say to him, we have first to say to you, that saving the reverence of your Priesthood, there is no difference between you and a liar, to object Arius herein to us, whereas (ye know well enough) our Church doth acknowledge in the ministry, a differen • e of Deacon and Elder, from a Bishop, although not according to your Popish Orders: For as neither Epiphanius, nor yet Augustine (quoted by you) speaketh there of any sacrificing Priest, so he never knew any such Pontifical Prelates as your Popish Church breedeth; and yet of those that were even then in Epiphanius time, and of their difference from the Elders or Priests, if ye know not how it came, Jerome that lived in the same age will tell you; or if ye have not read him, your own Canons will tell ye what he saith. Idem est ergo Presbyter qui Episcopus, & antequam Diaboli studia, &c. An Elder or Priest therefore is the same that a Bishop, and before that the studies of the Devil were made in Religion, and that the people said, I hold of Paul; I of Apollo, I of Cephas, the Churches were governed by the Common Council of the Elders; but after that everyone did account those to be his, and not to be Christ's, whom he had baptized, in all the world, it was decreed, that one of the Elders being chosen, should be placed above the rest: to whom all the care or charge of the Churches should belong, and the seed of Schisms be taken away. And a little after, Sicut ergo Presbyteri, as therefore the Elders know that they by the custom of the Church are subject to him, that is set over them: so let the Bishops know, that they more by custom, than by the truth of the Lord's dispensation, are greater than the Elders. This was the judgment of the ancient Fathers, and yet were they no Arians nor Aerians therefore. Yea Pe • er Lombard the master of the sentences, citing also Isidorus to witness, saith. Apud veteres idem Episcopy & Presbyteri fuerunt. Among the the Ancient Fathers, Bishops and Elders were all one. And again alleging the Apostle S. Paul, he saith, Qualis autem, &c. But what manner an El • er ought to be chosen, the Apostle writing to Timothy declareth where by the name of Bishop he signifieth an Elder, and a non after; Cumque omnes, and when all of them (he meaneth his false seven orders) are spiritual and holy, yet the Canons account only two Orders to be excelling holy, that is to say Deaconship and Eldership. Because the primitive Church is read to have these alone, and we have the Apostles Commandment of these alone, for the Apostles in every City ordained Bishop and Elders. Neither the Master only writeth thus; but almost all your Schoolmen, yea though they be themselves of the contrary opinion, yet they write this was the ancient opinion. And so Durand, though he make a difference between the power of Jurisdiction, and the power of order, yet he showeth that both the Scripture, and S. Jerome maketh no difference, but only the custom and institution of the Church. The Apostle (saith he) writing to the Philippians cap. 1. saith, with the Bishops and the Deacons, by them understanding the Elders, since in one City as in Philippos, many Bishops oug • t not to be. Again, Act. 2. he saith, Look to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy • host hath placed you to be Bishops. And he spoke unto them of the only City of Ephesus. But this appeareth more expressly to Titus the 1. Where he saith, For this cause I have left thee at Crete, that thou shouldst correct those things that want, and ordain Elders throughout the Cities, even as I have appointed to thee, if any be blameless, the husband of one wife. And straight he setteth under it, a Bishop must me blameless: and whom before he named an Elder he calleth now a Bishop: and in the 4. of the 1. to Timothy, Despise not (saith he) the grace of God which is given to thee through the imposition of the hands of an Elder, that is to say of a Bishop. S. Paul called himself an Elder, when he was the Bishop that ordained him. Thus far and more at large Durand, concluding at length Sic Ergo, Thus therefore saith S. Jerome, that a Bishop and an Elder, olim fuerunt synonyma, &c. were in the old time diverse names betokening one thing indifferently, and also of one administration; because the Churches were ruled by the Commune Counsel of the Priests. But for the remedy of a Schism, lest each one d • awing the Church after him, should break her, it was ordained that one should be above the rest, Et quoad nomen, &c. And so far forth as stretcheth to the name, that he only should be called Bishop, and that so far as stretcheth to the administration of some Sacraments & Sacramentals, they should be reserved to him by the custom and constitution of the Church: And this would Jerome, expressly 93. Dist. cap. legimus, in Esa & super Epistolam ad Tit. & recitatur. Dist. 93. cap. Olim Presbyteri, &c. Consuetudo aut institutio Ecclesiae potest dare Iurisdictionem, sed non potestatem ordinis aut consecrationis, quare &c. He therefore that counteth this erroneous or perrilous let him impute this to Jerome, out of whose saying in the fore alleged Chapter Legimus in Esa, the foresaid authorities are taken. Where also he putteth an example. That is of a Bishop in respect of Priests, as of an Arch-Deacon in respect of Deacons: unless the Deacons choose one among themselves whom they call Arch-deacon, &c. In the end, Durand reconciling Jerome, saith, and the authorities alleged by Jerome withstand it not, because according to the name and the truth of the thing, every Bishop is an Elder, and on the other part, so far as stretcheth to the name, every Elder having cure, may be called a Bishop, as Superattendent on other, although the consecration of a Bishop, or the chief Priest, be larger than of a simple Priest or Elder, but peradventure in the Primitive Church, they made not such force in the difference of names as they do now; And therefore they called a Bishop every • ne that had a cure. Thus writeth Durand of the ancient Fathers opinions. And will you count him or them Aerian • too? And this also doth your Institution in Colony Council confess: Non est tamen putandum. We must not for all this t • ink, that he ordained Bishops another order from Priests, for in the primitive Church Bishops and Priests were all one. The which the Epistles of Peter and Paul the Apostles; Saint Jerome also and almost all the ancient Ecclesiastical Writers do witness. And chiefly that place of the first Epistle of Saint Peter the fifth Chapter, is evident to declare this: For when Peter had said, the Elders that are among you, I also an Elder with you beseech, which am also a witness of the passions of Christ, and partaker of the Glory to come that shall be revealed: He joined under it, feed or guide the flock of Christ that is among you, and oversee it, not by compulsion, but willingly, according to God, wherein it is spoken more expressly in the Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that is to say, Super-attendent, from whence also the name of Bishop is drawn. Wherefore Priesthood is esteemed the highest order in the Church. In the mean time, nobody is ignorant, that this order is distinguished again, by a certain order of offices, and dignities. Thus do your Schoolmen, and Divines wi • nesse.

• First, that in the substance, order or character as they term [unspec 1] it, there is no difference between a Priest and a Bishop.
• Secondly, that the difference is but of Accidents, and Circumstances, [unspec 2] as degrees of dignity, jurisdiction, honor, &c.
• Thirdly, that in the Primitive Church this difference was [unspec 3] not known, but they were merely all one and the same.
• Fourthly, that this difference was taken up by custom, consent [unspec 4] and ordinance of the universal Church, when it once began to be dispersed in all the World.
• Fifthly, that it was done for the avoiding of factions and sects, [unspec 5] that grew in the time of the Ministers equality, even anon after the Primitive Church. And some of them in the Apostles time But quite con • rary, to this judgment of your Divines are all your Canonists, your Divines make seven orders; Et in hoc, saith, Angelus de Clavisio, concordam communiter Theol. On this the Divines agree commonly, but the Canonists hold that there are nine orders, according to nine Hierarchies, that is to wit, the first notch or Psalmist, and the order of a Bishop, & that the first notch is an order, the text is in C. cu • contingit & ibi do. Anto. & Canonistae de aeta. & quali or similiter quod Episcopatus est ordo, & quod imprimatur character judicio meo, facit inconvincibiliter, te • t. in C. i. de ordinatis ab Episcopo, &c. And so according to the Canonists there shall be nine Orders. Great ado your Schoolmen & Canonists make about this, insomuch that Arius heresy will draw very near to one of you, light on which side it shall. But yourself may hold on both sides M. Stapleton, being both a Bachelor in the one, and a student in the other. But as for your Popish Clergy, there is indeed little difference in this point or none, which barrel is better herring, Bishop o • Priest; both stark naught, or rather, neither of them, either true Priest or Bishop by Saint Paul's description.

Af • er this, p. 926.929. He writes thus concerning Bishops intermeddling with temporal affairs. You say M. Sanders, the temporal Kingdom and the heavenly did indeed once ja •• e, but now they agree, the heavenly and the earthly Kingdom • are conjoined together. Agreement is a good hearing M. Sanders, but what mean you by this conjunction that the one is become the other, and not still distinguished from it? or that your Pope may be King, and his Bishops Princes of both? nay M. Sanders, you find not that agreement and conjunction. For Christ hath put such a bar between them, that his spiritual Ministers cannot have earthly Kingdoms, nor that earthly Kings should in the estate of their earthly Kingdoms, become subject in such wise to his spiritual Ministers, otherwise than to yield their obedience to their spiritual ministry, representing the power and mercy of God unto them, &c. The objection you made was this. Whether Bishops and Pastors of the sheep of Christ may rule temporal Kingdoms? you answer, properly and of it self in no wise: but as those Kingdoms do subject themselves to the Christian faith. This is a proper elusion, M. Sanders, think you to escape thus? is it all one to subject their Kingdoms to the Christian faith, and to subject their Kingdoms to the Bishops? Good right it is that the faith should bear the chief rule? But the objection was, Whether the Bishops should or no? and therefore this distinction serveth not. For Christ simply without this or that respect debarreth all his spiritual ministers from ruling of temporal Kingdoms. Who knoweth not that properly, and of their own nature temporal Kingdoms should not be ruled of spiritual Pastors, but of Temporal Kings? None is so simple to move such a fond objection: but the objection is, Whether the one be coincident to the other? whether a Bishop, to whom properly by his Bishoply office a Kingdom belongeth nor, may take upon him the government of a Kingdom, that properly by his Kingly office belongeth to a King? this is the question. And you say properly he cannot, I say much less improperly, but properly or improperly, Christ hath clean debarred it • vos autem non sic : But you shall not do so. These words strick dead, M Sanders, & therefore your • nproper distinctions may go pike him. Page 931 • he writes that the deposings of Princes have not come so much by the violence of their unnatural Subjects: as by the practices of the Popish Bishops, as the ensamples of King John in England, of Childericke in France, the Henries, and other in Germany, and in other Countries, do testify, yet were these dealings of those Bishops not allowable, but detestable: yea though it were granted that those Princes had deserved them; and broken their faith and prom • se, which (if it were a good faith, and promise) was no doubt an evil breach of it, and God will take the vengeance of it, it belongeth not to the people, nor to the Bishops Vengeance is mine, saith God, and I will render it He saith not my Bishop shall, but I will render it. He adds p. 980, 981.1026 Christ's Kingdom is spiritual and not earthly, and his Ministers may not exercise in secular causes, an earthly Kings authority. M. Saunders pretendeth this is to promote the Church of Christ, but such promotion confounds devotion, and hath poisoned the Church of God, as they say, a voice was heard what time Constantine (although falsely) is supposed to have endowed the Church with such royal honor, Hodie venenum intravit in Ecclesiam, This day entered poison into the Church. But Christ hath flatly forbidden it, and told his Disciples when they asked such promotion, that they knew not what they asked. But afterward, they knew and found the saying of Christ to be true, that their promotion lay in their affliction, and not in their Kingly honor, &c. And this your own gloss out of your own Pope Gregory might have taught you. Sicut • isit me Pater, id est, ad passions, &c. As my Father sent me, that is to say, to troubles and afflictions, so send I you to suffer persecution, not to reign like Kings, and rule Kingdoms. And therefore since this sentence of Christ is true, that he sent them as he was sent, and he was not sent in his human nature to depose Kings, nor to dispose of their Kingdoms, nor to govern them. Therefore his Disciples were not sent thereto. But the Pope saith he was sent thereto, and takes it upon him, therefore he is neither minister of Christ, nor successor of his Disciples; but his Disciple that hath offered him worldly Kingdoms, if he would fall down and worship him • as he hath done, and s • hath gotten his Kingdoms &c. Hofmeister one of your stoutest Champions hath these words: Truly those things that have been spoken and heard from the beginning of this Gospel do enough declare the Kingdom of Christ, not to be of this world, neither that he would reign temporally in the world, since he taketh not soldiers that can oppugn others, but Fishermen, readier to suffer than to strike. And so in this place, with most manifest words Christ decla • eth, that he came not for this purpose, to take upon him the office of a Magistrate, but rather, that he might reign in our hearts, so that it might be our hap to come to the • ternall goods, whatsoever happened of our temporal goods. Therefore when he was interrupted of a certain Jew, that he would help him in recovering his inheritance, he answered, Man, who hath made me a judge or divider over you? As though he should say, hath not this world Judges that may decide so base controversies? it is not appointed unto me, that this or that man should wax rich by inheritance, but that all men should come to the inheritance of life immortal. But in these words, Christ would be token many things, to wit, that he which hath an Apostolical office, ought not to be wrapped with profane and filthy affairs: for so the Apostle saith otherwhere, No man going warfare under God entangleth himself with worldly business. And the Apostles say all at once, It is not meet for us to leave the Word of God and attend on the Tables. Christ also by this reproving, would declare that this doctrine taketh not away the Magistrates offices, but rather confirmeth them. Whereupon he saith also elsewhere, Render to Caesar that that is Caesars. And when his Disciples strived for preheminencie, he said, The Kings of the Nations govern them, and so forth. Whereby he declared, that neither he himself, nor his, ought (as they call them) to be secular Judges: neither did he by this refusing abolish the order of the Magistrate, but much more (as we have said) confirm it. Thus far your own Doctor, Hofmeister against you, that the intent of Christ refusing to be a Judge herein was chiefly against such usurpation of worldly Magistracy, as the Pope and his Prelates too, exercise. Pag. 1095. he concludes, that a Bishop may in some cases lawfully excommunicate a wicked Prince. But who denieth this (M. Sanders ) that a godly Bishop may upon great and urgent occasion, if it shall be necessary to edify God's Church, and there be no other remedy, to flee to this last censure of excommunication against a wicked King. The Bishops need not therefore calumniate Presbyteries, upon pretence, that they hold it lawful to excommunicate Kings, since they themselves aver, that Bishops may lawfully do it, and de facto, have sundry times put it in practice, both at home and abroad. So Bishop Bridges.

Our laborious Historian M. John Fox in his Acts and Monuments (highly applauded by the whole Convocation in their Canons, 1571. and enjoined to be had in every Cathedral and Collegiate Church, and in every Archbishops, Bishops, Deans, Arch-Deacons and Canons residentiaries house for their servants, and strangers to read in ) doth everywhere disco • er condemn the Treasons, Conspiracies, Seditions, Wars, Wealth, pride, calling, and secular employments of our Bishops: of which he writes thus in particular. p. 1381. This hath been one great abuse in England these many years: that such offices as been of most importance and weight have commonly been committed to Bishops and other spiritual men: whereby three devilli • h mischiefs, and inconveniences have happened in this Realm, to the great dishonor of God, and utter neglecting of the flock of Christ, the which three be these: First, they have had small leisure to attend to their pastoral cures, which hereby have been utterly neglected and left undone. Secondly, it hath also puffed up many Bishops, and other spiritual persons into such haughtiness, and pride, that they have thought no Noble man of the Realm worthy to be their equal or fellow. Thirdly, where they by this means knew the very secrets of Princes, they being in such high offices, have caused the same to be known in Rome afore the King could accomplish, and bring his intents to pass in England. By • his means hath the Papacy b • ene so maintained, and things ordered after thei • wills and pleasures, that much mischief ha • h happened in this Realm, and others, sometimes to the destruction of Princes; and sometimes to the utter undoing of many Common-wealths. So he. Who page 216.358.359.360.414.430.432.434.439.517, 518.599.625.961.972.1009.1016.1463.1856. of the said Acts and Monuments. London, 1610. writes often in the magent, That Bishops and Presbyters are all one and the same, and that there was no difference between them in the Primitive times, which was the common received opinion of our Martyrs: yea of our learned D. Humfrey Regius professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford Puritanopap. Confut. ad Rat. 3. p. 262.265. and of D. William Fulke against Bristow Motive. 40. against Gregory Martyn, p 172. and confuration of the Rhemish Testament Notes on Titus 1. sect. 2. and on Philip. I. sect. 1.

John Jewel the incomparable Bishop of Salisbury, in his defense of the Apology of the Church of England Part. 2. cap. 3. disp. 5. p. 98, 99, 100, 101. writes thus of the equality of Bishops and Ministers. Saint Jerome saith, All Bishops wheresoever they be, be they at Rome, be they at Eugubiu • , be they at Constantinople, be they at Rhegium, be all of like preeminence, and of like Priesthood. And as Cyprian saith, There is but one Bishopric, and a piece thereof is perfectly & wholly holden of every particular Bishop. What Saint Jerome meant hereby; Erasmus, a man of great learning, and judgment expoundeth thus. Jerome seemeth to match all Bishops together, as if they were all equally the Apostles successors, and he thinketh not any Bishop to be less than other for that he is poorer, or greater than other, for that he is richer: for he makes the Bishop of Eugubium (a poor town) equal with the Bishop of Rome. And farther he thinketh that a Bishop is no better than any Priest, saving that the Bishop hath authority to order Ministers. Hereto M. Harding answereth thus. Erasmus saith within five lines following, that the Me • ropolitan hath a certain dignity, and jurisdiction above other Bishops; take the one (saith he) with the other; I am contented M. Harding: Erasmus saith, The Metropolitan had a dignity above other Bishops ; but he saith no • , the Bishop of Rome had jurisdiction over all Bishops throughout the World. In Saint Jerome's time there were Me • ropolitans, Archbishops, Archdeacons and others. But Christ appointed not these distinctions of orders from the beginning. These names are not found in all the Scriptures. This is the thing that we de • end. S. Jerome saith, Let Bishops understand (whereunto we add further, Let the Bishops of Rome themselves undestand) that they are in authority over Priests more by custom than by order of God's truth. These be Jerome's words truly translated: what he meant thereby I leave to the judgment of the Reader. Erasmus likewise saith in the self same place above alleged, Whereas Saint Jerome yieldeth less dignity and authority unto Bishops, than nowadayes they seem to have, we must understand he spake of that time wherein he lived. If he had seen our Bishops that now be, he would have said otherwise. For now the Pope claimeth a power above all the powers in heaven and earth, as it is written in the Council of Lateran. Again, • rasmus in another place speaking hereof, saith thus. This holy man Saint Jerome saith plainly and freely, and as he thinketh, that the Bishop of Rome is above other Bishops, not by Bishopric • but only by riches. By riches only, M. Harding, Erasmus saith, the Pope is above other Bishops. By riches only (he saith) not by right of God's word, not by virtue, not by learning, not by diligence in preaching, but only by riches. Now it may please you to follow your own rule, and to lay the one saying to the other. But Saint Jerome's words are plain of themselves, and have no need of other expositor. Thus he writeth. What doth a Bishop saving only the ordering of Ministers, but a Priest may do the same? Neither may we think that the Chu • ch of Rome is one • and the Church of all the world beside is another, France, England, Africa, Persia, Levante, India, and all barbarous Nations worship one Christ, and keep one rule of the truth. If we seek for Authority, the whole world is greater than the City of Rome. Wheresoever there be a Bishop, be it at Eugu • ium, be it at Rome, be it at Constantinople, be it at Rhegium, Be it at Alexandria, be it at Tanais, they are all of one worthiness, they are all of one Bishopric; The power of riches, and the baseness of poverty maketh not a Bishop either higher or lower, for they are all the Apostles successors: What bring you me the custom of Rome, being but one City?