AN HOMILY UPON THESE WORDS of Saint Matthew, Chap. 16. v. 18.  Tu es Petrus. 
WRITTEN FIRST in French by that Honourable and learned parsonage, Monsieur Du PLESSIS MORNAY. AND TRANSLATED into English by I. V.  
AT OXFORD. Printed by joseph Barnes, Printer to the University. 1615.   

TO THE RIGHT Worshipful and Reverend Mr DOCTOR PRIDEAUX Rector of Exeter College, my most Respected good Master.  
RIght Worshipful & Reverend Sir, I am bold to present unto your Worsh: my most indebted service, under the vail of this little book. It is the pen, and word must serve you, not the sword: what though my quill be dull, and the glorious light of the original of this work be clouded and obscured by mine unskilful translation: yet abandon you it not utterly, but looking on the lustre of the setting sun, that Aged Head, that begot this, think that the obscurity here cannot be so Aegyptian-like, but that some rays may nevertheless have power to shine? The Author is a true Champion of the Militant-Reformed-French Church, long trained up under her standard. For having already valiantly fought both with pen & sword, he is yet ambitious in her service: either violently to chase the old Goose out of the Capitol: or to 
* Mist. Iniquit in epist. ad Regem Mag. Brita.  find a glorious tomb in the snow of the Alps. Let him be an Apology for my boldness, and a persuasion to humbly entreat your Worship to accept this small duty of mine; which if you shall be pleased so kindly to do, as I with all humility do offer it: you will so encourage me, that if higher means be wanting I shall further strive in this kind hereafter to show myself in all manner of service.  
Your Worship's most humble and faithful servant, I. V.   

AN HOMILY UPON these words of S. Matthew chapt. 16. vers. 18. Tu es Petrus, etc.  
OUR Lord jesus demanded of his disciples, whom do men say that I the son of man am? The man, 
verse. 13.  in whom for outward apparancy, they saw nothing but man: and they answered him, Some say that thou art John Baptist, 
verse. 14.  Some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the Prophets, for without doubt through that humanity, and that infirmity they saw some virtues, and puissance shine in him above the perfections of man. But whom say ye (saith he) that Jam? 
verse. 15.  To which Simm Peter somewhat forwarder than the rest, (were it in regard of his zeal, or in respect of his knowledge) frames this reply. Thou art Christ the son of the living God. Not one of the Prophets; 
verse. 16.  they were his Heralds; but the end of all the Prophets: not John Baptist; he was his forerunner: but that eternal word, of which he was but the voice which cried in the wilderness, the son of the living God, begotten from all eternity, promised in the beginning of time, exhibited in the fullness of times, for the ransom, the life, and the everlasting salvation of the world, even of those whom it pleased God to redeem from the corruption and perdition of the world; And to that, what saith our Saviour? What saith that son of the living God, whose divine word in so high a subject, promiseth nothing human, nothing terrestrial, nothing which tends not to everlasting salvation, and the kingdom of heaven? Blessed art thou Simon Bar-●ona, so● flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 
verse. 17.  hence therefore all carnal, all temporal imaginations, But my father which is in heaven, my father which by me in this revelation, and this faith dispenseth his heavenly graces, But I say also unto thee (saith he) that thou art Peter, 
verse. 18.  such a one would I have thee to be called, and such a one would I have thee to be indeed; the names which I impose are vocations, with the names I can change the nature and quality of things, Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. These last words are those which we are to expound, which admit diverse interpretations, and therefore we will search out that which shall be most agreeable to our purpose in hand, and shall hold best analogy, proportion and correspondency with this holy catechism.  
2 Thou art Peter (saith he) and upon this rock I will build my Church▪ Here a question offereth itself to be decided, to wit, whether our Saviour in these words, intended to build his Church upon Simon, by him surnamed Peter, or upon himself Christ the Son of the living God, acknowledged and confessed by Peter. Concerning which we must observe that our Saviour then when he changed his name, said unto him, 
joh. 1.42.  Thou shalt be called Cephas which is by interpretation a stone, and that in the Syriac tongue, which our Saviour used, some ambiguity may be found, in as much as that the word Cephas without any alteration of the letters signifieth both Peter the surname of Simon, and likewise a stone. But our Evangelist, or (to say rather) the spirit of God which both spoke & wrote in him, being willing to ease us somewhat in resolving the difficulty, would give us no cause to mistake one Cephas for an other, either to stumble at this Peter or that stone, but tells us in the authentic Greek, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in our vulgar translation canonised by the council of Trent is, Tu es Petrus & super hanc petram, not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or suprate Petrum, upon this stone, & not upon this Peter: otherwise what had it been to him if he had said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and how many difficulties, what tumults also and bloody discords hath he prevented by it? And if the main scope of these words (as some would have them) were merely to give authority unto S. Peter, wherefore did our Evangelist here leave us to ourselves & raise a scruple in this changing of Peter, and in the difference which he puts between the one, and the other to stir us up to a contention, but that it was to resolve us absolutely of this, that seeing this changing proceeding from the spirit of God was not in vain, Christ by a consequence did build his Church upon himself the son of the eternal God, which was the living rock, and not upon a man subject to passion and mortality, how excellent so ever he were, and therefore not upon Peter. And indeed he which shall look narrowly into it, will find that according to the fashion of the Hebrews this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rather a particle adversative then comunctive, as if our Saviour should have said unto him; Behold Simon the son of Jona, thou that of Simon which thou wert, I have made Cephas; of dust, ashes, and slime which thou wert naturally unprofitable for the building which I prepared, through a singular grace I have made Peter, a living stone, a stone which hereafter may have a place, and that a notable one in the building. But see likewise an other matter; it is upon thy confession that Christ is the son of God, which thou hast confessed, upon that stone which thou seest, upon that which I show thee, will I build my Church. In the same sense that he said destroy this temple, 
Joh. 2.19.  speaking of his body, and showed it unto the jews, he said likewise upon this rock, upon me the eternal rock will I build my church, and showed himself both to Peter and his other disciples.  
3 But against so many prejudicated contrarieties, thou wouldst not have me for an interpreter, whom then wouldst thou willingly accept? our Lord Christ, shall he be authentic with thee which here speaketh, or else Peter to whom he speaketh? Hear therefore Christ speaking to the principal sacrificers and ancients of the Temple, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, 
Mat. 21.42.  That stone which the builders refused, the same is become the head of the corner. In conscience speaks he this of Peter, or of himself? Hath he not a reference unto that place of the Prophet Esay, Thus saith the Lord God, 
Esay 28.16.  behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sare foundation, he that believeth shall not make haste, that is, he shall not stumble like those that fall. 
Verse 17.  judgement also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the p●unmet, etc. Was there ever any ancient or modern Greek or Latin which understood it otherwise then of Gods Anointed, his Messiah? hearken moreover unto Peter himself, because some would interest Peter against us in this passage, 
1. Pet. 2.4.  Approach you near unto Christ (saith he) which is a luung stone disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, this is that stone which we seek, but would you see what rank Peter holdeth? ye as lively stones, 
Verse 5.  lively indeed through that quickening stone, that stone lifted up on high, are built up a spiritual house, an holy Preiesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God by jesus Christ. In conscience again in the language of this holy Apostle thinkest thou that he presumed to be the foundation of this spiritual edifice? esteemed he not himself to be honoured and graced sufficiently in that he was set upon that stone, nay would he not have took it as a contumely offered him, if any should have alleged unto him in prejudice of that which was spoken of Christ alone, these words Tu es Petrus, Thou art Peter? And indeed Saint Paul in one word tells us this, That other foundation can no man lay, 
1. Cor. 3.11.  then that is laid, which is jesus Christ. Christ then is the foundation, the living rock which we seek, and not Peter; but upon this foundation, the master builders do lay there fundamental stones, whereof S. Paul, which was one of them, in the same place speaketh in these words, 
Vers. 10.  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a w●se master builder I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon; a foundation than was laid, and a foundation upon which others lay on: the one, is Christ the living and quickening stone: the other, all faithful Christians, living stones by him quickened; amongst which both Peter and Paul may by good right hold place both of living stones, as being faithful, and as being Ministers of the holy Gospel, and of shilfull builders, according to that which he saith in another place, that the faithful. we built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, 
Ephes. 2.20.21.  jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone, In whom (saith he) all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto 〈◊〉 holy Temple in the Lord: if upon Christ the chief corner stone, than not upon Peter; if upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, yet again upon Christ, if you understand it of that stone upon which they did lie, and if of those stones, which in the nature of master builders were laid thereupon, yet truly no more upon Peter, then upon any other of the Apostles. And to say the truth, all the Fathers, both Greek, and Latin, have found no other sense, who very often do tell us, upon this rock (that is to say) upon the confession of Peter, upon Christ confessed by Peter, Peter himself being founded upon Christ, Peter (say they) was no more authorized in this passage than the other Apostles, for whom he spoke, and who had the same belief; and if any of them in any place chanced to say upon Peter, he interprets and tempers himself elsewhere, even Saint Augustine retracted and corrected himself, for having understood Petras for petra, Peter for the stone.  
4. The nature of this building which is now in controversy, will clear the truth of this interpretation, for this Church, the Church so properly called, the mystical body of Christ, composed of all the elect, which shall be unto the end of the world (for of that only it may be said, that the gates of hell, that all the assaults and stratagems of Satan cannot prevail against it) upon what, how, and by whom is it builtisurely upon the confession of Peter, upon Christ confessed to be the Son of God by Peter, by the Apostles, and by all the faithful; for without Christ, the eternal Son of God, there is no Church, there is no place where to fix the corner stone of the Church, according to that boasting of Saint Paul, God forbidden that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord jesus Christ, 
Gal. 6.14.  by whom the world is crucified unto me & I unto the world: for in the death and sufferings of Christ consists the being and the well being, the life and the safeguard of the Church, and how was it built? Certainly this manner of speech, like as are many others in the New Testament, is taken out of the Old; under the law is mentioned the building of the temple, & under the Gospel this term yet doth continue to build the Church. And as that was built of dead stones, so this of living stones, living Cephas which are gathered together, joined & inserted into the work, outwardly by the preaching of the Apostles, & other servants of God, every one of them in their time, inwardly by the efficacy which the holy Ghost gave to that word and through the blessing which God displayed by his graces upon them, which he employed in his work, opening both the ear and the heart of those to whom it was preached, that they might hear it with reverence and receive it with obedience. And therefore it is said in the Acts, 
Act. 9.31.  that the Churches throughout judea, Galilee, and Samaria were edified, to wit, by the preaching of the word, that was the outward means, and in the comfort of the holy Ghost were multiplied, there was the inward. Now as for the inward, what man is he, be he never so arrogant, that days boast of it, and as concerning the outward, what shall he be, be it what measure of grace it will that he hath received of God, that it can suffice him, not only for the whole world, but even for the smallest province; Add that the Church being perpetual, and Peter mortal, there can be no proportion between the labour of Peter which concludeth with his life, and the building of the Church which is perpetuated through all ages, otherwise it should have fallen to ruin and tumbled down in the person of Peter; But thou wilt object what order or what means hath Christ left us for his outward ministry? hear the Apostle, when be ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men, what gifts? 
Ephes. 4.8.  he gave some to be Apostles, some Prophets, and some Evangelists, & some Pastors and teachers, why? for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministery, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, & of the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Dost thou not see how he hath provided to bring his work even to its perfection? and that without mentioning at all either of Peter for his princely Apostle, or any other ministerial head of the Church? and where S. Paul speaks so expressly and so punctually in handling this matter, ought we to supply his sense, nay rather are we not bound to hold our peace? committing that which remains to the managing of our Lord the master of the house, who always in the palm of his hand doth bear its portraiture, and conducts it with his spirit, and having said to his Apostles parting from beneath, Preach you to all nations, baptise you etc. that is to say, perform your duty every one of you in his place, 
Mat. 28.20.  every one in your vocation; and this holy ministry, he added for their inward means, And lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world: Christ you see the son of God of the same essence with his father nor less jealous of his glory, and therefore, giue● is not to another, or to any creature, which he should have done, if on another he should have caused, or suffered to depend the salvation of his Church.  
5 Let us say moreover, that all Scripture (as the Apostle teacheth us) is given us ☞ for the consolation of the faithful, 
2. Tim 3.16.  & we cannot deny that the scope of these words of Christ is to fortify his Disciples against the temptations and persecutions which they were to expect by reason of the infallible continuance of the Church. Tell me therefore thou Disciple of Christ, where sindest thou most comfort in thy perplexities, where most refresh in thy soul, when one tells thee that the Church of Christ is founded upon the faith of Peter, or upon the true rock which he did here confess, upon Cephas a mortal man, yet a sinner, subject to the like infirmities that we are, the congealed rock which the wether consumes, or upon the son of God that eternal rock, that rock which notwithstanding its firmness, dissolved into the waters of comfort to quench thy thirst, and distilled in honey to nourish thee in a desert & barren country? Verily if thou standest yet unresolved in thy choice, hearken unto Christ & consider S. Peter himself: hear what Christ saith of an house built upon this rock. The rain descended and the slouds came, 
Math. 7.25.  and the winds blue and beat upon the house, and it fell not, the reason followeth, for it was founded upon a rock. The other quite otherwise being built upon the unstable sands (and what more unstable than a man) that fell (saith he) and great was the fall of it: 
V 27.  both sustained the same violence both the same floods, and the same tempest● but see where the difference consisted, not in the stuff, not in the fastening, not in the mass, but only in the foundation, only in the situation. On the other side mark S. Peter that great Apostle of Christ, but always a man, who in this Chapter four verses from this whereof we treat, 
V 23.  took our Saviour apart, and was so hardy as to rebuke him, because he would needs go up unto Jerusalem: Insomuch that our Saviour in his holy anger was constrained to tell him, 
Mat. 16.  Get thee behind me Satan, thou art an offence unto me, for thou savorest not the things that be of God. If he was an offence or a stumbling block to Christ, how could he choose but be a cause of falling unto the Church? But see him again upon the point of combat, after so many protestations of his constancy; yea execrations, how he denies Christ with curses, Christ whom before he had so heartily confessed: and that being far from danger, at the voice of a chambermaid and of one simple doorkeeper; & canst thou yet imagine him to be hardy enough to withstand the gates of Hell, which here yields himself conquered to a maid of Caiphas? But it is not said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against him, but against it, against the Church, against him only as he is a member of Christ, and a member of that Church.  
6 But here some perhaps will shake their heads, as If I have applied myself too much unto the letter, understanding only the plain song, insinuating that there is another tablature, another mystery in it. Who ought to remember ☜ themselves of that rule which the fathers give us, that there where we find one literal and natural sense arising which instructeth our faith and manners, and affords no place to any absurdity, none to any inconvenient or contrary sense, we must there sit down, without searching farther through figures, or allegories, for he which dives lower is in danger to trouble the clear water and stir the mud. Nevertheless let us see what it is that they can say, what that Philosopher's stone is, which they pretend in these words, Thou art Peter, but withal let us have our eyes about us, to discern the false coin. Tu es Petrus, that is to say in the Roman speech (I am sure neither in Greek nor Latin) thou art Bishop of Rome, & upon thee, as thou art such a one, I will build the Roman Church, and not only upon thee, not alone upon thee Peter, for there shall be no more Bishops of Rome of that name, but upon thee Gregory, upon thee Adrian, Alexander, julius etc. upon every Bishop of Rome, good or bad, holy or profane, Christian or Atheist, be he what he will, I will build the Church, Catholic or universal, visible in the Roman, infallible in all kinds, & thee so much the more as being the head thereof. Here Christian, thou seest how to supply both Rome & the Bishop of Rome, and stand amazed at it, contrary to the intention of him which gave it, and him which craved it. And indeed, hast thou no pity to see the word of Christ so racked, being now made a snare to the simple, a laughingstock to the profane, and blasphemy to the meredulous. But let us proceed on a little further; under this I ordain thee Monarch both of things temporal, and things spiritual, sovereign king & Bishop together; of spiritual, to control the old and new Testament, to dispense against the Gospel, and against the Apostle, to make new articles of faith, to be above all counsels, and when thou traylest men by thousands into hell, I would have no man question thee why dost thou this? Of temporal to dispose of all the world, to distribute it at thy pleasure, as if it were thine own heritage, to reign over kings, to arraign & indite them, to depose them, to absolve their subjects from their oath of allegiance, to expose their estates for a pray, their persons to murder, to bestow their kingdoms on whom it shall please thee, and lastly to change their tenors to fealty, or convert their territories to thine own domains. Pity will here strick thee into honour, though hardly canst thou believe it. But the jesuits boast consists in this, that of this they are not ashamed. The books of Mariana, of Eudaemon johannes, of Becanus, of Suarez, and of a thousand others do swell with these assertions: the Cardinals make them authentic, Bellarmine writing against the King of England, & Baronius against the Venetians. And the Pope menaceth with fire the edicts of our Parliament, which burn them, & the Sorbone with excommunications, if she rest not contented with them. Poor deluded Christian, thou never couldst well imagine a protection, or multiplication whereby to reap more profit than an hundred from one, & lo here thou mayst gain above a thousand from one stone: and at this day this ●an article of faith, and such a one, that to defend it and overshadow it, there is nothing which the court of Rome leaves unattempted; so that to retain it, it passeth not greatly to forego half her controversies; yea to renounce the holy Scriptures, and the articles of all the Creeds. Wouldst thou fame see an experiment hereof, thou good Catholic) Go, confess thyself unto a jesuite, say unto him, father I am in some scruple, whether I may purchase my salvation in the Church of Rome or not? I doubt of Purgatory, of prayer for the dead, because I have not evidently read them in the Scriptures. After he hath checked thee for reading of them, who enforceth thee, saith he, to pray for them? and indeed you shall never see jesuits in places of burial, and in the abbeys which they possess, they little regard the intention of the first founders, but convert the profit to other uses. Another saith unto him, Father I have no devotion to pray unto Saints, because I see no example thereof neither in the old nor new Testament; After he hath demanded of thee, who in God's name hath taught thee so much: it is not free for thee (will he say) either to pray, or not to pray unto them if thou wilt? who will so nee●ly press & control thee? pray to God & abide in the Church. Likewise of the Images, dost thou not observe that in our Churches we have few or none, and those we have are plain, and little garnished? But let an Huguenote come and say thus unto them, I would willingly accommodate myself unto you; many reasons, and much more interests do carry me on; but I cannot believe this real presence; less can I be persuaded to adore the host, lest thereby I fall into Idolatry; to how many of such kind of men have they said, stand not upon that, that belief will come to you at leisure. In Spain itself they observe not men so narrowly, for some adore the host standing; Turn a new lease, and albeit that thou be'st a good Catholic, yet if thou sayst unto them, Father, I doubt somewhat of the pre-eminence of the Pope, and of that Monarchy, whether it hath so large an extent as some make it to have; these terms of his being God's vicegerent, of his omnipotency, do wound my conscience; they are strait in an uproar, an inexpiable blasphemy, and an anathema. If thou thinkest but to dull the edge of this blade, or bend this temporal sword; if thou receavest not the thrust of it with thy naked breast, thou art a dead man; hadst thou saith enough to remove mountains from one place to another, hadst thou as much charity as to suffer thyself to be burnt for thy brethren, yet the Ocean were it turned all into holy water, could not expiate thee, there is no peace for thee in this life, nor remission in the world to come.  
7 This article notwithstanding cannot be drawn from this place: and beside, ☞ to it, all that which followeth i● the Scripture is contrary; for between these words Tu es Petrus, etc. and Paulus Quintus is Monarch of things both temporal and spiritua. what depths have they to fill, how many Theses to prove, and syllogisms to compose? as first, that Peter was at Rome, that there he constituted his Apostolical Sea, that as being Bishop of Rome Christ conferred upon him that Monarchy: that he ●aue him authority to bequeath it to his successors, and that this Pope which now liveth succeeds him in his Chair, his vocation, and his doctrine; of which they shall never be able sufficiently to confirm the least: And as for the Scripture it is altogether contrary unto it. For concerning the spiritual power, Christ intending that which we here handle, cuts of the question which arose from the ambition of the sons of Zebedie, 
Mat. 20.26.  whosoever will be great amongst you, let him be your Minister, etc. And the Disciples which often moved this doubt, 
Mat. 9.34.  who should be the greatest amongst them, one while upon the way, another while upon the point of his passion, presupposed not that it was Peter, because they had not yet apprehended the mystery which some pretend to find in this passage, but consh ained ●ur Saviour to propose unto them, 
Mark. 9.33. Luk● ●●6.  sometimes the conditions of a little child for their example, sometime to menace them with ruin, if here on earth they entertained aspiring cogitations, sometimes to suggest unto them that ●anc●●e which they should hold on high in his kingdom, and all but to diver▪ them from these imaginary Monarchies. S. Paul likewise speaks freely. That he built upon no other man's▪ 
●●n. 1●  foundation, that he was nothing inferiors unto Peter, 
Gal. 2. ●●.  and that he withstood him to the face: but Peter himself, after the resurrection of our Lord, then when it behoved his Vicar most o● all, to manifest himselt unto the world, provided not pleno●ure for the Apostleship of judas, 
Act. 1.15.  was not precedent in the Council of the Apostles h●ld at Jerusalem, but on the contrary side submitted himself to be sent, took commission from his brethren the Apostles, and rendered himself as companion of the elders to feed the flock. 
1 Pet. 5.1.  The elders saith ●e which are amongst you, I exhort, who am also an elder &c: feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof, &c: not as being L●rds over God's heritage, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, but being examples to the sh●ke, and when the chief shephend shall appear, ye shall receive a crowd● of glo●● which fades not away. Where we note that he remembered himself often 〈◊〉 the lesson of that sovereign Past●● our Lord jesus, who had said unto them, 
Mat. ●0. 25.  the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion in or them, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, but it shall not be so with you, for he used the same verb. And as for the temporal power he told them & declared unto them throughout, that his kingdom was not of the world, and the servant (saith he) is not greater than his master, not therefore the kingdom of his pretended Vicar, be he the Bishop of Rome, or S. Peter himself. And S. Paul excludes no person, 
Ro●. 13.1.  let every soul (saith he) be subject unto the higher powers, that is to say, (say the fathers) whosoever thou be'st, Prophet, Evangelist, or Apostle. And S. Peter himself at the greatest strength of his pretended empire, bids us, fear God, and honour the king. 
1. Pet. 2.17.  And what king- Nero a persecutor of the Church, a Tyrant of the common wealth, and plague of mankind; now if he had a material sword, till when reserved he it, till when kept he his thunderbolts?  
8 Also we do see, from that natural and ancient interpretation which we proposed above, what consolations have redounded unto the Christian Church, and to all his members: on the other side from this later, since the time that Gregory the 7. called Hildebrand, vented it, there proceeded nothing but extreme desolations, the subject revolted against the prince, the brother against the brother, the son against the father, the clergy against the laymen, the priesthood against the empire, supplantations, treasons, butcheries, through the fields and the cities, pretended zeals, masks of religion, bloody tragedies. And since that in our days men have pressed it unto the last issue, they have extracted its quintessence through the limbicke of the jesuits & we know to whom we are bound for it, who have seen this kingdom mantled with ashes and blood; and in 20. years two Kings assassinated (God preserve the third) a thing not seen in ten ages before.  
9 Here one perhaps will demand how so prodigious a doctrine as this is, hath found a place, and that upon one word only of Christ's? mark the cunning. A great workman to show a trick of his art, builds a whole peace, setting out and testing upon one stone only (this they call Promp llo●● he interlaceth and indent, the incisions and jointures within, presents it unto thee, and traceth thee with false joints without, to st●●ke thee to an astonishment, and to conceal his structure. Satan here doth just the same, endeavouring as an ape to imitate the son of God. To cozen the world, he enterpriseth to build his synagogue (the principle work of his art) upon this one poor word, Peter, that he may raise it above, and fasten his stones one within another to wit the Princes with the Bishops, the people against the Princes, he beautifies his building with the ambition of prelate's, with the superstition of princes, with the ignorance of the common people, and puts all these pieces into his work. And those false joints consist in monopolies, in sleights of flattery, in the profanations of the name of Christ, in derision of his Gospel, even of the Son of God, ●●l●d upon the Cross for our sakes: these they disguise, these they cover from our view with passages of the holy Scriptures, with them they bring their work unto the roof, even to the weathercock. And such kind of words are these, Tu es Petrus, such are Pasce oves meas, such, occide, & mandica, with many others. Ask any good Doctor of the Sorbon what the meaning of these words is, Pasce oves meas, feed my sheep; he will read his Saint Augustine, and his Ordinary Gloss, and then he will tell thee, feed them, verbo & exemplo, both with word and example. The good man knows not that in the Roman language it is as much to say now adays secandum s●●s●n currentem, 
Act. 10.13.  as the m●●i●et goes, manage the Kings and Princes with the switch. Ask another what signifies that voice spoken of Peter, in the Acts, O●●●h & ma●d●●, kill and eat, he will remember himself of that vessel descending from heaven, which was presented unto him in a vision, in the which were all sorts of living creatures, both o● the land and water; and of the interpretation which Saint Peter, being taught by the Spirit of God, gave unto it: that the time of calling the Gentiles was come, that he should not say any were that 〈…〉, 
We s. 28.  or make a difference between jew and Greek, Greek & I●●banan; he knows not the secret which Cardinal Baronius hath fo●d here, Kill and devour those creatures, the Kings and Princes, which perform not that which thou hast enjoined them, for thus do they profane these words, and in the mean time behold the books which at this day are most famous, and in greatest authority, see how under the skin of the Lamb of God, are hid Wolves and Lions, which sergeant a sweet voice, in horrible howl, under the pretence of that spiritual sword of Christ's word, they forge this temporal sword, and maintain it with their denoted & execrable knives.  
10 So th●n we see how through the 〈◊〉 of Satan we have been carried upon a sleep, from our saving rock transported upon the dismal rock of Tadpoles, and that under the colour of a wrested interpretation, mischievously invented, by stealth insinuated, lightly ●e●●●●●d, which hath passed amongst the simple, as being the cry of the city in a popular error, (for what is it but a prime imagination given to our children, to conceive the bells to ●ing, and Helvetian tabours to play whatsoever they imagine: and it is a like illusion to us, to make us see in such places of the Scripture as these, all that which shall make for them: & nevertheless we contend about it, as upon an article of faith, and combat more thereon, then upon all the Creed beside. Wherefore let us hold us to the ancient exposition, as being more simple, I am sure, more safe, and let us not fear at all, that Saint Peter can sustain any damage thereby. Our Saviour Christ demanded of S. Peter, and ●e answered him, Thou art Christ the son of the living God. Thou art Christ the anointed of the Lord, promised from the beginning of ages unto our fathers, declared from time to time by his prophets, expected in our time▪ for the salvation of the world, not a temporal Monarch, such a one as these Pharisees prefigure, but the eternal Son of God, only able to satisfy his justice, to move his compassion, to secure us from his wrath, to purchase us & to merit us his grace; and what answer doth out Lord make him, I say unto thee that thou art Peter, that I have chosen thee to make thee a living stone in the building which I have prepared me in my church. But where shall I build in my father hath revealed unto thee one secret, and I will teach thee another, grace upon grace. Verily upon that Christ, upon that son of God which thou hast confessed, that jesus which thou seest, a quickening stone an immovable and eternal rock, to stand against the th●derbolts of the an e the raging of the ●ea, the shake of the earth, the powers of hell, be it ●eated where it will, it shall be above it, fixed, & founded in the midst of heaven: and ●●r sixteen hundred years after, the history of the church addeth credit unto this: fear not, Christian, whatsoever thou seest, be not dismayed. The Church sometimes scantled to 8 persons in the ark, peopled afterwards the whole earth; sometimes enclosed in the sepulchre, as was her head, through her head was tendered up and fully restored. Christ hath said it, that eternal word; Christ hath done it, that son by whom the father made the world; 
Heb. 13.8.  Christ will do it yesterday and to day (saith the Apostle) and the same for ever; to whom with the father and the holy ghost, be honour and glory world without end; _____ Amen.  
FINIS.