A SERMON PREACHED ON PALME-SUNDAY, BEFORE KING HENRY the VIII.  
By CUTHBERT TONSTALL, Bishop of DURESME.  
LONDON: Printed by Thomas Harper, M. DC. XXXIII.   

TO The Honourable Knight, Sir JOHN TONSTALL; Servant to her Sacred Majesty: AND, To the Right Noble Lady, his WIFE: The Publisher Consecrates This, Devotees Himself, Wishes all Happiness.  
T. H.   

Hoc sentite in vobis, quod & in Christo jesu, etc. Ad Philippen. 2.  Let the same mind be in you, which was also in Christ jesus: who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a Name, which is above every Name: That at the Name of jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue should confess, that jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 
THis is in English the sentence of the Epistle of this day. And first I do intend by your patience, to declare particularly the literal sense thereof, containing the infinite and inestimable humility and obedience of our Saviour jesus Christ. Secondly, I do intend to speak of disobedience of men by pride done to man against God's law. And how that may be eschewed. Thirdly, I intent to speak of disobedience of all men by pride done to Almighty God, against God's law. And how that may be amended. And so to make an end. And to return to the first.  
Saint Paul in the second chapter to the Philippians, next before the words of the Epistle of this day, commanding humility with charity to be used, saith; Ye must think by humility, every man to be your superior, not considering every one of you his own furtherance, but the furtherance of other. And therefore he exhorteth all men by the example of Christ, not to regard, nor to take heed to their own advancement, but the advancement of other, saying, See the same mind be in you, that is in jesus Christ, that is to say, show humility and patience for the wealth of other, as Christ did. Whose high degree the Apostle Paul here first speaketh of. From which he was content to come down for our sake. For he being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God: what is this to say, in the form of God? The sense thereof is this: He was in full substance, in full essence, in full glory, in eternity, equal with his father. As for to put for our better erudition of things incomprehensible far above our capacity, an example of things that we may understand, to direct us in some part to the attaining of higher things. As the brightness is in the fire, and as the image or print is in a seal, and as a word is in the mind, so the Son of God is in the Father. For the brightness is as soon as the fire is, and the print is within the seal, as soon as the seal is. And the word that man will express, is in the mind, as soon as the mind hath conceived it. Saint Paul in the beginning of his Epistle to the Hebrews saith, that the son of God is the shining of the glory of the Father. As in the foresaid example, the brightness is of the fire, and figure of his substance, as the print is of the seal, supporting all things by the word of his strength and virtue, as the mind bringeth forth the word.  
And where saint Paul saith, that Christ thought it no robbery to be equal with God, he meaneth, that he made not himself equal to God by usurpation, but God the Father begat him in the beginning equal to himself. For if he should have made himself equal to God, not being so by nature, he should have save fallen by ravyn as Lucifer did. For he because he would make himself equal to God being but a creature, did fall, and of an Angel was made the Devil: and this his pride he persuaded to man, by which he was overthrown himself, saying to Eve before the fall of Adam, Taste of the fruit that is forbidden you, and ye shall be as Gods. That is to say in effect: take upon you by usurpation that thing, that ye have not by creation, for so was I overthrown. But Christ was borne in the beginning equal to his Father, not made after equal, and borne of the substance of the Father. Wherefore he did not usurp equality unto God, but was in that equality, in which he was borne in the beginnin●…▪  
It followeth in the text. But he did abase himself, taking upon him the form of a servant, which he did, not losing the form of God, in which he was before, but taking the form of man, which he was not before. And thereby he was made inferior to his Father. And yet he abode still equal with him both in one person, that is to say, by reason that he was the word of God, equal to his Father, and by reason he was man inferior to him, one son of God, and the same son of man. One the son of man, and the same the Son of God. Not two Sons of God, God and man, but one Son of God and man, God without beginning, man from a certain beginning, our Lord jesus Christ. For as God doth grant to his creatures, being temporal and subject to suffering, that they may beget the same thing that they are; how much more God the Father, being eternal and impassable, did beget his son, not of another substance than he himself is, but of the same. Which is yet to our great admiration, because he begat him without any alteration, and in such equality with himself that neither in power, nor in age, the Father goeth before the Son.  
But the Son doth attribute unto the Father, and not to himself all that he hath, and may, because he is not of himself, but of the father. He is equal to the Father, but he had that same of his Father. Nor he took not of himself to be equal, but he is equal by nature. As he was ever borne, he was ever equal.  
Wherefore the Father begat him not inequal to himself. And after he was borne, gave to him equality, but in begetting him, gave it unto him, because he begat him equal, not inferior to himself. But yet he saith, his Father is superior to him, because he took the form of a servant, not losing the form of God: by which form of a servant he was made inferior, not only to his Father, but also to himself, as to the Son of God, and to the holy Ghost. Nor only he was inferior to the Trinity, in his form of manhood, but also he was made inferior under Angels. And he was also inferior unto some men, that is to say, to his Mother, and to joseph, whom men took to be his Father, to whom he was subject, as it is written in the second chapter of Luke. And for the form of a servant, he said; My Father is superior unto me. And for the form of God, which he never left, he said in the tenth chapter of john; I and my Father are one thing, that is to say, one substance.  
In form of God, he was superior to himself, and in form of man, he was inferior to himself. And therefore not without a cause, the Scripture saith both the Son equal to the Father, and the Father superior to the Son, the one for the form of God, the other for the form of man, without confounding the one nature into the other, both natures of God and man, being in one person. In the form of man, which he took for us, he was borne, and he suffered, and he arose from death to life, and ascended into heaven. By the first two, that is to say, by his birth and his passion, he showed to us our estate; By the two last, that is to say, his resurrection and his ascension, he showed to us an example of our reward. The two first, all that be borne do feel, and the two last we shall attain, if we do believe in him.  
And as the Apostle saith, Christ thought it no robbery to be equal with God: so Saint john in the beginning of his Gospel saith, That the word, which is the Son, was God. And as Paul saith here; That he did abase himself to take upon him the form of a servant; so Saint john saith, The word of God is made flesh, that is to say, Man: and hath dwelled amongst us, God and man in one person. For as the number of persons is not increased, when the soul is knit to the body, to make thereby one man, so is not in Christ the number of persons increased, when man is knit to the word of God, to make one Christ.  
It followeth in the Text: He was made in similitude of men, that is to say, he took all our nature upon him, albeit he was without sin, and he left no carnal procreation, by generation carnal. Nor that only was in him, that appeared in outward visage, his manhood, but godhead also was in him. For he was not only man, but in his person godhead was knit with manhood. And therefore he saith here, that he was like to men, but more was in him then is in men. For we be made of soul and body, he had both soul and body, and godhead; and therefore he saith here, in similitude of men. As Saint Paul saith in the eighth chapter to the Romans; God sent his Son into the world, in similitude of sinful flesh, not because he lacked flesh, but because the flesh that he took, lacked sin, and yet was it like to our flesh, which is subject to sin, like by nature, but not like by wickedness.  
It followeth in the Text: That in shape he was found as a man: that is to say, where he was without bodily shape, he took upon him the for me and shape of a man, abiding still God as he was before, but in figure, that is to say, in flesh, he was made a man, and clad with manhood, as with a clothing, not that his godhead was changed thereby into manhood, as the members of a man be not changed by putting on of a new garment. And he saith, that he was found in shape as a man, because he seemed outwardly but one of the common sort of men, and yet he was more than so. For he was God therewith: and yet was he a very man in nature, not in fantasy and imagination. Saint Paul also in the second chapter of the first Epistle to Timothy, calleth him a man, saying, There is one Mediator of God and man, A man Christ jesus. And as he is in the form of God, perfect God, so is he in the form of man, a perfect man.  
It followeth in the Text; Christ hath humbled himself, and became obedient unto death. Here we may learn humility, as Christ doth teach us in the 11. of Matthew, saying, Learn of me, for I am meek and humble in heart. He was made for thee a man without sin. And thou sinful man, why wilt thou not come to him, that calleth thee? and saith, Come to me all ye that do travel, and be overcharged, and I shall refresh you. Thou proud sinful man, why art thou so proud? Christ became obedient for thy sake to be incarnate, and to take part of the mortality of man. He was obedient so far, that he suffered,  
First, to be tempted of the devil. He was obedient to suffer the mocking of the people of jews. He was obedient to suffer to be bound, robbed, and spitted at, to be stricken, and to be scourged. And yet he was further obedient to dye for thee thou sinful man.  
It was a great humility at his birth to lie in the manger with beasts, for lack of a Cradle. It was a more humility to live thirty three years amongst sinners, he being without spot of sin. The most abundand humility, was that he suffered upon the Cross betwixt two murderers.  
It was a hard suffering, that he suffered for wicked men: it was more hard that he suffered of wicked men. And the most hardest of all was, that he suffered with wicked men, & the same death that wicked men & murderers do suffer.  
It followeth in the Text. That he suffered the death of the Cross: which death was worst of all other kinds of death. For those that were put to that death, were first nailed upon the Cross, hands and feet drawn on length, and stretched abroad, hanged up in the air, quick, naked, and bleeding, not because longer life should follow thereby, but because the death itself was prolonged, to make the pain the more, lest the shortness thereof should less have been felt. Hanging, or drowning, or striking off of the head, be pains soon overpassing; but the death of the Cross, long time doth endure: In which they were wont to break their legs, to make them dye more painfully, as we read in the 19 chapter of john.  
This death of the Cross was the worst death that the jews could imagine for him to dye: but yet Christ did choose his death, and intended to make it to be his sign, and to make of it his badge, that all men believing in him, should in their foreheads make his sign of the Cross, as it was prophesied and figured before in the 9 chapter of Ezechiel: and glory in the Cross of Christ. As Saint Paul in the last chapter to the Galathians saith, God forbid that I should glory in any thing, but in the Cross of our Lord jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.  
There was nothing before more intolerable to the flesh of man, than death of the Cross. And there is now nothing more glorious set forth in the forehead of a christian man, than the sign of the Cross. Here we may note, what high reward in heaven is reserved to a christian man, when Christ hath given such an honour to the form of the Cross, representing to us his passion, for now the form of the Cross is so honoured amongst christian men, that if a man worthy to dye, should be crucified, if should be thought amongst christian men, that he should thereby rather be honoured then punished. The Cross is now every where amongst christian men erected and set up, as an arch triumphal against the devil, declaring unto us the victory and triumph that Christ upon the Cross obtained against the devil, in cancelling the bond of our sin, wherein we were bound to the devil, and fastening it canceled to his Cross, as Saint Paul saith in the second chapter to the Colossians.  
It followeth in the Text. Therefore God hath exalted him, and hath given to him a name, that is above all names. Here it is to be noted, that God gave to Christ his exaltation, as to man, and not as to God. For there was never no time before he was made man, that he in the form of God was not exalted, nor no time that all things did not bow down to him, that be in heaven, earth, and hell. And for that cause he saith; therefore that is to say, for his manhood and form of a servant taken upon him, and united to his godhead, and for his obedience unto death of the Cross. For in the same form of man, in which he was crucified, in the same he was exalted. And a name was given to him above all names; that he being in the form of a servant, rising from death of the flesh to life, and ascending up into heaven, should be called the only begotten Son of God; which name he, as the Word and Son of God eternally begotten of God, and equal to God, had before. Whereof the Angel sent to the blessed Virgin Mary, before his birth prophesied, saying in the first chapter of Luke: That holy birth that shall be borne of thee, shall be called the Son of God. This high exaltation of Christ given to him for his manhood and sufferance of death for mankind, is like to that, that Christ himself spoke in the last chapter of Matthew, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth, which he spoke of his manhood, and not of his godhead, for by his godhead, he had it, before he was man.  
It followeth in the Text: That in the name of jesus, every knee shall bow down, of all things that be in heaven, or that be in earth, or that be in hell; That is to say, of Angels, of men, and of devils. For the Angels of heaven at his ascension glorified in him the nature of man, & bowed down to him, exalted above all Angels. And men in earth do glorify him, and do kneel down to him, and adore him, as their Redeemer, and God and man. The devils do stoop down to him for fear, and one of them whom he expelled from a body possessed by him, said to him, I do know that thou art the holy one of God. And all the devils shall know his power, when he shall sit in judgement, rewarding good men, and punishing the evil. And the bowing down of every knee, is meant the submission of all creatures to their maker, not that either Angels or Devils have bodily knees, but because we men, that have bodies, in our submission do bow our knees. And therefore submission of all creatures to their Maker is meant thereby. His godhead once knit by his incarnation to his body and his soul, never departed after from either of them both, but still abode with them, that is to say, with his body in the sepulchre, and with his soul descending into hell, never departing from neither of them, after his incarnation.  
It followeth in the Text. And every tongue shall confess and knowledge, that jesus Christ is our Lord, to the glory of God his father. That is to say, to the high preferment thereof; for the glory of the Father is to have such a Son, Lord of all, maker of all, and God of all: To whom all be subjects and do obey: to whom all creatures do bow down, and whom all tongues do exalt and glorify.  
The glory of God the Father is, that the Son every where be glorified; like as where God the Son is despised, there God the Father is despised; and blasphemy spoken against God the Son, is spoken also against God the Father. Like as amongst men, dishonour done to the son, soundeth to the dishonour of the father. For betwixt God the Father, and God the Son, there is no difference, but that that riseth and cometh by diversity of their persons: And therefore the honour or dishonour of God the Son, stretcheth to the honour or dishonour of God the Father. Where the Son is perfect in all things, it is the honour of the Father, that so begat him, of whom he had it. And where he needeth nothing, it is the honour of his Father, of whom he hath all plenty. And where he by his godhead is not inferior to his Father, it is the honour of his Father, of whom he hath the same substance, and the same essence; and where he is wise, it is the honour of the Father, whose wisdom he is, and where he is good, it is the honour of the Father, of whom he hath it. And where he is Almighty, it is the honour of the Father, whose arm he is. In all these things it is the high honour of God the Father, that he eternally begat a Son of so much glory.  
And it is a great demonstration, that Christ the Son of God is God by nature, because he humbled himself, taking man's nature upon him. For he knew, that by his humility he could suffer no damage in the highness of his godly nature: for his godly nature could not be hid, nor kept under, nor oppressed by any humility. His humility therefore is an evident argument of his natural godhead. And therefore if any man do desire to be great in virtue, let him humble himself, for humility showeth the greatness of virtue. Let him follow Christ in humility, and he shall gain great things thereby. He that is poor in virtue, feareth to humble himself, lest he should fall from his feigned and dissembled height. And he that is rich in virtue, doth humble himself, knowing that he hath in him virtue, whereby he shall be exalted, which virtue cannot be hid. As a candle burning cannot be hid in a dark house, nor a sweet smell hid in any corner, but it will by the good savour thereof, disclose where it is, and allure men to take up the thing that so smelleth.  
So we do see in the Epistle of this day, that Christ for his humility hath received exaltation, as he himself saith in the Gospel, in the 23. chapter of Mat. And for his obedience he hath received high honour, to have a name above all names. And for his patience and passion, he hath received power over all, that all creatures do bow down to him. And for his infinite charity against mankind, he doth receive of all faithful people, laud, praise, and glory. And thus have we hitherto declared the literal sense of the Epistle of this day, by which ye may see, that the humility and obedience of Christ, doth furmount all examples of humility and obedience of the old testament, as far as the bright shining of the sun is above the dim light of an old lantern. For if we should compare the humility and obedience of Abraham, who left his Country of Chaldee by God's commandment, and went forwards, not knowing whether he should go, to the humility and obedience of Christ, who descended from heaven to be incarnate and suffer death for us in form of man: there is almost no comparison: for where all the world is full of misery, Abraham went but from one wretched place thereof, to another much like. But Christ being the Son of God, from the beginning ever in glory, and in heaven with his Father, where no misery never was, nor none can be, came down from heaven to be incarnate, and to live in this wretched world, knowing it before to be the vale of misery.  
Likewise if we should compare Isaac, who when his father went to sacrifice him, bore the faggot that should make the fire of his sacrifice, to Christ bearing his Cross, when he went to his death (whereof Isaac was a figure) The obedience of Isaac is far beneath Christ's obedience. For Isaac going with his father, knew nothing what his father did mean, when he bade him bear the faggot; which appeareth by that when he asked his father, where the sacrifice was, that should be burnt. But Christ the Son of God, before he was incarnate, knew all the counsel and secrets of the Father of heaven, and yet he was content willingly for our sake to be incarnate, and to suffer death upon the Cross, and showed before to his Disciples, that he would and should so do; so that in comparing the great and infinite humility and obedience of Christ, with the humility and obedience of other, that were in the old Testament, we shall find them to be, as Saint Paul saith, but figures and shadows, as figures of men painted, be far under the living bodies of men. And as the living body of a man far passeth in substance the shadow of the same; so the virtues of Christ, so far do exceed the virtues of good men, that were in the old Testament figures of him, that his virtues be further above theirs, than heaven is above the earth.  
HItherto we have declared the true sense of the Epistle of this day, read in the Church, containing so great humility and obedience of our Saviour Christ, that neither by the tongue of man it can be worthily expressed, nor yet in any wise by man's thought comprised. But now let us somewhat speak of the vice and sin of Disobedience, which shall more set forth the incomparable virtue of Christ's humility and obedience, and also open unto us, how far they be from Christ, and how contrary to his doctrine, that do give themselves to disobedience. Which disobedience was the first sin that man after his creation did commit, and is always joined with all other sins, as a companion never departing from them. For every sin that men do fall in, is done against God's law, so that the transgression and disobedience of God's law is coupled with every sin. For if we obey God's law, as we ought to do, than we should not sin.  
And that disobedience was the first sin done by man after his creation, it plainly doth appear in the third chapter of Genesis; where after Adam was put in Paradise by Almighty God, and commanded to eat of all the fruits in the same, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil; which he was commanded to forbear, and not to touch, nor eat of the fruit of it▪ the devil in the Serpent said to Eve; God that forbade you to eat of that tree, knoweth, that what day soever ye do eat of that tree, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. By which false persuasion, the woman induced did eat of the tree forbidden, and gave unto her husband, who eat also of the same, disobeying God's commandment, who commanded that in no wise they should touch it, upon pain of death to follow for their disobedience: for which disobedience not only they were forthwith expelled out of Paradise, but also they and all mankind was by the sentence of Almighty God, made subject to death, and to mortality.  
Disobedience hath also pride evermore annexed unto it, which maketh him, that disobeyeth, to contemn to obey, and to care nothing at all to disobey, as doth appear by the fall of the devil, described unto us by the holy Ghost in the person of Nabuchadonozor the very child of the devil, in the 14. chapter of Esay, where Lucifer an high and bright Angel, full of beauty and all clearness, as soon as he was create, not giving thanks to Almighty God for his natural gifts, given to him in his creation, but by pride reputing to have them of himself, and not of God, said in his heart: I shall ascend into heaven: I shall exalt my seat above the stars of God: I shall ascend above the height of the clouds: I shall be like to Almighty God. But his fall and ruin is forthwith there described, where the Prophet addeth, saying: But yet for all this, thou shalt be plucked down to hell, into the bottom of the lake. And Christ also in the Gospel of Luke, in the 10. chapter testifieth his fall; saying, I saw Satan fall from heaven as a lightning. So we see, that disobedience of the devil, not keeping the order of his creation, but surmounting far above it, and contemning the degree that his Maker had put him in, was the cause of his fall.  
Now what shall we say of those, whom God hath create to be subjects, commanding them by his word to obey their Princes and governor's? Who not only do refuse to obey God's commandment, but contrary to his word, will be above their Governors, in refusing to obey them, and furthermore also will have their Princes prostrate upon the ground, to whom they owe subjection, to adore them by godly honour upon the earth, and to kiss their feet, as if they were God, where they be but wretched men. And yet they look, that their Princes should do it unto them, and also all other christian men, owing them no subjection, should of duty do the same: do not these, as ye think, follow the pride of Lucifer their father? Who make themselves fellows to God, contrary to his word. But who I pray you be these, that men may know them? Surely the Bishops of Rome be those, whom I do mean; who do exalt their seat above the stars of God, and do ascend above the clouds, and will be like to Almighty God. The stars of God be meant the Angels of heaven; for as stars do show unto us in part the light of heaven, so do Angels sent unto men, show the heavenly light of the grace of God, to those to whom they be sent. And the clouds signified in the old Testament, the Prophets, and in the new do signify the Apostles and Preachers of the word of God. For as the clouds do conceive and gather in the sky moisture, which they after pour down upon the ground, to make it thereby more fruitful: so the Prophets in the old Testament, and the Apostles and Preachers in the new, do pour into our ears the moisture of their heavenly doctrine of the word of God, to make therewith by grace our souls being sere and dry, bring forth fruit of the spirit. Thus do all ancient Expositors, and among them, Saint Augustine, interpret to be meant in Scripture, stars and clouds, in the exposition of the 45. Psalm.  
But Saint john the Evangelist writeth in the 19 chapter of the apocalypse, and in the 22. also, that when he would have fallen down at the Angel's foot, that did show him those visions there written, to have adored him with godly worship, the Angel said unto him: See thou do not so, for I am the servant of God as thou art. Give adoration and godly worship to God, and not to me. Here itappeareth, that the Bishops of Rome suffering all men prostrate before them, to kiss their feet, yea the same Princes, to whom they owe subjection, do climb up above the Angels, which refused such godly worship and adoration. We do read in the Gospel of Luke, in the 7. chapter, that as Christ sat at dinner in the house of the Pharisee, a sinful woman of that City came into the house, having a box of precious ointment; who kneeled down, and under the board with weeping tears washed his feet, and dried them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with her precious ointment: which adoration Christ, being both God and man, there did accept, forgiving the sinful woman her sins for her faith and her repentance: Whereby he did show his godhead to the Pharisee, which took him but as a holy man; only God doth remit sin. We read also in the 12. of the Gospel of john, that Mary the sister of Martha likewise did anoint his feet, and dry them with her hair of her head. Which godly honour, Christ as God received. But neither we can find in Scripture, that such godly honour of that sort hath been done to man only, nor we read not in any Histories, that Christian Princes have admitted such adoration due only unto God. Christian Princes be content to see their Subjects kneel unto them; and if they suffer their Subjects to kiss their hands, when they put forth their hands to them, it is the most worldly honour, that they suffer to be done unto them. But yet Christ offered his feet being bare to be washed with tears and kissed, as appeareth by the Gospel of Luke: for he said to the Pharisee, that bade him to dinner, and wondered why he suffered the sinful woman to approach so near unto him, that albeit, he had made him a good dinner, yet the sinful woman had done more than he. For he had not given him water to wash his feet, but she since he entered into his house, had not ceased to wash his feet with her tears. And feet be washed to no man, but when they be naked, so that it appeareth, that Christ's feet then washed with tears, and kissed were bare. But the Bishop of Rome offereth his feet to be kissed, shod with his shoes on: for I myself being then present 34. years ago, when julius then Bishop of Rome, stood on his feet, and one of his Chamberlains held up his skirt, because it stood not as he thought with his dignity, that he should do it himself, that his shoe might appear, whiles a Noble man of great age did prostrate himself upon the ground, and kissed his shoe. Which he stately suffered to be done, as of duty: where, me think I saw Cornelius the Centurion, Captain of the Italians band spoken of in the tenth chapter of the Acts, submitting himself to Peter, & much honouring him; but I saw not Peter there to take him up, and bid him rise, saying: I am a man as thou art, as Saint Peter did say to Cornelius; so that the Bishops of Rome, admitting such adoration due unto God, do climb above the heavenly clouds, that is to say, above the Apostles sent into the world by Christ, to water the earthly and carnal hearts of men, by their heavenly doctrine of the word of God.  
And that by the word of God all men ought to obey the Potestates and Governors of the world, as Emperors, Kings, and Princes of all sorts, what name soever the said supreme powers do use for the countries in which they be; Saint Peter plainly doth teach us, in the second chapter of his first Epistle, saying: Be ye subject to every humane creature for God's sake, whether it be King as chief head, or Dukes, or Governors, as sent from God to the vengeance and punishment of evil doers, and to the laud of good doers, for so is the will of God; so that Saint Peter himself in his Epistle, commandeth all worldly Princes in their office to be obeyed, as the Ministers of God, by all christian men.  
And according unto the same, S. Paul in the 13. chapter to the Romans saith: Every living man be subject to the high powers, for the high powers be of God. And whosoever resisteth the high powers, resisteth the ordinance of God, and purchaseth thereby to himself, damnation; for the high powers be the Ministers of God, to succour and laud well-doers, the ministers of God to punish evil-doers, and the ministers of God, to do justice to all men; for which cause they received tribute; and lest men should forget their duty of obedience to their Princes, it is there thrice repeated, that they be the ministers of God, whose place in their governance they do represent; so that unto them all men must obey, Apostles, Patriarches, Primates, Arch-Bishops, Bishops, Priests, and all of the Clergy; and all Noble men of what degree, soever they be being within their governance, with all the people also. And therefore the Bishop of Rome oweth likewise to his Sovereign and superior, like subjection by the word of God taught unto us by Peter and Paul, as other Bishops do owe to their Princes, under whom they be. And therefore Agatho the Bishop of Rome, in whose time was the sixth Synod and counsel general, after his election sent to the Emperor then being at Constantinople to have his election allowed before he would be consecrate, after the old custom at that time used. And another Bishop of Rome, called Vitalianus did the same, as it is written in the decrees, in the 63. distinction, in the chapter beginning, Agatho: and as Saint Gregory and Saint Ambrose had done before them, as it is written in the chapter; come long, in the same distinction; the Bishops of Rome at that time followed the doctrine of Saint Peter and Saint Paul left unto them, to be subjects, and to obey their Princes.  
The Gospel also teacheth us in the 22 Chapter of Luke, how the Apostles fell at contention among themselves, the night before the passion, who among them should be superior, and above the other. Which their contention Christ discussed, saying on this wise; The Kings of people and nations have dominion over them, and those that have power over them, be called benefactors of them. But so it shall not be amogst you, but whosoever amongst you is the greater, shall be as the younger: and whosoever amongst you shall be chief, shall be as a servant and a minister. For who is superior? he that sitteth at the table, or he that serveth at the table? is not he superior that sitteth? But I am amongst you as he that ministereth and serveth. And ye be those that have bidden with me in my temptation; and I ordain for you, as my father hath ordained for me, a kingdom, that ye shall eat and drink at my board in my kingdom, and shall sit upon seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Here we do see, that Christ would have the meekest and most humble to be chief in his flock, by humility, and by service done to other. As Christ by example had washed the feet of his Apostles the same night a little before. And it appeareth also, that he would not leave amongst his Apostles a worldly kingdom, whereby they should worldly reign over other, but that he ordained for them a heavenly Kingdom to reign with him in heaven, and to sit with him in judgement, to judge the 12 tribes of Israel, that is to say, by the example of their faith, who believed in Christ, to condemn the infidelity of the jews, that would not believe in him, but shamefully put him to death. So that hereby it is proved plainly, that Christ left to his Disciples no worldly kingdom here in earth to have Princes under them. A like discussing of this contention of superiority, which another time rose also, among the Apostles, is contained in the tenth Chapter of Mark, and the twentieth Chapter of Matthew, and by like words absolved, that meekness, and not superiority should be regarded among them: for the Apostles before the coming of the holy Ghost, after the time of the resurrection, even at the time of Christ's ascension, asked him, whether he would restore again the worldly kingdom of Israel, for which kingdom at that time they did look; as Cleophas said in the last chapter of Luke unto Christ appearing to him and his fellow going in to Emaus: we trusted that he was the man, that should have redeemed Israel. And yet unto this day the jews do look for their Messias to come and to reign among them by a worldly kingdom in jerusalem as David did; but Christ left to his Disciples no such worldly kingdom, but said; it should not be so among them, as it was amongst the Princes of the world.  
And where Christ in the last chapter of Matthew said after his resurrection: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth, so that both in his godhead, and in his manhood also inseparably unite in one person, that is to say, in one Christ, and two natures, God and man, he had all power given to him as man, which from the beginning he ever had as the Son of God, with God his Father. Yet nevertheless he never changed the authority of worldly Kings and Princes; but by his own word commanded them still to be obeyed by their subjects, as they had been before his incarnation, saying in the 22. chapter of Matthew, when the jews asked him whether they should pay tribute to Caesar or no, he bade them give to Caesar those things that be his, and to God those things that be his; signifying unto them, that tribute was due to Caesar, snd their souls were due to God. And in the 17. chapter of Matthew it appeareth, that Christ bade Peter pay tribute for him, and his Disciples, when it was demanded of him. And Christ as man, would not change the order of obeisance to worldly Princes by their subjects: which he as God with his father had ordained before his incarnation, as Saint Paul testifieth, saying: Worldly powers be ordained of God, and therefore whosoever resisteth them, doth resist God.  
And that Christ himself would not reign here in earth, by a worldly and temporal kingdom, it appeareth in the 6. chapter of john: where after he had fed five thousand jews, besides women and children, with five barley loaves, and two fishes, and the jews would have taken him, and made him their King, he fled from them, and would not consent unto them: for the kingdom that he came to search here in earth, was not a worldly and temporal kingdom, but a heavenly and spiritual kingdom, that is to say, to reign spiritually by grace and faith in the hearts of all christian and faithful people, of what degree or of what nation soever they be, and to turn all people and nations, which at his coming were carnal, and lived after the lusts of the flesh, to be spiritual, and to live after the lusts of the spirit, that Christ might spiritually with his father of heaven reign in the hearts of all men; which heavenly Kingdom Saint john Baptist in the desert preached oft to the jews, saying: Repent you, and amend your lives, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. After whose death Christ intending to manifest himself to the world, began his preaching likewise, saying; Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And it is plainly expressed in the 13. chapter of Matthew, in the parable likening the kingdom of heaven to a man, which did sow good seed in his field, and after whiles he sleeped, his enemy did sow evil seed in the same: for Christ expounding that parable, saith: The good seed be the children and inheritors of the kingdom; so the kingdom that Christ seeketh here in earth, is a spiritual and heavenly kingdom. And Christ said to Pilate in the 18. chapter of john. My kingdom is not of this world. And therefore those that go about to make of Christ's spiritual kingdom, a worldly kingdom, do fall into error of some heretics, that look that Christ after the day of judgement shall reign with all his Saints here in earth carnally in jerusalem; as the jews do believe, that Messias is yet to come: and when he shall come, he shall reign worldly in jerusalem.  
So we do see, that Christ left the worldly kingdoms to princes of the world, as is before expressed. But he committed the preaching of this heavenly kingdom to his Apostles, giving to them like commission and equal authority to preach and teach the same through all the world, saying in the last chapter of Matthew, after the words before declared, that all power was given to him in heaven and in earth. Go ye forth and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost, teaching them to keep all those things which I have commanded you. Christ also in the 30. chapter of john, said the evening after his resurrection, when he appeared to his Disciples, the doors being shut; As my Father hath sent me, I do send you; and after he had so said, he breathed upon them, saying: Whose sins soever ye shall forgive, be forgiven; and whose sins ye shall retain, be retained▪ And likewise had said to them all before his death, in the 18. chapter of Matthew; what things soever ye shall bind upon earth, I shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall lose upon earth, shall be loosed in heaven: which power he gave to the● all equally & alike as w● to all the residue, as to Peter, Which authority Christ declareth in the 20. chapter of juke, to be high, and to be regarded of all men, and not to be contemned in any wife, saying, He that heareth you, heareth me, and he that heareth me, heareth my Father of heaven that hath sent me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me, and he that despiseth me, despiseth my Father of heaven that hath sent me▪ At the day of judgement Sodom and Gomorrah, which heard not of Christ, shall be in better case than such despisers shall be.  
But here the Bishop of Rome steppeth in, and saith: Peter had authority given to him above all the residue of the Apostles; for Christ said to him in the 10. chapter of Matthew; Thou art Peter, and upon this make▪ I shall build my Church, and I shall give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shall bind upon earth, shall be bound in the heavens this said Christ and Saint Peter is buried at Rome, whose successor I ●…and aught to rule the Church as Peter did, and to be Porter at heaven gates as Peter was. And Christ said also to Peter, after his resurrection: Feed my sleep, which words he spoke to him only: so that thereby he had authority over all that be of Christ's flock and I as ●is successor have the same; and therefore who so will not obey me, King or Prince, I will curse him and deprive him his kingdom or signory, for all power is given to me, that Christ had; and I am his Vicar general, as Peter was here in earth over all, and none but I, as Christ is in heaven.  
This ambitious and pompous objection is made by him and his adherents: and hath of late years much troubled the world, and made dissension, debate, and open war in all parts of Christendom, and nourished the same. But if the Bishop of Rome would take those places after the right sense of them, as both the Apostles themselves taught us, and all the ancient, best learned, and most holy interpreters do expound them, the world should be more at quietness than it is; where now by wrong interpretation, the Scripture is perverted, and another Gospel in that point preached unto us, than ever the Apostles preached; so that though an Angel came from heaven, and would tell us such new expositions of those places, as is now made, to turn the words which were spoken for spiritual authority, of preaching the word of God, and ministering of the Sacraments, to a worldly authority we ought to reject him, as Saint Paul saith in the first chapter to the Galathians.  
But to open the true sense of the Scripture in the places aforesaid, it is to be observed, that Christ in the said 16. chapter of Matthew, asked his Disciples, whom men did say that he was; whereunto after answer given by them diversely, some saying that he was john Baptist, some saying that he was Elias, some saying that he was jeremy, or one of the Prophets: Christ asked them, whom do ye say that I am whereunto Peter answered for them all, for of all of them the question was asked; as he was always ready to make answer; Thou art Christ the Son of God that liveth: jesus answered, Blessed be thou Simon the son of jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven, And I say to thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; that is to say, upon this rock of thy confession of me to be the Son of God, I shall build my Church: for this confession containeth the whole summary of our faith and salvation. Which confession first was spoken by the mouth of Peter. Who of all the twelve Apostles that Christ chose to send into the world to preach his word, was the first that with his mouth uttered that confession and knowledging, by which all christian men must be saved, and without which no man can be saved, as it is written in the 10. chapter to the Romans by Paul. The word of saith that we do preach, is at hand in thy mouth, and in thine heart: for if thou confess with thy mouth our Lord jesus, and with thy heart do believe that God raised him from death to life, thou shalt be saved. Upon this first confession of Peter, and not upon the person of Peter, the Church is builded. As Chrysostome expoundeth that place, in the 26. Sermon of the feast of Pentecost, saying, Not upon the person of Peter, but upon the faith Christ hath builded his Church. And what is the faith? This, thou art Christ the Son of God that liveth; What is to say, upon this rock? that is, upon this confession of Peter. And with this saying of Chrysostome, all ancient expositors treating that place, do agree. For it we should expound that place, that the Church is builded upon the person of Peter, we should put another foundation of the Church than Christ, which is directly against Saint Paul, saying in the 3. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians; no man may put any other foundation, but that which is put already, which is Christ jesus; and therefore that exposition, that the person of Peter should be the foundation of the Church, should make of the Trinity, a quaternity, and put a fourth person besides the Trinity, to be the foundation of the Church.  
And this first confession of Peter by faith, that Christ is the Son of God, is the pre-eminence and primacy, that Peter had before the other spoken of in the tenth of Matthew, wherein reciting the names of the twelve Apostles chosen by Christ, it is written. The first is Simon Peter. For he first confessed that faith, that all men must be saved by. For who so doth agree with Peter in his said first confession, as all the Apostles did, and as all we that purpose to be saved must do, shall be saved, and who so doth not agree with that confession shall be damned.  
And where he is called by many ancient and holy interpreters of the Scripture for his faith; sometime the chief of the Apostles, sometime the mouth of the Apostles, sometime the Prince of the Apostles, sometime the Precedent of the holy Church; all these honourable names be attribute by them unto him for his foresaid first confession, wherein all our faith is contained. And because he was of all the Apostles most ardent in saith, and feared not being in great tempest on the Sea, upon Christ's word, to come out of the ship, and go to him upon the water, being in great rage; which his deed declared his faith to be mervailously vehement in Christ.  
The greatness and vehemency also of his faith was declared in the 2.3. and 4. chapters of the Acts, when the jews in the beginning, withstood the Apostles Preaching the Faith of Christ. For then Peter as most ardent in faith of all the Apostles, was ever most ready to defend the faith against the impugners of it, speaking for them all unto the people in defence of it, for the fervent love that he bore to Christ.  
And as Peter was most ardent in faith, in which he had of God a most singular gift, so was Paul most fervent in zeal both to win the jews to Christ, desiring the salvation of his country to win them to Christ, and wishing himself in a manner to have been separate from Christ, so that they might have been saved thereby: as it is written in the 9 chapter to the Romans, and also in zeal to win all the Gentiles and other nations to Christ, as he writeth in the second Epistle to the Corinthians in the 11 chapter, saying, who is weak, and I am not weak with him? who is offended, and I am not offended with him? where he speaketh also of the cure that he took for all Churches, which his fervent zeal doth appear in many places of all his Epistles.  
And as Paul was fervent in zeal, so was john the Evangelist most excellent in innocency and in charity: whereunto he chiefly exhorteth all men in his first Epistle. And all other the Apostles had their special gifts diversely given unto them, as the gifts of Almighty God be given diversely, and not all to one man, as it is written in the 12. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians: and as Christ is called by Saint Paul in the 15. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, the first fruit of those that rose from death to life: so is Peter called the first in faith, for he was the first that with his mouth confessed it. And Epenetus is likewise called by Saint Paul, the first that believed in the Church of Asia, in the 16. chapter to the Romans. And the household of Stephen is the first that believed in Achaia, in the last chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians.  
And that Peter should not have a rule above all other the Apostles in all places; Saint Paul plainly showeth in the 2. chapter to the Galathians, where he saith; that as the Apostleship of the Circumcision, that is to say, of the jews, was given by Christ to Peter, to was the Apostleship of the Gentiles given to me among the Gentiles, so that there they divided themselves asunder, that Peter, james, and john, should go preach the faith to the jews, and Paul and Barnabas should go preach to the Gentiles, as they did. Here it appeareth, that Paul knew no primacy of Peter, concerning people or places, but among the jews. For which cause Peter dissembled in Antioch to eat of the Gentiles meats, when the jews came thither, lest he should offend his flock of the jews committed to him; in which matter Paul defending the liberty of meats that he had preached to the Gentiles, withstood him. And Saint Ambrose expounding that place, saith: The primacy of the jews was given chiefly to Peter, albeit james and john were joined with him, as the primacy of Gentiles was given to Paul, albeit Barnabas was joined with him, so that Peter had not a rule over all.  
And also that Saint Peter himself knew no such primacy over all people and places given unto him, it appeareth plainly in the 10. of the Acts: where Saint Peter after the coming of the holy Ghost, being at joppa, and sent for by Cornelius to come to him, then being in Caesarea, durst not go to him without a vision of a sheet let down from heaven, containing all manner of Beasts, Birds, and Serpents, whereof he was bidden eat, and repute not those meats unclean, that God had purged. Which vision opened unto him, that he should not refuse the Gentiles, whom the jews did abhor as unclean. Now if he had known his commission to be over all, he should not have needed any such vision: but he himself understood it, not so large or above the other. But he remembered well, that Christ in the last chapter of Luke, bade them begin first at jerusalem to preach to the jews, as he did. And after his return to jerusalem again from Caesarea, he made a great excuse to the jews of his flock offended with his going thither, written in the 11. chapter of the Acts: so it appeareth, that Peter himself doth agree with Saint Paul, that his commission and authority was among the jews, as Paul's was among the Gentiles.  
And that all the Apostles had like dignity and authority, it appeareth by Saint Paul in the 2. chapter to the Ephesians, where he saith: Now ye be not guests and strangers, but ye be Citizens and domestickes of Almighty God, builded upon the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets, Christ being the corner stone, upon whom every edifice builded groweth to be a holy temple in our Lord. Here he saith, that they be builded, not upon the foundation of Peter only, but upon the foundation of the Apostles: so that all they be in the foundation set upon Christ the very rock, whereupon the whole Church standeth. So likewise in the 21. chapter of the apocalypse it is written, that the wall of heavenly jerusalem, the City of Almighty GOD, which is the Church, Christ's Spouse, hath 12. foundations, and in them the names of the 12. Apostles written; so that the name of Peter is not there written only, for the twelve Apostles through all the world, as well as Peter, preached Christ to be the Son of God, who is the very rock whereupon all our faith is founded.  
Saint Cyprian also saith in his book of the simplicity of Prelates, that all the Apostles had equal power and dignity given to them by Christ. And because all should preach one thing, therefore the beginning thereof first began by one, which was Peter; who confessed for them all, that Christ was the Son of God that liveth: saying further, that in the Church there is one office of all Bishops, whereof every man hath a part allotted wholly unto him. Now if the Bishop of Rome may meddle over all, where he will, than every man hath not wholly his part; for the Bishop of Rome may meddle in his part with him, so that he hath it not wholly, which is against Cyprian.  
And where Christ said, that he would give to Peter the keys of heaven, that was said to him, not for himself only, but for the whole Church; which confessing the Faith that he did, should have the keys of heaven as well as he; as Saint Austin saith, expounding the Gospel of john in the 50. treaty.  
And as to the authority of the last chapter of john, where Christ said thrice to Peter: Feed my sheep, after he had confessed to love Christ, thrice asked; that place is, as Cyrillus saith, expounding the same, thus to be understood; that because Peter had thrice denied Christ, whereby he thought himself he had lost his Apostleship: Christ to comfort him again, and to restore him to his office, that he had lost, asked him thrice, whether he loved him, and so restored him again to his office, which else he durst not have presumed unto: saying to him; Feed my sheep. With which Exposition the ancient holy Expositors of that place do agree.  
And where it is said, that those words were spoken only to Peter, whereby he ought to have a pre-eminence above the other, Saint Paul in the 22. chapter of the Acts, proveth the contrary: where Saint Paul said to all the Bishops assembled at Milete: Take heed to yourselves, and to all your flock, in which the holy Ghost hath put you to govern his Church: which word, To govern, is in the original Text of Greek, Pimenin, the same word that Christ spoke to Peter, and doth signify to feed and govern the sheep, as the shepherd ought to do: so that Saint Paul saith, that the holy Ghost hath ordained all Bishops to feed their flock, as Peter was bidden do. Saint Peter also in the last chapter of his first Epistle, saith: Ye that be Priests, feed the flock of God amongst you; which word there spoken to all Priests, is the same word that Christ spoke to Peter.  
So it appeareth plainly by the Scriptures aforesaid, conferred together, that neither the 16. chapter of Matthew, nor the 21. of john do prove, that Peter had power, authority or dignity given by Christ over all the other, that they should be under him: and yet his primacy that he first of all the Apostles confessed our faith, that Christ is the Son of God, with which his confession all the Apostles did consent, and preached the same, standeth still. And all that will be saved must follow that lesson that he first taught us to confess. And so the Bishops of Rome's power over all, which he would prove by those places wrong alleged for his purpose, utterly quaileth, and is not proved.  
Besides this, when Faustinus, Legate to the Bishop of Rome alleged in the 6, Counsel Carthaginense that the Bishop of Rome ought to have the ordering of all great matters in all places by his supreme authority; he alleged no Scripture for him, for at that time no Scripture was thought to make for it; but he alleged untruly the first general Council Nicene, in which Arrius the heretic was condemned, to make for that purpose. Which after the Book was brought forth, and no, such article found in it, but the contrary, yet the Council at that time sent to Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch, where the patriarchal Sees were, to have the true copy of the council Nicene, which was sent unto them, and also from Rome, whither they sent also for that purpose. And after they found no such article in it, but in the fifth chapter thereof, the contrary, that all causes ecclesiastical, should either be determined within the Diocese, or else if any were grieved, then to appeal to the Council provincial, and there the matter to take full end, so that for no such causes, men should go out of their Province. The whole Council Carthaginence wrote to Celestine at that time being Bishop of Rome, that since the Council Nicene had no such Article in it, as was untruly alleged by Faustinus, but the contrary; they desired him to abstain after to make any more such demand, denouncing unto him, that they would not suffer any cause great or small to be brought by appeal out of their country; And thereupon made a law, that no man should appeal out of the country of Africa, upon pain to be denounced accursed. Wherewith the B. of Rome ever after held him content▪ and made no more business with them, seeing he had nought to say or himself to the contrary. And at this council, amongst other, S. Augustine was present, and subscribed the same: which he would not have done, if he had known or taken any part of the Gospel, or of the Scripture to be contrary.  
It is also determined in the sixth Article of the said Council Nicene, that in the orient the Bishop of Antioch should be chief; in Egypt the Bishop of Alexandria; about Rome the Bishop of Rome; and likewise in other countries Metropolitans should have their pre-eminence, so that the Bishop of Rome never had meddling in those countries.  
And in the next Article following, the Bishop of jerusalem, which city before had been destroyed and almost desolate, is restored to his old prerogative, to be the chief in Palestine, and the country of jury: which Church of jerusalem, if places should be regarded, should be the chief, for there was accomplished the mystery of our redemption, and Christ himself, the eternal Word and Son of God there preached in person, and after his ascension, all the Apostles and Disciples; and Saint Paul also preached there in person: the whole twelve Apostles began first there, as Christ had commanded, to have the saying of Esay the Prophet in the second chapter fulfilled, where he saith: The law shall go forth out of Zion, and the word of God out of jerusalem. Which place Saint Jerome there expounding, saith; that the Church first founded at jerusalem, did sow abroad all other churches of the world. And at that time, and a good season after, Rome had not heard tell of Christ; so that the Church of Rome must needs confess, that they came out of jerusalem, which was their mother, as she was to all other Churches, as Esay had prophesied.  
And now since the purpose and ambitious objection of the Bishop of Rome is clearly avoided, let us return to our purpose, to declare what commission was given by Christ to his Apostles. We showed before, that he bade them preach and teach to all men all things that he had commanded them: and in the 10. chapter of Matthew, and of Luke, he showeth them how they shall enter their charge, saying; Into what house or place soever ye shall arrive, first ye shall say; Peace be to this house: and if the child of peace be there, he shall receive you, and if they will not receive you, then go forth out of the house or city, and wipe the dust off your shoes against them, in witness of your labour; for Sodom and Gomorrah shall be in better case at the day of judgement▪ then they that will not hear you. And as Christ commanded them to make their entry with mention of peace, so did he himself after his resurrection, appearing to his Disciples the evening next after, when the doors were shut, saying to them, Peace be with you. And the Apostles in their Epistles do begin with desiring grace and peace to be with them, to whom they write. Christ saith also in the 13. chapter of john: By this shall all men know, that ye be my Disciples▪ if ye love each other. For where charity is, there can be no debate, but all peace; and where it lacketh, discord doth ensue. Christ said also to his Apostles in the 9 chapter of Mark; Have peace amongst you. Saint Paul saith also to the Hebrews in the 12. chapter; Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God. And in the 12. chapter to the Romans he saith: As much as is in you, have peace with all men, and in the 14. he saith: That the Kingdom of God is justice, and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost. And Christ, when he should go out of this world, left to his Disciples peace: so that peace and charity ought to be amongst all christian men, and who so preacheth not peace, but debate, cometh not from Christ, but from Satan.  
But the Bishop of Rome, because he cannot longer in this realm wrongfully use his usurped power in all things as he was wont to do, and suck out of this realm, by avarice insatiable, innumerable sums of money yearly, to the great exhausting of the same; he therefore, moved and replete with furious ire and pestilent malice, goeth about to stir all Christian nations, that will give ears to his devilish enchantments, to move war against this realm of England, giving it in prey to all those that by his devilish instigation will invade it. Which few words, to give it in prey, how great mischief they do contain, I shall open to thee, thou true English man: First, to make this realm a prey to all ventures, all spoilers, all snaphanses, all forlorn hopes, all cormerants, all ravenours of the worlds that will invade this Realm, is to say; thou possessioner of any lands of this Realm, of what degree soever thou be, from the highest to the lowest, shalt be slain and destroyed, and thy lands taken from thee by those that will have all for themselves. And thou mayst be sure to be slain, for they will not suffer thee, nor none of thy progeny to live to make any claim afterward, or to be revenged, for that were their unsuerty. Thy wife shall be abused before thy face, thy daughter likewise deflowered before thee; thy children slain before thine eyes; thine house spoilt, thy cattle driven away, and sold before thy visage; thy plate, thy money by force taken from thee. All thy goods wherein thou hast any delight, or had gathered for thy children, ravened, broken, and distributed in thy presence, that every ravenour may have his share.  
Thou Merchant art sure to be slain, for thou hast either money or ware, or both, which they search for. Thou Bishop or Priest, whatsoever thou be, shalt never escape, because thou wouldst not take the Bishop of Rome's part, and rebel against God and thy Prince, as he doth. If thou shalt flee, and scape for a season, whatsoever thou be, thou shalt see and hear of so much misery and abomination, that thou shalt judge them happy, that be dead before. For sure it is, thou shalt not finally escape; for to take the whose Realm in prey, is to kill the whole people, and to take the place for themselves. As they will do if they can.  
And the Bishop of Rome now of late to set forth his pestilent malice the more, hath alured to his purpose a subject of this Realm, Raynold Pole, come of a noble blood, and thereby the more errant traitor, to go about from Prince to Prince, and from country to country, to stir them to war against this Realm, and to destroy the same, being his native country. Whose pestilent purpose, albeit the Princes that he breaketh it unto, have in much abomination, both for that the Bishop of Rome, (who being a Bishop should procure peace) is a stirrer of war, and because this most errant and unkind traitor is his minister to so devilish a purpose, to destroy the country that he was borne in: which any heathen man would abhor to do: But for all that, without shame he still goeth on, exhorting thereunto all Princes that will hear him; Who do abhor to see such unnaturalness in any man, as he shameless doth set forwards, whose pernicious treasons late secretly wrought against this Realm, have been, by the work of Almighty God so mervailously detected, and by his own brother, without looking therefore, so disclosed, and condign punishment ensued, that hereafter God willing, they shall not take any more such root to the annoyance of this Realm. And where all nations of Gentiles by reason and by law of nature do prefer their country before their Parents, so that for their country, they will die against their Parents, being traitors: this pestilent man worse than a Pagan, is not ashamed to destroy, if he could, his native country. And where as Curtius a heathen man was content for saving of the City of Rome, where he was borne, to leap into a gaping of the earth, which by the illusions of the devil, it was answered, should not be shut, but that it must first have one; This pernicious man is content to run headlong into hell, so that he may destroy thereby his native country of England, being in that behalf incomparably worse than any Pagan. And besides his pestilent treason, his unkindness against the King's Majesty, who brought him up of a child, and promoted both him, and restored his blood being attainted, to be of the Peers of this Realm; and gave him money yearly out of his coffers to find him honourably at study, maketh his treason much more detestable to all the world, and him to be reputed more wild and cruel than any Tiger.  
But for all this thou English man take courage unto thee, and be nothing afraid: Thou hast God on thy side, who hath given this Realm to the generation of English men, to every man in his degree, after the laws of the same: thou hast a noble, victorious, and virtuous King; hardy as a Lion, who will not suffer, thee to be so devoured by such wild beasts; only take an English heart unto thee, and mistrust not God, but trust firmly in him: And surely the ruin intended against thee, shall fall in their own necks that intent it. And fear not; though the devil and his disciples be against thee; for God thy protector is stronger than he and they, and shall by his grace give him and them a fall.  
And to show unto thee, that God is on thy side, consider, that it is written in the 6. chapter of the Proverbs, that amongst many crimes there rehearsed, that God hateth; chiefly he doth detest those persons that sow discord among their brethren; as all we christian men be brethren under our heavenly Father: also it is written in the 8. chapter of john, that those that do stir men to murder, be children of the devil, which was from the beginning of mankind a murderer, and brought Adam to sin, and thereby to death; as the jews his children stirred the people to put Christ to death. Saint Paul also in the last chapter to the Romans, warneth them to beware of those that do make dissension and debate among them, against the doctrine that he had taught them, and biddeth them eschew their company; wherein the holy Ghost wrought in Paul: for these many years past, little war hath been in these parts of Christendom, but the Bishop of Rome either hath been a stirrer of it, or a nourisher of it: and seldom any compounder of it, unless it were for his ambition or profit.  
Wherefore since as Saint Paul saith in the 14. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, that God is not God of dissension, but of peace, who commandeth by his word, peace always to be kept; we are sure that all those that go about to break peace between Realms, and to bring them to war, are the children of the devil; what holy names soever they pretend to cloak their pestilent malice withal; which cloaking under hypocrisy a double devilishness, and of Christ most detested; because under his blessed name they do play the devil's part. And therefore since Christ is on our side against them, let us not fear them at all. But putting our confidence in Almighty God, and cleaving fast to the King's Majesty, our supreme head in earth next under Christ of this Church of England, as faithful Subjects by God's law ought to do, though they go about to stir Gog and Magog, and all the ravenours of the world against us. We trust in God verily, and doubt not, but they shall have such a ruin and overthrow, as is prophesied by Ezechiel in the 39 chapter: against Gog and Magog going about to destroy the people of God, whom the people of God shall so vanquish and overthrow on the mountains of Israel, that none of them shall escape, but their carcases there to lie to be devoured by Kites and Crows, and birds of the air. And if they shall persist in their pestilent malice to make invasion into this Realm, then let us wish, that their great Captain Gog, I mean the Bishop of Rome, may come with them, to drink with them of the same cup, that he maliciously goeth about to prepare for us, that the people of God might after surely live in peace.  
And now that we have spoken of disobedience done to man against God's law, let us somewhat speak of disobedience daily done to God by us all against God's law: which our disobedience is so great, that the tongue of man cannot express it: for Christ saith in the 19 chapter of Matthew, to him that asked what he should do to come to everlasting life, If thou wilt enter into everlasting life, keep the Commandments; which he there rehearsed unto him, when he asked which they were, they be written in the 20. chapter of Exodus, ten in number. And because I doubt not, but ye know them, for briefness of time I shall omit to rehearse them.  
In the old law, which expresseth rewards temporal for the capacity of the gross carnal people of Israel, many worldly pleasures and rewards be promised to the keepers of those commandments, and marvelous great troubles and pains be threatened to the breakers and transgressors of them. All which be contained in the 28. chapter of Deuteronomie, in so much that in the 8. chapter of that Book, the people of Israel is threatened by Almighty God, to be expelled out of the land promised unto them, if they should not keep those Comandements and laws by him given unto them. The Prophet David saith also in the 88 Psalm; If the children of David leave my laws, and keep not my commandments, I shall with a rod visit their iniquities, and their sins with beat. But our Saviour Christ regarding the forgetfulness of man's memory, lest he should not remember the whole number of ten, hath brought them all into two Commandments, comprising in effect the whole ten, of the which two expressed in the 22. chapter of Matthew, the first is, Thou shalt love thy Lord God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind: This is the first and greatest Commandment, containing in it, four Commandments of the first table, which be these: Thou shalt have no other Gods in my sight. Thou shalt grave no image of things that be in heaven above, or in earth beneath, or in the water under the earth, nor with adoration worship them. Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain. Thou shalt sanctify thy Sabbath day. No man will break any of these four Commandments that loveth God above all things.  
The second Commandment given there by Christ, is like unto the first, that thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: which comprehendeth all the six Commandments of the second Table, which be these. Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not lust to have thy neighbour's house, nor his wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor any of his goods.  
No man that loveth his neighbour as himself, will offend him in any of these; for since he loveth himself so well, that he cannot be content that his neighbour shall offend him in any of these, he in loving his neighbour as himself, will not offend his neighbour in any of these.  
In these two Commandments, saith Christ, all the law and the Prophets be contained.  
But for all this, we thus plainly being taught by Christ, do fall headlong into all kinds of vices; for where we ought to love God above all things, we love the world and worldly things above God, against the counsel of Saint john, in the 2. chapter of his first Epistle. For we be so given to concupiscence of the flesh, that whatsoever it jousteth to have, we minister it unto it, to the concupiscence of our eyes, that whatsoever we do see, that liketh us, we will have it by one means or other. We be so high also of mind, and proud in heart, that we will mount above our degree, suffering none to be above us: which three faults do comprehend all vices of the world; so that we may say with the Prophet Osee in his 4. chapter; There is no truth, there is no mercy or pity, there is no knowledge of God left upon the earth. Backbiting, lying, murder, theft, adultery hath overflown the world. Perjury reigneth every where, and great pity it is to see, how the precious name of Almighty God is taken in vain in all places. No oath should be given, but three things concurrent, as jeremy the Prophet in his 4. chapter teacheth us; that is to say, in judgement, when a man is called thither to show the truth. And for justice there to be ministered, to put away wrong doing. And for truth, that falsehood may take no place there: Else no oath should be given by God's law; but we should affirm our saying by yea yea, and deny by nay nay, as Christ taught us in the 5. of Matthew. But now every thing that we affirm or deny, must have an oath coupled with it, when men do buy or sell any thing, more oaths be oftentimes interchanged betwixt them, than pence that the thing is sold for. In communication and all pastimes, as many oaths, as words be used. In playing at any games, there the tearing of God's name, and particular mention of all the wounds and pains that Christ suffered for us, be contumeliously in vain brought forth. If a muster should be taken of swearers, I think that some crooked pieces should be found, not able to take the King's wages, that would swear as great oaths, and as many of them, as the best and most able man on the field. They think that great oaths do make them to be of more estimation, and therefore they swear at every word, but surely they be foully deceived, for oaths be ordained where need is, that truth shall not perish, and that they may finish debates among men, as Paul saith in the sixth chapter to the Hebrews. But he that at every word sweareth, declareth plainly, that no credence is to be given to any his words, and therefore he joineth to every word an oath, as a surety of the truth thereof, acknowledging the lack of truth to be in his words. As if a man would offer a great substantial surety, when he would borrow a penny of his neighbour, he plainly should make his neighbour, thereby to think, that he were of no credence, that would for so small a matter, offer so great a surety, where no need is so to do.  
I fear me, the great role of twenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in breadth, which the Prophet Zacharie saw flying in the air in the 5. chapter, which as the Angel showed to him, did contain the great malediction of God against thiefs, and against swearors, that should be judged by it, doth fly now over our heads. I pray God we may avoid the danger of it, and abstain hereafter so to take the name of God in vain, as is now commonly used.  
We do profess the faith of Christ, and do speak of the Gospel with our mouths, and have the Book oft in our hands, but we learn it not as we should do; for the Gospel is given to us to know God thereby, and to be a rule to live by; but we much do talk of it, which is very well done, and yet we nothing regard to amend our lives thereby, and to live as it biddeth us: but we do use the Gospel, as if it were a Book of Problems to dispute upon, and care not to amend our living, as it teacheth us, which shall be to our great punishment. For a servant that knoweth his Lord's pleasure, and not fulfilling it, is more grievously to be punished than he that knoweth it not, as Christ saith in the 12. chapter of Luke. We much extol faith, as it is much worthy: but works and deeds many men care not for, saying, God regardeth them nothing: for faith alone justifieth us, and not our works.  
Here first of all it is to be observed, that no deed nor work that is done by man without faith, can ever help him to heaven: for like as a man that runneth out of the race, where the course is set, though he run never so fast, winneth no game; so a man that doth good deeds moral, without faith, deserveth of God no reward, for without faith it is impossible to please God, as Saint Paul saith, the 11. chapter to the Hebrews. But if he do good deeds with faith, than they be acceptable to God, and he will reward him for them. And Saint Paul teacheth us always to be occupied in doing of good works: for albeit no man may be justified by his works alone; yet after he hath faith, he must join good works with it, if he have any time thereto, or else his faith is unprofitable unto him; for the faith that by grace doth justify, is the faith that worketh by charity, as Saint Paul saith to the Galathians in the 5. chapter, and not an idle faith, which Saint james in his Epistle calleth a dead faith.  
Saint Paul saith also in the second chapter to the Romans, that the hearers of the law be not justified before God, but the doers of the law. And Saint james in his Epistle, in the first chapter, doth liken him that heareth the word of God, and doth not there after, unto a man that looketh in a glass, and after he hath so done, layeth it down, and forgetteth that he looked in it, and thinketh of other matters.  
And where they say, that faith alone justifieth, that is untrue, and against Saint james in the 2. chapter of his Epistle, saying, that a man is not justified by his faith alone. Also to justification of a sinner, repentance of his evil life passed is necessarily first required, and must needs be joined with faith before he be justified; for else, if he repent not, he remaineth still in sin, and so he is not yet justified, and all the preaching of Christ and his Apostles, beginneth at repentance and penance; so that faith without that cannot help. Wherefore it is never true, that faith alone justifieth, for grace of God must go before faith; and on our behalf, repentance and charity must be joined with faith. And as faith is the gift of God, so is penance, and so is charity, so is hope; but the grace of God, who granteth all, goeth before all.  
Truth it is, that our good deeds done before faith, do not justify for lack of faith; but joined unto faith, they do help; for coming after faith, they help to make us more justified, as it is written in the 21. of the apocalypse: Let him that is right wise, be yet more justified.  
And that Almighty God requireth of us good works, it appeareth in the 21. chapter of Matthew, and the 11. of Mark, where Christ coming to a Fig tree, full of leaves, having no fruit, which he sought in it, by his curse did make it sere: so if we being the tree, bring not forth fruit of good works, having time thereto, neither the root of faith, nor the leaves of words can alone help us. Another parable in the 13. of Luke proveth the same: where a man having a Vineyard, and in the same a Fig tree that bore no fruit, bade cut it down: And at the request of his Gardener, suffered it yet longer, to see if dung laid to the root would help it. As oft Almighty God, being the Lord of the Vineyard, suffereth us being barren, to have space to repent, and bring forth fruit of good works. For it is written in the third of Matthew, that every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire.  
After as our deeds be, so shall our judgement be, as Christ saith in the 16 of Matthew, the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels, and shall reward every man after his works. Saint Paul in the 2. chapter to the Romans saith also likewise, that God will reward every man after his deeds good or evil. And in the 4. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, he saith, that every man shall receive his hire, after as his labour is; so that for good deeds done with faith, he shall receive reward, and for evil deeds done after faith, or out of faith, he shall receive punishment.  
Therefore those that say, that God ragardeth not our works done with faith, do say against Christ, and his doctrine given to us by him, and by his Apostles: for since our works done with faith be the measure of our reward to be greater or smaller, as they shall be found to be greater or smaller, who so saith, that God regardeth not them, saith he regardeth not the measure of our reward; and yet he saith it shall be measured after our deeds done with faith, and so he saith against Christ. Saint Paul saith also in the 2. chapter to the Ephesians, that by faith which is the gift of God, we be of new create in Christ, and in good works, that we may walk forwards in them, and since he hath created us in good works to walk in them, he must needs regard them; or else he cared not what he created, which is blasphemy, and denial of his high providence.  
Now this holy week we be bidden and called to come to the great supper of our blessed Lord Christ jesus, and to eat of the heavenly meat, and of the bread of life, that came from heaven, the blessed body of our Saviour jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the altar: unto which we may not go in our filthy and spotted coat, lest we coming thither, not having the clean garment of our soul, that we received at our Baptism, be expelled out of the feast. And therefore we must make clean our garment, before we be bold to go thither: But I fear me sore, lest many shall make such worldly excuses, as be written in a parable, in the 14. chapter of Luke, some saying, they be new married, and therefore they may not come. Which do signify men given so to carnal pleasure of the body, that they care not to come to heaven; some saying, they have bought five yoke of Oxen, which do signify those that follow the sensuality of their five senses, and worldly business; some saying, that they have bought a Village, which signify those that purchase lands here in earth, and care not by faith and good living to purchase heaven. All which sort of men shall not taste of that supper, as it is there written: but God forbid that any of us should be of that sort: and therefore let us every man prepare ourselves, and make clean our spotted and filthy garment. Let us purge and purify the Tabernacle of our soul, and make it a lodging worthy to receive Christ into our house, and not to disdain us, for the filthiness of our unclean living.  
But how may this be done, and by what means? surely, surely; by no mean but by penance and repentance, and calling for mercy to Almighty God with a sorrowful heart, that we having received so innumerable benefits of God, so little have regarded our obedience to his commandments, proudly and unkindly despising him, and more regarding our own wretched concupiscence, & pleasure in all worldly delights, than God. Let us follow the exhortation of Almighty God, spoken to us by the mouth of joel, in the 2. chapter, saying, Turn ye sinners again to me by fasting, by weeping, by much lamenting your miserable estate, and tear asunder your hearts, and not your clothes. Almighty God will rather regard a sorrowful and contrite heart to dwell in it, than all the Temples that we can build for him: as it is written in the last chap. of Esay, Let us acknowledge & confess our own faults first, before we be accused of them at judgement. Let us weep for our ungracious life, and sure it is, God will regard our tears. David saith in the 55. Psalm, Almighty God, I have showed my life to thee, and thou hast put my tears in thy sight. We that have used our eyes all the year in regarding worldly pleasures, so that through vehement joy sometimes the tears have burst out with much laughing: now let us weep, as David teacheth us in the 118. Psalm, saying to Almighty God, The tears have burst out of my eyes, because they have not regarded and kept thy law. Let us follow the counsel of Saint Paul, in the 6. chapter to the Romans, saying to us: As ye have given your members to serve to injustice to do wrong, so likewise give your members to serve justice to your sanctifying. David saith also in the 6. Psalm, I have travailed in my wailing: I shall wash every night my bed with weeping tears. And after that he saith, God hath heard the voice of my weeping; for GOD doth regard tears coming forth out of a sorrowful and contrite heart. If thou say thou canst not weep; thou dost confess thy folly; for if thou lose by example any substance of worldly goods, as if thy house be robbed, thy ship laden with merchandise perished in the Sea, thy wife that thou didst love, departed; thy son dead, than thou canst weep much more then enough; and where thy soul is by sin departed from Almighty God, which departing from him is the very death of the soul, and lieth stinking in sin, not four days, as the body of Lazarus did in his grave, but much more than four months, ye thrice four months, canst thou not weep? Surely thou hast great cause to lament thyself. For what exchange canst thou devise to make, so dear to thee, as thy soul is?  
Wherefore let us with the sword of the Spirit, which, as Saint Paul saith, is the word of God, make a quick sacrifice of ourselves, with a sorrowful heart, because we have broken God's commandments, applying the sharp word of God to our sinful life, that we may therewith kill our concupiscences and all fleshly and worldly lusts, and so making of our sorrowful heart a sacrifice to Almighty God, obtain his mercy thereby, as he hath promised to us by David in the fiftieth Psalm, saying: The sacrifice to God is a spirit troubled with sorrow, and thou GOD wilt not despise a heart contrite and meekened.  
We must bring forth fruits of our penance and repentance by the amendment of our sinful lives, as Saint john Baptist said to the jews in the third of Matthew. For God cannot be deluded with the fair words only of a sinner, saying, I am a sinner, and yet will not amend. For God looketh whether those words come from the heart being contrite: which if they did, amendment of the evil life should ensue, and good works should spring out, where the evil did grow before: which new spring of good works is the fruit of penance.  
We must also go forward in the way of our Lord, and not stand still, for else we cannot come to our journey's end. David saith in the 118. Psalm, The immaculate and unspotted men be blessed, that do go forward in the way of our Lord. He that saith that he dwelleth in Christ, must walk after Christ in his way, which is his commandments, as he himself did. As Saint john saith in the 2. chapter of his first Epistle; and therefore we may not stand still, but go on in doing good, to our journeys end, as he did. Saint Paul saith to the Galathians, in the 6. chapter: See that ye err not, God cannot be mocked; such as a man doth sow, such shall he reap; he that soweth in the flesh, shall reap thereof corruption; and he that soweth of the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. Let us not cease in good doing, for we shall reap it, not failing when the time cometh. Therefore whiles we have time, let us do good to all men, and chiefly to the domestickes of our faith. And as we should study to be rich in faith: for Christ did choose such to be of his flock, though they were poor in worldly goods: As Saint james saith in the 2. chapter of his Epistle; so must we study to be rich in good works: as Saint Paul saith in the 6. chapter of the first Epistle to Timothy, where he biddeth him teach the rich men of the world, to be ready with their abundance of goods, to help the poor, and to make thereby a treasure in heaven, and to study to be rich in good works; so for these two richesses', the one the riches of faith, the other the riches of good works, we should chiefly study.  
Also Christ in the sixth of Matthew, doth teach us three chief exercises, which will confer greatly to the amendment of our life: that is to say, fasting to tame thereby the inordinate lusts of the flesh. Almesdeeds, to refrain covetousness, and to help to redeem our sins therewith, as Daniel saith in the fourth chapter: And prayer to Almighty GOD, thereby to abate our pride and outrequydance and arrogance, that we not trusting of ourselves, but of his help, may ask of him things necessary for us from time to time. And that we should oft pray, Christ teacheth us by the parable of the Widow, which by her importunity and oft crying to the wicked judge, that feared neither God nor man, obtained at the last, justice of him: as it is written in the ●8. chapter of Luke.  
We read also of Christ, that he sometime prayed all ●ight to God, as it is written in the sixth chapter of Luke. ●nd Saint Paul saith to the Colossians in the fourth chapter: give you to prayer, being vigilant in it: and to Timo●hy he writeth in the fifth chapter: She that truly is a Widow, let her give herself to prayer night and day. And to the Thessalonians he writeth in the fifth chapter of the first Epistle, saying; Pray without any day leaving off, not that we should do nothing else, but that we should oft amongst other things that we do, pray to Almighty God, laving him, & calling him to remembrance, that he may help us, putting in all our deeds, our confidence in him. Which we might easily do, briefly saying diverse times on the day, though it were but one Pater noster at one time, so that Christ thereby should not be far from our remembrance; nor we should not by worldly pleasures or business, stray abroad far from him; nor the devil should not so boldly approach us, seeing us always under the wing and protection of our heavenly Father. And surely if we could thus dispose ourselves, our affairs should prosper the more in this world, and we should also thereby please Almighty God, and come to the glory everlasting. Whereunto our Saviour jesus Christ, who hath redeemed us, bring us all. Quo vivit & regnat cum deo patre in ●nitate sancti spiritus per omnia secula seculorum, Amen.  
FJNJS.