The path of Obedience, compiled by james Cancellar, one of the queens Majesties most honourable Chapel.  
¶ Qui resistit potest●ti● dei ordination● resistit.  Rom. xiii 
Imprinted at London by john Wailande, at the sign of the Sun in Fleetstreet over against the Conduit. Cum privilegio per septennium.   

To the high and mighty Princes. Marry the first, by the grace of GOD Queen of England, France, and Ireland, your humble obedient subject and servant james Canceller, one of your highenes' most honourable chapel, wisheth health and long prosperity to your most excellent Majesty, with true obedience of all your loving subjects according to this treatise and their, most bounden duties.  
MOst gracious & dear sovereign Lady: as the children of Israel in the Deuteronomy were commanded to appear before God, not with empty hands: but to offer to his divine Majesty, such things as their power was able to supply, in token of their dew obedience, and loyal subjection, as of whom they received all goodness, so they ought to render part to the giver of all Even so it be hoveth all faithful subjects to behave themselves towards their king & governor: especially those that daily attend in serving of their dear sovereign lord and king, and receive their living at their princes bountiful, & most liberal hands, To whom, for acknowledging of their Prince's goodness, as they comenli render not part of their living, for that neither can they spare it, ne yet the Prince need it: so ought they some mean to devise whereby their good will and ●ial subjection may well appear to their king & master to whom they are most bound. In the number of your daily attendant servants, most gracius sovereign, am I, most bounden to your highness, To whom my lowly obedience better I could not signify, then to devise & endight some what of true obedience. Nether could I present to your highness any thing of my poor store, more acceptable than thee, whereby households, cities, commenweales & Realms are only enriched, & most happily governed & maintained. The contrary whereof hath brought things in a few days to greater ruin, then wise and politic heads could raise & establish in a number of years. I need not herein to make any discorse of old stories, neither of Rome, Carthage, Athenes, or Lacedaemon: since, even here at home, in mine own country, with mine own grief, I have seen such hurt by disobedience to have happened to england this little Island, that hath drawn all Europe not only to admiration but also to lamentation, for that the beauty of this land by disobedience hath been so defaced & the growd of all wealth so shaken, that all other Nations by England might take example, to eschew the occasion of the like Ruin. The wounds that we thereby have received, being now by God closed up, & continually with the oil of your grace's goodness, bathed & suppled, at this present to open again, I much mind not seeing, that the touching of on sinew not perfectly healed may disturb the hole body: and yet I thought it not unmeet to treat of, in such wise, as the reader may well understand, what a fowl, and ugly monster disobedience is: whose fair pretenced enterprises pleasant to the unwise in the beginning, in the end brings the followers to utter confusion, much like the poison of a scorpion rolled together in the form of a pill sugared round about, and so received into the body to purge that same, in steed of purgation bringeth present death. To whose displeasantnes and wretched end, true obedience compared, shall the better, with her sweetness allureech person to walk in her virtuous path. And as by contraries most things we tried, so by comparing these two most contraries together: the falsehood of them shallbe fully disclosed: and the virtue of the other plainly set forth. In which mine enterprise, most Gracious Sove-ladye the want of learning let my good will supply, which I Dedicate too your highness, rather that other may receive it the better, coming for the under the safe-conduct of your Grace's favour, then to hope thereby to achieve any praise, as knoweth god: who preserve your Grace and grant you your hearts desire.   

The path  
AS it is necessary that in the Church of God & in the wall public, and in every of them there be divers degrees of estates, & as we also are most assured that god hath so ordained for both of them, as in his Church Archbishops bishops, preachers, and ministers, And likewise in the weal public, Emperors, Kings and magistrates with other inferior officers to them: So it is also necessary that every subject do reverently honour and obey them, as ordained of God (and not as of men) for the government of both of them. For as God hath appointed all other inferior creatures for man, and to be obedient to man, so god most chiefly would man to be obedient to his will and commandment. For as much therefore as very many things be written, and put in precepts notably of singular & well learned both to good manners and to the order of man's life, which should stir and inflame us to the right respect of ●iuing, Conducted and led by the authorities of Scripture as also by divers other the fathers of Christ's church, yet not withstanding in these our days as experience doth show unto us, we are far from that good order which made the life of man better than it was, or else more virtuous. For we judge nothing to be good, but that the opinion of vulgar people doth allow: And we also judge such things, by whose degrees men have ascended to heaven, void and vain, ●y reason whereof it hath so●owed that ever sithen this evil ●aner of mind hath cropen in ●o the heads of some evil men, Noble men hath been seduced, & ●ysobediens of subjects hath ●uche increased, comen profit ●ath decayed, Carnal affection ●athe flourished, private wealth ●ath prevailed, & monstruous averice augmented. For asmuch as 〈◊〉 is so, considering in myself ●e state of this wortht realm, ●nd how far the people thereof ●re altered and changed from ●e order and condition of good ●uynge and obedience toward ●od and man, I think nothing ●ore meeter at this time to in●eat of, then of obedience, whi●e as S. Augustine saith, is the ●other of virtues, or rather ●e fountain or wellspring of all virtue. Obedience caused the son of God too descend from heaven in to the womb of the virgin, and as it doth appear in the second of Genesis. 
Gene. two.  It was the first lesson that God taught our father Adam, when he sayda unto him: eating, thou shalt eat● of every tree in the garden. But as touching the tree of knowledge of good and evil, of it thou shalt not eat. And even as god than spoke unto Adam, so h● now speaketh unto us, sayings You shall obediently do according to all that I commaund● you. 
jere. xi. & ●v. ●xvi.  And the Psalms saith: t● day if ye hear his voice har●den not your hearts, as your● fathers did in the wilderness. & In this wise GOD always did speak unto his people fro● time to time by the mouth 〈◊〉 ●ys holy Prophets, and therefore the Prophets of the old law ●re properly called the voice of GOD. And now in the time of ●he new law, which is the ●ime of grace, the holy father's ●nd preachers, of Christ's Catholic church, are also called ●he Church & voice of God: for Christ speaking to the fathers, & preachers of his visible & knoten church, which is his voice, ●oth say: who that heareth you heareth me. 
Ih●. iiii  This church, the voice of God, teacheth all truth, and this church is builded upon the strong rock which is Christ. Then for asmuch as we have, a long time, turned our eyes from the voice of the visible Catholic church of God, and disobediently have followed the cursed and unknown church of Satan, whose prophets preach lies and vanities, leading souls into everlasting darkness: it is meeter therefore that we (which I fear do much yet favour the same) should hear what Christ speaketh of that cursed church. 
mat. xxiiii  Take heed sayeth Christ that no man deceive you, for i● the perilous time, many false prophets shall come in my name, saying that I am Christ, and shall deceive many. Be ye not companions of them, sayeth saynct● Paul which through Ipocresy fashion themselves like unto the Disciples of Christ. 
Ephe. v.  For they who hath not the spirit of Christ, although they preache● Christ, be not of Christ: therefore good country men, which a long time obstinately and dysobediently have forsaken our mother the catholic Church, let us beware of that deceitful and disobedient church of Antichrist (Which standeth and is set in the rotten marrysh of disobedience, where it may not be seen by the light of the day, but in the misty night of darkness) and obediently abiding in the fear of God, follow our lo●ynge mother the catholic church, 
job. xx●●●  for it is written: he is ●lessed that obediently walketh ●n the fear of God: 
Psal. cxix.  And again. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and worketh ●n man's heart humble obediens. The lack whereof among us ●ath been the only cause of our ●all from the unity of Christ's church, deserving therefore, and for our ingratitude, the great displeasure of almighty God, which now we find, being daily scourged with many, divers, and sundry plagues not needful at this time to be named or rehearsed. If we therefore would open our eyes, to that end, that we, which now are noted through all the world for our singularity to be a people of all others most froward (against the true & known church of god & our natural King, Queen, and Magistrates) might see our own faults, 
Ps. xxxii.  who along time (as david sayeth), have been a laughing stock to all other countries, and nations, which above all other have been called Most victorious, and also a country Most beautiful of all wealthy commodities, planted with ● most cuiyll and obedient people, and now, called most seditious, rebellious and disobedient.  
These things well considered what English heart can but lament to see how far we now are from the feeling of these our wealthy commodities: and also how far we are in these out days from that faithful obedience which was among us in the time of our wealth. Sense the which time many of us have not only declared ourselves in all our acts unnatural and disobedient subjects against our most virtuous Queen, Queen Mary, But also as I have said against our mother the catholic church. Wickedly devising, jesting, and railing against all the holy Sacraments of the same. forgetting that which God would us to do, seizing not from these works which are evil, 
Gala. v.  as whoredom, adultery, hatred, strife, dissension, sects, and such like. Whose revenue & final reward is everlasting death. And therefore the wise man saith: my son avoid evil & keep thyself in the fear of God. 
Psa. xxxiii  And the profit David sayeth: turn from evil & do good. But what sayeth our cursed & disobedient libertines? even as Lucifer said among the Angels in heaven, persuading us that they were the worthy pastors that ought to sit in the seat of theapostels, following therein the example of the proud & disobedient Lucifer, and governor of their cursed church, who proudly said: I will ascend & be equal with the highest. For whose presumption & disobedient mind not he only, but all those angels that to him did consent wer● cast down in to the damnable hell. And if god therefore did not spare his angels, but for their transgression & disobedience did cast them forth of heaven, 
two. Petr. two.  what deserveth then man, whom god hath made like unto himself (& for whose sake he garnished the whole earth with all manner of pleasant things) and yet is disobedient against his Lord God & his anointed? Sayncte Paul telleth us, 
Ephe, v.  the wrath of God. Which is an horrible saying, and yet it is most true, as by example: when God had made Adam a perfit man, & set him in the pleasant garden of Paradise, 
●●ne. iii  wherein was planted all manner of fruit delicious too eat, he said unto Adam: of all the fruit in the garden thou shalt eat, one only excepted, which death in the midst of the garden of that thou shalt not eat: if thou eat thereof, thou shalt die. There was laid before Adam the blessing and the curse. 
deutro. xi.  The blessing if he were obedient, the curse if he were not obedient: 
i, esdra, iiii  so the god did set before him good & evil, to choose of them which he would, yet Adam for want of grace, at few words to him spoken by his wife Eve, who before had conferred with the subtle serpent, chose that was evil, and did eat of the fruit whereof God said he should not eat: disobediently breaking thereby the will & commandment of his Lord God, whereby they both lost the original innocency which they had at their creation: & they which before were most precious and pure in the sight of god, at now: become before god, hateful and odious. Thus by the falls suggestion of the wily & disobedient serpent, Man which was King & Emperor over all, lost his sovereignty, and so being overthrow wen was cast into this vale of miserable wretchedness, and so became subject unto death, sin, and all other miseries and infirmities. Saint Paul therefore not forgetting the fall of Adam, 
Roma. v.  writeth to the Romans, saying: through the disobedience of one man, many became sinners so that disobedience brought sin, and sin brought death unto Adam and his hole posterity. Like wise Cain the first son of Adam having a privy hatred against his brother Abel maliciously slew him contrary to the will of his Lord God. And for so doing he was also accoursed of God, so that Cain, for his disobedience, was wrapped by his evil fact, in the chain of his wickedness.  
For it is written: 
Pro. v,  the wicked & disobedient man, shallbe catched in his own cursed devyces, and also fast fetered in the bands of his offences, and so was this cursed Caine. Thus by disobedience sin so much increased, that god repented the creation of man, determining that he, for the punishment of sinners, would destroy the whole world, and so God did (eayght persons) Noah his wife, his three sons & their wives, only excepted. 
Gene. nineteen.  We do read also that when Loth was commanded to departed from Sodom with his wife and daughters, he was forbidden of God that he nor any of them should look behind them, but should go forward to that city which God had a pointed him to evil in: yet Loath his wife being something like unto Eve, the wife of Adam, contrary to god's commandment did look back up on the two cities of Sodom & Gomorra, and she for her disobedience was turned into a pillar of salt, and so remaineth for our example to this day. 
Exo. vi.  When Moses also was sent by God unto Pharaoh King of Egipte, for the diliveraunce of the peculiar people of God, Pharaoh would not hear him: wherefore God said unto Moses, I will harden Pharos heart, for that he is disobedient unto my voice, and I will multiply miracles in the land of Egipte, and so God did there eat bread nor drink water: therefore shall not thy body come into thy Father's grave. And it came to pass that as he was going from Bethelem to juda, he was devoured in the wai with a grievous Lion. Here might something also be spoken of the great folly and disobedience that was in Achab, and how obstinately he did refuse to hear the true Prophets of God, 
●i. ●c. xvi●  Doing evil in the sight of God, more than all they which were before him kings over Israel. For he thought it but a small thing too walk in the sins of jeroboam, so that he did more to provoke God unto wrath, than all the kings that before him were in Israel. We have also a notable example of the Prophet jonas, 
jonas. iii  who being called of God to go unto Ninive to preach his word, and also to tell them in what short time their city, if they did not repent themselves, should be destroyed, yet jonas, not having the heart of Moses, did flee from the voice and face of God, preparing himself to go another way: but god preventing him in his journey, so ordained, that when jonas was upon the Sea, there arose such a wonderful tempest, that all that were in the ship, thought that God had forsaken them. And until the Prophet jonas by the mariners was cast into the sea the tempest seized not: and assoon as they had thrown jonas into the see, the weather was fair and calm.  
Anotable example, worthy of all christian men to be noted, for that it teacheth us that god doth not suffer any one spark of disobedience in man to scape unponyshedde, although the offence to some man may seem but small, yea even in those which god tenderly loveth as he did this good Prophet jonas. Now as we have heard, by divers examples of scripture what disobedient people were among the peculiar people of god: So it is to be asked whether the like example have been in practise among us of this realm or no? or whether in these our days there hath been among us, such or rather the same manner of proud and dysobedyente people, which as before you have hard, was among the peculiar people of God▪ did not our late pretenced bishops, as Lucifer before had done, presume to sit in Gods seat, 
apoca. x●ii.  proudly speaking against god, blaspheming his holy name, despising his tabernacle, and holy saints that dwell in heaven, teaching in the Church of God the wicked doctrine of Satan, and as the Prophet saith, 
Daniel. xi.  seaced not to unhallow the sainctuary of truth, to put down the daily offering, and to set up the abominable desolation, which was the seasinge of the veneration of the body and blood of Christ in the blessed Sacrament of the altar, & the taking away our holy fastings, holy feasts, and holy praying too saints. 
jere. xxiii.  Thus these dysceytefull Prophets, as sayeth our Lord, made speedy haste, but I appointed them not, they Ran a great pace, but I sent them not: they preached fast, 
jere. xxii,  but not out of my spirit: therefore with false title and corrupt entention they have entered, whose reward and judgement shallbe everlasting fire. Otherwise, also, have we not had among us such other like temporal Lucifers, as cold not be contented and pleased with such estate and honour as their dread sovereign had called them unto, but rather desired, as Lucifer did, in their hearts to aspire to the Imperial state of this Realm? Again have we had no Caimes trow you that hath not let to seek the blood of just Able, his brother? May it not be asked, how many just Ables in our days have suffered, for the unity of Christ's Catholic Church in this Realm, the cruel death of martyrdom? I mean not here of those late Heretics that lately have been justly burned for their heresies, as Hoper, Rogers, Ridlei, Latimer, & Crammer, & such like: but I mean of those which have suffered for the unity of the catholic church of Christ, as did that holy father Doctor fisher sometime Bishop of Rochester, and Sir Thomas More sometime Chancellor of this realm, Doctor Powel, Fetherstone, Reinoldes, Rochester, Newdigat, with many other notable learned men after them. How many Loathes wives have we had in this Realm, that have not only turned their hearts from the rules of obedience, 
Gene. nineteen  but also have turned their hearts from the sincere faith of the universal & catholic church of christ, & from the true understanding of his word.  
Have we not also had among us, Chore, Dathan and Abyram, which dysobedyentlye have gathered themselves together against Moses and Aron, taking upon them, to bring in to the church of God a new devised serving of god, newly invented of themselves, instructing the multitude to despise and forsake their true Moses and Aron, and to follow them as sent of God to teach? O unhappy and Cursed disciples of Antychrist how have you bewitched the people of this worthy realm that many of us (to conform their heresies) had rather at this day burn and die with the devil, then to rise with Moses and live with Christ. 
〈◊〉  Hear some will ask what is meaned by our forsaking Moses, 
●unswer●  I answer, that our forsaking of Moses, was when we (by the false persuasion of Chore, Dathan, and Abiram, disobediently fell from our mother stay & counsellor of our faith the Church of Rome, & so were divided from the flock & unity of the catholic church of god, & our forsaking or putting Aaron to silence was when our faithful and obedient bishops were persecuted and imprisoned for the Catholic faith, as was the good Bishop Athanasius among the Arriens, which was of them most persecuted for his constant faith, if we therefore will mark what enormities followed after our forsaking the apostolic church of Rome, we shall find so many in number of them as before hath not been seen, and namely among those of the clergy. For did not our new holy Bishops marry horishe wives, I had almost said other men's wives, did they not besides turn godly fastings to riotous feastings: & devout prayer to lewd prattling, calling chaste men Sodomites, & turned obedience to unlawful liberty, and then unlawful liberty brought forth Rebellion, even in the beginning of all evil: 
Edward the vi  In the time of king Henry of famous memory. Also in the time of king Edward the sixth, what disobedience of laws: what rebellion, what Sedition was in this Realm, we all do know. And it followed, that when god had taken from us the worthy young king, 
Rebellion against the queen.  did not unlawful liberty disobedyently devise, work, and go about most traitorously, to destroy & take away the right tit●●l and interest which our virtuous Queen Mary, most justly had to the princely kingdom of this her realm, but God who hateth the proud & presumteous, miraculously gave them in to the hands of her highness, and her grace for that victory had, praised God and said with david: our Lord is my helper and his mighty arm hath exalted me. 
Psa. x●vii.  Then immediately afterward her highness as the humble handemaiden of God, sowght for Moses the chief servant of the servants of God in earth, & delivered Aron forth of prison, And also opened the mouths of him and them which before were closed together by sharp & bloody laws, straightly commanding them, to open and declare unto her people, the treachery, craft, and falsehood of those deceitful preachers, which had seduced and led her people from faith to infidelity, from virtue to vice, and from a godly unity to seditious rebellion. 
Another Rebellion  But when the impatient children of disobedience, heard that their baneketing tables, with their new invented religion and strange serving of god, should vanish & fall down, they could no longer tarry, but as the fire breaketh forth of the furnes, semblably blustering & fretting, proudly came with banners displayed against the lords anointed their dread sufferayne lady, who before they had seen and known to be brought to this princely Kingdom even by great miracle & high providence of god only, and not by dent of sword, and only by godly wisdom, & not by worldly policy had the victory of her enemies, which had been to them a sufficient example. As long therefore as we were within the goodly fold of obedience, to our mother the catholic church, we like obedient subjects, quietly obeyed the laws and ordinances of our princes. Thus as you have heard as well by divers examples of holy Scriptures, as in this our present time, how god leaveth not unpunished any one which to his will and commandment is not obedient, & also as ye have heard of the fall of them, so must we understand of our fall from the unity of Christ'S church. It is necessary therefore sum thing to speak of the holy fathers, which walked in a most perfect order of obedience, as first in the time of the law of nature we do read that Abraham among the hebrews for his great virtue was reverenced, obeyed & had in great honour: and Abraham also, having then no prescribed law, honoured Me●chisedecke not that he was so commanded of god, But that nature led by grace stirred and provoked him to honour the said Melchesedech, 
Gene. xiiii  whom God had called to high actoritie, and Abram also of his own free will did give unto Melchesedech, the servant of god, the tenth part of that spoil why the he had gotten in his victory against the kings. Which will was accounted to him a law, and wrought that work in him by grace. Abraham being yet free and not under the law, did show unto us a great example of our obedience, in observing of the law, which as then was neither manded nor yet written: but only by gods singular grace inspired in the heart of man. Then it followed that when the time was come that the holy 
Exod. xi●i, xiiii.  Prophet Moses was commanded by god to bryngforth of the land of Egypt his peculiar people, and after the law was given, he led and governed them: and also after the law received they were governed, without a king, until the time of Samuel the Prophet, In whose time the people being desirous to be like unto the gentiles, called unto Samuel and said: let us have a king that he may go before us to battle. Samuel this hearing them went to our LORD and said: 
i. S●. viii.  Lord thy people crieth upon me too have a king, and God said to Samuel hear the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they which are desirous to have a king, have not cast thee away, but me, that I should not reign over them, but this thou shalt say unto them, that they, there wives, sons and daughters, manservants and women servants, ox, ass, and all other their goods and cattles shall be at their kings will and commandment.  
And Samuel did speak unto the people as GOD had commanded him, 
1. Samuel ix.  and chose them a king out of the house of Cis, whose name was Saul And Samuel before the whole multitude, called him the Lords anointed, because he was made holy unto the Lord. Here is to be noted, gentle reader, the great love and kindness that God had to his people to keep them in awe and fear, and how mercifully he did show unto them by the mouth of his Prophet If necessity required to serve for a common wealth their king according to god his appointment by his Scriptures whom he had ordained to be their head and governor. For as every one body hath one head which by wit and reason governeth the hole parts of the same body: so GOD gave unto his people being but one whole body a head to rule and govern them as one body, and that they as particular parts of one body and members to one head should be governed by that head, in case like: So god gave them a king to be their head to reign over them, and that they as obedient subjects should truly serve & obey him: For it is written: 
●ro. viii,  through me kings do reign, through me counsellors make just laws, and through me princes bear rule, and judges of the earth execute judgement.  
Who therefore that will call to mind the noble histories of princes, and also have in memory the famous time of their regiment, and the prosperous estate of the weal public, it is necessary for him first to behold the order that god almighty hath put generally in all his creatures, and most chiefly to the estate of mankind, for whose use, all other creatures, as I have said, were ordained of god. And like as in the inferior creatures, there are divers properties of natures, whereby one excelleth another, ●o in man like wise appeareth that God giveth not unto every one like gifts of grace of nature: but to some more to some les, as it liketh his high divine majesty. It is therefore of a congruence, & according unto reason, the like as one excel●et hanother, so should the estate of the person be avasiced in degree, or place to the advancement or excellency of the common weal. For like as the angels be highest exalted in glory, & as in this world they which excel or surmount in virtue & vuderstanding are called to high honour, by god's providence: so god hath appointed here, kings and magistrates, unto whom he hath given authority to rule & govern the weal public, for asmuch as the said persons excelling in knowledge whereby other be governed: be ministers for the only profit & commodity of them which have not like authority ought to be set in a more high place than the residue where they may see & also be seen, that by the beams of their excellentwit & virtue showed through the glass of authority other the inferiors may be directed to the way of all virtue & obedience among which inferiors also behoveth for to be a disposition & order of reverence & specially to kings whereof precedeth the dew obedience among subjects For this, where all things be comen, 
Hebru. xxi  there lacketh good order, & where order lacketh, there is neither reverence nor yet dew or humble obedience, & where is no true obedience there all things is odious, & uncomely, so the in every thing an order is to be observed and had: for without de we order may nothing be stable or long permanent. And also it may not be called a due order oulesse it contain in his degrees high & also base according unto the merit or estimation of the things that is ordered. For as good order is the sceptre of every ●yngdom, so is the obedience of subjects' the assured seat orplace of prices. What shall I nedehere ●o recite for example the noble histo ●ies of the pagant prices whose subjects as we may read were ●o obedient that what soenuer laws 
Augustus' vespacianus Antony ●●●rcus Alexander.  ●roclamaciōs or other ordinances by them set forth ordained or ●euised were of them most obediently observed and kept, and not only for fear & rigour of the ●awe then, but also and moste singlary of love, and for those vettues which they did perceive & know to be in their kings and magistrates. And in case this obedience among the pagant people, came of love and for virtue sake only, and not by the rygore of the law, what just cause have we then now in England to be more true obedient subjects unto our most virtuous king & Queen, whose virtues at not hid, but do shine as a light and example to all the world & whose love towards us their subjects is such, that it is heaviness to either of them, to hear that the least of us should perish.  
It is therefore necessary if we willbe called Christians, the than we be not worsser than the he them or pagantes, whom nature moved to be obedient: & otherwise we Christians are of god commanded, and by nature moved also, to obey our king & magistrates. For he most jentelye sayeth unto us: if ye love me do all that I command you. This love and obedience that god here commandeth us to have, hath been of us neglected by the false enticements of the late Eristical libertines. 
Ephe. v.  Saint Paul therefore warneth us of them, saying: let no man deceive you with vain words, for the indignation of god cometh upon all disobedient children. For like as the wolf sucketh the blood of lambs, so likewise disobedience devoureth the state of every common weal. Let every subject therefore according to the mind of Saint Paul, submit himself unto the authority of the higher powers, for there is no power but of god only. Who so ever therefore resisteth the power he resisteth the ordinance of god and he that resisteth the ordinance of god, striveth against god, and saint Peter also doth say submit 
1. Peter▪ two.  yourselves unto the King as unto your chief governor, and also unto them that are sent of him for the punishment of evil doers, for so is the will of God. as we have example of king David who being perfecuted of king Saul never resisted neither used any force or violence against him, 
je. xxxiii.  but was to him obedient as to his liege lord and king, and therefore our Lord sayeth by the mouth of his holy prophet, I will bring forth unto David, my servant, the branch of righteousness. Let us therefore, good contreman, follow the examples of David, Abraham and job, with other the obedient servants of God, as here of late we have followed the evil examples of the children of disobedience to the great displeasure of almighty god, and despised all things that were good, although we have many special graces by the receiving of the Sacraments of the Church: yet there hath been among us that hath rejected the wholesome and comfortable Sacrament of confession, not considering the benefits that we receive by it which God had ordained in his church, assuring us thereby, to receive the forgiveness of sins. For christ our saviour speaking unto his ministers of his Church, 
Math. xvi  saith in this wise: whose sins ye remit shall be remitted: And whose sins ye retain shall be retained. 
Mat, xvi.  And therefore the psalmist sweetly singeth. 
john. two.   
O Lord I have received thy mercy in the midst of thy Church, 
Psa, xiviii  here some objection of our Swinglians will say unto me that then GOD cannot forgive sin but with the consent and authority of his Church. To that I may answer, that GOD can of his absolute authority, but he hath ordained this Sacrament to be applied to man that he might be ordered at the ministers hand by god's word, and receive wholesome counsel: for God could have instructed Paul going to Damascus and not to have sent him to holy Ananias, but GOD would not do so, 
Acts. ix.  but sent him to Ananyas, not for any variableness that was in GOD, but that god would that Paul whom he then had called to be a minister of his Church should there be known, that GOD had left power and authority in his Church, and that the holy ghost should be given to all people by laying on of hands by the holy fathers and ministers of Christ's Church, for as CHRIST had made this promise to his Church before he called Paul, so he performing the same promise before made unto his church, saint Paul to Ananias, at whose hands he received baptism and the holighost: and by the same promise and authority do we receive in the church of god, at the hands of his ministers, the forgiveness of our sins. 
john. two.   
And saint Paul also speaking to the holy fathers at Ephesus, 
Acts ii  said unto them, take heed unto yourselves, and to all the stock, among whom the holy ghost hath made you over seers, to rule the church & flock of god, the which he hath purchased with his blood. Mark here, good countrymen, how earnestly saint Paul speaketh of the authority of the church, calling them overseers and rulers of the company and faithful, which christ hath purchased with his blood: & furthermore, I am sure saith saint Paul, of this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock, and also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw disciples after them. Have not good contremen the like Wolves entered among us in this realm? Grafting in the vineyard of our lord, thorns and brambles, & also drawing Christ's members from the true obedience and discipline of their mother the catholic church As of late many hath risen among us in this realm, and especially that presumptuous he retike john Bale, 
Bale.  who hath taken no finale travaïle to hinder through his abominable heresies, the glory of Christ's gospel. As it doth appear by divers and sundry books by him made, and specially in his book entitled the vocation of john Ball to the bishopric of Ossery where he not a little triumpheth of his dangerous travails which he had in the same, not shaming to compare himself with holy saint Paul in troubles, in labours, in peril of ship wrack, in peril of the sea, in peril of false brethren, in peril of pirates, robbers and murderers. Thus whilst he is comparing himself with the holy Apostle like a mad harehead beginneth to say why should I shrink or be ashamed to boast as the Apostle hath? who as it appeareth in the second to the Corinthians (saith he) did boast of his labours perils and troubles in the gospel. And the like labour and perils had I in my journey with no less trouble than he had from jerusalem to Rome, saving that sayeth he we lost not our ship, and in the vii leaf and on the left side he sayeth, I wryhte not this for that I would receive praise thereof, But that I have done it also to declare my most earnest rejoice in the same god, which by grace hath called me, by persecution hath tried me, and of favour hath most wonderfully delivered me. Here Friar Bale beginneth craftily to persuade with the poor Christians that GOD hath delivered him from peril of death by miracle as though he were called of god in these days to set up a light in his church: but as that notable here tike terinthus did labour to put out of the Church of God the true light of the gospel in the time of the holy apostle Saint john so doth that shameless freer labour and travail all that he may, like a false disciple, to put forth himself & to tread down in these our days the true light of the gospel wherefore freer Bale where you say that god wonderfully hath delivered you we Christians would that you did understand that we take your deliverance from perils of your enemies to be like as the common barratours do stand by the high way side to take and rob the true man of his goods and after doth flee from town to town to save themselves. So do we well understand you to be a notable heretic a postata and runagate whereby you are compelled of necessity to run with the thief or murderer from City to City and from country to country for the assurance of your life, but ondoutedly If you had been as you say a true disciple of Christ and as fellow like with Saint Paul as you write yourself to be, when you by chance of wether were driven into Dover road would like as Paul did at Philippus have set your foot on land & preached Christ 
Acts xvi  but contrary wise as you have written in the xl. leaf of your book and on the left side you were more desirous to set your hand to a bill of thirty pounds more than you were able to pay to that end you might be set on land in flanders, for that ye might ●aue speedy travail to the rest of your viperous brethren in Germany, whereas ye say you were received with as much rejoice of your myraculus deliverance (as you term 
I●. xxviii  it) as was saint Paul at Apiphorum of the catholic and christian brethren, thus this mad frantic friar Bale in the midst of his proud bostinges, & praising himself, doth say. If Helias, that weather driven runagate remain now in a foreign land, I pray thee gentle reader mark here, how he hitteth here the nail on the head, & of a false lying friar is become in this one point a true tale teller, naming himself▪ Helias, with this addistion, that weather driven runagates, so hath he brought himself from the fellowship of saint Paul to be as he is, a runagate, and fellow with the unplacable enemies of Christ's Church, and companion with Cerinthus the enemy of truth. And in the conclusion of his Book the. xliiii. leaf and on the left side also, he hath divers comparysones, between the prophets, apostles, and the Church of England, and these are his words. What shall I say more? john Baptist is now derided in the prison, and jesus the son of God is grenned at upon the cross, but contrary wise in England, master Bale, john baptist is now delivered forth of prison. And jeiesus the son of god is truly worshipped upon the cross, and moreover he sayeth: Paul in Athens is hissed at, the poor apostles are slily laughed to scorn But now in England praised be our lord jesus Christ, Paul is truly preached, & the Apostles receive their dew honour, and last of all he saith, john the son of zebedee is sent into Pathinos, whiles Cerinthus, Menander, and Hebion play the heretics at home. But otherwise I say, john zebed is now received forth of Pathinos in to England, and Cerinthus, Menander and Hebyon, who triumphed in England while john was in Pathinos, are now fled in to Germany to play the prophets of heretics there. The rest of Bales trachery I will omit at this time & return to my matter. Saint john speaking of the notable heretic Cerinthus doth say to his disciples, beware that you bath not your selves in baths, wherein Cerinthus the enemy of truth hath washed himself, lest by them you be infected with his untruth, it is good for us therefore (good cuntrymen) that we whom god now hath called from the baths of Cerinthus, do run with all our mind, and with all our heart, in to the lap of our mother the catholic church, who with her sweet baths will wash & cleanse us from all these wicked errors which we have learned of this wicked church of Satan, and then shall we receive such heavenly moisture as shall bring forth in us unmovable obedience, saint Paul sayeth, unhappy is that ground and nearest to the curse of God, which when it receiveth heavenly moistures, doth bring forth none other thing but thorns and weeds: therefore to avoid this great threatening of Saint Paul, let us that now are called by gods divine grace, learn of Christ to be obedient, who suffered for us, leving us an example that we should follow his steps, in whom was no sin, he was obedient to joseph his supposed father, and to Marry his natural mother, he also who was king of all, obediently paid tribute to Cesar for him & Peter. Also this most absolute or ground of all virtues, gave unto us one notable example of obedience, at the time of his passion, what time he suffered the jews to beat, and scourge him, and specially when he was brought before the wicked judge Pilate, 
john ix  who said unto him: knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee: and have power also to lose thee? Christ our saviour meekly answered and said: thou couldst not have power at all against me except it were given the from above. Therefore S. Paul doth say, there is no power but of god the people that be are ordained of god, & who that is of god will obey the power and ordinauncis of god, as christ here for our example was obedient unto pilate, whose power was of god, and yet he was a wicked judge much more we christians having this example of our saviour christ ought of our bound duties to be obedient to our most virtuous King, Queen, and magistrates, even as Saint Paul sayeth for conscience sake and also for Christ's sake, 
Ephe. vi.  who for us became like unto men and was found in his apparel as a man he hobbled himself and became 
Philip. two.  obedient unto the death, even the death of the cross, Let us therefore good contremen following the example of christ put from us our wilful disobedience wherein we have obstenatly continued along time, by the persuasion of a rabble of pernicious heretics, & hear what Saint Paul sayeth. 
i. timo. iiii,  In the latter days some shall go from the true faith of Christ's church 
two. timo, iii  and shall give heed to the spirit of error, and to the teaching of the devil & his apostles, & in another place he saith also, that before the coming of Antichrist 
two. The. two.  there shallbe a notable dissension, and departing from the faith of the catholic church, through disobedience, and is it nor even so now with us: what a notable dissension, hath been in this Church of England, what departing from the true faith of the known church of God, what sects, what diversity of opinions is yet among us? For that we will not hear the voice of god, nor our mother the catholic church, but still will run after devilish Prophets of that cursed or malingnaunt church of Satan, who did pretend as it did apere unto the simple and unlearned, aspecial favour unto god's word, colouring and painting their heresies, with the sweet sentenses of the Scripture perversely understanded leading us thereby to everlasting damnation. 
jere. v,  Let us therefore pray with the Prophet, and say: Lord turn thou us to thee, and then shall we be turned. And undoughteles shallbe opened unto us, the abomination of their false and cursed preachings who did repute themselves to be the church catholic condemning all other good & virtuous men, that were of the universal and known church of god, not to be of the church of god, as did the Novations in Rome, the arriens in Grece, & the donatists in Africa. And now in our time the Luterians and Swynglians in England: 
The fa●le of the Heretics.  Further more if there were no Scriptuures, as there are plenty, to persuade us that these our Luterians and Swinglians, were not the true disciples and followers of Christ, yet the myraculus destruction and fall of them, were a sufficient proof unto us, that they were not of god: but the only disciples of Satan. For in what estimation were they in this realm? How were they exalted and had in honour? have not their doctrine been received and followed? I need not much to speak thereof, for it is not unknown to us. What state they were in among us, and how malyciouslye they brought to pass, that the holy sacred temple, & house of prayer (wherein god was of his faithful people) honoured and served, was so by them defaced and disguised, that of that sacred temple, they made a Speluncke or den of Heretics. Also if we would not the inconstancy that was in them, & the variety of order that was in their religion, it were a notable testimony also that they were not of god. To speak much of the end of them I will not, but only of that execrable man Cranmer, which when he understood that he should die, humbled himself to the Catholic church, and showed himself to be repentant, and sorry for his seditious and evil doctrine, which he before had taught & set forth in this church of England. But what manner of repentance it was that he then had and how he humbled himself you shall here. 
two. reg. xxi.  In the iii of the Kings we read that Achab when he heard the thonderinge threatenings of god for his idolatry, for a time repent and humbled himself, and it continued not long: but that he did fall to his old accustomed idolatry again, likewise Cranmer as I have said repented, & humbled himself to the Catholic church, & shortly after with Achab, 
joh. xvii  returned to his shameful heresies. Again judas also repent that he had betrayed his master Christ, but the fruits of repentance followed not in him, and therefore Christ speaking of him saith: father all those which thou hast given me have I kept and none of them is lost but the one child of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled, Cranmer likewise repented his heresies, not simply and unfeignedly, but craftily & subtly under the cloak of hypocrisy having a certain trust thereby to avoid present death then at hand wherefore good contremen as this wretched man have chosen part with judas and Achab, so doth his evil and miserable end declare him to be a detestable heretic and a disobedient member of Satan, and forasmuch also as we by him have been seduced and led into divers and sundry errors, so is it most necessary that we like obedient subjects and faithful Christians do abhor and detest his h●nouse and unsavoury doctrine, remembering always that as by the disobedience of the first man Adam we were made the children of wrath, so by the obedience of the second Adam which is christ we are reconciled and made the children of God, than