The B. of Sarisburie.
Wee Confounde not these Offices, M. Hardinge, as yee beste knowe: but ra∣ther teache eche man, carefully to attende his owne Office. You, and youre Fa∣thers haue brought Confusion of Offices into the Churche of God, in that yes haue made youre Pope Heire Apparente vnto the Empiere: and haue armed him with al manner Authoritie, Spiritual, and Temporal: and haue geeuen him the right of Bothe Swerdes.
For thus youre owne Pope Nicolas telleth you stoutely in his owne behalfe, Christus Petro,* 1.1 Aeternae vitae Clauigero, Terreni simul, & Coelestis Imperij iura cō∣misit: Christe hath committed vnto Peter, the Keiebearer of Euerlastinge Life, the right, as wel of the Earthely, as of the Heauenly Empiere. Thus by youre Doctrine, Prieste∣hoode, Kingdome, Popedome, Empiere, are al conueighed wholy into one mannes handes: and so, by youre handlinge, one man is Prieste, Kinge, Pope, and Emperoure, al at once. This perhaps vnto the wise, maie seeme to be somme Confusion of Offices.
Touchinge that ye write of the rasshe attempte of Kinge Ozias, yee seeme not to vnderstande, neither out woordes, nor your owne. For wee teache not Princes, to Offer vp Incense in Sacrifice,* 1.2 as Ozias did: or by intrusion to thruste them selues into Bishoppes roumes: or to Preache, or to Minister Sacramentes, or to Binde, or to Loose: But onely to discharge theire owne Offices, and to doo that dutie, that Dauid, Salomon, Ezechias, Iosias, and other Noble, and godly Kinges did, and euermore was lawful for the Prince to doo. As for Right of Place, and Voice in Councel, it perteineth no lesse to the Prince, then to the Pope: as hereaf∣ter it shal better appeare.
Yee saie, Christe shal alwaies assiste his Churche: and shal euermore prouide her of good Gouernours. Thus, be youre negligence, and carelesse slouthfulnesse neuer so greate, bee youre liues neuer so loose: bee you Doumbe Dogges, not hable to barke, bee you Lanternes without Light, bee you Salte without sauoure, yet yee euermore dreame sweetely of Christes Promise, and assure youre selues vndoub∣tedly of his assistance: Euen as he that sommetime saide, Pan curer oues, ouium{que} magistros. Woulde God youre Bishoppes woulde doo their dutie, and doo it faith∣fully: The worlde shoulde haue lesse cause to complaine. Notwithstandinge, Christe is euermore mindeful of his promise. For when he seeth his Churche de∣faced, and laide waste, he raiseth vp faitheful Magistrates, and godly Princes, not to doo the Priestes, or Bishoppes duties: but to force the Priestes, and Bishoppes, to doo theire duties.