M. Hardinge.
You wil proue that Ecclesiastical causes perteine to a Kinges of fice, because he hath the charge of bothe tables. If you meane that a Kinge is bounde to kepe bothe tables of the lawe, so is also euery priuate man. And yet, as no priuate man is supreme heade of the Churche by kepinge them, so neither the Kinge is proued thereby the‡ 1.1 supreme heade. If you meane that the Kinge ought to see others to kepe bothe tables of the lawe: that maie he do, either in appointinge temporal paines for the trans∣gressours of them, or in executinge the saide paines vpon the transgressours. But as he cannot excom∣municate any man for not apperinge, when he is called, so can he not iudge al causes of the lawe. For if a man sinne onely in his harte, as for example, in murther, or aduoutrie: the Kinge cannot haue to do with him. And yet the true supreme heade of the Church shal haue to do with him. For that ma∣licious and sinful thought* 1.2 shal neuer be foregeuen, excepte the party come to be absolued of theire Successours, to whom Christe saide,* 1.3 whose sinnes ye forgeue▪ they are forgeuen: and whose sinnes ye re∣teine, they are reteined. To committe murder in harte, is a sinne, and it is reteined vntil it be forgeuen. ‡ 1.4 Neither can it be forgeuen. vntil he that is Iudge, by the keie of discretion, perceiue that it is to be forgeuen. VVhich he cannot know, vntil it be confessed with a contrite hart, by him who onely kno∣weth it, and is bounde to tel it, for absolutions sake. If then there be a iudge, who can see the lawe kepte in an higher pointe, and beyond the reache of the King, surely the King shal not be supreme head▪