be superiour, and chiefe ouer the whole Churche, wee leaue to speake: that so it is, thus wee proue:
Euery Parrishe hathe his seueral Vicare, or Personne: And euery Dioces his owne Bishop. Ergo, what
reason is it, there be not one Chiefe Gouernoure of the whole Christen people?
VVhen questions be moued in maters of Faithe, throughe diuersities of iudgementes the Churche
should be diuided, onlesse by Authoritie of One it were kepte in Vnitie.
They, that saie otherwise, take from Christe the Glorie of his prouidence, and the praise of his
greate loue towardes his Churche.
The Peace of the Churche is more conueniently procured by one, then by many.
It is moste meete, that the Churche Militante, touchinge Gouernment, resemble the Churche Trium∣phante.
But in the Triumphante Churche one is Gouernoure ouer the whole, that is God: Therfore in
the Churche Militant order requireth, that one beare rule ouer al accordinge to that the Holy Captaine
Iosue seemeth to speake, The Children of Iuda, and the Children of Israel shal aessemble togeather, and
they shal make to them selues one Head: Thereof our Lord saithe in S. Iohn, There shalbe One Folde, and
One Shephearde.
In deede Christe is Heade of his Body. Yet neede it is, for as mutche as Christe nowe dwelleth not
with vs in Visible Presence, his Churche haue one Man to doo his steede of outwarde rulinge in Earthe:
And therefore he saide vnto Peter, Feede my Flocke: Confirme they Brethren.
Thus wee see these Defenders Negatiue Doctrine, That no One Man maie haue the Superioritie
ouer the whole state of the Churche, disproued, as vtterly false.
To theire seconde reason, we graunt, Christe needed not any man to supplie his roome, that should
succede in his whole Substance. Neither is Man of Capacitie of sutche succession: neither hathe there
any sutche fonde saieinge ben vttered by the Diuines.
But bicause Christe sawe the knot of Vnitie should be moste surely kepte knit by Gouernmente of
one, he committed the regimēt of the whole Churche vnto One: whoes Visible Ministerie he might vse
in steede of him selfe.
To the thirde we saye, that Man is not onely hable to comprehende in his minde, and conceiue
the Vniuersal Churche, but also to put it in order, and to Gouerne it so far as is expedient.
Laste of al, who so euer wil not be fedde nor ruled by this one Shepheard, and breaketh out of this
one Folde, he is not of the Flocke of Christe, but of the Hearde of Antichriste.
Here, Gentle Reader, M. Hardinge hathe brought thée, not the Authoritie of
any one Catholique Doctour, or Learned Father, but onely a few colde Reasons of
his owne, with certaine Scriptures vnaduisedly alleged, and violently forced from
theire meaninge, as shal soone appeare.
His firste Reason concludeth very weakely: Euery parishe is gouerned by One
Vicare, or Personne: & euery Diocese is gouerned by One seueral Bishop: Ergo,
ther is One Vniuersal Gouernour ouer the whole Churche of Christe. Here is nei∣ther
order in Reason, nor sequele in nature. Therefore if any man woulde denie
the Argument, M. Hardinge were neuer hable to make it good. He might as wel,
and in as good order reason thus: Euery Kingdome, or Common Weale hathe
One Prince, or Magistrate to rule ouer it: Ergo, There is One Vniuersal Prince,
to rule ouer the whole worlde. Or thus, Euery Flocke of Shéepe bathe One Se∣ueral
Shephearde to ouersée them: Ergo, al the Flockes through the world are
ouerséene by One General Shephearde. Otherwise, M. Hardinge imagineth,
this fowle absurditie muste néedes folowe, that the parte is better Gouerned, then
the whole.
The other thrée Reasons, touchinge the Prouidence of God, the Debatinge of
questions in Faithe, and conseruinge of Peace, and Vnitie in the Churche, are an∣sweared
already in my Former Replie to M. Hardinge. In déede, I remember, to a∣uouche
al that M. Hardinge hathe here saide, one sometimes wel inclined to that
side, saide thus: Non videretur Dominus discretus fuisse (vt cum reuerentia eius loquar)
nisi Vnicum post se talem Vicarium reliquisset, qui haec omnia posset: Christe our Lorde