The triall of the supremacy wherein is set fourth ye unitie of christes church milita[n]t geue[n] to S. Peter and his successoures by Christe and that there ought to be one head bishop in earth Christes vicar generall ouer all hys churche militant: wyth answeres to the blasphemous obiections made agaynste the same in the late miserable yeres now paste.

¶The .xi. probation.

Christ hath but one spowse (Vna est columba mea, vna est amica mea.) As it is in the cāti¦cles: his coote was withoute seame: it can not be cutte: his kingdome can not be deuided, for then it would sone come to dissolucion, which can not bee, seinge the gates of hel shal not preuayle agaynst it: There is but one shepeherd there is but one shepe••ote wherin the holy ghost set an ordre, which ordre the deuill shall neuer breake, though he shake at it neuer so sore. He went about to breake this ordre first euē in him selfe when he cou••ted to be equall w^t the highest, as it is in Esai. the .xiiii. And after whē he cau¦sed our firste parentes to diso∣bey goddes commaundement.

Yea, & euer since from time to time, this hathe euer bene hys chiefe endeuor. Thus he cau∣sed y^e Corinthiās ofte to striue againste this order, first, in the Sacramēt of baptim prefer∣rīg the baptim of one minister to an others (ego pauliego ap∣pollo. &c) then in the sacramēt of matrimony despisinge that bicause Pau••e had preferred virginitie therunto. After this in the Sacrament of y^• Alter vnreuerently receuinge it, and puttinge no diuersitie (saithe Paule) betwene the bodye of christ and other meate. More ouer where God appointed sū¦dry giftes to sūdry mē: to some more, to some lesse, y^• deuel is e∣uer redi to stirre & moue one to enuy, & an other to cōtemne: &

all to breake thorder set by the holy ghost. Yea & amonges all these breches of order, y^• deuil is ī none so busy as he is to per¦swade y^e people agaīst y^• vnitie of christes church, & against y^e head of his mistical body, sayīg y^e church is vnknowē, here one & there one, but none knoweth where, & al this is to breke the order bicause thei would be vn¦der no head, but al at lose liber¦ti so many heades so many wit¦tes euer sturrīg to diuersity in opiniōs, & mouīg thē to sediciō euer causing y^e prīces & magi∣strates to leaue to their parte. How be it al y^e deuels indeuor hereī is ī vaine. For christ pro∣missed (as ye haue herd) that y^e gates of hel should neuer pre∣uaile agaīst this: Peters shipe

neuer drowne, though some∣tim{is} it be sore tossed. Christ to Peter alone as to the heade shepeherd gaue charge ouer al his shepe, biddinge him alone fede & gouerne them: appoyn∣tīg him not ouer Rome alone (saith Chrisostome) but ouer the whole worlde (which pro∣fesse Christ) when at his assen∣scion, he goinge into the farre countrey (mencioned in y^e gos∣pel) gaue him that large com∣mission. So that who so euer obeieth not hereunto he is cut of and perteyneth no more to Christes churche then a roten bowe cut of the tree and cast a side parteyneth to the liuelye tree. And this both the Greke church and the Latine playn∣ly do teache. Clement, Anacle¦tus,

Ireneus, Tertulian, Ori¦gen, Cipriā, Basil, Ciril, Chri¦sostom, Athanasius, Ambrose, Hillari, and Austine, with all the rest euer since. Whom shall we beleue then herein? Al these with the consente of the who••e churche? or els shall we geue credit to Swinglius Ecolam podius, and Luther, whereof not one can agree with the o∣ther?

Notes

• cant. 6.
• Io••. 19.
• Luce. 11.
• Math. 16.
• Ioa. 10.
• 1. corin. 1.
• 1. corin. 7
• ••. corin. 11.
• Lu. 19.