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 .xxii. obiection.

When the disciples conten∣ded to gether aboute superio∣ritye,* 1.1 Christe sayde, amonges the heathen their kinges haue rule ouer them.* 1.2 &c. but amon∣ges you he that wil be gretest must be as seruaunte.* 1.3

¶The answere.

By Christes wordes it plaine¦lye appeareth that he would haue superioritye amonge his Disciples, but yet it shoulde be with all humilitye and godly∣nes, and that the superioritye or primacie should be without all ambicion or vaine glorye. Christ said not here, their shal∣be amōg you none greter then

other: he saide not, amonge my Disciples whyche professe me, there shal be no ruler no Kinge or Prince. &c. but he plainlye describeth what maner of men they should be whych amonge christen people ought to beare rule office and authoritie whe∣ther thoffice and burden be ec∣clesiasticall or polytical: they ought to rule to y^e profite and commoditye of their subiectes & not to their own luchre pōpe or vain glorye. For this to rule is counted mere tirānye which heathē Princes oft vse. Amōg christen men it ought to be on∣lye to gods glorye & honor, re∣membring S. Ambrose,* 1.4 saing to the Emperour Theodosius whiche was that his subiectes were ioined vnto him not only

by kind and nature, but also by the commen seruice of one god which is Master & lorde ouer al, both ouer y^e Prince and his subiectes. And here note that christ in y^e former wordes, saīg amōg y^e heathēs their Kinges haue power. &c. but it shal not be so amōg you &c. speaketh to al h{is} flocke as wel to y^e laity as to y^e clergie, y^t is to saye, to all y^t be subiectes & members of his y^t none of them should rule, be he Prince or other, after y^e ma¦ner of the heathē, which (saith Origē there vpō) only to their owne cōmodity & vaūtage yea and y^t violētly ofte w^t spoylīg & killīg not knowīg god,* 1.5 do exer¦cise great tirāny ouer their sub¦iectes. But thus it shall not be (saithe Christe) amonge you, nor anye that professe my

name, whiche know that there is one god aboue, Lorde ouer king and subiect here in earth, and y^e both Maister & seruaūt must geue a count as seruaun¦tes together vnto y^t one lorde and god. Ye therefore when you rule se it be with all humi∣litye euer loking to their com∣moditie ouer whom ye do rule: to the honour & glorye of god, & not to your owne pompe or vaineglorye, to youre owne pride or couetousnes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  math. 20.
• * 1.2

  Mar. 10.
• * 1.3

  Lu. 22.
• * 1.4

  Li. 9. trip. ca 30.
• * 1.5

  Christ{us} non prohibuit principatum simpliciter sed tiranni cum ac vio∣lentum.