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 .xiii. obiection.

In y^e xv. of thactes in y^e questiō had about the legals Iames had y^e chefe preeminēce for the coūcel was cōcluded by hī. &c.

The aunswere.

S. Peter made S. Iames Bushop of Ierusalē,* 1.1 as Ana∣cletus Peters disciple & succes∣sour saith:* 1.2 & after him Chriso∣stome cōfirmeth y^e same, with these wordes, Peter y^e Master of y^e whole world made Saint Iames Bushope of Ierusalē. Do ye thinke then, that Saint Iames would take vpō him to be aboue his head? but now I pray you iustlye pouder & wey

the place Actes the .xv. and ye shal fynde that both Peter did first as head say his mind (yea though it were in. S. Iames see) and also that which Peter then said toke place shortly af∣ter & yet doth, S. Iames euen then confirminge Peters say∣inge with the prophetes testi∣mony. What maketh it then a∣gainst Peters authoritie that S. Iames approuing all that Peter had spoken added som∣thīg to Peters wordes? which addicion yet shortly after was quite taken awaye and neuer since obserued, that is to saye, to abstene from bloud. &c. yea & may not y^e chiefe of a councel first geue his sētence (as Peter did here) & yet after him an infe¦rior may say something more,

whyche shalbe thought to the whole coūsel better for y^e time? doeth this any thing againste thautoritie of the chiefest? Pe∣ters iudgemēt was y^t the hea∣then people should be quite de∣liuered frō al the Iewishe bur¦dens: & so shortlye after it was fullye concluded (though for a shorte time S. Iames counsel was taken) as appeareth by y^t Paule then sone afterwrote to the Corinthians:* 1.3 bye al that cō¦meth into y^e shambles, eate all thinges.* 1.4 &c. & to Tite, all mea∣tes be cleane vnto the pure, & to the Romās,* 1.5 no meate is to be coūted cōmen or vncleane, ye whyche eate not, misiudge not them that eate. Againe, to the Collosians let no mā iudge you in receiuīg your meate.* 1.6 &c

Wherby wel appereth that S. Peters sentēce was chiefe, as spokē by the chiefe. But herin yet more to speake, note wel, y^t Peter ofte amonges thap∣postels vsed suche modestye & humilitie (and in so doinge did folow Christes cōmaūdemēt, which bad y^e higher they were the lower & more humble they ought to be) y^t he dyd not euer put his high authoritye in ex∣ecutiō:* 1.7 but as S. Ciprian saith y^t Peter whome Christe made head of al, and vpon whom he builded his church whē Paule dyd contende with him aboute circumcision, dyd not reuenge or boste him selfe that he was the Prince or chief of al (as he iustly might haue said) but stil he humbled him selfe. But god

forbid y^t we should ascribe this his hūble & gentil submittinge to the derogation of his highe power & authoritie: but thinke y^t euer whē Christes glorye or the profit of y^e flocke required it, then he vsed his ful and high authoritye, as appereth in the punishīg of Anany & Saphire Simon Magus. &c. And yet furthermore, in the primatiue churche it was rather time (as is in the .viii. responsion) to cal people in to Christes flocke, then to set euerye man in his owne place, or to talke then of rules and orders or of Peters authority: that was to be done afterwarde, the people beinge first instructed in y^e faith. Thē was rather y^e time to seke for ge¦thering, thē for gouernīg. And

if we loke well, we shall fynde not onlye in the ghospel before Christes ascēsion, but also af∣terwarde in thactes, that Pe∣ter behaued him selfe as head and Prince, euer when time re¦quired and occasion serued. He spake for al, he answred for al, he for al said to Christ beholde we haue forsaken al and folo∣wed thee,* 1.8 what rewarde ther∣fore shall we haue? againe he sayde to Christe speakest thou this parable to vs,* 1.9 or vnto all? & when Christe asked whether they woulde goe awaye also from him,* 1.10 Peter alone made answere, saying to whom shall we goe? thou hast the wordes of lyfe. None dyd thus but he, and that bycause he was heade.

Howbe it as yet whiles Christ was present with them in his naturall shape (for in y^e forme of breade he is euer stil presēt) it was not meete that his vi∣care should greatlye medle.

But after thascension Peter firste stode vppe as heade and made the sermon at the cho∣synge of Mathias,* 1.11 and sayde oportet we must chose one. &c. And after when they had re∣ceyued tholy ghoste and were illuded of the people,* 1.12 he alone spake and preached conuer∣tinge them to the faythe .3000. people at once. Also when he & Iohn came into the temple at y^• .ix. houre of prayer,* 1.13 he alone sayde to the lame creple that whych I haue I geue the, in the name of Iesus arise. &c.

The lame mā asked almes of both, and Peter bade loke vp∣on both, but he sayd not in the name of bothe, we haue ney∣ther golde nor siluer, y^t whiche we haue we geue thee. &c. But as head he in y^e singuler num∣ber as hauinge a singuler au∣thority said (yea though Iohn one of the chiefe of the appo∣stels were present) I haue ney¦ther golde nor siluer, y^t whiche I haue I geue thee. &c. And this declareth him to be head. Likewise he alone for all as head,* 1.14 made the oration to pa∣cifie the people, and he alone as prince did strike Ananye and Saphire.* 1.15 Whiche of all the apostels in the presence of Peter did anye thynge that se∣med to be of authoritye aboue

other? but onely he euer in the presence of all (as ye heare) v∣sed authoritie aboue al.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In episto. ad episco. per Itaiian.
• * 1.2

  ho. 87. in io••
• * 1.3

  1. cor. 10.
• * 1.4

  Tit. 1.
• * 1.5

  Rom. 14.
• * 1.6

  collo. 2.
• * 1.7

  Ciprian ad ••uintinum.
• * 1.8

  Math. 19.
• * 1.9

  Lu. 2.
• * 1.10

  Ioa. 6.
• * 1.11

  Act. 1.
• * 1.12

  Act. 2.
• * 1.13

  Act. 3.
• * 1.14

  Act. 4.
• * 1.15

  Act. 5.