But you say, that in matters of faith and necessarie to saluation it holdeth, which things you oppose after, and set against matters of ceremonies, orders, discipline, & gouernment,(*) 1.1 as thoughe matters of discipline and kinde of gouernment were not matters necessarie to saluation, and of faith.(a) 1.2 The case which you put, whither the Bishop of Rome be head of the Church, is a mat∣ter that concerneth the gouernment, and the kinde of gouernment of the Churche, and the same is a matter that toucheth faith, and that standeth vpon our saluation. Excommunication, and other censures of the Church, which are forerunners vnto excommunication, are matters of discipline, and the same are also of faith, and of saluation. The sacramentes of the Lordes Supper, and of baptisme are ceremonies, and are matters of faith, and necessarie to saluation. And therefore you which distinguishe betwene these, and say, that the former, that is matters of faith and necessary to saluation may not be tolerated in the Churche, vnlesse they be expressely contained in the worde of God or manifestly gathered: But that this later which are, ceremonies, order, discipline, gouern∣ment in the Churche, may not be receyued against the worde of God, and consequently receyued if there be no worde against thē, although there be none for them: you I say distinguishing or deuiding after this sorte, doe proue your selfe to be as euill a deuider, as you shewed your selfe before an ex∣pounder, for this is to breake in pieces, and not to deuide.
That matters of ceremonies, discipline, and kinde of gouernment be matters necessarie vnto saluation is a doctrine strange, and vnheard of to me, wherof I will by and by speake more at large, after I haue in a word or two answered your obiections of the Byshop of Rome, and of the sacraments of Baptisme, and the Lordes Supper: for you saye, The case which I put whither the Bishop of Rome be head of the Church, is a matter that concerneth the gouernment, and the kinde of gouernment of the Churche, and the same is a matter that toucheth faith, and that standeth vpon saluation. Wherevpon bylike you woulde conclude, that mat∣ters of gouernment, and kinde of gouernment, are matters necessarie to saluation. Surely I put no such case: but I put such an example, to proue that we maye reason ab authoritate scripturae negatiuè, for this is a good argument, we finde it not in Scripture that the Bishop of Rome ought to be the head of the Churche: Ergo, it is not necessarie to sal∣uation to beléeue, that the Bishop of Rome is the head of the Church: the which thing notwithstanding the Papistes doe affirme: for they say thus, Subesse Romano pontifici omni animae est de necessitate salutis: to be subiecte to the Byshop of Rome is of necessitie of saluation to all men. Now sir, my reason is framed thus against them, whatsoeuer is necessarie to saluation is contained in the Scriptures, but that she Pope shoulde be the head of the Churche, is not conteyned in the Scriptures: Therefore it is not ne∣cessarie to saluation. But you reason cleane contrarie, for you conclude thus, whether the Pope be the head of the Churche is a matter of gouernment and of the kinde of gouernment, but the Papistes say (for that I take to be your meaning) that it is a matter necessary vnto saluation, that the Pope should be the head of the Church: Ergo matters of gouern∣ment and kinde of gouernment are necessarie vnto saluation. Thus you sée howe popishely, with a popishe reason you make a verie popishe conclusion. Certainely no gouern∣ment is to be brought into the Church that is directly against the word of God, as the Popes is, which doth not onely vsurpe the office and authoritie of kings and Princes, but of Christe also, and commaundeth things contrarie to faith, and to the manifest worde of God, wherefore his authoritie is wicked and damnable, but it doth not ther∣fore followe to make this a generall rule, that the gouernment of the Churche or kinde of gouernment is necessarie to saluation. Doe you not knowe of what force an argument is ex solis particularibus?