Chap. 6. the. 13. Diuision.
And as safely may we by the warrant of Gods worde subscribe to allowe the dominion of the pope, vniuersally to reygne ouer the Church of God, as of an archebishop ouer a whole prouince, or a Lorde bishop ouer a Dioces, whych conteyneth many shires and parishes. For the dominion that they exercise, the Archebishop aboue them, and they aboue the rest of their brethren, is vnlaw∣full, and expresly forbydden by the worde of God.
In that you say, that you may as safely by the warrante of Gods worde sub∣scribe to allowe the dominion of the Pope vniuersally to reygne ouer the Church of God, as of an Archbishop ouer an whole Prouince. &c. You expresse but your heate, I suppose you thinke not so: can the Pope aswell gouerne the whole Churche, as the Archbishop one Prouince, and a Lord bishop one Dioces? Is one king aswell able to gouerne the whole worlde, as he may be to gouerne one kingdome? Or bicause you can rule one pa∣rishe well, can you therefore in lyke manner well gouerne twentie parishes? Surely an Archbishop may well gouerne one Prouince,* 1.1 but the Pope can neuer well gouerne the whole Churche. And yet an Archbishop hath not the charge of gouernment ouer the whole Prouince generally, but onely in cases exempted, and therfore may do it more easily.
He sayth therefore afterwarde that although one man be not able to be Bishop ouer all the Churche, yet he may be Bishop ouer a whole Dioces, or of a prouince. Nowe if I woulde saye the one is as impossible as the other, and for proofe thereof alleage that whiche the philosophers say, that as there are no degrees in that whych is infinite, so that of thinges whiche are infinite, one thyng can not be more infinite than another, so there are no degrees in impossibilitie, that of thyngs whych are impossible, one thyng should be more impossible than another. If I shoulde thus reason, I thynke I should put you to some payne. But I wyll not drawe the reader to suche thorny and subtyll questions, it is inough for vs that the one and the other be impossible, although one should be more impossible than the other. And that it is impossible for one man to be Bishop ouer a whole prouince, or ouer a whole Dioces, I leaue it to be considered of that whych is be∣fore sayde in the description of the offyce of a Byshop, pastor, or minister, where I speake of the necessitie of the residence of the Bishop in hys Churche.
In so saying I say but as other learned men haue sayd, and especially M. Caluine, in the place afterwarde alleaged in my answere: and as the practise of the Churche hath béene in the best state, and vnder the best Bishops, as it may appeare by that which hath béene hitherto spoken. Your Philosophicall argument is sone answered without any great payne. For to gouerne one Prouince in that maner and forme that is required of an Archbishop, is neyther infinite, nor impossible. But it is great lack of iudgement to thinke that bicause one man can not well gouerne the whole world, therfore he can not well gouerne a prouince or dioces. I haue shewed the practise of the Churche to be contrarie in the Apostles tyme, and since their time.