To your answere also vnto the places of S. Mathew & Luke the replie is made before. The place of the fourth of the first to the Corinthians is well alleaged, for it teacheth a moderate estima∣tion of the ministers, and a meane betweene the contempt & excessiue estimation: neyther can there be any readier way to breed that disorder, which was amongst the Corinthians, as to say I holde of such a one, and I of such a one, & I of such another, than to set vp certayne ministers in so highe titles, & great shew of worldly honour: for so commeth it to passe that the people will saye, I will beleue my Lorde, and my Lorde Archbishop, what soeuer our persone say, for they be wise men and learned, as we 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ee it came to passe amongst the Corinthians. For the false Apostles because they had a shew & outward pompe of speach, they caried away the people. For although S. Paule sayth that some sayd I holde of Paule, I holde of Apollo, I of Cephas, yet as it appeareth in his fourth chapter, they helde one of this braue eloquent teacher, and another of that. For he translated these speaches vnto him & his fellowes by a figure. All that rule is tyrannicall which is not lawfull, and is more than it ought to be. And therefore the place of S. Peter is fitly alleaged, whereof also I haue spoken some thing before.
The Corinthians did not brust out into these factions & partes taking, in respect of any title or office cōmitted to any of their preachers: but it was a partiall affection that they had towardes theyr teachers in preferring them (for theyr supposed vertue & learning) before other of whom they had not conceyued so good an opinion. A more liuely example whereof can not be, than the dissentiō that is at this day, wherein some of your fautors forgetting all modestie, do so greatly 〈◊〉〈◊〉 you, and your compa∣nions, that nothing may be heard, that is spoken to the contrary: nay in comparison, all other men be flatterers, worldlinges, vnlearned, doltes, & asses. So do some sorte of men extoll you, and contemne other: so did the Corinthians extoll & magniffe their false Prophets, & depraue the true preachers. Wherefore to take away this partiall affection & iudgement, the Apostle sayeth, Sic nos aestimet homo, &c. Let a man so esteeme of vs, as of the ministers of Christ, &c. You will not (I am sure) acknowledge that at this time among the Corinthians there was any such difference of titles, or degrées of su∣perioritie. Wherfore you cannot (speaking as you thinke) say that the Apostle in this place meaneth any such matter. But wel you wotte that these affectiōs (which I haue spoken of) were rife among them, and therefore it is most certeyne that the Apostle laboreth for the suppression of them. So that the interpretation, that I haue giuen of this place in myne Answere, is true, neyther haue you refelled it.
The rule that a Bishop hath ouer other ministers in his diocesse is lawfull: neither is it such tyrannicall rule as the woorde 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (vsed by S. Peter, and spoken of before) doth signifie, that is to rule with oppression: and therefore the place is vnapt∣ly alleaged.