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Here you confesse that which hetherto in your whole booke you haue denied, and* 1.1 that which is in deede the whole grounde of the chiefe matters in controuersie, that is, that the gouernment of the Churche may be diuerse according to the diuersitie of the time and state of the same: as in the time of persecution it may be otherwise gouerned than in time of peace, otherwise when the state is established, than when it is ruynous and in de∣caye, for say you: In a manner alwayes where there was any good and stayed estate of the church these offices were ministred by seuerall persons, and then mette and were mingled, when the estates were very ruynous.
Thus haue you graunted of your owne accorde, that which hitherto you haue so stifly and stoutly denied: such is the might & force of the truth. And yet the church was in good state all Sainuels time, and the moste parte of Elyes also, for any thing that I can reade to the contrarie.
I brought in those examples to proue that these offices haue mette togither, and* 1.2 therefore be not so diuers as you would make them. I do not vse them to this ende, that I would haue a Priest to be a King, you know the state of our question is one∣ly whether Bishops may exercise those ciuill functions of Iusticeship of Peace, and such like, which the Prince committeth vnto them or no, and not whether they may sitte in the Princes throne, and take hir Scepter out of hir hande whether she will or no, as the Pope doth. And therfore whereas you saythat by these exāples of Elye and Samuell, I may as well conclude that Princes may preach the worde and minister the sa∣craments, as Priests and ministers execute cruill offices: I thinke you do not consider that these ciuill offices be but accidents to the priesthode, & therefore may well be remo∣ued, as they were from Samuell, when Saule was chosen King: for Samuell kepte his Priesthoode though he lost his ciuill authoritie: but the Priesthoode is not so to the cyuill magistrate, except he will be ordinarily and lawfully admitted therevnto. I thuike that there is no degree of dignitie that maketh a man vnmeete for the mi∣nisterie, if he be therevnto lawfully called, and haue other giftes méete for the same: wherefore as it followeth not that a minister, in the respect that he is a minister ought to haue a ciuill office, but that he may haue one if he be by the ciuill Magi∣strate therevnto appoynted, so it doth not follow that a ciuill Magistrate ought to be a minister of the woorde, but that he may be if he be méete and therevnto ordinarily and lawfully called and admitted. The Prieste may not take vpon him the office of the ciuill Magistrate, vnlesse he be called lawfully vnto it: nor the ciuill Magistrate may not take vpon him the office of a Priest, vnlesse he be ordinarily therevnto ad∣mitted. And this is no confusion at all.