to his fathers appointment ordeined the offices of the Priests in their ministeries, and Leuites in their order, that they mighte geue thankes, and minister before the Priests, after the order of e∣uery day, and porters in their diuisions gate by gate.
And speaking more of the sayd Salomon, he saith: For so commaunded the man of God, neither did the Priestes, nor Le∣uites omitte any thing of all that he had commaunded, &c.
Beside this, he alleageth also the example of King Eze∣chias 2. Paralip. 28. He alledgeth moreouer the example and facte of Iustinian, whiche made lawes touching the faith, Byshops, Clerkes, heretickes, and such other.
Aaron, (saith he) obeyed Moses. Salomon gaue sen∣tence vpon Abiathar the high Priest.
Alexander the King in the first of Machabees, writeth thus to Ionathas: Now haue we made thee this day the high Priest of thy people, &c. So did Demetrius to Simon.
Then comming to the wordes of Christ, spoken to Pe∣ter, Math. 16. vpon which words the Pope pretendeth to builde all his authoritie: to thys he aunswereth, that if Christ by those wordes had limited vnto Peter any suche speciall state or preheminence aboue all princes, then were it not true that is written, Caepit Iesus docere & facere: for asmuch as the words of Christ should then be contrary to his owne factes and example, who in all his life neuer v∣surped either to himself any such domination aboue Prin∣ces, shewing himselfe rather subiect vnto Princes, nor yet did euer permit in his Apostles any such example of ambi∣tion to be seene: but rather rebuked them for seeking any maner of maioritie amongst them.
And where he reasoneth of the Kings style and title, being called the King of England, and of Fraunce, defen∣dour of the faith, Lord of Ireland, & supreme head in earth of the Church of Englande immediately vnder Christ, &c. thus he addeth his mind & censure, saieng that he seeth no cause in this title, why any mā should be offended, that the King is called head of ye Church of Englād, rather then of ye Realme of England, and addeth his reason therunto sai∣eng: If the Prince & King of England be the head of hys kingdome, that is, of all English men that be his subiects, is there any cause why the same English subiects shoulde not be subiect to the same head likewise in this respect be∣cause they are Christians, that is to say, for the title of god∣lynes, as though that God which is the cause of all obedi∣ence, should now be the cause of Rebellion?
At length thus he concludeth with an exclamation, say∣eng: To say (sayth he) that a King is the head of the king∣dome, and not of the Church, what an absurde, and a foo∣lish sayeng is this?
And farther, adding for example, the subiection of the seruaunt and wife: If the seruaunt (saith he) be subiect to his maister, or wife to her husbād being infidels, doth their conuersion afterwarde, or name of Christians make them lesse subiects, then they were before? As Religion therefore doth not alter the authoritie of the Maister ouer the ser∣uaunt, nor the husband ouer the wife: no more (sayeth he) doth it betweene the Prince and subiects.
Paule making no exception nor distinction of subiecti∣on, saue only of that which belongeth to God, willeth all men to obey their Princes, and what Princes? Those Princes which beare the sworde. And although wee bee bound by the Scripture to obey our Byshops and spiritu∣all Pastours of the Church, yet that obedience diminisheth nothing the chiefe and head authoritie that ought to be gi∣uen to the Prince, no more then the obedience of the ser∣uant to his Maister, or of the wife to her husband exemp∣teth them from subiection due to their superiour powers.
And heerewithall he inferreth a principle of the Lawe. Diuers Iurisdictions (saith he) proceeding from one per∣son do not marre nor hinder themselues, but rather do confirme and fortifie one another.
Againe, where as the Bishop of Rome vnder the name of Peter doth appropriate to himselfe the highest place in the Church, for that he is the successour of Peter: thereun∣to he aunswereth in one word, but in that one word he an∣swereth enough and to the ful: I would (saith he) he were: for so in very deede he might well exceede & passe all kings and princes, if not in preheminēce of dignitie, yet in admi∣ration & excellency of vertue. In which kinde of superiori∣tie the Lord Christ would his Apostles and Ministers to go before all Kings and Emperours in the whole world.
After this, in prosecuting the argument of Peters con∣fession, he argueth thus and sayth: That as flesh and bloud did not reuele to Peter that confession: so neither was that prerogatiue giuen to the fleshe and bloud of Peter, but to the better part, that is, to the spirit of Peter, whiche is to meane in respect of the spirituall confession of Peter, and not in respect of any carnall place or person, &c.
Item, if the scholer ought not to be aboue the mayster, how then could either Peter take that vppon him, which Christ his maister so constantly did refuse, or how can the Byshop of Rome now clayme that by succession, whereof no example is to be founde either in the head, or his prede∣cessor before him? For so we read in Eusebius, both of Pe∣ter, Iames, & Iohn, that they did arrogate no such prima∣cie vnto them, but were contēt that Iames surnamed Iu∣stus, should be the Byshop of the Apostles.
And as for the name and signification of the word Pri∣matus i. primacie, if it be taken for the first nomination, or the first place giuen, so he graūteth that Peter had the pre∣ferment of the first name and place in the order of the Apo∣stles. But it foloweth not, that with this primacie he had also a kyngdome giuen. And though hee were byd of the Lord to confirme his brethren: yet was he not byd to exer∣cise an imperie vpon his brethren, for so were they not his brethren, but his subiectes.
Then Peter was Primus, that is, first or chief in the number of them which confessed Christ, it is not to be de∣nyed. For first he confessed, first he taught the Iewes, first he stoode in defēce of the veritie, and was the first and chief Prolocutor amongest them: but yet that maketh not, that he should therfore vendicate a generall primacie and rule ouer all other states, and potestates of the world, no more then Apelles because hee is noted the first and chief of all Paynters, therfore he ought to beare rule ouer all Pain∣ters? or because the Uniuersitie of Paris is nominate for the first and chief of other Uniuersities, shall therefore the French kyng, and all other Princes in their publicke ad∣ministratiō, wherein they are set of God, become subiectes and vnderlynges to that Uniuersitie?
Thus after many other reasons and persuasions con∣teined in the sayd booke De obedientia (for I do but super∣ficially skimme ouer the toppe only of his probations and argumentes) finally in the end of his peroration, he cōclu∣deth the whole summe of his mynde, in this effect: first de∣nying that the Bishop of Rome had euer any such externe iurisdictiō assigned to him absolutely from God, to reigne ouer Kynges and Princes. For the probation wherof he hath alledged sufficiently (as hee sayth) the examples and doynges of Christ him selfe, whiche ought to be to vs all a sufficient document.
And as concernyng the terme of Primacie, albeit it be vsed sometyme of the Fathers, yet the matter beyng well considered and rightly expounded maketh nothing for the large dominion of the Byshop of Rome, whiche now he doth vsurpe.
Also as for the prerogatiues graunted vnto Peter, by the whiche prerogatiues our Sauiour would crowne his owne giftes giuen vnto him, crownyng not the flesh and bloud of Peter, but the marueilous testimony of his con∣fession, all this maketh nothyng for the Popes purpose.
Likewise as concernyng the locall succession of Peter, ye Pope hath nothyng thereby to clayme. If he will be suc∣cessour of Peter, he must succeede him in fayth, doctrine, & conditions, & in so doyng, he neither will neither yet shall neede to seeke for honour, but shall be honored of all good men, accordyng as a good man should be, and that much more then he beyng a good man would require.
And thus Steph. Winchester, takyng his leane, & bid∣dyng the Pope farewell, endeth with a frēdely exhortatiō, willyng him to be wise & circumspect, & not to striue stub∣burnely agaynst the truth. The light of the Gospell (sayth he) so spreadeth his beames in all mens eyes, yt the works of the Gospell be knowne, the mysteries of Christes doc∣trine are opened: both learned and vnlearned, men & wo∣men beyng Englishmen borne, do see & perceiue, that they haue nothyng to doe with Rome nor with the Byshop of Rome, but that euery Prince in his owne dominion, is to be taken and accepted as a Uicare of God, & Uicegerent of Christ in his owne boūdes. And therfore seyng this order is taken of God, that one in the Church should beare the office of teachyng, an other should beare ye office of rulyng, (which office is onely limited to princes) he exhorteth him to consider the truth, and to folow the same, wherein con∣sisteth our true and speciall obedience. &c.
To this booke of Stephen Winchester De obedientia, we will adioyne for good felowshyp, ye Preface also of Ed∣mund Boner Archdeacō then of Leycester, prefixed before the same, to the entēt that the reader seyng the iudgemētes of these men as they were then, & agayne the sodeine mu∣tation afterward of the sayd parties to the cōtrary opiniō, may learne thereby what vayne glory and pompe of this world cā worke in the frayle nature of man, where Gods grace lacketh to susteine. The Preface of Boner before the sayd booke of Winchester De obedientia, proceedeth thus in effect, as foloweth.