Foure paradoxes 1 A byshop and a minister is all one. 2 A byshoppe or deacon shoulde not bee called Grace, Lord, or exercise such authoritie. 3 A popish priest is no lawful minister of the gospel. 4 Canon chauncellours, & officials are no meete officers in the churche of God.

2 A Byshoppe or Deacon shoulde not bee called Grace, Lord, Honour, or exercise such authoritie.

Ye know that the Lordes of the Gē¦tiles haue dominion ouer them, and they that are great exercise authoritie ouer them, but it shal not be so among you.

They that beare rule ouer them, are called gratious Lordes, but ye shall not be so.

Feede the flocke of God, which de∣pendeth vpon you. &c. not as though ye were Lordes ouer Gods heritage.

Wee preache not our selues, but Christ Iesus the Lorde, and our selues your Seruantes for Iesus fake.

He that is called to a Bishoprick, is not called to a Soueraigntie, but vn∣to the seruice of the whole Church.

Let Bishops vnderstād that they

are Ministers, and not Lordes.

He that truly succeedeth Paule, wil say with hym, not as though wee were Lordes ouer your fayth, but hel∣pers of your ioy.

We ought not to bee lyfted vp on high, and to seeme mightie.

The lust of strife and desire and of Lordship raygne there.

They shal know openly by mani∣fest scriptures our fained hipocrisy, and that we ought not to be Lordes of the Parlamēt, nor to haue any place of worldly honour amōg the people.

Here was an ensample howe they ought to knowe nothing of Prynces affaires, whose dutye it is to preache & teache heanenly matters.

The king keeping his Parlamēt, with hys Barons, the Archbishops and Byshops being shut forth, it was enacted.

The Bishop of Rome ought to be the Minister of the Church.

If Christ the sonne of God, came

not to be ministred vnto, but to mini∣ster & serue, how then can hys Vicar haue any dominion, or be called Lord, as you Panormitan will affirme?

They do euyl that seeke to be By∣shops, to the intent they would be notable aboue the rest.

The Bishop was not so aboue the rest in honor and dignitie, that he had a dominion ouer his fellowes.

Dominions and hygh authorities bee as it were stops and impedimentes to the attaining of eternal felicitie, and they are to bee cast awaye and contemned. &c.

Byshops maye not bee Princes, and Lordes of any place, but of their own housholde: for it is contrary to bee a Byshop and Prince, for to be a Byshop, is to be a Minister & faithfull Seruant.

But because they did loue y^e worldly kingdome, and lordship, more then the kingdome of heauē, as Christ here chargeth them, that they wyll bee great, and be called Lordes. &c.

Wher it is a Ministerie that is here entreated of, it is foolishnes, and great absurditie vnder colour ther∣of to seeke reuerence of the people, or to exercise tirānical lordship ouer thē

Therefore the Popes kyngdome is of this world: For here one sorte are your Grace, your Holynes, your Father∣hood: an other my Lord Byshop, my Lord Abbot, my Lord Prior: an other Maister Doctor, Father Bacheler, ma∣ster Parson, Maister Vicar, and at the last cōmeth in simple Sir Iohn, & eueri one raygneth ouer other with might, and haue euery Ruler his Pryson, his Iayler, his chaynes, his tormentes.

Thou wilt say: thou canst not see how ther should be any good order in that kingdome, wher none were better then other, and wher the Su∣periour had not a law to compel the inferiour with violence.

It belongeth onely vnto the Prince to haue ful power ouer all worldlye courses: for the Bishops may not v∣surpe

any power that belongeth vn to the sworde: so that S. Paule ta∣keth all men from their subiection, & Origene taketh awaye all crimes from their correction.

Here it appeareth euidentlye by the Law of God, by the example of our sauiour Christ, by the holy wry∣tinges of the Apostels, and by the ex∣position of the auncient fathers, and others, that neither the Byshop of Rome, nor anye other Byshop or Deacon, ought to haue & take the name of gracious Lordes, nor yet that they should exercise any such autho∣ritie, and therefore wee maye hence reason thus:

Al Successours of the Apostels ought to shunne the titles of gracious Lords.

All our Byshops are Successours of the Apostels.

Therefore al our Byshops ought to Thunne the titles of gracious Lordes.

Againe: Nothyng disagreing from the scriptures is to be allowed:

But that a Minister would bee cal∣led Grace or Lord, is disagreing from the scriptures:

Therefore it is not to be allowed.

Notes

• Math. 20
• Luke. 22
• 1. Pete. 5.
• 2. Cor. 4.
• Orig: in Esaiam homil: 7 Hieron: ad Nepo tianum.
• Bern. ad Eugeniū
• Chryso: sermo: Gregor: Nazian: ad Pro∣copium. Barnes in sua supplic.
• Eras. in Mark. 12
• Tēpore Edouar∣di primi.
• Episco: Aragen:
• Segoni- us in cō∣cil: Basil
• Musc: i•• locis cō∣mun.
• Caluin. lib. 4. ca. 4. ser. 2. Gardin: de vera obediēt.
• Francisc. Lābert.
• An: Gil: super Micheā.
• Gualter: Tiguri: in Acta Apost.
• Guiliel. Tyndal.
• Tyndal.
• Barnes.
• Roma. 13. Orig: in Roma. cap. 13.
• Bar∣ba∣ra. Fe∣ri.