sometymes taken for religious, and sometymes for cleane and vncorrupte. And after the same manner, we call the churche holye as the Apostle Peter calleth it immaculate, as we reade in the famous Epistle of Clement. To thys ende also tendeth that which is spoken by S. Paule, that Christ is the heade of the church: For if the Church should wholy sinne, she should not agree wyth her head Christ, who is in no pointe defiled. This also Christ hymselfe would signify vnto vs in Mathew, when he cōmendeth the house which was builded vpon the strong rocke, against the which, neither the windes neither the stormes could preuaile. MarginaliaChrist is the rocke wherupon the church is builded.In the house of god (saith the Apostle) which is þ^e church builded vpō þ^e strōg rocke, which rock (as the sayd Apostle declareth) is Christ. Who then is so vnshamefast that he wil affirme þ^e Church, which is founded vpon Christ, to be subiect to sinne? and wyl not rather cry out with the Prophet and say: Domine, dilexi decorē domus tuæ. i. O Lord, I haue loued the beuty of thy house. Hereupō wrote Iohn Chrisostome this golden sentence: The church neuer ceaseth to be assaulted, neuer ceaseth to bee layne in wayte for: but in the name of Christ it hath alwayes the vpper hād and ouercame. And albeit that other do lye in wayt for it, or that the floods do beate agaynst it: yet the foundation which is layd vpon the rocke, is not shaken. Saynt Hillarie also sayth, that it is the propertye of the churche to vanquish, when it is hurte, to vnderstande when it is reproued, to be in safety whē it is forsaken, & to obtayne victorye, when as it seemeth almost ouercome. Thus by many reasons and testimonies, it is proued that the church doth not erre: which is not spoken or affirmed of the bishops of Rome, so that thys reason doth make the Pope subiect vnto the Churche, for it is conuenient, that þ^e lesse perfect be subiect vnto the more perfect. There be also many other testimonies and reasons, whereof we wyll now somewhat more entreate.

MarginaliaHe proueth by authoritie the pope to be vnder the Councell.If autority be sought for, sayth Saynt Hierome (for I wyllinglye occupye my selfe in hys sentences, as in a most fertill fielde) the worlde is greater then a Citye. What then I pray you Hierome? Is the Pope mighty because he is head of the church of Rome? His authority is great, notwithstanding the vniuersall church is greater, whiche doth not onely comprehend one Citye, but also the whole world. MarginaliaIf the church be the mother the pope must be her sonne.Hereupon it followeth, that if the Church be the mother of all faythfull, then she hath the Bishop of Rome for her sonne. Otherwyse as Sainct Augustine sayth, he can neuer haue God for hys father, which wyll not acknowledge the church for his mother. The which thing Anacletus vnderstanding, called the vniuersall church his mother, as the writers of the Canons do know. And Calixtus sayth: as a sonne he came to doe the wyll of hys father, so we doe the will of our mother, whiche is the churche. Wherby it appeareth, that how muche the sonne is inferiour to the mother: so much the Churche is superiour or aboue the bishop of Rome. Also we haue sayde before, that the Churche was the Spouse of Christ, and the Pope wee know to be a Vicar: MarginaliaThe church being the spouse, the pope can not be the head therof but he must also be the head of Christ, forsomuch as Christ & hys spouse be both one.but no man doth so ordayne a Vicar, that he maketh his spouse subiect vnto him, but that the spouse is alwayes thought to be of more authoritie, then the Vicar, forsomuch as she is one bodye wyth her husband, but the Vicar is not so. Neyther wyll I here passe ouer the wordes of saint Paule vnto the Romains: Let euery soule (sayth he) be subiect vnto the hier powers: Neyther doth he herein except the Pope: For albeit that he be aboue all other men, yet it seemeth necessary that he should be subiect to the church. Neyther let hym thinke himselfe hereby exempt, because it was sayd vnto Peter by Christ, what soeuer thou bindest. &c. In this place, as we wyll hereafter declare, he represented the person of the Church, for we finde it spoken afterwarde vnto him: Quæcunque ligaueritis super terram, ligata eruntin cœlis. i. What soeuer ye shall binde vppon earth, shall be also bound in heauen. MarginaliaThe exposition of thys place, queacunque ligaueris.
The church may depose the pope if he abuse the keyes.And furthermore, if all power be geuen of Christ, as the Apostle wryteth vnto the Corinthians, it is geuē for the edifieng of the church, and not for the destruction thereof: why then maye not the Church correct the Pope, if hee abuse the keyes, and bring all thinges vnto ruine?

Adde hereunto also an other argumēt. A man in this life is lesser then the aungels, for we read in Mathew of Iohn Baptist, that he which is least in the kyngdome of heauen, is greater thē he. Notwithstādyng Christ saith in an other place, that amongest the children of wemen there was not a greater then Iohn Baptiste. But, to procede: mē are forced by the example of Zacharias to geue credite vnto aungels, least thorow their misbelief, they be striken blind as he was. What more? The Bishop of Rome is a man: Ergo he is lesse then the aungels, and is bound to geue credite to the aūgels. But þ^e angels learne of the churche, and do reuerently accorde vnto her doctrine, as the Apostle writeth vnto the Ephesiās: Ergo the Pope is bound to do the same, who is lesse then the aungels, and lesse then the church, whose authoritie is such, that worthely it is compared by S. Augustine vnto the Sunne: that like as the Sunne by his light doth surmount all other lightes, so the church is aboue all other authoritie and power. MarginaliaThe church & not the pope compared to the Sunne.Wherupon S. Augustin writeth thus: I would not beleue the Gospell sayth he, if the authoritie of the Churche did not moue me thereunto: the whiche is not in any place founde to be spoken of the Byshop of Rome, who representyng the churche and beyng minister thereof, is not to bee thought greater or equall to his Lord and maister. Notwithstandyng, the woordes of our Sauiour Christ doo specially proue the Byshop of Rome to be subiect to the churche, as we will hereafter declare: For he sendyng Peter to preach vnto the churche, sayd, go and say vnto the churche. To the confirmation of whose authoritie, these wordes do also perteine: he that heareth you heareth me. The whiche wordes are not onely spoken vnto the Apostles, but also vnto their successours & vnto the whole churche. MarginaliaThe pope if he do not hearken to the church is an eathnike & publicane. It is to be feared least the church hath had many such popes.Wherupon it foloweth, that if the Pope do not harken & geue eare vnto the church, he doth not geue eare vnto Christ, and consequētly he is to be counted as an Ethnike and Publicane. For as S. Augustine affirmeth, when as the churche doth excommunicate, he whiche is so excommunicate is bounde in heauen, and when the Churche looseth, he is loosed. Likewise if he be an hereticke, which taketh away the supremacie of the churche of Rome, as þ^e decrees of the Councell of Constance doth determine, how much more is he to be counted an hereticke, which taketh away the authoritie from the vniuersall church, wherein the churche of Rome and all other are conteyned? Wherfore it is now euident, that it is the opinion of all men before our dayes (if it may be called an opinion, which is confirmed by graue authors) that the Pope is subiect vnto the vniuersall churche. MarginaliaWhether the pope is to be iudged by the generall councell, &c.But this is called into question, whether he ought also to be iudged of the generall Councell. For there are some, whiche (whether it be for desire of vayne glory, or that through their flatterie they looke for some great rewarde) haue begon to teach new and straunge doctrines, and to exempt the Bishop of Rome from the iurisdictiō of the generall Councell. Ambition hath blinded them, wherof not onely this present Scisme, but also all other Scismes euē vnto this day, haue had their originall. For as in tymes past the gredye desire & ambition of þ^e Papacie, brought in that pestiferous beast whiche thorowe Arrius then first crept to þ^e church: MarginaliaThese are the Canons & the schole deuines, and begging fryers.euē so they do specially norish and maintein this presēt heresie, which are not ashamed to begge. Of the whiche number, some cry out and say, the workes of the subiectes oughte to bee iudged by the Pope, but the Pope to be reserued onely vnto the iudgement of God.