whole power of the Churche doth consist: Whereupon we reade in the Actes of the Apostles: It pleased the Apostles and Elders with all the church. For albeit that all the faythful were not there present (because a great nūber of them remayned at Antioche) yet notwythstanding it was called the whole church, because the whole power of the church consisted in the councell. Thus for thys present it is sufficient that wee vnderstande by the Church the generall councell.

MarginaliaBy the church the councell is vnderstād.And now to returne vnto our purpose, let vs heare what our Sauiour sayth vnto Peter: If thy brother do offend against thee, vnto this text folowing, tel it vnto þ^e church: & let vs vnderstād þ^e councell by þ^e church. Who is greater in thys place, he whych is sent vnto the councell, or the councell whereunto Peter was sent? The verity doth remit the bishop of Rome vnto the general coūcell. And why so? verelye because the bishops of Rome shoulde not dysdayne to acknowledge some power in earth, to be aboue them, the whych they should consult wythall in matters of importaunce, and agree vnto the determinations thereof. MarginaliaSimons obedience necessary in the bishops of Rome.Whereupon Peter is also called by an other name Simon, the whych, as Rabanus in his Homilies writeth, is interpreted in þ^e Hebrew tong, obedience, that all men myght vnderstand obedience to be necessary, euen in the bishop of Rome.

The autority of the councel of Constance myght suffise vs in thys poynt, but we thynke it good to stay a little vpon thys matter, and to leaue no place open for our aduersaries: MarginaliaThe fauourers & mainteyners of the pope go about to mainteine & preferre the pleasure & profit of one before a common cōmoditie.whych, whylest they go about to maintain the vnsatiable wylfulnes of one man, preferring a priuate wealth before a common commoditie, it is incredible how great errours they doe styr vp. Agaynst the whych, besides many other, Zacharias byshop of Chalcedon, a mā both famous & eloquent, did earnestly striue: Who in the great & sacred Sinode of Chalcedon, when as the sentence of þ^e bishop of Rome was obiected vnto him, þ^t the Canon of Pope Nicholas & other Patriarkes was aboue þ^e Coūcell, he replied against it. And Zosimus þ^e Pope sayth thus as touching þ^e decrees of the general councell: the autoritye of thys seate cannot make or alter any thing contrary to the decrees of the fathers. Neither doth hee here speake of the decrees of the Fathers, whych are dispersed abroade in cities or wyldernes, for they do not binde the Pope: but of them which are made and published by the fathers in the generall Councell. For the more manifest declaration whereof, the words of pope Leo the most eloquēt of al the bishops of Rome, are here to be annexed, who wrot vnto Anatholius, that the decrees of the councell of Nice are in no parte to be violate and broken: thereby (as it were) exluding hymselfe and the hygh Patriarke. The authoritie also of Damasus vpon this sentence, is more manifest, writing vnto Aurelius the Archbishop, as Isidorus declareth in the booke of Councels, whose woorthy saying as touchyng the autority of the Synode is this: That they which are not cōpelled of necessity, but of their own wil either frowardly do any thing, either presume to doe any thing, or wyllingly consent vnto those whych woulde do anye thyng contrary and agaynst the sacred canons, they ar worthely thought & iudged to blaspheme the holy ghost. MarginaliaThe Pope can abyde no generall councells.Of þ^e which blasphemye, whether Gabriel which calleth hym selfe Eugenius, be presentlye partaker, let them iudge whych haue heard hym say, that it is so far from hys office and duty to obey the generall councels, that he sayth he doth then best merite and deserue, when as he contemneth the decrees of the Councell. Damasus addeth yet moreouer. For thys purpose, saith he, the rules of the sacred Canons, whych are consecrated by the spirite of God and the reuerence of the whole worlde, are faythfully to be knowen and vnderstand of vs, and diligently looked vpon, that by no meanes, wythout a necessitye whych cannot be eschewed (whych God forbyd)we do transgresse the decrees of the holye fathers. MarginaliaNon obstante in the popes bulles.Notwythstanding, we dayly see in all þ^e Popes Bulles and letters, these wordes Non obstante, that is to saye: notwythstandyng: whych no other necessitye hath brought in, then onely vnsaciable desire of gathering of money. But let them take heede to these thynges whych be the authors thereof.

MarginaliaThe councell to be aboue the pope.But now to returne agayne vnto Damasus, mention is made in the epistles of Ambrose bishop of Millaine of a certayne Epistle which is say to be writtē by Damasus, vnto the iudges deputed by the councel of Capua, where he declareth that it is not his office, to medle w^t any matter which hath bene before the councell. By the which saying he doth manifestly reproue al those which affirme and say the byshop of Rome to be aboue þ^e councell. The which if it were true, Damasus might haue taken into his handes the cause of Bonosius the byshop to determine, which was before begun by the coūcell: but for so much as the councel is aboue the Pope, Damasus knew himselfe to be prohibited. Wherupon Hilarius also acknowledgyng the Sinode to be aboue him, would haue hys decrees confirmed by the councell. Also the famous doctour S. Augustine in hys Epistle which he did wryte vnto Glorius, and Eleusius, and Felix the Gramarian, declareth the case. Cecilianus the bishop, was accused by Donatus, wyth others. Melchiades the pope wyth certaine other bishops absolued Cecilian and confirmed him in his bishoprike. They beyng moued wyth those doyngs, made a schisme in the partes of Africa. S. Augustine reproueth thē, which hauing an other remedy agaynst þ^e sentence of the pope, did rayse a schisme, & doth inuey against thē in this maner. Behold, let vs thynke those byshops which gaue iudgement at Rome, not to haue bene good iudges: there remayned yet the iudgement of the vniuersal church, where as the cause might haue bene pleaded euen with the iudges themselues, so that if they were conuict not to haue geuen iuste iudgement, theyr sentence might be broken. Whereby it appeareth, þ^t not onely the sentence of the Pope alone, but also of the Pope with his bishops ioyned w^t him, might be made frustrate by the councell: MarginaliaThe full iudgement of the church is not to be found, but in the generall Councell.for the full iudgement of the vniuersall church is not founde els where, then in þ^e generall councell. Let not any mā doubt, in þ^t S. Augustine semeth here only to speake of bishops: for if the text of his epistle be read ouer, he shal finde the bishop of Rome to be comprehended amongest the other bishops. MarginaliaNo appeale to be made from the councell to the pope.It was also prohibited by the councels of Africa, that the bishops of Rome should not receiue or heare the appeales of any which did appeale from the Councell: which altogether declare þ^e superioritie of þ^e Councell. And thys appeareth more plainly in the actes of the apostles, MarginaliaAct. 11.where as Peter is rebuked by the congregation of the Apostles, because he went in to Cornelius a Heathen man, as if it had not bene lawfull for hym to attempt any great matter wythout the knowledge of þ^e congregation: and yet it was sayd vnto hym as wel as others. Ite & baptisate, &c. Go and baptise. But this seemeth to make more vnto the purpose, which S. Paule writeth vnto the Galatians, where as he sayth, MarginaliaGal. 2.he resisted Peter euen vnto his face, because he dyd not walke accordyng to the veritie of the Gospell. Whose wordes if they be well vnderstand, signifie none other thyng by the veritie of the gospell, then the canon of the councell decreed amōgest the apostles: for the disciples beyng gathered together, had so determined it. MarginaliaPeter constrained to obey the generall councell.Wherupō Saint Paule doth shew, that Peter ought to haue obeyed the generall councell.

MarginaliaThe decree of the Councell of Constance.But now to finish this disputation, we will here adioyne the determination of the councell of Constance, the which councell aforesayd, willing to cut of all ambiguitie and doubtes, and to prouide a certayne order of liuing, declared by a solempue decree that all men, of