how Innocentius 3. brought in a new found confession: whereby, the Priestes do oppresse the simple lay men. And that many other thynges they do compellyng them to confesse themselues to blind and ignoraunt Priestes, in whom is nothyng els then pride and couetousnes, hauyng such in contempt as are learned and wise. Also, that the Decretall of Innocentius 3. touchyng the foresayd auricular or vocall confession: was brought in and inuented, to intricate and intangle mens consciences with sinne, & to draw them downe to hell. And furthermore, that such maner of confession, destroyeth the Euangelicall libertie, and doth let men to inquire after, & to retaine, the wise counsaile & doctrine of such as be Gods Priests: which know faithfully how to obserue his preceptes and commaundementes, & which would willyngly teach the people, the right way to heauen. For which abuse, all Christen men and specially all Englishmen, ought to exclayme agaynst such wicked lawes.

MarginaliaThe order of Priesthood. As touchyng the Sacrament of order he sayth: That all good Christians, are predestinate and be ordained of God, & made true Priestes to offer Christ in themselues, and to Christ, themselues: as also to teach and preach the Gospell to their neighbours, as wel in word as in example of liuing.MarginaliaHe meaneth of priuate preaching to their neighbours. But the worldly shauelinges do more magnify the naked & bare signes of priesthood (inuented by sinfull men) then the true & perfect prieffhood of God, grounded by a true & liuely faith, annexed with good woorkes.MarginaliaTrue ministers may be made without shauing. Also, if it were nedefull to haue such shauelinges, God knoweth how, and can make when it pleaseth hym, priestes (without mans working and sinfull signes, that is to say, without either Sacraments or characters) to be known and discerned of the people, by their vertuous life and example, and by their true preaching of the law of God. For so made he the first made priestes & elders before the law of Moyses: and so made he Moyses a priest before Aaron, and before the ceremonies of the law, without mans operation at all: And euen so hath God made all such as are predestinate, to be hys priestes.MarginaliaPriests here haue priuate, not a publique vnderstanding. But such as be true Christians, receyue none such as Priestes, but vnlesse they follow Christ and hys Apostles, neither do they beleue that they make the sacrament of the aulter (which they affirme to be Gods body) when it pleaseth them: least happely God be not with them, forasmuch as that they do this thing for couetousnes sake, or els to brag of their owne power. And therfore such as be simple men, will worship that Sacrament in this doubtfulnes, with a silent condition, that is, if it be made by Gods authority, and to haue their deuotion to the body of Christ in heauen. Also, that such as be Elders, if they be Gods priestes, be Bishops, Prelates, and Curates of their Christian brethren, whom they may lead to heauen by the example of their holy conuersation, and by preachyng of the Gospell, although they make no sacrifice to that Antichrist of Rome for their confirmation: neither be they dedicated to the world by secular deuine thinges, and by consumyng the liuinges of the poore: as be those secular byshops, prelates and curates.MarginaliaWhat if there were no Pope knowen, yet the Church could stand. Also, that although there were no pope accordyng as the custome of the church is: yet Christ which is the hed of his Church, doth ordeyne such a Pope as pleaseth hym: and that is, whomsoeuer is most humble & lowly, and best doth the office of a true Priest, although he be vnknown to the world. And although there were no such proud bishop aboue all the rest, as the church doth vse: yet all the priestes might well gouern the Church by common assent, as once they did, before such worldly pride crept in amongest the Bishops. &c. And admit that no such Priestes were, accordyng to the accustomed vse MarginaliaTonsure maketh not a Priest. now of receauyng of order & tonsure, by such a mitered Byshop and his tonsure: yet: Christ knoweth both how to make and chuse such as shall well please him, both in conuersation of lyfe, and sincere preachyng of the Gospell, in ministryng to his people all necessary Sacramentes. And euery holy man which is a minister of Christ, although he be not shauen, is a true Priest ordained of God, although no mitred Byshop euer lay his charecter vpon him: So, that the Pope and his Prelates, do make more estimation of their Charactors (as tonsures and crownes by them inuented) then of the true and perfect priesthode ordained of God: where as, all those that are predestinate, are true Priestes made of him.

MarginaliaThe Popes cēsures, like the blast of Lucifer. As touchyng the authoritie of the keyes and censures, no Christian man ought to esteeme Sathan (whom men call the pope) and his vniust censures: more then the hissyng of a Serpent, or the blast of Lucifer. Also that no mā ought to trust or put confidence in the false indulgences of couetous Priestes, which indulgences do draw away the hope which men ought to repose in God, to a sorte of sinfull men, and do robbe the poore of such almes as is geuen to them: such Priestes be manifest betrayers of Christ and of the whole Church, and be Sathans owne stuardes to beguyle Christen soules by their hypocrisie and fayned pardons. Also, for as much as those prelates and clergy men lyue so execrable a lyfe, contrary to the gospell of Christ, and examples of hys Apostles, & teach not truely the gospell, but only lies and the traditions of sinful wicked men:MarginaliaPopishe priestes haue not the keyes of heauen but rather of hell. It appeareth most manifestly that they haue not the kayes of the kyngdome of heauen, but rather the kayes of hell. And they may be right well assured, that God neuer gaue vnto them authoritie to make and establish so many ceremonies & traditions, which be contrary to the liberty of the Gospell, and are blockes in Christen mens wayes that they can neither know nor obserue the same his Gospel in libertie of conscience, and so attain a redy way to heauen.

Also, that all maner of religious men, notwithstandyng the chapter Religiosi, touching the priuilegies in the Clementines: may lawfully minister all sacramentes to thē that are worthy the same. For as much as the same is a worke of charitie, which onely the will and ordinaunce of the pope and hys fautours in this case is to hinder and let.MarginaliaThe popes curse hurteth not, but profiteth. Item, if the Pope shall interdict this our realme: that cannot hurt vs, but much profite vs: Because that therby he should seperate vs from all hys wicked lawes, and from the charges of sustayning of so many thousand shauelings, which wyth small deuotion or none at all, patter and chatter a new found song secundum vsum Sarum. So that not whatsoeuer the Pope in hys generall councell byndeth in earth, is bound of God in heauen: either for that he bindeth vnreasonably, and contradictorily doth agaynst himselfe, or els for that he hath forsake the iudgement of God.

As touching the preching of the Gospell: Whosoeuer receiueth or taketh vpō him þ^e office of a priest or of a bishop, and dischargeth not the same by the example of his good conuersation and faythfull preaching of the Gospell: is a thiefe, excommunicate of God, and of holy Church. And further, if the Curates preach not the word of God, they shalbe damned, and if they know not how to preach, they ought to resigne their benefices: So that those prelates which preach not the Gospell of Christ (although they could excuse themselues from the doyng of any other euill) are dead in themselues, are Antichristes, and Sathans, transfigured into angels of light, night theues, manquellers by day light, & betrayers of Christ his people.

MarginaliaGossopry not sufficient cause to restraine matrimony. Concerning the sacrament of Matrimony: Notwithstanding any spirituall kinred or gossopry, a man and woman may lawfully mary together by the law of God, without any dispensatiō papistical. And in the same place he saith that if our realm do admit one not borne in matrimony or illegitimate to the imperial crowne, so that he doth well discharge the office of a king: God maketh hym a kyng, and by consequence doth reiect an other kyng or heyre of the kyngdome, beyng borne in matrimony and legitimate: So, for such spirituall kindred there ought no diuorse to be made. Also, notwithstanding the Cap. Si inter de sponsalibus: If any man shall make any contract with any woman by the wordes of the future tence, by an othe taken: & afterwards shall with an other woman make the lyke contract by the wordes of the present tence: that then the second contract standeth. Also if a man make a contract with a womā by þ^e wordes of the future tence, vpō his othe taken: & maketh afterwardes the lyke contract with an other not alteryng the wordes, and hath carnall copulation vpon the same: the first contracte maketh the matrimony good, and not the second.MarginaliaThe first mariage lawfully before witnes made standeth. Also, if a man before witnes assure himselfe to a woman by a contract made in the present tence, and hath childrē by the same woman: and afterward the same man marieth an other woman, with the lyke wordes in the present tence, before witnesse: Although the first witnesses be dead, or els by bribes corrupt, and the second bring his witnesses before the iudge to proue the second contract: the first contract yet stādeth in force, although the Pope (allowyng the second contract) doth compell them to lyue in adultery agaynst the cōmaundement of God. Also, he condemneth the decretall of the restitution of thinges stollen Cap. Literas tuas: which willeth, that a man and woman hauyng carnall copulation in the degree of consanguinitie forbidden, and hath no witnes hereof: If the womā will depart from the man, she shal be compelled by the censures, to remayne with him, and to yelde her debt. Also, in case where a man hath made cōtract with two women, wyth one secretly hauing no witnes, and with the other openly hauing witnes: Then were it better to acknowledge the insufficiency of the law, and to suffer men to be ruled by their owne consciences, then by the censures to compell them, to committe and lyue in adultery.

MarginaliaKeeping and making vowes. As touching the keping and makyng of vowes: That vow or othe is beastly, and is without all discretion made: