maundement of the Lord, so doth he exhort all other Bishops to feed their flocke in his first Epistle and v. chapter  

.MarginaliaAn other obiection papisticall resolued. Hereby a man may gather by these wordes of Christ þ^t either there was no autoritie geuen vnto Peter more then vnto others, or els that Peter did equally communicate that right and autority which he had receiued vnto others and did not reserue it vnto himselfe after his death, to bee transported vnto the Bishops of Rome. Asfor such reasons as they doe alledge, which are not gathered or taken out of holy scriptures, I passe them ouer, least I myght seeme to contend with shadowes.

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The Indulgences and pardons graunted by our supreme head the pope, are of no force, strength, or effect, but tend onely to the abuse of the people and the deceiuyng of their soules.

It shalbe euidently declared, that MarginaliaIndulgences to be of no effect.indulgences and pardons are of none effect, after that I haue first of all taught what they do call Indulgences or pardons. They say they are the treasure of the church, that is to say, the merites of Christ, of the Saints, Apostles and Martyrs, which they impudently affirme to haue performed and merited more at Gods hand, at the tyme of their death, then was necessary or needfull for them: & that of the aboundance of their merities, there did so much superabound which was not onely sufficient for themselues, but also might redound to the helpe of others. And because so great a goodnes should not be superfluous or in vayne, MarginaliaThe treasure of the church as popeholders take it.they affirme and teach that their bloud was mixed and ioyned with þ^e bloud of Christ: and of them both the treasure of the church was compoūd and made for the remission and satisfactiō of sinnes. How cunning and notable cookes these are, which can make a confection of so many sundry herbes. Furthermore, they do fayne the custody and keping of this treasure to be cōmitted wholy vnto the bishop of Rome,MarginaliaLord treasurer of the church, Papists hold to be the Pope. in whose power consisteth the dispensation of so great treasures, that he eyther by himselfe may geue or graunt, or otherwyse geue power vnto other to geue the same. And hereupon riseth the plenary, Indulgences and pardons graunted by the Pope for certaine yeares, by cardinals for 100. dayes, by bishops for 40. dayes. This is the iudgement and opinion which they hold of the Indulgences. But I pray you, who taught those saints to worke or deserue for other, but only Sathan, who would vtterly haue þ^t merits of Christ extinguished and blotted out, which he knoweth to be the onely remedy of saluation? For if the Scripture do teache vs that MarginaliaNo man of himselfe can worke his owne saluation.no man of himselfe can deserue or worke their saluation, how did the saints then worke or merit for others. It is manifest that Christ saith in the xvij. of Luke  

, when we haue done all that which is commanded you for to do, yet sayth he, we are vnprofitable seruaunts. Besides this, all that which may be deserued or merited in the righteousnes of man, in the 64. chapter of Esay   , they are compared vnto the garment menstruous & defiled, to be cast out.

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There are almost infinite places in þ^e scripture, wherein mans power is so extenuate, and the corruption & frowardnes of our nature so made manifest, that euen in the best and most perfect workes, there lacketh not imperfection. Notwithstanding MarginaliaThe parable of the 10. virgines expounded.the parable of the x. virgins written in the 25. chapter of Mathew  

, ought to put vs out of all controuersie and doubt. There Christ describeth two kindes of men, the one kynde of holy men which obserue and keepe the inward righteousnesse of the heart, as the oyle of fayth, the other sorte is of suche, which hauyng no mynde of theyr oyle, are aunswered by them whiche are wyse no, least that there be not sufficient for you and for vs, but go you rather to them which doe sell and but for your selues: in the whiche place it is manifestlye declared how vainely the second sorte of men doth flye to the patronage of the elect, by whose merites they thinke to be saued.

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Now let vs waie and consider vpon what places of scripture they build or establish their fayned inuention of pardons: they alledge the saying of S. Paule to the Colossians  

. I supply or fulfill the afflictions of Christ, which were wanting in my flesh, for his body which is þ^e church. But Paul in this place doth not referre that defect or supplement to any worke of redemption, expiation or satisfaction, but to those afflictions, by the which the members of Christ, that is to say, all faithfull, should be afflicted, so long as they liue in the flesh, wherefore he sayth, that this doth yet remaine of the passions of Christ, that those afflictions which once he suffered in his owne body, he nowe daily suffereth in his members. For Christ hath vouchsaued to honour vs with this honour, that he doth impute and call our afflictions to be his. And where as S. Paule doth adde this word for the church, he doth not vnderstādthereby for the redemption, reconciliation, satisfaction, or expiation of the church.MarginaliaAn other obiection dissolued. But for the edifieng and profityng of the same, as in the ij. epistle to Timothie   , he saith: That for the elect sake he suffered all these things, þ^t they myght obtaine saluation, but to the intent no man should thinke that saluation to depend vpon those things which he him selfe had suffered, he added further, the which is in Christ Iesu. As touching the reason that the MarginaliaThe bloud of Martyrs whereto it profiteth.bloud of the Martyrs is not shed in vayne without fruit or profit, & therefore ought to be conferred to the common vtilitie and profite of the church. I answer, that the profit and fruit therof is aboundant to glorify God by their death, to subscribe and beare witness vnto the truth by their bloud, and by the contempt of this present lyfe, to witnesse, that he doth seeke after a better lyfe, by his constancie and stedfastnesse to confirme and establish the fayth of the church, and subdue and vanquish the enemy.

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That the Pope is an open vser of Simony, daily selling the gifts of the spiritualities, and that it is lawfull for all bishops to be coupled and ioyned in matrimony.

This article hath his seuerall partes, for those things which we haue spoken or answered vnto the article before written, doth sufficiently declare, that the Pope is not only a vser of Simony, but also a notable deceiuer, which selleth such kynd of merchandise, as can in no place helpe or preuaile. For so much as his pardons are nothyng lesse then such as he faineth them to be. Doth he not then shew himselfe a manifest deceiuer, when as he maketh faires and markets of them, but to the intent I will not seeme in this behalfe vainly to labour or trauaile, I will passe vnto the second part, where as I do say, that it is not onely done against the worde of God, but also MarginaliaPristes mariage lawfull.against equitie and iustice to forbid priests to marry, for so much as it is not lawfull for any man by any meanes to forbid þ^t thing, which the Lord hath left at liberty. For S. Paule in the xiij. chapter vnto the Hebrewes  

, declareth, that matrimony is lawfull for all men, saying that mariage and the vndefiled bed or chamber is honourable amongest all men: and in the first to the Corinthians and vij. chapiter   . He sayth, for auoiding of whoredome, Let euery man haue a wife of his owne: but I know what these obstinate and stiffe necked will aunswer vnto me, that the same is spoken and meant of others, and not of priestes. But what will they aunswere vnto me as touching that whiche is written in the first to Timothie   , and iij. chapter. A Bishop ought to be without rebuke, the husband of one wyfe, and by and by after he sayeth, Deacons ought to be the husbandes of one wyfe, the which should rule and gouerne their children and family vprightly. Vnto these Paule affirmeth matrimony to be meete and necessary, let them say what they can vnto the contrary. What could bee more vehemently spoken agaynst their wicked tiranny, then that which by the holy Ghost he declareth in the iiij. chapter of the same Epistle   , that in the latter daies there should come wicked men which should forbid matrimonye, and calleth them not onely deceiuers, but also wicked spirites attending vnto the doctrine of wicked spirites: but these men thinke that they haue very well escaped, whē as they wrest this sentence to those old ancient heretikes the Tatianes, they say (these men) did onely condemne matrimonye, we do not condemne it, but onely forbidde Church men to marry. Vnto whome we thinke matrimonye is not conuenient. As though that albeit this prophesie were first of all complete and fulfilled in the Tationes, that it did not also redound vnto them, or as though this theyr subtile sophistication, were worthy to be regarded that they do not deny or prohibite matrimony, because they do not forbid it vnto all men generally. Lyke as if a tyraunt would contend and affirme hys lawe to be good, by the extremity and violence whereof onely one part of the citie is oppressed, but now let vs heare the reasons of the contrary part, it behoueth say they, a Priest to differ from the common sort of the people by some notable marke or token. But read Saint Paule, where as he describeth the perfect Image of a good Bishop, did he not recken and account mariage amongest the other good giftes which hee required to bee in them. But I knowe very well howe these men interprete Paule? Verily that a Bishop ought not to be chosen, which hath married hys second wyfe. But also it appeareth openly by the text, that this interpretation is false, for so much as he doth by and by declare & shew w hat maner of women the wiues of Byshops & deacons ought for to be. Wherfore Saint Paule nūbereth matrimony amongest the principall vertues pertainyng vnto a Bishop. And these men do teache it to be an intollerable vice amongest the orders of the Church, and not

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