whereas indeede the word of God ministreth no such power to spirituall persons, but such as is spirituall: according to the saying of the Apostle. Arma militiæ nostræ non sunt carnalia, sed spiritualia. &c. The armour and artillery, sayth S. Paule, of our warfaire is not carnall, but spirituall: such as serue not against flesh and bloud, nor against the weike person of man: but against Sathan, agaynst the gates of hell, and the profundities of the wicked power. &c.

Which armour as it is al spiritual, so ought they, which haue the dealing therof, to be likewise spirituall, well furnished with all such giftes and graces of the holye Ghost, meete for the gouernance of his spiritual Church:MarginaliaHowe the Church of Christ ought to be gouerned.as with wisedome and knowledge in the Scripture, to instructe the ignorant: with inward intelligence & foresight of the craftye cogitations and operations of Sathan, with power of the spirit to resist the same: with practise and experience of tentations, to comfort such as be afflicted and oppressed of Sathan: with heauenly discretion to discerne spirts[illegible text], and truth from vntruth: with iudgment and knoledge of tounges and learning to conuict errour: wyth zeale of Gods glory, with feruencye of prayer, with patience in persecution: with a minde contented with all cases and dates incident, with teares and compasion on other mens greeues: with stoutnes and courage against proud and stout oppressours: with humilitie towarde the poore and miserable: with the counsaile of the Lorde Iesus, by his word and spirite to direct him in all things to be done with strength against sinne: with hatred of this worlde: with gift of fayth: power of the keyes in spirituall causes, as to minister the word, the Sacraments and excommunication when the worde biddeth, that the spirite may be saued, and to reconcile againe, as case requireth. &c. These and such like are the matters wherin consisteth the sinews and strength of the church, and the true gouernance of the same. But cōtrary to these aforesaid both þ^e Bishop & clergie of this latter Church of Rome, procceding in their administration and gouernaunce, as who vnder the name and pretence of Christ and his word, haue exercised of long time nothing els but a worldly dominion,MarginaliaPreposterous gouernement of the Church by the pope.seeking indede their owne glory, not the glory of Christ: riches of the world, not the lucre of soules: not feeding the flocke, but fillyng the purse: reuenging their owne wronges, but neglecting gods glory: stryuing against man onely, and killing him, but not killing the vice, nor confuting the errour of man: strong against flesh and bloude, but weake against the Deuill, stout against the simple, but meeke against the mightie: briefly, doing almost all thinges preposterously, more like to secular Princes, then spirituall Pastours of Christes flocke, with outward forcement, and feare of punishment, wyth prysoning, famishyng, hanging, racking, drowning, headyng, slaying, murdering, and burning, and warring also: on the other side with his riches and treasures, wyth his garde and gardiance, with strength of men, with Court and Cardinals: with pomp and pride about them, with their triple crowne, with the naked sworde: with theyr ordinary succession: with their lawes, and executions: their promotions and prefermēts: their biddings and commandings: threatninges and reuenginges. &c.

In fine, to compare therfore the Images of a worldly kingdome, with this kingdome of the Pope,MarginaliaA comparisō betwene the kingdom of this world and the kingdome of the Pope. there is no difference, saue onely that this kingdome of the Pope, vnder hypocrisie maketh a face of the spirituall sword, which is the worde of God: but in verye deede doth all things with the temporall sworde, that is with outwarde forcement and coaction: differing nothing from ciuile and secular regiment in all properties and conditions, if it be well considered. For as in an earthly kingdome first there is a Prince or some chiefe Magistrate appointed, hauing dominion ouer his nobles and commons, conteining all his subiects vnder his statutes and lawes, with the which lawes notwithstanding he dispenseth at his pleasure: vnder whom all other inferior Magistrates haue their order and place to them appointed to rule ouer the subiects, and yet to be subiect vnder him: So if the state and forme of the Pope be well aduised, we shall see it altereth nothing from the same, but onely in the names of the persons. In ciuile gouernment, al subiectiō is referred to one head ruler, whose authoritie surmounteth all the rest, and kepeth them vnder obedience: In like maner the gouernement of the Popish Church is committed to one man; who as chiefe steward, ouerseer and ruler of Christes houshold in his absence, hath supreame power ouer all Churches, to moderate and direct all the affaires thereof. But here stādeth the difference, in ciuill policy he is called a Kyng or Prince, here he is called a Pope.

The King hath next vnto him his Dukes & Earles, The Popes nobilitieMarginaliaSeculer Nobilitie compared with ecclesiasticall Nobilitie.standeth in his Cardinals, and Legats, who though they be no Dukes in name, yet in pōpe and prid will not onely giue checke to them, but also mate to Kings themselues, if they might be suffered, as did Theodorus, Lancfrancus, Ancelmus, Thomas Becket, and so would Thomas Woulsey haue done, had not the King giuen him a necke to his mate betime. In ciuile policie next to Dukes & Earles foloweth the order of Lords, Barons, Knights, Esquiers, Gentlemen, with Mayors, Sheriffes, Cōstables, Bayliffes, Wardens. &c. The like race is to be seene also, although vnder other names, in the Popes policie:MarginaliaCiuile Magistrates compared with Ecclesiasticall.of Primates, Bishops, Suffraganes, Prouostes, Deanes, Canons, Vicars, Archdeacons, Priests, Deacons, Sub-deacōs, Acolites, Exorcists, Lectors, Dorekepers, Singsters, with other Clerks. And as in the other vnder wardens cometh the order of Scauingers: so neither doth the Popes Monarchy lacke his kaynilrakers, to whome may well be compared the rablement of Abbotes, Prouincials, Priors, Monkes, Friers, with their Couentes and Nonneries.

Moreouer from Iustices, Iudges, Laweyers, Sergeants, Attorneyes, which be necessary offices in the cōmon wealth; what differeth the Popes Inquisitors, Canonistes, Doctours and Bachelers of the Popes lawe, Comissaries, Officials, Proctors, Promoters, with such other,MarginaliaOfficers of the temperall court compared with the officers of the spirituall Court.which serue no lesse in spirituall Court, & in the consistorie, then the other aforesaid doe in temporall Court, or in the Yeldhall. Now who so list to compare the glory and magnificence of the one, with the glory of the other:MarginaliaGlory cōpared. Power cōpared Riches compared.also the power and strength of the one regiment, with the power of the other: and so the ryches of the one, wyth the ryches of the other, I suppose he shall see no great ods betweene them both, taking the Popes kingdome as it hath stood in his full ruffe, & yet doth stande, where Churches are not reformed. As for subtiltie and politike practise,MarginaliaSubtletie compared.there is no man that doubteth, that is indifferent, nor that seeth not, that hath his eyes, but that the Popes hierarchie in holding vp their state, far excelleth all þ^e kingdomes of worldly Princes, of whome all other may take example to learne.

Thus in comparing the Popes regiment with ciuile gouernance as they doe little or nothing disagre asunder: So in comparing againe the same with the order of scriptures, or with the regiment that was in the old auncient Church of Rome,MarginaliaThe difference betweene the Popes regiment and the order of the primitiue Church.we shall see no resemblaunce betwene them. As we read in the Apostles time,Marginalia2. Cor. 10. Ephes. 6. 1. Tim. 1. all the armour of Christes ministers was spirituall and ful of godly power against the spirituall enimies of our saluation, gouerning the Church then with peace, patience, humilitie, true knoledge of God, the sword of the spirite, the shielde of fayth, the breastplate of righteousnes, harty charitie, sincere faith, and good conscience: so after the Apostles in the time of Ambrose by his owne testimonie is to be vnderstand, that the armour of Churchmen was then, preces & lachrymæ,MarginaliaThe armour proper to Churchmen.prayers and teares: where now the armour of the popes Priesthoode is nothing els but ignis & ferrum, i. fire and sword, wherewith they keepe all things vnder their subiection. And here commeth the enorme and horrible abuse of excommunication,MarginaliaHorrible abuse of excommunication in the Popes Church.suspension, and interdiction in cases friuolous, or worldly; and for such, as for which the ciuile magistrate will not commit any Citizens to the stockes, the Popes censure will not sticke to commit a Christian to the deuill: not to speak of their other vsurped dealings and doings in matters, that belong to þ^e ciuile sword, & be to them unpertinent.MarginaliaThe Popes gouerning in matters to them not pertayning.As in punishing whoredome and adultery, in administration and probates of testamentes, in bearing ciuile office, as popes to be Senators of Rome and Emperour also sede vacante. Cardinals to be Capitaines in warre, and rulers of regions: Byshoppes to be Presidentes or Chauncellours, Priestes to be stewards in great mens houses, or maysters of mintes, or Clerkes of þ^e market, or gardiners to Gentlemen. &c. All which here I ouerpasse referring thē to þ^e deeper consideratiō of such as haue more leisure to mark þ^e order of their doings, & so to iudge of the same with indifferencie, according to þ^e rule of truth, touched with Gods worde, and publike examples of þ^e auncient Church of Christ in the primitiue tyme.

Thus hauing discoursed sufficiently so much as concerneth the maner of life, title, iurisdiction , and gouernement of the Popes sea (in all which pointes is to be sene how this latter Church of Rome hath receded from the true auncient Church of Rome) now remaineth, according to my promise, and order prefixed, consequentlye to proceede to the fourth and last point, which is of doctrine:MarginaliaThe corrupt doctrine of the Popes Church examined and detected. wherein consisteth the chiefest matter that maketh with vs and against them, in such sort as (their doctrine stan-