tion. Therefore, in so doing they are excommunicate: The consequent is playne. The Maior is made euidēt by this: That all suche as do omit the necessary meane vnto saluation doe also neglect theyr saluation, and so are out of the way of saluation, and be excommunicated of God. The Minor appeareth hereby that to heare the word of God is the meane more necessary vnto saluation, as the apostle doth proue in his 10. chapter to the Romains. How sayth he, shall they beleue on him, whō they neuer heard of? And how shal they heare without a preacher? And by & by after the Apostle inferreth vnto the purpose. That fayth commeth by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

MarginaliaA mā ought to doe nothing against his conscience. Item, what so euer is done contrary vnto conscience, doth edefy vnto eternall damnation: As it is said, as touching the restitutiō of the spoyled goods. Chap. Literas porro. But to omit the hearing of the word of God, for feare of excommunicatiō of men, is a thing which is done against conscience. Therefore to omit the hearing of the worde of God for excōmunication, doth edefy vnto eternal damnatiō. And therfore cōsequētly ought not to be done, for feare of any excommunication: Wherfore a woman being iudged vnto a man, whom she knoweth to be within the degrees of cōsanguinity, which Gods law hath prohibited, ought not to obey that iudgement least that she offend against God: but meekly & patiently to sustain þ^e excommunication, as it appereth in the chapter before alledged: So likewise all true Christians ought rather then to offend agaynst God, meekly to suffer the excōmunication of men, thē to omit the hearing of the word of God. To this purpose also, serueth that which is spoken in the 11. quest. 3. He that feareth the omnipotēt God, will not presume by any meanes to do any thing contrary vnto the gospell or apostles, either contrary vnto the Prophetes, or the institutions of þ^e holy fathers. By these premises, the 2 part of[illegible text] this article is manifest, that all such as do omit, the hearing of the word of God, for feare of excommunication of men, they are already excommunicated.

MarginaliaThe profes of the third part. And forsomuch, as all christians, being of lawfull age, not repenting at þ^e end, shalbe counted, in a maner as traitors of Christ, in the day of iudgement, because that they were vnfaythfull seruauntes of Christ. Therefore they which through feare omit the preaching & hearing þ^e word of God, for the excommunication of men, shall be counted as trayers of Christ, and shall render account therof, vnto the Lord: MarginaliaChrisostom in his xli. Homely.Whereupon Chrisostome, touching both those sorts in the 41, Homely, shewing how the Lord woulde haue some to be teachers, and other some to be disciples: sayth thus. For vnto those which he would haue to be teachers, he speaketh thus by his Prophet Esay: Ye priestes, speak in the harts of the people, for if þ^e priestes do not manifest all the truth vnto the people, they shall rēder accoūt therof at the day of iudgemēt. And likewise if the people do not learne the truth they shal also geue an account at þ^e day of iudgemēt. It is also made more euidēt by him, vpō the tenth of Mathew. Do not feare them which kill the body, least that through the feare of death, you do not frely speak that which you haue heard, neither boldly preach that vnto all mē, which you alone haue heard in your eares. So þ^t hereby alone it is euidēt, that not onely he is a betrayer of the truth, which transgressing the truth, doth openly speak lyes in the stead of truth: But he also, which doth not freely pronounce or doth not freely defend the truth, which he ought boldly to defēd, is also a traytor vnto the truth. MarginaliaChrisostom although he was excommunicate yet he did preach.For like as the Priest is a debter to preach the truth which he hath heard of the Lord: euē so the layman is bound to defend the truth, which he hath heard of the minister approued by the scriptures, which if he do not, then is he a traytor vnto the truth. For stedfast beliefe, with the hart preuayleth vnto righteousnes, the confession which is made with the mouth, helpeth vnto saluation. Thus much writeth Chrisostome: Who together with the people meekely bearing the excommunicaion of the Bishops freely preached truth, and the people heard him, and so by hys word and his workes he freely taught the truth, least he shold be a Traytor vnto the truth, & consequently be counted as a Traytour vnto our Lord Iesu Christ, in the day of iudgement. And thus the third part of the Article aforesayde, is manifest.

MarginaliaThe xv. article of Wicliffe. IT is lawfull for any Deacon or Priest, to preach the worde of God without the authority of the Apostolicke Sea, or of his Catholickes.

Fir I vnderstand here, by the authority of the Apostolicke Sea, properly his speciall consent, authorising. MarginaliaThe confirmation of the article And likewise I vnderstand by the authority of the Bishop, a speciall consent of the Bishop, authorising the sayde Deacon or Priest to preach.

Now as touching the truth of this Article, I thus argue, like as after matrimony once complete, the man and wife may lawfully without any speciall licēce of the Pope or Bishop, procreate carnall children: MarginaliaEuery man being lawfully called of the church ought to preach the word of God without the Popes lycence. So likewise Deaons or Priestes by the motion of God through the Gospell of Iesu Christ may laWfully without any speciall licence either of the Pope or Bishoppe generate spirituall children. Ergo, this Article is true and the antecedent is thus proued. For as it is an acceptable worke vnto God for man and wife without the speciall licence of the Pope or Bishop to generate carnall children, so it is acceptable vnto him, that Deacons or Priests by the motion of God through the Gospel of Iesu Christ, should lawfully generate spirituall children without the speciall licence of the Pope or of any other Byshop, Ergo, the assumptio is true.

But if any man wil deny this similitude, let him shew the diuersitye. Yea seing it is worse not to receiue, or to choake the seed Gods word, then the carnall seed: So contrarywise, it is better to receiue and sow abroad that seed of the word of God whereby children might be raysed vp vnto God, then to receiue or geue such seede, whereby carnall children may be gotten. Whereupon our Sauiour in the 10. of Mathew sayth thus: whosoeuer doth not receiue you, neither heareth your wordes, wype of the duste from your feete, verelye I say vnto you that in the daye of iudgement, it shalbe more better vnto the Lande of Sodome and Gomer then to that City.

Also a Deacon or Priest being sturred by the spirite of Iesus Christ may preache the word of God without the speciall licence of the Pope or Bishop. Ergo, it is lawful for him so to do. The consequent is thus manifest, for so much as the spirite of God moouing the Deacon or Priest vnto the preaching of the Gospell, is of greater force then anye prohibition of Pope or Bishop inuented by man: Ergo, according vnto the rule of the Apostles they ought infallibly to be obediēt vnto the spirit of Christ which doth so moue them therunto, and rather to obey God then man. Actes. 5. Also by like reason as Heldad and Medad vpon whom the spirit of God did rest, did lawfully prophecy without requiring any licence at Moyses handes, as it is written. Numery. 11. by the same reason may the meek minister of Christ, vpon whom the spirite of God doth rest, without the requiring any licence, either of the Pope or Bishoppe, may lawfully preache the worde of God vnto the people. And would to God in this behalfe all Prelats had the spirite of Moyses, for it is sayd: Numeri. 11. That when as Heldad and Medad were prophesying in the tentes, a childe ranne vnto Moises and tolde him, saying, Heldad and Medad do prophecye in the Tentes, and by and by Iosue the sonne of Nunne the seruaunt of Moyses which he had chosen out amongst many, (sayd) my maister Moises forbid them, and he sayd, why enuiest thou for my sake, MarginaliaGod graunt that al the people may prophecye. would God that all the people could prophecy, and that the Lord would geue them his spirite. O woulde to God the Pope and Bishops had the affection which this holye man the frend of God had. Then would he not prohibite the meeke Deacons and Ministers of Iesus Christ, to preach the Gospell of Iesus Christ. The like affection had the blessed man Gregory which in his 22. booke of Morals writeth vpon these wordes of Iob. And I haue afflicted the soule of his husbandmen, he sayth thus, the husbandmen of this earth are these, which being set in small authority, with as feruent desire as they can, and with as great labor as they may, doe worke by the preaching, of grace to the erudition of the holy Churche, the which husbandmenof this world not to afflict, is not to enuy their labors and doinges: neither ought the ruler of the Church, albeit he do chalenge vnto himselfe alone the title of preaching, through enuy gainesay others which do preach truely and vprightly. For the godly mind of the pasture which seketh not his owne glory amongest men, desireth to be holpen, the which thing also the faythfull preacher doth wish, if it might by any meanes, be brought to passe, that the trueth which he alone cā not sufficiētly expresse, all mēs mouthes might declare.

Wherefore when as Iosue would haue resisted the 2. which were prophecying in the host, why doest thou enuy (sayd he) for my sake, for he did not enuy that good in other which he himselfe had, this writeth S. Gregory.

Also the meeke ministers of Christ haue by a speciall gift of God, knowledge and minde to preach the Gospell, MarginaliaThe course of the worde of God ought not to be stopped. but neither is it lawfull for the Pope or Bishop or any o-