fore the feete of the Apostles: & it was deuided vnto euery one as he had neede thereof. MarginaliaThe example of Peter slaying Ananias and Saphira falsly wrasted of the papists.But a certaine man Ananias with Saphira his wife solde a piece of land, and kept back a part of the price of the field, his wife being priuy vnto it, and bringing a certaine part therof, he laid it at the feete of the Apostles. But Peter saide vnto Ananias: Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy hart that thou shouldest lye vnto the holy ghost, to keepe backe a part of þ^e price of the land? Did it not whilest it remayned, remayane vnto thee: and being sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceiued this thing in thine hart? Thou hast not lyed vnto mē, but vnto God. And whē Ananias heard these wordes, he fell downe and gaue vp the ghost, & great feare came on all them that heard these things. And the young mē rose vp and tooke him vp, and caried him out and buried him. And it came to passe about the space of iij. houres after, that his wyfe came in being ignorant of that whych was done. And Peter sayd vnto her, Tel me womā, sold ye the land for so much? And she sayd, yea for so much. But Peter saye vnto her, why haue ye agreed together to tēpt the spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feete of them which buried thy husbande are at the doore, and shall cary thee out, And straight way she fel downe before his feete, and gaue vp the ghost, and the yong men entring in, found her dead and they caried her out, and buried her by her husbād. And great feare came on all the church, & all those which heard these things. It is meruaile þ^t any man that is wise, wyll say that by this processe Peter slue Ananias or hys wife. MarginaliaPeter not the cause of the death of Ananias and Saphyra.For it was not his act but þ^e act of God, who made a wedding to his sonne, & sent his seruant to cal them, that were bidden vnto the wedding, and they would not come. The king then sent forth his seruantes, to the outcorners of the hie wayes, to gather all that they could find, both good and euill. And so they did. And the maryage was full furnished with gestes. Then came in also the king to view and see them sitting. Among whom he perceaued there one sitting hauing not a wedding garment, and sayth vnto him, frend how camest thou hither? And he being dumme, had not a worde to speake. Then said the king to the seruitures, take and binde him hand and foote, and cast him into the outward darcknes, there shall be weeping and gnashinge of teeth. Many there be called, but few chosen. &c.

It is manifest, that this wedding garmentMarginaliaThe wedding garment what it is. is charitie, without which, because Ananias entred into the maryage of Christ, he was geuen to death, that by one many might be informed to learne & vnderstand: that they which haue fayth & not charitie, although they appeare to men to haue yet it can not be priuy to the spirite of God, that they doe fayne. MarginaliaThe death of Ananias and his wife, what information it giueth to the church.Such there is no doubt, but they shalbe excluded frō the mariage of christ, as we see this here exemplified in the death of Ananias & his wife by the hand of God, & not by the hand of Peter. And how should Peter thē haue iudged Ananias (albeit he had iudged him) worthy of death by the rigour of the old law? For why, by the law he had not bene guilty of death, for that part, which they fraudulently & dissemblingly did reserue to themselues. Yea and if they had stolne as much from an other man, which was greater neither yet for hys lie committed, he had not therfore by þ^t law of iustice bene found gilty of death. Wherefore if he did not condēne hym by þ^e law of iustice, it appeared that he codēned him by the law of grace and mercy, whiche he learned of Christ. And so consequently it followeth much more apparent, that Peter could not put him to death: MarginaliaPeter not the cause of Ananias death.Furthermore to say that Peter put him to death by the meere motion of his own will, and not by authoritie of the old law, nor by the new, it were derogatory and slaunderous to the good fame and name of Peter. But if Peter did kill hym, why then doth the Byshop of Rome which pretendeth to be successor of Peter, excuse himselfe and his priestes from the iudgement of death agaynst heretiques and other offēders, although, they themselues be consēting to such iudgements done by lay men? For that which was done of Peter without offence, may reasonably excuse him and his felow Priestes from the spot of crime. MarginaliaActes. 3.Actes. 5. It is manyfest that there was another which did more greeuously offend thē Ananias, and that Peter rebuked him with more sharpe words: but yet he commanded him not so to be put to death. For Simon Magus also remayning at Samaria, after that he beleued and was baptised, he ioyned himselfe with Phillip: And when he sawe that the holye spirite was geuen by þ^e Apostles (laying theyr handes vpon mē) he offred thē mony, saying geue vnto me this power, that vpon whome soeuer I shall lay my hand, he shail receaue the holy Ghost. To whom Peter answered: Destroyed be thou and thy money together: And for that thou supposest the gifte of GOD to be bought with money, thou shalt haue neyther part nor fellowshippe in this doctrine. Thyhart is not pure before god, therfore repēt thee of thy wickednesse, and pray vnto God that this wicked thought of thy hart may be forgeuen thee: for I perceiue thou are euē in the bitter gall of wickednes and bande of iniquitie. Beholde here the greuous offence of Symon Peters hard & sharp rebuking of him, and yet therupon he was not put to death. Whereby it appeareth that the death of Ananias aforesaid, proceeded of God and not of Peter. Of all these things it is to be gathered seing the iudgements of death are not grounded vpon the expresse and playn scriptures, but onely vnder the shadow of the olde law: that they are not to be obserued of Christians because they are cōtrarye to charity. Ergo þ^e bishop of Rome approuing such iudgements, alloweth those that are contrary to the law & doctrine of Christ, as before is sayd of warres, where hee approueth & iustifieth that which is cōtrary to charity. The order of Priesthood, albeit it doth iustifie the iudgemēts to death of the laity, whereby offenders are condēned to die, yet are they themselues forbidden to put in execution the same iudgementes. The priestes of the old law being vnperfect, whē Pylate said vnto thē concerning Christ (whō they had accused worthy death) take him vnto you and according to your law iudge him, answered: that it was not lawful for them to put to death any man.MarginaliaIoh. 18.

Wherby it appeareth that our priests being much more perfect, may not lawfully geue iudgemēt of death against any offenders: yet notwithstanding, they claime vnto thē the power iudicial vpon offēders: Because say they, it belongeth vnto them to know the offences by the auricular confession of the offenders, and to iudge vpō the same being knowne, aud to ioyne diuers penances vnto þ^e parties offending, according to the quantitie of their offences cōmitted, so that þ^e sinner may make satisfactiō say they vnto God for the offences which he neuer committed. And to cōfirme vnto thē this iudicial power, they alleage þ^e scriptures in many places, wrasting it to serue their purpose.

First they saye that the Bishop of Rome (who is the chief priest and iudge among them) hath ful power & authority to remit sinnes. Wherupon they say, that he is able fully & wholy to absolue a man a pœna & culpa, so that if a man at the time of his death had this remission: he should straightwaies flie vnto heauenMarginaliaLike a pulled Henne. without any paine of Purgatory. The other Bishops (as they say) haue not so great authoritie. The priests constituted vnder euery Byshop, haue power, say they, to absolue the sinnes of thē that are confessed, but not al kind of sinnes: because there are some grieuous sinnes reserued to the absolutions of the Byshops, and some againe to the absolution onely of þ^e chiefe and high Byshop. They say also that it behoueth the offēders, for the necessitie of their soule health, to call to remēbrance their offences, and to manifest the same with al the circumstances therof, vnto the priest in auricular cōfessiō, supplying the place of God, after the maner of a Iudge: & afterwarde humbly to fulfill the penaunce enioyned vnto him by the priest for his sinnes, except the sayde penaunce so enioyned, or any part thereof be released by the superior power. All these things (say they) are manifestly determined, as wel in þ^e decrees, as decretals. And although these things haue not expressely their foundation in the playne and manifest doctrine of Christ, nor any of þ^e Apostles: yet the authors of the decrees and decretals concerning thys matter, haue groūded the same vpon diuers places of the scriptures, as in þ^e proces of Christ in þ^e MarginaliaMath. 16.Gospell of Saynt Mathew þ^e xvj. chapter. MarginaliaThe Popes vsurped power falsly founded vpon scriptures.Wherupon they ground þ^e popes power iudicial, to surmount the powers of other priests, as where Christ sayd vnto his disciples: whō do men saye that I am? And they aunswered: some saye that thou art Iohn Baptist, some Elias, & some Ieremy, or one of the Prophets. To whom he sayde: but who saye you that I am? Symon Peter makinge aunswere, sayde: Thou art Christ, the sonne of the liuing God. And Iesus answered and said vnto him: Blessed art thou Symon the sonne of Ionas, for flesh & bloud hath not opened this vnto thee: but my father which is in heauen. And I say vnto thee: þ^t thou art Peter, & vpon this rocke wil I buyld my church: and hel gates shal not preuaile against it. And I wil geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen. And whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon earth, shal also be bound in heauen: and whatsoeuer thou shalt lose vpon earth, shall bee loosed also in heauen.

Out of this text of Christ, diuers expositiōs haue drawen diuers errours. For when Christ sayd: And I say vnto thee, that thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke wil I build my Church: Some therupon affirme, that Christe meant he would builde his Church vpon Peter by authority of that text, as it is writtē in þ^e first part of þ^e decrees, MarginaliaDist. 9. cap. Ita Dominus noster.Dist. 19. cap. Ita dominus noster. The exposition hereof, is ascribed