ſhulde not deceaue the people. Oure Balaam calleth defendynge of the fayth, the ſuppreſſyng, kepyng ſecrete, and burnyng of the worde of fayth: leſt the lyght there of ſhulde beter his darknes: leſt his owne Decretales & Decrees, his owne lawes and conſtitucions, his owne ſtatutes and inuencions ſhulde come to none effecte: leſt his intollerable exactions and vſurpacions ſhulde loſe theyr ſtrengthe: leſt it ſhulde be knowen what a thefe and murtherer he is in the cauſe of Chriſt, and how haynous a traytoure to God and man in defraudynge all Chriſten kynges & prynces of theyr due obedience: leſt we youre graces ſubiectes ſhulde haue eyes to the worde of God, at the laſt to ſpye out his crafty conueyaūce and iuglynges: and leſt men ſhulde ſe, how ſore he and his falſe Apoſtles haue deceaued all Chriſtendome, ſpecyally youre noble realme of Englonde.
Thus your grace ſeyth how brotherly the Jewyſh byſſhoppe and oure Balaam agree together, not onely in myter and outwarde appearaunce: but as the one perſecuted the Lorde Jeſus in his owne perſone, ſo doth the other perſecute his worde and reſyſteth his holy ordynaunce in the auctorite of his anoynted kynges. For ſo moche nowe as the worde of God is the onely trueth that dryueth awaye all lyes, and diſcloſeth all inglyng and diſceate, therfore is oure Balaam of Rome ſo lothe that the ſcripture ſhulde be knowē in the mother tonge: leſt yf kynges and prynces (ſpecially aboue all other) were exercyſed therin, they ſhulde reclame and chalenge agayne theyr due auctorite, which he falſely hath vſurped ſo many yeres, and foly tye hym ſhorter: and leſt the people beyng taught by the worde of God, ſhulde fall from yt falſe foyned obediēce of hym and his diſguyſed Apoſtles, vnto the true obedience commaunded by Gods owne mouthe: as namely, to obey theyr prynce, to obey father and mother, &c. and not to ſteppe ouer father and mothers bely to enter in to his paynted religions, as his ypocrites teache: for he knoweth well ynough, that yf the cleare Sonne of Gods worde come ones to the heate of the daye, it ſhal dryue awaye all the foule myſt of his deuelyſh doctrines. Therefore were it more to the mayntenaunce of Antichriſtes kyngdome, that the worlde were ſtyll in ignoraunce and blyndnes, and that the ſcripture ſhulde neuer come to lyghte. For the ſcripture (both in the olde teſtament and in the new) declareth moſt aboūtdauntly that the office, anctorite and power geuen of God vnto kynges/is in earth aboue all other powers: let them call thēselues Popes, Cardynalles, or what ſo euer they will, the worde of god declareth them (yee and commaundeth them vnder payne of dampnacion) to be obedient vnto the temporall ſwerde:[1] As in the olde Teſtament all the Prophetes, Preſtes and Leuites were. And in the new Teſtament Chriſt & his Apoſtles both were obedient them ſelues, and taught udedience of all men vnto theyr prynces ād temporall rulers[2]: which here vnto vs in the worlde preſent the perſone of God, and are called Goddes in the ſcripture, bycauſe of the excellēcy of theyr office. And though there were no mo auctorites but the ſame, to proue the p̄eminence of the temporall ſwerde, yet by this the ſcripture declareth playnly, that as there is nothyng aboue God, ſo is there no man aboue the kynge in his realme but that he onely vnder God is the chefe heade of all the cōgregacyon and church of the ſame. And in token that this is true, there hath ben of olde antiquite (and is yet vnto this daye) a louynge ceremonye vſed in your realme of Englonde, yt whā your graces ſubiectes reade your letters, or begynne to talke or come of your hyghnes, they moue theyr bonettes for a ſigne & token of reuerence vnto your grace, as to their moſt ſoueraigne lorde & heade vnder God, which thyng no man vſeth to do to eny byſſhoppe, wherby (yf oure vnderſtondyng were nat blynded) we myght euydently perceaue, that euen very nature teacheth vs the ſame, that ſcripture cōmaūdeth vs: and that lyke as it is agaynſt Gods worde that a kynge ſhulde not be the chefe heade of his people, euen ſo (I ſaye) is it agaynſt kynde that we ſhulde knowe any other heade aboue hym vnder God.
And that no preſt nor byſſhoppe is exempte (nor can be lawfully) from the obedience of his prynce, the ſcripture is full both of ſtrayte cōmaundemētes, & practiſes of the holyeſt men. + Aaron was obedient vnto Moſes, and cal led hym his lorde, though he was his owne brother.[3] Eleaſar and Phyneas were vnder the obediēce of Joſua. + Nathan the prophete fell downe to the grounde before kynge Dauid, he had his Prynce in ſuch reueraunce(He made not the kynge for to kyſſe his fote as the byſſoppe of Rome maketh Emperours to do) Not withſtondynge he ſpared not to rebuke hym, and that ryght ſharply whan he fell from the worde of God to adultery and manſlaughter. For he was not afrayed to reproue hym of his ſinnes, nomore than Helyas the prophete ſtode in feare to ſaye vnto kynge Achab: + It is thou and thy fathers houſe that trouble Iſrael, becauſe ye haue forſaken ye commaundementes of the Lorde, and walke after Baal. And as Johan Baptyſte durſt ſaye vnto Kynge Herobe: It is not lawful for the to take thy brothers wyfe. But to my purpoſe I paſſe ouer innumerable mo enſāples both of the olde. Teſtament and of the new, for feare leſt I be to tedyous vnto your grace. Sūuna, in all godly regimentes of olde tyme the kynge and tēporall iudge was obeyed of euery man, and was alwaye vnder God the chefe and ſuppreme heade of the whole congregacyon, and depoſed euen preſtes whan he ſawe an vrgant cauſe, as Salomon dyd vnto Abiathar, who coulde than ſtonde agaynſt the godly obedience of his prynce(excepte he woulde be at defyaunce with God and all his holy ordynaunces)[4] that were well acquaynted with the holy ſcripture, which ſo earneſtly cōmendeth vnto euery one of vs the auctorite and power geuen of God vnto kynges and temporall rulers. Therfore doth Moſes ſo ſtreately forbyde the Iſraelites to ſpeake ſo moche as an euell worde agaynſt the prynce of ye people, moche leſſe than to diſobeye hym, or to withſtonde hym.[5] Doth not Jeremy the prophete and Baruc alſo exhorte the people in captiuite, to praye for the proſperous welfore of the kynge of Babilon, and to obeye hym, though he was an infidele: In the new Teſtament whā oure ſauioure Chriſt(beyng yet fre & Lorde of al kynges & prynces) ſhewed his obedience in payenge the trybute to oure enſample, + dyn he not a miracle there in puttynge the pece of money in the fyſſhes mouth(that Peter myght paye the cuſtomes therwith) and all to ſtablyſſhe the obedience due vnto prynces + Dyd not Joſeph and Mary the mother of our ſauiour Chriſt departe frō Nazareth vnto Bethleē, ſo farre from home, to ſhewe theyr obedience in payenge the taxe to the prynce?[6] And wolde not oure Sauioure be borne in the ſame obedience: + Doth not Paule pronounce hym to reſyſte Gad hym ſelfe, that reſyſteth the auctorite of hes prynce?[7] And (to be ſhorte) the Apoſtle Peter doth not ouely ſtablyſſhe the obedience vnto prynces and temporall rulers but affirmeth playnly the kynge(and no byſſhoppe) to be the chefe heade.[8] Innumerable places mo are there in ſcripture, which bynde vs to the obedience of oure prynce, and declare vnto vs, that no man is nor can be lawfully excepte from the ſame: but that all the myniſters of Goddes worde are vnder the temporall ſwerde: + Prynces onely to owe obedience vnto God & his worde.
And where as Anthicriſt vnto youre graces tyme dyd thruſt his heade into ye imperiall crowne of your hyghnes(as he doth yet with other noble prynces mo) that lerned he of Sathā the authour of pryde, and therfor doth he both agaynſt the doctryne & alſo agaynſt ye enſample of Chriſte: whiche becauſe his kyngdome was not of this worlde, medled with no temporal matters, as it is euydent both by his wordes and practyſe: Luc. xij. Math. xxvi. Job. vi. Joh.t vijj. where he yt hath eyes to ſe, maye ſe: & he yt hath eares to heare, maye heare, yt Chriſtes admyniſtracion was nothyng tēporall, but playne ſpiritual, as he hym ſelfe affirmeth & proueth in the fourth chapter of ſaynt Luke out of the prophete Clay: where all byſſhoppes and preſtes mayeſe, how farre theyr byndynge and lowſynge extendeth, and where in theyr office conſiſteth, namely in preachynge the Goſpell, &c.
Wherfore(moſt gracyous prynce) there is no tonge I thyoke, that can fully expreſſe and declare the vntollerable iniuries, which haue bene done vnto God, to al prynces and to the conuynalties of all chriſten realmes, ſence they which ſhulde be onely the miniſters of Gods worde, became lordes of the worlde, and thruſt ye true
