The Thirteenth Answer.

For obeying the queen's majesty and her laws, or for disobeying, we do not greatly differ from him: but where he says, she has nothing ado with matters of faith and religion, we utterly deny it. For that is as much to say, as that she were not a christian prince, no, nor a prince at all; for princes are charged by God to maintain true religion, and suppress superstition and idolatry. This is the mark that they shoot at, to be exempt from all correction of princes, that they might do what they lust, bring in superstition instead of religion, and nourish the people in blood devotion, rule all other, and be ruled of none, no, not of God himself. So much obedience the Turk's subjects owe him, and yet deny him not authority in their religion. But this matter was more fully handled in the fifth answer. King Richard the second proves well in his epistle to pope Boniface the ninth', that temporal rulers have often from the beginning bridled and ruled the spirituality, even the popes. Salomon, says he, put down the priest Abiathar, and set up Zadoc. Otho the emperor deposed pope John the twelfth. Henry the emperor put down Gratianus. Otho deposed pope Benet the first. The controversy betwixt Symmachus and Laurence, who should be pope, was ended afore Theodosius, king of Italy. Henry the emperor deposed two, striving who should be pope, and set up a third, called Clement the second. Frederick the emperor corrected four popes. By these and many such like he proves, that princes have corrected and brought in order so many popes: therefore they have lawful power so to do.

And shall not our queen have power to see whether the clergy here within her realm do their duty, in teaching true doctrine, pure ministering of the sacraments, and an upright godly life? Indeed, this was the beginning of the controversy betwixt Thomas Becket and king Henry the second; and these, like good scholars of the same school, follow the same way. Certain priests were complained on for their lewd living, whom the king would have punished: but Becket withstood him, saying it belonged not to the king to handle such holy anointed spiritual men. Austin in his book contr. Liter. Petiliani, 11.

[The whole letter is in Foxe, Acts and Monuments, Vol. 1. p. 509. ed. 1583. En.]

in the sixth and other sundry chapters, proves that it belongs to kings to have care and charge for religion, both in maintaining the good and pulling down the evil. He alleges this of the second psalm, "Serve the Lord in fear, &c." "How should kings," says he, serve the Lord in fear, but in forbidding and punishing those things that are done against the Lord's commandment? He serves in one sort, inasmuch as he is a man; and in another, insomuch as he is a king he serves him as a man in living truly, but as a king in making laws, which command just things and forbid the contrary. So served king Ezechias in descrying the groves and temples of idols: so served Josias, so the king of Nineve in compelling the whole city to pacify the Lord. Thus served Nabuchodonozor, in forbidding by a fearful law that they should not blaspheme God. Kings serve the Lord in this point, when they do those things to serve him, which none can do but kings, &c." Thus far Austin. Constantine also, the good emperor, commands the Donatists to come to Rome to hear the bishops' judgment; but afterward, when he had heard the matter debated, he judged the cause himself, and made a law against them, as Austin writes, Epist. LXVIII.3

Thus princes then, calling their clergy together, because few of them have sufficient learning of themselves, and hearing the matters of religion debated, and the truth tried, may and

[ Mirantesque fortasse quærunt, propter id quod in consequentibus audiunt, Servite Domino in timore, in quo illi servire possint in quantum reges sunt. Omnes enim homines servire Deo debent: aliter communi conditione, qua homines sunt; aliter diversis donis, quod ille aliud agit in rebus humanis, ille aliud. Non enim auferenda idola de terra, quod tanto ante futurum prædictum est, posset quisquam jubere privatus. Habent ergo reges, excepta generis humani societate, eo ipso quo reges sunt, unde sic Domino serviant, quomodo non possunt qui reges non sunt. Contra Lit. Petiliani, Lib. II. cap. 210. Tom. ix. p. 449. Paris. 1837.— Compare also the following: Quomodo ergo reges Domino serviunt in timore, nisi ea, quæ contra jussa Domini fiunt, religiosa severitate prohibendo atque plectendo? Aliter enim servit, quia homo est ; aliter quia etiam rex est. Epist. CLXXXV. Tom. I. p. 977. ED.]

[ Post hanc relationem ad se missam jussit Imperator venire partes ad episcopale judicium in urbe Roma faciendum. Postea et ipse coactus episcopalem causam inter partes cognitam terminavit, et primus contra vestram partem legem constituit. Epist. LXXXVIII. (al. LXVIII.) Tom. I. p. 321. ED.]

[PILKINGTON.]

41

Isai. xlix.

ought by their law and royal power defend that truth, and punish the disobedient, whosoever they be. The prophet says, that God made kings and queens to be nurses to his church. The nurse's duty is to feed, guide, and cherish the child; yea, to correct, instruct, and reform him when he does a fault. She must not be a dry nurse, but with the two paps of the new testament and old feed her children: she must teach him to go; when he is fallen, take him up again; and give him such wholesome meat, that she may and dare taste and try it herself. God grant princes thus to be nurses, and not stepmothers, that God's children may serve their Lord God, Master and Father, quietly under their wings!

THE CONCLUSION.

OUR Saviour Christ, when they called him Samaritan, a friend of publicans and sinners, a drunkard, &c., held his tongue, and made no answer: but when they said he had a devil, he said, "I have no devil." It is written also in citis patrum of Agathon, whom certain would try whether he could patiently bear slanders, and called him proud, advoterer [adulterer], a thief and heretic: all other he let pass, and said, "I am a sinner, but I am not an heretic." They asked him, why he answered to that rather than to the other: he said, he learned of Christ his master to suffer lies, but not his doctrine to be touched; for heresy separates a man from God'. So among all slanderous tongues, that go about to deface God's truth by railing on the ministers of it, many are borne of many with grief of mind: but to be charged with false doctrine, no honest mind

[Illa prima mihi ascribo, utilitas enim animæ meæ est: quod autem dixistis hæreticum me esse, ideo non acquievi, quia separatio est a Deo, et non opto separari a Deo. Vitæ Patrum, Lib. v. Libell. x. cap. 10. p. 597. Antverp. 1615. En.]

can bear, nor good man should suffer. For as he teaches the good and wholesome doctrine, so he should confound the contrary to his power. And this was among other a great cause, why I (though not hurt by this his foolish railing) took in hand to answer this blind papist; and because those learned fathers, whom he would seem to touch, thought it unworthy any answer. When I see this copy cast abroad by a malicious member of antichrist, to withdraw God's people from his truth, my spirit was stirred to the answering of the same: but many, when they see how foolish it was, laughed at it, and thought it to be passed away with silence, for that foolishness of itself would confound itself to them that had wit or learning. Yet that the simple ones, for whose cause chiefly this labour is taken, should not be deceived and overcome with fond fantasies of idle brains, and lest God's enemies should crack, that none could or durst answer it; I thought good, because other that can do better would not, thus shortly to answer the chief points of popery, touched in this his unlearned apology.

This is the polity of papists, to set out a broker to utter their ware, and catch the unlearned, but the subtler sort hold their tongue, stand aloof to see how this forerunner will take place, and are thought by their silence to be able to say much more; when as they fear indeed, lest in being answered they should take the foil, to the clean overthrowing of their cause. This proud Golias has cracked and provoked all God's people, as though none durst meddle with him: but I trust poor David has wiped his nose, and given him a fall with his poor sling and few stones. But I fear I lose my labour: for as the prophet says, "Can the black man of Ind change his colour?" Jer. xiii. No more can this Morian learn to say well. If the miserable state of the people had not moved me, I would have holden my tongue, and laugh at it, as wise men do; but that with the poor simple ones, whom they deceive in corners with such lies as these, such common bald reasons as he has brought should not prevail, I thought good for pity sake to say thus much, to stay them whose eyes God shall open to see.

My reasons and authorities of purpose are commonly taken out of their own doctors and writers, and such books as are not counted protestants, nor made by any of this new learning.

For the nonest', I forbare to allege the learneder sort, lest the unlearned should say, they could no skill on such books, nor knew not whether they were truly brought in: and seeing their own doctors and schoolmasters have given us this vantage against them, I fear not to try with them in writers of greater authority and ancienty.

Thus much I have spoken for my part: let the rest, whom God has given greater knowledge and utterance unto, help thus to stop the mouths of God's enemies; and I trust, by the power of his Holy Spirit, antichrist with his members shall daily decay, and God's glorious truth shall shine to the comfort of all his elect; though their eyes be not yet fully opened to see, nor their hearts lightened to understand it. God the Father

grant for his Son's sake, Jesus Christ crucified, that
we all may be partakers of his Spirit of truth, and

his wilful obstinate enemies confounded,

his poor lambs delivered from the
wolves, and strengthened against

the assaults of Satan; that

at the length we may

be glorified with

him for ever

and ever.

Amen.
(*)

Behold, says the Lord of Hosts to thee, I will lay thy skirts on thy face, and open thy filthiness to the people, and thy shame to kingdoms; and I will cast thy abominations upon thee, and I will revile thee, and make thee like dung: and it shall come to pass, that every one that sees thee shall fall from thee. Nah. iii.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we are utterly despised. Our soul is filled with the mocking of the rich, and despite of the proud. Psalm cxxiii.

[The nonest: the nonce. For the purpose. ED.]