Confutation of the Popes Bull, Part 24
¶That the Queene of England is not an hereticke, and therefore not stricken with the popes curse, nor cut of from the vnitie of Christes bodie.
ALthough the Bull be now sufficiently confuted, and the Quéenes innocencie defended and declared, and the popes outragious tyranny, cruell wrong, and excessiue vnindifferencie layd foorth, so as his most vniust definitiue sentence may easely and by very good right, be ouerpassed, despised, yea and laughed at: yet shall it not gréeue me, euen for an ouerplus, to peruse it againe in sifting it by péecemeale. The same hath chiefly fower points. First the pope declareth and denounceth the Quéene of England to be an hereticke, and a bolsterer of heretikes, & therfore that she is stricken with his curse, and cut of from the vnitie of Christes body.
But it hath bene shewed in many woords already, that the Quéene is a catholike and Christian princesse, and not giltie of any heresie or crime. Wherupon it followeth, that the pope by his condemning of so giltles and rightbeleuing a Prince, bewrayeth and vttereth himself what he is, namly euen one of those of whome Peter hath sayd,2. Petr. 2. They despise higher powers: presumptuous are they and stubbern, and feare not to speak euill of them that be in authority &c. A few yeares past, the reuerend Bishops of England dyd setfoorth a godly and learned Apologie: in the third chapter whereof chiefly they shew howe the Realme of Englande hath no aliance at all with heretickes, or heresies. In the same they plainly and stedfastly professe their fayth, and openly declare themselues to be of a sound and christian religion, eloquently and truely washing away all the accusations and slaunders of the papistes. It is more manifest, then that it néedeth to be reported with many words, what ye Doctors,Who is an hereticke. diuines, & ministers of the Church of Christes time hauehave thought to be heresie, and whome they hauehave demed to be heretickes. As for the law of Lucius the thirde, concerning the suppressing of heresie (which is registred by Gregory the ninth, in the thirde booke of decretalles, & the seuenth title concerning heretickes) wherby the popes deuise, and shape all their iudgementes and condemnations. Wise men and godly men hauehave alwayes déemed it tyrannicall, contrary to the iudgements of holy and religious antiquitie: and therfore we thincke it not woorth the naming, and we estéeme all the decrées that be formed and pronounced according to the same, to be tyrannicall. Yet notwithstanding I can not stay my selfe, but I must néedes at thys present rehearse the opinion of the auncient writer Tertullian concerning this matter. In his booke of the veyling of Virgins, Heresies (sayth he) are ouercome, not so much by newnesse, as by truth. What so euer fauoureth otherwyse than of truth, the same is heresie, yea though it be euē auncient custome. And againe in Prescriptions of heretikes. Heresies (sayth the same author) are termed of the Gréeke woord, as in respect of the choyce which a man vseth eyther in the mayntayning, or in the receyuing of them. And therefore he sayth that an heretike is condemned in himselfe, because he hath chozen the thing wherein he is condemned. But it is not lawfull for vsus to do any thing vponupon oure owne head: nor to choose the thing that an other man hath brought in of hys owne head. We hauehave the Lordes Apostles for our warrant, who chose not any thing of theyr owne head to bring in, but faythfully deliuered ouer to all nations the discipline that they had receyued of Christ. And therfore if euen an Angell from heauen should preach any otherwise vntounto vsus, we would hold him acursed. Thus far Tertullian. Wherfore séeing that the Quéene hath chozen nothing of hir owne head, to deliuer to hir subiectes, but onelyonly hath betaken to them, propheticall and Apostolicall truth of the scriptures to be followed: hir maiestie is vtterly discharged of the crime of heresy. And séeing that the romish opinions, and the popish rites and ceremonies differing from our opinions and ceremonies, are nothing els but opinions inuented by mens owne braynes, & selfchozen ceremonies. Let the Romanistes consider, to whether of vsus, the crime of heresy may iustlyest be imputed, and to whome it sticketh fastest. Besides this, the Imperiall lawes commaunde all that be vnderunder the Empyre, to follow that religion which S. Peter deliuered to the Romanes. And it addeth: We pronounce, that such as folow this law, embrace the name of catholike Christians: and that the rest are to be taken for heretiks, iudging them to be mad, and out of their wits. But the Quéene wil hauehave nothing to flourish in hir realme, but the Apostolike doctrine: ergo she is a catholike, and not an heretike: neither fauoureth she heretikes, nor can abide to hauehave heresies taught in hir realme, nor cherisheth such as be stayned wc the spotte of heresy: but rather euen for the same cause she hath banished the romish traditions and popish ceremonies out of her whole Realme, least she might be sayd to beare with any thing against the Apostolike doctrine and Christian Ceremonies.
And therfore the thunderclap of that Tarpeian or Romane Iupiters curse,The curse of the Tarpeian Iupiter is not to be feared. wherewith he will hauehave the Quéene to séeme to be striken through, is but a blockish thūderbolt, and no more to be feared, then the thunderclappes, smokes, and mistes of Cacus were to be feared of Hercules, as hath bene sayd already afore. The blind mā to whom Christ had giuen eye sight was in old tyme cast out of the Synagoge of the Pharisies. But that excommunication was so farre from hurting him, that from thence forth he was receiued into Christes houshold by the Lord Christ himselfe, who in his Gospell prophesying of the thinges that are now accomplished by the Pope,Iohn. 16. sayd: They shall thrust you out of their Synagoges. Yea and the tyme commeth that who soeuer killeth you, he shall thinke he doth God seruice. And these thinges shall they do vntounto you, bycause they hauehave not knowē the father nor yet me. But I hauehave told these things vntounto you, to the intent that whē that time is come, ye may remember what I hauehave sayd vntounto you.
Wherfore it hurteth not the Queenes Maiestie a whit,The Queene is not cut of from the vnitie of Christes body. that she is sayd to be cut of, truly not from the vnitie of Christes body, but from the felowshyp of the Popish corporation. For were she not cut of from this, verely she could not be reckened among the true and liuely members of Christes body: neither could she hauehave God to be her father, if she could finde in her hart to be an obedient daughter to the Syr that sitteth vppon mount Tarpey, deuouring his owne sonnes and daughters like Saturne. For the Lord willeth hys children to get them out of Babylon if they minde to escape the plagues of God, and to atteine true saluation. And we be not kept in the vnitie of Christes body, (which is the Church of the liuing God) by obeying and reuerencing the Romane Church and the Bishop therof: but by true faith in Christ according to the Gospell of God. He that wanteth this, or he that impugneth this, hath no communion at all, neither with Christ nor with the Church, how much soeuer he pratle of the vnitie of Christes body.