The Pope confuted The holy and apostolic Church confuting the Pope. The first action.…The Pope confuted The holy and apostolique Church confuting the Pope. The first action.…

Now therefore if a man do shun and flee from this poison and venomous contagion, though it be enshrined never so gloriously in the visible church: it followeth not therefore hereupon necessarily, that the same doth utterly renounce the visible church of Christ.¹ No more is this true likewise, though the Pope with his shavelings and Cardinals be some part and portion of a visible church, that therefore the state of the universal church consisteth wholly in them.

Nowe therefore if a man doe shunne and flee from this poyson and venimous contagion, though it be enshrined neuer so gloriously in the visible churche: it foloweth not therefore hereupon necessarily, that the same doth vtterly renounce the visible church of Christe.¹ No more is this true likewyse, though the Pope with his shauelings and Cardinals be some part and portion of a visible church, that therefore the state of the v••uersall churche consisteth wholy in them.

1. 1Though the Pope with his crew be part of the church, yet be they not the universal church.Though the Pope with his crew be part of the church, yet be they not the vniuersall church.

¹But they proceed nevertheless too their subtle sophisms. What, say they, doth not the universal church of Christ embrace the faith of Rome every where? Go to, and what then I pray you? Ergo he that secludeth him self from the faith of Rome, can not choose but renounce the universal church of Christ. What answer shall I frame better too this subtle sophism, but too deny both parts thereof, both the assumption and conclusion? For the church did neither heretofore always confess the Romish faith that is now to be universal: neither doth the universal church of the whole world confess the same at this present: as the which groundeth her anchorhold upon the Apostolic faith, and not upon the Romish faith. Neither we, though we do not allow, but abrogate utterly all & singular the assertions of the Romish religion being now in ure, have therefore renounced the universal church. Over & besides, to yield thus much also, y a great part of the unlettered multitude do at this prese receive the Romish rags: yet behoveth us to have consideration not of that which the common people