A pleasant new nosegay full of many godly and sweet flowers, lately gatheredA pleasaunt newe nosegaye full of many godly and swete floures, lately gathered

Phil. O blind ignorance, and ignorant blindness, with what eyes do those Owls look on the holy scripture? with what spirit doth that generation of vipers search and judge the most sacred word of God?¹ With how filthy & unwashed feet do those swinish and beastlike parsons enter into the sweet and pleasant fountains of y• most pure scriptures? O Lord GOD, what dareth not blind Bayard attempt & take in hand?² Christ came not into this world to reign, but to serve, not to be a temporal, but spiritual king, not to rule with the sword, but with ⟨image 59⟩the breath of his mouth, not to execute judgement on other, but to be judged him self, not to live as an earthly Prince, but as a ghostly minister of God's word, not to •lea, but to be slain. Therefore was it convenient, that he should fulfil his Fathers will, for the which he came down, & that once done to ascend & go up again unto the glory of his father. Which all these thin ges he did: living all the time that he was in this world humbly and meekly, showing ever obedience, reverence & honour to the magistrates although Heathen, even unto the very death. And as he came to serve and not to be served, to obey & not to be obeyed, so taught he his disciples when they began to contend of superiority, to be humble, lowly, meek, gentle, obedient, and not to go about any temporal primacy, which only pertaineth to the civil ⟨image 59⟩magistrates, but to be content with their office,³ which was to preach Gods word, to open the mysteries of Christs kingdom, to reprove the world of sin and unfaithfulness, to fight with the sword of God's word, to use not carnal but spiritual armours, to bring a gain such as were gone astray. To be short, wholly to be bent to enlarge the kingdom of God, and the glory of Christs Gospel. This destroyeth not, but rather magnifieth the authority of the high powers, seeing Christ willed them not to take upon them the office of temporal regiment contrary to equity,