A second admonition to the parliament

It forbiddeth them to §10seek it / they say / but if it be offered to them / they take it. Our saviour refuseth to divide the land¹ between the two brethren when it was offered him / he avoideth when they sought to make him a king? what think you he would have taken it / if it had been orderly offered by the whole state? no / he saith: my kingdom is not of this world / or a worldly kingdom / I came not to be ministered unto / but to minister / and even so he telleth his disciples / it must be amongst them. §20And yet further / doth that text forbid ambition in the ministers / and allow it in princes? for he disproveth not the kings that they are lords / and exercise authority over their nations / and have great titles / for not only there / but the scripture is plain / that they may so do / and yet not be ambitious / which they may be / if they content not themselves with their own countries / and titles / but covet others. But in this place he showeth §30/ that they must not exercise authority as² civill magistrates do / and may do / nor be one above another / you shall not be so / he that is chief among you / let him be your servant / so that if they will take it / it may not be given them. The apostles / they also avoided it amongst themselves / and they forbid it in others / as the place of Peter is plain / and so plain / that it is a worldly wise way to seek some other shift to face out ⟨p. 29⟩the matter / and to underprop this ruinous Hierarchy withal. The scriptures are plain against it / and therefore some other device must be found at a pinch / to flap the world in y• mouth with somewhat: to tell them that good and ancient chronicles make mention of the lordly degree of bishops / and to bring forth the heralds craft to help out the matter / to blaze the arms of such worthy prelates as have ben of long time before. This were a worldly wise way / and as §10I hear / is intended to be practised. But surely if this be practised / they must also practise to stop the course of the scriptures / for else the scriptures will on the other side display as fast / the folly of such proud men. Here some keep hot schools / what say they / every one as good as another amongst the ministers? shall not one be better then another? what is disorder if this be not? well this is God his order / and in deed as I said afore / the best order.