Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part…

What King or Emperor can by his Office, take a soul by baptism from the power of the Devil, and number him with the Sons of God, and fortify him with holy Chrism? And (which is the greatest thing in the Christian Religion) can with his own mouth make Christs body and blood? Or which of them can bind and loose in Heaven and earth? By all which it may be plainly gathered by how great power the sacerdot all dignity excelleth. Which of them can ordain one Clerk in the holy Church? How much less can they depose him for any fault? For in orders ecclesiastical, to depose is an act of greater power than to ordain: For Bishops may ordain Bishops, but in no wise depose them without the authority of the Apostolic seat: Who then that hath any knowledge can doubt but that Priests are preferred before ⟨p. 363⟩Kings? In a word, we must know that all good Christians are more fitly Kings than evil Princes: For these by seeking the Glory of God do strenuously rule themselves: But the other seeking their own, and being enemies to themselves do tyrannically oppress others: These (good Christians) are the body of Christ. The other (bad Princes) are the body of the Devil. These so rule themselves, as that they shall reign eternally with the highest Emperor. But the power of the other brings them eternally to perish by eternal damnation, with the Prince of darkness, who is King over all the Sons of Pride. And it is not to be wondered at that^(*) bad Prelates consent to an unrighteous King, whom for their ill got preferments by him, they love and fear, who Simoniacally ordaining any, do for a base price sell even God himself. For as the elect are inseparably united to their head, so the reprobate are pertinaciously confederate against the good with him that is head of their militia.^(*) Let Emperors and Kings see then how much the Imperial and Kingly dignity is to be feared, in which very few are saved^b and those that by Gods mercy come to salvation are not made so good (or eminent) as many of the poor, the Spirit of God being judge: For from the beginning of the world to these times of ours, we find not in all the authentic Scripture any Emperors or Kings whose lives were so adorned with great