Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/715

 Lord, being allowed and sent by their superiors unto whom that office appertaineth; the authority of the bishop always reserved, who is the provider of all things, according to the institution of the holy Fathers.

As concerning the last article, expressed under these words, 'It is not lawful for the christian clergy, in the time of the law of grace, to have dominion over temporal goods;' we remember that in the solemn disputation holden in the sacred council, he who was appointed by the council to dispute, propounded two conclusions in this sort:

First, That such of the clergy as were not religious, and had not bound themselves thereunto by a vow, might lawfully have and possess any temporal goods: as the inheritance of his father or any other, if it be left unto him; or any other goods justly gotten by means of any gift, or other lawful contract, or else some lawful art.

The second conclusion, 'The church may lawfully have and possess temporal goods, moveable and unmoveable, houses, lands, towns and villages, castles and cities; and in them have a private and civil dominion.' Your ambassador who disputed against him, granted those conclusions, saying, That they did not impugn the sense of this article being well understood, forasmuch as he understandeth this article of civil dominion, formerly meant. Whereby, and also by other things, it may be understood, that those words, 'to have secular dominion,' expressed in the aforesaid article, seem to be referred to some special manner or kind of dominion. But, forasmuch as the doctrine of the church is not to be treated upon by any ambiguous or doubtful words, but fully and plainly; therefore we have thought good more plainly to express that, which according to the law of God, and the doctrine of the holy doctors, is universally to be believed; that is to say, the two aforesaid conclusions to be true. And also, that the clergy ought faithfully to distribute the goods of the Church, whose administrators they are, according to the decrees of the holy Fathers; and that the usurpation of the administration of the church goods, done by any other than by them, unto whom the administration is canonically committed, cannot be without guilt of sacrilege.

'Thus the sacred council,' said they, 'hath diligently gone about, according to the verity of the gospel, all ambiguity set apart, to expound the true sense of the three aforesaid articles. Wherefore, if there do yet remain any doubt, according to the information which we have received in the sacred council, we are ready, by God's help, who is the principal Verity, to declare the truth unto you. If ye do receive and embrace the declaration of the said three articles, which is grounded upon the verity of the holy Scripture, as you are bound, and will effectually have a pure, simple, and perfect unity, touching the liberty of the communion under both kinds, which you desire and require, which also you cannot lawfully have without the license of holy church; we have authority from the general council, by certain means to treat and conclude with you, trusting that you will show yourselves as you will continue.'

These things thus declared, after the Bohemians had taken deliberation, they said, That they would give no answer unto the premises, before they understood what should be offered them as touching the communion. Wherefore it shall be necessary to declare the matter, as it was written in form :

In the name of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, upon the sacrament of whose most blessed Last Supper we shall treat, that he who hath instituted this most blessed sacrament of unity and peace, will vouchsafe to work this effect in us, and to make us that we nuiy be one in the said Lord .Jesus our head, and that he will subvert all the subtleties of the devil, who, through his envious craftiness, hath made the sacrament of peace and unity, an occasion of war and discord; that, while Christians do contend touching the manner of communicating, they be not deprived of the fruit of the communion. Whereupon