The Safe Way Leading All Christians, Section 7
Sect. 7. The Pedegree of the Romiſh faith drawne downe from the ancient Heretiques, and the Proteſtant faith deriued from Chriſt and his Apoſtles
BVt ſince theſe men are ſo inquiſitiue to know of vsus the firſt Authors of their Religion; I wil tel them of their Predeceſſors, and giuegive them a ſhort Pedegree both of their Romane faith, and our Proteſtant doctrine, that it may appeare from whom they and we are lineally deſcended: and firſt touching the ſucceſſion in perſon and doctrine. I will examine it, Ordine retrogrado, and aſcend vpward.
Latin Seruice.Latin ſeruice and prayer in a ſtrange tongue came into the Church by Pope Vitalian, (ſaith Wolphius) and this was about the yeare 666.Wolphius Lect. Memorab. Centenarius ſeptim p. 189. if we aſcend higher the Heretiques, Oſſeni taught in the firſt ages There was no need to make a prayer in a knowne tongue, Epiph. hereſ. 19.ſaith Epiphanius. If you will aſcend to the Apoſtles time, and claime Antiquitie in the higheſt degree, there were certaine Iewes (ſaith Ambroſe) amongst the Grecians, …s namely, Ambr. Epist. 1. ad Cor. c. 14.the Corinthians who did celebrate the diuine Seruice and the Sacrament, ſometimes in the Syriacke, and moſt commonly in the Hebrew tongue, which the common people vnderſtood not; For which cauſe Saint Paul wrote that whole Chapter of the foureteenth to the firſt of the Corinthians, which is wholly and flatly deliuered againſt the Prayer and Seruice in an vnknowne tongue. Here you hauehave the Romiſh ſucceſſion in doctrine & perſon deriued frō Iewes & Heretiques: here is our Proteſtant doctrine deriued from S. Paul the Apoſtle: Pray with the ſpirit, Pray with the vnderſtanding alſo.
The doctrine of Tranſubſtantiation was firſt decreed at the Councell of Lateran, Tranſubſtā tiation.about foure hundred yeares agoe: if we aſcend higher, it was ſet afoot by Damaſcen and Epiphanius, for bringing in the worſhip of Images at the Councell of Nice; If we looke further, it was practiſed by the Helceſaitae, Helceſaitae duplicem Chriſtum faciunt, alium ſuprà alium infrà. Theodoret.which feined a twofold Chriſt, one in heauen, another in earth: like the Maſſe Prieſts who admit one body with all his dimenſians and properties in heauen, another body in the Sacrament, which hath no properties of a true body. If we looke higher, it was deliuered by Marcus the Heretique who by his inuocation ouer the Sacramentall Cup,Ireneus li. 1. c. 9. cauſed the wine to appeare like bloud: if you will looke into the Apoſtles time, the firſt Authors were thoſe diſciples that beleeued the groſſe and carnal eating of Chriſts fleſh which murmured againſt him and forſooke him. Here is their ſucceſſion in doctrine and perſon, deriued from Idolators, from heretiques, from Capernaites. Here is our faith deliuered at the ſame time by Chriſt himſelf:Ioh. 6. The words I ſpeake are ſpirit and life.
The Popes Supremacie was confirmed at the Councell of Trent, The Supremacie.and the Councell of Lateran: if we aſcend higher, it was firſt granted by Phocas the bloudy Emperour to the Biſhop of Conſtantinople 600. years after Chriſt,Ʋrſpergenſis in Phocas. fol. 149. if they claime Antiquitie from the time of the Apoſtles, the Gentiles were their firſt founders and benefactors: For (ſaith Chriſt) the Kings of the Gentiles exerciſe Lordſhip ouer them, Luk. 22.25.and they that exerciſe authoritie vponupon them are called benefactors. Here is their ſucceſſion in doctrine and perſon, deriued from bloud-ſuckers and Gentiles, in vſurping right ouer Kings and kingdomes in things ſpirituall, in things temporall; here is our receiued doctrine from Chriſt himſelfe,Mat. 20 26.27. Whoſoeuer will be great among you let him bee your Maſter: and whoſoeuer wil be chiefe among you let him be your ſeruant.
Worſhip of Images.The worſhip of Images was decreed at the ſecond Councell of Nice, almoſt 800. yeares after Chriſt: but if you claime Antiquitie (becauſe it is a point of faith)Jraeneus lib. 1. cap. 23.24. Iraeneus tels vsus the Baſilidians and Carporatians in the Primitiue times did worſhip Images, and profeſſed they had the Image of Chriſt made by Pilate; Here is their ſucceſſion in doctrine and perſon, deriued from the heretiques Baſilides and Carporates, here is ours deriued from the doctrine of Saint Paul, Rom. 12.3.from the leſſon giuen by Saint Iohn, 1. Ioh. 5.21.and from the mouth of God himſelfe,Deu. 4.15.16 Thou ſhalt not make to thy ſelfe any grauen Image, &c.
The Communion in one kinde was decreed at the Councell of Conſtance aboue 1400. yeares after Chriſt:The Cōmunion in one kind. yet if you ſtand vponupon Antiquitie, becauſe it is an Article of faith:Leo Serm. 4. de Quadrageſ. Pope Leo tels you the Manichees, a ſort of heretiques, in his time vſed the Sacrament in one kinde, viz. in bread onelyonly: if you aſcend to the time of the Apoſtles, the Nazarites (ſaith Bellarmine) had made a vow not to drinke wine, Non eſt credibile Nazareos contrà votum ſuum bibiſſe decalice, nec tamē credibile est eos omninó à communione abſtinuiſſe Bellar. Apolog. contr. praefat. Regis monitorium B Andr. c. 8. fol. 188.and therefore in all likelyhood they tooke Sacrament in bread onelyonly: here then is their ſucceſſion in perſon and doctrine, deriued from Nazarites and heretiques; here is our doctrine taught by Chriſt himſelfe, and ſo commended to our Church,Mat. 26.27. Drinke ye all of this.
Againe, looke vponupon their Inuocation of Saints and Angels, Auguſt. ad quod vult Deum. c. 39.and you ſhall finde their founders were the heretiques Angelici: Looke vponupon their doctrine of merits and works of Supererrogation, Iſid. Etym. li. 8. cap. de h…ereſ. Chriſt.and you ſhall ſee their firſt Authors were the Cathari, the Puritans: Looke vponupon their foreign, their worſhip giuen to the bleſſed Virgin, and you ſhall diſcerne the Collyridian heretiques (which Epiphanius termes Idolators) were their firſt leaders:Epiph. hereſ. 79. Looke vponupon their reſtraint of Prieſts Marriage, and you ſhall obſerue that the heretique Tatianus and the Maniches were their Predeceſſors,Epiph. hereſ. 46. and forbad Marriage in Sacerdotibus, in their Prieſts: Theſe and the like errors taught in the Church of Rome, either lineally deſcended from the aforeſaid heretiques, or at leaſtwiſe hauehave neere affi…itie with their adulterate iſſue. And if I hauehave failed in calculating the right natiuitie of their ancient doctrine, yet ſure I am they are vtterly deſtitute of a right ſucceſſion in perſon and doctrine from the Apoſtles and the ancient Fathers of the Primitiue Church: as ſhall appeare by many teſtimonies of the beſt learned amongſt themſelues.