The Papists Reasons of State and Religion, Reason of religion 34
34. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion, whoſe doctrine is to beaBegging of the queſtion. traced even vp to the Apoſtles chaire by true and lawfull ſucceſſion of Biſhops, every of them holdingbVntruth. vnitie with his predeceſſour, and keeping ſtill, as the Apoſtle directeth, the depoſitum that deſcended from hand to hand vntounto them. Which vninterrupted line of ſucceſſion, never leaping over the head of any one age, orcFalſe, as appeareth every wherin ther owne Hiſtories. yeare, & drawing his originall from the Apoſtles, can not butdThis woude be prooved, not ſaide neceſ&;arily proue, that our Church is only the true Apoſtolical Church, and that weeImpudent Begging. continue and contende (as we are cōmanded) Coloſs. 1.23. Phil. 3.16. & Jude v. 3. in and for the faith which was firſt preached. And it is alſo evident by the irrefragable authority of S. Paule, that the Romanes had once the true faith, affirming their e faith to be renowmed in the whole world, and common to him and them. Likewise it is evident by the vniforme report of all Eccleſiaſticall hiſtories, and by the writings of al the Fathers(a)TheodoretusGreat Crie, Litle Wooll. in cap. 16. epiſt. ad Rom Proſp. carmine de ingr. in principio. S. Leo de Nat. Pet. Aug. contr. epiſt. Fund. cae. 4. Oioſius l 7. cae. 6. Chryſoſt. in Pſ. 88. Epiph. haer. 27. Prud in hym. 2. S. Laurentij. & hym. 12 Optatus l. 2. contr. Donatiſt. Ambr. lib. 5. epiſt. de baſilicis tradendis. Hiero. in Catalogo. Lactantius lib. 4 cap 21. de vera Sapien-Euſebius hiſt. Eccleſ. lib. 2 cap. 13.15. Athanaſ. de fuga ſua Cipria. epiſt. 55. nu. 6. Tert. de praeſic. nu 4. & lib. 4. Contr. Marcio. nu 4. Origen. in Gen. apud Euſeb. l 3. c 1. Jrenaeus l. 3 c. 3. Hegeſippus li 3. c. 2. de Excid. Hieroſolym. Caius, Papias & Dioniſ. Epiſc. Corinth. citati per Euſeb. li. 2. ca. 14. & 24 Jgnat. epiſt. ad Rom. Concil. Calced. act. 3. and others. Greeke and Latin, yea and by the very ſenſe & ſight of ſundry monumēts yet extant, that Saint Peter fThis is very vncertaine, & can never be ſoundly demonſtrated.was at Rome, ſuffred death there and was the firſt Biſhop of that See. Now if our Counterpleaders can ſufficiently ſhew (as we are ſure the whole world cannot) either that the Romanes hauehave ſince that time g left the faith which S. Paule commended in them, or that any of the ſucceeding Biſhops to S. Peter in that See, hauehave changed the firſt faith by paring away any part therof, or by adding any new doctrine contrary to the rule of the former, or what vvas not taught before by the Fathers, & after explicitiuely added as a more clear & particular declaration of the ſame: if this, wee ſay, can be ſufficiently ſhewed, byhA ſenſeleſſe iſſue required. naming the Pope or other man, who in ſuch ſort changed the primitiue faith, & the point or points of faith that were ſo chāged, togither with the time & place, when & where the change was firſt made, we yeelde our ſelues to beiWhether you will yeelde your ſelues to be ſo or no; it is certaine out of the Scriptures that you are ſuch. prophane Novellers, yea Heretiks, & moſt worthy of the fagot.
Reſolution of the 34. Reaſon.
Popiſh religion is that, whoſe doctrine is to be traced even vp to the Apoſtles chaire, by true and lawfull ſucceſſion of Biſhops, every one of them bolding vnity with his predeceſſour, & keeping ſtill the depoſitum that deſcended frō hand to hand vntounto them.
Ergo:
Popiſh religion is true religion, and conſequently to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
1 THIS reaſon is in effect the ſame with the laſt that goeth before. But I deny Antecedent.
2 Popiſh religion cannot bee traced vp to the Apoſtels chaire; but downe rather to Lucifers chaire; for it is nothing but a Summarie and Epitome of Hereſies, as I have proved before, pag. 44. &c. and manifeſtly teacheth thoſe doctrines of devils condemned by the Apoſtle, 1. Tim. 4.1.
3 Their Biſhops & Popes hauehave no right ſucceſſiō either to any Apoſtle or Apoſtolike mā in place, perſon, or office.
4 If the Papiſts had this perſonal ſucceſſion, yet were they never the nearer.
I The wicked Prieſtes oftentimes pleaded ſucceſſion againſt the true Prophets, and againſt Chriſt himſelfe. Ier. 7.4. Ierem. 8.8. Ioh. 8.44.
II Vriah the Prieſt had this ſucceſſion from Aaron, & yet to pleaſe King Ahaz, he ſet vp an altar according to the patterne that the King had ſent him, of one that hee had ſeene at Damaſcus, contrary vntounto the commādement of the Lord. 2. King. 16.10.11.
III The Patriarke of Conſtantinople deduceth his local and perſonal ſucceſſion from Andrew the Apoſtle: The Patriarke aſ Anti…ch, (ſitting now at Damaſcus) from the Apoſtle Peter: and the Patriarke of Alexandria (who ſitteth now at Alcairum) from the Evangeliſt Marke. And yet the Papiſtes ſay that theſe Patriarkes are Heretiques & Schiſmatiques, for all their ſucceſſiō. Wherfore ſhould not we iudge the ſame of them?
5 It is not true that all the Popes of Rome helde vnitie with their predeceſſours; Sabinianus was a mortall enemy of Gregorie I. Caranza Sum. Concil. pag. 203. And the hoate warres betweene Stephen VI and Pope Formoſus I hauehave laid downe before pag. 63.64. to inſiſt in no more particulars.
6 Much leſſe is it true that they keepe the faith from the Apoſtles time; for they gave heede vntounto Spirites of e…rours and to doctrines of devils. 1 Tim. 4.1. as I have often declared already.
7 But, ſay the Suppliants, if we have corrupted the faith, name who, when, and where it was corrupted? This cavill is Anſwered already, pag. 42. & 43. VVhat? is it not ſufficient if I ſhewe that the Popiſhe faith is corrupt; but I muſt needes declare what time, by whom, and where it was corrupted? If one ſhould ſhew vntounto the Suppliants a man ſicke of a conſumption, or a ſeare and rotten tree; Wil they deny theſe to be ſuch, except he preciſely define vntounto them time, place & manner how, they became ſo, and began to conſume and rotte? Againe the Papiſts ſay their Church is like vntounto a Ship; wee cry out, it is quite drowned with corruption & errors which ſoake in by litle and litle through the clefts & chinkes that were in the ſame. Dare the Suppliants deny this, excepte I tell them at what houre their ſhip began to cleaue, & ſhew thē the firſt droppe of water that ſoakt in? The corrupting of the Church is not done in a moment of time; but errours creepe in by little & little, which except they bee ſpeedily prevented, wil at laſt quite cōſume & deſtroy the Church.
8 Indeede if a ſound & healthful man ſhould be beheaded at one blow, if a tree were preſently cut downe, or violently puld vp by the rootes; if the ſhip were drowned with one waue, ſo if the Church being ſound in every part, were vponupon the ſudden deſtroyed by ſome preſent calamity; then were it eaſie to note the very article of time & other circū ſtances. But the caſe betweene vsus and the Papiſtes is otherwiſe; VVee acknowledge that their Church did for a long time heape vp that maſſe of errors, which at length oppreſſed almoſt the whole world. And if the Suppliants wil cal for a witneſſe hereof, I will produce the Apoſtle Paule, who ſpeaking of the general Apoſtaſie which ſhould come, ſaith 2. Theſ. 2.7. The myſterie of iniquitie doth already worke.