A Trial of the Romish Clergys Title to the Church, Text and commentary · Quoted chapter 16 · Extract § 7
A. D. §. 7.
§. IIII. That the Romane Church onelyonly is Apoſtolicke.
Fourthly, I find that the Proteſtants Church is not Apoſtolick, becauſe they cannot deriue the pedegree of their Preachers lineally, without interruption, from the Apoſtles: but are forced to acknowledge ſome other, as Luther or Caluin, or ſome ſuch, for their firſt founders in this their new faith; from whom they may perhaps ſhew ſome ſucceſſion of the preachers of their faith: but they can neuer ſhew, that Luther or Caluin themſelues (who liued within theſe hundred yeares) did either lawfully ſucceed, or was lawfully ſent to teach this new faith, by any Apoſtolicke Biſhop or Paſtor. Nay Luther himſelfe doth not onelyonly confeſſe, but alſo brag, that he was the firſt preacher of this new found faith, Chriſtum à nobis primò vulgatum Epiſt. ad Argētan Dom. 1525.audemus gloriari, (ſaith he) We dare boaſt that Chriſt was firſt publiſhed by vsus. For which his glorious boaſting, me thinkes he deſerueth well that title which Optatus giueth vntounto Ʋictor the Lib cont. parm.firſt biſhop of the Donatiſts, to wit, to be called filius ſine patre, diſcipulus ſine magiſtro, a ſonne without a father, a diſciple without a maiſter.
On the contrary ſide, the Romane Church can ſhew a lineall ſucceſſion of their Biſhops, without interruption, euen from the Apoſtle Saint Peter, vntounto Clement the eight the Biſhop of Rome, which liueth at this day, The which ſucceſſion from the Apoſtles, which we hauehave, and the Proteſtants want, the auncient Fathers did much esteeme, and vſed it as an argument, partly to confound the hereticks, partly to confirme themſelues in the vnitie of the Catholick Church. So doth Irenaeus, who ſaith, Traditionem ab Apoſtolis, & annunciatam Lib. 3. cap. 3.hominibus fidem, per ſucceſſiones Epiſcoporum peruenientem vſque ad nos, indicantes, confundimus omnes illos qui quoquo modo, vel per ſui placentiam malam, vel per vanam gloriam, vel per caecitatem & malam ſententiam, praeterquàm oportet colligunt: Shewing the tradition from the Apoſtles, and the faith comming vntounto vsus by ſucceſſion of Biſhops, we confound all them, who any way through euill complacence of themſelues, or vaine glorie, or through peruerſe opinion do collect (and conclude) otherwiſe then they ought. So alſo doth S. Auſtin, who ſaith, Tenet Cōt. epiſt. Fundam. cap. 4.me in Eccleſia Catholica, ab ipſa ſede Petri Apoſtoli, cui paſcendas oues ſuas Dominus commendauit, vſque ad praeſentem Epiſcopum, ſucceſſio Sacerdotum: The ſucceſſion of Prieſts from the very ſeate of Peter the Apoſtle, to whom our Lord commended his ſheep to be fed, vntill this preſent Biſhop, doth hold me in the Catholicke Church. See the ſame S. Auſtin, Epiſt. 150. Optatus li. 2. cont. Parmen. S. Epiphani. haereſ. 275. S. Cyprian lib. 1. epiſt. 6. S. Athanaſ. Orat. 2. cont. Arianos, who pronounceth them to be hereticks, qui aliunde quàm à tota ſucceſſione Cathedrae Eccleſiaſticae Athanaſ. orat. 2. cont. Arian.originem fidei ſuae deducunt, who deriue the beginning of their faith from any other ground, then from the whole ſucceſſion of Eccleſiaſticall chaire. And this (ſaith he) is eximium & admirabile argumentum ad haereticam ſectam explorandam, an excellent and admirable argument, wherby we may eſpie out and diſcerne an hereticall ſect. The which argument theſe Fathers would neuer hauehave vrged and extolled ſo much, if they had not thought that this ſucceſſion was an vndoubted good marke of the Church, and that with this lawfull, vninterrupted, Apoſtolicall ſucceſſion of Doctours and Paſtors, the true Apoſtolicke faith and doctrine was always conioyned. The which to be conioyned, we may eaſily proue out of S. Paul himſelfe, who ſaith: Dedit Paſtores & Doctores ad conſummationem ſanctorum, in opus miniſterij, in aedificationem corporis Epheſ. 4.Chriſti, donec occurramus omnes in vnitatem fidei, & agnitionis Filij Dei, in virum perfectum, in menſuram aetatis plenitudinis Chriſti: Signifying that Chriſt our Sauiour hath appointed theſe outward functions of Paſtors and Doctors in the Church, to continue vntill the worlds end, for the edification and perfection thereof, and eſpecially for this purpoſe, vt non ſimus paruuli fluctuantes, & circumferamur omni vento doctrinae: that we may not Ibidem.be litle ones wauering, and caried about with eueryevery wind of doctrine: Wherefore that this ordinance and appointment of Pastors and Doctors in the Church, made by our Sauiour Chriſt, may not be fruſtrate of the effect intended by him: we muſt needs ſay, that he hath decreed ſo to aſſiſt and direct theſe Paſtors in teaching the doctrine of faith, that the people (their flocke) may alwayes by their meanes be preſerued from wauering in the auncient faith, and from being caried about with eueryevery wind of new doctrine. The which cannot be, vnleſſe with ſucceſſion of Pastors be alwayes conioyned ſucceſſion in true doctrine, at leaſt in ſuch ſort, that all the Paſtors cannot at any time vniuerſally erre, or faile to teach the auncient and Apoſtolicke faith. For if they ſhould thus vniuerſally erre, then all the people (who do, and ought like ſheepe, follow the voice of their Paſtor) ſhould alſo generally erre, and ſo the whole Church, which (according to S. Gregorie Nazianzen) conſiſteth of ſheepe and pastors, ſhould contrary Orat. de moderatione in diſput. habenda.to diuers promiſes of our Sauiour, vniuerſally erre. So that we may be ſure, that the ordinary Paſtors ſhal neuer be ſo forſaken of the promiſed Spirit of truth, that all ſhall generally erre, and teach errors in faith: or that there ſhall not be at all times ſome ſufficient companie of lawfull ſucceding Paſtors, adhering to the ſucceſſion of S. Peter (who was by our Sauiour appointed chiefe Paſtor) of whom we Iohn 21.may learne the truth, and by whom we may alwayes be confirmed and continued in the true auncient faith, and preſerued from being caried about with the wind of vpſtart error. The which being ſo, it followeth that the true Apoſtolicke doctrine is inſeperably conioyned with the ſucceſſion of lawfull Paſtors, especially of the Apoſtolick ſea of Rome.
Wherefore we may againſt all heretickes of our time (as the ancient fathers did againſt heretickes of their time) vrge this argument of ſucceſſion, eſpecially of the Apoſtolicall ſucceſſion of the Biſhops of Rome. We may ſay to them as S. Auguſtine ſaith to the Donatiſts: Numerate ſacerdotes ab ipſa ſede Petri, & in illo ordine Patrum, quis, cui ſucceſſit, videte: Number the Prieſts from Auguſt. in Pſal cont. partem Donat.the ſeate it ſelfe of Peter, and in that order or row of Fathers, ſee which ſucceeded which. We may ſay with Irenaeus, Hac ordinatione & ſucceſſione Epiſcoporum, traditio Apoſtolorum ad nos peruenit; Iren. lib. 3. c. 3.& eſt pleniſſima oſtenſio vnam & eandem fidem eſſe, quae ab Apoſtolis vſque nunc confirmata eſt: By this orderly ſucceſſion of Biſhops, the tradition of the Apoſtles hath come vntounto vsus; and it is a moſt full demonſtration, that the faith which from the Apoſtles is confirmed euen vntill now, is one and the ſame. We may tell them with Tertullian, Nos communicamus cum Eccleſijs Apoſtolicis, Lib. de praeſcripquod nulla aduerſa doctrina facit; & hoc eſt teſtimonium veritatis: We do communicate with the Apoſtolick Churches, which no contrary doctrine doth, and this is a teſtimony of the truth.