The Ancient Faith of the Romans and the Romish Religion, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
IT is a daungerous ſtombling blocke, which the Church of Rome hath caſt in the waies of the ignorant, whereby they are made to fall into the déepe dungeon of Popiſh hereſies and ſuperſtitions, when they beare the worlde in hand, as much as they can, that the Apoſtle in commending the faith of the Romans that then was, or rather in teſtifying that it was publiſhed through the world,Rom. 1. …. doth approue the faith alſo that now is there taught. True it is that onelyonly they that are ſtarke blind, would ſtumble at that ſtone: for hée that is but halfe ſighted, may plainely ſée that the Apoſtle ſpeaketh but of the faith of the Romans that then was, and doth not promiſe or prophecy, that it ſhould be ſo alwaies. In the beginning God planted true Religion & the feare of him, in the hearts of men and women: but in continuance of time, that plant of the Lords own plaining, was ſo ouergrowen with the wéeds of wickednes of life, and ſuperſtitions ſeruing of God, that it was hardly to be ſéene emongſt men. In ſo much as of the times of Enos it is written, (as if the world had for a long time forgotten that there is any God) that then he began to call vponupon the name of the Lord. Gen. 4. 26.Yea that which was at the firſt deliuered from God as a perfect rule of life, and written in the heart of man: Yet was by the corruption of man ſo blotted out, and by the darknes of our minds ſo defaced, that God was forced as it were to write it a new (that it might the better be remembred) in the tables of ſtone. Yea and ſuch is the force of our naturall and hereditary infection, that we cannot long kéep the truth ſincerly deliuered vntounto vsus, without mingling, or mangling of the ſame.De praeſcrip. aduerſ. haereticos. And therfore Tertulian teacheth vsus truly, that the trueth muſt be before hereſy, euen as the body is before the ſhadow:Math. 13. 24. And he proueth it by that parable of our Sauiour Chriſt, wherin the good ſéed is ſaid firſt to be ſowen & after the …ares. And ſo concludeth that that doctrine is from the Lord, & true, that is firſt, & that which commeth after,Contra epiſtolam Stephani. is falſe and ſtrange. And Ciprian alſo confirmeth the ſame, when for reformation of any error, he teacheth vsus to hauehave recourſe to the fountain. Which rule of Ciprian S. Auguſtin alſo commendeth vntounto vsus,De baptiſmo contra Donatiſt. li. 5. ca. 26. Vincient. Cō mon. as a very good rule and worthy to be followed. And Vincentius Lirinenſis in his Commonitory, doth not more earneſtly indeuor any thing then that without any addition, we kéepe ſincerely that which is deliuered: yea it is his onelyonly intent & purpoſe, his whole drift & deſire, to teach vsus to louelove that firſt was taught, and to eſchew al new additions. Therefore howſoeuer religion at the firſt, was either at Rome or elſe where truly eſtabliſhed, yet that is no good argument to proue, that it ſhould ſo continue alwaies. Whereof if we would make any doubt, let vsus looke backe vntounto the Church amongſt the Iews, where God eſtabliſhed among them for his ſeruice and worſhip, eueryevery ceremony, ſo that in eueryevery thing they had plaine direction by Gods lawe, how to behaue themſelues: yet notwithſtanding their owne inuentions which they added therto were ſo many, that Chriſt when he came complained:Math. 15. 6. That by their traditions, they made Gods cōmandement of no authority. And if this befell vntounto the people of the Iewes, of whom God made eſpeciall choice, and tooke them to be his peculier people: why may it not befall vntounto the Church of Rome that is but one of the places among others, which God had choſen to ſet his name in?Rom. 15. …. And if the goodnes which the Apoſtle commendeth in them, was not in them ſuch a continual or eternal inheritance, but that they hauehave long ſince loſt the ſame, as themſelues cannot deny: how wil they be able to proue, that they muſt hauehave ſincerity of faith for an euerlaſting ſucceſſion? I wil not here ſtand to examine what the Apoſtle meaneth by this word faith in this place, although that perchance might ſerue to lay their brags. For amongſt many ſignifications of this word faith, there are two that may eſpecially ſerue for the vnderſtanding of that place. Sometime faith ſignifieth religion it ſelfe, or the rule of faith, as it is taken in this queſtion, what faith or religion do you profeſſe or are you of? And in this ſence it muſt be taken in this place to pleaſure the papiſts. And in another ſence faith may here ſignify their forwardnes, confidence & conſtancy in this their religion: and ſo it ſemeth that the Apoſtle here doth vnderſtand it▪ And then this is the ſence of theſe words: It is ſpoken of in al the world, how readely you receiued, & conſtantly continued in the faith. And thus doth Chriſoſtom ſéeme to expound this place,Ad Romanos Serm. 2. when he ſaith that the Apoſtle giueth thanks for their faith & confidence, as if he would by the latter expounde the former, by confidence teach what he meaneth by faith.Tho. Aquin. in Rom. lect. 5. And euen Tho. of Aquin doth ſo take it: The Romans (ſaith he) are commended for their faith, becauſe they yeelded to it ſo willingly, and ſtood in it ſo ſtifly. And this place thus expounded, doth not proue their faith to be Catholicke: for many are conſtant that oppugne the Catholicke faith. Neither yet will I oppoſe vntounto this ſome other places, where the Apoſtle may ſéeme perchaunce to giuegive as great, if not greater commendation vntounto other Churches; and yet were not they therby aduanced to be the onelyonly patterns that all other ſhould follow, as they would hauehave this of Rome to bée.1. Theſſ. 1. 7. 8. For the Apoſtle writing to the Theſſalonians, teſtifieth of them, that they were an example or patern not only to them of Macedonia & Achaia, but that their faith was ſpred abroad in all the world. Is therfore the faith of the Theſſaloniās at this day the true faith becauſe it was ſo ſomtime? If you ſay it is not, what is ſaid here more for the Church of Rome, then was ſaid for that of Theſſalonica? Although therfore to their immortal praiſe, this iuſt & due commendation belonged vntounto them who followed that ſincere faith and holy profeſſion, which at that time was taught at Rome: Devnit. eccleyet hée cannot as much as ſéeme to be a Chriſtian (as Ciprian ſaith) who continueth not in the trueth of that goſpell and faith▪ Whereby it is euident, that vnleſſe the Church of Rome can ſhew, that they hold that ſame faith now, that their predeceſſors did whom S. Paul commended, this praiſe of thoſe faithful Romans, belongeth no more vntounto them, then this promiſe that God made to Abraham, Gen. 17. 7.That God would be his God, and of his ſéed, pertaineth to Iſmael and Eſau who although they came of Abraham as touching the fleſh, yet were they and their poſterity a godleſſe and a graceleſſe people. But that it may appere as cléere as the Sunne at noone day, that vnderunder an honeſt cloke of ancient religion, they ſéeke to couer their new found ſuperſtitions (and whatſoeuer man hath deuiſed is but new) and vnderunder the name of holy faith, they commend vntounto vsus, their groſſe Idolatries, and moſt profaned blaſphemies: My purpoſe is, (if God with his good grace ſhall aſſiſt me therein in this ſhort treatiſe, briefly to ſet downe, both the ancient religion of the Romans, which at that time was taught and receiued in Rome, when this their faith was publiſhed in the whole world: and alſo the faith or religion that is now, ſo violently defended of the Church of Rome and is (although vniuſtly) called, the Catholick Romiſh religion: that we comparing the one of them with the other, may ſée how vnlike they are, and that they cannot flow both from one fountaine, or both of them be taught of one ſpirit. And if we will know the auncient religion of the Romans, and the faith wherevnto the Apoſtle giueth ſo good a witneſſe, wee can hauehave no way more certaine, then to trie what was taught in the Church of Rome then. For that onelyonly can be called that Roman faith, that was then taught in that Church, and beleeued of the faithfull there. All which with reuerence we receiue, and moſt faithfully beléeue. But the additions of later times, and that which ſince they hauehave foyſted in vnderunder the name of that auncient Roman faith, wee iuſtly reiect, as water mingled with the pure wine, whereby the wine is corrupted, or as myre or filth that hath ſullied the fined gold, whereby the excellencie of the gold is blemiſhed, or as tares and wéeds ſowen in the field where firſt good corne was ſowen, whereby the growing of the good corne is hindered. But what ſo euer the Apoſtle Saint Paule writing to the Romans, doth teach them to beleeue, whatſoeuer faith he would hauehave them to holde, that we acknowledge to bee in déede the true Roman faith, in the which he is deſirous to confirme and ſtrengthen them by ſome ſpeciall gift,Rom. 1. 11. 12. and to hauehave mutuall conference with them, no doubt to incourage them to continue conſtantly therein. Yea what ſoeuer he teacheth in that Epiſtle, whether it bee to eſtabliſh them in that they had learned, or to inſtruct them more perfectly in any poynte whereof they were yet ignorant, I ſay all that wee imbrace as the auncient faith of the Romans. Moreouer whatſoeuer Saint Peter who they ſay was Biſhop of Rome, and that hee wrote his firſt Epiſtle from Rome (for rather then Saint Peter ſhould not be proued to be at Rome, they are content to cal Rome Babylon) whatſoeuer I ſay he wrot in that Epiſtle, which they ſay that he wrote from Rome we alſo moſt readily receiue as that old and authenticks Roman religion, whereof we will make no doubt at all. And further, whatſoeuer doctrine can be proued out of Saint Markes Goſpell,De Rom. pont li. 2. cap. 2. which Maiſter Bellarmine goeth about by teſtimony of ſundry auncient writers to ſhew, that it was written at Rome, as he heard Saint Peter preach the ſame, that alſo we will acknowledge to bee the Roman faith, which is ſtill to be followed. So that whatſoeuer eyther Saint Paule wrote to the Romans, or Saint Peter being (ſay the papiſts) among the Romans, wrote vntounto the diſperſed Iewes, or Saint Marke at Rome hauehave taught, and what ſoeuer is conſonant and conſenting therewith, that is vndoubtedly receaued of vsus. But that which cannot be found agréeable to any of theſe writings I truſt any indifferent reader wil think, that we may iuſtly ſuſpect, as neither taught by thoſe godly teachers, neither yet beléeued of thoſe famous and faithful ſchollers, and therefore of none acknowledged at that time for the faith of the Romans. And if then it were not the faith of the Romans: what néed either the Rhemiſtes in their edition of the teſtament,In Rom. 1. 8. or all the reſt of them, ſo confidently to bragge, that the faith of the Romans was ſo commended of the Apoſtle? Muſt it needes follow that the Romiſh faith that now is, is true, becauſe that was good and godly? Suſpend thy iudgement (good Chriſtian Reader) and come not with a preiudicate opinion. Trie and then truſt, proue and examine whether we or the Romiſh Church, come néerer to the auncient Roman faith, and bee bolde to heare and followe them, that beleeue as thoſe firſt beleeuing Romans were taught and veleeued. And who ſo euer they bee that diſſente from that faith, or ſwarue any thing from that religion, or ad any thing to that doctrine, ſay not to ſuch, ſo much as God ſpéed▪ For they are in déed heretiks and enemies to Gods truth, they are the corrupters of his moſt ſacred word, they are the verie botches and blanes of all Chriſtian Religion. And that thou maiſt (good Chriſtian reader) more readily ſée, and more eaſily iudge, both of that old Roman faith, and this new Romiſh Religion, my meaning is ſo to compare the one of them with the other, that at one view, thou maiſt ſée them both. Wherein I dare promiſe nothing, but ſincere dealing, both in ſetting down, whatſoeuer Saint Paule, Saint Peter, or Saint Mark hauehave taught vsus, concerning ſuch points as are in queſtion: and alſo in poynting vntounto the doctrine of our aduerſaries, I will not charge them with any thing vntruly, I will not falſifie any of their writings, that the truth may appeare, and God may hauehave the glorie. Let vsus therfore ſee firſt what was then, and what is now taught there of the word of God.