Rome was conuerted As for example let mee know And if thou canst I pray thée show What Church did take in hand The first conuersion of this Land e The Apostles Church for ought you can proue to the contrary And all other countries euery where Throughout the world farre and neere f Who but a Papist would dare to say this If this were not the Church of Rome Then will I be conuerted soone g You build your Faith vpon a very sure groūd Saint Paul in his Epistle fayth h Did Paul say that Rome should neuer deny the Fayth The Romanes had the Catholique Fayth Saying it was renowned Spoken of or published Through the world ouer all Catholique Vniuersall And if your Churches were euen so i Our Church is a part of the Catholique Church disproue it if you can Then to your Churches I would go k You may come to our Churches the Pope giueth you leaue so that you keepe your heartes to him Prophets SO sayth the Prophet Malachy There should be offred farre and nye A cleane Oblation or Sacrifice l When you read Altar and Sacrifice you thinke strait that makes for the Masse not knowing or not seeming to know the language of the Scripture From place where now the Sun doeth rise To the going downe of the same And what is that I pray thée name If it be not the holy Masse I will be a Protestant as I was m If thou hadst bene of vs thou wouldest haue continued with vs 1. Iob. 2.19 In the eightéenth Psalme I found The whole world should heare their sound n Namely of the Apostles and their doctrine proue our Doctrine to disagree with theirs And it this marke you doe not want Presently I will recant Continuance THis is another marke most sure The Fayth of Christ must still endure o Christes Fayth must endure therfore Rome is the true Church A hote Argument According as our Sauiour sayd When for Saint Peter hee had prayd Simon thy Fayth shall neuer fayle The gates of Hell shall not preuayle The holy Ghost your Comforter Shall remayne with you for euer And I my selfe your surest friend Will be with you vnto the end Saint Paul hath the like speach There shall be alwayes men to preach Apostles p Some say they are Apostles and are not Re. 2.2 Doctours and the like In the Church Catholike If this be not the Church of Rome q Because you say it we are boūd to beleeue it Then will I be conuerted soone Visible ANother marke there is most cleare The Church of God must still appeare As a City on a hill r Some wrest the Scriptures to their owne destruction 2. Pet. 3.16 Take heed Seene and continue still As a light on a Candlesticke So is the Church Catholique Our Sauiour sayth If one offend And will not be ruled by his friend Tell all the Church without delay s Would you haue vs go to Rome with euery cōplaynt it seemeth so for you tye the Church to that See And if he will not then obay Doe thou estéeme such a man An Heathen or a Publican Is not that the Church wherein we sée Two hundred Bishops thirty thrée To haue succéeded each other Since the time of Saint Peter t You must first prooue that Saint Peter was Bishop of Rome Shew mee this marke in you u Thou thy selfe sayst there haue bene successiuely 63. Bishops in England since Peter then eyther ours is the true Church or else succession of Bishops is no sure marke And I will say your Fayth is true If this be not in the Fayth of Rome Then will I be conuerted soone Vnity ANother marke there is truly The Church must haue Vnity As our Sauiour hath foretold One Shepheard and one Fold One is my Spouse one is my Loue One is my Darling and my Doue This is his Spouse and at some time He doeth resemble it to a Vine His Father is the Husbandman A Branch is euery Christian This is his Body Mysticall The which he doeth his Kingdome call Whereof Saint Peter had the Keyes w What became of the Keyes when Pope Iulius 2. threw them into Tibur And his Successors haue alwayes x As though no body did succeede Peter but the Pope who is rather the successour of Romulus then Peter as Pope Hadrian the fourth said when he dyed And likewise Saint Paul sayth One Baptisme and one Fayth And one Lord IESV Haue no dissention among you If this be not the Church of Rome Then will I be conuerted soone Holy THis you say in very déede When you rehearse the holy Créede y So you say in the Creede that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God and yet you say also he is in body present at the Masse One Church Catholique Holy and Apostolique This is another marke truely The Church of God must be holy Holy men Holy Seruice Ceremonies Sacrifice Sacraments and Holy dayes Are obserued in her alwayes As for the Saints and Martyrs all And Virgins which you Saynts doe call I aske you when they liued and where Whose names are in your Calender In what Religion they dyed By whom they were Canonized z Who made the Pope a Saint-maker Proue that these agrée with you And I will say your Fayth is true If they were not your company a You stand so much vpon Company that you will rather goe to the Deuill then want Company Then is your Fayth an Heresy Heretikes OVr Sauiour warneth vs to haue care Of false Prophets to beware b That makes vs take heed of you Which in his name shall come Not sent yet they shall runne c There bee many of your Church come amongst vs to work mischiefe before you bee sent for Théeues not entring by the Doore d A liuely description of the Popes Clergy That kill and steale and kéepe a stoore Woolues in Shepheards clothing That kill the Soule and steale the tithing Dogges Foxes and Masters of lyes That newe Sects will deuise Bringing in dissention And heape thousands to perdition Where haue you bene this many a yere That none of you durst once appeare Euer since our Sauiours time To whom did your Light shine e To those which had eyes to see it Where did your principall Pastor sit f In Heauen Who kept your keyes who fed your shéep g You haue butchered a good sort of them Shew some Churches you haue built I can shew many you haue spilt How might a man haue found you out To haue tryall in a matter of doubt h You be too proud to learne It is the first lesson you teach your Disciples to admit no conference Where for so many a yeere No such company did appeare Vntill Luther a lying Fryer i If Luther had continued a true Frier he had neuer bene good Vpon whom the
yeeres 1164. 1165. 1166. The Waldēses which held in many poynts against the Pope were in anno 1167. after increasing in diuers places Almaris a Bishop burnt in Paris for holding against Transsubstantiation Images Altars and praying to Saints 1206. Many in Sueuia did preach the Pope to be an heretike in the yeres 1236. 1237. 1238. Grosted Bishop of Lincolne wrote against the Pope anno 1246. Arnold de noua villa against Masses Sacrifices for the dead taught that the Popes beliefe was the deuils beliefe anno 1259. All Histories are ful of the like examples These few may serue for a taste to satisfie an indifferent Reader and to stop their mouthes who say none were heard of of our Religion and Church till Luther But now the Lord hath let vs sée Your Antichrists deformity That all men might him fully know Before his finall ouerthrow Our Pastor chiefe f 1. Pet. 5.4 in heauen did sit And so doth stil sayth holy Writte g Acts 4.21 On earth a Vniuersall Priest None dare be call'd but Antichrist h Gregory the great a Bishop of Rome sayd that whoso calleth himselfe or desireth to bee called Vniuersall Bishop is the Forerunner of Antichrist Epist ad Eulogium lib. 7. He that our Church and Keyes had sought By tokens in the Scripture tought Our Church and Keyes he might haue found Euen when the world was most vnsound Building of Churches nothing makes For that which héere thou vndertakes For then commend Demetrius Who builded Shrines at Ephesus i Acts 19.24 Well may the Heathen people boast Of Piramées and Churches cost In houses made God doth not dwell As holy Scripture doeth vs tell k Act. 7.48 Yet neyther all the Churches here Erected by the Papists were Nor are by vs abolished Places where God is worshipped If priuate men haue euill done For it blame not Religion Those men which do Church-spoyling loue Our Fayth and Church doth not approoue Those Celles and Dennes of Idlenes And Nurseryes of wickednesse Vpon good causes were displac'd As Baals Temples were defac'd l 2. Kings 10. * Touching Luthers Mariage A Lawlesse vow m It is wel called a Lawlesse Vow because it is of a thing which is not in mans power If it be said that by fasting prayer it may be performed continency obtayned I answere the giftes of God are twofold Some cōmon to all Beleeuers as Faith c Some peculiar to some onely as this of Continency Now if by fasting and Praier we labour for the first sort we shal in some measure receiue them but we haue not the like assurance for the gifts of the latter sort because it may be the Lord is pleased otherwise to dispose Now to make such a Vow is a sinne but to persist in it is a double euill of single life Luther well brake and tooke a Wife Better the pure and Spot-lesse Bed n Koite amiantos Heb. 13.4 Then by vncleane lustes to be led o 1. Cor. 7.9 Better the marryed Chastity p Papists doe oppose mariage chastity but Paul bids yong women to be chaste subiect to their Husbands Tit. 2.4.5 Then violent Virginity They ought not single to remaine Who are not gifted to containe q 1. Cor. 7.9 Wedlocke it selfe can not defile It hath an Honourable Stile r Heb. 13.4 God doth it not to each man giue Without the marriage bonds to liue s Math. 19.11 And it is allowed to a Bishop to be the Husband of one wife 1. Tim. 3.2 The forced vowes of Singlenes Haue brought foorth beastly Filthines Thou maist behold in History The fruits of Monkish Lechery t There were 6000. infants heads found in Pope Gregory his mote as appeareth by the letter of Voluntianus Bishop of Carthage or as some thinke of Huldericus Bishop of Augusta to Pope Nicholas against the forbidding of Priests mariage Thy poysoned Tongue doth further reach The noble Saxon to impeach Because to Truth he did encline Thou callest him a Libertine When God was pleas'd to let him sée How Christ his Death hath made vs frée Then did he déeme it slauery To beare the Romish tyranny Though Antichrist did Rome possesse ‡ Who kept the Scriptures You kept the Scriptures I confesse And in that long Apostacy Those Bookes were in your custody So I a Pirate false haue knowne To kéepe the goods were not his owne And in the Ship to rule and raigne When the right Owner hath bene slaine So did the Iewish Synagogue Safely kéepe Moses Decalogue And th' other Bookes u Viz. the Prophets Psalmes for so is the old Testamēt diuided Moses the Prophets and Psalmes Luke 24.44 when cruelly They did Christ Iesus crucify § Touching the calling of Ministers The Pastors which did first restore The Trueth which lay long hyd before Thereto were called lawfully And euen by your Authority You did them Priests and Doctors make And they from you this charge did take w In their admittance That they the Truth should soundly preach And in the same the people teach Hereto you caused them to sweare That to the Fayth they should adheare And neuer should errours endure That were against the Doctrine pure That whereunto you did them call Full well they haue performed all Trueth they haue sought to propagate And Heresyes to ruinate As we account your Baptisme true And neuer do the same renue So may you make a lawfull Priest Yet be not the pure Church of Christ We know that now you wiser bée And sweare your Priests to Popery x In their othes and admissions they put in this clause The Catholike and Apostolike Church of Rome which in elder times was not vsed And binde them to maintayne the state Of your thrée-Crowned Potentate Sée now O Papist thou recant Th' art answered by a Protestant I counsell thée if thou be wise No new euasions to deuise Thy tale of Ethelbert of Kent Is but a slender Argument y It is also answered before It sails not whence the Fayth was brought Or who it first amongst vs tought Let vs into the Scripture looke z Isay 8.20 And duely search a Iohn 5.39 Acts 17.11 that holy Booke Thence shal we know which Church to leaue b We haue found Christ in the Scriptures there wee must also finde the Church Aug. de Pastoribus And vnto which alone to cleaue These swelling wordes c 2. Pet. 2 18. of Vnity Succession and Antiquity Are but poore groundlesse fantasyes To blind the simple peoples eyes Though that an Angell thou shouldst sée Let him sayth Paul accursed bée d Gal. 1. ◠If from the Scripture he doth erre Account him not Gods Minister If one arise and wonders show Séeking the Trueth to ouerthrow Though that might séeme a motiue strong Yet vnto him death doeth belong e Deut. 13.1 2 5. If thréescore Byshops here and thrée Haue bene with vs successiuely It eyther prooues our Church is true Or els that marke makes nought for you That Fayth for which Peter was slayne Our English Church doth still retayne We heare the voyce f Iohn 10.27 of Christ Iesu Who is the Sonne of God most true FINIS
Deuill had desire Brake his vowe k Herods vow is better broken then kept and marryed a Nunne And there your Sect l Our Sect is the same that Pauls was Act. 28.22 first begun m Eyther thou knowest this to be a lye or thou knowest nothing And fauoured in Saxony By a Duke that loued liberty And in King Edwards time truely n There were Englishmen in England who bare witnesse to this truth by suffering death for it long afore King Edwards time It first infected our Country For a thousand yeres you say That Papistry did beare the sway And during all that space No Protestant durst shew his face o The more they lay hid the greater was your Tyranny Who kept p Indeed you kept thē so fast that the people could haue no comfort by them the holy Scriptures then From the hands of wicked men Who had authority to ordayne Our Priests and Bishops agayne For he that entreth without Order As a thiefe doeth kill and murder And one thing maketh me to muse That no Priest you doe refuse q A very tale Being ordred by the Church of Rome But he was accepted soone If he would say the newe Seruice He should haue a Benefice Without any further order And accounted for the better r He that hath once bin an eger Papist is conuerted truly is to be the better thought of because hauing known the abomination of Popery hee must needs detest it more How can shée make a lawfull Priest If shée be not the Church of Christ Answere this O Protestant If thou canst I will recant s I beleeue you wil not be so good as your word But while an answere you deuise t A man need not bee long in making you an answere I counsell all men that are wise To hold the fayth mayntained heere The space of a thousand yeere Brought vnto vs Englishmen By our Apostle u Who made him an Apostle Saint Austen Who from Rome was bisher sent When Ethelbert was King of Kent Who learned his fayth of Gregory w This Gregory accounted him the Forerunner of Antichrist who so should seeke to bee called Vniuersall Bishop from this fayth you are gone His fayth was kept successiuely By threescore Bishops and thrée Since Saint Peters time truely Who learned his fayth of Christ Iesu Who is the Sonne of God most true The Protestants Answere I May not Papist suffer thée Because thy Questions idle bée And if my counsell thou wilt take Then heare the Answere I will make Thou tell'st of Sects that doe appeare And séemst the truth glad to enquire But euen in this I malice smell And see thy spitefull meaning well When thou these diuers sects doest name Thou would'st therby our Church defame a I haue reason so to thinke because the multitude of supposed sects amongst vs is a cōmon Imputation See Brist Motiues pag. 10. And make fooles think that we them lou'd When as with vs th' are not approu'd We doe not hang on Caluins sléeue Nor yet on Zuinglius we beléeue And Puritanes we doe defye If right the name you doe apply b Viz. If eyther by that name are vnderstood those anciēt Heretikes called Cathari who dreamed of a state of perfectiō in this life or else such factious ones among vs which haue soght the spoyle hauocke of the Church All giddy Sects among vs crept We wish out of our Church were swept No name doe we delight in more Then that at Antioch giuen of yore c Christians Act. 11.26 But now what sects you Papists haue I doe but thy owne witnesse craue Some Capucines some Franciscanes And some bee called Dominicanes Some Iesuites some Seculars d The emulation difference betwixt these 2. their Quodlibets doe shew Some gray some black some white Friars And that your store may not be spent New Locusts still from Hell are sent e Reu. 9.3 Those Locusts doe well represent the Popes Clergy they were bred of the smoke of the Pit so are these of Heresy Ignorance and Superstition they destroy the fruites of the earth so these spoyle the Church The reason why the Church is called Catholike Thou sayst thou wouldst the Church find out So that I sée thou art in doubt And so indeede Vncertaynty Is still the fruite of Popery Catholike IN our Bible thou hast read T is well in ours for yours is fled And lurketh in a tongue vnusde Whereby poore people are abusde The Church is Catholike as you say And so say we but why I pray Because to it it were disgrace To limit it to time or place It euer was and so shall be Since Christ excluding no degrée f Col. 3.11 Acts 10.34 35. It once was tyed vnto the Iewes But now no place g Austine sayth it is Catholike because spred ouer the world Ep. 170. and thereto agreeth the Scripture Acts 1.8 it doth refuse It is a very fond surmise Which you the Papists doe deuise To shut the Church within Rome wall And yet to call it generall h Catholike and General are all one and therfore one of their owne Councels sayeth The Romane Church is not the Vniuersall Church but of the Vniuersall Church Basil Con. sy 3 The very name which you pretend Whereby your Church you would defend To all which doe the meaning know Doth quite your fancy ouerthrow You say the charge which Christ once gaue The Romists well performed haue But marke how thou thy selfe doest hurt And lay Romes honour in the curt That charge i Viz. of preaching thorough the world was giuen first to them Which liued at Ierusalem k The Apostles Mat. 28. Acts 1. And thence the Gospel issued out l Acts 8.1 As Esay told m Isai 2.3 the world throughout By them the Nations turned were n We read in Histories as in Eusebius others how the Apostles deuided thēselues into al the quarters of the world And thence of Christ Rome first did heare Yet now the place o Ierusalem which others call'd To Turkish Empire is inthrall'd So though 't were true which is not so And neuer shal be prou'd I know That Rome to Christ the nations brought Yet this your reason were starke nought But now perhaps Rome doth you le say Bring home the wanderers to the way In déed the Spaniards louing Gold Haue brought the Indians to your fold The Frogs from Euphrates come out p Euphrates was a great Riuer running neere the olde Babylon in Chaldaea was the defence of the City Cyrus and Darius could neuer take the City vntil by policy they dryed vp the riuer Now in a spiritual sence it doeth signify the honour wealth and authority of Rome which hath of later yeeres decayed exceedingly and doth daily the frogs mentioned in Apoc. 16.13 doe well resemble the Iesuites who feeling Euphrates to dry vp bestirre
c. In Rome we this fulfilled see I say Continuance is no signe To proue a Church to be diuine We may not thinke eche doctrine sure Which doth for many yeeres endure x It is true that the truth shall continue but yet it holdes not backwarde that whatsoeuer continueth is Trueth The Deuill is a lyer from the beginning Must not the Tares be let to grow Till it be time the corne to mowe y Math. 13.30 And Antichrist shall long time stay Euen till the very Iudgement day z 2. Thes 2.8 The Arrian Heresie yeeres did stand Two hundred more then one thousand a Yea and it was so generally receyued that it was sayd the whole world was become an Arrian And so since Mahomet first was séene A thousand yeeres haue nombred béene Romes name endures but Rome is chang'd And hath from Christ it selfe estrang'd Quit thou Rome from Apostacy Or name not perpetuity Pauls wordes do prooue b Ephe. 4.11 c. that certeinly The Church shall haue a Ministry And that there shal be some to féed The Flocke of Christ at euery néed But that these Pastors here or there Shall alwayes sit in beautie cléere This fond Conceipt not one poore word The holy Scripture doth affoord In déed in Rome there diuers bée That beare the name of Prelacy Better we Pilates may them call Séeking the Churches funerall You call your Pope a Shepheard great But where is his Spirituall Meate I do not heare that hee doth preach That would his greatnes much impeach Such are his carnall Cardinals Or rather bloudy Canibals c The people that liue vpon mans flesh They eate the Fatte and skin the Flocke And liue vpon the Churches stocke An idle signe a Shepherds Crooke In hand they beare d Their Pastoral staffe made in fashion of a Shepheards crooke but can not brooke To preach the word a Pastors grace That duty fittes not their high place The key of knowledge they withdraw e Luke 11.52 And from Gods people steale f Ieremy 23.30 Gods Law g They teach traditions to be equally reuerēced as the Scriptures Con. Trid. ses 4. dec 1. And mens deuies on them thrust Making them vnto Fancies trust These are Romes Pastors wofull shéepe Which left are to the Wolues to kéepe Thou Shepheard great Byshop chiefe h 1. Pet. 2.25 5.4 Come quickly i Reuel 22.20 quell this Romish thiefe Visible THou tell'st a tale incredible How that Gods Church is visible And by the Byshops Catalogue Wouldst prooue thy Romish Synagogue The errors here together lap 't By which the simple are entrap't All which your fained Church doth hold I meane in order to vnfold The Catholike Church defin'd aright Cannot be subiect to our sight It is th' Elected Company k 1. Pet. 2.9 And Christ his chosen Family l Ephe. 3.15 Of this one part in heauen liues m Called the Church Triumphant The other here with Sathan striues n Termed the Church Militant The part aboue you le not deny With mortall eyes none can descry The same is true of that below It is vnséene by vs also How with mine eyes I might discerne And sée th' Elect faine would I learne Vpon their persons we may looke Whose names are written in Gods booke o The Booke of life Phil. 4.3 But as for their spirituall Being It is a thing doth passe our séeing Partes of Christs church you Papists make Euen those whom God will quite forsake p So doeth Belarmine lib. 3. de Eccl. Cap. 7. the Rhemists in their annotations vpon Io. 15.1 Which if the matter well be scand Cannot with any Scripture stand Of the true Church Christ is the Head q Eph. 1.22 In him can be no members dead r They are called liuing stones 1. Pet. 2.5 His Church a Garden s Cant. 4.12 closed well In which no Reprobates can dwell t So August applyeth the place contra Cres Gram. lib. 2. and Gregory the great who was a Bishop of Rome in his Commentary vpon that place So that if fitly we will speake The ground you lay is very weake In calling it a Marke most cléere That Gods true Church must still appéere Of Churches nam'd in seuerall In Cities or els Nationall We yeeld sometime they may be séene Though sometime they are darkened cleane Sometime the Moone with chéerefull light Shines in the height of Heauen bright u Aug. vseth that Similitude in Psalm 9. and Epist 48. and Ambrose Hex 4. C. 8. Sometime with Cloudes t is ouerspred And in the Wane cleane vanished So is the Church in safety still Although not alway visible Sometimes it sittes in glory great Sometime it hath no certaine Seat The Woman which to Desert fled From Sathans rage to hide her head w Apoc. 12.6 By all the Learneds full consent The Church on earth doth represent The famous Church of Israel Where God did promise still to dwell x Psal 132.14 Was drownd so in Idolatry And superstitious slauery That all true worship being gone Elias thought himselfe alone y 1. King 19.10 And when Christ comes to iudge vs all Then Fayth on earth shal be but small z Luke 18.8 How is the Church a City then a Math. 5.14 Rais'd on a Mount and séene of men And how a light set vp on hye That all that will may it espye How shall we to the Church complaine b Math. 18.17 If of the Church no shew remaine This is thy Popish reasoning And Scriptures playne misconstruing Christ doth the Apostles counsell giue The true meaning of those places Soundly to preach and well to liue Because their places were in sight And 't was their Office to giue light They erring many might misse-lead Which in their steps might hap to tread If that their Doctrine were vnsound In falsehood many might bee drownd It was in vaine for them to wéene In doing yll not to be séene You are sayth Christ vpon a Mount To be well markt make full account c Thus Chry. and Theophilact expound this place Paideusi antous enagonious einai cai acribeis peri ton bion os para panton blepesthe mellontas This sheweth wherein our duety stands And what God lookes for at our hands Who call'd are to the Ministry To labour in Gods Husbandry d 1. Cor. 3.9 But from hence how may prooued bée The Churches visibility This place affoords a slender proofe And litle for the Popes behoofe Yet you perhaps will vrge it still The Pastors are set on a Hyll And called Light euen so say I But all men can them not descry For those which want spirituall eyes e Eph. 1.18 Nor are by searching f Iohn 5.39 Scriptures wise g Eph. 5.15 17. This mounted City can not sée Nor where these lightsome Pastors bée h This was the answere of Aug.
to the Donatists Tract 1. in Ep. Iohan. Christ bids vs we the Church should tell If things be not reformed well By Church hee meanes all such as bée Indued with Authority i The same which Paul calleth Presbyterion 1. Tim. 4.14 The Eldership These Office-bearers all men sée In times of setled Souerainty Yea and among them selues th' are knowne When th' outward state is ouerthrowne The Error of this Popish Argument When that was said in speciall You turne to Church in generall Thereby you may deceiue some fooles But soone it will be séene in Schooles This Argument of outward state Which for a Marke you intimate Against that thing doth strongly make Which you to prooue do vndertake Romes state hath sometimes bin obscur'd And hath disgraces soule endur'd Burnt k By the Gothes 547. sackt l By Charles Duke of Burbon in the dayes of Pope Clement the 7. wherevpon was made the clause in the Letany Sancta Maria c. O holy Mary pray for Pope Clement c. some Popes imprisoned m Iohn 14. Boniface 8. about the yeere 1304. Some glad to fly n Iohn 17. fled to Hetruria some banished o Vigilius 18. Gregory 9. about the yeere 1227. Where did your glorious Church abide When Popes were glad themselues to hide Peace peace no more of this for shame Rome sayth thou wilt her cleane defame * Succession Succession cometh next in place Whereby thou séekst thy Church to grace Your turne Succession cannot serue If from the Trueth Succession swerue The Iewish Church from Aaron A iust descent might stand vpon Euen when they crucifide our Lord And hated all that lou'd his Word If we shall say that Church was true Consisting of so vile a crue We cast Christ and the Apostles out Among the base and damned rout The Grecian Churches at this day For their defence as much can say p At Constantinople there hath beene a perpetuall Succession from S. Andrew Niceph. At Alexandria from Saint Marke Yet you of them doe giue this doome That in Gods church they haue no 〈◊〉 Yet if Succession were a signe Which your graund captayne Bellarmine Dares not auouch q Bellarmine sayeth it followeth negatiuely that where there is no succession there is no church but not affirmatiuely that where there is succession there is a Church I sayne would sée How Rome can proue her Pedigrée You call your Church Saint Peters chayre As though the Pope were Peters Heyre But if that ground we once deny What Papist can it verify You cannot proue by holy Writ Peter at Rome did Bishop sit The onely place which you doe name r 1. Pet. 5.13 The Rhemists say that there by Babylon is ment Rome so they cōfesse Rome to be Babylon Returneth to your greater shame The things you fetch from History Touching this poynt doe not agrée s Osorius sayth Peter came to Rome in the beginning of Claudius raigne Hierome in the 2. yere others in the 4. yere other the 13 yere Damasus saith he came thither in Neroes raign so that there is no certainty in that which they make an vndoubted principle And what our part hath herein sed By Papists stands vnanswered But if hee Bishop were indéede Tell me who next did him succéede Some Clement t The Popes decrees hold so and some Linus hold v Dorotheus Euseb li. 3. cap. 4. Hieron in Catalo Thus your succession is controld Once was a Pope suppos'd a man w Iohn 8. Platina The womans name was Gilberta a Dutch woman of Maguntium But prou'd in time a Courtezan Then eyther your Succession shranke Or you must put her in the ranke When Popes there were some two x Two Popes together Anno 1083. Anno 1058. 1062. or thrée y Bened. 9. Siluest 3. Greg. 6. all at one time and at another time Ben. 13. a Spanish Pope Greg. 12. a French Pope and Iohn 23. an Italian Pope Where thē might your successiō be One Schisme held almost fourty yere z 39. yeeres From Pope to Pope as doeth appeare a Let their Ancestors speake One Councel b The Councill of Constance did these Popes put downe And to another gaue the crowne When these false Popes the place possest I thinke you le say Succession ceast Vnity 'T Is true Christs Church is alwayes one Tyd vnto him as Head alone The partes thereof do well agrée c Acts 4.23 Like children of one Family But yet not euery company Together linckt in Vnity Must by and by be called good If Trueth by them shal be withstood To make a Calfe they all agréed d Exod. 32.1 All cry'd Let Christ be crucifi'd e Math. 27.22 Great is Diana with a shoute At once the people all cry'd out f Acts 19.34 Iohn sayd they should yéeld to the Beast Euen from the greatest to the least g Apoc. 13.16 As Christ his City is but one So is the Deuils Babylon h Vt est dei vna ecclesia sic est diaboli vn a Babylon Aug. de Ciui Dei The best sometimes do disagrée i Peter and Paul Gal 2.11 Paul Barnabas Acts 15.39 Chrysost Theophilact and Epiphanius Augustine and Hierome Cyrill Theodoret Each man hath his Infirmity Better the Discord bringing Light Then is agréement without right k Kreisson empathous omonoias he vper eusebeias diastasis Nazianz Oratione prima de pace Yet by this Marke if Rome be try'd It will fall hard vpon your side Your ioynt-consent we can not find Nor that you all are of one mind If we shall credit History You can not bragge of Vnity Where twenty seueral schismes haue béen l Genebrardus in Chro. What Harmony may there be séene The Lawes which one determineth The Pope that follows cancelleth m Stephen 6. abrogated all his Predecessors decrees Formosus tooke vp his body cut two fingers of his right hād off and buried him agayne Yet things by him abolished By next Popes are established n The following Popes Theodorus 2. Romanus Ioh. 10. confirmed all Formosus his actes And yet another o After all Pope Sergius disanulled their acts tooke vp Formosus his body cast it into Tibur Ex. Poly. Chron. comes behind Who with the former fault doth find And all which they did quite displace Reduceth to the former grace Thus one sage Counsell doth decrée Another sayth it may not bée p The first Nicene Coūcell allowed Priests mariage and the Communion in both kinds The Councels of Constāce Basil forbade the Laity the vse of the cup. The coūcel of Trent forbiddeth both the Cup to the Laity and marriage to the Clergy The third Coūcell of Carthage pronoūced him accursed called him the Forerunner of Antichrist whosoeuer should terme himselfe Vniuersal Bishop but now the Councel of Trent curseth him who shall deny the