The Pope confuted The holy and apostolic Church confuting the Pope. The first action.…The Pope confuted The holy and apostolique Church confuting the Pope. The first action.…

THE POPE CONFUTED. THE HOLY AND APOSTOLICAL CHURCH CONFUTING THE ERRORS OF THE POPES DOCTRINE. THE SECOND ACTION.

THE POPE CONFVTED. THE HOLY AND APOSTOLICAL CHVRCHE CONFVTING THE ERROVRS OF THE POPES DOCTRINE. THE SECOND ACTION.

IT appeareth manifestly enough, I suppose, by the former discourse, that we have not departed from out the Church of Christ, in that we have sequestered our selves from the Romish Synagogue. In this present action therefore, now it may seem convenient that we render the reason that moved us to renounce that Romish route, and set down as briefly as we may, the very points withal, wherein we swerve from them. Wherein nevertheless shall not be altogether amiss to advertise the gentle Readers hereof chiefly, That we entered into this controversy against the adversaries, not of any set purpose to raise contention and debate in the Church, nor of any desire to quarrel and contend, nor yet of any evil affection that we bear to the persons themselves, against whom we maintain argument: n• yet for that we would not much more willingly be coupled with them in one link of Christian unity and concord, if the unity, which they offered unto us, were such as we might by any means yield unto, without prejudice of the faith and glory of Christ, without stain of conscience, without manifest treachery and Apostasy, or without unavoidable danger of the safety of our soul. But the matter being now grown to this point, that we can ⟨image 53⟩by no possible means be at unity with Christ, if we partake with them, what remaineth then at the length wherein they may either justify against us, or allege for further defence in their own behalf? If they accuse us of Apostasy, or falling from them, let them then first by plain demonstration make manifest the very nature of right Apostasy. Surely if those that have severed themselves from the Primitive and true Catholilike Church, and be revolted from the first founders of Christian faith, from the ancient Fathers, from the Apostles, from the infallible principles of the Evangelical doctrine, to an other doctrine, to mens traditions, to foreign forged novelties of Religion, to worshipping of Idols, to a strange Gospel altogether unknown to the Apostles, to patter prayers in unknown and barbarous speeches, may rightly be called plain runagates, no men in the world deserve to be called Apostates in my judgement more properly and truly, than this generation of Papists brood.