A key for Catholics, to open the juggling of the Jesuits, and satisfy all…A key for Catholicks, to open the jugling of the Jesuits, and satisfie all…

Thus Bellarmine opens his juggling lib. 4. de Eccles. cap. 9. where he pleadeth Antiquity of Doctrine as a Note of the true Church: And (saith he) Jam duobus modis, &c. Two ways we may by this Mark prove our Church. 1. By showing the sentences of the Ancients, by which we confirm all our tenets, and refute our adversaries. But this way (saith he) is most prolix, and obnoxious to many calumnies and objections. (Mark Papists, and take heed of appealing to Antiquity.) The other way (saith he) is shorter and surer, by showing first from the confession of the adversaries, that our tenets are the doctrine of all the ancients, &c.] And indeed if the weakness or rashness of any Protestants be the Papists strength, its time for us to be more prudent: but if it be the Papists unhappiness that cannot understand the ancients in the ancients, but only from the Pope or the Protestants, the Fathers are fallen into the hands of Babies as well as the Scriptures; and the Protestants have too little wit if they will join with the Pope in an abusive interpreting the Fathers for the Papists. And thus Bellarmine proceeds to cite Calvin, and the Centurists, as giving them the Fathers. But wherein? Forsooth in the point of Free-will, Limbus, Concupiscence, Lent, Lay baptism in necessity, &c. And therefore by our Confessions Antiquity is for the Papists. And this is their shortest and surest way. (The more fools we then.) Is not here great diffidence in the Fathers, when they have more confidence in our sayings then their writings?

Thus Bellarmine opens his jugling lib. 4. de Eccles. cap. 9. where he pleadeth Antiquity of Doctrine as a Note of the true Church: And (saith he) Jam duobus modis, &c. Two wayes we may by this Mark prove our Church. 1. By shewing the sentences of the Ancients, by which we confirm all our tenets, and refute our adversaries. But this way (saith he) is most prolix, and obnoxious to many calumnies and objections. (Mark Papists, and take heed of appealing to Antiquity.) The other way (saith he) is shorter and surer, by shewing first from the confession of the adversaries, that our tenents are the doctrine of all the antients, &c.] And indeed if the weakness or rashness of any Protestants be the Papists strength, its time for us to be more prudent: but if it be the Papists unhappiness that cannot understand the antients in the antients, but only from the Pope or the Protestants, the Fathers are faln into the hands of Babies as well as the Scriptures; and the Protestants have too little wit if they will join with the Pope in an abusive interpreting the Fathers for the Papists. And thus Bellarmine proceeds to cite Calvin, and the Centurists, as giving them the Fathers. But wherein? Forsooth in the point of Free-will, Limbus, Concupiscence, Lent, Lay baptism in necessity, &c. And therefore by our Confessions Antiquity is for the Papists. And this is their shortest and surest way. (The more fools we then.) Is not here great diffidence in the Fathers, when they have more confidence in our sayings then their writings?