No doubt but common reason and justice requir••, that you that call to us so earnestly for a Catalogue of the Professors of our Religion in all Ages ••uld be as much obliged your selves to give us a •••alogue of yours: yea and to give it first, because […] are the first in pleading the necessity of it. Un•••take this task therefore, and perform it well, and •u shall carry the whole cause. Give us a Cata•ue of any, besides impeached Heretics, that did •n your main points of Popery for many hundred ••rs after Christ, and we will give you a full ac••nt of such as contradicted those conceits and be•••ed as we do, and let both be compared together, • let the most satisfaction and the fullest evidence •••ry it. You make a mere empty noise among the ••gar, of Antiquity and Universality, and call for •roof of the perpetual or continued visibility of • Church, as if in this you had the advantage, • the balance did turn on your side: When as ••ough we know that there is no such necessity of • proof in this as you pretend yet) we know your advantage here to be so great, that if you will • be persuaded to this way of trial, it will be to the •••er shame and confusion of your cause. Whats the ••tter else that you still appeal to the latter or pre••t Church, and that is only to the Roman, and that's ⟨p. 36⟩only to your selves? If we do but invite you to trial by Scripture, and the Fathers and Records the three first ages, you presently scorn the mo• and fall upon the Fathers with accusations, as if th• had not understood or believed all that was necessa•• to salvation, or to the being of a Christian or Church; for you say they did not meddle with th• controversies; and so you call us down to the la• or present times, as having equal authority with • first: To which we say, 1. That the silence of • first times concerning these matters, if there w• no more (as yet there is) is sufficient to prove t• they were not then taken for any necessary points faith. For, Though our Records of the sec• Age be very short, yet both they and m• more those of the third and fourth Ages contain such purposely undertaken, explication• the Christian faith, that we cannot imagine suc• multitude of necessary points would have been o• ted. 2.
No doubt but common reason and justice requir••, that you that call to us so earnestly for a Cata••gue of the Professors of our Religion in all Ages ••uld be as much obliged your selves to give us a •••alogue of yours: yea and to give it first, because 〈…〉 are the first in pleading the necessity of it. Un•••take this task therefore, and perform it well, and •u shall carry the whole cause. Give us a Cata•ue of any, besides impeached Hereticks, that did •n your main points of Popery for many hundred ••rs after Christ, and we will give you a full ac••nt of such as contradicted those conceits and be•••ed as we do, and let both be compared together, • let the most satisfaction and the fullest evidence •••ry it. You make a meer empty noise among the ••gar, of Antiquity and Universality, and call for •roof of the perpetual or continued visibility of • Church, as if in this you had the advantage, • the ballance did turn on your side: When as ••ough we know that there is no such necessity of • proof in this as you pretend yet) we know your •dvantage here to be so great, that if you will • be perswaded to this way of tryal, it will be to the •••er shame and confusion of your cause. Whats the ••tter else that you still appeal to the latter or pre••t Church, and that is only to the Romane, and thats ⟨p. 36⟩onely to your selves? If we do but invite you to tryal by Scripture, and the Fathers and Records the three first ages, you presently scorn the mo and fall upon the Fathers with accusations, as if th had not understood or believed all that was necessa to salvation, or to the being of a Christian or Church; for you say they did not meddle with th controversies; and so you call us down to the la or present times, as having equal authority with first: To which we say, 1. That the silence of first times concerning these matters, if there w no more (as yet there is) is sufficient to prove t they were not then taken for any necessary points faith. For, Though our Records of the sec Age be very short, yet both they and m more those of the third and fourth Ages containe such purposely undertaken, explication the Christian faith, that we cannot imagine suc multitude of necessary points would have been o ted. 2.
