Page 186
The second Prelude.
* 1.1MAny things may euidently be proued to haue beene done, whereof for all that wee can yeeld no sound reason, when, where, & by whom they were done. For first, we know which the Papists can not denie, that in the primitiue church infants receiued the holy communion; yet neither we nor they can tel, when, where, and by whom, that vndiscreet custom first began & was abolished: it was usually practised in S. Austines time. Secondly, we know & they know, that the Lords supper in the Romish church is ministred vnder one kind contrary to Christs institution, yet neither we nor they can tel, when, where, and by whom, that execrable custom first began. Thirdly, we know & they know yt priuat masse hath bin long practised in the church of Rome; yet can we neither tell, when, where, nor by whom it first began. But this we are assured of, that it is repugnant to Christs institution, wholy dissonant from apostolicall doctrine, and vtterly condemned by all approued antiquitie.
Fourthly, we know & they know, that their reformed Fran∣ciscans (now commonly called Capuchens) can tell right per∣fectly, that their other dissolute Franciscans haue swarued fro their ancient order, albeit they can neither tell, when, where, nor by whom, that dissolution first began: but they proue it àposteriori, by their ancient rules manifestly. And euen so doe we proue by the holy scriptures, (the true touchstone of all ve∣ritie) that the papists haue swarued from apostolicall doctrine, albeit we could not (as yet we can) assigne the time, place, and persons; when, where, & by whom such antichristian alteration began.