The answere.
Gentle wordes I pray you,* 1.1 the matter is not so daun∣gerous
To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Gentle wordes I pray you,* 1.1 the matter is not so daun∣gerous
as ye thinke. I therefore say first with saint Paul, that [ 1] pastors and doctors haue euer been in the church since Christs ascension, are at this present, and shall bee vnto the worldes end. I say secondly, that albeit the visible church cannot want [ 2] materiall succession; yet cannot that succession, without for∣mall, yeelde anie sound argument of true faith and religion. In regard hereof, your owne doctor Nicolaus de Lyra, after he hath told vs that many Popes haue swarued from the chri∣stian faith, and become flat apostataes, concludeth in these wordes,* 1.2 Propter quod ecclesia consistit in illis personis, in qui∣bus est notitia vera, & confessio fidei, & veritatis. by reason whereof the church consisteth in those persons, in whome there is true kn••wledge and confession of the faith and of veritie. So then by the confession of your owne approoued doctor, not they that sic in saint Peters chaire at Rome, are the true and lawfull successors of Saint Peter; but they that confesse and preach saint Peters doctrine. I say thirdly, that our refor∣med [ 3] churches in England, are this day able to shew, succession both materiall and formal, euen from the apostles themselues. And therefore our succession is, and ought to be reputed, farre better then yours.
Ephes. 4. v. 11.
Lyranus in 16, cap. Matth.