right Pope, nor knoweth to this day; and so long removes and vacancies, and such interpositions of various wayes of choosing their Pope, and interruptions by Hereticall Popes, con∣demned by General Councils; besides Murderers, Adulterers, Symonists, and such as their own Writers (as Genebrard) expresly say, Were not Apostolical, but Apostatical; yea Popes that by Ge∣neral Councils have been judged or charged with infidelity it self (as I have formerly proved,) that there's no∣thing more certain then that their succession hath been in∣terrupted.
3. They cannot be certain but its every age interrupted, and that theres no true Pope or Bishops among them, because the in∣tention of the Ordainer or Consecrator is with them of neces∣sity to the thing: and no man can be certain of the Intention of the Ordainers. And therefore Bellarmine is fain to take up with this, that though we cannot be sure that he is a true Pope, Bishop, or Presbyter that is ordained, yet we are bound to obey him. But where then is the Certainty of succession?
4. What succession of Episcopal Consecration was there in the Church of Alexandria, when Hierom (Epist. ad Evagri∣um) tells us that [At Alexandria from Mark the Evangelist even till Heraclus and Dionysius their Bishops, the Presbyters did alwayes name one man that Bishop whom they chose from among themselves, and placed in a higher degree. Even as if an Army make an Emperour, or the Deacons choose one of themselves, whom they know to be industrious, and call him the chief Dea∣con.] Thus Hierom shews that Bishops were then made by meer Presbyters. And in the same Epistle he proves from Scri∣pture, that Presbyters and Bishops were then all one. And if so, there were no Prelatical Ordinations then at all. And your Medina accusing Hierom of error in this, saith, that Ambrose, Austin, Sedulius, Primasius, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Oecumeni∣us, Theophilact, were in the same heresie, as Bellarmine himself reporteth him. So that Presbyters now may either ordain, or make themselves Bishops as those of Alexandria did, to do it. And as Hierom there saith, [All are the successors of the Apostles,] and our Bishops or Presbyters are such, as much, at least, as yours: yet Apostles as Apostles have no Successors at all, as Bel∣larmine