CHAP. XXVI. That the Protestant Church hath not conti∣nued visible, in the Grecians, Arme∣nians, nor Aethiopians.

ALBEIT the Grecians were granted now to be Protestants, yet they were not al∣wayes so: and therefore Protestants cannot con∣tinue the visibility of their Church by them. For they were at least seven or 8, hundred yeares, in the Communion of the Roman Church, as witnesse the first eight General Councels, all held in Grece and approved by the Popes of Rome. The first revolt was made Page  273 by the Grecians, denying the procession of the holy Ghost from the Son. They were vnited again diverse times to the Church of Rome, and lastly in the Councel of Florence.* This sheweth, that the Grecians have not alwayes remain'd in the same doctrin, and therefore, they are not the perpetual Church, which we are now seeking. 2. Since the tim , that they began their Schisme, they were not Protes∣tants, for they have reiected the Protestants Communion, and disproved their Co fession:* as is well known by the Censure, which they have published against it, where they main∣tayn Masse, Transubstantiation, 7. Sacra∣ments, invocation of •aints and diverse other points of the Roman faith. Lastly, they hold an error condemned both by Catholiques & Protestants, to witt, that the holy Ghost pro∣ceeds only from the Father, & not from the Son. Therefore, the Protestants cannot conti∣nue their visible Church, by the Grecians, who were, for many ages, Catholiques, who never were, nor yet are Protestants, and are known to this day, for a great part, to be Ro∣man Catholiques.

The like may be said of the Armenians. For first, supposing they were now Protestants, they were not alwayes of that religion, for they remaind Catholiques,* ever till about the 7. age. Therefore the Protestant Church can∣not be continued in them 2. They never held the Protestant Confession of faith. For they maintayn the real presence, the vnbloody sacri∣fice, Page  274 prayer for the dead, invocation of Saints, 3. They were vnited to the Roman Church, with the Grecians,* in he Councel of Flo∣rence. And lastly since their falling away, they hold errors which are condemned, both by Catholiques & Protestants. For they deny the Procession of the holy Ghost from the Son: they confound the two natures in Christ, and reiterate baptisme, All which do shew that they neither were, nor are Protestants.

From Greece and Armenia, we must now at length go to Aethiopia, where M. du Mou∣lin affirmes the Protestant Church was,* befo∣re Luther. But, supposing they were now Pro∣testants, they were not alwayes so. For, near the space of 5. hundred yeares, they were Catholiques, at which time, they began to be corrupted with the heresie of Eutiches. The∣refore, the Protestant Church for 5. Hundred yeares, was not visible in them. 2. since their Schisme, they never beleeved intirly any Pro∣testant Confession, and never held iustification by faith only.* 3. They agree with the Catholi∣ques against Protestants, in the 7. Sacraments, invocation of Saints, prayer for the dead, Masse, Transubstantiation &c. as D. Stratford sheweth out of their own Authors. They call the Pope head of all Bishops, as is evident, by the letters of their Emperour to Pope Clement the 7. Whereof a part is recited in the upple∣ment of Spondan•s,* and they have offered di∣verse times obedience to the Pope. Lastly, they held diverse errors, which Protestants cannot Page  275 approve. For they deny the procession of the holy Ghost from the Son,* with the Gre∣cians: they acknowledge one only will in Christ, with the Mono helities, and one only nature in him with the Eutichians, and with the Iewes, they abstaine from certain meats and observe Circumcision. Therefo∣re the Protestants cannot continue their Church, by the Aethiopians, nor by any of their for•er pretences: which serve for no∣thing, but to make it visibly appeare, that there was no visible Protestant Church, in any part of the world, for no age or time, be∣fore Luther: how much lesse, for the whole time, between the Apostles and Luther? Yea; albeit the Wa•denses, and all the rest above na∣med, to whom the Protestants do pretend, were granted to have beleeved the Protestant Confession (as it's evident, they beleeved it not) yet the Protestant Church could not be continued by any, or all of them, because they did not continue from the Apostles, and the most part of them lived at diverse times, wit∣hout any Society or lineal descent, hanging of∣ten assunder whole ages one from an other, and the first being long decayed before the others did appeare. For this cause, some learned Pro∣testants, seeing the impossibility of continuing the visibility of their Church, by such broken and vanishing troopes, and being ashamed to claime, as members of their Church, such erronious persons, or notorious heretiques, have vndertaken, by two other wayes, to Page  276 shew their Church to be visible, before Lu∣ther: which we shall shortly run over.