PROR.7a-, NO EARLY ANTIQUITY FOR PAPAL SUCCESSION. 139 " Called saints," and 'Ayavrnral eEOÚ, " Beloved of God ;" which are common adjuncts of all Christians. He says that their faith was spoken of generally, but of the fame of their authority being so spread he takes no notice; that " their obedience had come abroad to all men," but their commands had not, it seems, come anywhere.1 He wrote divers epistles from Rome, wherein he resolves many cases debated, yet never urges the authority of the Roman church for any point, which is now so ponderous an argument. 7. But, however, seeing the Scripture is so strangely reserved, how comes it to pass that tradition is also so defective and staunch* in so grand a case? We have in divers of the fathers, particularly in Ter- tullian, in St Basil, in St Jerome,' catalogues of traditional doctrines and observances, which they recite, to assert tradition [as] in some cases supplemental to Scripture, in which their purpose required that they should set down those of principal moment; and they are so punctual as to insert many ofsmall consideration ; how, then, came they to neglect this, concerning the papal authority over the whole church, which had beenmost pertinent to their design, and in conse- quence [importance] vastly surpassed all the rest which they name? 8. The designation of the Roman bishop by succession to obtain so high a degree in the church, being above all others a most remark- able and noble piece of history, which it had been ahorrible fault in an ecclesiastical history to slip over without careful reporting and reflecting upon it, yet Eusebius, that most diligent compiler of all passages relating to the original constitution of the church, and to all transactions therein, has not one word about it ! who yet studiously reports the successions of the Roman bishops, and all the notable occurrences he knew concerning them, with favourableadvantage. 9. Whereas this doctrine is pretended to be a point of faith, of vast consequence to the subsistence of the church, and to the salva- tion of men, it is somewhat strange that it should not be inserted into any one ancient summary of things to be believed, of which summaries divers remain, some composed by public consent, others bypersons of eminency in the church,' nor by fair and forcible con- sequence should be deducible from any article in them; especi- ally considering that such summaries were framed upon occasion of heresies springing up which disregarded the pope's authority, and which by asserting it were plainly confuted. We are, therefore, be- holden to Pope Innocent III. and his Lateran synod for first synodi- cally defining this point, together with other points no less new and 1 Vid. Chrys., Theo., Hier.; Baron., an. lviii., § 46, &c. ; Rom. i. 7, 8, xvi. 19. * Staunch, used perhaps for stanched, or stinted. En. 2 Tertull. deCor. Mil. iii.; Basil. de Sp. S., xxvii.; Hier. advers. Lucif. iv. 3 Const. Apost. vii. 41 (a full creed, at baptism).
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