154 NO APPEAL TO THE POPE IN CONTROVERSIES. bishop's judicial power in such cases? Whydo they not urge that in plain terms? They would certainly have done so if they had known it, and thought it of any validity. Do but mark their words, involving the force of their argumenta- tion, " We do again," says Irenus, after allegation of Scripture, " appeal to that tradition which is from the apostles, which by suc- cessions of presbyters is preserved in the churches."'. And, " That," says Tertullian, " will appear to have been delivered by the apostles, which has been kept as holy in the apostolical churches. Let us see what milk the Corinthians drew from Paul; how the Philippians, the Thessalonians, the Ephesians read; what also the Romans, our nearer neighbours, say, to whom both Peter and Paul left the gospel sealed with their blood; we have also the churches nursed byJohn," &c.$ Again; " It is therefore manifest," says he, in his Prescriptions against Heretics, "that every doctrine which conspires with those apostolical churches, in which the faith originallywas planted, is to be accounted true, as undoubtedly holding that which the churches received from the apostles, the apostles fromChrist, and Christ from God. But all other doctrine is to be prejudged false which savours contrary to the truth of the churches, and of the apostles, and of Christ, and ofGod."' Their argumentation, then, in short, is plainly this,That the conspiring of the churches in doctrines contrary to those which the heretics vented, irrefragably signified those doctrines to be apostolical: which discourse [argument] no wise favours the Roman pretences, but, indeed, if we weigh it, is very prejudicial thereto; it thereby appearing that Christian doctors then, in the canvassing of points and assuring tradition, had no peculiar regard to the Roman church's testimony, no deference at all to the Roman bishop's authority, not otherwise, at least, than to the authority of one single bishop yielding attestation to tradition. 26. It is odd, that even old popes themselves, in elaborate tracts disputingagainst heretics, as Pope Celestine against Nestorius and Pelagius,Pope Leoagainst Eutyches, &c.,content themselves to urge testimonies of Scripture, and arguments grounded thereon; not al- leging their own definitive authority, or using this parlous [shrewd, Cum autem ad earn iterum traditionem, quee est ab apostolis, quay per successores presbyterorum in ecclesiis custoditur, provocamus, &c. Iren. iii. 2. 2 Constabit id else ab apostolis traditum quod apud ecclesias apostolicas fuerit sacro- sanctum. Videamus quod lac aPaulo Coriuthii hauserint; quid legant Philippenses, Thessalonicenses, Ephesii; quid etiatn Romani de proximo sonent; quibus evangelium et Petrus et Paulus sanguine quoque suo signatum reliquerunt; habemus et Johannis alumnas ecclesias, &c.-Adv. Marc. iv. 5. t Constat proinde omnem doctrinam, clues cum illis ecclesiis apostolicis matricibus et originalibus fidei conspiret, veritati deputandum, id sene dubio tenentem quod ecclesiie ab apostolis, apostoli a Christo, Christus a Deo suscepit; reliquam vero doctrinam de mendacio praejudicandam, quas sapiat contra veritatem ecclesiarum, et apostolorum, et Christi, et Dei. Tert. de Prcescr. xxi. AIM
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