For, if they reckon from the beginning of the world, we have shown, that Cain, who was a murderer, has had his successors as well as Abel, who was slain for the sake of his faith[48] and godliness. [48] “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” Heb. 11:4. And also, if they reckon from the time of the apostles, we have demonstrated that at that time already there were many apostates, yea, adversaries of the Christian religion and the true worship of God; and that more have followed, according to the prophecies and predictions which the holy apostles uttered and left to posterity. Hence it follows, that neither the antiquity, nor the long or great succession of persons, can assure the truth of any religion or church, since the evil is as ancient as the good, and the erring spirits and evil doers have had, and still have, as great a succession as the true believers and good; unless the antiquity, and the succession of persons be accompanied with the divine truth and piety possessed by the upright ancients in the beginning. OBJECTION OF THE PAPISTS, BY MEANS OF THREE PASSAGES. But, in order to maintain the aforementioned succession, the Papists are accustomed to say, that they do not reckon the same from the antiquity of some erring spirits who were before, in, or after the time of the apostles; but from the church of Christ itself, and from Peter, whom they styled the prince of the apostles, upon whom Christ himself, as they asserted, wished to build his church. _Bell. lib. 1. de pont Rom. cap. 10. Quansuys ex._ To this they add as a second argument, that to him, and no other, were given, by Christ, the keys of heaven, to open or to close the same according to his pleasure. And, thirdly, that the Lord thrice commanded him--more than the other apostles--to feed his flock, that is, his church. Moreover, that he occupied the Roman throne, and that the popes succeeded him therein. To prove this supremacy of Peter, and, consequently, the succession of the popes in his place, they have, for a long time already, misused three passages of holy Scripture, namely Matt. 16:18,19; and John 21:15–17; to which we will reply in the following. REPLY TO THE FIRST PASSAGE. Matt. 16:18, the Lord says: “Upon this rock I will build my church.” The error of the Romanists consists in this, that they misinterpret the word _petra_, as though thereby was meant the apostle Peter; but this is a great and palpable error. For the Lord there plainly distinguishes between the name _Petros_ (Peter) and the word _petra_ (rock); saying immediately before: “Thou art _Peter_,” but afterwards: “and upon this _rock_;” upon which follows: “I will build my church;” so that the Lord does not promise there, to build his church upon _Peter_, but upon the _rock_; which he plainly mentions.