Popery condemned by scripture and the fathers - End Time Deception

70 POPERY CONDEMNED BY
the supremacy on the patriarch of Constantinople
: " He was intrusted with the government
*'
of the Catholic Church of the orthodox at
*'
Constantinople, and thereby, of the whole
''
world*," Before the R., therefore, can receive
any assistance from these words which he
has ascribed to Athanasius,
or from similar expressions,
he must lay down the following rule
for understanding the Fathers, " When supre-
*'
macy is ascribed to the bishop of Rome, it
*'
must be literally understood ; but to others,
" it is merely complimentally."
But, though these words had actually ascribed
an exclusive supremacy to Felix, they would
afford the R. very little ground for boasting.
Du Pin has proven, by conclusive reasoning,
that the letter from which they are extracted is
false and supposititious.
'^ It has," says he,
''
many marks of falsehood. 1. Athanasius
" never communicated with this false Pope. 2.
'-
It has not the style of Athanasius, but of a
**
Latin author. 3. It is composed of passages
" from works which were not then in existence.
'•'
4. When Felix was chosen, Athanasius was
" in concealment, and could not assemble a Sy-
••
nod, as the letter says he did f." But, perhaps,
nothing less than the testimony of Athanasius
himself Vv'ill
persuade the R. of its forgery.
* Haeret. Fabu!. Hb. 4. c. 12. f
Hist. Eccles.
vol. I. p. 176.