Often Roman Catholics use the argument they are the original, the first, and antiquity is on their side. That can seem like a convincing argument and especially appealing because so many Protestants are ahistorical. 500 years ago, Rome was using that same argument against the Lutheran reformers, but Martin Chemnitz masterfully, in his Enchiridion, shows that the argument of antiquity is a total dead end. Roman Catholic doctrine has not been around the longest, and isn't the doctrine of the Scriptures, or is it the doctrine of the early church. The early church knew nothing of papal primacy over the other bishops. The first Christians knew nothing of purgatory and most certainly didn't pray to Mary or the saints. There weren't seven sacraments. Paul, in his letters to the Romans and Galatians, put to rest the doctrine of works-righteousness, and so forth, and so on. It doesn't matter whose institution has been around the longest but what matters is whose doctrine has been around the longest. The Roman Catholic Church as an institution may have been around the longest, but its doctrines certainly have not. The true faith has existed since Adam and Eve, and it was believed by the patriarchs; it was preached by the prophets; it was taught by Christ and his apostles, and that is the ancient faith which does have antiquity on its side.
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