Romanism discussed, or, An answer to the nine first articles of H.T. his Manual of controversies. Whereby is manifested, that H.T. hath not (as he pretends) clearly demonstrated the truth of the Roman religion by him falsly called Catholick, by texts of holy scripture, councils of all ages, Fathers of the first five hundred years, common sense, and experience, nor fully answered the principal objections of protestants, whom he unjustly terms sectaries. By John Tombes, B.D. And commended to the world by Mr. Richard Baxter.

SECT. III.

The Tenet of the falsity of all Churches not owning the Pope, is shewed to be most absurd.

ARticle 1. saith H. T. Our Tenet is, That the Church now in communion with the See of Rome is the onely true Church of God.

Answ. By the S••e of Rome, he means the Roman Bishop, or Pope, and the Communion he means, is in the same Tenets which they hold according to the Trent Canons, and Pius the fourth his Bull with subjection to the Bi∣shop of Rome's jurisdiction over the whole Church of Christ. In which sense the Tenet is so palpably false, and so extremely uncharitable, that it is a mar∣vel that any that hath the understanding of a man should imbrace it, or the charity of a Christian should brook it. For,

1. If the Church now in communion with the See of Rome, be the onely true Church of God, then that Church onely hath eternal life, for onely the true Church of God hath eternal life. Extra Ecclesiam non est salus, is their own determination, Concil. Lateran. 4. Can. 2. and elsewhere. But that Church which is not in communion with the See of Rome, hath eternal life; Ergo, it is the true Church of God. The Minor is proved thus, That Church which believes in Jesus Christ hath eternal life: But other Churches besides those now in communion with the See of Rome, believe in Jesus Christ; Ergo. The Major is plain from John 3. 16, 18, 36. & 17. 3. & 20. 31. 1 John 5. 11, 12. Mark 16. 16. in which it is expresly said, that he that believeth on Christ (without any mention of Peter or the Pope) hath eternal life. The Minor is proved by their profession, and other evidences of their reality in believing; which if any deny to prove true faith in them, he may as well deny there are any believers in Christ in the world.

2. If there be no true Churches but such as are in communion with the See of Rome, then there is some other name besides the Name of Jesus Christ

given among men, by which we must be saved, and there is salvation in some other besides him, for men have salvation in that name by which they are the true church of God; and if we be the true church of God by communion with the Pope, we have salvation by the Pope. But this is most false and An∣tichristian, to ascribe salvation to any other name besides the Name of Jesus Christ, as being expresly contradictory to Peter's own words, Act. 4. 12. There is no salvation in any other, neither is there any name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved, but the Name of Jesus Christ; not Peter, or the Bishop of Rome.

3. If no churches be true churches of God, but such as are in commu∣nion with the See of Rome, then Christ died for no other churches but them. For Christ died for his church, Ephes. 5. 25. it is not said, he gave himself for them who are not his church. But sure it is very uncharitable to say, that Christ died for no other than those that own the Pope, and contrary to the Scripture, that God so loved the world, that he gave his onely begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life, Joh. 3. 16. therefore it is false and uncharitable, to exclude all but Romanists out of the church of God.

4. If none be the true church of God, but such as are in communion with the See of Rome, then none are members of Christ, in Christ, the sons of God, but such as are in communion with the See of Rome; for the true church of God onely are members of Christ, in Christ, the children of God, Ephes. 23. But it is false, that none are members of Christ, in Christ, or children of God, but such as are in communion with the See of Rome; for the Apostle tels the Galatians, Gal. 3. 26, 27. that they were all the sons of God by ••aith in Christ Jesus, that as many as were baptized into Christ, had put on Christ, v. 28 that they were all one in Christ Jesus, without any requiring of communion with the See of Rome.

5. If none are the true church of God but such as are in communion with the See of Rome, then Christ is present with none by his Spirit and protection; but such as are in that communion. For such as are not the true Church of God, Christ is not present with them by his Spirit and protection, Rom. 8. 9. Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if the spirit of God dwell in you. If any man have not the spirit of Christ, the same is none of his, ver. 14 As many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God, 1 Cor. 6. 19. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own, 2 Cor. 6. 16. For ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, that I will dwell in them, and walk amidst them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Revel. 2. 1. Christ walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. But Christ is present by his Spirit and protection with other Churches and persons, than such as are in communion with the See of Rome, even all that believe in Christ, and are the sons of God, as is apparent in that they call Jesus the Lord, which none can do, but by the holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 12. 3. they cry Abba Father, and thereby shew they have the spirit of adoption, Gal. 4 6. Can any have the face to say, that the millions of christian Greeks, and others in persecution, who servently invocated God in the Name of Christ, have not the spirit of Christ, nor are his, because they are not in communion with the Roman See? yea, is there not more evidence of Christs Spirit among

them, than is in the Roman church, in which there is so much uncleanness▪ and so little of holiness, that even H. T. to prove its holiness, is fain to have recourse to some supposed Saints many hundreds of years since, by reason of the late scarcity.

6. If none are the true church of God, but such as are in communion with the See of Rome, then none are the house of God but they, sith the house of God is the church of God, 1 Tim. 3. 15. But that is false; for persons not in communion with the See of Rome may be built on Christ a spiritual house, 1 Pet. 2. 5. Otherwise, besides the foundation which is laid, to wit, Jesus Christ, it were necessary there should be another foundation, on which they should be built, to wit, Peter and his Successors. But Paul saith, 1 Cor. 3, 11. No man can lay any other foundation to build upon a spiritual house to God, but that which is laid, Jesus Christ; and Peter himself, 1 Pet. 2. 4. tels us, Christ is the living stone, on which they are built; and ver. 6. alledgeth the Scripture, saying, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be ashamed; therefore all that believe in Christ, though they be not in communion with the See of Rome, are a spiritual house, and a true church of God; which is confirmed by the words of the Apostle, Eph. 2. 19, 20, 21. where he saith of the Ephesians, that they were of the houshold of God, and were built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone, in whom all the building fitly framed to∣gether, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded to∣gether for an habitation of God through the spirit. And Ephes. 4. 4. There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. 5 One Lord, one faith, one Baptism. 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 1 Cor. 12. 12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks, whether we be bond or free: and have been all made to drink into one spirit. V. 27. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in par∣ticular. From whence may be gathered, that communion with Christ by his Spirit, Faith, and Baptism, without any communion with the See of Rome, is sufficient to prove persons to be the house of God, and the body of Christ, and consequently the true church of God. For that which was sufficient to make the Ephesians and Corinthians the house of God, and body of Christ, is sufficient now to make English or other people a church of God, there being no more required thereto now, than was then; and the Apostle saith, Galat. 3. 28, 29. For ye are all one in Christ Jesus; If ye be Christs, then are ye Abra∣••ams seed, and heirs according to the promise, Col. 3. 11. Where there is neither Gre••k nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all, and in all. But then there was no more required to the being of the true church, or house of God, or body, but communion with Christ by his Spirit, Faith, and Baptism, without communion with the See of Rome, as the Texts alledged shew; therefore this communion with Christ is sufficient to make us English a true church of God, without communion with the See of Rome.

7. If the first Apostolical churches were true churches afore either Peter was at Rome, or any church there gathered, then it is not necessary to the being of

the true church of God now, that persons be in communion with the See of Rome; for there is no more required to the being of the true church of God now, than was then, and it could not then be required to be in communion with the See of Rome, when there was no Bishop nor church there. But there were Apostolical true churches of God at Jerusalem, Samaria, and elsewhere, afore either Peter was at Rome, or any church there gathered (as the History of the new Testament shews;) therefore it is not necessary to the being of the true church of God, to be in communion with the See of Rome.

8. If there be none true churches but such as are in communion with the See of Rome, then the churches in India and elsewhere so remote from Rome, that they never heard of the Bishop or See of Rome, nor were required commu∣nion with it, should be excluded from the church of Christ, though they hold the true faith, because they do not that which being of meer positive instituti∣on, they are unavoidably ignorant of, and consequently should be damned. But this is too absurd, sith it imputes to God tyranny, in requiring that which cannot be done, and cruelty in damning for not doing it; Ergo.

9. If to be in communion with the See of Rome, be necessary to the being of the true church, then were the Apostles and Fathers, who in their Writings and Creeds never required this of the believers to constitute them a true church of God, very unfaithfull or defective in their Tradition, sith they did not re∣quire or teach this as necessary to the being of a true church of God; as may be seen in their Writings and creeds. But this is false, as being contrary to their protestations of their integrity, in not shunning to declare the whole counsel of God, Acts 20. 26, 27. and elsewhere; Ergo.

10. If there were many Saints and Martyrs, acknowledged even by the Romanists to be such, who did not hold communion with the Bishop of Rome, so as to own him to be supreme visible head of the whole church, but did op∣pose him, and lived and died in that opposition, and yet were in the church of God, then they who hold not communion with the See of Rome may be the true church of God. But the antecedent is true in Cyprian, Augustine, and many more opposing the Bishop of Rome about rebaptization, appeals from A∣frica, keeping Easter, therefore either they must be unsainted, or else it must be yielded, that persons who are not now in communion with the See of Rome, may be true churches of God. I need not insist any longer in proving the falsity of a tenet so palpably absurd, and demonstrated to be so by Bishop Mortan in his Grand Imposture of the Roman Church, and by others elsewhere, Let's view H. T. his proof.