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. V.

The argument of H. T. from the unity of a natural body, is against him and for Protestants.

But H. T. adds a second argument for the unity of the Catholick church thus. As a natural unity and connexion of the parts among themselves, and to the head is necessary for the being and conservation of a natural body: so the spi∣ritual unity and connexion of the members amongst themselves and to the head, is necessary for the being and conservation of a mystical body. But the church of Christ (as I have proved) is a mystical body. Therefore a spi∣ritual unity and connexion of the members amongst themselves and to the head, is necessary for the being and conservation of the church of Christ. The Major is proved by the parity of reason, which is between a natural and mystical body; for as a natural body must needs dye, if all it's parts by which it should subsist be torn and divided one from another; so also a mystical body perishes, if all it's members be divided from one another, and from the head (whence it hath it's spiritual life) by Schism and heresie.

Answ. THough it be that this argument is only from a similitude, which doth only illustrate not prove, as Logicians say truely, and there be such disparities between a natural body and a mystical, as are sufficient to shew the weakness of this arguing; as namely, that there are no parts vital in the mystical body besides the head, as the heart, liver and lungs are in the natural, that some parts of the head it self may be cut off, as the ears, and nose, and yet the being, though not the integrity of the body continue, that there are some parts that have not life, as hair, and nayles, (as some conceive) that the parts receive not life from the head, but the head and the rest from the soul: yet ••ith the conclusion is true, and the argument with its proof many wayes against the Popish tenets, I grant it, and observe, 1. That the unity which is proved hence, is not of the universal visible church; the truth of which Papists and this Author go about to demonstrate by it's unity, but of the mystical. For in this mystical body the unity is spiritual by faith, and the members have spiritual life from the head. But in the Catholick church (of which the di∣sputes are) according to Bellarm. l. 3. de eccl. milit. c. 10 &c. are many dead members, secret infidels: so that this argument proves not the Catholick vi∣sible by it's unity, but the Catholick invisible of true believers. 2. This ar∣gument is not to prove the unity of the church by subjection to the Roman Bishop, by which H. T. would demonstrate the unity of the church, but by the unity to that head whence the body hath it's spiritual life and motion, which sure is Christ only and not the Bishop of Rome. 3. This similitude, if by [head] were meant the Pope, cannot evince the purpose of this Author. For there have been Schisms in the Roman church of one Pope and his party against another, and yet the unity of the Catholick church in the profession of the ••ame faith continued. Whence it follows, that Schism doth not take away the unity of the church Catholick without heresie, but only disorder, distemper and disquiet it. And therefore though it were granted (as it is not) that Pro∣testants

were Schismaticks in dividing from the See of Rome, yet they might be united to the Catholick church, and it's being and conservation continued as long as the unity of faith is continued, and until it be proved that Pro∣testants have departed from the unity of faith once delivered to the Saints (which he can never do) in vain doth H. T. go about to prove they are not uni∣ted, to the Catholick church.