Romanism Discussed, Title page – Dedication
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.
Jer 6. 16.
Thus ſaith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and ſee, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye ſhall finde reſt for your Souls.
LONDON, Printed by H. Hills, and are to ſold by Jane Underhill, and Henry Mourtlock, in Paul's Church-yard 1660.
TO THE Engliſh Romaniſts, Who term themſelves CATHOLICKS, Specially to thoſe of the Counties of Hereford and Worceſter.
ALthough the prejudice wherewith you are prepoſſeſſed againſt the Truth avouched by me, the Ingagements whereby you are linked to the Roman See, the Hopes that it's not unlikely you feed you ſelves with, of ſeeing your Native Countrey reduced under the obedience of the Roman Papacy, beſides the long experience, which hath been had, of the fruitleſneſs of Attempts to alter your Opinion in Religion, how groſs ſoever they have been proved to be, might have deterred me from this Writing: yet ſith I have been inſtantly urged to it, and am loath to imagine all of you tobe of ſo deplorable a wilfulneſs of ſpirit, as that you will obſtinately perſiſt in your manifeſt Errours, and thereby caſt away your S…uls. I have adventured to publiſh this enſuing Treatiſe, that I might not be guilty of betraying the Truth and your Souls by my ſilence. I have been many years a Preacher in England, chiefly in the Counties of Hereford and Worceſter, and though I have not had much acquaintance with any of you, yet ſome Conferences have left me not without hope that you might ſee your Errour about the Supremacy, and Infallibility of the Pope and Church of Rome, which is the chief Point on which your Religion reſts, as it is oppoſite to Proteſtantiſm, although formerly and of late the French and ſome other Churches have ſtrongly oppoſed the Popes or Roman Churches Superiority above a General Council, and their Infallibility in their Determinations. Certainly, theſe two Points which are the Pillars of the Religion of the Roman party are ſo far from being Catholick, that to him that ſhall impartially examine the Proofs, it will appear, that they have been late Innovations, and are yet contradicted by a great part of thoſe Churches which hold communion with the Roman See. And for many other Points of your Religion, if you would either uſe your Senſes or your underſtanding in judging by the Scripture, tranſlated by your own party, what is true or falſe, you could not be ſo beſotted as to believe Tranſubſtantiation, Invocation of deceaſed Saints, Juſtification by your own Works, and their Meritoriouſneſs of eternal Life, Purgatory…fire, Prayer for the Dead, another Propitiatory Sacrifice for Quick and Dead beſides Chriſt's, Communion under one kinde onelyonly, Worſhipping of Images and Reliques, with ſome other of your Tenets. For freeing you from which Errours, which are pernicious to your Souls, if I could contribute any thing, I ſhould count it a part of my happineſs, of which I ſhould have ſome hopes were it that I perceived you free from the Impoſition of your Leaders on you, not to reade ſuch Writings as are againſt them; which muſt of neceſſity enſlave you to their Opinions, and hinder you from an impartial Search after Truth: wherein what deceit is uſed by your imagined Paſtour the Pope, may appear, as by many other things, ſo eſpecially by the late carriage of Pope Innocent the tenth in the Controverſies between the Janſeniſts and Moliniſts in France, who being importuned to give Sentence concerning the five Propoſitions of Janſenius (if we may believe Thomas White one of your chief Diſputants, and one whoſe approbation is to this Manual of Controverſies of H. T.) did in ſhew condemn Janſenius his words, but did allow his meaning. And that I may not be thought to miſreport him, I will ſet down his words in his Appendicula to his Sonus Buccinae, about the Cenſure of the five Propoſitions of Janſenius, Sect. 9. where after he had ſhewed that the Propoſitions of Janſenius might be true in their ſenſe, though the words were liable to Exceptions, he adds, But whereto are all theſe things ſaid? Is it that I might enervate or reprehend the Popes Decree? Nothing leſs: I profeſs, that was publiſhed by the beſt Counſel and ſpecial guidance of the Holy Spirit which governs the Church. The Church was afflicted with Diſſentions: one part ſtood propped by the Truth and Authority of holy Scripture; the other being guarded with the multitude of Princes, and of the common People circumvented with the ſound of words flattering humane weakneſs, took great courage. What ſhould the Father of the Church do? He allayed the more unquiet part by granting them their words: the more obedient part he flatteringly comforted, by commending to them their Senſes. The former part of the Saying was confirmed by a publick Inſtrument. The later (if there be any credit to be given to men of tender conſcience) was done before the Oratour of the moſt Chriſtian King. It is manifeſt by what hath been ſaid, with what rectitude of Faith and Divinity this part ſhines; that that exhibites prudence worthy the Pope, thus take it. Wherein it may be perceived, that however White ſpeak favourably of the Pope, yet he ſets out his dealing in that buſineſs as unworthy an infallible Judge of Controverſies, which ſhould have decided openly for Janſenius, whoſe Propoſitions ſtood propped by the Truth and Authority of holy Scripture according to their meaning, which Innocentius the tenth commended to them, that they might hold them ſtill in that meaning in a Conference; and yet he condemned their Propoſitions in their words by his Bull publiſhed to quiet the wrangling and potent party of Jeſuits that had drawn the Princes and common People to their ſide by words that flattered humane weakneſs in ſtead of Truth glorifying God, than which in ſo weighty a matter what could be done more like a Juggler or man-pleaſer than a Servant of God conſtant in aſſerting Truth? Which ſhews, that the Popes reſolve not by the Spirit of God, or the holy Scripture, but by humane policy, as it may be for their advantage, to keep their party in obedience to them. And that it is not indeed any ſincerity in ſeeking Truth, or ſerious intention to feed the Souls of People with true Doctrine, but to accommodate all their Determinations and Negotiations, as to uphold their credit & authority, might be made abundantly appear by the Hiſtory of the Council of Trent, and many other ways, which I ſhall not mention, being ſhewed by many, and particularly by Mr. Richard Baxter in his Key for Catholicks; onelyonly this one inſtance out of Thomas White I minde you of, becauſe I think Thomas White is yet alive, and in England among you, as I conceive by the Edition of the Diſpute about Schiſm between him and Gunning. And I beſeech you give me leave to tell you, that I do much pity your Souls, which you do enſlave to the moſt deceitfull of men the Roman Popes, and adhere to your Prieſts, which either teach you not at all, but feed you with meer ſhews, in your Maſſes and other Rites, or if they preach, either preach not the Goſpel of Jeſus Chriſt at all, or corrupt it with mixture of humane Traditions, but keep you from hearing thoſe who teach in your own Language the Doctrine of the holy Scripture without guile, the refuſing whereof under pretence of your fore-father's example, or the Pope's, and your Prieſts reſtraint, or our imagined Hereſie or Schiſm, and in ſtead of it pleaſing your ſelves with Maſſes in Latin, Auricular Confeſsion, and Prieſts Abſolution, and ſuch like Chaff, will never be juſtified before Chriſt at his Appearing, whoſe Precept is that you ſearch the Scripture, and Promiſe of Bleſſing to them that hear the Word of God and keep it, the neglect of which is the neglect of that great Salvation which is brought to us by Jeſus Chriſt. Unto which, if you would attend, you would quickly finde the Deceits of your Popes and Prieſts, and deliver your Souls from the Snares of Ignorance of the Goſpel and Popiſh Errours, which now deſtroy your Souls. If you yet ſhut your eys againſt the Light of the Goſpel tender'd to you by Proteſtant Preachers, and perſiſt in your Errour and Superſtition you Deſtruction will be of your ſelves, though thereby there is cauſe given of mourning for you to all that love the Salvation of your Souls, among whom I know my ſelf to be one, and deſire to be accounted as
Your unfeignedly deſirous and ſtudious Servant in Chriſt for your Souls good. JOHN TOMBES.