Excerpt from What Is Romanism?: Nos. I and II; I. On the Supremacy of the Pope; II. On Pardons and Indulgences Granted by the Pope If we enquire into the origin of this claim of the Roman Pontifl' to supreme and universal dominion over all the churches of the world, we find, by the most searching examination of the earliest authentic records, that the assumption of such dignity and power was never made on the part of Rome till after many centuries from the time of our Lord's death. The primitive church never recognised such a claim, nor ever heard of it. There is no allusion to it in Scripture, nor in the remains of the most remote an tiquity. It resulted as one of the many accumulated and various changes, which time and opportunities brought about in opposition to the primitive and apos tolic system. Pagan Rome had reduced the nations of the world under its own iron sceptre; and the Spiritual tyranny of papal Rome, gradually step by step, here a little and there a little, as favourable occasions offered, was built upon the same foundation. To those who would for themselves sift the evidence on which these assertions are made, may be recom mended a work full of sound reasoning, extensive learning, and Christian charity, written by John Henry Hopkins, bishop of Vermont, in America, who proves these points beyond all doubt and gainsaying by a calm, and searching, and candid examination of those very fathers and writers of the early Christian Church, against whose testimony Rome cannot demur; for they are the very authors, whose authority she herself maintains in her canon law 1. The work, too, of Dr. Isaac Barrow, entitled 'a Treatise on the Pope's Supremacy, ' deserves the especial examination of all who feel anxious to make themselves masters of this subject. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.