Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who,…Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who,…

But before I speak of the Instrumental Means, I will fuller open the three forementioned Causes.

But before I speak of the Instrumental Means, I will fullier open the three forementioned Causes.

I. Religious Clergy-TYRANNY hath so notoriously, so long, and so greatly made havoc both of Piety, and Peace, that he that is not an utter stranger to Church-History cannot be ignorant of it. I need not tell any Learned man, how many even moderate Papists, much more Protestants have thought, that Constantine and other Emperors that over-exalted the Clergy, poured out Poison into the Church: making great preferments a bait to invite all the worst of men, to be seekers and invaders of Church Offices and Power, and to corrupt those that otherwise would have been useful men: especially when (Christians having first made them their Arbitrators, in obedience to St. Pauls counsel) they were made the Legal Judges of the Causes of all contentious Christians, and so set up Secular Magistratical Courts. I need not tell them what work almost every General Council (as those of one Empire were called) did make! what work even the first at Nice had made, had not Constantine burnt their Bills of accusation against each other, and personally lamented their divisions, and driven them on to peace! what work was made in ⟨image 9⟩that at Chalcedon, and that at Ephesus, and so of others! what a horrid scandal the case of John and Dioscorus was, and the murder of Flavianus, and many others! nor yet how the controversies against the Nestorians, Eutychians, and Monothelites were managed! I need not tell them, how soon Victor began at Rome, nor what Socrates and others say of Cyril and Theophilus at Alexandria; nor yet how Nazianzene was used at Constantinople; nor how copiously and vehemently he accuseth the Bishops, and wisheth that there were no such inequalities among them, as gave them advantage to do hurt; nor what he saith against their Councils: nor yet of the quarrels of Basil and Anthymius, nor of Basils sharp complaints of the Roman and other Western Prelates: I need not tell them of the Usage of Chrysostom, even by such men as Theophilus, Epiphanius and their partakers; nor of the dividing of the Constantinopolitan Christians thereupon; nor how the violent Prelates made Separatists and Non-conformists of Chrysostoms adherents, by the name of Joannites; and how unlikely that Schism was to have been healed, had not wiser Bishops succeeded, who restored Concord by honouring Chrysostoms Name and Bones, and dealing kindly with his followers: