Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part…

as befooling the world with pedantic trifling, and calling them off from their great concerns, may we not say then that this is vain Government and Order falsely so named, which thus calleth the Church from its primitive purity, simplicity and unity, when Christians were known by loving one another, to these childish games, that the Prelates and Priests of the Catholic Church must be known by their being without Beards? One would suspect this had its original from Pope Joan, if there were indeed such a person; and that it is a Symbol of the Churches sex, as it is called Our Mother; or at least that Marozia or Theodora instituted it. 5. And do you know which were the more inexcusable, for silencing and persecuting the preachers of the Gospel? The Jews that did it because they thought it took down Gods Law, and would bring the Roman Power on them; Or the Roman heathens that thought the Gospel destroyed the worship of their forefathers Gods; or the Roman Papists, that silenced and persecuted men for wearing Beards? 1 Thes. 2. 16.

as befooling the world with pedantick trifling, and calling them off from their great concernes, may we not say then that this is vain Government and Order falsly so named, which thus calleth the Church from its primitive purity, simplicity and unity, when Christians were known by loving one another, to these childish games, that the Prelates and Priests of the Catholick Church must be known by their being without Beards? One would suspect this had its original from Pope Ioane, if there were indeed such a person; and that it is a Symbol of the Churches sex, as it is called Our Mother; or at least that Marozia or Theodora instituted it. 5. And do you know which were the more inexcusable, for silencing and persecuting the preachers of the Gospel? The Iews that did it because they thought it took down Gods Law, and would bring the Roman Power on them; Or the Roman heathens that thought the Gospel destroyed the worship of their forefathers Gods; or the Roman Papists, that silenced and persecuted men for wearing Beards? 1 Thes. 2. 16.