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

§. 17. Obj. By this you make the Bishops and Councils to be all Fools, that know not what they do, and to be the very plagues and shame of humane nature, that would kindle such a flame not yet quenched about nothing.

Answ. 1. If we must measure, fidem per personas, yea, judge of matter of Fact by respect of persons, judge so by the Councils at Ariminum, Syrmium, Milan, Tyre also; Judge so by the Second Council of Ephesus, and abundance such: How shall we know which of them so to judge by? 2. Good men have foul Vices: Faction, and Contention, and Pride, have undeniably troubled the Churches: When Concil. Carthag. 6. forbade Bishops to read the Books of Gentiles, it is no wonder that the number of Learned Bishops was small; And when no Bishop was to be removed from place to place, but all Bishops made out of an Inferior degree, usually of the same Parish; Yea, and when Academies were so rare, it is past doubt that Learned Bishops were rare: When Nectarius must be the great Patriarch, that was yet no Christian, and when Synesius, because he had Philosophical knowledge, is chosen Bishop, even before he believed the Resurrection; When they were such, as credible Nazianzene, Isidore Pelusiota, and long after Salvian describes. It is not I, but these knowing ⟨p. 93⟩Witnesses, and their own actions, that characterize them. Doth not Socrates, that knew Nestorius, say, that he was not Learned? And he, and others, that Cyril was high and turbulent? Theodoret was a Learned man, and he thought no better of his Adversaries.

Answ. 1. If we must measure, fidem per personas, yea, judge of matter of Fact by respect of persons, judge so by the Councils at Ariminum, Syrmium, Milan, Tyre also; Judge so by the Second Council of Ephesus, and abundance such: How shall we know which of them so to judge by? 2. Good men have foul Vices: Faction, and Contention, and Pride, have undeniably troubled the Churches: When Concil. Carthag. 6. forbad Bishops to read the Books of Gentiles, it is no wonder that the number of Learned Bishops was small; And when no Bishop was to be removed from place to place, but all Bishops made out of an Inferiour degree, usually of the same Parish; Yea, and when Academies were so rare, it is past doubt that Learned Bishops were rare: When Nectarius must be the great Patriarch, that was yet no Christian, and when Synesius, because he had Philosophical knowledge, is chosen Bishop, even before he believed the Resurrection; When they were such, as credible Nazianzene, Isidore Pelusiota, and long after Salvian describes. It is not I, but these knowing