Naked popery, or, The naked falsehood of a book called The Catholic naked truth,…Naked popery, or, The naked falshood of a book called The Catholick naked truth,…

The Fathers at the Council of Nice did determine of the bounds of the Patriarchs of the Empire, which being at first but three, (Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch,) Jerusalem was after added, and after that Constantinople: For Constantine having now strengthened himself by the Christian Interest, and being further out of the danger of mutable Soldiers, than his Predecessors, did that which none of them was ever able to do, by removing the Imperial Seat from Rome to Constantinople, and so leaving that Famous City as naked and almost neglected: Whereby two great changes befell the Clergy, 1. The Bishop of Rome was left more absolute and uncontrolled in the West; 2. And the Bishop of Constantinople set up against him for the Primacy in the Empire: At first he claimed but an Equality, but afterward a Priority as Universal Bishop, because his Seat was the Imperial Seat.

The Fathers at the Council of Nice did determine of the bounds of the Patriarchs of the Empire, which being at first but three, (Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch,) Jerusalem was after added, and after that Constantinople: For Constantine having now strengthned himself by the Christian Interest, and being further out of the danger of mutable Souldiers, than his Predecessours, did that which none of them was ever able to do, by removing the Imperial Seat from Rome to Constantinople, and so leaving that Famous City as naked and almost neglected: Whereby two great changes befell the Clergie, 1. The Bishop of Rome was left more absolute and uncontrouled in the West; 2. And the Bishop of Constantinople set up against him for the Primacy in the Empire: At first he claimed but an Equality, but afterward a Priority as Universal Bishop, because his Seat was the Imperial Seat.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem was so far from the Court, and of so small power, that he made the least stir of any of the five, though he had the fairest pretence incomparably for a claim of Supremacy on Religious reasons, if a Supreme there must have been (Christ himself having been there a Minister to the Circumcision, and Shepherd ⟨p. 97⟩of the Sheep of the House of Israel, and his Kinsman James then Bishop after, and that being the Mother-Church out of which sprung all the rest.) But the other four Patriarchs (especially three of them) became as so many Generals of Armies militating frequently against each other: and he that got the stronger Party of Bishops and Court-favourers carried all, against the rest. But no place more turbulent, nor no Bishop more unquiet than those of Alexandria: Pride and Worldliness now grew apace, and so corrupted the Clergy, that in their Synods the fleshly part too oft prevailed against the spiritual! When Court and Councils were for the Arians, the whole Eastern part of the Empire was embroiled in the Contention, and the Orthodox in the greater Bishoprics cast out: When they were down and cast out themselves, the temporizing and turbulent Bishops usually got the Major Vote: Excellent Gregory Nazianzen for the great service that he had done against the Arians was chosen by the People, and made Patriarch of Constantinople: But the Synod of Bishops envied him and rejected him, to whom he gave place and would not strive. Dioscorus of Alexandria and his party fought it out at the General Council, and killed Flavianus: And being after overcome and outed of his Seat, did still claim and keep the Title with his followers, and the most of his Patriarchate of the People stuck to him; so that he propagated his Opinion and Interest in all those remote parts of the Empire: Yea among Volunteers in Ethiopia and other extra-imperial parts, which no Law or Canon had subjected to him; while the Patriarch that succeeded him by the Councils Decree, had his party only as the rest, within the Empire: So that to this day the Syrians, Ethiopians, and abundance others profess themselves the