The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things…

When Mavia the Saracen Queen chose Moses a Monk to be her Bishop, as the condition of her peace with the Roman Empire, Moses would ⟨p. 76⟩not be ordained by Lucius; not because he was an Arian, but because he was a persecutor, and hurtful to other men for Religion, and so he would be ordained Priest by some that were banished to a certain Mountain, Socr. l. 4. c. 29. When the Emperor was gone from Antioch (where in person he went to disperse their Meetings, and yet they held on) the people thrust out Lucius whom he had set up, and set up Peter again whom the Emperor had banished. But such instances are too many to be recited. Yea under Orthodox Princes, the people would cleave to their injured Pastors, though against the Emperors will, as they of Miliane did to Ambrose; and the Joannites to Chrysostom, who even long after his death separated from the Bishop, and kept up their separate Meetings against the will of Prince and Prelates, till milder Bishops instead of persecuting them, restored Chrysostom's bones and name to honour, and reconciled them. It will still be objected, as before, that most of these instances were but the peoples rejection of Arians: But again, we answer 1. In other instances, they usually chose their Pastors, and cleaved to them, though prohibited. 2. These Arians were such as subscribed the Ariminum Creed, which was so ambiguously compiled, that abundance that renounced Arius, did think that for obedience and peace they might put a fair sense on the words, and so subscribe them: And we meet with persons in our times, that think words imposed on them by Superiors, may and must endure stretching to a sense as far from their usual acceptation, as the foresaid words were stretched by ⟨p. 77⟩the Ariminum Subscribers. 3. They that never accused and convicted the refused Bishops of Arianism, yet adhered to their former Bishops. 4. It seemeth then that the people are left Judges (as to the guiding of their own practice) what Bishops to refuse as heterodox, and whom to own as Orthodox.

When Mavia the Saracen Queen chose Moses a Monk to be her Bishop, as the condition of her peace with the Roman Empire, Moses would ⟨p. 76⟩not be ordained by Lucius; not because he was an Arrian, but because he was a persecutor, and hurtful to other men for Religion, and so he would be ordained Priest by some that were banished to a certain Mountain, Socr. l. 4. c. 29. When the Emperour was gone from Antioch (where in person he went to disperse their Meetings, and yet they held on) the people thrust out Lucius whom he had set up, and set up Peter again whom the Emperour had banished. But such instances are too many to be recited. Yea under Orthodox Princes, the people would cleave to their injured Pastors, though against the Emperours will, as they of Miliane did to Ambrose; and the Joannites to Chrysostom, who even long after his death separated from the Bishop, and kept up their separate Meetings against the will of Prince and Prelates, till milder Bishops instead of persecuting them, restored Chrysostom's bones and name to honour, and reconciled them. It will still be objected, as before, that most of these instances were but the peoples rejection of Arrians: But again, we answer 1. In other instances, they usually chose their Pastors, and cleaved to them, though prohibited. 2. These Arrians were such as subscribed the Ariminum Creed, which was so ambiguously compiled, that abundance that renounced Arius, did think that for obedience and peace they might put a fair sense on the words, and so subscribe them: And we meet with persons in our times, that think words imposed on them by Superiours, may and must endure stretching to a sense as far from their usual acceptation, as the foresaid words were stretched by