The Scripture Gospel defended, and Christ, grace, and free justification vindicated against the libertines…

Reconcil. Few of us are agreed, when the time of the Church-Purity ended, from the Apostles days; till the Fall of the Pagan Empire, there were great Numbers of Heretics in the Church; and no Sword was drawn, or desired, against them, by the Churches: And yet all the Number of that time, mentioned by Epiphanius, hurt not the Church, so much as the Pride and Contention of the Clergy, even before Dioclesia•s Persecution, if Eusebius may be believed, lib. 8. c. 1. And for long time after, the Church abhorred the use of the Sword, or Violence, against Heretics: Or else Martin had not with such abhorrence, separated from the Bishops that were for the use of the Sword, against the Priscilian Gnostics. And whereas Austin is cited as the chief that changed his mind herein, his instance is but one, and it is usually abused. 1. It being not against Heresy, but Schism, that he writeth: The Donatists were Prelatical Zealots, that thought themselves the greater Number, and so called themselves ⟨p. 52⟩the Church; for being the supposed Majority in Afric, and having the truest Bishop, as the Papists and some Prelatists arrogate the Name of the Church on those Accounts: W•at Error had they more than Cyprian, and all his pious Councils had, saving their Factiousness for their own chosen Bishop. 2. And it was not this Shism neither, that Austin, was for Violence against, but to repress Force with Force; for the Donatists used Murder and Violence. But come to the Times and Councils that suppressed Heretics with the greatest Zeal. I have nothing herein to say against the Council of Nice; though some good men think that they had done better to tolerate the Easter-Day different; yea, and to have done less to stir up Disputes about One Substance: But do you think Nestorius did more hurt, by saying, That Mary was not to be called, The Mother •f God; but, [The Mother of him who is God,] than was done by banishing him? Who was so far from being a Sectary, that he was the greatest Patriarch, and so deadly an Enemy to the tolerating of men, called Heretics, that he began with urging the Emperor to prosecute them; and was justly so used for his Violence, as a Heretic himself:

Reconcil. Few of us are agreed, when the time of the Church-Purity ended, from the Apostles days; till the Fall of the Pagan Empire, there were great Numbers of Hereticks in the Church; and no Sword was drawn, or desired, against them, by the Churches: And yet all the Number of that time, mentioned by Epiphanius, hurt not the Church, so much as the Pride and Contention of the Clergy, even before Dioclesias Persecution, if Eusebius may be believed, lib. 8. c. 1. And for long time after, the Church abhorred the use of the Sword, or Violence, against Hereticks: Or else Martin had not with such abhorrence, separated from the Bishops that were for the use of the Sword, against the Priscilian Gnosticks. And whereas Austin is cited as the chief that changed his mind herein, his instance is but one, and it is usually abused. 1. It being not against Heresie, but Schism, that he writeth: The Donatists were Prelatical Zealots, that thought themselves the greater Number, and so called themselves