A27050:741
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort…
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiors, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiours, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1681
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And when Gyri• of Alexandria began to use the sword, and when the Circumcellian Donatists tempted Augustine to change his opinion about using force in matters of Religion; yea and when Ithacius and his partakers offended Martin and Ambrose by stirring up Maximum against the Priscillianists, none of all this was to force these Heretics by the sword, to Communicate in the Church before they had showed a voluntary repentance, nor to make them Church members against their wills, even that Ithacius whom Hooker himself acknowledgeth so bad, was not so foolish▪ But only they would have forced them from their own ways, and punished them as sedu•eis of the people, and as disturbers of the Churches purity and peace. Though yet it is too evident, that the pride and passion of the Prelates that were orthodox, did quickly and sternly flame out to the conflagration of the Churches, when they found that the Christian Emperors were ready to serve their passions with the sword
And when Gyri• of Alexandria began to use the sword, and when the Circumcellian Donatists tempted Augistine to change his opinion about using force in matters of Religion; yea and when Ithacius and his partakers offended Martin and Ambrose by stirring up Maximu• against the Priscillianists, none of all this was to force these Hereticks by the sword, to Communicate in the Church before they had showed a voluntary repentance, nor to make them Church members against their wills, even that Ithacius whom Hooker himself acknowledgeth so bad, was not so foolish▪ But only they would have forced them from thier own waies, and punished them as sedu•eis of the people, and as disturbers of the Churches purity and peace. Though yet it is too evident, that the pride and passion of the Prelates that were orthodox, did quickly and sterely flame out to the constagration of the Churches, when they found that the Christian Emperours were ready to serve their passions with the sword