A27058:1048
The true history of councils enlarged and defended against the deceits of a pretended…
The true history of councils enlarged and defended against the deceits of a pretended vindicator of the primitive church, but indeed of the tympanite & tyranny of some prelates many hundred years after Christ, with a detection of the false history of Edward Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross in Ireland ... and a preface abbreviating much of Ludolphus's History of Habassta : written to show their dangerous error, who think that a general council, or college of bishops, is a supreme governor of all the Christian world ... / by Richard Baxter ... ; to which is added by another hand, a defence of a book, entitled, No evidence for diocesan churches ...The true history of councils enlarged and defended against the deceits of a pretended vindicator of the primitive church, but indeed of the tympanite & tyranny of some prelates many hundred years after Christ, with a detection of the false history of Edward Lord Bishop of Corke and Rosse in Ireland ... and a preface abbreviating much of Ludolphus's History of Habassta : written to shew their dangerous errour, who think that a general council, or colledge of bishops, is a supream governour of all the Christian world ... / by Richard Baxter ... ; to which is added by another hand, a defence of a book, entituled, No evidence for diocesan churches ...
London: printed for Tho. Parkhurst, 1682
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.
But if that Councils Acts were a fit means to cure the Churches Divisions, how came they to be presently and through many Ages, yea, ever since to this day, thereby increased so many fold? Though the Assembly at Jerusalem cured not all the Jewish Teachers of their blind Zeal for Moses Law, it was so far from increasing the Dissentions and number of Dissenters, that it satisfied the Gentile Christians for the most part, and many of the Jewish, and greatly diminished the Discord. It's one thing not wholly to cure, and another to make far worse.
§ 33. He instanceth also in the Dort Synod that made things worse.
Ans. 1. The Synod of Dort made things the worse in their own Country, not by their Doctrinal Decisions, but by too much of the Masterly Spirit, engaging the Magistrates against the Arminians in the use of the Sword. Whether it be true that they say, that they were necessitated to do what they did against Barnevolt and Grotius for the safety of their State, I am no Judge: But I am sure it is of an ill sound to those that read it: And so is it to read in Episcopius and others, what violence the People have used against the Arminians, and they were fain to tolerate them when all was done.