A27058:143
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.
4. Then when Country-Villages distant had a great increase of Christians, they allowed Country-Bishops, Chorepiscopos, (proved by Petavius to be true Bishops; if they were not, Presbyters ordained.) But they must be subject to the City Bishop. 5. After this they decreed that very little Cities should have no Bishops, ne vilescat nomen Episcopi; whenas before that every City had a Bishop and Elders, that had Christians enow: And every Town, like our Corporations, or Market-Towns, were called Cities: [Greek or Hebrew] did not signify only such as we now call Cities distinct from such Towns; were they no bigger than Cenchrea, Majuma, and such others close to greater Cities, they had Bishops. Yea every Church was to have their Elders, (and consequently Bishops, saith Dr. Hammond) where ever it was, by the Rule of the Holy Ghost, Acts 14. 23. And God never said, Let there be no Churches but in Cities: Else when an Emperor would put down all the Cities, or many, he should put down as many Churches.
4. Then when Country-Villages distant had a great increase of Christians, they allowed Country-Bishops, Chorepiscopos, (proved by Petavius to be true Bishops; if they were not, Presbyters ordained.) But they must be subject to the City Bishop. 5. After this they decreed that very little Cities should have no Bishops, ne vilescat nomen Episcopi; whenas before that every City had a Bishop and Elders, that had Christians enow: And every Town, like our Corporations, or Market-Towns, were called Cities: 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 did not signifie only such as we now call Cities distinct from such Towns; were they no bigger than Cenchrea, Majuma, and such others close to greater Cities, they had Bishops. Yea every Church was to have their Elders, (and consequently Bishops, saith Dr. Hammond) where ever it was, by the Rule of the Holy Ghost, Acts 14. 23. And God never said, Let there be no Churches but in Cities: Else when an Emperour would put down all the Cities, or many, he should put down as many Churches.