A27058:172
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.
§ 16. And as I found this Doctrine in the ascendent in England, so I met with such as were for using Protestants accordingly, even for the silencing of them by thousands, if they would not swear, profess, promise, and do all that—And for using the People accordingly. And abating neither big nor little, an Oath or a Ceremony to unite or save them. And I lived in an Age where these things were no idle speculations.
§ 17. Being thus far sure of the Matter of Fact, I studied as well as I was able to know which of these ways was right: And I saw that either Popery that is, the Popes universal Headship or Government is of Divine Institution, or else it is a heinous Usurpation, and formeth a sort of Church which is not on any pretence of Concord to be owned. And as to the first I have said before and in many Books what I have to say against it; which ⟨p. 21⟩is all summed up in Doctor Iz. Barrow, and Doctor H. Moore, and largely told the world by Chamier, Sadeel, Whitaker, Jewel, Usher, Morton, White, Chillingworth, Crakenthorne, and abundance more. And I thought it strange if either Papacy, or that Tympanite of the Clergy which tended to it, were of God, that the Persons should be ordinarily so bad, and it should introduce so great mischief in doctrine, worship and practice over the Christian world, and bring the Church into such a divided and polluted state, and that as the Clergy swelled the Body should pine away, and the Spirit of holiness and Love be turned into the Skeleton of Ceremony and Formality, and into hatred, cruelty, and tearing and tormenting pains.
§ 17. Being thus far sure of the Matter of Fact, I studied as well as I was able to know which of these waies was right: And I saw that either Popery that is, the Popes universal Headship or Government is of Divine Institution, or elss it is a heinous Usurpation, and formeth a sort of Church which is not on any pretence of Concord to be owned. And as to the first I have said before and in many Books what I have to say against it; which ⟨p. 21⟩