A27058:384
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.
Much more of this Nature I have already transcribed (and confuted) out of A. Bishop Bromhall, Dr. Heylins Life of A. Bishop Laud, Mr Thorndike, Mr Dodwell and divers others.
§ 2. The first thing then in my intention is to show that the Roman Grandeur which is thought to be the Glory of the Church on Earth, and the necessary means of its Unity, safety and true prosperity, hath proved clean contrary, even the means of Church corruption in Doctrine, Worship, Discipline & Conversation, the Soil of the most odious crimes, the means of tyranny, suppression of true piety, and persecution of Gods faithful Servants, and of rebellious, War and cruel bloodshed.
§ 2. The first thing then in my intention is to shew that the Roman Grandeur which is thought to be the Glory of the Church on Earth, and the necessary means of its Unity, safety and true prosperity, hath proved clean contrary, even the means of Church corruption in Doctrine, Worship, Discipline & Conversation, the Soil of the most odious crimes, the means of tyranny, suppression of true piety, and persecution of Gods faithful Servants, and of rebellious, War and cruel bloodshed.
§ 3. To this end I described the steps by which the Clergy ascended to the Papal height: For as all Protestants justly maintain that their Corruption of Doctrine & Worship came not in at once but by slow degrees, so do they also of the Papal Government and discipline. And they commonly show the vanity of the Papists demand, who ask us who was the man, and which was the year, as if the world had gone to bed in simple Christianity, and awaked Papists the next morning. Whereas it is most evident in all Church history that the Clergy leaving the Christian Purity, Simplicity and Love, did climb the ladder step by step till they ascended to the Papal height. And it's a mere dream of them that think it was the Bp. of Rome alone that thus ascended, and not the Army that made him their General: As the boat riseth with the waters, so did the Pope with the ascending Clergy: Others strove for superiority as he strove for Supremacy: The strife began among Christs Apostles who should be greatest, and who should, sit next him in his Kingdom; And though Christ then supperest it by his Word and Spirit, and the sufferings of the Church took down those aspiring thoughts, as soon as Constantine had set them the