A27058:412
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.
I told the reader that I made not use of Luther the Magdeburgenses, nor the Collections of Goldastus, Marquardus Freherus, Reuberus, Pistorius, &c.] And the Printer having put a Comma between Marquardus and Freherus, he Conjectures that I took him for two men, because I added not the Christian names of the rest: And he concludes that [whoever this mistake belongs to, it's plain that M. B. had but little acquaintance with those Collections.] For I name some of the Authors therein.
Ans. Seeing these things are thought just matter for our accusers turn, I will crave the Readers patience with such little things while I tell him the truth. It is about 25 years since I read the Germa: History in the Collections of Freherus, Reuberus and Pist•rius, and about 30 years since I read the Collections ⟨p. 57⟩of Goldastus: The Magdeburgenses, Osiander, Sleidan, or any such Protestants I thought vain to allege to Papists. About seven or eight years ago as I remember, I was accused for Preaching, and Fined by Sir Thomas Davis; and the Warrant was sent by him to Sir Edm. Bury Godfrey to levy it on me by Distress: I had no way to avoid it but bona fide, to make away all that I had: Among the rest I made away my Library, only borrowing part of it for my use. I purposed to have given it almost all to Cambridge in New-England: But Mr. Knowles (yet living) who knew their Library, told me that Sir Kenelme Digby had already given them the Fathers, Councils and Schoolmen, but it was History and Commentators which they wanted. Whereupon I sent them some of my Commentators, and some Historians among which were Freherus, Reuberus and Pistorius Collections, and Nauclerus, Sabellicus, Thuanus, Jos. Scaliger de Emendat. Temp. But Goldastus I kept by me (as borrowed) and many more which I could not spare; and the Fathers and Councils and Schoolmen I was stopped from sending. Now whether I was unacquainted with those that partly stand yet at my Elbow, and which I had read so long ago, must depend on the Credit of my Memory; and I confess my Memory is of late grown weak, but not so weak as to think that Marquardus Freherus was not one man, and a Palatinate Councillor, though it be names that I most forget; why I gave not the Christen names of Reuberus and Pistorius, whether because I forgot them, or because I minded not so small a thing, not dreaming what would be inferred from it, I remember not. But when I wrote that abridgement, I made use of none that I thought the Papists would except against: For the first ages I gathered what I remembered out of the Fathers, and out of Eusebius, Socrates, Sozomen, Evagrius, Theodoret, the Tripartite, Nicephorus, Liberatus, Brev. Victor Utic. Bede, and such others as are by them received: