A27058:564
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.
Where I was bred before 1640. (which was in divers places) I knew not one Presbyterian Clergy man, nor Lay, and but three or four Nonconforming Ministers. Nay till Mr. Ball wrote for the Liturgy and against Can, and Allen, &c. and till Mr. Burton Published his Protestation protested, I never thought what Presbytery or Independency were, nor ever spake with a man that seemed to know it: And that was in 1641. when the War was brewing. In the place where I first lived, and the Country about, the People were of two sorts: The generality seemed to mind nothing seriously but the body and the world: They went to Church and would answer the Parson in Responds and thence go to dinner, and then to play: They never prayed in their families, but some of them going to bed, would say over the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer, & some of them the Hail Mary: All the year long, not a serious word of holy things, or the Life to come, that I could hear of, proceeded from them. They read not the Scripture, nor any good Book or Catechism. Few of them could read, or had a Bible: They were of two ranks; the greater part were good Husbands as they called them, and savoured of nothing but their business or Interest in the World; the rest were Drunkards: Most were Swearers, but not equally: Both ⟨p. 91⟩sorts seemed utter strangers to any more of Religion than I have named; and loved not to hear any serious talk of God, or Duty, or Sin, or the Gospel, or Judgment, or the Life to come: But some more hated it than others: The other sort were such as had their Consciences awakened to some regard of God and their Everlasting State; and according to the various measures of their understanding, did speak and live as serious in the Christian Faith, and would much enquire what was Duty, and what was Sin, and how to please God, and to make sure of Salvation; and made this their Business and Interest, as the rest did the world. They read the Scripture, and such Books as The Practice of Piety; and Deut's Plain Man's Path Way; and Dod on the Commandments, &c. They used to pray in their Families, and alone; some on the Book, and some without: They would not Swear, nor Curse, nor take God's Name lightly: They feared all known sin: They would go to the next Parish-Church to hear a Sermon when they had none at their own;