A27058:584
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.
§ 1. IF we had not Eusebius, Socrates and Sozomen, how naked should we be left, and much unacquainted with the case of the Church from the Apostles; (Besides Theodorets History) till 440. And what a shake is given to the Credit of all these by Mr. M. and others of greater name?
Though Eusebius himself be by Petavius and many other Papists accounted an Arian, yea and seemingly proved such, and by Bellarmine de Script. Eccles. its said that Athanasius so calls him, and Jerome calls him the Arian Signifer and Prince, and the 7th General Council so judgeth him, yet Socrates vindicateth him, and thinks he is wronged: And indeed though his own Epistle written to his Flock be not justifiable, incautious and unjustifiable words were too Common before his days (as Petavius hath too fully proved) with those that we must not yet call Arians. But while Bellarmine and Mr. M. charge Socrates and ⟨p. 97⟩Sozomen as Novatians that is Heretics themselves, they deprive Eusebius of much of their defence; and render his History the more suspicious.
Though Eusebius himself be by Petavius and many other Papists accounted an Arian, yea and seemingly proved such, and by Bellarmine de Script. Eccles. its said that Athanasius so calls him, and Jerom calls him the Arian Signifer and Prince, and the 7th General Council so judgeth him, yet Socrates vindicateth him, and thinks he is wronged: And indeed though his own Epistle written to his Flock be not justifyable, incautelous and unjustifyable words were too Common before his daies (as Petavius hath too fully proved) with those that we must not yet call Arians. But while Bellarmine and Mr. M. charge Socrates and ⟨p. 97⟩Sozomen as Novatians that is Hereticks themselves, they deprive Eusebius of much of their defence; and render his History the more suspicious.