A27058:593
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.
§ 5. But when it serveth his turn he can gather out of Sozomen that even in Constantine's time, Constantinople was [Altogether a Christian City] Because he mentioneth the great Enlargement of it; and great increase of Christianity: When as no man that lived could be a sitter judge of the number of Christians in his time than Chrysostom: And he that considered that there and every where Constantine left all the Jews and Heathens uncompelled to be Christians, yea and used them commonly in places of dignity and Government in City, Provinces and Armies, and that they continued in such power under many Emperors after him, will hardly believe that in Constantine's time C. P. had half or a quarter so many Christians as were in the time of Arcadius and Chrysostom; And yet then Chrysostom conjectureth the Christians to be an hundred thousand, and all the City poor half as many, but the Jews and Heathens not to be numbered. See him one Act 4. Hom. 11. When he is making the most of their estate and numbers, saith he [I pray you tell me: How great a number of all sorts of men hath our City? How many Christians ⟨p. 100⟩will you that there be (That is will you grant, or do you think there be?) Will you that there be [Greek or Hebrew] an hundred thousand? But how great is the Number of Jews and Ethnics? How many pounds of Gold have been gathered? (or Myriads?) And how great is the Number of the Poor? (that is, of the whole City?) I do not think they are above fifty thousand (Commelin. hath put an hundred thousand, as Erasmus Translation, I suppose by the Error of the Press.) Now if there was in Chrysostom's days but an hundred thousand (which many say is not near so many as there be in two Parishes here, Martins and Stepney) it is not like that in Constantine's Time they were half so many at most. And yet I am far from thinking that there was then no more than usually met in an Assembly, or could so meet.
§ 5. But when it serveth his turn he can gather out of Sozomen that even in Constantine's time, Constantinople was [Altogether a Christian City] Because he mentioneth the great Enlargement of it; and great encrease of Christianity: When as no man that lived could be a sitter judge of the number of Christians in his time than Chrysostom: And he that considered that there and every where Constantine left all the Jews and Heathens uncompelled to be Christians, yea and used them commonly in places of dignity and Government in City, Provinces and Armies, and that they continued in such power under many Emperours after him, will hardly believe that in Constantine's time C. P. had half or a quarter so many Christians as were in the time of Arcadius and Chrysostom; And yet then Chrysostom conjectureth the Christians to be an hundred thousand, and all the City poor half as many, but the Jews and Heathens not to be numbred. See him one Act 4. Hom. 11. When he is making the most of their estate and numbers, saith he [I pray you tell me: How great a number of all sorts of men hath our City? How many Christians