A27058:606
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.
Answ. This is our credible Historian.
1. He doth not tell us in what Ages it was so acknowledged; when those who doubt of the matter of fact, doubt but some of 100, some of 150, or 200 years: Doth any doubt whether it be so now?
2. He tells us not either what Species of Bishops the question is of, nor what Species of Presbyters, nor what the Superiority was.
3. He speaks without distinction or Exception, and so must be understood to say that this Church history would have us to believe that even President Bishops Ejusdem Ordinis had de facto no Superiority at all over Presbyters in the same Churches and of the same order with them, which is an untruth so gross as is no Credit to our Historian. I have named both more than one rank of Bishops whose Superiority de Jure I deny not: & Popes, Patriarchs, Primates, Diocesans who deposed the Bishops of single Churches, whose Superiority de facto I fully enough affirm, in the ages and degrees in which they did ascend.
3. He speaks without distinction or Exception, and so must be understood to say that this Church history would have us to believe that even President Bishops Ejusdem Ordinis had de facto no Superiority at all over Presbyters in the same Churches and of the same order with them, which is an untruth so gross as is no Credit to our Historian. I have named both more than one ranck of Bishops whose Superiority de Jure I deny not: & Popes, Patriarchs, Primates, Diocesans who deposed the Bishops of single Churches, whose Superiority de facto I fully enough affirm, in the ages and degrees in which they did ascend.