A27058:706
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
The particular Defence of the History of Councils and Schisms. › Chapter 18: Of his Second Chapter.
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. Pag. 78. He would have men believe that it is Discipline against real Heresy, that I find so much fault with, and ascribe all mischief to—
§ 1. PAg. 78. He would have men believe that it is Discipline against real Heresie, that I find so much fault with, and ascribe all mischief to—
Answ. Utterly contrary to my most open Profession: It is only making those things to seem Heresy that are none (either Truth, or mere difference of words, or small mistakes,) or curing Heresies by rash Anathema's, without necessary precedent means of Conviction, or by Banishment or Blood.
Answ. Utterly contrary to my most open Profession: It is only making those things to seem Heresie that are none (either Truth, or meer difference of words, or small mistakes,) or curing Heresies by rash Anathema's, without necessary precedent means of Conviction, or by Banishment or Blood.
§ 2. Is this it that you defend the Church for, and we oppose it for? When we would have none in our Churches whom we know not, and that have not personally, if at Age, profest understandingly their Faith. And what is the Discipline that you exercise on Heretics? It's enough that you know them ⟨p. 115⟩not, and so never trouble them. Your Talk and Pamphlets truly complain what swarms of Hobbists, Sadducees, Infidels, Atheists, are among us: Do they not all live in the Parishes and Dioceses? Doth the Bishop know them? Are any of them Excommunicated? I could never learn yet how to know who are Members of your Churches: Is it all that dwell in the Parishes? Then all these aforesaid, with Jews and Papists, are in it: And then why are ten parts of some Parishes suffered without Discipline to shun the Parish Church-Communion? Is it all that hear you? Then 1. Ten parts in some Parishes, and two or three, or half in others are not of your Church, and hear you not, and many Nonconformists hear you. 2. And any Infidel may hear. Bare hearing was never made a sufficient note of a Church-Member. 3. And how can you tell who all be that hear you in an uncertain crowd? 4. And why doth not your Discipline meddle with constant Non-Communicants?