A27058:789
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.
§ 8. As to the Audians, I recite but Epiphanius's words, who in other cases is greatly valued by these Accusers: They will believe what he saith of Aerius. And as to what he saith to the contrary out of Theodoret, he may see that he saith all by hearsay, and saith, that They hid that which he accuseth them of, and were Hypocrites, professing too much strictness, l. 4. c. 9. which is still the common way of accusing the best, against whom instead of provable faults, they turn their strictness into a crime. Epiphanius is much more particular than Theodoret in the story.
§ 8. As to the Audians, I recite but Epiphanius's words, who in other cases is greatly valued by these Accusers: They will believe what he saith of Aerius. And as to what he saith to the contrary out of Theodoret, he may see that he saith all by hearsay, and saith, that They hid that which he accuseth them of, and were Hypocrites, professing too much strictness, l. 4. c. 9. which is still the common way of accusing the best, against whom instead of proveable faults, they turn their strictness into a crime. Epiphanius is much more particular than Theodoret in the story.
§ 9. The rest which he noteth of my words of the Council ⟨p. 131⟩of Nice, have nothing needing a reply. Petavius hath fully proved that the Chorepiscopi were true Bishops. But now we are odious Presbyterians if we would but have a Bishop in every City, that is, Corporation, Desiring only that Discipline might become possible. And for this we are proclaimed to be against Bishops; that is, saith this sort of men; They that would have but One Bishop over a thousand, or many hundred, or score Churches, are for Episcopacy; and they that would have every Church have a Bishop, as of old, or at least every great Town, and so would have twenty, or forty, or a hundred for one, are against Episcopacy: And that which is strange is, These men are believed.