A27058:832
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.
§ 4. While he here himself accuseth the Times then of General Corruption, and the Church of Divisions, adding, [What Age hath been so happy as not to labour under those Evils?] he accuseth me of making misuse of Gregory's words, to represent the Council in an odious manner.
Answ. It is to represent the worser part in a lamentable manner, as far as Gregory did, and no further. And as to his quarrel at my citation, I shall say no more; but if the Reader will but read Gregory's own words, I willingly leave all that Cause to his Judgment: If he will not, my words cannot inform him.
Yet he himself saith [He doth indeed in several places find fault with this Council] And can you forgive him? I think I find no more than he did. But for this you find fault with him [He did resent the Injury (And was it an Injury?) and did not bear the deprivation of his Bishopric with the same generosity he proposed, which made him a little more sharp than was decent in his representation ⟨p. 138⟩of the Bishops—What wonder if sharpened with discontent, he exclaim with somewhat too great a passion against the administration of the Church which he had been forced to quit] Ans. All will be confessed anon, when I have been accused for saying it before him: That's his way. But it was not for leaving a high and fat Bishopric that he was grieved, but for being separated from the People that he had partly served in their lower state, and partly won from Heresy, and who came about him with tears entreating him not to forsake them. And though it were more than generosity to set light by the Honour and Wealth, it is treachery to set light by Souls: And they changed to their great loss. He resigned much to quiet the People lest they should do as they did for Chrysostom after him. It is no new thing for the Major vote of the Clergy to Envy those few that are better and more esteemed than themselves, nor yet for the Godly People to be loth to leave such pastors.