A27058:863
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.
§ 15. When I commend the Novatians Canon, which allowed all men Liberty for the Time of Easter, as better than burning men as Heretics, he takes it for an Immoderate Transport that I say▪ [as loud as I can speak, If all the Proud, Ambitious, Hereticating part of the Bishops had been of this mind, O what sin, what scandal, and what shame, what cruelties, confusions and miseries had the Christian world escaped?] That is, had they left such Indifferent things as Indifferent.
§ 15. When I commend the Novatians Canon, which allowed all men Liberty for the Time of Easter, as better than burning men as Hereticks, he takes it for an Immoderate Transport that I say▪ [as loud as I can speak, If all the Proud, Ambitious, Hereticating part of the Bishops had been of this mind, O what sin, what scandal, and what shame, what cruelties, confusions and miseries had the Christian world escaped?] That is, had they left such Indifferent things as Indifferent.
And is this against Moderation? I would such Zeal of God's House had more eaten me up: Dare you deny but that this course would have saved the Lives of all those thousands of Albigenses, Waldenses, and Bohemians that the Papists killed: And the death and torment of multitudes by the Inquisition? And the burning of our Smithfield Martyrs: And it's like most of the Wars between the Old Popes and Emperors about Investitures? And the blood of many thousand more. And it would have saved more Nations than ours from the Tearing and Division of Churches by the Ejecting and Silencing of hundreds or thousands of their Pastors, as the case of the Germane Interim, and other ⟨p. 146⟩such actions prove. And is it Immoderate Transport to wish all this Blood, Schism, Hatred and Confusion, and weakening and shaming of the Church had been prevented at the rate of Tolerating Indifferent things: No wonder if you had rather England still suffered what it doth, and is in danger of by Schism, than such things Indifferent shall be tolerated: It is not for nothing that Christ and Paul repeat, that some have Eyes and see not, Ears and hear not, &c.