A27058:975
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.
Ans. Who denieth it? But the question is, how he shall be ⟨p. 168⟩heard and prevail? I told you that here One man in one sentence did so, by differencing between mental distinguishing and dividing; even Basil of Seleucia, saying, [Cognoscimus duas naturas, non dividimus; neque divisas, neque confusas dicimus.] This was true and plain enough, to have ended all the quarrel: But who laid hold on it, or did improve it? What the better was Nazianzen for speaking well in the Council at Constantinople? Or Chrysostom for any thing he could say to the Bishops for himself? I hope few of all that great number of Councils that were Arian, Semiarian, Eutychian, Monothelites, for Images, &c. were so bad as to have never a Bishop among them that could or would speak right: But did they prevail? In the very Council at Trent were more good Speeches than did prevail; and if Luther, Melanchthon, Zuinglius, and such others, had not done more good singly by Writing and Preaching, than Dudithius could do at Trent, or any of them at Worms, or Ratisbone, &c. there had been little done. What good did Philpot do in the Convocation? Some say one Paphnutius turned the Inclination of the first Nicene Council for good; But that hearing temper was too short or rare.
Ans. Who denieth it? But the question is, how he shall be ⟨p. 168⟩heard and prevail? I told you that here One man in one sentence did so, by differencing between mental distinguishing and dividing; even Basil of Seleucia, saying, [Cognoscimus duas naturas, non dividimus; neque divisas, neque confusas dicimus.] This was true and plain enough, to have ended all the quarrel: But who laid hold on it, or did improve it? What the better was Nazianzen for speaking well in the Council at Constantinople? Or Chrysostome for any thing he could say to the Bishops for himself? I hope few of all that great number of Councils that were Arian, Semiarian, Eutychian, Monothelites, for Images, &c. were so bad as to have never a Bishop among them that could or would speak right: But did they prevail? In the very Council at Trent were more good Speeches than did prevail; and if Luther, Melanchthon, Zuinglius, and such others, had not done more good singly by Writing and Preaching, than Dudithius could do at Trent, or any of them at Wormes, or Ratisbone, &c. there had been little done. What good did Philpot do in the Convocation? Some say one Paphnutius turned the Inclination of the first Nicene Council for good; But that hearing temper was too short or rare.