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A50343
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A vindication of the primitive church, and diocesan episcopacy in answer to Mr. Baxter's Church history of bishops, and their councils abridged : as also to some part of his Treatise of episcopacy.
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Maurice, Henry, 1648-1691.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing M1371; ESTC R21664
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320,021
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648
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before the Council of Toledo writeth a Sermon for them the Bishops wherein he tells them that every Parish that have twelve Families must have their proper Governor i. e. a Presbyter Whereas that is not part of the King's Sermon as Mr. B. calls that Prince his Letter to the Council but a Canon of the Council it self For the King's Letter ends long before with a Formal Date Dat. die 70 faeliciter 60 Regni Toleto In the same Page Mr. B. to shew his Skill makes Willibrood and Wilfrid to be the same I wonder the more at this because Binius in this very place from whence Mr. B. takes his account of Willibrood and Wilfrid does plainly make them to be two persons but when Mr. B. goes to play the Critick this is constantly his Success But Binius leads him into a mistake p. 253. where he transcribes out of his Author That Ludovicus deprives him Pepin of his Kingdom of Italy and divideth it between his two Sons by the Second Wife Charles and Rodolphus It is great news to Historians to hear that Lewis had two Sons by his Second Wife since no mention is made of any other but Charles the Writer of that Emperor's Life speaks of no other nor Ammonius who transcribes him nor the following Chronicles Girard Vignier Mezeraye who reckon up Lewis his Children have no such person and say expresly that Judith had but one Son She had a Brother indeed nam'd Rodolphus but he had no share of the Empire But this Division of Pepin's Kingdom was between Lotharius and Charles as the Annal. Franc. before mentioned do deliver Nor was Italy the Kingdom of Pepin the Son of Lewis as Binius and Mr. B. tells us but Aquitain Lotharius had been a good while before made King of Italy and Crown'd by the Pope in the place of Bernard Mr. B. by way of Remark p. 342. says That it was no wonder that Pope Benedict and his Company should condemn Berengarius but Lanfrancus in his Book against Berengarius writes that Leo the Ninth was the first that condemn'd him some Years after the Death of Benedict Anno Dom. 1050. We have a Conjecture of Mr. B's p. 356. that is not unpleasant and that shews his profound Skill in History He cites an Epistle of Gregory the Seventh to the King of Denmark where among other things he invites him to send his Son with an Army to conquer a Maritine province not far from Rome possess'd by vile and sluggish Hereticks What Province he means says Mr. B. I am not certain unless it be the Waldenses It is pretty well guess'd For Gregory the Seventh died in the Year 1085. and P. Waldo from whom the Waldenses had their Denomination began to be taken notice of about the Year 1160. But Fourscore Years break no Square nor is our Author much more happy in his Geography than in his Chronology For p. 421. He tells us that there was a Council held at Vienna near France As if a Man should say the City of Sarum near England But there would be no end of instancing all the Oversights of this Church-History the Reader may dip at adventure and if he do not light upon Mistakes as Remarkable as any of these he has but ill Fortune He that takes any pleasure to trace Beveus and Mistakes may find here an endless Comedy of Errors 5. But I had almost forgot one Qualification very requisite for a Church-Historian which must not be omitted the Learned call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the want of which betrays a Writer sometimes when Fortune is not propitious into great Absurdities I will not be so bold with Mr. B. as to say this was the Occasion of a strange Misadventure of his p. 122. For speaking of the Canon of Scripture concluded upon in a Council at Rome under Pope Gelasius Mr. B. makes a wonderful Discovery that in the Canon they put a Book called ORDO HISTORIARVM And now let the Church of Rome value it self if it dare for having preserv'd the Canon of Scripture entire and undiminish'd since Mr. B. plainly discovers a Book to have been once in their Canon which is not now to be found in any of the Pope's Bibles A strange thing this that no body should ever discover this before But I wonder that he did not find out another Book in that Canon every whit as strange as this and that is Ordo Prophetarum For there it is as a General Title before the Prophets as this Ordo Historiarum is before some Historical Books This mistake is as if a Man should find a Chapter in the Bible call'd Contents or a Book call'd Apocrypha I have given these few Instances out of many of Mr. B's great Abilities in Church-History that the Reader may perceive how much this Infamous Libel against Bishops and Councils is to be depended upon and let any Man that has any acquaintance with these Mattters judge impartially whether this History do really disgrace Bishops or Councils or any body else so effectually as it does the Author And if this be the Effect of having made History ones long and hard Study even let us burn Binius and Baronius and go make Buttons We may with honest Application employ our time so to much better purpose I must detain the Reader a little longer with this Preface while I endeavor to clear some Passages of this Book which may seem to be answered already the Effect of them being said in behalf of Episcopacy and replied to on the part of the Dissenters For some part of this Book being Printed 8 or 9 Months ago and the Subject having been treated by several Hands it could not be but that several things should be said to the same effect in Answer to Mr. B's Allegations for the Congregational Way and in Confirmation of Diocesan Episcopacy with what is written here and being replied to there seem already to have receiv'd their Answer Wherefore I conceiv'd it necessary to take off such Exceptions as prevented any Passages in this Book and because it could not be done conveniently in the Book it self to reserve them for the Preface But upon Examination I found them to be fewer than I did at first imagine For Mr. Baxter since his Church-History and Treatise of Episcopacy has made no farther Impression into this Controversie I have examin'd some Chapters of that Book that pursu'd the Design of this History by the Addition of several Historical Passages to disgrace the Episcopal Government as the occasion of all Mischiefs in the Church As for the first part about the Order of Bishops it had too many particulars to be minutely considered but the Substance of it having been said in short in the first Chapter of his Church and more at large in his Disputation of Church Government has been examin'd in the beginning of this Book Dr. O. hath follow'd Mr. B. in the Congregational way and as for his Allegations out of Antiquity they
Dioscorus cry'd cum Patribus ejicior and his followers were afterwards call'd Eutychians though they did not own his doctrines as some of the Eastern Christians are call'd Nestorians though they do not really hold the doctrine of Nestorius but the very same with the Eastern Bishops that mistook Cyril and with Theodorus Tarsens and Mopsuest who were misunderstood on the other side by Cyril But of this we have said enough already CHAP. VII The Council of Chalcedon NOw comes the great Council of Chalcedon under the new Emperour Martian p. 99. §. 14. where all is chang'd for a time yet Pulcheria who married him and made him Emperour and whose power then was great was the same that before had been against Nestorius in her Brothers reign Thus far our Church Historian It is a marvellous observation that all should be chang'd for a time and yet Pulcheria be the same that condemn'd Nestorius in her Brothers reign She was the same person I suppose though I dare not maintain any identity against the splitting instruments which he borrows of Derodon those Metaphysical terms I mean which we have mentioned before and our Authors charms and imaginary remedies against Heresie those Notions that he bewails the ancient Bishops were so dull as not to be able to find out But if out of special grace he will allow Pulcheria to be the same Pulcheria in and after her brothers reign we must acknowledge his good nature in the concession But where is the wonder all this while that matters should change and yet she be still the same It may be that she might not have always the same credit and authority with her brother and if Nicephorus may be believ'd in a story that hangs very well together and is very probable l. 14. c. 47 c. her interest was very low when the Second Council of Ephesus was call'd for the end of it was to ruine her favourite Flavian who had given her notice of a Court-plot that was form'd against her to shave her and thrust her into a Monastery So that it is not much to be wondred at if Pulcheria when she had the power in her own hands should change some things that had been done against her will and perhaps design'd by the Court on purpose to affront her This then cannot be the wonder and it would vex a man to see one stare and stand agast and yet not be able to find out the subject of the admiration It may be for I will venture to guess once more that the wonder is that the same Pulcheria should condemn Eutyches that had condemn'd Nestorius before But why should we wonder at this in Pulcheria more than in Flavian in Eusebius Doryl and a great many others that did the same thing at that time Nay did not all the world in a manner all the Catholick Church condemn both these Will he say that these are contradictory Doctrines and therefore one must be true and the other false But Mr. B. has determined already that Cyril Nestorius Flavian Eutyches all of them meant the same thing and what wonder then is it if a devout Lady could not find this secret consent of doctrine under appearing contradictions when the learned Bishops could not do it nor after ages nor the subtile distinguishing School-men no nor Derodon himself However since we cannot discern the drift and shrewdness of the observation we ought thankfully to accept what we can understand though that be no great news That Pulcheria that was Empress after her Brothers death was the very same that condemn'd Nestorius in her Brothers reign This profound Remark is immediately follow'd by another of great acuteness p. 100. sect 14. That it was never truer than in the case of general Councils that the multitude of Physicians exasperateth the disease and kills the patient And yet our Author will have these Physicians multiply'd without end If every Congregation have its own Bishop what general agreement can we then expect what unity in a Nation when Bishops are grown so inordinately numerous Since it can be no otherwise than by a consultation of these Physicians that the publick Peace and Unity can be preserv'd Or if this Expedient should fail what other way is there left Our Author comes in here and relieves us in a great strait and offers a remedy more Soveraign than all the Hereticating Councils in the World In short it is this The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the one nature after Vnion the words One Will and one Operation had never done half so much mischief in the Church if the erroneous had been confuted by neglect p 100. sect 14. and Councils had not exasperated enraged and engag'd them and set all the world on taking one side or another It is an admirable way to cure Heresie to neglect it and to preserve the Church by despising such small differences as may be reduced into a Word It was but a word that divided the Arians and the Orthodox It was but the Trinity Servetus said that divided all the World Despise the disputes about this and then Christians Jews and Mahumetans may be comprehended under the same Rule It is but the Import of the word Episcopus that our Dissenters stand so much upon why does not Mr. B. perswade them to despise this Verbal Controversie and study rather to be quiet than to write about it But we find he cannot perswade himself to this otherwise the Shops would have wanted divers books that he hath publisht this year Nay we find that he himself will not be answer'd with Neglect So that we are like to find little benefit of this rare project for confuting the disturbers of the Church For though six of his Books that came out in little more than six months were let pass without any Answer that I know of yet this Patience has been so far from mending his humour that he writes and writes on still runs us down with Repetitions proclaims his own victories and insults over our silence and in short he cannot be more violent and outragious more bitter and malicious under all the provocations imaginable than he is under that Neglect which himself is pleased to prescribe for the cure of them I wish our Author had taken his own advice before this Book was written practic'd this Mortification upon himself And not gone on as he does still to disturb the world with perpetual contentions to no purpose but to shew how much he wants of a Scholar and a Christian But however men may be confuted yet they are seldom convinc'd by neglect and therefore lest that expedient might fail our Projector slurs in another p. 100. ubi supra One skilful healing man that could have explicated ambiguous terms and perswaded men to love and peace until they understood themselves and one another had more befriended Truth Piety and the Church than all the Hereticating Councils did And why may not this skilful man