The True History of Councils, Part 3 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. His Cenſure of my Deſign, and Church-Principles, conſidered.
§ 1. AS to this his firſt Chapter I have before ſhewed how falſly he reporteth my deſign. He ſaith he never ſaw any thing which more reflecteth on Religion: Lucian and Julian have left nothing ha…f ſo ſcandalous in all their Libels againſt Chriſtians, as this Church-Hiſtory has raked up: Here is nothing to be ſeen in his Book but the Avarice, Ignorance, Miſtakes and furious Contentions of the Governours of the Church.
Anſ. How falſe that is the Reader may ſee in all the beginning, the two Chapters in the end, and much in the midſt, which are written contrarily to obviate ſuch falſe thoughts 2. Is the aſcendent ſort of Prelates that were growing up to maturity till Gregory the Seventh's daies, the whole Church of God? Are there no other Chriſtians? Is all that is written againſt the Pope and ſuch Aſcendents, written againſt Chriſtianity? Did Chriſt ſpeak againſt Chriſtianity, when he reproved them for ſtriving who ſhould be greateſt? or Peter, when he counſelled them, as 1 Pet. 5. And Paul when he ſaid, I have no man like minded; for they all ſeek their own things, and not the things that are Jeſus Chriſt's? Or when he ſaid, Demas hath forſaken me, &c? Or John, when he ſaid, Diotrephes loved to have the preheminence? Or all thoſe Councils of Biſhops which condemned each other, far deeplier than I judge any of them?
What have I ſaid of Fact or Canons, which Binnius and their other Flatterers ſay not? Was it not there extant to the ſight of all?
And that I Recorded not all their Virtues, 1. The Hiſtory of Councils ſaith little of them. 2. Muſt no man ſhew the hurt of Drunkenneſs, Gluttony, &c. and ſo of Ambition and Churchcorruption, unleſs he will write ſo Voluminous a Hiſtory, as to contain alſo all the good done by all the perſons whom he blameth? I have oft ſaid, that I wondered that inſtead of ſo greedy gathering up all the ſcraps of Councils, the Papiſts did not burn them all, as they have done many better Books which made againſt them.
§ 2. I was about to anſwer all his firſt Chapter, but I find it ſo uſeleſs a work, that I ſhall eaſe my ſelf and the Reader of that labour. 1. He takes on him to anſwer a Piece of a Diſputation written about 23 years ago, whereas I have lately written a Treatiſe of Epiſcopacy, with fuller proof of the ſame things, which he nameth, and takes on him to anſwer ſome part of it, and anſwers not: Till he, or ſome other, ſhew me the miſtakes of that, let them talk on for me in their little Velitations.
2. Moſt that is conſiderable which he ſaith, is anſwered already in that Book: As his fiction that Unum Alt are in Ignatius, ſignifieth not an ordinary Communion Table, &c. And much more out of Ignatius, and many more is added, which he ſaith nothing to.
3. I have before ſhewed that he goeth on falſe Suppoſitions, that I am only for a Biſhop of a ſingle Congregation, or againſt all, and many ſuch; when yet he himſelf confeſſeth the contrary, yea derideth me for making Twelve ſorts of Biſhops, and being for ſuch as no Party is like to be pleaſed with.
4 The contradictions and miſtakes are ſo many as would tire the Reader to peruſe an anſwer to them.
And when he hath all done with the numbring of Churches, (over-paſſing the full proof of the Primitive Form of them which I gave as before) he confeſſeth that even his great eſteemed Jeſuite Valeſius, [believes that the City Church was but One even in Alexandria, and in Dionyſius's time, p. 64.
And while p. 65. he makes Petavius and Valeſius ſo much to differ, as to gather their contrary Opinions from the ſame words, and conſequently one of them at leaſt underſtood them not, I that profeſs my ſelf not comparable to either of them, ſpecially Petavius, in ſuch things, am taken for a falſifier, if I miſunderſtand a word that concerneth not the matter of the Hiſtory.
This therefore being not about Church-Hiſtory ſo much as againſt my Opinion of the Antient Government, when he hath anſwered the foreſaid Treatiſe of Epiſcopacy, if I live not, ſome one may reply, if he deal no better than in this.