Baxter - BR161 B28 1680

z2ó Church--Hflory of Bops and themfelves and their Brethren that had held the former univerfal Synod, and fet up Images again. § 5-'5 By the way, I appeal from Pride and Ignorance , to Chriftian So- briety and Reafon, how the taking downof Images can (in theRoman fenfe) Dfr . be called an Herefie, unlefs it be anArticleof Faith, that Images muff or may be ufed. And can any Man that ever read and believed the Scriptures, and theWritings of the firft four hundred years , believe that having or wor fhipingof Images,or Saints by Ímages, is an Article of Faith,or neceffary to Salvation ? The belt of them that anyMan can plead with Modefty is, that they are indeerent,or lawful,and ufeful to fome Perfons. The Papijts tell us now that they would not compel us to bow towardImages,but leave it to our liberty.. Muff :it be Herefie, and theChriftian world caft into diftraEti- ons about it, when yet this Image-worfhip is Idolatry in the fenfe ofone part of Chriffians, andbut indifferent andconvenient to the ignorant ( that have other helps enow) in the fenfeof others? O.what a Plague bath it been to the world, to have a.worldly Clergy, invade the Churches ! § .5'6. At the . meetingof this Council we have firft the Call and Title, iu . which,. r. TheEmperor and his Mother are called the Governors of the whole. world, ( Orbic Terrarum.) Andyet our Pap's (as.W. johnjin in his No- velty repreît, &c.) would makeMen believe that if they findbut fuch a fay. ingof aCouncil, or of the Church, it muff needs fignifie more than the Em- pire, even all.the Earth indeed. m. I.'3 expreflyPaid . over and over, that this Council was called by the Emperor, and by theirDecree andCommand. Tharafaus beginnethwithtelling them theneed of Reformation (for Ima - ges,) and reporting how they were affaulted at Conjtantinople, when they, met there, ( and fo removed to Nice, ) &c. § 5-7. Next the Letters of theEmprefs and her Son are- read, in which they are before made know what they muft do. They are told what Paul Confit on his Death-bed faid for Images, and that.Tarafaus would not take. the Patriaçchate till he had peomifeof aCouncil to reffore them;:, and. fome._ hopes of it. The Emperor here faith, that [ he called ' and Congregated the Synod, and that ex univerfe terrarum orbe,out of the whole earthly world;] and yet it was onlyout of the Roman Empire, §.58. When the Bifhops bufinefs was fo well made known'by theWoman that called them, firlt three Bifhops that had been lately forward fpeakers agáinft Images in the. former General Council under Conftantine, did humbly confers their fm to theCouncil, and asked forgivenefs; that ,is, Bafil. Ancyrte, f'heodoruo Myron, and Theodofius Amorii. And firft Bafal Bithop of Ancyra . gave, them his Creed, in which he profeffed to.:" believe in the, Trinity, and " to embrace the interceffton of the. Mother ofGod, and of the heavenly Powers, ac=and-'of all theSaints, and with all honour to receive andembrace their holy 6 "Z eíigoses, firmy believing that he may be made. Partaker of their .bolznefs

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