Titus's Commiffion is, * For this Caufe left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldst set in order the Things that are wanting, and ordain Elders in every City, as I had appointed thee. In both these Cafes we find the intire Right and Power of electing and confecrating the Governors of the Church, that each of them, in their fingle Perfons, are expressly specified and directed in the Charge and Execution of it. In the firft it is plainly expreffed, Commit THOU, &c.In the fecond, and that THOU fhouldft ordain Elders, &c. as I had appointed THEE. And as, in the Nature of Things, it was apparently neceffary that the Church, as a Society diftinct from the State, fhould have a Power of electing its own Governors, which was incontestably the original Practice of the primitive Church; fo it was equally neceffary that she should have a Power of convening thefe Governors upon any Emergency, for the more regular and convenient Exercise of her spiritual Authority, fuch as the Election of Bishops, the determining Controversies, cenfuring Heretics and Schifmatics, enacting Laws for the better Preservation of Decency and Uniformity, and the punishing obftinate and incorrigible Sinners. And this, as appears from Hiftory, was the conftant Practice of the Catholic Church from the Beginning. It cannot be imagined that they would apply to the heathen Governors for Leave to affemble upon proper Occafions to confult and provide for the Neceffities of the Church, and the Maintenance of a Religion which they hated and perfecuted, and would for that Reason certainly have * Titus i. 5. refused refused to comply with any Request or Petition of that Kind. But when the Emperors became Chriftian, it cannot be doubted but that they promoted and encouraged, upon all Occafions, the Bifhops meeting together in Councils, and protected and affifted them with the civil Power, in the Discharge of every Branch of their Episcopal Duty; nor do I believe it can ever be made appear, that they at any time attempted to forbid or prevent their Meeting, whenever they thought fit to affemble themselves. For as they were always ready to convene them in general Councils, upon any notable Emergency, fo they neither did nor could prevent the calling pro vincial Synods, which, by the 30th Apoftolical Canon, were appointed to be held regularly twice every Year, viz. the firft on the 4th Week after Eafter, and the second on the 12th Day of October, to determine all Doctrines of Religion among themfelves, and to put an End to all Ecclefiaftical Controverfies that may happen. This was afterwards confirmed and enforced by the 5th Canon of the Council of Nice, and the 20th Canon of the Council of Antioch, with this Addition, That the Metropolitan fhould fummon the other Bishops, and that without a Metropolitan no Synod fhould be holden. This appears to have been the constant and uniform Practice of the primitive Church in their Election of Bishops, and convening of Synods, without any Interruption or Interpofition of the fecular Powers. The first Attempt that we read of to fubvert this original and natural Exercise of Ecclefiaftical Power was made by the Donatifts, who appealed to G to the Emperor Conftantine in an Ecclefiaftical Cause, to decide a Difpute they had raised concerning the Election of Caecilian into the See of Carthage. But this godly Emperor, in a Letter to the Bishops of the Council of Arles (which is extant inter Gefta purgationis Cæciliani & Falicis in fine Optati, Edii. Paris.) refused to accept their Appeal, as not belonging to him, and owned that the Bishops were the only proper Judges of their own Order; for that he himself was to be fubject to them. He says, it was the Work of the Devil, and an outragious daring Fury in thefe Donatifts, whom therefore he calls Proditors, to refuse to fubmit to the Judgment of their Bishops, which he calls the heavenly Judgment; and fays, the Contempt of it is an Infult offered to God himself. He fays, It is as clear as the Sun at Noon-day, that God had ordained his Church only to judge, in fuch Cafes, and refused to be joined in Commiffion with them, as if he had any Part in it. What Madness (fays he) poffeffes them that with incredible Arrogance, they think they may do that which cannot lawfully be either spoke or heard, and departing from the rightful Judgment which God hath ordained, they require my Judgment together with that of the Church! What malignant Violence poffeffes them! How often have they been justly reproved by myself for those wicked Additions to God's Word in thefe Cafes! For I declare (as the Truth is) that the Judgment of Priests ought to be accounted as the Judgment of God.himself. So far was this pious Emperor from claiming any Kind or Degree of fpiritual Jurifdiction over the Church, that he calls it an Addition to God's Word. As the Donatifts were the first who appealed to the civil Power from the Decifions of the Church, in a VOL. II. Matter N Matter of purely Ecclefiaftical Cognizance; fo the Eufebians did the fame to Conftantius, the firft heretical Emperor; who made fuch Ufe of the Advantage they gave him, that he had well nigh overthrown the Chriftian Faith. But Athanafius and Hoftus with great Zeal opposed and protested against this dangerous Innovation and Violation of the Rights of the Church, faying, that they that did appeal to Constantius in Ecclefiaftical Matters, did fet him up instead of Chrift: That to make himself a Prince of Bishops, and to prefide in Ecclefiaftical Judicature, made him the very fame Abomination of Defolation, foretold by Daniel the Prophet, * Do not (fays Hofius the aged Bishop of Corduba) concern thyfelf in Ecclefiaftical Affairs, nor command us in thefe Matters; but rather learn thofe Things of us. God hath given to thee the Empire, and he hath entrusted us with those Things that belong to the Church. And as he that with malignant Eyes reproacheth thy Empire, oppofeth the Ordinance of God; fo do thou beware, left drawing to thee thofe Things that belong to the Church, thou thereby fall into a heavy Condemnation. It is written, Give unto Cefar the Things that are Cefar's, and to God the Things that are God's. It is not lawful for us, O Emperor, to invade thy earthly Empire; neither haft thou the Power of holy Things +. The late Bishop Burnet, who was never fufpected of Partiality to his own Epifcopal Order, tells us in his Hiftory of the Regale, p. 30. That Conftantine did abfolutely renounce the Power of electing Bishops, *Athan. Ep. ad Solitar. p. 861, 862. of which he produces feveral Instances; that writing to the Bishops affembled at Antioch for the Election of a Bishop, he leaves the Choice intirely to them, defiring them that the Election may be made accord+ ing to the Rule of the Church, and the Tradition of the Apostles, p. 31. He takes notice of Conftantius's depriving the orthodox Bifhops, and putting Arians in their Rooms by his own Authority; and he quotes an Epiftle of Hilary writing to thefe CourtBishops: O ye Bishops, I pray you what Suffrages did the Apoftles make use of? did they receive their Dignity from the Palace? But then he tells us afterwards, that this Precedent was not univerfally followed. Though fome furious Emperors pushed hard, after the Example of Conftantius, to enlarge their Prerogative, yet others refufed it. He tells us, p. 37, 38. how the Emperor Valentinian, about the Year 347, upon the Death of Alexentius, Bishop of Milan, who was an Arian, called the Bishops together, and defired them to chofe fuch a Bishop, as might both by his Life and Doctrine inftruct thofe whom he was to govern, and that he might fee fuch a Perfon fet up, as that he who held the Empire, might chearfully fubmit himself to him. This Speech of the Emperor's, as related by Theodoret, Lib. IV. Cap. 6, 7, is fo very remarkable, that I cannot help giving it you intire in his own Words. Having convened the Bishops, he addreffed himself to them in these Words: * You whe have * Ἴτε σαφῶς ἅ τὲ δὴ τοῖς θένοις λόγοις ἐντεθραμμένοι ὁποίον είναι προσήκει τον ̓Αρχιερωσύνης ἠξιωμένον· καὶ ὡς ἐ χρὴ λόγῳ μόνο, ἄλλα καὶ βίῳ τάς Αρχεμένες ρυθμίζειν, καὶ πάσης ἀρετῆς ἑαυτὸν ἀρχέλυπον προτιθέναι, καὶ μαρτυρα ἔχειν τῆς διδασκαλίας τὴν πολι N 2 |